HELP! Drying & Curing 1 0 1

H

hydroplus

Member
lol... so its about to be that time of year!!!:wall: harvesting in about 8 days.

questions :

1. for drying.. how long should i dry for?
what is the min/max/optimal temps for drying

2. when drying should they be in a more humid area? or humidity does not really matter

3. How long should i cure for ? min/max/average (this technically is my 1st time harvesting, ive seen it done with other peoples plants but never done it personally)

4. how many times a day, when curing, should i be burping ?
 
tpsmc

tpsmc

Well-Known Member
hydroplus said:
lol... so its about to be that time of year!!!:wall: harvesting in about 8 days.

questions :

1. for drying.. how long should i dry for? Till they feel crispy on outside and stem bends but doesn't snap.
what is the min/max/optimal temps for drying? I dry at room temp...usually 70-75 degrees

2. when drying should they be in a more humid area? or humidity does not really matter? dryer is better humidity promotes rot.

3. How long should i cure for ? min/max/average (this technically is my 1st time harvesting, ive seen it done with other peoples plants but never done it personally) I hang dry for 4-7 days then place all into cardboard box for 3 or 4 days (lid closed), then move into jars for week or two then back to box for day or two ..repeat until moisture content is ideal. Then i put in jars till ready to be consumed. whole process takes 2-4 weeks.

4. how many times a day, when curing, should i be burping ?
Click to expand...
I burp daily.
 
chickengutz

chickengutz

Well-Known Member
Some folks use a 7 day, rule of thumb, for drying,and then go into jars. Depending on the relative humidity in your location, this could result in excessive drying and your shit will be all crumbly. I hang dry until my largest colas are dry to the touch, 2 to 3 days, then 2 days in a paper bag in then into jars. then open jars daily for one to two hours. I do this for about a week. If my plants feel dry enough after 3 days then I go right into jars, and follow my burping schedule. Like I said, it'd not a one size fits all. If you are in a temperate reigon, then you are going to have different ambient humidity, during different times of the year.
 
bramwell73

bramwell73

Active Member
my method is to trim all leaf first idk the extent of your experience so please dont be offended at some simple points i will make such as while trimming you want to get all leaf that is protruding off but do not go digging into the buds to get every bit of leaf. the reason for doing this first is to avoid that grassy nasty smell/taste you may get otherwise. once trimmed take all buds and leave near indirect fan for anywhere from 2-4 days usually..basically your just waiting for the outside of the buds to be just starting to turn brittle and the smaller sticks should snap while the larger ones still will not, thats when you know its the right time check them often!! once you feel that they are kind of crispy on the outside you cut off any addictional stick (since i trim and dry most buds
 
bramwell73

bramwell73

Active Member
then in the jar they go. you want the jars nice and full not crammed but full. check the buds after about 4-6 hours and see how fast they are getting damp again, you will get a feel for this and know about how long they take after a couple days..so as soon as they are damp again you take it all out and spread it on a garbage bag or something and leave out for as long as it takes to get back to that first "dry" point then back in the jars....repeat this for 3-4 weeks before expecting optimum smoke each day the buds will need to be out of the jar less and less and toward the end they may not need to come out at all but its still good to open the jar for a while and let the air exchange..
 
bramwell73

bramwell73

Active Member
you may notice that after a few days/week it just doesnt seem like your herb is coming out good but just give it time if this process is followed exactly it will work..you can def ruin a crop with a bad cure so just best advice is to watch carefully and make adjustments to constantly but really slowly evaporate the moisture, its like a fermenting process longer it takes better your product... hope this helps
 
bramwell73

bramwell73

Active Member
the above is from kermit2692 he sent me this advice, im a complete noob and i asked the same question , this is what i got , and it works mate Kermit2692 deserves the credit! i just copied and pasted it, good luck, post pics!
 
WattSaver

WattSaver

Well-Known Member
Basic rules:

Dry until buds are crispy on the outside & the stems bend but don't break. They can be hung or placed on a screen (if you don't mind a flat side to your buds). Small nugs dry faster than big kola's.

Jar.... As stated above full but not packed. Burp and this depends on the moisture content to how long and often you burp. I've left the jar open for a day once, when I jarred too soon. I've never pulled from the jar until done. I don't like handling the buds that much.

You're done when the stems snap!!

If you can do this slowly and take 4 to 8 wks you'll like the results.
 
chickengutz

chickengutz

Well-Known Member
Its "smokable" as soon as its dry, BUT, you will notice a huge difference in the quality between weed thats just dried, and weed thats been jared a month.
 
B

britishganja

Member
i agree with chickengutz... you need to allow your crop to cure after drying as this breaks down the sugars and what not.. this is essential if ya want to enjoy your smoke.. if this proccess is skipped you will have harsh weed!!! but if you cant wait, what can ya do???

Peace
 
U

ULMResearch

Active Member
The said:
so whens the soonest u can smoke your bud?
Click to expand...
2 hits of my shit after 2 days of drying and I'm zonked! It was just a tiny fluffy popcorn bud though, not even .1 grams. Smoke whenever it burns naturally, without using an oven, microwave, hair dryer or anything else. It may not taste its best like it will after a cure, but you grew it... do what you want with it!
 
The,,Roach,,ERA

The,,Roach,,ERA

Active Member
hahaha its just teases me everyday and my ladies only three weeks old
ULMResearch said:
2 hits of my shit after 2 days of drying and I'm zonked! It was just a tiny fluffy popcorn bud though, not even .1 grams. Smoke whenever it burns naturally, without using an oven, microwave, hair dryer or anything else. It may not taste its best like it will after a cure, but you grew it... do what you want with it!
Click to expand...
 
bramwell73

bramwell73

Active Member
had a taste after 3 days hung on the stalks, jared it for 12 hrs,took it out to dry again on some paper in the dark, it crisped up again so i tried it, not bad to be honest but im gonna jar and burp over 2 to 3 weeks , ill keep you all posted on the difference of taste and effect , (for those that havnt done it befor) :weed:
 
yesum

yesum

Well-Known Member
If it is real wet in the jar I will take the buds out so they can dry faster. Initially I wait till the buds are kinda dry on the outside and then jar. I keep opening the jars daily to keep them dry on the outside. Takes about a week I guess till I keep the lid on for keeps.

Do not allow the buds to stay too long in the jars if they are damp or mushy on the outside or to the touch, however you want to say it. Over dry buds are better than moldy ones.
 
FrostyTheBudMan

FrostyTheBudMan

Well-Known Member
I trimmed all of mine, air dried mine in a outdoor shed, with a box fan in the room, until the outside of main colas were dry feeling (3 days), had to then move it inside into my clone veg chamber, again with a small fan and a container of unscented cat liter and a bag of rice (for moisture absorption) (three more days) then jarred in mason jars with one of these in each jar:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320855482775

Small, CHEAP and effective Hygrometers. Then I follow this. Hardest part is not going into the jars for smokeables, as this was my first run and I'm just plain having too much fun. I found this somewhere on a forum and so far it works for me, your mileage may vary! I can't attribute the below as I really don't remember where I found it.

"Heres a great way that you might want to look into Sub, I use little RH meters from ebay. they tell me what % my buds are at in the jars and takes all the guess work out of curing. the best cure ive ever had is done this way.

+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.
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.
a grower named Simon shared this with me "

Good luck and Happy drying and curing!!
 
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