A perfect cure every time

[Zen Master]

Well, he is a caregiver, so I know that is the format we were talking. But I agree with you, be probably got his advice from a cigar man.

When you say "strain dependent", do you have any additional info or even general guidelines on that?

oh hehe, well then he knows whats up..

by strain dependant, I mean that I've got some C99 that is crazy dense, I've gotta have it at a lower humidity otherwise it has a higher potential for mold, however I've got some other strains that are a bit looser and airier, they can handle a slightly higher humidity, which leads to slower more even drying (which I prefer for taste/smell/smoothness of smoke) so if you can get away with higher humidity and curing slower, I think thats the best route to take, just some strains CANT handle higher humidity in jars and would mold up faster than others.

 

[Zen Master]

so far, i'm seeing a very consistent 45% from the meter
i'd say i've been there for at least 3 weeks, total cure time has been 2 months
by the charts i've seen here, this is overly dried
but the bud texture is one step away from what i would call moist
no signs of mold, very nice smell
i'd have a hard time daring a higher RH percentage, wondering if anyone has done any bud below the 50% zone, and how moist it seemed to be

I'm willing to bet your meter is off... 45% would make my buds crispy and crumbly, if yours is still WET at 45%... I'd venture to say somethings up.

 

[igrowone]

I'm willing to bet your meter is off... 45% would make my buds crispy and crumbly, if yours is still WET at 45%... I'd venture to say somethings up.

not wet, but i get your drift
doesn't sound like the meter and the bud texture match
not great news, but i'll see what i can do on a calibration test
+rep for helping

 

[growclean]

oh hehe, well then he knows whats up..

by strain dependant, I mean that I've got some C99 that is crazy dense, I've gotta have it at a lower humidity otherwise it has a higher potential for mold, however I've got some other strains that are a bit looser and airier, they can handle a slightly higher humidity, which leads to slower more even drying (which I prefer for taste/smell/smoothness of smoke) so if you can get away with higher humidity and curing slower, I think thats the best route to take, just some strains CANT handle higher humidity in jars and would mold up faster than others.

Ok, gotcha. Thanks!

 

[simon]

so far, i'm seeing a very consistent 45% from the meter

What meter are you using?

Simon

 

[igrowone]

What meter are you using?

Simon

it's the Caliber III that you've described so nicely here
i had been watching some of the RH maps on some internet sites to try to gauge if i was getting a reasonable answer
in my opinion, those maps seem worthless, i can tell RH just from comfort zone, those maps don't seem to accurate to me
i was thinking about getting a plain old large RH meter, seeing what numbers i get

 

[simon]

it's the Caliber III that you've described so nicely here

I don't know what to tell you. If the hygrometer is reading correctly, 45% is way too low. OTOH, if it is reading the correct RH, or at least close to it, and you like your harvest at 45%, then by all means....

Simon

 

[GrnMtnGrwr]

igrowone - If you've confirmed the accuracy of your hygrometer, would you mind sharing some pics of some ground up bud?

 

[igrowone]

I don't know what to tell you. If the hygrometer is reading correctly, 45% is way too low. OTOH, if it reading the correct RH, or at least close to it, and you like your harvest at 45%, then by all means....

well thanks for the thoughts, i'd rep you again, but i know the system will make me wait a while yet
i still have confidence in the meter, pretty rare for bad ones, from what i can see
i know it's sensor is not dead, i held it out at arms length and blew a bit of my breath in its direction, RH shot up pretty quick
the bud is very sticky, maybe that's helping to confuse me

 

[igrowone]

igrowone - If you've confirmed the accuracy of your hygrometer, would you mind sharing some pics of some ground up bud?

well, i never have to be asked twice to post a pic of my weed
do it later tonight, buds look good, they're nl#5 from HGS
pretty dense, but not world records

 

[igrowone]

so for those that took pity on this new curer, here's a few updated bits

i remembered i had a Walmart special thermometer/humidity gauge
accurite is the brand name, shows humidity, not sure if that is relative humidity
anyways, put the 2 side by side for a couple hours
Caliber III reads 54%, accurite reads 56%

pretty close, i'd guess that's RH on the accurite but not sure

my camera is pretty puny, detail is not the finest
bud is a 2 inch side bud, side buds are in 1 jar, larger buds in another
not sure if pic is useful, lots of orange/brown pistils

 

[simon]

Thinking about this a little more, you could see a lower reading if there's a small quantity of product in a large jar, with the hygrometer staying inside for a relatively short period of time. Not knowing the specifics of your curing setup, I can't say anything definite.

