Buds come out smelling like grass, but the grind smells amazing

Hey Y’all,

Before I get a barrage of “you are drying to fast” “temps too high”, etc. I hang to dry large branches, never wet trim. My out take fan is on the lowest setting, however I am wondering if it should be off, I’m wondering if that’s what’s been the problem. I have a hurricane 4” outtake fan in a 3’x3’x72” tent, and usually it’s on full blast towards the end of the cycle. I am also wondering if the temps towards the end of the grow are too high 80-82. If you put your nose up to the buds they aren’t that fragrant, you have to rub the trichomes. I do have a portable AC, but you have to open the tent and have it blowing in there. It gets hot and heats up the room canceling itself out. Here’s the deal, if the temps are high and terpines are volatilizing shouldn’t it smell more?

I’m wondering if the way my environmental setup is that contributing to the grassy smell? 80-82 temps with the outtake on full blast at the end of flower? I’m not able to get the drying temps to 60, it’ll be harvested in mid December, so lower temps (67-70). Is there a way that the bud will still smell to the nose with less than favorable temps? Should I turn off the outtake fan completely? The dehuey definitely raises temps.

Does this happen to all your flower? Or is it just this one crop?

I had one plant recently that smells kind of grassy. It confused the heck out of me because all the other plants smell phenomenal. Everything was dried & cured the same way. So, my conclusion is that this one purple plant has an unpleasant aroma. However, the longer I cure it, the sweeter the smell is becoming. The grassy smell is fading. I think some plants just need a longer cure.
Ps. All of the plants im referring to are from seed and different in many ways.

Farmer's Hat said:

I had one plant recently that smells kind of grassy. It confused the heck out of me because all the other plants smell phenomenal. Everything was dried & cured the same way. So, my conclusion is that this one purple plant has an unpleasant aroma. However, the longer I cure it, the sweeter the smell is becoming. The grassy smell is fading. I think some plants just need a longer cure.
Ps. All of the plants im referring to are from seed and different in many ways.

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Agreed,
I have had the same issue but in my case, the buds that my fan were hitting directly in my dry tent smelled more like grass then the others.

OP are any of the buds being hit directly with air? if so this COULD be a cause.

senorthc said:

Agreed,
I have had the same issue but in my case, the buds that my fan were hitting directly in my dry tent smelled more like grass then the others.

OP are any of the buds being hit directly with air? if so this COULD be a cause.

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I can honestly say that in my case, that was not a factor. The fan did not hit the purple plant directly, ever.
Thanks for the tip though. It isn't something that I have considered or observed. Would an oscillating fan prevent this from being an issue?

Farmer's Hat said:

Would an oscillating fan prevent this from being an issue?

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The fan I had was an oscillating fan, it was the first time I had used a drying rack, since then I hang dry

Farmer's Hat said:

Does this happen to all your flower? Or is it just this one crop?

I had one plant recently that smells kind of grassy. It confused the heck out of me because all the other plants smell phenomenal. Everything was dried & cured the same way. So, my conclusion is that this one purple plant has an unpleasant aroma. However, the longer I cure it, the sweeter the smell is becoming. The grassy smell is fading. I think some plants just need a longer cure.
Ps. All of the plants im referring to are from seed and different in many ways.

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all of them. In a jar, popping the top yes it smells good. The buds smelling them is faint. When you grind, it smells amazing no grass whatsoever. It doesn’t taste like grass. My buddy vaped it with a volcano and said it passed the taste test. Could be that it’s organic, it’s not a big deal as far as smoke ability, taste, and high. They are consistently more potent than what you get on the street.

Just keep burping like normal and you’ll be fine, good looking flower there!

DankTankerous said:

all of them. In a jar, popping the top yes it smells good. The buds smelling them is faint. When you grind, it smells amazing no grass whatsoever. It doesn’t taste like grass. My buddy vaped it with a volcano and said it passed the taste test. Could be that it’s organic, it’s not a big deal as far as smoke ability, taste, and high. They are consistently more potent than what you get on the street.

