Dank vs Hay Smell

[Grandma Weedstein]

I realize the debate over why some weed ends up smelling like hay has been debated ad nauseam, but I’m curious if there’s info on what is actually going on with the plant matter. I had colas that I harvested prematurely as a hedge against rain that smelled dank beforehand and now smell like hay. Did all that dank smell get off-gassed or is the hay smell just overpowering it? I’m thinking the latter because when I touch the nugs my hand is sticky and smells like weed not hay. I am hopeful it will get better over time or I will learn how to harvest and cure better...

 

[Calvados]

Hi. Welcome to 420. The hay smell is chlorophyl. It’s completely normal after you chop them. It goes away as your plant dries. It should be gone before you jar it for cure.

 

[Grandma Weedstein]

I’m thinking about 2 weeks should be OK to dry it? Play it by eye, of course...

 

[Calvados]

That’s good that you say that. Lots of people get antsy after a few days. It really depends on where/how you are drying and the humidity in the room. The main thing is a decent flow of circulating air (not directly on the drying plants) and patience. From my own experience 10 days is a minimum. If you jar your pot too early, it takes forever to fix it.

Do you know about curing and storing? Plenty of info on this site for doing that.

 

[Grandma Weedstein]

That’s good that you say that. Lots of people get antsy after a few days. It really depends on where/how you are drying and the humidity in the room. The main thing is a decent flow of circulating air (not directly on the drying plants) and patience. From my own experience 10 days is a minimum. If you jar your pot too early, it takes forever to fix it.

Do you know about curing and storing? Plenty of info on this site for doing that.

Yea I’ve got a bunch of random nugs I plucked off the bottom of the branches, while the main colas I’m still drying. I just weighed them “Tower of Pisa” style and they came to 8 grams, which would have earned me a pretty penny in high school LOL. Just smoking those nugs and drinking has got me hella fucked up anyway so I’m in no hurry to smoke the main colas!

 

[Grandma Weedstein]

That’s all from one big branch I chopped on Friday, and it barely put a dent in the plant. Plus I got three other outdoor plants. If I can keep the bud rot off (already spotted a couple patches) I might end up with an OK harvest.

 

[Emilya Green]

You need an accurate humidity meter that can fit down in a jar... The hay smell can come from overdrying the product before it gets into the curing range and it is critical to get it out of the drying tent and into jars before it gets too dry to cure. I remove my buds from the branches when they get to the snap but not break point and I move them temporarily to jars to see where I am at. If the RH is still over 70%, I move them back into paper sacks folded over twice, for another 12 hours of drying, and then I repeat the measurement in a jar.
Once I get the bud down below 70% RH, I know it won't mold on me, and then I am much more patient in opening the jar several times a day for 10 or 15 minutes, and then resealing it to see where we are at. The goal is to slowly move it down into the curing range, 59-65%, and to keep it there for as long as possible once we get there.
There is nothing as effective as 2-3 weeks in the curing range to totally change the taste and overall quality of your product. If you dry the product too quickly and get below the curing range, you are done... there is no way to restart the curing or to start it in the first place, if you have gone too far.

 

[Squirrel05420]

Hi. Welcome to 420. The hay smell is chlorophyl. It’s completely normal after you chop them. It goes away as your plant dries. It should be gone before you jar it for cure.

My plant I harvested for 8 days til it was dry but still smells like hay in cure even tho it was dry and with a humidity pack in jar

 

[Emilya Green]

My plant I harvested for 8 days til it was dry but still smells like hay in cure even tho it was dry and with a humidity pack in jar

It sounds like you overdried it. You have to carefully and slowly dry down to 65-70% RH and then put it in an enclosed space for as long as you can keep it in the 59-65 curing range. Once it gets so dry that it is out of that curing range, there is no power on earth that can restart the cure... boveda packs, orange peels, lettuce leaves... none of it can fix a broken cure.

 

[Squirrel05420]

It sounds like you overdried it. You have to carefully and slowly dry down to 65-70% RH and then put it in an enclosed space for as long as you can keep it in the 59-65 curing range. Once it gets so dry that it is out of that curing range, there is no power on earth that can restart the cure... boveda packs, orange peels, lettuce leaves... none of it can fix a broken cure.

