Trimming and how NOT to have that hay smell, help...

[maryjanesjungle]

Ok so I've got a crop about ready to be harvested and in all my past attempts my bud has had a wet grass or hay smell to it after its dried. I want to know how not to have that result this time around. I really don't get it considering I live in the south west and its very dry here. So dry in fact that when drying bud it often gets too dry on the outside very fasy (like in 2 or 3 days) as it's still moist in the center. Anyone out there that lives in desert conditions and has a good method for drying/curing bud I would greatly appreciate knowing your way of doing things.

Also I've watched several trimming tutorials on youtube and read how to do so as well but my bud never really seems to be as tight and compact as what I sometimes buy.

I've grown some of the biggest buds ever this crop and I don't want to ruin them

 

[yamaha_1fan]

tight and compact may be due to growing, not curing.

If the bud is dry on the outside, but wet on the inside, put in a paper bag. I actually alternate and throw it into paper bags, let dry, maybe some garbage bags, etc.

Basically if the outside is drying too fast, you need to stop it from drying and allow the inside moisture to seep out. Thats how I look at it.

Smell, I dont know

 

[jaw]

mine usally smells bad for the first few days, just let it keep on drying for 5-8 days and it will go away, and make sure you cure for at least a week (a month is alot better) and it will make it smell nice and stinky

 

[CDM]

I only get hay smells out of leaf, but the bud always is dense and smelly, but in a good way... Not sure why, but even wet it does not smell like Hay.

 

[EatShitake]

Paper bags are a good friend in the SW. Don't let it dry too fast. If you can extend your time to 5-7 days, you're gonna be impressed. THEN put the buds in jars.

 

[maryjanesjungle]

Shoot for 5-7 days using a paper bag, got it, and thanks, ill do that. Im in the process right now of uploading some bud pics as I have a few more questions...

UPDATE:






pencil in the pic just to give a lil perspective on bud size



I got a lil yellowing on the leaves I know, but some of that (toward the right in the pics) is from the 400W HPS in a cool but not cool enough cool tube a few inches from the tops of the buds.


...ok so here are my few more questions. Where the heck is my THC?!?!?!? I had much better trichomes production my last two grows in soil, (doing hydro now) south west dryness helped trichomes production then I'm sure, but since my roots are in water all the time now it makes sense trich production seems low. So how does one fix this?

I read some where about drained the water the last few days before harvest and like letting them think its a drout to boost THC production but will that happen in the straight water I intend to be flushing with at that time? What else can I do?

And how do they look? How long do you think that have till there ready to harvest?

 

[Pseudo]

the hay smell is from poor trimming, be sure to fully trim any non crystalized leaf and petoiles(stems), the slower you dry it the better it will taste, if you dry it to fast it makes it harsh and not flavorful, the slow dry breaks down the sugars to give it flavor,whats your max temp? heat degrades the crystals, what strain is it? it looks like you are overfertizing them possible locking out nutes, are you using RO or tap? possible ph or cal/mag issues, roots in water have nothing to do with trichome production, you look to be a month away from harvest

 

[maryjanesjungle]

Thanks for the info on drying, ill make sure to do it as slow as possible, at least a week. As for the roots in the water all the time line, I was told dryer conditions tell the plant its time to make more trichomes, thus them having an endless supply of water would be a bad thing. I've been getting nervous about trichomes production since some of the hairs started to turn brown because that leads me to believe I have a lot less less them a month to go like you say, at least on some of the buds closer to the light anywayz.
Oh and for the record they've been under 12/12 light since seed which started back on May 5th.

Max temp right over the buds that are by the light is about 89F. Too warm I know, but there isn't anything I can do about it where I'm growing. I do have a fan circulating cooler air right over the buds but again that's all I can do.

As for strain, one is Flo the other 2 are bag seeds.

Water, I've been using tap water sometimes (450PPM right out of the tap though so i don't use it a lot) but most of the time store bought distilled water with a ppm of 0.