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I guess my next question is, how long have you been curing it?

I have three different purple plants, that are in different stages of curing. The one that has been curing the longest went through some interesting phases. At first, bagged up it had a strong muffin smell. 2 weeks later, it smells more fruity and the muffin smell is gone. 1 week in a jar and it smells like straight mango. I like to cure my flower for at least one month.

senorthc said:

Just keep burping like normal and you’ll be fine, good looking flower there!

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+1

Farmer's Hat said:

I guess my next question is, how long have you been curing it?

I have three different purple plants, that are in different stages of curing. The one that has been curing the longest went through some interesting phases. At first, bagged up it had a strong muffin smell. 2 weeks later, it smells more fruity and the muffin smell is gone. 1 week in a jar and it smells like straight mango. I like to cure my flower for at least one month.

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in the jar it smells great, it’s just when you pick up the individual buds

DankTankerous said:

in the jar it smells great, it’s just when you pick up the individual buds

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Imo don't worry too much, I also tend to get paranoid sometimes and overthink everything, doesn't do me any good tho in the end.
Calm your nerves and wait for them to finish. You'll be happy once they're done, I'm pretty sure.

420AD said:

Imo don't worry too much, I also tend to get paranoid sometimes and overthink everything, doesn't do me any good tho in the end.
Calm your nerves and wait for them to finish. You'll be happy once they're done, I'm pretty sure.

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bro you hit the nail on the head, I hate to say that this, but that has gotten me in so much trouble. Gonna practice patience

DankTankerous said:

bro you hit the nail on the head, I hate to say that this, but that has gotten me in so much trouble. Gonna practice patience

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Well it's human thinking...
If you did "everything" and fk it up, you did everything even if it was wrong or too much you'll forgive yourself and forget about it.
If you didn't do someting and you fk it up, because of it you'll be asking yourself "WHY DIDN'T I DO SOMETHING" and not forgive yourself for a long time.

That's why as growers we're alot more likely to overdo things and not regret it.

DankTankerous said:

Hey Y’all,

Before I get a barrage of “you are drying to fast” “temps too high”, etc. I hang to dry large branches, never wet trim. My out take fan is on the lowest setting, however I am wondering if it should be off, I’m wondering if that’s what’s been the problem. I have a hurricane 4” outtake fan in a 3’x3’x72” tent, and usually it’s on full blast towards the end of the cycle. I am also wondering if the temps towards the end of the grow are too high 80-82. If you put your nose up to the buds they aren’t that fragrant, you have to rub the trichomes. I do have a portable AC, but you have to open the tent and have it blowing in there. It gets hot and heats up the room canceling itself out. Here’s the deal, if the temps are high and terpines are volatilizing shouldn’t it smell more?

I’m wondering if the way my environmental setup is that contributing to the grassy smell? 80-82 temps with the outtake on full blast at the end of flower? I’m not able to get the drying temps to 60, it’ll be harvested in mid December, so lower temps (67-70). Is there a way that the bud will still smell to the nose with less than favorable temps? Should I turn off the outtake fan completely? The dehuey definitely raises temps.

Click to expand...

You ARE drying to fast and likely to deep. 777 is the ideal drying conditions. 7 days at 70 degrees and 70% humidity. I don't have it and never will so I've learned how to work around the high temp and low humidity that are my local conditions.
Only take down what you can trim before it wilts. When all the leaves are standing tall is the easiest trim.

Hang only as long as it takes for the smallest popcorn to firm up.

Bag the buds.

Stack bags in clean new trashcans with lids closed at night. Set them out during the day and stir every few hours to keep things drying evenly. This slows the dry and keeps that mowed lawn stink away.

As the days pass the bud will need less time exposed per day and may only need an hour or 2 on the last day depending on local humidity. Let your fingers talk to you. Soft and squishy = needs more time exposed. Dry and crispy feeling = needs more closed can time.

