How to dry and cure

[Sugar Sweet]

Okay guys its that dreded time for me in my growing learning curve. Drying and harvesting. Hate it, cant get it right, and im always doing something wrong. Whats a good easy way to dry and cure?

 

[Boo]

slow dry in a dark place...be sure of good but not brutal air flow...when dry place in a paper sack for another few days...when dry, toss 'em in large glass jars and wait...1 month makes a big difference but be sure to burp the jars regularly...if there's moisture present you'll know fast...moldy buds

 

[BreezeEazy]

Worth looking into....

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=221090&page=4

And then there is..

http://www.growweedeasy.com/drying-curing

and the paper bag method.

I myself am currently stuck doing the paper bag method until I can get something better. Only thing that has done me decent.

 

[Sugar Sweet]

Let them dry on the stalks for a few days, then do a final trim. Cut them off the stems toss in a paper bag for a few more days, then jar them for a month or so? Burping for how long (five minutes?), once a day?

 

[Boo]

I final trim green can't see any other way but that's just me...many friends dry trim...I get a long straw and put it into the bottom of the jar and blow into it, circulates the air flow...this should make the buds sweat, they'll get kinda damp but you leave the top off if it seems the thing to do, you'll know...slow dry makes for fine herb, braggin weed...it also makes it extreemely dank...

 

[Sugar Sweet]

Ok. Got em all hung up on a peg board. Will leave them alone for 4 days then do the final trim and get them in paper bags for a few more days before jarring them.

 

[rosso reefo]

I like taking the fan leaves off before drying but Boo has it right..
it takes a bit practice to get things not to crispy and not to moist..ya don't want mold to grow in your jar so let it breath from time to time..nothing worse then a to crispy bud or moldy bud..humidity plays an important factor..

 

[freeheeler]

Been using this as of late, to SUPPORT what others are suggesting here. Consider testing with a portion this harvest to see if it works for you...because it works for me.

Buy some Boveda brand humidity packs. They contain a gel that can increase or decrease humidity (in a jar) until it reaches a predetermined humidity percentage. (Buy the 63% packs mind you!)

Dry as everyone here suggests for the first four days or so. Or until that exterior crispness. Then instead of going to paper bags (a great solution itself mind you), fill a jar full, drop in a boveda pack, and let it do its thing. It will pull out the moisture as though the jar was being burped. Or add it back if you over dried. Keep an eye on it (trust but verify lol), but you should get buds that are still slightly too moist imho. But dry enough to largely prevent any mold growth and allow a slow cure. (But mold will grow if it's not at least dried initially as others suggest here). Basically it's like having a complex humidity hvac system maintaining an optional % humidity in each individual jar. Won't truly restart a cure on bud that's gone too dry, that process halts permanently once it dries completely imho and no pack or other humidifying tricks such as a tortilla or lettuce (don't laugh) will bring that process back.

It really is that easy. I store bud for months in my cool, dark crawl space using these. Then I have my weekly jars - smaller stash jars that hold enough flowers for maybe a week or two. Pull from long term jars, close them back up
With boveda and forget it. The smaller weekly stash jars don't get the boveda because they are just a little too moist for my preference. They dry out the remaining bit as I open and close the jars to pack bowls.

Done. Worth trying if you've repeatedly tried the traditionL methods and struggled a bit. May not be perfect, and some here might claim they impart a flavor? But I can't tell the difference. Head shops, grow supply stores, etc sell these packs here in Colorado. Small for personal jars and bigger for slightly bigger containers. I don't go bigger than quart jars and find one small pack is good, even though my quantity of flowers is higher than they rec. as long as you buds are close to 63%~crispy outside when they go in, the pack won't be used up too fast. Several months use if opened sparingly. But they eventually use up their ability, and get crunchy crystallized inside signaling they are used up. Amazon sells ten packs for cigar lovers. Just be smart if you're not med or rec legal as you order these, as an over precaution.

10-15$ spent for a 10 pack of these and you may never look back.
Let us know if you try them.
Freeheeler

 

[Pa-Nature]

Yup hang to dry not touching each other now 4 day maybe fine for small buds but when the get big it gets harder to dry and cure to perfection .
But I hang my ducks in a row on separate line as to not mix up the weeds ....LOL

 

[Pa-Nature]

I like taking the fan leaves off before drying but Boo has it right..
it takes a bit practice to get things not to crispy and not to moist..ya don't want mold to grow in your jar so let it breath from time to time..nothing worse then a to crispy bud or moldy bud..humidity plays an important factor..

