Need Drying Tips For Harvest

[purpleshadrach]

I have been harvesting for the last month.

Here are a few pics of the plants a couple of months ago.

Since then I have trimming away buds from the Afghan as the buds mature.

I have exceeded my own expectations regarding the finished product.

Patience payed off when I decided to start at harvest approximately at 10 months.

What is the best way to store the harvest long term?

hope you can help.

[GSR]

Hey there purple,
I simply store long term in Food Saver bags after dried and cured, be sure to keep them dark and cool. Some people refrigerate the harvest.
Check out the awesome FAQ section of GP for in depth answers.
GSR

[ileso]

after they dry, cure for 1-2 months to enhance taste etc.
then you can store them in closed glass jars stores in a cool dark place.... anywhere where you wont handle them and no trichs get knocked off. thats me anyway, i have stord in shoe boxes before with no negative effects, as long as its dry

[CoNtRoVeRsIaL]

i would go with Glass Mason Jar's ( or any glass jars as ileso stated above^)

This is what i will use,
as i already store my green in mason jar's,

<----u can kinda see a pic of one of'em bout empty besie the beer can on the left

[justplainbill]

Of course I am different. I use Ziploc plastic containers. They are good for food so why not I said. They work terrific and they are easy to store because they are square.

[medicinecloset]

Id let the entire plant mature before cutting anything from it as cutting matured flowers before the rest of the plant stalls the rest of those buds but hey if it's working for you go for it. I would seriously consider water curing as it's fast and from what I hear it works like a charm.
Peace,
MC

[purpleshadrach]

Originally Posted by medicinecloset

Id let the entire plant mature before cutting anything from it as cutting matured flowers before the rest of the plant stalls the rest of those buds but hey if it's working for you go for it. I would seriously consider water curing as it's fast and from what I hear it works like a charm.
Peace,
MC

I tried water curing for 7 days, and I found that once the product dried it was very brown or dark.

Much of the flavor was diminished but, the product still had kick.

I am not sure if water curing is the way.

I thought it maybe a good way if you intend to make hash out of the product.

The water that I drained out every other day was nasty.

I do not know all that happened but there is a definite difference between the two. Air / Water

[medicinecloset]

You water cured for 7 days?? wow i think ya only do it for 3-4 days tops. Hmmmmmmmmmm puzzling. Well next time i'd leave the buds alone as when you cut you just stunt the heck out of the rest of the plant and it takes way longer to finish. Might wanna check up on your water curing method. There are a ton of people on here that know how to cure right so let's see if we can get ya some expert opinions to solve this issue. Drying and or curing to me are actually the MOST important part of cultivation. You can have gorgeous plants with awesome crystally nugs galore and waste em if ya screw up drying or curing.(mold,budrot,pests, etc)

[Hatch]

Here, This Stuff Will Help Ya Out.

