Fun In The Sun 2016 - Tiger - Ape - Pitbull - Gorilla & More - Run Wild

[Sophiegundog]

I agree with Dutch.
It is hard to tell much about timing from photos. I'd say two weeks is about right, but with magnification on the trichomes, you'll get the best info there is to make the call.
Usually new pistil growth will nearly stop, or greatly slow. Also, as the buds get bilked up, the pistils sort of recede and become less prominent.

Thanks to both yourself and Dutch,I appreciate your sharing the knowledge I have read that toward the last week there is a possibility of increasing the weight as the buds add a heavy amount of resin?

 

[Major PITA]

Thanks to both yourself and Dutch,I appreciate your sharing the knowledge I have read that toward the last week there is a possibility of increasing the weight as the buds add a heavy amount of resin?

Yeah - although I would say more like the last two weeks. Some strains get denser, harder nugs. You can feel the added weight when you touch them.

 

[DrZiggy]

Thanks to both yourself and Dutch,I appreciate your sharing the knowledge I have read that toward the last week there is a possibility of increasing the weight as the buds add a heavy amount of resin?

a lot more in some cases..
its ripening..finishing developing terpenes and sugar, and much more, etc hoping to get fertilized.
its like picking a fruit a couple of weeks before its supposed to be.

 

[Far East Buds]

That last week I feel like the appearance doesnt really change alot everything just seems to be filling inside the cola's. Getting more solid... The tric's will give you the best answers and you can harvest based on what you want for buzz results..



FE

 

[Major PITA]

Dry Sift Kief Making 101 (the cheap, lazy-grower way)​

I'm gearing up for the impending harvest. With current laws in Oregon, this household is able to have no more than 2 pounds on hand at any given time. Last fall I tried bubble hash, dry ice extraction, and dry sift to reduce the harvest weight kept around. My favorite method was using dry ice but I used a mesh screen that was a little too coarse. It worked great but I knew I could get even better quality with a finer sift. Also, it was still a bit of hassle and dry ice isn't exactly cheap, nor does it keep well if you want to process some each day, or don't plan ahead. I knew there had to be an even easier, cheaper method.

I'm still experimenting. This run was done with a 150u screen. I'm very happy with what I was able to get. I might buy a 75u screen, but after looking at the finished product under a microscope, I think I'm satisfied with what I got. I'd guess it is 95% trichomes and 5% pistil/leaf debris.

I started with exactly 13 grams of bud for this first test. By the time I ground and cleaned it, it was slightly less. The yield was 1.99 grams of kief (I'm going to call it 2 grams) = 15%.

The benefits of this method are: FAST, cheap, easy, no real mess or clean up.
By fast, I mean from start to finish, it takes 3-5 minutes to process. I can process pounds into ounces in a lazy single session. I realize this isn't for everyone, but I've always been a hash smoker and this is a great way to deal with those larger outdoor harvests you don't plan on selling. The kief is easy to vacuum seal and keep several ounces in the fridge. It can be used to make rosin, butters, tinctures, or, of course, consumed as-is.

Drop the jar (with herb and marbles) into the freezer for a while - about an hour. Remove screw lid and put the screen over the mouth of the jar. Invert and shake well over a clean mirror for a few minutes. Done. Repeat. Between runs, I dump the "tailings" into a bag for baking or making butter. No ice. No water. No washing or drying anything.

I started with an old plastic wide-mouthed jar. This one used to have protein powder in it.

I commandeered a set of marbles from an ancient Chinese checkers game.

The stainless steel screen fits perfectly over the mouth of the jar, making it easy to keep the herb contained.

Shake for a few minutes and voila!

The screens can be purchased from Rio Grande Jewlery for $5.95 and are available all the way down to 325 mesh = 44 microns. They also make a 200 mesh = 74 micron, and 150 mesh = 105 micron. For this run, I used what I had immediately available, 100 mesh = 149 micron. I'd leave a link to Rio, but I think I'd get spanked for it.

Two grams of pressed trichomes.

I have most of my "kit" contained in the jar, ready to go. Wipe off the mirror and clean up is done. The jar could process 2 ounces at a time but you'd probably want something a little heavier than marbles to flail the herb efficiently. I'm happy with running 1/2 ounce at a time. We have several jars so I can have a few in the freezer while I sift one and then rotate through them. I produced about a 1/4 ounce this morning. Actual time was well under an hour from beginning to end, including clean up. The slowest part of the process is breaking down the buds.

