# bag drying question



## krimzonkronik (Jul 21, 2006)

Long story short, my first grow, started with bag seed from what I thought was good shit. Started with about 100 sprouts then used the first two months to "weed" out what I considered to be the best. 100 down to 60 down to 40 bla bla bla down to 10 of the 10 I am hoping to get the best 5.  Of the 10, 5 seem to be of the 8 week bloomers the other 5 seem to be needing 10 wks to possibly more time.   Anyway, been sampling branches since the 57th day of flowering, one branch from each of the early girls each day to see which of the different highs I would enjoy best. 
OK heres my issue, I cannot hang dry, no room, no place of 24hr darkness available.  So from reading the informative threads I've decided to use a large cardboard box and small lunch sized paper bags, one bag per branch, which I have been collecting dailiy.  Keeping the bags and cardboard box closed for 12 hrs while the lights are on, and moving the bags around gentle and opening them up as well as the box for the 12 hrs the lights are off.  The room is air conditioned.  Its been a couple of days of this, no smells or signs of mold.  But the flowers dont look like any of the pictures you guys post of buds.  Some branches gave only 6- 10 grams wet and they look all airy and so not compact.  One plant gave 30 grams in the bag and they look a little more compact.  So should I not try to separate the branches and just put all the flowers into one bag for drying so they get compacted?  The only reason I am separtating the branches is for taste testing to see which plants I like best and which time to harvest is best.  Should I not do this?

Sorry for the rambling, I promised to stop smoking until I can smoke my own flowers, been 2 weeks....... does anyone know what its like to have water, water everywhere but not a fuckin drop to drink??  Im like a herion addict stuck to the ceiling seeing illusions of dead babies....  I've been watching to many movies!!


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## Mutt (Jul 21, 2006)

IMHO, I would ditch the paper bags. cut some holes in the side of the box. you need to let air get through. to help the drying process. hang the buds on string in the box. Let em hang for about a week. depending on the humidity of you enviro. It could be less.
You could smoke some dry if desperate. but the next step I think is critical in gettin decent herb.
Then Put them in glass jars for the curing process. about once every day or so. take the lid off move the buds around and then reseal. This will emmensly help the aroma and taste of the buds. It is worth the wait.

As far as fluffy buds. The strain, type of lights used, and ferts. all play a part in the tightness of the buds. I'd say light is the #1 most important factor in getting tighter buds. The strain being second. IMHO

and gawd, I hated that part of the movie. that creeped me out completely. I liked it when they were shootin the dogs in the park with a pellet gun. though. but the world's most disgusting toilet was about as sick as it gets.


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## ganjabanned (Jul 21, 2006)

You're going to too much trouble.
Manicure the fresh-harvested buds, put in a supermarket-type paper bag (I like the ones with those lightweight paper handles) 1/3 full, and crimp the top.
Everyday open up the bag and gently comb the buds with your fingers.  Repeat until dry.

If at anytime you smell an unpleasant ammonia order, remove from the bag and dry another way (although I've never heard of this happening, but concievably might occur in area's of extemely high humidity.  In this case you're gonna need a dehumidifier).


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## Stoney Bud (Jul 21, 2006)

If you use the method Mutt describes, you'll have great drying. Use a sewing needle and strong thread to go through the box and make rows of thread to hang the buds from. Cut the stems so that you can hang them without them touching the bottom of the box and then put several holes in the bottom edge of each side of the box. Hang the buds in the closed, dark box for about a week until the outside of the buds are dry to the point of crispness. Then you can either use glass jars or even one gallon baggies to put the weed in to cure.

The boxes stack easily and won't take up much room. I use the boxes from the copier paper where I work. Perfect size.

Good luck to you man!


