The harvest is hanging…
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Welcome Back @TARpits,
I hope all is well with you and yours!
As it turns out, I am currently in the process of “Burping” a small harvest of a very unique med canna called Orange Grove. Likewise, the minute you get home you’re going to be attending to the needs of your harvest. So, now it’s time to focus on the Drying/Curing stuff.
I bet you are returning to nicely drying branches, pre-bud-snap. Get your Jars, bovida, humidies, etc. ready. You’ve got a serious harvest here, Respect it.
Here are a few tips.
- You are checking everything daily for “Bud Snap” the little buds snapping cleanly off their stems without leaving strings. That is the most reliable indicator of “Ready for Jar” stage.
- Post Bud Snap, means trimming the individual buds off each branch and getting them into jars because they are ready and there is nothing worse than over-dried primo kine herb! Don’t do that.
- This is also the time for final manicuring of your buds, and that’s a whole other topic!
- Then there’s the “Burping” phase which goes on too long and drives one nutz! The humidity in your jars will rise and fall as the herb degasses and sheds chlorophyll etc. When it it rises above 65% open the jar until it drops back below 60%. If it drops below 55% drop a bit of orange peel into the jar to bump it back up.
- If your humidity gets out of control, you can take jars into a steamy bathroom, or put them in a barely warm oven for awhile to get back on track.
- I shoot for a stable 62% and I’ve been known to cheat using Bovida packs! The salts in the packets pull your jars back to a given RH and take some of the guesswork out of the process.
- Be a conscientious caretaker of your harvest, pay attention and keep a close watch on those hygrometers!
They say, that proper drying and curing accounts for 50% of the final outcome. This part is a pain but it’s worth it.
And don’t forget your Canna Children back out in the greenhouse! What’s your calendar for that “Second Act” grow?
-Grouchy 
PS, We be Burpin here…
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Much appreciated welcome home message @GrouchyOldMan
Had a stellar time on the Kona with my 2 daughters their respective boys and the grandgirls.
The drying room is currently at 62% and as of this morning no bud snap yet, the room smells delightful and the scent of hay drying in the sun is nearly gone.
Jars 
Bovida
Small hygrometers
Trim station
I am not concerned about low humidity RH has been in the mid 60’s here for the last few weeks, the dry room has stayed a consistent 62/63% every time I have checked.
Small Grow on the Big Island Deux is looking great and I am planning to go live with the new G-log in the next couple of days. There is lots to say.
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Finally the last stages of SBGI.
Harvest hanging out to dry.
Came home and there was no bud snap couple days later all was right as rain.
Got all the trimming finished up, a small portion of the harvest.
A few choice shots of trimmed bud.
This is from the runty outlier plant. The buds are dense and fragrant.
Here is a link to my second grow, SGBI Part Deux
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if you have a hard time getting things dry in the tropics on a smaller scale the oven pilot light is your friend. Once jar cured vac seal and off to freezer. Most people don’t have any idea how humid it really is out in the jungle. Can’t have a jar sit around.
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Congrats on a beautiful harvest! Pretty damned nice for a first grow @TARpits.
Have you had a taste yet? How’s she smoke?
-Grouchy
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Much appreciated @GrouchyOldMan
They are burping in jars, and the smoke for me is peacefully energizing, smooth and tasty.
I tried a bit of the runty plant against the 3 “normal” WidowMaker. Still trying to see if there is a difference, I am finding it hard to remember from one puff to the next 
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Thank you for adding to my knowledge base.
I do plan on vac sealing until I figure out the edibles and tincture processes.
We keep a our guest room closed and at 60% along with a storage room for guitars and other items we want to keep from being ruined. Fortunately we have daily trades that are helpful. I didn’t fully realize how humid it was until I hung two guitars on the wall and things started moving. Now I rotate and watch them closely.
Yep its real. The worst is keeping guitar in case you will see growth on fretboard after a bit hahaha not to mention the smell… Glad to help, quite a learning curve. For Edibles coconut oil and sunflower lecithin tek in crock or slow and low long
Slowcooker Cannabis Coconut Oil and Sunflower Lecithin Questions | FC Vaporizer Review Forum.
For Tinctures clear spring brand grain alc post decarb and freeze
carry on !
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The trouble with tinctures at this point is finding high proof alcohol here in Hawai’i.
That link is golden thank you.
-tarpits
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Let me introduce you to another hobby… 
Cheers
G
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@Gpaw, let’s have a throw down, How many dropper bottles of insanely great tincture do you have on hand?
I’ve been passing it out to friends lately, with a disclaimer: Use With Caution! LoL
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This is exactly the hobby I am looking for, just waiting for “the cure” to be complete and finding the 100 proof on island. I have heard it is available about an hour north of me. Could be a great reason for a lovely drive in the Ghia, really don’t take her out enough.
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There’s probably half a dozen bottles in play and another 10 or so in the storage shelves…
Funny you should bring that up, we were just discussing that I need to do another run of 30:1 CBD run as that tincture supply is depleted.
Have a look at a 30 liter column still. 92% ABV. Just do sugar washes and use high alcohol yeast, (like EC1118)
Love the Karmann Gaia! That would be a blast for sure.
Cheers
G
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I think I’ve got ya @Gpaw, but not by much! LoL
My tincture “Medicine Chest”
-Grouchy
PS, My first batch of Orange Grove anti-insomnia tincture is finished and awaits decanting. I have wanted to try this one since I first learned of it. Thanks @JustSumTomatoes!
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@GrouchyOldMan and @Gpaw
I am looking forward to having a med chest of my own. That insomnia medication sounds like a winner.
t
I can see that there is a graduate course for tinctures in my future
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Small Grow on the Big Island: Epilog
This journey began on the first new moon of 2024 with WidowMaker seeds (White Widow x AK47 created by @repins12 and gifted to me by my long time amigo @grouchyoldman).
I planned for the worst, pests, mol, mildew, bud rot during drying, humidity.
Used One N Done for pest control.
Sulfur powder for mildew.
Dr. Zymes for pest control.
Non of these ever became an issue. I did however run into dirt flies in the last week before harvest. Insidious little pests but thankfully they didn’t care for the flowers.
The grow was a soil grow in a greenhouse using FoxFarms Ocean forest soil in 3 gallon pots with LED lights running 18/6. I felt rather fortunate as WidowMaker is not feminized and I wound up with all females.
Harvest was on April 6 and realized a bit over 7 ounces of trimmed bud currently in jars burping away.
I see this as an absolute win for my inaugural grow.
I have @grouchyoldman to thank for the jump start supplying the WidowMaker from @repins12 and getting me enough One N Done to get thru this grow, a big thank you to the rest of you who contributed knowledge, wisdom, and encouragement, this is a fantastic community.
Onward to Small Grow on the Big Island Deux
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Very nice, good work man!
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Appreciate the kind words…Had a great time with growing and interacting with this great community.
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