DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[JSP 714]

Since beginning this thread we've had a member show up who'd spent the years since 1993 refining this very process. He's already worked out what we were trying to discover - the most favorable atmospheric conditions, how to adjust humidity levels when it's time to jar it up, and for that matter, how much time it really takes to get dry enough to begin that step. He's also worked out schedules for burping to maximize the effectiveness of the cure.

You're more than welcome to wander through our early explorations. We had great fun and worked out some neat ideas, including some interesting ways to make shelving, and learning to accelerate the drying with paper bags. But no one will be upset if you choose to jump right to the good stuff. You can always backtrack to find out what other delights we discovered.

The Good Stuff




This was my first recollection of this marvelous procedure we've fondly taken to referring to as "Low and Slow" drying. I can't believe we took so long to play around with it but OMG!!!! Once you've tried this unconventional technique dreamed up by our own mad scientist cultivator and canna chef extraordinare, DrZiggy, you won't look back.

The chief benefit of Low and Slow drying is the ability to retain almost all of the terpenes and flavonoids. When we hang to dry these volitile molecules float away with the air. They weigh next to nothing, so evaporation is swift. In the first week alone you'll lose over 30% of the monoterpenes you had at harvest. Those monoterpenes include myrcene, the terpene that helps the cannabinoids get a fast track through the Blood-Brain Barrier so they can attach to the CB1 receptors and introduce euphoria. I don't know about you, but this is a feature I want to support, as well as all the functions of all the other terpenes that get protected by drying low and slow.

Cannabinoids are are akin to the wheels on a car, and the terpenes the steering column. It'd be nice to be able to steer all that raw power, don't you think?

It turns out that all those wonderful things cannabinoids do for our bodies are determined by the presence of the terpenes. We're not sure yet of the importance of the flavonoids, but you can be certain once they start studying the plant the way it should be, they'll find a good reason to retain them, and you'll already be ahead of the game. This, ladies and gentlemen, is way out on the edge. I'd venture to say we may be the only crazy band out there experimenting with it.

And I want us to experiment. We're already discovering that it's not as simple as "put them in the fridge and let them dry." There are challenges we're working through, but the discussions are going on in journals scattered about. If we put our heads together and share our ideas we can nail this down and start seeing consistent results that everyone's happy with.

So what do you say? Are you with me? Can you bring yourself to "risk" part of your next harvest to get the best buds you ever smoked? Alright then, let's get to work. Share everything. Be long winded. Working across a virtual field has challenges, but we're adept at overcoming those limitations. I'm excited about what we're about to learn. When I consider the value of this drying technique for oil production I get shivers of joy. I can't wait to make my first batch of oil from buds dried low and slow. If the fresh harvest infused oil is any indication we're in for a treat.

Having buds tested and contrasted would be a great benefit to this project. It's already started with Canyon, and I'm anticipating others. Anyone volunteering gets the heartfelt "Thanks" from the whole membership.

We can change the way people dry, but that's not my driving motivation. Better buds make better oils, and better oils help my patients and my friends here at find more relief from the gift of cannabis. If we can put so much of ourselves into growing our plants can we do any less than our best to potentiate the harvests?

Ready to have fun?

I will be trying this in a couple weeks

 

[SweetSue]

I will be trying this in a couple weeks

Ooooo..... you’re in for a treat JSP. There’s lots of support available if you have any questions.

Pictures, when you get too it please. We love pictures.

 

[JSP 714]

Ooooo..... you’re in for a treat JSP. There’s lots of support available if you have any questions.

Pictures, when you get too it please. We love pictures.

Here my chocolate skunk auto, 9 1/2 weeks old

 

[Bud]

This is perfect explanation. I my Mind,.....I put what ‘looks’ like a ‘zip wet’ into a paperbag.



This is why it should be a frost free refrigerator. I don’t know where the humidity goes and now I want to know how the machine works too.