How to cure your harvest
Curing your harvest is just like aging a fine scotch. There are many ways to do it, but if you take the time to do it properly,
you'll be left with a natural, smooth tasting smoke. There are many "quick drying" methods that certainly will work, but we are more concerned with keeping to the basics for now, and ending up with a quality product.
The proper way to cure your product, as Tony Soprano would say......is to whack 'em. Cut it down low, and trim as much leaf as possible, You'll find it easier to do the trimming now, rather than after it is dried, as after it is dried, it would make a mess doing the trimming.
(I usually save all my trimmings, I use to make iso oil, but my new love is to make brownies with them, yummy!)
Moving on, we've cut our ladies down, and trimmed them, now our main concern, is to keep the humidity as low as possible, to avoid any mold growth. The best way to go about the curing is to hang your ladies from a chain, or a string, or some people like to place them on a screen.
Whichever method you choose, just make sure there is good air flow around all sides of your buds. I usually hang mine for about 5 days in a dark location. Light degrades THC. At this point, they seem dry to the touch, but what is happening here is that the outside is dry, but the center of the bud is still extremely wet. What you need to do now, is place them, loosely into a brown paper bag and close the top.
Now, after 24 hours, open the bag, and look, you'll notice the dampness, has been re-distributed throughout the bud, this is good, leave the bag open for a couple of hours, than seal it back closed again. You should do this "open & close routine" for about 3 more weeks.
After the 3 weeks has passed, you are now ready to sample some of your hard work, it is now cured.
Alot of people at this point, transfer the buds into glass mason jars to further cure the plant some more.
Some members input:
I cut the plants as low as possible, trim away as much leaf as i can then hang upside down for a few days to a couple weeks...then when the buds start feeling crisp on the outside i move them to the next step which is trimming them off the stalks an manicuring them then i place them in brown paper sacks for a week or 2...then on to the mason jars for an indefinite amount of time....for the first month I continually check the buds each day for mold or a mildew "ish" look...if I do find mold I just go back one step, if I got mold on the hanging then I cut the plants up and lay the buds on a screen in front of a fan for a week.
At the peak of trichome ripeness I cut every individual bud off, trim off all leaf, put it in a paper grocery bag, close the top and lay the bags on a top closet shelf. Every day I turn and open the bags and inspect the buds. When the moisture content is correct (1 to 5%) it is put in plastic containers/w lids and stacked in the bottom of the closet. Every week I inspect all of it to make sure there is no mold.
I dry to 1-5% because I am after long storage times. At that moisture content the bud cannot mold or mildew and will be as dry as dust so it must be handled carefully. Before the bud is smoked it is rehumidified to 8-15% moisture content so that it burns correctly and doesn't taste harsh.
Doing it this way eliminates most of the 'trichome coast' since it dries quickly but not too quickly.

What is the best way to dry and preserve the cure for smooth, sweet buds?

Added by: administrator Last edited by: administrator Viewed: 980 times Rated by 169 users: 9.21/10Contributed by glass joe:

Commercial growers take the colas from the plant and manicure them before drying. They usually dry them on a line, upside-down, which is fine.

However, usually airflow is forced, and temps too high, humidity too low. As soon as the buds are considered dry (usually a few days), it is sold. The reason for this behavior is the fact they are, as I said, commercial growers and in a constant hurry to exchange their buds for cash. Every minute counts and they don't want to 'waste' the space or the time needed for drying and curing. This results in harsh, grassy tasting weed that lacks the full-bodied flavor and smooth stone of properly dried and cured bud. To do it right:

At harvest-time all you have to do is cut the plant as low as possible and hang the whole thing upside down to dry on a line. The room you use to dry should be the about the same size you grew in (if not the same room). The humidity should remain a constant 50-60%. Too high and buds will mold, too low and they dry too fast and taste bad. Temperature should be around 65-68 degrees, wherever possible. Make sure the room is dark, as light degrades THC.

All kinds of processes, like the transport of sugars inside the plant still take place, even when you cut it down. These processes will slowly come to an end while the drying progresses, but are the main factor for the end-taste of your smoke. That is the first reason why you don't want to quick-dry your weed. The second reason is the way that a plant dries. Plants are made up of cells and, as we all know, cells contain mainly water. Exposed to air, the (dying) plant's outer cells will dry out first but the above-mentioned processes will still transfer water from the inner cells to the dryer outer cells, thus causing the plant to dry equally all over. By removing the stalk and cutting off the individual colas, you prevent this natural process by taking away the extra moisture that would be drawn from the stem to the leaves and bud. Got it? Good! Moving on...

Make sure you hang the plants so that they do not touch each other (invites mold). With constant temp and humidity, the plants should be ready for manicuring in 3-4 weeks. At this time trim colas from the main stalk, and trim large and medium fan leaves (save them for making hash), leaving most of the smaller leaves sticking out of the bud in tact. Hang them up again and for a day or two, until 'popcorn' dry. The stems should snap when you bend them, and the bud should be dry, but not brittle. Now for the curing...

Trim all remaining leaf (save for hashmaking) tight to the buds, and trim smaller buds from larger stems. Store them airtight; air at this point degrades THC. Note- ziplock bags are not airtight! You could use buckets with an airtight lid like used for food and sauces and such, but the best containers are those glass jars with the rubber seal and latch. Just put as much bud in it as possible using light pressure. The point is to fill it as much as possible, so not too much air remains in the container. The less air, the better. To be safe, check them the next day to make sure it's still dry (did not 'sweat'). Any excess moisture at this point will invite mold. If it did sweat and is moist (soft) again, lay the bud out on something other than newspaper and put in a dry place to get the last water out.

