Some help with drying/curing

[Delps8]

I chopped the GSC yesterday and sealed her in my makeshift dry box. Hygrometer is reading 42% which is obviously not gonna work. Gonna pull her out and chop her down and put her in paper bags. How long should i let her go in the bags?

Heh, I'm in the same boat as you.

I'm going to be chopping a Gelato auto that grew dozens of very wispy stems. The humidity here (SoCal) will be in the single digits at times for the next week so I going to end up in bags, too.

My thoughts - paper bags will significantly slow the drying process, perhaps double it. Dunno, but that's the timeframe that I'm thinking. My first check will be after two days and then I'll use a wood moisture meter to get a solid number.

Just my thoughts. Real life experience trumps that, of course.

 

[CannabisMingus]

How long should i let her go in the bags?

One alternative to the moisture meter is to put a few buds in a small mason jar w/ hygrometer. Once I am getting 63-65% I put them in grove bags (or whatever your cure methodology is). IMHO, YMMV, etc.

 

[2budz]

One alternative to the moisture meter is to put a few buds in a small mason jar w/ hygrometer. Once I am getting 63-65% I put them in grove bags (or whatever your cure methodology is). IMHO, YMMV, etc.

My main thing is I just don’t want to over dry them. There’s no coming back. If I under dry them at least I still have options to get them where they need to be.

 

[CannabisMingus]

There’s no coming back.

True that you will lose some terpenes if overdried (but probably not all) - but the bud can be easily rehydrated with a Boost, etc. pack in a mason jar.

 

[2budz]

True that you will lose some terpenes if overdried (but probably not all) - but the bud can be easily rehydrated with a Boost, etc. pack in a mason jar.

I have some overdried buds in a jar right now. I put some fan leaves in to get some moisture back in. There at 64% rh now after like 10 days. Doesn’t smell like hay anymore just no smell. Until I put it in my grinder. Smells like chemicals and black pepper. And actually gets quite sticky and smokes surprisingly well. I just want my buds to smell dank lol hopefully that’s not to much to ask.

 

[CannabisMingus]

Smells like chemicals and black pepper.

Sounds like you are off to good start!

 

[DankDoctor420]

Hay smell means you jarred your buds too early. Buds should snap off before jarring and main stems should snap but not break in half.

 

[DankDoctor420]

Get a cheap wood moisture meter. Can test the dryness and master the art with ease. I jar and don't burp if buds are between 10 and 12 percent moisture content. I start sweating buds at 14 to 15 percent moisture content in paper bags for a day or 2 before curing. Don't want moisture in the middle of the buds or you'll get hay. Sweating before curing is crucial to keeping your buds smelling dank. If you over dry your buds you will still smell dank. If you under dry and jar too early you will get hay every time. It should smell dank going in the jar and smell dank during the cure. You shouldn't lose the dank smell or you did something wrong. Slow dry and cure for best results. Whole plant hang. Optimal temp is 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 68 degrees Fahrenheit to preserve terpenes. Humidity should be between 50 and 60 with 60 percent optimal for a slow dry.

 

[2budz]

Get a cheap wood moisture meter. Can test the dryness and master the art with ease. I jar and don't burp if buds are between 10 and 12 percent moisture content. I start sweating buds at 14 to 15 percent moisture content in paper bags for a day or 2 before curing. Don't want moisture in the middle of the buds or you'll get hay. Sweating before curing is crucial to keeping your buds smelling dank. If you over dry your buds you will still smell dank. If you under dry and jar too early you will get hay every time. It should smell dank going in the jar and smell dank during the cure. You shouldn't lose the dank smell or you did something wrong. Slow dry and cure for best results. Whole plant hang. Optimal temp is 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 68 degrees Fahrenheit to preserve terpenes. Humidity should be between 50 and 60 with 60 percent optimal for a slow dry.

When you guys say “sweating buds” what does that mean?

 

[DankDoctor420]

When you guys say “sweating buds” what does that mean?

Putting buds in a paper bag. Folding the top to try to seal it so it's air tight as you can get it. Then leave it for a day to 2 days. The paper bag will help pull the moisture from the center of the buds outwards evenly drying the buds. After the buds are dry there is still moisture inside you want to get out. Too much moisture equals hay or even worse moldy weed or powder mildew if you leave too much moisture in the buds and then seal them in a jar.