# How do you trim your harvest?



## FemmeFatale (Nov 16, 2009)

I'm getting ready to harvest in the next few days. I would like some suggestions. I had to do an early harvest on one plant and trimmed all the fan leaves. I left the smaller bud leaves but found it difficult to trim after stalks dried. What are your thoughts?


----------



## zipflip (Nov 16, 2009)

i trim everythin while still green/wet right after i chop mine.
  its much easier too as i see it .  never tried hangin then trimming before personally but just seem too obvious to be a pain in the rear vs doin it fresh.  jmo


----------



## cadlakmike1 (Nov 16, 2009)

Once again, coouldn't agree more with Zip.  Immediately after cutting down the plant, I remove all fan leaves by cutting their stems as close to the bud as possible.  I then go through and remove all of the smaller leaves and do a very close manicure and keep the ones that are covered with crystals set aside.  I definitely do this while everything is still fresh though, I had read about leaving the leaves on and allowing them to cover the buds, but that was a horrible trimming session.  Trim fresh.


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 17, 2009)

I'm with zip and mike.  On occasion, I have been interrupted while trimming and had to leave a girl with your small leaves not clipped.  Boy going back and trying to trim those limp leaves is a real chore and I think I destroy a lot of THC.  I trim pretty much every bit of leaf material I can.  I believe that leaf material smokes far harsher than bud, even when cured.  The frosty small leaves make excellent bubble hash.


----------



## cadlakmike1 (Nov 17, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> I'm with zip and mike.  On occasion, I have been interrupted while trimming and had to leave a girl with your small leaves not clipped.  Boy going back and trying to trim those limp leaves is a real chore and I think I destroy a lot of THC.  I trim pretty much every bit of leaf material I can.  I believe that leaf material smokes far harsher than bud, even when cured.  The frosty small leaves make excellent bubble hash.


THG brings up a really good point there. On one of my first grows I left a lot more leaf material on thinking it would give me extra to smoke.  There was a noticible taste difference and the smoke was much harsher.  I don't know exactly how to explain it, but if you leave too much leaf on it almost gives it a "green" taste(and not a good green taste, lol).  It's almost like you can tast the chlorophyll, it tastes the way normal leaves smell.  Trim it as close to the bud as you can, and with the sugar leaves you save, make hash(like THG said also.)  If you don't have the bags to make bubble hash, there are some easy tutorials on here to make QWISO, (which is an isopropyl alcohol wash.)


----------



## dman1234 (Nov 17, 2009)

just like everyone above says.... i've done it both ways and no question
trim rite away, and trim tight to the bud, the more you grow the easier it is to trim LOL


----------



## dirtyolsouth (Nov 18, 2009)

^^^ Yuppers...:yeahthat:  ALL that!  ^^^

One time I was in a rush and harvested without trimming and let them hang until dry...  not only did the smoke have a lot more 'green' 'hay' taste to it, it was the slowest, biggest P I T A trim job I ever had to to...  NEVER gonna do THAT again...


----------



## Old_SSSC_Guy (Nov 18, 2009)

Guess this is another "me too".  Cut branches from the plant one at a time, sharp-tipped scissors to cut the fan leaves first.  Always tried to cut at the base of each leaf, sharp tips are a big help for that.  Just keep trimming until you can't get to any more leaf stem, then a quick overall trim to cut off any remaining leaf tips, then drop it in a brown paper grocery bag.  Fill each bag about 3"-4", fold over, open to ventilate a couple of times a day.  After a couple/few weeks its ready to more to airtight Ball jars for curing.  Jars are burped once a day or so the first few weeks.

Then once its all dried and cured comes the most important part of the process... The one part that all growers - first timer to veteran - know how to handle.

The pic is some Himalayan Gold about an hour off the branch.


----------



## TURKEYNECK (Nov 18, 2009)

I most certainly agree.. it's much easier to work 'em wet 

I have three pair of "sheers" I 'cycle' through..once they're all 'gooped' up I scrape them for "scissor hash" then clean the residual off with alcohol  to keep them 'sharp'.. otherwise harvest feels too much like work


----------



## nvthis (Nov 19, 2009)

The first plant is always the easiest. Once that is done, it's just plain work. Trim fresh, always! The only time I trim dry is for outdoor, when there is just too much to do fresh. If you are going to make hash you will want the trim fresh anyway. Just store it away in the freezer until you need it. My first plant always looks the best. The trim is nice and tight and the manicure is absolutely painstakingly beautiful. Every plant after that gets a little more sloppy By the time I am almost finished, the last few buds don't even look like the same plant as the first trimmed, even if they are the same cut lol.


----------



## HippyInEngland (Nov 19, 2009)

Some situations need the leaves left on to slow the drying process down.

Some people grow in very dry climates and the buds can dry too fast, leaving the leaves on helps slow it down.

