Antics Perpetual Learning Experience

And the stuff my brother brought was a little under 14g. (I took a small piece off last night to sample in my 1 hitter)

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First impression was the flavor wasn't that good. I almost want to say one of the terpenes is "truck tire". Smoke is a bit harsh too.

Buds just look very commercial. Flat and unappealing.

My SB vs his:
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Trichomes show mostly cloudy and very few Amber. I think I saw 1 or 2 total amber trichomes on the bud in the picture. I would have let it go another week or so before harvesting.

I'll compare the high tonight if I can get through a bowl of it.

But so far category winners:

Appearance: Strawberry Blue
Taste smoked: Strawberry Blue
Smoothest smoke: Strawberry Blue
Most pleasant smell: Unknown strain from my brother

Unless his friend is a commercial grower, I don't think this was home grown. It just looks rushed, like quality wasn't a top priority.
 
gazmufc said:
Hi Antics your grows seems to be going great, so congrats on that. whats your curing rules, how often to you open the jar to brup? and how long do you then leave the buds out to dry b4 putting them back into the jar to keep on curing? Also curios about misting your plants with spray, do you do that in your closet?
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I hang after wash for 7-12 days until snap on branches is possible
If I'm lucky I'll cure in a cure closet I have and burb every other day. Dispensaries are impatient I rarely get the appropriate 60 day cure.
 
The "other" nug is dense because it more than likely was pulled a Lil early then thrown in a large tight vac or just large container. Since it was probably still 15+ % moisture content they tend to kind of pack up and get dense under the added weight above them.
 
Dutty Panty said:
I hang after wash for 7-12 days until snap on branches is possible
If I'm lucky I'll cure in a cure closet I have and burb every other day. Dispensaries are impatient I rarely get the appropriate 60 day cure.
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This might sound like a weird question, but I gotta ask, because I've followed a couple drying and curing guides, and always end up with grass/hay smell, and have yet to get real good smelling buds..

Where on the branch do you test for it to snap? The part nearest to where it was cut from the plant always snaps first, but the rest of my stem can remain totally pliable.

If I wait until any point along the stem snaps clean from base to tip, I believe at that point the bud is too dry, and I have hay.
I have waited until the stem would crack, but not snap clean into 2 pieces, and at that point the bud was still too dry, and I ended up with ok bud, but still a bit if hay smell to it.
The last harvest on Strawberry Blue, I was drying my popcorn in my curing container, while that was drying my branches were in my drying box for 4-5 days. When then outside of the buds started to feel dry, but not falling apart crispy, I checked stems. They would bend, and some minor cracking, but for the most part felt too wet compared to what I read in the guides.

I put them into my curing container anyways. For the first 3-4 days the lid was not snapped on, but just resting on top with a little opening to maintain 62% RH. During this time I would occasionally get some moisture buildup on the lid which I would wipe off, leave the lid off completely about 5 minutes, then put it back on the same way until more moisture collected on the lid.

After the first 3-4 days of that, I was closing the lid completely, removing it for a few minutes a day, and occasionally had a little moisture collect on the top.

Now I'm about 2 weeks in, RH is at 61%, there's a bit of bud smell, but still too much hay.

It's still smokable, but not as enjoyable as I would like.

I've seriously read all the guides for drying/curing on here at least 10-20 times. Viewed multiple videos on youtube for the process, and the only thing I see different is dry time. My drying time is always much, much shorter than anyone elses 7-14 days, where I'm done in 5 days or less.
Is my dry time too fast?
And does the size/density of the bud make a big difference in how long they should take to dry?

Is there a minimum time you'd suggest it should take to dry 2 ounce plants?

I really need some kind of idiots guide to drying and curing, for some reason, I just can't get a grasp on it.
 
I keep my humidity around 55.
Temps around 65.

I use a big room to hang in and a few closets as well


Look for snap in middle of branch. And if bud can be picked off your there.
 
UltraDan said:
What's the humidity and temp of the room that you dry in? If it's drying within 5 days then it's to dry in the room and moisture is being lost too quickly. At least from what I understand.
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Hey Dan, thanks for jumping in.

Room is my computer room, temp varies between 66-70 currently, (A bit warmer during the colder months).

RH has always fallen between 45-55%. I run an window AC unit that keeps the temperature where I'm comfortable, and has always kept the RH in the 45-55% range. I set up my hygrometer in the room just before I started typing to double check my RH, and will update my reading in a few hours.

At the completion of typing my response, RH has fallen from 61% that it was reading in the container with my bud, down to 51%, and currently appears to be holding. But I'll update the RH in 2-3 hours to see what it's reading then just to double check that I'm still in range.

EDIT: Thanks for the response as well Dutty, I see you replied while I was typing.

When I check to see if bud can be picked off, how hard should I be pulling? I know.. it seems like a dumb question. I just work on cars and trucks all the time, so my main skill set is mechanical. Am I just looking to see if the small stems that the buds grow on, that are attached to the bigger main stem break/separate easily?
 
