Interesting.
I've gone thru most of this thread (again) and compiled a bunch of notes. I suffer from CRS so I figured I would write it all down. Most comments mention the use of paper bags so I will go that route.
DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest
I've gone thru most of this thread (again) and compiled a bunch of notes. I suffer from CRS so I figured I would write it all down. Most comments mention the use of paper bags so I will go that route.
Below are my notes. I stole borrowed comments from several other users (here and elsewhere). It's not plagiarism its collaboration 
. This covers the low and slow method using paper bags in a fridge. The notes were originally just for my benefit but thought I would clean up and share.
If I am completely off base on something please let me know and I will edit.
Thanks!
. This covers the low and slow method using paper bags in a fridge. The notes were originally just for my benefit but thought I would clean up and share.If I am completely off base on something please let me know and I will edit.
Thanks!
The Lotus Dry method involves placing freshly harvested buds in brown paper bags in the refrigerator and allowing to dry slowly at LOW temperature over at least 15-20 days. This method results in more intense colors and retains more terpenes. Once properly cured in jars it delivers a smooth, flavorful smoke.
* 2 weeks before harvest remove any yellowish or non-essential fan leaves, along with undesirable larf. Leave a few fan leaves near bud colas. You want all the plant's energy directed to the buds.
MOST TRICHOMES ARE STILL CLEAR.
* Check your refrigerator. Temp should be between 38 and 44 inside. Make sure the defrost is working, or manually defrost - turn off for a few hours and GENTLY remove ice from evaporator panel. Do Not use a sharp object! You should be able to gently remove the ice with your fingers. Dry evaporator and any water with a towel and make sure door magnets are clean for a tight seal.
* Important - place several bottles of water / soda / beer in the fridge well in advance to help keep the inside cold. These bottles will act as a buffer - keeping the temperature from spiking too much when you open the fridge to check progress. After you close the door the temps should drop back down under 45 degrees after 10 minutes. Fridge with an evaporator fan may be better.
*A few days before harvest trim remaining fan leaves as desired. Leave the sugar leaves as they will help protect buds during dry.
5-10% OF TRICHOMES ARE STILL CLEAR, 75% CLOUDY, 5-10% AMBER
* Harvest Day - 75-85% OF TRICHOMES ARE CLOUDY AND ABOUT 15-25% AMBER. The more amber trichomes the more heavy / sleepy the high. For Indica strains more amber may be desired. Caution - trichomes turn amber fast. Watch closely - check at least once per day when all trichomes are cloudy and harvest day nears.
*Wash buds if desired. Washing the buds will facilitate a more even and faster dry, and - if outdoor grow - will rinse off any dust / bugs. Let the branches hang to dry for around 3-4 hours. Evening might be better time if it is hot out (it's regularly over 100 at my house in September).
* Leave buds on the branches but keep small enough that they fit in the paper bag and won't take forever to dry. Leave sugar leaves on for now but trim any leaves without sugar. Leave at least an inch of stem on several buds - for now - to check progress of dry.
* Place the buds into brown paper bags. Keep in mind that you're trying to create maximum surface area, so avoid overloading the bag. About six 8 inch branches (or about 10-15 good size buds) per bag - eyeball what would be about an ounce of dried flower. Fold top of bag over once then fasten with a paper clip or clothes pin - loosely. You want it to be able to vent off moisture (ends up as frost on the evaporator). After 3-4 days fold bag over twice; you want the remaining moisture to leave the bag slowly.
* Place bags inside fridge - home or mini fridge. Ideally you would place horizontally on a wire shelf - although glass will work (just put an empty bag on the bottom next to the glass). Stack no more than 3 bags with flower to prevent squishing. Fridge with an inside evaporator fan may be preferred over a mini fridge with an exposed evaporator (frosty panel).
* Inside fridge the temperature should be between 35 and 44 degrees. Place hygrometer inside fridge near bags. Monitor relative humidity inside the fridge every few hours (opening and closing the door will remove moisture but will raise temp); it will be high at first - over 75% RH. Thats OK for a day or two as long as bags are cold. After 2-3 days RH inside fridge should drop below 50%. Ideally will be around 35% or less for next 2-3 weeks, but under 50% RH is good.
* The buds still contain moisture and you want to extract that slowly at a cold temperature - about 35 to 44 degrees - over about 15-20 days. Below 45 degrees mold will not grow as long as RH is under 65% inside fridge.
