Question about watering before harvest?

[Chronic777]

Well im not sure how your own soil mixes work but last night i 'flushed' my soil (bioterra) with plain water until it came out the bottom of the pots
I got about 10% run off (not a real flush i know!) and the run off was very oily & dark looking (lots of nutes in it)

Ive decided to go another week and everytime i water im gonna do it until i get lots of runoff like yesterday, it feels good to clean it out, hopefully by the end the run off will be clear water?
My friend fed plain water for 2 weeks and you can taste how clean his bud is...i want the same

 

[mad librettist]

chronic just do what you are doing. sounds like you are fine and getting advice from someone who makes it work. The rest of us have different situations and in the end you have to judge.

It's strange though for me to read "water only for 2 weeks". I can go 2 months if I want.

 

[Chronic777]

To go 2 months with plain water you must have a rich nute mix in yourhomemade organic soil mix right?
What me & my buddy use are store bought soil mixes (allmix/bioterra) and adding store bought organic liquid nutes (biobizz/biocanna)
Im pretty sure if i only fed plain water in a store bought soil mix for two months, the plant would die...

 

[mad librettist]

I guess it's fertile, but nutes aren't like a block of melting salt in a living soil. They are saved up as bacteria and such and the plant can have a big influence on how much is made available at any given time.

I also have worms living in the pots.

 

[Chronic777]

My plant is yellowing nicely anyway, should be very clean by end of next week
Theres something nice about feeding plain crystal clear water, evian of course, being the organic snob i am

 

[ghostly]

z

 

[mad librettist]

you are smart chronic. start with what you have seen work, and look for explanations later.

too many times, I will see something happen before my very eyes, but I won't believe it because it doesn't fit my narrative.

sort of like the classic line "who you gonna believe? me? or your lying eyes?"

 

[Chronic777]

Reading the plant always works best, but its nice to have you guys here to get some outside advice aswell
This is my first grow, im really looking forward to the harvest

 

[mad librettist]

Reading the plant always works best,

not when you are illiterate lol.

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

Aside from genetics, one of the most effective ways I've found for making bud taste milder and lighter in color is to remove all fan leaves and cut the finished buds off the stems before beginning drying. I'm in agreement with ML that flushing an organic soilmix is a silly idea for the exact reasons he outlines, but I also go further in questioning whether the finished result of 'flushed' bud is actually better. To me it's not. I can't remember how many times I've puffed something and thought, (to myself) "This bud has little smell or taste and is dry and stale" and it turned out to be 'flushed' hydro. In my 'pinion, most of the good flavors and smells are in the water soluable saps and I want to get as much of them up into the buds during drying as possible. I and other local growers have done enough tests to satisfy me/us that slow drying with completely intact plants results in better taste, smell and longer shelf life of the dried bud. We haven't tested yet, but I suspect the water soluable saps even contribute to some extra weight in the dried bud(!). If the genetics of the plant dictate a very dark green dried bud, so be it. If those tastes are not to other peoples liking, the easiest fix would be genetics, not cultivational. But, if a cultivational solution for over green 'organic' buds is what is desired, I'd suggest folks try the 'manicure first' method.

 

[Chronic777]

I dont really care what it looks like, i just want it to taste amazing, im not even bothered about smell, just taste.
Thats why i grew blue cheese, it tastes amazing.

For harvest i plan on taking all the leaves off but leaving the bud to dry on the stems for a week, then maybe another week on drying shelves, then cut them off the stems & into the jars they go

The two weeks hanging/drying may be brought down in time though, i really wanna slow dry them
Gonna have the in/extract fans on my tent super low so theres not air 'rushing' between buds, just enough for good exchange

When i talk about flushing, i in no way mean flushing with water 3/4 times the medium size, i just mean feeding plain water until you get a decent amount of runoff for the last few waterings

 

[guest2012y]

Aside from genetics, one of the most effective ways I've found for making bud taste milder and lighter in color is to remove all fan leaves and cut the finished buds off the stems before beginning drying. I'm in agreement with ML that flushing an organic soilmix is a silly idea for the exact reasons he outlines, but I also go further in questioning whether the finished result of 'flushed' bud is actually better. To me it's not. I can't remember how many times I've puffed something and thought, (to myself) "This bud has little smell or taste and is dry and stale" and it turned out to be 'flushed' hydro. In my 'pinion, most of the good flavors and smells are in the water soluable saps and I want to get as much of them up into the buds during drying as possible. I and other local growers have done enough tests to satisfy me/us that slow drying with completely intact plants results in better taste, smell and longer shelf life of the dried bud. We haven't tested yet, but I suspect the water soluable saps even contribute to some extra weight in the dried bud(!). If the genetics of the plant dictate a very dark green dried bud, so be it. If those tastes are not to other peoples liking, the easiest fix would be genetics, not cultivational. But, if a cultivational solution for over green 'organic' buds is what is desired, I'd suggest folks try the 'manicure first' method.

