# Has anyone tried water curing?



## sopappy (Jan 30, 2018)

I stumbled across water curing on the interweb and was intrigued.
I found myself in a jam with plants I ran out of time to flush...and I don't think I've EVER been able to let a plant cure for a month, let alone a couple weeks! So, I'm trying it. 
VERY scary. I've made bubble hash and it really, really bothered me putting fresh cut buds in to water but it's done.

I am checking the trichromes every water change and they look fine.
But my waste water is yellowish green and doesn't smell bad, in fact the first one was lovely. All those terpenes going I guess :-(
I'm using RO water 70F changing twice a day
I plan on stopping after 7 days and tossing it all in a dehydrator on lowest (95F)

Insane? 

View attachment drowning.jpg


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## RubyRed (Jan 31, 2018)

Interesting....can you take a dropper off the " Yellowish/Green " water and look at it under a microscope?....See whats going on?...I was not worried with Bubble...But Im interested in how you Dry it after this water cure.  

Best of Luck


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## RubyRed (Jan 31, 2018)

:48:


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## sopappy (Jan 31, 2018)

waste water 120ppm 12 hours ago and it's 50 this morning, something's happening in that water but the trikes looked a little scary though, I saw many that were just the stalk. And sure is a lot of green, water only slightly tinged
Looks like I've fornicated skyward yet again.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 31, 2018)

I don't quite understand water curing.  It was my understanding that a lot of the cannabinoids exist as acids-- THCA, CBDA, etc, and that these are water soluble.  This is the reason that we decarb before we make something like bubble hash.  Is this not correct?


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## Hackerman (Jan 31, 2018)

Perhaps it has something to do with the THCa and CBDa and the other acids still being  inside the resin glands/trichomes. 

I have heard of water curing and the people that do it like it but I don't know anything about it.

Where did you get your initial instructions on how to do it?

Just in case, you might want to run the waste water through some bubble bags.


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## sopappy (Jan 31, 2018)

Hackerman said:


> Perhaps it has something to do with the THCa and CBDa and the other acids still being  inside the resin glands/trichomes.
> 
> I have heard of water curing and the people that do it like it but I don't know anything about it.
> 
> ...



interweb again, maybe half a dozen posts, common thread I liked was
no need for a flush
more potent (we'll see)
stealth smoking and transport

on the downside
laclustre appeal visual and smell, terpenes gone :-(
more potent but smaller yield (or something like that)

the vague stuff was:
taste from bland to superb but all said smooth
waste water comments from none to horrible
(mine smells nice, slight yel geen tinge)

still confused about chloryphyll
not water soluble but supposed to leech in to water
plant should lose green colour, mine still plenty green

also nervous about hydrator but air flow is sloooow, temps still seem high though even at 90F (lowest setting)


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## sopappy (Jan 31, 2018)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> I don't quite understand water curing.  It was my understanding that a lot of the cannabinoids exist as acids-- THCA, CBDA, etc, and that these are water soluble.  This is the reason that we decarb before we make something like bubble hash.  Is this not correct?



short story is all the crappy stuff is water soluble (except terpenes unfortunately) and the trikes aren't. ((caveat: unless water is cold)
65-75ok, my RO water storage sits in a tub in the basement at about 57F, nobody talked much about that in their water changes so I mention it here.

I'm nervous about that. They looked fine first 4 water changes but I saw some missing heads this morning, all I saw was the stalk...
I have a macro setting but can't light the area under the lens


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 1, 2018)

No, not just the crappy stuff.  THCA is water soluble.  THCA is THC with an extra molecule attached.  Heat and or time, will cause the THCA to become THC.  So, if THCA is water soluble, you will be losing THC when you put it into water.  Otherwise why do we decarb bud before we make bubble hash?  My understanding has always been that you will lose a bunch of the cannabinoids if the THCA and CBDA are not converted to THC and CBD.  Also, cold water will not dissolve THC, ice/cold water makes the resin glands easier to remove from the plant material.


