Outdoor Drying

Hi folks, I searched the forums but I couldn't find something about outdoor drying, if its even possible.
I'm not able to bring my grow indoors to dry...at least not at the moment. I have a skunk/church mix, and I've heard that it flowers sooner(by the guy that gave it to me), so I need to find a place. I was wondering if anybody had any advice if I'm forced to do an outdoor dry?

There are a few threads on it. But I have used old camping tents off Ebay and a 12v battery fan set-up. Add a Coleman stove and thats as closer to drying at home as I have found. There was someone who hangs em under branches with tarps but its climate dependent.

Well, living 10 degrees north of the Ecuator gives me tons of humid air daily and also very low points during noon and seems to be a dry/cure cycle (shaded room) with delivers me tasty stanky nugs with a minimum of damage. All i do is roof the drying area and set some palm leaves around the pad to minimize the light in there. All kinds of fresh air from everywhere,blows away all those gases buds put out while vaporizin' the water out of the bud with even shrinking AT ALL.
After buying reggggg bud for years i realized deep in the woods where they grow massive fields over in colombia,panama,costa rica,jamaica,are areas with high moist rates,no power so no A/C or dehumedifiers to help them dry and all those strains even tought are all pressed while packed still have that specific regional taste even going through hell before it got to my hands.packed so hard sometimes seeds would be crused.
I have come a cross idiots who don't like mango rosa or panama red cuz it won't taste fruity,skunky,or pungent but well grown redz/rozz tastes chocolate like.
this process is very slow but worth every damn second.
keep it green bro.

Do a search for a post called trash can harvest with dessicants, or something like that. By a member called pinapploupe. Good luck.

I don't think there's a whole lot about drying outdoors on ICmag, but if you've read the "massive outdoor thread" the most important thing about drying outdoors is air flow & circulation.

A few years back, it rained probably 4 out of 7 days that I hung my stash out to dry. About 2/3 was consumed by mold. I'd try hanging it in a tree or somewhere where there's decent air flow.

This year that's what I plan on doing. Just watch the weather forecast and find a decent spot. Setting up a tarp, etc - isn't bad if you can do it, depending on your location, etc.

Its my view that you can do it EH, but it aint easy.

If you have the luxury of building a structure to dry in then its a little easier. Although you have to watch carefully, especially with rain,fog and dew. If you cant build a dry shed, then i would cut all of the buds off the plants and lay them in the sun on plastic, and dry them as fast as you can. Once you get the majority of moisture out of them, then moulding and mildew wont be such a big issue and wont be threatening ruin. Depending on how much you have, a car trunk on a warm sunny day will really loose some moisture. Just park it where passerby's cant smell it cause it will wreak for the first 4 hours or so.

After that if you want to cure it a bit in jars then go for it. It doesnt have so much smell and can be handled easier when dried out. In my mind, simply because you cant control the weather and you can have rain that is difficult to deal with in an outdoor dry, you need to get the moisture out of the asap.

Good luck EH.

good luck, hope your in an area where humidity isnt that bad. in my area outdoor drying is almost impossible.

Drying outdoors, outdoors drying, outdoors hang, etc....

Lot of things on it written over the years....most of the time one side who has never tried, insist not possible, with others who have with great success, sometimes in same region.

Not as cut and dry as most believe, and actually many angles to it, but most in the end agree a superior product.

Search the above. Some finer points:
1. Most mistakes begin (like anything) with product not being checked thoroughly....ie: merely glancing at something externally not sufficient to determine status. You have to inspect what is inside. Not outside. If in danger when cut, hanging only going to make it worse. Always check thoroughly.

2. Keep out of sun and rain. Endless ways to do this. Many use tarps, tents, heat sources. I never have. Can pull up into canopy (throw rope over branch, lay em out, throw over other branch and pull up into trees)..I've hung anywhere, anytime , anyway possible that suit overall needs.....in trees, from fallen (half) trees, branches, etc.....

3. "Drying" is not your target, and not the objective. The target is to lose as much water weight, initial smell, and bulk as situation allows, be that 2 days or 7, (7 is max I would recommend. Have done longer on occasion, was not nearly as pleased.) Your hang will also give you a "flush" of sorts. The plant does not die the second it's cut, and continues to process. I've also noted increased resin myself. (note: not "increased" per se, not "more" trichs, as much as maybe "more pronounced"....)

Meaning: If you can only get 2 days, utilize the 2. If can get 7, go 7....if weather turns against you at 4, take at 4. The point being to utilize whatever you can to your advantage, and that of the product. This is another angle many have issues with. Not cut and dry.

Do some reading, get the finer points and overview, and if new, do some experiments knowing the process with smaller amounts on initial rounds to get a "feel" for the process. (If done earlier, a chance to see product and do more following runs)....

Key points are as above...air flow and circulation, coupled with thorough pre hang inspection...(I've been out and have had my guys hang, only to question if they checked inside, and done so to find they didn't, and was already some.....you can't just cut and hang.....you could be hanging something already started......)

Majority of the time, if fine when cut, will be fine when hung..this seems to be the #1 problem people have in the process. If it's standing in a certain environment mold free, majority of the time it will hang in the same environment mold free. I've done it in many regions, under unfavorable conditions, over many years. Would bet hard cash have done in temps and humidity declared impossible.

Experiment......not necessarily something one gets right the first time....have to know all the angles and overview...but makes for superior product, always, which is a bonus in addition to other aspects listed above.

Nuances of spots also comes into play depending on ones overall location. One might have something in a spot, but 100yrds away is better location. (more protected, more circulation, less humidity, higher ground, and so on....) Most also don't focus on this. Nothing says you have to hang exactly where you cut.

Lot of material written over many years. Can be easily found with a search.

Before humans evolved as far as they have today they used to just let it sit in the hot sun for an hour, I read some old literature once that recommended that as the standard way to dry, of course for the last 60yrs we've known the slower the dry the better.

Out, even after 7 days, in many cases will still look fresh cut sometimes.......(and in my experience, resin much more pronounced....once walked into a spot and thought we were hit by a frost/light snow... )

I've never had good results from leaving longer than 7 though...and have several times...but could possibly work even better depending on weather at the time.....regional issues, etc (but then if lower humidity and temps, result might be a quicker dry, so......)

Usually, at 7, can bring them in, hang up, dry further while beginning trimming, and then usually 3-4 days or so dry enough to pack up and begin cure....(making up to 11 day dry.....but depends of course on indoor/trimming environment and how the out went...in some cases, could be another 7 days for larger, heavier things....even longer in some cases.........

Many more ops than people realize do it....not going to run trucks or set up circus sized tents in most areas.....

End product surprises people first time out most of the time.........(and I myself have always welcomed people to do both side by side to compare product later......)

My preferences to hang whole and trim when dry...what I think best product, but, not always possible due to volume....ie: more coming in than is going out...get backed up, etc.....I'm sure I am not the only one who can usually tell when something trimmed wet.....

Hey Ernest,

Julian knows of what he speaks. I tried it last year with some success and no losses. The outdoor dried herb is smoother but I'm not sure it is any more potent. Here's my thread:

http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=100683

It includes a few photos.

Cheers, two heads