Began Harvesting My First Grow

[TheDankest]

Strain: Purple Punch Feminized
Grow Period: February 20th - July 1st
Grow Medium: 100% straight Fox Farms Ocean Forest
Nutrients: Fox Farms Grow Big, Big Bloom, & Tiger Bloom
Transplants: Solo Cup > 1 Gal > 3 Gal > 7 Gal

I forgot to weigh the biggest bud of the harvest yesterday, so it's been drying for about 24 hours, but it's currently weighing in at 43 grams (just about an ounce and a half!)

Still have some underdeveloped buds toward the bottom of the plants and a few bigger buds that still need a few days, so this isn't even the full harvest from the two plants yet.

Super excited and can't wait for the drying/curing process to be done. Already made some bubble hash out of the trim from yesterday and that stuff was

 

[Novaracer69]

Strain: Purple Punch Feminized
Grow Period: February 20th - July 1st
Grow Medium: 100% straight Fox Farms Ocean Forest
Nutrients: Fox Farms Grow Big, Big Bloom, & Tiger Bloom
Transplants: Solo Cup > 1 Gal > 3 Gal > 7 Gal

I forgot to weigh the biggest bud of the harvest yesterday, so it's been drying for about 24 hours, but it's currently weighing in at 43 grams (just about an ounce and a half!)

Still have some underdeveloped buds toward the bottom of the plants and a few bigger buds that still need a few days, so this isn't even the full harvest from the two plants yet.

Super excited and can't wait for the drying/curing process to be done. Already made some bubble hash out of the trim from yesterday and that stuff was

Outstanding job I personally love the bud structure and the spacing. To me that's almost perfect

 

[TheDankest]

Outstanding job I personally love the bud structure and the spacing. To me that's almost perfect

Thank you! I put a lot of research in before starting, and I'm really happy with the results of my first grow for sure. I have some Blue Dream seeds the breeder gave me for free with the Purple Punch, going to have to try those out next!

 

[Bullmark69]

Nice harvest man……now comes the most important part…..drying super slow and redistributing the moisture from the center of the buds….
By the way, I’m a weirdo who tracks all sorts of useless info, including how much weight my buds lose each day during the dry. I can tell u with absolute certainty, that your dry buds will weigh between 38-42% of the 24hr (after chop) weight.
If you’re them slow enough, meaning you’ve got decent conditions, they will lose about 1/3 of their weight in the first 24hrs.
So your biggest bud weighed around 65g at chop.
With those larger and more dense buds, it’s really important to let them dry slowly. Optimal conditions are 60F and 60% RH with good airflow and light breeze circulating around, but not directly on, the buds.
But after they’ve gotten dry on the outside, you need to sweat them, meaning seal them up and let the internal moisture escape and redistribute. There’s no need for jarring and burping 10 times a day for weeks. That formula is nothing more than inefficient sweating.
I dry mine, usually takes 10-12 days if the temp and humidity is perfect. Then I’ll seal them up in a large airtight container. U can use jars or a big plastic tote….jist make sure it’s totally sealed and airtight.
Leave it sealed for 1 or 2 days……if I’ve dried to the point where I think I’ve overdone it, I’ll leave it 2 days..otherwise, I’ll give it a good 24-36hrs.
Then open the container and U should feel that the moisture has redistributed and the outer leaves that were crunchy are now holding some moisture.
Then remove the Buds and lay them out evenly in similar conditions as the dry. Depending on the feel, I’ll leave them out for 1-3 hours. Then repeat the process, it should only take 2 or 3 times before the buds have an even level of moisture throughout and they’re in your desired sweet spot for enjoying.
I’ll then transfer to mason jars and move on. I’ll open them every now and then just to take a whiff but there’s no need for burping.
A good hygrometer is essential…..the Caliber IV is my fav.
I didn’t mean to ramble on…..I’d just hate to see those nice looking buds end up with mold or dried too fast
Good job on a great pull….beautiful colors.

 

[Bullmark69]

One more thing…..I would strongly advise that you break those buds down into smaller individual buds……after some pics of course.
They will dry more evenly and all hit their sweet spot at the same time.
I once grew a large plant with some hefty colas. I dried them in optimal conditions and jarred them. Some of the small buds seemed almost too dry but the big ones seemed perfect. This was before I learned the importance of sweating your buds.
My hygrometer read 62% after a couple days and I thought I’d done things perfectly.
I ended up throwing away 4 of 6 jars because of mold. I jarred them and burped but a 5-10 min burp is not like laying them out flat and letting them dry evenly. All those bigger buds had a lot of remaining moisture on the inside…..it escaped and redistributed, which then made the buds just moist enough to fall prey to mold.
Just know the purpose of burping and realize that if you’ve got 2 oz of buds packed into a mason jar, just opening that jar for a few minutes is not going to fully dry excess moisture.
Good luck.

