Simple Harvest and Cure (Step By Step)

keefbox420

Active 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.


  • Your bud may look over dry or a little crisp when done. Over dry is much much better then moist. The texture and smell will come back while curing in the jars.




Best of luck,R
over dry is better than moist but you DO NOT want to remove all water then your fucked and it seems to me the paper bag shreds are completely unnecessary they will pull all the water out of the nugs if not careful!!!!plus a waist of time on a already time consuming process
 

thehole

New Member
Beautiful big girl. Great argument for the less is more theory in limited spaces. I've seen those pictures on other forums so I'm not sure who to congratulate for the job well done.

I have to agree with Jew, I don't get the paper bag thing. I'm assuming that is what he means by "mess it up".

We each have our own way I guess.

Here is my dry room. Big buds on top, smaller bud on bottom, trim and popcorn on floor of room. Exhaust fan/carbon filter. Temp gauge. Small clip fan pointed at one side away from buds. 5-10 days and into the mason jars they go.

What exactly are the paper bags suppose to do? If it's about an "even" dry, the proper time, temp and humidity do all this.

Again, to each their own.

100_0298droom.jpg
 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
Very nice setup, and I bet it works real nice.

I have been harvesting every 70 to 80 days for the last seven years, so I was able to try loads of different dry and cure methods. I like the bags because the dry is even between the very small buds and the real big ones. The moisture seems to spread evenly out in the paper. The end product comes out very smooth, with perfect texture. I have had other folks from the forums review my bud (click here), and they tend to agree about the quality. Getting folks to help trim is the big issue in my house. The wife and I have had a few fights over who has to trim.
I don't get upset if folks don't think my product or techniques are good. Sometimes I can learn something new, or open the eyes of someone who has never tried my methods. I am more incline to listen to someone who is holding up buds better then the ones that I can produce (much better than negative text).

Good weed tends to make folks friendly, so I can tell "thehole" is growing some killer weed at his casa.
 

thehole

New Member
LOL "who has to trim". It's not always that easy or fun is it? Certain strains can be a bitch. And I've actually come to the point in a long trim a few times where I start complaining about how much bud I have left to trim. Taking a 15 minute break every 45 has helped me cope better but an extra set of hands is always nice.

I agree with you completely friend.

Thank You. Amongst my friends and family I am the king of weed, but in the big big world I am a nobody. I like it that way.

Nobody can argue about your growing abilities because those are some wicked sized buds in those harvest pics. I shoot for half pound a plant to, usually get it if a heat spell doesn't stick around too long in the summer months. I absolutely love fall/winter grows, so much easier to need to keep a grow room warmer then colder.

I'm strictly FFOF after many tries with other soil/soilless mixes. Moving to supersoils in the future. I see you use a bucket system. Have you ever done soil? And do you supply extra Co2 or are you a fresh air intake guy like myself?
 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
LOL "who has to trim". It's not always that easy or fun is it? Certain strains can be a bitch. And I've actually come to the point in a long trim a few times where I start complaining about how much bud I have left to trim. Taking a 15 minute break every 45 has helped me cope better but an extra set of hands is always nice.

I agree with you completely friend.

Thank You. Amongst my friends and family I am the king of weed, but in the big big world I am a nobody. I like it that way.

Nobody can argue about your growing abilities because those are some wicked sized buds in those harvest pics. I shoot for half pound a plant to, usually get it if a heat spell doesn't stick around too long in the summer months. I absolutely love fall/winter grows, so much easier to need to keep a grow room warmer then colder.

I'm strictly FFOF after many tries with other soil/soilless mixes. Moving to supersoils in the future. I see you use a bucket system. Have you ever done soil? And do you supply extra Co2 or are you a fresh air intake guy like myself?
I grew for years in Vic's super soil before switching to DWC. I love Vic's because it made growing weed so damn simple. DWC reduced my cycle time in half as did the CO2 enrichment. I run my CO2 at 2000-PPM (don't jump on me for running it so high) the whole time. My veg is 10 to 14 days. Google bubble bucket to see the design I use, it shows up as the first hit in Google or Bing.

