My first grow - journal w/ pics

[Cal X]

I assume that the last set of pics was of the Exile! That's a very stressed plant, I wouldn't give that one, or the V Kush, any more nutes! Every thing else looks great. You've got a few nice yielders there ZBeebz.

[ZBeebs]

I assume that the last set of pics was of the Exile! That's a very stressed plant, I wouldn't give that one, or the V Kush, any more nutes! Every thing else looks great. You've got a few nice yielders there ZBeebz.

The last one is the Kandy Kush, and the other one with the burned leaves is the Exile.

I've removed the burned leaves from the exile like recommended, stuck em in the freezer and made qwiso...I think the yield will be tiny, there is only the slightest hint of light brown tint to the alcohol...it's going to be another day or two until I see what I have, in the interest of safety I don't use heat to speed the evaporation. Anyway, either more of the leaves are burning even though I've given it nothing but water for a week, or I missed a bunch the first time through. If I cut off any more there won't be any left, I think all the fan leaves are gone at this point. The bud looks airy, and not packed and dense like on all the other plants. I think this one gets another week of flushing and will be cut down. I'll probably smoke a bit of it to see what it's like, but I think this plant is getting turned into hash.

The Kandy Kush (the one with the curled leaves) seems to be doing better than the exile. I haven't cut away any leaves because it seems like the plant is still growing. The buds on the branches are heavy and pulling them down, I have used cotton string to tie them back to the stalk, and as long as I do one from each side it seems to be working.

As of today, I am flushing, nothing but ph'ed bottled water. Which, by the way, has gotten expensive. 88 cents per gallon, 3 or 4 gallons every two days...for months now. They pick up plastic recycling every two weeks...in two weeks, I put out 28 1 gallon bottles just from my plants...they must think I'm really thirsty...Next time through it's tap water, and if there's a difference in taste I'll make a decision to spend the money or not in the future.

While thinking of water, any opinions on using distilled water instead of spring water for flushing?

I will be watching the trichs, and when I get to about 20 - 30% amber I'm going to cut them down. Whether it takes ten days, two weeks, three weeks, whatever. I expect two weeks should do it though.

How much bud growth can I expect between now and finishing? Is it now just a matter of things maturing, or will there (hopefully!) be more bud growth in size and weight?

Once they're cut down, I'm going to go with the method described on icmag as "The perfect cure" which basically entails trimming them, hanging them in a room and drying them slowly until the stems bend, NOT snap, then place in jars with digital hygrometers to make sure the rh% is correct. If too high, out of the jars, if in the right zone proper curing takes place. Seems foolproof. I've got two hygrometers and a calibration kit on the way, will arrive before harvest. I also have 6 half gallon mason jars and a dozen 32oz mason jars as well if necessary. I think the half gallon ones will be more than enough though.

[Simon]

Can you please post a link to "the perfect cure"? Sounds good

[ZBeebs]

Can you please post a link to "the perfect cure"? Sounds good

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=156237

[Uncle Ron]

I never thought about using a hygrometer during curing. I decide by touch, smell, taste, and burn. In other words - old school.
Touch - are the buds supposed to be dense or fluffy?
Smell - see taste
Taste - as advertised or moldy or chemical/metallic (more to do with flush)
Burn - Easy or difficult to light/keep lit? Gray or white ash?

I disagree with the author in the link on several points, one of which is that thrichomes are not "lost" to or in the container, they are still there. When the gear has completed curing, there will be residue, so what's the point? Anal, maybe, but this was a (weak-assed) selling point.
Another is with the point that bud can't be reconstituted. BS. If over-cured, place a slice of lemon, lime, or orange rind into the container with the bud and keep closed for a day. The bud should/will have absorbed moisture from the rind. Might even add a little flavor. Spoken from experience.

Some fun info I've gathered. The first two from personal experience, the last one from other sources (taken with a gram).
70% = the initial percentage of weight lost during drying.
90%+ = the total percentage of weight lost from harvest (discounting stems and leaves).
6-8% = the percentage of moisture remaining in properly cured bud.

Time to flush the plants. Do yourself a favor - use tap water, unless the PH is too high (adjust accordingly if so). Cheaper, as you have found out. We can talk about the virtues of taste some other time, not that it makes much difference, all things considered and IMHO.

Happy farming.

[Cal X]

You should do a double flush ZBeeebs, you have built up a lot of unwanted salts in the soil. Use the same water that you have been using, unless it's to expensive, it will take about 4 gal per plant. Put your pots over a 5 gal bucket and pour in about 2 gal of water, you have to be aggressive here, wait about 5 min and pour another 1/12 to 2 gal. Repeat this process about 2 days before harvest, you want the soil to dry out as much as possible after the last flush; You can also cut the fan leaves at that time. Give them 24 hours of dark, then harvest in dim light or green light, not grow lights.
You wont get much more growth now, its more a mater of allowing the buds to get dense and store as much THC as possible, that's what you will be doing if you follow the above process.
Also, I would go more by 3/4 cloudy trichs then number of amber glands, it's a more concise gauge, that scope will come in handy. Your almost there ZBeebs, it's looking good overall.

