Suggestions on drying and curing very large colas....

[ZigZag]

I've never had any issues with drying and curing and have always had great success. But the tops of my colas were usually less than 2-3" wide and 6" long above the last bract. This grow I have two plants with huge colas.
They are about 4-4.5" in diameter and 16-20" long above the last bract. I'm concerned about bud rot/ mold and other nasty things and thankfully no signs have presented.
The grow room temp has been 70-77 F and 35-45% humidity for the past 3-4 weeks with good air circulation, no signs of bud rot or mold.
My plan is to dry them at a slightly lower humidity_ around 40-50%_and a temperature between 65-75 F with good air circulation, and check them 2x a day while hanging.
Questions:
1. Should I let the outsides dry more than I'd normally do? I was thinking of opening up the stem to help them dry out from the inside a little faster but can't get through the buds to it without damaging them!
2. Curing_ they will never fit into a 1 quart wide mouth mason jar_ just too wide and too long. Should I try to cut them down as much as possible, removing sections by cutting bracts up from the bottom of each cola or put them in larger mason jars? These are the largest colas I've ever grown and don't want to "F" them up!
Suggestions appreciated, thank you!

[Weed Pharma]

I don't dry large cola's whole- break them down into smaller parts- that will fit into the jars.

[ZigZag]

Thanks, Thats what I'm gonna try to do then....trim them pretty tight and then break down as much as I can. I've had good success curing buds in sections up to 4" but haven't tried anything larger. A few more days and they'll be hanging to dry!

[Toker1]

By lowering the RH you will dry the outsides quicker than the stems. They will be dry and crispy to the touch... but the RH when jarred will be over 70% after a day or two.
Best to break them down a bit, like detailed in the post above. .
I like to sweat my buds... when they start to crisp up, I toss them in a brown paper bag for a few days to draw any moisture from out of the stem.
If you don’t have brown paper bags, you can do the same inside the jar. Just put them in the jars for several hours... then when they moisten back up... put them back on the drying rack. Replete this process until the RH inside the jar is around 68%. Then you can burp the jars and slow cure the rest of the way.

[ZigZag]

Thanks for the suggestions_ sounds like a good plan. I haven't tried the paper bags before. I just finished drying the first 3 plants with regular sized colas that I could break the buds down to 1-4" and they seemed a but dryer than I wanted but i've got them in the jars and am going to check every few hours. One of the plants which was hanging in a different room wasn't as dry so I'm going to put some of those buds into the other jars if they don't come up to 60% within 48 hrs. They are "wet" enough that they will get up to 70% or more once jared so I've just got the covers on loose for now. I'd rather not use the Boveda during these first two weeks. The next plant coming down is the one I'm concerned about_ I think I'm going to try the paper bags after the outsides crisp up_ that sound like a safe way to really see how much moisture is left in those big colas before I jar em. Thanks so much!

[Toker1]

No problem. Yeah the paper bags really slows down the process.

[alltatup]

Nebula says don't put anything that large into a jar, and to keep it with other pieces the same size.

[ZigZag]

Yup, Thats what got me wondering what the best way to take care of those big beauties will be.....but if I don't cure em in a jar what else is there? I think I might end up with a bit more sugar trim than expected...I'm going to trim them pretty well before drying and cut the stems down as short as possible.,, and then try to cut them up as small as possible without damaging them.....also try the paper bag method as suggested above before curing......I've seen mason jars about 1/2 to 1 gallon size....ever heard of anyone using something like that? ....allatup_ man, that extractor is awesome_ so glad you recommended it. FUN and the perfect way to make the most of your harvest. I like the Prism too_ but I learned not to lay it on its side when it was still hot- the rosin flowed into the mouthpiece and clogged it up_ took a while to clean...but worth the effort for sure! Cheers....the ceramic is nice too- much easier to clean than a coil.

[alltatup]

ZigZag IF I ever had colas that size, I'd cut em down to around 3" length, use a larger jar for sure, and store them together. Hygrometer in jar, of course. I would assume that I'd be taking them out of the jar at the beginning, or else that I would have to let them hang to dry for a longer period of time because of the mass.

But I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. If they're totally dry on the exterior and the RH goes up to something like 75 in the jar, I'd switch between 12 hours hanging or drying on a screen, then back into jar to see what the RH is.

I'm glad you're happy with the Source! ;-}

[ZigZag]

That's the plant for now. I have the humidity at 40-50% hoping that pulls a little more water out from the interiors, but still trying to keep the temp between 60-65 F. The first harvest has been dried and is being cured now and I did have to remove the buds from some of the jars as the humidity was up to 70-72% after 12 hrs. Some of the jars tested just right at 60-62%.
And two of them_with the smallest buds, a bit dry at 57% so I put one or two of the larger buds in with the drier ones and vise versa. seems to be helping a bit too. I'll post a pic of the Caesar just before harvest_Cheers.

[Potted]

Why keep them whole? it’s much easer to manage broken down, with less chances of rot.

