The easiest way to dry/cure!

budbro18

Well-Known Member
So this is my own discovery i ran into about a 6 months ago and havent found any information on it yet.

It will cut the dry/cure time in half... for me at least. Im curious to see others try this.

The theory behind my madness is if you apply the "burping" process to the drying process you have a much better product, faster and easier. (once dialed to your locations RH)

!!!IMPORTANT!!! I am not saying your harvest will be better than ever, just as good but in a shorter time period.

I dry/cure in my flower tent that is 4x4x6.5 (104 cubic feet)

It has 2x 6 inch duct fans as intakes (250cfm per) and a carbon filter with a 400+cfm fan as an exhaust.

The air is emptied and replaced about 4 times per minute.

So here we go:


STEP 1: I start 3 days before i harvest by giving them their last watering and turning off the lights for those last 3 days.

I know exactly when my strain finishes so i already have a set day to cut the lights.

At this time i make sure all my fans are running 24/7 (which they do during veg/flow)


STEP 2: After the 3 days of dark we chop all branches off the main stem and trim the buds and try to keep most buds on there stem (strictly for easy hanging purposes, ignore if you use auto trimmer/drynet)

Once fully manicured, i hang all branches in the center of my tent by a string.


STEP 3: Once everything is hung and i make sure no buds are touching i look at my fans.

I connect all of them to a single timer and (for my location NE) set the fans to turn on and off.

This is where you will have to experiment due to your locations RH. Mine is

For me i set my timer to go on for 1 hour every 5 hours. For a total of 4 times a day for 1 hour.

I let them hang in this configuration for 3 more days.


STEP 4: After the 3 days of drying on that configuration my buds are perfectly dry enough to pick off the branches and smoke.

The stems bend and snap but there is a small layer of outer fiber holding it from fully snapping off.

So now i pull every bud off their stem and put into a large tupperware, although ive had to upgrad to 1 gallon buckets
(due to increasing yeilds) :hump:

Put the lid on and make sure its secure. I personally like plastic because its not air tight so some moisture is released slowly.


STEP 5: I place my bucket back in my grow tent and keep the fans on the same 1 hour 4 times a day for... You guessed it

3 more days!!! haha

Note: I place my bucket ontop of a box so its roughly centered in my tent.

STEP 6: ENJOY! Take the bud out of the bucket/tupperware and lay it out on a table or plate to take your final weight.

At this point i put it in 1q mason jars strictly to stop further drying and because i love how a glass of buds looks. :blsmoke: hahaha

But that is it. Your bud should be 100% smokeable and enjoyable. No harshness, no leafy chlorophyll taste, pure medication.

In a total of 12 days.

9 days not including the 3 days of darkness.

I especially love this because the strain GRAPE GOD, that i just retired, usually took 2 weeks of just curing
(not to mention almost a week of drying and 3 days of dark) to produce a skunky, fruity, diesely blend of pure THRAXX that goes down smooth, exhales even smoother, then kicks you in the lungs after you take your third or 4th breath.

This process cuts that time in half easily without sacrificing flavor,density, potency, or weight (due to under or over drying)

BE CAREFUL THOUGH! I harvest about 8 ozs minimum and i dont know if you need at least that much moisture for it to work properly but make sure for your first few times you check them daily. But the theory can be applied to anything from a whole room to a small cardboard box or Rubbermaid totes. Just dial it in for perfection.


I would like to hear any questions, comments, improvements, etc... No matter how harsh or conflicting they may be.

Im here to teach as well as learn. So please feel free to post and converse about anything on this thread.

