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Hey there Cannabis Community! I would like to share this post on Drying and Curing of Cannabis flowers because I feel that this is one of the most important parts in cultivation. Time and time I've come across flowers that could have been top shelf quality, but the grower neglected this aspect and the flowers became degraded in quality. Growing Cannabis is an extremely time consuming effort- especially if grown indoors. So why would many growers go through all the time, effort, paranoia (depending on state laws), and cost to grow this amazing plant only to let go at the most crucial point in terms of quality of your harvest: drying and curing. These two factors are what are ultimately responsible for that loud aroma and amazing taste.
There have been so many myths regarding this process and I feel this absolutely makes a difference in the quality of flowers seen in dispensaries across California and other legal states. There or other reasons why the quality is lacking of flower in legal states and beyond but that would be for a completely different article.
Common Practices with Negative Impact
- Guaging dryness on when you pinch the stem and it "snaps"
- Lower Relative Humidity (RH) in order to increase drying process
- Adding a moist paper towel inside curing jar
- Curing for a maximum of 1 week or less
The above are a few examples of what I have seen that ruin crops in terms of quality. One thing to note: I understand all growers have their own "tried and true" methods so please do not take this article as fact. This is just what I've seen and what I practice in order to get top notch flower quality and would only like for others in need of help to be able to reference.
So, back to it!
For #1 above: One of the most common issues with drying Cannabis is that the flowers actually get too dry. A friend once told me, "Hang your buds upside down and once you bend the stem and it snaps or makes a snapping sound- it's done!" I definitely took this advice only to be very disappointed with the result: a beautiful flower covered in trichomes but completely dry. You could not even handle it without bits and pieces of it breaking off. When broken up and placed into a bowl it only lasted a few hits and then disappeared. You see, this may have worked for him because maybe he grew an extremely dense Indica dominant hybrid and the internal moisture was perfect by the time the stems snapped- so really the idea of stem "snap" is not a general indicator! Bud density is the main factor in this! Airy or fluffy buds tend to dry much faster then dense buds.
For #2 above: Do not lower your RH levels below 30%! I have seen before people mentioning to lower your RH to speed up the drying process. Drying too quick will take away from taste and will get you into the problem right above- too dry!
For #3 above: The reason this idea can get thrown around is probably because they used the above two methods to dry, and now their flowers are too dry and they want to get moisture back. Once again, too dry already lowered the quality of the flowers, and now adding moisture back in generally takes away from smell. All is not lost if you had to add moist paper towels to add a bit of moisture, but do not look at it as a positive method- it is for an emergency re-hydration in case your flowers got way too dry.
For #4 above: Oh man, this is the one that takes the cake. You tended your plants for 7-11 weeks and now you're only willing to cure your plants for 1 week? You must have patience. So many local growers have told me they only cure for a few days to a week to get that "dank" smell. This is a common practice by many large operations in order to quicken their turn around time of profits... but if you are a grower that is concerned with quality then this step cannot be hurried. 3 weeks should be the minimum if you truly want to see the potential of your flower. What's the point in looking at that beautiful nug dusted in trichomes and trimmed to perfection but doesn't smell or taste like anything? Once again, you were already patient enough to wait 2+ months in the flowering process alone so another month in a jar in your closet shouldn't be difficult. It's not hard... think of it like all of your crypto-currencies.... HODL!
This is my general method (remember, every crop is different so ultimately you need to pay attention to your plants!)
Equipment: Hygrometer to see Temperature and Humidity, fan(s) (size depending on how much space you are drying in), Humidifier or De-humidifier.
I generally grow in grow tents such as Secret Jardin because it's the easiest way for me to keep smell and outside elements at bay. Once flowering is over I clear the tent and add clothes hangers though out.
I cut the base of the the stalk and then remove all large fan leaves.
I then divide the plant- usually i'll leave 3 nodes per cut on each division. The node is the section that the branch is attached to and the branch is where your flowers are. The top bud is usually the largest, so I will normally only cut one node below the main bud.
