Roots, or no roots?
The centuries-old question: do you hang your plants with the root ball attached, or cut them off at the base? We've always dried with the roots on. Here's how we ended up there, and why we've never gone back.
Since we started growing together, we've always dried our plants with the roots still attached. We never really thought anything of it, it was just how we did it.
Then we started posting videos on YouTube.
Fifteen subscribers and a lot of opinions
Before the video of us hanging and drying, we had fifteen subscribers. Fifteen. And then, to our surprise, it turned out a lot of people had a lot to say about our method.
Who knew the way you dry your weed would spark so much debate? Ha.
Where we got the idea
Our first year growing together, I, the lady of the pair, got to talking with an old war vet who'd been growing monster plants for decades. When the subject of drying came up, he told me to hang the entire plant, root ball attached and all.
So I passed it along to my research guy, aka my counterpart and the star of the channel, and asked him to go do his thing.
What he found
The main one: keeping the root ball on slows the drying process, because you've increased the total plant mass and the total moisture. A slower dry means less of the harshness that comes from chlorophyll breaking down too fast, and it's said to leave you with a smoother smoke and better flavor.
Honestly, that one component alone had us sold and ready to try it.
Looking further into it, we found these listed as benefits too, and we'll be upfront that we're not entirely sure who exactly is saying these things, but people are saying them:
- Better terpene preservation, which also means better taste and smell.
- A moisture buffer effect, since the root ball and stalk still hold water, with that moisture moving gradually from the roots through the stems and out to the buds.
- Less brittleness, and a lower risk of over-drying in a low-humidity space.
Overall, the idea is that it lets the whole plant dry more consistently.
Our climate, and maybe not yours
Worth keeping in mind: we're in Upstate New York, and from where we sit, this way of hanging and drying seems to work well given our climate.
If you're somewhere more humid, it may not be feasible. Everything we found pointed to the same catch, in high humidity, the extra moisture you're deliberately holding onto turns into mold risk instead of a smoother dry.
How the first one went
Our first harvest turned out absolutely fantastic.
Now look, I recognize I might be a bit biased here. But seriously, this was some good stuff, man. Even our avid-smoker friends vouched for it. They told us they hadn't been that high in a long time, and that it beat some of what they'd been getting at the dispensary. And like George Washington, they cannot tell a lie, so I'm taking that as an honest review.
After exceptionally positive feedback from our panel of experts, we deemed the first harvest a great success. Ever since then we've dried with the roots attached, and we've yet to be disappointed.
It is more work
I'll say this much: the method definitely takes more time and effort.
You have to carefully get as much of the soil off the roots as you can, and then rinse the roots off. Depending on the weather, that can be tricky. Harvest time in Upstate New York gets downright freezing some years, and standing outside rinsing a root ball in the cold is not the most fun part of the season.
In the end, though, we feel the extra love and attention always pays off.
The three ways, quickly
If you're weighing it up, here's the short version of what each one actually changes. It all comes down to how much plant mass is hanging there, because more mass means a slower dry.
- Roots on. The most mass, so the slowest dry. Best when your space runs dry, worst when it runs humid. It's the most work, the dirtiest, and the heaviest thing to hang.
- Chopped at the base. Cut the stalk at the soil line and hang the whole plant. Still a big, slow-drying piece of plant, minus the soil, the weight, and anything living in the root ball. If you want most of the benefit for none of the hassle, this is it.
- Hung by the branch. Broken down into individual branches on a line or rack. The fastest dry and the easiest to fit into a small space, but the easiest to overshoot, so watch the buds rather than the calendar.
Whichever you pick, the room matters more than the method: 60°F and 60% humidity, dark, gentle indirect airflow.
Give it a try
If you find yourself with a little extra time this next harvest, try it on a plant or two and see what you think. That's a low-stakes way to find out whether it does anything for you, without betting the whole crop on it.
We'd love to know how you dry your plants. If you've got thoughts, questions, or you just want to say hi, drop us a line, we'd love to chat.