Thanks for your time but i need to blaze one cause i knew if i did in the middle of this my thoughts would be askew. :blsmoke:
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
Well it certainly sounds interesting way to do it, much more sterile, there are several different ways I have read or seen in youtube..have you seen those?...I think I will try something similar this my second time around...here is the urls for some of the different but similar methods..
[video=youtube_share;KXqa7MwhuzM]http://youtu.be/KXqa7MwhuzM[/video]

Thats just one way there are more on youtube and on some of the other sites. I do know that after hours of research on this subject, it is good to hang them rather than lay them down on something even if its a screen...as they can go a bit flat on the side they lay on....The fans are a good idea or would be for me I live in washington state very wet and damp here lol...
but I cant remember what I read on the darkness...what was the purpose of haveing them in the dark for 3 days?...im wondering if I did something wrong with my first batch though it was excellent...while I had them hanging it was only dark at night time...they were dried and ready to put in jars in 3 days...then I would open the jar for about a half hour a couple times a day...
seeing as how I dont smoke much, and this was my very first actual expierence with being in personal contact with a real live plant and the proceeds...the guy at one of the collective gardens told me it was perfect and ready in 3 days of the jar...It could have been cause it was also very hot here for a couple of weeks and I had my fans on 24/7...I like your idea though I understand the longer you can cure it the better it is...?...Thank you so much for the info I will keep it in mind when my next babies come to bearing the fruit of their labors....rofl....
have a good day...gabby
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
Well it certainly sounds interesting way to do it, much more sterile, there are several different ways I have read or seen in youtube..have you seen those?...I think I will try something similar this my second time around...here is the urls for some of the different but similar methods..
[video=youtube_share;KXqa7MwhuzM]http://youtu.be/KXqa7MwhuzM[/video]

Thats just one way there are more on youtube and on some of the other sites. I do know that after hours of research on this subject, it is good to hang them rather than lay them down on something even if its a screen...as they can go a bit flat on the side they lay on....The fans are a good idea or would be for me I live in washington state very wet and damp here lol...
but I cant remember what I read on the darkness...what was the purpose of haveing them in the dark for 3 days?...im wondering if I did something wrong with my first batch though it was excellent...while I had them hanging it was only dark at night time...they were dried and ready to put in jars in 3 days...then I would open the jar for about a half hour a couple times a day...
seeing as how I dont smoke much, and this was my very first actual expierence with being in personal contact with a real live plant and the proceeds...the guy at one of the collective gardens told me it was perfect and ready in 3 days of the jar...It could have been cause it was also very hot here for a couple of weeks and I had my fans on 24/7...I like your idea though I understand the longer you can cure it the better it is...?...Thank you so much for the info I will keep it in mind when my next babies come to bearing the fruit of their labors....rofl....
have a good day...gabby

Thanks for the link! ill check it out when im home with faster internet.

As for the period of darkness... here we go

The theory is that thc is used to help protect the plant/seeds from uv rays, whether that is true doesnt so much matter.

BUT it is true that thc is broken down by UV light.

So the rest of the theory is that once the sun goes down and it gets dark (or the timer flips off) that the plant uses that dark period to

"rebuild its walls" essentially. So for all the thc broken down in the sunlight, it prepares for the next day by refilling with thc so to speak.

Now anyone who believes that (which i think is scientifically proven dont quote me though) would assume that, by increasing the dark period for X amount of days after its last 12 hours of light, this would cause the plant to stay in that "rebuilding" phase where it refills the thc in the trichomes
and since there is no light to tell the plant to stop IN THEORY it should keep producing thc.

Im as skeptical as the next person when it comes to this. but i have no problem killing the lights for 1-3 days prior to harvest. hell it gives me a little break to prepare for the massive amount of trimming i have in store for myself.

Also think of it this way.

When in veg, everytime the lights go out the plant starts producing "flowering hormones" of sorts. and each time the sun/light turns on prior to 12 hours of dark (roughly) those hormones are destroyed by the light. (not sure if uv is what does it)

And only after the hormones are allowed to be created to a point that the light wont break them down can the plant get the message to START FLOWERING!


Just one of those ways to make somewhat crazy sounding theories seem reasonable due to a similar happening within the same plant.

But like i said before im in no rush and came to enjoy those few days of not caring for my plants so i can focus on preparation for the daunting task ahead.

