or does it even matter?
Cure in one large jar or several smaller ones?
- Thread starter 40AmpstoFreedom
- Start date
Ok, its only my opinion, and empirical data is worth just what you paid for it...
What I found matters:
Did you let the plant get to the desired ripeness?
- by that i mean - did you harvest by trichome color or simply by throwing a dart at the calendar
Did you dry the plant as a whole first, or did you you chop it all up and manicure it right away?
- I get the best quality, and hey its only my opinion and this is all subjective, but its best FOR ME UNDER MY CONDITIONS when I chop the plant and hang it upside-down and dry it whole.
Did it dry fully before jarring?
- I get the best quality, and please remember its just me under my conditions, yours may vary, but...that having been said...it has to be DRY before it goes into the jar. Once in the closed container, it will totally moisten up again with whatever moisture is left in it.
I don't know how to explain my technique for drying and curing - because I do it by feel. I dry the plant whole, intact, upside-down, with a fan blowing at it. The constant air circulation keeps the humm-ditty down, so the plant can dry, but it still takes time, and if it rains out or otherwise gets humid, then it takes that much longer. The good stuff in the glandular trichomes is light-sensitive so I try real hard not to use light, but, honestly, a big cardboard box and an incandescent light bulb along with a strong fan would work well.
Sorry if I got your thread all side-tracked. Its just that drying and curing go hand-in-hand and if you didnt get the dry right, then you'll need that much longer jar time. I'm sure the 'flush guys' would say the same about the flush beforehand.
Im not sayin', I'm just sayin', know what I'm sayin'?
on edit: getting back to your original point - sorry if I hijacked your thread.
what would matter in the jar? well, to my thinking
bud density - how tightly did you pack everything together? Does it affect overall end quality if you pack tight or leave loose?
bud size - big jars mean big fun buds to wave around - but is it better if you cure it without the big giant tree trunk attached or not?
I don't have answers to those questions. Hopefully someone else does!
What I found matters:
Did you let the plant get to the desired ripeness?
- by that i mean - did you harvest by trichome color or simply by throwing a dart at the calendar
Did you dry the plant as a whole first, or did you you chop it all up and manicure it right away?
- I get the best quality, and hey its only my opinion and this is all subjective, but its best FOR ME UNDER MY CONDITIONS when I chop the plant and hang it upside-down and dry it whole.
Did it dry fully before jarring?
- I get the best quality, and please remember its just me under my conditions, yours may vary, but...that having been said...it has to be DRY before it goes into the jar. Once in the closed container, it will totally moisten up again with whatever moisture is left in it.
I don't know how to explain my technique for drying and curing - because I do it by feel. I dry the plant whole, intact, upside-down, with a fan blowing at it. The constant air circulation keeps the humm-ditty down, so the plant can dry, but it still takes time, and if it rains out or otherwise gets humid, then it takes that much longer. The good stuff in the glandular trichomes is light-sensitive so I try real hard not to use light, but, honestly, a big cardboard box and an incandescent light bulb along with a strong fan would work well.
Sorry if I got your thread all side-tracked. Its just that drying and curing go hand-in-hand and if you didnt get the dry right, then you'll need that much longer jar time. I'm sure the 'flush guys' would say the same about the flush beforehand.
Im not sayin', I'm just sayin', know what I'm sayin'?
on edit: getting back to your original point - sorry if I hijacked your thread.
what would matter in the jar? well, to my thinking
bud density - how tightly did you pack everything together? Does it affect overall end quality if you pack tight or leave loose?
bud size - big jars mean big fun buds to wave around - but is it better if you cure it without the big giant tree trunk attached or not?
I don't have answers to those questions. Hopefully someone else does!
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Several small ones. Or to put it another way, don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Just because one of them might develop something nasty - and things like mold can spread incredibly fast, so better to keep them seperated.
Those glass mason jars you get for pennies in supermarkets are great - and they stack pretty well.
Just because one of them might develop something nasty - and things like mold can spread incredibly fast, so better to keep them seperated.
Those glass mason jars you get for pennies in supermarkets are great - and they stack pretty well.
G
geminibud
i use large mason jars
cannakid
Member
be sure and keep the cardbord box if you have a heafty stash, the ones that fit an ounce or so are what i used last year. with a few larger ones that depending on nug size and density hold 2-4 ounces -stacking them is easy if you keep 'em in the flat they come in. this year with a biger crop then last i will use turkey bags to catch nugs cliped off branches and also trim over, then the larger mason jars for storage -WIDE MOUTH is important for easy getting nugs in n out especally the big nugs.
i know folks that just use turkey bags to cure in and they have some mold issues but then the nubers are more like 20-40 pounds so quality controle is taxed by haveing soo much to work with. dry branches are stored in huge-long rubermaid container stacked up untill they can be de-boned, trimed and quality inspected (i have no idea really to their credit QC never stops). last year i pulled a whaping 2 1/2 pounds, i ended up pulling mold from the plants as it was a wet season (east sf bay), the lines as they dried and out of the jars as it never stoped growing from the smallest of spots inside just a few nugs i could have allready given the OK. this year i aim @ twice that w/only 6 plants -it is a little easier to open a turkey bag and check then it is 6 jars and pulling all the nugs out seperatly, but their is more quality controle in smaller batched in my opinion.
i know folks that just use turkey bags to cure in and they have some mold issues but then the nubers are more like 20-40 pounds so quality controle is taxed by haveing soo much to work with. dry branches are stored in huge-long rubermaid container stacked up untill they can be de-boned, trimed and quality inspected (i have no idea really to their credit QC never stops). last year i pulled a whaping 2 1/2 pounds, i ended up pulling mold from the plants as it was a wet season (east sf bay), the lines as they dried and out of the jars as it never stoped growing from the smallest of spots inside just a few nugs i could have allready given the OK. this year i aim @ twice that w/only 6 plants -it is a little easier to open a turkey bag and check then it is 6 jars and pulling all the nugs out seperatly, but their is more quality controle in smaller batched in my opinion.