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## zem (Feb 1, 2018)

THG how soluble is THCA? I wash my plants with a shower head after harvest and sometimes i soak 5 minutes in H2O2 solution and then shower. I noticed a difference in taste that becomes smoother and cleaner after washing. I did not test potency before and after but I am very pleased with the potency so now I wonder am I losing any potency with this method of washing?


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## Hackerman (Feb 1, 2018)

I just did a quick search on this and found a couple papers but nothing 100%.

It appears the acids are water soluble but the resin glands themselves are not.

So, you may loose some glands in the process of washing if you are rough (same as you would loose some dry if you were rough) but as long as the little trichomes don't break open, the acids will not wash off.

You might want to Google it yourself but that's the way it looked to me on a quick search.

I never understood water curing anyway. It seems like a lot of the trics would come off in the process. 

Although, the first time I made ice water hash, it seemed pretty crazy, too. LOL

Let us know how it all turns out.


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## sopappy (Feb 1, 2018)

Day 3, some say I'm done at 3, one article insisted on 7
this morning the ppms were ZERO, 
(nobody talked about ppms, that's the excess nutes, no?) 
The water is clearest yet but still green tinge and odour.

I looked at the trikes and they look fine.
I thought it was supposed to go brownish, still plenty o' green


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## sopappy (Feb 1, 2018)

zem said:


> THG how soluble is THCA? I wash my plants with a shower head after harvest and sometimes i soak 5 minutes in H2O2 solution and then shower. I noticed a difference in taste that becomes smoother and cleaner after washing. I did not test potency before and after but I am very pleased with the potency so now I wonder am I losing any potency with this method of washing?



Yikes! I would worry about the shower spray dislodging trichromes.
Check after a good spray, I'd like to know...
I won't even pour the fresh RO over the pot in a container,
I gently lower the pot in to the pot...
If the trikes can handle your onslaught, holleeeee, I'm overkill man.
and what temp is the water?


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## sopappy (Feb 1, 2018)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> No, not just the crappy stuff.  THCA is water soluble.  THCA is THC with an extra molecule attached.  Heat and or time, will cause the THCA to become THC.  So, if THCA is water soluble, you will be losing THC when you put it into water.  Otherwise why do we decarb bud before we make bubble hash?  My understanding has always been that you will lose a bunch of the cannabinoids if the THCA and CBDA are not converted to THC and CBD.  Also, cold water will not dissolve THC, ice/cold water makes the resin glands easier to remove from the plant material.



Boy, I hope your wrong about losing THC, but can't be much worse than this pot I just bought, tight hard buds, dry as hell, like chinese food, hungry again 10 minutes
this water cure is supposed to be more potent

Only thing I could find on THC-A was that coke hash
https://thejointblog.com/thca-crystalline/

"THC-A by itself is completely inactive, meaning if it is ingested it  will not get you high (but it does have an extraordinary amount of  medicinal benefits). When THC-A is activated through heat in a process  called decarboxylation, the acidic carbon atom (the &#8220;A&#8221; in THC-A) is  removed leaving behind the psychoactive THC that so many of us know and  love" -the interweb

bummer about the medicinal benefits but you don't get them either, doesn't make sense, why would you de-carb ???


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## Rosebud (Feb 1, 2018)

So don't worry about those tric's coming off in water, i put my outdoor harvested girls in th e kitchen sink and spray off the dirt with my kitchen sprayer and then spin them in the salad spinner, doesn't hurt them a bit. They are tough like that. We decarb when we smoke it, but for cooking, yep gotta decarb. 

If the above is redundant just smoke some more pot.:vap-Bong_smoker:


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## zem (Feb 2, 2018)

lol Rose I think that the shower is not doing any bad on the contrary, they seem to taste cleaner after that and the potency is so high. It is a couple of minutes shower after i hang the plants with a string and they spin lightly as I shower them. Some plants that show PM spots or pests are also soaked in H2O2 for 5 minutes before the shower. I was wondering as I read what THG said about THCA solubility in water about how soluble it is and how fast it dissolves. From my personal experience it is worth it to wash the plants.


