Cannabis Preservative

[xOOx]

i lost a small jar of my favorite girl yesterday ;(

actually, it probably has been happening over the course of the last month - since that's the last time i pinched from that particular jar. when i went to pick out a bud the other day, surprise! white fuzzy looking matter on a few of the bud tips. this is the second time this has happened, but the last time it got my 1.5yr+ stash - it was already at the point of a dead baby bird appearance for the buds in that case. if you've ever seen a super molded bud -- then you know it! if you pick up one of the buds, a cloud of smoke spores that resemble baby power poof into the air - its pretty bad, so don't smoke it

i know that this isn't from improper drying/curing/storage. i really took the time to stay as clean as possible, since i was bitten by this last time. washing hands, using hand santizer and letting it completely dry before popping a jar and grabbing buds as quick as possible, and then shutting the lid. it still got in somehow. the buds have been in that particular jar 7 months, and no signs of mold at all. a spore must of gotten into the jar when opening it to pinch just last month. just your run of the mill random spores in the air, of which there are millions in the air at any given moment - and nothing you can do about it.

the problem is the buds my cut produces are very greasy/oily, even after dry/cure. they are probably more succeptible to mold because of this. i opened another stash jar at the same 7 month cure state, 1st open since being shut 7 months ago, and broke a few buds up, no visible mold. they feel like breaking up a slightly moistened cotton balls, that's how juicy it is. most would probably think its still wet, even though it is NOT wet, it just feels wet. i guess this type of bud composition is the perfect place for an airbourne bread mold or random spore to fly in/land and make a home.

since most would probably smoke a harvest up so quickly, there is no time for this to happen, or for a spore colony to get a foothold on your buds. i'm worried that maybe a spore may have flown in when i popped the good jar the other day, and its days are number'd now.

well, i was a little high last night, and pondering some things.

if cannabis was ever to become 100% legal and sold by corporations, it would need some kind of preservative to extend its shelf life. and organic 6-7 month shelf life is just not acceptable. this is where i'm getting at in this post.

now we're not talkin cancer causing BHA or BHT preservative agents. and i know for sure some people would have a problem with this post, since it's altering cannabis chemical nature. but one thing tobacco companies have been known to use is potassium sorbate. you can buy this in a white powder form, and its cheap. i was wondering if maybe you could mix it with purified water maybe 1:10, 2:10, 3:10 ratio or more, and spray it on your hanging buds. lets say on day 6-7 of the hang dry process, and then let it dry an additional 3 or so days, then start the curing process like normal.

"Potassium sorbate (PS) may be incorporated in blended cigarette tobacco either as a mold growth inhibitor in processed tobacco sheet material, or as a preservative in flavor systems or paper adhesives."

there have been studies to show that PS has a very low toxicity. it also retards bacteria. even when smoked it does not alter taste or flavor. it does not vaporize at burning temperatures, so you really aren't inhaling it into your lungs, or if any does go in -- its non toxic.

there are many other chemical preservatives around, and its in all the things we smoke, eat, and drink everyday, so i'm not afraid to try one. i just don't want it to ruin the buds in experimentation if anyone has any knowledge.

vaccum seal/freezing buds is not an option for me. i keep my stuff locked up in safes, theres no way i'd leave them in an open freezer to be found.

does anyone have any knowledge in the area of professional bud preservatives? any other possible candidate preservative chemicals which have a very low toxicity..especially when burned, and do not become altered when burned or cooked?

reference:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...serid=10&md5=ff15c5b92ba40946b1ec6a37f903f3ff

how about sodium benzoate?

any process for sterilizing buds prior to long term storage? think about it this way, your buds are hanging in the air for 7-10 days, the air is full of floating spores, bacteria, you name it. some must be stuck to your buds for sure. it comes down to the matter if that particular strain composition is just the perfect environment to proliferate on. it would explain why some strains have a longer shelf life then others too.

comments?

xoox

 

[K.J]

I too am wondering about cannabis preservation. One thing that comes to mind is honey, as it works to preserve so many other things, but with cannabis I'm pretty sure this wouldn't work because you smoke the end product rather than eat it most times and that'd make for some strange smoke, even if you dried it to a crisp.

 

[AinSophAur]

I can't wait till long term storage becomes an issue that concerns me at this very moment. What if 200 years from now they figured out that the cannabanoids plus Potassium sorbate retards bacteria to such a degree that super retard cells start developing giving us super human powers.

 

[Monad]

Id certainly want it to be something organic and natural
- for now the freezer works just fine, but if something came up in the future that was natural and still allowed your bud to cure while preserving it I'd definatly get me some.

