DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[SweetSue]

I hear I have a high consumption level.

 

[weenmeoff]

Well guys it’s been a really busy week for me and as much as I would hate to admit it. I have neglected my girls for the last week almost. Barely checking in every 24-48hrs. Only to re fill the Huey. And check if they need watering.

The raspberries are at day 70 now. I wanted to cut them all down before tonight. But we ended up being away from home since Friday after work. I’m now home and brought 20 gals of RO with me

Just checked on my girls and they are thirsty but they are okay. They are ripe to cut down. I have my baking soda and lemon juice and have been reading a lot on the bud washing.

I have read many different details on how people here are doing the washing.

Some using hot water in the BS+LJ bucket. Some using all room temp.

I can confidently control my tent to 65-70f and RH 40-60% as needed. That is with the light off though.

My fridge in the basement for low and Slow curing reads 37.5f and 20% RH. In the crisper it’s reading just over 50f and the same 20% RH.

I have an assortment of shoe boxes. Paper bags and even some pizza boxes.

If I cut them right now (before bed) and wash them all I can have them hang drying to drip dry within the next hour or two.

Tomm morning or after work. 8-16hrs later I could move them into the fridge into paper bags or cardboard.

A few things ? Does the paper bags or cardboard need to be closed or can they be left open to the air inside the fridge ?

I fly out March 20th and won’t be around for a week. This is my major concern. I need to have these in jars where I can leave them for 7-8days without me checking anything. That’s only 16-17 days from now.

Any ideas on how to tackle my time constraints ? Or reassurance if I cut tonight I will be ok?

I really wanted to give them all one more round of GE but if I did they would not dry up for another 3 days.

Are we wanting to cut the plants down when the soil is dry. Moist or damper ?

Any thoughts will help. I’m in the worried parent stage right now for sure.

Cheers Gang. Hope you guys had a great weekend !

Main fridge area. I figure when 4 plants worth of freshly washed buds fill this up, RH will rise.

Crisper is a fair bit warmer. Still same Low RH.

Hey Wrenn! I was just reading a post today on the low and slow thread, Derby leaves his bags open for the first few days. Rh will go up once you add the buds. Can you change the temp. Turn it warmer and rh will go up colder and rh will go down. I got mine dialed in to around 50. Your timing is cutting it a little close but you can either finish drying and jar or leave in the fridge. I'll lost this over there.

@Wrennakken is about to do low and slow and is going away in 17 days for a week. Probably depends on size of buds but what do you all think?

 

[SweetSue]

@Wrennakken is about to do low and slow and is going away in 17 days for a week. Probably depends on size of buds but what do you all think?

When's he harvesting? You can slow the process by leaving them attached to stems and making sure each bag has an even distribution of large and small buds. That'll keep the smaller pieces from drying too fast.

 

[weenmeoff]

When's he harvesting? You can slow the process by leaving them attached to stems and making sure each bag has an even distribution of large and small buds. That'll keep the smaller pieces from drying too fast.

Thanks Sue! He was talking about harvesting tonight but waiting a few days might be a good idea!?!?

 

[KingJoe83]

I store with 62% Bovedas. That's a little moist for my smoking preference, so I typically keep a bit of selection out in the morning to dry some.

Sue you know you can get the packs in different % s lol

I am using 62 local guy never had my 58% that I like

 

[SweetSue]

Sue you know you can get the packs in different % s lol

I am using 62 local guy never had my 58% that I like

I know Joe. I’m frugal. I’m still using the Bovedas I purchased for my first harvest. Lol!

 

[SweetSue]

Thanks Sue! He was talking about harvesting tonight but waiting a few days might be a good idea!?!?

If it were me I’d try to time the harvest so the buds were around 14 - 20 days in the fridge when I returned. He’s leaving in 17 days and he’ll be home after a week, so we’re looking at 24 days from now. I’d say he’s OK to harvest.

A decent harvest in the bags will keep in the fridge just fine. Load the bags a little heavier. This way he has time to bounce them apart a couple times before he leaves. If they look like they’re getting too dry I’d double up the bags before leaving.

 

[George2324]

I’ve ordered some boveda 62 packs and some boost 55 packs.

I’ll do a harvest and leave moisture at 62% and see what my customers say. If they think they are being ripped off with water content I’ll try the 55% on the next harvest and see. I can then report back here and let you guys know their opinion

Once I have the humidity dialled in I’ll buy a large larder fridge on the next harvest and use that.
My drying room this time of year is easily chilled to 7c as outside temp seeps in atm so I can probably get away with similar effects by just not heating my drying room.

Come summer ill definitely need a fridge to maintain a low temp.

 

[George2324]

Anyone know how you’d work out how many grams your increasing your harvest by if you smoke your stuff at 62% compared to 55%?

I dont want my buds being full of water not wanting to rip customers off by selling them Water

 

[Mr. Magoo]

Weigh a set amount at 62 and let it dry to 55 and reweigh.

