Why I trim dry now. Don't believe the hype

[EmeraldTriangle 4LIFE]

If you harvest enough, enough times, eventually you will have a situation where you can't trim it all when it is wet. One will then get finally get toward the end and find a crisp, dry plant or branch. It can be trimmed with just your hands. You will quickly realize how much better the vine dried is compared to the other, terpines, flavor, and crystal content. Think about the thousands of years man has used this plant. i really doubt anyone was using drying racks made of fur and trimming with. that shit was left standing and cure on the vine as nature intended. Its just been in the last 2 decades people started this method of wet trimming drying and jaring etc. I have been dry trimming for over 20 years. In fact I have plants on the bone in open air from Sept as smooth and flavorful as any book informed cure method. That I will rival against any immediate trim, 5 day rack time, jar burb , burp for days sealed for cure. Blah blah ..... Wet trimming is for the anxious. Do what is natural.

 

[EmeraldTriangle 4LIFE]

The only time I've ever heard of any pro. grower "wet clip" it was cut it pluck water leaf by hand and hang it. That was only done so you can hang more in less space andnot have airflow/mold problems. Ever tried harvesting 300lbs in a major storm .even a 100lb takes a bigger building than most peoples whole house. Hang dry! Slow cured in the dark! Dry clip and store properly! Put my green thumbs in the grinder it will look,smell,smoke and keep better than any wet clipped bs . Not to mention clipping wet weed is crazy slow and hard to do and not to mention you will bruise it and smear the resin glands. But to each his own. Do what makes you happy,after all it is yours to do with as you please.

 

[EmeraldTriangle 4LIFE]

Ps dry clip before its too dry and breaks up in your hand. Fear not cause what loses moisture can also regain moisture. Well save that talk for another day. Time to medicate heavy with my dry clipped weed. "Wet clip" ha ha Lol.

 

[Ladyv]

Read this thread, gave it a shot....

I could write a novel on how much this improved my end product.....seriously, it's like finding the missing link.

Thank you so much!

 

[marski420]

I cant wait till harvest time for more than the obvious reasons. This knowledge is very key and is exactly what was missing in my previous grows I can feel it. My buds were drying too quickly before and I wet trimmed with a low RH. Dry trim for me this next run.. WiFi's properly dried and cured? mmm mmmmm

 

[sanvanalona]

Read this thread, gave it a shot....

I could write a novel on how much this improved my end product.....seriously, it's like finding the missing link.

Thank you so much!

YES, YES, FUCK YES!!!!! I am so stoked you gave this a try, I bet you have some amazing flavor now! Good work.

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

I cant wait till harvest time for more than the obvious reasons. This knowledge is very key and is exactly what was missing in my previous grows I can feel it. My buds were drying too quickly before and I wet trimmed with a low RH. Dry trim for me this next run.. WiFi's properly dried and cured? mmm mmmmm

Yo Marski! A dry trim tip for low RH. Leave the small buds on big pieces of branch. This will keep those smaller pieces from drying too fast and tasting like shit. Inversely, Take colas off the Main stalk. A drying Tent has helped me alot with controlling my drying enviroment. Whats your drying spot like?

 

[midwestdensies]

I also was never a fan of dry trimming just seemed messy but I read this thread and said fuck it lets give it a shot. Just nicer imo and was a lot easier. May I suggest a trim bin or a huge silk screen though to keep all that killer keif, start boiling your water and drink your wine its hash time!

 

[marski420]

Yo Marski! A dry trim tip for low RH. Leave the small buds on big pieces of branch. This will keep those smaller pieces from drying too fast and tasting like shit. Inversely, Take colas off the Main stalk. A drying Tent has helped me alot with controlling my drying enviroment. Whats your drying spot like?

I have moved since my last grow so I havent decided on a drying area yet in my new crib. I may make a drying box or something if my RH isnt fixed soon. I ordered a humidifier the other day online so Im just waiting for that. I recently bought two 4x4 tents for 150 each shipped so I cant see myself wanting to buy another tent quite yet although I know one would be ideal for drying.

Keep the tips coming bro, I can never get enough!

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Could just use a roll of 4mil black plastic to build a temporary tent. Air it out good first before using it tho, that stuff kinda stinks at first. Out west uses a portable closet type thing from target and that seems to work well.

 

[Capulator]

So I would like to first say before a few months ago I thought I knew the best way to trim and dry. Then I proved myself wrong.
Trimming the herb at harvest has always been my method, which I loved. After moving to Colorado with low humidity I started having problems drying. Over drying was common and putting it away with some moisture was not an option. So I have a 40 day strain 8 ball kush and it finished way before expected the seed company said it was a 60 day strain. Having to pull it 20 days early and not having time to trim. I just hung it up whole planning on trimming it later. Everyone told me it was hard to trim dry and I was wasting my time. Well they were wrong it trimmed great and I.M.O. it was easier by far. The trim made better bho and the bud didn't over dry at all. So here is some of the things I learned and noticed.

