I think I'm drying and curing wrong?

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doingfine

Well-Known Member
Any help would be great I'm just not getting the smell and taste correct here's what I'm doing and if anyone Can tell me what I'm doing wrong would be great
After harvest I cut the branches off and I trim the Buds on the branches
then I put them in my hanging dry bag until I feel the outsides of the buds brittle with a sponge affect when u press on them then I cut the buds off the sticks and put them into a air tight jugs then leave the jugs in a dark cubbard for about 20 to 24 hrs at that point I open the jug and the buds are really moist so I leave the jugs open for about 12 to 18 hrs until the buds are a little sponge again then I close the lids and I do The same process each day After that but I only burp the jugs for about an hr a day
if anyone sees anything I'm doing wrong please I need any advice.
Thank you
 
Grandmah

Grandmah

Well-Known Member
I can't say for sure. They could be a little too moist. The big thing, I think, is patience. It'll eventually get there. I hear it takes a month of curing to start getting that true taste. I'm on three weeks as we speak and I can tell that time has made a huge difference in the smell and taste
 
ProfessorPotSnob

ProfessorPotSnob

New Member
If your meds are still moist you need to allow them to dry out once more overnight .. Then reseal them in a container and repeat the process if need be .. Once they are just slightly moist you can begin the burping process while eliminating the threat of mold contamination ..
 
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doingfine

Well-Known Member
ProfessorPotSnob said:
If your meds are still moist you need to allow them to dry out once more overnight .. Then reseal them in a container and repeat the process if need be .. Once they are just slightly moist you can begin the burping process while eliminating the threat of mold contamination ..
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Its not wet. Like I said its pretty dry after the initial first day of Leaving the jar open I guess im doing it right it's just I probably smoke it all before it gets to full curing. Lol how do you dry and cure urs?
 
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diggindirt

Well-Known Member
Depends on how long it takes to get to that outside dry/inside still moist stage... If it's only drying for 2 days to that point, it's too fast.

What I like to do with my ladies is give them a thorough watering the day before I chop them. I also chop them just before the normal time that the lights go on. If you're chopping during the middle of your lights on period, they've already begun drawing nutrients back out of the soil, whereas in the dark period, it's at it's most relaxed state and most of what affects taste is in the roots rather than in the plant itself.

I also hang as much of the branch as I can along with the buds instead of trimming the buds off and laying on a screen. This allows the extra moisture in the branches to slow down the buds from drying. This always adds extra time to the drying process but I don't sell so I'm never in a hurry to move it on. I'd rather spend an extra week of drying time than rush something I've spent 4 months growing and nurturing to this point. Typically, my branches hang for a week or so before they even go into the jars for the first time, and sometimes I mis-time it and have to empty the jars and lay out on a screen as they're still a bit too wet to begin burping right away.

If you're doing all of this in similar fashion and still not getting the results/taste you're looking for, the only other thing I can think of that you're getting wrong is possibly not properly flushing the plant prior to harvest. You've not mentioned your growing process, so I don't know what chemicals you've used or how close to harvest you've fed, but my plants start getting an excess of pure water 10-14 days before I expect to harvest (twice the amount I usually water with). All runoff is discarded. This allows them to use up some of the reserve nutrients that it has stored in itself already. If properly flushing, the leaves should begin to slightly yellow towards the very end of the plant's life. Excess Nitrogen (what makes them dark green) can lead to a grassy taste, as can drying too quickly as the slower it dries the more the chlorophyl has a chance to break down.

Beyond that, I don't really wait a month before smoking the first jar, but the longer the jars do sit, the better the taste ends up. Hope this helps?
 
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althor

Well-Known Member
After you hang until crispy, you need to cut the buds OFF the stem and put in brown grocery bags for a few more days.
You are drying the buds on the OUTSIDE but not the inside, which is where the moisture is coming from.

