Harvest, drying and curing!

So my plants have been in flower for quite sometime, they are outdoor plants and I’m wondering how do I know when it’s time to harvest? Is there a way to tell? Also is there any way to make sure there aren’t any bugs in the buds when I harvest?

Second, I’m wondering about drying and curing. I’m just really nervous about getting it right, can anyone suggest some sort of guide or does anybody have a full proof way to make sure my bud is tasty?!

Thanks in advance! This place has been so amazing!

There are some pretty good guides out there.

The one I use as a reference is this one.

Happy harvesting!

60F
60% RH
approx 14 days.

Is the ballpark to aim for. You gotta keep the temps down as anything over 70F will degrade your terps and ruin your work.

Thanks to both of you!!

Not entirely true. I’ve been drying and curing at 75-78 degrees and buds are coming out great. Neighbors have not complained ever about my weed. Would I like to dry and cure at 60 60…dam straight I would. Just don’t have the funds for a fancy Cannatrol and I live in the desert.

@Week411
I’m just curious about how long it takes to dry at those temps?

More power to you mate. If you can dry in those temps and you are happy with the result, that’s awesome.

Me, not so much. Every time I have dried in those temps I end up with really subpar product. It hits but most of the flavor is gone.

60/60 seems to be generally regarded by most growers as being the zone to aim for, but like you I live in a hot environment so I pretty much have to time my grows for the winter.

@SJ1
Curious , my meter is reading low RH down in the 30-45 area, my temps are 70s. When it comes to drying do i need to raise my rh or is that good just dont go over 60 ?

Definitely raise it to 55-60% if you can, a slower dry the better the end product imho.

If you dry too quick you will need a longer cure to compensate for the time for chlorophyll and other undesirables to fully break down.

I’ve just seen this posted elsewhere, can’t vouch for it but it may be helpful for you.

@SJ1
I’m glad you posted this. But what is BPD because I’m in the very bottom right corner area and not really sure how long to dry. I know the branch snap method but having a general idea would be nice to.

Vapor Pressure Deficit I think it stands for. Growers use it to get plant respiration into the desired zone. There’s a ton of stuff online about it. There’s a chart here you can mess about with https://vpdchart.com/

Not used it for drying though. So can’t say for sure what drying times these combos will give. What I do know is that at a perfect 60/60 it takes from 14-21 days.

So if warmer or dryer then expect it to takes less time etc.

One week…takes about a week to dry, depending on the bud structure. best to dry the whole plant vs individual cuts of it

Winters are my better grows. Out here the show must go on 24/7

I had to do individual because I wasn’t expecting what I got and didn’t have enough room for the whole plant. I’m probably gonna have to start curing in stages because of the difference in sizes but I’m prepared for that. If not it’s just a quick trip to Walmart

Order some grove bags, jars are a thing of the past my friend.

@Crackadoo
Some say the same thing about me at 50 years old​:rofl:.
I am going to try and improve what I do but I’m on to short of time for this one. I have seen those burb lids but all that is new to me and I got an understanding of the mason jar process. Right now I’m trying to see how to improve my soil.