DankDoctor420
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So I decided to write this for new growers or growers trying to improve the process of drying and curing. Drying and curing breaks down cholorophyll and makes for a smooth pleasureable experience by pulling the moisture from the center of the bud outwards. This process should be done in the dark as light will degrade the process. You can turn a light on to check on them of course. The longer you dry and cure the better your weed will be with proper environment being considered. Too long of a dry and cure and improper environment you risk mold or mildew. Fresh harvested weed can be harsh to smoke which is why we dry and cure our buds. The wetter a bud is the harsher it will be, but if you over dry you lose out on the curing process all together cuz you need just the right amount of moisture to complete the curing proces. Drying and curing is the most important part of growing in my opinion. If you mess up here all your hard work and months of growing can be for some mid to low grade buds or none at all if it molds or mildews. Allot of old information about the process on the internet is not accurate as to what we now know in 2022. Terpenes begin to degrade past 68 degrees Fahrenheit but most terpenes wont degrade until 100 degrees F.
To dry:
The way I was taught was to cut each branch off and trim and then hang dry. Now adays I dont do that. I do the whole plant hang. I do NOT remove any fan leaves or leaves with trichomes (sugar leaves). Hang plant between 60 degrees F to 70 degrees F. The cooler the dry area the better the terps will be preserved and the slower the dry will go. Id say over 75 degrees F you may want to consider a air conditioner. I aim for 50 to 60 percent humidity but im really trying to keep it at that 60 percent rh as you would in the curing stage. This allows for the plants to dry slower as well. A slow dry helps break down chlorophyll which makes buds harsh after harvest and it will help kick start the curing process. A wood moisture meter is cheap and will help you identify how much moisture content is on the flower. 10 to 12 percent moisture content in the buds is ideal to begin the curing. At this moisture content buds will not mold. The next step before curing will be sweating. Cut your plant/plants into smaller branches and place in paper bag up to 3/4 of the way full. Sleeve another paper bag over it. Open bag in 12 to 15 hours and feel buds. flip bag over and do the same for another 12 to 15 hours. If buds dont feel wet after this then continue trimming. if buds feel wet continue sweating until dry to the touch but still spring back when you squeeze a bud. If there is no spring in the bud and it crumbles you have gone too far on the dry.
Curing: The old way was turkey bags, 5 gallon food safe buckets, paper bags, tubs or totes, or good old mason jars. Now in 2022 we know that oxygen degrades terpenes. Every time you burp your jar or whatever you use to cure you are degrading terpenes. With that said the new way is Grove Bags. Once you sweated your buds trim them and place them in Grove Bags for best curing results. Heat sealing your grove bags with a heat sealer or hair straightener or clothes iron will stop oxygen from degrading your terps. They are proven to cure better than any other method as long as you do it right. You should use and monitor with a mini hygrometer or hygrometer a few days before you heat seal. You dont want to heat seal buds if the relative humidity inside the bags is above 62 rh. if its above 62 rh leave the bags open twice a day for 30 mins each time until its stable at 62rh or below for 48 to 72 hours. Then you heat seal fod the minimim of 3 weeks or if you want to bring out the fullest terps and best tasting buds you can get cure them for 6 months.
Any questions or commemts feel free to add how you are succesful at drying and curing. This process can be the hardest part for a new grower. There are many ways to do it. If you agree or disagree feel free to comment. This is just the best way I learned with the newest data compiled off the internet. I learned from Growers Network/ Canna Cribs, Jungle Boys, Jeremy from Build a Soil, and Kyle Kushman and lots of trial and error and from the knowledge of the respected growers i mentioned above.
To dry:
The way I was taught was to cut each branch off and trim and then hang dry. Now adays I dont do that. I do the whole plant hang. I do NOT remove any fan leaves or leaves with trichomes (sugar leaves). Hang plant between 60 degrees F to 70 degrees F. The cooler the dry area the better the terps will be preserved and the slower the dry will go. Id say over 75 degrees F you may want to consider a air conditioner. I aim for 50 to 60 percent humidity but im really trying to keep it at that 60 percent rh as you would in the curing stage. This allows for the plants to dry slower as well. A slow dry helps break down chlorophyll which makes buds harsh after harvest and it will help kick start the curing process. A wood moisture meter is cheap and will help you identify how much moisture content is on the flower. 10 to 12 percent moisture content in the buds is ideal to begin the curing. At this moisture content buds will not mold. The next step before curing will be sweating. Cut your plant/plants into smaller branches and place in paper bag up to 3/4 of the way full. Sleeve another paper bag over it. Open bag in 12 to 15 hours and feel buds. flip bag over and do the same for another 12 to 15 hours. If buds dont feel wet after this then continue trimming. if buds feel wet continue sweating until dry to the touch but still spring back when you squeeze a bud. If there is no spring in the bud and it crumbles you have gone too far on the dry.
Curing: The old way was turkey bags, 5 gallon food safe buckets, paper bags, tubs or totes, or good old mason jars. Now in 2022 we know that oxygen degrades terpenes. Every time you burp your jar or whatever you use to cure you are degrading terpenes. With that said the new way is Grove Bags. Once you sweated your buds trim them and place them in Grove Bags for best curing results. Heat sealing your grove bags with a heat sealer or hair straightener or clothes iron will stop oxygen from degrading your terps. They are proven to cure better than any other method as long as you do it right. You should use and monitor with a mini hygrometer or hygrometer a few days before you heat seal. You dont want to heat seal buds if the relative humidity inside the bags is above 62 rh. if its above 62 rh leave the bags open twice a day for 30 mins each time until its stable at 62rh or below for 48 to 72 hours. Then you heat seal fod the minimim of 3 weeks or if you want to bring out the fullest terps and best tasting buds you can get cure them for 6 months.
Any questions or commemts feel free to add how you are succesful at drying and curing. This process can be the hardest part for a new grower. There are many ways to do it. If you agree or disagree feel free to comment. This is just the best way I learned with the newest data compiled off the internet. I learned from Growers Network/ Canna Cribs, Jungle Boys, Jeremy from Build a Soil, and Kyle Kushman and lots of trial and error and from the knowledge of the respected growers i mentioned above.
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