Bud Washing

[Skybound]

I've been washing, hanign and trimming for about10 days straight.

I don't use a varied temp wash....but others do and LOVE it.
I dry in 65 degrees 50/60 rH. I start off at 50 and let it creep up to 60 after about 3 days. My stuff hangs for a week, minimum.

For the peroxide, use 10%.

Thanks for the info DOC. regarding 10%, is that to mix a 10% solution instead of 3%, or is the entire volume of 5 gqllons to be 10% h2o2?

also, what is the purpose for waiting till after the wash to cut off sugar leaves? is this so no washing solutions permeate through the newly opened wounds of each leaf?

 

[GeorgeFoster]

If all goes well I will be doing the same this Saturday with the final 2 LA's great review above and thanks Doc for getting this up and running.

 

[Buddybud]

Awsome thread,i know i'll be washing my crop now!!!! Thank you all verry much. Good info!!!!

 

[SweetLeef]

I'll be washing my first harvest this Sunday!!!!!

 

[AfricanGrower]

[

If all goes well I will be doing the same this Saturday with the final 2 LA's great review above and thanks Doc for getting this up and running.

Awsome thread,i know i'll be washing my crop now!!!! Thank you all verry much. Good info!!!!

I'll be washing my first harvest this Sunday!!!!!

...And the method lives on

 

[Hiker]

THC is water soluble, and at around 3.3% per liter at room temperature to be exact. Go ahead and bump that up, as YOU warm it up. Lemon juice is also a very powerful solvent. I have used it in the manufacturing of "spice" and the ease to break down chemicals JWH-018 and the such is phenomenal. So even though THC may not be very soluble in water, you people are adding lemon juice to the mix, and even heating it up in some cases. Kind of hard to make me look like an idiot when the science is on my side... I think you've been in that "basement" too long. Washing may as well be "stripping". In many cases in this industry that we all know and love the two terms co-relate quite often. If water and lemon juice were not solvents, this method wouldn't remove a thing from your precious flowers, and they would come out exactly the same way they went in.

I also understand that THC "testing" is expensive. I was just hoping this new community I joined consisted of more than just basement and closet growers. Is it unfair for me to think that someone on this board has money? Looking at Colorado, I would think not.

I will be using this technique from now on, but I know there is a loss, there HAS TO BE if science has it's say. Is it going to be substantial?, probably not. Is anyone going to notice the difference in strength, I personally wouldn't think so, but that's why I asked. Not as much for myself, but to make my ease of passing on the "knowledge" to some hard headed old men a little easier. For them, myself and many others "seeing is believing". The pictures are good enough for me, but nothing would ease EVERYONE's minds better than a high dollar bud analysis!! THIS THREAD NEEDS MORE LOVE!! KEEP IT GOING!!!

Peace an Love,
Chaotic

Yes, THC has a measurable solubility in water. Water IS the universal solvent. The solubility is very low though. Also, this value is for a particular isolated isomer, or maybe many isomers. We don't have that. We have trichomes. The THC molecules are still contained within the heads of the trichomes. I'm unsure what that does to the solubility in water, but I can't imagine it increases.

You're also right that lemon juice, a weak acid, is also a solvent. I didn't see anywhere that THC was soluble in acids. If you know of some, could you point me in the right direction. The idea behind the lemon juice, I think, is that it IS a solvent for some of the things we're trying to remove. We use solvents everyday. In each case, we choose the correct solvent for the job. I wouldn't wash my hands in butter or oil, but it dissolves THC great. I also wouldn't use some hand soap on my buds to clean them.

The MUCH bigger issue IMHO, is knocking off those heads! High magnification before and after pictures would be a great way to see just how many we're losing.

I'd like to see the source for the 3.3% number you cited. I found some references to 2.8mg/L, but the only mention of 3.3% is a post, on another forum, mentioning a NORML study. I was unsuccessful finding any other mention of that study. Can you help me find it?

Lastly, How did I try to make you look like an idiot? If that was your take on my post, you have my apologies.
If it was about testing, then I was making sure you understood that the samples get destroyed during the process.

I had written more, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume I am misunderstanding some of your reply. If I don't do that, I would feel offended by some of your comments.

what is the purpose for waiting till after the wash to cut off sugar leaves? is this so no washing solutions permeate through the newly opened wounds of each leaf?

I think it's personal preference. My rough sequence last time was: trim off the large fan leaves, wash one branch at a time, hang to dry for 12-24 hours, manicure, rehang for ~1 week, cut buds from branches and jar for a few days (length depends on many variables), then burp jars and add Boveda pack.

Immediately after washing, the branches were too heavy to manicure. I don't like to trim dry. I tried to manicure them after they have had time to drip dry enough so the branches can hold up the weight while trimming. I hand trim though, so I'm not sure how this would incorporate if you're using a machines of some sort.

My trim helpers thought it might work better to do wash after manicure, so I might try that next time. I am going to dry in a rack instead of hanging branches on a string this time, but I'm unsure yet how I will incorporate the wash into the sequence.