I hope someone else finds this useful for their fall harvest.

 

[DrZiggy]

Dry Sift Kief Making 101 (the cheap, lazy-grower way)​

I'm gearing up for the impending harvest. With current laws in Oregon, this household is able to have no more than 2 pounds on hand at any given time. Last fall I tried bubble hash, dry ice extraction, and dry sift to reduce the harvest weight kept around. My favorite method was using dry ice but I used a mesh screen that was a little too coarse. It worked great but I knew I could get even better quality with a finer sift. Also, it was still a bit of hassle and dry ice isn't exactly cheap, nor does it keep well if you want to process some each day, or don't plan ahead. I knew there had to be an even easier, cheaper method.

I'm still experimenting. This run was done with a 150u screen. I'm very happy with what I was able to get. I might buy a 75u screen, but after looking at the finished product under a microscope, I think I'm satisfied with what I got. I'd guess it is 95% trichomes and 5% pistil/leaf debris.

I started with exactly 13 grams of bud for this first test. By the time I ground and cleaned it, it was slightly less. The yield was 1.99 grams of kief (I'm going to call it 2 grams) = 15%.

The benefits of this method are: FAST, cheap, easy, no real mess or clean up.
By fast, I mean from start to finish, it takes 3-5 minutes to process. I can process pounds into ounces in a lazy single session. I realize this isn't for everyone, but I've always been a hash smoker and this is a great way to deal with those larger outdoor harvests you don't plan on selling. The kief is easy to vacuum seal and keep several ounces in the fridge. It can be used to make rosin, butters, tinctures, or, of course, consumed as-is.

Drop the jar (with herb and marbles) into the freezer for a while - about an hour. Remove screw lid and put the screen over the mouth of the jar. Invert and shake well over a clean mirror for a few minutes. Done. Repeat. Between runs, I dump the "tailings" into a bag for baking or making butter. No ice. No water. No washing or drying anything.

I started with an old plastic wide-mouthed jar. This one used to have protein powder in it.

I commandeered a set of marbles from an ancient Chinese checkers game.

The stainless steel screen fits perfectly over the mouth of the jar, making it easy to keep the herb contained.

Shake for a few minutes and voila!

The screens can be purchased for $5.95 and are available all the way down to 325 mesh = 44 microns. They also make a 200 mesh = 74 micron, and 150 mesh = 105 micron. For this run, I used what I had immediately available, 100 mesh = 149 micron.

Two grams of pressed trichomes.

I have most of my "kit" contained in the jar, ready to go. Wipe off the mirror and clean up is done. The jar could process 2 ounces at a time but you'd probably want something a little heavier than marbles to flail the herb efficiently. I'm happy with running 1/2 ounce at a time. We have several jars so I can have a few in the freezer while I sift one and then rotate through them. I produced about a 1/4 ounce this morning. Actual time was well under an hour from beginning to end, including clean up. The slowest part of the process is breaking down the buds.

I hope someone else finds this useful for their fall harvest.

that is beautiful!!

(+) reps 'bro!

 

[Iguana Man]

Forgive my ignorance but are the buds used to get this powder discarded afterwards? Are they less potent now? Are they lower, less potent buds to begin with? Are certain buds from any grow more desirable for getting 'kief'?

Gahh.....so much to learn.

 

[Major PITA]

Forgive my ignorance but are the buds used to get this powder discarded afterwards? Are they less potent now? Are they lower, less potent buds to begin with? Are certain buds from any grow more desirable for getting 'kief'?

Gahh.....so much to learn.

You can use the bud leftovers just like any other buds, but "Yes." they will be less potent since some of the goodness has been sifted away.
We use them to make butter/oil/tinctures. They are still good enough for that. My wife uses a little more than usual and it seems to work fine.
Some buds (strains) certainly produce a better quality and higher yield than others. Lots of trichomes = lots of dry sift (or bubble). I've never grown or smoked a hash plant, but it sounds like the ticket if the quality is good.
My goal is to keep only the best of the best as flowers. The rest gets processed one way or another. To keep it legal, I have to do it that way. Last year, I think we processed about 4 pounds to yield roughly 1.5 pounds of cured buds and 0.5 pounds of kief/hash to get to our legal limit.
You don't need to use buds for this. The yield will go down, but you can make dry sift from trim, too. In fact I have some "crap" trim in the freezer as I type this. I have no idea if it will yield anything much, but I'm trying to unload some of what I have stored. I'll let you know how it goes. I'd rather have a couple of grams of dry sift than an ounce of bush-league smoke.

