Kingrow1
Well-Known Member
In this business i see a lot of ways, methods and personal opinions but very few seem to offer some kind of basis with which to understand and become yourself knowledgeable. As i surf through various sets of data i see some reoccurring facts that most industries use to gain some kind of insight into what they are doing whether artisan crafters or high tech conglomerates and this translates directly to us when we harvest dry and cure.
Equilibrium Moisture Content
The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of a hygroscopic material surrounded at least partially by air is the moisture content at which the material is neither gaining nor losing moisture. The value of the EMC depends on the material and the relative humidity and temperature of the air with which it is in contact. The speed with which it is approached depends on the properties of the material, the surface-area-to-volume ratio of its shape, and the speed with which humidity is carried away or towards the material (e.g. diffusion in stagnant air or convection in moving air). Source - Wikipedia
This above data is not for marijuana but most data sets have dried organic matter at between 9 - 15%. It suggests that after time in a certain environment the bud will equalize to one of these percentages - lets say its reasonably humid, expect the upper percentage whereas a lower humidity would move you to a drier product.
The clue is in the word 'EQUALIZE'.... once it has equalized with your environment its not going to change much and there is no rush to jar or store as if it equalizes at 12% and nothing changes it will still be at 12% in a couple of weeks time and certainly wont turn into 0% moisture and the subsequent pile of dust that happens with no moisture whatsoever. Id advise you extend your time a little in the dry to make certain you have equalized and are not jarring excess moisture still waiting to ooze out of your bud and in that stagnant jar simply cause mold.
This is all consistent with what us old schoolers do which is hang the bud for a couple of weeks then jar and were done, it is not consistent with those jarring after five days that bud which has yet to equalize and will thus attract mold and bad decomposition.
Force Drying
As i refer to hang drying i really mean natural shade drying, if we apply heat wind and exceedingly low humidities of a few percent we will actually speed the drying and breakdown products from enzymatic process that require a slow steady moisture loss not quick abrupt loss will not happen. Those breakdowns are the chlorophyll into its constituent green compounds loosing the green harsher taste and starches into sugars which provides the sweet and caramelized flavors that accompany our trichs. You must learn to provide air exchange not wind, trust that your humidity will allow you to reach one of those final moisture contents and smokable primo bud plus ensure you keep it shaded and cooler rather than hotter 18-20 degrees Celsius should e achievable for most indoors if you check around with a thermometer and some common sense, cooler is fine.
Enzymatic process Fungi and Bacteria
A quick rundown sees fungi needing the highest humidities/moisture contents and bacteria and enzymes working at much lower humidities/moisture contents. Simply put even at 10% bud moisture - at what we consider very dry there are still enzymes and bacteria changing a whole host of stuff that will ensure some quality smoke and none of that harshness from chlorophyll or startch. Some seem to think if you dont jar early enough this stuff stops - well it dosent and simply drying to equilibrium will leave you with the right material for the longer term curing process plus no extra moisture to release into your jar causing mold dudes to turn up and spoil your party.
So far this flies in the face of a lot of the modern technique - hang for two weeks, jar when equalized, this aint your usual advise to jar after five days and some mumbo jumbo about stems snapping etc etc but this way takes into account bud moisture and the mold factor to give you a workable and dank ass method we old schoolers have been doing for long time plus it satisfies all of the science. If your scared of ruining your bud, take but a tiny branch and practice what ive written above whilst sticking to your five day jar boveda 62% cure method.
Curing
We have hung till equalization and then a little long to make sure equalization was reached, so were ready to jar - logic would dictate that if we jar now and come back in 24 hours and the bud feels wetter in any way we werent quite at equalization - take out give it a day to dry more and retry, when the jar keeps your product at the same dryness it went in at you would with logic assume it will now store for long periods without change to its moisture content.
lets reverse the info here in a clever trick - as bud equalizes with the air so will the air in a sealed jar re - equalize with the bud - say your bud was at 12% when we put it in the jar well scroll back up and look at the graph above in reverse. At this point if we put 12% bud into a jar and work backwards the jar should rise back upto around 62%. We now know bud moisture and jar humidity with zero effort and full confidence of what just happened.
Be confident if you reach this point of bud moisture and jar stability you now have something that will continue those slow enzymatic processes, some will only happen at this low moisture so its primed to cure without you needing to burp or interfere or stress to hec about humidity and moisture or what x y and z grower said about the need to jar when stems bend or whatever the funk idk.
Matrix
No this is not some red blue pill question, its what you technically call bud once its dry. Id like to define two systems and their differences - Wet fresh bud has a large volume of water encapsulated in cells and transport systems, once roots are cut and moisture lost these are no longer water holding cells and systems but rather dead matter that will never function or absorb water biologically again. It is however a series of surfaces, areas, corners and such which would define it as a matrix. As such it can absorb water onto these surfaces cracks micro-pores and spaces but this is not rehydration in the sense we are rehydrating cells, more like scrunching some paper up and wetting it, nothing is restored in cells and functions are not started.
Be ye carefully this rehydration is not the initial moisture and if your force a cell to dry to quick and expunge its moisture it will not restart processes - i cannot force dry buy dry in an hour remoisten it and expect primo bud at the end ot the subsequent dry and cure, you must allow nature to do its job unfortunately.
