Winter Gardening IV: Harvest

I
was away from late February to early April. But the die was set. The plants had
already been transplanted into their final containers: 3- or 5-gallon
soft-sided pots. They were set out in the sunniest part of the garden at the
beginning of February. Growing under long nights, the plants started to flower
within a week of placement. They were fed flowering formula fertilizer at half
strength weekly until March 10. Then they were given just plain water. The residual
fertilizer in the soil kept them going for a few weeks, and then the plants
used the excess they were carrying internally.

Between
March 22 and April 10, the nights were growing shorter, but the day’s
increasing length did not affect the plants’ flowering much. Most of the plants
in the garden would initiate flowering under only 10 hours of uninterrupted
darkness, and the increasing light never crossed that critical 14-hour time
period.

During
February and March, winter months, the sun’s light is not very intense, so the
plants received less light energy than in summer—there is less energy to use
for growth. In addition, each day stays warm for just a few hours. Cool
temperatures slow growth. However, one advantage to the February start is that
the intensity of the light increases as the buds grow.

On
April 10, the buds looked ripe. They weren’t big, but they were covered with
trichomes, and the stigmas had all dried red-brown or purple. The plants were
easily cut by bending the stems until they snapped. Then scissors were used to
complete the separation. They were placed on a tray and carried to the drying
area, where they were hung from nylon fishing line inside an unused grow tent.

I
decided to keep a few of the plants, so I cut most of the branches off, leaving
only a few of the lower branches that had small buds and some leaves. These
branches should respond to the lengthening days by reverting back into
vegetative growth and then initiate flowering again towards autumn.

TIP
OF THE MONTH FROM ASK ED®

To
dry and cure your harvest, whether you trim when the plants are cut or when
they are dry, place the plants, colas or buds on lines or screen trays as is
appropriate, in a cool space with humidity of about 50 percent. Keep the
temperature between 60°F and 70°F and use a fan to keep the air circulating.
The buds should be fully dried and cured in two to four weeks, depending on the
size of the buds and the temperature mix. The small stems should snap but the
buds should still have a slight bit of “sponginess.”