With the short cycle time, I can try adjustments and see results pretty fast. I give just about every theory that sounds reasonable a shot and check results based on what my current system puts out. The leaving your plants in the dark for days right before harvest does nothing and is a waste of time if not counter productive. I have seen others who do it that make claims of great results and even a study from a seed bank. It just does zero for my setup. But I did try it with an open mind. I chop my plants right when the light cycle is scheduled to come back on.

Vic's Super Soil:

1 Bale sunshine mix #2 or promix (3.8 cu ft)
8 cups Bone Meal - phosphorus source
4 cups Blood Meal - nitrogen source
1 1/3 cups Epsom salts - magnesium source
3-4 cups dolomite lime -calcium source & pH buffering
4 cups kelp meal.
9kg (25 lbs) bag pure worm castings

- Mix thoroughly, moisten, and let sit (uncovered) 1-2 weeks before use.

 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
I setup closet grows for medical patients in my spare time (free of charge). I never tell them to start out using my bucket design or any type of hydro. I always get them a bag of FFOF and Fox farms three part plant food (big bloom, grow big, tiger bloom). Very simple and effective. Most never change to hydro after using FFOF.
 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
I have tried fresh air, but CO2 enrichment is huge. Costs a lot to get started but very effective.
 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
over dry is better than moist but you DO NOT want to remove all water then your fucked and it seems to me the paper bag shreds are completely unnecessary they will pull all the water out of the nugs if not careful!!!!plus a waist of time on a already time consuming process
The process I use does not take any longer then hang drying. With any type of drying process you use, it will have risks if left unchecked.
 

thehole

New Member
"My veg is 10 to 14 days."

Now is this clones that have been rooting for a few weeks and then the 14 days veg? I just can't see vegging only a few weeks total using a clone or from seed and getting any decent weight in flower.

I'm always interesting in learning. I made the mistake early on thinking I knew everything so I take in most info from others, not all.

So if I only do 4 girls at a time, how much $ and labor would it take to switch to this bucket system and what is the learning curve?
 

thehole

New Member
Here is the thing with Co2 and me.

We have an amazing intake system that brings in huge CFMs of fresh outside air, I can easily route it to the room where my rooms are located. But being I exhaust inside my home in the cold months, I fear using Co2 will set off our Co2 alarms or may cause a danger to people who sleep here being the plants day time is our night time. Is that a valid concern or is using Co2 in the rooms safe? I also fear finding a regular supplier of Co2 would be a risk. If all my fears are not valid, what would a tank, regulator and hardware initally cost for a 5x7x8high flower room and a 4x4x6 1/2 high veg room?
 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
CO2 can be dangerous if it is able to displace the O2 in your room. Possible but very unlikely. We just don't add lethal amounts.
I pay $13 a tank from a welding supply store. CO2 has hundreds of legal uses (most as propellant for beer or chalking football fields)

Day one:




Ten days later:


I have a few journals you can reference, but most journals I have done was for grow light companies who want me to test lights for them. If you want the links and more details, page me and you can get a day by day growth rate and photos. But most of my current veg times range between ten and fourteen days.
 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
CO2 is a big investment that can take a long time to get back from. You have to buy your first tank, then only pay for refills. Always buy your tanks from the place you plan on refilling from. Never buy them real nice aluminum tanks because most folks only do exchanges and you will get back a beat up steel one. My place charged me $95 for each tank (I bought two), and $13 to refill it. I go through both tanks per grow (give or take).

I use a cheap regulator found on Ebay ($100). Make sure it has two gages (compound), the single gage units work but won't tell you how much CO2 you have left in your tank.

The last part is the wallet buster.. Your controller. I love the CHHC1 (new model is the CHHC4) from Sentinel. They run between $550 and $600. It will take total control of your room with the exception of the light timer. It can be hooked up to a PC as well. I run mine remote (in the attic).

chhc-4.jpg
 

Rumple

Well-Known Member
I caught a fish thissssssssssssss big!

Thats not bad, CO2 would probly give you a 25% more in less time . I used to get resluts like that until I switched to CO2 enrichment.
 
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