DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[Randoobula]

Ouch! So that was what the milk shower was all about. Didn't make that connection. Lol!

I don't have any answers, but I was wondering how long you have 'till harvest?

My Kush appears to be about a week out. One of my Durbans will likely follow shortly thereafter. The other Durban if it truly is a Durban, and the Lullabys look like 2-3 weeks out.

I say if it's a Durban because unless it's just a phenotype issue, it appears a different strain entirely and my friend does a bit too much wake and bake and he did grow some Blueberry in same crop as Durbans came from. I did post about it hoping someone might share opinions but got none.

Question for those experienced w/ Blueberry and Durban Poison strains

Question for those experienced w/ Blueberry and Durban Poison strains

 

[TorturedSoul]

We're not curing in these temps TS, at least not all of us. A few may be playing with it, but this is about drying.

I find that if I give it a day in the jar after removing from the fridge I get clean taste, with much more flavor. It has to be dry though, and that can take a while to achieve.

So this does not provide any kind of cure, BUT it doesn't preclude a traditional cure afterwards? I'll have to give it a try (in... a few months ) .

BtW, my apologies for not reading the entire thread before posting my question. I realize it's a relatively short one at only 360 posts, but my headache is slightly worse than normal. Which means no puking (yet), lol, but I'm not having an easy time trying to read with one eye closed AtM.

 

[Randoobula]

Ok, I think this is what I'll do. I've always needed to make my own mistakes... way to easy to learn for that of others!! .

I don't have much time to process before I need to be in Alabama for my dads surgery. So, on the first plant I chop... Blueberry Kush...

For my stash... about a half ounce will be washed/soaked for about 4 hours with a 7:1 H202 solution(because I like the number 7) then two fresh water dunks and a light hosing for good measure and low and slow dried in fridge, jarred and cured.

For oil... half of what remains I will use fresh harvest method after just a wash in 7:1 H202

... the other half I will water cure, quick dry, and fresh harvest oil extraction method.

If my yield is high enough, I will also low and slow cure some and make oil with Everclear for comparison to fresh harvest method. I've already gone from decarb during extraction to decarb in oven and very low heat evaporation of alcohol. Not much difference aside from minor color different... mainly made change in attempt to preserve terpenes. One thing I do know though is that even heavy handed boiling off of alcohol makes a very potent and effective medicine for a wide variety of health issues. But especially when treating others its a responsibility I feel to providing the absolute best medicine possible. I cannot express how grateful I am for everyone's efforts and input in that regard!

I'll be interested in flavor and effect differences between oil just washed and water cured. I'll share my opinions. My body is pretty tuned in to response to oils. It's something I've taken very serious in preparing for others for various symptom relief and disease treatment. Potential consequences of someone's very first experience with oil who has no experience with cannabis being negative can be life altering for them.

Any better ideas or suggestions are welcomed. I'll have two Durbans and two CBD Lullaby x Jack to play with in a few weeks as well. I'm more than happy to experiment with them. If anyone has some comparisons of methods they'd like to see made to add depth to our knowledge base, please advise.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Any better ideas or suggestions are welcomed. I'll have two Durbans

Well, I do have a method. But it's super-secret, so I can't tell you. You'd have to send me that Durban so I could process and return it. Now... The one issue with this method is that it causes about a 16 to 1 reduction, lol - so if you sent a pound, you'd receive a nicely cured lid in return. But it's well worth it to get a sublimely cured ounce, ya?

No, I'm not serious. I just wanted an excuse to post in the thread so I could offer my wishes that your father's surgery goes well. Best of luck with that.

 

[Randoobula]

LOL! Thanks for the well wishes.

A pound is in the mail. Be sure to watch for it!!

 

[Furcifer]

I started my first grow with several plants given to me by a friend. I knew nothing about WPM but after I found it in the plants I looked at his crop and there it was. So I started off on the wrong foot.

###Congrats on your first grow. Sorry about the PM. Looks like you are logically attacking it. Take it as a necessary learning experience.

Earlier someone suggested 1 cup H202 per 5 gallons water, which is 80:1. Logic tells me all that would do is wash off some of the mildew and may not be enough to kill it.

### This is what I use to wash.
IF PM is involved. I use 5% H2O2, 1cup to 1gal. Same method.

Can't remember who it was, but someone posted that the effectiveness of the lemon juice and baking soda wash recommended by Jorge Cervantes for WPM is not scientifically sound.

###Not Good at all!!!

As if the decision on wash isn't enough, now I'm also considering water cure.

### I will water cure any BUD that requires a long soak to get rid of PM. If it is for smoking.

What I will Cure for smoke will be low and slow in the fridge. Thanks so much for everyone's input in that method!

