hi i hung all my bud up in my tent to dry 4 days ago but the seem to be drying too fast already as i have been struggling with my rh and high temps, they are very dry on the outside with a little moisture in the middle would putting them in brown paper bags for the last few days of drying be any help to me would that slow the drying process down or speed it up any advice is much appreciated
paper bags for last few days of drying???
- Thread starter griff95
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Billy the Mountain
Well-Known Member
Why start a third thread with the same question?
hows it the same question im asking if paper bags help with slowing down the drying process i didnt ask about paper bags in my last thread so what are you on about
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
Get an air conditioner? If you drop your temps down to 65 °F and keep the humidity above 50% you'll be golden. High temps are not a good thing ever with weed plants or weed products. Unless you're smoking it.. lol
chuckeye
Well-Known Member
The answer is paper bags will help a little bit ! But.....
When my hanging branches feel a bit crispy on the outside, I cut the buds off the branches and put them between a layer of shipping paper in a cardboard box. Hopefully at this point they will be in the high 60's.
When they are down to about 62% I transfer them into plastic containers and burp until they hit 58%.
Then I vacuum seal in 1 L mason jars and stored in a cool dark spot until needed. I also add a 58% moisture pack..
Cheers
calvin.m16
Well-Known Member
Box curing works but I feel like it can pull too much moisture from the buds compared to glass or plastic.
Friendly_Grower
Well-Known Member
I don't know the thread history but I've used Paper Bags out of necessity. No room to hang and dry.
I think they offer some control on drying.
They can be misted if the weed is drying too fast.
I'm actually needing to research proper curing.
While in Amsterdam I did sample weed that was cured under controlled conditions and it was superior to everything I called cured.
So I'd say paper bag will do. It isn't the very best. I sort of wish there was a machine that could dry and cure like the Dutch do.
I mean small scale for medical growers.
It would need to heat itself, cool itself, dehumidify and humidify itself all while keeping Oxygen levels low I believe..
It would be nice to know the green goes in and the best quality dry and cure happens under computer control.
I think they offer some control on drying.
They can be misted if the weed is drying too fast.
I'm actually needing to research proper curing.
While in Amsterdam I did sample weed that was cured under controlled conditions and it was superior to everything I called cured.
So I'd say paper bag will do. It isn't the very best. I sort of wish there was a machine that could dry and cure like the Dutch do.
I mean small scale for medical growers.
It would need to heat itself, cool itself, dehumidify and humidify itself all while keeping Oxygen levels low I believe..
It would be nice to know the green goes in and the best quality dry and cure happens under computer control.
chuckeye
Well-Known Member
I agree. But, the process is hang in dark, cut buds and place in cardboard box until low 60's and then transfer to plastic while the rh is still high enough to "cure".
As I understand it, the dark is necessary to break down the chlorophyll. Slow would be nice as apparently the half life of chlorophyll is two days.
Cheers
Lenin1917
Well-Known Member
What he said. Keep your harvest cool even if you’re paper bagging it you want it cool others your terpenes break down and then you got some flavorless trash that’s no fun to smoke.
0potato0
Well-Known Member
Friendly_Grower
Well-Known Member
What is a "58% moisture pack?"
I'm very interested in learning more about curing and storage.
Herb & Suds
Well-Known Member
First people need to learn to hang entire untrimmed plants
But if you already are experiencing too fast drying put the paper bags inside a black plastic garbage bag to hold in moisture
Open daily to check moisture level by feel as the slowly dry remove garbage bag
This isn’t the best way to dry put it will work if on a pinch
But if you already are experiencing too fast drying put the paper bags inside a black plastic garbage bag to hold in moisture
Open daily to check moisture level by feel as the slowly dry remove garbage bag
This isn’t the best way to dry put it will work if on a pinch
buckaclark
Well-Known Member
Search Boveda packs or Integra moisture control .Grove Bags.GL
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
I have the Integra Boost 62% packs...but I don't use them for dry or really 'cure' but for keeping humidity stability in my jars once things have settled down into that 58-62 range and have stopped changing.
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
I use paper bags with trimmed buds fresh off the plants. Double up the bags and keep in my cool, 50 - 60F, basement for up to 5 weeks, (tho 2 is usually enough), until weight loss is around 1g/day then into used tobacco cans to burp for another month. For the first while I dump the bags out into clean plant trays to air dry for a half hour each day until they don't form a big clump. Probably the most critical part so they don't end up mouldy and I have lost a few over the years when I slacked off.
Any plant material that goes dry will not 'cure' properly. The biological processes that break down the starches and chlorophyll stop once it dries. Wetting it doesn't start it up again, just makes it wet. Done right the buds have no green to them at all and the smoke is smooth and tasty. Really get the sweet smells too when you open up the can and take a whiff.
Now as I make most of my pot into oils I just trim off anything that doesn't have sugar on it and freeze it fresh for later processing into oils for edibles or topicals. Just a few primo colas get busted down to cure for smoke. Saves so much time and with my arthritis a lot of pain too.
From this . . .
To this . . . in 200 easy steps.
Any plant material that goes dry will not 'cure' properly. The biological processes that break down the starches and chlorophyll stop once it dries. Wetting it doesn't start it up again, just makes it wet. Done right the buds have no green to them at all and the smoke is smooth and tasty. Really get the sweet smells too when you open up the can and take a whiff.
