Screwnuts33
Member of the Month 3rd Place Winner (Dec 09')
Great looking harvest. I bet it smells incredible. Can your "patients" help with trimming? I would think the people with cards in your care would be legal to help? If able obviously.
Irish's Harvest Journal, 2009
- Thread starter Irish
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
Thanks Screwnuts. Oh you should step into the curing room.....OMG! It's just intoxicating.
Patients. I have none. I never have grown to sell--so I don't have any kind of patient base to draw from. I have 2 other growers in this new collective (heretofore called Mimosa Grove Medicinal Gardens) that I have taken under my wing and by the hand, shown them how to grow outdoors. One I do 90% of the work for, the other is only a little more proactive, and they're both reeling under the work of harvest since I can't custom dry and cure for them this year (quantity overload with LEO looking over my shoulder). So in all actuality, I have 3 other members of the collective that do not grow and who DO help me, but obviously this isn't enough. It took 8 people trimming 10 hours a day for 4 days to take down just one of the Kushes.....
NE14AJ
New Member
sounds to me like its time to have some close friends visit and do the camp out thing and get in touch with nature , also you can pick up cheap wireless cameras that detect motion and will beep when activated , and i am not sure but an electric fence would be a worth wild investment , for me there is no dollar amount worth spending if you can be comfortable in your home , also a nice paint ball gun would be great if you caught a theve in the act ,and i dont think there is a law stating you cant refrigerated your paint balls prior to use lol ok i was a punk kid
just finished reading your journal,
heres hoping all works out for you what an amazing job and story, hopfully they will relize with the relaxing of the feds that "live and let grow" should be the new state motto.oh and one more thing TWEAKERS SUCK
GOODLUCK TO YA
heres hoping all works out for you what an amazing job and story, hopfully they will relize with the relaxing of the feds that "live and let grow" should be the new state motto.oh and one more thing TWEAKERS SUCK
GOODLUCK TO YA
- Thread starter
- #46
Thanks man.
Everything is pretty quiet, harvest is half over, dried bud is stacking up in the curing room and all is well with the world. All great advice and actually used at one time or another. Paintball mines are the bomb. Literally. *LOL*
Thanks fluroman. Hopefully they'll just forget I'm alive. And yes, I concur...
...TWEAKERS SUCK!
- Thread starter
- #47
Enjoying a little Juicy Fruit today. This is a bottom cola--from the very bottom of the plant--perched atop my 17" notebook keyboard....
I Dont Rember
Active Member
Dude Swine Flu. LOL.
- Thread starter
- #49
Wow, it's been one wild harvest. First and second cutting is in the curing room and thirdsies I gave to my caretaker as his interest in the grow. The OG Kush surprised even me with their yields--final tally (including the 4 broken branches a couple weeks before harvest) reveals 15lbs per plant of half trimmed buds. I don't have a count on the Island Skunks or the Juicy Fruit as they're still going through a very slow dry in an experimental method. I can't do my usual custom micro-cure due to the inability to do my usual trim plus the sheer volume that came out of the garden. Instead, I've turned my curing room into a giant humidor and am crossing my fingers that the leaves don't ruin the taste of the buds.
Leaves are a pain in the bum. They have a whole different texture to the flower--kinda like wax paper--and restrict the flow of vapors within the bud. Generally, I want all leaves trimmed from the bud at the base of the petiole before it wilts after cutting. But this year, after being told by LEO that I couldn't employ trimmers, decided to go with that flow and see if a good cure can be accomplished with minimal to no trimming.
It's been scary.
Especially with the Juicy Fruit. Those colas are tight, monstrous and full of leaves. Maintaining and managing the correct relative humidity for drying and then curing has been a real trick to accomplish. So far, no mold or bud rot. I've held my breath until I've turned blue. I guess it's time to exhale because they got through the process well enough to go into sealed tubs, but I still monitor them several times a day. Interesting fragrance as they cure--sorta like a creamy lemon curd or pudding--makes the mouth water for citrus. Not dry enough to give it an honest taste test as there is still alot of chlorophyll to off-gas, and without trimming, this is taking a long time. To be fair, I did trim a whole tub full to do my Ambrosia cure with, and it's really turning out nice. But the most of these flowers are hirsuit with all of their leaves intact, and so keeping them from wrecking requires not only vigilance, but the ability to turn it back from the edge before the wrong chemical exchange makes the whole crop rot or mold.
