Losing That Beautiful Smell After Harvest

[Phedrosbenny]

Unless your drying buds the size of footballs in a humid location, 2 weeks of haging is to long IME. You want to put the buds into paper bags/jars before they are bone dry, and crumbling. The key to great smelling bud is to allow the moiture to sweat out from the buds gradually.

I cut, and trim my buds when fresh. Cutting the branches off at the main stem of the plant, and hangin them to dry. In 70-73 degree temps and 30-45% humidity I let the buds dry for around 5-7days depending on size of buds, or untill I can hear a snap sound when bending the stems. The stems shouldn't be able to snap clean in half. You hear the snap of the fibers, but they should still hold enough moisture inside to bend. At that point I cut the buds from the stems, and place them into brown paper bags for a couple days, opening the bags up daily to mix the buds up so they dry evenly. After that time, when the buds have just become smokable I go ahead and place them into the glass jars for curing. I open the jars up daily as I did the bags to let out the moisture for the first week or 2, and if they feel damp to the touch I dump them out on a piece of newpaper for 5-10min or until the outside of the buds are once again dry.

With this method the scent of the varieties I grow litteraly explodes from the jars when opened, and is uncontainable in plastic Bags. Primo buds, but a liability if you gotta travel with it, or give samples to friends.

The above post is correct.I think unless you have a huge yield,your drying too long.

The other poster that wrote that they had the same problem until they started just drying the plant whole and then they had no problems.The reason for that is drying the plant whole slows down the drying process.

If your yield is a ounce or two, 5 to 7 days drying before you go to the jars.

As far as the "hay" smell.I have found that it is part of the process.That is all the nasty shit evaporating out of your product.If you continue to jar and burp without losing all the humidity so it is still curing,the hay smell will disapear and the good smell will return.

Good Luck

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

Unless your drying buds the size of footballs in a humid location, 2 weeks of haging is to long IME. You want to put the buds into paper bags/jars before they are bone dry, and crumbling. The key to great smelling bud is to allow the moiture to sweat out from the buds gradually.

I cut, and trim my buds when fresh. Cutting the branches off at the main stem of the plant, and hangin them to dry. In 70-73 degree temps and 30-45% humidity I let the buds dry for around 5-7days depending on size of buds, or untill I can hear a snap sound when bending the stems. The stems shouldn't be able to snap clean in half. You hear the snap of the fibers, but they should still hold enough moisture inside to bend. At that point I cut the buds from the stems, and place them into brown paper bags for a couple days, opening the bags up daily to mix the buds up so they dry evenly. After that time, when the buds have just become smokable I go ahead and place them into the glass jars for curing. I open the jars up daily as I did the bags to let out the moisture for the first week or 2, and if they feel damp to the touch I dump them out on a piece of newpaper for 5-10min or until the outside of the buds are once again dry.

With this method the scent of the varieties I grow litteraly explodes from the jars when opened, and is uncontainable in plastic Bags. Primo buds, but a liability if you gotta travel with it, or give samples to friends.

That's how I do it. I take a day or 2 less on hanging because my spot is a little warmer than that.

I cut off the stem and bag or flat dry some BEFORE my stems snap. I like a nice bend with some crackle to it not a snap. I had some I forgot about and let hang a few days long and the smell isn't quite as intense as the other jars.

I jar a little sooner but you have to burp the jars more often in my experience.

I don't know if this method is better or worse but I would say I would win the stank contest over quite a few of my friends herb

Smiley

 

[Harinama]

agreed, i tend to pull whole hanging plants a few days before stem snappiness, say 5days, trim and jar, burping quite often the first few days, say 3-4x/day. Then i burp maybe 1x/day for a few days. I did notice the hay smell during the first few weeks of curing, but after jarring it is gone now.

This seems to be helping with smell. After a month, the jars smell nice and tasty.

 

[Dimebagg]

I'll throw in on this too. I think youre drying way too long. I dry until most of the stems snap when bent, then they go to jars to cure, and get burped once or twice a day, my schedule permitting.

Proper curing will bring out all your flavors and smells. If you dry too long, you have no moisture left to cure the buds, so jars are pretty much useless.

 

[buddin_904]

yea its a balancing act between drying it enough to leave a little moisture in your favor for cure/sweating.....while also not leaving them too wet which WILL bring mold. so experience has been my best friend in the end.

also...if you take great care in preserving the heads of your trichomes.....i agree it almost can take away or leave minimal smell from the dryish product....however...once bagged and shuffled around a bit the smell should start to REEK.

 

[Dimebagg]

however...once bagged and shuffled around a bit the smell should start to REEK.

Great point! My harvests go in jars for my personal use, and even if opening the jars doesnt overwhelm the room with its smell, grinding it often does. Bagging and transporting would most definitely have the same effect.

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

Slow drying is important. If the plant is small enough, I leave it whole, sunleaves and all. I trim off leaves as soon as they're dry, and leave buds on stem lengths that will stack into open jars. I've never been hip to the stem snapping test. Matter of fact, I just went over and grabbed a jar of SD that's been shut about a week to test a stem. It bent, but it didn't break. And no, there's no mold, just a powerful, pinesol fresh SD smell that hit's you in the face as soon as you crack the lid. I think curing only continues as long as there's some moisture left in the bud. Once it's completely dry, the window for curing is gone.

