How to Cure if im leaving for vacation the day after I harvest

[Smokahontas]

thanks for the advice everyone. How would I go about increasing the humidity in my place? I live in an apartment and I have only one room to myself. My other roomates are moving out for the three weeks too. The heat will be off and temperatures will be very very low. 50-60 I would say.

 

[pftek]

thanks for the advice everyone. How would I go about increasing the humidity in my place? I live in an apartment and I have only one room to myself. My other roomates are moving out for the three weeks too. The heat will be off and temperatures will be very very low. 50-60 I would say.

if only they invented some device that could increase humidity in a room to a specific humidity level...

 

[mean mr.mustard]

water the plants and let them dry in the pots

 

[qbert]

Maybe create a dark, climate controlled space at 65-70* F and 55-60% relative humidity. Trim everything well, remove from stems, and let sit in those optimal curing conditions.

It would be just like managing the conditions in a jar through burping. The room would need air exchange. And I'm not sure if it there would be a problem with getting to 60% initially, I'm thinking maybe the room would be too moist for it to dry quickly enough and mold would set in. Chopping a day or two early to allow some initial drying time could solve that.

 

[Smokahontas]

THis grow is in a PC case, so if i let them dry in the pots they are going to be chilling in a cold room with NO light. Can they be in total darkness?

 

[phattybudz]

Why not?

not like you're trying to grow them any bigger...

 

[jd4083]

i dont get what that means let them dry and vine ripen in the pots. With no light present? Wouldn't it just die from not being fed?

That's the idea...and I completely agree, that is really your only "foolproof" option to still get quality product. I don't really have the time or space to do it myself but if I had a choice I'd take herb that died on the tree, it basically "cures" it in terms of the chlorophyll and really makes for a smooth smoke.

 

[Regulator Dave]

Great, I like this puzzle, I know exactly what I would do. First I would stop watering the plant on Dec 20th or 21st depending on the size of pots you have. The next step does involve cutting a little earlier than you planned but the quality of cure will be much better than the alternatives given your specific limitations. I would harvest on the 22 or 23 of Dec. Cut the stalk at the soil level. Cut off all of the fan leaves. Hang it in dry area until right before you have to leave on your trip. At the point just before you are leaving you should cut all the flowers off and put them in glass Jars don't cram the jars leave at least half of each jar with open air. With the combined approaches of water deprivation and over 48 hours of open air drying on the stalk with no fan leaves, the herb should dry out just enough to be OK in a jar until you get back and can trim it up and probably enjoy a decent smoke, given the circumstances. If you have a buddy that can open the jars and rotate the flowers every few days you would be golden. I think this is your best shot though.

 

[Smokahontas]

Can other experts in this field give their 2 cents in regards to this vine drying thing? Because, December 24th makes 7 weeks of flowering. If I come back on the 14th it would be 10 weeks. I think this would make some awesomely potent bud, but I am not familiar with vine-drying. I definitely don't want my bud to be brown or dead. I want some fine kush and nothing but some fine kush. I could easily stick the plant in my closet, shut the doors and keep the room at around 50-60. Only problem is that it is dry and cold outside here. So I don't imagine it would be very humid in my room. My lights are right now on 10/14. I set it to that to hopefully decrease the flowering time because 7 weeks is a little bit of a skimpy flower. I feel like 3 weeks is a LONG ASS time to vine dry a plant. I don't want to come back and see a wasted white widow plant.

 

[jd4083]

I already gave my 2 cents and would never claim to be an expert at anything except maybe learning but I'll throw this in too for shits and giggles...

consider the process that is going to occur if you leave the plant to die on the stem...it is really the most gentle method by which you can reasonably guarantee a quality product with your being unable to observe when it's at the right RH and jar it as you would with a typical dry/cure process. Also, as I mentioned much of the chlorophyll appears to be "flushed" out of the flowers after several days, which can (with the right strain) produce a smoke right off of the plant that I feel often outshines a "properly cured" bud.

I would say go long and slow if you can control the humidity in your drying area precisely enough to do so, but that's a bit of a risk. As much as you should try to take your time so that you don't over-dry it before you jar it (can't ever come back from that point), it's arguably better to have a few jars full of improperly cured and slightly crispy herb than a bunch of moldy nuggets? Shoulda planned better, but there ain't much you can do about it now. I dunno man...do ya have more than one plant that you can at least try the above as an experiment on and go with a more traditional slow dry on another so you're covered?

