Key Points Of Harvest Time

[spacejes]

Many critical posts, I think it was a really helpfull yet.
I just have one question, you say "This is all right as the low humidity will cut down on light uptake anyway, plus it helps to make sure liquid foods within the plants drain down to the root zone.", the question is, how low can I let the humudity go and still have optimal light uptake?

Maybe i should ad, im in the last weeks of bloom.

 

[plhkarma]

For what reason...? Is there a reason it should be deleted...?

If Admin want to delete it I'm sure they will however it was put up for the sole purpose of helping members harvest and what to look out for in the plant to show signs of plants being ready to harvest.

Still looking forward to a reason why it should be deleted..?

I've only been a member on here for just over a month. So yes, I'm a newbie. I have learned to ignore the posts that attack others. Seems like schoolyard petty bs. Just had to get that off my chest.
My question is....is flushing outdoor(inground) plants beneficial? I've found 1 post that just said it wasn't needed. I, for one, value your opinion wrams. Will be harvesting 1 plant in about 2 weeks and another in about 3 weeks.

 

[Indian Culture]

My friend taught me to use a 100x microscope and look at the trichomes, I like to pick mine when there is alot of amber.

 

[Panama Red]

Plagiarism

Plagiarism

For what reason...? Is there a reason it should be deleted...?

If Admin want to delete it I'm sure they will however it was put up for the sole purpose of helping members harvest and what to look out for in the plant to show signs of plants being ready to harvest.

Still looking forward to a reason why it should be deleted..?

It shouldn't be deleted.

Wrams it was very nice of you to copy and paste the article here for everyone, BUT, you should have at least given credit to the original author, Nico Escondido.

It was published in High Times 3 years ago.

 

[plhkarma]

I've only been a member on here for just over a month. So yes, I'm a newbie. I have learned to ignore the posts that attack others. Seems like schoolyard petty bs. Just had to get that off my chest.
My question is....is flushing outdoor(inground) plants beneficial? I've found 1 post that just said it wasn't needed. I, for one, value your opinion wrams. Will be harvesting 1 plant in about 2 weeks and another in about 3 weeks.

Anybody know the answer...please???

 

[igrowkushbitch]

plhkarma what type of nutrients are you using? if you are using organic nutrients than no you don't have to. It is probably good edict to hit them with water the last week or so just to be sure. But as for synthetic nutrients you most definitely need to flush them. I like to do 2 weeks of flushing and hit my girls with some clearex at least once during those 2 weeks.

 

[plhkarma]

plhkarma what type of nutrients are you using? if you are using organic nutrients than no you don't have to. It is probably good edict to hit them with water the last week or so just to be sure. But as for synthetic nutrients you most definitely need to flush them. I like to do 2 weeks of flushing and hit my girls with some clearex at least once during those 2 weeks.

We are using FF Tiger Bloom and Molasses. Our girls are planted in the ground.

Thank You!

 

[BBoarderGirl]

I've used the methods discribed here forever and they work really well for me....however, you must pay extra attention to your buds after putting them into jars as mold and mildew will attack and there's nothing worse then checking your buds and see they are useless because of fungi :-(

 

[the gnome]

thanks for posting this wram, answered allmy Qs I just posted haha!

this should...needs to be stickied at the top of this forum.

 

[ShroomDr]

What Time of Day to Harvest?​

Outdoor herb is often harvested during the daytime hours and the result is a harsh, difficult burn and an extra long cure.

This is a pretty reckless statement. There are plenty of reasons bud could taste like shit, assuming it was harvested at the wrong time of the day is a 'grand canyon' sized leap.

Did you observe any of this Wrams? Did you harvest pre dawn, and then late afternoon and compare the differences or are you just parroting someone elses claims?

Do 'responsible' outdoor croppers stop chopping at dawn? Is this the only outdoor bud that tastes and burns well? Do they separate the predawn from the daylight harvest? I realize you cant answer any questions in this paragraph and that is why you cant draw the conclusions you do.



Ive never noticed a difference in harvesting indoor plants before the lights, during the lights or right after the lights go out.

 

[dankydoodle]

I tried to rep u again for this post, lool! Anyway, good post for sure, thanks.

