The plants are down. Branches are hanging in a closet or a tent, the room smells like a skunk farm, and you want to know two things: how long this takes, and how you will know it is done. Drying and curing decide how the harvest smokes. A rushed dry gives you bud that smells like hay no matter how well it grew. A slow, controlled one keeps the terpenes you spent months building.
This guide covers how to dry and cure cannabis at home, indoor or outdoor, from the day you cut to long-term storage. It gives the temperature, humidity and timing that work, the tests that tell you when buds are ready for the jar, and fixes for the problems that come up most in the forum. Each step links to a deeper THCFarmer guide or thread if you want more detail.
Disclosure
THCFarmer has no partnership with any brand named in this guide. Boveda packs are listed in the THCFarmer shop through an Amazon affiliate link. This page does not link to the shop or to any store.
01 · Quick answer How to dry and cure cannabis
- Hang branches or whole plants in a dark room at 60 to 70°F and 55 to 60% humidity, with air moving in the room but not blowing on the buds.
- Let them dry for 7 to 14 days, until small stems snap instead of bending.
- Trim if you have not already, then fill glass jars about three-quarters full.
- Burp the jars every day for the first 1 to 2 weeks, aiming for a steady 58 to 62% on a hygrometer inside the jar.
- Cure for at least 2 weeks before judging the result. Most growers here go 3 to 4 weeks, and flavor keeps improving for 2 months or more.
02 · Guide Drying and curing targets
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Time | Why this range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drying room | 60 to 70°F | 55 to 60% RH | 7 to 14 days | Slow enough for moisture to move from the core to the surface evenly |
| Overnight jar test | Room temperature | 65% or lower after 12 hours | 12 hours | Shows whether the insides are dry enough to cure |
| Cure, weeks 1 to 2 | 60 to 70°F | 58 to 62% in the jar | Burp daily | Lets trapped moisture out without crisping the outside again |
| Cure, week 3 on | 60 to 70°F | 58 to 62% in the jar | 2 to 8 weeks total | Chlorophyll breaks down and the harsh, green taste fades |
| Long-term storage | 55 to 70°F, dark | 55 to 62% | Months | Slows terpene loss, mold and THC breakdown |
03 · Guide What THCFarmer growers actually do
We went through about 40,000 posts by roughly 5,700 members in the forum's drying and curing threads, going back to 2008, and pulled out the numbers people report. Most members run their drying room between 60 and 70°F at 50 to 60% humidity. In a hand-checked sample, most members hang-dry for 7 to 14 days, about 10 days in the middle of the pack. Shorter times almost always come from a specific method: small wet-trimmed buds on a rack, the paper bag method, or a very dry climate.
Jar targets are even more consistent. Members aim for about 62% inside the jar, and almost everyone lands between 55 and 65%. Burping is the most discussed curing topic (676 members have posted about it), and a hay or grass smell is the most common complaint (415 members). The rest of this guide is built around getting those two right. For one member's full routine, from last watering to jar, see How I dry/cure my harvest.
04 · Before you cut Harvest timing and trim choice
Drying cannot fix a plant cut too early. Harvest when most trichomes are cloudy with some amber, as covered in When should I harvest my cannabis plants? and What are cannabis trichomes?.
Next, decide when to trim. Wet trimming (trimming right after the chop) removes leaf mass, so buds dry in about 5 to 8 days and mold risk drops. It suits humid climates and big, dense colas. Dry trimming (hanging with the sugar leaves on, trimming after the dry) slows drying to about 7 to 14 days, because the leaves shield the buds. Many members prefer it for flavor, and it suits dry climates where buds would otherwise crisp in 3 to 4 days. As one veteran put it in drying and curing for dummies, drying procedure is different for each climate, so humid rooms call for wet trimming and breaking plants down smaller.
A middle path works too: strip the big fan leaves at harvest and leave the sugar leaves for a dry trim later. If your room is humid or you have seen any bud rot, take off more leaf and give the branches more space.
Prep the room before the chop
Clean the space, set the temperature and humidity as close to target as you can, and check that the fan moves room air without hitting the spot where branches will hang. Lay out hangers or racks, clean scissors, gloves, labels and jars. The day after harvest is the wrong time to find out the room sits at 82°F and 35% humidity.