Interesting Mr. G........I have often thought of the "saps" as oils and water soluble fluids that if dried to quickly will leave with the initial water vapor in the first couple days of drying. It seems that when I dry slow,the resiny quality and smokability of the herb go up. I too trim the fan leaves before drying,always have. Some older folks I know still pull the plants up by the roots and hang em' until they are dry.....leaves and all. I have tried to tell them that's not exactly of benefit to them,but I find it a bit disrespectful to tell someone who's been growing 30 years longer than me my way is better. In one aspect of that old school method,they get the whole plant drying as one thing. Which may aid in some retention of those "saps". I have personally noticed that hydro-smoke taste when I smoke hydro buds. Never been impressed with hydro-buds,yet that's not to say that there aren't some great results coming from some organic hydro growers. I just prefer herb grown in organic soil. It has "meat" on it's bones!!! I tend to feel that to much Nitrogen in the buds gives it that harsh smoke,that's why I chill out on feeding the microherd a couple weeks before cutdown. This is just my idea of what I think is going on when drying,is it a valid assumption?

 

[mellow yellow]

I have not watered a planet for nearly a week before i chopped it, it had dried a lot and i picked the outside of the bud rolled it and smoked it !!!! I like to cure for a while so have not done it again.

 

[guest2012y]

Quote: "I have not watered a planet for nearly a week before i chopped it"
Thank you for watering our planet and not chopping us mellow yellow............... Kidding,I know you misspelled the word "plant".

 

[Bass Akwards]

Either way, the plant dies ...

Either way, the plant dies ...

thanks bass, have you tried it? do you let it die of thirst?

We severely limit moisture, and cut it off completely when possible.

No mercy.

Cut off their water and let Jack Frost slap 'em around a bit.

Whether the plant is cut a branch at a time, or slowly allowed to wither, either way it dies ... dead. The plant is not your "baby", and it doesn't need "perfect" soil to reach its' "genetic potential".

Every drug strain plant on the planet will yield higher levels of cannabinoids when exposed to "less than ideal" conditions. Lack of water, high levels of UV, nutrient deficiencies, and mineral content of the soil, all play a part. It won't be big or pretty, but it will be strong.

Hydro-hoo-doo ceremonies aside, the same principles apply.

Drought stress is Always associated with elevated cannabinoid levels.

In hydro, the "flush" is actually another form of stress for the plant.

Think of it as "water-boarding" for your reefer.

 

[mad librettist]

so what do you think of my plan?

I am going to stop watering and turn off the lights for a week or more.

or

I can kill it with the lights on. what do yo think?

 

[Bass Akwards]

Pump Them Up & Let Them Die

Pump Them Up & Let Them Die

If we had our druthers, two or three "limp leaf" episodes would precede the final watering, with an occasional spray of moisture to the foliage. By repeating the stress, the plant has a chance to adapt.

Outdoors, the best way to restrict water is with ... a hose clamp.

Tighten the sucker down, over a few weeks, until they say "ouch".

When the final droop happens, let it be for two days stone dry, then darken the lights for 48 hours. Next, pull it whole from the medium, roots in the air, and let the entire plant hang in the dark for another few days. The large leaves will lay over the buds and slow their drying.

One way to really slow the cure is to dip the roots in a pot of hot water. ( It's an old trick best done in a wash tub over a fire out behind the barn. ) This shocks the leaves stomata closed tight, severely restricting respiration. Back in the day, it was the only semi-practical way to significantly improve the taste of homegrown weed.

Just for the heck of it, you might try letting a plant die naturally outdoors. After a few dry/wet cycles, and a few frosts and freezes, when they've lost all their green, strip off whatever's left and stuff it in a pipe. ( The herb won't stay lit, so don't bother rolling a joint. ) It won't taste good, but the head will be worth the hassle.

 

[mad librettist]

Bass,

that post alone is justification for the existence of this site. a true gem bro. I wish I had read this last week.

I gotta leave home for a week, and I'm not sure they can live through it (I'm about ready to harvest). So should I leave the lights on or off? I could even restart them when I get back...

 

[Chronic777]

I may not have starved her of water at the very end, but every watering for the last 2 weeks has been letting her dry out, if anything i just like feeling the plants releif when i go & water her, ifit means more potency aswell, cool!

Today i fed her plain water until the run off was clear, it took a good 5 litres of water, its 2 days form harvest & tonights gonna be the last time i have lights on, so she should get 33 hours darkness before chop, hope she drinks alot of what i gave her over the darkness period

 

[Flying Goat]

<lurking, always lurking...>