Proper curing

Budley Doright said:

. If I leave it hanging for more than a couple of weeks, it's too dry, I've lost the window for a good cure. Even longer than a week seems to affect the taste for me, I guess the room conditions dictate a lot.

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your environment can control that to a point. this is why people try to build tiny environments, like jars. I find that to be risky so I use a drying tent, ac, dehuey, humidifier, stink sock, moving fresh air. Weed will of course stone years later, but not everyone is satisfied with just being stoned...fresh is better than old anyway I ever made it. I like my home made wine one year old instead of two also, could be personal preference, should follow it always.

Heil Tweetler said:

bro how do you explain absolutes and perfumes made from natural oils that remain spell binding after many years?

degradation def spoils the product but superb quality and crafty production and handling measures go a long way towards stabilizing certain premium ingredients.

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exactly, leave the lid off the perfume/oils and see how long its spellbinding right. stored properly weed will stone for many decades likely, if just feeling effects is what one is after.
theres no doubt terpenes will leave your bud with time. I want them all, as soon as its dry. I have the luxury of always having oodles of buds of dozens of strains dried, drying, harvested, growing full time. With that luxury most would come to some conclusion or another of usage and freshness that others not having it, along with legal possession limits, etc....would not agree with right.

if we're talking about essential oils of cannabis...yes, of course, but we are not, we are speaking of vegetable matter with tiny bits of oil wrapped in wax resting on top of the cabbage degrading with every day, every light, every heat, every touch I'm afraid. Cabbage with moisture is fermenting if it is sealed up and warm. Freezing the cabbage and the trichomes degrades them. how can we beat that better than using it fresh properly dried lol
pot prick

I think my buds taste best after drying and about a week into cure. I know most say that's too early but that's my preference. i also feel like it starts losing taste around 2 months in but it's probably how i store it. a few months ago i found a couple grams of bubble hash I made around 4 years ago. It had gotten (much) stronger and more flavorful. all I know is there is more than one way to get a great product. the curing process is magic to me. I figure I got another 25+ years before it starts to really make sense.

chemphlegm said:

exactly, leave the lid off the perfume/oils and see how long its spellbinding right. stored properly weed will stone for many decades likely, if just feeling effects is what one is after.
theres no doubt terpenes will leave your bud with time. I want them all, as soon as its dry. I have the luxury of always having oodles of buds of dozens of strains dried, drying, harvested, growing full time. With that luxury most would come to some conclusion or another of usage and freshness that others not having it, along with legal possession limits, etc....would not agree with right.

if we're talking about essential oils of cannabis...yes, of course, but we are not, we are speaking of vegetable matter with tiny bits of oil wrapped in wax resting on top of the cabbage degrading with every day, every light, every heat, every touch I'm afraid. Cabbage with moisture is fermenting if it is sealed up and warm. Freezing the cabbage and the trichomes degrades them. how can we beat that better than using it fresh properly dried lol
pot prick

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If freezing causes degradation I honestly have not noticed, although yes I have heard that many times. I do freeze my vacuum seals jars on occasion and I have not seen any loss of anything other than it being as fresh as the day I put it in. I wonder if there are actual tests that have shown degradation of any THC or other compounds.

chemphlegm said:

your environment can control that to a point. this is why people try to build tiny environments, like jars. I find that to be risky so I use a drying tent, ac, dehuey, humidifier, stink sock, moving fresh air. Weed will of course stone years later, but not everyone is satisfied with just being stoned...fresh is better than old anyway I ever made it. I like my home made wine one year old instead of two also, could be personal preference, should follow it always.

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I'm not sure about years as I've found jars that were years old and nope not so nice lol. Like I said though I'm not qualified as it never lasts more than a few months and I'm on to something new and different lol. I'm trying to limit the girl to. .25 every 5 days but it's, as the Borg would say, futile .

Recently, I chopped a GG4S1 a week before I went away for the weekend and the buds weren't quite dry when it was time to go. So I threw them into big a wire bail jar and took them with me so I could burp them until they were dry enough. Well, the jar wasn't all that sealed and it was stinking up my room something fierce so I had no choice but to stash it in the bushes outside where it was 90 degrees. The temp/humidity gauge inside the jar said it got up to 103F.

