New Grower Better buds be on the dry side or moist side?

[turtle360]

.....before going into curing?

I've worked hard so far. I think I have just one more crossroads requiring a judgment call. They're hanging, drying. I've seen 3 days, a week, 10 days. Till the stem snaps but bends. Before the stem snaps. Squeeze it and try to sense the moistness within. Again, without first hand experience it leaves alot to the imagination. I need something a little concrete if I can get it.

Do you think that if I get it in an early stage of snapping the buds cannot be too dry? Any other safety net ideas?

Right now it's been 3 days drying and it seems pretty moist still.

 

[AndyBotwin]

Unless you are in a very dry environment (20% humidity or lower), 3 days is probably not enough. I move them to the jar when the outside feels completely dry to the touch. Don't worry, the moisture from inside the bud will rehydrate the outside layer as it cures. How long that takes depends on the bud, the humidity of your drying area, the airflow around the buds, etc. I recently had three different strains drying in the same tent & all took a different number of days to be ready for curing.

Stems are not a concrete method, since there are different lengths and thicknesses, but mine usually bend with a sharp crease when ready for the curing stage. I don't see them cracking or snapping until I've had the bud in jars for a while and curing is well underway.

The only way to be sure is to use a calibrated hygrometer to check the humidity after putting buds in the jar. Over 70% and they need to dry another day or so. 65-70% you are close but need to burp the jars frequently in a dry, cool environment to avoid mold. Under 65% and you are in good shape to cure with just occasional burping of the jar. For extra insurance, add a 62% Boveda pack to the jar to help regulate the moisture. Unless the bud is way too wet, it should absorb excess moisture so you don't get mold.


Edit: A bit more info to address your question in the thread title. Too dry (under around 55%) and you can not recover and you will never get good flavor or aroma. Too wet and you can always dry further before curing but that is only if you are available to babysit the jars until you are in proper range. If not, you run the risk of mold which can make your entire harvest a complete loss. So if you have the time to manage the humidity and quickly get the buds out of the jar if they're too wet, err on the side of too moist. If you are not around as much and the bud may be unattended for long periods of time, err on the side of being too dry. Either way, the Boveda packs are a Godsend to new growers because they give you a big safety net as long as you can get your bud dried somewhere between 60-70%.

 

[Albert Eimstoned]

If you think it's dry put it into jars with a hygrometer. Take all the guesswork out. Shoot for 60-65% humidity. Any higher, leave it out in a bowl or something for 12 hours. Rejar and recheck the RH until you're good.

 

[hippy]

I do as andy does and it works great for me.

 

[turtle360]

Thanks for the replies. They're in a room at 45% RH, 75*.

I suppose to get a valid humidity reading of the jarred buds you need to have a bunch mostly filling the jar. In other words you can't just toss a trial bud or two in there. Plus at that point they're off the branch so if they need more drying you can't hang them anymore.

 

[Albert Eimstoned]

Correct. Trim the stems off (if they feel dry) and jar them. If they need further drying then put them in a large bowl for 12 hour intervals until your humidity is where you want it.

 

[turtle360]

If you think it's dry put it into jars with a hygrometer. Take all the guesswork out. Shoot for 60-65% humidity. Any higher, leave it out in a bowl or something for 12 hours. Rejar and recheck the RH until you're good.

I think it's sinking in. The process of burping them should continue until the humidity in the closed jars settles in at 60-65%. Then I can leave them jarred without having to open them anymore, more or less.

 

[Albert Eimstoned]

Exactly

 

[turtle360]

and, preparing the buds for jarring, we reduce the larger clusters and cola to smaller pieces for better curing or no matter?

 

[AndyBotwin]

and, preparing the buds for jarring, we reduce the larger clusters and cola to smaller pieces for better curing or no matter?

I've done both and not found a difference in quality either way. Since I use half gallon mason jars, I generally leave them on the stems to make it easier to grab the buds out of there without handling them too much. I have smaller jars for daily use so I'm not constantly opening my big storage jars and letting in more oxygen to degrade the THC. When I put some bud in those smaller jars, I trim it off the stem. If you are looking to get a quicker cure then removing the stems will help since any moisture they contain does not get introduced into the jar. But I have a large stash & I'm never in a hurry with my curing, so this is a non-issue for me. Other than small test buds, I don't dig into a harvest until it's been cured for at least 30 days, usually longer. At that point the stems have zero moisture anyway and only serve as handles.

Here is a picture of a plant I have curing right now - it went into the half gallon jars just like this. Not a ton of stem left on there but just enough to grab onto: