GrundleGrow
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The age old debate... I haven't tested it yet but I think I may have figured out a way to wet trim without losing any goodies. Hear me out.
If drying times are kept equal, trimming before drying loses aroma because the large open wounds on the plant not only allow water to escape faster, but essential oils and terpenes. This is because when water travels via osmotic pressure towards the dry, open wound, the flow carries our precious terpenes with it. Without wet trimming, water is only free to escape through the cut stems and through pores in the leaves and bud calyxes, which are small and allow fewer essential oils to escape. Some may argue that dry trimming is beneficial also because the sugar leaves create a "protective layer" around the buds, but you can remedy this by simply not blowing air directly on the buds, increasing RH, or doing anything to reduce resin sublimation/evaporation - so I don't think this plays as much of a role in aroma loss as the open wounds and osmotic flow. Moving on...
So how could we trim the plant wet to reap the benefits of a faster trim, less allergens, and less handling of dry/fragile trichomes, but without sacrificing quality? I think one could trim the plant entirely while its still alive with its roots in the medium, the night before harvest.
Here's my reasoning: if you trim it while its still alive, the plant will naturally heal the wounds shut within a few hours. During that time, some water will evaporate, yes, but it WONT be carrying any of our precious goodies out with it. This is because water follows the path of least resistance when subjected to osmotic pressure. In this case, since the plant still has its roots in water, the wounds will pull water from there, up through the phloem. This is just what plants do when they are still alive and moving water.
What do you all think? Open to critique and discussion. I'll be testing this side by side
If drying times are kept equal, trimming before drying loses aroma because the large open wounds on the plant not only allow water to escape faster, but essential oils and terpenes. This is because when water travels via osmotic pressure towards the dry, open wound, the flow carries our precious terpenes with it. Without wet trimming, water is only free to escape through the cut stems and through pores in the leaves and bud calyxes, which are small and allow fewer essential oils to escape. Some may argue that dry trimming is beneficial also because the sugar leaves create a "protective layer" around the buds, but you can remedy this by simply not blowing air directly on the buds, increasing RH, or doing anything to reduce resin sublimation/evaporation - so I don't think this plays as much of a role in aroma loss as the open wounds and osmotic flow. Moving on...
So how could we trim the plant wet to reap the benefits of a faster trim, less allergens, and less handling of dry/fragile trichomes, but without sacrificing quality? I think one could trim the plant entirely while its still alive with its roots in the medium, the night before harvest.
Here's my reasoning: if you trim it while its still alive, the plant will naturally heal the wounds shut within a few hours. During that time, some water will evaporate, yes, but it WONT be carrying any of our precious goodies out with it. This is because water follows the path of least resistance when subjected to osmotic pressure. In this case, since the plant still has its roots in water, the wounds will pull water from there, up through the phloem. This is just what plants do when they are still alive and moving water.
What do you all think? Open to critique and discussion. I'll be testing this side by side