Full plant drying?

Has anyone ever done this? No chop just pulling it out and hanging it up with rootball, and all intact? Maybe even just leaving it in the pot, and leaving in it a dark closet letting it die, slowly? I don't think either way would have any negative effect would it?

My dad said something about this last seasons grow, I didn't do it, and I'm about to harvest one of my plants I flowered early he said something about it again. I cant find the right keywords to get really any hits on this in google. I think this would be a more improved version of everyone's three days of darkness. Why not just let it die in the darkness instead of three days then chopping? I know it will take a hell of long time to dry at least improving taste, and smokeability. Maybe I will do it, and give a report for you guys. I would like some input though.

Also I would do a live manicure. Just the fan leaves as all the sugar leaves are coated in trichs.

Also I've heard another reason to harvest full was to hang it all upside down so something ran from the roots into the plant while it was drying. Weird I know, but has anyone heard anything about that?

I would think that by leaving it in the pot to die you may cause it to over rippen. Possibly even freak out, hermie, and seed itself. Hanging it with the rootball is also of no benefit. After harvest there is nothing in the roots that are of any use. Chop it at the dirt and hang the whole thing and trim when dry.

Haven't done it. Basically you're just delaying harvest and the drying/curing process. The plant will continue to grow in the dark albeit slowly so "harvesting" with the plant full intact doesn't really work. No light will slow down photosynthetis, the plant will not dry as if you had done the drying process normally.

The whole three days thing hasn't really been proven scientifically. It's mostly people saying "my buds are sticker, more thc, etc, etc." What other flowering plants do gardeners keep in the dark for three days before they harvest? Proper drying/curing improves taste and smokeability. What you're during is just delaying the process.

Nothing runs from the roots to the plant. There's a few threads around RIU that actually give scientific info. THC doesn't drain down into the plant or anything like that. You don't keep the roots while you're drying anyway. You cut the plant into branches and hang them up.

Alright so the main question of the topic wasn't does anything run from the roots. I don't really believe that either. Maybe just water as the plant can't suck it up when it's dying. I was more focused on the idea it would give a longer dry by leaving the entire plant intact. Thus making the flavors, and chlorophyll come out more. I like how these ideas kind of go hand in hand though.

You chop a bud off a plant to harvest it it's still alive just going to die faster. Only downside it will dry out faster.
You leave a bud on the plant don't give it any food (light) let it die more slowly. Only downside is like you said it might ripen a bit more. Upside it will dry out slower.

We put our plants in the darkness when they're drying anyways why not let it dry in the darkness, let it die in the darkness. Keep the plant intact. No lights means nothing's running into your buds to ruin taste. Wont a longer dry be better, and wont this provide a longer dry?

The bud is alive only for a little bit when you chop. When you leave it with the soil it's still alive, but it's light reactions have slowed down. Dark reactions still occur and the plant is still growing. Not only will you most definitely increase the amount of amber trichs, but you're just delaying the drying process. If you want more flavor just cure. Having 30%+ amber isn't worth a better taste if I can get that with curing for an extra week.

We put the plant into darkness because light destroys THC(to a limit). Light doesn't affect taste, RH and temp do. Light degrades thc, that's all. Longer cure>longer dry. Do a controlled experiment. One plant harvested/dryed/cured normally vs one done the other method. I bet that either that difference is negligible or in fact the plant that remained in the pot will be over ripe and actually less potent.

there was a long discussion on exactly this in this subforum not long ago

it would more than likely cause mold problems in normal climates

and would be intensely more difficult and messy

for virtually no benefit

Jimmyjonestoo said:

I would think that by leaving it in the pot to die you may cause it to over rippen. Possibly even freak out, hermie, and seed itself. Hanging it with the rootball is also of no benefit. After harvest there is nothing in the roots that are of any use. Chop it at the dirt and hang the whole thing and trim when dry.

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LMFAO your logic is just.... LOL!!!

Yes, so he will take the plant OUT OF THE GROUND, hang it UPSIDE DOWN, then as the plant dries it will spawn BANANAS (which plants normally do when drying) and then it will POLLINATE the entire drying crop and spoil the bud with seeds! I bet dead drying plants popping nanners make EXTRA BIG seeds, what a pain!

The cannabis plant has incredible survivability features, allowing it to pollinate itself and create seeds even when the plant is dry... just amazing this MJ isnt it?

remember guys, dont dry yur whole plant cus the thing will pop nanners and create a bunch of seeds in yur bud!

grassified said:

LMFAO your logic is just.... LOL!!!

Yes, so he will take the plant OUT OF THE GROUND, hang it UPSIDE DOWN, then as the plant dries it will spawn BANANAS (which plants normally do when drying) and then it will POLLINATE the entire drying crop and spoil the bud with seeds! I bet dead drying plants popping nanners make EXTRA BIG seeds, what a pain!

