I need some advice drying

[celticlyle]

Hey guys I just cut down my crop of girls on Friday night, It has almost been 3 full days now since I done so. The drying room is in the dark and with a temperature of 19-23 'C and with an RH if 49-58 weather dependent day to day, night to day. I would say my average RH and temps have been 55 RH and 21'C though.
I am hanging the plants whole on a washing line like set up i constructed in a spare room which is in the darkness but I had to chop some of the larger ones into 3,4 parts due to the buds all being too close proximity and I am scared of bud rot in my humid environment here outside.. I have 3 separate fans moving the air around but not directed onto the buds and i also have a dehumidifier in the back running if it gets above 60 RH.I have the window of the room open but a curtain over it.
I am planning on drying for 10-14 days 14 being the more preferred so i have left on quite a lot of the leafs both sugar and fan as I wanted to retain as much moisture for as long as possible to try and get to the 14 day mark, If possible being summer and all. I am looking very closly to see when to remove the excess leafs as I do not want them going bad.
Any help with tips or something I have done wrong or anything else is greatly appreciated.. Really do not want to mess up now.

 

[bluter]

just finished under the same conditions.
stripped the fans and hung the plants whole for 6 days. did a final dry trim and jar on day 7.
could have jarred about 24 hrs sooner. will still work out ok. they will need minimal burping only during cure.

i didn't bother with running fans or anything, the plants would have dried too fast.

our rh usually sits about 25 - 35%. i normally only do a 3 day hang, and work the rest out during cure. we are a lot more humid right now at about 50%.

 

[Kanda]

Congrats on your harvest!

Just make sure to check their progress several times per day. Things seem to move quickly for me once they hit a certain point, and it’s difficult to bring them back if dried too far.

 

[bluter]

get an rh meter (hygrometer) if you don't have one.

i started here at chop -

high rh.JPG

• bluter
• Jul 20, 2020

rh spiking in the dry room

and jarred when they were stable here -

rh.JPG

• bluter
• Jul 20, 2020

decent dry room rh

jarred when they stayed at 50% for 24 hrs. they were hung in the grow space. could have jarred them the one day earlier.

 

[celticlyle]

get an rh meter (hygrometer) if you don't have one.

i started here at chop -

high rh.JPG

• bluter
• Jul 20, 2020

rh spiking in the dry room

and jarred when they were stable here -

rh.JPG

• bluter
• Jul 20, 2020

decent dry room rh

jarred when they stayed at 50% for 24 hrs. they were hung in the grow space. could have jarred them the one day earlier.

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply bud, I do in deed have a hydrometer and my room is sitting around 20C and RH is 55%. As I said i chopped the whole plant right at the bottom of the stalk and kept on an healthy looking full fan leaves in the hope to prolong the drying process. I really want to try and avoid jarring them before day 10 but if I am hit with that situation I shall do so regardless.
I am roughly day 3 of the dry and have not been drying it to fast I do not think so I guess If I raise the humidity to 55-60% and the temps down to say 19/20C I would see the 10-14 days drying maybe? I really want a good flavored smoke with as little harshness as possible. In most reading i find online it says that the closer to the 14 day dry you can get the overall better tasting your smoke shall be, BUT i know not a lot ha ha!
Out of curiosity how long would you cure for after a 7 day hang dry?

 

[celticlyle]

Congrats on your harvest!

Just make sure to check their progress several times per day. Things seem to move quickly for me once they hit a certain point, and it’s difficult to bring them back if dried too far.

Thanks very much man, Only my 3rd grow ever and like the 1st in 10+ years so I was feeling the pressure haha.
Currently sitting at around 55% RH and 21 C give or take, What would you personally do to achieve the 10 to 14 day drying time? I have a humidifier and a dehumidifier..

 

[Dbdub]

I too am about to harvest my girls. It's a first for me so yeah all those butterflies

 

[bluter]

In most reading i find online it says that the closer to the 14 day dry you can get the overall better tasting your smoke shall be

don't believe the hype. the jar cure is by far the most important. you have to account for the conditions they hang under.

