Quick Drying - The Other Side Of The Coin

[fdd2blk]

Potency is determined by the plant's DNA and the growing conditions. With good DNA and ideal conditions, you will get buds with the most potency a plant can make.

Nothing you can do to the buds will improve potency, not water curing, not leaving plants in the dark before harvest, nail through stem, etc etc etc. All wives' tales.

You can reduce potency by storing buds badly, i.e. exposure to light or temps above 29C.

The best you can do is to not damage potency through poor handling.

hey AL, don't tell anyone but, ........................................

i'm harvesting right now. i have my kerosene heater burning and my fans blowing. i'm in a 20' X 20' foot shop/playhouse. it's almost like a big "quick dry box". lol nothin' but love, my friend.

 

[Jointsmith]

Potency is determined by the plant's DNA and the growing conditions. With good DNA and ideal conditions, you will get buds with the most potency a plant can make.

Nothing you can do to the buds will improve potency, not water curing, not leaving plants in the dark before harvest, nail through stem, etc etc etc. All wives' tales.

You can reduce potency by storing buds badly, i.e. exposure to light or temps above 29C.

The best you can do is to not damage potency through poor handling.

Water curing will not add more psychoactive compounds but it WILL increase the potency to weight ratio of your grade as you're removing more of the non-psychoactive material (weight).

(i.e. there'll be more THC in an 8th of water cured buds than an 8th of hang dried buds)

I'm pretty sure this is where that theory has come from.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

I'm pretty sure this is where that theory has come from.

OK, I'll buy in to the theory; non-psychoactive cannabinoids are water soluble, but THC is not.

However, how much resin are you losing from simple mechanical removal of it? How do you separate and recover the lost THC & resin from the dissolved non-psychoactives?

 

[Al B. Fuct]

hey AL, don't tell anyone but, ........................................

i'm harvesting right now. i have my kerosene heater burning and my fans blowing. i'm in a 20' X 20' foot shop/playhouse. it's almost like a big "quick dry box". lol nothin' but love, my friend.

I won't tell a SOUL, not even myself.

Shrink that giant dryer down to desktop size, use a means of making heat that you can accurately control to 29C (and doesn't smell like kero) and you're on to something.

 

[fdd2blk]

I won't tell a SOUL, not even myself.

Shrink that giant dryer down to desktop size, use a means of making heat that you can accurately control to 29C (and doesn't smell like kero) and you're on to something.

there was a guy around here somewhere, ...........................

 

[Al B. Fuct]

yeeeaaaah, somewhere in the mists of my dope-addled memory, I think I might know the same guy, hang on, let my brane marinate in caffeeeeeiiine for a while and I'll let you know what I come up with.

 

[GoodFriend]

yeeeaaaah, somewhere in the mists of my dope-addled memory, I think I might know the same guy, hang on, let my brane marinate in caffeeeeeiiine for a while and I'll let you know what I come up with.

... ever think about slinging them things on ebay?


... make a buck the legal way? lol

 

[Al B. Fuct]

... ever think about slinging them things on ebay?


... make a buck the legal way? lol

Nope, not for a minute. I couldn't make any sort of profit if I were to charge a reasonable price for them, at least not with the present construction technique. I can't see one selling well for much more than $100, $150 on the high & outside. Only takes me about an hour or so to whack one together, but...

25W resistors x6 @ $2.50 = $15
120mm fans x2 @ $15 = $30
thermostat x1 @ $40
dimmer x1 @ $15
MSC x1 @ $32
storage tub x1 @ $15
heat sink x1 @ $25
Hardware cloth, chain, misc hdwe - $20
parts total = $192

Some costs could be saved; the MSC is optional if you don't care about fan noise, the dimmer could be eliminated by shooting the R values just a bit higher, could use fewer resistors, maybe 3.

Top that with the liability insurance that is required for being an OEM electrical goods mfr... and it'd cost me money to do it, and no small amount of change, either.

 

[Seamaiden]

Potency is determined by the plant's DNA and the growing conditions. With good DNA and ideal conditions, you will get buds with the most potency a plant can make.

Nothing you can do to the buds will improve potency, not water curing, not leaving plants in the dark before harvest, nail through stem, etc etc etc. All wives' tales.

