Hello All,
I have grown for 11 years and always seem to get disgusted at the buds when they would dry, I could never get my buds hard like nugs and my buds were always soft fluffy and I let the colas buds on branches hang for 10 days and they snap when I check them to start trimming them off.
Can anyone please give me better ways to get my buds to solid nugs…
Fluffy buds usually comes from having to much heat in your grow area. Try and keep the temperature in the mid 70f area.
The more trichomes you can force the plants to produce the harder and more compact they will be.once they are dried.
I use a big dehumidifier the last few weeks of growing and get the humidity down as low as I can. This kicks the trichome production into high gear. I also use advance nutrients overdrive weeks 7 and 8 if it’s a 10 week strain and it does exactly what its name represents. Overdrive® | Advanced Nutrients’ Bud Hardener/Finisher
I use this small one but now that I have double the size tent and half the tent is my 4 x 4 scrog grow under the 1000 watt hps , I also have 2 6 inch fans blowing air 24 / 7 cycle…
had a few "dries’ that really messed up final product -here is waht I do now:
Hang buds for 3-4 days (just dry enough for the bud to be “spongy” (not totally dry)
trim and put in large plactic container/tub
then let it “sweat” for about 4 days (opening the container 1x per day for about 15 minutes /mixing the buds)
Then after which I jar them up
This way you don’t get them too dry - Of course this is strain dependent
many years ago used the Advance Nutrient line - worked very well - a bit expensive - they have a good PH perfect line - Now I grow organic and just use Organic Big Bud + other organics’s - they have been around for 20 years + (tells you something) also have a little bud ignator left which I use in the transition stage
Sounds to me like it’s a grow issue not a drying issue. What’s your environment like? 75-80 is ideal. You feed kelp? Enough kelp meal will have your buds rock solid like you were feeding paclo. This little ass bud weighs a whole 1.2g and is 100% organic
Wrong bud pic that one was like.5
Our of there range the overdrive is all I use. Stumbled on it a few years by accidentally. Had a store credit but had all my grow items covered so said f it. I’ll give it a try. Been using it ever since 
I use paper bags work very
Well I used to hang plants to dry them ,then this old grower told me to use paper bags.
The trick with it is you don’t want to put anymore then 1/4-1/2 filled bag you put to much bud in you have more chances of mold
Then I leave the bag along for around 3 days then check it to see what’s up,then after that shake the bag once a day till the buds feel ready to be put in jars,then burp the jars twice a day for the first week ,if you think the buds don’t feel dry enough just out in back in the bag for couple of days
Works well
I am so Thankful for ALL your help suggestions and replies to my Call for Help with a life long growers problem no-one wants lol
I hang mine in the tent lights out for 4 to 5 days and I finish my dry in a paper bag for 2 days 1/4 full just like you said.The bud is dry but it is sticky and don’t turn to dust when you roll it.When you grind it up it moistens it up and makes it sticky just the tiniest bit.I shake the bag up twice a day and you won’t have flat buds.Even if you do a flat bud smokes just as good and a round one.That paper bag gets that last little bit of moisture out and makes that cure just pop out in such a good way.I’ve never got mold yet finishing the dry with a paper bag.
I like the paper bags less smelly than having a plant hanging to dry the bags soak up the smell a bit lol
Rock solid nugs is strain dependent/genetic.
My grape pie is pure nug meat. Such an easy task to trim too. You want strains that have better bud to leaf ratio.
It takes any hay smells away and the underlying terp profile comes out and is accentuated did you notice this?Had one that smelled like hay finished up a citrus lime in the bag
You can throw a stick of celery in the bag if it’s drying to quick
Old hippie grower showed me that trick lol
Nobody has mentioned using drying racks, I use a six tier hanging rack, works fine after a wet trim.
But that stinks the place up,you be surprised how much of the smell the bags hold
I dismantle plants as they dry, starting with smaller buds on lower innermost branches working my way out and up the plants.
Dont touch anything for about 3- 4 days, start cutting up, and then over the 3-4 next days plants ar trimmed and put on racks for a few days to finish drying depending on size or into the jar it goes with monitoring.
I have a 98 inch tent in a room right side ballast on wood tv tray with rack across top of tent hanging on adjustable light ratchets plus I have a tent bar across the top with 20 black zip ties to hang down branches and that side at bottom is the top of the filter & fan air coming back so the branches are getting air…
1st st of pics right side AKA drying side of tent,
2nd set left side filter/fan 1000 watt HPS under 2 netted scrog.
So I figured the right side would be enough space to dry 9 plants scrog lol yes? no?
