Bud Washing

First post.
I've just had a deeply entertaining half-hour reading various wash threads... who knew there was so much controversy!
Stoners calling each other stoners... Eyes arching, nostrils flaring, fists clenching, bongs wielded as weapons... ok I may have read too much between the lines.

Ok - I'm going to share my recent experience as I think it might be helpful.

I was in the most undesirable wash scenario: year-old bud that became contaminated with mold after its jar was opened in an environment with spores. I'm sensitive to mold, and knew without a doubt it had made it into the jar, even though I couldn't see anything through a scope yet. Just sniffing the jar resulted in sniffles - my allergy doesn't lie.

Terrific strain: BCN Diesel CBD, roughly 2:1 THC to CBD ratio, organic outdoor grow... and this was my only jar. Not willing to let it go without attempting a rescue.

Hence the wash.

Straight out of the gate, I didn't care much if I lost trichs and/or terps: better than losing the whole jar.

I used a weak H202 solution, and gently bobbed and swirled the bud for a few minutes, then dried with a small fan pointing just off axis. It was dry again in just a few hours.

Result, no more adverse reaction to sniffing the jar. After a couple of days of burping, relative humidity stabilised at 58% inside the jar.

I agree with all those who claim the smoke is smoother - without a doubt.
And even though in theory, the dry bud was at risk of losing some trichs, I can't tell any difference in effect.

If I can only discern benefit in this dry bud scenario, washing freshly cut bud should be an even safer bet.
So consider me completely sold.

It's great to be a purist and lament the loss of a few trichs and terps... but most of the mass is beneath the surface and should not be affected by washing in any way. Health is a bigger consideration. Mold isn't good for anybody, allergy or not. Just because you don't detect mold, or other airborne contaminants, doesn't mean they aren't there.

Now on a tent grow, with HEPA filter, but still intend to give the bud a quick wash at the end. It is an organic soil grow, so spores and bacteria will still be present in the tent to some degree. And in 3 months, with the tent being unzipped for a couple of minutes daily, that's 3 hours of exposure to spores being sucked in by a fairly strong negative pressure.
 
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NinjaMaster

Well-Known Member
Hey,

Funny thing - The sticky thc and oils are not water soluble.
Maybe H202 could damage them.
But i wash with Lemon Juice and water only.
My bud comes out just as strong and smoother after a wash.
I tested this by not washing some of the plant and washing the rest.
Tested the weed back to back washed vs unwashed.

The washed had better taste.
 

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
what would you recommend to give some weed a special taste? just how would be the outcome if we do it with garlic water? will it remain?
I would never ever recommend doing this. The oils that is in garlic or other foods would burn and taste horrible when set on fire for consumption.
The good news tho is that there are strains that do already have a natural flavor to them. There are strains like lemon garlic og etc.. if you truly want a weed with a unique flavor....maybe try breeding your own and seeing what you come up with.
 

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
First post.
I've just had a deeply entertaining half-hour reading various wash threads... who knew there was so much controversy!
Stoners calling each other stoners... Eyes arching, nostrils flaring, fists clenching, bongs wielded as weapons... ok I may have read too much between the lines.

Ok - I'm going to share my recent experience as I think it might be helpful.

I was in the most undesirable wash scenario: year-old bud that became contaminated with mold after its jar was opened in an environment with spores. I'm sensitive to mold, and knew without a doubt it had made it into the jar, even though I couldn't see anything through a scope yet. Just sniffing the jar resulted in sniffles - my allergy doesn't lie.

Terrific strain: BCN Diesel CBD, roughly 2:1 THC to CBD ratio, organic outdoor grow... and this was my only jar. Not willing to let it go without attempting a rescue.

Hence the wash.

Straight out of the gate, I didn't care much if I lost trichs and/or terps: better than losing the whole jar.

I used a weak H202 solution, and gently bobbed and swirled the bud for a few minutes, then dried with a small fan pointing just off axis. It was dry again in just a few hours.

Result, no more adverse reaction to sniffing the jar. After a couple of days of burping, relative humidity stabilised at 58% inside the jar.

I agree with all those who claim the smoke is smoother - without a doubt.
And even though in theory, the dry bud was at risk of losing some trichs, I can't tell any difference in effect.

If I can only discern benefit in this dry bud scenario, washing freshly cut bud should be an even safer bet.
So consider me completely sold.

