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true cure VS terps. sugars and flushing.

clearheaded

Active member
When we truely cure cannabis, in the true sense of the word. the idea is to get rid of chlorophyl and phytol and sugars(which burn black, if ever burnt sugar u know what i mean), which by definition would mean change in color from green to more brownish. Now while it is a smoother smoke, terps tend to degrade loss of monoterps and everything that we describe as LOUD is for the most part gone or mostly lost.

The second is what I think of is "cannabis cure" which is when nugs are dried quicker then to "truely" cure. phytol is lost and a little bit of sugars, but remains green so not truelly cured. While not as smooth as true brownish cured cannabis(think tobacco), it retains more terpenes including the mono light terpenes.

The main thing in getting smooth smoke and terps is to allow the plant to use up its stored carbohydrates ie sugars that are very harsh and burn black. this is main reason why flushing works to make better smoke. NPK as salts dry when heated to white NOT black. its the sugars that are black. cannabis is an accumulator so yes can get extra salts if over feed. and why soil grown organic can still be good burning and tasty without a flush, just need to allow to yellow and let sugars used up. and of course get rid of phytol which is 1 reason Fresh frozen can be a little harsh.

I think it is something that needs to be discussed and more understood by newbies as I always hear they fucked up the drying. but usually they try to really cure buds and put in jars moist to dry slow which as i said basically destroys alot of the smell.

please discuss how u think I am wrong ;) or any points u feel I have missed. cheers!
 

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
if your flowers have been grown well and flushed well, you don't need a cure. as you say the flavors are strongest before it's allowed to really cure. although you get strains like the ecsd that keeps it's terp profile even after months of storage/curing time. interesting subject though, no doubt.
 

clearheaded

Active member
glad u think so and agree :) Its just not layed out properly in most grow TEKs. about what ur trying to do and how to go about getting results ur looking for.
 
How do you think water curing factors in? Whitest ash i've ever seen compared to the air cured stuff bought over the years. I think it's the weight reduction that makes it unpopular.
 

clearheaded

Active member
well think it fits in to the working theory. phytol chlorophyl and most sugars are easily dissolved in water, along with other salts, making the burn white. while yes temp can effect whiteness as chimera says, if blow torch any strain can go whitish, but its the turning white at the at and below lighter temp ie in a joint that is indicative of less harsh smoke. again not sure why people think its salts as put hydro fert in the hot oven and some sugar which turns black and which is lighter? I believe they can make it taste worse forsure but not the ash color. wet wood or dry cured wood burns with the loudest crackle and pop? something to think about aswell...
 

MJPassion

Observer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Consider the physiology of the plant when you harvest.

At night, plant sugars are translocated to the roots. As soon as the plant sees daylight those sugars begin moving back up into the plant canopy.

If one were to ensure they do not harvest during daylight hours, curing to remove excess sugars is unnecessary.

That is, as long as the plants were properly fed to begin with.
 

clearheaded

Active member
good point passion, although I am not sure its that easy as it wouldnt be all or even most sugar. while i think ur basing it off of need for roots to get higher amount of salts and sugars at night to absorb the most of the water for the day. ie increasing osmatic gradient. sugars are constantly in all green tissue. I would be interested to know how much difference in sugar levels throughout the day..... hmm. but some is always better then none!!

EDIT: although who knows how much of a difference is needed for change in harshness. part is breaking down of more complex sugars phytol etc. so several things at play. and imagine dif sugars/carbohydrates all have different properties esp how much carbon comes off when burnt etc.

hmm perhaps time to bust out some grade 11 chemistry books and get some iodine Seliwanoff and benedicts reagents and see what we can determine... not sure how blood gllucose is determined but wouldnt that be nice to do some experiments with blood glucose meters.. lol science is fun isnt it

like fine green tea, picked by mjpassion in the very early am ;) for maximum quality...
 
M

maliali

What i know from expirience. Is that Flushing and curing make change to buds. On flushing i try non flushed,flushed with some stuff like final solution,flawless finish and just RO 4 7 days. I noticed that unflushed burns black (i grow hydro) but taste is good with added chemicals in it i noticed it at smoke is kind of harsh and sticky, with comercial stuff like fs and ff ash is white really white but i noticed that flavour have different terpens little bit when u use ff and fs(OGcut i have is little bit more gasy/skunky with final solution and with flawless finish is more lemony/piney but that is is litlle bit). Smoke is tick and good. But i now i prefer just RO water for last 7 days. And it have good taste and have white/gray ash colour and smoke is delicous and taste on same OG cut is litlle bit more candiyish than before. And for Curing i can say it bring smothnes but change the terp profile this OG cut when harvested is Garlic,Funky,Earthy,Lemony,Skunk while after month or 2 becomes some kind of woodsy gas with candy ginger lemon overtone. When smoking after drying it makes u panic at first racy mind and after curing for month-2 it seatles in relaxing euforia more seteled down tipe of high that is becouse of terpens. And i noticed not good dried weed is not so strong but that is caused of water in it lungh have capacity and more water wapor insted of thc vapor u inhale the less go in to your blood. And thats why is weed stronger after ful drying after 3 weeks than after few days after harvest. And after 3 weeks of drying with high is just changeing cuz of terpens profile change in curing. 3 weeks drying for me is 15 days dry in in about 20c and humidity about 45% and after thet triming and 1 week in paper bags and then i start cure.
 

