Lotus curing/fridge drying without a frost-free fridge?

windycheese

Active Member
So I've been seeing a lot of posts about lotus curing (drying in a fridge) and some people swear by it. A lot of posters (and some articles on the topic) say to use a frost-free fridge. No one really goes in depth about why direct cool fridges (that's apparently the term for fridges that aren't frost-free) don't work. Actually, haven't seen anyone really deny that direct cool fridges could work, just that you should use frost-free.
So I'm wondering, why exactly should a direct cool fridge be avoided if trying the lotus cure?
Is there a way to make it work out just as well as if a frost free fridge was being used? Any way that doesn't require modding the fridge?
 

magnetik

Well-Known Member
if you can control the humidity and temps then you don't need to worry about frost free or not cause you'll have it at about 60/60. (unless I'm missing the def of lotus cure) I've used a wine fridge and small fridge with a freezer. It never condensates and never gets cold enough to build frost. I use an inkbird. temp controls fridge/humidity controls dehu that fits inside the fridge. On the wine cooler I don't have to worry about temps since it controls the temp instead. If you jar at the right humidity then use the fridge, only need to control temps.
 
Last edited:

Thundercat

Well-Known Member
If you use the search function there is atleast one whole thread about this. There was atleast one person if not multiple that tried it out to see how it went. There is lots of discussion in that thread about the type of fridge and other options.
 

windycheese

Active Member
If you use the search function there is atleast one whole thread about this. There was atleast one person if not multiple that tried it out to see how it went. There is lots of discussion in that thread about the type of fridge and other options.
I did use the search function. Pretty extensively, which I always do that before I even think to start a thread. Because God forbid something should be answered twice and steer the focus away from all the dick measuring at RIU. And who wants to start a thread just get answers like "There's already a thread covering this"? So I have looked, and I have sifted through pages of members just shit talking each other in threads that were started to seemingly cover that topic. Do you have a link to that specific thread that you're talking about? Because I'm not finding it. The threads I've found don't seem to answer the specific questions I asked on here.
 

windycheese

Active Member
if you can control the humidity and temps then you don't need to worry about frost free or not cause you'll have it at about 60/60. (unless I'm missing the def of lotus cure) I've used a wine fridge and small fridge with a freezer. It never condensates and never gets cold enough to build frost. I use an inkbird. temp controls fridge/humidity controls dehu that fits inside the fridge. On the wine cooler I don't have to worry about temps since it controls the temp instead. If you jar at the right humidity then use the fridge, only need to control temps.
A mini dehumidifier inside a mini fridge ... Any you'd recommend?
 

magnetik

Well-Known Member
A mini dehumidifier inside a mini fridge ... Any you'd recommend?
the dehu I had lying around (which is worthless in all other uses but works here. it looked a lot bigger in the pics. lol) already fit perfectly in my wine cooler (bought it second hand for $50) so gave it a whirl.

1647707380992.png

with the inkbird it keeps it dialed in at whatever speed you feel like drying. People who cold cure meat do the same thing with big fridges except they humidify instead.

1647707803346.png
more info in this thread. https://rollitup.org/t/drying-in-a-fridge.1064688/page-7
 

windycheese

Active Member
the dehu I had lying around (which is worthless in all other uses but works here. it looked a lot bigger in the pics. lol) already fit perfectly in my wine cooler (bought it second hand for $50) so gave it a whirl.

View attachment 5104340

with the inkbird it keeps it dialed in at whatever speed you feel like drying. People who cold cure meat do the same thing with big fridges except they humidify instead.

View attachment 5104342
more info in this thread. https://rollitup.org/t/drying-in-a-fridge.1064688/page-7
Yeah that's the thread I looked through before posting. I saw that you had to modify that wine cooler and I was hoping to maybe make things work without cutting into the fridge I have. What I have is a Galanz 3.1 cubic foot fridge and I don't want to mod it (at least not yet). So I'm wondering how I could make it work for me the way it is. It has no air movement inside and it frosts up on the back wall on the inside.
What I'm thinking, thanks to your input in this thread and the other one, is using an inkbird to keep the temps down (pretty sure I can just slide that cable between the door and chasis) and putting in a bunch of those dollar store moisture traps like these:

Wondering if that might be tuned well enough to keep the drying in appropriate parameters.
 

