[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]wo months ago a friend delivered two well-branched, two-foot tall plants of “3x Crazy.” Since then, the plants have been in a flowering routine in a small greenhouse. At this time of year, dawn takes place around 7 a.m. Then at 8 a.m. a 400-watt HPS lamp hung from a light mover goes on and starts moving back and forth about 2 feet. It covers the length of the garden with light. During most of November it was sunny and warm enough for the plants to go outdoors for some natural sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. When they returned to the greenhouse they received another two hours of light from the HPS lamp.

Towards the end of the month, the weather turned cloudy and chilly. The plants have been enjoying the cozy greenhouse, which is kept at a minimum temperature of 60 degrees day and night.

The two plants were about halfway through flowering when I reported on them last month. Now, another 30 days have passed and the plants are ready to harvest. The buds are small but are covered with trichomes and have an intense floral/pineapple/diesel odor.

I have picked them and hung them to dry and cure. I am using an unheated indoor space. At this time of the year, the temperature here varies between the low 50s and high 60s. The humidity varies between 43-54 percent with an average at just about 50 percent. These are ideal conditions for a long, slow dry and cure. The low temperature keeps the terpenes from evaporating. Terpenes, the odor molecules that give all marijuana varieties their particular “personalities” are essential oils. Many of them are volatile at room temperature so they are often lost in the dry, transport or storage phases. The low temperature in the drying space keeps them from evaporating and they will lend their odor and activity to the smoke or vapor.

Rather than mess with cutting these small plants into branches I’m hanging them uncut with all of their leaves on. They will be cured, that is, aged for several weeks after they dry in continued cool temperature and 50 percent humidity condition. During this time they lose some of their harshness, becoming a smoother smoke. Then I’ll manicure them and place them in a glass or metal container. I’ll keep some buds in a small bar for easy access. The rest will be stored in a steel metal container made for that purpose, which comes with a pad that stabilizes moisture, keeping the buds fresh.

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Plants are basking in the greenhouse. They will be cut to dry in a few minutes. I recently purchased another four clones from a local dispensary. They are now about 30 days into flowering.

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The Cut. The plants are being cut using a clipper on the first plant.

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The bend and snap on the second plant, which was finished off with a clipper.

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The Hang. The two plants will now begin the month-long drying-curing process. They will be manicured after that.

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The greenhouse is heated by a gas burner, often called a CO2 generator that is controlled by a thermostat set at 60 degrees.

TIP OF THE MONTH FROM ASK ED^® 

The Problem With Zip-Lock Bags

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]D[/dropcap]id you ever notice the sides of a Ziplock bag that has been holding grass? They are covered with gland heads that were pulled from the bud and have attached to the plastic, especially if you were carrying it in a pocket and continually opening and closing it. The plastic’s electrical charge attracts them. If you tried to scratch them off you were largely unsuccessful, they were already locked in. Those glands were removed electrostatically, and lost to your use.

Glass, most hard plastics, metal and wood don’t have electrical charges that attract trichomes. Use containers composed of these materials and place them in a cool-to-cold dark place for storage.

Copyright by Ed Rosenthal. All rights are reserved. First North American Magazine rights only are assigned to culture Magazine. 

No other reproduction of this material is permitted without the specific written permission of the author/copyright holder.