HOW TO: Harvest & Cure so it SMELLS GOOD

[qwickymart]

Before you send me to the Overgrow/Faq I already read it........

I have seen some really good pot in my time that just has that STANK you know will give you a buzz.

Say someone wanted harvest and cure some fresh, healthy, smelly plants so that it would have that same smell and that pungent odor --- HOW DO YOU DO IT?

I know someone that followed the overgrow/faq and it turned out alright - but didn't have that PUNGENT STINGY SMELL. I mean it still worked when you smoked it but didn't have that "professional" smell to it. The guy ended up chopping them at the stalk, then into smaller pieces and hung them to dry for 4-7 days in a cool dark closet with circulating fan.

Then, once they were brittle where the stem snapped, he moved them to canning jars and tupperware containers and opened them ever few hours the first day and once a day for a few weeks.

They still smelled like pot - but not the same as they did on the plant (they smelled like KILL BUD on the plant). When they were still alive they had that good pungent smell, after he "cured" them they just smelled like plants that had been put in a jar - not the KILL BUD.


I want to hear your'alls technique for curing/harvesting.

It is pretty hot here and he wants to put them in a different closet without circulation that will be warm - not cool this time - in hopes they will dry faster and be able to go to the canning jars faster (i.e. getting the plants to the point where the stem breaks rather than bends faster). bad or good idea with the warm closet verse the previous attempt in a cold dry closet?

I JUST WANT HIM TO DO IT RIGHT THIS TIME - He did a really good job growing them - they are full of trichs and reek very stank. I just want them to smell and stink the same as a finished product.

You all know what i'm talking about - how do you do it!

[tsb]

let them dry for a time weed is the suckyes weed ever when its wet.

[chimera]

Sounds to me like it was actually overdried. That snapping thing I think is to imperfect, I dry them till the bud leaf crumbles when pinched between your fingers. Usually around 5-7 days depending on humidity. Also, seperate each branch from the main stalk. Once there dry, I remove the buds and trim all the leaf off that I can. Then put in Mason Jar and Cure. Flavor has a lot to do with strain. Your bud is never going to smell as dank as it did just before you harvest, that is just the way it is.

[effektz]

I'm bringing back this old ass thread because I'd like more comments on it!

Everybody post your curing / harvest methods and why you favor your method. I'd like comments from anybody and everybody who has ever cured their own herb before!

[damnpolice]

a guy did an experiment with 4 jars to see which came out the best tasting and smelling using different techniques with each

heres the link might be of some use to you

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.p...3&page=1&pp=15

[Smellysocks]

Well, this has a lot to do with how that guy grew it, and how he dried it. Your buddy needs to make sure to stop giving it nutes 10 days before harvest. Also, usually the slower the drying process the smoother and better the bud usually comes out to be. Slow-drying can be done with colas in a brown lunch bag letting it breath every one and awhile--this takes a week or so to fully dry.

So, if I were your friend, dry it slower and not faster. Also, I wouldn't dry it in too warm of a place. Cool and dark is fine.

[effektz]

Haha he wasn't my friend I jsut found this thread through a search and decided to get people's drying / curing methods and opinions. How long do you usually let them hang and dry before going to brown bags or containers?

[Smellysocks]

To keep this easy. Let's skip the brown bag idea. Suppose your just drying in a closet.

Straight from the Grower's Bible:

"When dried relatively slowly, over five to seven days or longer, moisture evaporates evenly into the air, yielding uniformly dry buds with minimal THC decomposition. Slowly dried buds taste sweet and smoke smooth."

"Ideal air temperature is 65 to 75 F and humidity from 45 to 55 percent. Temperatures below 65 slow the drying process, and humidity often climbs quickly."

"Temperatures above 75 may cause buds to dry too fast, and humidity can also fall below the ideal 50 percent level more easily." (Also when it's hot, buds try so fast that the smoke is harsh)

"Relative humidity below 30-40 percent causes buds to dry too fast and retain chlorophyll, giving them a "green" taste."

"Low humidity also causes buds to lose flavor and odor."

That's about all you should need to know about curing/drying.

[hootskers420]

I found that the two single most important factors to harvesting good aromatic weed are harvesting when the pots are dry (or damn near) and drying them enough before you put them in jars. Awhile ago, I harvested two clones at different times. One I cut down when the soil was probably still 50% wet, the other i waited until the soil was nearly dry. The first plant took nearly ten days to dry, and when finished had a pungent, unpleasant, damp, grassy, smell. The second dried in about 5 days, and had a beautiful, fresh and sweet scent. Also, the bud was a lighter color and a much better smoke.

[DrTrichome]

Brown paper bags are great for removing some chlorophyl from the small leaves that surround your bud. Indica dominant strains tend to contain quite a bit more chlorophyl than sativa or ruderalis strains; therefore, the use of a paper bag may come in handy especially when dealing with indicas. Removal of the chlorophyl can cause the "hay" smell to diminish and help to prep buds for the jars. I usually hang up the whole branch with fan leaves and all for about 6-8 days, then cut off the fan leaves and some other duff and place buds in paper bags with open bottoms for about another 4-6 days, finally, the buds are completely manicured and placed in jars for 3-4 weeks with daily "burping" and checking for mold, mildew, or bud rot. After all is said and done, the buds smell and taste great.

Also, what hooskers420 said about letting the soil dry up right before cutting helps with some chlorophyl removal ahead of time (great for soil growers, not so much for DWC or the like). Be sure to flush with pure water or even water with a flushing agent such as General Hydroponics FloraClean for about a week prior to harvest to remove any nute buildup in root system.

Good luck!

[hootskers420]

Also, another you can do which I forgot to add, is place your plants in the dark for at least 24 to up to 72 hours before you harvest, this also deactivates the clorophyll. Ive heard people say that it also raises the THC by putting your plants in "survival mode", but Ive never seen any evidance of that.

[DrTrichome]

I have heard of extending the last dark period prior to harvest but have never tried it. My 1000W grow will be done in about two weeks and I will try that with a couple of them to see how it compares to my normal method and I will let you know how well it works. Thanks for the tip.

[amnesiac]

ive seen those greenhouse seeds bastards just throw entire plants into christmas tree looking boxes and store them for 3-4 months. for the cannabis cup win. i dont know anything about exactly how they would do that. but it did win the cannabis cup. i can imagine they just tossed em in a dark room with temp/humidity control. but seeing as how it takes 4 months, i dont really know what the hell they are doing. all i know is they take 1 big ass fresh cut plant and put it in one big ass cardboard box and 4 months later, viola.

[amnesiac]

if anyone cares to elaborate on this method i am alll ears

[dcoully123]

nice methods, remmeber potency is not smell. even though smell is nice.