 

[TheDankest]

Nice harvest man……now comes the most important part…..drying super slow and redistributing the moisture from the center of the buds….
By the way, I’m a weirdo who tracks all sorts of useless info, including how much weight my buds lose each day during the dry. I can tell u with absolute certainty, that your dry buds will weigh between 38-42% of the 24hr (after chop) weight.
If you’re them slow enough, meaning you’ve got decent conditions, they will lose about 1/3 of their weight in the first 24hrs.
So your biggest bud weighed around 65g at chop.
With those larger and more dense buds, it’s really important to let them dry slowly. Optimal conditions are 60F and 60% RH with good airflow and light breeze circulating around, but not directly on, the buds.
But after they’ve gotten dry on the outside, you need to sweat them, meaning seal them up and let the internal moisture escape and redistribute. There’s no need for jarring and burping 10 times a day for weeks. That formula is nothing more than inefficient sweating.
I dry mine, usually takes 10-12 days if the temp and humidity is perfect. Then I’ll seal them up in a large airtight container. U can use jars or a big plastic tote….jist make sure it’s totally sealed and airtight.
Leave it sealed for 1 or 2 days……if I’ve dried to the point where I think I’ve overdone it, I’ll leave it 2 days..otherwise, I’ll give it a good 24-36hrs.
Then open the container and U should feel that the moisture has redistributed and the outer leaves that were crunchy are now holding some moisture.
Then remove the Buds and lay them out evenly in similar conditions as the dry. Depending on the feel, I’ll leave them out for 1-3 hours. Then repeat the process, it should only take 2 or 3 times before the buds have an even level of moisture throughout and they’re in your desired sweet spot for enjoying.
I’ll then transfer to mason jars and move on. I’ll open them every now and then just to take a whiff but there’s no need for burping.
A good hygrometer is essential…..the Caliber IV is my fav.
I didn’t mean to ramble on…..I’d just hate to see those nice looking buds end up with mold or dried too fast
Good job on a great pull….beautiful colors.

One more thing…..I would strongly advise that you break those buds down into smaller individual buds……after some pics of course.
They will dry more evenly and all hit their sweet spot at the same time.
I once grew a large plant with some hefty colas. I dried them in optimal conditions and jarred them. Some of the small buds seemed almost too dry but the big ones seemed perfect. This was before I learned the importance of sweating your buds.
My hygrometer read 62% after a couple days and I thought I’d done things perfectly.
I ended up throwing away 4 of 6 jars because of mold. I jarred them and burped but a 5-10 min burp is not like laying them out flat and letting them dry evenly. All those bigger buds had a lot of remaining moisture on the inside…..it escaped and redistributed, which then made the buds just moist enough to fall prey to mold.
Just know the purpose of burping and realize that if you’ve got 2 oz of buds packed into a mason jar, just opening that jar for a few minutes is not going to fully dry excess moisture.
Good luck.

This is some very helpful info, thank you for the input! I have an oscillating fan that blows directly on them when it passes over them...I'll move it up so that the airflow is more indirect. Also, what you said about cutting the buds down to an even size after getting the pics makes a lot of sense, I'm going to even them up a bit in a few minutes when I go to adjust the fan. I've also never heard of this sweating method you're mentioning, but that compared to just a standard burping also sounds more efficient. Thanks again!

 

[DopeDynasty]

Outstanding! Enjoy those beautiful buds.

 

[juanderer]

How are you planning on drying?

 

[Bullmark69]

This is some very helpful info, thank you for the input! I have an oscillating fan that blows directly on them when it passes over them...I'll move it up so that the airflow is more indirect. Also, what you said about cutting the buds down to an even size after getting the pics makes a lot of sense, I'm going to even them up a bit in a few minutes when I go to adjust the fan. I've also never heard of this sweating method you're mentioning, but that compared to just a standard burping also sounds more efficient. Thanks again!

It seems that many gtowers use the term curing in a way to suggest that your buds will “cure” and improve after the initial dry by jarring and frequent burping. This is not the case. It is true that most properly dried bud will change after being properly stored for some time. The change isn’t necessarily better though. Different strains will take on a slightly different profile over time…..and it’s totally a matter of personal preference determining which is better.
Many growers refer to the jarring and subsequent frequent burping as part of a curing process…..when, in fact, the initial jarring and frequent burping is called sweating. You’re jarring the buds, at which time they’ll “sweat” and the moisture will redistribute. Then you’ll burp, which is initially meant to dry the excess moisture that has shifted from the center of the buds.
The problem is that burping is not a very effective way to do this. Buds get stuck together in a jar and most of the surface area is not exposed, so it can’t dry from a 10 minute burp.
I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that the phrase dry & cure your buds should really be dry, sweat and cure them.
By no means do I consider myself an expert but I do believe I understand this space.
Once I figured out what the hell people were really trying to accomplish by jarring and burping, the lightbulb came on.
plus my finished product got a helluva lot better. I don’t necessarily think my buds are any better 2-3 months after harvest….they simply have a slightly different terpene profile.

 

[TheDankest]

How are you planning on drying?

I have a mesh hanging basket in my grow tent with an oscillating fan indirectly blowing on it. Stays about 70 degrees in there and I keep the humidity around 50%-60%

 

[BudRanger1919]

Absolutely beautiful buds my friend!

 

[TheDankest]

Absolutely beautiful buds my friend!

Thanks! Smoked one of the smaller buds last night that was mostly dry and all I can say is man....this Purple Punch definitely packs a Punch!

 

[Novaracer69]

Thanks! Smoked one of the smaller buds last night that was mostly dry and all I can say is man....this Purple Punch definitely packs a Punch!

To me your own home grown is just better