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## krimzonkronik (Jul 21, 2006)

I will try that for the next harvest, its a very good idea, but too late for this harvest as the buds have been cut loose no chance of hanging.  I just went into the bags to check things out and they are looking better. I have attached pics let me know if this looks normal.  They've only been in the bags drying for about a week now most of them 2 or three days.  It seems so strange to me.  while they are on the plant they look so pretty and thick, then the hairs turn orangey brown and the plant looks like it is dying... then you begin to dry and they seem to get worse all strivled up.  Like I said they dont look like the stuff I get from friends.  But then again I have to remind myself its not reqular weed, I am growing in a hydroponic set up.  I am doing a perpetual harvest every 10 days I put a new "cell" into flower.  So in 10 days I will be able to try out your drying box idea. as far as lights I am running a super sun spectrum lamp with a 400 mh and a 400 hps.  My hydro set up is basically 4', 5', its based off of futuregarden.com's green machine with some personal tweeking --- as they dont intend for it to be used for what we do.  I use thier 2 part nute vigor and bloom and change it about every 7 - 10 days.  My strain issues should be solved soon as I just begun to flower a strain called "super ice" from the amsterdam seed co.  although I do have some favorite plants from the bag seed.  I only wish i knew what strains they were.  The last pic is what I was concerned with it being too airy.


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## Mutt (Jul 21, 2006)

The lower buds sites don't get a lot of light. So as Brother Grunt calls those little buds. ISO Hash buds. He scraps em and makes hash outa them. I save mine for when I run low. I call it my crap can. All my crystal covered leaves that were trimmed off and little fluff buds. I keep around when I've smoked all my big buds and waiting to harvest.
How far above the canopy are you keeping the lights?
It depends when the bud is harvested. A good method is to use a hand held microscope or a jewlers loupe and look at the trichomes(white crystals all over the buds). Here is a chart I attached.
I've had some funky lookin bagseed grows in my past. You'll notice a bid difference using stable quality strains. I still like to grow my bagseed though as well.

BTW I think you know more than your lettin on. You have one sweet set-up dude.


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## krimzonkronik (Jul 21, 2006)

Thanks mutt!!  I have those pics printed out and pasted up on the wall by the grow site.  The Radio shack scope has already been purchased and in use.  Honestly I really dont know what I am doing.  you guys have been a tromendous help with all the threads I have been reading.  This site helps when I can't talk to any of my friends about my special project.    my only real concern is my small bag idea. Should I just throw them all into one big paper bag together?  Am I wasting time opening and closing a dozen small bags?


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## ganjabanned (Jul 21, 2006)

krimzonkronik said:
			
		

> Thanks mutt!! I have those pics printed out and pasted up on the wall by the grow site. The Radio shack scope has already been purchased and in use. Honestly I really dont know what I am doing. you guys have been a tromendous help with all the threads I have been reading. This site helps when I can't talk to any of my friends about my special project. my only real concern is my small bag idea. Should I just throw them all into one big paper bag together? Am I wasting time opening and closing a dozen small bags?


 
Use 1 big bag.  Just remember to turn the buds daily.
I hang-dried for 25 years, then 15 years ago a friend turned me on to bag drying.  I gave it a try, tweaked it a bit (my friend didn't manicure his buds) and have been doing it ever since.
It's superior to hang drying because the bud dries evernly.  When hang drying the outside of the bud is crispy-dry while the stem still holds lots of moisture.  More than 1 grower has made the mistake of sealing the buds up when they seem dry to the touch, only to find out to their horror a few days later when they open the container and find their buds all slimy and ruined from the residual moisture the stems hold.

Another big advantage that bag drying has over hang drying is that the buds start to cure in the bag, saving you time in the jar-curing process.


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## Darth BongWongDong (Aug 16, 2006)

is that a pic of your big main bud between your fingies?...is so your problem is your lighting.  You need 1000 hps for decent budding...i am running 1400 and my lil tiny buds are huge dense tight big buds with two weeks of swelling still left to go.  Lighting is the most important part, to get yer crop to look like the pictures.......


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