Cutting and cure

[smoke99]

I have a mental quandary
When I cut and dry the fruits of my labor and place them in a fine jar with an airtight lid I've been using the gel packs that remove all moisture and they are quite effective and I think this may be the cause of my issue. I'm getting very VERY dry buds.

So I ask the more experienced growers, would it be worth the time to sweat them in the jar before adding the silica gel packs? I'm of the mind that I'm killing the fermentation before it begins and screwing up the final product.
So to sweat then add
Or just keep doing it the way I am and it is smokable just not what I'm shooting for in a small batch grow

 

[Skunksta]

Burp Burp cant say i use gel packs tbh.Guess its just about timing.I dry to jar but i dont use gel just monitor the jars
and burp when needed.IF u forget it can prove a real problem (mold).Im sure someone on here will jump in
and give you some feed back on gel pack use.But i would say try a bit of your bud with no gel packs.See if the taste
is better?

 

[Listersmeghead]

Hey smoke99
When you say silica gel packs, do you mean a product like boveda packs that help maintain moisture?

 

[smoke99]

Yeah that's why I asked
I have a plant almost ready to cut and I'd really like to get it rite
The Kolas are huge

 

[smoke99]

Hey smoke99
When you say silica gel packs, do you mean a product like boveda packs that help maintain moisture?

No opposite they dry and make it completely without moisture

 

[Listersmeghead]

No opposite they dry and make it completely without moisture

Yeah, you don't want to be using them.
You want some moisture left in the buds when they're in the jar. The ideal level of moisture left in the bud for curing is about 58% rh. You're stripping to much moisture out with those packs.
Have a Google of " boveda 58 packs" they help maintain the moisture at that level once you've burped the jars down to that level.
I don't use them myself, I do it by eye and nose.

 

[Skunksta]

Wouldnt you then just be fast drying and killing any taste your bud has.Got to be honest i thought you meant boveda packs.Cure = keep moisture but not to much.

 

[smoke99]

Thus the question
Was fairly sure this was my issue but I'm in such a humid area, it's a fine line with moisture and mold
We see near 80% humidity and above daily and drying and the cure have been an on-going learning experience

 

[Listersmeghead]

Yeah that's high humidity for sure, it may be worth you getting a little dehumidifier. If you can set a little room/space at 60% humidity, you can let them dry hanging for 7 to 14 days and most of the work will already be done before jars.
It's a hard part to get right at first and makes a massive difference to the final product.

 

[Listersmeghead]

Oh, just a little heads up, if the silica packs you're using are the ones I'm thinking of, there's a possibility that they're poisonous.

 

[Skunksta]

Yeah that's high humidity for sure, it may be worth you getting a little dehumidifier. If you can set a little room/space at 60% humidity, you can let them dry hanging for 7 to 14 days and most of the work will already be done before jars.
It's a hard part to get right at first and makes a massive difference to the final product.

agreed

 

[smoke99]

Oh, just a little heads up, if the silica packs you're using are the ones I'm thinking of, there's a possibility that they're poisonous.

Lol I'm positive they aren't good to eat but they are safe, just don't pop em in your mouth and chew!

 

[013]

Simple way to have options..... split your harvest in half.

Use 50% for traditional dry hang for a week or whatevs then into jars for burping. With the other 50% try low & slow fridge curing.... BRB lemme grab a link Low & Slow fridge curing Warning it’s a long thread but page 1 should get you started the rest are comments & questions.

 

[skirk]

I would not moisten them with Febreze.

 

[smoke99]

But I enjoy the smell!!

 

[Stunger]

For what it is worth, here is my 2 cents for your mental quandry. Where I am, it is considered to be quite humid, the city has an average humidity of 82%.

I used to have problems with drying cut stems, sometimes I'd overdo it and they become too dry or they would get mould with early jarring and my forgetting to burp them enough.

But the last 2 years have gone great, I changed to whole plant drying. Upon chop time, I cut the plants out of the pots with a bread knife to include some of the root mass. I left the plants to whole plant dry for 3 or 4 weeks. I found they still dry quickly initially and then slowly for the rest, but after 3 to 4 weeks they are already half way cured and can be jarred with barely any burping, last year I burped the jars twice and to be honest even that felt unnecessary. The buds were jarred without any gel packs or Boveda packs. I don't actually know what their humidity is, but there is zero mould, and they are still sticky, squishy, and potent after a year. There is a pic of my plants whole plant drying after harvest here.

 

[smoke99]

Mold is always an issue
I lost a plant last month had mold in the buds
We found a jar with the drying silica gel packs covered in mold when taken out of its dark storage
Just a never ending battle

 

[smoke99]

Well for better or worse I have bud hanging as of Monday night. It was from my outdoor location, the buds were done the sugar leaf was beginning to dry out, nice tight buds and lots of em, actually cut the top out of this one a month ago and this was what was left to finish off.
Gonna give em a few days hanging, then we begin fresh with a new cure technique

 

[Skunksta]

Had the same issue after years of trail and LOADS or errors i found me sweet spot.For me it was jar my bud to
quick or not burping due to forgetting caused my mold.Hanging for longer was part of my issue bud IF not dried
to much rehydrates in a jar put it in to quick and its problems.

 

[smoke99]

Welcome to the scene of the crime!
That's a GALLON zip lock bag and should be FELONY weight but the actual crime here is stupidity and I confess, I am guilty.
That bag has less moisture than the Mojave at high Noon in the middle of a heat wave.
What should be almost a pound of weed is not even a few ounces!!!!

Now I'm not gonna cry about it. I only grow for personal consumption and really am only out time during covid, yeah so I took a how to ruin weed class during a pandemic. Chalking this one up to learning a new skill.

What to do with the world's driest weed? Tempted to crush it like oregano and make a batch of butter for baked goods. Taste isn't an issue since it's got none!
Aroma is there, and I'm betting that much weed has to have some THC left in it.

Suggestions?
Hit me up here, I will post whatever I make with it.


Now don't panic my friends, I have a supply for personal use and just cut a plant last night you can see in my journal hanging to dry Now. Plus 5 full adult plants in various stages of flower that will be done over the next 3 to 6 weeks so the pot pipeline is flowing unlike the petrol in the states!