Harvest Help, Super Low Relative Humidity. Drying Way To Fast.

[maxstyles]

HI Guys, Hoping some one else has dealt with this issue along the road. I've recently completed a 98 day grow. Cut and hung my girls in 18C temps with 55% RH. Then we had a heat wave for this time of year, temps climbed to 27C and RH has dropped a huge amount to between 29 & 38% RH. I had whole plants hung leaving all fan leaves on to help slow the process. Still had crispy on the outside with in 3 days, I pulled the crispy feeling nugs & jarred em up with hygro. The RH in the jars is now around 60-65% RH. So they seem to be curing but still a bit crispy. I've still got some larger girls to cut down later today early tomorrow, but with the RH so low I'm hoping I can find a solution to help the dry/cure. Can't splurge on a humidifier at this point as the damn expensive over here. $900 plus. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated. Is there any way to save nugs that are over dry? I heard about boveda humidi packs, but am not sure if they will save over dried or just make damper...

 

[DrMcSkunkins]

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/clockworx-dry-cure-method-step-by-step.58490/

 

[robomont]

pot of boiling water

 

[maxstyles]

Hey Robomont, Thanks for the help m8. I thought of that one, I had tried it earlier before posting, the room is just to large. I tried wet towels on a radiator? I'm just building a humidifier, out of sponges in a cheap aluminium bbq pan full of cold ice water. Train a desk fan on the wet sponges & voila. It should raise RH in minutes. There's plans online. It so easy to make. Thanks m8

 

[maxstyles]

https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/clockworx-dry-cure-method-step-by-step.58490/

Hey DrMcskunkins, thanks for the thread. I found that link to clockworx method. It's pretty much the same as what I've been doing, only I use the hygrometers to gauge accurate RH inside the sealed containers. The dry normally takes from 7-9 days in ideal conditions over here. I had some of the girls finished in under 48 hours in this supa dryness. Its just to quick, I tried to slow it but very tricky. Next time I'll be a bit more prepared for this possible situation. Had I been set up for it with the right equipment I'd be sweet. All good. thanks for the help bro.

 

[Savage Henry]

Those boveda packs, the 63% ones, have worked well for me.

 

[smokedareefer]

our rh outside has been hanging around 30 - 35 %
i have a 12 "fan set on low speed blowing atop a pail of water with the room exhaust fan pluged into the below humidity controller and ive kept the room (7'x12'×12') between 58 and 60 %.

 

[maxstyles]

Those boveda packs, the 63% ones, have worked well for me.

Thanks henry, I've just ordered some as the dry conditions have really sped the process up way to fast. I think this time round Its a lost cause, but I'm interested to see how the boveda packs go. Thanks for the info, mite try your humidifier idea if need be? cheers bud.

 

[maxstyles]

our rh outside has been hanging around 30 - 35 %
i have a 12 "fan set on low speed blowing atop a pail of water with the room exhaust fan pluged into the below humidity controller and ive kept the room (7'x12'×12') between 58 and 60 %.

View attachment 638682

Thanks m8, thats not abad idea. I just set up the same sort of thing with water tub with sponges soaking a dry sponge ontop acting as a wick, fan blowing a top the lot. RAised the RH heaps quickly to over 58% but alas I was a little to late this time. I'm ready for the next time I have this issue tho? The humidity controller looks great, very hard to find these over here tho? Ozzie stores have only got nutes... useless. Thanks heaps m8.

 

[MamaBear]

If you build a "drying rack", it will slow down the drying and keep the humidity up since it's a smaller space to manage. I use a rolling wire shelf, wrapped in cardboard that I attached with zip-ties (you don't want to wrap it with plastic). A few small vent holes to let in fresh air do fine. If it gets too humid, a small fan mounted in the cardboard to pull air out does the trick. The wire shelves are perfect for hanging and it cleans up easy.

 

[robomont]

rolling wire rack,im envious.cardboard and zip ties,brilliant.

 

[MamaBear]

Thanks! I only get to do 1 grow a year (greenhouse) and they're all ready for chop about the same time. I needed a place to hang them all but can disassemble it easily when done. I like that I can roll it around anywhere and since it's closed up, keeps the dust/bugs/etc off the buds and the cardboard keeps it very dark in there.
I usually just hang black fabric all around it (it breathes well and blocks light) but this year it's VERY dry.