Now as I make most of my pot into oils I just trim off anything that doesn't have sugar on it and freeze it fresh for later processing into oils for edibles or topicals. Just a few primo colas get busted down to cure for smoke. Saves so much time and with my arthritis a lot of pain too.
From this . . .
To this . . . in 200 easy steps.
Friendly_Grower
Well-Known Member
I am seeing "Jar sized humidity meters."
Are these worth it? Do people use them to keep watch on their jars?
All of these "Cure subjects" are a learning experience to me.
I only knew to paper bag, then Jar the buds with the venting a wee bit in the arid California Clime.
Illinois is a different mouse. California it is Green in the Winter Brown in the Spring. Illinois is brown in the Winter and Green in the Spring.
California Humidity is basically very low and Illinois humidity in spring/summer can be as much as 80% with spring being about 50%
Friendly_Grower
Well-Known Member
I sure want to get to that smooth professional cure level.I use paper bags with trimmed buds fresh off the plants. Double up the bags and keep in my cool, 50 - 60F, basement for up to 5 weeks, (tho 2 is usually enough), until weight loss is around 1g/day then into used tobacco cans to burp for another month. For the first while I dump the bags out into clean plant trays to air dry for a half hour each day until they don't form a big clump. Probably the most critical part so they don't end up mouldy and I have lost a few over the years when I slacked off.
Any plant material that goes dry will not 'cure' properly. The biological processes that break down the starches and chlorophyll stop once it dries. Wetting it doesn't start it up again, just makes it wet. Done right the buds have no green to them at all and the smoke is smooth and tasty. Really get the sweet smells too when you open up the can and take a whiff.
Now as I make most of my pot into oils I just trim off anything that doesn't have sugar on it and freeze it fresh for later processing into oils for edibles or topicals. Just a few primo colas get busted down to cure for smoke. Saves so much time and with my arthritis a lot of pain too.
From this . . .
View attachment 5120550
To this . . . in 200 easy steps.
View attachment 5120556
What a difference it made when I had the privilege to toke with folks in Amsterdam who grew and cured their own.
So you say paper bag and in the cool of a cellar perhaps.
What would you say the ambient humidity was?
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
The rh in the basement is around 30 - 45% and 50 - 60F or so but in the bags it's closer to 90+ especially at first when they are fresh. I'll dump them out twice a day for the first few days and gently pull any clumps apart so each bud is separate. They are fully trimmed when they go into the bags as well.
After a week or so I'll weigh them again and write that on the bag under the first wt then check it ever few days until it's only losing about a gram a day and still feeling fairly moist. Then I'll put them in my cans a little over half full and after the first day they can be one big mass again so get dumped out for a while each day like was done with the bags.
I've never used rh meters for curing and I don't like those Bovita packs. The pot always seems crumbly and too dry when I've used them. They can be used to maintain a 62% rh in your pot but not to dry really moist bud as they can only absorb so much before becoming saturated. Then they could be put in with some dry pot and moisten it tho. For keeping my on-hand but a bit moist I cut a 2" strip of paper towel, fold it up to 1/2" wide and tape it to the inside of the lids then can add a drop or two of water once in a while. Then the bud is not crumbly at all but can't easily be broken up for joints but I just take single hits out of my little pipe so snip some off with the scissors.
It's a fussy way of slow-drying to get a good cure and if you're not on top of it it can/will go mouldy so I suggest you try it with a portion of your crop the first time or two and see how you like it.
Good luck!
Popop
Well-Known Member
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It is highly appreciatedThe rh in the basement is around 30 - 45% and 50 - 60F or so but in the bags it's closer to 90+ especially at first when they are fresh. I'll dump them out twice a day for the first few days and gently pull any clumps apart so each bud is separate. They are fully trimmed when they go into the bags as well.
After a week or so I'll weigh them again and write that on the bag under the first wt then check it ever few days until it's only losing about a gram a day and still feeling fairly moist. Then I'll put them in my cans a little over half full and after the first day they can be one big mass again so get dumped out for a while each day like was done with the bags.
I've never used rh meters for curing and I don't like those Bovita packs. The pot always seems crumbly and too dry when I've used them. They can be used to maintain a 62% rh in your pot but not to dry really moist bud as they can only absorb so much before becoming saturated. Then they could be put in with some dry pot and moisten it tho. For keeping my on-hand but a bit moist I cut a 2" strip of paper towel, fold it up to 1/2" wide and tape it to the inside of the lids then can add a drop or two of water once in a while. Then the bud is not crumbly at all but can't easily be broken up for joints but I just take single hits out of my little pipe so snip some off with the scissors.
It's a fussy way of slow-drying to get a good cure and if you're not on top of it it can/will go mouldy so I suggest you try it with a portion of your crop the first time or two and see how you like it.
Good luck!
LeastExpectedGrower
Well-Known Member
A lot of us use them. They easily fit in the wide mouth quart sized canning jars. Once I've dried down and are moving on to the cure, I put one in each jar. At first I use it to see if I've pulled and dry-trimmed at the right time, then I use them for my 'burping' because its easy enough to see where things are at a quick glance, which is nice when you've got lots of jars.
...They do come in different quality levels. I know that some prefer the inkbird ones. I use cheapo ones from Amazon and buy a dozen or more at a time. Then I test them in a big ziploc bag with some salt/water solution/slurry for accuracy. Any that are more than a degree or two off, I pull, others I use.
Are they needed? No, but they make things pretty convenient. The Boost packs are also a convenience item...just keeping the jars' humidity in the 'zone' longer than otherwise.