 

[TGT]

I think the problem lies in the air between the buds and not the buds themselves. If you store a jar of buds that is bone dry in a cool area with as little air as possible, you should have no problems with mold as the proper variables for mold growth are not available. When the jar is stored at room temperature the humidity in the air between the buds has no place to go so it soaks into the buds allowing enough water to form mold after some time. There is always going to be the possibility of mold spores getting into the jar and it is impossible to limit this. Usually the most damage to the buds comes from changes in temperature that effect the air spaces between the buds. If possible keep the buds as cool as you can and mold should not be a problem. The fridge is perfect and you can still use a lock box if you need too.

TGT

 

[cyberthreat]

you could hang dry them infront of a laminare flow hood which I could test if anyones intrested I have one from mush cultavation

 

[zolar]

wouldn't an ozone generator kill off a lot of the airborne molds and stuff wonder if a squirt of ozium in the jars would mina mize
the mold incursion and dissappate from O3 to O2 after a couple hours after the jar was resealed helping to keep it fresh and good

 

[xOOx]

k.j.: yeah, couldn't use honey. i know it works in some other apps, but not for a substance like mj or tobacco .. gooey sticky..

monad, TGT: freezer. hmm. i could run a test i guess. i really didn't want to use it as a store location tho. i could wrap a few buds in some press n seal, plop em in the freezer and see how they hold up hidden way in the back after a year or two.

..freeze them after a 2 week jar cure? or right after hang dry?

how about defrosting? just leave them out and let them thaw naturally, and then good to go? anyone smoke freezer thaw'd buds? i'm thinkin' i should wrap each bud individually, so i don't have to deal with prying frozen buds apart, lol.

cyber: interesting idea, have to get me one of those hoods, lol. i don't think it would of mattered tho, since the contamination occured 6+ months after they were in the jar.

whatever type of mold it is, it is def. an anaerobic variety, it wouldn't care if there was oxygen in there or not.

zolar: i use ozone as an odor control, and i also dry with ozone running in the closet. but its 3 minute bursts every 15-20 minutes. no smell when drying, and probably no contamination on the buds - they are covered with ozone for 7-10 days. i never thought about blasting some ozone directly into a cured jar for like 30 seconds to a minute and then quickly popping the lid back on, after each bud pinch. it may kill everything in there, and worth a shot too. i can't think of any other substance that can completely disinfect, and then biodegrade into oxygen. this might be a way to go. shock the jars! have to worry that the ozone might break down the rubber jar seal tho.

great ideas all.

i think the best chemical solution though is probably the potassium sorbate. i'd say mix it up with some distilled water and mist it on during the drying process and you'd be mold/bacteria free for sure. but what ratios for effectiveness without taste alteration or being harmful to you ..not enough stash to start experimenting, lol.

xoox

 

[Bob Jones]

The problem IS water. If you're going to store your buds long-term they need to be dry. Folks like to smoke slightly damp bud, but you can't store it that way for long. Mold will NOT grow on sufficiently dry bud.

I have jars that are close to 10 years old now and the buds inside are fine. On the oldest ones some of the aroma is fading and the whole bud looks a little "faded", but it still smokes well.

Get the buds dry, just like any other herb or food you're going to store long-term. For best results put it packed well into canning jars then use a Foodsaver with a jar attachment to vacuum seal the jars.

 

[globel]

Dry your bud right and cure them..... I have had bud last 5+ years never had to do anything special just air tight jar or food sealer. If you want to remoisten it use a humidity puck from a cigar store. NOT TORTILLAS OR CABAGE.

 

[HempHut]

You could try a dessicant in the jar with the buds. Silica gel would be the best, I would think. It's the same stuff you see when you buy electronic equipment and it comes with a little satchel full of bead-like objects.

You can usually grab it off ebay. Check packaging type suppliers (shipping boxes, etc.).

It will absorb the moisture that the buds are creating and help keep the humidity level down in the jar to discourage/impede the growth of the mold.

 

[Greyskull]

dude my buds arent hanging around for more than 10 days after I chop them down... I am kinda envious some of you can keep stashes around for more than 6mos.

I just smoke a lot of pot.
Aloha!

