I'm wondering about how dark the drying room needs to be. Once harvested and plant sections are hanging upside down to start drying, how dark does the area have to be? We are not talking about it being pitch dark like we need for nighttime of flowering, are we? I understand we want to keep the room around 45% humidity or so and it is supposed to be dark, just hoping to get an idea of how light tight we need to be
No, you don't have to dry and/or cure in a completely dark room... but light deprecates THC and terpines (smell) so in the process of drying, you don't want to lose either of those...because it defeats the point of all that care you took growing! I've always dried in a light proof space, but it's not like they are gonna hermie hanging and drying like they would with light leaks in 12/12 haha :lol:
My drying box is lined with black plastic and when the doors are closed its pretty much as dark as it gets. I have also dried bud in my grow tents when the lights are on 24/0 and I haven't noticed any difference. I would go with as dark as you can but wouldn't worry too much about it. What is your light source that's lighting up your bud? Here's my drying box, btw I think around 50-60% RH is what most people aim for. I do anyway
ok thanks, and I am in week 8 now... a lot of the fan leaves are yellowing out, but the sugar leaves around the buds are green. I have done a flush. I am still clear (don't see any cloudy and def. no amber) and about 5% hairs are red at best. It's like the fan leaves are finishing out ahead of the flowers (not just lower ones). I am thinking the buds are still 3 weeks out or so, not sure how to finish this out really regarding feeding edited: @GG using a 600W MH
I utilize an old 2x2 tent, hanging my drying rack inside. I placed the tent in stand up shower. I run a fan from the bottom to move air. If the strains are fairly odorific, I will utilize a 4" inline fan and filter.
Yeah it does sound like you have a few weeks left. Me personally I would give them nutes for a couple of weeks because they are running so low and will have more growth left to come. But I know some people in this situation would carry on without any nutes. I don't think there is a right answer here, it's one of those opinion things
yeah, I figured I might hedge a bit and nute feed at 1/2 strength one or two more times and go with water from there
I would like to get an opinion from an experienced grower a response to the following: * I fully understand there are tons of variables on this, but here goes.... I am a first time harvester at this point, and I think I am within 2 - 3 weeks of harvest in that 12/12 happened 8+ weeks ago and in the first week of 12/12, bud development was underway and showing. The plants are now over 100 days old from seed and the advertised flower time is 9 - 11 weeks. So that said, I think I am getting somewhat close. I still only see clear heads and still have only about 20% red hairs. Flowers are almost literally rock hard and sticky. I have sampled with quick dry and frankly what I sampled is better than anything I have seen around here locally... so here goes.. in general, what would be a typical amount of time for the trichs to be 100 % clear (but probably just about to start to turn cloudy) to so much amber showing that you are late to harvest? Is this like a 2 - 3 week window typically? Or could it all happen inside a week or so? In other words, could the cloudy time be only a couple of days? Or how long typically for a 9 -11 week flowering strain would the trichs actually be cloudy? and then how fast might you expect them to amber out from once you see any amber? Hope this makes sense.. I'm trying to get a general idea of the speed in which the final couple of weeks typically happen...( I hear about a 5 day window of ripeness here in threads) again I fully understand ever grow is different. I have never read anywhere anyone comment on typical times on this and you don't see much youtube videos on grows over 8 - 9 weeks of flower, so I am scared things will happen faster than I am expecting and not get well flushed
kinda hard to answer my tooty fruity weant from clear - cloudy - 15% amber in 3 weeks, my skunk has allrdy taken that long and only 50/50 clear cloudy and maybe another 3-4 weeks to go only ever grown these 2, so that's all I can say
ok, thanks... sounds like I need to forget about advertised flower time and conclude since still all still clear, I still need to feed for now ... thanks
advertised flower time is if you grow exactly the same as the pro's that breed them. dutch passions skunk says 7 weeks im already at that, and all journals say 9-11 weeks (think that's where mine will be) try to find a grow journal with same strain and similar set up for a more accurate flowering
The advertised flower time is the earliest practical time to harvest, peak time is usually a couple of weeks after Once you start to see cloudy trichomes you are probably looking at 2-3 weeks before peak harvest time, when you see a regular scattering of amber trichomes. The window of peak ripeness is easily a week long, the window of practical ripeness is several weeks
He said from 50 - 60% RH for cure in post 3 GG, thanks! that helps a lot. Sounds like it is much easier (and more likely) to harvest too soon, than to unintentionally harvest to late ... unless you don't look at your plants often. Also sounds like I don't need to look at them with the mag glass daily, maybe twice a week until I am def. cloudy
I haven't really experimented much in this area. My last harvest was the first time I had actually taken a humidity measurement. After the bud had dried for a couple of weeks I put it all in buckets with the lids slightly ajar. Once the humidity had dropped to 62% I sealed them up. The humidity rose so they had to be opened slightly for a few hours at a time. But once the humidity stayed at 62% I left them sealed. That was 7 weeks ago and the bud is very nice now Here are the buckets with the hygrometers sealed in the lids .
Those buckets are beautiful. Wow! See I keep my meds in Cvault's with those Boveda 62% packs, so my RH stores and keeps my buds cured for daily use, and long storage. Seems like a common # here.
Thanks, it seems tobacco companies like to keep tobacco at 62% so it seemed a good starting point. I wouldn't want to go any dryer. I may go a little more humid next time and see what it's like. I have a northern light sealed at 65% right now but as its a different plant I can't really compare it I was recommended those packs before, I will have to try them one day
well, I have to be getting closer since more time has gone by, but I still only see clear trichomes. most of the big fan leaves have yellowed out. All the tops are flopped over from so much weight. Most all the red hairs have withdrawn (very few white haired new growth) Some of the tops have turned pure white from all the trichomes on them) I feed 2 days ago, but really think I need to not be feeding any more. Do you dare harvest with only clear trichomes, or should I just keep waiting it out. seed germinated end of Apr. 12/12 happened mid June so I am easily in week 10 and it just looks like the plants are done, except I still have only clear. I did sample it 2 weeks ago and it smelled minty and it kicked pretty well, but was hoping for a bit stronger
Hm those sure have fattened up in the last two weeks! Looking great. Maybe it's the picture or lighting, but those fan leaves don't look too yellow to me. I would start using water only to feed. Do that for a bit longer if you are ready to harvest. A plant being fed until chopping time will be quite a bit more harsh of a smoke. Clear trichomes generally mean you'll have a more head high, or less couch lock. Of course strain plays a huge role there as well. Do they look plump, or like long stalks with a little ball on the end? 12/12 in mid June could mean you're only on something like week 8-9 of flowering, depending on the actual date the plants started to flower. Not saying you are wrong about the 10 weeks, but just that it might be a good idea to start your flush. Water only and then harvest after a week of that, two if you need. A sample 2 weeks ago could make a huge difference. Maybe take a little off now and re-sample. But my vote is do a flush, try and let those trichomes plump up and cloud a little more.
Do those buckets have anything attached to them? Like through lines or anything? Or how do they stay a constant humidity? Blunts, Bitches and Banjos