I start to review this thread about one month before every harvest.
[/QUOTE @kelticBlue at the bottom of a frost free fridg is a shallow pan underneath the bottom
of the fridg the moisture collects and evaporates there. Not unlike a AC unit but with less moisture. hope this helps

 

[pZy]

Ok guys, even tho I got 2 more months till harvest (hopefully don't fuck anything up, I am trying a new ebb & flow system and I recently had a flood and had to scrape everything and put new plants in...) but do you think this vine fridge would be a good idea?

I was talking to a friend about the process and he suggested this (the glass panel will allow for visual inspection and humidity gages without opening the fridge and disturbing the process)... it will be in a dark room so no light will penetrate but hopefully it will be enough for a full harvest xD I will probably fill it fully, it has 6 stainless steel racks which seem that can hold 100-150g's each easily by dimensions.... I would buy a bigger one maybe but these things are expensive as hell compared to normal fridges of same or even bigger sizes...

Anyways I wanted to ask you guys... do you think its a good idea to water clean the buds after harvest, dry the excess water under a fan and then put the buds in paper bags inside a TURNED OFFED fridge so the moisture will be at the 50% RH same as in the room, then once I fill it up turn it on so the temperature gradually decreases???

From what I read most people here fill a working fridge then when they fill it due to hot air moisture starts at 100% then gets down to good levels after.. could I skip that whole disturbance by filling a turned off fridge then turning it on?

That seems most logical to do to me, plus as I will order it brand new it will be frost free 100% so that works in my favor too.

I will do as you guys, ounces per paper bags so they mediate the moisture from the buds to the fridge plate (and probably hang some bigger buds there is a small compartment at the bottom of the fridge where the wine bottles are stacked, it has a solid 30 cm height space to hang some bigger buds for drying.

Can I put 1 RH meter inside a paper bag (its sensor, I would keep it outside so I can see the reading)... or do you guys open the bags then put the buds inside jars to measure their RH inside the jar?

My idea was to use the fridge as a cure chamber as well, I would get those hydrometer jar caps one of you guys linked in the topic before, think that would be pretty fucking awesome and simple to read and handle the material. Plus with buds in jars I have no problem opening the fridge because the hot air condensation wont affect buds curing inside jars right?

Really sorry for long posts but before I commit to this project fully I want to confirm all I think I understand about the process so if someone can help to enlighten me some more I would be extremely grateful guys

I think the turned off fridge works in theory even better then putting buds inside a working fridge then waiting for moisture to drop, did anyone try this already or is there something I am missing and this would not work?

Again, thanks a lot guys, I can't fucking wait to try out this method I have literally been drooling for past month reading this topic and looking at your results people.. this is some next level drying shit. SO fucking glad I found out about this, this will probably be the best weed I have smoked in my life. SOOO EXCITED!!!!! WOHOOOO

Peace bros can't wait to post some pictures 2 months from now if this all goes according to plan

 

[weenmeoff]

Will the wine fridge work? Most likely but why not just get a mini fridge or a used full size fridge for less money?

Not sure about starting with the fridge off, I'm leaning towards that not being a great idea but you never know til you try right? Maybe don't try it on your first round....?

Yes to washing buds but no to the fan. That would dry em to fast and potentially blow the precious terpenes away defeating the purpose of this method.

You are gonna love the end product!

 

[pZy]

Will the wine fridge work? Most likely but why not just get a mini fridge or a used full size fridge for less money?

Not sure about starting with the fridge off, I'm leaning towards that not being a great idea but you never know til you try right? Maybe don't try it on your first round....?

Yes to washing buds but no to the fan. That would dry em to fast and potentially blow the precious trichones/terpenes off defeating the purpose of this method.

You are gonna love the end product!

Well I could but putting some extra money is not a problem so why not? I mean I will probably use it for a long time plus it would be good if I try it so I can give further insight into how it will end up once I try it

ah so how do you remove the excess water? I was sure I read about a small power fan to blow over the buds... but yea now that you mentioned it doesn't seem like a good idea... so I should pull the stem out of the water and I could rotate it between my palms to shake off excess drips and then just let the water evaporate for couple of hours right?

