Curing but have to go out of town for 4 days

[BIGJIM3]

I have 4 plants. 1 was ready before the others and I had to harvest her last thursday. The other 3 I will harvest right before I leave and they can hang while I am gone. I am thinking about leaving the jars open for a day before I leave and hope everything will be ok when I return. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[jrinlv]

Be careful, mold will ruin your crop and it can be deadly if inhaled (maybe you would not see a small amount on or in a nug). How dry are you buds now? >>Good luck JR


OK OK maybe not deadly but can cause all sorts of problems depending on what type of spores they are.

 

[Johnnyorganic]

I would leave the jars at least partly open the entire time you plan to be gone. The exposure may dry them out more than you are comfortable with, but it should not mold.

Once back you can seal the jars and the buds will moisten up again.

 

[BIGJIM3]

Not very dry atm. They were crisp when they went into the jars but after a couple of days they are damp. Not wet but damp. Burping twice a day for 30 min.

 

[probo24]

Keep the lid off or cracked.
You can rehydrate dry buds.
If they're wet and get moldy, you lose em.

 

[BIGJIM3]

Thanks all for your valued input. I will leave my lids cracked while I am away and re-hydrate if necessary. First grow so wasn't sure.

 

[tnrtinr]

How about one of those things that comes in pill boxes? The little silicon things? I would assume that it would take any excess air out of the jar. Certainly it would work well for 4 days.

 

[synonymous]

You can always try to re-hydrate. You cannot, however de-mold already moldy buds. Play it safe and leave it open while you're gone.

I know you're already heading that route, but I thought I'd emphasize.

Happing curing.

 

[probo24]

How about one of those things that comes in pill boxes? The little silicon things? I would assume that it would take any excess air out of the jar. Certainly it would work well for 4 days.

I was just wondering the same thing.
I think you mean excess water though right?

 

[tnrtinr]

I was just wondering the same thing.
I think you mean excess water though right?

Yes, that is what I meant.

The silica gel packs that come in vitamin jars are pretty small yet they can absorb 40% of their weight in water. Depending on the size of the jar it may take a couple. Either way it should capture the excess moisture that would cause mold.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question206.htm

 

[BIGJIM3]

Yes, that is what I meant.

The silica gel packs that come in vitamin jars are pretty small yet they can absorb 40% of their weight in water. Depending on the size of the jar it may take a couple. Either way it should capture the excess moisture that would cause mold.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question206.htm

If anyone knows where to get those let me know. I googled it but could not find them sold anywhere but online and don't have the time to wait for them to be shipped. Good suggestion though. Unless some knows a brick and mortar store that sells them I think I will just replace the Mason Jar lids with foil, screw it down and poke a few holes in the foil.

 

[Johnnyorganic]

It seems like going to the trouble to locate and procure desiccant packs is making the solution more difficult than it should be. A simple problem calls for a simple solution.

If an artificial moisture-reducing device does the same thing as leaving the jars open while you are gone; why not do the easiest thing and simply leave the jars open while you are gone?

The additional time open will not harm the buds whatsoever and any extra drying will be corrected once the curing is resumed in sealed jars.

 

[Woomeister]

It seems like going to the trouble to locate and procure desiccant packs is making the solution more difficult than it should be. A simple problem calls for a simple solution.

If an artificial moisture-reducing device does the same thing as leaving the jars open while you are gone; why not do the easiest thing and simply leave the jars open while you are gone?

The additional time open will not harm the buds whatsoever and any extra drying will be corrected once the curing is resumed in sealed jars.

Agreed ^^^...listen to uncle Johnny.

 

[tnrtinr]

If anyone knows where to get those let me know. I googled it but could not find them sold anywhere but online and don't have the time to wait for them to be shipped. Good suggestion though. Unless some knows a brick and mortar store that sells them I think I will just replace the Mason Jar lids with foil, screw it down and poke a few holes in the foil.

Go to a smoke shop. They have discs that do the same thing to maintain the proper humidity in humidors. I have seen them as low as 65% (which is not bad since between 40%-60% humidity is recommended inside the jars for curing. This product works both ways, it will absorb excess moisture and add moisture if there is a lack of moisture. Cant beat it for $4. Once you get back home burp as usual.

http://www.boveda-direct.com/

Here is a link to find a local retailer.
http://www.boveda-direct.com/retailers/index.cfm

You could probably put a dry sponge or some terra cotta in the jars. It all depends on how creative you want to be.

