Is your Rosin green? A Cannabis connoisseur knows what to look for when growing marijuana or hemp for extracting Rosin. They also know when is the right time to reap the crop, what the conditions must be for removing the good stuff, and what not to do. They understand the expected outcome of their yield and what may have caused the product not to be pure.
For new Rosin processes, this can be a challenge. There is much to learn in a short time. Knowing the investment in time, labor, and money can be a disappointment when your concentration does not come out as you would like.
Here are some pointers from expert Rosin extractors that can help new processors:
The Start
In the United States, it is legal for people to cultivate no more than six Cannabis plants. However, depending on your state, you can only have nine for medical purposes. Hence, the concern after investing your time and energy in growing these babies is not to reap and have high-quality Rosin.
So, you have gone through the growing process and want to know when is the right time for reaping.
The more time you give your marijuana or hemp plants to mature, the more they lose the beautiful trichomes and terpenes and cannabinoids. The process is oxidation. The more the oxidation process continues, your buds become darker. It is best to reap your flowers when the hue changes from milky to amber in color. And this is when the cannabinoids are at their most potent.
Reaping then will give you lovely golden color rosin.
The reaping time can depend on your preference of rosin color and your experience over the many times you have processed Rosin. However, as is the recommendation to reap when buds are milky or amber in color, for starting Rosin makers, this is best. The Cannabis strain you use will also determine the resulting color. Whether using Sativa, Indica, or Hybrid strains of marijuana- hemp is the key.
Drying Cannabis Flowers for Rosin
Most people consider using freshly harvested buds to make their Rosin, which is partly correct. The truth is, pressing freshly reaped buds is not precisely accurate. Because buds contain more moisture at first harvest, it is good to let them sit and dry out for a few days. After that, you may decide to use the freeze-drying process or air dry.
Freeze Drying Marijuana
A Do= It= Yourself or DIY marijuana freeze-drying is not as scientifically unattainable as you think. The items needed to freeze dry your weed you can get from the store. You will need:
- Dry ice
- Cannabis buds
- Drying container
Pace equal amounts of buds and dry ice in the container, making sure you place the dry ice at the bottom of the container and the cannabis buds at the top. Seal the lid of the container and make some small holes in the cover, releasing excess gas that will form during the freezing process. Place container with dry ice and buds in your home freezer, checking process every 12-24 hours for drying, and remove from freezer when all dry ice is gone. If buds are not fully dry, add more dry ice and continue the process.
Monitoring Cannabis Buds Weight as indicated by Drug Times:
Quote: “To find the approximate moisture content of dry buds, weigh a specific bud upon harvest when it is wet. Then, recheck it during the drying and curing to learn how much moisture it has lost. For example, a bud that weighs 10 grams (0.36 oz) upon harvest will weigh 2.5 grams (0.09 oz) when it has lost 75 percent of its moisture. Generally, a dry bud will weigh 75 percent less than its wet weight at harvest. ” End Quote.
Air Drying Marijuana
It is best to harvest whole plants and trim them carefully, ensuring you baby the buds without damaging them. The recommendation is to use a drying rack or hang it in a cool dark place for home drying. Here is a video from Royal Queen Seeds for home drying Cannabis Buds:
Pressing Your Cannabis Buds for Rosin
You must understand what temperatures are best for pressing Cannabis buds. The color Rosin you reap is dependent on the heat that you apply. The question asked above is why my Rosin is green; this will explain.
Now you have harvested and removed enough moisture using your preferred process; we will be extracting the Rosin.
Most temperature recommendations by Rosin experts are 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit, which may work well depending on whether you are pressing flowers or hash. However, the trichome heads are delicate, and higher temperatures above 220 degrees Fahrenheit can cause you to reap darker color rosin. If you choose to heat at 200 degrees with processing hash, your Rosin color will have a lighter hue.
Most people processing Rosin at home will use their hair straightener, and it is best to use one with a wide enough bed to accommodate more flowers. Understanding how to regulate the temperature is critical for those investing in a home heating press.
Items For Pressing Buds To Extract Rosin
- Parchment paper
- Cannabis Buds
- Heating press/ Hair straightener
Pre-heat the heating implement you choose until it reaches the desired temperature. Next, place the flowers in a folded piece of parchment paper, ensuring you make an angled chute for Rosin to drain comfortably from the heat into the collecting container.
Never press the buds more than is necessary.
It is the recommendation of Rosin extraction experts to continue pushing them until the flow of Rosin stops. Also, ensure the pressure is not excess, as you can contaminate your Rosin by pressing plant contaminants into the liquid. Contaminants can cause Rosin to be dark in color as well. For example, green color extract means chlorophyll contamination in your Rosin.
Storing Rosin
Ensure you store your Rosin in an air-tight glass jar or a vacuum seal container. And this helps to preserve the potency and the light golden amber color you are successfully reaping. Leaving the Rosin in the open will cause it to become darker in color and will not last long because exposure to oxygen will affect these results.
Conclusion
It is a cost-effective achievement for Rosin users to be able to process from home. Of course, some product users may choose to buy from a Cannabis dispensary. The critical factor is the DIY processing of Rosin to ensure not getting the green color in the end product. Deciding whether you have the patience to process on your own or buy is vital.
Remember, Rosin is the cleanest, highest grade Cannabis extraction available on the market. Its processing needs no chemicals. Therefore, it is safe for consumption.
Source:
1. https://www.drugtimes.org/marijuana-horticuture/freeze-drying.html
3. https://www.marijuanabeginners.com/can-you-rosin-press-fresh-bu
