Standard Operating Procedure · Post-Processing

ESG / NLT Post-Processing SOP

Indoor cannabis cultivation · Bucking → Pre-Trim Curing → Machine Trimming → Hand Trim & QC Grading → Packaging / Storage

Process flow

1
Bucking
58–62°F · 55–60% RH
↳ done in the Trim Room
→
2
Pre-Trim Curing
60°F · 55% RH · 1–3 days
↳ length set by moisture
→
3
Machine Trimming
60°F · 55% RH · run by Rob
↳ starts when the cure is ready
→
4
Hand Trim & QC Grading
60–62°F · 55–58% RH
↳ de-stem + pull the A grade
→
5
Packaging / Storage
55°F · 50% RH

Environment quick reference (table view for the charts below)

Stage Temp Humidity Lights Duration Vessel
Bucking
done in the Trim Room		 58–62°F (14–17°C) 55–60% Work lighting As needed 27 gal tote
Pre-Trim Curing 60°F (16°C) 55% Lights off 1–3 days (moisture-driven) 54 gal tote (ideal)
Machine Trimming
run by Rob		 60°F (16°C) 55% Work lighting Starts when cure is ready TBD
Hand Trim & QC Grading
the aunties		 60–62°F (16–17°C) 55–58% Work lighting only As needed Lidded tote → turkey bag
Packaging / Storage 55°F (13°C) 50% Dark (lidded totes) Long-term Folded (not tied) turkey bags in lidded totes

Target ranges by stage

Temperature target (°F)

Bar = acceptable range · dot = single target value.

Relative humidity target (%)

Bar = acceptable range · dot = single target value.

1

Bucking

Location: Trim Room
Target temp
58–62°F
Target RH
55–60%
Per tote
6–7 lb
▲
Straight off the dry room

As soon as the flower is taken down from the dry room it must be moved immediately into the trim room and bucked in there. The buck room cannot physically hold the 58–62°F target — the trim room is colder and holds it, so bucking happens there.

Key rules

  1. Flower does not sit in the buck room or a hallway after take-down — it goes directly into the trim room.
  2. Bucking target environment: 58–62°F, 55–60% RH. The trim room runs 60–62°F / 55–58%, which sits inside that target.
  3. Do not begin bucking until the 27 gal tote is full.
  4. During the cure process, keep each 27 gal tote to 6–7 lb max.
  5. For curing, the 54 gal tote is ideal — bigger surface area, less depth. 12–14 lb per tote.
i
Why

More surface area and less depth means more even gas exchange — the flower at the bottom doesn't compress or hold excess moisture.

Tote & weight reference

Vessel During cure After cure Best use
27 gal tote 6–7 lb max 9–10 lb Bucked flower into cure; weigh-out after cure
54 gal tote 12–14 lb — Ideal cure vessel — max surface area, least depth
2

Pre-Trim Curing

Temp
60°F
Humidity
55%
Duration
1–3 days
Lights
Off
!
Lights off

Keep the cure room dark for the entire cure. 60°F, 55% RH.

!
Cure length is set by moisture, not the calendar

2–3 days is the typical case, not a fixed rule. The real driver is the moisture content of the bucked material coming out of the dry room — wetter material takes longer, drier material can be ready in 1–2 days. Once the cure is where it needs to be, Rob starts machine trimming.

Every morning

  1. Take the lids off all the totes.
  2. Tip bins from left to right to rotate the curing flower, so the flower at the bottom of the bin is not always at the bottom.
  3. Leave lids off for 15–20 minutes.
  4. Snap lids back on.

End of day

  1. Before leaving, take the lid off each tote.
  2. Give the bin a light shake for 10–15 seconds to exchange the oxygen.
  3. Snap lids back on.

After the cure

  • Flower can be weighed out to 9–10 lb per 27 gal tote.
3

Machine Trimming

Run by: Rob
Temp
60°F
Humidity
55%
Starts
When cure is ready
i
Trigger

Machine trimming does not start on a fixed schedule. It starts once the cure is where it needs to be — and how long that takes depends on the moisture content of the bucked material (see Stage 2). Rob makes that call and runs the process.

