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[ComfortCreator]

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50% is way to dry, unless you like dust.

And not to be contradictory, but there is no need to hang weed by the limb to dry. That's an old wives tale. It is also soooo much easier to trim buds BEFORE they dry. It's all personal preference, but as someone who has trimmed hundreds & hundreds of pounds of bud, trust me!! The easiest way is to pluck the fan leaves by hand, and trim the smaller leaf, if you want, with scissors. There's really no need to remove anything but the fan leaves if it's for personal use, as those smaller leaves will be covered in trichomes.

You will find tons of information and you'll have to sort through it yourself...Much of the info posted on growing weed is just completely wrong. The best thing is to read from people who have years of experience...I have been doing this steady for 20+ years, and still have lots to learn....and that's part of what keeps it interesting.

To clarify, 50% is a common goal for the DRYING phase. I take that from many sources both published and on this site.

Final RH% of the cured buds should be higher. But suggesting he or anybody who is dryng their bud that doing so at 50% will turn their bud to dust is taking the new growers to precisely the place you say to avoid.

If someone reads this and dries at 60 or 70%, is that good advice?

 

[manfredo]

To clarify, 50% is a common goal for the DRYING phase. I take that from many sources both published and on this site.

Final RH% of the cured buds should be higher. But suggesting he or anybody who is dryng their bud that doing so at 50% will turn their bud to dust is taking the new growers to precisely the place you say to avoid.

If someone reads this and dries at 60 or 70%, is that good advice?

Well 1st off please don't put words in my mouth. I never said anything about 70% !! But I'd rather have 70% than 50% any day. I'd love to see valid sources that say to initially dry your crop to 50%...and then what? You bring the humidity back up to where you want? That is doable, but not ideal. That contradicts everything I have every read from reputable sources, and Boveda, but as I said, I'm still learning so please share your sources.

I posted a Boveda link...Maybe you should see what they say about over drying.

So yea, I always aim for 60-65% initially, 70% is too high, and then I jar it with a 62% Boveda pack, burp it daily and monitor, and it stays perfect for smoking for a very long time. Some people who vape like it a little dryer, like 55%, but I vape at 62% and it works fine. I have never seen a grower intentionally dry to 50%...and dust might be an overstatement, but at 50% you will have some harsh smoke that will grind to powder, guaranteed.

I'm not trying to be an arrogant know it all, and for 15 years I always dried my bud with nothing more than my senses, but in the past 5 years I have been using humidity gauges and Boveda packs, and my smoke is worlds better for it, but suit yourself. Some people actually do prefer it crumbly dry.

 

[ComfortCreator]

Well 1st off please don't put words in my mouth. I never said anything about 70% !! But I'd rather have 70% than 50% any day. I'd love to see valid sources that say to initially dry your crop to 50%...and then what? You bring the humidity back up to where you want? That is doable, but not ideal. That contradicts everything I have every read from reputable sources, and Boveda, but as I said, I'm still learning so please share your sources.

I posted a Boveda link...Maybe you should see what they say about over drying.

So yea, I always aim for 60-65% initially, 70% is too high, and then I jar it with a 62% Boveda pack, burp it daily and monitor, and it stays perfect for smoking for a very long time. Some people who vape like it a little dryer, like 55%, but I vape at 62% and it works fine. I have never seen a grower intentionally dry to 50%...and dust might be an overstatement, but at 50% you will have some harsh smoke that will grind to powder, guaranteed.

I'm not trying to be an arrogant know it all, and for 15 years I always dried my bud with nothing more than my senses, but in the past 5 years I have been using humidity gauges and Boveda packs, and my smoke is worlds better for it, but suit yourself. Some people actually do prefer it crumbly dry.

Im a big fan of Boveda. I have little experience drying and curing so dont take my word for it. I think though you are mixing up the terms a little...keeping the ROOM or drying space at 50% is a commonly offered RH% especially for newbies so that we don't screw up and let the bud get mold or rot. For more experienced growers the suggested RH is higher, 55 or 60% But thats the room. The bud is not supposed to get to 50% stable in a space or jar like you are saying with boveda. That is considered the curing stage in most descriptions and that shoots for that 62% +- that stores bud well longer term.

So I think we are saying a similar thing but you are referencing the curing stage, I only meant for drying purposes which is usually done as a separate step.

Who knows maybe yours is better? Or yours could be better?

For this newbie, GWE is my bible:

"Optimal Drying Environment:
Room Temperature – Around 70°F (21°C)
50% Humidity
Optimal Environment in Jars (Curing):
Room Temperature – Around 70°F (21°C)
58-65% Humidity"

Royal Queen Seeds:
"WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DRYING AND CURING?
Drying, as the name suggests, involves drying fresh buds so they contain less moisture and can be smoked or vaporized properly. Curing, on the other hand, involves storing your buds in closed containers over a period of at least two weeks. This helps develop the flavour and aroma of your buds as they mature....

AFTER I’VE HARVESTED AND TRIMMED, HOW DO I BEST DRY MY BUDS?
In order for your buds to dry evenly, you’ll want to ensure that air can move freely, coming into contact with them on all sides. The best way to do this is to string up your cut and trimmedbranches, or to use wire racks if you’re working with individual buds or small branches. If you choose to use racks, keep in mind that you’ll need to flip your buds regularly to ensure they don’t flatten on one side.
For best results, you should hang or otherwise position your trimmed buds in a dark room with good air circulation and a relative humidity of about 45–55%."

 

[manfredo]

OK we are talking about 2 different things.

You are talking about the humidity of the drying room, and I am talking about the final dryness of the actual bud.

 

[G_H_O_S_T]

I appreciate that like me you have low expectations at the start and want to get good at this more than anything else.

But let me give you a few more tips. I spent months reading about growing...as many aspects as I could, and like you i learned a step or 2 ahead as I went.

You CAN grow great bud your first time, and in large quantities. To me there is a difference between trying something and wanting to be really good at it. I want to be good at it. I dont have lofty expectations for my results...but I DO have high expectations of myself as far as effort.

I would guess I shortcut out 10 grows of practice runs my first time. I will post up my results in the coming weeks. Not bragging, not saying I did great or better than an experienced grower. But I KNOW I did better than most newbies and the reason is I spent enough time learning what goes wrong.

Just spending the time I did learning to top and LST my plants (manifolded)...a risk for a newbie. I broke some branches, even threw out a few plants. But the plants I got are bigger and nicer than most of the newbie grows i see simply because the manifolded plant is so much more robust (less, bigger colas vs a ton of dinky buds and one big cola).

1. Doing too much and doing things you are not sure of is a sure way to make mistakes and possibly fail. When in doubt do not do that unknown risky thing until you KNOW it is the right thing. Read, ask.

2. There are enormous pitfalls to growing just like any hobby or job. The basics are so key I cant say it enough. DO NOT compromise the basics.

Temperature, humidity, airflow, water, light, O2 to roots and CO2 to leaves are the basics. These will get messed up and if you dont fix them you will reduce your good results. Its so easy to tell yourseld its OK if it is a little too hot, cold, humid etc. Light is a massively limiting factor in many ways. Dont tell yourzelf mediocre is ok. Have enough light. Get fans. Do it right.

I cannot imagine spending as much time as I did and not get results, even the first time. I started older than many at growing, so that may he a factor but dont tell yourself it is ok to grow a mediocre grow round 1. Or fail. It might. But it wont if you work it hard.

Learn. Most of all have fun seeing how this amazing plant grows. Good luck!

These are great tips for me, thanks!
I beleive in what you say about "basics are key". I will do my best!