DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[SweetSue]

Hey guys interesting thread I have to come clean I read the first 3_4 pages and have skipped to the end, I have a harvest ready real soon and like the sound of this, I have a few questions thou which I hope someone can help with?
early on there is mention of washing Ur buds? Please Tel me more, do u just dip them in the bath or something? Multiple dipping? Is this wash before trimming the buds?
I'm looking at possibly getting a wine cooler instead of a fridge (have young children who have just started raiding my fridge when they feel like it) the cooler goes down to 46 fahrenheit however this is a counter top style and much more compact then a dorm fridge but pictures show it has a fan can you foresee problems with this? Has anyone tried a wine cooler?

The temperature in that cooler is a little high for the low and slo, but I'll let others weigh in on that.

Washing the buds rinses off the dust and dander, as well as any foliars you've used and any insects thet may have become ensnared in the sticky trichomes. As such, it takes a bit more than simply water to achieve these goals. The vast majority of those on this site washing their buds are following Doc Bud's recommendations of one cup of lemon juice and one cup of Baking soda to five gallons of water for the first wash, followed by two clear water washes to completely rinse off the components of the first wash.

I've since eliminated the lemon juice and baking soda, choosing instead to use a dilution of hydrogen peroxide in that five gallons of water for the first wash. I personally believe this is all one needs. The jury's still out on which method works better, but we all agree on the value of washing the flowers.

The washing is a gentle dipping and swirling of the branches through the water, at a rate of about 15-30 seconds per bucket, being careful to avoid banging the trichomes against the sides or bottom of the buckets. A spin of the branch between the palms of your hand can throw off a significant amount of the water before you hang to drip for the four hours before placing into the fridge.

Aside from the aforementioned benefits the process also hydrates the buds in a uniform way, which leads to a more even drying and appears to help the buds cure better. Those of us who wash our buds get really picky after a while about smoking othere people's unwashed buds, thinking about what may have been left behind that we may be smoking.

Pigeons 420 has an excellent video demonstrating the technique many here use.

[video=youtube;Qa1rgo_IEzc]https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa1rgo_IEzc[/video]

 

[SweetSue]

She comes down in the morning, and I'm going to dry her using Luweedgi's method, thanks to the generosity of HealthFreak.

A new toy for terpene retention.

 

[HealthFreak]

Perfect timing ... I love it

She comes down in the morning, and I'm going to dry her using Luweedgi's method, thanks to the generosity of HealthFreak.

A new toy for terpene retention.

 

[SweetSue]

I use a nesco American harvest that I bought extra trays for, it's nowhere near big enough so most of my harvests usually end up slow dried and then cured.
I dry the nugs that will fit for 2 days on the low setting, cut nugs that will fit in the dehydrator straight from the plant into the jerky maker.

After they dry for two days the outside will be crumble to dust dry but the inside will still be moist. I then place the partially dried nugs in a jar for 12 to 24 hours, until the outside feels moist again and the place it back in the jerky maker for another 12 to 24 hours, checking the dryness every 4 hours or so and remove them again when the buds feel dry again.

I repeat this process one or two more times but each time the drying time shortens by hours. After they are almost fully dry I put the dried buds in jars for the cure. My fast dried buds are always gone before the slow dried ones, because it's what I go to first because it tastes and works better.

Some questions Luweedgi, if you please.
* Did you try any attached to the branches, or were all the buds cut free for drying?
* When you get to the point where you're toggling back and forth between the jar and the dehydrator do you still keep checking every four hours, or do you shorten that time as well after the first four hours?
* Stick with 95 F, correct?

 

[Slowpuffer]

Some questions Luweedgi, if you please.
* Did you try any attached to the branches, or were all the buds cut free for. Drying?
* When you get to the point where you're toggling back and forth between the jar and the dehydrator do you still keep checking every four hours, or do you shorten that time as well after the first four hours?
* Stick with 95 F, correct?

This is going to be very interesting !! hope it works, as i got one that hasn't been used for yrs.. I always wondered if it might work on weed, but never acted on it. I'll be watching closely, and if it works for you, I'm trying it !! Good luck !!

 

[AnimaSola]

Some questions Luweedgi, if you please.
* Did you try any attached to the branches, or were all the buds cut free for drying?
* When you get to the point where you're toggling back and forth between the jar and the dehydrator do you still keep checking every four hours, or do you shorten that time as well after the first four hours?
* Stick with 95 F, correct?

It only takes a few more times 2 to 4 hours each in the dehydrator after the first 2 day session and then another 12.

So I do around 48 hours, put it in stem and all or cut off the larger nugs from stalk one day and then take it out not that next day but the day after and trim into jars. 24 hours later it usually feels moist again so then it's back in the dehydrator for 6 to 12 hours and then back in the jar. The next time it goes in the dehydrator if it does at all it will only be for an hour or two at most, I usually finish drying it by just removing from the jar so as not to overdry and ruin it with the dehydrator.

