Pink's Perpetual Experiments

[Pinktiger777]

The RH at room temperature was 75. So back in the fridge with the open CV. I'll stir it around for day or two and then do another test, probably on Monday. That's OK. I want it slow dried.
Back to a discussion on new strains: I am trying to stay with short plants. And I want photoperiod plants. The other wish is to have a high THC and medium or high CBD. My daughter has seizures, and the medicine helps her. She needs both THC and CBD. Until recently, she was not interested in the plants - now she wants edibles.

I forgot to mention that a cold snap came through here the other night and our relative humidity is now in the 30s. If I leave weed out to dry in that it will dry too much, too fast, but only on the outside. I want a nice, even, slow conversion of sugars. I was eager to try the refrigerator method because of an accident that happened two years ago with a Mazari Grape grow: I harvested on New Years and hung it out on the screened porch in the weather, with one of those hanging driers that have three or four trays. The damn stuff froze solid overnight (below 10 degrees) and I was afraid I had ruined it. So I brought it inside and finished the drying in the closet. Instead of ruining it, the cold seemed to freeze dry it. Two weeks later, it was perfect for storing. I don't recommend freezing it. But the conditions were perfect that night - got cold all of a sudden, and very very cold. In Missouri we don't usually have that - it's more of a gradual chilling down. But you never know. Missouri weather is like that. Very mercurial.

 

[InTheShed]

Great idea keeping the RH up in the fridge then. Below 55% RH in the buds, curing cannot occur. And from what I've read, once the buds get below 55% humidity, the microbes that are responsible for curing are dead and so it won't cure even if you re-hydrate.

 

[Pinktiger777]

I make this recommendation everywhere the CBD subject comes up so I'll make it here: Candida from Medical Marijuana Group. It is 15-20% CBD and under 1% THC, and it's a stable strain many generations deep. Many of the high CBD strains out there are new and unstable, giving a wide range of CBD results. Candida is tested and many growers here swear by it.

The other advantage to a straight CBD strain is being able to blend the CBD/THC ratio that works best, through titration. You might find a 2:1 strain that works great for a few weeks but starts to tail off, and then you want to try 3:1 or 1:3 and you're stuck. With a straight CBD strain you can blend your own ratios using a spreadsheet that Oldbear created (let me know if you're interested and I can PM you the link along with the instructions I wrote up).

One more thing I'd like to add: if this is purely medicinal for your daughter, capsules are much easier to make than edibles, and dosing is much more accurate. Not as much fun to take though!

Thanks. I like that idea. I will have enough THC weed grown after this next harvest, so I will try the Candida. Also, I would love the spreadsheet! Thank you so much. Capsules? I got the kit and the capsules, but can't figure out how to fill them. LOL. I'm a dunce.

 

[InTheShed]

can't figure out how to fill them.

Easy peasy! I got these from Amazon:
BSTEAN 10ml Syringes 14Ga 1.5 Inch Blunt Tip Needle Storage Caps - Glue Applicator, Oil Dispensing (Pack of 5)

It says single use, but I just rub olive oil around the black plunger and it works over and over again! I also cover the markings on the side of the syringe with clear packing tape because they come off with repeated washing.

And I made my own capsule tray from a 1x4 and a drill. If I was doing it again I would just get this:
Size 00 Capsule Holding Tray by Capsuline - 100 Count

00 size capsules are 0.91ml which is close enough to 1ml for what I do.

I'll PM you the spreadsheet info.

 

[Pinktiger777]

Thanks so much, @InTheShed. I did buy those, but I haven't opened them yet. LOL. That is a good idea, the capsules.
Seedsman sells the Candida, so I will get them from there. I'm also going to get some northern lights.

 

[Pinktiger777]

Great idea keeping the RH up in the fridge then. Below 55% RH in the buds, curing cannot occur. And from what I've read, once the buds get below 55% humidity, the microbes that are responsible for curing are dead and so it won't cure even if you re-hydrate.

Yeah. About that. I have been reading up on the cure in various places. Low and slow seems to be the best. If it gets too dry, it turns to powder. I had a little nug that got left behind in one of the buckets from July, and it was like petrified bud. When I squeezed it, it turned to powder almost like a puffball mushroom.
It's now in the trim. Waste not, want not. LOL.
It really isn't good to smoke until three months go by. Not that I have done that, in the past, but if you can, it is better.

