[Ibechillin]

Fresh cut grass smell is different than hay smell, one is green and one is decomposing. Fresh cut grass smell is from freshly cut material and will go away shortly, Hay smell after drying is caused by improper drying and is a result of anaerobic fermentation.

Drying/curing is an aerobic process, The plant itself consumes chlorophyll through metabolic activity after it's been cut. Keeping stomatas open and facilitating gas exchange the plant is broken down through respiration and hydrolysis. You want to keep oxygen present so that aerobic bacteria can keep anaerobic bacteria levels in check until the buds are below a homogeneous 15% moisture content, at which point most strains of bacteria will not grow.

When this isnt allowed to occur it starts to ferment. Nitrogen, sugars, cellulose, starch etc breaking down anaerobically with the high moisture content causing fermentation. This releases ammonia (essentially formed from the nitrates not breaking down properly) and acids giving the foul odor. The most likely culprit of the hay smell is Staphylococcus Lugdenensis, which are facilitive anaerobes, meaning they can survive through aerobic respiration or switch to fermentation in anaerobic environments. In aerobic mode, their only byproducts are CO2 and water, but once they consume all the O2 in their immediate environment, they switch to fermentation mode and start producing exotoxins. You want to keep them well fed with O2 (air circulation) so they stay in aerobic respiration mode.

Trimming wet after harvest/before hanging reduces the surface area and moisture level in/on plants and branches reducing the possibility for mold to colonize when hanging/drying (and its easier/faster, no crispy shrunken bud leafs).

Originally Posted by qwizoking

I trim a couple dozen lbs every 2 weeks and never had a mowed lawn in the room.

heres what i do:

Trim wet, rh ~60%, decent airflow ~500cfm, no light, temps 65-73°f, Hopefully this takes roughly 10-14 days before outside of buds becomes dry. Do not let any part of the bud become dry. if this happens to soon; up rh, lower temp, and/or decrease air flow. When drying is complete, Jar for minumum of 16hrs to get moisture back to the tips. You can now add boveda packs and or "burp" for 30 minutes and give airflow to the bud. Airflow is very important to the cure but so is maintaining 55-60%rh

After 2 weeks drying and 1 week "cure" i start to sell or taste test

i burp every other day for 2 weeks then weekly for 2months... then its good to go head stash

Source:

https://www.rollitup.org/t/grassy-sm...-stage.913094/

Originally Posted by Jellyfish

I have NEVER ruined a batch by leaving it hanging for too long. But I HAVE ruined weed by taking it down and jarring it too soon.

Dont Forget About Ambient Room Humidity In Comparison To The Humidity Level In The Jars When Burping!

Originally Posted by micek

ambient RH being HIGHER than the one in the jar. This way, opening the jar makes things worse instead of letting the buds sweat.

Why Is It We Can Smell Weed?:

Terpenes ars volatile organic compounds and solvents (careful storing in plastics, explained in screenshot below), that quickly evaporate naturally. Any time you smell weed, you are smelling terpenes that were oxidised/evaporated/lost. Trichomes are where the terpenes are concentrated, damaged trichome heads cause rapid oxidation/loss of both terpenoids and cannabinoids. Humidity below 59% causes trichome heads to become brittle and destroyed easily. Boveda did a test where they took 2 glass jars of weed and only placed a 62% humidity pack in one of them to compare terpene loss after 6 weeks of sealed storage, jars were shaken lightly once a week but never opened. The jar without the Boveda pack had lost 15% more terpenes end result. The humidity packs help keep the trichome heads from becoming brittle for better preservation.

Terpenes evaporate into the air space left in the storage container after sealing also, which is why you get that dank whiff when you first open it. For long term storage it might better to fill jars fuller leaving less air space after properly dried. Optimal storage conditions are Dark, ~50F degrees, humidity between 59% - 62% to preserve optimal color, aroma, flavor, potency, texture.

From The Book Cannabis Pharmacy The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana:

Originally Posted by THC123

2 days ago I removed a boveda 62% pack from the jar and when I open a jar now with each day I notice the smells are coming back. Also when I open the jar I am getting that dank smell again.

WTF does this mean? Why do they smell so little with boveda in there and who do the smells come through after just 2 days without boveda?

I am just trying to understand the science behind all of this.

