harvesting, drying, and curing

[jackel]

so it being that time of year, where many people are getting to the point of harvesting their outdoor gardens, i figured it would be a good idea to made a sticky reguarding harvest of both indoor and outdoor gardens
When is it time to harvest?
The best answer to this is to get a 10x (or better) magnifying glass and look at the trichomes (crystals) and u generally want about 40% amber colored crystals.. Another way to tell is when the buds generally get pretty firm and the 50-60% of the hairs turn red.
Whats Next?
what u do next is generally if ur plants are large, ur going to cut the braches off where they meet the stalk. of their small plants (such as a Sea Of Green) then u can keep the plants in one peice..
different people have their technique after this, but personally i trim all the large fan/water leaves off and leave the smaller crystally leaves on, and hang branches upside down on string from wall to wall in a dark room with one or more oscilating fans to move air around. if room is too old and buds dont start trying within a week, u may have to put a small heater in there to get temps up some.
so in about 5-14 days the buds should be dry. to check this, try bending a stem in half.. if it SNAPS and breaks, u know its ready.. if it just bends and doesnt break, its not ready yet.
Trimming and manicuring:
again everyone has their own technique but the general idea of this is taking scissors and cutting the buds from their stick (this is generally called De-boning).Then u take a pair of fine pointed scissors (my personal favorite is called Fiskers and can be bought at home depots or walmarts or hydroponic shops) and removing all leaves and stems. u just work around the buds removing bits of leaf and stems of leaves as close to the main stem of the bud without distroying the shape of the bud.
How do i cure?
Curing is done by putting ur trimmed dry bud into an air tight container, sealing it then opening it for about 10-15minues every day for a week. this sweats the bud geting the funky green taste from the chloraphile (i believe thats what it is, if a biologist knows more, please let me know) out of the plant and letting the buds natural taste shine through. after the first week u can seal the bud up for as long as u want. u can smoke the bud without curing, but its recommended to do at least a week of cure to give it a smoother taste.
Hope this helps everyone with their harvest questions. good luck, and hope u get a great bountiful harvest

[weedman420]

do you know any site were they show a video or have pictures step by step.

[ptb2]

Yea try youtube and search whatever you need. They got tons of different full length grow videos.

[Eagles82]

thank you jackle your posts are very informative and have helped me very much!

[Theoneandonly]

can u dry buds by layin them on paper inside of a shelf droar(spellin mistake probly) or somethin?

[jackel]

its not recommended as the moisture under the bud will sit there with no air flow and cause mold. u can get some window screen and stretch it over a wood frame and dry them on that. but i personally find hanging them to be better as the buds dont come out flat

[Theoneandonly]

i saw this on a video on youtube and i was wondering if it will work.

a large cardboard box, hole in the side for vent, tie strings thru it to hang buds, then leave the top open and put in a dark room.

the only room i have to dry is a really warm attic with alot of ventilation but not much air flow, my plan is to cut a hole in the side of the box large enough to fit a small fan in it then keep the top open all the time to make sure air is flowing thru the box at all times.

after a week or so of this ill take the buds and seal them in canning jars and open 15 mins daily.

dose this sound ok?

[jackel]

wuts the point of using a box if ur in a dark room already.. just string lines across ur dark room

[Theoneandonly]

how do i no wen my bud is done cureing, it still smells kinda funky wen i open the jar. its been in there for 5 days

[jackel]

have u been opening it every day like i said to?

[Theoneandonly]

yep 15 mins a day

[jackel]

after 7 days u can seal it up. and open it like once a week or so..
if u harvested ur bud early (like i said u did), it will always smell like cut grass..

[rastaman]

stringing plants up in a cardboard box works well, the cardboard helps pull the moisture out

[4theloveofweed]

does paper bag do any justice..i mean they use that to ripen peaches ...lol

[jackel]

paper bags and cardboard sucks out moisture, but if u dry with this method, it will dry too fast and u will get bud that is crispy and smells like hay