RulaTone

Well-known member
Veteran
a nice experiment would be to put some barely dry buds in a jar and let them cure at an ideal rh and temperature. Analyzing them first it should be possible to determine wich and how much VOCs were lost during the cure.
As for cannabinoid levels it would be interesting aswell to know what happens during a cure.
In my opionion the latter will be more abundant in % on dry matter for the progressive loss of water, that alone makes a huge weight inside a bud.
VOCs are easily lost being so volatile as you stated. Anyway i think that until theres water in the bud, the enzymatic process from when she was alive are still on going. so there may be a lower but still present production of volatiles and cannabinoids during cure.
For the record, Time ago i proposed research on a no-loss cure box, where normal atmosphere can be altered with specific gases to ensure curing of the green matter without or with less VOC loss.
 

gaiusmarius

me
Veteran
its funny because science and biology says that plants don't need flushing. there are many long threads on this and the science is totally convincing, even if i can't replicate all the arguments here by heart.

the trouble is, in practice, flushing the plants near the finish always make for better results. this applies even in bio soil grows.

you get more flavour much faster and you can smoke it just as soon as it's dry enough and enjoy a full flavor and clean burn, without getting hot mouth. which is not the case with un flushed flowers, they will need a good cure time to become halfway enjoyable and will always smoke hot. even if it burns better with time, its still never reaches the high quality of he flushed flowers, who get even better after a few weeks curing time. so in the end i just do what gives me the best results even if i don't understand why exactly it works the way it does. my basic theory is that N is the big difference, getting rid of any water soluble n in the medium.
 

clearheaded

Active member
well lowering ability for plant to create NEW sugars is part of it. if take away nutes obv restrict its ability to make sugar and uses up reserves. So makes sense, and also flushes away some of the sugars et al the roots put out for the micro organisms as the teaming with nutrients book guy says.

prob not one single thing and imagine several things at play.

Also there are studies done on fruit trees if given too much water near harvest it lowers brix of the fruits. hmmm

also like we knoe cannabis is an accumulator plant and why used to clean up nuclear waste. it doesnt destroy radioactivity just holds it in its tissue. which is the case for other "mineral salts" if u will, but if we look at %mass make of the plant sugars and carbs make up more then anything else. but that being said we have all tasted that "hydro taste". So like i said think there is a combo of factors and not just 1 single thing like we have been led to believe all these years.

peace
 

clearheaded

Active member
malial: as i said, yes flush can make taste different but more so from it "using up" its sugar as apposed to "getting rid" of nutrients. The high likely changes because its less harsh little dif terps but more so increase in CBN as thats what makes high sleepy and confusing indica like effects. cbn is created by degrading of thc which happens naturally over time quicker in cure like enviroments.

rulatone: def interesting, but no although some reactions taking place during cure no new thc is created. we know some change ie thc to more potent cbn. and like u said just way it burns along with size changes with water levels. also with cure its smoother so easier to smoke which could make it seem more potent aswell as can take bigger rips and hold them in maybe just that little bit longer. burn lower temp or slower wet which could effect things aswell. or perhaps just having more water in the smoke makes it get "hung up" easier in smoking device. ?? just a thought.

oh also mjpassion, harvesting at night along with less sugar maybe terps/oils created at night dont have a chance to evaporate in warm sun, so may be better taste that way too harvesting at night.
 
M

maliali

I start flushing before i listen to sience and i think it is bulshit. Becouse before i never flush and always have that hot mouth like someone sad befeore. Some say that u need to cure i cured non flushed bud in almost perfect conditions and after 22 month curing it have that hot mouth and after that i always flush my plants. Also tray with flawless finish and final solution both are good and flavour is little bit intensed bot little bit different. But why to pay cuz with RO is just perfect.
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Cannabis should not require curing to be smooth and flavorful.

Cannabis is a hyper/dynamic accumulator. (Very different than standard garden plants) When any excess is encountered in the root zone, the plant will absorb and bind those excesses directly to new tissue growth. None of this will "flush" or "fade" out over time as it is permanently fixed. (Mobile/immobile element status does not matter here)

Cannabis grown with a balanced nutrient for cannabis, and without ever over feeding, will burn soft and cool without a cure. It will be complexly aromatic and flavorful without any additives but NPK and micros. Grown with r/o water, the ash will be light and fluffy; blowing away easily with the slightest puff of breath.

