Iwltfum's Recirculating Coco GH Journal - Harlequin - Blackwater OG - China Jack

[Weaselcracker]

Ok I have to get you to explain how you guys trimmed with only a stem. ???
And in general, how do you dry trim? I've had to dry buds with the sugar leaf on before, and one time I had to go back to a pound of bud that was very badly trimmed by my buddy (no pun intended), and retrim it all. I didn't enjoy trying to do it this way and it seemed like the buds were drying out even more as I worked on them, and trichomes and bits and pieces were crumbling and falling off everywhere. I felt like I was trashing the buds. Probably this was an illusion, because when I think about wet trimming- it would seem to be even harder on them because of the stickiness of the trichomes, which mostly seem to be ruptured afterwards. Also, it just seemed even more slow and difficult than trimming them fresh.
What's your procedure for trimming this way? I assume you take cut or pluck the fans off and the bigger sugar leaf (?) first- then dry- then....?

 

[iwltfum]

Some of the nuances of the art of dry trimming (as opposed to the industry of wet trimming):

1. Conditions have to be perfect in your drying AND trimming area. (makes it easier just to say that you should dry and trim in the same room) That means 55-65% humidity 65-70f constantly. If the humidity is lower than that, then the buds will dry more on the outside than the inside and it won't trim up right. You want conditions perfect in your trimming area because a few hours at the wrong humidity or temperature can really throw things off, esp when they are closer to being dry.

2. All fan leaves (any leaf without resin on it) must be taken off before the branches are hung to dry. These leaves turn brown and crumble when they dry on the branch and I know nobody wants their bud to look like it was rolled in a pile of dry leaves in the yard before they smoke it. (But I NEVER take any leaf off that has resin on it at this point, no sugar leaf comes off until the final trim)

3. Basically no scissor hash. The scissor hash you get when dry trimming is much different than the scissor hash you get when wet trimming. The dry trim hash is very dry and crumbly and doesn't want to stick the scissors as much as the wet kind.

4. No scissors needed. Although they help, you don't need scissors to dry trim properly dried herb because you can just peel the leaves off. with a hard, thin, object. The leaves want to come off when you're dry trimming so the only time you need scissors is when you want to cut trimmed buds off the bigger stems into the finished pile.

5. Less weight, more trim. Some people find this part really unappealing, but there is a reason for it. And that is, that when you dry trim, your actually able to get more leaf off of the bud (I'm going to say 25-50% more by weight) making the buds taste better and less harsh. (Now I know others claim that leaf doesn't taste bad when it's cured, but it does, I have participated in the taste tests) Out of any experiment that is performed by my fellow growers around here, the wet trim/dry trim question has been debated the most and I have to say that alot of growers I know switched over to dry trimming once I asked them to do some experimentation and testing of their own.

6. As for whether it's faster or slower. It probably depends on the person you're talking to. I'm lighting fast at dry trimming because that's the kind of trimming that I've done the most. But I know people that are faster at wet trimming because they do that the most. I can get a dry lb done in 8-9 hours. A full wet lb usually takes me around 12 hours. So it's close, but it's really your preference based on what you want to be practicing. It's a totally different hand motion to dry trim than wet trim. There is no closing of the scissors when dry trimming, it's more like shaving with one blade of the scissors (that's how we trimmed with only stems over xmas time, the shaving motion is all you need to pop those leaves off the buds)

7. Buds HAVE to be trimmed when they are ready. You get about 24 hours from the moment when they are ready to be trimmed until they are too dry. Even in a room where the humidity is 60%. This can be a big issue for some people too, because you generally have about a 3 day window where you know you will have to trim on one of those three days, but you still have to be ready to trim any of those three days just in case they are ready a day early or a day late, which can be really common. The three day window is generally 5-7 days from chopping the plant down

8. Personal preference is key, if you'd rather wet trim, then go for it. I've only met 2 or 3 non-growers that can even tell the difference between the two once it's in the jar.

Like I said, it's a bit more of a hassle, but any weed snob out there that I know, will tell you they prefer dry trimmed herb over wet trimmed. Some of them go as far as refusing to buy herb that looks like it was wet trimmed (not even kidding).

 

[jojo677]

Awesome description Iwltfum. This makes me want to give it another try. I really only tried it once, purposefully saving a branch to try dry. I tried cutting all of the leaves off, instead of trying a shaving technique as you mentioned. Now I have to see if I can taste the difference!

This is the only thing that concerned me...

You get about 24 hours from the moment when they are ready to be trimmed until they are too dry.

 

[iwltfum]

Awesome description Iwltfum. This makes me want to give it another try. I really only tried it once, purposefully saving a branch to try dry. I tried cutting all of the leaves off, instead of trying a shaving technique as you mentioned. Now I have to see if I can taste the difference!

This is the only thing that concerned me...
"You get about 24 hours from the moment when they are ready to be trimmed until they are too dry."

