Ask Ed: Grow Questions and Answers - Are My Buds Ready?
By Ed Rosenthal, Cannabis Culture - Monday, October 26 2009
Question: So I recently harvested my buds, are they ready for consumption?
Internet reader
Ed's Rosenthal: The "stick test" is a good indication of bud dryness. Bend the little stem that holds the bud together. If it bends, the bud is still too wet. If it snaps, the bud has dried sufficiently.
The next test is the joint test - roll a thin joint. If the bud stays lit a bit and doesn’t go out between puffs, then it is ready for storing and aging. It is still too wet when it needs constant relighting. Wet bud is not only inconvenient, it won’t get you as high as dry bud because the cannabinoids have not become active.
Send your grow questions to Ed Rosenthal at asked420@gmail.com
Lack of information.
You say 'wet' bud won't get you as high as dry bud -- and for the reason that the cannabinoids have not become active?
I am unsure of why you attempted to so grossly oversimplify the situation here, and really, your statement is very misleading to people that really don't understand the science behind cannabis.
Are you speaking of decarboxylation -- the conversion of THC-acid into active THC? You decarboxylate the cannabis when you hit it with a lighter, cook it into food, or vaporize it.
Now, this 'potency' issue of using on partially dried cannabis, that would only apply if you decided to eat it raw.
What are you doing? At least explain the situation more. What you said is true, in a way, but the practicality of your answer is rendered invalid upon realizing that 99%+ of cannabis is decarboxylated before or during its use by the consumer, with or without proper drying of the flowers.
From Wikipedia (decarboxylation): Heating or pyrolysis of ?9-Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid yields the psychoactive compound ?9-Tetrahydrocannabinol.[1]
You know what the reference is for that wiki? An article Mr. Rosenthal wrote on decarboxylation that was in cannabis culture magazine back in 2003. Link here: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2794.html
I understand that by thoroughly drying your cannabis you can 'assume' (key word there...) that it has decarboxylated nicely. Knowing, or rather assuming that, would make one expect that any THC-acid that hasn't been decarboxylated might be rendered active by the heat from however you choose to prepare or administer it. In that way, you would achieve the most efficient use of the plant.
However, how much THC-acid loses its carboxyl group from JUST the heat of a lighter and becomes active? 80%? 90%? 95%+? This is some data I would like to see. Maybe it's my fault for wanting to know. From all the digging I've done in trying to get the most information I can, I've been vastly disappointed by 'simple' answers. Maybe those can hold over a beginner, but what about the people that really care about this and the science behind it?
Try not to be so hard on the guy.
It's great that you have all this knowledge about cannabis Jon; however, anyone asking such a simple question, as this person did, clearly demonstrates that they wouldn't understand a more complex response from Mr. Rosenthal. Besides, I'm sure that you have seen eyes glaze over with all the scientific clap-trap. Truth be known, Ed really should have just recommended a good book to read. He's had a rough go of things lately.
Sincerely,
Craig
I don't think simple drying
I don't think simple drying causes much decarboxylation. I saw an analysis of Lebanese hash and the THC was 2/3 in the acid form. They definitely dry the plants before sifting but it only converted a third of the THC acid into THC.
Simple Answer
Jon, the simple answer is that bud which isn't fully dry doesn't burn well and doesn't taste good, which is pretty much repeating what Ed said. The difference in taste is a very complex thing to describe simply but, it has as much to do with the breakdown of chlorophyll as it does with the change in the chemistry of the resin due to the loss of water molecules.
As for the bud not burning well, I think that not achieving the temperature required to properly vaporize the resin is the real problem when the bud is not fully dry. Vaporizing the resin on the surface to which the heat is applied is easily achieved, but doing the same for the rest of the sample is harder to achieve when the bud is still even a little "wet".
Perhaps a little experiment might be in order to test the theory that the active ingredient is somehow changed by drying the plant. I would suggest making some hash oil, first using fresh, "wet" heads and then using fully dried heads for comparison. You could then vaporize the samples separately and see whether there is any appreciable difference between them regarding taste and potency. If you have the means at your disposal, give it a shot. I would be very interested to hear the results, as I'm sure would many others.
Not ALL of us are dummies,
Not ALL of us are dummies, however (KISS)Keep It Simple Stupid! is not always a bad idea. Personally I found Ed's answer preferable.