# Does boiling the roots really improve the bud?



## DonJones (Nov 14, 2009)

There may already be an answer to this question but I can't find it.

*Does boiling the roots during harvest really improve the bud, and if so how much?

*What I'm asking about is I've been told to clean the dirt off of the roots, then blanch/boil them by plunging then into boiling water for anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes depending on who is talking, then hang them by the root ball while drying the plant.  

I'm having a hard time believing this because once the plant is killed by either boiling the roots or cutting the stem, how can the THC or cannaboids continue to develop?

Also, how do you do that in hydro when the roots are all entangled in the net pot?

Am I getting smoke blown up my posterior or am I just too skeptical?

I apologize for the messed up punctuation in the first option but I don't seem to be able to edit it.

Thanks for any help you can give because I'm getting about 50/50 on this question and I want to max out my quality, but don't want to go to the trouble if the benefits is very slight.

Good smoking everyone?


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## dirtyolsouth (Nov 14, 2009)

Hi Don,

WOW... comes to mind when I read your post....     This is a new one to me and I've been lurking around many forums for a long time...    It sounds crazy to me but I'll be watching to see what others chime in...  I don't think any of the THC/trichomes are produced anywhere but on the surface of the plant so I can't imagine boiling the roots as a useful step...   And it sounds dangerous, doesn't it?   Yikes...   I think hanging the plant is often a convenient way to dry mj but I've never noticed any difference between harvest buds that were hung and dried verses trimmed off and spread out on racks or in a cardboard box for that matter...  But I'm all ears!

Have a good one!


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## fleshstain (Nov 14, 2009)

that is by far one of the oddest things i've heard.... actually, here ya go.... a quote directly from the 2006 Grow Bible by Jorge.... last paragraph under Harvest, section Harvest....

and i quote, "Growers hang plants upside down because it is simple, convenient, and effective; not to drain existing THC-potent resin into the buds.  Also, boiling roots to extract THC is crazy!"


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## Locked (Nov 14, 2009)

Holy crap....never ever heard of this....from what I know about growing I can see no way of this doing anything to improve the quality of your bud in any fashion...


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## kaotik (Nov 14, 2009)

heard of ice water (and even that i kind of shook my head at.. dr greenthumbs method of harvesting, it's gnarly. my buddy was all about it)
..but boiling


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## DonJones (Nov 14, 2009)

kaotik,

So am I understanding correctly that your saying no it doesn't help?

Thanks guys and good smoking.


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## kaotik (Nov 14, 2009)

DonJones said:
			
		

> kaotik,
> 
> So am I understanding correctly that your saying no it doesn't help?
> 
> Thanks guys and good smoking.


 
lol yeah, no boiling. 
i can't honestly say if it helps as i've never tried it, but commen sense tells me it's just not a good idea 

i guess the idea is to stress it?  i don't really do any of the stressing stuff.. treat her well, and she'll be good to you. no need to stress her to try to (possibly) squeeze out more potency *if these mythical tricks do actually have positive effects. is my opinion.


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## fleshstain (Nov 14, 2009)

kaotik said:
			
		

> heard of ice water (and even that i kind of shook my head at.. dr greenthumbs method of harvesting, it's gnarly. my buddy was all about it)
> ..but boiling



ice water only helps pull out the purples, blues, and reds in the foliage and flowers.... to my knowledge it does absolutely zero for increasing potency....

once again.... there is nothing you can do to the roots, other than caring for them and fertilizing them, that will help increase the potency in buds....


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## GeezerBudd (Nov 14, 2009)

Robert Connell Clark said:
			
		

> Boiling attached Cannabis roots after harvesting whole plants, but before drying, is an interesting technique. Originally it was thought by cultivators that boiling the roots would force resins to the floral clusters. In actuality, there are very few resins within the vascular system of the plant and most of the resins have been secreted in the heads of glandular trichomes. Once resins are secreted they are no longer water-soluble and are not part of the vascular system.
> As a result, neither boiling nor any other process will move resins and cannabinoids around the plant. However, boiling the roots does lengthen the drying time of the whole plant. Boiling the roots shocks the stomata of the leaves and forces them to close immediately; less water vapor is allowed to escape and the floral clusters dry more slowly. If the leaves are left intact when drying, the water evaporates through the leaves instead of through the flowers.



This is in the resource section, under breeding information, under title "Cannabis Cultivation: An advanced study by Robert Connell Clark.


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## DonJones (Nov 14, 2009)

No wonder I couldn't find it.  I was looking for something on roots or boiling. An advanced study could have been anything.

Thanks for the conformation of what I thought.

Good smoking.


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## GeezerBudd (Nov 14, 2009)

DonJones said:
			
		

> No wonder I couldn't find it. I was looking for something on roots or boiling. An advanced study could have been anything.
> 
> Thanks for the conformation of what I thought.
> 
> Good smoking.


 
That whole thing is under "breeding information" but has alot more.
I tend to wander into the dark corners when I surf..
It is a good read though.

Peace

Gb


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## pcduck (Nov 15, 2009)

I heard of this and did this around 30 years ago and did not see or taste any difference. Just a pain trying to get all the dirt off the roots first.


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## BlueNose (Nov 15, 2009)

Hmmm, interesting idea


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## Tact (Nov 17, 2009)

Hey DJ, man gotta say you know more then anyone how little I know on the eve of my first grow. What struck me though more then anything when reading about boiling roots is:

Boiling is a good way to destroy organic material of any kind, why not the most sensitive part of the MJ plant then?

This is of course just :bong: discussion, I get my advice from you all. I do not give advice, as that would be arrogant to consider my input at this point on the level of people with years of growing under their belt. I was more thinking of this from a physiological standpoint, boiling destroys living material, in fact it cooks it. Corn anyone?


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## nvthis (Nov 19, 2009)

Ohhhhhhhhhh...............!!!! I thought is was just for 'cleaning' the roots!! Oh gosh, I went and wasted my vote. I said "Hell yeah!" and scrub 'em with bleach too!  :giggle:


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## GeezerBudd (Nov 19, 2009)

nvthis said:
			
		

> Ohhhhhhhhhh...............!!!! I thought is was just for 'cleaning' the roots!! Oh gosh, I went and wasted my vote. I said "Hell yeah!" and scrub 'em with bleach too!  :giggle:


 

:rofl:
:rofl:

Thats right-Totally sanitize them for a good CLEAN buzz-lol


Gb


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## PencilHead (Nov 20, 2009)

That's funny, Geezer.

I've been totally fried before but don't recall ever being completely boiled--but like May West, when confronted with 2 evils, I always choose the one I've never tried before.

Should MP start a Myth Busters Forum?


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## DonJones (Nov 20, 2009)

Should MP start a Myth Busters Forum? posted by pencil head

I guess maybe so, although regardless of the results of the test, we would never get every one to gree with the results.

Incidentally it loooks like 81.25% say no it doesn't have any effect, 25.00% say it actually hurts and 6.25% say it helps.  I guess I can forget about that messy nuicence step in harvest, thank goodness.

Good Smoking!


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