Plants need to be washed and rinsed after being harvested. However, does this apply to cannabis plants as well? Cannabis seeds need to be washed before consumption just like we give vegetables and fruits a good wash before eating them.
It is important to wash the cannabis plant because there is a high chance that some kind of debris might be present on them, such as soil particles, insect eggs, etc. Hence, it is important to wash them off before using the plant.
What is Bud Washing?
When the cannabis plant is in its growing stage; whether it is growing outdoors in the natural environment, or indoors, it can attract a lot of pollutants and impurities. These contaminants need to be eradicated in the plant as it is very unhealthy to inhale them while smoking. As the name suggests, bud washing is cleansing the plant flowers and buds in cleanest water curing of any unwanted debris, dust, or microscopic living matter, after harvesting the plant.
Many people haven’t heard of this process before as it is hardly talked about in articles or on television. However, it is as important to wash the cannabis plant as it is to wash fruits and vegetables after buying them from the grocery store.
Is Bud Washing Counterproductive?
Bud washing can be counterproductive if not done properly. Bud washing is a method of removing dust, dirt and other debris from cannabis buds before they are consumed. If done wrong, it can cause physical damage to the bud, as well as introduce unwanted contaminants into the flower that could affect its flavor profile or potency.
Additionally, depending on how much cold water is used and how long the bud is left in it for, there’s potential for some of the trichomes to dissolve away reducing potency significantly. To avoid these risks altogether, opt instead for dry sifting or using compressed air instead of cold water when cleaning your cannabis buds.
How to perform the process of Bud Washing?
Bud Washing is something that needs to be informed more about people. Below are the items that are needed for bud washing as well as the steps that need to be followed to complete this process.
- Lemon and Baking Soda: The reason for such a bizarre combination is the balance these two ingredients provide. The acids in lemons and the alkalis in baking soda can mix to make a very useful cleaning solution. This mixture can prove to be very useful in the cannabis bud washing process, without the need for any further chemical solvents.
- Reverse Osmosis Water: The bucket of clean water you use in the process must be clean. Using cold tap water will leave the plant buds exposed to other chemicals present in the water, though, it will help to eradicate contaminants.
- Diluted Hydrogen Peroxide: It is commonly used in cleaning solutions. The best part about it is that it helps to kill bacteria and fungus in small quantities.
Steps to perform Bud Washing:
The following steps need to be followed to cleanse and rinse the plant properly and erode all contaminations.
- Prepare your buckets: The process will require you to use three clean buckets. One bucket with water will have the cleaning solution which will consist of ¼ cup of lemon juice, ¼ cup baking soda, and 4 gallons of reverse osmosis water. The other two clean buckets only need to be filled with water.
- Dipping in the Cleaning Solution: Take a single branch of the plant and dip it in the bucket with water which has the cleaning solution. Make sure to stir the branch in the wash bucket for about 25-30 seconds.
- First wash: Next, you need to dip the branch in the second bucket which only has clean water. Stir the entire branch in the litre of water in a similar circular motion to the previous step. You need to do this for about another 30 seconds. This will help to clean off dust or debris that might be stuck when the plant is growing.
- Second wash: A last rinse in the third gallon bucket is necessary because the previous wash bucket might be contaminated with dust particles and other contaminants. Therefore, there is a risk that the plant carries those particles even after getting rinsed. For this reason, it is important to give one final wash in clean water.
- Dry the branch: After the rinsing is complete, start drying the cannabis plant. It is preferred to keep the plant in a dry room that has good ventilation and decent humidity levels. After 12 days, the curing process can start.
Equipment
Bud washing is a process used in horticultural production to remove dirt, dust, and other debris from the buds of plants. To carry out this process efficiently and effectively, it is important that you have the right equipment.
The first piece of cannabis bud washing equipment you will need is a pressure washer. This device helps to blast away any remaining particles or contaminants using pressurized excess water jets. You may also want to consider purchasing an adjustable nozzle attachment for your pressure washer so that you can control the flow rate and angle of the jet accordingly.
Next, you’ll need some kind of containment system such as a buckets of water or large basin in which to hold your marijuana buds while they are being washed with the pressure washer. A good option here would be an inline filter set-up connected directly between the hose outlet and container where your plant material is held during cleaning operations.
Finally, if necessary for smaller scale operations involving fewer amounts of material at one time then hand held tools such as brushes can also be used instead of a pressure washer for more targeted approaches when it comes to removing dirt or other stubborn materials from delicate buds on specific varieties of plants.
Benefits and limitations of Bud Washing:
Bud washing is a technique that not many people are familiar with. Hence, it is important to explain how this process can be beneficial to you and some minor disadvantages that this process holds.
Benefits of bud washing:
Firstly, bud washing helps to enhance the taste of the cannabis plant. Through cannabis bud washing, contaminants such as soil particles and dust are removed. This helps your plant to improve and deepen the taste that it holds that was once hidden behind contaminants.
While growing the cannabis plant, chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers might have been used. Washing bud will help to remove these chemicals which might be dangerous for you.
During the growing process, insects and mites may have laid their eggs on the plant, which is invisible to the naked eye. Therefore, the plant needs a good wash before consumption.
Limitations:
The first limitation is that cannabis bud washing fails to remove fungal infections that enter the plant physically. Hence, it does not remove all the impurities from the plant.
The plant can be subjected to excess moisture. The plant can even get damaged if it is not dried properly.
Cons of bud washing is that you need patience for them to dry up completely. This prolongs the drying process.
Does Bud Washing damage the cannabis plant?
Cannabis plants are covered with cannabinoids and true terpene profile. People think that washing the plant might make the plant lose its flavor profile. However, cannabinoids are substances that are hydrophobic and fat-soluble. This means they cannot be washed away with water.
In addition, terpenes are packed in a sticky resin. They can be protected as long as you do not wash the plant vigorously.
Hence, cannabis bud washing needs to be done carefully and properly, following all the steps mentioned above. If it is done oppositely, there is a huge risk of losing its potency and flavor profile.
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Bottom line
Bud washing is not a very common process that all people follow. However, it needs to be informed to more and more people for their good and needs to be a regular practice in households and amongst individuals.