Could it maybe be that the perfect atmosphere the boveda's create stops terpene evaporation? And that without the boveda's more terpenes evaporate, causing the danker smell? Just guessing here.....

^EXACTLY!

Originally Posted by DunHav`nFun

Us old heads were the forerunners of 62% final storage RH loooooong before anyone ever heard of the boveda thingies , but it`s the same principle from the same cigar/humidor industry.....and yeah....

62% is top end of the scale since mold and mildews can form on product any higher in percentage , but the lower % discs are said to help give better flavor and smell in the end but I have no experience with em ....and....

After bovedas , it`s so simple to keep product at optimum storage , but remember the 3 enemies of pot.....

Heat , light , and air.......

Always kept my headies in the deep freeze in suspended animation once dried and cured properly.....anyways...

Good luck with the rest bro....

Peace....DHF

Originally Posted by DunHav`nFun

Boveda has even come out with the 50% discs compared to the optimum 62% for the more personal stash terpene oriented folks....anyways....

My 2 centavos from 40 + yrs of doin this outside and in....

Peace.....DHF....

Originally Posted by DunHav`nFun

I can testify from the school of hard knocks over close to 15 yrs outside and another 20 +/- inside before retirement that the EASIEST way to store properly dried and cured dope is to freeze it and put it in suspended animation....got condensation in the bags ?....

Just remove product from said condensating bag and acclimate to ambient room temps and all`s good....problem solved....now....Since pot`s best stored at a constant 62% relative humidity like Cigar Humidors are designed for properly dried , cured tobacco products , the Boveda packs have become popular in the last several yrs to prevent moisture loss during storage in normal ambient temp conditions.....but.....

Depending on ambient room temps product is stored at , after 6 months or less , even in sealed containers , chlorophyll degradation will occur and green dope turns into brown dope signifying "old dope" , so if yas wanna keep shit indefinitely ….. freeze it …..if it needs to dry out more after thawed out , let it....guaranteed it`ll be identical to what was put in though ….bet on it.....

........anyways......my 2 cents from all those yrs.....

Peace.....DHF.....

How Boveda Works, How To Use Boveda (From Boveda Site):

Boveda is a 2 way humidity control that can add or remove humidity as needed to maintain a specific humidity level. After harvest, cannabis flower should be dried for three to seven days in a humidity-controlled environment. This allows for natural moisture to evaporate slowly, so the buds don’t become too dry. After this initial drying process, flower should always be cured in special airtight containers with Boveda. Boveda is tested and trusted in professional cultivation settings. Hundreds of the world’s top cannabis cultivators proudly use Boveda humidity control to easily cure and store their precious flowers. Boveda is incredibly easy to use for individual growers and industrial-scale producers. Just toss in Boveda to properly protect your cannabis for 2-6 months.

Link To Source:

https://bovedainc.com/pro-tips-curing-cannabis/



When Do I Replace Boveda packs? (From Boveda Site FAQ):

Boveda will solidify as they expire. When there aren’t many soft spots left, then you’ll want to replace them. Pronounced crystallization and hardening of the corners first is completely normal and a part of the usage process. You can expect 2–6 months of usage life depending on the container and external environment.

Forewarning/Considerations:

There are anecdotal reports of Boveda packs potentially stealing the smell/flavor from stored cannabis, whether it is the Boveda pack, bad storage and handling conditions or expired Boveda packs that causes it I cant say for certain.

There Is Absolutely No Risk In Using Boveda:

There was an acetone report published that was funded and distributed by a competing humidity pack company called Desiccare Inc to scare people. Boveda is completely safe and FDA compliant. Boveda consists of a natural solution of purified water and salts enclosed in a reverse osmosis permeable membrane. The result is clean, purified water vapor. Boveda is trusted by the most reputable companies across several industries, including tobacco and cannabis. The FDA-approved ingredients contained in Boveda DO NOT contain dangerous levels of acetone or any other harmful ingredients.

WHY THIS REPORT IS EGREGIOUS AND MISLEADING:

Acetone is found in nearly all plants, animals and in the air we breathe—including FDA-approved food ingredients—and is completely biodegradable in the air, water and soil. In fact, the human body produces acetone as it metabolizes fat and detection in one’s breath is normal.

