How should i dry and cure my buds

[sebastian556911]

Hi so ive been having some trouble getting a straight answer off the internet but here's the deal

So i want to dry drying my buds hung up in a card board box in semi direct sunlight and then cure them for 3 weeks

i've heard that drying in sunlight makes bud taste less... Good... i guess so im hoping a long cure will help out with taste... What do you think?

[SukonmiSkunk]

what i do to dry is, cut the buds in lengths down to where the its mature.. usually about 40-45cms long.. then i strip the leaves off(can be done when dried) then i hang them on a wire coathanger, or clothes rack, on the last node.(kind of just hook it on the wire.

the buds are dry when the stalk snaps.

then i cut the buds off the stalk keeping the main bud as full as possible(trim off till it all joins together at the top)

then i use maccona coffee jars (theyre airtight) to store the buds in.

the stalks MUST snap, otherwise the buds are still holding too much moisture and can or probably will go moldy. I fill the jar as tight as possible with as few air gaps as possible, but not jamming it in there..

2-4 weeks is usually enough for the "green" taste to dissapear but around 10-12 weeks for a real nice cure.

also pays once a week to take them out of the jar and repack them.. check for mold..

if the stalks snap you shouldnt get any mold at all

drying in sunlight will kill the THC

so you need a dark cool place with maybe a little fan blowing gently around to keep air moving, drying should take around 5-7 days give or take..

[sebastian556911]

This is really great, I really want to dry outside, My buddy gave me some white dream once that he dried out in the sun for a few days and i dont think he cured, the bud got me very stoned the tast was a little on the chemical spice side but it was good

what if i were to dry outside but not in direct sunlight?

[SukonmiSkunk]

light kills THC, especially UV light

i wouldnt recommend it

[sebastian556911]

What if i were to hang up the bud in a cardboard box but have a blanket placed over it, then cut 2 holes in either side of box for ventilation, surelly this would work because im giving the bud a dark warm place to dry with ventilation

[TheOne]

Have a look at some of the Strain Hunters expeditions and you can get a good look at what bud looks like when it's dried outdoor.

It's rarely a beautiful scene, but seem like it works if that what you wanna do.

You want a dark cool place, rather than a dark warm place.

Doesn't have to be pitch black at all times, just needs to be dark with no direct light.

Maybe having a totally dark place will be better, but you'll be fine as long as it's not a bright spot.

Bing or Scoogle search for a wardrobe box. It's just a giant cardboard box with a closet rod, for transporting your clothing in a move.

Get a small PC fan and rig it up in the bottom of the box blowing air across the bottom. Never directly on buds. But vent the bottom of the box.

If you have the fan directly on the buds, or too much air in your box, the buds will dry too fast and smell like grass/hay, and they'll STAY THAT WAY. No curing it out.

So take care for that.

You have to watch humidity too and make sure it doesn't get too high if you choose to just use a box.

If it gets too high, you get bud mold. I lost about 20g of Super Lemon Haze in April because I put it in the jar too soon.

My lesson learned is always throughly dry the bud, but NEVER attempt to do so too fast.

Slower is better.

Take a bottom nug early and dry it first for some practice

If the humidity in your room is low enough and the temps are cool enough, they'll be fine in your box with a blanket

For example, the temp in my bedroom are usually 70 and the humidity is 45% max, so I can do the box and a blanket thing if I wanted to.

The smell is CRAZY tho. Not so much the first day or two always, but it picks up more and more, so if you need to be secretive, you need an odor control solution, like Ona Gel, air purifiers, and everything else you can use. IT STINKS!

As far the the cure, there's no exact way. Most important thing is that the buds are totally dry before you start to try and cure them.

You'll be amazed at how much moisture returns to your buds just 12 hours after being in the jar.

Some say burp the buds every twelve hours, some say do it more often.

The thing is keeping this humidity in the jar not too high, but not too low.

Too high mold, to low they stop curing. Burping the jars helps balance that.

This website right here is where you can make your living

http://www.bovedainc.../store/tobacco/

Humidipaks & Hygrometers in your jars equals accuracy when you cure. So the word is

[VaporNation]

Sounds dangerous

light kills THC, especially UV light

i wouldnt recommend it

[gonzosghost]

Hi dude

I think I've done more reading on this subject than I have on the growing side of things, lol Here's what I do....

