Long slow drying questions...

[tonzeejee]

I have learned a lot my past 3 seasons, and this year, I've imparted what I've learned from experience - it has paid off. My girls are a few days from ready (at least the colas.)

I wanted to ask you super experienced dudes what you think of a long drying period. I'm not talking about the curing process at all, just the drying process. I've had success cutting off the large fan leaves, leaving the medium and short leaves and hanging large sections to dry - then I don't even bother to look at them for at least a week. Combination of wet and dry trimming before and after.

Obviously, strains and sizes are different. My drying area is 47-50% RH and 65-68 degrees F. Last year my best tasting and smoking buds were the ones that slow dried for 16 days (then jar cured for a month or so).

Does anyone else like to do a really slow dry with their outdoor chops before curing? Wondering if anyone else had success with a long, mellow dry process.

Most of what I see online and in person is people in a hurry and drying wet trimmed for 3-7 days. That seems too fast to me, granted everyone's environment is personal preference and easy to manipulate.

 

[ganga gurl420]

7 days isnt that long. A lot depends on the size of your buds not just your enviroment, but both have a huge impact on how long to hang.
Anyone who has been growing long enough knows that a slower dry time is always better. Too fast and you will end up with that hay smell that you almost cant get rid of.
Slower is always better for both drying and the cure.

 

[dubekoms]

Yeah slow dry is the best. Two weeks maybe three at 60rh and 65 degrees let's them dry perfectly. In the past I would only dry a few days and put them in the jars while the stems were still a bit wet and that's how they got that shitty grassy smell. Putting them in the jars when they are dry after a long and slow drying process is optimal imo.

 

[ganga gurl420]

P.s. ideally I try to shoot for 10 days - 2 weeks for a hang.

 

[tonzeejee]

Glad I'm not alone. Just got my drying room all set at 55% RH and 65°F. Tonight is my first chop night of the season. Sun tomorrow, but rain and frost for a week after. I'd rather start the harvest a week early than have to lose any sleep over bud rot. Thanks for the replies.

 

[stealthfader508]

The longer the better in my opinion... I manicure pretty tight while still wet then hang dry for 5-7 days on the stems .. then pull the buds off the stems and fill paper shopping bags about 3" high with like size buds .. I'll leave them in the bags with the tops open for another 5-7 days, mixing them up once or twice a day .... then I'll close the paper bags and open/mix them once or twice a day for another 5-7 days ... then they get jarred up and burped daily for about 30-45 days .... finally they'll get vacuum sealed in bags and tucked away somewhere cool and dark

 

[tonzeejee]

The longer the better in my opinion... I manicure pretty tight while still wet then hang dry for 5-7 days on the stems .. then pull the buds off the stems and fill paper shopping bags about 3" high with like size buds .. I'll leave them in the bags with the tops open for another 5-7 days, mixing them up once or twice a day .... then I'll close the paper bags and open/mix them once or twice a day for another 5-7 days ... then they get jarred up and burped daily for about 30-45 days .... finally they'll get vacuum sealed in bags and tucked away somewhere cool and dark

Sounds like a great method - I like the steps. How do you know when it is time to start closing the bags?

 

[stealthfader508]

Sounds like a great method - I like the steps. How do you know when it is time to start closing the bags?

for the first couple days with the bags open you'll notice the top buds on the pile will feel a little crusty, while the buds underneath a little softer... then i mix them all up... once i stop noticing much difference in top and bottom buds i'll start closing the bags... if i notice them starting to get too soft, i'll leave the bag open again until they get crusty ... the whole process takes a while but it's easy and you avoid the shit grass smell dubs mentioned

 

[SuperNutz]

I've been growing for 10 years and I just hang the branches 4-5 days at 50% humidity, then I chop the buds into individual nugs and put them about a foot deep in the big paper leaf bags they sell to fill and put out to the curbs for fall cleanups for another 4 days bouncing them around a couple times a day, then fill jars halfway and burp and rotate for about 10 days then into turkey bags and continue burping and tossing to finish, leaving less air space as I go along and always have nice smelling rock hard nugs. I screwed up a few times and overdried over the years won't take my chances going overboard on drying, lessons learned.

 

[SuperNutz]

If you do happen to over dry tho, soft corn or flour tortillas work in a pinch to rehydrate lol.

 

[tonzeejee]

If you do happen to over dry tho, soft corn or flour tortillas work in a pinch to rehydrate lol.

Then do you eat the tortillas?

 

[SuperNutz]

Then do you eat the tortillas?

I give them to the dogs lol. They eat anything from ground fall apples to ripe tomatoes right off the vine and don't leave buds on the coffee table because they won't be there when you get back from the bathroom.

 

[tonzeejee]

I give them to the dogs lol. They eat anything from ground fall apples to ripe tomatoes right off the vine and don't leave buds on the coffee table because they won't be there when you get back from the bathroom.

Same with mine. My cat loves fan leaves, though. Moreso than catnip.