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## Hackerman (Feb 2, 2018)

A lot of people spray and soak their plants. Especially outdoor growers.

I can't believe that washing it doesn't loose a lot of trics but..... people who do it say it doesn't.

It's one thing I have never tried.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 2, 2018)

LOL--I guess that I am still wondering if we need to decarb before we make hash?

I am one of those that used to put my plants in the shower and give them a good spraying if I had mites.  It never seemed to affect the potency.  So tell me again why we decarb?


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## Hackerman (Feb 2, 2018)

The Hemp Goddess said:


> LOL--I guess that I am still wondering if we need to decarb before we make hash?
> 
> I am one of those that used to put my plants in the shower and give them a good spraying if I had mites.  It never seemed to affect the potency.  So tell me again why we decarb?



You decarb before you make hash? Never heard of that. It will decarb when you smoke the hash. Must make your hash taste funny. Ice water or dry sift?

We only decarb to eat.


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## sopappy (Feb 2, 2018)

I thought de-carb was just for edibles myself.

All very reassuring reading these posts about spraying the plant. I pulled the plants out of the bath and they are SOAKED, DRENCHED, no way I could "leave these to dry as normal" as one article said. They would be literally dripping on to the floor, in the dark, mold city.
I put them in this nifty dehydrator and have it on low, 90-110F, gentle breeze, 4 hours to go
I still see plenty of chlorryphil, no browning at all which is nice visually
terpenes definitely gone though, that's the price for stealth smoke I guess :-( 

View attachment lots o green.jpg


View attachment wet .jpg


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## sopappy (Feb 2, 2018)

heeyyyyyyy, this is encouraging
4 hours, most buds still damp but I picked out small dry ones.
No odour, yah, disappointing but steathy
I roll a small one
nice white ash but won't burn (still dampish, don't think it's chemical)
some harshness too, I was expecting super smooth

jury still out 

View attachment 100_0023.jpg


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## sopappy (Feb 2, 2018)

6 hours, took out the medium sized buds, obvious when you touch them which need more dry time, colas are like sponges, still going, tad worried her  but can't stop, mold starts from inside out

on the bright side, taste is blasee to off-putting in vape for sure but lots of vape, and it's cured alright, not a bad buzz at all, I can't compare though, it's all cured like this
smoothness claim is biggest letdown so far

update: nope, this ain't for everybody. Taste is gone, not an unpleasant draw and exhale but one does miss the flavours and aroma.
I'm trying this for two reasons: Stealth and flushing. I've been smoking outside in parks and had people yell at me from a block away stufff like "yummy!" and guests walk in "Phew!!"", air fresheners, carbon filtres on furnace, his actually works. No stink.

This is coming in Canada, guys & gals. As soon as these spend-happy politicians realize we'll (well, you guys anyways) be growing better stuff at cheaper prices, they will clamp done hard on growers. And if you register to grow your 4 legal plants, you are a fool. It's been a breeze so far in here for me so far. I expect far, far more risk in the future. Hopefully, they start at the top and work down, just like CRA

dammit, did it again... I'm not fixing it.. See it up there? "So far" twice
anybody else find themselves doing that? I am convinced it's a pot thing (16 - 63)


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## The Hemp Goddess (Feb 2, 2018)

Hackerman said:


> You decarb before you make hash? Never heard of that. It will decarb when you smoke the hash. Must make your hash taste funny. Ice water or dry sift?
> 
> We only decarb to eat.



Ice water and no, the hash didn't taste funny.  I decarbed because I was putting it into ice and water...and THCA is supposed to be water soluble...


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## Hackerman (Feb 3, 2018)

I never heard of that.

It must be like I said.... the acids are inside the trichs and the trics are not water soluble.

Only thing I can figure.

I would have thought spraying them would wash them clean off but, apparently it's done often.

