# Opinions on harvesting



## T-rex (Feb 6, 2010)

Hi everyone!
It's my 1st grow and I'm ready to cut.  Most all leaves are yellow and I have 30% amber trichs.  What method do you guys prefer?  
Cutting at base and trimming, then hanging for 3-5 days, and then putting in curing bags or jars.
or
cutting at base and trimming, then separating branches and colas, and put in paper bags, until ready to be put in curing containers.
What's your guys recomendations?

Take care,
T-rex


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## diablo_cannabis (Feb 6, 2010)

I usually cut at the base and trim everything and them spread it out on some drying screens for about 5 or 6 days.


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## T-rex (Feb 6, 2010)

Hi Diablo,  Do you place the screens in a dark room with air circulating?

Thanks for your response,
T-rex


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## diablo_cannabis (Feb 6, 2010)

what up t. yeah the lights are out and the air is moving


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## legalize_freedom (Feb 6, 2010)

I cut branches and trim fan leaves off.  I keep all the small sugar coated leaf on and hang in a cool dark place with air movement.  Not air directly on the plants, but below.  I leave them hang until the ouside is crispy and the inside is spongy....can take from 5 to 10 days depending on RH of your drying room, and size of the buds.

they then get the hash makeing leaves trimmed off, and these go to the freezer.  (some like to trim hash leaves while fresh, with good reason as the trichs can become brittle and damaged once dried. but I like the way they wrap around my buds, and slows down the drying process)the buds go into brown bags until stem snaps, gently turning several times a day.  If I smell amonia they go back to hanging, or a screen.  

Once the stems snap they go into jars and get opened a few times a day, gradually letting the time open shorten, this process goes for another couple weeks, until the smell and burn that you want is there.  

Congrats on the harvest!


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## T-rex (Feb 6, 2010)

Thanks Legal,
Good advice.  I can't wait to get the clones I have ready, into the tent.  I can't wait to get the 2nd grow started, and avoid the mistakes I made.
Take care,
T-rex


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## tcbud (Feb 6, 2010)

Congrats on the Harvest Mr. T-rex.  Smoke report in the future I hope.  Legal has it pretty much down pat there.

Good luck to you.


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## T-rex (Feb 7, 2010)

Thanks TC,
Definate smoke report coming up as soon as possible.  It's hard to wait when it's your 1st grow!

Be Good!,
T-rex


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## legalize_freedom (Feb 7, 2010)

LOL...it's hard to wait period...it doesn't matter how many grows, I got some that will be the end of week 8 on friday, and I want so bad to take them then, but I know I have another week before they are done!  I want to be smoking them now!  LOL and I have about a 1/2 of 1/2 gallon jar left of my last harvest!  The one I'm growing now, I got some seeds for, and have never grown it before...sooo...it's like the first time all over again!  The beauty of this hobby!  It's always nice to hear about someones first harvest though!  Very happy for ya man!


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## BBFan (Feb 7, 2010)

:yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat: 

Congrats on the harvest T-Rex!

But yeah, the waiting never gets any easier- even when you still got a few jars left from the last batch.


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## T-rex (Feb 8, 2010)

First of all thanks all for your positive input!  I was hoping someone would comment on the paper bag dry.  My problem is I have to get my clones in the tent as they are 14" and getting stretchy under the floros.  I would like to hang the plants in the clone closet but I still have some Black Domina clones in there that were taken late.  I read about the bag drying in one of the growguides on this site.  Right now it would be my best way.
After trimming and separating the branches and colas.  Do I place in the bags and leave them open till outside is crispy, then close the bags till buds and stems are just right?  Then on to the cure.  I just don't want to hang them in another room because of their extreme dankness,(stealth reasons).  Can someone give me some advice on the bag drying?