 

[statusquo]

I agree that this post has some errors and it looks like it was put together based on mere heresay.

First of all, cops can't just detect pot plants from a helicopter...also hanging buds upside down as opposed to any other way doesn't do anything special. I would certainly recommend storing bud in mason jars especially at the smaller amounts the OP/others have. Glass > plastic. Bud can last for many years in an airtight, dark and dry and environment (not 12 months like the OP said). The last thing I can remember without reading over the post again is that many people prefer a mix of trichrome colors. All milky is not what most growers shoot for. In addition, the method is not universal and varies strain to strain; I have smoked buds with a bunch of amber trichs that were still uplifting and not couch locky at all and vice versa. That being said, this method used in conjunction with swollen calyxes (not hair colors, again,as the OP said) is a good way to determine ripeness.

I appreciate the contribution (doesn't seem like much/any effort was put in, especially considering it was copied and pasted without a source too) and the time you took however I feel many of the newer growers are being slightly mislead by this guide. A lot of the info is decent but many new growers are assuming it's all true when it's not and this can be a dangerous thing.

 

[Rolldaddy]

I thought this forum will help folks out. Specially since he addressed using plastic bins for a larger crop. All the other threads I've read here only talk about curing in glass jars but that can be difficult when you have several P's

 

[PeopleWish]

I would NEVER wait until the stems snap to begin curing...........

 

[Hank Hemp]

I agree with 90% of this. I take my Ladies out and remove the largest fan leaves. Then remove them from the root ball and hang upside down. After a few days to a week I cut them down to limbs and hang some more. Depends on the moisture in the stems. I'll hang some to dry to smoke some I'll cure in mason jars.

 

[Bodean]

When curing in mason jars is it more beneficial to bundle them in loosely or put one bud per jar?

 

[DrFever]

Wow a old thread awakened from the dead lol here is my take on this matter
Key points on harvest time ?? and allot of myths,
Myth number 1 start flushing 2 weeks prior to chop day??? is this really needed ??
Flushing gets rid of the nutrients in the buds ???
Does this really make sense Really we veg and flower giving lots of food for like 90 days and last 2 weeks of flushing is going rid buds of its nutrients ???? hahaha i don;t think so
all your doing is starving the plant at its most crucial time where its needed the most to pack on the weight Flushing is only used as a last resort from a over abundance of nutrients, in the medium flushing causes stress .
Myth number 2 when i smoke my weed it snap crackles and pops that must be from not flushing your medium right ???? Wrong its from not drying and curing your weed properly

Myth number 3 when i chop i hang my plant upside down so that all the fluids go down to my buds could this be why ???
Again once you chop any plant from the moment you chopped the plant is dead and drying process starts. So anyone thinking fluids will move down into the bud for that extra weight or what ever , Sorry not going to happen,
All your doing is creating a mess of a trim while all leafs curl into the bud your just making more work for your self in the end

Myth - adding molasses, honey or sugar will make buds taste better
Again plants make there own sugars and starches all your doing by adding these is helping plant for any deficiencies throughout its life cycle that might occur
molasses is used for feeding micro organisms but again 99 percent of organic mediums have enough micro organisms to do a 365+ day grow growers tend to think it will help there colonies for there 90 day grow owe well to each there own right can't hurt i guess

Here for those that want the proper way to harvest there plants

Right after all the plants have been harvested, it is time to manicure them. Manicuring is simply cutting off the leaves that were growing from the buds. Cut off all the leaves surrounding the bud, so that just the bud remains.

Work over a glass table or some kind of smooth flat surface. This will make it easy to collect all the material that has been cut away from the buds. It is lower in THC than the buds, but rather than throw it away, you can use it to make hash oil.

When manicuring the buds, use a pair of scissors with small blades (to reach hard to get leaves) that is comfortable on your hands. If you have a small crop, you can handle the plants with bare hands.

The scissors will probably accumulate some hash on the cutting area. Although the amount is small, it is worth collecting. Let it air dry for a day or so before smoking (till you can pick it up without it sticking to your fingers).

With a large crop, wear powder free latex gloves. The latex gloves will collect trichome resin in a similar manner to the way live marijuana plants are rubbed to make hashish. The latex gloves have to be powder free or the powder will get mixed into the resin.