7 days hang is great if you can achieve it. 14 would be a pipe dream here without a lab controlled environment. i get decent cures with 3 no problem, but i cure it out long. no one can tell the difference between any.

you wanna make sure they hit the jars with enough moisture to cure, but lower than the threshold to mold. if it dries too fast you wind up with harsh hay, too slow and you could mold. with your ambient rh you should be able to avoid mold no problem. i have found the level of moisture they get jarred at to be crucial. super hard to come back from too dry.

Out of curiosity how long would you cure for after a 7 day hang dry?

same as always. minimum one month once stable and completed burping. i have some stuff going back to 2018.

 

[013]

Hey CelticLyle,

Ever tried low & slow curing? Pretty cool stuff - easy to do. It may be wise to split your harvest into 2 batches, you gain experience plus very worst case you lose 1/2 of harvest as opposed to losing it all.

I do bud wash, hang dry for 4 hours. Then I split the harvest half goes in paper bags in fridge, half goes back to hang dry.

Here’s link for low & slow, it’s long thread but first or two page explains the steps. Low & Slow

Ah perfect, Bluter is in the House!

 

[celticlyle]

don't believe the hype. the jar cure is by far the most important. you have to account for the conditions they hang under.

7 days hang is great if you can achieve it. 14 would be a pipe dream here without a lab controlled environment. i get decent cures with 3 no problem, but i cure it out long. no one can tell the difference between any.

you wanna make sure they hit the jars with enough moisture to cure, but lower than the threshold to mold. if it dries too fast you wind up with harsh hay, too slow and you could mold. with your ambient rh you should be able to avoid mold no problem. i have found the level of moisture they get jarred at to be crucial. super hard to come back from too dry.





same as always. minimum one month once stable and completed burping. i have some stuff going back to 2018.

Ooofff I bet the stuff from 2018 tastes fucking amazing.
I am going for a 2-3 week cure then Ill smoke It as it cures along the way

 

[celticlyle]

don't believe the hype. the jar cure is by far the most important. you have to account for the conditions they hang under.

7 days hang is great if you can achieve it. 14 would be a pipe dream here without a lab controlled environment. i get decent cures with 3 no problem, but i cure it out long. no one can tell the difference between any.

you wanna make sure they hit the jars with enough moisture to cure, but lower than the threshold to mold. if it dries too fast you wind up with harsh hay, too slow and you could mold. with your ambient rh you should be able to avoid mold no problem. i have found the level of moisture they get jarred at to be crucial. super hard to come back from too dry.





same as always. minimum one month once stable and completed burping. i have some stuff going back to 2018.

Hey CelticLyle,

Ever tried low & slow curing? Pretty cool stuff - easy to do. It may be wise to split your harvest into 2 batches, you gain experience plus very worst case you lose 1/2 of harvest as opposed to losing it all.

I do bud wash, hang dry for 4 hours. Then I split the harvest half goes in paper bags in fridge, half goes back to hang dry.

Here’s link for low & slow, it’s long thread but first or two page explains the steps. Low & Slow

Ah perfect, Bluter is in the House!

WOW that looks like an amazing method, I had already bee looking at what called a water cure just for fun. I shall definitely have a look into this, however It may have to be another batch due to mine already being hang dried for 72 hours already. Im all about the terps Im planning on making alot of my grow into dab able concentrates.

 

[celticlyle]

don't believe the hype. the jar cure is by far the most important. you have to account for the conditions they hang under.

7 days hang is great if you can achieve it. 14 would be a pipe dream here without a lab controlled environment. i get decent cures with 3 no problem, but i cure it out long. no one can tell the difference between any.

you wanna make sure they hit the jars with enough moisture to cure, but lower than the threshold to mold. if it dries too fast you wind up with harsh hay, too slow and you could mold. with your ambient rh you should be able to avoid mold no problem. i have found the level of moisture they get jarred at to be crucial. super hard to come back from too dry.





same as always. minimum one month once stable and completed burping. i have some stuff going back to 2018.

Ah Ok, I cant lie a lot of my research is done on Youtube and google Haha. What would you do in my case? If you had an average of 55RH and 21C temps with a lot of stalk and leaf left on ( I am planning on doing a major trim job when dry and taking off any dead looking leafs on the way) I have 2 litre Mason jars with Boveda 58% and 62% 2 way packs and also some small hydrometers that go into the curing jars too so I can check on that too. Just don't want to mess anything up and like you said I want to try and do whats best as per my drying conditions.