The cannabis plant has incredible survivability features, allowing it to pollinate itself and create seeds even when the plant is dry... just amazing this MJ isnt it?

remember guys, dont dry yur whole plant cus the thing will pop nanners and create a bunch of seeds in yur bud!

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no, it's just a bad idea. you didn't even need to go to the length you did

ok BUT SERIOSULY THE ADVANTAGES TO DRYING THE PLANT WHOLE IS IT DRIES SLOWER OVERALL, THATS IT. IF YOU HAVE LOW HUMIDITY THEN THIS MIGHT BE A PRACTICAL OPTION, ALSO IF YUR LAZY.

grassified said:

ok BUT SERIOSULY THE ADVANTAGES TO DRYING THE PLANT WHOLE IS IT DRIES SLOWER OVERALL, THATS IT. IF YOU HAVE LOW HUMIDITY THEN THIS MIGHT BE A PRACTICAL OPTION, ALSO IF YUR LAZY.

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yeah, whole plant. but not with the root ball intact.

You guys need to use common sense, obviously the rootball method works just fine as long as you stop watering your plant. Once the plant drinks the pot bone dry you can just leave it in the pot, it wont hermie or anything, because the rootball will be dried.

This is a common uncommon way to dry weed,some people do it all the time. I hear about it in outdoor growing regions where it gets very dry towards the end of harvest, and they just let the plants dry out, then chop them. No need for all the stem cutting/hanging on a string BS.

ANYONE can do the exact same thing indoors.

It may have possible benefits, think about it, the plant dies... almost naturally, it isn't killed fresh therefore the marijuana doesn't have to suffer, imagine if you were cut up piece by piece, id rather die of thirst.

although I will admit its hard to watch your babies slowly die of thirst.... then theres the whole "joy" of chopping and hanging a fresh plant.

another disadvantage is you have to stop nuting/flushing earlier, so that you can let the plant drink the pot dry, depending on the strain/pot size/plant size/RH the plant in pot drying method takes anywhere from 1-3 weeks.

But if the plant is in a pot that it drinks dry often, then it shouldn't take anymore than a week for the entire plant to be dead.

IN CONCLUSION

This method of drying may have no benefit to the end product, but it useful for the following

1. those who want to harvest their plant as naturally as possible.

2. lazy stoners who don't want to take all the time to chop/hang it up

3. if you plan on drying in a low RH environment this method would suit you better for a slower dry.

4. Those with empathy for the marijuana plant, butchering a live MJ plant is just EVIL imo (imagine being cut into pieces... slowly...alive.) The soul of MJ has been intertwined with humans for so long that I believe these plants have feelings just like we do, fear, hunger, confusion thirst...even love.

The most HUMANE method of effectively harvesting your plant would be this.

As you can see i've split my post into 6 separate posts, because no one would have read that wall of text all in one post.... am I a genius or what?


/THREAD

grassified said:

As you can see i've split my post into 6 separate posts, because no one would have read that wall of text all in one post.... am I a genius or what?


/THREAD

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I read them all, your a psychology genius!!!

grassified said:

LMFAO your logic is just.... LOL!!!

Yes, so he will take the plant OUT OF THE GROUND, hang it UPSIDE DOWN, then as the plant dries it will spawn BANANAS (which plants normally do when drying) and then it will POLLINATE the entire drying crop and spoil the bud with seeds! I bet dead drying plants popping nanners make EXTRA BIG seeds, what a pain!

The cannabis plant has incredible survivability features, allowing it to pollinate itself and create seeds even when the plant is dry... just amazing this MJ isnt it?

remember guys, dont dry yur whole plant cus the thing will pop nanners and create a bunch of seeds in yur bud!

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absolute rubbish mate, only time a plant will nanner is in late flower while its still ALIVE, if you cut the plant and dry whole, its no longer in the ripening phase, its DRYING, it will NOT grow nanners

grassified said:

ok BUT SERIOSULY THE ADVANTAGES TO DRYING THE PLANT WHOLE IS IT DRIES SLOWER OVERALL, THATS IT. IF YOU HAVE LOW HUMIDITY THEN THIS MIGHT BE A PRACTICAL OPTION, ALSO IF YUR LAZY.

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The whole purpose of drying is to remove water, and slow enough that chlorophyll is released with it, 60f or 16- 18 deg c / 60%rh for two weeks, I don't care what kind of environment you have, control it ! that's it, trim & jar !

Ive read a lot of posts on this thread, most of your are making it harder than it has to be.

steveepeeps said:

The whole purpose of drying is to remove water, and slow enough that chlorophyll is released with it, 60f or 16- 18 deg c / 60%rh for two weeks, I don't care what kind of environment you have, control it ! that's it, trim & jar !

Ive read a lot of posts on this thread, most of your are making it harder than it has to be.

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I doubt he is going to respond from a thread in 2012