I have tried both ways, wet suits me best.

eace:


----------



## FemmeFatale (Nov 19, 2009)

old ssc guy. I see that you trim everything including the stalk and dump wet bud into paper bag. What is the advantage or disadvantage to hanging stalks to dry prior to putting into jars, or does this produce the same results, just a different method? I read that some people first dry haning , thrn into paper bag and finally into jars. any feedback?


----------



## kaotik (Nov 19, 2009)

FemmeFatale said:
			
		

> What is the advantage or disadvantage to hanging stalks to dry prior to putting into jars, or does this produce the same results, just a different method? I read that some people first dry haning , thrn into paper bag and finally into jars. any feedback?


well a pretty big disadvantage of just jarring it would be a nice moldy mess 
if you cut and go strait to jar, it's just a wet mess that's gonna mold. you need to dry it out before putting it into a jar or bagging it.

if you're talking about paper bagging it before jarring, most do just to make sure it is completely dry.


----------



## cmd420 (Nov 19, 2009)

:goodposting: 

Lots of great info from all the experts about a key phase of this thing that we do......


----------



## Old_SSSC_Guy (Nov 19, 2009)

I never tried the 'hang them until crisp' thing. Always thought it was part of the old silly Rosenthal folklore of "hang the plants upside down so the resins flow to the tips", so I never tried it. At minimum it would seem to allow the stem water to collect exactly where I don't want it to be.  One thing to keep in mind is the grow method too.  I've had different drying and curing results from hydro compared to organic.  Hydro sometimes needs pre-harvest rinsing to clear some potentially nasty tastes which just are not there in organic bud.

For years I've trimmed them straight from the plant and dropped bud into paper grocery sacks. Burped the bags & gently turned over the bid a couple/few times a day. Leave them there until almost crispy, then move to airtight w/more infrequent burping. Takes longer I guess, a lot seems to depend on just how 'wet' the plants are. Amazing how much water the stems can hold for weeks after death so getting rid of them first seems important.

Next crop I figure to try the hanging method to compare. But everytime I accidentally (floor trim, etc) air dryed bud it would seem to lock the chlorophyll in. The bud held a green color and gave a harsh smoke. Bad mojo.

My biggest harvest problem is the smell. My grow never stinks nearly as much as at harvest time. EVERYTHING stinks to high heaven of sticky bud. Made the mistake once of going to the store in the middle of a trim evening. Didn't know why the clerks smiled at me so much until I smelled my hands and shirt on the way out. I would have smiled big at me too... yuk... yuk...

Maybe I am the only one here who thinks that most of the sticky posts on the board here are kinda old and outdated, or threads that latch on to one sample method of doing something and declare it as fact. Gotta love threads like this one though... heh... 



			
				FemmeFatale said:
			
		

> old ssc guy. I see that you trim everything including the stalk and dump wet bud into paper bag. What is the advantage or disadvantage to hanging stalks to dry prior to putting into jars, or does this produce the same results, just a different method? I read that some people first dry haning , thrn into paper bag and finally into jars. any feedback?


----------



## Old_SSSC_Guy (Nov 19, 2009)

All praises to scissor hash!





			
				TURKEYNECK said:
			
		

> I most certainly agree.. it's much easier to work 'em wet
> 
> I have three pair of "sheers" I 'cycle' through..once they're all 'gooped' up I scrape them for "scissor hash" then clean the residual off with alcohol to keep them 'sharp'.. otherwise harvest feels too much like work


----------



## BBFan (Nov 20, 2009)

Old_SSSC_Guy said:
			
		

> I never tried the 'hang them until crisp' thing. Always thought it was part of the old silly Rosenthal folklore of "hang the plants upside down so the resins flow to the tips", so I never tried it. At minimum it would seem to allow the stem water to collect exactly where I don't want it to be.


 
Hey Old SSSC Guy-

First, to answer the original post- I agree, I always trim wet- trying to go back and trim dry is a real PITA.

You raise some interesting points about the water in the stems perhaps "flowing" into the buds and slowing the drying process for those of us who hang. I too use real sharp pointy scissors to the get the leaf stem down as close to the "branch" as possible.

But there have been hundreds of times I've accidentally snipped off a nice sized bud from the main floral cluster (I guess depending on how high I am when trimming )- so I can't hang it with the main bud. I have a screen that I use to dry those clipped buds on (I mainly use the screen to pre-dry any popcorn buds that I'll add to the frozen trim that I'll use later for bubble).

But to tell the truth, I've never noticed that those clipped buds ever dry any quicker than the hanging buds. And I'm constantly turning them to ensure even drying and so they don't flatten too much.

I don't buy into the "flowing resin" theory- I just think hanging gives a more even dry and gives a nice looking end product.

You've never had mold issues going straight to the brown bags?  How long are they in the bags before you throw them in jars?