Cutting flowers this way makes it very convenient to now hang in your available space. Hang the buds upside down and space them out accordingly. Do not let them touch! Now from here the hanging flowers don't see light until I come in to check on them daily. I should also add that the reason I like to keep my flowers in the dark is because chlorophyll dissipates quickly in darkness (chlorophyll is responsible for that disgusting grassy taste).
Look at your hygrometer and make sure your RH is in the right range- for me that range is ~45%. Then look at your temperature. The hotter the room the quicker it will dry, and the colder the room the slower it will dry. Ideal room temperature is 70F. Luckily the room I use is always in my ideal RH range so I don not have to use a humidifier or de-humidifier. Depending on your situation you may need one.
I add a fan (16" fan in my situation) below all the hanging buds and keep it on a medium air setting and have it oscillate at the base of the tent. this keeps airflow in the tent with the flowers while not blowing air directly on buds (this will dry them too fast and unevenly). I know it's just right airflow when all the buds are slightly rocking back and forth without touching each other.
Check in daily on the progress (this stage usually last anywhere from 6-12 days depending on many factors: size, amount, space airflow, RH, temperature... so make sure you pay attention to your flowers). Check your flowers by feeling them. Do not handle them roughly, but gently squeeze them to feel the moisture content. You want to wait for that moment when they feel nearly dry on the outside and as you gently squeeze you begin to feel the internal moisture. It is truly something that you will have to experience to actually know. You do not want to wait for the flowers to be bone dry and flakey. It may be hard to visualize but I look for 20% moisture in my flowers when I feel they are done drying.
Now that your flowers are dry, it's time to finish the trimming process. Trim all the small secondary leaves off and save these for production of other Cannabis products such as hash, wax, butter, etc. Snip the buds off of their branches and downsize some of the larger buds.
Now it's time to cure after the drying process! You will need mason jars of varying sizes depending on the size of your harvest. I always use glass because it does not leach anything into your flower. Gently place your flowers into the jar and do not pack them in to be able to fit them all. Let them have room so that there are space for air pockets. Place your jars in a cool, dark place.
Once you add your flowers into the jars you will notice after a day that they have re-hydrated a bit. This is normal due to their internal moisture content. Twice everyday you will open your jars to "burp" them. This process lets CO2 out of the jar and helps with taste and smell. Moisture escapes during this process. I generally gently empty the jar and place the flowers that were on top of the jar now on the bottom, and the flowers that were on the bottom now on top. I do this so that everything is even. Leave the jar open for 10-15 minutes. I tend to do this once in the morning and once at night.
I do most of the burping process in the first two weeks. Usually after two weeks I burp them for 5 minutes and only do this once a day. Feel your buds- are you happy with the moisture content? its always better to be a bit more moist then too dry. You can make a moist flower less moist easily but it will be harder to re-hydrate a dry flower.
You will begin to notice different aromas after 2 weeks generally. It all depends on the strain but a plant that smelled of pineapple and oranges while in week 8 of flower can now smell like rotting fruit and cacao after the curing process. You will be amazed what a bit of patience can add to your crop!
- In case you have an emergency and your flowers do get too dry then I would highly recommend Boveda packs. I do not work for them but I have definitely used their humidity packs and they have worked great for me. No one is perfect and I have definitely over dried my flowers before and I feel that Boveda packs are far better then moist paper towels. You can use them to keep the RH at a certain level within the jar and they are convenient.
Cannabis is like a fine wine- the more time you give it to mature the more complex it will become. Always have patience with your plants and always handle them gently. Growing Cannabis is a very personal experience because all of our environments will be generally different. The strains we grow will be different (even if we grow the same strain the Phenotypes will be different unless we have the same clone) and that will further add to the differences of everyone's grow. Overall everyone will learn from their environment and grow accordingly to how it ultimately works for them.
Keep growing and enjoy! Thanks to all who took the time to read!
TL:DR
You gotta be patient!