Do not touch anything other than the plants once you have put the gloves on. If you have to do something, remove the gloves you are wearing and put them in a plastic bag, prior to doing whatever it is that has to be done.

When finished, put on a pair of new gloves. Material on the first pair can be collected later. When you are finished manicuring all the plants, remove the gloves and place them in a plastic bag (to catch resin that drops off).

Put the plastic bag with the gloves in a freezer for 2-3 hours. The trichome resin can easily be peeled from the frozen latex gloves and consumed the same way you would use hashish.

If absolutely necessary, you can wait to manicure the buds. However, the job will take more time if you wait. Manicuring right after the plants are harvested will also speed the drying process.

Instead smoking marijuana directly after it is harvested and manicured, it is best to dry and cure it. Some new growers might be in such a rush to try the marijuana that they don't want to dry the crop, or they might be tempted to put buds in a microwave oven to dry them out.


Drying Marijuana After Harvest

You probably don't want to smoke marijuana that is harsh and bad tasting. If you do not take time to dry the bud, you will not get the best possible smell and taste your crop is capable of producing.

Proper drying and curing will also ensure maximum potency of the marijuana you have grown. Marijuana is not potent just after harvest. Some of the THC is in a non-psychoactive acidic form. Drying marijuana the right way will convert the non-psychoactive acidic compounds into psychoactive THC.

The area where the drying is done should be dark. Light and high temperatures (higher than about 80 degrees) will cause THC to break down into less desirable chemicals, this will lower the potency of the finished product.

There's a few ways to dry the crop either by using screens or hang the buds upside-down by the stem, from some string or wire. The drying marijuana must have some circulation blowing over it at all times. A gentle breeze that circulates air over all the plants is necessary. *Note by hanging stems on string buds need to be manicured

A fan or two will circulate air within the drying room. Fans will aid in drying the plants evenly, and reducing the chances of mold. If mold starts and is allowed to grow, it might ruin all of your crop. Mold looks like white fuzz and has an odor that is unpleasant.

You will have to keep the temperature and humidity within a certain range for optimal results. Conditions should remain constantly somewhere within the following ranges, temperature should be between 65-75 degrees F, relative humidity should be between 45%-55%.

At temperatures lower than 65 degrees, drying time will be lengthened. At temperatures higher than 75 degrees, the heat will cause the outer portion of the bud to dry quicker than the inner part, and the taste will suffer.

At humidity levels lower than 45%, the marijuana will dry too fast and the taste will suffer. At humidity levels higher than 55%, the marijuana will take a long time to dry, and it will be prone to mold.

Keep a hygrometer and a thermometer in the drying area, close to the plants. A hygrometer will allow you to keep an eye on the relative humidity level in the room and a thermometer will display the temperature. Some hygrometers have built in thermometers so you can measure the temperature and humidity together.

Depending on the time of year and your location, a heater or an air conditioner may be necessary to adjust the temperature. To control humidity, a dehumidifier can lower humidity and a humidifier can be used to raise humidity. There are warm mist humidifiers and cool mist humidifiers.

A warm mist humidifier will raise the temperature while a cool mist humidifier will not affect the temperature. There are also humidifiers that allow you to switch between warm or cool mist. If you are going to purchase a humidifier for this purpose, take your climate into consideration and buy an appropriate humidifier.

Warm mist models will actually heat the water and release warm humidity. Cool mist water isn't cooled, it just means that water is not heated. In most cases a cool mist will work best. To be safe you can get a humidifier that lets you switch between warm and cool mist.


Curing Marijuana

It will take at least a week or two to dry the crop with temperatures between 65-75 degrees F and relative humidity between 45%-55%.

You will know when the marijuana is dry if the stems snap or break (rather than fold) when they are bent. Try smoking a small bud (1/2 gram or less) in a joint to be sure it is dry enough.

At this time, small buds will be dry enough to smoke. But larger buds should be cured (slow dried) to ensure that the marijuana is as potent and tasty as possible. If necessary, you can set aside buds that are less than 1/2 gram for smoking, while larger buds cure.