It's great to be a purist and lament the loss of a few trichs and terps... but most of the mass is beneath the surface and should not be affected by washing in any way. Health is a bigger consideration. Mold isn't good for anybody, allergy or not. Just because you don't detect mold, or other airborne contaminants, doesn't mean they aren't there.

Now on a tent grow, with HEPA filter, but still intend to give the bud a quick wash at the end. It is an organic soil grow, so spores and bacteria will still be present in the tent to some degree. And in 3 months, with the tent being unzipped for a couple of minutes daily, that's 3 hours of exposure to spores being sucked in by a fairly strong negative pressure.
So glad that you saved your buds and that you had such a great experience with it. I'm very happy for you!
 

3rd Monkey

Well-Known Member
Hey,

Funny thing - The sticky thc and oils are not water soluble.
Maybe H202 could damage them.
But i wash with Lemon Juice and water only.
My bud comes out just as strong and smoother after a wash.
I tested this by not washing some of the plant and washing the rest.
Tested the weed back to back washed vs unwashed.

The washed had better taste.
I use lemon juice and baking soda. Dries and cures twice as fast as just letting them dry after chop.

Smoother smoke, cleaner bud, faster turnaround, and perceived (by me and mine) terp profiles.
 

ISK

Well-Known Member
: year-old bud that became contaminated with mold after its jar was opened in an environment with spores. I'm sensitive to mold, and knew without a doubt it had made it into the jar, even though I couldn't see anything through a scope yet. Just sniffing the jar resulted in sniffles - my allergy doesn't lie
IMHO....the only way to deal with mold is to dispose of it.....I would never smoke, or sniff anything with mold
 
Same smoking mold is asking for trouble
IMHO....the only way to deal with mold is to dispose of it.....I would never smoke, or sniff anything with mold
Your caution makes sense, except that I knew for a fact that the contamination was recent because for a year I had no reaction to sniffing the jar, and once I did, there was no visible mould when looking under a scope. I took this to mean that spores had recently gained access, but had not had time to cause any visible alterations. Since the wash removed the source of my reaction, and I had no mycotoxic reaction to smoking it (very sensitive to that too), the situation had been remedied.
You have to keep in mind that the weed you smoke happily without a care in the world, might be something I would react to... there are mould spores on almost everything: it is all a matter of how sensitive you are to them.
 

Kinch

Well-Known Member
It's great to be a purist and lament the loss of a few trichs and terps... but most of the mass is beneath the surface and should not be affected by washing in any way. Health is a bigger consideration.
I agree, @melaninTonic . I wanted to wash this harvest for pest reasons, but strangely fierce debates on other forums got me nervous. I wondered how much damage a rinsing or dunking did to the plant freshly cut down. What kind of loss should we expect?

So, I did an experiment this harvest and scoped a bud before and after washing. I found little to know trich loss or degradation. See pics for a rough comparison of before and after wash. The two pics are from as close to the same location on the plant as I could manage at that magnitude.

Note: I used the sink filled-tap water method (no lemon juice or baking soda additives).

Ego
 

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NinjaMaster

Well-Known Member
I agree, @melaninTonic . I wanted to wash this harvest for pest reasons, but strangely fierce debates on other forums got me nervous. I wondered how much damage a rinsing or dunking did to the plant freshly cut down. What kind of loss should we expect?

So, I did an experiment this harvest and scoped a bud before and after washing. I found little to know trich loss or degradation. See pics for a rough comparison of before and after wash. The two pics are from as close to the same location on the plant as I could manage at that magnitude.

Note: I used the sink filled-tap water method (no lemon juice or baking soda additives).

Ego
This exactly.
I also checked my Trichs before and after washing. Couldnt notice any difference.
I think people are just freaked out because they have never done it before. I was cautious my first time.
Now when i harvest i couldn't imagine smoking the bud unwashed. its like - would you eat grapes straight outta the box you bought them in?
I wash my fruit before i eat it. sis, people have been touching it lol.
Same for my weed. its been sitting indoor in a tent circulating air. who knows whats on it. gotta rinse it before i smoke it.
 

Kinch

Well-Known Member
This exactly.
I also checked my Trichs before and after washing. Couldnt notice any difference.
I think people are just freaked out because they have never done it before. I was cautious my first time.
Now when i harvest i couldn't imagine smoking the bud unwashed. its like - would you eat grapes straight outta the box you bought them in?
I wash my fruit before i eat it. sis, people have been touching it lol.
Same for my weed. its been sitting indoor in a tent circulating air. who knows whats on it. gotta rinse it before i smoke it.
@NinjaMaster Do you use pure water or a lemon/soda solution for your wash?
 