As for nutes I've been using Sensi Bloom and adding Cal/Mag and ppm level is around 1000. Oh and PH is around 6.



I know I haven't done everything right this grow but I've got some HUGE buds so whatever anyone cal tell me to do from here on out to make them there best would be appreciated.

 

[Pseudo]

thats how you learn, the high temps are messin you up, those plants shoulda been harvested if they been budding for that long, my guess is the bag seed could be a problem too, if you dont know the strain, it could be a 20 week sativa, who knows, stick with the flo if possible, and look into adding AC at some point because until you get your envirorment under control, your gonna have low yields and lots of other problems, dont give up, it takes time, ive been going on/off for 20 years and still have a lot to learn

 

[maryjanesjungle]

Well again the size of the bud isn't "low", it's huge actually like I said. It's just the THC level that I'm not thrilled with and wondering how I can boost here at the end before harvest.

What in gods name makes you so sure I should have already harvested? I mean I couldn't even tell sex for a month (which was 2 months ago) and they only started to bud like 1 month ago.

I don't understand why my temps would be a big problem either seeing as weed grows well naturally all over the world and in places a lot hotter then my closet.

Mind you I appreciate the help and all, and I'm sure after 20 years you know tons more then me I'm just a lil unclear on why you said what you said.

 

[T-type]

Max temp right over the buds that are by the light is about 89F. Too warm I know, but there isn't anything I can do about it where I'm growing. I do have a fan circulating cooler air right over the buds but again that's all I can do.

If the fans are pointing right at your buds it could be part of your problem, air circulation is good but, not if its right on them. I couldn't smell my buds while hang drying the last time i harvested, but after they were dry they smelled great. SDv3 crosses too, not some non-smelly strain.

 

[Pseudo]

im sorry, i dont mean to burst your bubble, but those buds are not "huge",if you started flowering may 5, thats nearly 3 months of flowering, i dont understand how you get a month, imo 12/12 from seed is a waste of time, but thats just me, others disagree, high temps hurt resin production, period, over 85 degrees plant growth slows except on equatorial sativas, if you want to increase resin you need cooler temps to mimick the onset of fall, if you want a 90 degree growroom start shopping for sativas, im not trying to dis your grow, im trying to help, keep up the good work

 

[maryjanesjungle]

im not trying to dis your grow, im trying to help, keep up the good work

...and i appreicate that, but i think you misread me. To clerify they were seeds back in early may, even if I did 12/12 from seed I dont think that counts as flowering since may, they started showing sex early june, and bud production has been going for a month.

Here's my plan of attack from here on out, you tell me what you think.
I'm going to start by getting temps lower. By total mistake I found a way to get the plants a lil lower from the light and I'm also going to try to get more cool air in the room. I'll try not to have it blow so hard over the bud but its really hot by the 400WHPS so that's kinda hard. I'm thinking a week more at 1000ppm with the lower temps, then flush for a week, then a few days of no water in the res at all because I've heard that type of drout conditions helps boost res production at the very end.

I'm not set in that plan though so any advice will surely be heard.

Thanks to all who have helped so far.


Oh and can anyone explain why/confirm blowing air on the buds hurting resin production?





EDIT: I have this one bud, from the Flo plant (which is my fav) that's if you look close (sorry this pic doesnt really do it justice) is starting to purple up darn good. I was told with my higher res temps this woulndt happen (who knows maybe it would have happened more) but anywayz it looks ready and I'm wondering if I should pluck this one? I havent flushed yet but maybe I could water cure it to get all the ferts out? What do ya think I should do with it??

 

[maryjanesjungle]

Ive got temps down to 83 and res temp just below 70, hopefully this will help with resin production till I harvest

 

[Pseudo]

i think it will help a lot, you could also give the plants a prolonged dark cycle right before you chop, like 36-48 hours or so, that also can boost resin, also, i dont beleive a fan will decrease resin, ive grown some sticky icky on a VERY windy hilltop

 

[Gangabiss]

Looks to me like you overfed them at some point.

