Lost all it smell :(

[bent0001]

hi,
few days ago posted a question asking if i ready for harvest. got a few yes few no.. i decided to wait ..but i took a sample and cuted 2 buds and started to dry the so i could feel the difference.
i hanged the the cut buds in a drying box with a heater (that just heat not pushing hot air..) on it lowest level, and added a fan that pushed the air aginst the wall of the drying box. and hanged the buds from the top of the box. the temp is 19-25 Celsius and the humidity 50-65...

today i took the buds out of the and tried to snap there branch-been only 2 days since they are in the box but since they are short i thought i should test.
->the the bigger branch snaped and the smaller ones didn't, is that normal? i thought i would be the other way.
-> and the worst thing is i noticed that they totaly lost there smell ! is that usually happens during drying? and why did it happened?

they smelled so good when they were fresh...it seems like i did something wrong, not sure what..
i appreciate your comments and help.

***
here is my last post with few pics of the whole plant:

https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/164956-is-it-ready-for-harvest

[Flockshot]

When you force dry like that you force dry like that, you simply dried the bigger branch faster than the smaller one. You stopped the cure completely and that may have impacted the smell somehow, I don't know.

The important thing is, how did it smoke?

[bent0001]

i thought my temp and humidity are ok... maybe not perfect, but ok.
it seems impossible to have temp at exact 20 Celsius, i understood that a range is ok.

what would you do differently?

[Flockshot]

For hobby growers (and some bigger than hobby growers) struggle to maintain the best environment. No big deal as long as we don't hit the 'never exceed' numbers. Yes it will make the grow less than perfect, but almost all grows are less than perfect.
We have growers here getting a pound every grow with a 315 watt light. I may never be able to do that, but I don't dedicate all my resources to growing either.

Do different? I say take the biggest problem you had in this grow and do something to make that issue a little better and get to growing the next harvest.

Experience is the answer.

[bent0001]

Thanks! i do try to get it as good as i can.

[KingKush]

Congratulations on making it this far! Simply having buds dried to smoke that provide therapeutic effects is a huge accomplishment. Buds will lose smell when they are dried. Put the dried buds into a jar and as you open and close the jar to toke throughout the day the smell will improve (called burping). Also, the smell is always there when you break apart the buds so don't worry, it's more important to smoke smooth and have a soft throatfeel

Its normal for buds to lose smell when drying, and easy to lose out on a few key aspects of drying/curing and that's why Nebula on the main page emphasizes heavily the importance of the dry/cure.
You also went with a flash dry on those buds so you can't expect ultra premium.

Personally, leaving the leaves on and hanging them for 10-14 days doing a "long cure" & "dry trim" helps me preserve flavor and aroma. I literally just cut the plant down and hang for over a week before I ever trim. That way, when I trim and jar it up, the act of snipping leaves reveals those beautiful aromas all over again.

[bent0001]

Thank you KingKush!
hearing that losing some of the smell is a normal is somewhat reassuring. you said that i did "flash dry" -what do you mean by that?
is my method for drying is wrong?
i have the whole plant waiting to be harvested soon, i like to do the rest properly.

[Paracelsus]

Hello bent0001 Flash drying is when you use heat rather than ambient temperature and low humidity

[KingKush]

Yes, like what Paracelsus said.
What I mean by "flash dry" is: 2 days from vine-to-bowl is fast! That's what I interpreted from your post is that you cut them off your plant and 2 days later you're smoking it. It's all good I mean, I do it all the time. But I realize it's no comparison to a nicely dried and packaged nugget. I meant to give you props on your dry box. That's a good idea.

Heat causes faster evaporation of Volitile Organic Compounds, the same as a can of paint (low or No VOCs) which in our case are monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, ie the stench or aroma molecules.
So apply heat indirectly to maintain humidity, but airflow is most important. Nebula has something to say about drying in different temperatures, somewhere I'm pretty sure.

Those nugs will improve over the next few days as those stems lose the remaining moisture, but they will probably be smoked up by then. So as you dry your harvest, 7-10 days is the minimum amount of time exquisite nugs should be enjoyed, many will argue longer still.

[oldjarhead100]

Bent when you put that bud in a container to burp it you will get some smell back no worries

[bent0001]

Thanks oldjarhead! that would be great! i will update on how it went

[Paracelsus]

One of the most difficult skills to learn in many aspects of life is patience.
"No wine is fine before its time." Orson Wells

[bent0001]

thanks Paracelsus!
that is true!..

[PRIMO]

The old alchemist nailed it with the key word being patience. Myself I do not see any need for a box, or heat .They don't seem to be very dense buds just hang em and walk away. In 4 or 5 days jar them with a hygrometer wait a day to burp and see where you're at then. The aroma will return in time.

[bent0001]

thanks Primo!! the reason i used for the box is mainly to have good temps and humidity. it is winter here and the temp in my apartment is around 17-18 Celsius and humidity around 70. and i understand that it better to dry in darkness....

[Paracelsus]

That is correct about the darkness and your humidity is high, It may be because you used direct heat in a small space, rather inventive though. We learn from experience