# Drying whole plant attached vs. Separating branches?



## B2K (Mar 10, 2010)

I've heard opinions in favor of both, what do you guys think, drying the whole plant together or manicuring it before drying and hanging up the different branchs?


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## stumps (Mar 10, 2010)

trim hang and jar.


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## B2K (Mar 10, 2010)

stumps said:


> trim hang and jar.


why is it better to trim first?


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## stumps (Mar 10, 2010)

Taste and ease. Getting rid of the green helps get rid of the hay taste. trimming green is less mess less damage to the bud. Thats at least a few reasons.


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## mjh0817 (Mar 10, 2010)

True trim and hang but I do whole branches would b my vote all the way, there is some cannabinoids left in the stem to drain out to the buds.


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## stumps (Mar 10, 2010)

First trim is a good one I try to get every thing I can. I trim again before jarring. Just to get rid of what i might have missed and pokies. I also do whole branches for the hang.


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## super2200 (Mar 10, 2010)

If you have very low humidity I would hang the entire plant the slow the drying process down. With very low humidity you may NOT want to trim fully as it will dry out in 1-2 days and taste like shit anyway. You must decide and try one both ways as you will know. I hang entire plant during winter months when I am running the GAs heat as it dries the shit wayy to fast if I fully trim. Sometimes I hang the entire for 2 days then trim. Most times though I do exactly as suggested which is to fully trim to get the sweet leaves for making good hash and then hanging entire branches. In most cases you want to trim and then hang; except if you have such low humidity it dries too fast. You want it to dry as slow as possibly but not too slow where you run the risk of mold. I would go with the full trim and hang unless it dries in less than 3 days. You want it to take at least 5-7 days to dry and be ready for jars, longer is better but you risk mold if humidity is too high and no air circulating. Trimming after hanging is a pain in the butt and also your sure to not trim as close as you would have before leaves get limp also as suggested the leaves you don't want to smoke its the bud itself as leaves can make for harsh smoke sometimes.


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## smppro (Mar 10, 2010)

You can do either way, it shouldnt affect the taste while drying but it will dry slower if you hang the entire plants. Its easier to trim before hanging, thats why most people do it.


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## Jerry Garcia (Mar 10, 2010)

mjh0817 said:


> True trim and hang but I do whole branches would b my vote all the way, there is some cannabinoids left in the stem to drain out to the buds.


I'm sorry this is incorrect. What little cannabinoids are present in stems do not translocate into the buds because you hung it upside down.

I like to trim, hang, jar. If you hang before trimming, the plant will take longer to dry, which can be good or bad depending on your environmental conditions.

Also, if you leave the buds attached to long stems they will take longer to dry as well.

Some people like to trim after they dry, as they believe the leaves wrapping around the bud helps protect the buds and their trichome heads. Personally I find it much more difficult to trim dry leaves, and would rather do it before I hang. I also like to make hash with my trim, and fresh leaves are easier to deal with as there is less risk of contamination from dry, crumbly plant matter getting into my hash.


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## nazzlow (Jan 17, 2014)

I like to trim the whole plant first, while it's still in the pot, then cut it off at the base of the stalk, hang it intact for 4-5 days or until the outsides of the buds are starting to get crispy. Then I'll cut the buds off of the stems into paper grocery bags, and leave them open in the drying area for a couple days--shaking them up a couple times per day, then close up the bag and leave for a couple more days (shaking every day), then into jars to cure for up to 3 months, burping every day for the first couple weeks, then every few days for the next month or so. Works for me. I only grow for personal use, however, so I don't care too much about a "show" quality trimming, but I do care about a good cure.


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## Sunbiz1 (Jan 17, 2014)

nazzlow said:


> I like to trim the whole plant first, while it's still in the pot, then cut it off at the base of the stalk, hang it intact for 4-5 days or until the outsides of the buds are starting to get crispy. Then I'll cut the buds off of the stems into paper grocery bags, and leave them open in the drying area for a couple days--shaking them up a couple times per day, then close up the bag and leave for a couple more days (shaking every day), then into jars to cure for up to 3 months, burping every day for the first couple weeks, then every few days for the next month or so. Works for me. I only grow for personal use, however, so I don't care too much about a "show" quality trimming, but I do care about a good cure.


Thread from 2010.


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## Komiyan (Jan 18, 2014)

Sunbiz1 said:


> Thread from 2010.


'tis a good bump 

At least i learnt something new about drying: Drying the whole plant takes too long with little benefit, the 'trim, hang, jar' seems to be the most tried and tested method with less chances of mold.


