A perfect cure every time

hellmutt bones

Well-Known Member
So guys, new grower here. I have one question which I cant find the exact answer to. I just started curing my buds after 4 days of drying and they smell rather decent compared to what my 1st batch smelled in that stage. But my question is regarding one bud that I harvested a bit early as a sample. Did the whole procedure with it and started curing but the hay smell just sticked around even after 2 weeks in a jar. So I took it out, put it in a plastic bag and just squeased it not too hard. When I pulled it put I noticed that hay smell gone and replaced by a nice skunky smell so I just put it back in its own jar and continued curing. Can someone explain to me was that a bad thing or not? Because Ive never read anything about that but much weed where I come from look like its been previously squeased like that, hence the idea. Do people do that and is it a bad thing? Because now that one bud smells way better than my whole batch which I just started curing, its just not that fluffly anymore but kinda compact.
Please dont judge me for my ignorance, im here to learn :)
The bud.is left to dry till it actually looks like its been squeezed but in reality you shouldn't squeeze the buds its like ringing out all the tch wichi is what gives it it potency. Just hang for 4-6 days if the stem snaps then jar. It will smell like hay for 3-4 days then the smell comes back. But what ever you do dont squeeze, shake, or be rough with your weed.I was a noob once and I did try to compact the buds maybe cause I was used to brick weed :lol:
 

Gunfer420

Well-Known Member
The bud.is left to dry till it actually looks like its been squeezed but in reality you shouldn't squeeze the buds its like ringing out all the tch wichi is what gives it it potency. Just hang for 4-6 days if the stem snaps then jar. It will smell like hay for 3-4 days then the smell comes back. But what ever you do dont squeeze, shake, or be rough with your weed.I was a noob once and I did try to compact the buds maybe cause I was used to brick weed :lol:
Thank you man, Ive read quite alot about drying and curing and I know everyone always said be gentle to your buds. Thats why I never intended to do something like that on my original batch but since that one bud was like a ginny pig and it still smelled like hay after about 2 weeks of cure time I just gave it a go and what baffled me was that immediately it started smelling extrodinary, like that squeeze cured it in a second lol. Dont worry I wont do that to the rest of them, it was just a test. :)
I know right, brick weed is what we get here, its from Albania and its super cheap. Thats what made me condure that sort of test haha
 

MIKE GROEZ

Member
i appreciate your thread on this simon. i started doing this method a couple of years ago. the hygrometers help a lot. much better than the old squeeze test. :)

i got in the bad habit of drying them too quick, taking about 3 days. i trimed the colas into bite sized buds and with phoenix being hot and dry, it doesn't take long. then i noticed that although the buds smelled great when crushed, the odor when i cracked the ball jars was minimal.

i'm going back to a nice slow dry this time. i'm just triming the fan leaves and hanging the plant whole. i'm at 53 days in flower now and want to be sure that when i crack open a jar, i get a smile from the smell.
I had the same problem...living here in phoenix my first run of about 2 ounces dried out so fast. About 3 days as well. They got brittle and barely any smell. I did trim it right after harvest. I'm thinking about hanging the whole plant this time for my second run and then doing a dry trim. Read somewhere that the sugar leaves protect the bud from drying out too fast holding more moisture I the nugz.
 

MIKE GROEZ

Member
Whats the himidipak to bud ratio in a 32oz Mason jar? How many paks to grams are needed?
Boveda packs..1 gram boveda pack 62%rh per 3.5grams of flower. It's on their website...they have higher gram packs too. Pretty sure they have a pack that does 28 grams at once though
 

katoskillzzz

Active Member
I'm really sick of reading all the arguing on this topic, there are too many variables for all of us to attempt to tear each other's heads off with our keyboards. For instance, some people say begin curing when the stem snaps but not bend. Well who's to say the size of the stem, not to mention how strong were the stems to begin with. Until you can break it down to a scientific ruling, or at least more exact then wait for a snap. You shouldn't really look at the next guy and say he is the one who is wrong.
 

yosim

Well-Known Member
for anyone that drys the whole plant, I'm assuming you trim after drying? How is that versus wet trimming?
 

Hippieryan

Well-Known Member


This method is particularly effective for folks who are starting out, those looking to maximize quality in a shorter period of time, and folks who's like to produce a connoisseur-quality product each and every time with no guesswork involved.

It's a very simple and effective process:

Cut the product, trim it per your preference, but don't dry it until the stems snap. Take it down while the stems still have some flex, but the product feel dry on the outside. This is a perfect opportunity to drop the dry-feeling flowers onto a screen and collect prime-quality kief that would otherwise get lost in the jar.

Jar the product, along with a Caliber III hygrometer. One can be had on Ebay for ~$20. Having tested a number of hygrometers - digital and analog - this model in particular produced consistent, accurate results. The Hydroset/Xikar hygrometers are also recommend after calibration. Then, watch the readings:

+70% RH - too wet, needs to sit outside the jar to dry for 12-24 hours, depending.

65-70% RH - the product is almost in the cure zone, if you will. It can be slowly brought to optimum RH by opening the lid for 2-4 hours.

60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing.

55-60% RH - at this point it can be stored for an extended period (3 months or more) without worrying about mold. The product will continue to cure.

