Just need a little guidance: am I doing this correctly?

[Sooey]

I live in Mass, I grow outside in my yard. This is my third year to grow so this will be my third harvest. I grow in dirt, in large pots, and in as much natural sun as I can manage to find on my tree covered lot. I have six plants in total. I am growing three strains, CBDutch treat, CBDesiel and CBDream...two sativas and one indica. My plants are healthy and tall...about 7 ft. We had some gusty winds last night and today I was forced to harvest a small portion of my grow. I would say that this is about two weeks before they are completely mature. We have a history of mold here in the NE so I have been watching for any signs. I have sprayed with a hydrogen peroxide solution a few times. They look great, I tend to hover. Today, when I discovered the branches that were broken I knew that today would be the start of my harvest for 2019. I cut the broken branches and I have washed everything in a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. I pulled off anything that looked a little mushy or like mold may have been present. Each branch got two washes and two rinses and I allowed them to soak in each bucket for at least 5 minutes. Is that enough to kill any mold? They are now drying my basement close to our dehumidifier. My question...how does this sound and should be doing anything else? FYI...I grow this for medical applications. I process it into a CBD infused olive oil.
That's it...a little boring, I know. But you never know until you ask. Thank you!

 

[Oldbear]

Caution on the dehumidifier - there will be mold spores in there in the filters, coils, and in the tank itself. That's now blowing on your plant.

If you give it a good clean every week or so then that would be good.

 

[Sooey]

Thank you, Oldbear. My weed is hanging near the dehumidifier but not directly in front of it. I will move it out of the workroom and into my office area. I can and should continue to wash it? I did not know that. Same hydrogen peroxide solution? I do about 2 cups per 5 gal bucket. Is that enough?

 

[Oldbear]

I clean mine every time it gets empty. Use 1/4 cup of bleach and 1 liter of water and spray and swish it around and wipe things down.

Im over due to take it apart and clean the screens and the coil inside the cabinet. They collect gunk.

 

[Sooey]

Oh, you mean the dehumidifier...I thought you were telling me that I could continue to wash my weed..*snort* My dehumidifier is sealed and drains directly to the outside.

 

[Oldbear]

Sorry for the confusion haha.

 

[Sooey]

Ok, Old Bear, I have a question. I woke to three big planters containing my weed toppled over on their sides. No breakage but all three are so big and top-heavy that I decided that it was time for a partial harvest. I cut down at least 1/2 of two plants. One looked a little tired and grumpy but OK to process. I watched those cuttings in water and hydrogen peroxide solution and rinsed them very well. One of my plants looked to be in perfect condition with no soft spots and no questionable areas. On those, I did a quick rinse and hung them to start to dry. My question...should I have washed ALL of it, even the ones that were in perfect condition? I don't want to mess this up. Any advice? Thanks, Oldbear.

 

[Nunyabiz]

If the mold you're talking about is when the plant is alive such as Botryis or Powdery Mildew then they do not create Aflatoxins.
So just spores that could be filtered out with micro filters to like 0.02 microns.
Since you're only making oil and not smoking then could be salvaged.

If its mold that comes from when the plant is decomposing such as hanging up to dry they likely can create Aflatoxin and cant be filtered out.
And I am pretty sure that most if not all aflatoxins will fluoresce green under a blacklight.

 

[Sooey]

Thank you Nunyabiz. I precess my weed into CBD infused oil...olive and coconut. In the past, I have precessed both dry and fresh bud. After I wrote the above question I decided that it was best to come down on the side of caution and wash all of my buds. They are in a bath of hydrogen peroxide and water as I type. I will rinse them and lay them out to dry. I really like to hang as much as I can but I have a space problem...too much weed and not enough space to hang. These are the best buds I have ever grown. The plants I took down today could have used about another week to mature but I had to decide which was better...a partial harvest today or broken plants in the morning. I still have so much left to grow out there that I decided to get what I could today and leave the rest to mature a bit more. The plants are so big that they topple over from their own weight. OK...I am off to rinse my weed so I can get them all layed out to dry.
Thanks, Nunyabiz.

 

[Oldbear]

Good call

 

[Sooey]

Thank, OB...Now all I need is a bigger house...or more hooks for hanging plants. No, I need a bigger house. I still have 6 pots of weed out in my yard. That is a lot of weed.

