So, the time has finally arrived when your marijuana is ready for harvesting. However, your job isn’t finished yet. Your precious buds aren’t ready for smoking and still have to undergo drying and curing processes in order to achieve the dankness and the taste that you want. You might be wondering how to dry cannabis the right way especially if you haven’t tried it yet.
After harvesting and trimming, the curing process follows.
The curing process involves slowly drying your buds in an ideal environment, then storing them in jars over a few weeks to enhance its flavor.
How to Dry Cannabis Guide – Curing Process Included (The Basics)
Newly harvested marijuana needs to undergo a drying and curing process for several reasons. Even if you’ve started with marijuana with excellent genetics, when it isn’t properly cured, then you shouldn’t expect much about the quality and potency of your buds. However, when it is properly and slowly cured, prepare to experience a smooth and pleasant smoke from perfectly cured buds.
Beside that very important reason, here are other specific reasons why you should love to patiently cure all your harvested buds:
- Curing removes unpleasant smell of freshly cut weed and it dramatically enhance the smoothness and taste of the buds.
- It helps to bring out the unique and subtle smell of your marijuana.
- A nicely cured bud reduces the harshness on the throat when smoked and it also lessens undesirable effects of marijuana such as anxiety and paranoia.
- Curing reduces the chance of mold formation and it also increases the potency of the buds.
For more reasons, a lot of marijuana users report that nicely cured marijuana also improves the subjective effects of the medicine, as the chemical composition of the plant alters during the curing process.
How to Dry your Cannabis Buds Slowly?
The initial phase of the curing method starts from drying the buds. This phase relatively lasts for three to seven days, and when accompanied by smart cutting practices, this will give you benefits you’ll surely be thankful for later on.
Commonly, the first step is to trim your cannabis buds before hanging them. However, some growers opt to trim their cannabis after they’ve completely dried. Either ways, both are effective and has advantages and disadvantages.
To start the curing process, here are the materials you need to prepare.
Mason Jars– this is where you will store your cannabis buds
Drying Rack or String– most growers hang their cannabis by strings because it appears to be more effective in slowly drying cannabis buds.
Hygrometer (optional)– used for measuring moisture content inside the mason jar.
Always remember that a slowly dried cannabis always taste better than quickly dried ones. In other words, drying your cannabis in an oven, microwave or stove or via dry ice will taste terribly and is likely to cause paranoia or headache.
There are several ways of drying your trimmed cannabis buds, however hanging them in a string is the standard and most common way of doing it.
If you live in a humid area, drying cannabis using a rack can be more ideal as the buds dry faster and prevents formation of molds. Even so, a small fan can also help in the air circulation and help prevent your buds from growing molds.
After hanging all of your harvested buds creatively, you will have to check them regularly for up to a week or so to ensure that it dries out properly and doesn’t form molds. Be careful not to quickly dry or over dry your cannabis as this will dictate how long your curing process is going to be. Quickly dried and over dried cannabis often takes longer curing process than a slowly dried cannabis buds.
When to put cannabis onto jars?
Your cannabis plants are ready to be cured in jars after you have seen their outsides completely dry and not brittle to touch. Check to see if the larger stems are flexible to be bent and the little stems snap quickly. By then, they’ll be ready to be stored in the jars.
Inside the jars, you would want to maintain at least 60-65% humidity to help your marijuana cure perfectly. You would also want to use a quart size mason jar as this size encourages proper curing compared to larger ones. Fill each of them with ¾ full of buds so there is still space for air on top.
It is important not to let wet marijuana sit inside the jars or else these will surely encourage mold formation and will just waste your buds. To know that the buds inside of the jar are dry, they shouldn’t stick together and won’t clump when you shake the jars.
During the first week of the curing process, always check your jars every 24 hours and open them at least once because fresh air is also needed during the curing process. This time you can use your hygrometer (if you have) to know the moisture content and/or you can also shake the jars to see if there are wet spots inside. Remember that buds continue to cure for up to six months and retain their potency for years when properly cured and stored.