Fridge off is literally a no brainer in theoretical sense, I am just confused was the idea overlooked by you guys or is there really some benefit to starting it with fridge turned on... I don't like that moisture spike from condensation, especially after a water treatment of the plants.. I worked in a mycology lab so I know how mold easily forms in those conditions I really don't wanna take any risk with it...

in theory the RH would remain the same as the room temperature after I load it and close it, I would give it couple of minutes for it to stabilize anyway to see what happens before turning it on, if the conditions are stable I would turn it on and it would slowly cool the air inside lowering the temperature from my 18-19celsius room to 4 celsius (lowest this fridge goes, most wine fridges don't go that low).

I will blast the AC to keep the room at 18-19 degrees celsius so I preserve as much of terpenes as possible too by working in cold conditions. Will see... yea maybe the idea of trying it with everything is not the brightest... but I was always an "all in" type of guy I believe divine guidance bought me to this topic for a reason anyway so yea... gonna go with the instinct

also have 2 months to read about herb freezer drying from other sources regarding spices and other herbs so there will be some useful info there as well to reference your knowledge and my theories further. Will see.

Plus I am a graphic designer by trade and I am a sucker for aesthetics so this fridge > regular fridge.(should see my growbox setup, I got a shitload of compliments of it being the most clean setup ever xD). It will just be a fucking eye candy looking at frosty bud tips drying and curing inside... mmmm weed porn in real time probably gonna end up zoning out infront if hahahah. Well worth the extra bucks if you ask me ^^

Anyways gonna see, there is a pretty long time till then but I like to plan ahead.... as they say preparation is half the victory

cheers!!

 

[DonkeyDick]

this is some next level drying shit. SO fucking glad I found out about this, this will probably be the best weed I have smoked in my life.

You will not be disappointed!

also have 2 months to read about herb freezer drying from other sources

This will knock off the trichomes and defeat the purpose. Using the fridge for the low and slow is what we’re on about here. The freezer is not part of that.

I am a sucker for aesthetics

And it looks great!

I think loading the fridge warm is a fine idea. You may add a few hours to the dry time, but over two weeks that doesn’t matter.

Best pot I ever smoked was homegrown. Best homegrown I ever smoked was dried like this. People who’ve only ever tasted the uncured ammonia-heavy version of badly dried bud can’t even believe they are smoking cannabis. Until they are high!

 

[pZy]

You will not be disappointed!

This will knock off the trichomes and defeat the purpose. Using the fridge for the low and slow is what we’re on about here. The freezer is not part of that.

And it looks great!

I think loading the fridge warm is a fine idea. You may add a few hours to the dry time, but over two weeks that doesn’t matter.

Best pot I ever smoked was homegrown. Best homegrown I ever smoked was dried like this. People who’ve only ever tasted the uncured ammonia-heavy version of badly dried bud can’t even believe they are smoking cannabis. Until they are high!

ah sorry I meant the fridge, I am not native english speaker so I forgot there is a wording destinction between the terms xD

yea man tell me about it you guys have no idea how bad it is around the globe... people here are literally smoking black tar amonia bacteria digested mold weed and overpaying it shitloads..

its madness, luckily I have found my escape from that shit, thats why I don't wanna spare any details when chasing the "greatest high"

yea so fridge yes, freezer no xD its a bad wording, my bad, but yea, good thing is wine fridges dont even have freezers so I cant go wrong. One cool thing about wine fridges tho is there are double decker ones, you literally have 2 dry spaces within one fridge chamber and they always come with options to tune the temperatures differently in both zones.... that would be awesome for using them for both drying and curing.... especially if I got different strains...

ah yea I wanted to ask you guys its probably not a deal breaker but do smells mix if you put different strains in the same fridge?

each strain bud should probably smell differently once outside the fridge, I just wanna know do they "steal" a bit of fragnance off each other :S anyone noticed anything like that with multiple strains in same fridge? or makes no difference at all?

man I can't tell you guys how fucking excited I am for this... this is beyond me. its literally like all my life choices led me here. Insane.