 

[George2324]

Weigh a set amount at 62 and let it dry to 55 and reweigh.

I’ll do half and half on my next harvest and see how much of a difference it really is might be barely noticeable

 

[George2324]

Here’s a question though.
If we cure in the fridge and the temp is say 43f and 62% humidity in a jar.

If we take that jar out of the fridge and it gets packaged up for retail. Even if it is kept sealed still. It will now warm up to room temp.
Due to the way RH works the humidity in the jar now drops to like 20%

Wouldn’t this cause the buds to now excessively dry and moisture sucked out of the buds?

Or is this where the boveda packs work their magic and even with the temp change they release more moisture to make up the difference?

Cheers

 

[SweetSue]

If the jar is sealed that humidity can’t eacape, and the RH inside the jar can’t change, or at least that’s how it plays out in my head.

 

[weenmeoff]

Terps galore with this Black Cherry Punch! What's it smell like? You guessed it, Black Cherry ice cream! Is it ok to open the fridge quickly multiple times per day to get a whiff and check rh.....yeah check rh! That question was rhetorical, I need to do it for my own enjoyment!

 

[George2324]

If the jar is sealed that humidity can’t eacape, and the RH inside the jar can’t change, or at least that’s how it plays out in my head.

If the temperature in th jar rises the amount of water air can hold at the new temperature increases. But you only had so much water in there.
So your 62% humidity would drop. Unless a boveda pack is used I guess

 

[Blew Hiller]

It's been a while since I've been on this thread...I have been trying many different configurations, in different seasons, with our root cellar because I want to find the best option using it. Like many, I have been trying to improve my cure...my buds, I have been told, look great but lack flavor and aroma. I know certain variables can contribute to that (early harvest, too quick drying, temps, bad luck, etc) and this winter I have been fortunate to isolate and/or eliminate many of these factors and have harvested several autos that smell great...even into jarring phase. Those currently sit in jars in my root cellar @ 50F with Boveda 62% packs in them.

Ok, that's the backstory...for my current harvest (Lemon Auto) I wanted to try the method of 48 hours darkness, trim fan leaves, chop as a whole, and hang for anywhere from 10-14 days. My usual dry time is 5-7 days anywhere from RH 40-70% /45-75F... many combinations therein, so obviously some variation. The 10-14 days supposedly allows more off-gassing of chlorophyll...

So, my current drying space for the Lemon is: dark, RH%60, 45-50F.

Question is who else is under these circumstances and how is it working for you? Thanks!

lemon hanging

• Blew Hiller
• Mar 4, 2019
• 3
• lemon auto

Blew Hiller Winter Grow 2019

drying RH

• Blew Hiller
• Mar 6, 2019
• rh%

Blew Hiller Winter Grow 2019

 

[JustMeds]

That is getting close to the parameters that are used in the low and slow in fridge. You may get some ideas from that thread.

 

[weenmeoff]

That is getting close to the parameters that are used in the low and slow in fridge. You may get some ideas from that thread.

Hey Meds, pretty sure we're in that thread, ha!

Hey Blew! I'd say your pretty close to low and slow. Do you ever wash your produce? Any chance of getting the temps down some, I'm thinking no if your using your root cellar. Any room in the fridge to try some low and slow? Guaranteed that you'll get some great reviews! I bet what you have going on is going to be close though. Just make sure you check them frequently.

 

[Blew Hiller]

Hey Meds, pretty sure we're in that thread, ha!

Hey Blew! I'd say your pretty close to low and slow. Do you ever wash your produce? Any chance of getting the temps down some, I'm thinking no if your using your root cellar. Any room in the fridge to try some low and slow? Guaranteed that you'll get some great reviews! I bet what you have going on is going to be close though.

I wash my summer crops because they are in a GH and the buckets def show me the nastiness afterwards. For my winter autos I have not been washing them because part of me was wondering if that contributed to the lack of flavor/aroma by potentially washing off the terpenes, etc. I've posted elsewhere here asking about that and most people say it doesn't affect their cure, so....

Anyway, I grow water-only in soil w/o anything additional added and my winter crop is in a 4x4 tent in a clean, quiet space...so not much I am worried about washing off.

And yes, I want to stick with what I have and figure out the best procedure in drying...because once they are in jars with 62% Boveda (and burped for a week), they sit in the dark 45-65F year round...that part is kinda sorted.

Just make sure you check them frequently.

Looking for what...mold?

 

[weenmeoff]

Yeah, I think it'll be good! I always wash mine and will probably never stray from low and slow, unless something gets in my way like with my last grow when I went back to hanging in my tent for 5 days at 50-60 rh and 65-70 temps. Terps on my current BCPs are out of control, did you see my post above?

So you don't use the greenhouse in the winter? I'm jealous and would really like a greenhouse one day!