yea, it actually makes a shit ton of sense, once you "smother" them in water, they dont make any more life processes, they are dead.
They are; "dead," as in how humans and animals die and all life functions end?
Plants are not humans or animals and all functions do not cease when cut down, or if; drown or smothered as would happen if say a person's head were cut off or; drown or smothered. Some continue, just at a continually slowing rate, until finally they do cease.
Not that I expect this to carry any additional weight or make a tinkers damn with anyone but along with four family members I own a nursery. My four family members all have degrees in horticulture from NC State. Two of them are excellent growers and I have asked them if a plant that is cut down ceases all normal functions and is dead like a person would be, and like in the information below, they said some functions do continue for a period of time until the plant reaches a certain point where almost totally dry.
Certain plant functions do continue during drying and into curing, at a reduced rate of course, but they do continue.
When it comes to plants, cut down does not equate to death or dead in the same manner as an animal or a human being. All life functions do not end, they do not all cease to continue to perform certain functions, certain tasks. The functions slow down and continue to slow until they do cease, but it does take some time, which differs, depending on the type of plant and the conditions is it under.
An example one used was how you can cut ornamental flowers and use them to decorate a table or some part of your home and how long they can remain pretty flowers to look at. I said, well that is because they are put in water, right? The response was only in part because if all life functions ceased when cut regardless of being in water they would wilt and look dead very quickly, the water only helps them to continue certain processes and remain looking fresh longer and that in the case of cannabis there is a large amount of water in the cut plant and it does basically the same thing, it help keep the plant performing certain functions after being cut and until there is insufficient moisture for any functions to continue, at least some functions will continue.
Nothing new is made, nothing that was not there when the plant was cut will be created, there is no new growth or creation of elements, but some of what was there will, at a slowed rate, continue to change, will be processed as it would be if the plant had not been cut, again at a slowed rate.
If you, or anyone or everyone prefer to reject that, it's totally cool and the gang with me. But that came from two family members with degrees in horticulture, my brother in law and my niece's husband, both guys that are extremely talented growers and again, have degrees in horticulture ... which is something that most people who espouse their personal opinions and personally created beliefs on growing sites fail to possess.
(The info below was trimmed since much information given was a how to guide and seemed to me to be superfluous information since the topic is not about how to dry and cure but instead what occurs during drying and curing.)
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A Good Article On Drying And Curing
A little background on what happens inside and outside the harvested drying plant will help you understand why proper drying and curing are so important to good quality dope. Drying evaporates most of the 70-75 percent water content in fresh marijuana. Drying also converts THC from its non-psychoactive crude acidic form to its psychoactive pH-neutral form. Once dry, THC-potent marijuana can be smoked and you will get high. Every THC molecule must shed their moisture content before they are fully psychoactive.
When you cut a plant or plant part and hang it to dry, the transport of fluids within the plant continues, but at a slower rate. Stomata, small openings on leaf undersides, close soon after harvest and drying is slowed since little water vapor escapes. The natural plant processes slowly come to an end as the plant dries. The outer cells are the first to dry, but fluid still moves from internal cells to supply moisture to the dry outer cells.
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Curing
Curing is a process employed to naturally enhance the bouquet, flavour, and texture of marijuana. Curing does not lower potency when done correctly, although poor curing methods often result in some less of THC.
Curing is not an essential procedure, and many growers prefer the "natural" flavour of uncured grass. Sweet sinsemilla buds usually are not cured.
Curing is most successful on plants which have "ripened" and are beginning to lose chlorophyll. It is less successful on growing tips and other vigorous parts which are immature. These parts may only lose some chlorophyll.
Curing proceeds while the leaf is still alive, for until it dries, many of the leaf's life processes continue. Since the leaf's ability to produce sugars is thwarted, it breaks down stored starch to simple sugars, which are used for food. This gives the grass a sweet or earthy aroma and taste. At the same time, many of the complex proteins and pigments, such as chlorophyll, are broken down in enzymatic processes. This changes the colour of the leaf from green to various shades of yellow, brown, tan, or red, depending primarily on the variety, but also on growing environment and cure technique. The destruction of chlorophyll eliminates the minty taste that is commonly associated with green homegrown.
Actual death, as in the cessation, the total stoppage of all natural plants functions does not occur when a plant is cut down and drowning or smothering it in water would not cause an instant and complete stoppage of the natural ongoing plant functions that do continue to occur until a plant reaches a certain degree of dryness and can no longer continue the functions they continue after being cut.