So pretty much my god Bud will smell like hay but still good smoke

 

[Emilya Green]

sounds like it... the smoke potency could have almost doubled with a proper cure though. Next time go slower, and get a $20 hygrometer.

 

[GreenFingaz]

sounds like it... the smoke potency could have almost doubled with a proper cure though. Next time go slower, and get a $20 hygrometer.

Hi @Emilya Green I just came across this post I know its a few years back but If my range of humidity is between 50-60% while drying is it still ok when dry to go in the jars. Im 5 days into drying and some of the buds feel dry but possibly on the inside they're still damp. My temps are between 16c - 18c.

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi @Emilya Green I just came across this post I know its a few years back but If my range of humidity is between 50-60% while drying is it still ok when dry to go in the jars. Im 5 days into drying and some of the buds feel dry but possibly on the inside they're still damp. My temps are between 16c - 18c.

The cure range is 59 to 65. Once it drops below 59 curing is done and there is no way to restart it. Go very slow until you get to 65 and then keep it in that range as long as you can while you burp the jars.

 

[OGpapa]

The cure range is 59 to 65. Once it drops below 59 curing is done and there is no way to restart it. Go very slow until you get to 65 and then keep it in that range as long as you can while you burp the jars.

Even some of my besties still get that damn smell. I'm usually hanging at 62-68f 38-51h for 7day min

90 % of the time my humidity is about 64-68 going into jars

Every now and again I get one that 71-78 it goes in the hanging each for another 12-24hrs.

Everytime I think I have it closer to being figured out. I get a random barnyard inna jar.

So over drying produces the same odor? FML.

 

[GreenFingaz]

Even some of my besties still get that damn smell. I'm usually hanging at 62-68f 38-51h for 7day min

90 % of the time my humidity is about 64-68 going into jars

Every now and again I get one that 71-78 it goes in the hanging each for another 12-24hrs.

Everytime I think I have it closer to being figured out. I get a random barnyard inna jar.

So over drying produces the same odor? FML.

Sounds like a good range. Its my 2nd run and im still tryna tell the difference between a pop and a snap of the stalk lol god damn

 

[bluter]

Sounds like a good range. Its my 2nd run and im still tryna tell the difference between a pop and a snap of the stalk lol god damn

best thing is get some hygrometers that fit in the jars. drying too quick or too long will get you a hay smell every time.

the hang time isn't as important as the cure. you want the buds hitting the jars with enough rh for a good long burp and cure. that's where the magic is. if they hit the jars too dry it's all over. it won't come back. i burp for at least a month, and then seal it up without burping for another month. you have to be at the proper rh for it to work.

bovedas can help, but only within a range. they can be quite friendly to a new grower, and are great for long term storage.

 

[GreenFingaz]

best thing is get some hygrometers that fit in the jars. drying too quick or too long will get you a hay smell every time.

the hang time isn't as important as the cure. you want the buds hitting the jars with enough rh for a good long burp and cure. that's where the magic is. if they hit the jars too dry it's all over. it won't come back. i burp for at least a month, and then seal it up without burping for another month. you have to be at the proper rh for it to work.

bovedas can help, but only within a range. they can be quite friendly to a new grower, and are great for long term storage.

Yeye I have them ready for when jarring starts I just noticed today some buds seem dryer than others. Like on the outside on some the small leaves on the buds I could pull them off crispy style. I just didnt want to put buds in jars too early because that happened to me last run. They seemed dry put them in jars and the rh was like 85% so took em out and put em in cardboard boxes for a few days. Thanks for your info really appreciate peoples opinions on this

 

[bluter]

I just didnt want to put buds in jars too early because that happened to me last run.

too early can be fixed. too dry or too late can't.

 

[Icemud]

The hay smell a lot of times comes from trimming while the plant is still wet. its best to dry the plant with all the leaves intact, and trim after its dried.

A nice slow dry is best, higher humidity, cool temps and let them slowly dry.

I used to get the hay smell all the time when I "wet trimmed". I found out this has a lot to do with cutting the leaves before the plant is dry.

If the plants dry too quickly this also can lead to the hay smell.

 

[bluter]

The hay smell a lot of times comes from trimming while the plant is still wet. its best to dry the plant with all the leaves intact, and trim after its dried.

i've never run in to that being a problem ever. i do both a wet and a dry trim now.