Well after reading a lot on the "water curing" subject I thought I would post my results and procedures for doing a water cure and my results.
Now this was done with already cured and a few months old "Critical +" buds that I had an abundance of. I mean I heard water cured buds and I am sure I thought the same as you "What the !)@&(*!! I am not putting my treasured buds in water after all this time!!" So, I took some buds I thought was properly cured and dried, and placed them in a big mason jar with a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part bud. I used clean RO water because I didn't wan't tap water in my buds with all the crap that comes with it. Tighten the lid and let sit for 24 hours, but I flipped the mason jar every so often because the buds will float and wanted top buds on bottom etc.
After the first 24 hours the water is pretty dirty, I am shocked at what I see. I also see little almost crystals in water like trichome heads. WTF! I am freaking but I am in deep now so I just drain the water and replace with fresh RO. Now draining can be anyway that doesn't lose the bud in the sink, I just use inside cap of mason jar and slide up so that water escapes but traps bud. Let sit another 24 hours.
Now continue this for 7 days (week) the water and smell will go from being dirty and stinky at first to almost clean at end. To note the last 2 days didn't really see any difference and wish I would started dry then but wanted to do full 7 days.
Day 7 expecting the worst. Bud will look like its ruined by now, but don't worry. It looks worse then it is, just have faith. I drained the water out leaving bud in the jar, then dumped bud into a few layers of paper towel. I bought a dehydrator at Walmart for 39 bucks that was recommended by the article I read on water curing. I took out all the shelves but one since I had about an ounce I started with. Now the slits in the dehydrator might let some smaller buds go through, it doesn't matter but you have to clean it up. I cut some vinyl screen (for windows/doors) to lay in the trays and works great. I placed the lid on the dehydrator and ran it for about 2.5 hours. Bud remained sopping wet for about 1.5 hours so don't worry it will get there. After 2.5 hours the bud was crisp and dry to touch, almost bit dry for my tastes but afterwards seemed perfect.
Now, I will give you my pluses and minuses for this. Remember this was already cured bud as my next harvest is months away, so it should essentially be the same for new bud. Also the pluses might be my personal plus and same with negatives but take them at face value.
Pluses
Cured bud before water curing was good potency and flavorful, after the water cure it was better then good potency but little to no flavor. Now, you say wha the fudge? I gave this a plus because the "high" or relief that was gained outweighed the loss in flavor. Now staying on flavor the smell is almost non-existent as well. So with kids, or public places this rocks in my opinion. More potent bud with no smell.. wha.. genius. Potency comes from your loss of weight (yes its a neg we will get there) and making more of the good stuff less of the bad. With no smell as well if you forget to spray on your Axe body spray you don't smell like you just came from an Avenged Sevenfold concert.
Bud burns cleaner then I ever seen any smoked, grown or elsewhere. Its white ash , pure clean but I vapor more then bong. If you vapor you seen your bags, yellow/stinky/sticky and other vapor parts. With this for a week my bags and parts are super clean considering before, with this I think shit its not in my lungs neither!! Wow.
I am sure it works same when you harvest, so a plus is (others confirm) you have excellent "blow you away" smoke in 7 days after harvest. If you can live with the loss of weight and flavor/smell.
Negatives
Loss of weight, yes after your buds swell to gargantuan size with water they shrink to less then starting weight. I think its all the crap that is expelled and the THC (not water soluble) is left. Good more potent, bad less weight (losing smell and flavor).
Appearance the buds will look darker and definitely not photo worthy. They are not ugly by any means, but its not that pretty crystal look you jack off too on your computer while your plants grow. This also includes the dank smell is gone, if you crave that you definitely will not like this.
Final Thoughts
This is an essential process for me now. I like to smoke, but I don't like to smell like roadkill after a 100 degree day. I love the fact that smoke that use to get me decent buzz is now a great buzz and no distinct smelling odors. Will I do my harvests 100% this way? No. I like the smell and flavor like the next guy, but each has its own time and place. Unfortunately not everyone wants to praise to the world that is not ready for MMJ laws and like to be a bit more stealth like me. I don't tell everyone I am a MMJ patient, I grow or I smoke like most morons that get their card (which end up getting harassed/robbed etc) and this in my arsenal of stealth is wonderful addition.
