Growing 101: How to Grow Flower to Make Pressed Rosin

Just like the grapes you buy at the supermarket are very different from the grapes that vineyards use to make wine, so too is the cannabis you smoke in a good blunt quite different from the cannabis that you use to make rosin. The qualities you look for to create the smokable flower, such as the trichomes, are not always applicable to the best flower for rosin. If you want to do some stoner engineering and make homemade rosin, here are the qualities and processes that growers should look for when going from seed to weed.

What is Rosin?

Rosin is yet another term for concentrates, distilled and purified cannabis oil. While all parts of a marijuana plant will have some levels of THC and CBD, their most significant quantity is found in the crystals formed in the bud. Rosin is formed from these crystals via a heating and pressure process, like how metamorphic rocks are created in the hot, high-pressure crust of the planet.

Post-harvest, cannabis flower is put in a rosin press, where it will receive even pressure. A DIY version, by contrast, can just have the flower placed between two pieces of parchment paper and hammered down. During or after the pressure is applied, the flower is heated to between 250 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Be careful not to overheat or underheat during this step, as it will either become more solidified or more melted.

Growing Pains

Any pothead knows that experimentation is the key to quality. Just as it's always great to try new bud, new accessories, or new stoner friends, so too is the growing process fluid. The first step in how to make rosin, as such, is to have a lot of different plants on hand. In this case, quantity is just as important as quality. Determine the strain of flower for rosin you want, with the appropriate levels of THC and/or CBD, for the desired effect.

Next, consider what type of rosin you would like. Simple flower rosin requires pressure and heat, while hash rosin is dry sifted or plunged into cold water. Rosin distillates will require a solution of alcohol to make it even more concentrated, giving it an incredible punch. Finally, butter rosin requires whipping the substance into a substance that resembles, you guessed it, butter.

Tips and Tricks

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Your flower rosin yield will depend on several factors during the growing stage. Humidity will determine how well your bud produces rosin since very dry cannabis can re-absorb the rosin during the heat and pressure stage. This is the opposite of what you want, so maintain humidity levels of at least 60% in your growing space whenever possible. This can be hard to achieve, requiring frequent checks and adjustments. However, it is easier to get right than to buy bud from a dispensary and hope it has not dried out. You can also re-humidify buds before the pressing process.

Timing is everything in life and in rosin production. In the process of pressing fresh flower for rosin, make sure that the plants have not grown so long that they begin to oxidize. You can tell the suitable timeframe from the color of the rosin itself. Rosin that is clear or very lightly colored is picture perfect and will have the greatest power. Darker rosin reflects that the plants have over-matured. The best rosin technique to ensure you are not trying to process older flower is to do so as quickly as possible after harvesting, drying, and curing. Since you do not know how long dispensary flowers have been on the shelf, you may risk taking home dried-out plants.

Pressure Makes Diamonds

Finally, it is time to press the cannabis. If you want to, you can buy a press that will help you get the best quality rosin from companies like NugPress or Sasquatch. You do not need it, but as with everything else in the cannabis world, you often get what you pay for. A light touch will be required for the pressing process. If you are wondering how long to press rosin, you will not need any more than two to three minutes: anything longer runs the risk of burning.

Just like you need to keep a close eye on the clock, you also need to carefully watch the size of the press. Rosin bags for pressing are measured by the micron, meaning that precision is much more important than eyeing it like you would a bong. The best micron for flower rosin length is between 75 to 220 microns. Lower micron levels mean that fewer contaminants will make it through to the end. However, a higher micron level means that you create more of the final product.

Do you like to grow your own bud or make your own rosin? Have you found any tips or tricks that help the quality of the end product? Let us know in the comments below!