Key rules

  • Rob decides when the material is ready and runs the machine.
  • Upstream: Stage 2 cure complete (1–3 days, judged by moisture, not the calendar).
  • Environment: 60°F, 55% RH — the same targets as the cure room.
  • Scope: all of the leaf on the bud is done by the machine at this stage.
  • Downstream: machine-trimmed flower moves into Stage 4, where the aunties take off the leftover branches and stems.
4

Hand Trim & QC Grading

Hand trim: the aunties
Temp
60–62°F
Humidity
55–58%
i
What this stage trims

The aunties receive machine-trimmed flower. All of the leaf on the bud itself is already done by the machine trim (Stage 3) — what they are trimming is the leftover branch and stem material, not leaf on the bud.

Scope of hand trim

  • Incoming: machine-trimmed flower from Stage 3 — bud leaf already removed.
  • Aunties do: take off the leftover branches and stems.
  • Aunties do: pull out the A grade (big nugs) as they trim. B and C go together in one bin — no need to split them.
  • Not a second pass: the sorting happens in the same motion as the trimming — as the branches and stems come off, the big nugs go straight into their own bin.
  • Outgoing: finished flower sorted, pounded out and lidded per the handling steps below.
★
Method change — grade while trimming

The aunties now pull the A grade out as they trim; B and C stay together and get split later on the sifting tray. Previously all sizes moved forward together and were separated entirely on the sifting tray — if anyone was told "ESG doesn't sort," that has changed.

Why sort at the trim table

  • With the A grade already pulled out, the rest needs far fewer passes on the sifting tray — roughly 5 passes instead of 10 on the same lot.
  • Every extra pass abrades the flower. Fewer passes means less wear and a better finished product.
  • The only added cost: one extra weigh-in for the B/C bin.

Grades

Grade Called What it is
AA gradeThe biggest flower nugs
BSmallsMedium-sized nugs
CMicrosVery small flower nugs

At hand trim only the A grade is separated. B and C are split later on the sifting tray.

▲
Critical

Once fully trimmed, finished flower is in its most vulnerable state and should be sorted and pounded out into turkey bags as soon as possible.

Correct handling

  1. As soon as trimmers fill a tote with finished flower, take it to the storage room immediately.
  2. Put it into pounds right away.
  3. Place it into a tote and put the lid on so it is not exposed to light.
✕
Do not

It should not sit in the trim room with no lid on it, exposed to light, until the trimmers are done with that strain.

If it can't be pounded out right away

  1. Pull the tote liner sides out as much as possible.
  2. Fold the long sides first across the top of the flower.
  3. Then fold the short sides to reduce air exchange.
  4. Snap the lid on and move it to the storage room.
5

Packaging / Storage

Temp
55°F
Humidity
50%
★
Method change — fold, don't tie

Turkey bags are now folded over and placed in the tote. Previously all flower bags were tied up before going into the totes — that step is retired.

Packaging & storage rules

  • Colder, drier temps slow the aging process — plain and simple.
  • Store in totes to ensure darkness.
  • Fold the top of the turkey bag over on itself and set it in the tote — do not tie or knot the bag.
  • Snap the tote lid on — the tote is what provides the light seal, not the bag closure.

Pulling samples for sale

  1. Move the turkey bag into a 65–70°F room.
  2. Unfold and open the bag for 5–10 minutes to allow fresh oxygen exchange.
  3. This lets the resin warm up and release the stored terpenes.
i
Note

A cold bag won't show its nose. The warm-up is what makes the aroma present itself.

Harvest daily log

…

Morning · start of day

0/5

    Evening · end of day

    0/5

      This harvest, day by day

      ← swipe sideways to see all columns →

      Date 1 Buck 2 Cure 3 Machine 4 Hand 5 Pack By Notes
      AMPM AMPM AMPM AMPM AMPM

      ✓ every check for that stage done · 3/5 partly done · — not recorded · · nothing to check there · shaded = a past day still missing checks