New Guy With Indoor - Outdoor Dreams

[Goldengoose7]

I went to a weed thing at the LA convention center like 6 years ago. I dont recall if it was the "Kush Expo" but it was some huge gathering. It was kinda neat and I remember back then being blown away I could just buy clones legally. I wanted to get a hold of some specific strains and online seems very expensive, or maybe I am just a cheapo lol.

This Chem D is turning out really nice. I am gonna give it another 24 hours before I jar up the big buds. I think I shall trim off the little popcorns for jarring now. All this stem snapping stuff seems like way too long imho. If I waited till the stem could snap the weed would be total bone dry and shitty.

Here is the "Chemberries" hehe.

I see nothing about him being there on the website. But then again I dont see anything about any vendors who will be there.

Hmmm... Well, you never know, but I would think that if he was attending the event, he would mention it on his own website at least.

I've never been to one of those big events but your description does sound like it would be a heck of a lot of fun!

I got a kick out of your tomato cage hanging arrangement!

May I suggest a really cool and inexpensive way to hang dry your bud for drying?

You know those special kind of clothes hangers they use for pants and suits that have those big metal clips on them? I use those and add about 4-6 clothes pins in between the two permanently attached metal clips that are normally on each end of the hanger. I clip two of the larger cola branches on each end using the big heavy spring loaded metal clips, and clip smaller bud branches in between those using the clothes pins!

Then you just hang them up in a closet on the hanger pole like you would hang a shirt or a pair of pants! It works great for me and allows me to hang a lot of bud branches in a small amount of horizontal space. I either put a small fan on the floor pointing up at the hanging bud, or use a clip on fan clipped to the same pole and point it at the bud.

P.S. These latest photos really show off the Blueberry traits of that strain more than any of your previous photos have! Definitely a Blueberry strain if I ever saw one! Never heard of Chem D until I saw this on your journal. May I ask where you got the strain from? Is it a seed bank strain of some kind, or one of your own crosses?

 

[Jimmycricket]

Yeah little clips on my hangers would make it easier to pack them in closer.

I thought the Tomato cage worked quite well and I have many as I use 1 or 2 on every plant to keep them upright. The OG Kushes are needing 2-3 each now lol.

 

[Goldengoose7]

All this stem snapping stuff seems like way too long imho. If I waited till the stem could snap the weed would be total bone dry and shitty.

I totally agree, although they will usually rehydrate pretty fast once they get into a jar. The method I use is simple... I dry mine until the outer bud surface is crispy to the touch and allows you to quickly and easily give the bud that final close shave before curing without much effort. As you trim the first bud, the pointy leaf edges should almost crumble off the bud with barely any effort with your trimmers/scissors. If the bud is still too wet for a jar, you will know it while attempting this final trim, since it will just feel wet and sticky on your blades as you give the bud this close trim job.

If the bud still feels kind of damp and sticky when I trim off that remaining rough leaf edges from the rough harvest trim, I hang them back up and give them another 12-24 hours and try again.

I never liked the stem snapping method cause it assumes that everyone's bud stems are the same size and thickness, which we all know is unlikely to be the case. I find my method pretty fool proof.

Give it a try! It tends to work best if you use a good SHARP pair of shears like the Fiskars model I linked you to on a previous page here.

 

[Jimmycricket]

I feel like If I try to trim off more leaves with the outsides of the buds as dry as they are I am just gonna knock off crystals unnecessarily. 99% of the none crystally leaves are gone. Iono what do you think? I guess as is its a tad too leafy compared to most buds?

 

[JamesTheGreen]

I think I can SMELL THEM JIMMY. I'll Follow My Nose To Your House!!! Blueberry Pie, Blueberry Pie!!! I am off My FREAKING ROCKER, Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD NIGHT!!! SINCERELY, JAMESTHEGREEN.

 

[Jimmycricket]

You are always welcome to come over for a glass of Lemonade and a piece of Chemberry Pie

 

[MadMike]

Beautiful buds. Good job! I have yet to try this popular strain.

 

[Goldengoose7]

Yeah little clips on my hangers would make it easier to pack them in closer.

I thought the Tomato cage worked quite well and I have many as I use 1 or 2 on every plant to keep them upright. The OG Kushes are needing 2-3 each now lol.