 

[Budley Dorite]

+reps Major

 

[NorCaliwood]

Looks great. What are you using to press your dry sift with? Keepem Green

 

[Major PITA]

Looks great. What are you using to press your dry sift with? Keepem Green

Thanks, man!

I'm just using a little Cali Crusher press. You can see it in the 3rd picture. Since I don't need dry ice or other special stuff, I usually only process about an ounce at a time. That amount makes 4 pucks with the little press. I have a hydraulic shop press. If I was going to do a lot at once, I might try using it, but this simple setup works well for me. I'll sift an ounce today and probably another tomorrow.

Apparently the trim from yesterday was not crap. I sifted some yesterday. The kief looks good but I want to look at it under magnification to make sure it is fairly pure. If so, I'll do the rest today and get the yield.

 

[DrZiggy]

major, would golf balls be too big for a large amount?

 

[Major PITA]

major, would golf balls be too big for a large amount?

Sounds like a good option!

You can get EZ Strainer screens for 5 gal buckets (and 55 gallon barrels), but my freezer wouldn't hold buckets that size. You could use dry ice, but then you don't need the golf balls. Since the bigger sizes are usually polyester, they get beat up faster. I found some made from stainless, but they are like $75 each. Being cheap and lazy, I decided to process less at a time and keep it simple and inexpensive. This is a great way to process good trim since it can be done quickly at any time.

If you froze the golf balls and buds/trim, I wonder how well it would work w/o putting the bucket in the freezer. It seems like it would work just as well, as long as you work quickly - maybe refreezing a couple of times. Then it is just a matter of how long the poly screens last with golf balls beating on them.

 

[4Dutchess]

Major, Ive only made hash once and it was the coffee filter process and it turned out killer!!! This year Im planning on buying a whip/paddle for a drill (slow speed) and the 3 bag system and 5 gal bucket. Good idea?
Where do you get the Cali press from??? I squeeze between my fingers to press and its not too easy.
Ive been thinking Major...... Ive read that plants are from 8-12 weeks for maturity whether indica or sativa, so since most plants start to bud around Aug 1 I would guess the soonest a plant is ready to harvest would be Oct 1 and all the way to mid Nov if you count the weeks. I realize there is a maybe a 2 week leeway with this but cant I use this scale for reference??? I check Trics for harvest. I was just thinking about the so many weeks till harvest for strain. Also this 8-12 weeks is the same when outdoors too?
Thanks Major!!!!!!
Namaste

 

[Major PITA]

Dutch-

Lots of members swear by bubble hash. For me, it is too messy and too much work. I'm in it to process trim and excess flowers quickly,simply and cheaply whenever the mood strikes. I could buy a tumbler or shaker for a more automated setup, but meh... If you really want to get the best, use a 75 - 100u screen and shake for only about 90 seconds. Scrape that into a pile and continue sifting. You will get multiple grades that way.

The press was included with a Cali Crusher grinder my wife got me as a present. You can easily find them online at the usual places. I'm not saying it's the best. It is just what I have. It does work well.

I know from experience that 8-12 weeks is not accurate for all strains. I'd say it is a safe guideline for indicas and indica-dominant strains - even most hybrids. But the equatorial sativas and some hazes go much longer. The GT I have outdoors could go 16+ weeks. Purple Haze can go 20 weeks. An Old Timer Haze goes even longer.

The only difference I've seen in time to mature for outdoor vs. indoor growing is the length of time for the plants to "flip". Inside, when reduced to 12/12 or 11/13, the plants usually react in a week, or so. Outside the reduction in photo period is much slower. Plants seem to "get it" around mid-July where I live. But the buds don't begin until a full month later. I think it is possible the cooler nights outside may accelerate the plants' drive to finish their life cycle, but I have no proof of that.