That part can be a logisitcal nightmare if your working with low humidity. If you can bump you're RH up to 65-75% once they're ready to trim, then you don't have to worry about that time period as much. Basically, the more you can keep the area at good curing conditions the better it will turn out and it won't ever dry out too much, but if you're dealing with 50-60% humidity or lower, you need to catch it at the right time. If you bump the humidity up to 65-75% too soon though, they will take a bit longer to be ready. It's a delicate balance, that humidity.

EDIT: A friend of mine has mastered the technique of "rehydrating" buds that have gone beyond a good dryness level to trim. He puts them in a plastic storage bin and then throws a couple handfuls of freshly plucked leaves or freshly cut stems from other plants into the bin and shuts it for a couple hours at a time. And it actually keeps the buds at a really good moisture level. I helped him trim some branches that had been untrimmed in the tub for more than six months and didn't see any mold and the buds were nice and spongy still.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write that up, Iwltfum. I'll try experimenting on some buds. That timing window comment freaked me out a bit too- but like nearly everything else, I'm sure it's workable once a person gets a feel for it. My RH is generally very high. If I have to rehydrate buds I just spread them out in the open for a while. Very curious to give this method a try.

 

[iwltfum]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write that up, Iwltfum. I'll try experimenting on some buds. That timing window comment freaked me out a bit too- but like nearly everything else, I'm sure it's workable once a person gets a feel for it. My RH is generally very high. If I have to rehydrate buds I just spread them out in the open for a while. Very curious to give this method a try.

Sounds like it would work out very well for you WC. Just give it a try with a branch or two and see what you think!

EDIT: I like to jar cure mine for about 3 or 4 days for the best taste, but it's generally smokable once it's ready to be trimmed.

 

[iwltfum]

FINAL UPDATE:

Final weight on that last harvest was 589g (20.8oz). Averaging about 98g (3.4oz) per plant. The snowwrecks were heavier over all, but I didn't get a per-plant weight on them as group. The trim weighed in so close to the buds it was a little crazy. Weighing in at 577g (20.4oz), the trim made a nice 56g (2oz) of BHO with a couple grams that didn't get weighed.

I want to give a shout out to Weaselcracker, theRoach, jojo, and OldMedUser for some great advice and making it feel like at least SOMEONE was checking in here every once in a while, and to anyone else that followed along regularly.





I have plans to purchase a grow tent soon so I can be growing at my new place ASAP. Until then, I won't be keeping a grow journal, but I will certainly be keeping up with everyone else and their journals!

Have a great thanksgiving everyone!

EDIT: hahah wait it's Halloween. oh yeah...I love post-harvest time

 

[David Bowman]

Hope all is well in your world.

Thanks for sharing this grow with us.

Please head over to the 420 Strain Reviews forum and post your smoke report there too.

I’m moving this to Completed Journals now.

Have you started a new grow you would like to share with us?

If so, please feel free to start a new journal here: Journals in Progress

Sending you lots of love and positive energy.

 

[TheRoach]

Congrats for that harvest!!! almost 600g wow, I will be looking forward for your next journal! Reps+

 

[Weaselcracker]

Ha ha. Nice work on the edit! I suppose Halloween is a sort of thanksgiving time for kids, and keeps the candy companies and dentists pretty busy as well. Congrats on the grow and I'm very glad to hear none of those silly murmurings about 'maybe not doing a grow' at your new place. All the best and keep us posted mate.

 

[iwltfum]

Congrats for that harvest!!! almost 600g wow, I will be looking forward for your next journal! Reps+

Thanks roach. It was a nice surprise to get that much off one light. I was really only hoping for 450 and I was going to be happy with that...but 589 was pretty nice. Looking forward to seeing your next journal as well roach! Cheers.

 

[iwltfum]

Ha ha. Nice work on the edit! I suppose Halloween is a sort of thanksgiving time for kids, and keeps the candy companies and dentists pretty busy as well. Congrats on the grow and I'm very glad to hear none of those silly murmurings about 'maybe not doing a grow' at your new place. All the best and keep us posted mate.

Well I popped my only Hawaiian Chem seed a couple of weeks ago so there's no way I can let that go to waste, plus I popped all those new seeds (about 70usd worth) a couple of months ago and I'm only several weeks into bloom with them so I haven't even been able to get the full experience with those seeds yet either. There's no way I'm giving up my hash plant pheno either. It's amazing.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Well I popped my only Hawaiian Chem seed a couple of weeks ago so there's no way I can let that go to waste, plus I popped all those new seeds (about 70usd worth) a couple of months ago and I'm only several weeks into bloom with them so I haven't even been able to get the full experience with those seeds yet either. There's no way I'm giving up my hash plant pheno either. It's amazing.

Anyway, I think there's something in the forum fine print when we sign up, about not being allowed to stop growing?

 

[iwltfum]

Anyway, I think there's something in the forum fine print when we sign up, about not being allowed to stop growing?

Who would want to? I haven't paid for weed since I started growing my own and I don't plan on starting now!

 

[jojo677]

I think we're all hooked.. Once you pop (that first seed), you just can't stop!

Congrats on the harvest bud, that sounds like a really nice harvest! I'm glad to hear that you'll continue growing at the new place and look forward to seeing what you pull off.