For you AZ boys. What's your drying method?

[RoosterJCogburn]

I used to jar them up based on the size and structure of the stems after they have been hang drying. However, down in the city I noticed the buds dry out quicker than the stems. So it seems my previous method would leave me with over-dry and crispy buds if I jar them according to the stem structure. Is this an accurate assumption? i feel hesitant to clip the buds off their stems when they still seem to retain moisture that would aid towards a slow curing process. Two days into hang drying and the buds feel dry on the outside, while the stems still seem thick & mildly fresh (bend not break). The buds have begun to loose their fresh smell too yet not entirely. Seem like the time to clip them from the large stems and jar them? I can sometimes over analyze things and I'm not sure if this is the case here. My blunder if that seem like it's happening.

 

[KAL EL]

That is how I do it. As soon as the buds feel dry and the stem still has flex, not so dry it snaps.

 

[Chronicseeker]

When the edge of the stem begins to fray when bent is good for me.... Raising the RH is essential in AZ, drying to fast will kill the taste, aroma and overall quality of the final product.

 

[Lucius Vorenus]

When the edge of the stem begins to fray when bent is good for me.... Raising the RH is essential in AZ, drying to fast will kill the taste, aroma and overall quality of the final product.

yea it's raising the rh in a room that has a good amount of plants is the trick.

 

[1337hacker]

yea it's raising the rh in a room that has a good amount of plants is the trick.

Just get a humidifier that can get you near 50 % RH (measure the RH with a cheap hygrometer if your uncertain) They make humidifiers that have humidistats that can keep your area within 5 % of whatever you lock it in at.

 

[Chronicseeker]

yea it's raising the rh in a room that has a good amount of plants is the trick.

It is actually easier to raise the RH with more plants in a room than less..
More plants also keep temps down...

 

[Lucius Vorenus]

It is actually easier to raise the RH with more plants in a room than less..
More plants also keep temps down...

Then you have the light to contend with

 

[Lucius Vorenus]

Just get a humidifier that can get you near 50 % RH (measure the RH with a cheap hygrometer if your uncertain) They make humidifiers that have humidistats that can keep your area within 5 % of whatever you lock it in at.

i use one now but it doesnt have a humidistat. regardless it's too small for the large room we dry in. i need a bigger one soon.

 

[BeaverHuntr]

i use one now but it doesnt have a humidistat. regardless it's too small for the large room we dry in. i need a bigger one soon.

Fill up a drum or a cheap 30 gallon trash can with some water... BAM! Humidity level raised!

 

[Lucius Vorenus]

Fill up a drum or a cheap 30 gallon trash can with some water... BAM! Humidity level raised!

I keep about 3 5 gal pint cans in there for now. it helps. i think i might add a baby pool. we typically harvest about 18-36 plants at a time and use a 12x18 room for drying.

 

[BeaverHuntr]

I keep about 3 5 gal pint cans in there for now. it helps. i think i might add a baby pool. we typically harvest about 18-36 plants at a time and use a 12x18 room for drying.

my 30 gallon Rubbermaid trash can from wal mart ( 16 bucks) keeps mine in the high 40's to 50's

 

[Mauler57]

I don't have a large crop. It only takes me two to three hours of trimming. Plus a "friend" of mine had me convinced to not flower and provide clones for nothing but a pat on my back. So, incidentally, I am only on my third flowering cycle and behind the curve, sort of speak.

I would charge a 10-15 percent of the yield......if he's gonna stiff you for clones......I can see by your quotaion marks, you are re-evaluating you definition of this friendship.. well played Mursh! Well played!

 

[Lucius Vorenus]

my 30 gallon Rubbermaid trash can from wal mart ( 16 bucks) keeps mine in the high 40's to 50's

cool cool....how big is the room?

 

[Chronicseeker]

yea it's raising the rh in a room that has a good amount of plants is the trick.

More plants will increase the RH because there is less overall airflow.
The more airflow you have the lower the humidity levels.

 

[BeaverHuntr]

More plants will increase the RH because there is less overall airflow.
The more airflow you have the lower the humidity levels.

Thats kind of hard because every indoor grow has at least 2-3 oscillating fans going 24/7

 

[BeaverHuntr]

cool cool....how big is the room?

10'x10'x8' high

 

[Lucius Vorenus]

Cool. I started drying in cycles now, using the bathrooms and its slowing dry down bigtime. I just fill the tub up with water and can hang about 20 plants in each bathroom. I also use a cool mist humidifier on a timer to go off for 30 mins every 3hrs. Seems to be working great. Got my drying time to 5 days now. Then I go to Jar.

 

[1337hacker]

Let me start off by saying that I have been growing for years and haven't really been turned on to the idea of internet forums dedicated towards the cannabis community until recently, so please excuse my ignorance on some matters. I am definitely glad I was turned on to RIU though. Good people sharing good ideas.
My method has been outdoor growing for years at the cabin but recently I found myself moving it all inside. Since moving back into the city, I have been hit by several different factors while cultivating. All but one have been addressed. However, harvest time has been the most concern lately. What is all this talk about paper bagging or boxing up your buds as part of the process? When you say paper bag it, do you then place those paper bags back into the cool dark environment where you originally hang dry them? Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that it may be more beneficial to skip the hang drying and just go straight to paper bags or boxes, then jars for the final cure due to the arid climate within the city. Do you place your buds into the paper bags or cardboard boxes while still on them stems or after they are clipped to nug size, then jar them? I just don't want to risk all that time and effort to have my buds rapidly sucked dry of all moisture and become useless.
I am currently dealing with approximately 78-80 F and 38-42% RH in my room. I cannot stand to see these parameters and feel comfortable while I contemplate a new harvest & curing strategy. I can tackle the temp and climate control in time so you need not worry. You cannot control mother nature, but you can work with her..

You can do this if you don't stack the buds too deep and you leave the paper bag / box cracked for air flow. You will also need to rotate the buds around every 12 hours or so and make sure no mold is forming, but yah you can do it that way.

I agree with irie however, hang dry the whole plant and then remove big stems and put them in paper bags after a couple days of hang drying. Next step is jar when they have lost most of their moisture and need to be rehydrated. Burp the jars every 12 hours until they are ready for a long-term cure (no cracking of the jars)

 

[irieie]

Cool. I started drying in cycles now, using the bathrooms and its slowing dry down bigtime. I just fill the tub up with water and can hang about 20 plants in each bathroom. I also use a cool mist humidifier on a timer to go off for 30 mins every 3hrs. Seems to be working great. Got my drying time to 5 days now. Then I go to Jar.

Try sealing your drying rooms better and exhausting the air less. This will trap the moisture evaporating from the buds in the air and raise the RH of the room. Once you exhaust though the moisture is gone because the intake air is probably about 15-25 RH because we live in the desert and we all run AC

 

[Wolfhound]

I use a walk in closet, 75 deg & run a humidifier at 50% . . .