Ready to harvest?

[merl1n]

Does the the way you dry it make that much of a difference?

IMO Yes. During the day the warmth removes moisture from the leaf and bud, but as the temps drop at night, the bud rehydrates from the moisture in the stems. The less stem you have on your drying buds, the less rehydration occurs and this can make the drying process quicker.

Also, with the nights getting much cooler there is more moisture in the air. The ambient air moisture and the moisture in the bud can encourage mould. So the less of it the better and the quicker you can get rid of it the better.

 

Merl1n

[Miffy-batman]

That's what I'm afraid of, so far I've opted for the dehydrator, it still get's the cooler temps at night since it's noisy as hell and I turn it off.  I figured it's going to be quicker and expose it to humidity less and seeings as I've had an issue with bud rot (or some sort of weird grey mold?) that this would be the best option this time round

[merl1n]

Personally, I'm not a great fan of forced drying or dehydration because of the stem moisture. If all parts of the plant were of the same density (which they aren't) then a dehydrator may be appropriate. But if the bud, externally, is dry the presence of moisture within is going to cause a problem. Especially if you jar it up still on the stem. You'll end up with a jar of beautiful mould.

If you leave it in the dehydrator till the stem is dry, the outside of the bud will be crispy dry and crumbly, which ain't good either.

What I do is dry it hanging until the stem snaps, then box it up in corrugated cardboard boxes. The cardboard pulls any retained moisture from the bud. From here I manicure and jar it all up. Now others may disagree but this is the process I use.

 

Merl1n

[tangwena]

+1 for that Merlin, slow dry and cure is the best.

Tangwena

 

Personally, I'm not a great fan of forced drying or dehydration because of the stem moisture. If all parts of the plant were of the same density (which they aren't) then a dehydrator may be appropriate. But if the bud, externally, is dry the presence of moisture within is going to cause a problem. Especially if you jar it up still on the stem. You'll end up with a jar of beautiful mould.
If you leave it in the dehydrator till the stem is dry, the outside of the bud will be crispy dry and crumbly, which ain't good either.
What I do is dry it hanging until the stem snaps, then box it up in corrugated cardboard boxes. The cardboard pulls any retained moisture from the bud. From here I manicure and jar it all up. Now others may disagree but this is the process I use.

Merl1n

Edited April 13, 2015 by tangwena

[Miffy-batman]

Hmm, okay thanks, hadn't thought about that. At the moment the dehydrator is acting more like a drying rack, it's been off for a lot longer than it's been on. How long do you usually have them drying before putting them in jars? Or really, how long does it spend in the cardboard box?

[merl1n]

It depends on the ambient temperature, but usually a week, but sometimes 2. I wait till the internal stems of the buds snap cleanly. Then I manicure and jar it up. Now I say 'jar' but I actually use coffee tins https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/gallery/image/17473-bit-of-the-collection/ . The reason for this is 2 fold. One, it keeps the light from the bud as UV breaks down THC and two, I was using jars but dropped one which shattered. Glass thru my weed when I primarily smoke joints is not a good thing.

 

Merl1n

[Miffy-batman]

Thoughts on brown paper bag vs cardboard box? I have plenty if brown paper bags, can't find any cardboard boxes around surprisingly

[Miffy-batman]

Double post Edited April 14, 2015 by Miffy-batman

[merl1n]

I have heard of people using paper bags, but it isn't something I've used. I went to the local supermarket and grabbed an old box from them. One without the shiny plastic coating to allow the cardboard to breathe and eveaporate any moisture. That shiny coating prevents the cardboard from breathing so the moisture is still retained.

 

Merl1n

[Miffy-batman]

Found myself a cardboard box. Since we've had some good weather I left half the plant for an extra week. Now that I've tried some of it I'm regretting not taking a cutting to clone. Is it still possible to get a successful clone once you're harvesting?

Thanks