Separate from topic but supportive in context: I Ice water dip/shake my big buds first and hang to dry afterwards, I find almost all strains when freshly harvested then dipped in ice water, will grow back trichomes in spades, then process as flower or run for hash. Always wanted to make a live plant “Inverter Ice Dipper”, Invert Plant, Ice water dip, Vibrate water with Concrete Vibrator, stand plant upright grow another week or two and triches explode.
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This was one of my cure bags I did after hang for 10 days in my tent in the dark with my filter going and fans on to draw the moisture out.I took a batch and finished it in bags to get some in the jar to smoke before the rest is cured at least 6 to 8 weeks.Long time to wait lol.There is so much tricome gooey sticky goodness in this bag the smell blows your nose hair when you open the bag.If I lost any tricomes it’s so minimal at this point it don’t matter this was not beat up like making bubble hash either so this was done carefully. this stuff will smoke great 
and it’s clean not one spot of mold dead bugs bird shit bug shit or spiders or spider webs sceptic or not I ain’t smoking that shit…
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I washed my buds after reading about it on here.
I used a much different ratio though, and just did H2O2, no lemon or baking soda.
The peroxide that’s generally available is already at a 3% solution, which is pretty weak.
I did 1gal of H2O2 to 4gal of water. I let them soak for 2-3 minutes, then swirled them gently for another minute, then into the rinse bucket.
Once everything had been washed/rinsed, I laid all of the branches out on my deck, as we had 3 days of nice, dry, sunshine lined up.
They stayed on the deck for 2 days of drying, then everything got hung in the attic, with an oscillating fan set on low.
In another week I’ll be making some butter/edibles with the Wedding Cake. Can’t wait to see how it comes out.
Lob
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I hung dried in the tent lights out for a whole week with fans and my filter running and put them trimmed off the huge stems in the bag for two days in my attic.It was 76 degrees out side so my attic had to be 98 up there.By the second day the product was dry to do the snap test and the buds weren’t too dry it came out perfect I jarred by day 2 .Paper bags work great in a pinch and I rotated the buds every day so they came out nice.It smells so good I get yelled at at night for stinking up the house when I burp the jars so I must have done something right .
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Washed half my outdoor, not very much crap at all, waste of time for me. Then I realized harvesting after/during rain does a much better job… I only wash if I was having PM or Rot issues going forward. Halfway thru washing in the rain I was like…d’uh. Just shake’em and go. I felt like a germophobe for doing it. But I am in the boonies…
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Lemon juice + bi-carb = sodium citrate, a mild conjugate base used for flavouring /preservation ( E331 ) where a sour taste is required, it’s also used to descale calcium carbonate from boilers, radiators etc. Also a useful ph buffer. Basically you are cleaning the buds with Alka-Seltzerr, which I am sure is perfectly fine; but personally I just use fresh spring water, let them sit in it for 10 mins with the occasional very gentle agitation, hang them for a bit and then trim, a bit of water on the buds prevents the resin from sticking to your hands so I find it easier trimming at this point…. Then they are drip/fan dried: And yeah the water looks feral afterwards!
Re Hydrogen peroxide, As a strong oxidiser I would be slightly concerned that it may oxidise some of the THC into CBN, but maybe the low concentration and short wash time don’t allow this to occur.
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After coming back to growing after 20 years I never washed my plants before. I tried it and I like the end product. Even indoor grows get crap on the plants.
I did a before and after one wipe on the full size tub i used to wash in.
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Hey oger’s, this is kind of a double question. Life is really been crazy this last week and I haven’t been able to harvest. I have to get it done, I guess my question is I know you’re supposed to wait till after their dark cycle. I have to work super early in the morning and I’d like to just do it now. The planTs have currently been in the dark for four and a half hours. Would you recommend washing them and hang drying them outside in the dark and then moving them inside in the morning?
Is this a big No-No or just bro science? I’ve heard all about the study they did in Amsterdam about the 48 hour dark cycle and they recreation of trichomes and all that stuff. I’ve always just followed the science
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How do you really know? 
Ah I just chop them on my schedule, I’m a busy man. Never noticed a difference.