Hey, here's an idea, why not get a cheap aquarium pump and try building an "automatic" water curing setup that will flush the herb as needed and cycle in fresh water while you're gone? I'm not a huge fan of water curing personally as flavor and smell are as important as the buzz for me, but once again, if it comes down to guaranteed B-grade product or a crap-shoot for the A+, I for one am going to go for the former and take care of business.

I'm a little too bleary-eyed to put much thought into that right now, but I can't imagine that it would cost much or be terribly difficult to do if you have the inclination and DIY attitude.

 

[Smokahontas]

so I should just take the plant out of the case, stick the bitch in my closet, and let her chill for 3 weeks?

 

[Smokahontas]

Also, I have my PC case - maybe I could use it to my advantage to create some kind of environment to super-dry? I can unplug the lights, and leave the fans going so that it would be dark, with air blowing in and out of the case. Maybe if the la blanca looks ready a few days before I leave, I can chop her and then dry her in the case for like 2 days. I can also maybe crack the window in my room and keep my place really cold and dry while im not home or something. Maybe I can speed-dry it for like 2 days before I leave. She will only have 7 weeks of flower, but I have kept the lights on 10/14. This will clearly diminish yield, but hopefully it will speed the process and live up to its potential potency. She has been flowering 34 days and her hairs are starting to turn amber. The calyxes haven't retracted so much though.

 

[kornholios]

Just harvest the plant, put it a paper bag and have fun on your holidays. Maybe next time put a little more planning into your grow so you won't have the same problem when Easter break comes around...

 

[mean mr.mustard]

Judging by how this thread paused I'm going to assume that the original poster went with the brown bag idea.

I'm disappointed that it took three pages of advice to end with a solution like that.

In my opinon better options were covered.

 

[Leroy Brown]

I can't beleive nobody suggested putting it in the freezer.

 

[palladio]

really, the freezer? Anyone second this?

 

[3finglid]

I was in the same situation last year. I had no choice but to chop my plants the day before I left on a 17 day vacation. That night I trimmed them and hung the branches so they could dry.
When I returned over two weeks later, they were super dry and crisp. I jarred them adding a piece of lettuce every so often to bring back the moisture. Unfortunately in the end the overdrying hurt both the taste and the potency. You may have better luck.

 

[GreenShadows]

Left Field presents

Left Field presents

The approach I'm pitching may be a little out there...
Harvest early enough to do the following, basically 3 days before normal cut time. Trim buds to a medical marijuana quality.

I have never done this method.
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This approach is from the: Marijuana Horticulture The Indoor / Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible 5 th Edition (2006) by Jorge Cervantes (pages 92 & 93):

Freeze Drying
Dry Ice is frozen dioxide. When it warms, CO2 converts from a frozen solid gas, without turning into a liquid. When moist marijuana is enclosed with dry ice (frozen CO2 at virtually zero relative humidity, water molecules migrate from the cannabis to the dry ice. This causes the relative humidity of the CO2 to increase and the moisture content of the marijuana to decrease. This process occurs below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius).
Place equal amounts of dry and bud into a container. Put the dry ice on the bottom and bud on top. Seal with a lid. Make a few small holes in the lid of the container for excess gas to exit. Place in your kitchen freezer. Check every 12-24 hours. When the dry ice is gone, the buds should be completely dry. If not dry, add more dry ice until cannabis is dry. Conserve dry ice by partially drying bud for a few days before enclosing with dry ice.
This method retains potency and fresh and cause very little degradation of resin glands from heat, light, air, and fondling hands. The smoke has a mint-like taste because the chlorophyll does not break down.
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Perhaps then place in vacuum sealed bags (maybe you should buy a machine? Or go the cheap way grocery isle).
Then why not place in jars, put lid on, and store in complete darkness while gone so that the chlorophyll breaks down. Hopefully the darkness will help cure the bud or improve the cure.

I'm really interested in the solution to a dilemma like this. I'm also a student so I figure this could maybe happen to me.

 

[Dojo]

water them before you leave, let them dry and vine ripen in the pots...they should be super stoney !!

Although I have not had a problem like this I may in the future...Thanks whodair for this suggestion...to me this makes the most sense

Im sorry but would you or anyone knowledgable care to offer more info on this method ... how was the smoke,taste,odor,bag appeal of this method? Did you do a side by side with regular drying and curing?

 

[Smokahontas]

hi guys. I actually ended up harvesting 4 days before I left for break and I dried normally. I got about a half O of beautiful la blanca and its right now chilling in a jar. My roomate will be in and out of the apartment and will open the jar every few days.

Gracias. Happy smoking