05 · Step 1 Set up the drying space
Hold the room at 60 to 70°F and 55 to 60% relative humidity. The cooler end, 60 to 65°F, keeps more aroma if your room can hold it. Below about 60°F, drying stalls and dense buds stay wet in the middle long enough to invite mold. Above about 70°F, terpenes evaporate faster and the outside of each bud dries before the inside. Under 50% humidity, small buds can finish in 3 to 4 days and come out harsh, while anything held above 65% for days risks botrytis in thick colas. If bud rot is already a concern, read our bud rot guide before you hang anything.
Dehumidifiers, humidifiers and airflow
A small dehumidifier is the most useful tool in a humid house, and a cool-mist humidifier does the same job in a dry one. Put a digital thermometer and hygrometer at bud height and check it twice a day for the first 3 days, when plants release the most water. Keep air moving in the room with a small fan aimed at a wall or the floor, never at the buds. Keep the space dark, because light and heat speed up THC breakdown. Members compare setups in DRYING TEMPS?, Using a dehumidifier while drying and Dry room dehumidifier advice.
Drying kit
- A thermometer and hygrometer for the room
- Small hygrometers for test jars
- Hanging line, hangers, a mesh rack or a drying net
- A circulation fan aimed away from the buds
- A dehumidifier in humid climates, or a humidifier in very dry ones
- Clean scissors, gloves and labels
- Wide-mouth jars or other curing containers
- A flashlight for checking dense buds for mold
06 · Step 2 Pick a drying method
Every method below works. They trade speed for evenness, so match the method to your room, your climate and the size of the harvest.
Hang whole plants
10 to 14 days. The slowest and most even dry, because the stem keeps feeding moisture to the buds as they dry. It needs the most space.
Hang branches
7 to 12 days. The default for most indoor growers. Space branches so buds do not touch.
Mesh rack or hanging net
5 to 8 days for wet-trimmed buds. Turn them once a day so the side touching the mesh dries too.
Paper bag
Hang for 2 to 4 days, then finish in loosely filled paper bags for 3 to 7 days. Good in dry rooms. See the paper bag method.
Cardboard box
Strings run through a box, about 6 to 7 days. A cheap option for small harvests.
Fridge or wine cooler ("lotus" dry)
About 2 weeks, kept cold and dark with buds out of the direct fan path. Members discuss it in Drying in the fridge and Lotus drying with a wine cooler.
Quick dry
1 to 3 days, for a sample or an emergency only, because it costs flavor. Ovens, microwaves, heaters and car dashboards dry the outside fast and leave moisture inside. See How do I quick-dry my buds?.
Freeze dryer
About 1 to 2 days. Home units cost thousands of dollars, so this is for growers already processing a lot. See the freeze drying guide.
Outdoor and wet-weather harvests
Outdoor plants often come in with rain or dew on them, plus dust, insects and more bud rot pressure. Inspect every cola before hanging and cut out anything damaged or suspicious. Give branches more space than you think they need, run the dehumidifier from day one, and pick branch hanging or racks over whole plants when mold pressure is high. Check dense colas twice a day for the first few days.
For smell control while drying, see How to build an odorless bud drier. For large outdoor harvests, see drying and curing outdoor buds. Room layouts are compared in Dry room techniques and drying setups.
07 · Step 3 How long to dry buds before jarring
Go by the buds, not the calendar. The standard test is the stem snap: bend a small stem and it should break with a clean snap. If it bends and stays bent, the buds need more time. As one Colorado member put it in Drying the buds, when to jar?, a clean snap means dry enough, and a bend means not ready.
The outside of the bud should feel dry and slightly crisp, while the center still has a little spring when squeezed. Some growers also bite a stem, because your jaw feels the crunch better than your fingers, or roll a small test joint. It should burn evenly without crackling. Break open one dense bud too: a cool or damp center means it needs more time. The smell should be clean. Ammonia, mildew or a sour, wet-basement smell means trouble.