Simon

 

[igrowone]

Thinking about this a little more, you could see a lower reading if there's a small quantity of product in a large jar, with the hygrometer staying inside for a relatively short period of time. Not knowing the specifics of your curing setup, I can't say anything definite.

my estimate is jar about 3/4 - 4/5 bud, 1/4 - 1/5 air space
may be a little on the 'airy' side compared to some others, after i got mold the 1st time, i did everything i could to avoid it again
i've let the meter stay inside for 24 hours, stabilized after an hour or 2, maybe less
i'm just happy to get bud without mold, and stable in a jar
i think i've got a baseline now if nothing else, next bud will go up a few points on the RH
and thanks again for all the help

 

[Ty_Kaycha]

.

 

[Dave Coulier]

so for those that took pity on this new curer, here's a few updated bits

i remembered i had a Walmart special thermometer/humidity gauge
accurite is the brand name, shows humidity, not sure if that is relative humidity
anyways, put the 2 side by side for a couple hours
Caliber III reads 54%, accurite reads 56%

pretty close, i'd guess that's RH on the accurite but not sure

my camera is pretty puny, detail is not the finest
bud is a 2 inch side bud, side buds are in 1 jar, larger buds in another
not sure if pic is useful, lots of orange/brown pistils

I have one of those accurite hygrometer/thermometer duos, and well its a piece of shit. Its off by 20%! I got it for my first grow without realizing just how crappy it was. Im glad yours is close to the Caliber though, but Id suggest no one buy an accurite ever.

 

[Arobskittle]

just got my 2 calibers today. stoked.

i was reading the directions and they say do not salt or towel test this unit. interesting how else could one calibrate?

why is this not a sticky?

this is like the key harvest process that ensures quality that not that many people are aware of; it needs to be broadcasted so i see less crappy overdried uncured buds

 

[LetitBleed]

who's the genius that's gonna start manufacturing an embedded digital RH meter in the top of a standard Ball jar screw cap? ;-)

 

[jawnroot]

Am going to be drying in a few weeks, wanted to brush up on technique. In the past, did the old OG "dry 'till snap," which wasn't ideal.

Am going to give Simon's method a run this time. Quick question, as it hasn't been addressed: How do you guys go about the drying process itself? Ventilation fans running 24/7? On some kind of timer? Humidity control? Et cetera... In the past, I think I ran the main fans 1/2 hour on, 1/2 hour off, with a circulation fan running inside the drying chamber 24/7. And also a few canisters of damp rid to keep things around 60% RH.

As an aside, for $20, those calibers don't seem terribly accurate. +/-3% from what I can see on here. Are there any better/more accurate options in the same price range?

 

[Ty_Kaycha]

.

 

[GrnMtnGrwr]

Am going to be drying in a few weeks, wanted to brush up on technique. In the past, did the old OG "dry 'till snap," which wasn't ideal.

Am going to give Simon's method a run this time. Quick question, as it hasn't been addressed: How do you guys go about the drying process itself? Ventilation fans running 24/7? On some kind of timer? Humidity control? Et cetera... In the past, I think I ran the main fans 1/2 hour on, 1/2 hour off, with a circulation fan running inside the drying chamber 24/7. And also a few canisters of damp rid to keep things around 60% RH.

As an aside, for $20, those calibers don't seem terribly accurate. +/-3% from what I can see on here. Are there any better/more accurate options in the same price range?

Here's how I did it, doing my first dry/cure after reading this thread.

I cut the plants, and trimmed them. All of the drying was done in 45-55% RH and 70-75f. I hung them up in the cabinet I grew them in, lights off, with the ventilation still going. I had some inner air circulation fans during the grow but I turned them off for the dry. They were hanging up for 3-4 days and the outsides of the buds were feeling dried out, but the stems weren't quite snapping yet.

This is when I stripped the buds off the main stem and put them into jars. The humidity eventually rose to 65-72% so I took the tops off and let them sit. They quickly lowered to the ambient RH, around 55% () I then put the lids back on, and I've been doing this for a couple days now, and they're slowly stabilizing, and I'm extremely confident this will be a great cure. Once they're stable I'll be uploading a screenshot of a spreadsheet I've been tracking the humidity in the jars with, hopefully someone will find it useful/informative.