hello all. first time using a forum, and very new to growing so please forgive me if its a rookie effort. i grew a nice plant here on the east coast of australia, trimmed the branches about 10 days ago and hung in the darkest driest room of our house with a fan pointed at them. problem is we are receiving record rainfall atm and humidity levels are very high. last year my branches dried in about 3-4 days and then i trimmed and put in jars to cure. this time after 9 days the branches are still bendy, and the buds still moist. i'm quite new to this and was worried it had been drying too long so i trimmed them to put in jars but then was reading about how if not properly dried they will go mouldy / moldy. its too late to hang them back up now because there are no stalks left on the buds. i was thinking of putting rice or dessicant in the jars but from what i read online some people say the rice will go mouldy and affect the buds, and others say the dessicant has chemicals inside which can ruin the buds. i dont want to lose my buds to mould, and the rain keeps pouring down. any help or advice would be welcome thanks.
Help please - avoiding mould / mold when curing
CaliRootz88
Well-Known Member
Do you have a dehumidifier? If not, you can introduce a small heater. Heat is better that too much humidity. At least you would be potentially saving your buds from mold.
i dont have a dehumidifier and cant afford to go buy one atm and cant fit it in a jar either. just looking for the simplest cheapest way to do it.
CaliRootz88
Well-Known Member
Spread them out on a flat surface in a room. control the temps in the room and allow the buds to continue to dry out. If they are too wet in the jars you will get mold.
ok thanks for the advice but i dont own a heater and never have. just doesnt get cold enough here. i have no way of controlling the temps unless i go buy a heater which i dont really want to do. any other methods?
CaliRootz88
Well-Known Member
Do you have a cardboard box or paper bag? Spreading the buds in this type of box/bag will help draw moisture out of the buds.
yes, is it that simple?
drsaltzman
Well-Known Member
Still, take them out of the jars and lay them out.
It’s just gonna take longer but they won’t mold.
They’ll also dry faster now that they’re off the branch.
CaliRootz88
Well-Known Member
Well you don't want wet buds. I would pull them out of the jars if they're wet. Otherwise you'll find mold eventually. It's better to have dryer buds and be able to smoke it vs. moist buds with mold ( don't want to smoke it)
CaliRootz88
Well-Known Member
The rice/dessicant wouldn't be worth the troubles. Unfortunately the smell would be inevitable but the outcome is dryer herb and no mold 
drsaltzman
Well-Known Member
Use a closet you can shut the door to.
Wastei
Well-Known Member
This is probably the worst advice ever. To high heat and stagnant air is what causes mold. Mold can't flourish in lower temps, that's why we use refrigerators to keep food.
Don't jar to early is the best way to avoid mold and keeping temps down.
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LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
Just to point out, that 3-4 days drying isn't ideal. You really probably want to be in the 10-14 day window anyway. I'd spread 'em out on a surface and let them air-dry...and make sure you have a fan with some circulation so the air keeps moving.
Yeah air movement is gonna be key for your situation to avoid mold.
sounds like you’ll have some super smooth smoke compared to last time though. I have the opposite issue where it’s super dry, there’s a big difference between bud dried in 4 days and bud that took longer. Even 7-8 days was noticeably better to smoke.
sounds like you’ll have some super smooth smoke compared to last time though. I have the opposite issue where it’s super dry, there’s a big difference between bud dried in 4 days and bud that took longer. Even 7-8 days was noticeably better to smoke.