A humidity gauge is useful to know where things stand. Your target is 65% at the end of 7 to 10 days. Check when first opened in the morning.
The bud is now correctly dried to the ideal cure range and can be placed in jars with no burping needed as it is at the correct internal moisture content for the cure.

Half gallon jars and a 62% boveda pack in each for 60 days of cure will get you as good as it gets.

Drying below 55% kills off the micro organisms the cure depends on. You only get one shot at doing things right. Dry to fast it smells like lawn clippings / mowed hay. Dry to deep and it'll smoke like swallowing a flaming sword and never get any better no matter how long you jar or try and re moisturize. "He's dead Jim".

It never fails right at harvest time we get the "Santa Ana" winds that blasts stone dry air off the desert and out to sea and it'll over-dry and ruin a hanging plant in just hours. It kept happening over and over and forced me to figure out just WTF was happening. A slow dry is key to the last stages of growing Cannabis.

DankTankerous said:

Hey Y’all,

Before I get a barrage of “you are drying to fast” “temps too high”, etc. I hang to dry large branches, never wet trim. My out take fan is on the lowest setting, however I am wondering if it should be off, I’m wondering if that’s what’s been the problem. I have a hurricane 4” outtake fan in a 3’x3’x72” tent, and usually it’s on full blast towards the end of the cycle. I am also wondering if the temps towards the end of the grow are too high 80-82. If you put your nose up to the buds they aren’t that fragrant, you have to rub the trichomes. I do have a portable AC, but you have to open the tent and have it blowing in there. It gets hot and heats up the room canceling itself out. Here’s the deal, if the temps are high and terpines are volatilizing shouldn’t it smell more?

I’m wondering if the way my environmental setup is that contributing to the grassy smell? 80-82 temps with the outtake on full blast at the end of flower? I’m not able to get the drying temps to 60, it’ll be harvested in mid December, so lower temps (67-70). Is there a way that the bud will still smell to the nose with less than favorable temps? Should I turn off the outtake fan completely? The dehuey definitely raises temps.

Click to expand...

Try a longer cure??

DankTankerous said:

Hey Y’all,

Before I get a barrage of “you are drying to fast” “temps too high”, etc. I hang to dry large branches, never wet trim. My out take fan is on the lowest setting, however I am wondering if it should be off, I’m wondering if that’s what’s been the problem. I have a hurricane 4” outtake fan in a 3’x3’x72” tent, and usually it’s on full blast towards the end of the cycle. I am also wondering if the temps towards the end of the grow are too high 80-82. If you put your nose up to the buds they aren’t that fragrant, you have to rub the trichomes. I do have a portable AC, but you have to open the tent and have it blowing in there. It gets hot and heats up the room canceling itself out. Here’s the deal, if the temps are high and terpines are volatilizing shouldn’t it smell more?

I’m wondering if the way my environmental setup is that contributing to the grassy smell? 80-82 temps with the outtake on full blast at the end of flower? I’m not able to get the drying temps to 60, it’ll be harvested in mid December, so lower temps (67-70). Is there a way that the bud will still smell to the nose with less than favorable temps? Should I turn off the outtake fan completely? The dehuey definitely raises temps.

Click to expand...

Try different strains, I've grown a few C99xs that didn't really hit the nose like the skunk #1 or FullGas do, I really believe alot has to do with genetics as well

Davo68 said:

Try a longer cure??

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That would definitely help, each year it’s gotten longer, but still tweaking the finish of flower and drying part. I bought a new carbon filter and it pulls so much easier. I’ve dialed my Hurricane 4” exhaust fan to the lowest setting. In times past I had it on the highest setting and had temps up to 83 (using a LED Quantum Board). This time around temps up to 82, and exhaust dialed low. Also when drying I’m going to double up on the scrub to slow the air pull. I’ll also hook up my portable AC and pump cold air into the tent. It’s getting cold here and even w/o the portable AC it’s in the high 60’s. AC might be overkill, but cooler temps help, although it does produce heat and could cancel it out. Also in the last two weeks I’m going to have more dry backs, apparently it’s a crop steering technique.