I F*CKING LOVE THIS COMMUNITY <3 no homo guys hahahaha

and yea I totally believe you that weed dried like this is superb in all ways to classical buds.. I can only imagine the reactions of people... can't wait to show couple of my friends once its done they will be amazed because shit like that can only be seen on instagram where I live lol xD

I can see by your pictures guys that this method blows everything else out of the water. And I mostly tried everything else. This will totally be a next evolutionary step. Thank you brothers, can't wait to contribute to the community with me trying....

much love guys!!!

 

[DonkeyDick]

ea man tell me about it you guys have no idea how bad it is around the globe... people here are literally smoking black tar amonia bacteria digested mold weed and overpaying it shitloads..

I have every idea how bad it can be. How does $600/oz for catpiss tasting coughs sound to you? New Zealand.

do smells mix if you put different strains in the same fridge?

I had some smell for a day or two. There’ll be some, but the point of preserving terps is the smells don’t leave the buds.
It really wasn’t as smelly as I thought it would be.

 

[weenmeoff]

After bud wash, hang dry for about 4 hours before bagging and putting in the fridge.

If you put damp buds in the fridge that is off, the rh is gonna spike just like it does when we fill a fridge that is on, maybe worse!?!? I would advise against doing it this way. Why you ask? Is anyone else on this thread doing that? Nope, all fridges are on and almost everyone is having great success and loving it. No mold! So why mess with success!?!?

You mentioned being able to look at the buds through the glass door. I highly recommend putting your buds in paper bags. Why? Because that is the method I've seen most successful.

Looking forward to seeing how you like it in a few months.

 

[pZy]

After bud wash, hang dry for about 4 hours before bagging and putting in the fridge.

If you put damp buds in the fridge that is off, the rh is gonna spike just like it does when we fill a fridge that is on, maybe worse!?!? I would advise against doing it this way. Why you ask? Is anyone else on this thread doing that? Nope, all fridges are on and almost everyone is having great success and loving it. No mold! So why mess with success!?!?

You mentioned being able to look at the buds through the glass door. I highly recommend putting your buds in paper bags. Why? Because that is the method I've seen most successful.

Looking forward to seeing how you like it in a few months.

yea ofc, I won't be able to see most of them that are in paper bags but couple of big ones hanging in the bottom will be easier for visual inspection... also i will have RH meters in there so it will be easier to just look at it and know without the need to open in case I am insecure or something... this will just make it easier all around.

Yea maybe I won't be able to look at them while in paper bags but just look at them in jars during the curing process will be splendid....

true about damp buds, thats why I intended to load the fridge and give it 10-20 minutes to see how it behaves, if the RH spikes up I will know I didn't dry them enough or maybe it will spike up as when you put them in on turned on fridge...

In either way I can always take em all out, turn it on then load them in... I dunno but the idea to load it turned off and then turn it on seems more logical to me... and someone got to try it sooner or later?

I know you guys have success as it is, thats why I consider this a safe bet, else I wouldnt be putting my whole grow inside a fridge (or however much I will be able to fill it up), I don't doubt your method but I am a perfectionist and I always try to look for ways to improve upon a technique of any kind I am using....

thats why I think it would be good, since I am already trying this to try it with a fridge turned off just to see what happens, in worst case scenario the RH will jump up the same as with turned on fridge, I will just empty it, turn it on, lose an hour for it to chill down and then load it... doesn't seem like that much of a problem to me, either way gonna see once this is done I still have a shitload of text to read from various articles regarding drying spice herbs in fridge that I found so maybe there is some more relevant information there.

Science wise it makes much more sense to start it off turned off then turn it on when I am thinking about all the factors I am aware off. Thats why an experiment is needed to disprove the doubts, I doubt it will be any NOTICEABLE difference between the turned off or turned on, I just want to eliminate that first spike. But you are right, why risk it, but then again, it wouldn't be me if I didn't ^^

anyway thanks for all the input so far, this is early as it is but I don't wanna keep these thoughts to myself, let it simmer in the collective mind for a while ^^ we will see soon enough hopefully cheers!

I have every idea how bad it can be. How does $600/oz for catpiss tasting coughs sound to you? New Zealand.

Holy fucking shit. 600 dollars. Ok, I guess we are lucky the same shit goes for 600 kunas here, but kunas are like 1/6th of a dollar price so its like 100 dolars for oz of shit like that. Damn.

Yea, this is personal salvation at its finest.

If its worth doing, its worth doing right. And if you want something done right... you better do it yourself they say

 

[DonkeyDick]

The idea of washing your bud then drying it in your fridge is so new it’s easy to over think it. Especially with a 2 month lead time
What Weens said.

Is anyone else on this thread doing that? ...why mess with success!?!?

That’s why this...

but just look at them in jars during the curing process

Drying and curing happen under different conditions. Curing converts chlorophyll into ammonia and co2 and this gets burped. It’s to do with relative humidity also which itself is tied to temperature.
Is chlorophyll conversion happening at 5*C?
I say drying your precious harvest is not the time for R&D.
This is the 420mag hive mind and the method has been developed and is proven.
I suggest following the method as is before curiosity drives you to tweak it in various ways. I trust 420 implicitly. I had my hesitations too.
The fact is we don’t want you to put a foot wrong. Your creativity as a dancer is (on and) up to you.

 

[InTheShed]

true about damp buds, thats why I intended to load the fridge and give it 10-20 minutes to see how it behaves, if the RH spikes up I will know I didn't dry them enough or maybe it will spike up as when you put them in on turned on fridge...

The low part of low and slow is temperature. Putting wet buds in a warm fridge creates the perfect environment for mold. You want the temp of the buds to get down to fridge temps as fast as possible, so leave it running. The RH will take care of itself in a frost free fridge.

 

[pZy]

I have every idea how bad it can be. How does $600/oz for catpiss tasting coughs sound to you? New Zealand.

I had some smell for a day or two. There’ll be some, but the point of preserving terps is the smells don’t leave the buds.
It really wasn’t as smelly as I thought it would be.

The idea of washing your bud then drying it in your fridge is so new it’s easy to over think it. Especially with a 2 month lead time
What Weens said.

That’s why this...

Drying and curing happen under different conditions. Curing converts chlorophyll into ammonia and co2 and this gets burped. It’s to do with relative humidity also which itself is tied to temperature.
Is chlorophyll conversion happening at 5*C?
I say drying your precious harvest is not the time for R&D.
This is the 420mag hive mind and the method has been developed and is proven.
I suggest following the method as is before curiosity drives you to tweak it in various ways. I trust 420 implicitly. I had my hesitations too.
The fact is we don’t want you to put a foot wrong. Your creativity as a dancer is (on and) up to you.

True that.
Yea I know the process of drying and curing is separated, but I have seen members here in this topic also using their drying fridge to maintain a curing process afterwards? Jar it up and put it into fridge right? :S

Yea I agree with what you say about R&D, but I really don't think putting weed in a turned off fridge will ruin anything :S
Well I have been stalking this topic for past month and a half, I did my reading both in this topic and on other website guides for drying herb spices in fridge, I love the technique and the idea, I didn't come hear to appear all knowing I am just saying that my mind came up with the idea of having the fridge turned off while thinking about it because as far as I know its when you open the fridge hot air comes in and pushes tight oxygen molecules of cold air inside apart, allowing moisture to fill space within the molecules. Thats why hot air can contain moisture, because oxygen molecules are further apart so it can withold water vapor. Colder air has those oxygen molecule so tightly together there is no place for vapor inbetween.

Thats why I believe that having a fridge on room temperature filled and then turned on is much better for this process because you will start with neutral air at mid or room temperature and then when you put the weed inside the fridge there won't be a condensation effect due to temperature difference of hot and cold air... meaning the moisture that starts evaporating will start doing so when the oxygen molecules start tightening up as the temperature lowers... ending up on the plate in the back of the fridge and sipping out through the bottom valve to release the moisture outside.

I mean this is literally the same process it just avoids the RH spike due to air condensation, that part has nothing to do with weed itself or weed being inside the fridge, that happens in any fridge you open thats why this idea makes more sense to me, as its scientifically valid and there shouldn't be any problems.

But yea I understand you man, really shouldn't gamble with it but I doubt this will totally ruin the product in anyway, I know a thing or two but am in no way an master of anything, I am just here to learn through sharing information and meaningful conversation like this.

Man shit, now you make me wanna buy 2 fridges just so we can be sure xD hhahahah, science is a curse sometimes ^^

And ofc no, after I dry out the herb in the fridge I would turn the temperature to around 12-13 celsius for curing.
This wine fridge has a temperature range of 4-18 celsius so thats basically perfect for both dry and curing after, I just up the temp.

I know about curing being a seperate process and I pride myself with fixing other peoples staff, I had numerous people who grow give me some of their fresh herb to finish for them, and it would always be like looking at 2 different products because mine always ended up better even if they grown it... thats the worst part about people here in Croatia who grow, they go through all the trouble of growing weed illegally, risking money, time and their freedom and then they get fucking lazy in last, most crucial and important part that can literally make or break your bud.

I know you are skeptic about me trying this and I appreciate the worry man, I am not here to say you guys are wrong or anything, I just think this method could be improved by that marginal percent as physics wise there shouldn't be any irregularities.... I actually think its more natural the way I suggested as there should be no spike, just a gradual lowering of the temp.

I dunno we will see, good thing is I have 2 months if nothing goes wrong, and yea in worst case I will probably scrape my idea and just do it as everyone is doing it (Which I intend to do fully - bags and all) only difference being I got a windowed fridge and I intended to start the process with the fridge off because the way I understand physics of condensation this would be a better way.

Either way we gonna see, if not now I will surely try out in due time.
As far as drying and curing goes, I know its a separate process, I just look forward to be able to use the fridge because in worst case I could put the temperature to 18 celsius and provide a chilly colder room temp instead of keeping the whole room frozen through AC as I used to do with my "stash" room to provide that cold environment

The low part of low and slow is temperature. Putting wet buds in a warm fridge creates the perfect environment for mold. You want the temp of the buds to get down to fridge temps as fast as possible, so leave it running. The RH will take care of itself in a frost free fridge.

ah shit son I just wrote the upper part when you posted this. Yea that makes a shitload of sense.

But my idea was to chill the room with the fridge to 18 celsius as I would when drying normally and then just lower it inside fridge once its loaded... could check how fast the fridge reduces the temperature a day or two before then see how fast would it go to 4c.

Yea don't take me seriously guys this is all mental speculation but yea I will probably do it with fridge turned on but I just like to think about stuff like this. Plus I am so fucking excited about this method of drying there is literally nothing else I can think about atm because this is such a revelation.

Anyways yea, I never had any problems with mold doing a drying with 18-20 celsius and 50% then gradually reducing the temperature to 15-16 through the weeks... literally never had mold issues, I am more worried because this is also the first time I will be trying the washed buds method because I also just learned about that so I need to absolutely MAKE SURE NO WATER is on the buds when they go in.

I am more paranoid about washing my buds then about the fridge if we are being honest...

Will see, I understand you guys are concerned and really don't want me to fuck up, I totally appreciate that, and I will probably do as you say for first time then will see. Sorry for being so long posted, I love entertaining topics like these.

Anyway time to go to sleep, cheers bros!
Gonna go dream of my frosty nugs... mmmm

 

[weenmeoff]

The low part of low and slow is temperature. Putting wet buds in a warm fridge creates the perfect environment for mold. You want the temp of the buds to get down to fridge temps as fast as possible, so leave it running. The RH will take care of itself in a frost free fridge.

Thank you for that Shed! In my mind I was thinking his idea was wrong but I couldn't figure out the reason and that makes perfect sense! Plus it's more than enough reason NOT to try it.