MrToad69

Well-Known Member
I think ones health is worth more than some trichomes and Terps.

I too have washed bud in the past when I sensed any hint of mould or pest residue..

RO water and a little peroxide...I would be wary of adding solids like baking soda to water unless you are going to rinse multiple times...
Most people know that the trichomes are not water soluble.. hence do not blend with water when washed..perhaps smushed or broken off..but separate..

The primary reason that the smoke is smoother is due to leaching the chlorophyll and excess salts that have built up in the plant matter...Unfortunately, many of the terps diminish, if not disappear, in the process depending on how long you wash for...overnight vs brief.

This is part of the debate...for health.. no question.but.the price of washing your cannabis to create a smooth taste significantly impacts flavor, making strains more bland and homogeneous than they would be otherwise.

Cheers
 
I think ones health is worth more than some trichomes and Terps.

I too have washed bud in the past when I sensed any hint of mould or pest residue..

RO water and a little peroxide...I would be wary of adding solids like baking soda to water unless you are going to rinse multiple times...
Most people know that the trichomes are not water soluble.. hence do not blend with water when washed..perhaps smushed or broken off..but separate..

The primary reason that the smoke is smoother is due to leaching the chlorophyll and excess salts that have built up in the plant matter...Unfortunately, many of the terps diminish, if not disappear, in the process depending on how long you wash for...overnight vs brief.

This is part of the debate...for health.. no question.but.the price of washing your cannabis to create a smooth taste significantly impacts flavor, making strains more bland and homogeneous than they would be otherwise.

Cheers
To be honest I did notice a bit of a loss of flavour after washing, but in my case the bud was over a year old anyway, and the last time I had tasted it was almost two months prior. I'm looking forward to testing with another fresh batch, to compare trichs, and flavour for washed and non-washed...
 

conor c

Well-Known Member
To be honest I did notice a bit of a loss of flavour after washing, but in my case the bud was over a year old anyway, and the last time I had tasted it was almost two months prior. I'm looking forward to testing with another fresh batch, to compare trichs, and flavour for washed and non-washed...
Makes sense
Thats cos many terps unlike thc etc is water soluble think hash proper dry sift hash always tastes better vs bubblehash imo cos you preserve the terpenes rather than washing em out
 

Kassiopeija

Well-Known Member
There's a difference in budwashing and watercuring, the former is just a few mins of "doing the dunk" to get rid of all dust upon buds and doesn't solve chlorophyll out, whereas curing in water for several days will do so, but also decrease weight of harvest by a fair amount (maybe 20-30%) in turn making the smoke less harsh but more potent (because the "cannabinoid to psychoactive-inert-plantmaterial - ratio shifted favourably towards THC/CBD/CBG/CBN etc)

I wonder if one just couldn't do the washing off of dust a few days prior to harvest so whatever terpenes may be lost during that process could perhaps be build back in time? However, I kind of doubt that living plants will loose much of whatever they have inside of them otherwise they would constantly loose these things in a natural surrounding due to rain. Such a constant loss wouldn't be an evolutionairy proper concept.

Actually, eukariotic lifeforms can regulate that pretty well through the cellmembranes which are composed of fatty acids which are strongly hydrophobic.
 
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friedguy

Well-Known Member
I wash my outdoor in 1/2c baking soda + 1/2c lemon juice + 5gal h2o in a 5 gal bucket. Then rinse in another bucket. Then final rinse in a third with ro water. The first bucket is always nasty, the second it still gross and even the 3rd has some debris floating in it when done.

Dries, cures, looks, smokes and tastes great.
 

NinjaMaster

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, yeah i wash with 1 basin full water + 1/2 cup lemon juice.
Second basin with plain water for a second rinse.
The buds go into each rinse for around 15 - 30 seconds.
im not trying to get rid of mould or anything. just dust or anything else that might be on there.
also it takes longer to dry and cure after this. which ive heard is better.
i dont notice much loss of flavour. but i will be doing another test on my next harvest. ill bud wash about 3/4 of the plant
and ill leave 1/4 of the bud un washed. ill dry and cure them separately and jar them separately so i can compare the high & flavour.
I already know the washed bud will likely be smoother. but perhaps the unwashed bud will retain more dank taste?
not 100% sure. but will report back in a few weeks on this.
 
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