# OK to trim nugs off stems at harvest to reduce mold?



## Leo27 (Mar 21, 2021)

Last year I lost a good amount of White Widow auto harvest to mold, the main cola was extremely tight. This year I have a Northern Light Auto harvest coming up soon and I was thinking that if I trimmed the nugs off of the stems and place them on wire racks for the initial drying phase, I'd get better air flow and the chances of mold would be reduced.


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## pute (Mar 21, 2021)

Low humidity starting at 60% and dropping to 50% long withindirect air flow will help.


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## ROSTERMAN (Mar 21, 2021)

I would be worried that they would dry too fast, but big asss buds should be broken up a bit to avoid mold for sure.
My opinion


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## Leo27 (Mar 21, 2021)

Yeah, last years main cola was awesome, big and thick. Lost the whole thing to mold. Had some good auxiliaries though that worked out.


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## pute (Mar 21, 2021)

I happen to like big buds and so do my friends.  I don't cut them down.  I simply keep the humidity around 60% once in jars and pop the lids until totally dry.  I don't have a problem with mold and never have.  The dank is in the details and the dry/cure process is just as important as growing it in the first place.  I do it the old fashioned way by feel.  No boveda packs or humidity tester for me.  

Keep in mind different parts of the country have different problems....I live in high desert so mold isn't the problem that say a place like Florida would have.


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## ROSTERMAN (Mar 21, 2021)

putembk said:


> I happen to like big buds and so do my friends.  I don't cut them down.  I simply keep the humidity around 60% once in jars and pop the lids until totally dry.  I don't have a problem with mold and never have.  The dank is in the details and the dry/cure process is just as important as growing it in the first place.  I do it the old fashioned way by feel.  No boveda packs or humidity tester for me.
> 
> Keep in mind different parts of the country have different problems....I live in high desert so mold isn't the problem that say a place like Florida would have.


Just how Big are we talking I meant tight donkeydicks and if they are tight formed   Need to get some air movement around them.


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## pute (Mar 21, 2021)

RosterTheCog said:


> Just how Big are we talking I meant tight donkeydicks and if they are tight formed   Need to get some air movement around them.


About the size of my fist. The main thing is to make sure the buds are dried correctly before going to jars.   Every beginner I have known rushes to jars..... congrats....you have just put wet pot in a jar....and they are amazed that the end up with mold.


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## ROSTERMAN (Mar 21, 2021)

putembk said:


> About the size of my fist. The main thing is to make sure the buds are dried correctly before going to jars.   Every beginner I have known rushes to jars..... congrats....you have just put wet pot in a jar....and they are amazed that the end up with mold.


I was under the impression they were asking how to dry the nugs not jar them  WHOOPS My Bad


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## ROSTERMAN (Mar 21, 2021)

Leo27 said:


> Last year I lost a good amount of White Widow auto harvest to mold, the main cola was extremely tight. This year I have a Northern Light Auto harvest coming up soon and I was thinking that if I trimmed the nugs off of the stems and place them on wire racks for the initial drying phase, I'd get better air flow and the chances of mold would be reduced.


Leo did you lose them to mold while trying to dry them or after you put the buds into mason jars
I am confused  The way you worded it is open to interpretation


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## WeedHopper (Mar 22, 2021)

I go by feel and the snap of the stem for putting in jars.


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## Leo27 (Mar 22, 2021)

I lost the main cola in the initial drying phase.


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## pute (Mar 22, 2021)

Learning process Leo.  Bet you don't do that again.


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## sharonp (Apr 9, 2021)

I always thought hanging your plants increased the potency. However, I see a lot of people using drying racks now.


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## WeedHopper (Apr 9, 2021)

I hang mine and have never had a problem. I only use a rack for small popcorn buds.


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## Leo27 (Apr 9, 2021)

I'm going to have to make a decision soon. My plant is devoid of leaves and just a very few trichomes have turned amber. Day 86. Got some foxtailing now on the main cola.