 

[Pinktiger777]

I just pulled the CV out of the fridge. 58 rh. And they felt a bit crispy. I want it to be 68 rh or so room temp, so based on yesterday’s 65/75 fridge/room RH, should be about right. So I ground one and just tried it, and it burned down to white ash. And I’m high. Very. Also, pain diminished. I’m in some discomfort right now because of a bulging disc in my neck. So I have a frame of reference. Lol. This is fantastic. Sigh. I’m going to wait and let it cure.

 

[Pinktiger777]

Update on harvest
The CV is now in storage, and the RH today was 64 percent in the CV. So, It's curing.
This is the first time I've used the fridge for the entire drying cycle before the buds were stored. I'm impressed with the color, the aroma and the effect this drying had on the final product. When I burned some yesterday, it burned clean and left a white ash.

Update on new grow
I have a small grow tent. it is only 2 feet X 2.5 feet, so I'm limited on footprint. I grow three plants at a time currently. I'm trying to get the most out of those three plants, realizing that the space will limit how much that is. But I know I can do better. The plant I'm growing is an Indica hybrid with thick colas that weigh a bunch, especially when live and growing. So I needed to find a second plant support to put above the scrog screen to support the colas. Here it is:

canopy3screen.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 15, 2019
• 1

canopynow.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 15, 2019

I'm anxious to see how this works to improve yield and quality.
This is what I got it:

HORTIPOTS Grow Net 5x5 Elastic Plant Trellis Netting 5x5 for Grow Tent Poles

 

[InTheShed]

That tent is now a no-flop zone!

 

[Pinktiger777]

Pruning and cloning
Today I decided to prune the undergrowth on my plants. I also decided to go ahead and take clones, now that I know how to keep them little for as long as necessary. So, first the pruning.
My latest grow was good, but I noticed that several large branches in the side and rear of the tent were atrophied and some had even turned brown. This is not good at all, because it means the plants were trying to keep those branches going while it was also keeping the harvestable part going. So this time I decided to prune all the undergrowth and the side growth on the plants. My rule: if the branch is not within the footprint of the scrog screen, it goes the way of the pruning shears. From these cuttings, I took my clones.

Here are some photos:

canopy before.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 16, 2019

canopyafter.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 16, 2019

tops before.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 16, 2019

topsafter.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 16, 2019

trim.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 16, 2019

Clones
My cloning method is simple - Using a DWC unit that I bought from Amazon over a year ago, I place each clone in a clone collar supported by a net pot that has had the bottom cut out of it, letting the clone dip down just into water that has two airstones boiling the water up around where the roots will form. First, I trim the clone and make certain a node is left at the bottom for roots to form. Then I put it in the collar and shove that into the top of the net pot. I turned my lights down to 5 percent, as light is not necessary for rooting. The water is PH corrected to 5.8, and the only thing in the water other than PH down is Rapid Start and Z7 enzymes. Note the DWC unit has eight slots, so one holds extra cuttings if I need them and the other one has a clone collar in an intact net pot to keep out light.

clone.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 16, 2019

under.jpg

• Pinktiger777
• Oct 16, 2019

 

[InTheShed]

Nice trim! You're going to need another net above the new net soon .

I know how to keep them little for as long as necessary.

Since we're a sharing and learning website, can you tell us what you've discovered?

 

[Pinktiger777]

Nice trim! You're going to need another net above the new net soon .

Since we're a sharing and learning website, can you tell us what you've discovered?

Lol. I was thinking about that as I trimmed. I’ve learned that pruning is vital to not waste the light, nutrients and air we use to grow these. And that I just might get more if every part of the plant that’s blooming is exposed to light and not crowded. Also that because the plant nearly grows noticeably while you watch, that pruning might encourage more of that growth exactly where you want it. Is that good?

 

[InTheShed]

It wasn't a test! I like to see members here include what they've learned in the thread so other people can discover it when they read through. Every journal can be a source of good information that's searchable by Google!

 

[Pinktiger777]

Nice trim! You're going to need another net above the new net soon .

Since we're a sharing and learning website, can you tell us what you've discovered?

