Buds Washing: When and How to Do It?
Outdoor cannabis plants are more prone to accumulate dust and debris, which may require washing the buds before drying and curing.
It may sound counterintuitive to wash cannabis buds, but sometimes it’s recommended to do so in order to remove environment dirt or residue from applied pesticides and fungicides. Buds washing or rinsing is done post-harvest with simple natural solutions that will not harm the cannabinoid content of the cannabis strain. Keep reading and find out when it’s necessary to wash your buds and how you can complete this operation safely and successfully.
Is Weed Washing Necessary?
Whether you should rinse weed buds following harvest depends on how and where you grow your cannabis plants. Growing outdoors may require buds washing more so than indoor cultivation. Outside plants can be exposed to the various elements of nature, and despite their best efforts, growers may not always have absolute control over what happens on the terrain. There’s always the chance to face extreme weather conditions, or deal with all kinds of pests and pathogens. In turn, cannabis flowers can amass dirt or grime, visible or invisible to the human eye, which may affect the quality of the end product. In that case, rinsing the buds is necessary to make sure that any contaminants are dislodged from the fresh harvest. When done appropriately, you can still enjoy a fine and fragrant smoke.
How Dirt and Debris Accumulate on the Buds?
Trichomes, the hair-like structures that coat cannabis flowers, are sticky; therefore, it’s fairly easy for debris to build up on them as they form and mature. Grit can pile up because of the surrounding environment (e.g., if the plant is too close to a road, or it’s exposed to winds that carry a lot of dust). Parasites may also produce garbage, and if let to stay on the plants they may even ruin the entire harvest. Any tiny critter, in particular spider mites, but also aphids, thrips, gnats and flies may contaminate the buds. Pests such as caterpillars will produce droppings or frass, and like many other insects they are most attracted to the areas where the fruits are. More contamination may come from fungal spores, which can be everywhere in the air, especially if the environment surrounding the plant is humid.
However, nature or insects may not be the only source of debris. There’s also the human factor. Pest control means that growers sometimes have to use various preparations to remove insects and the eggs they hatch on plants. Residue from fungicides and pesticides are likely to remain on the buds if products were applied during the flowering cycle. Depending on what was used, it could alter the flavor of the strain; if it is chemicals in question - it additionally has a health impact. Which is why it’s important to clean debris from your cannabis buds.
Should You Wash Buds Before or After Drying?
Don’t get confused with this one. Buds should be washed before drying, because there would be no point to wash them afterwards, when they’ve dried and the dirt has absorbed. In fact, if you ever need to do this, you will want to double down on drying. Wetted buds will retain more moisture, therefore a well-ventilated space is a must.
How to Determine if There is Dirt on the Cannabis Flower?
Contaminants or traces left by pests and pathogens are visible under strong lighting or with a magnifying glass. Inspect the areas around the colas carefully to see if there’s a need for rinsing. Large chunks of dirt attached to the buds should be removed with tweezers, in advance to washing.
Buds need to be washed before the drying and curing process begins.
What Solutions Can Be Used to Wash and Clean Cannabis Buds?
Washing cannabis buds after harvest can be as simple as dunking the cut branches in a bucket of clean water. However, growers who want to ensure that no residue remains on the buds may consider other solutions, such as washing buds in peroxide or baking soda. Below are the three safest options for buds washing.
1. Simple Water Wash
If you are going to wash your cannabis buds with water it needs to be the cleanest water, which is where reverse osmosis filtration comes in handy. Dipping your green fruits in tap water will help remove dirt, but tap water can contain significant amounts of chlorine and fluoride. Filtering purifies the water from any chemicals it has, therefore it is the better option to wash your weed buds with.
2. Lemon and Baking Soda Mix
Lemons are acidic and baking soda is alkaline; it’s the perfect pair for scrubbing kitchen surfaces. Outside the kitchen, this combination can be infused in a bucket with water where you can dunk buds for a wash. It’s a natural solution and there’s no need to ever use chemicals. The preferred ratio for lemon juice and sodium bicarbonate is 5 ml of each per liter of water in the bucket. Once the flowers get wet in the bucket with the lemon-soda mix, they need to be dipped again in a separate bucket filled with clean, well-filtered water.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is another common household cleaning product, but it’s also utilized by many growers for actions such as buds rinsing. Diluted hydrogen peroxide is the perfect eliminator of microbes, bacteria, or powdery mildew spores. If you opt for hydrogen peroxide when buds washing, you should infuse around 10 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide to each liter of water in the bucket where you rinse the flower. After that, wash the buds again in clean water to remove peroxide remnants.
How to Proceed with Cannabis Buds Washing?
If you use lemon/baking soda or hydrogen peroxide for washing your weed, here’s how to do it correctly and precisely.
- Prepare three medium-size buckets of clean water (reverse osmosis if possible).
- Add a cleaning agent only in the first bucket. Stick to the recommended ratio (5 ml of lemon/baking soda for each liter of water; 10 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide to every liter).
- Take each branch with buds and gently dip into the bucket with a cleaning agent. Move around the branch slowly into the solution for around 30 seconds.
- Next, stir and swirl the buds in bucket number two, which should be filled with clean, filtered water.
- Allow the water to drain from the branch before dunking it one more time in a third container, this time to remove any remaining residue of the cleaning agent.
- Hang up the branches to drip-dry and then prepare the plant material for regular drying.
It is important to always let the water drip from the buds after each dip. Don’t wash cannabis buds if they’ve been kept in a well-protected area and where you don’t suspect any dirt on them. Only perform washing if necessary. THC structures are fragile and breakable and they don’t want a lot of movement. So, handle the buds branches really gently in each step of the way.
How to Dry Rinsed Buds?
Buds that have been rinsed in water will require extra attention during the drying process, at least in the beginning. Since they have been dunked wet, they will have more moisture than usual. It is recommended to use an extra fan in the drying room to ensure appropriate air circulation. In addition, consider using a dehumidifier, which can help remove all the extra moisture from the air. Dehumidifiers are extremely useful if you live in a humid place. Keep a close eye on the washed buds as they dry. The first few days are most important, because this is when mold might appear on any side of the drying flower. Make regular inspection and keep optimal conditions in the drying room until it’s time for curing those buds.
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