First Time Grower

[hfpuEF]

Hi my name Jen I am a First Time Grower in central California. I had 6 seeds that I saved for, oh not even sure how long I had them so not sure what the strain is maybe OG Kush or something similar. Anyway I moved into a house with a front and back yard so I threw the seeds in my backyard not expecting anything to happen and then 5 of them popped up! I was shocked when they kept growing because at first I just half ass cared for them. Just water and then I started reading about sexing, fertilizers etc. But they had already moved into the last grow stretch and then I had to pull 2 males and now I have 3. Of those 1 looks to be ready for harvest the other 2 are a little behind it. Now I am nervous about drying and curing and hope I don't mess it up. Any advice is welcome and appreciated... I use cannabis for Insomnia & Anxiety. I'm old school and just roll Joints or use a Bong. So that's it in a nutshell.

 

[Heirloom]

Welcome Jen!

Your plants look great!

Drying/curing is easy once you get the hang of it. I use the good old hang method, fresh air moving in the room, no fans directly on them. Jar the buds when the smaller stem begin to snap. You don't want the buds crispy to the touch, so check them a few times a day when they are getting close.

Once jarred, it is best for a beginner to use a small hygrometer to measure relative humidity in a jar or two. A stable 60-64% is your goal. Using the hygrometer over time will train your sense of feel and after several harvests you'll be able to do it all by feel.

Oh, one other thing. Get the Boveda 62% humidi-paks. Medium size is good. BEFORE you harvest, get the hygrometer(s) and the Boveda paks, put the meters and 3 or 4 packs all in a quart or smaller canning jar and seal it for a week. Make a note of what each meter reads. Chances are you'll have one or none that read 62% after a week in the jar. Make note of the difference. Now you know that one meter reads 55% when you know it should be 62%. See what I'm trying to say?

Feel free to ask any questions!

Again...

 

[hfpuEF]

Thanks for all the info. Just a couple more questions. Can I stagger my harvest now and take a branch with a bud each day? And if so can I take it from anywhere on the plant, or just from the top? Should I trim big leaves etc. while still planted or do it as I harvest? I plan on bringing them into the house and hanging them in an extra bedroom. Should I close the vent for the air conditioner and put a small fan (not blowing directly on them) to circulate?

 

[Heirloom]

You can stagger if you like. If so I would say look at the trichomes and harvest the buds that are the most mature, leaving the ones that might benefit from more time. With staggering I find it creates more work and is harder to keep organized since the different buds will be in different stages of drying/curing. Plus your dealing with trimmings more often etc.

As for trimming, that is a personal choice. Some people take all the primary and secondary fan leaves off a day or two before harvest. Some do it all at harvest. The answer is whatever works for you.

With AC it depends on your relative humidity and temp in the room. If you live in a dry arid climate there should be no need. In the mid south where I live, I can rehydrate buds by leaving them out....in other words I need the AC to keep my RH low in order to dry. I wouldn't let the AC blow directly on them. Just redirect the outlet if needed and circulate the air.

We have a lot of women growers here. If you have time pop into the Current Grow Journals forum and look for SweetSue, Dennise, Shawnee, TranquilGreen....they are always happy to have a new sister grower. steff is a new grower with a journal that I've been helping, she's knockin' it dead. If you're wanting to quick dry and sample some green, go talk to Sue. I believe she smokes most of her stuff fairly green.

 

[hfpuEF]

I think I'm gonna start harvesting the one that is done and leave the other one to grow a little more. I have a question about a smaller plant that I have in my yard. It does not look like the other ones. It is smaller and greener but has flowered. Can you tell by a picture what strain it is? I will post a picture. What do any of you think it is?

 

[hfpuEF]

Here are some pics of the one I'm gonna harvesting today!

 

[TheRoach]

Please wait longer before harvesting that plant, it will get better.

 

[hfpuEF]

I have 2 plants I plan on leaving alone to get bigger, but can anyone tell what strain this one in the picture might be? Way smaller and greener that the others.

 

[TheRoach]

Telling a strain from a picture is nearly impossible. Regards!

 

[hfpuEF]

So I harvested, dried and cured the 3 plants I had. Smells ok, no bad taste, not harsh. But it does not get me high! Maybe because I did not put any nutrients in the soil? Im gonna do my next grow in pots with good soil and all the nutrients it needs and see how that turns out.

 

[OlderGrower]

Welcome to the 420 community Jen,

It is possible that you harvested them to early and that is the reason it does not get you high. Part of the ripening process is frosting with Trichomes which are the part of the plant which contains the THC. If you harvested the plant before the trichomes could ripen it would be like harvesting an orange before it had a chance to ripen. While it may look like an orange, it just will not taste like one.

Hope that helps clear it up for you a little.
There are whole threads here that explain when to harvest and what to look for to tell if your plant is close to being ripe.
If you still have any questions feel free to ask