Expert Interview: The Science of Saving These Terps During Harvest
‘Tis the season of murder – terp murder, that is.
Yes, terpenes – those aromatic molecules that make cannabis so special – are put to the test every year when harvested. More than half of the terps the plant produces never make it into the bag. Without proper healing, people will smoke even more.
Growers chop plants too early, burn terpenes in dry rooms, or rot terpenes in containers that were sealed too early. Additionally, sellers and consumers sell flowers before they are fully cured and in their prime.
Leafly has tons of resources to guide you through your first harvest season. But we also wanted to summarize the basics again with an expert. Watch the video above as Leafly Editor-in-Chief David Downs – author of Marijuana Harvest – discusses top tips for saving these terps with Bay Area-based post-harvest manager Danielle Boudreaux. Tips include:
- Chop the plants when the trichomes are ripe
- Hang the branches whole to dry in a cool, darkened room with a gently circulating fan
- Maintain the drying room at 60°F and the relative humidity at 55°F. Monitor remotely with Wi-Fi sensors Govee.
- Hang dry for 10 to 14 days until the thickest bud stems burst but do not break completely. Don’t rush to dry it.
- Remove the branches from the string and allow them to dry in containers for at least a week until the terpene smell outweighs the water and plant smell
- Do not seal wet flowers in jars – the water and lack of oxygen promote rot
If only everything went so smoothly. Also watch the video for troubleshooting tips.
Here are more articles to help you harvest, dry and store buds
Leafly Senior Editor David Downs is the former cannabis editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. He has appeared on the Today Show and written for Scientific American, the New York Times, WIRED, Rolling Stone, The Onion A/V Club, High Times and many other media outlets. He is a judge for the 2023 Emerald Cup and has been involved in weed since 2009.
Check out David Downs’ articles
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