Look up Rumple's Harvest and Cure guide in the Harvest section, best curing I have done.
 
lerellion

lerellion

Well-Known Member
The important thing to remmeber when drying is you need to alow the chorophyl to leave the plant and the only way to do this is the initial dry (the one on the stem) needs to be slowed down.. that nasty grassy hay smell taste is from chorophyl not being proprly removed from your drying bud. Here in the Pacific North west this will generally take about 5-6 days at which point I will take my buds off the stem and finnish drying in a pan of some kind ( I use an aluminum turkey pan) for one - 2 days then in jars they go.
 
Bigby

Bigby

Well-Known Member
My mate who grows, dries and cures properly, but his weed smells and tastes like shit (slight exaggeration, but it aint great) - he uses miracle grow, no added nutes during grow and does not flush.

I have grown the same strain at the same time as him (Kolossus from Sannie), and ended up with weed people have celebrated as smelling, tasting and looking great - I use BioBizz Grow, Bloom and Algamix, and flush a week before I harvest. We both dry and cure in the same way - hang till outside of bud is dry but stems do not snap, then into jars with an ever decreasing burping schedule until desired dryness level is reached.

The only real difference is in the stuff we give our plants and the level of attention we give them - him = nothing but cheap chemical ferts in the soil and minimum care; me = the best organic nutes I can source and I attempt to treat every issue/problem I observe.

You can't polish a turd!
 
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doingfine

Well-Known Member
diggindirt said:
Depends on how long it takes to get to that outside dry/inside still moist stage... If it's only drying for 2 days to that point, it's too fast.

What I like to do with my ladies is give them a thorough watering the day before I chop them. I also chop them just before the normal time that the lights go on. If you're chopping during the middle of your lights on period, they've already begun drawing nutrients back out of the soil, whereas in the dark period, it's at it's most relaxed state and most of what affects taste is in the roots rather than in the plant itself.

I also hang as much of the branch as I can along with the buds instead of trimming the buds off and laying on a screen. This allows the extra moisture in the branches to slow down the buds from drying. This always adds extra time to the drying process but I don't sell so I'm never in a hurry to move it on. I'd rather spend an extra week of drying time than rush something I've spent 4 months growing and nurturing to this point. Typically, my branches hang for a week or so before they even go into the jars for the first time, and sometimes I mis-time it and have to empty the jars and lay out on a screen as they're still a bit too wet to begin burping right away.

If you're doing all of this in similar fashion and still not getting the results/taste you're looking for, the only other thing I can think of that you're getting wrong is possibly not properly flushing the plant prior to harvest. You've not mentioned your growing process, so I don't know what chemicals you've used or how close to harvest you've fed, but my plants start getting an excess of pure water 10-14 days before I expect to harvest (twice the amount I usually water with). All runoff is discarded. This allows them to use up some of the reserve nutrients that it has stored in itself already. If properly flushing, the leaves should begin to slightly yellow towards the very end of the plant's life. Excess Nitrogen (what makes them dark green) can lead to a grassy taste, as can drying too quickly as the slower it dries the more the chlorophyl has a chance to break down.

Beyond that, I don't really wait a month before smoking the first jar, but the longer the jars do sit, the better the taste ends up. Hope this helps?
Click to expand...


i feed my plants once a week and in between feeding I water them once so they get fed and watered in the same week. I do flush but I only flush the final few days before I put them in darkness for a day or two to resonate
then I do my harvesting techniques should I flush more before I put them in dark?
should I hang the branches instead of putting them in the hanging drying racks?
should I use the bag technique? By the way I use botanicare products. Organic stuff
your post helped and any other would be great
thank you
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
You have to burp your jars after jarring them. Suggest daily. You say you jarred and left how many days? There are good stickies out that outline this simple step.
 
chuck estevez

chuck estevez

Well-Known Member
I don't know about you guys, but when I finish, my bud smells great, when it's drying, it smells great,after curing,it smells great. I never have a hay smell or taste.
 
slim83

slim83

Well-Known Member
I let mine hang for about a week then they go into the jars they get opened a few hours every day for around another week then they get closed up and left alone for around a month when they get reopened they are nice and dry with a good smell to them. I have noticed that even after they are dry when you jar it up it will smell like hay if you leave it alone in the jars for a few weeks it will start smelling good its eems like the longer I leave it sealed after drying them better the smell gets
 
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diggindirt

Well-Known Member
I suppose you're just doing everything right then chuck, but doingfine is the one who started this thread and he's the one having trouble so just going over what can and will happen to newer growers during the drying/curing process from my own personal experience. Consider yourself lucky and thank the people who got you to where you're at because I'm SURE you didn't get there on your own. I've not had 100% success 100% of the time, nor do I expect that many people have.