 

[xOOx]

water. moisture. hmm.

i always thought i had that under control. maybe i will let them hang for much longer next time. 15-20 days. no matter what.. the buds always feel juicy or oily/greasy on the inside. the outside feels dry and crispy, even after in the jar for all those months, with no mold growth whatsoever. the jar has a spicey scent, but once you break them, mega stink comes out, sticky oily goo feel. maybe the moistish oil enviroment allows some types of spores to germinate on the buds. others may not experience this delayed mold, since the right spores seem to love to live in my basement for some reason!

i can also try the dessicant thing. i thought about it before, and i have plenty of those laying around. just worried that it might hurt the buds in some way. i always remember during my learning process that you never want to start the cure if the buds are too wet, and you don't want to start the cure if the buds are too dry. so you have to be right in that 'perfect' window before you close that jar.

so as your drying, your constantly thinking about that. ya don't want your buds to be too wet, hmm, when to start that cure, so your fearing over drying them during the hang process. a catch-22, lol. i guess over drying is still a better option then leaving the window for mold in 6 months wide open.

harsher smoke maybe? but smoke none the less .. better then dead bird buds.

so maybe 15 days hang (even if feeling crispy at 10) cure as normal (jar pop every day or so), then throw a dessicant in after 30 days closed jar.. just to be safe.. and maybe the occasional ozone shock, lol. just hope the dessicant package isn't contaminated when i put it in there with the buds, as i may be unknowingly aiding the natural decay process.

so these will be the cleanest intel chip (OCD) quality buds ever.

(taking off white suit now)

lol

xoox

 

[Monad]

Freezing bud works beter than you think it doesnt need to dethaw or anything like that its ready to smoke the second you take it out of the freezer and it looks exactly the same as it did going in.
I dont think it cures in the freezer though so I would suggest putting them in the freezer after at least a 1 month cure.

 

[tejashidrow]

hang 3-5 daze
into paperbag till stem snaps
into jars.....
1 month cure
into freezer
No need to OPEN AND CLOSE jars... buds will be dry when they go in
ready to smoke after paperbagging but smokes a smidge harsh, but with at least a month of cure will smooth it right out. PAX

 

[EclipseFour20]

For longer term storage...removing oxygen will retard mold. Cans of nitrogen are available at wine stores--since a couple of blasts of air will keep a half bottle of wine good for a week. Just give a 4-6 blasts of nitrogen and seal the jar real fast...real tight.

Probably the best natural preservative around.

 

[xOOx]

thanks guys for the freezer tips, will keep them in mind the next go!!

Eclipse - good idea, i never heard of nitrogen wine storage before. i did some research, there is a company called winekeeper, that makes all kinds of different models. i guess the single unit keeper is the cheapest and best to use. now to design a mason jar that has a wine lip, so you can replace all the air in the jar with nitrogen. like suck out the air, and then pressurize the jar with nitrogen.

oh btw, when looking for information about nitrogen and it's reaction with thc,

low and behold .. http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20080221339

a patent!

this patent seems to convert CBD into THC-8 and THC-9. it says it uses a nitrogen atmoshere to get the conversion. so hmm, storing your buds in the BUDKEEPER(c)xoox may not only preserve them.. but make them stronger .. lol

xoox

 

[farroutfred]

keep it simple storage

keep it simple storage

do= thanx eclipse
nitrogen to replace the oxygen to render molds unable to grow and oxygen degradation at a minimum while stored ,,
then as with anything ,,, we would like to preserve,,, put it into a " Cool , Dark , and Dry" storage location,,,
as for the freezer ,,, better than frozen is storing just above 32 degrees
not really frozen ,,, but cold ,,, maybe 38-40 degrees ,,, no chance of freezer burn or change of texture ,
that said ,,, really buds can keep plenty fresh with less work and investment
harvested ,, dried ,,, trimmed before or after drying ,,, but not handled in between while soggy ,,,, that is never good,,,, never "sweated" in a closed container while moist ,,,, that is not "curing " if anything it is more likely ought to be called "molding" ,,, dry herb ought to retain some moisture ,,,, enough to keep the resin glands sticking to the buds ,, and enough to not crumble
stored in a jar so it does not crush ,,, and cool dark and dry ,,, stored down low close to the concrete of a garage floor ,,, capturing the passive coolness of the floor ,,,, someplace with dry air ,,, cellars may be cool but also too damp,,,, I've stored herb for years on cool concrete ,,dark,,, and dry with good results ,,, simple and effective
the herb or resins usually take on an amber tone after 3 - 6 months and become more mellow ,,, resins become easier to smoke without the choke
the moisture content enough to prevent crumbling ,,, and enough to keep resin attached ,,,, kept stowed away in that shape it cures pretty well and keeps for a few years,,,, and provides easy access for sampling anytime the need arises and it does ,,,so i do.