Curing Problems

How long must bud cure in jars to get a nice smell? Does it take a few week cause for me it always just has a faint smell but nothing good, I just want to get it right for once..

Good question I'm wondering myself.... I just harvested my first girl and it smelled skunky as shit when I first chopped it, but now it's been in the jar for a couple days after I dried it and it smells like a plant....Doesn't have the typical skunk/weed smell

The smell will drop when first cured. After time it will come back. Longer the better. If your worried take 1 bud out and leave in open air. Smell should show in a hour or so. But not what you want from your jars.

might be drying your buds too fast.. whats your method before they go into jars? temps and humidity?
chopping after the dark period makes a difference too. some do extended dark periods to ensure terpenes are at their max.

A lot has to do with the moisture content when you put it into cure, if its super dry it take a lot longer to get the smell back, but obviously too wet is asking for mold.

I stressed all the time when I first started to learn curing.. My main problem was I chopping my herb too early... then I was not hanging long enough...If the stuff is too wet when it hits the jars you get that hay smell... I hang those bad girls till they are crispy on the outside... and the stems have a snap but dont break... large stems take longer than the small ones... clip them off into the jars and burp or lay them out on a sheet or table daily.... then back into the jars..... I bought a whole bunch of hygrometers from china 99 cents plus 2.50 shipping.. they are pretty accurate... When they read 60 to 65 percent I seal the jars up and let the buds cure.... if it goes below 55 percent curing stops.... I leave my shit around 60 percent.. they are dry feeling but don't crumble and smell OH SO GOOD!

I chopped after my dark period and the. Let my buds dry for 4 days.... In 65 degrees 40% humidity. Mind you my plant was small. So my side branches were all dry but the main stem was still bendy. I just don't know the conditions of my jar.... I don't have a small enough hygrometer. I'll give it a couple weeks.... If it smells like real greeny still I'm just going to roll a mega fatty and see if that will make it smell better-lol

yea u need a little bit of moisture in buds before curing

My stuff smells like heaven going in. Dry trimming for the smelly win.
pfft, wet trimming = less odor and early jarring = hay/green/plant smell.

u could very well be picking just a little early,always make sure the hairs have all turned red on the bud,and that all trichs are cloudy turning amber,u dont want any clear trichs if u can help it.A nice 5-7 day hang n dry depending on humidity.Crisp on the outside of the bud and little moist on the inner area of the bud.Plus make sure u have fed her properly, i learned that it is extremely important to have well fed plants for fullness of the bud,this to will contribute the smell while in drying and curing phases.

I stopped guessing, and started putting an RH gauge in my jars so i know exactly the moisture content of my nugs. I like to store at 55%, and smoke at 50% or less, but i like a nice dry grind and smoke myself.

PIPBoy2000 said:

My stuff smells like heaven going in. Dry trimming for the smelly win.
pfft, wet trimming = less odor and early jarring = hay/green/plant smell.

Click to expand...

When you say dry trimming.... Do you also leave the fan leafs for the dry?? Or do you just leave the sugar leafs and trim them after the dry? I'm going to try this for my next harvest

If I ever cut any fan leafs predry they are the dead and dying ones but never ones that are touching the buds.

donutpunched said:

I stressed all the time when I first started to learn curing.. My main problem was I chopping my herb too early... then I was not hanging long enough...If the stuff is too wet when it hits the jars you get that hay smell... I hang those bad girls till they are crispy on the outside... and the stems have a snap but dont break... large stems take longer than the small ones... clip them off into the jars and burp or lay them out on a sheet or table daily.... then back into the jars..... I bought a whole bunch of hygrometers from china 99 cents plus 2.50 shipping.. they are pretty accurate... When they read 60 to 65 percent I seal the jars up and let the buds cure.... if it goes below 55 percent curing stops.... I leave my shit around 60 percent.. they are dry feeling but don't crumble and smell OH SO GOOD!

Click to expand...

I tested the hygrometers you mention. They read consistently, but they're not very accurate. IME, they read ~4 points too high. This isn't to say you shouldn't use them at all, but I'd strongly suggest picking up a Caliber III for a better gauge on the process. You can refer to the link in my sig. Good luck.

Simon

cut the whole thing down and hang it upside down somewhere that lets air get to it, the leaves will droop down and help with taste/smell as it drys, when the outside is crispy and the inside is a tiny bit moist, put them in jars and they will sweat and get moist so keep opening lids and re-drying the outer side of the buds, eventually they will stay dry and the inside of the buds will be sticky and they should get smell/taste back

brewing said:

cut the whole thing down and hang it upside down somewhere that lets air get to it, the leaves will droop down and help with taste/smell as it drys, when the outside is crispy and the inside is a tiny bit moist, put them in jars and they will sweat and get moist so keep opening lids and re-drying the outer side of the buds, eventually they will stay dry and the inside of the buds will be sticky and they should get smell/taste back

Click to expand...

nice i'm going to try trimming after they dry next time....but do you trim anything at harvest?? or just hang the plant whole fan leaves and all?

ps you posted @ 4:20.....

its best to leave it all dry and trim later

brewing said:

its best to leave it all dry and trim later

Click to expand...

i agree.