Doingfine: If the drying racks you're talking about are horizontal, yes I would recomend hanging the entire branches upside down until the point that you are getting to -> dry on the outside without being crisp, the stems should bend but not snap. I typically cut each branch directly at the main stem, leaving a notch to hang from a hook in the ceiling. Hanging upside down, the stems will gradually drain into the buds slowing the drying down and breaking down more chlorophyl. Then cut off stems and jar/burp/enjoy.

If concerned about excess moisture, you can do the paper bag trick, but I usually don't need this step. It basically allows the paper to absorb a bit of the extra moisture without overdrying by just being in the open air.

I also think you should be flushing just a bit more than 2 or 3 days before the end. Like I said, I do a daily flush on 3 gal pots with 2 or 3 gallons of water for 7-14 days depending on whether or not the plants started yellowing prior to harvest. The darker green the plant, the longer my flush goes, but no more than last 2 weeks as you don't want to starve them at the end either. Most people say you have to flush with twice the volume of water as you have soil (4 gal water for 2 gal pot, 10 gal water for 5 gal pot, etc) but I find this to be a bit excessive personally.

Go to the harvesting section and read up just a bit more before your next chop. You're not far off, just need to figure out which method/s work best for you. It's all trial and error till you get it, but once you get it right the first time, you'll have a shit-eatin grin on your face and you'll gain a bit of confidence for your next grow.

My last harvest was right before a vacation and I rushed the cure. Came home to a couple ounces of moldy bud I had to throw out. Shit happens, and you can be sure I won't rush the next time. All you can do is learn from it and do what you are now... ask for help :mrgreen: Good luck matey!
 
chuck estevez

chuck estevez

Well-Known Member
diggindirt said:
I suppose you're just doing everything right then chuck, but doingfine is the one who started this thread and he's the one having trouble so just going over what can and will happen to newer growers during the drying/curing process from my own personal experience. Consider yourself lucky and thank the people who got you to where you're at because I'm SURE you didn't get there on your own. I've not had 100% success 100% of the time, nor do I expect that many people have.

Doingfine: If the drying racks you're talking about are horizontal, yes I would recomend hanging the entire branches upside down until the point that you are getting to -> dry on the outside without being crisp, the stems should bend but not snap. I typically cut each branch directly at the main stem, leaving a notch to hang from a hook in the ceiling. Hanging upside down, the stems will gradually drain into the buds slowing the drying down and breaking down more chlorophyl. Then cut off stems and jar/burp/enjoy.

If concerned about excess moisture, you can do the paper bag trick, but I usually don't need this step. It basically allows the paper to absorb a bit of the extra moisture without overdrying by just being in the open air.

I also think you should be flushing just a bit more than 2 or 3 days before the end. Like I said, I do a daily flush on 3 gal pots with 2 or 3 gallons of water for 7-14 days depending on whether or not the plants started yellowing prior to harvest. The darker green the plant, the longer my flush goes, but no more than last 2 weeks as you don't want to starve them at the end either. Most people say you have to flush with twice the volume of water as you have soil (4 gal water for 2 gal pot, 10 gal water for 5 gal pot, etc) but I find this to be a bit excessive personally.

Go to the harvesting section and read up just a bit more before your next chop. You're not far off, just need to figure out which method/s work best for you. It's all trial and error till you get it, but once you get it right the first time, you'll have a shit-eatin grin on your face and you'll gain a bit of confidence for your next grow.

