Just Before Harvesting A Crop of Cannabis It Should Be Flushed, Dried And Then Cured

Yes, the work is not done just because you've reached the end of the flowering stage of a cannabis crop.

Normally, you would know when you're at the end of  the flowering stage when you've completed the recommended number of weeks in flowering stage, specific for the strain or strains you have grown and by the way the trichomes look under magnification.

The Trichomes Should Look Milky or Cloud White With Visible Amber

Normally when you see this colouration in the trichomes and you've managed to keep your plants healthy through the duration of their flowering cycle (which can take anywhere from 9 to 13 weeks after the vegetative stage) you would then start the flushing process.

Flushing, Drying And Curing Cannabis

This, the flushing, drying and curing processes are somewhat controversial because it seems that lots of growers have different opinions about how these processes should be done. I'm going to share my opinions on these subjects but just know that these are my opinions and they are subject to change with new information, as I continue to learn myself, over time.

I think that this information is not widely known by many people who have been in and/or are still in the cannabis closet and because of this, it's worth raising it as a topic for general discussion.

Flushing your plants should occur before any cutting of the main stalk of the plant. Flushing, refers to the process of putting water through your plants without any nutrients or supplements added. Basically, you water the plants with water like you normally would (every few days as the soil dictates that it needs it) but you measure the output and quality of the water using a parts per million meter after it has drained through each plant. You are checking for particulates ( salts, minerals and nutrients) that have concentrated within the plants and the soil. They are left over from the nutrients or fertilizers that you have fed your plants while they were growing and then while they were flowering.

Flushing the plants properly gives you the opportunity to let the plants purge themselves of any components that are excessive and maybe reactive. Especially if a grower has made a decision to use a pesticide, herbicide or fungicide to save a crop from an infestation. 

If you take the time to do this, it will dramatically impact the flavour and ultimately the medicinal purity of the buds and flowers that will be eventually consumed.

This Can Mean The Difference Between Making People Ill Or Being Able To Heal With The Herb.

Obviously, the nutrients you have chosen to use will have a bearing on this situation. That's one of the reasons why you will want to do some research around what you feed your plants right from the start. Lots of folks think that an off the shelf fertilizer like "miracle-grow" or something that works well for tomatoes will work well for cannabis. The problem is that this type of fertilizer leaves a lot of salts behind and you can't really flush them out of the plants that well. I flush my plants with water until my "parts per million" reading of the water going into my plants matches the parts per million of the water coming out of my plants. The timing on this can vary per plant and per strain, so I measure the output of the water coming out of each plant and I don't harvest until I achieve the same water quality going into the soil as the water draining out of it. (This process can take up to 2 weeks.)

The Most Common Symptoms Associate With Plants That Have Not Been Flushed Properly Are Headaches And Gastrointestinal Disturbances. 

Generally speaking, plant material (that hasn't been flushed) will make people feel unwell after they ingest it. This completely defeats the whole purpose when we are using the plant to help the body heal and correct deficiencies. It also makes no sense to meticulously take the plants through 20 weeks of growth and flowering if you are going to turn around and not flush, dry or cure the produce properly so that it can remain viable and not become moldy and rot.

If something like a pesticide was used, the compounds can be greatly changed with the addition of heat...say when a person lights a joint or heats it in a vapourizer. A common by-product of heat + pesticide residue is cyanide. (Yes, the poison that can make you crazy and kill you, over-time.)

After The Plants Are Flushed, The Main Stock Is Cut And The Buds And Sugar Leaves Are Dried

Lots of growers simply just cut their plants from the main stock and hang the whole plant upside down to dry in darkness. Other growers cut the buds and the sugar leaves from their stocks and dry this material laying flat on suspended drying racks so that the air can circulate evenly around them. I measure my plant material for its level of dryness by monitoring the humidity. I like to keep my buds in a range between 50-60% humidity.

Any reading above 60% humidity will allow mold and mildew to grow (which destroys it) and makes the plant material useless and unsafe to use.

Drying usually takes an additional 7 days.

Once The Plant Material Is Dry, It Should Be Cured As A Final Step In The Production Process

Curing refers to the process of storing the cannabis buds and sugar leaves in sealed containers and then opening up those containers to release any additional moisture. Normally this is done a couple of times a day for up to 2 additional weeks.

It is worth taking the time to do this because it changes the flavour of the cannabis. I find that the biggest difference is that it loses it's over-powering "silage or green taste" when it's cured properly. This is when you can truly appreciate the different flavours of each strain you have grown. Every single strain smells different and tastes different. This is what really excites me as a grower. Tasting the different nuances of each strain and I can usually discern several different flavours with my own palate now.

In That Regard Tasting Fine Cannabis And Tasting Fine Wine Are Similar

In my current dry herb inventory, I have a whole collection of strains with different flavours. This is quite common and I have trained my palate to be able to discern flavours like: disel, cheese, grape, berry, coffee, menthol, citrus and dirt. This is of course, in addition to what most people would simply say smells and tastes like "skunk".

To Help With My Drying And Curing Initiatives I found These:

 

They are small devices that measure both temperature and humidity. They take 2 small round batteries, similar to what you would use in a watch.

I have bought these directly from Ali Express out of China and they cost approximatley $1 USD.

In case you are interested, here's the direct link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-PCS-Mini-LCD-Digital-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Temperature-Indoor-Convenient-Temperature-Sensor-Humidity-Meter-Gauge-Instruments/32802971272.html

(Got to love Ali...it may take a bit of time but I've bought about 50 of these things and I can report that the calibration is accurate. You know how I love precision...well, maybe you don't know this about me quite yet, but I do appreciate precision and a job done correctly from beginning to end.)

In the image (below) you'll notice that I am pushing the humidity limit of the strain that I am currently curing in this glass jar.

I've only been curing this for a few days and my goal is to get it down to 55%.

There Is Such A Thing As Too Dry

No surprise there. Like anything, if it's too dry it's just not going to work very well.

If I had a situation where the buds became drier than 50%, I would add a small piece of an orange or apple peel right into the container with the buds. It should only stay there for 24 hours or until your humidity level restores to between 50-60%. If you are not careful with this procedure, you risk introducing mold and fungus to your buds which means that you'll have to throw them out, so do exercise caution.

I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey...just like Goldie-locks, we'll be working and learning until to get things just right. ;)

~ Rebecca Ryan