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## sharonp (Apr 10, 2021)

Leo27 said:


> I'm going to have to make a decision soon. My plant is devoid of leaves and just a very few trichomes have turned amber. Day 86. Got some foxtailing now on the main cola.


You are the only one that can decide when to harvest. Autos for me have gone 8-10 weeks depending on the strain.  I grew a Lemon Haze auto and harvested at 8 weeks, I grew an Ak-47 and harvested around 10-11 weeks.


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## WeedHopper (Apr 11, 2021)

I just harvested my Auto at 10 weeks.


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## RonnieB (Apr 11, 2021)

They dry too fast if you make them smaller than golf balls.


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## Leo27 (Apr 14, 2021)

I harvested yesterday at day 90. Broke up the main cola....


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## WeedHopper (Apr 14, 2021)

Ill be right over.


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## guerilla1950 (Apr 14, 2021)

NICE


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## Leo27 (May 7, 2021)

It all worked out fine, a very easy grow with no problems. The only issue was the plant itself. The Nirvana plant described as "short" was almost 5 feet tall with the 2.5 gallon pot.


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## pute (May 7, 2021)

If you are having a problem with mold while still in flower you have poor ventilation.  Where do you live and what is the humidity at night while the lights are off.  YOU need to fix this as it isn't gonna go away.  Humidity during drying shouldn't be much over 60% and slowly drop to 60% before going into jars.  Then the humidity shouldn't be over 60%.


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## WeedHopper (May 7, 2021)

You should have a fan pushing air around your plants 24/7 in your grow room. And also you have to make sure your exchanging air in your grow room constantly. Fresh air in stale air out. My grow room had negative pressure to a point it wasn't easy opening the door.


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## pute (May 7, 2021)

^^^^yup, especially if it is already humid in your area.  If I didn't have fans running 24/7 my humidity would be over 80% during lights out.


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## Leo27 (May 7, 2021)

I had the plant in the corner of my home office with lights running 20/4. Two small Vornado fans on low ran constantly. I used aluminum foil as reflectors and didn't do any sort of tenting or enclosure. I have central air. Temp is/was 77 (or less) & humidity is about 55%. On sunny warm days I took the plant out on the patio where it sat until the sun went down. Mind you, this is south Florida and the time to take advantage of the outdoor sun is winter. It was very dry with temps in the mid-seventies and there were no bugs. At no time did the plant/flowers ever get wet. At the end of March, I kept the plant inside to finish the grow (90 days).  Dried the mostly lose nugs on two racks placed on top of my stacked washer/dryer adjacent to a ceiling A/C vent accompanied by a small fan on low for a few day then put them in two brown paper bags for about a week. Now they are in jars and at the point where I'm opening them once a day. No mold. The stuff is killer smoke. Four pipe hits and that's it!


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## WeedHopper (May 7, 2021)

Aluminum foil is not a good reflective material. Its a waste of time.
I lived in Florida and grew in a closet and never had humidity problems. Then again i wasnt growing outside the closet that i had total control of.


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## yooper420 (May 8, 2021)

First time I lived in Florida my outdoor grow got ripped off. The dumb mofos ripped off immature plants, they had just started to bud.


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## Leo27 (May 8, 2021)

WeedHopper said:


> Aluminum foil is not a good reflective material. Its a waste of time.
> I lived in Florida and grew in a closet and never had humidity problems. Then again i wasnt growing outside the closet that i had total control of.


What? The shiny side of aluminum foil sure is reflective. Green thumb growing sense goes along way too. Unnecessary fussing is a waste of time and money.


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## WeedHopper (May 8, 2021)

Yes it will reflect but it sucks. Flat White paint doesn't wrinkle and is not a fuss. Its easy to apply and easy to clean unlike foil that wrinkles and is a pain in the ass. But to each his own.
Im sure the humidity is a fuss though and fixing that is never a waste of money.


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## Leo27 (May 8, 2021)

Whatever works and controlling humidity* IS *key and I never suggested otherwise.


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## WeedHopper (May 8, 2021)

Never said you did and i Totally agree brother.


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