Yes I stay at the lowest heat setting but you could actually decarb your bud in this thing if you wanted to make edibles.

 

[SweetSue]

It only takes a few more times 2 to 4 hours each in the dehydrator after the first 2 day session and then another 12.

So I do around 48 hours, put it in stem and all or cut off the larger nugs from stalk one day and then take it out not that next day but the day after and trim into jars. 24 hours later it usually feels moist again so then it's back in the dehydrator for 6 to 12 hours and then back in the jar. The next time it goes in the dehydrator if it does at all it will only be for an hour or two at most, I usually finish drying it by just removing from the jar so as not to overdry and ruin it with the dehydrator.

Yes I stay at the lowest heat setting but you could actually decarb your bud in this thing if you wanted to make edibles.

Thanks Luweedgi. I have it all cleaned and ready to go.

I modified one of the trays to give me more space for fatter buds.

Love these flexible grids for fine bits.

All set to go. I'll document as I go.

Hadn't considered decarb in the machine. Hmmmm......

 

[AnimaSola]

The plastic tray without any holes is for making fruit roll ups, I used that thing at the bottom every time for years before I figured that out, guess I should read instructions...

 

[InTheShed]

I just decided to test low-and-slow with a few buds from my latest harvest. I have about 25 grams trimmed in a small brown bag in the back of my new frost-free fridge. I put a hygrometer next to it and the RH seems to be in the 50-60% range and the temp is always 37°. Is that ok or do they need to be in with the cheese in the "dry" drawer?

I can't do a bigger test or the kids will find the bag

 

[SweetSue]

I just decided to test low-and-slow with a few buds from my latest harvest. I have about 25 grams trimmed in a small brown bag in the back of my new frost-free fridge. I put a hygrometer next to it and the RH seems to be in the 50-60% range and the temp is always 37°. Is that ok or do they need to be in with the cheese in the "dry" drawer?

I can't do a bigger test or the kids will find the bag

It'll be fine as is. The paper bag will work in your behalf. I flip the bag over every day and do my best not to look at it for the first week.

Take a look in the fridge to see if you can find out what's causing the spike in humidity, if it doesn't drop in a day or two. The buds make it spike when they first go in.

 

[SweetSue]

I had a CBD Critical Cure harvest today, and chose to do multiple methods of drying and curing for comparative purposes.

49 grams went into jars for a low and slo dry.

Another 212 grams went into the dehydrator.

An indeterminate amount attached to a branch was left intact to hang dry. It'll be dropped into deep storage with the Ultra Dawg hanging beside it for two months in total darkness before trimming and jarring up. This is a method ShiggityFlip stumbled upon by accident, and we've decided to play with it and see what happens.

A long, satisfying day. It's not quite over. I still need to strain the fresh harvest oil and prepare it for refrigeration with lecithin. Then I'll be done.

 

[InTheShed]

It'll be fine as is. The paper bag will work in your behalf. I flip the bag over every day and do my best not to look at it for the first week. Take a look in the fridge to see if you can find out what's causing the spike in humidity, if it doesn't drop in a day or two. The buds make it spike when they first go in.

Thanks Sue! I have been rotating the buds but not looking is really hard

It's just the fridge for a family of four with two teenagers so there's lots of coming and going (particularly on the weekends), so that probably accounts for all the changes in humidity. I don't think 26 grams has added much.

Funny thing is that when you open the fridge you can't smell it, but after you close it and walk away the whole kitchen smells like a dispensary!

 

[InTheShed]

It'll be dropped into deep storage with the Ultra Dawg hanging beside it for two months in total darkness before trimming and jarring up. This is a method ShiggityFlip stumbled upon by accident, and we've decided to play with it and see what happens.

Is there a description of this process somewhere? Fans? Ventilation? RH? Hate to bug but I'm interested in happy accidents!

 

[SweetSue]

Is there a description of this process somewhere? Fans? Ventilation? RH? Hate to bug but I'm interested in happy accidents!

Shiggity was planning to start a thread. He hasn't said anything to me yet, but as soon as he does I'll let you know.

What happened was he came out of a deep depression to a room full of girls that needed harvested,mand no energy to keep up. So he chopped and hung them untrimmed, to dry until the branches snapped. Then he cut the branches, still untrimmed, into 8" lengths, bundled it all up neatly inside turkey bags (not so tight that it smashes the trichomes, but close enough to capture the terpenes when they try to float away). He dropped those untrimmed branches into a food-grade bucket and sealed it up. For a couple days he opened to check humidity levels and assure himself things weren't molding.

It was two months before he had opportunity to get them trimmed, and when he popped the bucket open the terpenes nearly knocked him over. Potency of smoked product was off the charts to previous harvests. They were so smelly he had to keep most of it packed away while he worked individual bags of branches. It was giving him a headache.

