A perfect cure every time

AlGore

Well-Known Member


60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing.
I started scanning for the answer but figured it's easier to just ask.

Once you get to the 60-65% range. Do you then burp the jars? How often? And for how long?

I've noticed a slightly "brown" smell, best I can describe it, and I think its the jars that are 62% and above.
 

ram21r

Member
From what I'm getting from this is that a slow dry/cure is ideal. I have had my bud drying for around 60 hrs now and my bud still seems pretty wet. Am I doing something wrong cause what I'm reading through these forums it should be ready to start jarring and mine don't seem dry enough to put in containers yet. I am drying in a trunk of a car that has no interior in it but that's my only option at this time because my roommates are not 100% trustworthy. Hopefully this place will work. Please lmk if I'm going about this the wrong way
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
I started scanning for the answer but figured it's easier to just ask.

Once you get to the 60-65% range. Do you then burp the jars? How often? And for how long?

I've noticed a slightly "brown" smell, best I can describe it, and I think its the jars that are 62% and above.
Since i apparently ran off simon..ill answer

Your "question" does not invoke the short response i feel your hoping for.

60-65 is not the range. Mold of any type cant typically grow under 60. 55-60 is preferred. Imo 62% packs keep the bud too moist to burn optimally. And mold can be a threat. But yes it can cure nicely in this environment, bit of a gamble from my experiences

As far as burping. The rh is important, but curing is an aerobic process through respiration and hydrolysis, and time is a key factor. The "hay" smell is from nitrogen sugars cellulose, starch, etc breaking down anaerobically with the high moisture content. It begins to ferment. This releases ammonia and acids giving the foul odor. It can happen when bailing hay obviously and is done in a controlled manner creating "sillage". On the other end of the spectrum if its too dry...the lower limit about 40, before stomatas close and processes slow. You wont break down much of the plant at all.


Alot of people open jars, empty buds long enough basically to off gas. Twice a week or so getting in fresh air.. Thats not to say a steady supply of o2 wouldnt be better.. Basically a month of "drying/curing" then up to 3 months of slower curing. The plant breaks down really in the first part. Many will wait atleast 3 weeks before selling.. the smell amd flavor- the terps, are altered through different processes, not needing moisture and needing relatively little o2. Most will slow the burping as it progresses. Obviously its sort of a function of preserving terpenes that are evaporating away and creating new ones. The new ones, typically have a lower ppm sensory threshold and are less volatile.
 
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AlGore

Well-Known Member
From what I'm getting from this is that a slow dry/cure is ideal. I have had my bud drying for around 60 hrs now and my bud still seems pretty wet. Am I doing something wrong cause what I'm reading through these forums it should be ready to start jarring and mine don't seem dry enough to put in containers yet. I am drying in a trunk of a car that has no interior in it but that's my only option at this time because my roommates are not 100% trustworthy. Hopefully this place will work. Please lmk if I'm going about this the wrong way
You probably need air circulation. Don't blow air directly onto the plants but find someway to remove the moist air and bring in some fresh.

Since i apparently ran off simon..ill answer

Your "question" does not invoke the short response i feel your hoping for.

60-65 is not the range. Mold of any type cant typically grow under 60. 55-60 is preferred. Imo 62% packs keep the bud too moist to burn optimally. And mold can be a threat. But yes it can cure nicely in this environment, bit of a gamble from my experiences

As far as burping. The rh is important, but curing is an aerobic process through respiration and hydrolysis, and time is a key factor. The "hay" smell is from nitrogen sugars cellulose, starch, etc breaking down anaerobically with the high moisture content. It begins to ferment. This releases ammonia and acids giving the foul odor. It can happen when bailing hay obviously and is done in a controlled manner creating "sillage". On the other end of the spectrum if its too dry...the lower limit about 40, before stomatas close and processes slow. You wont break down much of the plant at all.


Alot of people open jars, empty buds long enough basically to off gas. Twice a week or so getting in fresh air.. Thats not to say a steady supply of o2 wouldnt be better.. Basically a month of "drying/curing" then up to 3 months of slower curing. The plant breaks down really in the first part. Many will wait atleast 3 weeks before selling.. the smell amd flavor- the terps, are altered through different processes, not needing moisture and needing relatively little o2. Most will slow the burping as it progresses. Obviously its sort of a function of preserving terpenes that are evaporating away and creating new ones. The new ones, typically have a lower ppm sensory threshold and are less volatile.
So, I followed you until the last paragraph. lol....

