Hi guys, Wed will be my first harvest and I have some questions. Is it preference or a rule of thumb, to trim before I hang-up to dry or trim afterwards before I cure? Another one is when I hang the fruit up to dry, does the drying area have to be completely dark or can I hang them up in my flowering area with the lights on for 12 and off for 12 and is there an ideal temp & humidity during this process? Also, what all can I do with trim off of my baby? I might have 1 oz off this first one so I will not have much trim but I've read all kinds of recipes but I do not think I'll have enough left over therefore is something that does not require so much after product?
Thanks alot guys as I have accomplished my first ever grow from seed to harvest with the help of some courteous folks right here @ RIU.
Drying should be done in complete darkness. Light encourages all kinds of organisms to grow, your plants included, and we don't want anything growing during drying.
The idea that trimming during flowering should be avoided continues as long as they're alive. Even after harvest, damaging the plant can cause bruising and general degradation, affecting the finished smoke. Some growers clip off the fan leaves before the first stage of drying because they aren't part of any buds and so the damage is removed from the flowers enough that it shouldn't cause any problems. Others leave the fan leaves on and when the plant is hung, the fan leaves enshroud the buds, protecting them and preventing the outsides from drying much before their insides. Either way, we don't believe anything more than fan leaves should be disturbed during the first stage of drying, at the very most.
Once the plants are completely dead, any further trimming can be done at the grower's leisure. With proper drying, this second stage usually begins around 48hrs after harvest. It's usually a good idea to complete trimming as soon as the second stage of drying starts, while the plants still have enough moisture left in them so they aren't crispy.