Chop, wash, and hang when you have the time to do a good job. I did my outdoors midday and did not have a single complaint.
I think this horse has been beaten to death somewhere on the forum, but I doubt the last 12 hours of the plants life are going to negate the last two months of growth.
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Thank you. I’m sure there’s all the science that backs the regrowth of trichomes but is it going to make a difference to me in cheating a couple of hours? I’m a weed snob but I’m not crazy. I was just wondering if some of these old school heads on here could make me feel better about taking it whenever I want. I’m going to go get out the shears and get them washed up for my first time
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I tried the 48 hr darkness thing, more because I figured more sugars would still be in the roots, and less moisture in the plants when I cut. I seriously doubt any THC / Trichomes that weren’t there prior to a cut will suddenly emerge or grow after a cut. Perhaps the plant material is shrinking?
As for timing. Cut it now, or, just unplug your lights, and instead of them going on while you are at work they will be off till you get home, when you can cut and trim at your leisure…
Washing? Did it for the first time this summer… And HOLY shit, I will be forever washing, even indoors (ya still get lots of dust on your plants, have you ever looked at the sock covering your carbon filter?) 4 bin wash, Baking Soda, Lemon Juice, Hydrogen Peroxide then rinse… The crap that comes off? You’ll be doing it every time as well.
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Agree with @lophophora.ca And @Nagel420 the 48 hour period is nice but won’t tank your harvest in and of it itself if you can’t hit it right. Chop em when you can! I also washed my outdoor harvest for the first time this year and like Nagel the results were something special! Outdoor herb is just flavorful as any indoor
I’ve grown after the fact, won’t ever cut down and outdoor plant without a wash now moving forward, probably only a matter of time till the j door plants get it too
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Link please, I am very interested to read about that.
I washed this past summer. I’d certainly do it to everything going forward.
For those that say they don’t have any bud rot so they’re not worried about it?..it can be there without you seeing it, and develop over the weeks after you harvest and then you’ve got a mess.
That’s not going to happen to everyone, but if it happens once, you’ll be a convert. I had some rot the year before. I cut it off/out, and it wasn’t a lot, but enough to make me think twice.
A commercial grower in Mass lost all 30 of their plants this past summer, and a guy 2miles up the road from me lost 3 and a half out of 6 plants.
Not something to screw around with.
Lob
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I washed my outdoor last fall for the first time after another first…powdery mildew. I fought PM with Ferminator, a local organic ( Ferminator | Fermented Plant Wash Concentrate | My Good Green – MyGoodGreen ) that was suggested by our local grow store. The Ferminator was working, but needs to react with sunlight and it was fairly overcast/raining the last week til harvest and the PM started coming back.
There was a lot of dirty water when all was said and done. I did a 4 bucket wash…baking soda/peroxide and lemon/water/water. Put an oscillating fan in to speed up evaporation. Best tasting weed I’ve grown. I’m not saying washing it made it the tastiest…genetics,organic grow and cure did that, but it sure as heck didn’t hurt it. I’ll be washing mine again this fall.
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I don’t know of I’d treat the buds unless there was an issue but I liked to soak and gently separate the roots from medium and hang to dry complete instead of chopping.
Don’t know if I ever depicted it before, used to post as wibe over at GWE forum but this place seems far more complete if I ever end up posting again.
I washed when I chopped. I cut branches, wet trimmed as I cut, and then washed.
I have some indoor stuff going now, but will still wash.
My thinking is that yes, there isn’t as much crud, but one of the things I want to prevent is rot, and that can happen just based on humidity levels. Washing helps get rid of the spores that you can’t see.
Lob
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Trying it for the first time tonight, bit of a fungus gnat problem and I’m not trying to smoke them
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Kicking up an old thread …
Trimming up my outdoor and holy heck is there some bugs on them …
I cut all the branches off the main stalk and hung them …the ones that didn’t have a personal hanger got the fan leafs nipped and thrown in the bowl trimmer …
Here’s where I discovered the problem …mites aphids thrips .at the base of the buds .so now everything’s hung for the night…
Okay so the question at hand…
Is it to late to wash them tomorrow ??
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In a word…no.
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