I left off News Joint Grow Journal 15 with the Swabi Pakistani 3 herming right at the end of the grow, which hurt not only because of the reason mentioned in the last journal entry but also because the plant was had been my favorite of the five during the grow. I even made meme about it.

As mentioned on News Joint Grow Journal 14, I chopped the Blood Diamond OG and the Steve’s Dream Queen first. Two days later, I chopped the Amnesia Lemon and Prayer Pupil. I chopped the SP3 less than twelve hours later.

This journal entry is not about finding the best equipment for the drying process but rather about using what I already had in place to do the best job I could. I barely have room in my house for my tent, and because I was not able to chop all five plants at the same time (and I also wanted to clean my tent and ready it for my second grow), I had to find a separate place to dry. I thought about going with the drying rack net dryer, but I wanted to dry my plants whole and upside down.

To solve the problem, I commandeered the mudroom bathroom under my new house Cannabis Eminent Domain laws I seem to be creating as I go. The laws basically state, “I have to do what I have to do not to fuck this grow up this late in the process!” to justify my crude use of Eminent Domain.

ILNJ photo

I bought two shower rods and placed them about seven feet above the bathroom floor. I spread out newspapers underneath the plants. I hung the Blood Diamond OG and the Steve’s Dream Queen upside down on the shower rods. Two days later, I hung the Amnesia Lemon and Prayer Pupil, and then the Swabi Pakistani 3 almost a day later. I separated and hung the biggest colas from the Swabi Pakistani 3 for a sample smoke but the rest was going into edibles.

ILNJ photo

A smaller fan blew underneath the plants, and a big fan blew away from the plant to help circulate the air. Sometimes, I pointed the big fan underneath the plants and the smaller fan away from the plants. As long as I didn’t blow the air directly on the plants, both ways worked well.

To help control temperature and humidity, more advanced growers suggested I purchase a portable air conditioner to cool the room so the plants don’t dry too quickly. I bought a little one that did nothing to cool down the room to the recommended 60-percent humidity and 60-degree temperature (though that ranged varied slightly).

By the time I was able to get out to buy a portable air conditioner for the room, I was four days into drying and did not want to spend a nearly two hundred dollars for a portable air conditioner that I was gong to use for less than a week. Instead, I jacked the house air conditioner to frigid temperatures, enough to annoy others in the house.

After eight and a half days, the Blood Diamond OG and Dream Queen branches had a little snap to them, so I took them down for trimming and curing. Two days later, I took down the Amnesia Lemon and Prayer Pupil, and the Swabi Pakistani 3 a day later.

ILNJ photo

Stay tuned for Grow Journal 17 in which I discuss the worst part of growing my own medicine: Trimming.

Click here for earlier entries of News Joint Grow Journal. A Prairie State of Mind.