What factors help us chose a 38u over a 45u hash bag?
Cannabis genetics are incredibly diverse. Displaying a huge spectrum of smells, flavours and effects. They are also all unique in their growth and development throughout their life cycles. Additionally, trichome head structures vary microscopically, exhibiting diverse shapes, sizes, textures, and colors, mirroring the genetic diversity in aromas and plant growth.
When making Bubble Hash or other mechanical extraction with Cannabis it is important to consider that we are not dissolving anything. We are “shaking the tree and collecting the fruit” based on their size in our different sieves.
Since we use mechanical forces to separate the resin glands from the plant material, we must consider the physical properties of the glands, the mechanics of the separation process, and how to achieve ideal conditions.
First let’s talk about Trichomes
Cannabis plants have many different types of trichomes, each with distinct growth phases. While each trichome serves a unique purpose for the plant, Hash Makers primarily focus on the Capitate Stalked head trichome.
As the Cannabis plant starts to flower, it begins to produce trichomes. These trichomes will develop and ripen throughout the life of the plant until they over ripen and fall off their stalk naturally. Fruit trees can provide a metaphor for this action.
For example, let’s consider a lemon tree producing lemons during its growing season. First, we pollinate flowers, and they begin to produce fruit. This is analogous to the early stages of the cannabis flowering stage when early resin production is observed.. The trichomes at this stage are small, short and often clear. Indicating that the trichome is immature. A strong stalk anchors the fruit to the plant, delivering all the nutrition it needs to produce a lemon. This makes it almost impossible for the developing fruit to fall off naturally.
As the lemon develops, so does the concentration of sugars and terpenes that are indicative of the fruit being a lemon. The same idea is true with the resin forming on the leaf surfaces of the cannabis plant while in flower. As the flower develops the trichomes develop and become larger, increasing the concentration of precursor cannabinoid and terpenes found in that head. The colour will also start to develop from clear to opaque to rusting as the trichomes develop and swell with an increase in the concentrates in cannabinoids and terpenes.
When to pick ‘the fruit’
As the Cannabis plant matures the trichomes begin to darken and the stalk holding the heads becomes weak. This is similar with our lemon tree. As the fruit develops into a ripe fruit, it becomes heavy and the stalk holding it to the tree becomes weak in relation to the fruit it holds. The lemons are also a bright yellow colour indicating the ripeness of the fruit and the concentration of sugars and terpenes found within the fruit and in its skin. Humans and other animals then pick the fruit at this stage and consume the lemon as a sour but sweet lemon. The same is true with the trichome heads in cannabis.
There is a sweet spot for “picking” trichome heads just like there is with picking fruit from a tree. We aim to pick the trichomes when the largest number are ripe and ready for harvest. If we pick them later, the fruits will be overripe and not a true representation of the plant they were collected from. If we pick them earlier, the heads will be underdeveloped and less desirable than ripe fruits, again not a true representation of the plant. Picking them later will result in overripe fruits, which do not accurately represent the plant they were collected from. Picking them earlier will result in underdeveloped heads that are less desirable than ripe fruits, again not accurately representing the plant.
The size of the trichomes and the choice of a 38u or 45u hash bag
When making Hash we are looking to sift for heads that have started to ripen and heads that are on their way to over ripening. This spectrum is vast due to the vast diversity of genetics in the gene pool. However, in a lot of the traditional producing countries (like the USA), many of their genetics show trichomes ranging in size from about 50-500 micrometers in diameter.
For this reason many mechanical extraction equipment companies went with 2 lower end bags, a 25 Micron bag to collect the finest immature heads possible and a 45 micron to include all of the potential sizes of heads found in their cultivars. This decision was based on research from over 20 years ago which was primarily focused on cultivars grown in the USA.
Trichomes!
There are many different trichomes and many different growth phases for each. Each trichome serves a unique purpose for the plant, but Hash Makers primarily focus on the Capitate Stalked head trichome.
Scientists believe that cannabis plants produce trichome glands for several reasons, including:
- Creating an abrasive surface, the deters insects and other organisms from walking over or infecting the forming buds.
- Catching and holding onto pollen that drifts through the air. As the STIGMAS? Blow over the resin heads covered in pollen they become pollenated and produce seed
- Protecting the plants surface from harsh excess UV light exposure, especially at higher altitudes where the UVB and UVC exposure is often higher.
- Creating micron climates between the leaf surface and the underside of the resin glands that allows for a semi-regulated micron climate to maintain transpiration rates through VPD (vapour pressure deficit).
Let’s discuss different separation method
When agitating material with Ice water we are shaking the tree with ice cold water that sweeps over the leaf surface removing the heads from their stalks and suspending them in the water for later filtration.
With dry sift we are using a tumbling effect and gravity separate trichome heads from the bulk of the plant material. As plant material is tumbled, the heads will separate from the stalks which then fall through sieves which is later collected.
In rosin production, we heat the trichome heads to the point where their contents liquefy. We then apply pressure to force the liquefied heads away from the bulk of the plant material, resulting in a distinct separation between the oils and the plant matter.
Why a 38u over a 45u for the SA market?
Many of the Southern African cultivars produce high densities for resin coverage over the leaves and flowers of the Cannabis plant. However, in this region, ripe resin glands tend to be smaller on average than those found on much of the homogenous Cannabis typically grown in commercial settings.
Evolution, driven by environmental factors such as light exposure, pest stress, heat, and humidity, likely accounts for these differences. Through a combination of artificial and natural selection, plants have evolved complementary relationships with their soil, environment, and light exposure levels in different regions worldwide.
The lower-altitude-land cultivars in South Africa tend to be mostly tall, thin leaf varieties that will rather yellow towards the end of flower than show a wide diversity of colour. The flower formation tends to be less dense and often densely covered in resin glands with smaller trichome heads, so a small micron size is preferable to ensure these are fully collected.
To find out more on the creation of fine hash follow our blog posts: https://www.fullmeltfiltration.com/blr9