 

[bluter]

@celticlyle - see if you can pick up some these cheap hygrometers. they go in the jars so you can monitor what your cure is doing and when it is stable.

hygrometer.JPG

• bluter
• Jul 27, 2020

cheap hygrometer for curing

super handy cheap little tool. real good idea for first timers and even those with experience. i still use them, toss one in every third jar or so of the same product to monitor. they'll help you nail that cure.

 

[celticlyle]

@celticlyle - see if you can pick up some these cheap hygrometers. they go in the jars so you can monitor what your cure is doing and when it is stable.

hygrometer.JPG

• bluter
• Jul 27, 2020

cheap hygrometer for curing

super handy cheap little tool. real good idea for first timers and even those with experience. i still use them, toss one in every third jar or so of the same product to monitor. they'll help you nail that cure.

Hell yeah man I have those and Boveda packs for safety! What method do you usually apply when checking to see if you buds are dry enough to cure? I was looking at the individual bud stems cracking when bent but not snapping and not just bending either..

 

[bluter]

I am going for a 2-3 week cure then Ill smoke It as it cures along the way

way too short. testers are ok, but a minimum one month for cure at the shortest once in the jars and stable.

 

[bluter]

What method do you usually apply when checking to see if you buds are dry enough to cure?

honestly it's just experience now. i lift them when they are hanging to "feel" the weight and how crispy the outside of the buds are. when happy i do final trim and jar.

once in the jars i burp them daily until they hit a stable rh at 55 - 60%, then leave jarred and stored until use. i also use the bovedas for long term storage. you can jar them up with a boveda at final trim, and just let the boveda help get them stable. it's not hard to do if you have those little hygrometers.

 

[013]

It’s crazy how much different tech goes into every aspect of weed. You are right tho at 72 hours dry hang already your buds would turn out crispy not dripping with glue. Yes that water cure is neat but it’s like minimal terps & taste afterwards. I think cobs are a better choice still get terps & taste but very smooth.

I like those accutemps Bluter, I’ve got cheapie digital ones- your look much better

 

[celticlyle]

Thanks very much man.. I appreciate you time in help me. And I shall head you words of wisdom
I shall check on them daily before and after work etc and see how it goes this Friday which shall the the 7 day mark.

 

[celticlyle]

It’s crazy how much different tech goes into every aspect of weed. You are right tho at 72 hours dry hang already your buds would turn out crispy not dripping with glue. Yes that water cure is neat but it’s like minimal terps & taste afterwards. I think cobs are a better choice still get terps & taste but very smooth.

I like those accutemps Bluter, I’ve got cheapie digital ones- your look much better

I am definitely keen for trying this process tho even just a small jar as I am very prone to messing things up you see!
I have the small hydrometers from ebay that pop into the jars . I have 2 other grows on the way which are White Fire Gelato 41 and Stardawg so I can try with them.

 

[Kanda]

Thanks very much man, Only my 3rd grow ever and like the 1st in 10+ years so I was feeling the pressure haha.
Currently sitting at around 55% RH and 21 C give or take, What would you personally do to achieve the 10 to 14 day drying time? I have a humidifier and a dehumidifier..

When drying fresh cannabis buds the proper way the following circumstances are required:

• Temperature: In the first 3 days the best temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. This way the buds will dry quick, but not too fast. After 3 days the temperature should be lowered to about 17-18 degrees Celsius to slow down the process.
• Humidity: In the first 3 days the relative humidity should be around 50%. After three days the relative humidity should rise to about 60%, again with the reason to slow down the drying process.
• Air circulation: It's very important there's enough air circulation in the room, so it's advisable to use an electric driven fan. A ventilation fan can also come in handy to control the temperature and humidity. Don't point the fan directly on the buds though, this will dry the cannabis buds unevenly.
• Darkness: The room should be relatively dark as light, especially direct sunlight, degrades THC.
• 
  Found this online. I’m thinking you have had ideal temps and rh so far and should be able to achieve the parameters set out here to extend your drying times to what you are looking for.