Schotzky
Well-Known Member
OK, this is a nice basic review for novices or people just + reppin 
and i advise you read the whole thing as long as it is hehe. all the steps are important.
i am not going to talk about when the plant is ready, that is for YOU and help from other threads and a microscope to decide
im talkin about how you trim, dry and cure. read the whole thing for YOUR benefits
make sure not to touch the buds with your hands, the oils from your skin will absorb THC crystals makin your bud not as fire. even get a pair of rubber gloves at a hardware store or somthing if you have a really good strain
when you cut down your lovely ladies, the best way is to just chop them off branch by branch starting at the bottom, get a nice clean smaller pair of scissors and cut the leaves off down by the nodes- or where leaves sprout out from the branch. and trim off the leaves that DONT have nice crystals on them. take your time, and also plan ahead for larger crops, maybe invite friends unless your operation is under wraps. lay down news paper for easy clean up btw.
once all your buds are trimmed now comes drying time.
take a cardboard box and tie one or more sets of string on it like a clothes line basically, at least 3in. apart for easy access. and hang the buds side by side in a row on the strings with clothes-pins. if you dont have clothes-pins use stoner ingenuity
leave them in a closet or a nice dry dark area around 70-75 degrees fahrenheit. for a week or two or until the stems give you a nice *snap* when you break them. keep them out of sunlight this will degrade thc and flavor. be patient young jedis let nature take its course. keep them out of humidity to prevent molding and a faster drying time. also depending of where you live for example in Texas they'll dry out faster than say in New Orleans. make sure there is also a nice air flow, maybe setup a fan if in a closet and open the door a lil bit once in a while.
once they are dried, now comes curing. this is VERY IMPORTANT as it draws out chlorophyll, what gives the plant its green pigment, also gives it a harsh smoke for people, also if not MORE important, the sugars break down converting to THC when placed in a dark area in an airtight glass jar. youve taken all this time to get to this milestone and now this is the step where you draw out your flavor and supreme THC content. dont hurry this up. you sure can smoke your product to sample it at this point but curing it will make it much MUCH better.
in order to properly cure, the bud must be dry enough, make sure the stems *snap* very nice thats how alot of people tell, you can find your own way to tell too. get a CLEAN GLASS jar with an AIRTIGHT lid. jelly jars, pickle, peanut jars. etc etc. place your buds in here bud dont cram them in, if you need multiple jars so be it. put the filled jars in a dark area. and keep them there for 4 weeks +, opening them up once or twice a day for 10 minutes or so to release more moisture and chlorophyll. dont get the wrong idea, you can still smoke it at this point while your curing it. i highly recommend keeping a journal and writing down the differences in the bud as you smoke it and cure it, if you want =P. it will help you realize how much of a difference it makes.
there are also dozens of ways to dry and cure plants, i suggest you look into other methods for fun and personal preference
i hope this helps some people. and this probably does need work, this was just a basic overview for beginners so give me input and ill edit
and i advise you read the whole thing as long as it is hehe. all the steps are important.i am not going to talk about when the plant is ready, that is for YOU and help from other threads and a microscope to decide
im talkin about how you trim, dry and cure. read the whole thing for YOUR benefits
make sure not to touch the buds with your hands, the oils from your skin will absorb THC crystals makin your bud not as fire. even get a pair of rubber gloves at a hardware store or somthing if you have a really good strain
when you cut down your lovely ladies, the best way is to just chop them off branch by branch starting at the bottom, get a nice clean smaller pair of scissors and cut the leaves off down by the nodes- or where leaves sprout out from the branch. and trim off the leaves that DONT have nice crystals on them. take your time, and also plan ahead for larger crops, maybe invite friends unless your operation is under wraps. lay down news paper for easy clean up btw.
once all your buds are trimmed now comes drying time.
take a cardboard box and tie one or more sets of string on it like a clothes line basically, at least 3in. apart for easy access. and hang the buds side by side in a row on the strings with clothes-pins. if you dont have clothes-pins use stoner ingenuity
leave them in a closet or a nice dry dark area around 70-75 degrees fahrenheit. for a week or two or until the stems give you a nice *snap* when you break them. keep them out of sunlight this will degrade thc and flavor. be patient young jedis let nature take its course. keep them out of humidity to prevent molding and a faster drying time. also depending of where you live for example in Texas they'll dry out faster than say in New Orleans. make sure there is also a nice air flow, maybe setup a fan if in a closet and open the door a lil bit once in a while.
once they are dried, now comes curing. this is VERY IMPORTANT as it draws out chlorophyll, what gives the plant its green pigment, also gives it a harsh smoke for people, also if not MORE important, the sugars break down converting to THC when placed in a dark area in an airtight glass jar. youve taken all this time to get to this milestone and now this is the step where you draw out your flavor and supreme THC content. dont hurry this up. you sure can smoke your product to sample it at this point but curing it will make it much MUCH better.
in order to properly cure, the bud must be dry enough, make sure the stems *snap* very nice thats how alot of people tell, you can find your own way to tell too. get a CLEAN GLASS jar with an AIRTIGHT lid. jelly jars, pickle, peanut jars. etc etc. place your buds in here bud dont cram them in, if you need multiple jars so be it. put the filled jars in a dark area. and keep them there for 4 weeks +, opening them up once or twice a day for 10 minutes or so to release more moisture and chlorophyll. dont get the wrong idea, you can still smoke it at this point while your curing it. i highly recommend keeping a journal and writing down the differences in the bud as you smoke it and cure it, if you want =P. it will help you realize how much of a difference it makes.
there are also dozens of ways to dry and cure plants, i suggest you look into other methods for fun and personal preference
i hope this helps some people. and this probably does need work, this was just a basic overview for beginners so give me input and ill edit