I'll be attempting to duplicate what he did with my last two harvests. I'll be dropping all of the Ultra Dawg into a sealed bucket tomorrow, and the branch from today's harvest in a week.

You need to have the buds at around 62% before you drop them in. I'll have to ask him before I do mine whether or not he used Bovedas in the bags. He may have, to keep the humidity levels stable. Makes sense, doesn't it? Chop, dry, seal up and leave in total darkness for two months, untouched, unopened. For some reason it ramps up terpene expression. I want to find out for myself what happens.

 

[InTheShed]

...he chopped and hung them untrimmed, to dry until the branches snapped. Then he cut the branches, still untrimmed, into 8" lengths, bundled it all up neatly inside turkey bags (not so tight that it smashes the trichomes, but close enough to capture the terpenes when they try to float away). He dropped those untrimmed branches into a food-grade bucket and sealed it up. For a couple days he opened to check humidity levels and assure himself things weren't molding.

It was two months before he had opportunity to get them trimmed, and when he popped the bucket open the terpenes nearly knocked him over. Potency of smoked product was off the charts to previous harvests. They were so smelly he had to keep most of it packed away while he worked individual bags of branches. It was giving him a headache.

That's quite a story! Glad his depression lifted and perfect timing as well with a harvest to be finished. And it could be a boon for the door-to-door turkey bag salesmen in the off season (i.e. January through October!).

Though as a newcomer to growing I thought that keeping your buds sealed in darkness at 62% RH after drying was the standard procedure for the long-term cure. Small lots go into jars and large lots go into lightproof tubs. At least this is what I read in my research prior to my first harvest. Am I missing a difference in Shiggity's method, other than leaving them on the stems untrimmed? Or was that the difference?

I'm 3 weeks into the jar stage myself but struggling to get to 62% given the ambient RH here, so I can put them away for the long-term cure. Rice in stockings is my dehumidifying method, but I'm still working on perfecting that technique.

 

[SweetSue]

That's quite a story! Glad his depression lifted and perfect timing as well with a harvest to be finished. And it could be a boon for the door-to-door turkey bag salesmen in the off season (i.e. January through October!).

Though as a newcomer to growing I thought that keeping your buds sealed in darkness at 62% RH after drying was the standard procedure for the long-term cure. Small lots go into jars and large lots go into lightproof tubs. At least this is what I read in my research prior to my first harvest. Am I missing a difference in Shiggity's method, other than leaving them on the stems untrimmed? Or was that the difference?

I'm 3 weeks into the jar stage myself but struggling to get to 62% given the ambient RH here, so I can put them away for the long-term cure. Rice in stockings is my dehumidifying method, but I'm still working on perfecting that technique.

That was my initial thought too InTheShed, but I've had buds on the shelf, sealed and in the dark for longer than two months, and I never got that much terpene expression. I'm thinking it must have something to do with leaving those fans on and the buds still attached to the branches, but for the life of me I think of a logical reason what that would make this much difference.

I'll be honest, I never researched long-term storage. All of what I grow gets converted into oils and edibles or smoked up long before they'd be fully cured. Up until now I didn't have the confidence to believe I could expect to get more than two ounces from a plant. Now, thanks to our affiliation on this stoner forum, I can be prepared. Thanks for the knowledge I didn't have to go looking for myself.

 

[InTheShed]

That was my initial thought too InTheShed, but I've had buds on the shelf, sealed and in the dark for longer than two months, and I never got that much terpene expression. I'm thinking it must have something to do with leaving those fans on and the buds still attached to the branches, but for the life of me I think of a logical reason what that would make this much difference.

I'll be honest, I never researched long-term storage. All of what I grow gets converted into oils and edibles or smoked up long before they'd be fully cured. Up until now I didn't have the confidence to believe I could expect to get more than two ounces from a plant. Now, thanks to our affiliation on this stoner forum, I can be prepared. Thanks for the knowledge I didn't have to go looking for myself.

I have to say my growing experience is very small but I like to experiment and document everything I try with the help and guidance of everyone on the 420 forums. One thing I tried was total darkness before harvest (~63 hours). And during that period of total darkness, the increase in smell emanating from what was already a stinky plant was overwhelming. I had a light-baffled chimney to vent moisture from the dark area and I couldn't keep my nose over the chimney it was so smelly! (results summary post here)

Now this was a one-time experiment but I plan on repeating with a different strain on my second (current) grow. The help and support I get on these boards amazes me every time I post.

 

[AnimaSola]

Next time try ice water for the last two weeks during final flush, it's called shock ripening and works along with the 2 or 3 day dark period.

 

[InTheShed]

Thanks, I'll look it up and add it to the list of experiments to try!

 

[Blazinjones]

Does this unit use a warm heat to dry or is it cool air cuz I have a good dehydrator but it uses warm air so jus wondering if the unit I have wud work for this??