Start checking around day 5. Small buds finish before big colas, and the small stems near the buds tell you more than the main stem. Write down the room temperature, humidity, smell and stem feel each day, so the next harvest starts from real numbers. Some members track weight loss as well, as in Weight for perfect drying time?.
The safest check is the overnight jar test. Put a few buds in a jar with a hygrometer, close it for 12 hours, and read it. At 65% or lower, the batch is ready to cure. Above 70%, the insides are still wet: take the buds out and give them another day or two. Fog or water beads on the glass mean the same thing. If you are aiming for a fixed schedule, How do I dry buds in exactly 14 days? shows the room settings members use to stretch a dry.
08 · Step 4 How to cure cannabis in jars
Use airtight glass jars. Wide-mouth quart jars hold about an ounce of dry bud. Fill each jar loosely to about three-quarters, so air can move when you open it and the buds are not crushed. Put a small hygrometer in at least one jar per batch, and label each jar with the strain and harvest date.
For the first 24 hours, check every few hours. Moisture moves from the centers to the outsides, and the jar reading climbs. After that, follow a burping schedule:
Days 1 to 7
Open each jar once or twice a day for 10 to 15 minutes. Shake or turn the buds gently.
Days 8 to 14
Once a day for 5 to 10 minutes.
Week 3 on
Every few days, then weekly. Once the jar holds 58 to 62% for several days without burping, you can stop. See signs it's time to stop burping your jars.
Use the reading to adjust. Above 70%, take the buds out to dry for 12 to 24 hours. Between 65 and 70%, leave the lid off for 30 to 60 minutes per burp until it drops. Under 55%, the buds are drying out: add a 62% two-way humidity pack, or see How to re-moisten dry cannabis buds. Members work through real jar readings in Humidity in jar only at 45%.
09 · Guide Best humidity for curing cannabis
Aim for 58 to 62% relative humidity inside the jar. That matches a water activity of about 0.55 to 0.65, the range the ASTM D8197 standard sets for stored dry cannabis flower: under 0.65 to keep mold from growing, and over 0.55 so the flower does not turn brittle and break apart. Growers also report harsher smoke from jars that sit below 55%. Member targets land in the same place: 62% is the single most common number in the curing threads.
Cheap jar hygrometers can read 3 to 5 points off. Test yours before you trust it: seal it in a bag with a damp pile of table salt for 12 to 24 hours, and it should read 75%. Note the difference and correct every reading after that. A bad meter explains threads like Curing only 47 to 51% in jars with 58% packs.
10 · Step 5 How long to cure and how to store it
Cure for at least 2 weeks before you judge the result. Most members smoke it at 3 to 4 weeks, and many say flavor keeps improving for 2 to 3 months. Curing does not raise THC, but it makes the smoke smoother. See Does curing affect potency? for the details.
For long-term storage, keep sealed glass or metal containers in a dark place at 55 to 70°F, with 55 to 62% humidity. Avoid the fridge door and the freezer for jars you open often, because cold glass collects condensation when it warms up. Stored this way, bud stays good for 6 to 12 months, with smell and potency fading slowly after that. Members compare their results in Storage and shelf life for buds.
11 · Guide Curing containers and humidity packs compared
Prices are US retail ranges checked in October 2026.
Glass mason jars
Budget, $2 to $4 each for wide-mouth quarts. The standard, mentioned by 474 members in the threads. Cheap, airtight, easy to monitor. They need daily burping at first.
Turkey or oven bags
Budget, under $1 each. Common for bulk cures and big outdoor harvests. Fine for the first weeks, but transfer to jars for long storage.
Two-way humidity packs (Boveda, Integra Boost)
Budget, about $1 to $3 for a jar-size pack, more for the large size. They hold a jar at 58 or 62% once the buds are properly dried. They are for holding, not for finishing a dry. See our guide to Boveda packs, and the member threads How to properly use Boveda packs and Integra Boost packs.
Grove Bags
Mid-range, about $1 to $2 for a 1 oz bag and $7 to $13 for a 1 lb bag. A membrane bag sold as needing no burping. Member reports are mixed: some like the hands-off cure, others report a slower cure and still keep a hygrometer inside. See Grove bags: pros and cons, Grove bags vs mason jars and our staff write-up in Curing with Grove Bags TerpLoc.