You can reduce potency by storing buds badly, i.e. exposure to light or temps above 29C.

The best you can do is to not damage potency through poor handling.

29C isn't all that hot, that's a nice day (for those who can't/don't convert, that's just under 85F). So, what you're saying is that on really warm days our buds' potency is breaking down?
What about that of plants out in the sun immediately before harvest?
Can you explain the breakdown that occurs at such a low temperature (you've mentioned this temp a couple of times), or maybe point me in a direction for searching?

I'm trying to wrap my head around something that I understand to be fat (lipid) soluble basically behaving like a volatile ester. And, of course, there is the disconcerting notion that a warm day could basically ruin the dankness one has worked so hard to achieve.

Also, am I damaging my plants by handling them when I inspect them for damage, bugs, and so on? I handle them the way I do animals and children (but no spit).

And fdd, am I to understand that your initial post way back when is now to be ignored or disregarded? Are you changing your stance regarding quick-drying?

 

[Al B. Fuct]

29C isn't all that hot, that's a nice day (for those who can't/don't convert, that's just under 85F). So, what you're saying is that on really warm days our buds' potency is breaking down?
What about that of plants out in the sun immediately before harvest?
Can you explain the breakdown that occurs at such a low temperature (you've mentioned this temp a couple of times), or maybe point me in a direction for searching?

Here's a bit from the US Gubmint:

Reactivity Profile
1-TRANS-DELTA-9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL is very unstable to light and high temperatures. It should be protected from air during all handling due to its extreme instability. [NTP, 1992]. Flammable and/or toxic gases are generated by the combination of alcohols with alkali metals, nitrides, and strong reducing agents. They react with oxoacids and carboxylic acids to form esters plus water. Oxidizing agents convert them to aldehydes or ketones. Alcohols exhibit both weak acid and weak base behavior. They may initiate the polymerization of isocyanates and epoxides. (NOAA REACTIVITY, 2007)

Exposure to light and high temps causes THC to break down into isomers cannabidinol and cannabidiol. So, does the plant lose potency while growing? It must!

I'm trying to wrap my head around something that I understand to be fat (lipid) soluble basically behaving like a volatile ester. And, of course, there is the disconcerting notion that a warm day could basically ruin the dankness one has worked so hard to achieve.

Cannabis resin (or at least some components of it) is indeed volatile and is also soluble in alcohols and fats, similar to lipids.

Also, am I damaging my plants by handling them when I inspect them for damage, bugs, and so on? I handle them the way I do animals and children (but no spit).

Whenever you get some sticky resin on you, it stands to reason that it's no longer on the buds.

 

[GoodFriend]

Nope, not for a minute. I couldn't make any sort of profit..,

how bout for a friend half way round the globe then

lol

 

[Al B. Fuct]

I note this passage in the gubmint bit:

It should be protected from air during all handling due to its extreme instability. [NTP, 1992].

That's something that I can't figure a way around. When you dry buds, air is what's carrying the water away. The best way to dry then appears to be the way that does so the most quickly so that buds can then be stored in airtight containers ASAP to reduce exposure to air. Vacuum packing in a home food sealer sounds like a plus

 

[fdd2blk]

29C isn't all that hot, that's a nice day (for those who can't/don't convert, that's just under 85F). So, what you're saying is that on really warm days our buds' potency is breaking down?
What about that of plants out in the sun immediately before harvest?
Can you explain the breakdown that occurs at such a low temperature (you've mentioned this temp a couple of times), or maybe point me in a direction for searching?

I'm trying to wrap my head around something that I understand to be fat (lipid) soluble basically behaving like a volatile ester. And, of course, there is the disconcerting notion that a warm day could basically ruin the dankness one has worked so hard to achieve.

Also, am I damaging my plants by handling them when I inspect them for damage, bugs, and so on? I handle them the way I do animals and children (but no spit).

And fdd, am I to understand that your initial post way back when is now to be ignored or disregarded? Are you changing your stance regarding quick-drying?

i'm up in the air at this point. my buddy was drying 3 lbs of indoor in 3 days using dehumidifiers and heaters. he kept the room in the 70 - 80's with the humidity down below 20. when you went to break a bud up it turned to powder. it was right after that that i got the burr in my ass. my buddy still dries it a little too fast but i get it from him before it's crispy and cure it myself. it turns out really nice. he's more a "grower" than a "smoker" so he just doesn't get it. i took it out on Al pretty hard back then. i hope somewhere i've apologized. i'm sorry Al.