Below 55% RH - the RH is too low for the curing process to take place. The product starts to feel brittle. Once you've hit this point, nothing will make it better. Adding moisture won't restart the curing process; it will just make the product wet. If you measure a RH below 55% don't panic. Read below:

Obviously, the product need time to sweat in the jar. As such, accurate readings won't be seen for ~24 hours, assuming the flowers are in the optimal cure zone. If you're curing the product for long-term storage, give the flowers 4-5 days for an accurate reading. If the product is sill very wet, a +70% RH reading will show within hours. If you see the RH rising ~1% per hour, keep a close eye on the product, as it's likely too moist.


HTH,
Simon
So is there something you can do if the humidity is to low? I know you said you would update on that? I didn’t see it anywhere? I haven’t harvested and cured just yet, 3 weeks away, just wanting to get all my ducks in a row. Also is there a size screen you recommend? What do you put under the screen to collect the kief? Is there something that works better than other? Would a cookie sheet work
 

Lpt

Well-Known Member
I followed to a T but the grassy smell is still there bud stinks amazing when broken up for a zoot but just barley smells when not broken open. The rh never when bellow 62% and that's where it sits now in the jar being burped for two weeks... I just don't get it!!!
 

Hippieryan

Well-Known Member


This method is particularly effective for folks who are starting out, those looking to maximize quality in a shorter period of time, and folks who's like to produce a connoisseur-quality product each and every time with no guesswork involved.

It's a very simple and effective process:

Cut the product, trim it per your preference, but don't dry it until the stems snap. Take it down while the stems still have some flex, but the product feel dry on the outside. This is a perfect opportunity to drop the dry-feeling flowers onto a screen and collect prime-quality kief that would otherwise get lost in the jar.

Jar the product, along with a Caliber III hygrometer. One can be had on Ebay for ~$20. Having tested a number of hygrometers - digital and analog - this model in particular produced consistent, accurate results. The Hydroset/Xikar hygrometers are also recommend after calibration. Then, watch the readings:

+70% RH - too wet, needs to sit outside the jar to dry for 12-24 hours, depending.

65-70% RH - the product is almost in the cure zone, if you will. It can be slowly brought to optimum RH by opening the lid for 2-4 hours.

60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing.

55-60% RH - at this point it can be stored for an extended period (3 months or more) without worrying about mold. The product will continue to cure.

Below 55% RH - the RH is too low for the curing process to take place. The product starts to feel brittle. Once you've hit this point, nothing will make it better. Adding moisture won't restart the curing process; it will just make the product wet. If you measure a RH below 55% don't panic. Read below:

Obviously, the product need time to sweat in the jar. As such, accurate readings won't be seen for ~24 hours, assuming the flowers are in the optimal cure zone. If you're curing the product for long-term storage, give the flowers 4-5 days for an accurate reading. If the product is sill very wet, a +70% RH reading will show within hours. If you see the RH rising ~1% per hour, keep a close eye on the product, as it's likely too moist.


HTH,
Simon
Simon I obviously botched your simple method, should I have left it on the plants to dry? I cut and hung mine? Will this still work?
 

Hippieryan

Well-Known Member
How long should you leave it in the mason jar at the curing humidity? Or did I just miss that somewhere? Also should I open it daily and give it a shake for fresh air and movement?
 

MrGreenFingers99

Well-Known Member
Simon I obviously botched your simple method, should I have left it on the plants to dry? I cut and hung mine? Will this still work?
Yes you should've hung the whole plant and just removed the big fans and water leaves unless you have low humidity, my last 2 plants took 21 days before they were ready for jars, never lost there smell at all through the whole process and were pretty much cured before I even jarred.
 

MrGreenFingers99

Well-Known Member
How long should you leave it in the mason jar at the curing humidity? Or did I just miss that somewhere? Also should I open it daily and give it a shake for fresh air and movement?
Yeah you should be opening daily for the 1st couple weeks and then at least once a week for a few weeks, are you using the mini Hygrometer's in the jars to get your RH? I like to get mine down to around 58% personally
 

Hippieryan

Well-Known Member
Yeah you should be opening daily for the 1st couple weeks and then at least once a week for a few weeks, are you using the mini Hygrometer's in the jars to get your RH? I like to get mine down to around 58% personally
Yes I am I just did it yesterday and it is reading 64% after 24 hours, so should I open it and leave it for like 5 minutes each day to try to get that humidity down
 

MrGreenFingers99

Well-Known Member
Yes I am I just did it yesterday and it is reading 64% after 24 hours, so should I open it and leave it for like 5 minutes each day to try to get that humidity down
Take it all out of jars and leave it for a few hours to dry some more, you want it to equalise in the jars at 62% or below, at 64% you can get mould, trust me I've ruined a crop leaving them in jars with to much moisture, you will get an ammonia smell and the buds will lose there colour and start going darker/brown.
 

Hippieryan

Well-Known Member
Take it all out of jars and leave it for a few hours to dry some more, you want it to equalise in the jars at 62% or below, at 64% you can get mould, trust me I've ruined a crop leaving them in jars with to much moisture, you will get an ammonia smell and the buds will lose there colour and start going darker/brown.
Will do, thank you sir, also what is the best room temp to have the jar in? Or did I ask this already, really appreciate the help
 

TreeFarmerCharlie

Well-Known Member
If you are like me, and constantly forget to burp jars, then you can make an automated burning system. I just made one using a bunch of 1/3 gallon jars. The guy in this video drills through the glass but it’s a lot easier just to drill through the cap and run an air hose from the inlet down to the bottom of the jar.

 
Top