curing bud that bites

[losthippy]

I grew a very strong Vietnamese satvia var. that was almost unsmokable no matter how it was flamed. Spliff, bucket, can, pipe, chillum, hookah - nobody could hold down a hit without coughing. A mate suggested 'sweat-curing' the next run which involved slow-drying bud (25%~30% water content), placing it in vaccuum jars where it sweats and starts to go limp, then removing and slow-drying again. I repeated this twice on the next harvest before completing drying the usual way and prepared a control batch without curing. The difference in hold-down was boggling! The control still made everyone cough but the cured was a complete contrast. It lacked the spicy barb that caught in the throat and had a smooth earthy taste that was really clean on the pallette. The sub-tending leaf also changed from dark green to a light-gold in colour. The high was still very spacey but came on less abruptly than the control. Whatever happened in the process made the extra ginning around well worth the effort. Anyone else out there cure their buds, if so how and to what end?

 

[Sega420]

just to say, that isnt what sweat curing is

 

[Wise420]

Ive never done it before.

Is it possible the buds still had nutrients in them when they were harvested?

 

[carl]

Anybody can grow the plant. The curing process is what sets apart the real primo buds and the shit that's barely tolerable...

 

[losthippy]

^^^ just to say back, 'sweat curing' was what my oppo called it all those years ago, probably totally unaware that somewhere out there in the world someone had already called some other process 'sweat curing'. My bad ;/. How does it work your side, Sega? ^^ I prepare nutrient-banded plugs for each plant and stop supplimentary feeding with soluble fertilizer about 1/2 way through maturation. By the time the plants have had their last drink of clean water 7-10 days before harvest they've stripped the nutrient profile of any residual goodies. ^ IMO, good pedigree bud finished badly will always beast ditchweed dressed up to look like primo.

 

[carl]

Sounds like your starving them too much, and your getting all of the byproducts of the plant using it's last stores of energy. Myself, and nearly everyone I know has no problem feeding until two weeks to ten days before harvest in soil, and even shorter times in other mediums. While I don't have experience with starving plants like that, I've read that it causes buds to be harsh and not as aromatic as they could be. I don't know anyone that goes that long without watering either, I water up until the last few days, reducing the amount slowly. They're thirsty, but not bone dry.

I think you misunderstood my statement, I mean that it's possible for anyone to grow good weed, it's not that hard. I don't think everyone does grow good weed, most people don't have the patience and wherewithal to find the solutions to common problems. Not everyone can find a method to cure their buds into the finest top-shelf buds, that takes experience and wisdom. I see different buds all day long, and a proper cure and trim makes more difference than the genetics, imo.

 

[losthippy]

^ Thanks for your ink, Carl- BTW, what's this 'by-product' you're talking about? And I think 'starving' is a bit strong. Most Asian strains grown in-country are nutrient pigs. I collected my seeds from source. Growers typically don't apply optimum cultural practices on them. Plants are traditionally close-planted and always competing with their neighbours for water and light. They have to make the most of what they can get. Its a genetic trait. Grown half a world away in an agreeable climate with plenty of space and light, arable soil, an abundance of water and all they can eat these naturally adventitious plants go berserk. They bust out. You lose control. If there's an abundance of nitrogen in the soil profile they'll find it, putting on masses of vegetative growth in long, sprawling, crowded canes. This won't stop till the nitrogen runs out (and the P and K), even when the shortening photoperiod tells them to start making wood and get ready for flowering. Not till they're done eating! The yield is usually a bit greater but with a higher leaf to calyx ratio and looser bud clusters. I've had these unruly Viets (and Thais as well) flowering into cold wet winters which is not good for a number of reasons. I'm a control freak so after 3 seasons of being too generous I ended up giving this variety what it needed rather than what it wanted. Also, even while I 'dried them off' by withdrawing water the soil mass was well-mulched, friable and floating on plugs of water crystals. Might sound pompous but these ladies used up what I gave them and matured gracefully pretty much when I wanted them to, in the late summer heat (still hot and dry) before the first autumn rains. The buds were typically brownish-green, spicy smelling and lightly resinous but as said, with cough locked in- until I 'cured' them.

On your second point, I would argue that anyone can produce a shitty phenotype then dress it up to look good, but in the end its still a shitty phenotype. No process that I'm aware of (with the possible exception of induced polyploidy) with increase the quality of a strain's resin yield; quantity, yes. Low-strength strains don't gain stellar-strength because they've been well-grown. They're genetically pre-programmed to be a low-strength strain and will stay that way until you breed this characteristic out. Proper finishing and even curing simply makes smoking it easier on the intake. Nuff said by me. Hope it all makes sense.

 

[FacedAgain]

i store my bud in jars for the long term. And then i take bits out as i need them, give them a few days, and they are ready to smoke...

i dont know what this process is called, but i find i am able to 're-cure' the bud i get, espically the brick weed. it brings out the flavours and reinvigorates them.. so to speak..