Drying and curing set up.

[Smoking Frog]

Ok.Seems like i forgot that one day would be time to harvest! My first ever plant is ready to be chop after 76 days!
Just don't know where in the house to dry and cure.My tent (with 2 more plants not ready to harvest) is in an unoccupied bedroom and i just bought a second tent for 10 days old seedlings.
Thinking of leaving seedlings with older plants and use the second tent to dry but not sure what would be best.Is drying\curing in a cardbox a good idea? Thinking of connecting the box to the tent with a flexible 4'' so that the tent extractor fan would be pulling air through the box and scrub the odors at the same time...
Plese educate me on drying set up!
Got 2 2x4 tent and 2 4'' fans with filters.One plant is finish and 2 more will be ready within 10 days and 3 10 days seedlings to take care of.
How would you set up?
Thanks!
Smoking Frog

 

[Arthur]

This really is more about your environment than anything else. Temps and rH. I dry in a spare room that stays pretty constant @75* and 60% . I full plant hang, after stripping the water leaves. Takes about 7 to 8 days before ready to jar.

A spare tent makes a great drying area, I've used cardboard boxes when I have low rH to deal with, helps slow the dry down. It's really more about a space that you can control the temp & rH, and obviously, be out of the way, and out of sight.

 

[Jean-O]

Are u planning on hanging the plant hole to dry then dry trim or you wet trimmimg n hanging buds ? Lots of debate on how to dry n cure. The way i do it changes depending on the situation. I usually will dry in the dark my water heater room works well for me. I put a small fan to circulate the air but not pointed straight at the flowers. I usually will dry in 4 to 5 days which is quick but ive never noticed any loss in flavor or smell. That said ive dried buds right over my bed in the light in a paper bag in a cardboard box outside in the sun. Ive pointed fans right at the flower n dried in 2 days. Just dont put it in the oven or a dehydrator n u should b fine. Curring in a glass jar with boveda humidity controll packs for 2 to 3 weeks is where i notice an increase in aroma n flavor. If u have a dark place to dry around 70 degrees F at 50% RH and can circulate the air n have the dry take 7 to 10 days then cure burping the jars for 15 minutes 3 times a day for 2 weeks that is a proper procedure for dry n cure as far as i know. Hope something in this helps.

 

[Smoking Frog]

Thanks @Arthur!
Could use the tent but i would have to put seedlings with the big girls for a while.I think they like higher rh and the finishing plants lower rh ?
Room is stable around 55% rh and a big desumidifier running steady.Tent with finishing plants is at 45-47% rh.with small Vivosun desumidifier.
Too low for the seedlings?
Main goal for me is not to scrap my first ever harvest!
Thanks!

 

[Smoking Frog]

@Jc420bigbud
Yes it he to help me deciding on what to do! Forgot to mention that my set up got to be odorless cause i'm hosting Christmas dinner this year but nobody gonna actually enter the growing- drying room...

Planning to hang branches only with dry trimming for a slow cure...Make sense?

 

[Arthur]

50ish is fine, yes seedlings like higher rH, but I've run starts under a canopy of flowering girls. Not optimal, but not too bad either. Its usually a little more humid down around the pots of the flowering plants as well. Now is definitely the time to get out the A game. Old rule of thumb was 60/60 for the best dry. Anything under 50% and I'm trying to slow it down, using paper bags, boxes etc.

 

[Arthur]

Put some of this by the door leading in, it'll help.

Scented candles, holiday popuree... many of us have been here!

 

[Smoking Frog]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Very informative and good call about the Holydays scented candles!

 

[Stooby snacks]

Personally i would make a kite string grid inside the unused tent, and pull the air from that tent to the scrubber. The way i chop down i make hangers on each branch so transfer from plant to string, string to bag is painless.
Im afraid if you pull the air from a drying cardbox it will be too much air flow.
Long as there is negative pressure at the door, noone will be the wiser.
So thats my process;
Plant to kite string 5-7 days
String to bag for sweat back 24-48 hours
Buck down from stem (at this stage it can be stored in a plastic bag with boveda until the time comes when you can trim) and bag back up.
Trim
Jar up

 

[Stooby snacks]

Personally i would make a kite string grid inside the unused tent, and pull the air from that tent to the scrubber. The way i chop down i make hangers on each branch so transfer from plant to string, string to bag is painless.
Im afraid if you pull the air from a drying cardbox it will be too much air flow.
Long as there is negative pressure at the door, noone will be the wiser.
So thats my process;
Plant to kite string 5-7 days
String to bag for sweat back 24-48 hours
Buck down from stem (at this stage it can be stored in a plastic bag with boveda until the time comes when you can trim) and bag back up.
Trim
Jar up

Oh and i never snip wet, uncured leaves. That spreads unwanted juices that havent yet turned yo sugars.

Happy growing!