Thanks again for everyone's help!
T-rex


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## dirtyolsouth (Feb 8, 2010)

T-rex said:
			
		

> First of all thanks all for your positive input!  I was hoping someone would comment on the paper bag dry.  My problem is I have to get my clones in the tent as they are 14" and getting stretchy under the floros.  I would like to hang the plants in the clone closet but I still have some Black Domina clones in there that were taken late.  I read about the bag drying in one of the growguides on this site.  Right now it would be my best way.
> After trimming and separating the branches and colas.  Do I place in the bags and leave them open till outside is crispy, then close the bags till buds and stems are just right?  Then on to the cure.  I just don't want to hang them in another room because of their extreme dankness,(stealth reasons).  Can someone give me some advice on the bag drying?
> 
> Thanks again for everyone's help!
> T-rex





			
				legalize_freedom said:
			
		

> I cut branches and trim fan leaves off. I keep all the small sugar coated leaf on and hang in a cool dark place with air movement. Not air directly on the plants, but below. I leave them hang until the ouside is crispy and the inside is spongy....can take from 5 to 10 days depending on RH of your drying room, and size of the buds.
> 
> they then get the hash makeing leaves trimmed off, and these go to the freezer. (some like to trim hash leaves while fresh, with good reason as the trichs can become brittle and damaged once dried. but I like the way they wrap around my buds, and slows down the drying process)the buds go into brown bags until stem snaps, gently turning several times a day. If I smell amonia they go back to hanging, or a screen.
> 
> ...



I said that you'd get there T-Rex... NICE! :aok:  I'm SO happy for you, bud.  I do pretty much what LF does... I guess that great minds think alike! :hubba:  Anyhooo...  I'll paraphrase in case I can add anything...

Either hang them mostly trimmed with the buds still on the stems from an ie hanger in a dark or mostly dark room/closet or you can cut the buds off the stems and spread them out on a screen or I like to use large flat cardboard boxes and I spread them out in the shallow box and have the lid covering it loosely to allow some air flow to go thru.  Once they are really brittle on the outside and the outer surface is really dry to the touch you can put them in ie gal ziplock bags or plastic food storage containers with lids for a few hours to a half day and the buds will even out their moisture content and become spongey again.  Then you put the buds into plain brown paper grocery bags for several more days, folding over the top to 'close' it.  You open the bags daily and move the buds around a bit and allow it to exchange the old air in the bag with fresh air.  After a couple days test the stems on the buds to see if they *snap* when bent and don't just bend and not break.  When they *snap* the moisture content is low enough for the buds to be placed in jars or ziplock bags for curing.  For the first couple of weeks try to open your jars or ziplock bags daily for a few minutes to let any trapped moisture out and exchange the air in the jar/bag.  After a couple weeks you can do this every few days and usually around the 3 week mark you'll start to notice the flavor in your buds getting more pronounced and it will progressively loose that fresh 'green' taste over those 3 weeks.

Happy Harvesting~!


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## T-rex (Feb 8, 2010)

Thanks again Dos and everyone, I now have a clear idea on how I'm drying them.

T-rex


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## PencilHead (Feb 9, 2010)

Keep in mind the more you beat it around--putting it in paper bags, putting it on screens, putting it here and there--the more trichs you knock off the bud.  That's how they make hashish in the Mid-East.

You'll eventually get your own technique down according to your own accomodations.  

Here's what I did with my first.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41892

Peace and luck.


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## pcduck (Feb 9, 2010)

I do not use paper bags, just trim and hang, then when dry I place in jars and open the jars daily until it feels right, and then I start smoking them buds. 


Congrats on the harvest T-Rex


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## PencilHead (Feb 9, 2010)

pcduck said:
			
		

> I do not use paper bags, just trim and hang, then when dry I place in jars and open the jars daily until it feels right, and then I start smoking them buds.


 
There you go, right there.


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## legalize_freedom (Feb 9, 2010)

I agree that the paper bag is not nessecerry...it just slows down the process a little more.  IMO the slower the better (lol unless your out of smoke)

You definately want to be careful of putting fresh buds into the bag.  They can mold really easily.  This is why I hang first to make sure most of the moisture is out.

Also like pencilHead said, every time you turn or touch a bud your damaging it.  You want to handle everthing very carefully, all turnings should be as gentle as possable.  The trick is the slower the better...and of course the final cure in the jars, or tupperware is where you really get the smell and flavor.  You'll get it man!


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## BBFan (Feb 9, 2010)

Yeah, I tried some of my last batch by going straight to bags rather than hanging.

Was a slow dry, but it worked well.  Was it better than hanging and jarring?  I couldn't tell.  But it worked- no mold.


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