How do you trim/dry/cure?

[Dominic8189]

Many people have different ways but what do you think the best method would be for an outdoor harvest? Cut the plant down and hang it? Trim the fan leaves or leave em on while drying? Or completely trim buds prior to drying? Or trim after it has dried? What do you guys do that seems to work the best as far as flavor and trichome preservation

 

[Pbass]

Hiya @Dominic8189 I'm not sure where you grew has alot of bearing on how you dry. And there are so many ways to cure your haul! I like to trim all my fan leaves and as much as the sugar that's gonna come off (for hash) prior to hanging. Just seems way easier and less messy to me. Then like a lot of the folks do around here, they get hung upside down in chunks or whole for about 10 - 14 days till the stems holding buds to their main stems crack instead of bend. Then all the buds are cut off stems and put into jars about 1/2 to 2/3 full, so there's room to breath in there. Then EVERY DAY (thats important for the first month or so) I burp those jars and shake them up and give them a nice sniff and a good exhale (CO2) then seal them up. I don't measure anything like humidity or such, and for the most part it never sticks around long enough to get a thorough cure (my son..ok, ok and me...smoke alot of weed). It's my understanding that it takes months for a thorough cure. CHeers mate, gl to your grow!

 

[Hydroholic]

I have recently switched to dry trimming. I am preferring this method over wet trimming. I think I would hang then trim.

 

[Hydroholic]

I have recently switched to dry trimming. I am preferring this method over wet trimming. I think I would hang then trim. Might want to look into some drying racks if you ended up with a haul.

 

[nickeluring]

If the plant isn't defoliated, remove some leaves if needed to dry without risk of getting mold.
Chop plant by the roots, keep tap root intact, and hang plant whole to dry. Light is good the first few days but no direct sunlight, then it should be dark.
Trim when dry.
This way dries the plant slower, and if you've got a good rH it'll be more or less cured once dried. It usually takes 2-3 weeks. The plant will be alive for the first few days, and if it gets some light the photosynthesis will still be working. This cures the plant.

 

[Dominic8189]

Hiya @Dominic8189 I'm not sure where you grew has alot of bearing on how you dry. And there are so many ways to cure your haul! I like to trim all my fan leaves and as much as the sugar that's gonna come off (for hash) prior to hanging. Just seems way easier and less messy to me. Then like a lot of the folks do around here, they get hung upside down in chunks or whole for about 10 - 14 days till the stems holding buds to their main stems crack instead of bend. Then all the buds are cut off stems and put into jars about 1/2 to 2/3 full, so there's room to breath in there. Then EVERY DAY (thats important for the first month or so) I burp those jars and shake them up and give them a nice sniff and a good exhale (CO2) then seal them up. I don't measure anything like humidity or such, and for the most part it never sticks around long enough to get a thorough cure (my son..ok, ok and me...smoke alot of weed). It's my understanding that it takes months for a thorough cure. CHeers mate, gl to your grow!

Thanks man! Appreciate the info

 

[HiighTide]

I have recently switched to dry trimming. I am preferring this method over wet trimming. I think I would hang then trim.

Why did you switch?

 

[CanadianJim]

I dry in paper bags. It slows down the process a lot. If we didn't have to run a dehumidifier for health reasons they might not be necessary, but I've found they help to preserve the terpenes.
If the drying process is slow enough it makes the cure in jars a lot quicker.

 

[Hydroholic]

Why did you switch?

I find it easier to trim the dry dead leaves off and it overall seems to cure better and faster. When I wet trimmed it seemed I had that dead wet grass smell longer. I just cut the limbs off and lay in my hanging drying rack. I also don’t bud wash any longer. Not saying it’s all correct but my personal experience.

 

[HiighTide]

I find it easier to trim the dry dead leaves off and it overall seems to cure better and faster. When I wet trimmed it seemed I had that dead wet grass smell longer. I just cut the limbs off and lay in my hanging drying rack. I also don’t bud wash any longer. Not saying it’s all correct but my personal experience.

Thanks bro. I’m coming up on harvest in a couple weeks and gathering trim info. Why’d you stop bud washing? Was it anything negative that you experienced?

 

[Hydroholic]

Thanks bro. I’m coming up on harvest in a couple weeks and gathering trim info. Why’d you stop bud washing? Was it anything negative that you experienced?

It was a huge pain in the ass when your dealing with 10-20 ounces at a time. I don’t see a huge benefit in it personally. I never got the, watch your humidity but dunk your plants in water, then lay them out to dry. I worry about mold more than a few dog hairs so I stopped for those reasons.
Most of the commercial growers I found said to dry trim. I have to agree.

 

[HiighTide]

It was a huge pain in the ass when your dealing with 10-20 ounces at a time. I don’t see a huge benefit in it personally. I never got the, watch your humidity but dunk your plants in water, then lay them out to dry. I worry about mold more than a few dog hairs so I stopped for those reasons.
Most of the commercial growers I found said to dry trim. I have to agree.

Thanks again bro

 

[Stunned]

I had the opposite experience when I tried dry trimming.
By the time the sugar leaves had dried they stuck onto the bud and was a real pain in the ass to trim.
My methodology might have been to blame for that though

 

[Hydroholic]

I had the opposite experience when I tried dry trimming.
By the time the sugar leaves had dried they stuck onto the bud and was a real pain in the ass to trim.
My methodology might have been to blame for that though

I leave most of the sugar leaves. That’s where most of the cannabinoids are. I trim to smoke, not to sale or for show.

 

[CanadianJim]

I leave the sugar leaves as well. I use most of what I grow to make edibles and oils.