Bud and nug pics soon, I promise....
Leaves are a pain in the bum. They have a whole different texture to the flower--kinda like wax paper--and restrict the flow of vapors within the bud. Generally, I want all leaves trimmed from the bud at the base of the petiole before it wilts after cutting. But this year, after being told by LEO that I couldn't employ trimmers, decided to go with that flow and see if a good cure can be accomplished with minimal to no trimming.
It's been scary.
Especially with the Juicy Fruit. Those colas are tight, monstrous and full of leaves. Maintaining and managing the correct relative humidity for drying and then curing has been a real trick to accomplish. So far, no mold or bud rot. I've held my breath until I've turned blue. I guess it's time to exhale because they got through the process well enough to go into sealed tubs, but I still monitor them several times a day. Interesting fragrance as they cure--sorta like a creamy lemon curd or pudding--makes the mouth water for citrus. Not dry enough to give it an honest taste test as there is still alot of chlorophyll to off-gas, and without trimming, this is taking a long time. To be fair, I did trim a whole tub full to do my Ambrosia cure with, and it's really turning out nice. But the most of these flowers are hirsuit with all of their leaves intact, and so keeping them from wrecking requires not only vigilance, but the ability to turn it back from the edge before the wrong chemical exchange makes the whole crop rot or mold.
Bud and nug pics soon, I promise....
BWC BayArea
Member of the Month: 3rd Place Winner
Can u elaborate more on the Ambrosia cure? I think I heard U mention it once b4.
BWC BayArea
Member of the Month: 3rd Place Winner
Irish is a woman
HalfOrange
New Member
Hi
I´ve just read through this whole journal and after recovering from the shock of the police visit I nearly fainted at the sight of your harvest.
Well done and thanks for an illuminating read about how things really are on the medical marijuana frontlines.
Respect from another Irish grower.
I´ve just read through this whole journal and after recovering from the shock of the police visit I nearly fainted at the sight of your harvest.
Well done and thanks for an illuminating read about how things really are on the medical marijuana frontlines.
Respect from another Irish grower.
- Thread starter
- #54
Sure, BWC. My Ambrosia cure encourages the starches in the bud to turn to sugars. It's a slow, dangerously wet cure best accomplished by starting with a complete manicure of freshly pluckt bud. I'm not talking about simply shaving the bud--that's too savage and leaves leaf inside the bud between each and every budlet. I'm talking about taking as much fan leaf as possible by snipping the petiole or "neck" as I call it, close or right at the main stem, and all of the single leaves individually snipped and plucked. This helps to control moisture content within the bud since leaf acts more like a barrier (think wax paper) and flower acts more like a sponge. If leaf is left in the bud it can create wet spots that don't off-gas efficiently, opening up the possibility of mold or rot.
That accomplished, you'll find that the flower/bud will dry much faster as it hangs, but the stem will be still be quite wet in comparison. All of those petioles you took the time to snip off flush with the main stem will act as release valves for the vapor inside that stem, and each one will be at the base of every budlet where you snipped them off, creating the chemical reaction of curing as the budlet soaks up the vapor.
What you want to do at the point the buds or colas have gotten crunchy on the outside is to take them down from the line or rack and manage the vapor release as it soaks into the buds by piling them in cardboard flats. Too loose of a pile, and they won't begin the change from starch to sugar readily and you'll lose that all-important vapor from the stem. Too tight, and you'll smash your bud and trap the vapor, putting you dangerously on the edge of wrecking. Anyway, as the bud starts the chemical reaction of curing, the top of the pile will be crunchy, the inside will be moist, and the bottom will be the moistest as the cardboard pulls the moisture from the pile of bud above it. Every time the top goes crunchy, fluff and flip the pile until the buds don't soften anymore. The stems should still have moisture in them and bend rather than snap.
Then put them in sealed tubs.
Once they're in the tubs (or jars, or gallon baggies, if it's a little harvest) they'll hydrate up again and get soft. Every time they go soft, open them up and let them air for a short while so the fragrance can escape and then seal back up again. This is my favorite part since it'll smell so good if you're doing it right. Do it wrong, and you'll end up with a stinky green/brown goo at the bottom of the tub and a bunch of ruined medicine.