Trimming dry
1) If the bud is not dry enough before you start it seems impossible.
Wait until the leaves fall off with just a touch. Usually takes 7- 9 days for me.
2) I only use scissors to cut stems . I keep them closed and knock the leaves off.
3) Trimming like this gives you time to reset your grow, so while you are trimming your next crop is growing.
4) Also the buds get handled allot less. Being bag ready when done if you are not curing.
5) We can make oil the day we trim.
6) For reasons I don't understand the bud doesn't over dry as easy with this method. Even after bagged.
7) After its dried if you cannot finish trimming in the same day we put it in big plastic containers with lids and it stays perfect while we trim all week.
8)The buds look allot less man handled this method and we seem to get a better over all looking bud.

3 months ago if you would have told me to trim dry I would have laughed at you . I was wrong all things considered it has turned into a great help. I don't have to hire a bunch of people to hurry up and trim so we can reset. I don't have 3,000 hanging branches everywhere just huge whole plants hanging. Anyone wanting to try this don't believe the hype its just as easy if not easier than wet trimming.

So I had two different containers stashed one dry trimmed one wet kept in the same kind of jars. Popped them open the other day and the dry trim one was still spongy and the stem still bent some. The wet trim one was crispy real crispy. Just my experience hope it helps someone out.

I always hang the whole plant, or at least big branches if the plant is too big. It's all part of the CURING process. NOT the drying process. You will see much better quality if you let the large fan leaves dry up around the buds. I call this cocooning. Slowly drying the buds will convert harsh sugars in to more THC. That's what I was told by some old timers at least.

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

I have done it that way before. Even here in the rockies it will take too long to dry. I always remove fan leaves. Anything that doesn't have sugar gets composted immediately.

 

[Ladyv]

YES, YES, FUCK YES!!!!! I am so stoked you gave this a try, I bet you have some amazing flavor now! Good work.

OMG - the smell, the flavor, the overall appearance - nobody believed it was the same strain!! A total game changer!!

 

[Bubblehaze]

I agree the leaves left on and the plants whole takes too long . At least for my situation last time it wasn't ready until 9-11 days usually it only takes 6-7 without the fan leaves. I believe it would work better to leave them on but I wouldn't be done trimming on time and the next room would be done. We cut the plants up last time and dried. It wasn't as effective as when its trimmed better to just leave them whole.

 

[Capulator]

I agree the leaves left on and the plants whole takes too long . At least for my situation last time it wasn't ready until 9-11 days usually it only takes 6-7 without the fan leaves. I believe it would work better to leave them on but I wouldn't be done trimming on time and the next room would be done. We cut the plants up last time and dried. It wasn't as effective as when its trimmed better to just leave them whole.

I leave mine up for 2 weeks.

 

[green punk]

wait until the branches are cracking the sound in some instances it may be more thatn 2 weeks.. Then start trimming. Patience...

 

[kuz]

I usually stripped all the big fan leaves then hung the whole plant, this last time I left a lot of the big leaves and it made a big difference. 5 days the large fan leaves were dry and brittle, cut them off, cut off the stems and jarred them. Same routine as usual (dry in five days) but the bud seems to be curing better, slower. Its been two weeks since the chop and they are still a little spongy, still not dry enough for a joint. But its good tasting smoke.

 

[Smoking Gun]

Slowly drying the buds will convert harsh sugars in to more THC. That's what I was told by some old timers at least.

Cap, once the plant is chopped it is dying, so no more THC will be produced. However the cannabinoids within the trichomes will continue to break down and convert for a while after chop. Let us not forget that curing is the process of controlled decay, we are controlling the decay of chlorophyll, cannabinoids and other compounds within the buds. During the cure the canabinoids are breaking down and this changes the effect of the bud in comparison to fresh cut buds. So there is no more production of THC or any other compound, just a change of what is already there.

Green Punk, the process of cutting and curing buds is far from new. In Africa it used to be common to wrap the buds up in banana leaves then bury the bundle as a curing method. This method is still used by some people. In fact most curing processes were invented centuries ago; think beef jerky, pickles, kimchi, cheese. All of these curing processes were invented to both preserve food in times when refrigeration did not exist as well as bring out the best flavors of these food items. So while the current accepted method of jar curing may have only been in practice for several decades, curing cannabis is likely as old as humans use of the plant.

 

[Seamaiden]

I leave mine up for 2 weeks.

Same here. I think that, along with a proper and properly long cure (minimum 2mos in my world) makes a world of difference. Like LadyV says, it's a total game-changer. I learned that most starkly running that Longbottom Leaf of Loran's.

There is nothing wrong with the drying taking as long as 2wks. I think it's better, especially compared to product that's been dried far too quickly.

 

[outwest]

OK,I've got some Tahoe Alien coming down in 2 weeks. I'll have enough to do a decent side by side. Half will get trimmed wet, half trimmed dry. I'll run some double blinds with some folks and report back to the farm. Stay tuned.

outwest