From Drying to Curing?

Hello to all!

So - it's been about 40 hours since I chopped and started drying. The buds are hanging upside down in my converted cupboard. Real humidity is about 50-55%. Temperature is about 70-72 degrees Fahrenheit. It depends on the time of day, etc. Air flow is decent having moved a fan near the cupboard; leaving the doors ajar and turning it on from time to time.



I have the equipment ready to go (hygrometers, jars, etc.), but my question is: at what moment should I take the drying bud and start curing it?

The large colas are starting to crisp on the outside but the stems are still quite flexible. The tiniest of the popcorn buds's stems are a bit snappy. And the medium-sized ones, as you might have guessed, are in between.

For the first twelve hours or so the buds smelled as they did when still alive: fragrant and pungent, but by the evening time (they were chopped in the early morning) a heavy hay smell had set in. When held up close the buds still have the pleasing smell and I am not worried they are drying too quickly given the readings of multiple hygrometers scattered around my drying chamber (normal conditions). They are also looking great, in plain view and when inspected with a loupe.

Other than increasing the risk of mold is there any reason to not jar earlier (rather than later)? They will be under close supervision and will be burped as often as necessary, or brought back out to dry on a brown paper sheet for a while if they are simply too wet. As mentioned I have the apparatus ready to go. Once jarred they will move to a cooler dark room.

I am thinking of doing it tonight as the clock approaches 48 hours after chopping them down.

What do you all reckon?

What are your ambient humidity and temperature conditions when drying and when do you decide to transfer your buds from drying to curing proper?

I've read countless opinions; some say buds should air for a maximum of three days before going into controlled curing conditions, other say two weeks or more!

Anyone?

I'm thinking of putting the buds into jars right now... if there are any objections please let me know

Put the flowers in the jars and watch the humidity. If you see it rising quickly - perhaps 1-2 degrees an hour after the first hour - take out the product when it reaches 70-75%. Let the product get dry on the outside again, and put back in the jars. After 2-3 cycles the moisture should redistribute itself more evenly and you'll have an easier time gauging the state of the flowers. Good luck.

Simon

if the stems are still rubbery don,t do it. but if the stems snap and the buds are dry but on the inside is still moist yes put them in a jar.about right now would be good.there are a thousand ways to cure

wing nut said:

...there are a thousand ways to cure

Click to expand...

No, not really. There's only one way for the product to cure, but you're right in implying there many ways to get it to the correct state. The problem is, few folks know what the correct state is, and that's where a measuring device come is.

Simon

I just recently picked some heads of my Tree, I put them straight into this plastic small box kinda thing and leave it on my window and let the sun shine on it for about 2 hrs a day then i put it back in my cupboard for the next day, Is this process okay?

Thanks for the comments all, thought I was talking to myself for a while!

Yup, so, in my noobish trance this morning I got up and decided "fuck it" let's see what happens if I jar them - I am lucky there is Simon's method!.. Humidity was up past 80% in like five minutes of sealing them

They are back to just drying, though I might try to put them back into the jars tonight and see what happens.

These hygrometers are the best pieces of kit I have bought other than my liquid digital pH meter... utterly essential items...

p.s. turtle - the slower the buds dry (during and pre-cure), the better the taste and smoke. If you forcefully evaporate the moisture of the bud it will taste like crap but be smokeable, I guess! Also - light degrades THC and sunlight is pretty strong :O

Let me know how it works out.
Im 24 hours behind ya.

I've got the popcorn buds (higher surface area to mass, therefore dried quicker) in one jar hovering in the mid 60s (humidity).
The others need a few more hours before I start consigning them to jars and burping when necessary.

I too use hygrometers when I cure. Its just a 'fail safe' method of curing.. where it would almost be impossible to ruin the cure. I used a hygrometer on my last harvest and since I knew where the humidity level was each and every time I check on the curing process.. I knew exactly when they needed to be burped and when they didn't.. which helped me get a much much better cure.. than the time before when I didn't use the hygrometer method.

So, I highly suggest this method to those people that want to take all the guess work out of the curing process. It can't much easier than this.. it just can't.

nice post bud!

peace.

With your PM it got easier

Thanks for the message mate. Indeed, this method is idiot-proof! All hail Simon!

I filled five mason jars with little hygrometers and just look in on em twice a day. They have their own room and an overhead fan but not on high. I hope it works. Started yesterday with the cure. One thing is I think I'm going to trim a little closer next time.
Thing is shit I buy like a nice Kush is all dry and somewhat compacted. But still very potent. I hope my Sour D is as good as the shit I paid $50 for 3.5 grams. I'll make a killing. Lol it will be a great Christmas. Hahahhhahaha

I like this idea.
https://www.rollitup.org/blogs/blog9093-2-half-days-fast-when.html

Pretty much the same idea but a bit more info.

The caliber 3 ones are great. But I can't afford twenty of them. So I pay 5.00 off eBay and now I have plenty

Getting there, people. Some are early 60s some are late 60s and I'm constantly burping the higher ones.

Nearly all the jars are stabilised and there is one more plant I have to chop. I'll post pics when ready.

SO I just harvested my baby and how do I take the hay smell?? No one really answered this Q??

Where do I get hygrometers locally ? And her much are they ? 1 per jar ?

Given a proper dry and cure the hay smell should subside. I am guessing that this is just indicative of the moisture leaving the bud, rather than the quality of the smoke, or taste of the smoke.
The hay smell has subsided for me, and a more complex, peppery smell is more apparent now that humidity has levelled off at around 60-65% in my jars.
Hopefully it is just a temporary thing for you, too. How long as it been since you chopped?

I just chopped my last plant and it smells incredible. The problem is, when drying a lot of the volatile terpenes dissipate. Agitation and handling of the bud deforms or destroys structures which hold this rich smell, further releasing it into the surroundings. Plus, it seems to be a natural element of curing that plants don't smell as intense as when they are growing. I think you will regain some of that intense, fragrant smell when you starting curing and the bud is properly dried.

The Caliber IIIs are about US$20 a pop. The analogue ones are much cheaper, usually about US$5.
eBay is the best option.
And yes, one per jar if you want the most accurate results.
One hygrometer will suffice as a rough indication for the humidity of multiple jars, so long as you make the volume of bud in each jar consistent (and the bud itself consistent).

I choped her down 1week and a half ago. Yeah the hay smell I slowy leaving, and now its been half a week in the jars. I tried a bowl and its really smooth and has weird taste to it, like sweet candy or fruit.