when they are dry enough t othe point where when you break up the bud it doesnt make your hand sticky and it should crack off the stem, not come like sticky strings if you know what i mean, like u pull the bud off and stem comes with it cause its so wet still, you should be able to break up a bud throughly ( a big one ) right to the stem, not brittle, just dry, then they can be stored in a dark COOL place for long periods of time (6 monthes?)