Help me slow my dry please

Ro rollers!
From what I know a standard dry/cure is:
-55% RH Dry 100% darkness for 7-10 days hanging whole plant with leaves on, low even indirect airflow
-Once small stems jusst snap, Trim sugar leaves>freeze for IWH, Jar for 2-8 weeks keeping RH in jar 60-65%,
-if 65-70% take out of jar for 15 minutes, 70%+ dry for another day, testing with hyrgometer in closed jar for hour
-Stabilizes at ~64% RH after first week then open momentarily every other day for few weeks-> long term storage

What I think is wrong:
Sadly I dont live in a perfect world and cant get them to take longer than 4 days before drying too crispy and no smell!(maybe hay or grass if I jar a day early?). I figure hanging over the HPS @ 81*F even with (~68% RH light off)(58% light on) next to carbon filter dries them to quick. Wouldnt higher humidity slow the dry down/ not dry them at all? Perhaps the 12hours of indirect light made a bigger diffence than I imagined?

What I think might help:
Im going to try and hang them outside the tent in a closet where itll be a good 5+ degrees cooler, and less indirect hps light, aswell as no filter replacing the air around the buds as quick. To also add a few more days to dry (longer the better preserved right?) Ill try brown bagging them 2ce/day for 1hr each and might try letting her soak in water like a flower in a vase as a post harvest flush? To lower humidity Im trying to place a dry towel in the tent to hopefully absorb moisture, but sadly the humidty raised 68->71%.

Any tips to make a 'good' harvest into a 'kick ass' harvest will forever be appreciated, Thanks!

increasing rH will slow the drying process. in a very small enclosed space you can put dry rice in a container that gives it increased surface area to absorb humidity. in a bigger room you can get a dehumidifier, but don't go nuts with it.

It sounds like you're hanging in the top part of a tent while using HPS for other flowering plants?? That doesn't sound good at all.

81 degrees where, canopy level or above light top of tent? Even indirect, that's a shit ton of light for drying! I won't delve into RH variances on a 12/12 light schedule, but wow not good for drying. You want a cooler area, consistent, with light indirect air circulation and light exhaust if possible.

Six9 said:

It sounds like you're hanging in the top part of a tent while using HPS for other flowering plants?? That doesn't sound good at all.

81 degrees where, canopy level or above light top of tent? Even indirect, that's a shit ton of light for drying! I won't delve into RH variances on a 12/12 light schedule, but wow not good for drying. You want a cooler area, consistent, with light indirect air circulation and light exhaust if possible.

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First 12hrs drying in closet instead of over hps, wow I can already tell how the absence of the hps helps a ton, 80 over the reflector 78 around canopy. Lights on rh55% 80*f, lights off 70%rh 75*f

I've been hanging my harvests over my hps the past 6 months! Never again. Gunna go see how much a cup of rice lowers rh, thanks for the tips

Definitely hang it somewhere besides in the tent. Are you hanging the whole plant or trimmed buds? I find hanging the whole plant slows dry time. Some folks don't like to trim dry tho.

Here is an easy ass solution ... I built this awhile back when i didnt have a space for drying. It works pretty well and is cheap ... Box is like 12 bucks at U Haul.

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/do-it-yourself/141714-diy-drying-box-odor-control.html

Good luck man. I chop tomorrow, stoked..

I hang the whole plant and leave all non moldy lookin leaves on, I kept outside tent in my closet @ 70%rh then put in the tent @65% rh when lights went out and turned fan down, then hung on my shower curtain b4 lights came on been regulating rh with rice and water, brown bagging the buds 3 separate times for an hr a day. After all this baby sitting sure kept more smell then if I kept over my hps,
But it hasn't been 48 hours and the bitch is already snapping! I snapped a thick branch but a smaller stem seemed to have a tiny bit of bend, but its already crispy! Shouldn't it still be a bit sappy?

It spiked to 81*f last night and figure that dun it if only I could bring it down to 65*f

Whadya know 48 hours drying panicking n shit Brown bagging for 8 of those hours boiling water to keep rh ~60 and the bud is sitting crispy at 58%rh in the jar overnight.

I stuck it in the fridge for 10 minutes to bring 68*f down to 60*f just to see, i forgot it for an hr, the rh dipped to 46% with the temp at 50 and it's now at 55* and 73% rh 0.0 so funny how complicated or simple growing can be just like life

I dont flush. I dont understand why anyone does.

I roughly wet trim then hang dry in a dark place for a few days (cupboard with a fan in it for small stuff and garage with a larger fan in it for bigger harvests). When stems bend and are soooo close to snapping I finish trimming and start curing (and no i dont use paper bags).

Read the curing threads and pick what you want to do.

bro54209 said:

I hang the whole plant and leave all non moldy lookin leaves on,

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Why have you got moldy leaves? And why keep leaves on for drying?

Lucky Luke said:

Why have you got moldy leaves? And why keep leaves on for drying?

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If I leave the dead leaves on for too long they mold before harvest, yet with a cup of rice ive dropped 65% avg rh to 45%,
I keep as many leaves on because for some reason I can't dry them but for only 2-4 days without overdrying,

I got a huge 2x2x2ft momma im chopping tonight and will try stuffing her in large cardboard box- the biggest is 22"x22x21 at a local uhaul, I figure it might be better to stuff her in whole even if buds are brushing the sides of the box? rather than chopping into bits and hanging? should folding the box up with passive in/out take help? I figure I should probably cut a few 2" holes? I was also thinking about keeping the box right above my 4x4 tent where it'll be right infront of the ac vent so itll keep real cool but then again that might be too much airflow, ac isnt running much though, appreciate any tips
enough babbling, peace!

Mine normally dry in around 3 days to..

I dont dry the whole plant..i roughly wet trim (taking those leaves off), cut into sections and then hang In a closet/room/garage.

Dont you use a fan in a dark room with lots of airflow? Having everything inclosedish (new word!) is bad IMO.

Lucky Luke said:

Mine normally dry in around 3 days to..

I dont dry the whole plant..i roughly wet trim (taking those leaves off), cut into sections and then hang In a closet/room/garage.

Dont you use a fan in a dark room with lots of airflow? Having everything inclosedish (new word!) is bad IMO.

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no fan,not much room, i figure i could open the box every few hours