Here she is today at 48 days of 12/12. Strain is Shangri La by Jinxproof Genetics. LED 280w dual quantum board v2, 5gal soil is coot’s mix, flower nutrients are Build a bloom water soluble feed. Recharge, Malted Barley seed, homemade worm castings, coconut, aloe Vera, Fermented Plant Juice (kelp, comfrey, stinging nettles, mullein, and pea shoots), fermented Fruit Juice bananas, and foiliar feed Water Soluble Calcium (KNF recipe: Apple Cider Vinegar and toasted oyster shells, smells like burnt tires)

~Drying conditions aren't the fix all~
Here's my rant!
I'd make sure there isn't too much N (plants look dark)
Also I would drop the intensity of the light 25% last few weeks before harvest.
Do a full 10 week grow and decide when to chop based on what you can see with your eyes (pistils recede into the stomata, appear to be bursting with resin almost as if they contain seeds)
Back off the N if it looks too green. Use proper light to identify what the plant looks like alot of LED lights don't let you really see how green the plant is.
A feed chart might be right under the best conditions, but you may need to allow better runoff or adjust nutes without proper air flow and lighting.
Yes genetics play a part. Other people might really enjoy a grassy type taste. I just tried Lambs bread from a dispo and it was dabs with a grassy taste, might have been the strain but maybe cause the plant is leafy being a landrace sativa or something. The grassy taste wasn't unpleasant but I think it was definitely the chlorophyll tastw
The dry I like 60/60. I built a koolatron to make it easier and more automated. There is a good thread on here about how to make one it is similar to a cannatrol
Terps also are influenced by other things
Carbs
Nutrition
Uv
Heat
Lights
Humidity
Air flow
Genetics (is it auto [ruderalis]) or maybe landrace?

If it smells only when you grind it maybe it is a good thing because all the terps are locked in.maybe also your nose is fried from smoking so much. Let others give their opinion especially people who aren't scared to offend you

I might be wrong with some of my info but this is how I understand it. Please correct me if I'm wrong I'm always learning more about this plant we love. Hope this helps!

Edit oh yeah, try dropping the temps with the humidity and lighting towards the last few weeks too

Nizza said:

~Drying conditions aren't the fix all~
Here's my rant!
I'd make sure there isn't too much N (plants look dark)
Also I would drop the intensity of the light 25% last few weeks before harvest.
Do a full 10 week grow and decide when to chop based on what you can see with your eyes (pistils recede into the stomata, appear to be bursting with resin almost as if they contain seeds)
Back off the N if it looks too green. Use proper light to identify what the plant looks like alot of LED lights don't let you really see how green the plant is.
A feed chart might be right under the best conditions, but you may need to allow better runoff or adjust nutes without proper air flow and lighting.
Yes genetics play a part. Other people might really enjoy a grassy type taste. I just tried Lambs bread from a dispo and it was dabs with a grassy taste, might have been the strain but maybe cause the plant is leafy being a landrace sativa or something. The grassy taste wasn't unpleasant but I think it was definitely the chlorophyll tastw
The dry I like 60/60. I built a koolatron to make it easier and more automated. There is a good thread on here about how to make one it is similar to a cannatrol
Terps also are influenced by other things
Carbs
Nutrition
Uv
Heat
Lights
Humidity
Air flow
Genetics (is it auto [ruderalis]) or maybe landrace?

If it smells only when you grind it maybe it is a good thing because all the terps are locked in.maybe also your nose is fried from smoking so much. Let others give their opinion especially people who aren't scared to offend you

I might be wrong with some of my info but this is how I understand it. Please correct me if I'm wrong I'm always learning more about this plant we love. Hope this helps!

Edit oh yeah, try dropping the temps with the humidity and lighting towards the last few weeks too

Click to expand...

Well the jar smells amazing, but buds to the nose like potpourri (remember that). I think I’m splitting hairs. But you mention some good points. Thanks for your input. Rants are welcome here