Others probably have different techniques and experiences to offer, but that's what I've "learned" over the last couple of years.

 

[Conradino23]

Major, Ive only made hash once and it was the coffee filter process and it turned out killer!!! This year Im planning on buying a whip/paddle for a drill (slow speed) and the 3 bag system and 5 gal bucket. Good idea?
Where do you get the Cali press from??? I squeeze between my fingers to press and its not too easy.
Ive been thinking Major...... Ive read that plants are from 8-12 weeks for maturity whether indica or sativa, so since most plants start to bud around Aug 1 I would guess the soonest a plant is ready to harvest would be Oct 1 and all the way to mid Nov if you count the weeks. I realize there is a maybe a 2 week leeway with this but cant I use this scale for reference??? I check Trics for harvest. I was just thinking about the so many weeks till harvest for strain. Also this 8-12 weeks is the same when outdoors too?
Thanks Major!!!!!!
Namaste

In my experience most of modern hybrids grown outdoor will take 8 weeks on average to mature, but some will take 10 or 12. I never harvested in November, by the end of October once. Most of the good stuff is usually ready between last week or September and mid October. I'm at 45N.

 

[Major PITA]

My current plan (subject to change due to weather, or whim) is to chop each weekend:
GASS Oct. 8th
AS Oct. 15th
GG4 either Oct. 22nd or 29th
LH will be next but they are being really slow even after the buds set. I hope they finish by the end of October, but I'm doubtful.
ZD and GT will go until the cover collapses under a snow load.

 

[DrZiggy]

In my experience most of modern hybrids grown outdoor will take 8 weeks on average to mature, but some will take 10 or 12. I never harvested in November, by the end of October once. Most of the good stuff is usually ready between last week or September and mid October. I'm at 45N.

I'm hoping my plants finish in 4-5 weeks. Going to be tricky..

 

[BrixNewb]

Love the write up Major. Very well done.

 

[Major PITA]

Introducing the revolutionary,all new
Shake 'n' Bake 3.0 with "Select-a-Screen" Technology!

​

Since we have several jars, and I had some 75u stainless screen, I cut the top out of one of our lids. The advantage is, it keeps the herb completely contained w/o worrying about slips or spills. I'm going to get some 100u and 150u screen and cut two more lids so I'll have a chance to play around comparing yields and quality. I think the 75u is too fine. The yield suffers (about half what I got with 150u) and I don't see any real difference under a microscope. Still too early for me to know if there is a difference in melting or smoking.

Other than the finer mesh screen being held by the lid, the process was the same. This is a quick 10 grams from this morning.

I plan to press some into rosin to see how it melts, but this batch is for my wife. She's into RSO. Since we use polar solvents, we hope the advantage with kief is, we've removed almost all of the chlorophyll and other "green" water-solubles.

Update (Week 33 / Bloom Week 6-ish)​

Let's start with Waldo, my backdoor girl. This lil' volunteer is doing great and should be ready to chop as soon as anything else I've got growing this year.

From the "good" to the "ugly" (forget the bad). This is GASS after her face-plant from the wind we had earlier this month. She looks like hell, but I don't see any rot or mold so far. There are actually a lot of large buds crammed into the middle of this mess. I don't know why it isn't rotting. We have rain in the forecast for this weekend, so she might meet her maker sooner rather than later.

Next to ol' ugly girl is LH#2. She's doing her best to put on her fall colors. With the cooler nights, I think she could be a beaut' when she's finished. It doesn't show in these photos, but LH#2 has those bright pink-purple pistils.

Meanwhile, over in the main grow, her sister, LH#1 is barely getting off the ground. She is actually behind bud production of both GT and ZD. wtf?

ZD(+) still bumping her head. The peak is about 14'-6".

GT(+) also doing well in spite of her own head-butting. Just in the last week-and-a-half she has a single branch that looks like ZD's 'K' deficiency(?). Other than that, she is green and groovy.

I'm sure these all look the same from week to week. AS is about 8' across, so getting a picture that represents her well is impossible. Chop is probably 2.5 weeks out. Some different angles:

Again, too many GG4 photos. I can't help myself. Her bright lemon smell and frosty leaves are magnets for me. She will come down after GASS and AS. Maybe the end of October if the cover survives and night time freezing stays away.

See ya all around the boards! Have a great night!