Thanks for the support!!! feel free to send me pms of your grows and what not.
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
Hey budbro thankyou for the friend add...and the info.. It all makes a kind of sense if you think about it...every living thing needs to rest at some time, and plants are living things, on my first grow I kept the light on all the time the plants did pretty good, because I couldnt understand turning them off if it meant they would flower silly me, no I understand it makes sense, I found this, some do 18 on 6 off, others 18 on 8 off, yet others like me keep the light on 24...I still havent found anything though that says one way is better than the other "maybe its opinion based?"
anyway here are a few sites with similar info..let me know what you think?...have a good evening
http://www.theweedblog.com/how-to-use-the-121-lighting-method-for-efficient-marijuana-cultivation/
[h=1]How To Use The 12/1 Lighting Method For Efficient Marijuana Cultivation[/h]http://www.marijuanagrowershq.com/light-cycles-and-flowering-cannabis/
http://theweedscene.com/vegetative-light-cycle/
[h=2]24 Hour Light Cycle for Marijuana[/h]The 24 hour light cycle is by far the most common way of growing cannabis plants indoors, in the vegetative, clone or mother plant stages. You don’t even need a timer for this as the lights remain on 24 hours a day, never needing to be turned off. You can also set a timer to come on for 18 hours and off for 6 hours, which is also considered a “24hr cycle option”. By doing this, you are wasting electricity, and burning through bulbs much faster than you should be, all costing you more time and money that you shouldn’t have to worry about. The 24 grow light cycle will cause the mother plants and clones to grow at such a fast rate that it may become a problem with space and light.
[h=3]Advanced Marijuana Growing Light Cycle[/h]The advanced light cycle for marijuana growing will save you time and money, allowing for more quality plants and marijuana buds. This grow light cycle will also save wear and tear on your Metal Halide or Grow Bulbs you are using. Here is a schedule to follow for an advanced growers vegetative light cycle:
This light cycle is 13 hours on and 11 hours off each and every day. Simply set your digital timer to come on for 12 hours, off for 5.5 hours, on again for 1 hour, then off for 5.5 hours.
By doing this you will give the marijuana plant enough light per day for it to continue growing in the vegetative stage, as well you are saving close to 50% in your electricity bill. This vegetative light cycle is highly used by all of my veteran medical marijuana growers.


Thanks for the link! ill check it out when im home with faster internet.

As for the period of darkness... here we go

The theory is that thc is used to help protect the plant/seeds from uv rays, whether that is true doesnt so much matter.

BUT it is true that thc is broken down by UV light.

So the rest of the theory is that once the sun goes down and it gets dark (or the timer flips off) that the plant uses that dark period to

"rebuild its walls" essentially. So for all the thc broken down in the sunlight, it prepares for the next day by refilling with thc so to speak.

Now anyone who believes that (which i think is scientifically proven dont quote me though) would assume that, by increasing the dark period for X amount of days after its last 12 hours of light, this would cause the plant to stay in that "rebuilding" phase where it refills the thc in the trichomes
and since there is no light to tell the plant to stop IN THEORY it should keep producing thc.

Im as skeptical as the next person when it comes to this. but i have no problem killing the lights for 1-3 days prior to harvest. hell it gives me a little break to prepare for the massive amount of trimming i have in store for myself.

Also think of it this way.

When in veg, everytime the lights go out the plant starts producing "flowering hormones" of sorts. and each time the sun/light turns on prior to 12 hours of dark (roughly) those hormones are destroyed by the light. (not sure if uv is what does it)

And only after the hormones are allowed to be created to a point that the light wont break them down can the plant get the message to START FLOWERING!


Just one of those ways to make somewhat crazy sounding theories seem reasonable due to a similar happening within the same plant.

But like i said before im in no rush and came to enjoy those few days of not caring for my plants so i can focus on preparation for the daunting task ahead.

Thanks for the support!!! feel free to send me pms of your grows and what not.
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
No problem!

Ive seen the 12/1 schedule before. I knew it as the gas lantern method because you have a small cfl or even incandescent light turn on for that 1 hour.

