Wet trim vs dry trim?

BakingcoOkiez

Active Member
I've notice alot of people still doing wet trim even though dry trim is recommended for best flavor and smell. Is there something special about wet trimming that I'm missing?
 

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
I've notice alot of people still doing wet trim even though dry trim is recommended for best flavor and smell. Is there something special about wet trimming that I'm missing?
I do a rough trim when it's wet cause when your trimming pounds at a time it makes life easier ...then I dry and do a final trim .....I've done it both ways over the years and there's no difference IMO between the two techniques except it's way harder to trim with all the leaves dry around the buds ......my taste and smell comes from growing it correctly drying it correctly and especially curing it correctly ......just try it for yourself you'll see ...don't take nobodies word for it ..just do it ...
 

Odin*

Well-Known Member
@Indacouch Are you hacking her to pieces before drying? If so, there is a huuuuuuuuge difference in your final product.


Trimming weight isn't very difficult when you have a hard time deciding what to trim and what to leave and, when there is little of that to contemplate. My easiest trim is the "Mystery". It is so dense in frost that even though it does have a few short leaves that should go, they fold up nicely (dry), and are so purple that it all comes together to just add "character" to the buds. Trimming it's beautiful sugars, in a way, detracts from her. That is per plant, she doesn't yield, so per lb goes to either my "Mint", or "M4" (yes, even easier/icier than GG4).

Honestly, it's all pretty quick, just have to get your leaf to calayx ratio squared away.
 

Budget Buds

Well-Known Member
If you have issues with humidity being way to low and it is hard to control it in the area you're drying , A dry trim can help keep the proper levels and gives it less of a chance of getting the lawn clippings smell and dry as a desert buds. I have done both and prefer to do it wet when everything is easier to cut. I've done it dry, it just takes longer to do right .
 

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
@Indacouch Are you hacking her to pieces before drying? If so, there is a huuuuuuuuge difference in your final product.


Trimming weight isn't very difficult when you have a hard time deciding what to trim and what to leave and, when there is little of that to contemplate. My easiest trim is the "Mystery". It is so dense in frost that even though it does have a few short leaves that should go, they fold up nicely (dry), and are so purple that it all comes together to just add "character" to the buds. Trimming it's beautiful sugars, in a way, detracts from her. That is per plant, she doesn't yield, so per lb goes to either my "Mint", or "M4" (yes, even easier/icier than GG4).

Honestly, it's all pretty quick, just have to get your leaf to calayx ratio squared away.
No definately still doing lots of removal during my final trim for sure .....I take all my fans off and quickly remove the large stuff on the buds while it's sticking straight out for me ....definately not doing a final trim wet by no means ....I don't try to cut close into the bud on my wet/rough chop
 

backtracker

Well-Known Member
When the buds are wet trimmed they have to be layed on screens so they have a flat side, dry trimmed they are hung on wire on the stems so no flat spot. Dry......
 

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
Technically speaking, if you cut the leaves, drying evaporation will occur through the buds instead of the absent leaves. One idea would be, on the day you originally planned to harvest, boil a large pot of water, dump it in while the pot is outside or in a tub, and let it sit under 12/12 for 5-7 more days. Dry to snappiness and cure for maybe a week or two, but it may come off the branch tasting ten days cured. This method comes from @RM3 experimenting with it for years.

1. It closes the stomata immediately, firstly not allowing the plant to consume anymore nutrients from the now-dead roots and forces it to draw energy from the leaves, and it causes water to evaporate more slowly, which is what you want for good flavor.

2. It deprives the plant of the ability to exchange CO2 and O2, thus suffocating it and kickstarting the fermentation process, which gives it that taste you love, occuring normally during the cure.

3. Sterilizes medium for immediate reuse.
 
Last edited:

Chorse

Well-Known Member
I wet trim because it is easier and faster...and No, taste and potency are not noticeably different although I admit never laying a properly cured wet vs. dry joint next to each other and doing a taste test. All I know is mine are just as delicious now as they were when I dry trimmed. I do not lose the small sugar leaves either as they get saved in their own little pile and mashed or hashed. I should be harvesting within 10 days and just might do that test.
 

Chorse

Well-Known Member
Technically speaking, if you cut the leaves, drying evaporation will occur through the buds instead of the absent leaves. One idea would be, on the day you originally planned to harvest, boil a large pot of water, dump it in while the pot is outside or in a tub, and let it sit under 12/12 for 5-7 more days. Dry to snappiness and cure for maybe a week or two, but it may come off the branch tasting ten days cured. This method comes from @RM3 experimenting with it for years.

1. It closes the stomata immediately, firstly not allowing the plant to consume anymore nutrients from the now-dead roots and forces it to draw energy from the leaves, and it causes water to evaporate more slowly, which is what you want for good flavor.