Let's see if I can help you help me understand better....

Using what I know already what I think you are saying, put into simple instructions, would be something like: Dry it out, put in jars to sweat removing the bud twice a week to let the gas out(if we apply this to the Simon formula this would be during the 60-65% range??). After about 3 weeks let it sit for up to 3 months without opening in the 55-60% RH range so that it can do it's aerobic thing.

Why I'm confused:

Not trying to be rude or anything but you tend to be either long winded/wordy OR very short with your posts, never very succinct, lol.
- Maybe you could reword that last paragraph for me to be more clear and to the point?

You say curing is an aerobic process but a steady supply of O2 would be better? Seems contradictory.
- Are you saying feed O2 into the jars twice a week to exchange the air? I have access to a concentrator so would that be something to think about?
- Or are you talking about some sort of different drying process before you jar them at all?

Honestly, all I want is a method for drying and curing that preserves the smell and flavor of the live plant the best. I grow bud that is off the fucking charts but I'm having trouble maintaining the amazing smell and flavor after harvest.

Thanks!!
 

ram21r

Member
Well its not really suffocating because the car has no interior at all so its a big open car and you can get to the trunck from the backseat its just back there so you cant walk by and see it.
 

backyardwarrior

Well-Known Member
Well its not really suffocating because the car has no interior at all so its a big open car and you can get to the trunck from the backseat its just back there so you cant walk by and see it.
Drill some holes in the bottom of your trunk and leave your windows cracked. Boom! Airflow
 

ram21r

Member
Holes are in floor windows are cracked. Is the main worry id be concerned with is mold? If so i can say im on day 6 of the dry in there and no mold present.
 

elkamino

Well-Known Member
no mold present.
HOpe you're right but if you've dense buds and aren't looking inside them its really hard to say without looking closely via magnification. Plus if they're still moist inside you've a bit til you're out of the woods, and botritis can grow very quickly.

If you had control of your environment things would be different. But since you've serious variables I'd error on the side of drying too quick (might add harshness and reduce smell/flavor but not yield) instead of drying them too slow (botritis is everywhere, grows quickly and ruins crops... )

Anyway if the buds are starting to get crispy on the outsides you're right on schedule, no worries. If they're totally crispy you've dried em out too soon but you're fine.

But if they've no crispiness at all I'd get serious about getting the moisture out of those buds, maybe run a fan in there for 30 or 60 minutes a few times per day.

Good luck.bongsmilie
 

ram21r

Member
Ya the buds are starting to feel dry i think im gonna get a small battery fan and let it run every night for more circulation. Had two more questions first would putting one of those moisture absorber containers in the room. They are the ones that have the little white balls in a container and you peel open the top and it absorbs moisture into the container. Second question is when they say that the stems should bend and not snap which stems are they talking about? Like the ones right next to the bud or just the whole stem in general?
thanks
 

elkamino

Well-Known Member
Ya the buds are starting to feel dry i think im gonna get a small battery fan and let it run every night for more circulation. Had two more questions first would putting one of those moisture absorber containers in the room. They are the ones that have the little white balls in a container and you peel open the top and it absorbs moisture into the container. Second question is when they say that the stems should bend and not snap which stems are they talking about? Like the ones right next to the bud or just the whole stem in general?
thanks
Doubtful the moisture absorbers will do much in an open environ like you got.

If you're still too moist then circulation is good so the battery fan'd be good. So would cracking the trunk overnight.

Stem-wise. The small ones for sure should snap, the larger ones will take longer to dry enough but need to snap before you jar it up or you remain at risk for mold. Really though there's lotsa variables that affect the answer like bud density, evenness of the dry (inside/outside of the bud), strain, etc.

Got a hygrometer aka humidity meter, and/or know what the ambient RH is? If not they're cheap and very useful for the cure, see the first page of this thread. Might consider Boveda packs when you jar it too, if you're not confident the buds are dry enough. Good luck.
 

ram21r

Member
Got a hygrometer and getting the fans tomorrow cant crack the trunck at night because its always raining here. But woth the boveda packs how many would i need and how full should i fill the jars? I probably have around 14 ozs give or take a few.
 

Moldy

Well-Known Member
I've followed this method now since Simon posted it and have passed it around especially to noobs. It really does take the guess work out of it. I've stored buds at a lot higher RH and was lucky enough to only see a touch of mold on one bud. Now I know the exact moisture content and that doesn't happen any more.
 
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