Best cured weed for me so far, smells great, maybe there is something to hot cure.

Observe & Report said:

Recently, I chopped a GG4S1 a week before I went away for the weekend and the buds weren't quite dry when it was time to go. So I threw them into big a wire bail jar and took them with me so I could burp them until they were dry enough. Well, the jar wasn't all that sealed and it was stinking up my room something fierce so I had no choice but to stash it in the bushes outside where it was 90 degrees. The temp/humidity gauge inside the jar said it got up to 103F.

Best cured weed for me so far, smells great, maybe there is something to hot cure.

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...and that tell tale pissy pocket flavor that will occur when wet cabbage is left in a hot jar. some people have gone googly over that flavor/smell, I recall many saying the same as you. its good there are some people who actually enjoy fermented weed, another fine example of to each his own.

Budley Doright said:

If freezing causes degradation I honestly have not noticed, although yes I have heard that many times. I do freeze my vacuum seals jars on occasion and I have not seen any loss of anything other than it being as fresh as the day I put it in. I wonder if there are actual tests that have shown degradation of any THC or other compounds.

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this shows the degradation of the trichomes clearly, like drying peaches, all curled and browning.
chemically we know these compounds convert to other compounds, not saying those are not good for some, many people prefer the
effects of old weed compared to fresher weed of course

chemphlegm said:

this shows the degradation of the trichomes clearly, like drying peaches, all curled and browning.
chemically we know these compounds convert to other compounds, not saying those are not good for some, many people prefer the
effects of old weed compared to fresher weed of course

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I can't see shit lol. Anywhoo I just know in my 40 plus yrs of smoking and growing, if stored properly I don't see a huge difference in taste or effect up to a point. But yup, it's a personal choice and taste. Hell back in the day I had people chomping at the bit to get the product the day it was dry enough to smoke it lol. Gotta love the old days when there was a shortage through the summer (the brick was a big seller lol) then a glut in the fall where the best man won. The indoor thing ruined my buisness lol.

chemphlegm said:

...and that tell tale pissy pocket flavor that will occur when wet cabbage is left in a hot jar. some people have gone googly over that flavor/smell, I recall many saying the same as you. its good there are some people who actually enjoy fermented weed, another fine example of to each his own.

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No pissy pocket, wet cabbage, or fermented smell here. Probably because the weed wasn't wet when it got hot.

My patients want my weed on the second week in the drying room, right when the twigs snap.
Fortunately I dont use salts and I dont feed overfeed/feed to the end, so there are no off flavors or funny burn at that time.
when he branches snap.....thats still my sweet spot for smoking a joint, has been since I began growing my own=personal preference. I let it dry/cure for another few weeks and the effects settle into a more droopy effect, an effect none of my group are interested in.

Observe & Report said:

No pissy pocket, wet cabbage, or fermented smell here. Probably because the weed wasn't wet when it got hot.

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thats good, I hate mildew too.
if I put my weed in a jar at one week of drying it will mold quickly. It all depends on drying conditions, like bedroom closets might dry faster than a controlled space. Some dry in a few days, others extend that to months. but yeah, wet weed in a jar molds

Oregonhwy101 said:

Temps and hummidity going to be making a curing box just curios as to what temp and humidity would be ideal ?

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Wow. What a bunch of strange answers. I tend to like tweeters.....I would have figured he would cure longer but - whatever....

I agree with the 65-75 Temp range. I run 70 as close as I can (4 deg. variation so like 69-73).
I agree with the 45-55 % RH. I stay in that with room to spare also.

Dry to the stems cracking and not bending. Snapping in half = too dry!. If you get that. skip all the veggie or fruit matter for raising the moisture content. Use a closed area or a drying tent. Pull air in from the bottom sides and exhaust out the top. Moving air and in these listed parameters, retards mold growth.

Use Bovida 62's....a 2 way hydration pack.

For the cure. I use 5 gallon buckets and large Bovida 62's with a Gamma seal top.

