First timer, need some reassurance

So this Is my first harvest, and I wanna make sure I'm doing it right. Here's my understanding of it all. Cut down plant. Trim. Then hang dry till the stems will snap. Then take and put the buds in jars. Then every so often open the jar to allow fresh air... Do I have that right? Should I be using humipacs or any of that stuff? Also what's everyone's thoughts on flushing the plants? Is it necessary? And lastly, can drying or curing too fast cause any harm to the consumer? Thanks in advance.

NO no no, not until the stems snap: This means ALL the moisture is out of the buds.
When they bend, maybe crack a little, but still have a minimal degree of plyability (~10-15% Moisture content) THEN you cure.
The outside of the bud should be dry to the touch, not crispy.
If you cure buds that have been dried too long ,you will never get the taste/smell/potency you desire.
The 2-4 weeks (shortest) curing time is to redistribute what little moisture you have left evenly throughout the bud, amongst MANY other things.
But if too dry, you will end up with a product 1/2 the quality it would have been.

Hit up the Harvesting/Curing Subforum, start off there mate.
https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/28072-harvest-time-tutorial.html

HeadieNugz said:

NO no no, not until the stems snap: This means ALL the moisture is out of the buds.
When they bend, maybe crack a little, but still have a minimal degree of plyability (~10-15% Moisture content) THEN you cure.
The outside of the bud should be dry to the touch, not crispy.
If you cure buds that have been dried too long ,you will never get the taste/smell/potency you desire.
The 2-4 weeks (shortest) curing time is to redistribute what little moisture you have left evenly throughout the bud, amongst MANY other things.
But if too dry, you will end up with a product 1/2 the quality it would have been.

Hit up the Harvesting/Curing Subforum, start off there mate.
https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/28072-harvest-time-tutorial.html

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Hey thanks for the reply, yeah I've heard that about the stem snapping. This topic, just like everything in life, there's a million ways to do it. My problem is picking a method and sticking to it. Anyways I actually did a partial harvest off a auto plant, I needed the smoke and I wanted to get an opportunity to get some experience before I chop down the entire plant. Last night I dried out a bud (using a candle warmer and plate). I have to say, I definitely wanna make sure I do this right because that bud last night while it got me stoned it was pretty nasty tasting (like dirt weed).

No, there's not a million "right" ways to do this. Headie is 110% correct. If you over dry your buds, it's a bitch (if even possible) to rehydrate them. They will get you stoned but they will have little, or no, smell or flavor. Believe me, I have sinned this way before and those buds definitely weren't my best. So as Headie wrote, you want the "almost snap", when bending stems Then jar 'em and burp daily. Or try this no-burp method. I'd even advise to err on the side of under drying, versus over drying, as moisture will continue to be released during the cure

Good luck

R2T

Perfectly timed question for all of us new to the drying and curing phase of growing. I have a few more qsts to add to the mix . They should help all of us get a better handle on this whole process. 1. Is it essential that the branch be left intact.....can the buds be cut one by one and then say left on a screen with good air coverage to dry.....would this hasten the whole process to go no more than a week or 10 days before the jars ?........ 2. the measure of how ready they are curing is in ways a very tactile affair ...when I see that the stem is bending but not breaking.....how should the outside texture of the bud feel to know its ready for the jars ?..............I have to say this is my first time trying the jars for curing . Before it was always get them dry as can be , then baggies in a big bag and stored in my storage area .

I trim my plants down to individual buds then lay them out on screens. They are usually dried enough to be jarred (I think) in about 4 days. I too would like to know more precisely when is it time to put buds into jars?

I used to be so paranoid they would get too dry or am i slow drying it enough or whatnot and id never get the buds fully dried out and it would brown, or take forever to be done ( harsh smoke but smelled dank). Phooey.... Just make sure the buds are dry and there is a little moisture left in the stem, remember THE BUDs MUST BE DRY (but not bone dry)but the stem must have moisture left in it. i hang dry the whole plant for 4-5 days, trim and throw in a paper bag for another 2-3 days, then in the jar by then the RH is about 62-63,burp every day for 1/2 hour til its down to 60 then once every 3 days until its down to 50-55

Good info Zubey. So , I now take it that when the stem snaps clean on the pre cure bud, then it is too dry. Some moisture is needed in the curing process from what I can gather. What would happen if buds were just too dry when put into the jars? No mold issue which is always good. Would the bud turn out tasteless and or lose potency at at all?

ALCAN said:

Good info Zubey. So , I now take it that when the stem snaps clean on the pre cure bud, then it is too dry. Some moisture is needed in the curing process from what I can gather. What would happen if buds were just too dry when put into the jars? No mold issue which is always good. Would the bud turn out tasteless and or lose potency at at all?

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Yes, the proper curing process that redistributed the baseline moisture of "dank nug" also affects potency in that it removes moisture within the bud evenly, so that virtually all the THC is psychoactive.

ALCAN said:

Good info Zubey. So , I now take it that when the stem snaps clean on the pre cure bud, then it is too dry. Some moisture is needed in the curing process from what I can gather. What would happen if buds were just too dry when put into the jars? No mold issue which is always good. Would the bud turn out tasteless and or lose potency at at all?

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No if its dried too fast then it will be harsh and will probably smell like hay but no potency will be lost youll just hack up a lung everytime you smoke, if its too dry and goes into jars it just wont cure, there is no moisture left for the cure. You need at least a 4-5 day dry if you live in a dry climate and its better to whole plant dry so it takes longer. Humid climate, trim first

Also DO NOT i repeat DO NOT have a fan blowing directly on your drying buds, you need room air circulation but not direct contact.

Yep, one of the quickest ways to fuk up your dry is to blow air on them, to aid in the drying process. This will almost certainly cause uneven and/or over drying. Circulation is good, direct air, no good The exception being if you wash your buds. You will need to use a fan to help get the dry to the point where you can start the drying process (and to prevent mold)

R2T

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So I just wanted to tell you guys that the cure is coming along nicely. I hung it for 2 days then I put it In a jar. The next day I checked on it and the buds were still really wet I could feel condensation on the inside of the jar, so I hung them for about 12hrs. Then back in jars. Lately ive been leaving the lid off for a day then put it on for a day.... It's starting to smell more like herb and less like grass. Thanks again for the help guys.