To answer Johnny:
Leaving the jar open for 4 days AFTER the buds have been dried would over dry them and kill the cure IMO.

 

[Johnnyorganic]

To answer Johnny:
Leaving the jar open for 4 days AFTER the buds have been dried would over dry them and kill the cure IMO.

How exactly would excess dryness once curing has commenced kill the cure?

Four days of exposure to fresh air in jars will not do any harm to the curing. Will the buds dry up a little? Sure. But as has been stated previously, once proper curing is resumed the buds will moisten.

 

[juggyblaze]

go to a store and start opening boxes. many products have silica packs in them too keep moisture out. tools, electronics....etc......

just pretend like your looking at something and nab the lil packets!!!!

i have industrial ones (4x3 inches and thick) that ive had for some time now....anyone know the life span of these things? can theyabsorb and disperse moisture when needed?

 

[tnrtinr]

How exactly would excess dryness once curing has commenced kill the cure?

Four days of exposure to fresh air in jars will not do any harm to the curing. Will the buds dry up a little? Sure. But as has been stated previously, once proper curing is resumed the buds will moisten.

I have found that buds exposed to air for a prolonged amount of time will lose their aroma / taste. It is easy to test. Set out some of your dankest dank and come back in a few days. Compare it to the original. Besides being dry; it will have less flavor / smell - now even if you re-moisturize it still will never smell / taste like the original no matter how long you cure.

Think about it this way - you get some cannabis that has not been cured properly - when you smoke it, it is harsh - you put in in jars and remoisturize and start burping - YES you can mellow out that smoke - BUT you will NEVER get it to smoke as well as the same plant that was cured properly from harvest. Hence killing the cure.

You and BIGJIM can choose to do whatever you want. Curing is VERY important and I wouldn't leave my jars open for 4 days for any reason. In this situation I would have a humidity disc in the jar and the jar would be in the fridge.

 

[BIGJIM3]

I have found that buds exposed to air for a prolonged amount of time will lose their aroma / taste. It is easy to test. Set out some of your dankest dank and come back in a few days. Compare it to the original. Besides being dry; it will have less flavor / smell - now even if you re-moisturize it still will never smell / taste like the original no matter how long you cure.

Think about it this way - you get some cannabis that has not been cured properly - when you smoke it, it is harsh - you put in in jars and remoisturize and start burping - YES you can mellow out that smoke - BUT you will NEVER get it to smoke as well as the same plant that was cured properly from harvest. Hence killing the cure.

You and BIGJIM can choose to do whatever you want. Curing is VERY important and I wouldn't leave my jars open for 4 days for any reason. In this situation I would have a humidity disc in the jar and the jar would be in the fridge.

UPDATE: I opted to leave the jars open in a box with a couple of slits for minimal airflow. When I got back, they were dry but not as dry/crisp as the ones I had hanging. So I think I achieved my goal. I will update this thread at the end of the month when I have finished curing and let you know how it rates compared to the buds which did not have the curing interrupted. Added question - Am I correct in not filling the jars completely during the curing process? Right now I have them half to 3/4 full and plan to combine them into full jars once I am done curing for storage.

 

[tnrtinr]

Full but not to the point you are shoving them in. Less air is better.

 

[BIGJIM3]

Ok, I have smoked buds from all 4 plants. Although I am not a connoisseur, I did not notice any difference between the 1 plant that had curing interrupted for 4 days and the rest. I must have done something right as this stuff is much better than the bag pot the seeds came from. 2 hits and I am totally stoned. When I pull apart a bud it is so sticky, it is unbelievable. Out of 4 plants I got 8 quart and 6 pint jars full along with a jelly jar full of hash. I don't have any scales as this will be personal use so it will be shared not sold so I can't give you a weight. All I know is that I am set for the next year or 2. My only disappointment was that my girls got pollinated, so I have alot of seeds. Must of been the wild hemp that grows around here as this was an outside grow. As a first time grower, the information on this site has been invaluable. Thanks to all who contribute!