I can see burning around the edges of many leaf tips. Lots of crinkled and twisted leaves too.

Try dialing down the nutes next time or just decrease the N you give them gradually over the first few weeks of flowering.

This should help with the crystal formation I would think.

peace

 

[maryjanesjungle]

i think it will help a lot, you could also give the plants a prolonged dark cycle right before you chop, like 36-48 hours or so, that also can boost resin, also, i dont beleive a fan will decrease resin, ive grown some sticky icky on a VERY windy hilltop

Oh ya thats right, read that somewhere too but thanks for the reminder. Which also reminds me, currently I'm on a 10/14 light cycle as well, have been for 2 days now. So at least when its too hot (82 in there now) its not for long.

Do you think that purply flo bud can wait 2 more weeks? 1 to feed, one to flush or should I shorten my plan of attack?
I've always been guilty of chopping too soon, never waited too long so I don't know what happens that way and id hate to ruin the major big bud from the Flo plant.

 

[B.C.]

Imo drying fast and "sweating" the buds more helps break down any nutes thats left in the bio-mass and the clorophyll. The clorophyll is where the "green" hay smell comes from. I think it tastes better/stronger when you dry and cure quicker. Imo it locks the true flavor in..... About the purple, it's prolly from gentics. Running higher temps in yer rez will do nothing but cause root rot.... About the fan on the buds. When you run yer bulb close to the buds and you have a fan blowin directly on the buds yer pulling the heat from the bulb and putting it on the buds. That's why those bud-leaves are fried.....About the trics. The best way to make trics is keep the plant as happy as possible throughout it's whole life. There's NOTHIN you can do right at the end ta make em produce more. Draining yer rez will jus kill em! sittin in the dark for several days doesn't do anything either. Happy plants=trics and yeild period. Every grow will get better because ya learn what not to do. lol Good luck! Take care... BC

 

[maryjanesjungle]

Imo drying fast and "sweating" the buds more helps break down any nutes thats left in the bio-mass and the clorophyll. The clorophyll is where the "green" hay smell comes from. I think it tastes better/stronger when you dry and cure quicker. Imo it locks the true flavor in..... About the purple, it's prolly from gentics. Running higher temps in yer rez will do nothing but cause root rot.... About the fan on the buds. When you run yer bulb close to the buds and you have a fan blowin directly on the buds yer pulling the heat from the bulb and putting it on the buds. That's why those bud-leaves are fried.....About the trics. The best way to make trics is keep the plant as happy as possible throughout it's whole life. There's NOTHIN you can do right at the end ta make em produce more. Draining yer rez will jus kill em! sittin in the dark for several days doesn't do anything either. Happy plants=trics and yeild period. Every grow will get better because ya learn what not to do. lol Good luck! Take care... BC

Jesus,.. could one possible get more conflicting information? You basically contradicted everything everyone here has told me to do. Now I don't claim to be an expert by any means, hell I wouldn't even be on here asking for help if I even thought I knew what to do, but I find it hard to believe in most of what you said. As for the whole happy plant hippy mind set, Im not buying it. I'm not a fruit but personally I don't think there happier not having seeds like technology figured out a way to do. I don't know most of what works with mj or doesn't but I definitely think there is something to be said for doing things that wouldn't happen naturally in nature to produce a desired effect.

As for where the heat from my grow light is going I don't really think you're in a position to know the answer to that. Sure if I had a fan blowing down from above the light it would be pushing the hot air around the light onto my buds but that's not the case. I'm simply blowing it away from them so they dont just sit there and bake in non moving hot air.

 

[bottletoke]

yeah i really hate that hay smell, this is how i avoid it. After i trim(sometimes i dont even trim) i put the buds in mostly airtight paper bags or cardboard boxes, i find its necessary for the buds to "soak" in their smell as they dry, if left to hang in a room i find the buds dry to fast and have a lesser taste. when the buds become slightly cripy i alternate between paper bags and jars to get that pefect mositure content and cure, but before they even go into jars they have a strong smell..