Just read this again. I misunderstood. The way I keep them little, the clones, is to limit the light until I want them to take off. I believe I learned that from you, or @Pennywise or @Weaselcracker.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Ha ha that’s the first thing I saw on this page - that comment about how you know how to keep clones small, and I almost abandoned reading everything else to immediately ask ‘how’.

From what I've read, once the buds get below 55% humidity, the microbes that are responsible for curing are dead and so it won't cure even if you re-hydrate.

I’ve been starting in the last couple years to think this might be just stoner lore. It seems counterintuitive to me when I look at all other natural processes- this idea of all the microbes vanishing and the curing process completely shutting down never to restart. Not that I couldn’t have easily missed it, but I’ve never heard of this idea with the thousands of other plants that people dry and consume. I also haven’t noticed that problem in my overdried vs non-overdried bud either- but things tend to be a bit helter skelter at my place. Have you read some info that seemed factual?

 

[InTheShed]

I have not. I got that from Mr. Krip:

They will continue to cure as long as the RH remains ABOVE 55%. If the RH drops below 55%, they stop curing and, even if you raise the humidity back up, they will not cure any further.

...who also said:

It is pretty widely accepted that curing in cannabis stops somewhere between 50%-55% RH so the "rule of thumb" is to not let the RH (of the buds - not the room!) drop below 55%. Not sure who originally tested/discovered it, though!

That said, re-hydrating dried plants never gets them back to their original state, and microbes that die without a certain amount of moisture to survive don't re-animate when you add back moisture, so it makes some sense to me.

 

[Mr. Krip]

Ha ha that’s the first thing I saw on this page - that comment about how you know how to keep clones small, and I almost abandoned reading everything else to immediately ask ‘how’.



I’ve been starting in the last couple years to think this might be just stoner lore. It seems counterintuitive to me when I look at all other natural processes- this idea of all the microbes vanishing and the curing process completely shutting down never to restart. Not that I couldn’t have easily missed it, but I’ve never heard of this idea with the thousands of other plants that people dry and consume. I also haven’t noticed that problem in my overdried vs non-overdried bud either- but things tend to be a bit helter skelter at my place. Have you read some info that seemed factual?

I have not. I got that from Mr. Krip:


...who also said:



That said, re-hydrating dried plants never gets them back to their original state, and microbes that die without a certain amount of moisture to survive don't re-animate when you add back moisture, so it makes some sense to me.

Curing Your Harvest Right Increases the Amount of THC
Your cannabis plants are working tirelessly to produce tetrahydrocannabinolic acid and various other cannabinoids through biosynthesis.

Biosynthesis gradually converts these into new blends.

For instance, tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA) is converted into the main psychoactive compound of cannabis—THC.
And as we touched on earlier, even after you cut your plant from its roots, this process continues.

But, you need to provide the RIGHT environment for it to continue.

This means placing your harvested plants in an area where the humidity stays around 45-55% and the temperature between 60-70°F.

This ideal environment allows many of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids to convert to THC—their psychoactive counterpart.

If you dry your harvest too quickly, you stop the process abruptly. And as a result, you leave a lot of THC on the table.

 

[InTheShed]

..

Source?

If you dry your plants between 45-55% RH, your plants will get to 45-55% RH eventually. There's no mention what the cutoff is or when to take them down. Or at what RH to cure them.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Thanks. Yes I’ve read those before. But I’ve never seen even a whiff of science to back it up. Microbes and natural processes aren’t usually nearly so fragile. Not saying it’s not true but I’ve grown suspicious after seeing a lot of blanket statements like that.

Like if you don’t stick your clone cutting in water right away you’ll get an air bubble
- or that there’s no point transplanting in flowering because roots don’t grow after the first couple weeks. Etc.

Thanks guys - sorry didn’t mean to divert your thread Pink - just trying to sow a little seed of doubt I guess, lol.

 

[InTheShed]

But I’ve never seen even a whiff of science to back it up.

I don't know what the microbes are that handle cannabis curing, but:

"Different types of fungus or bacteria require different amounts of water (in vapor form) to reproduce and grow. The majority require relative humidity (RH) of 60 percent or more, though some can survive and multiply in >20 percent RH."
Source

and
"Relative humidity had a striking effect on the decay rate! Decay rates peaked in the vicinity of 50% for all three bacteria"
Source

So there is a scientific basis to @Mr. Krip's posts.