Drying and curing

rcory69

Member
OK so I. Not sure if it is ready to be pulled . I was told that when the buds start turning amber or a orangish color that's when it's ready. Will someone take a look at these pics and give me a opinion and if it is ready what exactly is the correct process for drying and curing
 

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go go kid

Well-Known Member
you have a ways to go for propper matured bud, you can cut it when its 80% orange/red hairs up to when the colas are fat n full of swollen calyxes. the choice is yours, but bud too early won't have that heavy stone you may desire, it will be a bit racey
 

NanoGadget

Well-Known Member
Definitely a ways to go as stated above. 3 to 4 weeks if I had to guess. As for drying, the ideal is a dark space maintained at around 60f and 60% humidity. Space should have air movement but nothing blowing directly on the buds. Personally I shoot for 65f and 50 to 55% humidity for the first 3 to 5 days and then ramp into 60/60 because I run strains that have large, very dense buds that are prone to mold and I like the dry a bit aggressive in the beginning to minimize risk. I am usually looking at 14 to 18 days of hang time until they are dry enough to jar.
 

Kindbud421

Well-Known Member
So, never answered your question? After you chop, hang them to dry 5-15 days in 62%rh and 60 F. When the small satellite branches crack when bent at 90 degree angle but don’t break, it’s time to cut all the buds off. Some will use paper grocery bags and “sweat” their buds for a couple days before placing in jars or cure bags (grove). Single layer on bottom of bag and set aside. Then to cure container. Or skip the brown paper bag “sweat” and go directly to jars. For the first week you’ll uncover all the jars you filled for 15-30 minutes a day. Then next two weeks every other day. By 4 th week you may not need to open only once. You’ll check the feel of the buds for moisture during the first two weeks. If the buds are “wet” take them out of jar and spread out til dry to the touch. When dry to touch put back in jar and check the next day. After 3 wks most of the terpene flavor will be present and smoke will be smoother. Store in cool dark dry place. I suggest grove bags. Takes the guesswork out of curing. Same technique. When small stem cracks but not break, cut all buds off and put in grove bags. First week open and check moisture. If wet to touch, leave out til dry to touch and put back in grove and seal. Do this every day for first week or til buds are dry to touch the next day after checking. When buds are dry to touch the next day you are good to seal until consumption. 3 wks is the earliest I’ll start smoking mine . A long 3 month cure will be surprising and you’ll thank yourself!
 

rcory69

Member
So, never answered your question? After you chop, hang them to dry 5-15 days in 62%rh and 60 F. When the small satellite branches crack when bent at 90 degree angle but don’t break, it’s time to cut all the buds off. Some will use paper grocery bags and “sweat” their buds for a couple days before placing in jars or cure bags (grove). Single layer on bottom of bag and set aside. Then to cure container. Or skip the brown paper bag “sweat” and go directly to jars. For the first week you’ll uncover all the jars you filled for 15-30 minutes a day. Then next two weeks every other day. By 4 th week you may not need to open only once. You’ll check the feel of the buds for moisture during the first two weeks. If the buds are “wet” take them out of jar and spread out til dry to the touch. When dry to touch put back in jar and check the next day. After 3 wks most of the terpene flavor will be present and smoke will be smoother. Store in cool dark dry place. I suggest grove bags. Takes the guesswork out of curing. Same technique. When small stem cracks but not break, cut all buds off and put in grove bags. First week open and check moisture. If wet to touch, leave out til dry to touch and put back in grove and seal. Do this every day for first week or til buds are dry to touch the next day after checking. When buds are dry to touch the next day you are good to seal until consumption. 3 wks is the earliest I’ll start smoking mine . A long 3 month cure will be surprising and you’ll thank yourself!
Thank you after reading that I now know I've only been doing it half right, I've got another grow I'm waiting to Finnish budding , I'll be posting pi tunes at 4 weeks or just under 4cweeks. Thank you again, what are grove bags , I'm here in az and never heard of those or I know them by a different name perhaps.
 

Kindbud421

Well-Known Member
Thank you after reading that I now know I've only been doing it half right, I've got another grow I'm waiting to Finnish budding , I'll be posting pi tunes at 4 weeks or just under 4cweeks. Thank you again, what are grove bags , I'm here in az and never heard of those or I know them by a different name perhaps.
There are a couple different companies, but grove bags are best. It’s a curing bag, can you order from Amazon?
 

Fishmon

Well-Known Member
Everything I've grown over the last 3 years or so has taken 11 full weeks from showing hairs. Closer to 12 for those that start counting at flip. Observing trichomes and pistils tells the tale.
 

rcory69

Member
Everything I've grown over the last 3 years or so has taken 11 full weeks from showing hairs. Closer to 12 for those that start counting at flip. Observing trichomes and pistils tells the tale.
Now is that also true for auto flower.mine is 6 weeks in and starting to show amber hairs and its an auto flower. To what I've been told they go through there cycles faster than normal plants. It's hard to see in these pics but they are about 20% amber right now
 

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Fishmon

Well-Known Member
The handful of autos ive grown also went 11 weeks from first pistils. I would suggest reading up and youtubing the subject. Ripening can be an agonizingly long and drawn out process. Trichomes are ultimately what I go by. By the time trichomes are where i want to harvest, the pistils are mostly all amber or rusty colored, and have receded and curled back to the bud. That is to say they are no longer reaching out. The trichomes don't all ripen at the same time. Clear=not ready. Milky (white)=peak ripeness. Amber=over ripe (thc declining) but still psychoactive (more narcotic effect as i understand). The idea for me is to harvest for max milky which will include some under ripe, some over ripe, and majority ripe. A jeweler's loupe or good phone camera is most useful to determine the trichs ripeness. From what I can make out from those pics you are probably looking at another month minimum.
 
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