[ZBeebs]

I've done a lot of reading on flushing, and it seems there are two distinct schools of thought (well, three if you count those who use more chemicals to flush) and I've decided for this grow not to run large quantities of water through the pots to flush out salts. Next time I will use tap water and flush as you describe and see if I can tell the difference.

When watering them tonight I accidently snapped one of the lower branches halfway on one of the vanilla kush plants. I cut it off under the broken part, and proceeded to trim that bit and hang it. Well, trimming is a pain in the ass! I've got to read and maybe watch some videos on this. I hacked the buds apart, thinking I was cutting sugar leaves but I was chopping chunks of the bud out too...

So I've got some hanging up to dry, maybe two grams worth...will check on that in two days...

As far as the bits I hacked up trying to trim for the first time...I put 'em in the microwave on low, bursts of a couple seconds at a time for maybe 90 seconds, until they felt sticky but dry. It shrunk to about half the size of what went in. Had enough for three nice hits on the bong, and have to say, for bud fresh off the plant and dried in the microwave, it was smooth (didn't cough) and was reasonably tasty, when exhaled through the nose it had that smell and feel I associate with good bud, not irritating and harsh. I had taken a bong hit of some diesel about a half hour before, but the bong hits of the vk cut right through it, and got me pretty stoned. It's about an hour later, and I'm still pretty stoned and about to go raid the fridge. The ash was darkish gray, not white, but that's to be expected since this plant has only been getting plain water once before today.

Can't wait to get this stuff flushed and cured properly...going to be some good smoke...and now I have to promise myself there will be no more "breakage", accidental or otherwise.

[Cal X]

What flushing method have you decided on ZBeebs? You have been using some pretty heavy nutes, so, however you do it you will want to make sure that the roots aren't sucking up any of the salt residue. Also, get some really sharp shears, to trim with, it's worth the investment. Just go slow at first cut small, workable size branches; work from the bottom up. You will get the hang of it in a very short time!

[Uncle Ron]

I've experimented with a few variations of flushing - chemical and water. The one that has suited me the most is using plain water (tap, filtered, etc...). With each flush, I use an amount equivalent to the size of the container. By the time I am finished pouring, nearly half the water has seeped out of the bottom. I repeat this every fourth day (Mon., Thu., Sun., etc...) unless the plant shows signs of severe over-watering, in which case I will wait an additional day. Approximately two weeks later I prepare for harvest.

Snapped a branch? What did I say about fucking up?

As for trimming, you might want to invest in a pair of spring loaded trimming scissors. There is also the option of buying one of those electric trimmers with suction, but that's more of a commercial item, but if it suits your needs...

A little ahead of the curve, but what is your plan to dry? Hang branches (and wait for the branches to dry) or cut buds from branches and place on drying racks (and wait for the bud to dry)? I've learned that cutting bud from the branches and placing them on drying racks speeds up the process immensely, by nearly a third. I still chuckle when I read of drying times longer than a week.

You have options.

Happy farming.

[Boner]

This is quite a good little read:

Cure Your Medicine by DJ Short

Proper curing can exponentially increase the quality and desirability of your harvest. The key word to remember is "slow".

Dark & Dry
After cutting the plant or branch, hang it upside down in a cool, dry, and most importantly dark place. Light must be avoided from this point on. Leave the larger shade leaves on and they will gently droop and wrap around the plant, protecting the buds.

The time to the next step depends on how dry your hanging area is. This requires regular checking to determine when to proceed. When the larger shade leaves become dry and brittle to the touch it is time to gently clip them off.

Re-hang the branches in the drying room and regularly check them until the smaller leaves and bud tips become dry and brittle to the touch. It is then time to remove the buds from the branch and remove the rest of the leaf material as best as possible. This is what is referred to as "manicuring".

Now you have a few choices as to what to do with your manicured buds. The buds should still be a little wet at this point, especially on the inside, but the outer part of the buds should be starting to feel dry. Some of the buds, the smaller ones in particular, might even be smokable at this point.

If you are in a more humid area, or if the buds are still feeling heavy with moisture, you may want to try placing them on a suspended screen for a little while. This will help to hasten the drying process. Once again, regular checking to decide when they are ready for the next stage is crucial. This is also a skill that is developed more with time and experience, so practice!

Brown Bagging It
Once the buds are crisp on the outside but still moist on the inside it is time for the next step in the process: the paper bag. I like to use brown paper shopping bags due to their not being bleached, an unwanted chemical.

Simply fill a paper bag a few inches deep with the manicured buds. Don't pack the buds down and do not fold the bag too tight. A few small folds at the top of the bag, like a lunch bag, should suffice.

If the buds are a tad wet or if humid conditions dominate, you might want to consider cutting a few small holes in the bag, above the level of the buds, for ventilation.

As with proper manicuring, regular checking is key. The bags should be gently shaken, ever-so-carefully turning the buds, at least once a day. As the buds dry they will naturally compact into the self-preserving state that we all know and love. It is at this time that the buds can be more compacted together and the bag folded down tighter. They should now be fully smokable, though perhaps still slightly damp at the core.