Must be sticky little devils. LMAO


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## sopappy (Feb 3, 2018)

Me explaining "water curing" 

View attachment acting.PNG


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## sopappy (Feb 3, 2018)

Hackerman said:


> I never heard of that.
> 
> It must be like I said.... the acids are inside the trichs and the trics are not water soluble.
> 
> ...



I was constantly checking them and there was only one time where all I saw was stalks (and my heart stopped). I think they are more affected by temperature (rain doesn't wash off trikes, what were we thinking?)
I kept the cure water more on warm end of 65-75 and I did see some trikes that looked like they were "melted" together. I also tried a different technique with the bubble bucket, no frantic churning with a hand mixer, just swirl the whole mixture, it really cools down the water/ice mixture. Just as good a result.
I must remember to check trikes next go-round.


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## sopappy (Feb 3, 2018)

cheese and rice! 12 hours and my puny colas are still scary damp
another deal breaker for many I'm sure...
Looks like I'll have to dismember my colas before dehydrating

yah, that works, another half hour in smaller chunks and seems okay

weighed all and it still feels too heavy to me, I think there's still moisture in there, no likey

you would not want to do this to coke can colas, 
cripes, if i could grow them that big I'd work in a flush 

View attachment 100_0025.jpg


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## sopappy (Feb 4, 2018)

I'm concerned about the drying. You can not dry this pot "as usual". Obviously that writer hadn't actually tried it! There's also a dink on youtube who wasted half hour of my life and then glossed over the dehydrator. THE MOST CRITICAL PART! 
I'm glad Amazon is quick. I wasn't even thinking of using a dehydrator... I wasn't thinking, it's a must! Imagine seaweed washing up on shore. You can't exactly wring it out either.

I used to like saving the colas, not with this method. It will be safer to pick them apart into nuggets before the soak.
I miss taste, even smell but for me, stealth will become more of an issue as this stuff becomes "mainstream". People want to smoke pot in their apartments and they can smoke this stuff (and carry it around), i can open my front door.
and I think it's more potent (I chase the high all day on Sundays)
but I'm not finding it any smoother in a vaporizer 

but you read all this on the interweb, one dork's experience


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## sopappy (Feb 5, 2018)

feels like an old hash stone from the 70s to me this morning
no taste, actually tad on the negative side, cardboardy maybe?
I always start from bottom up in the jar too, smallest and crumbs first, this may have a happy ending afterall.
It's fully cured, I guess I just keep it in jars for freshness, no burping
I haven't had a chance to test the stealth but I only get a snootful when I'm in the grow room now
I think I'm safe trusting the ppm readings of the cure water, not a mention in any of the articles but I did see one dork doing it on youtube but he glossed over the dehydrator, didn't even turn it on! Only one chap talked mold but no tips.
I really hate cutting up colas, I wonder if I can turn the thing up.
12hours at 90F
or press harder with the paper towels or spin them in a lettuce thingie,
the trikes seem more rugged than I thought

OH! The stuff STILL does not burn well, it's improving but must STILL be moist in there.
Vaping is fine.


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## sopappy (Feb 5, 2018)

strangest thing, the closet thing to the smell I get from this reminds me of an outhouse.
(not a "just used" one but that earthy, woody, not unpleasant, just not pleasant.

Next batch ready for dehydration 
I'm going to (sacrifice) a cola and literally wring it out before putting it in the machine.
12 hours is too long

update: those trikes are a lot stronger than you'd think, still looked okay


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## sopappy (Mar 3, 2018)

I must admit I miss the taste. I'll do it for my maintenance pot but I'll still want to flush and air cure some for company 

The water cure necessitates a dehydrator.
As usual, I've run out of pot before harvest AGAIN.
I often see it coming and toss buds on top of the fridge.
This time I'm trying some in the dehydrator....
I have NEVER heard of anybody trying that, I hope it's not dumb.
Be nice if these things could chop some drying time off the cure and save that burping guesswork.


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