1. Take off fan leaves (days before you chop if your dry area is humid

2. Take most other leaves with no trichromes and cut the plant at the base, first thing in the morning

3. Hang the whole plant in COMPLETE DARKNESS with a humidity range of 45-55%, if you have a big plant then chop it in half and hang it separately, you don't want the buds to be touching too much. If it's too humid keep the air moving with a fan (never point directly at the plants). If it's too arid then you want as little air movement as possible to slow the drying. The goal is to have it dry as slow as possible without mold growing

4. When the buds feel crisp to the touch (top bud will be dryer first then the lower ones in a day or 2) take the whole plant and place in a cardboard box You don't have to wait until the stem snaps because it's going in a box Leave it there for a few days and keep checking it to see how the buds get a bit spongy over time If it feels really damp then take it back out and hang. If it's just slowly crisping further then you can effectively leave it there for months I leave it for a few days depending on bud size and density

5. Take out the box and dry trim all remaining leaves off. This can be tedious but worth it as Franco says "the taste is better" when you dry trim

6. Place trimmed buds in a jar or vacuum sealed bag, open daily for 15mins and let air get around the buds The longer you leave the bag open the quicker the buds cure (with a slight loss of smell). Again, quick is not a word used when drying and curing so I open for short periods. If the buds feel too damp take out for a bit longer, you don't want mold The goal HERE is to release as little moisture as possible everyday without mold starting

I have found many ways to do it and this is what works for me I would do it differently if I had better facilities and more weed There are no best ways to do this but there are certainly wrong ways It does have a lot to do with the weed, if it's a really smelly phenotype then it's easy to cure without losing smell If its a less stinky pheno or a strain with a more delicate aroma then it can be lost in the process if done too quick

I don't claim to know all about this, it's like an art Everyone has their own way and im sure you'll find yours my friend

Take care and happy smoking

[TheOne]

^^^Very good stuff G

Have you ever damaged or reduced the quality of a harvest by not drying it in a totally dark space?

My last run I didn't have it totally dark, as I was in and outta there often, and I can't say for sure if it hurt or helped lol.

I notice co have the complete darkness in caps so that's why I ask!

Cheers brother man

[TheOne]

Also, you even done the pre-harvesting thing? Pulling all the fans a few days before harvest?!

I saw it here in a tip from Franco, and am gonna try it this run

[gonzosghost]

Yeah, "COMPLETE" was a bit strong, lol You can go in and out and look at them etc but prolonged light is bad

I heard years ago from a great growing friend that if you let light get back on the buds then it promotes the live material to start growing again thus creating a cabbage smell. I do go in and check them also but I try to keep light to a minimum I used to have a really leaky dry room for light, it was never totally dark and the buds turned out fine

[gonzosghost]

I try not to pre-trim days before because it's only purpose is to make drying a bit quicker and as we all know, drying should be done as slow as possible ....but again, each to their own

[TheOne]

Nice I thought the purpose might be to force the plant to pull some reserves from the bud leaves so to speak.

But I totally see eye 2 eye with you bro. Just picking your mind to see how you think about things ya know

[gonzosghost]

That's not too far from the truth dude

Leaving on the bud leaves (sweet leaf) for the hanging and drying does draw the goodness from the leaves into the buds. Im pretty sure the plant tries to keep the flowers alive by feeding the moisture from the leaves to the bud, I suppose it's a bit like how your body sends blood to the organs and out of the limbs when your in shock There are natural sugar reserves in the leaves around the bud and it contributes to a great tasting nug

If you mean leaving the fan and other non-resinous leaves on then that's mainly just for slowing down the drying process. The more greenery you leave on, the longer it will take to dry Which is good if not too overcrowded with leaves as it's hanging, again for molds sake

I am rambling now I think, lol Got more amnesia haze and it really does the job, will have to smoke some LA Cheese to get some sleep tonight I could talk about drying and curing till the end of life itself, lol

[sebastian556911]

This is awesome advice guys

so im going to dry outside with the boxes and strings someone said it would smell really strong... well my question is. How far will it smell from.