2. It deprives the plant of the ability to exchange CO2 for O2, thus suffocating it and kickstarting the fermentation process, which gives it that taste you love, occuring normally during the cure.

3. Sterilizes medium for immediate reuse.
Interesting...although I personally would have a hard time getting boiling water to my grow. Similarly, in one of the pinned posts here they speak of drowning the roots for a similar affect.
 

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
Interesting...although I personally would have a hard time getting boiling water to my grow. Similarly, in one of the pinned posts here they speak of drowning the roots for a similar affect.
Yeah, only potential issue with drowning is the potential to create mold and draw pests. You should get, like.. Some kind of solar powered hotplate or some Inspector Gadget bullshit like that if you ever care to try it.
 

Chorse

Well-Known Member
Yeah, only potential issue with drowning is the potential to create mold and draw pests. You should get, like.. Some kind of solar powered hotplate or some Inspector Gadget bullshit like that if you ever care to try it.
I don't think mold and pests are issues as, if I remember correctly, you literally are submerging your dirt for a number of days. Mold is not gonna grow under water and pests will have to hold their breath. You probably do need to have your dehumidifier at the ready with all that water in the room.
 

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
I don't think mold and pests are issues as, if I remember correctly, you literally are submerging your dirt for a number of days. Mold is not gonna grow under water and pests will have to hold their breath. You probably do need to have your dehumidifier at the ready with all that water in the room.
Pests like fungus gnats that love the wet, you mean? That aside, if it's humid, you'll get bud rot from condensed low evaporation around the colas.

Edit: Nevermind, you acknowledged the humidity part. If you can plug in a dehumidifier, why are you unable to boil?
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
This boarders more on opinion then any fact!
You can do one or the other and believe there is a difference.
You can do side by sides and find a difference, or not!
Personally, I can not stand behind any reasoning that believes that terps are released from the "wounds" of cutting/trimming wet plants. The idea that they flow through the plant like nutrients, goes against things I have learned in botany. It sounds like something that would be easy to prove buy analyzing the contents of phloem sap in a gas chrome.....
Some one has to write the parameters for the testing and do it!
Thing is, it's another one of those things your not going to have much luck finding papers on! The wording of the search is the key!

This is the first thing that pops up when I apply a search.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577278/

And as known. It lines out that terpenes are made in the trichomes of cannabis related plants!
Not flowing around with the phloem sap.

So then (as I expected) The idea that you loose terps from wounds created by trimming is "Not a scientific conclusion, and is false"!

The idea that some may evaporate more by increased air flow over the more exposed trichomes may have some merit.
That would be something to be studied and reported on. Yet I feel the amount of change would be a rather small percentage!
Remember that you only need to move the air enough to not allow for mold or rot to set in. Moving more then enough, may be the basis of any "extra" terp loss!

Be smart about air cycling! Have "smelly" weed!

I trim wet for ease and time!
I cure mine and get my "stink" back!
Sells faster then I can grow it! I'm good!
 
Last edited:

Olive Drab Green

Well-Known Member
This boarders more on opinion then any fact!
You can do one or the other and believe there is a difference.
You can do side by sides and find a difference, or not!
Personally, I can not stand behind any reasoning that believes that terps are released from the "wounds" of cutting/trimming wet plants. The idea that they flow through the plant like nutrients, goes against things I have learned in botany. It sounds like something that would be easy to prove buy analyzing the contents of phloem sap in a gas chrome.....
Some one has to write the parameters for the testing and do it!
Thing is, it's another one of those things your not going to have much luck finding papers on! The wording of the search is the key!

This is the first thing that pops up when I apply a search.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577278/

And as known. It lines out that terpenes are made in the trichomes of cannabis related plants!

So then (as I expected) The idea that you loose terps from wounds created by trimming is "Not a scientific conclusion, and is false"!

The idea that some may evaporate more by increased air flow over the more exposed trichomes may have some merit.
That would be something to be studied and reported on. yet I feel the amount of change would be a rather small percentage!

I trim wet for ease and time!
I cure mine and get my "stink" back!
Sells faster then I can grow it! I'm good!
I mean, everything I just stated was established by your good friend and mine, @RM3. I personally like the method and find it effective. It's not the wound that causes terps to come out, it's fermentation caused by suffocation, since the roots exchange gasses.

Or were you replying to someone else? Sorry, sleep deprived.
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
I mean, everything I just stated was established by your good friend and mine, @RM3. I personally like the method and find it effective. It's not the wound that causes terps to come out, it's fermentation caused by suffocation, since the roots exchange gasses.

Or were you replying to someone else? Sorry, sleep deprived.
Not talking about the boiling water thing ODG! I'm relating to what ODIN points to. This is something found on many grow sites!
The whole terps leave the plant through "wounds" thing!

I understand your points!
 
Top