Getting ready to quit for good!

[GanjaDude]

Guys thanks for the great advice. I feel like I'm missing some small step that's screwing things up, but I just can't for the life of me figure it out. The herb allows looks fantastic, but the taste leaves a lot to be desired. I was using Clearex for multiple grows but I stopped using it and switched to plain water thinking maybe that was causing the bad taste (I was basically trying to change everything from the water to the grow media to the nutes, assuming one was the culprit). I knew from all the reading I've done that the drying process is the one of the most difficult aspects of the grow, but I thought I had a good handle on it. When I dry I was cutting the buds from the plant and hanging them from string that I had set-up in a large box. After 6-7 days when they were fairly dry on the outside I would put them into plain brown shopping bags until the stems would snap, then into the mason jars. I was always trying to keep the RH between 55-65% and the temps between 65-75. I do have a couple of humidifiers that I use in the winter. Crabbyback I think I will try your way of hanging the whole plant, you may be on to something. I also have bubblebags that I use to make hash, but that also taste crappy. I really don't want to switch to soil, maybe I'll try one more grow in fall and hope for the best. Crabbyback and Foothillsfarmer thanks for taking the time to try and help I appreciate it.

[crabbyback]

I hope you try one more time. I made the very same damn mistake on my first grow! Some of that grow is still sitting in my stash cab. Nobody here likes it. Its destined to become canna caps.

After depressing results, I searched for all drying info I could find. Books, net, etc. I found somewhere (:stoned a logical explanation for what was occurring. The stems and trunk act to slow down drying of the buds. Fast drying just pulls the moisture in your buds out but traps clorophyll and other yuck in the buds. Slow drying pulls moisture and bad juju out of your buds in stages. Anyway, I wish I could remember where I read that but, the light went on for me. Next grow, I did 4 WW. The drying took weeks at 50% RH, at around 65F, in the dark, with minimal air flow and the plant intact. I didn't even remove the big fan leaves (made for terrible trouble manicuring ). After sufficient cure for WW (2 months in my book) it is some of the most awesome tasting pot I've had. :woohoo: Unfortunately, I haven't had quite as good a luck on subsequent drying attempts, but practice makes perfect in this game.

I just know this will work for you.
:Crabby goes off crossing fingers, chanting encantations, etc:

[crabbyback]

I just bought some myself, just haven't used it yet. I was going to try to cut down the amount of time that I starve them in trying to flush the nutes. The way I understand the chemistry of Clearex, I can't see it adding to the bad taste at all.

If you will research drying and curing here at cancom and using other resources, you will find not everyone is agreed on the principle of flushing or how to do it perfectly at end. I thought I'd experiment a bit with one plant each grow.

Do it, dude!

[LOC NAR on probation]

Well guys I know I haven't been around for a while but just wanted to give you an update on what's been going on. Since my post in Dec. about my hydro weed tasting like crap, I've had 2 more grows and both have ended the same way. The herb looks amazing, but taste like crap! Two entire years, a couple thousand dollars and more hours hauling water up and down stairs than I care to remember and I'm still smoking s**t. I tried the good advice from the generous members here and changed from Hydroton media and got myself an RO system. I thought after my last grow that my problem was that when I was flushing I was using plain RO water and that I should have flushed with water that was PH adjusted, but that didn't solve the problem.
About my only option now is to try a soil grow or just quit altogether. Because of where I live there is no option to just buy the dank stuff, it's always below average stuff that cost from $300 to $400 an OZ. The last time I smoked really good stuff was 25 years ago in college. I thought growing my own would finally fix this problem, but I'm an idiot! Thanks for letting me vent I feel better.

What strain or strains are you growing ?
After reading all this again haevest is not a problem. Sounds like a strain related thing. You are curing right and flushing and it is not your plants dying.
Have you tried a strain that is more neutral in smell, like big bud ?

[GanjaDude]

Loc Nar in the last couple of years I've tried
Joey Weeds Ak47xC99
Serious Seeds Bubblegum
TGA's Pandoras Box
Dutch Passions Master Kush, White Widow and Blueberry.
Crabby, the one thing that makes me think it might not be the way I'm drying is that every time I've made bubblehash it also tasted crappy and that's made right after harvest.

[crabbyback]

I do recall reading that you should also cure your hash for taste and smoothness after pressing but before smoking. I don't know if that is true, or if it includes bubble hash :jointsmile: and I can't site a source because I've got short term memory problems .

You seem to have come to your own conclusions regarding the problem, so I'm not sure what else I can offer other than "good luck".

[GanjaDude]

Crabbyback I really haven't come to any conclusion, in fact after reading your advice I figure it can't hurt to try one more time. I'm going to try harvesting the way you do, but I'm wondering if maybe I should do this last grow in soil. Also I think I'll try Loc Nars advice and try growing Big Bud. The more advice I try, the better chance I have for fixing the problem. I don't grow in the summer, it's too hot so my next try will start at the end of Sept. I'll post again and let you know how I make out. Thank you again for the advice.

[LOC NAR on probation]

Loc Nar in the last couple of years I've tried
Joey Weeds Ak47xC99
Serious Seeds Bubblegum
TGA's Pandoras Box
Dutch Passions Master Kush, White Widow and Blueberry.
Crabby, the one thing that makes me think it might not be the way I'm drying is that every time I've made bubblehash it also tasted crappy and that's made right after harvest.

Wow, you should of gotten some real tasties from that bunch. haven't had the blueberry or bubblegum but working my way there. The widow should of been stank for sure. Just had some that was good and stinky and then some not so good from same grower.

Going to have to read back through now. This should not be happening.

[LOC NAR on probation]

I don't mean to be personal but.

Are you taking any meds that might effect the taste of things ?
Or does other weed you have gotten taste OK ?

We are getting older.

[phatsesh101]

start a grow log, youve come this far. let us help you on ur last run side by side monoymono :hippy:

maybe it grows to long or not long enough

or maybe its real good like everybody loves my stuff but to me its just homegrown man