In curing, it is critical for the RH to stay above 52%, or the cure slows and below 52% it stops.

7-10 days is to short to reach a true full cure...This idea goes back in line with tobacco curing.

I find 6 weeks as an acceptable point. I prefer 8 weeks myself.

I would say you could try it at 4....

I also suggest trying the longer times and see what it does.....

Simply because the vast majority of any new grower will not have the patience to do any of those 3 longer term cures.
They know not what they miss out on.

A 7-10 day cure is market sale minimum. I can still tell, rather easy too, that 10 day cured weed.

Stash some for those longer times and try them later....Your doing yourself a favor.....A real big favor!

Dr. Who said:

.

65-75 Temp range.
45-55 % RH.

Dry to the stems cracking and not bending. Snapping in half = too dry!. If you get that. skip all the veggie or fruit matter for raising the moisture content.
I also suggest trying the longer times and see what it does.....

Stash some for those longer times and try them later....

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I agree with this.
the best thing you can do is try all the different techniques your grow bibles speak of, decide for yourself which is best for you and your product. You cant go wrong this way.

BobCajun said:

Quite the opposite, it gets rid of that fresh smell and replaces it with primo weed smell. 60-70 degrees is just begging for powdery mildew. If you take your buds and hold them up and flick them with your finger you'll see a big cloud of powery mildew spores.

The idea is to dry it, right? Well obviously things dry faster at 100 than at 60-70. Or do you just like inefficiency?

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Proper curing from proper RH values to start. Increase heat in the matter being cured by normal curing actions. No "need" to cure at a high temp...

The only time your "begging" for PM or any mold in a cure. Is because you began the cure with way to moist matter to be cured...

That is why you properly dry first! - Bottom line!

Drying at the stated environment. Retards mold growth. The moving air in the area does also.

I always move air in from the bottom and exhaust out the top of my drying space.

question i cut my girl down last week its been 7 days i did a whole plant dry the huge main cola is still kinda wet i found this out as i was dry trimming can i finish trimming and leave her on a rack to finish the main cola to dry and jar the rest?

clouds said:

question i cut my girl down last week its been 7 days i did a whole plant dry the huge main cola is still kinda wet i found this out as i was dry trimming can i finish trimming and leave her on a rack to finish the main cola to dry and jar the rest?

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That would be called "Wet Trimming" Yes.

Jypsy Dog said:

That would be called "Wet Trimming" Yes.

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Lol

i'm just curious how long have all you been doing this?? i'm really curious... too many responses make me a little sad (many seem good though ) hehe.

ya know i'm not so sure the drying part of the process is opinion anymore in regards to cannabis honestly. with that being said, for me, 70F and 50%RH is the best way to correctly dry cannabis for the absolute best results and depending on the strain and density of the material it takes between 5-9 days when harvested at peak ripeness, ive never in my multi decades of indoor growing seen it take longer in the perfect environment, which is what ive said, and yes, ive tried everything more than once. i have found cedar to be awesome for the dry process because if you line the inside of a room with it, it will magically keep a 70-73 degree room right at around 50-60 percent humidity...thats with a VERY light circulating airflow that is constant. theres a reason they use it for humidors. boveda and integra packs specifically designed for aiding the cure of cannabis in containers are both set to 62 percent RH. (you can get dif bovedas but the cannabis specific one is 62)...those people have done extensive testing to come to that number as well...curing on the other hand, is SO SO subjective.

its important to note that for me, and really for everyone reading, i only grow for quality, and im very lucky to be able to use very high quality "stuff", and have for the last decade or so (though i have much more experience than that). i dont sell my stuff either and i never will, so my drys and cures tend to be much more "patient" than most, especially those growing to sell. a lot of this process is trust in your method, and trust in your gear and environment. if you can do that and let it do its thing without much interference during the process, that's how you get the totally amazing stuff (assuming a good strain and grow).


here's what i do for always outstanding results for myself...

