2023 · Late flower & cure · McHenry, IL
Close-ups — what a good finish looks like
Bud detail from a previous season and a look at the drying room. This is what the last three weeks and the two weeks after harvest should get you.
Not every grow is a season arc. Sometimes the story is just in the last three weeks — and the two weeks after that. These are the payoff shots from a previous season’s harvest and cure.
A few things I look for when deciding to cut:
- Trichomes — mostly cloudy with a small share of amber (say 5–15%). Clear is too early; majority-amber is too late for most phenotypes.
- Pistils — mostly orange and receded into the calyx. Fresh white pistils mean she’s still swelling.
- Smell — the bloom note drops off and a more concentrated, resinous smell shows up. Trust your nose; it’s usually right.
The drying cabinet photo is unglamorous but it’s the most important piece of gear most growers skimp on. 61% relative humidity, 60–65°F, in the dark, for 10–14 days. Then jars. Then patience. Nothing about a good cure is fast.
The set
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Cola at day 55 of flower. Pistils mostly amber, calyxes swollen. -
Warm-tone variant — same plant, different light. -
Trichome density. Cloudy with a small share of amber — right where I want to cut. -
Macro. This is what finished trichome heads look like up close. -
Drying cabinet. 61% RH, 64°F. Slow and boring — exactly right.
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