### And may your taste BUD s reward you.
Good luck.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? I'm truly at a loss. Info overload!

 

[pino0911]

Hey everybody i forgot to post my pics i said i was gonna post. Till i sampled my sample buds i clipped off my Thunderpaw girl and put in fridge for ten days and cured for ten days and i must say m sold this is my method to dry. M liking the brown paper bags in the fridge the best so far but still experimenting. I harvested one of my girls and she is in the fridge. Here is some pics!

My sample that spent ten days in fridge and ten days in jar!!

And this is my girl that has been in the fridge for six days so far!!

This is her before she went in the fridge!!

Will keep yall posted cause i owe this to yall!! Thanks and soon my next girl will get chopped and she will be going in the fridge also!! THANKS TO THIS GREAT COMMUNITY!!! OH AND THREAD!!!

 

[Randoobula]

....

Thanks Tricam!

I'm going to order some 35% food grade H202 and I'll dilute it to reach your suggested 5% @ 1 cup/gallon RO water.

I feel better now! LOL! Thanks again!

 

[SweetSue]

All the H2O2 I'm finding in the stores is 3%. Does this mean I'd have to order 5% or something more concentrated? Until this moment food grade hadn't occurred to me.

Hmmmm...... I stripped her of the fans today in anticipation of harvesting tomorrow.

I think I'll use Doc's method and get on with it. Maybe give her one more day without the fans and do the deed on Monday. She's destined for FHO anyway.

 

[pino0911]

In docs bud cleaning metgid what percebtage of h2o2 should i look for? Please help gonna harvest in three days and want to bud wash the right way!

 

[DrZiggy]

Interesting. I have always been under the impression that curing cannot take place at that temperature range. Are you still able to observe conversion of (much of) the chlorophyll into sugars? Or, alternatively, does it at least not taste like "fresh dried still-green bud" that the dealers sell because they CBA to produce a good cure?

yes, Ive cured in the cold.
No green taste at all....

 

[DrZiggy]

In docs bud cleaning metgid what percebtage of h2o2 should i look for? Please help gonna harvest in three days and want to bud wash the right way!

Doc doesnt use H2O2 unless PM is present.

 

[Canyon]

I think I used a 5 to 1 dilution of 3% peroxide to make a 0.5% solution.then hot water followed by a cold shock.

Something that I forgot to mention was that I used a large mixing bowl for the H2O2 bath with less solution, only about 6qt. When I was cleaning up I noticed a thin layer of resin above the water line on the bowl. It was not much, just enough to make me reach for the iso to get it off. IMHO, the amount is minimal, but it is definitely some.

I never know

 

[TorturedSoul]

All the H2O2 I'm finding in the stores is 3%.

Try one of the several beauty supply houses in your area. They ought to have at least 6% H₂O₂, and probably higher concentrations. Scientific supply houses will have a variety of different products of varying strengths, stabilizer content, and purity levels (most of which will be frightfully expensive, but some may only be painfully so).

Here's an old snippet I saved a while back:

3% Hydrogen Peroxide (Drug/Grocery Store Variety)
Made from 50% Super D Peroxide, Diluted. Contains stabilizers - phenol, acetanilide, sodium stanate, tetrasodium phosphate among them.

3% 6% 9% 12% Hydrogen Peroxide (Used by Beauticians for Coloring Hair)Comes in strengths labeled 10,20,30,40 volume. Those designations denote the amount of O₂ that will be produced as the H₂O₂ decomposes; e.g., one liter of 20-volume H₂O₂ will produce 20 liters of O₂.

30% Re-Agent Hydrogen Peroxide
Used in medical research. Also contains stabilizers.

30-32% Electronic Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
Used for washing transistors and integrated chip parts before assembly. Stabilizers unknown at this point.

35% Technical Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
Contains a small amount of phosphorus to neutralize any chlorine in the water it is combined with.

35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide
(Also 50% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide)
Used in food products like cheese, eggs, whey products.
Also used to spray inside of foil lined containers for food storage - known as the aseptic packaging system.

90% Hydrogen Peroxide
Used by the military as a source of Oxygen at Cape Canaveral. Used as a propulsion source in rocket fuel.

99.6% Hydrogen Peroxide
This was first made in 1954 as an experiment to see how pure hydrogen peroxide could be.
​

Remember that H₂O₂ is not stable. And, in high concentrations, it can be dangerous if handled carelessly. It can burn the skin. I have also read of towels soaked with it self-igniting as they dried.

But it's useful stuff. I used to use it as an O₂ booster in my DWC reservoirs. Never had algae issues, lol.

 

[Furcifer]

All the H2O2 I'm finding in the stores is 3%. Does this mean I'd have to order 5% or something more concentrated? Until this moment food grade hadn't occurred to me.

