Rumpleforeskin
Member
I have been asked a number of times about harvesting and curing. I understand that there are as many ways to cure Marijuana as there are Marijuana strains. It seems that no two growers do it alike.
From harvest day to bong. Here is my method:
I can't tell you the exact time to chop your plant down. Some research can tell you how long to flower your strain for best results or you can check trichome color. Either way, you will have to do a bit of trial and error to find the very best day to chop the girls down.
At day 60 my White Widow shows a mixture of trichome colors. Most of them will be milky or amber, with a small percent of clear ones scattered about. Use a jeweler's loupe/magnifying glass of 20x magnification or more. A small pocket microscope can be bought at RadioShack:
I have grown this strain long enough to know that day 60 gives the best flavor and effect.
Day 60. My single plant grow:
Time to chop it down: Even if you can take the whole plant in one single cut, I would break it up into large sections. This is so it can get lots of air while drying (branches won't be touching).
I take one cola/branch at a time. It is very important to take your time and be gentle in every step of harvesting. It's a good idea to always be gentle with your weed at any stage. Manhandling your bud will cause the trichomes to break off (you don't want that).
Using a pair of Fiskars® Softouch Micro-Tip Scissors, I take the first of many branches:
Noticed I put on rubber gloves? Get a box of them at the drug store. They are a must have item. You will not get that sap off your hands for days no matter what you wash with.
Tie some twist ties or line to the end:
I like to hang the branch over a bucket or trash-can:
Pluck off all the sun leaves and any leaf that is big enough to pull off (without hurting the bud). They can be easily removed by snapping them off while pulling up or you can use scissors:
You don't have to get them all. Just get what you can and save the rest for your "Trim-Party".
Before:
After:
As you finish, stack them on a near by table:
Dry Time:
Try and find a cool, dark, preferably ventilated space such as a closet, basement, or winter attic. I have no such space at my home, so I use the attic all year. It is dark and ventilated but not always cool. Works anyway.
Try and hang all the branches so they don't touch anything:
A small oscillating fan on low will help things along real nice:
Place all the leaf in a few paper bags and place them in the same space as the hanging branches. Leave bag open.
Let them hang for three days (72 hours). After three days they my feel real dry or real damp. It does not matter.
Note: You might want to stir the bag of leaves after a day or so. They tend to be real wet.
Three days later. So sad the big bud is so small now:
From harvest day to bong. Here is my method:
I can't tell you the exact time to chop your plant down. Some research can tell you how long to flower your strain for best results or you can check trichome color. Either way, you will have to do a bit of trial and error to find the very best day to chop the girls down.
At day 60 my White Widow shows a mixture of trichome colors. Most of them will be milky or amber, with a small percent of clear ones scattered about. Use a jeweler's loupe/magnifying glass of 20x magnification or more. A small pocket microscope can be bought at RadioShack:
I have grown this strain long enough to know that day 60 gives the best flavor and effect.
Day 60. My single plant grow:
Time to chop it down: Even if you can take the whole plant in one single cut, I would break it up into large sections. This is so it can get lots of air while drying (branches won't be touching).
I take one cola/branch at a time. It is very important to take your time and be gentle in every step of harvesting. It's a good idea to always be gentle with your weed at any stage. Manhandling your bud will cause the trichomes to break off (you don't want that).
Using a pair of Fiskars® Softouch Micro-Tip Scissors, I take the first of many branches:
Noticed I put on rubber gloves? Get a box of them at the drug store. They are a must have item. You will not get that sap off your hands for days no matter what you wash with.
Tie some twist ties or line to the end:
I like to hang the branch over a bucket or trash-can:
Pluck off all the sun leaves and any leaf that is big enough to pull off (without hurting the bud). They can be easily removed by snapping them off while pulling up or you can use scissors:
You don't have to get them all. Just get what you can and save the rest for your "Trim-Party".
Before:
After:
As you finish, stack them on a near by table:
Dry Time:
Try and find a cool, dark, preferably ventilated space such as a closet, basement, or winter attic. I have no such space at my home, so I use the attic all year. It is dark and ventilated but not always cool. Works anyway.
Try and hang all the branches so they don't touch anything:
A small oscillating fan on low will help things along real nice:
Place all the leaf in a few paper bags and place them in the same space as the hanging branches. Leave bag open.
Let them hang for three days (72 hours). After three days they my feel real dry or real damp. It does not matter.
Note: You might want to stir the bag of leaves after a day or so. They tend to be real wet.
Three days later. So sad the big bud is so small now:
