Too much moisture in cure jars?

[aeviaanah]

Can one have too much moisture in cure jars?

I tend to stay on the wetter side and never have any problems with mold. If you are clean and mold free is wetter better?

Has anyone came across something in their cure jars that they cant see easily? Like hidden mold or mildew not apparent from outside of nug??

 

[mushroom head]

I would like to know this too, I got some blueberry from BC the other day, and it was nice a moist bud, thats how I like it. I dont like it so dry it crumbles. Id like to cure with more moisture too.

 

[aeviaanah]

I would like to know this too, I got some blueberry from BC the other day, and it was nice a moist bud, thats how I like it. I dont like it so dry it crumbles. Id like to cure with more moisture too.

I let nugs dry for 2 to 2 1/2 days then into jars they go. Moisture usually comes back a little too wet. I then sit out till i think they are ready to go back into jars, usually a few hours. After nugs appear to be safe i start cracking once a day till dry. Whole process is just about 3 weeks.

I only have one jar that smells questionable- outdoor grand daddy purple. i inspect nugs every few days and do not notice anything out of the ordinary. maybe a few insect eggs or insects are curing in there too...not sure, no mold tho. anyone?

 

[omertaitalia]

ive put mine in jars like that too after 2 and half, ive even seen moisture build up in the sides and still no problems. i just constantly open my lids and let them air out the first 2-3 weeks

 

[mj123]

This is also how despencerys keep thare weed so fresh old weed is old weed you can keep your weed in plasick. and it will not ad moister. don`t get me rough i like glass also you just have to seal it just like caning fruit.a prosses.... just thought id ad this little info...peace

 

[anomolies]

Been wondering about this too, if it's too moist can the bud take on a bad smell like it went sour? (but no mold). Does this mean it's totally ruined? I've had this happen with immature bud taking on an unpleasant smell in the jars, but hasn't happened yet with stuff that I cut when ripe because nowadays I make sure it's pretty dry before placing in jars / paperbag


about your jar that smells questionable, is it like an unpleasant sour smell and does the bud look like the moisture got trapped inside the leaves? Also, do the buds have a questionable yellow/orange tinge?
I've had bud that ended up like this before and always wondered if it was still safe to smoke even though there was no visible mold.

hope that makes sense, sorry i'm like incapable of typing a complete sentence right now

 

[d.s.m.]

This is also how despencerys keep thare weed so fresh old weed is old weed you can keep your weed in plasick. and it will not ad moister. don`t get me rough i like glass also you just have to seal it just like caning fruit.a prosses.... just thought id ad this little info...peace

Are you doing that on purpose?

 

[omertaitalia]

you understood that wow

 

[aeviaanah]

Been wondering about this too, if it's too moist can the bud take on a bad smell like it went sour? (but no mold). Does this mean it's totally ruined? I've had this happen with immature bud taking on an unpleasant smell in the jars, but hasn't happened yet with stuff that I cut when ripe because nowadays I make sure it's pretty dry before placing in jars / paperbag


about your jar that smells questionable, is it like an unpleasant sour smell and does the bud look like the moisture got trapped inside the leaves? Also, do the buds have a questionable yellow/orange tinge?
I've had bud that ended up like this before and always wondered if it was still safe to smoke even though there was no visible mold.

hope that makes sense, sorry i'm like incapable of typing a complete sentence right now

Thanks for stoppin by. Looks like your description hit it head on. Here is the grandaddy that is questionable. This is still great when smoked and gets me high. After grinding the good smell comes out. I have since let this completely dry out. I wouldnt say the smell was sour or rancid but almost swampy or standing water type of smell.
Possibly your weed you are curing is outdoor? Im thinking this is the only explanation something from "out there" is in my curing jar.


I do infact get a sour type of smell coming from my pure kush and bubba kush. The indoor bubba smells like the outdoor bubba and it smells similar to the pure kush. I wasnt sure if it was strain related or what. It is very similar to cinnamon but a little different.

 

[anomolies]

If it's not pleasant herb smelling then probably something's wrong. Mine is outdoor but I don't think that is the reason because all of the buds are like that. I don't get it anymore cus I let my buds dry longer before putting into jars. I find that too much moisture makes the leaves dry with a yellowish tinge, like semi-rotted looking but no mold. So maybe it just ruins the leaves but not the crystals?

I'm still a noob at harvesting & curing so take that with a grain of salt. I get a good dank smell when I do it FDD's way though, which is dry enough to smoke and stems are nearly dry enough to snap before jarring.

I think the explanation for your questionable jar and mine is that we let the moisture sit a bit too long before airing it out.

With 2000 posts you must have been growing for a long time, so I'm curious as to what drying methods you've tried and what resulted in the best smelling bud?
Are you sticking your buds in the jars when they are crispy on the outside or still wet & squishy? Did you just change your drying method recently or have you always done it this way?

 

[aeviaanah]

If it's not pleasant herb smelling then probably something's wrong. Mine is outdoor but I don't think that is the reason because all of the buds are like that. I don't get it anymore cus I let my buds dry longer before putting into jars. I find that too much moisture makes the leaves dry with a yellowish tinge, like semi-rotted looking but no mold. So maybe it just ruins the leaves but not the crystals?

I'm still a noob at harvesting & curing so take that with a grain of salt. I get a good dank smell when I do it FDD's way though, which is dry enough to smoke and stems are nearly dry enough to snap before jarring.

I think the explanation for your questionable jar and mine is that we let the moisture sit a bit too long before airing it out.

With 2000 posts you must have been growing for a long time, so I'm curious as to what drying methods you've tried and what resulted in the best smelling bud?
Are you sticking your buds in the jars when they are crispy on the outside or still wet & squishy? Did you just change your drying method recently or have you always done it this way?

My curing method works great for every other jar I have. I think i have come to the conclusion of an outside contaminant getting into the jars. I have 24 jars and only three of them are questionable, all being outdoor. All are great when smoked and grinded. When trimming i have found caterpillars, gnats, eggs, spiders, foreign plant matter, it could be a number of things. I started thread to see if there could be something there not noticeable to the eye.

My first cure I let buds dry too fast. Ever since then I have leaned more on the wet side, without seeing any mold. Never have had a mold issue with nug, only once with some trim that i jarred up and forgot about. I let nugs sit for 2- 2 1/2 days. Basically whenever they feel dry on the outside, stem will bend but not snap. They go into jar and moisture comes back strong within a few hours. I then let sit for a few more hours till that dry feeling comes back. The time they spend outside of the jars is slowly decreased maintaining moisture for 3 weeks. Dont get me wrong, the rest of my crop cures and smokes great, just a wierd smell commin from this grandaddy.

 

[sdsGrower]

My first cure I let buds dry too fast. Ever since then I have leaned more on the wet side, without seeing any mold.

Great comments Aeviaanah, I would just like to expand on two points a little more.

1) When to pick your plants
Lots of people on these forums say that you should dry out your plants a bit before harvest. I completely disagree with this theory because the longer it takes your plants to dry out the more chance the chlorophyll (the stuff that gives it that "green" taste) has to break down. With that said, if you give your plant(s) a good healthy watering the day before harvest it should extend your drying time. Also, leaving the buds on the stalks is crucial to extending the drying time, the stalk gives the bud an opportunity to wick moisture from it.
Another thing to note is the humidity and temperature of the area you're drying in. A temp of 22ºC-27ºC is ideal and a humidity level of 40% on the first day and 45-55% each following day is optimal. Higher levels of each can invite unwanted mold.

2) When to start the cure
I've found, with experimentation, the best method is to remove the buds from the stalks just before the stalk becomes snappable (still slightly bendable before the 'snap'). Manicure, if desired, and then put them into a brown paper bag. The more into one bag the better, up to a point - some people say 4-6" but I prefer slightly more..8". The reason for this is so buds compact slightly while they expel surface moisture and wick from the buds in the cluster, which helps to balance moisture levels in the buds countering any potentially flash dried areas. Leave them in the bag until you can smoke a bud in a joint without it going out. This is a good time to start your cure, use either glass jars or air tight plastic containers. I prefer the plastic containers, as long as they have no odor and an air tight seal can be assured, because - just like the brown paper bag - it allows me to keep more bud together.

This is not the only way to do it, but it's what I've found to work best.

Enjoy the smoke good peoples

 

[aeviaanah]

Great comments Aeviaanah, I would just like to expand on two points a little more.

1) When to pick your plants
Lots of people on these forums say that you should dry out your plants a bit before harvest. I completely disagree with this theory because the longer it takes your plants to dry out the more chance the chlorophyll (the stuff that gives it that "green" taste) has to break down. With that said, if you give your plant(s) a good healthy watering the day before harvest it should extend your drying time. Also, leaving the buds on the stalks is crucial to extending the drying time, the stalk gives the bud an opportunity to wick moisture from it.
Another thing to note is the humidity and temperature of the area you're drying in. A temp of 22ºC-27ºC is ideal and a humidity level of 40% on the first day and 45-55% each following day is optimal. Higher levels of each can invite unwanted mold.