Repack and place the container in a cool, dark place, like a refrigerator. Note- fridges have high humidity so they must be absolutely airtight.
The longer it sits (up to around a month, maybe longer in the fridge) the better it gets, both in taste and potency. At around the month mark, you can move it to the freezer to almost stop the aging and curing process. Once you've got some buds stored in the freezer, you have a private stash that will last a long time. If you've got the patience to wait, the smoke will be sweet and smooth. The high will be mellow, and longer lasting. If you grew enough to last you a while, then after a few harvests you will be able to have properly cured buds at your disposal, with no downtime waiting for the next batch to cure!

If you're not in a hurry to sell your crop you owe it to your head to wait the extra time and have great tasting, very potent bud! Curing is the only way to make harvested bud more potent, so try it, you won't be disappointed!



How do I store my harvest to maintain quality?

Added by: MisterIto Last edited by: administrator Viewed: 778 times Rated by 9 users: 7.40/10The Pump n Seal which was sold on TV was an excellent way to vacuum seal and reseal jars and other airtight containers. High Times advertises a device called "It Sucks" and looks to be the same thing. It is a small hand held vacuum pump which is placed over an adhesive tab that is placed over a small hole that is made in the lid or somewhere on your container and remove practically all atmospheric gases as is done with most food sold in glass jars. It cost under $30, which is cheap for the long term storage capabilities it provides. When you open a jar, the "swooshing" sound lets you know it works. "It Sucks" work with most glass jars, if they have a metal soft seal lid like canning jars.

After the harvest is cured and dry enough to create a snapping sound when stems are bent, the material is vacuum sealed in glass containers with a dessicant. Once the oxygen is removed from within them, the curing process and cannabinoid dterioration slows to a halt. The buds must remain dry, kept out of direct light, and the ambient temperature should be kept cool and constant. I prefer to keep the majority of the sealed jars in the refrigerator. Freezing in vacuum sealed glass containers is best for uninterrupted, long term storage. I keep "jars in use" in the cupboard to avoid humidity and temperature fluctuations that occur when you remove them from the refridgerator.

[Dagre420]

Good read. Thanks for the Information, Hatch

[The HSIC]

Originally Posted by purpleshadrach

I tried water curing for 7 days, and I found that once the product dried it was very brown or dark.

Much of the flavor was diminished but, the product still had kick.

I am not sure if water curing is the way.

I thought it maybe a good way if you intend to make hash out of the product.

The water that I drained out every other day was nasty.

I do not know all that happened but there is a definite difference between the two. Air / Water

I'm just starting my 1st water cure and according to everything I've read you do cure for 7 days and drain & refill the water daily. Yes, the water does get nasty.

The bud appeal isn't as nice as air dry

The smoke is almost tasteless, with a reduced smell.

7 days curing is more appealing to me than going through the 4 or 5 weeks of air curing.

But what ever works best for you is what counts.

Peace!!

[justplainbill]

The nasties that you see are the chemicals that are in your pot. You never get rid of them by just drying and curing. Let's say you had 1 oz of some really good smoke and you don't want to wait weeks, water cure. Let's also say that that particular strain has a THC content of 20% by volume. Water cure the pot for 3 days, or 7 days which ever you choose, they both work. So after you water cure it and dry it you will have less weed by volume but that % of THC will actually go up related to the volume. So now you have 2/3 oz of dried water cured pot that has a THC content of around 27%. I am just pulling numbers out of the clear blue but you can see what I mean.

Be sure to drain off that slick on the top of the water and the container should hold three times the amount water compared to the weed. 1 cup weed 3 cups water.
I can go fishing all day long and smoke my brains out and nobody can smell it.

[Nimbliez]

mmmmmmm fishing......d'oh!

Nim

[Roseman]

Heaven on earth is Fishing and smoking some good Indica at the same time.
IF I get stoned enough, I don't care if I catch any fish or not.