Curing by Drying Longer?

Stoned trout hit it on the head. Drop all of the buds into a giant paper bag and close the bag. The paper will slowly absorb moisture and allow it to perspire into the surrounding environment. Open the bag every now and then an shake. Feel buds. If too moist, leave top of bag open for few hours, if still at acceptable level, shake and close bag back up. If crisping, drop into a jar.

There is no easy foolproof way to a perfect cure without paying attention to what's going on with the harvest. It's a numerous times a day kinda thing until your better able to read what's going on by the bending of stems etc etc.

TheMan13 said:

I use 8 gram Boveda 2-way 62% RH packs in my jars to ensure they do not drift above 70% RH between burping to avoid mold. Think of it like the silica gel packs in beef jerky that keeps them from molding. They also help keep the RH above 60% for months to ensure the cure process does not cease due to too dry conditions.

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I currently use silica packs, from gathered medicine bottles, as a source of silica gel. to dry weed and seeds, but have yet to find any long term info with regard to seed and bud storage ...ANYONE????

A couple of things. Mold is generally present when exposed to the right conditions for life. Specifically anaerobic environments of high humidity. The key to no mold is airflow and lower humidity, no stagnant or anaerobic environment. Fans and controlling appropriate humidity which can be maintained indoors (and usually will need to be if there is a substantial amount in a small space) can help with this. Personally I’ve hung plants in light rain under a canopy and had zero problems as (this brings me to another point) the plant is still alive and specifically cell processes of the plant are still alive for a substantial amount of time after harvest. Part of the initial cure and my hat is off to Ed Rosenthal on this is to get the excess chlorophyll and starches out of the bud tissue. Once this has been accomplished then the arduous process of preserving the desired product rather than the undesired water or harsh additives that ruin smoke. That which we call curing.
IMHO the curing process is started with the flush in the last two or three weeks before harvest. When you FLUSH the plant you are saving yourself a lot of “headache” in this regard. Final desired product of resin consisting of “oil” cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. Once you are drying the plant if you are not choosing at this time to make an extraction and discard the plant as a waste product then the cleanest possible plant material will need to be finalized especially for medicinal purposes. Much of what makes cannabis smoke harsh can be removed through proper curing steps. From this potential at harvest the dry and cure will determine the outcome of the final product. By allowing for photosynthesis for a time after harvest certain by products will burn out in the chemical process. Then the plant must then be dried. There are many drying techniques but finding the right one for the right plant and the right environment is the key to success as these factors change the time scale. As the resin glands oxidize from the outside to inside the overall chemical complex changes. Thus a resin at harvest is going to show a different chemical complex than one that has a time exposure to various elemental stressors. I.E. dry techniques and curing techniques. As the water is evaporated from the plant tissue cohesion finishes cell processes. The faster you dry the more terpenes will evaporate with the water molecule. The slower you allow the breakdown of molecular bonds between water molecules and terpenes the more likely the terpene will become attached to either the resin or the plant material. This is what the curing process is about, getting the bad out and keeping the good with a look at potential based on time. Like I said IMHO. Also glass is a preferred medium for curing because it is negatively charged and it won’t mess up these complex chemical processes.

Hope this is helpful
Sry for my English I’m stoned like a SOB.

amanda88 said:

I often water cure for 3-4 days and never had an awful stone as a result

it is an art that improves with practice,

some water cure for 5-7 days thats leaves it tasteless

it saves on space, its fast plus you can re feed your plants with the waste

good luck

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Ï dry with humidifer.... After 7 days if buds are dry, maybe I should do it early, I turn on humudifer, turn off vent for hour... let buds soak RH. then turn off humudifer, and turn on vent.... 1x-2x this process (6 days) and buds lose their green color for sure.... Mold is issue with big buds. So make them smaller... dont do this without R.O. water... I never have so much great stuff with normal drying. be sure you have properly flushed buds from salts...

Has anyone experimented with drying @ cool temps, below 45 degrees?

I've tried it only due to my drying area not being very controlled and temps dropped quick. No negative affect really. But it did seem to take longer. And I mean loooong.

2 years later hope he got a dehumidifier

At least post on modern threads to get your post count up.

stoned-trout said:

go to paper bags first then move to jars...yeehaw

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I personally go to a cardboard box before going to the jars. Allows me to 'sneak' up on the moisture level I want before going into the jars. In fact if things go how I like for them to go, a lot of my cure happens in the box.

GMT said:

At least post on modern threads to get your post count up.

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I didn't even notice the date, LOL