First time outdoor grower and my buds got way to dry while drying! Now what?

DenRcGrower · Nov 3, 2022

I am both new to the group and a new outdoor grower. I have been using the advice of many friends of mine that are experienced growers. I absolutely grew some BEAUTIFUL ladies and we harvested last Wednesday. I have been drying in my shed which I completely prepared and designated as a drying room. The problem is it has been really cold here in Colorado and my buds are VERY DRY AND BRITTLE! I haven't even trimmed yet! I am panicking, can anyone please provide any advice on what to do. I would think I need to provide some moisture back to these buds before trimming and curing. Am I totally screwed. It would be devastating

Chuckeye · Nov 4, 2022

Welcome, don't panic, Yet

How long have they been drying ? At what temp and rh ?

With low temps and not being trimmed it is possible just the outsides of the buds are crispy.

Do your trim, cut the buds off the branches and put them in totes or some other suitable container WITH a hygrometer.

See with it says after at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

The insides of the buds will rehydrate the rest of the material, if it's just under 70% you are Golden !

If not throw in some of the branches that hopefully are still flexible...

More info in the link in my signature.

Cheers

SmokingWings · Nov 4, 2022

Chuckeye said:
How long have they been drying ? At what temp and rh ?

The other info Chuckeye brought up about there still being some moisture left in the center of the buds that could easily be enough to keep the buds from actually drying out. But, yes, how long and what temps in the shed.

When I dry trimmed buds in a paper bag placed in the fridge I run into similar situations. My fridge is kept in the upper 30F range and those temps have a way of making the buds feel dry and crunchy. I now will take the bag out and let it warm back up to room temperatures and then check buds. It is surprising how much difference there is in the way the buds feel once they warm up for an hour or so.

Maybe take a sample from the shed and put those flowers in a paper bag and let it sit on the kitchen table for awhile.

Lerugged · Nov 4, 2022

I'd jar some up sealed for a few hours and then feel them. As mentioned often there is moisture in the stems that will migrate to the surface if in a sealed environment. If not then a few stalks that are not dry with the bud in a jar for a couple days will hopefully recover it.
If still dry then smoke it, might be a little rough but after some time it might Mellow. Good luck and please update us as to what you did and if it worked

DenRcGrower · Nov 4, 2022

I appreciate all the advice, they have been hanging 7 days, the Temps at night have gotten Below 37 degrees outside. shed stays approximately 10 to 15 degrees warmer but the humidity is absolutely non existent! I'm in Colorado and it's super Dry. I am really worried....I'm going to buy some small Tupperware/totes and separate the strains and put them in with some of the humidor packs they sell at the smoke shop. I am afraid to trim because you can see a lot of the crystals come off the bud because of how dry they are. Should I allow them to.regain some moisture before I complete the trim? I really appreciate the advice. I am so proud of the plants I grew in all organic live soil! I had experienced growers tell me that there is no way it was my first time. Just really cared for the plants, would hate not to enjoy the harvest to the fullest!