Once the stems are at the snapping stage, it's time to give your produce a vacuum seal and just walk away--for at least a month, but I've been finding that the 3-4 month mark is the height of flavor.
The only downside to this cure is that it really darkens the bud. Doesn't matter if it goes in a beautiful light green, it'll come out a dark green, going on brown color because of the rapid dumping of chlorophyll. But the smoke will be smooth and orgasmically rich, like the Outback's caramel cheesecake.
- Thread starter
- #55
Irish, wow,done in right man. I voted for ya ok.. 1st time in your thread and I like what I see.. Job Well Done Brother!!!
Thankie you, Cherma!
Ayup. Sister Irish here. *LOL*
Thank you! It was the luck o' the Irish, I tell ye.
A week later and busts everywhere around the county--I still wake up in the middle of the night with panic attacks as I sit on so much medicine while it cures. What irks me the most about this is that I've had to rethink my trimming/curing methods. If the bud is all trimmed up, that counts as weight. Untrimmed bud, apparently, does not. So for safety's sake, I've been experimenting with untrimmed bud cures this season. They can't count it if it's got stem and leaf on it.*hugs from one Irish grower to another*
Screwnuts33
Member of the Month 3rd Place Winner (Dec 09')
"But the smoke will be smooth and orgasmically rich, like the Outback's caramel cheesecake".
I think that is the sexiest smoke report I have read!
I think that is the sexiest smoke report I have read!
- Thread starter
- #57
"But the smoke will be smooth and orgasmically rich, like the Outback's caramel cheesecake".
I think that is the sexiest smoke report I have read!
amazing story Irish!
- Thread starter
- #59
Sure, BWC. My Ambrosia cure encourages the starches in the bud to turn to sugars. It's a slow, dangerously wet cure best accomplished by starting with a complete manicure of freshly pluckt bud. I'm not talking about simply shaving the bud--that's too savage and leaves leaf inside the bud between each and every budlet. I'm talking about taking as much fan leaf as possible by snipping the petiole or "neck" as I call it, close or right at the main stem, and all of the single leaves individually snipped and plucked. This helps to control moisture content within the bud since leaf acts more like a barrier (think wax paper) and flower acts more like a sponge. If leaf is left in the bud it can create wet spots that don't off-gas efficiently, opening up the possibility of mold or rot.
That accomplished, you'll find that the flower/bud will dry much faster as it hangs, but the stem will be still be quite wet in comparison. All of those petioles you took the time to snip off flush with the main stem will act as release valves for the vapor inside that stem, and each one will be at the base of every budlet where you snipped them off, creating the chemical reaction of curing as the budlet soaks up the vapor.
What you want to do at the point the buds or colas have gotten crunchy on the outside is to take them down from the line or rack and manage the vapor release as it soaks into the buds by piling them in cardboard flats. Too loose of a pile, and they won't begin the change from starch to sugar readily and you'll lose that all-important vapor from the stem. Too tight, and you'll smash your bud and trap the vapor, putting you dangerously on the edge of wrecking. Anyway, as the bud starts the chemical reaction of curing, the top of the pile will be crunchy, the inside will be moist, and the bottom will be the moistest as the cardboard pulls the moisture from the pile of bud above it. Every time the top goes crunchy, fluff and flip the pile until the buds don't soften anymore. The stems should still have moisture in them and bend rather than snap.
Then put them in sealed tubs.
Once they're in the tubs (or jars, or gallon baggies, if it's a little harvest) they'll hydrate up again and get soft. Every time they go soft, open them up and let them air for a short while so the fragrance can escape and then seal back up again. This is my favorite part since it'll smell so good if you're doing it right. Do it wrong, and you'll end up with a stinky green/brown goo at the bottom of the tub and a bunch of ruined medicine.
Once the stems are at the snapping stage, it's time to give your produce a vacuum seal and just walk away--for at least a month, but I've been finding that the 3-4 month mark is the height of flavor.
The only downside to this cure is that it really darkens the bud. Doesn't matter if it goes in a beautiful light green, it'll come out a dark green, going on brown color because of the rapid dumping of chlorophyll. But the smoke will be smooth and orgasmically rich, like the Outback's caramel cheesecake.
OK, I'm drooling.....
What exactly are "cardboard flats?" I don't want to assume I know.
And, do you have a picture? This sounds fantastic....especially the 'smooth and orgasmically rich' part.
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