i dry it hanging upside down in a pitch black cedar lined "room" at 70F and 52%RH exactly. i have two vornado circulating fans positioned so they never directly blow air on anything hanging, yet ciculate all the air in the room on low, this is really the size of a large closet but it has its own climate control.. i do a "mid trim" when i harvest.. its not a nice neat trim, but i don't do nothing. all fan leaves are removed and most small flipped under leaves are also manicured, but the rest is left. after 5-7 days of hanging (truthfully ive been doing the same two strains for a year now so for me its always exactly 6 days) .at this stage the stem nearly snaps, does on the smallish stems and almost does on the larger ones. the bud is nearly crispy on the outside but has an internal RH right around 57%

...short tangent...

the equipment to test all this stuff is not expensive people...everyone growing should have it... ebay meter packs go for as little as 15 bucks and work just fine, you dont need the bluelabs everything to get accurate testers..though bluelabs is dang good .

tangent over hehe...

once the bud is at this point (57%) i do a final neat trim and chop, and i place in 1 liter infinty jars. or 1 quart widemouth ball jars work too. i like the infinity jars because they block all external light and have outstanding lids, warning.. the infinity jars are real spendy in comparison to regular jars. its important to note here that i dont go bigger on the jars than 1 quart, and i only fill them 3/4 full with an integra 62 in the jar with it. i prefer the integra packs because they dual humidify differently than the boveda and i felt after two weeks of cure the boveda started to add a "flavor" i didnt personally like, where the integra packs had no effect on anything in the jar. ive tried many times going bigger on the jars, but the stuff is just better in 1 quart jars, they're the "perfect" size for optimal results. i do still burp even with the integra packs in there...the first thee days i open and air out the buds three times a day 35 or so minutes at a time. after three days or so, when that shit is like sticky rocks and i go "DAYUM" when i open the jar from the dope ass pungent dank smell, you can stop bleeding (burping). at this point they go into the jars and stay in there for at least 11 more days (two weeks total)..though i store them in a temp controlled storage room set to 67 degrees. after 14 days total in there, your shit should taste absolutely amazing...after a month it should be ungodly good.

Many people swear that super long cured stuff is better but i personally feel the sweet spot is 3-4 weeks. my Blueberry OG tastes like blue fun dip (and smells like blue gatorade), and my Valley Destroyer tastes like vanilla christmas spice with a side of gas and sweet couch locking obliteration lol.

really hope anything helps, but damn...dude that was drying at 100+ degrees?!......sigh.

Dr. Who said:

Wow. What a bunch of strange answers. I tend to like tweeters.....I would have figured he would cure longer but - whatever....

I agree with the 65-75 Temp range. I run 70 as close as I can (4 deg. variation so like 69-73).
I agree with the 45-55 % RH. I stay in that with room to spare also.

Dry to the stems cracking and not bending. Snapping in half = too dry!. If you get that. skip all the veggie or fruit matter for raising the moisture content. Use a closed area or a drying tent. Pull air in from the bottom sides and exhaust out the top. Moving air and in these listed parameters, retards mold growth.

Use Bovida 62's....a 2 way hydration pack.

For the cure. I use 5 gallon buckets and large Bovida 62's with a Gamma seal top.
View attachment 3992249
In curing, it is critical for the RH to stay above 52%, or the cure slows and below 52% it stops.

7-10 days is to short to reach a true full cure...This idea goes back in line with tobacco curing.

I find 6 weeks as an acceptable point. I prefer 8 weeks myself.

I would say you could try it at 4....

I also suggest trying the longer times and see what it does.....

Simply because the vast majority of any new grower will not have the patience to do any of those 3 longer term cures.
They know not what they miss out on.

A 7-10 day cure is market sale minimum. I can still tell, rather easy too, that 10 day cured weed.

Stash some for those longer times and try them later....Your doing yourself a favor.....A real big favor!

Click to expand...

I know this is old but.... I'm a fan of a long cure, it just seems to get better with time. Long story short I screwed up and left three of my cure jars open too long. Figured it out, closed the jars and ordered 58% bovedas. I'm not sure what the humidity of the buds got down to. I'm assuming at least 55%. If they dried out below that, will the bovedas bring the cure back? Or is it time to extract?