That is a good use of unused cages for sure!

Most grocery stores sell those kind of hangers, so if you want to try my method, it is easily duplicated. They aren't very expensive either, and because you can hang the hanger on a conventional hanger rod/pole found in any regular closet, you can turn any bedroom closet into a drying closet! Its best to dry them in the dark too which closets usually are with the door closed, and then you just need to put a fan in there to help speed the drying process. In addition to the fan, I have also equipped the closets I use regularly for drying with digital timers to turn the fans on and off at regular intervals in order to give the bud some time to dry without the fan blowing on them all the time.

I generally have a wet batch of harvest trimmed buds dry and ready for the final curing trim and into curing jars in about 3-4 days. For the first week or so, I dump the buds out of the jar and onto a drying rack for an hour or two every couple of days, and eventually just unscrew the lid of the jar and leave them opened to the air for 15-30 minutes as needed. (I only fill them about 3/4 full so there is room to shake the buds around in the jar and get them to move around before I open the jar to let the air exchange) Eventually, the buds reach that point when all the internal moisture stops increasing and the buds get more stable in their moisture level, and that is when I drop a Humidipak in the jar in order to keep the humidity stable for the long haul.

I've got some bud here that is going on two years old and it is still fresh and potent, but with all the benefits of a long cure! Mainly a much smoother smoke, nicer overall flavor profile and a more balanced high.

I find that bud is a lot like tobacco and I approach the long term storage of my crops much like I do my cigars in their various humidors. If stored properly, weed gets better with age! When you have yields as high as I do, you invariably end up with far more bud than you can possibly consume between growing seasons, so long term storage and curing is something that I have worked hard to perfect!

 

[Goldengoose7]

I feel like If I try to trim off more leaves with the outsides of the buds as dry as they are I am just gonna knock off crystals unnecessarily. 99% of the none crystally leaves are gone. Iono what do you think? I guess as is its a tad too leafy compared to most buds?

I couldn't quite tell from the photos how airy those are. If they are the light "pop corn" kind of buds, then yes... a final trim might leave you with little to show for all your work! If the buds are thick and dense, then you really won't be losing any potency with a final trim since the trichomes extend deep into the bud far below the surface that you can actually see with your eyes, a loupe or mini-scope. A close shave trim will be creating a smoother bud surface that will cure better and last much longer, but again, this only applies to the larger, denser kind of bud.

I end up with so much final product each harvest that I don't worry about losing a few more grams to a close shave. I like the closely manicured style of bud, like you find in weed competitions, but this requires a pretty thick cola to start with which is harder to accomplish indoors. I would say just use your instincts or perhaps try a test with one bud. If you feel like you would be losing too much in the process, then bypass the final trim and just put them straight into curing jars as they are.

Afterall, if this is for personal use, then you really don't need to worry about a retail presentation anyway! If you are planning to resell to a dispensary or something, then you can command a much better price if you trim them up nice and "purdy".

I put my trimmings into a snack size zip-lock and use it for rolling or vaping!

 

[Jimmycricket]

Beautiful buds. Good job! I have yet to try this popular strain.

Just to update ya Mikey, there is zero neem taste or smell, believe it or not.

 

[Jimmycricket]

I couldn't quite tell from the photos how airy those are. If they are the light "pop corn" kind of buds, then yes... a final trim might leave you with little to show for all your work! If the buds are thick and dense, then you really won't be losing any potency with a final trim since the trichomes extend deep into the bud far below the surface that you can actually see with your eyes, a loupe or mini-scope. A close shave trim will be creating a smoother bud surface that will cure better and last much longer, but again, this only applies to the larger, denser kind of bud.

I end up with so much final product each harvest that I don't worry about losing a few more grams to a close shave. I like the closely manicured style of bud, like you find in weed competitions, but this requires a pretty thick cola to start with which is harder to accomplish indoors. I would say just use your instincts or perhaps try a test with one bud. If you feel like you would be losing too much in the process, then bypass the final trim and just put them straight into curing jars as they are.

Afterall, if this is for personal use, then you really don't need to worry about a retail presentation anyway! If you are planning to resell to a dispensary or something, then you can command a much better price if you trim them up nice and "purdy".

I put my trimmings into a snack size zip-lock and use it for rolling or vaping!