 

[DonkeyDick]

I am so fucking excited about this method of drying

It is, as you say, very exciting. I have never tasted pot so good. Combined with a decent cure; incomparable.

 

[Bud]

Well donk e, u hit the nail on the head, never had such good smoke before mild
to inhale but the high kicks it up a notch or two from previous methods of drying
and cureing. Luv the bright colors after the cure. Growers luv

 

[Derbybud]

Like Shed said you want the frig to be at temperature. I run mine at 40-45f and I've put in pop, water, and beer bottles to make up extra room and to keep the temps from fluctuating so much when I put my bags of buds in. You don't want the temp to spike to room temperature and cycle long as it's pulling to much moisture too quick. Sure the rh will spike for a few days and when tossing the buds daily they'll feel like mush for the first 3 days. Burp the bags daily and give the buds a toss. Maybe even twice a day for the first 3 days. It's scary stuff the first time thru. I'm not going to sugar coat it. You'll feel like you waisted a good bunch of product but after 2 week's you'll be happy you did it. Oh if you want you can also change bags in the first few days to help with the heavy moisture if the bags feel real wet. Just don't freak when the rh spikes as it will and has to for it to work correctly.
Hope this helps.

 

[pZy]

Thank you for that Shed! In my mind I was thinking his idea was wrong but I couldn't figure out the reason and that makes perfect sense! Plus it's more than enough reason NOT to try it.

yea but this only makes sense IF the RH goes up... if I load the fridge and RH remains at 50% room RH there is literally 0 mold risk at 18 celsius room temperature - IF i dry the buds completely of the excess water after the wash that is....

I worked for 2 years in mycological lab growing medicinal mushrooms and I have seen mold in shapes and sizes you people wouldn't believe, developed in all types of conditions. We had white mold, brown mold, green mold, black mold, gray mold... even some fucking orange translucent poison looking stuff lol.

So I know a thing or two about theory AND in practice when it comes to mold. As I said I have been drying herbs in 18-20 celsius rooms with 50% RH and never had mold issues... so I don't see why I should get them if I load up a fridge at 16-18 celsius at 50% rh and then temperature just drops over an hour as it chills itself...

but OK, I see you are firmly against me trying this, I appreciate it in a sense but no point to clog the topic with speculation until I get there. Lets say I will load the fridge turned on as you guys, but I am definitely trying out my idea on the next batch after I get acqainted with the process

Like Shed said you want the frig to be at temperature. I run mine at 40-45f and I've put in pop, water, and beer bottles to make up extra room and to keep the temps from fluctuating so much when I put my bags of buds in. You don't want the temp to spike to room temperature and cycle long as it's pulling to much moisture too quick. Sure the rh will spike for a few days and when tossing the buds daily they'll feel like mush for the first 3 days. Burp the bags daily and give the buds a toss. Maybe even twice a day for the first 3 days. It's scary stuff the first time thru. I'm not going to sugar coat it. You'll feel like you waisted a good bunch of product but after 2 week's you'll be happy you did it. Oh if you want you can also change bags in the first few days to help with the heavy moisture if the bags feel real wet. Just don't freak when the rh spikes as it will and has to for it to work correctly.
Hope this helps.

but it wont spike. It will start in temperatures where I usually start my drying process because the room with the fridge will be chilled to begin with and had a stabilized RH... then the fridge will just gradually decrease the temp to 4c over the next hour or two when I turn it on... I really doubt 2 hours of temperature dropping from 18>4 celsius will cause bigger problems then having a RH spike up to 100% then go back down over that same course of time :S if anything RH problem seems much bigger in this conditions as in lab we always worried more about RH then temperature.

Our innoculation room was always in 18-21 celsius range, while our fruiting room was at around 25-28 celsius range (for medicinal mushrooms) and MOLD never developed within 18-21 celsius range but as soon as we put it into the fruiting room we would see trouble as it would just appear in some innoculated bags with mycelium.