Disclaimer
A lot of this work it theoretical and borrowed form other industries - although accurate and correct it is merely the basis of what could be an educated and informative subject here, please enjoy debate and most of all expand here.... I hope you enjoy
Equilibrium Moisture Content
The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of a hygroscopic material surrounded at least partially by air is the moisture content at which the material is neither gaining nor losing moisture. The value of the EMC depends on the material and the relative humidity and temperature of the air with which it is in contact. The speed with which it is approached depends on the properties of the material, the surface-area-to-volume ratio of its shape, and the speed with which humidity is carried away or towards the material (e.g. diffusion in stagnant air or convection in moving air). Source - Wikipedia
This above data is not for marijuana but most data sets have dried organic matter at between 9 - 15%. It suggests that after time in a certain environment the bud will equalize to one of these percentages - lets say its reasonably humid, expect the upper percentage whereas a lower humidity would move you to a drier product.
The clue is in the word 'EQUALIZE'.... once it has equalized with your environment its not going to change much and there is no rush to jar or store as if it equalizes at 12% and nothing changes it will still be at 12% in a couple of weeks time and certainly wont turn into 0% moisture and the subsequent pile of dust that happens with no moisture whatsoever. Id advise you extend your time a little in the dry to make certain you have equalized and are not jarring excess moisture still waiting to ooze out of your bud and in that stagnant jar simply cause mold.
This is all consistent with what us old schoolers do which is hang the bud for a couple of weeks then jar and were done, it is not consistent with those jarring after five days that bud which has yet to equalize and will thus attract mold and bad decomposition.
Force Drying
As i refer to hang drying i really mean natural shade drying, if we apply heat wind and exceedingly low humidities of a few percent we will actually speed the drying and breakdown products from enzymatic process that require a slow steady moisture loss not quick abrupt loss will not happen. Those breakdowns are the chlorophyll into its constituent green compounds loosing the green harsher taste and starches into sugars which provides the sweet and caramelized flavors that accompany our trichs. You must learn to provide air exchange not wind, trust that your humidity will allow you to reach one of those final moisture contents and smokable primo bud plus ensure you keep it shaded and cooler rather than hotter 18-20 degrees Celsius should e achievable for most indoors if you check around with a thermometer and some common sense, cooler is fine.
Enzymatic process Fungi and Bacteria
A quick rundown sees fungi needing the highest humidities/moisture contents and bacteria and enzymes working at much lower humidities/moisture contents. Simply put even at 10% bud moisture - at what we consider very dry there are still enzymes and bacteria changing a whole host of stuff that will ensure some quality smoke and none of that harshness from chlorophyll or startch. Some seem to think if you dont jar early enough this stuff stops - well it dosent and simply drying to equilibrium will leave you with the right material for the longer term curing process plus no extra moisture to release into your jar causing mold dudes to turn up and spoil your party.
So far this flies in the face of a lot of the modern technique - hang for two weeks, jar when equalized, this aint your usual advise to jar after five days and some mumbo jumbo about stems snapping etc etc but this way takes into account bud moisture and the mold factor to give you a workable and dank ass method we old schoolers have been doing for long time plus it satisfies all of the science. If your scared of ruining your bud, take but a tiny branch and practice what ive written above whilst sticking to your five day jar boveda 62% cure method.
Curing
We have hung till equalization and then a little long to make sure equalization was reached, so were ready to jar - logic would dictate that if we jar now and come back in 24 hours and the bud feels wetter in any way we werent quite at equalization - take out give it a day to dry more and retry, when the jar keeps your product at the same dryness it went in at you would with logic assume it will now store for long periods without change to its moisture content.
lets reverse the info here in a clever trick - as bud equalizes with the air so will the air in a sealed jar re - equalize with the bud - say your bud was at 12% when we put it in the jar well scroll back up and look at the graph above in reverse. At this point if we put 12% bud into a jar and work backwards the jar should rise back upto around 62%. We now know bud moisture and jar humidity with zero effort and full confidence of what just happened.
Be confident if you reach this point of bud moisture and jar stability you now have something that will continue those slow enzymatic processes, some will only happen at this low moisture so its primed to cure without you needing to burp or interfere or stress to hec about humidity and moisture or what x y and z grower said about the need to jar when stems bend or whatever the funk idk.
Matrix
No this is not some red blue pill question, its what you technically call bud once its dry. Id like to define two systems and their differences - Wet fresh bud has a large volume of water encapsulated in cells and transport systems, once roots are cut and moisture lost these are no longer water holding cells and systems but rather dead matter that will never function or absorb water biologically again. It is however a series of surfaces, areas, corners and such which would define it as a matrix. As such it can absorb water onto these surfaces cracks micro-pores and spaces but this is not rehydration in the sense we are rehydrating cells, more like scrunching some paper up and wetting it, nothing is restored in cells and functions are not started.
Be ye carefully this rehydration is not the initial moisture and if your force a cell to dry to quick and expunge its moisture it will not restart processes - i cannot force dry buy dry in an hour remoisten it and expect primo bud at the end ot the subsequent dry and cure, you must allow nature to do its job unfortunately.
Disclaimer
A lot of this work it theoretical and borrowed form other industries - although accurate and correct it is merely the basis of what could be an educated and informative subject here, please enjoy debate and most of all expand here.... I hope you enjoy
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