Saving HARVEST from bud rot

Hi everyone, would love your help.

I only have a few plants and they all have Botyrtis, bud rot. One of the plants was in breeding ground for fungas - little air circulation between branches, damp (poor drainage), and mature. I would blame myself but I really blame the inexperience, now I know. I inspect each lady daily and find infected areas, then I cut the bud off. At this point I have questions I can not find the answer to.

1. After removing the branch or buds, I remove the bud rot and save the rest. Keep in mind these plants are not flushed, they haven't drank PH balanced plain H20 for two I weeks, they're full to the brim with nutes (Fox Farm for one plant, Dutch Masters the other). I save whatever I can, place it on a paper plate in a dark closet with a fan. Within a day or most are dried out. I then plan to open and air once a week, probably every few days to begin to ensure there is no mold (or bud rot! - but not ideal conditions, dried bud). I have only grown twice and both times I was not able to flush or feed pure water - tasted like absolute crap. Question: Am I drying/curing these buds correctly provided the scenario above? (The plants are all just a a week or two / maybe a few weeks premature of their harvest date but there are plenty of red hairs)

2. Each day I loose more of each plant. I began a watering regiment, so no more nutes, but I don't think I have time to properly lead up to a flush. I have watered with FloraKleen for 2 days. Question: Should I just flush the plant and harvest? If I can't water for 2 weeks, should I just harvest and skip the flush?

Note: I tried to find the answers above. It's tough because a search for bud rot reveals solutions for the plant and mentions of "quick drying" the bud. No details as to what they mean, that can be wildly interpreted. When I search quick dry, all the threads are either how to make your bud tumbleweed (JK) or mentions to have patience. The latter would assume I was not under dire circumstances to harvest!

Thank you for reading.

If you keep throwing water at it you probably aren't making it any better. The best way I've found to "quick dry" is to get a damp rid or something like that --> and take the plastic off and put the bud directly on the fabric. It'll leech a lot of water out of it. I wouldn't recommend it but I had a not so dry batch I tried to cure that started to mold and I put it on there for about ~4 hours and it dried it pretty much completely, then I just rehydrated it and it turned out ok.

If the trichs are all cloudy at least I'd say chop it. The taste problems you are having are probably from not curing it long enough or correctly. Most people are against quick dry because there is no safe way to quick dry without losing potency, which you will, but it may save some of your buds.

Get a hydrometer to put in your bud jar and make sure it's around 55%, and the longer you cure it the more taste it'll have. Believe me the first bubblegum I grew it took 3 weeks of curing to get the taste to show.

Good luck! Add some pics if you can there may be more you can do.

cranker thanks man. That is good advice to be patient with the cure. I'll have to pick up a hydrometer for sure! A big concern of mine is the lack of flush. Flushing AND curing are the 2 part solution to good taste, or so I thought. Everyone says water the last 2 weeks and then flush until the PMM's are pretty low (forget offhand but low). Just not sure a full day of flush may improve the final product.

justgrowit said:

cranker thanks man. That is good advice to be patient with the cure. I'll have to pick up a hydrometer for sure! A big concern of mine is the lack of flush. Flushing AND curing are the 2 part solution to good taste, or so I thought. Everyone says water the last 2 weeks and then flush until the PMM's are pretty low (forget offhand but low). Just not sure a full day of flush may improve the final product.

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I don't flush. It's a very debated subject. Some say it helps to make it taste better, personally I think it puts stress on your plant, so I just leave it be. It's gonna use up most of the stuff stored in the plant but you're also losing some of the leaf quality so, it's been really debated.

Really, cool well you probably know best. I was pretty well sold and have seen countless of videos. I have heard it determines what you are growing with. I imagine you use additives and it sounds like you like your smoke! Here are some pictures, one from a few weeks ago and the second to show you the sure size I'm "loosing". Granted I am saving 3/4 of the bud but it didn't get that 5 day hang dry, into the jar for the cure process. Thanks again for the help. Now for the pics...



and



No pictures of the bud rot. I tried but it's getting dark and didn't come out. It's depressing, we've all seen bud rot but if you haven't your LUCKY!

so u have allready chopped her down and drying her out ?

Saw this in a thread you posted - "I prefer to flush using a couple bottles of O2 and pouring them over the plant. It's easy to get too you just take an empty bottle and put a cap on it. It's worked out really well for me and it's a cheap way to go." Just curious what you meant. Thanks...