Now when it comes to my lighting i do 18/6 and even 16/8 sometimes. Ive done 24/0 and 20/4 before but didnt like them. i felt like for some strains they grow to much vertically. i use 16/8 if i have a more sativa strain and it keeps em bushy! and they show preflowers earlier as well as knock about 5 days to a week off my flowering time.

But for more indica i keep it at 18/6 to stretch em out a bit.

one more thing, in the first link about 12/1 they say to use 24/0 for cloning. i would highly advise against this. i use 18/6 because they need the dark period to really grow roots and take in oxygen. also i do 18/6 becasue it is my veg time so it further helps to reduce shock to the clone.

Nice links!

Check out my journal below! the grape god ones finished and the kings kush is waiting to start! :hump:
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
I am getting a new grow tent this payday, so I will now be able to have babies in one and the almost/ready in the other, so I will be able to have the different light times...I am sooo excited plus I get my new ebb and flo type hydro for the new ones instead of the drip hydro...hope its easier to use lol...I keep having floods with the drip all it takes is accidently bumping one of the circles over the rim...sometimes they pop apart themselves then I get a swimming pool to clean up...not often now I know what mistakes not to make rofl...I am at this time also using the super cropping technique bending the stems without breaking the outer skin though I have two plants that are not that easy their stems seem to be more woody and not soft...I will try to get a close up vid of the difference sometime today...when the grands give me a break and go home lol....So where I have my bigger plants and my clones in the same tent (till payday) how would you suggest I do the lighting? I dont want to start my flowering until I get the babies out of the tent which will be a couple of more days...oh and also lollipopping I am trying that on one or two plants also...just to see what happens and how it works...gotta run ctch ya'll llater have a good day
american cannibis leaf1.jpg
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
I am getting a new grow tent this payday, so I will now be able to have babies in one and the almost/ready in the other, so I will be able to have the different light times...I am sooo excited plus I get my new ebb and flo type hydro for the new ones instead of the drip hydro...hope its easier to use lol...I keep having floods with the drip all it takes is accidently bumping one of the circles over the rim...sometimes they pop apart themselves then I get a swimming pool to clean up...not often now I know what mistakes not to make rofl...I am at this time also using the super cropping technique bending the stems without breaking the outer skin though I have two plants that are not that easy their stems seem to be more woody and not soft...I will try to get a close up vid of the difference sometime today...when the grands give me a break and go home lol....So where I have my bigger plants and my clones in the same tent (till payday) how would you suggest I do the lighting? I dont want to start my flowering until I get the babies out of the tent which will be a couple of more days...oh and also lollipopping I am trying that on one or two plants also...just to see what happens and how it works...gotta run ctch ya'll llater have a good day
View attachment 2389849
Thanks for the response again!

Ive always wanted to get an ebb and flow flood table with my air pots and soil. More for convenience because when you have 8-16 plants deep its hard to water everything butthe front row.

I have used lst before but the recent strain i ran was pretty woody so i didnt bother.

Also when it comes to the lighting i would run 18/6 until you want to flower but if you plan to flower as soon as you get the new tent id kick it back to 16/8 so they get a little jump start but it wont have ill effects on the clones.

What kind of set up do you have/will you have after the new tent? ie lights, fans, ac haha

ill have some pictures up on my new journal in about a week when i get back.
 

ilikecheetoes

Well-Known Member
my shit is crispy in 2.5 days in SoCal. no way it could go 9 days without tupperware.
I've been thinking of building a curing chamber with a hydrostat to turn on/off a humidifier.