[PRIMO]

Take some good pics. to remember them by. Then whack em up and cure em.

[ZigZag]

Ohh man... I'm going to take photos for sure...they are super frosty too. The grower had them labeled as "very heavy" producers and they weren't exaggerating. The strain is a combo of GG#4 and Triple OG, called Caesar by Exotic Genetix. Thanks!

[Canuck147]

If you want to try and dry it big - after hanging it pull the bottom buds away from the stem and up as high as your plant will let you - pull them away every few hours until they get the idea. Check it constantly for any Browning of leaves.

[Mr.furley]

Wire racks hanging with larger buds work good for the first couple days, you got to turn them and have air circulation. Then to a brown paper bag till you get it close to your ideal humidity. They make latching rubbermaid's that can help with stabilizing your humidity and for a cure time.
good luck with your too big-o-buds problem.

[Mr.furley]

Ps. It always sound awesome and they look cool, but usually don't hold well.

[ZigZag]

Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about_ how well they will hold up....I've never had this problem before and always have used 1 qt jars for the cure....I'm not sure the rubbermaid containers will seal them tight enough for a good long cure. I'm probably going to trim them really well when wet before hanging to dry and then once they get crispy on the outside try the paper bags, then cut em up some more and see if I can get them down to a size that I can get into the jars ok_ then keep a real close eye on them. Thanks for the suggestions and for the "well wishes"_ cheers!

[Farmall]

A course I am taking describes boutique type buds all hand trimmed and demanding high prices in a saleable market and for conventional grade and extraction/tincture uses, none of that is necessary. Since you’re not selling to an audience demanding that type of product, you should maximize the end product for your use. There were few colas, bigger than the wall mounted fire extinguisher kept which was coke can diameter and 16” tall but the picture is all that’s left. It really is a big ego boost tho while their developing. Like the guy with the small dick and new corvette.

another thing I noticed, what was dry In The paper bags at the 6 day mark at near 62% , climbed over 88% within 24-36 hours if the buds were large and placed in jars for burping meaning they were not meant yet for that close confinement. It over 8 weeks curing and near all of them run 58-62% I tossed in a hygrometer in each jar just to maintain some form of standardized control

[ZigZag]

Yup, I'm coming to the conclusion i'm going to have to just cut them down after the final trim, even if I have to cut right through them_ like you said, not for sale so aesthetics are less important than a great successful cure! Maybe I should keep them in the bags after hanging with a hygrometer and wait until the humidity is down to less than 60%, then cut them down further, put in the jars and watch very carefully. The ones I'm concerned about are about that size _ two soda cans on top of each other. Thanks for the suggestions!

[Mr.furley]

Hey ZigZag show us the meat.

[ZigZag]

Won't be too long and I'll post some photos. Taking her down in two days. I have the 6 big colas carefully attached to bamboo poles so they don't fall over on the floor!

[ZigZag]

OK, here's a photo of the Caesar two days before harvest. Only got about four colas like this but the rest were pretty decent too. I'll post an updated summary with pics for this grow soon. Cheers! ....After taking them down to hang and dry it looks like I will be able to snip off bracts about 3-4" long and an inch or two in diameter as I work my way up from the bottom so the jar cure should work well if I keep a close watch on things. Feeling better about this now so thanks to all for your suggestions!

[ZigZag]

Thanks Mr.Furley, now we're awaiting the cure and taste test!

[alltatup]

Hot damn!!!!!!!!!

[ZigZag]

I'm hoping that for sure. Haven't tried it yet. 5 days drying so far and looks like another 2 to go before I start the cure. I'm thinking of trimming and clipping bracts from some of the smaller colas and putting them in a few jars just to see how fast the humidity rises in 6-12 hrs. Then that might give me an idea how the larger ones will do. I'll keep a good watch on the first bunch and take it from there!
BTW_ today I'm "distilling" some more 151 proof EC into 190 proof. It worked well last time and I'm pretty sure it was worth the extra work. But this time I need more EC for the next go around (I've only got about 8oz left from last time). Can I just keep recycling the EC or does it have a shelf life? I read that it can absorb water from the air if left uncovered so I've been keeping it sealed up tight to keep that to a minimum.This time I'm going to make the end product as "dry" as possible....but am a little concerned that the crucible might overheat....I called them but haven't heard back yet.
Cheers!

[ZigZag]

PS_ just posted a summary and pics from this grow on the forum_ "coco grow in liquid organics" ...the other strains were meltdown and Exodus Rex which finished nicely too but not as huge, case you're interested. Cheers!

[Potted]

Makes for a nice picture zig, good stuff, cure well my friend.

[ZigZag]

Thanks Potted, I'm going to start with your recommendation to trim them down as much as possible by starting with some of the smaller colas, trim the bracts off as far up as I can go, jar them and see how the humidity is after 6, 12 and 24 hrs. If it's below 65% then I'll try the same with one of the larger colas and see how that does...then go on from there.
Cheers!