Why do we dry like this?

[opentoideas]

HI Everyone,

This is my first post and I would like to thank you guys for such a nice place.

Right, I would like to know why we have to dry our buds while they are still attached to the stem. What is in the stem that goes into the buds while drying?? or can we just take the buds can put them on a drying ack??

Also, I am about to enter the right time to harvest. I would like to know that if I wish to achieve a body high, do I need to wait for a few extra days before I harvest?? The hairs on the buds are just starting to turn browny/purple. What shall I do with the smaller buds which have not matured yet??

Thank you
OTI

[garrigan62]

This was wrote by MacH AKA Stoner, it’s very informative .
Ya it’s a little long but not bad.
Hope this helps

Will

Keep an eye on those trichomes. What a lot of white hairs mean, or could mean, is new calyx/bud/pistol development. In other words the buds could still be growing and swelling. This is why some people wait for nearly 100%, or actually the full 100%, of the “hairs” to have turned the orange/brown before they actually harvest. But this might be a bit too long for some strains and too many of the trichomes may have degraded to amber and this might mean couch lock or a too sedative like of a buzz. So the only way to be sure is to watch those trichomes.

~MacG

75% …

Yup 2/3rd to 75% of the hairs (pistils) browning/amber is a reasonable indicator of when to more closely monitor the resin glands/crystals (trichomes).

Also a point of note, the “hairs”, the pistils can actually be different colors depending on the strain, normally white to off white when fresh, but many can be yellow, red or purple and much if this color may be retained when they shrivel and dry, but no matter the strain, these hairs will turn much more brownish when they shrivel and dry.This is why you may have heard about orange haired, gold haired or blond haired back in the day, and might see some strains with bright red or purple hairs in photos nowadays. Some colors can show in the resin crystals as well.

So normally amber is not a word applied to the hair color, lol. Amber is generally used to describe the trichomes, even the type that do show some other colors.

However the percentage of the resin glands/crystals (trichomes) to have turned amber should be much less to avoid couch lock.

Ideally you want 100% of the resin glands/trichomes/crystals to have turned from clear to cloudy/milky white.

Depending on the strain, you may want some of the resin glands/crystals (trichomes) to have turned amber, as especially with some sativas, if not enough of the trichomes have turned amber, some people say they get a little anxious or maybe even a paranoid kind of high. And so with these you might need at least 1/4 amber or as Latewood said, 1/3 to 1/2 amber trichomes.
55
Hope this clarifies some things.

~MacG

[opentoideas]

Thank you. I am trying to achieve couch lock so I guess I need to wait for 100% to change over.

[garrigan62]

IF thats what you want…yup sure is.

B Safe
Will

[opentoideas]

I have a side note question. I have read other posts around about not using a food dehydrator to dry because the temp is to high and it dries to fast.

But here is the issue, my found a dehydrator (machine used to make dried fruits, banana chips etc), with a very low temp setting of 35C. with alot of airflow. I know from experience with this machine that it still takes a good few (2-3) days to dry anything you put in there like coriander, oregano, mint etc. Please see attached pic.

[MacGyverStoner]

Dehydrators or drying fast in general is not generally a good idea.

I discussed exactly why we dry slowly like this, in a recent thread here:

Should I leave the plant intact for a while, or take branches off?

Do you mean cutting the plant down at the main “trunk” and hanging and drying the whole thing as one, or cutting individual branches off and then drying those? It doesn’t really matter. What ever works best in your situation and works best for you. The whole point is merely slowing the drying process. I’ve even seen many people cut and trim the individual nuggets right away, but then they slow dry these nuggets in closed containers and watch the humidity in them closely, as not to dry too quick…

@MacGyverStoner

The whole point is merely slowing the drying process. I’ve even seen many people cut and trim the individual nuggets right away, but then they slow dry these nuggets in closed containers and watch the humidity in them closely, as not to dry too quickly nor let the “air” moisture in the container get too high and lead to mold.

The main reason some people cut the entire plant down and hang it upside down, is a lot of moisture is contained in the “trunk”, and it will go to and through the rest of the plant, as the moisture slowly transpires out through the rest of the plant, not much differently as it would normally while it was still alive. In fact, much of the plant is still alive, as long as it has enough moisture to continue certain biological functions, which is also part of the reason for the slow dry/cure. This is also why you don’t want it too cold, as if it is too cold, again, biological function will slow or cease.

Much of the point of keeping them in the dark and slowing them from drying out, is to get the green chlorophyll to breakdown and “go away” or at least it becomes something else that is not as harsh to smoke, and in the best case scenario, it becomes something actually desirable to smoke, THC. The living cells in the plant tissues will continue to “process” the chlorophyll stored in its tissues and some will be broken down into sugars and contribute to the rest of the biological process that can even contribute to producing THC and adding slightly to the potency of your bud.

Allowing this to happen in complete darkness does two things, one – light can degrade THC, and two – certain biological processes are desired, but not the continued production of chlorophyll, which if light is present, it would certainly cause some cellular activity to produce chlorophyll.

And even after the plant’s biological functions have completely ceased, chlorophyll and sugars are continued to be broken down into more desirable compounds by certain desired microbes, and as long as the environment doesn’t get too moist. If it does get too humid other microbes like mold and fungi can grow out of control and ruin your bud. As with many things, it can be a love hate relationship with these microbes, lol.

Happy growing,

MacG

[opentoideas]

Thank you, I understand. Ok so now I have to work out a way to build a small drying area.