Advanced Curing and Drying

So hears the deal. I've now had about 4 successful grows and a couple of them were really nice. However, they all have the same "harshness" to the smoke after drying for about 3-4 weeks. All I do is put the trimmed buds in a computer box for a few weeks and thats it. The bud when smoked is dry (really stiff/ crackly) but still crackles as if there is water in them. I also noticed that only when smoking "my" bud, i sometimes get brown residue inside the pipe and on my lips.

1. It seems like im drying too long due to how stiff the buds feel

2. however, it seems like not long enough because the buds crackle (a small bit) when smoked. the bud ash does turn white so I know its descent enough to smoke but it really could be a lot better!

any drying techniques i could use? any sprays or something?

Does anyone know anything about bud dryers and if they make a difference or not?

you do flush them before harvest right?

cure them....

I would suggest hanging them to dry for at least a week to a week and a half, then moving them to a jar which you would keep in a dark place and open at least once a day to let out any excess moisture. You can continue the cure in the jar for a week or for a month, really it just gets better the longer you can stand it. A little trick my buddy uses to dry a little faster with out drying too fast and losing smell/taste/smoothness is he hangs them for a while and when they are dry enough to manicure but still not really dry he clips them all up, makes them tidy, and puts them on a piece of computer paper which he sets on something warm like a modem or the satellite box to finish up the dry.

Edit: I was also thinking you need a better flush. If you aren't flushing at the end of your plants life cycle your pot will be full of unwanted minerals and chlorophyll that can cause crackling when you smoke. Just because your ash is white doesn't necessarily mean it's been flushed or is good to smoke... the best indication of a plant being flushed well is how MUCH ass is left in the bowl after a smoke... if it looks like you got half a bowl of powdered resin it probably wasn't flushed well enough, but if you tap the cashed bowl in your hand and dump it on the ground and it just basically dissipates you have achieved a great flush. Anyways... a good flush product is clearex if you need an idea of what to look for.

I am going to flush this time, haven't before, but I don't think that attributes too much to how the plant dry's though. primeralives, isn't curing another way of saying drying? am I missing a step!?!?

Ok curing is a step after drying. Once your bud is dryed you transfer it to the jars (as i explained in my last post) to cure. This bring the flavor and potency of your bud WAY up, although bud is definitely smoke able right after the dry... cures just enhance and bring out the true power of your weed.

If you haven't flushed that is exactly why you are getting the crackling when you smoke your bowls. Those are the minerals you haven't flushed out!!!! You are smoking minerals, flush your weed!

awsome Revolution101. For some reason my buds don't smell unless you rub them, curing in jars could be the solution...

I've found that my bud is stiff and crackly compared to the softer bud I buy...Curing in jars will help this?

my only question then is that I was pretty much guessing when they were dry, after usually about 3-4 weeks. If im going to put them in jars, I dont want them to dry that much, when should I move them...

Also, is it important to put the jar in the refrigerator, or just a dark place like a cuboard

I just saw your edit Revolution101, and I definetly have a lot of ass in the bowl, your the shit.

3-5 days hanging or until the stem snaps, put the nugs in airtight jars and air out everyday starting by airing them out for eight or so hours and decreasing the amount of time the jar is open an hour a day in a couple weeks you'll have a real smooth smoke. Keep the jars in a cool dark place

I try man. I'm hanging my first crop right now, everything I'm telling you is what I've been taught by the people who have helped me and the people I've worked with, on here and in my town, through my grow. Honestly I don't think you need to hang dry your weed more than about a week to a week and a half, if it's not dry by then I would take it down and start manicuring, getting all those guard leaves off so the bud can really get dry. When you put it in the jar really depends on how you want your weed to end up, but leaving it in there with moisture left in it is asking for mold. When you talk about buying more soft bud it's probably really fresh and only just dried enough to smoke and most likely not cured at all. Chronic crumbles is the expression I've always heard... not crispy, crumbly. You'll get the hang of it.

I know this thread has been dead a little while, but I have to say: WATER CURE them!

TyPo said:

So hears the deal. I've now had about 4 successful grows and a couple of them were really nice. However, they all have the same "harshness" to the smoke after drying for about 3-4 weeks. All I do is put the trimmed buds in a computer box for a few weeks and thats it. The bud when smoked is dry (really stiff/ crackly) but still crackles as if there is water in them. I also noticed that only when smoking "my" bud, i sometimes get brown residue inside the pipe and on my lips.

1. It seems like im drying too long due to how stiff the buds feel

2. however, it seems like not long enough because the buds crackle (a small bit) when smoked. the bud ash does turn white so I know its descent enough to smoke but it really could be a lot better!

any drying techniques i could use? any sprays or something?

Does anyone know anything about bud dryers and if they make a difference or not?

Click to expand...

im not gonna get all up in your shit about what your saying, but how long have you been blazing? the colour of the ash in my opinion is useless as ive smoked countless types of different trees at different dry levels and have never noticed a consistency of ash color/hue etc associated with "good smoke"
shit backwoods produce yellow and shit coloured ash with the best trees ever in them
and your brown shit on your pipe and lips is resin, as in burned thc and weed particles, this happens with any good potent weed, so how is this a new thing for you?
dont mean to rag on you bro just curious as to your position cause youve grown dope madd times
and yes i also agree you are not flushing, drying or curing properly so read up on those methods and your crackly dope should be eliminated cause thats definately all of your dried n/p/k and other nutes just sitting in your buds, its worse than spidermites in my opinion but i dont know shit in comparison to some people so, just my 2 cents