 

[maxstyles]

If you build a "drying rack", it will slow down the drying and keep the humidity up since it's a smaller space to manage. I use a rolling wire shelf, wrapped in cardboard that I attached with zip-ties (you don't want to wrap it with plastic). A few small vent holes to let in fresh air do fine. If it gets too humid, a small fan mounted in the cardboard to pull air out does the trick. The wire shelves are perfect for hanging and it cleans up easy.

Thats a great idea mamabear thanks. I'll look into setting up something when I'm all done cleaning up. Still got several different girls in different stages of dryness & cure, the first half has come out with almost no smell/taste. It looks amazing smokes smooth as, but no taste. The other half had all the fan leaves left on to slow things down a bit & they smell alot better, but going to a nitemare trim. Is there any way of restoring some taste & aroma to the first half that is not so good. A friend says the boveda packs will help. But I think they will just moisten it up, leaving it damp & no smell/taste. What do u reckon mamabear?

 

[BudBogart]

From a buddy of mine...humidity is almost always highest over night. Don't put your trimmed buds into jars until early the next morning. The buds and the air going into the mason jars will be their highest rh possible.

 

[maxstyles]

Thanks Bud, I actually got the first half jarred up its holding at around 62-64% but that first half dried so quick there is no smell/taste. I still have the final half hanging in the dark with all leaves intact to slow it slightly. The other half still hanging smells heaps better. But going to be a biatch trimming all that for weeks. Any chance u know of a way to get the halfthat dried to quick to rejuvenate and have the aroma & taste come out slightly. A mate says the boveda packs will bring out the taste & aroma but I'm not sure. The nugs look perfect glistening with trichs but have no smell & no taste. Smokes very smooth tho. Mite just have to live with tasteless for a few months. BOOHOO 4 ME. Any help is greatly apprceiated. Thanks mate

 

[MamaBear]

I grow for effect so taste/smell is a bonus. If it gets you high, who cares!!!! You can always mix it with the other buds.
You can rehydrate them with some orange peel (or lemon, tangerine, etc), which will also give it some nice citrus smell/taste. You want ZEST, not the whole peel. Zest is just the outside colored layer with all the oils. You can get a zester at any store that has kitchen utensils. This thing works great but if you can't find one, use a peeler and then slice the strips into fine strips. Put some in your container with the buds but not touching the buds. You can make a little "tea bag" with a scrap of cheese-cloth and attach it to the lid so it hangs in there but not ON the buds.

 

[maxstyles]

Thanks mamabear. I decided to order sum boveda 62% humidipacks & see if that helps. A mate tells me that he had similar prob. Once he added the humidi packs the smell increased 100 timesplus. I've just pulled down another few of the girls that were still hanging. These I dried with all the fan leaves intact to slow drying. The others were all fully trimmed before being hung. I'm amazed at how good the second batch with the leaves have turned out, they are nearly perfect, except for the major trimming job ahead? I'm hanging out for the boveda packs to arrive so I can test em out. I'll let u know how I go? Thansk for the help tho.

 

[DrMcSkunkins]

I grow for effect so taste/smell is a bonus. If it gets you high, who cares!!!! You can always mix it with the other buds.
You can rehydrate them with some orange peel (or lemon, tangerine, etc), which will also give it some nice citrus smell/taste. You want ZEST, not the whole peel. Zest is just the outside colored layer with all the oils. You can get a zester at any store that has kitchen utensils. This thing works great but if you can't find one, use a peeler and then slice the strips into fine strips. Put some in your container with the buds but not touching the buds. You can make a little "tea bag" with a scrap of cheese-cloth and attach it to the lid so it hangs in there but not ON the buds.

It will mold if you leave it too long.

 

[maxstyles]

Even at 62% will it mold? I haven't got the bovedas yet, as I've got hygro's in every jar/tub and they are all holding between 61% & 64% I've been checking every few hours all week. Then daily for last 2 days. If there's a chance of mold I'll open em all up and bring down under 60%. Surprisingly, the smell has started to come out? Smelled like grass clippings until today, now its faint smell of sweetness and getting better. I'm going to check all my jars & tubs now as I'm spinning out that it may be molding? I did notice a light dusting of whitish powder when I chopped up today, very fine. Thought it maybe trichs falling off. Now I'm not sure. Fingaz X its not the dreaded. Thansk DR MCskunkins.

 

[Panacea79]

Those boveda packs, the 63% ones, have worked well for me.

I agree with the use of the 2-way Boveda packs. I use the 62% ones(?) but that's usually only AFTER I've achieved the target DRYING zone %. I wouldn't really recommend putting in the humidipacks until you're done actually drying your crop but for CURING....PHENOMENOL! Keeps your mugs nice and fresh for months.