electricmonkey
Member
I have been working with my naturopathic doctor on the storage issue. She is like the ganja goddess where I live. Anyhow, maybe I can shed some light on this topic. It drives me crazy when my herb is dried out to a crisp. I also want to have the ability to store herbs long term and still have the medicine in tact.
I get a lot of private reserve type herb from private collectors with the best genetics. I have a high tolerance and get used to my herbs real fast (3-4 Days) So variety is the name of the game for me.
How do you store your herb to make it last long and retain potency? There are a some factors to consider:
1 How was the herb cured? For storage or for sales. I can leave buds sitting out on the table that have been cured for storage and they remain perfectly "springy" for several days.
2 Use glass mason jars to store bud. You can use plastic baggies inside the mason jars to separate your varieties and keep exposure to fresh air at a minimum. This method works well in my experience, however you must be sure that you are using the right kind of plastic bags. Most plastic baggies will begin to melt within an hour or so. You will be able to see the keef sticking to the bag and you cant get it off. I collect the plastic bags from the dispensary because they are the right kind of plastic and do not melt from the citric acids.
3 If you really want to store your buds for a much later date you can bury a mason jar underground (about 12"-24" or so) but you run the risk of mold if the buds are retaining any moisture.
4 Herb should be springy if you want to smoke or vaporize it. By springy I mean that the plant material is dry but not crispy. The material is only springy due to the natural oils and thc in the plant.
5 Eventually we all wind up with crispy buds from time to time. If you would like your bowl to last longer than one hit there is a cheat/workaround. Take a small airtight/vacuum sealed reusable container (like a small prescription bottle) and fill it. Break off one end of a q-tip and dampen about half of it (the tip) and then squeeze all of the excess water off of the tip. (It is important not to leave too much moisture on the q-tip so squeeze hard) Throw the q-tip in with your herb over night and you will be able to humidify it back to life.
6 buy smaller amounts of bud at a time. (This is not always an option and I wouldn't recommend doing this unless it is a dispensary or a next door neighbor)
7 Take out a few days supply from your mason jars and keep the medicine in small bottles. This allows you to leave your main storage jars alone and just go in and out of the smaller bottles.
With all these different variables involved, my humble recommendation is, store your buds on a case by case basis. Find out how they were cured, use the right plastics, definitely use size appropriate mason jars. (as little air inside as possible) Finally just be a little vigilant in the way you treat your medicine.
Sorry that I couldn't provide a "one size fits all", "cookie cutter" type solution, but hopefully these points can help you.
I get a lot of private reserve type herb from private collectors with the best genetics. I have a high tolerance and get used to my herbs real fast (3-4 Days) So variety is the name of the game for me.
How do you store your herb to make it last long and retain potency? There are a some factors to consider:
1 How was the herb cured? For storage or for sales. I can leave buds sitting out on the table that have been cured for storage and they remain perfectly "springy" for several days.
2 Use glass mason jars to store bud. You can use plastic baggies inside the mason jars to separate your varieties and keep exposure to fresh air at a minimum. This method works well in my experience, however you must be sure that you are using the right kind of plastic bags. Most plastic baggies will begin to melt within an hour or so. You will be able to see the keef sticking to the bag and you cant get it off. I collect the plastic bags from the dispensary because they are the right kind of plastic and do not melt from the citric acids.
3 If you really want to store your buds for a much later date you can bury a mason jar underground (about 12"-24" or so) but you run the risk of mold if the buds are retaining any moisture.
4 Herb should be springy if you want to smoke or vaporize it. By springy I mean that the plant material is dry but not crispy. The material is only springy due to the natural oils and thc in the plant.
5 Eventually we all wind up with crispy buds from time to time. If you would like your bowl to last longer than one hit there is a cheat/workaround. Take a small airtight/vacuum sealed reusable container (like a small prescription bottle) and fill it. Break off one end of a q-tip and dampen about half of it (the tip) and then squeeze all of the excess water off of the tip. (It is important not to leave too much moisture on the q-tip so squeeze hard) Throw the q-tip in with your herb over night and you will be able to humidify it back to life.
6 buy smaller amounts of bud at a time. (This is not always an option and I wouldn't recommend doing this unless it is a dispensary or a next door neighbor)
7 Take out a few days supply from your mason jars and keep the medicine in small bottles. This allows you to leave your main storage jars alone and just go in and out of the smaller bottles.
With all these different variables involved, my humble recommendation is, store your buds on a case by case basis. Find out how they were cured, use the right plastics, definitely use size appropriate mason jars. (as little air inside as possible) Finally just be a little vigilant in the way you treat your medicine.
Sorry that I couldn't provide a "one size fits all", "cookie cutter" type solution, but hopefully these points can help you.