The entire process, from harvest to these first smokable products, should take anywhere from two to four weeks, depending on your climate. Extremes in climate, such as very arid deserts or tropical humid areas, may take more or less time. There is no substitute for consistent, hands-on checking.


The Final Stage
A final curing stage, preferred by most connoisseurs, involves sealable jars. The nearly ready buds are transferred from the bag to the jar, packed in very loosely, and the jar is sealed. It is very important in the early jar-stage to check the buds at least once a day.

I like to dump them all out of the jar and gently fluff them up at least once a day at first, then less often as time progresses, usually for a week to ten days. It is important to be as gentle as possible so as not to damage too many of the resin glands. After a week or so all I do is simply open the jar and check the buds on a daily basis.

Watch for Mold
The main thing to watch (and smell) for throughout all of the curing process is mold. Whenever mold is found it must be dealt with immediately. The moldy bud needs to be removed, and the rest of the product needs to be exposed to a drier environment for a while.

The simplest solution is to go back one step. For example, if the mold was detected in the jar stage simply put the rest of the product back to the bag stage for awhile (after removing the contaminated product from the batch). If the mold is detected in the bag stage, go back to the screen. The screen is the driest process that I know of. If problems with the mold occur prior to this, a dehumidifier in the drying room may be the answer.

Aside from watching and smelling for mold, always remember to keep the product in the dark.

Ready to go!
A bud is completely dry, cured, and ready for sale or consumption when the stem in the middle of the bud snaps when the bud is cracked with the fingers. The snap is easy to detect with practice. It is at this stage that the product can safely be sealed and stored for an indefinite period of time.

The longer you can stretch out this process, while also avoiding mold, the better. I like when it takes six to eight weeks from harvest to the finished product. You will be able to detect the fragrance of the product becoming more and more desirable as time progresses.

[Midzy]

Tis but I still got a question how do you know when you can seal em up and stop burping? and is when the real curing starts? also can any explain what actually happens with in the weed as it cures?? cheers

oh edit; yeah mine was dry and snapped when i first jarred em up




loving your thread zbeebs

[Cal X]

Boner, you are the info master!

[Uncle Ron]

Tis but I still got a question how do you know when you can seal em up and stop burping? and is when the real curing starts? also can any explain what actually happens with in the weed as it cures?? cheers
oh edit; yeah mine was dry and snapped when i first jarred em up
loving your thread zbeebs

Most of this is basically what Boner wrote, with slight variations.
In essence, curing is drying. The various stages of curing could be initial, intermediate, and final. These stages could also be called drying on the vine, brown bagging, and under glass.
With most, the initial step after harvest is to leave the bud attached to the stem and dry until the branch snaps cleanly, anywhere from seven to ten days, or longer depending. I used to dry bud this way, but I moved on to using a wire rack. I found that his technique dried the bud quicker. To each their own.
At this stage, the bud is dry on the outside and damp in the middle. Some will then place the bud into a paper sack, as described by Boner. At this point my technique differs slightly which is that I place the bud into glass mason jars (the step after the bag) and start the stage of drying which most refer to as "curing". I prefer to keep it in glass for three to five weeks, airing (burping) the bud once a day for the first week, every other day thereafter. I open the lid and gently roll the jar to loosen the bud and to allow fresh air to circulate. I leave the jar open for 30 minutes, and then seal and place in a darkened area.

A DIY rack: four pieces of wood fastened together; a piece of insect screen slightly larger than the frame. Tighten and fasten. One drying rack completed. Repeat as necessary.

When to stop curing is basically up to you. When burned, if the ash turns white, the cure is right.

[ZBeebs]

I was just going to water them with plain water going forward, until I get just a couple ounces of runoff, no large flush by running gallons through the pots, once, regularly or otherwise. It seems to me that for the first time, this would be a good way to get a baseline, next time I will try a different method and be able to compare results. I've read of people on other forums who have tried all the different methods and say that it's not necessary to pour gallons of water at a time through the pots...going to try that next time using tapwater. I've read of people saying anything from underwater them from now on, to pouring as much as 3 times the volume of the container through them which would be 9 gallons per plant.

Cal X - you mentioned salt buildup, from reading about the Fox Farm products, they specifically state they are formulated to prevent buildup of salts in soil. Not true?

My plan for harvest is to give them 24 hours of dark, then take them down a branch at a time, trimming away just the largest leaves and then hang drying them. The temp in the room is about 62 degrees and 40% humidity. I will let them dry until the stems bend not snap, then I will trim them further (or manicure) as boner posted, and then into jars with hygrometers to remove some of the guesswork.

I'm keeping an eye on the trichs on the exile and kandy kush, both have gotten nothing but plain water for 2 weeks now. Considering pulling then at the first sight of amber trichs. They will not get 24 hours of dark because I will pull them just before lights come on for all the plants. Will this matter much? The only place I could move them outside the tent where they will be in total darkness would be in the attic where it's not insulated well and temps can drop into the 40's.

[Boner]

Make sure they dont sit in the run-off water otherwise any excess nutes you flush out will just get soaked back up.