I cut and trim and leave buds on stems. Put them in a hanging drying rack thing for a day or 2 depending on how long it all sat on my table waiting to be trimmed ;)
when i take them out of the drying rack i cut from stem and do a final cleanup trim of anything I missed.
Put it in tupperware.
burp daily. When I burp I open it all the way, sniff it alot, and fan the container with the lid like a madman for a few seconds. Reseal
I have to burp maybe 5 days everyday. THen Ill burp once a week maybe if I remember or its not all gone.
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
yea kind of dry and humid in SoCal isnt it?..I know it felt that way when I was in Cally, in washington we get a lot of rain, so it takes a bit longer to dry even hanging the only reason my first crop dried so quickly it was like in the 80s or so here for a week, (Missing the heat already lol)...what kind of drying rack thing are you useing, I just have an old wood clothes rack im using to hang mine over using the V in a branch...lol..why do you fan the container? just curious...hope you all are havin a good day... and ty for the info
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
my shit is crispy in 2.5 days in SoCal. no way it could go 9 days without tupperware.
I've been thinking of building a curing chamber with a hydrostat to turn on/off a humidifier.

I cut and trim and leave buds on stems. Put them in a hanging drying rack thing for a day or 2 depending on how long it all sat on my table waiting to be trimmed ;)
when i take them out of the drying rack i cut from stem and do a final cleanup trim of anything I missed.
Put it in tupperware.
burp daily. When I burp I open it all the way, sniff it alot, and fan the container with the lid like a madman for a few seconds. Reseal
I have to burp maybe 5 days everyday. THen Ill burp once a week maybe if I remember or its not all gone.

Idk its pretty dry up here in the north especially when fall starts

do you have your fans running 24/7? because that will dry them a little too fast then you have to cure them long to get the good taste and smell back.

if you take those few extra days to dry super slow you only have to cure for a few days instead of weeks.

You really dont have to cure at all with this method but maybe im just the only one to get lucky enough for it to work haha

also its about dialing in the right amount of on/off time to account for the humidity.

I just keep my thermometers and hygrometers in my tent and my a/c on if needed and monitor my temps. never over 75 or under 60 while drying. humidity stays at 45 but jumps to 60 while the fans are off

Good luck with your future harvests though!
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
Nice i just got one of those and a spinpro auto trimmer

last harvest we had almost a lb and harvested all at once so it took a solid few hours hunched over.

But if feel it especially if your in a wood type closet itd be super dry.
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
hey ilikesheetoes, thats a nice one, have you had any problems with your bud getting flat?...I wondered about using something like that, but on a shoe string budget I save to get what I want or need, makes it a slow process for me to get things going quickly...
and YaHoo, I got my Ebb and flow yesterday finally all set up and running by this afternoon, now im just workin on adjustments, im pretty smart putting things togeather, where tubes go, pumps how to set things but doggone if the time hasnt stumped me..im too used to everything digital and easy to use and set I guess....I couldnt find anything with a close up on exactly how to set the timer pulling out and pushing in those tiny lil tabs so for now I have every other 2 down and every other 2 up...now im just sitting back watching it and seeing how long it takes inbetween and rather to pull some more out or in...
That is unless someone could tell me exactly how many in and how many out lol...you know like make my life a tiny bit easier rofl...
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
hey ilikesheetoes, thats a nice one, have you had any problems with your bud getting flat?...I wondered about using something like that, but on a shoe string budget I save to get what I want or need, makes it a slow process for me to get things going quickly...
and YaHoo, I got my Ebb and flow yesterday finally all set up and running by this afternoon, now im just workin on adjustments, im pretty smart putting things togeather, where tubes go, pumps how to set things but doggone if the time hasnt stumped me..im too used to everything digital and easy to use and set I guess....I couldnt find anything with a close up on exactly how to set the timer pulling out and pushing in those tiny lil tabs so for now I have every other 2 down and every other 2 up...now im just sitting back watching it and seeing how long it takes inbetween and rather to pull some more out or in...
That is unless someone could tell me exactly how many in and how many out lol...you know like make my life a tiny bit easier rofl...

Each one represents 15 minutes if you couldnt already figure it out. but i think youd only want it on 15 minutes every hour or so.

What medium are you growing in? also youll probably need to adjust this the bigger they get.