* Open bags 1-2 times per day for first 3 days. Tumble or gently shake buds around to prevent flat spots and to vent out moisture. *If buds seem too wet (water on your fingers) after 3-4 days leave bags open in fridge for a few hours to help vent moisture out. The evaporator will collect this moisture as frost.
* After 3 days check once every 2-3 days. Open bags and use your hand to reach in and really move things around. After 3-4 days humidity should hover around 50% or less inside fridge (not in paper bags). Keep this routine for next 7-10 days - checking stems to see if they become brittle.
Stems bend = leave it; stems crack = place bag contents in jar to check RH%.
* After 15 - 20 days place contents of one paper bag in a wide mouth mason jar with a hygrometer inside and close tightly. *Place outside of fridge at room temp*
After 2 hours at room temp check RH%:
- Over 70% RH: buds go back into paper bags inside fridge. Check again in a few days.
- Between 65-69%: almost ready for jar cure; place back into paper bags and continue to check every day for a few days until RH gets below 65% in a sealed jar at room temp.
- Once buds are below 65% RH in jar after at least 2 hours: leave it in jar in a cool place (around 70-75 degrees) for next 30 days. Trim off any sugar leaves and excess stem, and manicure to your taste. Save sugar leaves in a separate jar if desired. You can cure these leaves separately and save to make cannabutter or hash.
- Burp jars 2-3 times per day first few days, then once every 3-4 days - just leave lid off for about 10 minutes. Gently shake / tumble jar. Should be no more than 2/3 full. Ideal RH in jars is 62%. You may want to place a Bovida pack inside jar to keep right at 62%. Some people like 65% RH Bovida packs. 65% will smoke just fine but is a little moist. Below 60 is little dry; mix contents of jar with a more humid batch.
After 10 days in jar you'll notice the cut grass smell going away; after 25 days the nice skunky flower aroma will return and buds are ready to smoke. Let jars age for at least 30 days (burp every 3-4 days) for optimal flavor. Long term just burp once per month.
* 2 weeks before harvest remove any yellowish or non-essential fan leaves, along with undesirable larf. Leave a few fan leaves near bud colas. You want all the plant's energy directed to the buds.
MOST TRICHOMES ARE STILL CLEAR.
* Check your refrigerator. Temp should be between 38 and 44 inside. Make sure the defrost is working, or manually defrost - turn off for a few hours and GENTLY remove ice from evaporator panel. Do Not use a sharp object! You should be able to gently remove the ice with your fingers. Dry evaporator and any water with a towel and make sure door magnets are clean for a tight seal.
* Important - place several bottles of water / soda / beer in the fridge well in advance to help keep the inside cold. These bottles will act as a buffer - keeping the temperature from spiking too much when you open the fridge to check progress. After you close the door the temps should drop back down under 45 degrees after 10 minutes. Fridge with an evaporator fan may be better.
*A few days before harvest trim remaining fan leaves as desired. Leave the sugar leaves as they will help protect buds during dry.
5-10% OF TRICHOMES ARE STILL CLEAR, 75% CLOUDY, 5-10% AMBER
* Harvest Day - 75-85% OF TRICHOMES ARE CLOUDY AND ABOUT 15-25% AMBER. The more amber trichomes the more heavy / sleepy the high. For Indica strains more amber may be desired. Caution - trichomes turn amber fast. Watch closely - check at least once per day when all trichomes are cloudy and harvest day nears.
*Wash buds if desired. Washing the buds will facilitate a more even and faster dry, and - if outdoor grow - will rinse off any dust / bugs. Let the branches hang to dry for around 3-4 hours. Evening might be better time if it is hot out (it's regularly over 100 at my house in September).
* Leave buds on the branches but keep small enough that they fit in the paper bag and won't take forever to dry. Leave sugar leaves on for now but trim any leaves without sugar. Leave at least an inch of stem on several buds - for now - to check progress of dry.
* Place the buds into brown paper bags. Keep in mind that you're trying to create maximum surface area, so avoid overloading the bag. About six 8 inch branches (or about 10-15 good size buds) per bag - eyeball what would be about an ounce of dried flower. Fold top of bag over once then fasten with a paper clip or clothes pin - loosely. You want it to be able to vent off moisture (ends up as frost on the evaporator). After 3-4 days fold bag over twice; you want the remaining moisture to leave the bag slowly.
