What You Can Learn About Your Cannabis By Studying Ash and Soot

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.

Seasoned cannabis users can talk at length about the many ways that you can determine the quality of your cannabis by a variety of factors.

The most common aspects of the herb that people look at are the buds and their smell, but a lesser-known aspect of them is the ash it produces. It’s one thing that can tell you a lot about how clean the cannabis is.

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In this article, we’re going to cover the different colors marijuana ash creates when vaporizing, and how certain stages in the growing process can affect them.

Wash

Many cannabis connoisseurs argue that if marijuana produces white ash, it is because the cannabis was flushed before harvest.

Flushing is done by some growers when the plant is near the peak of the growing process. During this practice, the plants are only given clean water for the last week. When growing with hydroponic systems, water is usually mixed with nutrient concentrations or other things like salt that affect the pH of the soil. If there is an accumulation of minerals, be it in hydroponic or soil cannabis growing systems, it can lead to nutrient burns. The symptoms of nutrient burn are yellowing or puckered leaves, although the chemicals and nutrients can also build up in smaller amounts that won’t become apparent until the first puff of the weed.

However, if the cannabis makes a crackling sound, it could be a sign that excess nutrients have built up in the plant. It could also be because the curing process wasn’t done properly.

Rinsing is done primarily to improve the taste of the cannabis plant, but it is quite expensive to do. If cannabis hasn’t been rinsed well, it can result in dark or black ash.

Not all breeders flush their cannabis, but professional breeders know that this is a key process in growing high quality cannabis.

Curing

Other people believe that curing affects the ashes. This process, which occurs in food and not just cannabis, means that the plant material is being prepared for long storage. Cannabis cures plants by allowing them to dry or hang for up to 2 weeks. Once growers find that most of the moisture has gone, the cannabis buds are then stored in an airtight container for about 6 weeks.

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If cannabis is cured during this time, excess moisture will be retained in the container. Any gases can be released during the intervals. This allows bacteria to get rid of any remaining compounds that could affect the final taste.

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Many growers believe that curing plays an important role in overall smoothness and taste, and also affects the quality of your smoke.

Other best practices in waxing for better ash

To improve the smokability of cannabis, there are other things that growers can do while growing it.

1. Turn off the grow lights a few days before harvest: a quick decrease in chlorophyll levels before harvest, especially in the last 2 days before harvest, will decrease starch and sugar levels, which has been shown to improve smokability, resulting in white ash .
2. In the last few weeks of the flowering cycle, reduce the temperature: lower temperatures as you increase the purple color, especially on strains that are genetically predisposed to it. Studies show that this also breaks down chlorophyll, but it also removes moisture, which can be difficult at lower temperatures.

Ash color

If you really want to see how clean your cannabis is, smoke it.

Then watch the ashes. If the ash color is a darker gray or black, it could mean that the cannabis you have consumed contains unwanted compounds or even minerals. But if the ash color is white or light gray, then everyone agrees that cannabis is very clean.

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If the ash turned black or dark gray, it could mean that cannabis was not properly cured or flushed. When the growth process leaves minerals and unwanted sugars due to improper curing, the smoker may observe a burning sensation in the throat as well as dark ash.

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Other aspects to look out for

Aside from the color of the ash, there are other things that you can observe while smoking your cannabis.

One is the texture; high quality and clean cannabis has a delicate and light texture. If fertilizer, fungicides, or pesticides are left behind after harvesting, the ashes will be hard and grainy. In general, you want the ash to resemble a fine powder. You can test it out by taking a few puffs to see if it produces ash that you can examine, then noting the texture at different times of smoking the joint for more accurate results.

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You can also use your senses to learn more about the quality of your weed. Always look out for mold. If cannabis shows any signs of mold, dispose of it immediately, and don’t even consider cutting it out and then smoking it. In addition, you should avoid consuming cannabis that is brownish or yellowish in color.

Use your nose too: cannabis always has a very specific smell that you can recognize the better the more you consume cannabis. Always avoid cannabis that smells grassy or hay.

Conclusion

Learning the many ways to identify better quality cannabis is a great way to get to know the plant better. This is especially helpful if at some point you want to learn how to grow your own cannabis.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.