Yes also temp is a main factor and a real fine line to success and hay now hay now...just tastes like hay now .....:yinyang:

ale:

 

[Sugar Sweet]

Whats a good ambient temp and Room humidity level

 

[Pa-Nature]

Whats a good ambient temp and Room humidity level

H/T
75-75 first few days Just lil below my grow temps )
65-75 next 5-10 (depending on room size bud size and air flow)
58-62 -72 Cure

 

[Sugar Sweet]

Ok cool i have an electric space heater i can plug in thatll add some dry heat incase that humidity gets high. It normally runs around 70 so i think im gonNa go put it on low. :confetti::confetti: i hope i get it right this time.

 

[Pa-Nature]

Ok cool i have an electric space heater i can plug in thatll add some dry heat incase that humidity gets high. It normally runs around 70 so i think im gonNa go put it on low. :confetti::confetti: i hope i get it right this time.

I use a dehumidifier but am usually drying 5 lbs at a time
:sumo:

It kicks on if RH raises

 

[Boo]

be cautious with that space heater, it puts out bone dry heat and may make the buds crispy...:afraid:

 

[Pa-Nature]

be cautious with that space heater, it puts out bone dry heat and may make the buds crispy...:afraid:

Yes fo sho

Also if it doesn't kick out over night bone dry hey or past the stage of good cure .
:bond:

 

[Sugar Sweet]

Instead of attempting to control every aspect of your dryin environment, perhaps learn how to better dry in your natural environment...unless you live an extreme climate. I use a closet to dry in, an simply provide airflow through the closet, plus a small fan inside the closet...so whatever my room temp an humidity is, that's what I work with. I'll admit, I've experienced rainy, wet weeks where it took longer, and dry times where it dried faster than expected, it's jus somethin ya gotta check on regularly and learn with experience. IMO, lotta folks over simplify explaining the process, simply because they have done it for so long, they do things subconsciously, and don't even realize they're taking those steps. It takes experience to know, it's really a feel thing, that ya jus get better at over time.
I do like Boo, an do my final trim right off the plant. I also cut into nugs at this time, so I have consistent sized pieces dryin...sorta like cookin meat, if ya have a thick chicken breast an a bunch thin chicken breasts, they're not gonna cook the same, so consistent sized pieces can help with that. Plus, your bud is less fragile when wet, so handling it when wet will cause less trichome loss than handlin when dry.
Personally, I attempt to dry very slow, usually takes couple weeks before I put it in large Tupperwares. After few weeks of burping in Tupperwares, I put in jars for curing/storage.

This not my pic. This is Putembk's pic, hope he doesn't mind me using it, but this is a perfect example of how I dry my weed...final trim into nuggets, an into an open container to dry in a dark closet with ample airflow.

Thanks annaba i think thatll work closer to my availability and where i can dry my buds at.

I use a dehumidifier but am usually drying 5 lbs at a time
:sumo:

It kicks on if RH raises

I think thatll be my next purchase down the road they are very convenient, is yours a digital dehumidifier?

be cautious with that space heater, it puts out bone dry heat and may make the buds crispy...:afraid:

It has a fan only setting as well. So i use that just to push air around its a little 8" space heater. I only use the heat setting if the RH raises..



But so far my room is running at 30%Rh and 75°F so if i keep it within these parameters i should be fine? I was always told to dry them while on the stem still for about a week. Then paper bag for a few days then jar. But my buds ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ends up smelling like hay until you smoke it. I think leaving it on the stems its retaining too much mositure when it comes to jarring. With your guys' expertise i should get better results.

 

[Boo]

I find it easier and more uniform to do as annaba said, lose the lumber and keep only the buds...thick buds like pa said dry slower than smaller buds...forget that heater fan, damn thing won't move enough air to do any good, get a 20 dollar oscillating fan at wallyworld...air movement is your best friend when drying...too much and you get tinder, too little and you get mold...for a plant that's a weed and grows by itself for centuries, it sure is complicated to produce quality buds you brag about...

 

[Pa-Nature]

I find it easier and more uniform to do as annaba said, lose the lumber and keep only the buds...thick buds like pa said dry slower than smaller buds...forget that heater fan, damn thing won't move enough air to do any good, get a 20 dollar oscillating fan at wallyworld...air movement is your best friend when drying...too much and you get tinder, too little and you get mold...for a plant that's a weed and grows by itself for centuries, it sure is complicated to produce quality buds you brag about...

:$1:

 

[Pa-Nature]

I find it easier and more uniform to do as annaba said, lose the lumber and keep only the buds...thick buds like pa said dry slower than smaller buds...forget that heater fan, damn thing won't move enough air to do any good, get a 20 dollar oscillating fan at wallyworld...air movement is your best friend when drying...too much and you get tinder, too little and you get mold...for a plant that's a weed and grows by itself for centuries, it sure is complicated to produce quality buds you brag about...

But remember this the lumber and the leaves also hold needed moisture sugars and starches need in a a good cure , so some dry warm area best to leave on full branches to offers these effects and slow down the dry process.

Its harder to cure weed then it is to grow it .