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Jun 26, 2023

What is bud washing?

Link copied to clipboard. A beginner's guide to indoor cultivation Many of us love cracking into a fresh container of pristine, expertly manicured flower. But, as any cultivator will attest, bud

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A beginner's guide to indoor cultivation

Many of us love cracking into a fresh container of pristine, expertly manicured flower. But, as any cultivator will attest, bud doesn't pop off the plant in a near-perfect and ready-to-consume condition — it takes many hands and hard work.

Whether grown in the cleanest indoor commercial settings or outside in the dirt, in theory, any crop could be susceptible to dust, debris, pests, or contaminants. Enter bud washing.

Learn about this practice and how you can implement the method when you're growing weed.

Bud washing is a process used by some growers to wash cannabis buds after harvest, where they wash their buds in a cleaning solution before sending them off to dry and cure.

While it's most often implemented by outdoor growers who have much less control over exposure to dust, dirt, and insects than indoor or greenhouse grows, it's a technique that can be employed in any cultivation setting, and it's gaining popularity among home growers.

In many indoor grows, bud washing may not be necessary, particularly if there's good airflow and tight cleanliness protocols. “This practice is typically done for outdoor or hybrid growing environments where there would be a lot of dust or other elements that would stick to the resin on the flower," explained Nathan Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO of VERNE Bioanalytics. “For a strictly indoor grow with proper air quality and handling, this practice would not be necessary."

But even in clean and contained indoor environments, cultivators may elect to use pesticides, fungicides, or other contaminants, and bud washing can be employed to remove those.

It might seem counterintuitive to dunk precious, carefully grown, and freshly harvested flower into cleaning solutions, but when done properly, this technique can be used to cleanse buds, and it's becoming more widespread. "It's important to note that bud washing is not a necessary step in the cannabis cultivation process, and not all growers use this technique," explained Paul Alford, the Head Cultivator at WeGROW, a large-scale African cannabis cultivator. “Those who do use it should exercise caution and be aware of the potential risks and drawbacks, as well as the potential benefits."

Cannabinoids such as THC and CBD are lyophilic (fat-soluble) and hydrophobic (not water soluble), meaning you won't necessarily lose them when you bathe your bud in water. That said, trichomes — the delicate structures that contain cannabinoids and terpenes — can be damaged if cleaning is not done with care.

“A majority of the value in your bud rests in the trichomes, which are essentially microscopic oil droplets on fragile stems," explained Johnson. “One of the plant's purposes for a trichome is to break off and act like 'glue' to an insect. So, vigorous cleaning will break off the trichome and possibly reduce the resin build up on the flower."

Handle buds carefully when washing: think gentle bath and not a car-wash type treatment.

Among growers, bud washing has its proponents and detractors, and while it can provide tangible benefits to growers who want to improve the quality of their harvest, it's not without risk.

If you're intrigued by the prospect of washing your buds, you might be wondering: what do you use to actually do the washing? “The cleaning solution can be just a water wash, such as reverse osmosis, or it can be a weak cleaning solution. The idea is that you want something that can do a little cleaning but not be harsh enough to ruin the bud," explained Johnson.

For those wanting to keep it simple, a rinse in plain water may suffice. But for a deeper or more thorough cleanse, there are a few options that are still mild enough to keep the trichomes intact and not damage the plant:

Some growers will opt to use a single type of solution for cleaning buds, while others may use both in two separate steps — just be sure to get a separate bucket for each solution.

Bud washing is a relatively straightforward process that's done post-harvest.

To get started, you'll need:

Line up your buckets — 3 buckets for 1 washing solution, 4 buckets for 2 — and fill with water. Mix cleaning solution(s) into the first bucket(s).

Note: If using both cleansers, put the lemon-based cleanser ahead of the peroxide in the lineup.

Gently dunk a bud branch into the solution and lightly swirl for about 30 seconds. Remove and shake gently, ridding excess liquid from the branch.

If using the lemon-based solution, proceed to the second solution after it, dunk, and swirl for another 30 seconds. Gently shake off excess liquid.

Dunk and swirl each branch for another 30 seconds in each water bucket. Once finished with the second rinse, let the excess water drain off and finish with a gentle shake.

Set the washed bud aside and repeat as necessary with the remaining bud.

Hang your branches in a dry and well-ventilated room with a fan. Keep the fan on high for the first 1 - 2 hours of drying to help remove excess moisture, then return the fan to a lower speed and proceed as normal with your drying and curing process.

Monitor the drying branches regularly and carefully to ensure mold is not setting in.

Some growers choose to wash their buds to help remove dust, debris, insects, or other contaminants that their flower may have been exposed to. It's most often used by outdoor growers.

Swirl branches for about 30 seconds in each of the washing and rinsing stages.

Bud washing is generally safe though it is not without risk. “Increasing the moisture in the flower invites mold, fungus, and mildew to germinate on the flower," said Johnson. “This represents a critical risk as it could degrade the flower, cause you to fail your regulatory testing for a total yeast and mold test, and can provide a spawning location for pathogens that could affect the rest of your cultivation."

Featured image by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

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Reviewed by Lauren Wilson on 8/26/23