Taken from the How To section
The humidity should remain a constant 50-60%. Too high and buds will mold, too low and they dry too fast and taste bad. Temperature should be around 65-68 degrees, wherever possible. Make sure the room is dark, as light degrades THC.
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That's what I was afraid of..
I have a humidifier, but it's probably pretty pointless if the AC is running and constantly removing moisture from the air.
Without the AC running the room would be 80F + And that's not good for the plants, my PC, or my Chinchilla. They like temps around 70F. And I sure don't like it that hot either.

I'll have to work on a plan to replace my cardboard drying boxes with something smaller, and/or less porous like plastic, and will see what I can come up with. I might also have to include fan leaves and stems in the bottom of the drying chamber to increase humidity a little bit, and let things slow down in drying.

I have a little over 2 months until harvest, so at least I have time on my side to come up with a better plan for drying that'll work in my room here.

And the hygrometer is still holding at 40% as of right now.

Thanks Dan, I owe you a bowl.

EDIT: The 65-68F I can do. Watching my AC now: The AC kicks on when the room hits 70, and brings the temp down to 66 before shutting off. In winter these settings are slightly warmer though, so I'll need to take that into consideration as well.
 
As for smoking the 1/2 my brother gave me...

I loaded up the 1 hitter, which is really just a straight glass bowl about the size of a normal lighter, and I'm almost done with it.

I'm a bit high, but nowhere near where I'd be if I was smoking some of my own. Part of the reason could be not being able to hold it long, every hit is harsh and burns like a mother. Taste resembles weed, with a touch of burned rubber, not sure what that's all about.

It's on par with the Cannabis I used to buy years ago. Probably not 30% THC either, but again, I can't hold it without massive coughing fits for small hits. Whoever grew this needs to learn how to flush before harvest.

It's really difficult to compare them in terms of potency. But if I had to go by the information I have to work with, I'd say my Strawberry Blue is more potent. Maybe not by a lot, but it's definitely stronger.
 
Good to know your own stuff beats the stuff on the street!!

Surprisingly enough, the few buds I quick dried last night, didn't cause any cough at all. The smoke was rather smooth even for no flush, dry or cure. It's making it very hard to not trim off some more. lol.
 
Antics said:
As for smoking the 1/2 my brother gave me...

I loaded up the 1 hitter, which is really just a straight glass bowl about the size of a normal lighter, and I'm almost done with it.

I'm a bit high, but nowhere near where I'd be if I was smoking some of my own. Part of the reason could be not being able to hold it long, every hit is harsh and burns like a mother. Taste resembles weed, with a touch of burned rubber, not sure what that's all about.

It's on par with the Cannabis I used to buy years ago. Probably not 30% THC either, but again, I can't hold it without massive coughing fits for small hits. Whoever grew this needs to learn how to flush before harvest.

It's really difficult to compare them in terms of potency. But if I had to go by the information I have to work with, I'd say my Strawberry Blue is more potent. Maybe not by a lot, but it's definitely stronger.
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Plenty of time to get it sorted. Maybe get away from cardboard? I am thinking a plastic bin with holes drilled in the side for air flow. Cardboard absorbs moisture and kills humidity, so that might be an issue for you if you are in a room with already low humidity.
 
I would have been happier if mine smelled better too, but hopefully next time I'll get that aspect fixed up to were it should be.

I know that feeling all too well. It will definitely be worth the wait, but if you really really need to, stick to popcorn, or even better you can smoke sugar leaves too, which are usually trimmed off for hash or whatever anyways. The trichomes also mature a little faster on the leaves, so you might end up with a future look on your plants potency (still won't be fully mature at this point though, so expect it to get a little stronger), the smoke might be a little more harsh, but it's a good tradeoff for me so I can save as much bud as possible for the dry and cure.

On my first harvest, I collected all the real good sugar leaves, and tiny tiny popcorn buds, and set those aside to quick dry when I needed a smoke, while waiting for the rest to dry.

After this first harvest, you shouldn't have to smoke popcorn or sugar leaves again, since you'll have your supply on hand, and will probably be growing another plant.
 
UltraDan said:
Plenty of time to get it sorted. Maybe get away from cardboard? I am thinking a plastic bin with holes drilled in the side for air flow. Cardboard absorbs moisture and kills humidity, so that might be an issue for you if you are in a room with already low humidity.
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Yeah, I'm thinking of those clear plastic bins, like shoebox size and bigger to do my drying, but I was going to try setting the lid on top, not snapping it closed, and sliding it open to create a small gap for air circulation, and keep an eye on the hygrometer for the first day to get it dialed it at the right humidity.

I'll get it figured out, for now I'm going to start looking around for some containers that I can make work for me.
 
Hey bud, Long day at work and just getting caught up here! Looking great man. HOW tall and wide is your CC now? She seems to be taking the nutes nicely!

You knew your bud was going to be stronger! lol The taste and odor will come too brother! You got this!

And im still digging the whole idiots guide hahaha I NEED IT TOO! :)
 
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