Hang or mesh drying rack net?

Hey all. Been growing for a long time now and I've always hung my plants for drying. I was recently given a large mesh dry rack net thing by a friend who swears by them. it's actually the perfect size to hang in my tent so I was considering giving it a try. what method do you guys prefer and what do see as the pros and cons of using the mesh racks?

Woah... slow down folks! All this feedback is overwhelming..

Well I believe that each depend on environment, time and reason.
If you live in a particularly humid region you would benefit from the extra air flow of a mesh and if you want a slower dry you would string em up, so:

Mesh
Pro
More organisation if growing multiple strains or a very large amount

Grey area
Faster dry (especially if there is a fan under or nearby)

Con
Extra abrasion on buds so some crystal loss is a possibility
$$$
Some can be quite big and take up space
Need a relatively secure spot to place it that also allows for its shape
Inattentiveness can take you out of cure zone

Hang
Pro
If you have a space to grow you have a space to hang
String is relatively cheap and you could have some left over from training to use
Very little contact from cut to container

Grey area
Slower dry, this can be beneficial for low humidity

Con
Slower dry for humid zones can allow mold
There may be a lack of space if growing a large amount
Less organisation
Knot tying skill may be needed based on amount

It all comes down to the space you're drying in and if it's for you or if it needs to go out the door as soon as possible. Maybe try a test batch on it next time you can use it and see what you prefer.

I use the big metal cages that are found at lowes and home depot. the 2" x 4" squared ones, they do a great job for hang drying and for training ladies through.

They give you a ton of area to hang from

i got one of these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017UO7X8U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and i like it, but you do have to keep an eye on it, the smaller you trim the pieces the faster they'll dry, so its easy to over dry if you don't keep an eye on it. the only other thing that might be an issue for some people is that you'll get a flat side, even if you turn it often. i don't find it to be a problem, and no ones ever said anything to me about it.

^ I use similar/same net in a tent in a closet. I keep a dehumidifier in the room, and small corner fan in the tent, with a stink sock output into a room with ac/heat to 75.
They all dry nice and even and no fuss here
I dont stack buds, with a perpetual harvest I dont ever fill all the trays, I suspend it from a digi scale for weight reference. wouldnt do it another way.

chemphlegm said:

^ I use similar/same net in a tent in a closet. I keep a dehumidifier in the room, and small corner fan in the tent, with a stink sock output into a room with ac/heat to 75.
They all dry nice and even and no fuss here
I dont stack buds, with a perpetual harvest I dont ever fill all the trays, I suspend it from a digi scale for weight reference. wouldnt do it another way.

Click to expand...

What humidity do you think is optimal? All the years I've been hang drying I shot for 68 to 75 degrees and about 45% humidity. Do those numbers work for net drying?

i wouldn't go that low on rh, they dry fast enough with it around 60. temps anywhere from 65 to 75 ought to be fine. mine usually dry in 3 to 5 days at 60 rh and 72-3 degree temps...i've found if i drop the rh and dry faster its harsher and you're more likely to get that cut grass smell

I think the ambient RH in my house is around 50% right now.. I'll think about running my humidifier. the buds I'm going to be harvesting are dense as hell, little worried about pushing the RH too high because last time I had flowers this dense I came dangerously close to losing a bunch due to bud rot.

I like to hang my plants personally.....but I do make trimming mistakes and end up with some buds that I dry on my multiple level mesh drying rack ....as well as lots of bouncy ball sized popcorn .....as said above it dries much faster IMO,,,not to mention leaving flat spots on the heavier stuff .....so I personally like to rough trim and then hang individual branches ...GL

I'm kind of thinking that I'm going to hang my colas and hang the net low so it only occupies the bottom half of the tent and using it for smaller buds and larf. Seems like a best of both worlds type deal.. plus the stuff in the net will get a little extra sugar love from the colas dropping trichs

Well at least you'll get to test the stuff on your drying rack sooner ....that's always a plus ......I always laugh when I see people talking shit about popcorn buds....it's like the crumbs off a delicious brownie ....il happily smoke my frosty lil popcorn nuggs any day .....just watch your stuff on the rack closely if you've never dried that way .....I even take time to flip them personally ....not necessary but helps with getting flat sides

Couldn't agree more.. there are times when some of my secondary bud sites produce the frostiest, loudest flower on the whole plant. Colas are nice, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the little bastards will surprise you!

NanoGadget said:

Couldn't agree more.. there are times when some of my secondary bud sites produce the frostiest, loudest flower on the whole plant. Colas are nice, don't get me wrong, but sometimes the little bastards will surprise you!

Click to expand...

I'm just a casual before bed smoker nowadays .....I don't smoke during the day like I use to when I was younger .....I grow for several handicap and cancer patients......so I usually keep the smaller stuff for my own personal stash and they get all the big ((nice)) stuff ......but i have no problem whatsoever with that ......some of my OGK popcorn is so frosty it literally looks like a ball of trichs ......no complaints with that at all .

NanoGadget said:

What humidity do you think is optimal? All the years I've been hang drying I shot for 68 to 75 degrees and about 45% humidity. Do those numbers work for net drying?

Click to expand...

about the same, cept my humidity is controlled at 50 . I final trim then dry, doesnt get fussed till packaged. I dont keep the popcorn but broken buds are in every rack, those get processed with overages.
I think a fan blowing directly on the buds is a bad thing, I'd avoid that in the net(or anywhere?) I keep a large tote for the pile that gathers under the last net. Other than that I've tried a bunch of suggestions mentioned on riu and this ticked all the boxes for me. I admit I was hesitant with rumors of "wicking your terpenes" and flattening buds" but I dont find either to be the case.
I've stacked buds in a tray and seen the compacting, didnt phase me a bit.

Indacouch said:

Well at least you'll get to test the stuff on your drying rack sooner ....that's always a plus ......I always laugh when I see people talking shit about popcorn buds....it's like the crumbs off a delicious brownie ....il happily smoke my frosty lil popcorn nuggs any day .....just watch your stuff on the rack closely if you've never dried that way .....I even take time to flip them personally ....not necessary but helps with getting flat sides

Click to expand...

agreed. I admit am one of those that discards popcorn though, if I cant avoid it in the first place. let me explain. with many varieties to choose from full time, every day, nice full sized colas, delicately manicured stickiness in full bloom, I wouldnt reach for a small scrap. When trimming this stuff dries up even smaller, typically got less light and splashed too here, so I dont grow it if I can.
in context though, I throw my roaches in the fireplace, I dont save my vape duff, never save sugar leaf trim either. I always have fresh buds to process, and they're easier to trim for me twisted hands. ten years ago I would have paid a competent grower for their precious little popcorns believe me, all of them even , all the time and would have been very pleased
peace

I used to hang my buds, but I'm sold on the mesh rack, and I use my popcorn and trim for edibles. My buds are perfect. I tie a piece of bedsheet to the bottom rack to catch trichomes and small bits ....works great.

If your trimming wet then drying racks with a VERY slow dry is the way to go. If you're trimming dry, then hang drying is def the way to go.. quality usually comes out better hang drying in my experience

Indacouch said:

I'm just a casual before bed smoker nowadays .....I don't smoke during the day like I use to when I was younger .....I grow for several handicap and cancer patients......so I usually keep the smaller stuff for my own personal stash and they get all the big ((nice)) stuff ......but i have no problem whatsoever with that ......some of my OGK popcorn is so frosty it literally looks like a ball of trichs ......no complaints with that at all .

Click to expand...

An example from my current run of how lovely popcorn can be.

good read and info.

ive always been a hanger but due to space restrictions this year I have purchased a 7 tier mesh rack.