2) When to start the cure
I've found, with experimentation, the best method is to remove the buds from the stalks just before the stalk becomes snappable (still slightly bendable before the 'snap'). Manicure, if desired, and then put them into a brown paper bag. The more into one bag the better, up to a point - some people say 4-6" but I prefer slightly more..8". The reason for this is so buds compact slightly while they expel surface moisture and wick from the buds in the cluster, which helps to balance moisture levels in the buds countering any potentially flash dried areas. Leave them in the bag until you can smoke a bud in a joint without it going out. This is a good time to start your cure, use either glass jars or air tight plastic containers. I prefer the plastic containers, as long as they have no odor and an air tight seal can be assured, because - just like the brown paper bag - it allows me to keep more bud together.

This is not the only way to do it, but it's what I've found to work best.

Enjoy the smoke good peoples

Nice method i will be sure to try this next harvest.

 

[chb444220]

one thing ive heard (never tried myself tho) is if its too moist.. some people will place a paper towel or napkin on the top of the jar and close the lid (leaving some of the napkin or paper towel hangin out) and the napkin should absorb some of the moisture from the buds.

and u just do the reverse thing if ur buds are too dry... just get a **small** piece of a napkin.. about the size of a half dollar and wet it. and stick it to the top of the lid.. ive done this before.;. jsut be sure to open the jar a couple times a day.. after a few days.. the paper towel or napkin will actually be completely dry.. and almost hard.. lol. wen i buy bud (which i havent had to do in a LONGGG TIMEEE. lol.) and hte buds too dry.. i use this trick

 

[Spanishfly]

I hang my plants up to dry for about a week - when they feel ´right´ - hard to describe this - just the right amount of spring when gently squeezed - not soft and not crispy dry - into the jars and cure for a month, burping for a half hour every day.

I lose about 2% of the dried and trimmed weight during curing.

 

[aeviaanah]

I hang my plants up to dry for about a week - when they feel ´right´ - hard to describe this - just the right amount of spring when gently squeezed - not soft and not crispy dry - into the jars and cure for a month, burping for a half hour every day.

I lose about 2% of the dried and trimmed weight during curing.

This is very similar to my method. Thanks for stoppin by spanishfly. It seems with a good cure smell decreases but potency and flavor increase.

Has anyone ever compared a non cured nug to one that was allowed to sit out for the time of the cure?

 

[aeviaanah]

one thing ive heard (never tried myself tho) is if its too moist.. some people will place a paper towel or napkin on the top of the jar and close the lid (leaving some of the napkin or paper towel hangin out) and the napkin should absorb some of the moisture from the buds.

and u just do the reverse thing if ur buds are too dry... just get a **small** piece of a napkin.. about the size of a half dollar and wet it. and stick it to the top of the lid.. ive done this before.;. jsut be sure to open the jar a couple times a day.. after a few days.. the paper towel or napkin will actually be completely dry.. and almost hard.. lol. wen i buy bud (which i havent had to do in a LONGGG TIMEEE. lol.) and hte buds too dry.. i use this trick

Good trick!

 

[mushroom head]

Ive compared a non cured nug to one that was allowed to sit out for the time of the cure. The nug that was allowed to sit out was a very nice top cola, in the end, the top cola had no smell at all, and tasted pretty much like nothing. Very harsh too, and the smaller buds that I cured, came out stinky, tasted very good, and was way more smooth, def worth curing.

 

[JayTrinity]

Any way, what im told is you dont want to sell water to a club, clubs that sell wet weed are ripping you off.
Its not cool to sell wet dry weed to sick patients. Sure you want a tiny amount of moisture but no one should be buying water,
A nugget should crush kind of like Styrofoam and sort of crush slightly but not be moist like tobacco.

 

[aeviaanah]

Any way, what im told is you dont want to sell water to a club, clubs that sell wet weed are ripping you off.
Its not cool to sell wet dry weed to sick patients. Sure you want a tiny amount of moisture but no one should be buying water,
A nugget should crush kind of like Styrofoam and sort of crush slightly but not be moist like tobacco.

I agree. There is a certain dry-wet ratio that is proper when selling or buying.