 

[Harinama]

"curing only continues as long as there's some moisture left in the bud."

Bingo! I think, that is exactly what the issues is with the OP. Jar after the outsides of the buds become a bit crispy, and the stems bend crisply, but not break. Every environment temp/humidity/light is different, but generally 5-7 days, then into the jar.

 

[Ziggaro]

All you have to do: Follow Mr Postman's advice exactly

I probably only dry about 4 days cos of low humidity (30-40%) and high temp (75f)

My stuff always reeks, no concealing it, regardless what it was. It reeks through the jars..

 

[thepike1984]

Great info guys. Just cut a G13Haze down earlier today. Didnt touch any leaves just cut it straight from the main stalk. Hanging upside down in the dark for the next 5 days then going in jars. Will update this post with my results. Thanks again

 

[THC123]

Just try not to clean a plant , hang it upside down and let it hang for 2 weeks approx

you won't lose any smell , but you'll have to remove the leaves before smoking

this is the best way to preserve that smell

I also like simon's way of curing , but if you really want that smell you had on your fresh product in your dried product , just dry with all the leaves on and remove the small leaves manually when they are brittle

so just don't trim em fresh!

 

[OPT]

I cannot imagine a plant taking more then 1 week to dry enough to at least jar and burp them.

I just recently cut down a harvest, cut all the main branches off, trimmed, then hung the branches (big and small) upside down in a 1x1 tent that had a chorcoal filter and fan to keep the smell at bay.

I didn't even have any direct air flow hitting them at all, just passive intake from the flap vent on the bottom, and it only took 4-5 days to be dry enough to jar.

After it's dry enough I then trim it down fully into manageable buds, put in jar, and like mentioned above, burp at least 1-2 times a day, for an hour at a time.

After a few days of this, the humidity sits constant enoguh to where I don't have to worrry bout checking them as often.

This is the way I've always done it, and I have always had my MJ stink/smell, moreso then in flowering actually.

OPT

 

[thepike1984]

Update

Update

A little update from last week. The plant has hung for 5 days and seemed dry enough to trim and chop lastnight. I trimmed all the leaves off then individualy cut each branch off and trimmed the bud. Was still stinking lastnight but has kinda got that damp hay smell today. Its all been jarred up and im hoping that lovely smell will come back in due course. 110g before it was all jarred so im more than happy with that. No rocket sized buds but a good yeild in my opinion. Will post pics of the cured buds when there ready. Thanks again for everyones input and opinions. This site is awesome

 

[Rakkasan]

.

 

[thepike1984]

Are you useing a ozone gene where you are drying? ozone machine will zap ur buds of smell for sure....

Nope. dont even know what one is lol

 

[thepike1984]

90% sure there is something wrong with my bud

90% sure there is something wrong with my bud

The day after i cut the buds from the g13 i decided it was still to damp to jar so iv had it left out in a dry dark room for the past couple of days. Now the bud is dry enough to be put into jars and start the curing process. Upon doing this i got a whiff of the nice weedy smell iv been looking for so i thought id break a bud open hoping to smell that lovely hazey smell intensified. The only way i can think of to describe the smell is, imagine opening a bin (garbage can for you westerns) that hasnt been emptied in about 2 weeks. It has a horrible foosty smell. Some buds even smell of Liquorice. I smoked a joint of it and it tastes how it smells. Now i had smoked a joint i wanted to test out my lemon skunk that i had drying in another room. It has a more lemony smell to it but i can still smell that foosty bucket smell from it too.

About 3-4 weeks before harvest the plants starting showing purply pinkish tones that i was advised by many people on this site that it was just natural colouring. Now im not so sure. Think i may have the dreaded mold. Got some bud pics for you guys to gander at and express your opinions on.

 

[Bud Bug]

Normally what I do is trim them and dry them on a rack for 3 days till they look like they are bone dry but the stem is still able to bend and wont break.

Then I just shove them into plastic rubber maid bins and let them sweat out while I open up the lid couple times per day. About 3-4 days later they are fairly dry and small like I got a skunk in the house. I don't dry them 100% unless some is buying the whole lb as most people I know hate smoking 100% dry weed. They want a "little" moisture in there so it don't burn too fast.

 

[DevilWeed]

Pike, those buds look dam good. When you break them open, do you see any signs of mold? Any white fuzz?

I abused the hell out of my last harvest. Last night I trimmed a plant thats been hanging in my flower room for over a month (don't ask) and it was stinky as hell. Somethings gotta be going on with your environment to cause this. Or keep trying other strains...maybe you've just had bad luck.

 

[buddin_904]

^ ummmm why do have the buds look nice light green....then the other half r brownish??? i think there fucked up? i dont no actually?....lol sell em off.....

 

[DonkDBZ]

70-75 degrees and 50-60% humidity. Dry time depends on branch and nug size. I like my branches to be around 40-50 grams wet. Takes around 7-9 to dry. If I trim wet smell is good before he cure. If I leave everything on branches then trim smell is great before the cure.

The only time I got that hay smell is drying to fast. (4-5 days). Or I tried to cure them when they still to wet.