Harvesting branches one at a time - Drying out too fast?

I've been harvesting branch by branch. I've seen recommendations for drying 5-10 days, but after three days, the bud is so brittle it falls to pieces. I cured it (sealed ziplock bag) for about 4-5 days and gave it to my friend to try... He said it was awful. No high, but he still got the munchies.

Now I'm trying something a little different; I'm not drying it at all! I'm putting it straight in the ziplock bag and opening it every twelve hours or so, as I see moisture build up in the bag. I wait until the moisture evaporates (maybe 10-30 minutes) and then seal it up again. It seems to me this will create a super-extended cure.

What is the potential downside of doing it my way?

You will be risking getting mould throughout your buds. Once that happens it is all downhill from there.

Of course the humidity of where you are drying will determine how long you should hang them before curing. Trust in the curing process. 2 weeks in a jar in the dark is not the same as 3. The taste and smoothness is so much better. What I would be more concerned with is your friend saying he didn't get high at all. It is not the best way but you should still be able to get something out of just dried weed, if not its optimum effects. I actually hang mine 3-4 days and of course bud size matters also, a little tiny bud will dry out quickly and a huge nugget will take much longer.

qoqhead said:

I've been harvesting branch by branch. I've seen recommendations for drying 5-10 days, but after three days, the bud is so brittle it falls to pieces. I cured it (sealed ziplock bag) for about 4-5 days and gave it to my friend to try... He said it was awful. No high, but he still got the munchies.

Now I'm trying something a little different; I'm not drying it at all! I'm putting it straight in the ziplock bag and opening it every twelve hours or so, as I see moisture build up in the bag. I wait until the moisture evaporates (maybe 10-30 minutes) and then seal it up again. It seems to me this will create a super-extended cure.

What is the potential downside of doing it my way?

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Once its as dry as you explained its too late for curing really. The point of curing is to slowly dry the bud, if its crumbly dry I am not sure there is a point in curing. Also if you only had it "curing" in the ziploc for 4-5 days that still isn't enough time to cure. I cure for 7 days before smoking. The longer the cure the better, potency goes up as well as smoothness.

Hang dry it for 1.5 days and when the outside is a little dry and inside is wet (and stem bends not snaps) then put it in jars, not a ziploc. After 6 hours take it out of the jar and see how damp it feels. If its not too wet then keep the jars open for an hour or so and then close them again. Keep doing this; as the bud drys keep the jar closed longer.