This is exactly WHY I am making this suggestion guys, so we can eliminate all spikes because through my experience working in lab conditions this makes much more sense as it will neutralize the spike (something we always did in whatever part of process we were) - make things gradual, nature likes gradual change.

Thats the thing, the temperature WONT spike because it will start at my usual ideal drying conditions.... :S the RH will be first absorbed by the brown paper bags from the buds, then released inside the fridge as the temperature is dropping... so I doubt I will have either a RH or temperature spike... :S

thats why I am saying, ok mushrooms are not weed and weed is not mushroms but mold doesn't care what its food is, it only cares about environment conditions where it may start flurishing and eating whatever is available... thats why to me my suggestion seems a bit better because I had a workplace where all we cared were environmental factors and settings because mold is the only thing that can harm your mushrooms...

And yes friend, I really APPRECIATE your comment, this is the type of information I need.

So its normal for weed to feel mushy afterwards being put in fridge for next first days?
Do buds have that bubble gum wetness feel when you touch them? Meaning you can squish them if you press but not break them?

You open the fridge daily during the first couple of days of drying?

But in beggining of the topic I read that you should try opening the fridge as little as possible :S so you open the fridge and burp the bags daily? only first few days or through the whole process?

I am really sorry guys I don't wanna come off as a hater I just wanna learn the in's and out's of the whole process as with everything I am doing thats why all these questions as even tho you all agreed on, this shows you still have variations when doing it because I swear I read along this topic that its better to not open the fridge at all and risk condensation...

tho you are probably right, people who keep them in open lid jars with that cloth over also said they take them out and shuffle buds in the topic so yea, will probably do that. In that case spikes will happen anyway true...

yea, seems my biggest fear is "washing" buds.

How do you guys do it? I read some use mild h2o2 dillutied in one bucket (or lemon juice and baking soda) and then a dip into hot and then into cold water with shaking the water gently between each soak? Then stir it a bit inside each bucket so the water permiates through buds? 10-20 secs should be enough or too much?

Also, when I hang them to dry after, NO FAN over right? Can I wrap paper towel GENTLY around it, so its barely touching the weed so it acts as moisture absorbant as when you wrap regular spice herbs after washing to get rid of excess water?

I wouldn't press it against the buds, just cover them silk like style so its barely touching.... or just hang them normally in the air on the rack for what 4-6 hours seems to be the consensus?

I would be more willing to go with 6 hours to be sure no water drops remain inside or under the buds... man the idea of dipping fat bud coals inside water then letting them dry is really making me nervous more then this whole fridge drying thing guys. Because I cannot be sure the water from the inside will properly leave the bud before I put in the fridge...

Yea gonna have to research that part a bit more as well, I love the idea of washing my produce before the consumption and I did some water curing back in the day so I know I won't lose the cannabinoids and terps but the idea of some water dropplet remaining tucked away in buds scares me because that shit could ruin the batch more easily, gotta be extra careful with that.

Please don't hate me guys I am just trying to make sense of this all before I commit fully to it, YOUR METHOD is by far superior and more logical then anything I know about so far (and I do know quite a bit tbh) and it just seems more logical - even tho I haven't even tried it yet it literally hits every light on being a better way to dry and cure in my mind.

Thats why I wanna ask all the good and not so good questions to prepare more fully, else I wouldn't even be risking it by trying but as I said, the true cannasiours are always chasing that better and greater medicine and my health condition is not the best so I want to try to preserve my medicinal properties of my herb completely.

Anyway, thank you guys for the opportunity to learn and be a part of the discussion, I know my suggestion scares some of you but it makes sense and is scientifically valid, I just maybe have trouble presenting the whole idea to you because english is not my native language and you can easily missinterpret my point because I use different terms then you - thats also the reason why I make these shitlong long posts to try to explain myself better so we could understand each other.

Yea now that you mentioned all that I really need to first understand the washing method completely as it has more potential to ruin my bud then trying out low and slow drying, so if you guys care to explain a bit more I am listening

P.s. Don't shoot the messenger guys peace