Acetone has been found in indoor air at an average of 8 ppb (parts per billion) and OSHA defines safe and acceptable exposure levels up to 1 million ppb. The report noted the extremely low presence of acetone in Boveda (9.8 ppb).

The testing conducted detected similar levels of acetone in this new competitor’s product as well. This fact was not published in the findings. At this level of off-gas composition testing, everything—including all FDA approved products you consume—will show a relatively long list of organic compounds.

On a ppb level, these compounds are only detectable using sophisticated instruments. For reference, parts per billion is equivalent to: 1 pinch of salt in 10 tons of potato chips.

You can rest assured that Boveda provides safe, extremely effective and accurate 2-way humidity control for hundreds of thousands of customers each year. We take that responsibility very seriously.

The cannabis industry is on the verge of great growth. Opening access across the country and around the world will drive demand for flower. Demand that will drive supply. Supply that must be properly stored to keep it safe to consume.

Boveda invented, patented and pioneered humidity control 20 years ago. New companies will get into the cannabis humidification/dehumidification space, too. Some trustworthy, others not so much. Because of our history and reputation, we’re not in the business of “cutting down someone else’s chair to make ourselves look taller.” Boveda is in the business of keeping moisture-sensitive products in optimal condition.

Link To Source:

https://bovedainc.com/acetone-report-response/

[bigtacofarmer]

Great start to a thread. I am a big fan of properly cured cannabis. Seen it with my own eyes and taste buds enough times to be convinced. Even if there are some cash croppers on here that want the public to believe curing is a myth and will have posts deleted in a discussion to defend their shortcuts. Happened last week actually. Lol.


Awesome dude!

[Ibechillin]

I just try to pass the information along to those who might appreciate it.

[farmerlion]

Ibechillin, fantastic thread. I have really enjoyed reading it. I cure everything for 3 months myself. It works well for Christmas gifts. I found dark green glass prescription jars(antique). I use with my regular medical patients. They work well for smaller quantities. Peace

[bigtacofarmer]

Without using gauges and actually monitoring precise temps and humidity this is how I have always done it. Mostly taken from djshorts book 15 or so ago.

I harvest when mature. By then I have usually have already removed and fan leaves. I hang to dry until buds feel crisp but middles are still moist. I try to time this so they are dry enough to maintain there shape yet still have decent moisture inside the buds. Depending on how much I have (related to time involved trimming) and what the current humidity is. If its humid I like to have a dehumidifier, if its really dry I try to box or bag sooner. After removing semi dry bud from line I pre trim a little. Remove big stems and any leaf that will not go to extract later. Again depending on humidity I leave in box or paper bag long enough for moisture to equalize. Usually 5 to 9 days online, another few days to a week in box or bag. When there is just a little stem snap I manicure and place in glass jars. I will usually check them in a few days. Makes sure they are dry enough the risk of mold is over. Maybe leave a jar open a few hours or overnight if too moist inside. Once I am confident risk of mold is gone and it smokes smooth and is not bone dry. I seal the jars. And try to not open them for as long as possible. For me a few months is average. I normally smoke it all once it gets over the hump that clearly seperates cured weed from simply dried. Onece you have sample of the same plant at several stages of curing it becomes very obvious to anyone that smokes it.

[Ibechillin]

updated bottom of original post with more information.

[Emperortaima]

Originally Posted by Ibechillin

updated bottom of original post with more information.

Thanks brother! I seriously appreciate this more than ever definitely going to read all you're contributing Jah bless

[wutwut]

nice thread thnk yu!

i'm still missing it how to get that "sticky-icky" kind of buds? is it just all about of trichome production, careful touching and growing skills?

i think i dry my flowers too fast in low humidity and store them wrong without rh. maybe that's why i don't get stickiness which leave to the grinder, paper and everywhere

[Ibechillin]

Its dependent on resin content of the strain your growing really, the more resin there is at chop time the more sticky/gooey/dank when breaking into it after a proper dry and cure. Ive smoked quite a few joints/blunts where it literally starts leaking a stream of sap out the end when its burning.

[Ibechillin]

Added more information on how to use and when to replace Boveda packs to original post (from Boveda site), as well as mention the anecdotal reports of boveda potentially stealing the smell/flavor from stored cannabis.