 

[ganga gurl420]

If rh in the buds drops below 55% rh then the cure stops. If you remoisten it will bring the RH up but the cure on the buds are done. That is why it is a good point not to over dry when hanging or drying. When I do 10 days to 2 weeks hang and the stems crack... and I jar it up to check rh it is right around 60%.

The ideal cure should be between 64 and 55. Too much and you will get mold...too little and the cure stops. Remember that buds will actually become more potent when kept in the perfect humidity for months.
Fast cures should never be an option. If you hang for long enough and cut the buds when they need to be cut then paper bags wont even be an option..
And trust me I've learned from experience the differnce
If you dont believe me ask ppl like double jj or dr who or richard drysift. Dont ever rush harvest...hang or cure
P.s. the purpose of burping your jars is the moister Goes to the outside of your buds and it releases the moisture from your jars. If you are putting it in a paper bag then you cut the buds from your stems too soon

 

[SuperNutz]

If rh in the buds drops below 55% rh then the cure stops. If you remoisten it will bring the RH up but the cure on the buds are done. That is why it is a good point not to over dry when hanging or drying. When I do 10 days to 2 weeks hang and the stems crack... and I jar it up to check rh it is right around 60%.

The ideal cure should be between 64 and 55. Too much and you will get mold...too little and the cure stops. Remember that buds will actually become more potent when kept in the perfect humidity for months.
Fast cures should never be an option. If you hang for long enough and cut the buds when they need to be cut then paper bags wont even be an option..
And trust me I've learned from experience the differnce
If you dont believe me ask ppl like double jj or dr who or richard drysift. Dont ever rush harvest...hang or cure
P.s. the purpose of burping your jars is the moister Goes to the outside of your buds and it releases the moisture from your jars. If you are putting it in a paper bag then you cut the buds from your stems too soon

The main reason for the big paper bags is because I'm usually keeping one room at 50% and have new stuff being hung continuously that I don't want getting mold in the first couple days of hanging or the stuff already hanging to be too dry too fast.

 

[ganga gurl420]

Well I dont know about other growers but I have one huge room that I am doing the same thing. I have different harvest times so I am moving dry stuff out while hanging new stuff. It's never cause any issues.
last Nov I'm hanging new with the old. I mean man what works for you works for you, but I will always try to encourage people to wait and go slow.

 

[Lucky Luke]

If rh in the buds drops below 55% rh then the cure stops. If you remoisten it will bring the RH up but the cure on the buds are done. That is why it is a good point not to over dry when hanging or drying. When I do 10 days to 2 weeks hang and the stems crack... and I jar it up to check rh it is right around 60%.

The ideal cure should be between 64 and 55. Too much and you will get mold...too little and the cure stops. Remember that buds will actually become more potent when kept in the perfect humidity for months.
Fast cures should never be an option. If you hang for long enough and cut the buds when they need to be cut then paper bags wont even be an option..
And trust me I've learned from experience the differnce
If you dont believe me ask ppl like double jj or dr who or richard drysift. Dont ever rush harvest...hang or cure
P.s. the purpose of burping your jars is the moister Goes to the outside of your buds and it releases the moisture from your jars. If you are putting it in a paper bag then you cut the buds from your stems too soon

Well said. Ill add if i may, the other point to burping is to exchange O2 so the bacteria stays alive.

 

[tonzeejee]

If rh in the buds drops below 55% rh then the cure stops. If you remoisten it will bring the RH up but the cure on the buds are done. That is why it is a good point not to over dry when hanging or drying. When I do 10 days to 2 weeks hang and the stems crack... and I jar it up to check rh it is right around 60%.

The ideal cure should be between 64 and 55. Too much and you will get mold...too little and the cure stops. Remember that buds will actually become more potent when kept in the perfect humidity for months.
Fast cures should never be an option. If you hang for long enough and cut the buds when they need to be cut then paper bags wont even be an option..
And trust me I've learned from experience the differnce
If you dont believe me ask ppl like double jj or dr who or richard drysift. Dont ever rush harvest...hang or cure
P.s. the purpose of burping your jars is the moister Goes to the outside of your buds and it releases the moisture from your jars. If you are putting it in a paper bag then you cut the buds from your stems too soon

Right, and as I said specifically in my original post, I am not asking about the curing process, just the drying process. I think of them as two separate processes.

 

[Lucky Luke]

Right, and as I said specifically in my original post, I am not asking about the curing process, just the drying process. I think of them as two separate processes.

They are but when drying you have to take into consideration the curing. You cannot over dry.

For what its worth i hang whole with all leaves etc for 2 to 3 weeks depending. Buck when going into cure.

 

[SuperNutz]

Well I dont know about other growers but I have one huge room that I am doing the same thing. I have different harvest times so I am moving dry stuff out while hanging new stuff. It's never cause any issues.
last Nov I'm hanging new with the old. I mean man what works for you works for you, but I will always try to encourage people to wait and go slow. View attachment 4408254

My plants are more spaced out though. I could probably go longer if I dried them close together I guess but I hate mold and only ever got it in my thickest colas when I had a tiny packed space for drying. I could probably add a few days on the line if I dry the first night spaced and then slide them together more tightly to make room for the new stuff.