Drying is as important as growing, and a bad drying process can ruin even the best buds.
Drying marijuana means reducing the water content of the buds to 10-15%, depending on the desired crispiness of the final product.
Most commercial growers do not cure their crop; they just dry it and sell it.
Curing is a long but necessary step toward the highest possible quality of the smoke. For the real connoisseur, curing is the essence of it all, the culminating moment towards the perfect result.
There are many ways to cure and dry, but the method I like best is to use a climate-controlled room.
The room should be lit using special green fluorescents or LEDs, because the green spectrum does not affect the plant material.
The temperature and the humidity must be constantly controlled and adjusted, and the air exchange needs to be calibrated exactly to the desired volume.
In an ideal situation, most of the moisture should evaporate from the bud during the first three days, and then the drying process should be slowed.
To achieve this rate of evaporation in the first three days, a temperature of 68° F (20° C) and a relative humidity of 55% will ensure that the buds get to roughly 30-40% water content. From this moment on, the temperature should be dropped a few degrees down to 64° F (18° C) to slow the drying process. This allows the chlorophyll to decompose and the starches to be used up. If the buds dry too quickly, more of the chlorophyll will remain, and the smoke will be bitter and have a green aftertaste.
The humidity of the air is also critical: If it drops below 50%, the buds will dry too fast. A timer and heater/air conditioner system with humidity control will regulate air. In total, the drying process takes around 10 to 14 days for a perfect taste.
Taste is not the only variable affected by the drying process; the high is also affected.
The longer the buds are dried, the more THC will degrade into CBN and other cannabinoids. Therefore even in the same strain, the effect will slightly change from higher to more stoned, from uplifting to more physical.
The difference between drying 10 days and 14 days is not very evident to the novice, but creates a world of difference to the connoisseur.
After drying, gardeners package the crop. Commercial producers usually dry the buds to 15% water content; this results in a heavier product. (More water equals more money.)
Connoisseurs like to use bud that has 8% water content because the flavor improves and the weed burns better.
If the buds are to be smoked with tobacco, higher water content is preferable, up to 10-12% for good burning. When the weed is intended for vaporizing, it is best to leave even higher water content, 12 to 15%. This prevents the easy combustion of smaller particles at vaporization temperature.
After the drying is finished, the connoisseur will still dedicate a month or two more to curing their cannabis.
“Curing weed corresponds to aging a good wine. If the weed quality is average, it is not worth the effort and time necessary to cure it. On the other hand, if the buds are high grade, it is well worth waiting a little longer to get the best out of it.”
— FRANCO, THE STRAIN HUNTER
I cure cannabis by packaging it in a wooden or card- board box and pressing it slightly so that some of the trichomes break. Their oils and terpenes spread over the surface of the buds.
After packaging, I leave the buds in an environment of 64° F (18° C), 50% relative humidity, and total darkness for a period of 1 to 2 months. Checking regularly ensures correct conditions.
Make sure the humidity stays at 45-50% to prevent fungus and mold formation. If the buds smell moldy or like ammonia, the containers should be opened immediately, allowing the bud to dry in a warmer environment for a few hours before continuing the curing process. It is the result of curing undried plants.
Curing is an art and should be tried with small batches first.
It increases the intensity of the flavor and will slowly but steadily lower THC in favor of CBN, which is much less potent than THC.
The high of cured weed is always deeper and more introspective, often becoming a meditation and inner-vision tool.
The flavor becomes much more complex and refined, gaining in depth as well as in variation of bouquet.
Cured buds that were started a little moist look slightly brownish and have a typical deep smell, one that real smokers love from the bottom of their souls.
Buds cured when they were dryer retain more THC, chlorophyll, and a fresher bouquet.
Like very good aged wine, there is something unique about a well-cured crop that any aspiring connoisseur should experience at least onc
Fox farm soil is typically very “hot” and has a lot of nutes. When you add more nutes to their souls often times it’s a little much and at the end of flower it will require a heavier flush. Try to back off the nutes sooner at the end of flower and let the plants eat everything in the pots. Maybe flush with a compost tea to encourage the nutrient uptake at the end. Often times that green taste can be an indication of too much nutrients in your flower. Also, If you let them dry out in their pots before chopping the dry will be easier since there will be less water in your flowers. And yes clean your grow room heavily if your drying in there. I wouldn’t even hang in your tent if you have had problems with mold in there. If you have mold spores floating around they can continue to cause problems during the dry especially if your going for the long slow dry. I jar when the plants are dry enough for the stems to snap and not bend. Everyone does it differently and im not sure there is an exact answer unless you have the tools to measure water content in your buds. Also 65-78 degrees is great for the end of flower when your simulating “fall” conditions. But you will sacrifice some weight if your running those temps during the transition and early flower. Also try turning down the lights a little at the end of flower. We’re tilting away from the sun in fall and the intensity of the sun decreases over time throughout flower. So if your giving it full 100% intensity the plant will continue to take up as much nutes as it can because it has no indicitation that it’s nearing the end of its life cycle. Happy growing .Hope this helps a little.
Yo I’ve been running into a problem while flowering. I run out of room in my grow tent which im worried affected my last crop and killed two plants out of 5. From rot im assuming. But anyways im working on the height restrictions. My main question is how to get better quality buds i keep getting green flavor on more then half my crop. What am I doing wrong. Should i clean the flowering tent before i hang my plants to dry? or not? When should I jar my buds after harvesting last time i did it way to early and lost more and plant from rot 2oz of purp. I literally cried. But i did leave town for a week during flowering and I think it got to hot and my buddy didnt water my plants right.. Help me. Im so close to gettin fire as weed. Lol
Stop chasing relative humidity (RH) and control Dew Point instead. Relative Humidity is just that, Relative. Temperature and Dew Point you can control, RH is the result of these. Research it…
Also set aside some flowers and record their weight daily to find out when flowers have lost the moisture content you desire.
Peach out apple sauce!
Cryo Cure revolutionizes the cannabis drying and curing process, influencing every step of the cannabis pipeline along the way.
Cryo Cure’s patent-pending technologies and methodologies skip the hanging phase of drying, where human error can spoil a valuable harvest. The system dries and cures cannabis in as little as 24 hours, drastically cutting processing time from weeks to days. The resulting product is light, fluffy, and aromatic, with trichomes and terpenes intact and flavor profile preserved as if at the height of freshness.
Post time: Jul-16-2020