* Place bags inside fridge - home or mini fridge. Ideally you would place horizontally on a wire shelf - although glass will work (just put an empty bag on the bottom next to the glass). Stack no more than 3 bags with flower to prevent squishing. Fridge with an inside evaporator fan may be preferred over a mini fridge with an exposed evaporator (frosty panel).
* Inside fridge the temperature should be between 35 and 44 degrees. Place hygrometer inside fridge near bags. Monitor relative humidity inside the fridge every few hours (opening and closing the door will remove moisture but will raise temp); it will be high at first - over 75% RH. Thats OK for a day or two as long as bags are cold. After 2-3 days RH inside fridge should drop below 50%. Ideally will be around 35% or less for next 2-3 weeks, but under 50% RH is good.
* The buds still contain moisture and you want to extract that slowly at a cold temperature - about 35 to 44 degrees - over about 15-20 days. Below 45 degrees mold will not grow as long as RH is under 65% inside fridge.
* Open bags 1-2 times per day for first 3 days. Tumble or gently shake buds around to prevent flat spots and to vent out moisture. *If buds seem too wet (water on your fingers) after 3-4 days leave bags open in fridge for a few hours to help vent moisture out. The evaporator will collect this moisture as frost.
* After 3 days check once every 2-3 days. Open bags and use your hand to reach in and really move things around. After 3-4 days humidity should hover around 50% or less inside fridge (not in paper bags). Keep this routine for next 7-10 days - checking stems to see if they become brittle.
Stems bend = leave it; stems crack = place bag contents in jar to check RH%.
* After 15 - 20 days place contents of one paper bag in a wide mouth mason jar with a hygrometer inside and close tightly. *Place outside of fridge at room temp*
After 2 hours at room temp check RH%:
- Over 70% RH: buds go back into paper bags inside fridge. Check again in a few days.
- Between 65-69%: almost ready for jar cure; place back into paper bags and continue to check every day for a few days until RH gets below 65% in a sealed jar at room temp.
- Once buds are below 65% RH in jar after at least 2 hours: leave it in jar in a cool place (around 70-75 degrees) for next 30 days. Trim off any sugar leaves and excess stem, and manicure to your taste. Save sugar leaves in a separate jar if desired. You can cure these leaves separately and save to make cannabutter or hash.
- Burp jars 2-3 times per day first few days, then once every 3-4 days - just leave lid off for about 10 minutes. Gently shake / tumble jar. Should be no more than 2/3 full. Ideal RH in jars is 62%. You may want to place a Bovida pack inside jar to keep right at 62%. Some people like 65% RH Bovida packs. 65% will smoke just fine but is a little moist. Below 60 is little dry; mix contents of jar with a more humid batch.
After 10 days in jar you'll notice the cut grass smell going away; after 25 days the nice skunky flower aroma will return and buds are ready to smoke. Let jars age for at least 30 days (burp every 3-4 days) for optimal flavor. Long term just burp once per month.
Keep in mind this is my first grow in a long time. All of the above may get thrown out the window after I go through it. I just compiled for my own use.
My plants should be ready to harvest in a few weeks.
Gotta say I'm a little nervous.
My plants should be ready to harvest in a few weeks.
Gotta say I'm a little nervous.
Derbybud
Well-Known Member
@GratefulBud that is spot on. After watching this thread go so many different directions it's nice to see someone do a proper write up. Only thing I do different is cure in Turkey bags. Makes large harvests easy to burp.
Thanks man!
I saw the turkey bag thing and thought yeah that would work.
It is hot as hell here in SoCal and I cannot hang plants indoors, so I bought a mini fridge for the patio to dry the buds in. My buddy tried this method and it seemed to work good!
Derbybud
Well-Known Member
One other thing I do a bit different now is remove the buds off the stems. This speeds things up some as thre stems hold a bunch of moisture that you don't need to be dealing with.
kelticBlue
Well-Known Member
What derby said. Not so many stems left. maybe, I might have some but will cut them off after first couple days. I do a quick trim to get the buds in bags and in the fridge. Then clean up after a couple days. . . Just enough to check snap after 2 weeks. But I experiment. No need to try to follow exactly. Find what works for you.
kelticBlue
Well-Known Member
I knew I could find a picture or 2
Like Derby said. I trim off the stems now.