I grow hydro and I use refined mineral nutrients. I swap out the res once a flowering run, 5 days before harvest. You and (others before you) will swear it's the most flavorful and aromatic, organic cannabis you've ever had. (Those who grow better than I do will definitely not say the same. lol)

:tiphat:
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Dropped Cat

Six Gummi Bears and Some Scotch
Veteran
The Thai Haze x Sk1 I flower is very good after a couple months in the jar.

Any other plant I flower is best after a couple weeks in the jar.

Good thread.
 
I did a blackdog kush clone in rols under led. it smells amazing (like dank blueberry muffins). my buddy grew the same clone under the same light with AN lineup for nutes in dwc. his smells like straight kush ( not a bad thing at all!!!) but it lacks the muffin smell mine has. so I think medium and nutes heavily influence the outcome of the terpenes. not talking shit about hydro at all, it was just a difference I feel is worth noting.
 
good point passion, although I am not sure its that easy as it wouldnt be all or even most sugar. while i think ur basing it off of need for roots to get higher amount of salts and sugars at night to absorb the most of the water for the day. ie increasing osmatic gradient. sugars are constantly in all green tissue. I would be interested to know how much difference in sugar levels throughout the day..... hmm. but some is always better then none!!

EDIT: although who knows how much of a difference is needed for change in harshness. part is breaking down of more complex sugars phytol etc. so several things at play. and imagine dif sugars/carbohydrates all have different properties esp how much carbon comes off when burnt etc.

hmm perhaps time to bust out some grade 11 chemistry books and get some iodine Seliwanoff and benedicts reagents and see what we can determine... not sure how blood gllucose is determined but wouldnt that be nice to do some experiments with blood glucose meters.. lol science is fun isnt it

like fine green tea, picked by mjpassion in the very early am ;) for maximum quality...

I guess that means for the flushing process you not only need to run water through the root system, but you also need to do three or four light cycles of 0 - 24
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Douglas ur noob i also use pure salts cuz i know lots on cemistry and i know that companies selling shit cuz some chem formulas cant be in same bottle without mixing. How u know how is my weed. Ur fucking noob bro when u hate on us without reason i know that from expirience i had in life. From your post we can see that ur not so inteligent and becouse ur not u cant grown good weed. And also i have to stay some one grow shit and think is good also ur stupid and think that u smart it the same. What is organic when all planet is poluted with pesticied every water drop every soil. I see lots of smart guys who dont want to look the world just reading different philisophy and think that is true. I shit on u and your organic fake cannabis. And godlike sience who dont know anithing if ur in sience u had to know that notihin is just different teories. Go to hell bro ur life noob who surly dosent know how to be good in life and by thet doesnt know how to grow good weed.
Welcome to icmag.com :tiphat: and thank you for sharing. :) Though I require no outside affirmations of my greatness, or the quality of my cannabis, your comments have been summarily discarded.

Have a GREAT Day! LOL :D


(Edit: What defines a man is how he responds to contrary information. A real man, when presented with information which contradicts his own, will go and research the subject for the truth. Petty people get upset and throw insults. I'm quite confident in my research.)
 

Douglas.Curtis

Autistic Diplomat in Training
Interesting how some people react to contrary information.

What you're seeing (with maliali) is a fundamental disconnect I've noticed in a lot of growers. It's really not their fault, their upset hinges on a lack of awareness. When you've never been exposed to sugar, blackstrap molasses is pretty dang sweet. When the best, of the best, of the best you've experienced is "meh" in quality, your awareness of what is possible is limited.

I've actually run across several growers with over 2 decades of growing experience, who still suffer from this syndrome. Having maintained a steady diet of their own cannabis, and rarely being exposed to other quality levels, their idea of "Fire" cannabis is flat out horrible. They take a big toke and say how smooth and flavorful it is, then exhale smoothly. You take a toke and it's hot, harsh and tastes like nutes and leaf... making you cough your brains out. You, apparently, don't have their iron throat and lungs from smoking such contaminated cannabis all day, every day.

Cannabis smoke is smooth, soft and packed full of flavor and aroma when fresh dried off the plant. ZERO need for a cure to make this happen. When you get anything else, you're overfeeding and it doesn't matter what the food source is. (People believe my cannabis is organic and I have to correct them it's 100% hydro.)

The cure? The cure is where polymerization of the flavor/aroma chains happens. Over time this creates a more complex smell and flavor bouquet. The cure is not for making poorly grown cannabis *better*.
:tiphat:
 
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