 

[Oldbear]

Nice problem to have

 

[Sooey]

OK, the harvest has started...I will cut down two plants today and another tomorrow. space really is an issue. Space and making sure I don't lose a label...

 

[Sooey]

Yes, nice problem to have, but it is still a problem. I got some big hooks from the hardware store which I have screwed into the rafters in our basement. I have cut, washed and rinsed 4 plants which are now, or about to be, hung from the hooks. Now I must be vigilant in watching for mold. The buds looked good and I picked off what looked to be soft or mushy. Between what is hanging and what is laying on a flat surface, my house smells wonderful. I still have 2 big plants to cut another day. Those two look like they need a few more days. It's always a crapshoot...do I let them mature and risk mold or do I cut them down before they are 100% ready. I hope your crop is doing well. Thanks for your help.

 

[Sooey]

Oldbear...I have another question (s)...
Since my intent is to process my weed into a CBD infused olive/coconut oil to be used sublingually, do I need to treat my harvest differently and does it need to cure? This is my third year of growing so this is my third harvest. The first year I cut, washed and trimmed all in the same day and I processed within a few days using SweetSues fresh harvest cannabis-infused olive oil method. Last year I had to harvest before I was ready because of wind damage so I was forced to hang it in my basement, untrimmed until I could get to it. At which point, I picked off what I needed for a batch from my dry plants and processed it using the same method...steeping it in olive oil over a double boiler. Now, I have so much fresh material that I need to manage it a bit better. My question, does it matter how and when I trim it...now or later? Does it do harm to let it dry flat on a surface? Man, even as I type this I can see that it is a very elementary question and I am sorry for that but I still have two big plants that are growing in my yard that I know will need to be cut within the next week...space and time are a real issue. should I Trim before I hang?
Thanks, Oldbear. I just need a sounding board.

 

[Sooey]

If the mold you're talking about is when the plant is alive such as Botryis or Powdery Mildew then they do not create Aflatoxins.
So just spores that could be filtered out with micro filters to like 0.02 microns.
Since you're only making oil and not smoking then could be salvaged.

If its mold that comes from when the plant is decomposing such as hanging up to dry they likely can create Aflatoxin and cant be filtered out.
And I am pretty sure that most if not all aflatoxins will fluoresce green under a blacklight.

So, Nuny, are you telling me that I should filter my oil through a filter that filters out up to 0.02 microns? How dod I do that?

 

[Nunyabiz]

So, Nuny, are you telling me that I should filter my oil through a filter that filters out up to 0.02 microns? How dod I do that?

Vacuum assist (Buchner) or I think there are syringe filters you can use also.
Something like a Buchner Filter would probably be best.

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And that's just to be safe, safe.
In reality if you wash it, and then heat it in the oven to dry and decarb, then you're probably getting rid of the vast majority right there, and then it just becomes whether or not you have an allergic reaction to whatever may or may not be there.

Just as long as it's not the type of mold that creates Aflatoxins, which you can NOT filter out.

 

[Sooey]

My harvest is finished and man, my house smells great. I cut, washed and hung my final two plants yesterday. I hated to do it because I could tell that they really needed a bit more time in the dirt and sun but, as bad luck would have it, our weather is in the process of making a turn to the windy, dark, cold and very wet side of fall. All plants have been washed in hydrogen peroxide and water, rinsed and hung to dry. I have started to clean and trim what I cut and hung two weeks ago so I am able to control the amount of space all this weed takes up in my house. Everything looks great. I still had one partial plant that was still left out in its pot from two weeks ago and it is amazing to see the difference in the buds. I thought it was of no use because it had some powdery mildew on it. I sprayed it with hydroperoxide and water and it went away. The buds on that section of the plant look like they are mature and just about perfect. It was a good contrast for me to see. It makes me think that my next grow will be an auto-flower and done indoors. That will be my next project and I will not be so dependent on the weather and the end of the growing season.
So, that's it, my 2019 grow is complete. Now comes processing and storage. Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way. And, Nuny...I have looked at the filters you suggest and they look interesting. I have a few weeks before I begin the processing so I have time to look, read and consider. Thank you for your input.