When I have small harvests so I can get away with a stem.
My advice now it to try to have as much of uniformity in size of nugs. It will help even the drying. I don’t leave much stems anymore just enough.
Here is one of my colas from a while back after 7 days in the fridge. Drying in slo mo.
and after I trimmed it off to go back in the bag. It works better as nugs I think.
have fun.
Like Derby said. I trim off the stems now.
When I have small harvests so I can get away with a stem.
My advice now it to try to have as much of uniformity in size of nugs. It will help even the drying. I don’t leave much stems anymore just enough.
Here is one of my colas from a while back after 7 days in the fridge. Drying in slo mo.
and after I trimmed it off to go back in the bag. It works better as nugs I think.
have fun.
Nice bud!I knew I could find a picture or 2
Like Derby said. I trim off the stems now.
When I have small harvests so I can get away with a stem.
My advice now it to try to have as much of uniformity in size of nugs. It will help even the drying. I don’t leave much stems anymore just enough.
Here is one of my colas from a while back after 7 days in the fridge. Drying in slo mo.
and after I trimmed it off to go back in the bag. It works better as nugs I think.
have fun.
Thanks for the advice!
desertbear87
420 Member
I wet trim before my bud goes on the screens and do my cure exclusively in large Grove bags and never burp them. The Grove bags are pretty amazing, and work as advertised. Has saved me a chunk of time.
syenite
Well-Known Member
Fantastic job!! I compiled the steps in my head while reading but this is IMMENSELY helpful. Thank you
Grove bags are the shit! I’ll be trying the cure with grove bags inside fridge after they dry.
I have learned so damn much from this thread! Thanks again @Mr. Krip for pointing me here. Still reading...I have a few ? For everyone.
My primary question is surrounding the bud washing process. What is the right way and wrong way? I am growing outdoors and have had issues with ash, dust, a little bit of PM, and caterpillars. I will be completely throwing out anything that has any signs of caterpillars. But the ash, dust, etc. I would like to get rid of. I only have access to 3% H2O2. What's the best solution for a rinse?
Thank you for summarizing all the main information into a single post. It is bookmarked! I will be harvesting soon and this helped put my mind at ease.
My primary question is surrounding the bud washing process. What is the right way and wrong way? I am growing outdoors and have had issues with ash, dust, a little bit of PM, and caterpillars. I will be completely throwing out anything that has any signs of caterpillars. But the ash, dust, etc. I would like to get rid of. I only have access to 3% H2O2. What's the best solution for a rinse?
Thank you for summarizing all the main information into a single post. It is bookmarked! I will be harvesting soon and this helped put my mind at ease.
It's not a matter of right way or wrong way - it's more a matter of preference and what works best for you.
Some growers use baking soda & lemon juice for the wash. I, and other growers, prefer using H2O2. I like the H2O2 simply because I feel it will be better at killing any possible mold and less chance of leaving any potential residue on the plants, but again, that's just my feeling/preference with no scientific data to back it up. I personally use 8 oz. of 3% H2O2 in a five gallon bucket of water and have used as much as 16 oz. per five gallons with no notable difference in results.
That's perfect! I'll give that a shot. Excited to do some harvesting soon!
I would say the only wrong way is to use too hot water or to bang your buds on the sides of the bucket! I use 3% H2O2 for PM and have found it kills most surviving bugs as well. But I mix mine around 1:3 with water since it's so cheap and I found it kills bugs better at higher concentration.
For rinsing you can use another bucket of plain water or gently rinse them off with a hose.
SeniorMoments
Well-Known Member
After a lot of research here I went w/ 4 buckets. Hydrogen peroxide. Baking soda/ lemon juice. Hot water. Cold water. Hung 4 to 8 hrs w/ fan. Paper bag in fridge for about a week. Bottles in fridge till around 65%. Started curing in bottles w/ 62% Bovida packs. Started burping twice a day. Now once a day.
I will continue cure for a short time and then I am taking @oldsmokey advise. Turkey bags and air tight bucket.
kelticBlue
Well-Known Member
Looking good. 
I just bagged some up myself, will be one week this weekend. I Still have more to harvest. Busy days ahead.
nugs in bag
I just bagged some up myself, will be one week this weekend. I Still have more to harvest. Busy days ahead.
nugs in bag