Bud Washing

I have learned so much on this site but one thing that i have not found is a topic on bud washing. Now is it a new thing or is it old practice? I am very new to growing (still collecting pieces for a new grow room) and want a good game plan in order before i charge into the unknown lol. I see why to do it but would like to hear from other people.

8 Likes

Welcome to the gn family now on your topic I will be washing my near harvest plants this run grown in an indoor 8x4 tent with 1400w of hps but I am washing because I (first time EVER LOL) got powdery mildew that popped up about 6 1/2 weeks into flower sucks but I removed every bit I could find and have been spot treating with h202 and have it under control now but will have to wash the harvest just to be sure have never washed indoor grown buds before but will let you know how it goes

9 Likes

I only wash my outdoor buds.

I use a peroxide: water mix at 1:4 ratio

I use a large tote and after I take off all the large fan leaves and any trim I donā€™t plan on using for edibles I dip the entire plant still on the stalk in the mix and swirl it around like Iā€™m mixing iced tea. Then I dunk it in clean water and swirl it again.

Then I hang it to dry. This removes and nasty stuff that lands on it including bug poop, dust, dirt, spider webs, larvae, and any other yuck I donā€™t want to smoke. Indoors I only wash if I have a pest or if I were ever to get mildew like the OP mentioned.

It preserves the taste and trichs and some even claim it brightens their profiles.

Good luck farmers. Grow on

10 Likes

I wash whether indoors or out. I have done the peroxide method, but I usually use the pidgins420 wash because I have lime or lemon juice on hand already.
5 gal gets 1 cup lemon & 1 cup baking soda. Same tea swirling and dunking directions above

8 Likes

Hereā€™s a video on it. I think itā€™s definitely something everyone should know how to do. And like said above even indoors can get WPM or even mites or other insects that you might not see. Might as well get off all that junk.

8 Likes

The theory behind washing buds is that the trichomes and Terpenes are not water soluble and wonā€™t be washed off or damaged when submerged and washed.

Any pesticides or basically anything that is water soluble will be washed away theoretically creating a product that is cleaner and better tasting.

People are doing it more as a common harvesting practice now and not just for WPM.

I havenā€™t jumped on that bandwagon yet mostly because Iā€™m lazy and donā€™t like extra work lol

10 Likes

Hell yeah Cervantes is a cannabis king thatā€™s the same exact video I watched I use the same method for outdoor but yeah also this indoor run damn wpm

4 Likes

I usually wash mine. @tdubwilly - how I approach it is to take apart the plant, maybe remove any big fan leaves, and dunk each branch for 20-30 minutes. Then I hang them all up to let them drip dry, and once they are more or less dry, I then run them through the bowl trimmer.

I have also done all the trimming and THEN washed them, which also works pretty well and is one less step (shorter process)ā€¦ but then I need to lie some towels down so I can let them dry on the towels before I put them in the drying rack.

8 Likes

Iā€™ll have to try a plant of both strains Iā€™m running to see the difference, I always just made it rain hard 3 days before harvesting.that definitely cleans things up but I imagine a wash would be more thorough. Not a fan of water curing tho so have to see how it looks/tastes in comparison.i do it while they are still growing to prevent mold as well

3 Likes

Try to wash a purple strain in peroxide solution and you will find the answer :smiley: The solution it looks dark purple and it smells like you was doing extraction , it def hurts the final product !

1 Like

Anthocyanins are water soluble, so that might be why your purple buds leached out some purple?

I donā€™t bud wash, unless my buds need it, but itā€™s definitely a safe way to clean your harvest, if necessary.

7 Likes

Most flavonoids are really good soluble in water, some less . Yeah people are right when they say the terpenes and cannabinoids are not soluble , but they can be moved , washed with the water and create unstable emulsion . We have been doing testings comparing terpenes and cannabinoid profiles of washed and not washed , there is decrease by the rule in both , not too big , but noticeable difference . Bud wash bad idea , only if u must !

1 Like

I specifically stated that Anthocyanins are water soluable because purple buds are known to leech that out into water. I was addressing your specific comment with a specific answer.

I would love to see your specific test results to get some specific information from you. :grinning:

10 Likes

Did a full water cure on part of a bubblegum fem and found the buzz to be about the same but little or no taste or smell. Smoothest Iā€™ve ever smoked. Change water daily. 1st day water was disgusting. Hereā€™s a pic of day 5. Decided after this to at least do a rinse.


Last plant did a 10 min rinse. 1 cup H2O2 to five gallons of water. The bud was very smooth. Even the rinse removed some smell and taste. Hereā€™s a pic of 2 buds. One on the left is full water cure, the right one is jar cure. I do in and out grows.

5 Likes

Specifically those lab results are expensive , specifically to test two different lots in California is more then 1k $ . Because you produce high quality buds and implementing ā€˜ā€˜scienceā€™ā€™ into that ,you dont need to compare with commerciale methods , i know you believe more to your nose then to some lab tests . Just keep with your ā€˜ā€˜scienceā€™ā€™ . :smiley:

Testing to see if washing a plant in a solvent (water) is definitely going to give results of the solvent washing away something. The question Iā€™d be curious to answer is: Are the things being washed away giving me a more valuable end product?
Youā€™re definitely paying the price in California for a full compliance test, but could run other tests a la carte.
Terpenes or potency vs microbial, pesticide or residual solvent will give a good idea of the positive and negative effects of washing.
When regulations change and your allowable limits are lowered, knowing the effects of a wash might be worth knowing.
Posting those test results could do a lot to educate the cannabis industry and community. Thereā€™s such a diverse community in cannabis, and I think we all need try to share ideas and information that will move it forward.

8 Likes

Hereā€™s a talk about mold and pathogen remediation and decontamination. https://youtu.be/saJ5Lv16u-0

6 Likes

Nice to see humble ppl that are not on a high horse.lol some of these ppl are apparently actually educated (and know more than some pros" ) just my HUMBLE opinion;) humility is a great teacher :wink:

9 Likes

If youā€™ve been doing the testing the cost should b insignificant and already paid for. Why is it that u come in constantly and tell homegrowers all about your commercial ā€œscienceā€ and expensive tests and analysis that u are doing but when asked for any of the proof or results you always tell us to go back to our ā€œbro-scienceā€.

Myself and now @blackthumbbetty have both asked for some proof of what u claim u r doing and both times have sloughed us off. U like to insult homegrowers with their practices and your great knowledge but can never back it up.

You do realize your claims contradict some of the great cannabis minds like Jorge Cervantes and others right?

12 Likes

Here here!!! :clap::clap::clap:

7 Likes