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depends on the size of the yield. i like it to be around 4:1 bud to air ratio in jar. if i harvest enough to fill 80% of a large jar i use it, if not then a couple smaller jars with same bud to air ratio...
jdubz206
Member
i like to use the size jar where the weed fills it to the top (not pushed or crammed in). i have so many different sized jars, everything from something to hold a couple of grams to multiple ounces. the least amount of air in the jar, the stanky the herb i've found. but this could be they way i cure that has something to do with it. when i leave air in the jar, it starts smelling kind of weird sometimes. like really sweet smell but not necessarily like weed... hard to explain, you'll have to see for yourself.
darrinjefferson
Active member
i like to trim it as soon as I chop it. By then they have usually been about 2 days without water. Then I try to split them up so they fill up half of a 1 quart mason jar. this seems to work perfect!!!
good luck!!
late
good luck!!
late
Elk Woman
Member
I suggest measuring your buds' humidity before you jar it. Our local hardware store sells a small hand-held, battery-run "hydromometer"(sp?) that measures both temperature and moisture content. Around here all the big growers put these in their bud-buckets to check both. Ideal is 55% humidity, temp 70 degrees or less. Once I've got that nailed (no, I'm not a "big" grower, but I've trimmed others' crops for a decade), I feel good about jarring them for the curing stage. See if you can find this tool locally; our town sells them at garden stores as well as Ace Hardware.
Also a factor: how big/dense are your buds? Obviously density can create a climate for mold if it's too wet outdoors (hydromometer can measure both as it can hang on a wall or be propped up outside).
That should help; best wishes for your harvest!
Also a factor: how big/dense are your buds? Obviously density can create a climate for mold if it's too wet outdoors (hydromometer can measure both as it can hang on a wall or be propped up outside).
That should help; best wishes for your harvest!
JOE CHRONIC
Member
Several smaller jars because when you cram a bunch in one jar the buds in the middle of the jar and get no air keeping them moist and then molding quicker.
I prefer 1 zip per 1 QT. mason jar to do a good cure, removing lids once or twice a day...
I prefer 1 zip per 1 QT. mason jar to do a good cure, removing lids once or twice a day...
When the buds are curing, there is a fermentation of the chlorophyll happening. The degree of the fermentation will depend on how much moisture the buds have left, and how much oxygen they are deprived of. When they are in the jars, the gasses released from the fermentation process need to be released from the jar. When the buds are first put in, there is still a good bit of internal moisture left, and fermentation is a very quick process. We need to open up the containers and allow the gasses to escape, and fresh oxygen to re-enter the jar space, very often at first...maybe twice a day. Then, after the bulk of the initial moisture is gone, the fermentation process slows dramatically. You can spend less and less time burping the containers to release fermentation gasses and re-introducing new air. You can usually judge the frequency of needing to burp the containers by the smell when you first crack them open.
If you cannot roll a doob with it, move the buds around, then leave it open for about 1/2 hour.
If you do not burp the curing buds properly, the fermentation will create enough bacteria to start to eat away at the organic material..ie your buds.
This process is true for each and every strain, using each and every container and size, and has absolutely nothing to do with how many buds are in the jar...save for the more air the jar can hold, the longer it will take before burping is needed.
If the buds are packed in, then there is very little room for air (and escaped fermentation gasses, and the process of bacterial growth (rotting, etc..) is accelerated. When packed in tight, it is necessary to move and separate the buds so that new air can be introduced.
I have found over the years that a good rule of thumb is to not worry about what size the container is, just fill it half full or less until cured, or at least most of the way cured.
Once the buds are about 75% done, then you can pack them tighter together in whatever container.
Even buds that are fully cured should probably be burped once a month.
If you find some of your long time cure pot has dried to dust...then a simply re hydration is all that is needed. But that is for another thread.
If you cannot roll a doob with it, move the buds around, then leave it open for about 1/2 hour.
If you do not burp the curing buds properly, the fermentation will create enough bacteria to start to eat away at the organic material..ie your buds.
This process is true for each and every strain, using each and every container and size, and has absolutely nothing to do with how many buds are in the jar...save for the more air the jar can hold, the longer it will take before burping is needed.
If the buds are packed in, then there is very little room for air (and escaped fermentation gasses, and the process of bacterial growth (rotting, etc..) is accelerated. When packed in tight, it is necessary to move and separate the buds so that new air can be introduced.
I have found over the years that a good rule of thumb is to not worry about what size the container is, just fill it half full or less until cured, or at least most of the way cured.
Once the buds are about 75% done, then you can pack them tighter together in whatever container.
Even buds that are fully cured should probably be burped once a month.
If you find some of your long time cure pot has dried to dust...then a simply re hydration is all that is needed. But that is for another thread.
hoosierdaddy said:
Great information thanks for the contribution!
SacredBreh
Member
Storing in ground after cure?
Storing in ground after cure?
Once the buds are dried and jar cured to perfection, could you Seal a Meal them and put the packs in those 5 gallon plastic buckets and bury them in the ground for storage? How long do you think before quality is affected?
Of course they would be a couple feet deep from the top and buried in an area that is shaded. Anyone try this for long periods?
Peace
Storing in ground after cure?
Once the buds are dried and jar cured to perfection, could you Seal a Meal them and put the packs in those 5 gallon plastic buckets and bury them in the ground for storage? How long do you think before quality is affected?
Of course they would be a couple feet deep from the top and buried in an area that is shaded. Anyone try this for long periods?
Peace