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## donmagicjuan (Jan 18, 2014)

the only thing that hangs is my nuts. bud r going to be dry enough for jars in 3 days. if u can keep up trimming ur not trimming good enough. my trim work gets bum rushed then buds r in jar after day 3 i never hang unless ur talking about my ball baggage


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## MoJobud (Jan 18, 2014)

Chop whole plant. Get a hook and hang. Sit your ass down and pluck fan leaves. Hang the whole thing for 4-5 days. Bust nugs off and jar it up. At this point I'll feel it out to see if the outside is crispy enough to start manicuring it down. 

Trimming dry is quick and easy.


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## Julius Caesar (Jan 19, 2014)

donmagicjuan said:


> the only thing that hangs is my nuts. bud r going to be dry enough for jars in 3 days. if u can keep up trimming ur not trimming good enough. my trim work gets bum rushed then buds r in jar after day 3 i never hang unless ur talking about my ball baggage


Oh Lord please help this person.


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## donmagicjuan (Jan 20, 2014)

Julius Caesar said:


> Oh Lord please help this person.


no way my buds dont have any leaves not like crows feet leaf shit u dry trimmers get peel


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## fatboyOGOF (Jan 20, 2014)

i've dried them pretty much every way there is to do it, and i'm back to hanging the whole plant again.
then trimming and into bags, or sometimes directly into ball jars.

the same way i did it my first grow way back when.

it's dry here, and when hung whole, they are dry enough for the bags in 7 to 10 days. i used to have them dry in 3 days by trimming right after harvest, but i prefer a slower dry. 

if i was in an area with high humidity, i'd probably cut off the fan leaves and hang the branches instead of the whole plant.
then again, i'd love to see what a known clone would taste and smell like after a 3 week slow hang dry.
would it smell and taste better? i don't know for sure, but i think so. the only way to know for sure is to do it.


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## donmagicjuan (Jan 20, 2014)

3 days out gets the outside dry 1 day in the jar gets the remaining moisture distributed evenly. then open and close jar. if u trim dry u r leaving leaf matter, plus, if u do have any dead leaf it will powderize and stick to the bud and finger, rather than simply peeling the moist leaf right off. i dont think a string and being upside down is doing anything,its just not letting the buds lay on a surface which is ok,but if ur in jars after 3 days, laying buds on a counter really doesnt matter, but whatever


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## crispypb840 (Jan 21, 2014)

I prefer to trim after drying. The scissors don't get as gummed up when the leaves are crispy. One thing I was wondering though? If you trim (sweet leaves) right after you chop will it slow down there perspiration like trimming tips off fan leaves when cloning. And would it make a difference? And would it be ok to dry the harvest by leaving the plant and letting it dry out while its still in the pot.


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## Twitch (Jan 21, 2014)

yea i have never hung the whole plant.... i cut all the main branches off, then pull fan leaves, then its goes to the trimmers who get the sugar leaves and cut the nugs off the stocks and the colas up into nugs and then to the drying racks for 4 to 7 days till the stems snap, then i loosely seal them up in vac sealed bags, 2 days later i open up air out for about an hour then i vac seal them up tight then next time, and they are ready to go.


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## growbig78 (Jan 23, 2014)

Royal Queen has sold me some pretty good genetics, but don't have enough grows to speak from actual experience (except that for me wet trim is much easier, but need alcohol handy for blades). Their website told me about at least one of their strains:

"This cannabis strain will require an 8 week flowering period, which is relatively short for a sativa dominant plant. Extra care and consideration should be taken to maximise the flavour of Fruit Spirit after harvesting. As always, our recommendation is to dry your plant for 7 days prior to trimming/clipping. Performing a dry trim will help to maintain this special flavour, which can be easily lost during the drying period."

I thinks their Fruit Spirit is a Blueberry x WW. Whatever. I'll try it and see.


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## stropsss14 (Feb 16, 2014)

The cure is important.


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## tip top toker (Feb 16, 2014)

I tried every variation for one reason or other. After a short cure, it all ended upbthe same buds as any other process I tried. (Always same strain from same mother) I mostly just chopped, trimmed, then hung individual branches as was most convenient.


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## Ganjalee (Feb 16, 2014)

tip top toker said:


> I tried every variation for one reason or other. After a short cure, it all ended upbthe same buds as any other process I tried. (Always same strain from same mother) I mostly just chopped, trimmed, then hung individual branches as was most convenient.


ya that makes sense , though a slow cure is done by not chopping anything, this allows the moisture to leave slower then if you cut all these openings,


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## Sugarleaf420 (Jan 19, 2021)

I know it’s a old ass post..It all depends on your patience for the time to dry..hang whole plant with right dry conditions allows plant to dry evenly vs individual branches drying at different times this due to different size branches and buds also could over dry


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