Good luck! post some pictures sometime!
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
Sorry to say budbro...it seems that anything that requires numbers my mind tends to go very very blank believe me its irritating to me when I used to be able to figure things like this out...Constant pain tends to cause all kinds or be dumb for a min lol...I knew each was 15 min..what i meant was I didnt know how many 15 min to put down and how many up.. (or is it on and off?) I set the clock for 4 p.m. then I once I figured out which one turned on drain I started putting down 4 up 4 down 4 etc but it seemed to me like that was too long ? anyway I think I have it so it flows in every 15 min, and out for 15 min.. and im still not quite sure what the setting the time had to do with anything..They dont by chance have a ebb and flow instruction manual for dummies?...I know they do for everything else rofl ., im flowering will it make a difference in time? I am using those hydro clay thingys...they worked well on my last crop so I stuck to them....will post soon as I get my camera back from my daughter who borrowed it for halloween and forgot to return it..kids... ty for your reply appreciate any help I can get you have a good evening...night
 

ilikecheetoes

Well-Known Member
nah it doesnt flatten anything. If I had huge 12" + monster colas I might not use it but normal indoor bud you dont get any smashing or flattening.
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
Sorry to say budbro...it seems that anything that requires numbers my mind tends to go very very blank believe me its irritating to me when I used to be able to figure things like this out...Constant pain tends to cause all kinds or be dumb for a min lol...I knew each was 15 min..what i meant was I didnt know how many 15 min to put down and how many up.. (or is it on and off?) I set the clock for 4 p.m. then I once I figured out which one turned on drain I started putting down 4 up 4 down 4 etc but it seemed to me like that was too long ? anyway I think I have it so it flows in every 15 min, and out for 15 min.. and im still not quite sure what the setting the time had to do with anything..They dont by chance have a ebb and flow instruction manual for dummies?...I know they do for everything else rofl ., im flowering will it make a difference in time? I am using those hydro clay thingys...they worked well on my last crop so I stuck to them....will post soon as I get my camera back from my daughter who borrowed it for halloween and forgot to return it..kids... ty for your reply appreciate any help I can get you have a good evening...night

I feel ya im terrible with numbers too but usually only when it comes to money :wall:

Try gettin a digital timer? theyre only 10 bucks or so.

And yes if your using hydroton (clay balls) then you want a pretty frequent ebb and flow, but if you were using coco or a soilless mix id go with a less frequent flow so you allow the medium to dry out and the roots grow.

GOOD LUCK!
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
ok thanks I have finally figured the darn thing out took having to go to sleep and dream all darn night though rofl...I have it set for fill every half hour and empty every half hour then I guess I just watch a couple of days and see if there is any drooping?...or plants getting too soggy looking ? I sure wish they had made this legal when I was younger I would have a ton of more energy... Now my second problem, my son moved the plants for me, when he did he left the names , now I dont know which plant is which, I know the ATF cause it was the biggest, and a couple that were waiting for transplant still in their cups with their names, but the rest I dont know which plant the name belongs too I tried to find pictures to identify, which was which, all I found was identifying after its bud...any ideas on what to do? Fake it till I make it?...rofl...
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
ok thanks I have finally figured the darn thing out took having to go to sleep and dream all darn night though rofl...I have it set for fill every half hour and empty every half hour then I guess I just watch a couple of days and see if there is any drooping?...or plants getting too soggy looking ? I sure wish they had made this legal when I was younger I would have a ton of more energy... Now my second problem, my son moved the plants for me, when he did he left the names , now I dont know which plant is which, I know the ATF cause it was the biggest, and a couple that were waiting for transplant still in their cups with their names, but the rest I dont know which plant the name belongs too I tried to find pictures to identify, which was which, all I found was identifying after its bud...any ideas on what to do? Fake it till I make it?...rofl...

Hahahaha glad to hear you got it somewhat figured out.

And do you know the names you were given? because its hard to tell without an idea of what they could be.

if you post pictures of them and a list of the names i could help identify haha but no guarantees

And in the last 2 weeks of flowering youll be able to smell the difference haha
 

Totalyclipse

Active Member
ohhh yes I have the names and can get pics too as soon as I can turn the light off, with the light on they come out kind of orange looking, that would be great i will get that done asap thankyou so hows things going for you?
 
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