My last harvest was right before a vacation and I rushed the cure. Came home to a couple ounces of moldy bud I had to throw out. Shit happens, and you can be sure I won't rush the next time. All you can do is learn from it and do what you are now... ask for help :mrgreen: Good luck matey!
Click to expand...
probably so, but my point was good genetics will have a great smell and taste, if you have a hay smell, you either have crap genetics or did something wrong.
 
D

doingfine

Well-Known Member
diggindirt said:
I suppose you're just doing everything right then chuck, but doingfine is the one who started this thread and he's the one having trouble so just going over what can and will happen to newer growers during the drying/curing process from my own personal experience. Consider yourself lucky and thank the people who got you to where you're at because I'm SURE you didn't get there on your own. I've not had 100% success 100% of the time, nor do I expect that many people have.

Doingfine: If the drying racks you're talking about are horizontal, yes I would recomend hanging the entire branches upside down until the point that you are getting to -> dry on the outside without being crisp, the stems should bend but not snap. I typically cut each branch directly at the main stem, leaving a notch to hang from a hook in the ceiling. Hanging upside down, the stems will gradually drain into the buds slowing the drying down and breaking down more chlorophyl. Then cut off stems and jar/burp/enjoy.

If concerned about excess moisture, you can do the paper bag trick, but I usually don't need this step. It basically allows the paper to absorb a bit of the extra moisture without overdrying by just being in the open air.

I also think you should be flushing just a bit more than 2 or 3 days before the end. Like I said, I do a daily flush on 3 gal pots with 2 or 3 gallons of water for 7-14 days depending on whether or not the plants started yellowing prior to harvest. The darker green the plant, the longer my flush goes, but no more than last 2 weeks as you don't want to starve them at the end either. Most people say you have to flush with twice the volume of water as you have soil (4 gal water for 2 gal pot, 10 gal water for 5 gal pot, etc) but I find this to be a bit excessive personally.

Go to the harvesting section and read up just a bit more before your next chop. You're not far off, just need to figure out which method/s work best for you. It's all trial and error till you get it, but once you get it right the first time, you'll have a shit-eatin grin on your face and you'll gain a bit of confidence for your next grow.

My last harvest was right before a vacation and I rushed the cure. Came home to a couple ounces of moldy bud I had to throw out. Shit happens, and you can be sure I won't rush the next time. All you can do is learn from it and do what you are now... ask for help :mrgreen: Good luck matey!
Click to expand...




Ok I have stuff finishing every week for the next few weeks so ill be pulling one next weekend in the meanwhile ill flush the shit out of the one I'm gonna pull next weekend and ill start today
ill hang he branches upside down and I'll let ya know how I make out from there. Thank you and by the way do I trim before or after they dry? I usually trim before
 
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doingfine

Well-Known Member
And I'm not o sure where the posts about my stuff smelling and tasting like hay. I have taste and smell just not as defined as I want it to be. I'm sure everyone's right where the longer the better but half is my patients
 
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diggindirt

Well-Known Member
Trim before the dry, and the more leaf you leave on, the more it will affect taste.

The grass/hay taste doing, is just a common problem noticed when you dry/cure incorrectly, and was backed up by another grower so may be something to just be aware of. Wasn't saying that was specific problem you have, but a common one people come across when they dry too quickly regardless of genetics IMO. If you don't have this, you're actually closer than you think. I apologise if I led you off topic.

Do everything as you were and try a better flush to see if things improve.
 
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doingfine

Well-Known Member
diggindirt said:
Trim before the dry, and the more leaf you leave on, the more it will affect taste.

The grass/hay taste doing, is just a common problem noticed when you dry/cure incorrectly, and was backed up by another grower so may be something to just be aware of. Wasn't saying that was specific problem you have, but a common one people come across when they dry too quickly regardless of genetics IMO. If you don't have this, you're actually closer than you think. I apologise if I led you off topic.

Do everything as you were and try a better flush to see if things improve.
Click to expand...

You say the more leaf I leave on before the drying process the more it will affect the taste. You mean affect the taste to the good or bad?
 
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