Hmmmm...... I stripped her of the fans today in anticipation of harvesting tomorrow.

I think I'll use Doc's method and get on with it. Maybe give her one more day without the fans and do the deed on Monday. She's destined for FHO anyway.

Sweet Sue, thanks for the props. I'm humbled. This is just one way for a couple of decades. That I have been able to achieve a desired product.
Didn't know 5% H2O2 was so hard to find. I bought a case or two in Costco.
If your plants are healthy. And they do look it.
3% at a cup to 3gal. Should be fine.
The goal is to clean and sanitize the exterior if the BUD. Without leaving any residue. As you will get with baking soda.
No saturation / waterloging of flowers.
As long as all utensils and storage containers are sanitized. As I'm sure you do. There should be no issues.

Good luck

 

[Furcifer]

yes, Ive cured in the cold.
No green taste at all....

Hey DrZiggy, nice thread you and sweet sue are orchestrating.

Ok. Just my 2cents. Curring starts at the moment a plant is cut. Osmosis continues without being replenished with fresh hydration.
Osmosis has to cease to stop the process. Cold only slows it down. Thus retaining more of flavors and natural colours.
To make processing simplified. This is divided into a drying phase. And, a final cure phase.
Drying phase is lowering of RH% to a desired level.
Final cure is fine tune and stabilize RH% at a desired level for storage.
I have cold cured all the way to 64%, 62%, 57%, 55% RH.
72% range and than traditional burp method to 62% seams to produce the best results.

 

[SweetSue]

Sweet Sue, thanks for the props. I'm humbled. This is just one way for a couple of decades. That I have been able to achieve a desired product.
Didn't know 5% H2O2 was so hard to find. I bought a case or two in Costco.
If your plants are healthy. And they do look it.
3% at a cup to 3gal. Should be fine.
The goal is to clean and sanitize the exterior if the BUD. Without leaving any residue. As you will get with baking soda.
No saturation / waterloging of flowers.
As long as all utensils and storage containers are sanitized. As I'm sure you do. There should be no issues.

Good luck

Thanks tricam. I'll be all set then. And thank you for the compliment. I was looking at that picture and thinking how much it looks like the picture of Graytail's Carnival that inspired me to grow that species. His picture reminded me of a den of bearded dragons bursting into flight. This girl lacks that dignity but she looks like a band of curious children to me. Lol!

I'm preparing a post on her over at the CBD Joy thread. The camera got carried away. Let me get back to that so I can post it before midnight.

I have enough peroxide to do the harvest. Your support was especially timely. You're my hero.

 

[DopyLemontree]

A word to the wise, be careful with 35% h2o2, touches your skin it will burn instantly and leave a white mark...ask me how I know...wear rubber gloves and eye goggles, it can blind you if you are careless. I mix it down to whatever % I need to make it safer to handle.

 

[DrZiggy]

Hey DrZiggy, nice thread you and sweet sue are orchestrating.

Ok. Just my 2cents. Curring starts at the moment a plant is cut. Osmosis continues without being replenished with fresh hydration.
Osmosis has to cease to stop the process. Cold only slows it down. Thus retaining more of flavors and natural colours.
To make processing simplified. This is divided into a drying phase. And, a final cure phase.
Drying phase is lowering of RH% to a desired level.
Final cure is fine tune and stabilize RH% at a desired level for storage.
I have cold cured all the way to 64%, 62%, 57%, 55% RH.
72% range and than traditional burp method to 62% seams to produce the best results.

please, give your 5 cents!, its great info!

 

[DopyLemontree]

DopyLemontree,
You also ask "Why".
Why doe you put Hydrogen Peroxide on a cut or in your ear. Why does it wash away with absolute O% residue.
It's a disinfectant.
I person who taught me to grow used this method.
Short story.......I ran counter drug insurgency ops in South America in the 80s. The Pot Fields I would find. Where F#@Ken Nasty. Full of powdery mildew, caterpillars, spiders, webs. This is the same shit processed and shipped across our borders.
The few buds that I would appropriate for personal use. Damn sure was washed in H2O2. LOL
Also while vacationing in Thailand. I visited a grow ops that produced Thaistick. Same shit. Due to high humidity and abundant amount of rain. All of there plants were covered in PM. Cleaned in H2O2 / water mix in large vats. Hung on lines and hosed off. Dried and processed.
Since then.
If I smell just a hint of ammonia in weed.
I would not smoke it.
Mold gives off an ammonia smell.

So better to grow thy own....
Wash to disinfect without leaving residue or causing any harm and degradation.

"Chances Favor the Prepared Mind"

Thanks Tricam for sharing your experience. I will be conducting some comparison washes myself. All this info helps