Now this was done with already cured and a few months old "Critical +" buds that I had an abundance of. I mean I heard water cured buds and I am sure I thought the same as you "What the !)@&(*!! I am not putting my treasured buds in water after all this time!!" So, I took some buds I thought was properly cured and dried, and placed them in a big mason jar with a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part bud. I used clean RO water because I didn't wan't tap water in my buds with all the crap that comes with it. Tighten the lid and let sit for 24 hours, but I flipped the mason jar every so often because the buds will float and wanted top buds on bottom etc.
After the first 24 hours the water is pretty dirty, I am shocked at what I see. I also see little almost crystals in water like trichome heads. WTF! I am freaking but I am in deep now so I just drain the water and replace with fresh RO. Now draining can be anyway that doesn't lose the bud in the sink, I just use inside cap of mason jar and slide up so that water escapes but traps bud. Let sit another 24 hours.
Now continue this for 7 days (week) the water and smell will go from being dirty and stinky at first to almost clean at end. To note the last 2 days didn't really see any difference and wish I would started dry then but wanted to do full 7 days.
Day 7 expecting the worst. Bud will look like its ruined by now, but don't worry. It looks worse then it is, just have faith. I drained the water out leaving bud in the jar, then dumped bud into a few layers of paper towel. I bought a dehydrator at Walmart for 39 bucks that was recommended by the article I read on water curing. I took out all the shelves but one since I had about an ounce I started with. Now the slits in the dehydrator might let some smaller buds go through, it doesn't matter but you have to clean it up. I cut some vinyl screen (for windows/doors) to lay in the trays and works great. I placed the lid on the dehydrator and ran it for about 2.5 hours. Bud remained sopping wet for about 1.5 hours so don't worry it will get there. After 2.5 hours the bud was crisp and dry to touch, almost bit dry for my tastes but afterwards seemed perfect.
Now, I will give you my pluses and minuses for this. Remember this was already cured bud as my next harvest is months away, so it should essentially be the same for new bud. Also the pluses might be my personal plus and same with negatives but take them at face value.
Pluses
Cured bud before water curing was good potency and flavorful, after the water cure it was better then good potency but little to no flavor. Now, you say wha the fudge? I gave this a plus because the "high" or relief that was gained outweighed the loss in flavor. Now staying on flavor the smell is almost non-existent as well. So with kids, or public places this rocks in my opinion. More potent bud with no smell.. wha.. genius. Potency comes from your loss of weight (yes its a neg we will get there) and making more of the good stuff less of the bad. With no smell as well if you forget to spray on your Axe body spray you don't smell like you just came from an Avenged Sevenfold concert.
Bud burns cleaner then I ever seen any smoked, grown or elsewhere. Its white ash , pure clean but I vapor more then bong. If you vapor you seen your bags, yellow/stinky/sticky and other vapor parts. With this for a week my bags and parts are super clean considering before, with this I think shit its not in my lungs neither!! Wow.
I am sure it works same when you harvest, so a plus is (others confirm) you have excellent "blow you away" smoke in 7 days after harvest. If you can live with the loss of weight and flavor/smell.
Negatives
Loss of weight, yes after your buds swell to gargantuan size with water they shrink to less then starting weight. I think its all the crap that is expelled and the THC (not water soluble) is left. Good more potent, bad less weight (losing smell and flavor).
Appearance the buds will look darker and definitely not photo worthy. They are not ugly by any means, but its not that pretty crystal look you jack off too on your computer while your plants grow. This also includes the dank smell is gone, if you crave that you definitely will not like this.
Final Thoughts
This is an essential process for me now. I like to smoke, but I don't like to smell like roadkill after a 100 degree day. I love the fact that smoke that use to get me decent buzz is now a great buzz and no distinct smelling odors. Will I do my harvests 100% this way? No. I like the smell and flavor like the next guy, but each has its own time and place. Unfortunately not everyone wants to praise to the world that is not ready for MMJ laws and like to be a bit more stealth like me. I don't tell everyone I am a MMJ patient, I grow or I smoke like most morons that get their card (which end up getting harassed/robbed etc) and this in my arsenal of stealth is wonderful addition.