The cure lasts a week or two. The aim of what you are doing is evenly finishing the slow dry process, so that mold will not grow when the buds are stored long term. Also, by the end of the cure, any remaining inactive THC will be converted to active THC (that increases potency).

To cure the crop, you will need one or more containers made out of glass or plastic. Some people say the plastic containers the have can impart a taste to the marijuana. Personally, plastic containers that some types of roll your own tobacco are sold in, have no negative effect on the taste.

Prior to putting your crop into any containers, you should wash them and after drying, smell them and make sure there is no chance of odors being absorbed by the drying marijuana and ruining the taste.

If you notice any smell you can put baking soda (2 ounces or more by weight) into the container and put the top on for a few months. Change the baking soda every 1-2 months until the smell is absorbed.

Containers that have a rubber seal work best, but any type of container with a tight fitting lid will do. One quart canning jars do a very good job if you are curing a few ounces. They have a rubber seal and hold somewhere near 1-2 ounces of marijuana per one quart jar.

When curing quantities in excess of a few ounces, larger plastic storage boxes work well. They are not air tight, but will do the job when smaller air tight containers are not practical.

When the storage container is ready, gently place your marijuana in the containers (cut buds to size if the are too big to fit in the container) and put the top on. Store the containers in a dark area where the temperature is between 50-65 degrees and the humidity is between 40%-60%.

You will have to open the containers for a few minutes to allow moisture to escape by fanning with your hand. If any moisture builds up on the inside of the cap on your container, wipe it off. Do this preferably 2-6 times daily, at regular 4-12 hour intervals.

You should also re-arrange the buds by giving them a quarter-turn once a day. This will ensure that different parts of the buds are exposed to the air in the container. Keep up this routine for 7-10 days. When properly dried, marijuana will burn evenly when smoked in a joint (if stems are removed).

The taste will be as good as it can be, and the THC will have reached a point where it is ready to be ingested or stored. You can keep any marijuana that will be consumed within a few months (1 year maximum) in the same containers used for curing, without having to keep opening them to release moisture.

If the marijuana is to be stored for more than a few months, you can use a vacuum sealer (designed for storing food) to seal the marijuana in an airtight environment. If stored in a dark area that is between 40-55 degrees F, the marijuana in vacuum sealed plastic will remain potent for up to 5 years.

Dry marijuana can be stored in a frost-free freezer, but some of the THC on the outer part of the buds may be damaged when frozen. A refrigerator is in the right temperature range but they tend to be humid (unless you can control the humidity).

If stored in an area of high humidity for months or years, even vacuum sealed marijuana can eventually become as humid as the surrounding air. This will necessitate drying it again before smoking. But, unless mold develops, humidity itself will not degrade the THC or make the marijuana any less potent.

Light will degrade some of the THC, so dark containers can be used for storage. If you place the marijuana in a see through container, it will have to be located in a dark area that is not exposed to light or high temperatures.

Always make sure to properly dry your marijuana prior to storage, if you grow your own or if the stuff you have is very moist. And remember that to preserve marijuana potency at a maximum level, keep any exposure to air, heat, and light at a minimum.

 

[Corvette Doc]

THANK-YOU DrFever. The timing of this write up could not be better. Taking down my first (of 6) plants tonight. I am facing serious problems with the heat this year since they are finishing about 6 weeks earlier thanks to the extreme drought and not having more than a few days bellow 95 (most were over 100) degrees since early May.

I need to find a way to keep out mold since the house is in the mid 80s durring the day (untill after midnight most days) and do not have a way to cool it all down.

For next year i need to learn how to tell when to turn off my extra night lights in order to keep vegging through another drought. I was forced to take them down last year in mid October since we were facing a hard freeze that night.

My photo albums are public and explain it all better.

 

[Hank Hemp]

Loosely

Loosely

When curing in mason jars is it more beneficial to bundle them in loosely or put one bud per jar?

Just don't force them in tight. Needs a bit of air to cure. If they feel damp in a few days in jars, open and let them dry out a bit or you will get mold. BAD, reefer will taste like pressed brown mexi. BAD Read closely The Dr.'s advice OK.

 

[cheecha07]

amazing post, found it to be very helpful