Kndreyn

Well-Known Member
I've been experimenting with freezer curing with my last few grows, and so far I like the results. I chop the plant and removed all of the big fan leaves but leave the branches whole. I cut them from the main stem and just put them on trays on top of my tents for a few days. Then do a little more trimming as I cut the buds off the stems, in to quart jars. I put the jars in the freezer with no lids, for about 3 weeks, then put the lids on and just leave them in the freezer. When I need some for smoking, I open the jar, remove a couple of buds, then seal the jar back up. I try to not allow condensation in the jar when I open it. The buds feel crispy when I first take them out, but after a half hour or so, they are perfect for smoking. I'm not sure yet how long term storage will go, but so far this is working great for me.
 

magnetik

Well-Known Member
Yeah that's the thread I looked through before posting. I saw that you had to modify that wine cooler and I was hoping to maybe make things work without cutting into the fridge I have. What I have is a Galanz 3.1 cubic foot fridge and I don't want to mod it (at least not yet). So I'm wondering how I could make it work for me the way it is. It has no air movement inside and it frosts up on the back wall on the inside.
What I'm thinking, thanks to your input in this thread and the other one, is using an inkbird to keep the temps down (pretty sure I can just slide that cable between the door and chasis) and putting in a bunch of those dollar store moisture traps like these:

Wondering if that might be tuned well enough to keep the drying in appropriate parameters.
Fwiw I didn't mod mine. That was the other guys. I put flower into the fridge after hang drying and never even have to empty the dehu. The other guy wanted to chop and dry directly in the cooler iirc. I have hang drying down now and just use it for long term storage after jarring.
 

Thundercat

Well-Known Member
I did use the search function. Pretty extensively, which I always do that before I even think to start a thread. Because God forbid something should be answered twice and steer the focus away from all the dick measuring at RIU. And who wants to start a thread just get answers like "There's already a thread covering this"? So I have looked, and I have sifted through pages of members just shit talking each other in threads that were started to seemingly cover that topic. Do you have a link to that specific thread that you're talking about? Because I'm not finding it. The threads I've found don't seem to answer the specific questions I asked on here.
Lol don't bother letting your feelings be hurt. I'm sorry I didn't find the link and post it for you. I didn't shit talk you or anyone else, and so I really don't feel your whole paragraph about all that is necessary. I told you about the thread that @magnetik linked for you because it did already extensively talk about the info you are looking for. Sorry that it didn't have a SIMPLE yes or no answer, or instructions to do what you want. Part of using ANY forum is learning to weed through the useful and useless information. If you felt my comment was useless, then next time maybe just ignore it and move on. That is the best way to deal with it when other people are measuring dicks or talking shit too. Just keep scrolling until you get to the posts that are on topic or that you want to read. Its great you used the search function, but lots of new members don't even know its there let alone use it. So it can helpful to suggest they look through threads where information has already been shared. Repeating info over and over in thread after thread is a waste of time and efforts for everyone involved. It spreads information out over multiple locations making it harder to find and absorb and it doesn't show any appreciation for the people taking the time to share the info and answer questions in the first place.

So once again sorry you didn't get the answer you wanted, but choosing to have an attitude about it won't help you get better answers.
 

Fardsnarp

Well-Known Member
Both types remove moisture. A self defrosting fridge will bring on a heater to melt the accumulated frost and have it run out a drain. The advantage here would be the frost free models use a fan for circulation.
 

windycheese

Active Member
Lol don't bother letting your feelings be hurt. I'm sorry I didn't find the link and post it for you. I didn't shit talk you or anyone else, and so I really don't feel your whole paragraph about all that is necessary. I told you about the thread that @magnetik linked for you because it did already extensively talk about the info you are looking for. Sorry that it didn't have a SIMPLE yes or no answer, or instructions to do what you want. Part of using ANY forum is learning to weed through the useful and useless information. If you felt my comment was useless, then next time maybe just ignore it and move on. That is the best way to deal with it when other people are measuring dicks or talking shit too. Just keep scrolling until you get to the posts that are on topic or that you want to read. Its great you used the search function, but lots of new members don't even know its there let alone use it. So it can helpful to suggest they look through threads where information has already been shared. Repeating info over and over in thread after thread is a waste of time and efforts for everyone involved. It spreads information out over multiple locations making it harder to find and absorb and it doesn't show any appreciation for the people taking the time to share the info and answer questions in the first place.

So once again sorry you didn't get the answer you wanted, but choosing to have an attitude about it won't help you get better answers.
Everyone lurks before signing up, and no one with the capacity to create an account could miss the magnifying glass at the top right. I get that you live through this forum, but you can rest easy knowing everyone's aware of the search function.

Ignoring people on here would sound like solid advice if you followed it yourself though.
 

Thundercat

Well-Known Member
Everyone lurks before signing up, and no one with the capacity to create an account could miss the magnifying glass at the top right. I get that you live through this forum, but you can rest easy knowing everyone's aware of the search function.

Ignoring people on here would sound like solid advice if you followed it yourself though.
lmao you’d be surprised how many people miss the search function. Hope you have a great night
 
Top