Well I just trimmed up a few of the smallest and shittiest Chem D buds and put them in a jar. I really just looked for green leaves (aka leaves not covered in crystals). The sugar leaves are so coated with THC that it seems silly to me to trim them off. However if they are not covered in crystals they gots to go .

These little dinky popcorns are pretty airy, but the big buds (which most of the chem d is) is fairly dense and solid.

I was hoping for extra weight to bring in to a dispensary. I may try to keep those extra trimmed up.

 

[MadMike]

Just to update ya Mikey, there is zero neem taste or smell, believe it or not.

Well, I know crickets don't like Neem, so If you smoke it and don't croak, I'll believe you. Lol. Again, nice looking buds, Jimmy.

 

[Jimmycricket]

I smoked the XXX yesterday. It had only been like 4 days since it was picked, so it had no real cure. But it was pretty dry.

Hey it was smooth as ice vape hits. So I am assuming the Chem D will also not have soap or neem taste as they were last sprayed on same day.

Thanks Mikey, cant wait to show ya guys the Og Kush in a week or so.

 

[Goldengoose7]

Well I just trimmed up a few of the smallest and shittiest Chem D buds and put them in a jar. I really just looked for green leaves (aka leaves not covered in crystals). The sugar leaves are so coated with THC that it seems silly to me to trim them off. However if they are not covered in crystals they gots to go .

These little dinky popcorns are pretty airy, but the big buds (which most of the chem d is) is fairly dense and solid.

I was hoping for extra weight to bring in to a dispensary. I may try to keep those extra trimmed up.

If your dispensarys are anything like mine, they don't just care about the weight, they care about what the stuff looks like and smells like. It all depends on what kind of look and customer you are going for. Folks spending the premium bucks for the high end strains that I grow up here prefer the closely manicured dense bud that looks like a little pine tree on a train set! LOL! What I loose in total weight I make up for in demonstrating the quality of the product since you can't trim a bud that close unless it is really dense and heavy to start with. The airy stuff has no solid core, so you really can't get that kind of look with those. I usually give that kind away or chop it up for rolling. My shops up here don't want that kind at all since I guess their customers don't either.

If you have nice large buds to start with, you can afford to trim them this close and if you feel guilty about trimming off leaves with trichomes on them, then just save those trimmings and put them in a bag and use them for joints like I do. Makes more sense than cutting up a perfectly good bud for rolling joints right? The trimmings you get from a curing trim is just as potent as the remaining bud, and if I plan to sell the buds themselves, I usually will keep the trimmings for myself.

Like I said, I am willing to lose some weight on the customer end in order to command a higher price overall. A closely trimmed bud that looks killer is what I always strive for with anything that I plan to sell in town.

EDIT: They say that a picture is worth a thousand words so...

Here is the Harlequin GDB bud that I entered in this month's NOTM contest. This is the look I am referring to and what my local shops seem to want these days. I personally prefer this kind myself, so I can relate to their customers wanting the same thing. I didn't really have to trim these down that much to get to the main core of the buds which is what you want in a crop if you are looking to trim them this close.

 

[Jimmycricket]

Well this Chem D if I trim it up a lot would look and smell as good as just about anything. I guess the joint thing would be a alright thing to do.

So before you knew of a few spots how did you go about it Goose? I figured I would basically just walk in with some sample nugs and ask if they needed "donations" or "medicine". Is that basically what you did lol?

 

[fish cake]

nice on the harvest so far Jimmy, carefull you dont poke your eye out with that tomato cages pungy stix poited up like that.
have a good time at the expo and bring me a cool mouse pad

 

[Jimmycricket]

I took your advice Goose. Now all the Chem D is Ultra trimmed and looking sexy.

I also now have enough keef/sugar leaves to roll a Cheech n Chong style doobie lol.

 

[fish cake]

thats some good stuff Maynard!
just like porkchops and apple sauce

 

[BeemerBill]

JC those are looking rrrrrrreeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy nice. Hope you win.

 

[Goldengoose7]

I took your advice Goose. Now all the Chem D is Ultra trimmed and looking sexy.



I also now have enough keef/sugar leaves to roll a Cheech n Chong style doobie lol.

Very good Jimmy! You should get a much more even dry and cure after doing that, and as you see, you have some nice potent trimmings to use for rolling!