Interesting approach-  I'll have to give it a try and compare results.


----------



## cadlakmike1 (Nov 20, 2009)

The reason I hang, is to dry.  I do not hang to increase resin, taste, flavor, or anything else.   I hang to allow an even evaporation of liquid.  I skip the brown paper bag and go straight to jars once it feels dry and some of the smaller stems become brittle.  By the next day the bud will seem damp again when I burp.  The reason I hang to dry is for convenience.  I cut below each internode which leaves me with a V to throw over my permanently hung drying lines.  I have never had a harsh chlorophyll taste from bud I have trimmed properly, hung to dry, and then cured.  And keep in mind I completely skip the whole brown bag portion.  It seems like that would take an awfully long time to dry in a brown bag and would create damp spots.  I would be very nervous of mold with that technique. You would have to make sure you stay extremely vigilant in the burping and rotating of each bag. Then you also have to wonder how much to put in each bag.  Someone else mentioned the surplus during outdoor season.  In the Fall I have a few pounds(dry weight) hanging and drying, it is just easier for me to do a trim, cut between each internode and hang it versus anything else. While I believe the straight to brown bag may work for some(obviously it works for Old_SSSC_Guy), I do not think it is for the masses.  Hanging to dry is idiot proof.  Ventilated area, darkness, and temperatures that are comfortable to live in is all you need to hang dry.


----------



## Old_SSSC_Guy (Nov 20, 2009)

BBFan I've never had any problem with mold or damp spots.  But I shift the bud and burp the bags maybe 2-3 times a day.  How long they are there depends on a few things.  What the ambient temp and humidity is, how gushy the buds were when cut, whether I remembered to not water them for X days before harvest... But it usually takes about 2 weeks in the brown bag before I move to glass.  Less in winter because the furnance keeps room humidity low, more in the summer when its 80%-95% humid outside.

This thread and cadlakmike and got me to thinking about why/where I started the bagging thing in the first place and it dawned on me that I learned it in Texas during the summer.  It was -so- dry outside that the bud went "crispy" in a very short period of time.  We put it in brown bags to slow the evaporation and it worked so we just kinda stopped looking for other/better/different ways to do it.

Like cadlakmike it was never done to improve or effect the cured taste or smokability (not the total aim at least), aside from avoiding the harshness imparted from drying it too quickly.

And the whole "resins flow to the buds" thing comes from old folklore orginally propagated by Ed Rosenthal's book back in the 70's-80's.  Before folks learned what trichomes were there were a lot of misconceptions and fake folklore and urban legends begun; some of which continue today (silly stuff like "urine is a good source of nitrogen for plants", or "the phototron is a good plant growing machine" and other proofs of 70's-80's lunacy).  One of the folklore guesses about what made for good pot was the misconception that "resins in the plant get you high".  So some people recommended that you hang plants upside down (or boil their roots... GASP!) to "drive the resins to the tips".  Sigh... they just did not know better at the time, but some of their wacky home remedies for growing and packaging still haunt us today.

Methinks that the original misconception came from seeing how Mexican farmers would process their crops.  They would hang plants upside down in barns to dry it, just like tobacco growers in the states.  If you've even been in a drying barn you know how humid they are, which helps prevent the 'flash drying' which can make smoke hash, IMHO.  Hippies saw the plants hanging and the rest was a guess...


----------



## cadlakmike1 (Nov 20, 2009)

Old_SSSC_Guy, I like your innovation.  You had a problem, you took the resources that were available to you and came up with a solution that worked for your circumstance.  You know, just like most people, when I decided to start growing I read a lot of literature.  (at least that is what most people should do.)  I remember reading that urine was a good source of nittrogen, but I decided quickly I would rather buy a proper N-P-K rather than piss in my basement.  Lol.  I don't remember reading about hanging it to "drive resin to the tips" but I don't doubt that it was written.  Like I said, I hang dry for a pure convenience factor. I tried going from hanging to brown bag on half my harvest for two grows, with no discernible difference I decided to skip it.  

I do believe there is a lot of valuable information to be gained from reading through grow guides, but I more so believe that nothing can replace experience.  That doesn't just include personal experience, with the conception of the internet, forums such as this came to be.  For a new grower to have a resource as valuable as this at there fingertips is unbelievable compared to the way it was done not too long ago.  Think about it, any obscure, odd problem you can come up can be posted here and within 24 hours you have some of the best growers in the world able to answer.  Now I don't hold myself in such high regard, but I am more than happy to be able to pass any knowledge I have gained onto the next guy.  This is not a dig on this OP, but there are a lot of questions that are posted on this site that could be answered with a tiny bit of reading or using the search function.  With that being said, there will always be situations that need an answer that is not in your typical text.  At some point, someone is going to come on this site living in some hot and arrid region complaining that their bud is drying way too fast and seems harsh even with a cure.  That is when now I will be able to reference a grower named Old_SSSC_Guy who suggests going straight to brown bag and so forth.  Anyways, I'm ripped off my face right now and rambling, but I hope at least one person appreciates this longwinded ramble.  Lol.