 

[Al B. Fuct]

how bout for a friend half way round the globe then

The shipping cost alone would be prohibitive, you'd not see much change from $60-80.

C'mon, you can do this. Just a bit of creative dorking around with power tools. Manly stuff.

 

[Seamaiden]

Here's a bit from the US Gubmint:

Exposure to light and high temps causes THC to break down into isomers cannabidinol and cannabidiol. So, does the plant lose potency while growing? It must!

Cannabis resin (or at least some components of it) is indeed volatile and is also soluble in alcohols and fats, similar to lipids.

Whenever you get some sticky resin on you, it stands to reason that it's no longer on the buds.

That's one of the most comprehensive answers.. that's far more comprehensive than I expected. If I could hit you again I would. Damn.. so it IS a volatile ester!

My fingers are never sticky unless I've pinched off dying leaves, and then I only pinch the leaf. I do sometimes get a faint scent on them, but clearly, even the warmth of my hands would cause at least a partial breakdown. Damn.

I've learned so much today! Someone rep Al.B. for me, would ya?

 

[Al B. Fuct]

i'm up in the air at this point. my buddy was drying 3 lbs of indoor in 3 days using dehumidifiers and heaters. he kept the room in the 70 - 80's with the humidity down below 20. when you went to break a bud up it turned to powder.

Would have worked if he had not left the buds in there too damn long. If he had taken them out while the stems were still a little bendy and chucked them in a tupperware for a day, all would have been well with no crunchiness.

i hope somewhere i've apologized. i'm sorry Al.

You just did. No worries, never stressed me.

 

[Seamaiden]

i'm up in the air at this point. my buddy was drying 3 lbs of indoor in 3 days using dehumidifiers and heaters. he kept the room in the 70 - 80's with the humidity down below 20. when you went to break a bud up it turned to powder. it was right after that that i got the burr in my ass. my buddy still dries it a little too fast but i get it from him before it's crispy and cure it myself. it turns out really nice. he's more a "grower" than a "smoker" so he just doesn't get it. i took it out on Al pretty hard back then. i hope somewhere i've apologized. i'm sorry Al.

And this is something I'm curious about when I get an ounce of what start out as super sticky buds, and after a few weeks they, too, crumble (even when being kept in Mason jars). Then there's also the issue of immediate gratification, because, let's face it, when confronted with tasty, smokable-looking buds, WHO wants to wait??

If you didn't before, you got it now and I'm sure he saw it. I'll have to go back to see where you got on him.

I haven't done any searching because this thought only just popped into my head, but is there a way to rehydrate buds that are too dry so they don't crumble into dust? I'm thinking along the lines of a piece of apple in the brown sugar kind of thing, but after going through these links Al gave us, it's clear it's not such a simple thing as that.

 

[fdd2blk]

And this is something I'm curious about when I get an ounce of what start out as super sticky buds, and after a few weeks they, too, crumble (even when being kept in Mason jars). Then there's also the issue of immediate gratification, because, let's face it, when confronted with tasty, smokable-looking buds, WHO wants to wait??

If you didn't before, you got it now and I'm sure he saw it. I'll have to go back to see where you got on him.

I haven't done any searching because this thought only just popped into my head, but is there a way to rehydrate buds that are too dry so they don't crumble into dust? I'm thinking along the lines of a piece of apple in the brown sugar kind of thing, but after going through these links Al gave us, it's clear it's not such a simple thing as that.

use fresh fan leaves.

 

[fdd2blk]

i have some bud here that is from last year. it's hella cured. it has some type of moisture in it because it "tears". like fresh tobacco. it doesn't crumble but it is dry. kinda hard to explain. even if i let it sit out it still doesn't get crispy. i'd have to leave it in the sun or something. it smells like dust until you break a bud open then the smell explodes out of it.

 

[Seamaiden]

Really? Guess I better get those clones a-growin', eh? You're not shittin' me, are you? I could be very gullible about some things.