To me, the advantage of washing first is, my sugar trim (saved for bubble bag hash) is clean too. I made hash from both trim, and it definitely affected the hash positively. The clean trim's hash was lighter in color and the texture in the bags was slightly different. It seemed more uniform. This was my first time making hash though, so I have little to compare too. I know it tastes awesome!
I'll continue to experiment. If I learn anything related to bud washing, I will share it here.

 

[David Bowman]

Hiker, if you want to trim before wash and still have your trim washed, you could collect all of your trim up into a cheesecloth bag and wash all of your trim at once after you have finished washing your buds. You could use a salad spinner to dry out the trim after the wash or simply spread it out onto one of your racks for drying.

 

[Doc Bud]

Thanks for the info DOC. regarding 10%, is that to mix a 10% solution instead of 3%, or is the entire volume of 5 gqllons to be 10% h2o2?

also, what is the purpose for waiting till after the wash to cut off sugar leaves? is this so no washing solutions permeate through the newly opened wounds of each leaf?

Hey bro!

I meant that you should mix a 10% by volume solution, IE 1 cup of the H202 you have (strong stuff) with 10 cups of RO.

I leave the sugar leaves on because that's where I get my "shake." Actually, the sugar leaves have very high THC content, so this stuff rolls really nice joints. Party starters when it's a good sativa! This way, the sugar leaf trim is washed up really nice. Sometimes I make dry ice hash with the other trim, that I rip off the plant prior to washing.

I hand pluck the buds with bare hands, yanking fan leaves and any necrotic tissue off the plant. Then I wash 'em, and hang 'em.

 

[DrZiggy]

Hiker, if you want to trim before wash and still have your trim washed, you could collect all of your trim up into a cheesecloth bag and wash all of your trim at once after you have finished washing your buds. You could use a salad spinner to dry out the trim after the wash or simply spread it out onto one of your racks for drying.

A BUDDy of mine who has started washing his buds using same info shared here uses his salad spinner- gently to remove 80-90% of the water that would be clinging... As most that do wash claim, The smoke is amazing!

 

[GeorgeFoster]

@ Docbud.........

This works so well for a couple reasons:

1. takes off dirt, foliar sprays, bugs, fiberglass dust, etc.
2. fully hydrates the leaves, allowing photosynthesis to occur for a day or two on cut and trimmed buds. I recommend leaving a light on the buds for the first day or two after washing.

Morning Doc....

I have read the entire thread 3 times now and the bold sentence above leaves me with one question...


I have over lapping harvests right now and was wondering if I could hang that 1st, 1 or 2 days in the flower room after the wash? temps reach 82 but mostly 72ish for 70% of a 24 hrs period...light cycle 12/12 of course....RH 35% ish.


Do you think this will still be effective for the first 1 or 2 days...then move to a dark area for remaining 3-5 days as needed before jar curing?...or don't attempt this at all.

I'm cutting and washing in the next couple hrs...

 

[Doc Bud]

@ Docbud.........

This works so well for a couple reasons:

1. takes off dirt, foliar sprays, bugs, fiberglass dust, etc.
2. fully hydrates the leaves, allowing photosynthesis to occur for a day or two on cut and trimmed buds. I recommend leaving a light on the buds for the first day or two after washing.

Morning Doc....

I have read the entire thread 3 times now and the bold sentence above leaves me with one question...


I have over lapping harvests right now and was wondering if I could hang that 1st, 1 or 2 days in the flower room after the wash? temps reach 82 but mostly 72ish for 70% of a 24 hrs period...light cycle 12/12 of course....RH 35% ish.


Do you think this will still be effective for the first 1 or 2 days...then move to a dark area for remaining 3-5 days as needed before jar curing?...or don't attempt this at all.

I'm cutting and washing in the next couple hrs...

The 35% part has me a bit worried that it might dry too fast, so I'd say 1 day in that environment would be OK.

My stuff is still moist and squishy after 3 days. Not drippy, but definitely feels fresh cut. It doesn't start to get dry till about 5 or 6 days, and it can take a week or 10 days till the stems snap. I've found this produces the best aromas. If you can adjust your drying schedule so that it takes a bit longer than 5 days, I think you'll be very happy.

But nothing says you can't try something different! I don't see how one day in low Rh is going to hurt fresh washed buds.

They do love the light! All the moisture allows them to photosynthesize for a few hours, which is like doing a flush....not that they need that.

The flavor, texture and smell is simply unmatched.

 

[GeorgeFoster]

Well, just chopped, did a decent pre trim and into the 3 - 5 gallon wash, rinse, rinse.....These were 2 - 6' trees.

I did use HOT tap water in step one bin and then room temp water in the last two that had been sitting for a week in preparation for todays wash.

The hot wash had a lot of red hairs floating, but the buds are still covered and overall I am very impressed with the results just 20 mins ago.

I also changed the first wash bin out after the first full plant harvest and wash, surprisingly enough you could see the wash water was indeed dirty from animal hairs, some dust and dead material missed by the naked eye.