No I am cutting off the buds that have rot. I am loosing the battle and will need to harvest in the next few days. I'm just wondering what the best way to ensure the best taste.

To flush or not to flush.

if its rotting i wouldnt be worried so much about the taste lol , just chop her.

LOL good point but in 24 hours I wouldn't loose that much more. I am just curious if flushing would improve taste but cranker doesn't flush. After checking around a lot of folks do not.

justgrowit said:

No I am cutting off the buds that have rot. I am loosing the battle and will need to harvest in the next few days. I'm just wondering what the best way to ensure the best taste.

To flush or not to flush.

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Crap - wrong quote above. So no flush then?

smallclosetgrowr said:

if its rotting i wouldnt be worried so much about the taste lol , just chop her.

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yeah i dont notice the difference in flushing , but thats my own opinion.

Cool. Your opinion counts, why I posted.

smallclosetgrowr said:

yeah i dont notice the difference in flushing , but thats my own opinion.

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flushing and especially drying and curing are the two most important steps where flavor is a concern.....Yes, a nice long cure is key, but in my experience, flushing is just as important...especially if you want your meds to actually burn, and produce white ash and not black ash in the process. Theres no such thing as stressing a plant with plain water, especially this late in the plants life cycle.

The plant takes what it needs from the grow medium, flushing simply dilutes your medium lowering your ppm, however the plant at this point has lots of stored nutrients so by cutting off feeding at least 2 weeks prior to harvest, you force the plant to use what nutes are left more efficiently (either stored up, or traces still in the grow medium) almost like your trimming off the fat.......what even comes to mind is its Kinda like how the human body will start to utilize body fat when faced with hunger or starvation.

check out this nug of some Super Lemon Haze that I flushed for 3-4 weeks, hung the whole plant to dry for 8 days, and cured for 3 weeks.....she tastes like lemon candy, and some of the most potent shit in Toronto.

This is exactly what I am talking about. I believe in flushing 100% - but you obviously grow in ideal conditions. The outdoor humidity and warm temperatures have made things difficult.

Wonder23 said:

flushing and especially drying and curing are the two most important steps where flavor is a concern.....Yes, a nice long cure is key, but in my experience, flushing is just as important...especially if you want your meds to actually burn, and produce white ash and not black ash in the process. Theres no such thing as stressing a plant with plain water, especially this late in the plants life cycle.

The plant takes what it needs from the grow medium, flushing simply dilutes your medium lowering your ppm, however the plant at this point has lots of stored nutrients so by cutting off feeding at least 2 weeks prior to harvest, you force the plant to use what nutes are left more efficiently (either stored up, or traces still in the grow medium) almost like your trimming off the fat.......what even comes to mind is its Kinda like how the human body will start to utilize body fat when faced with hunger or starvation.

check out this nug of some Super Lemon Haze that I flushed for 3-4 weeks, hung the whole plant to dry for 8 days, and cured for 3 weeks.....she tastes like lemon candy, and some of the most potent shit in Toronto.

View attachment 1753668View attachment 1753669

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If your shit is rotting, chop it! alot of people don't flush, it is a preference! Next time, don't get rot and flush! Live and learn! Do your best to save what you have.

Not sure about your curing, drying plan, but live and learn! Research more about curing and drying.

Wonder23 said:

flushing and especially drying and curing are the two most important steps where flavor is a concern.....Yes, a nice long cure is key, but in my experience, flushing is just as important...especially if you want your meds to actually burn, and produce white ash and not black ash in the process. Theres no such thing as stressing a plant with plain water, especially this late in the plants life cycle.

The plant takes what it needs from the grow medium, flushing simply dilutes your medium lowering your ppm, however the plant at this point has lots of stored nutrients so by cutting off feeding at least 2 weeks prior to harvest, you force the plant to use what nutes are left more efficiently (either stored up, or traces still in the grow medium) almost like your trimming off the fat.......what even comes to mind is its Kinda like how the human body will start to utilize body fat when faced with hunger or starvation.

check out this nug of some Super Lemon Haze that I flushed for 3-4 weeks, hung the whole plant to dry for 8 days, and cured for 3 weeks.....she tastes like lemon candy, and some of the most potent shit in Toronto.

View attachment 1753668View attachment 1753669

Click to expand...

yes but why make your plant starv and focus on its reserve when it can focus on other things.. i do see your point tho.