----------



## FemmeFatale (Nov 20, 2009)

Old SSC Guy after reading all of these great post I have decided to use your method of "bagging and burping". Im in the desert of so cal so humidity and moisture shouldnt be much of a concern, even now in Nov. This has been a great thread with lots of great information from all of you. Thanks a bunch guys.


----------



## TURKEYNECK (Nov 20, 2009)

Old_SSSC_Guy said:
			
		

> All praises to scissor hash!


 
 No doubt about it bro. It's a pain to keep em clean while your tryin to work but it pays off when ya roll up that 'ball-O-funk' during smoke breaks. :hubba:


----------



## BBFan (Nov 21, 2009)

Old_SSSC_Guy said:
			
		

> BBFan I've never had any problem with mold or damp spots. But I shift the bud and burp the bags maybe 2-3 times a day. How long they are there depends on a few things. What the ambient temp and humidity is, how gushy the buds were when cut, whether I remembered to not water them for X days before harvest... But it usually takes about 2 weeks in the brown bag before I move to glass. Less in winter because the furnance keeps room humidity low, more in the summer when its 80%-95% humid outside.


 
Thanks for the reply Old_SSSC_Guy-

What I'm getting essentially from your post is that you are slowing down the initial step of the drying process, extending it to 2 weeks- my initial dry time is closer to a week, maybe a little more.

Thanks for the info- like I said, I'll try drying some using your method and compare to the method I'm currently using.  To be effective though, I'll probably need to dry about an oz your way- so it better work!


----------



## Raidernation (Nov 21, 2009)

damn nice body femmefatale!
I thought that was a maniquin at first Hah


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 22, 2009)

Raidernation said:
			
		

> damn nice body femmefatale!
> I thought that was a maniquin at first Hah



 I REALLY hope that is not really a pic of her.  If so, IMO, it is really stupid to put a pic of yourself (even with your face hidden) and your dining room with all those plants that would be sooooo readily identifiable to anyone who knew you...


----------



## monkeybusiness (Nov 22, 2009)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> I REALLY hope that is not really a pic of her.  If so, IMO, it is really stupid to put a pic of yourself (even with your face hidden) and your dining room with all those plants that would be sooooo readily identifiable to anyone who knew you...



I agree. Definitely a gamble thats probably not worth the potential risk. 
Having said that, I VOTE FOR MORE PICS!!


----------



## FemmeFatale (Nov 22, 2009)

Well, I recently moved here and I have a card issued form the state. I only grow for personal use,so I'm not so concerned, but I'll take your advice. I don't appriciate the stupid comment Hemp. If you were so concerned you could have sent a private message instead of hating, and stayed on the thread subject.


----------



## Gordon (Nov 23, 2009)

I for one appreciate all of the information that I have just absorbed while reading this thread. Having never grown,.... I now feel confident about
cutting, drying and curing. Thanks to all of you. 

Now,..... if only I could find some help with the rolling and smoking...LOL

Gordon


----------



## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 23, 2009)

FemmeFatale said:
			
		

> Well, I recently moved here and I have a card issued form the state. I only grow for personal use,so I'm not so concerned, but I'll take your advice. I don't appriciate the stupid comment Hemp. If you were so concerned you could have sent a private message instead of hating, and stayed on the thread subject.



LOL--Calm down.  You only posted that picture to get a reaction.  That was mine.

:48:

Even if you are only growing for personal use and are licensed, IMO, you are setting yourself up for trouble if others know you grow.


----------



## cadlakmike1 (Nov 23, 2009)

And everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  Mine, was two enthusiastic thumbs up.  (No offense hemp, I know you were just looking out )

Femme, in the grand scheme of things I've only been here a short time, but I have made a few friends on this site and genuinely think that most of the people here are good in nature.  But even with you being legal, don't forget there will always be that shady dude that will rob someone right after they feed them a warm meal.  Just be careful, believe me, I'm not complaining about seeing a sexy woman and a couple pot plants, lol.  Id hate for someone to recognize something small about you and try to rob you of your hard work.

Anyways, was there anything else that wasn't covered or any other questions?  Did you get a chance to read through the stickies in this section too?  Some very good info there as well.


----------



## FemmeFatale (Nov 24, 2009)

Thanks cad. And thank you Hemp for your concern. I'll be more careful in the future. All my questions have been answered, and then some. Thanks again to all.


----------



## dman1234 (Nov 24, 2009)

And Beware, legal or not the PO PO have been known to tear down legal grows,
after months of fighting you'll get your lights back but what a 
hassel...... it happens.


----------