Thanks for the help and those contributing to this thread and DOC for bringing it to

Can't wait for the smoke test

*****
The only thing I may change next time is using water that's approx 80* F vs the 130 out of the tap.....there is a minute sticky film in my tub around where the water line was in the wash tub....no such film in the rinse tubs.

I used food grade restuarant bus tubs from United Grocers (rest supply open to the public)

 

[Skybound]

As often as we use temperature references in our posts, it's worth remembering Alt/167=º (degrees).

Plan to "take the plunge" this coming Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

[GeorgeFoster]

As often as we use temperature references in our posts, it's worth remembering Alt/167=º (degrees).

Plan to "take the plunge" this coming Tuesday or Wednesday.

Thanks skybound of the key assist

Just checking the washed buds this morning and the results already look excellent by feel, appearance, and smell.

And these two with flash..

 

[Curso]

Man, I've been washing my plants for a while now, since Doc first mentioned it. These days, I can hardly handle a half a joint of unwashed bud, it literally gags me. I wont make edibles with dirty bud, period. The difference is noticeable, to me at least. I love the bud wash, thanks again Doc

PS...I wouldn't heat the wash bucket, there's no need to heat the lemon juice and baking soda. Do it in the 1st rinse...

Edit: Its really a double shocking process. We don't wash veggies in HOT water then rinse them in kitchens. You wash them in COLD followed by HOT (blanch) followed by COLD to shock or stop the "blanch". That causes the colors to get deep and rich looking.

 

[greenergrass]

hey ive rinsed plants off while they were growing i have a dog so my house can get a bit hairy, so every so often i rinse my still growing buds off tho remove dirt and the likes,

i feel like the dirt could end up inside the bud if its not taken care of, never done it at harvest tho cos im paranoid of washing good stuff away ill be doing this next time tho

you should try washing your stuff in a bubble bag see if you get anything in the bottom hahah

 

[GeorgeFoster]

hey ive rinsed plants off while they were growing i have a dog so my house can get a bit hairy, so every so often i rinse my still growing buds off tho remove dirt and the likes,

i feel like the dirt could end up inside the bud if its not taken care of, never done it at harvest tho cos im paranoid of washing good stuff away ill be doing this next time tho

you should try washing your stuff in a bubble bag see if you get anything in the bottom hahah

What I saw in the wash water is nothing I want in my bubble bag hash...I do use a 160 micron bag and Co2 for dry ice kief extraction but that's another story.

Thanks Curso on the water temp advice....makes alot of sense washing in room temp and the warm water rinse followed by another room temp cool down.

 

[Curso]

What I saw in the wash water is nothing I want in my bubble bag hash...I do use a 160 micron bag and Co2 for dry ice kief extraction but that's another story.

Thanks Curso on the water temp advice....makes alot of sense washing in room temp and the warm water rinse followed by another room temp cool down.

Not room temp, warm, room temp...that's defeating the purpose of the color change. The point of cold, hot, cold is to make the colors more vibrant. Otherwise don't heat any of the buckets.

 

[SweetLeef]

Well, I went and did it. I harvested two out of my three auto flowers today. A Narcotic Kush and Stephanie Tanner. Then I washed my buds. I posted basically this same thing in my other thread SweetLeef's First Ever Grow!lto spread the word

So here is what I did.

4 tubs

First two tubs were water as hot as my tap would go. The fist tub was H2O2 and water. A 1/3 ratio. The second tub was 1cup of baking soda and 1 cup of lemon juice per 1 gallon of water.

The second two tubs were only cold water.

I threw all the bud in the first bucket and began swishing around each branch one by one. I swished each branch fairly vigorously, enough to splash water out of the tub now and then. I then one by one worked each branch in the second bucket, letting each branch sit until all branches had been worked.. Then I did the same thing into the third bucket, cold water only. One they had been worked I shook each branch off before transferring to the 4th bucket. Also cold water. I very gently pushed the branches under the water and began to pull then out and gently shake them off before hanging each branch above the final wash tub to catch the dripping. The buds will hang overnight and then will be transferred to the mesh drying rack tomorrow. When I harvest my third auto in a few weeeks, I want to try and make a bud washing video, unless someone else makes one first I don't know if I can do it and hold my phone, maybe with my laptop.
When I was done washing the water in the first three tubs was dirty.
The water in the first tubs was brownish grey, although the picture doesn't do it justice It was pretty gross.

The second two tubs were mostly dead pistols and leaf matter I had cut by mistake with my clumsy first trim.

The fourth tub was clean and clear, looks like it did the first time except the drip in the water from the washed bud above

Here is the crop after washing

Close ups of the buds to come when they are a little dryer

Cant wait to smoke this stuff! Thanks for the info so that I may use this knowledge to my benefit. I hope other will benefit from it as well

 

[MacEFL]

hey SweetLeef, I have never washed my buds although I may give it a whirl this grow. In your picture your buds are kind of stacked on top of each other. If it were me I would separate them allowing better air flow in between your buds. Anything to stop mold!