CVault
Premium, about $40 to $90 depending on size. A stainless, light-proof container with a holder for a humidity pack. Better for storage than for the first weeks of a cure, because you cannot see the buds.
Vivosun VCure
Premium, about $999. A sensor-controlled box that runs the dry and cure automatically. Few members have posted about it so far, so treat it as unproven here.
For smell-proof storage options, see Best smell proof cannabis jar or container?.
12 · Pitfalls Common drying and curing mistakes
Drying too fast
Room humidity under 50% or temperatures above 72°F can finish small buds in 3 to 4 days, and that is where most hay and grass smells come from. Slow the dry to 7 to 14 days. A member who holds their drying chamber at about 60% humidity wrote in Drying in the fridge: "Since the change I've not had a single jar of hay."
A fan blowing on the buds
Direct airflow crisps the outside while the center stays wet, so the jar sweats the next day. Aim fans at walls or the floor. Members describe exactly this in my stuff got really dry last night but not the stems.
Letting the dry room run wet
A room stuck above 65% humidity, from a humid climate, a crowded harvest or a big wet-trim load, invites rot in dense colas. Add dehumidification, space the branches further apart and inspect the biggest colas daily.
Jarring before the stems snap
Jar humidity can jump above 70% within hours, which is mold territory. Run the overnight jar test before jarring the whole batch.
Ignoring condensation in the jar
Fog or water beads on the glass mean the buds went in wet. Open the jar right away, spread the buds out, check them for mold and dry them longer.
Packing jars to the top
A full jar traps moisture and crushes trichomes. Fill to about three-quarters.
Trusting an untested hygrometer
A meter that reads 5 points low makes a wet jar look safe. Run the salt test once per meter.
Using humidity packs to finish a dry
A 62% pack in a jar sitting at 70% can only absorb a little water, and the buds stay wet. Dry the buds first, then add the pack.
Ignoring mold
White fuzz, a musty or ammonia smell, or gray spots inside dense buds mean mold. Remove affected buds right away. See what to keep after bud rot for what can and cannot be saved.
13 · FAQ Drying and curing FAQ
60 to 70°F and 55 to 60% humidity, with the cooler end, 60 to 65°F, holding more aroma. In a very humid room, aim a little lower on humidity and give the branches more space. From DRYING TEMPS?.
Most members hang-dry for 7 to 14 days at 60 to 70°F and 55 to 60% humidity. Dry climates and wet-trimmed buds can finish in 5 to 7 days. Go by the stem snap and the overnight jar test, not the date. From How long should I dry.
When small stems snap cleanly and a test jar reads 65% or lower after 12 hours. If the jar climbs above 70%, take the buds back out for another day or two. From Drying the buds, when to jar?.
Yes, for the first few days. Readings rise as moisture moves out of the bud centers, so a jar at 58% on day one can sit at 65% by day two. Keep burping until it holds 58 to 62% for several days. From Just jarred my buds and showing 58%.
Usually because the hygrometer reads low or the buds were overdried, and a small pack cannot add enough moisture to a full jar. Calibrate the meter with the salt test, then use one jar-size pack per ounce of bud. From Curing only 47 to 51% in jars.
Not clearly. Grove Bags save the daily burping, while jars are cheaper and let you see and smell the cure. Members who use bags still put a hygrometer inside for the first week. From Grove bags: pros and cons.
Yes. The cold "lotus" dry takes about 2 weeks and members who use it say it keeps more aroma, but buds must stay out of the direct fan path and away from condensation. From Drying in the fridge.
Partly. A slow cure at 58 to 62% fades some of the grassy smell over 2 to 4 weeks, but aroma lost in a dry that finished in 3 or 4 days does not come back. Slow the next dry to 7 to 14 days. From Help when drying stuff smells like hay.
About 6 to 12 months in airtight glass, kept dark at 55 to 70°F and 55 to 62% humidity. Smell fades first, then potency. From Storage and shelf life for buds.
Hay smell that won't fade, a jar stuck above 65%, or a dry room that won't hold humidity? Post in Cannabis Harvesting & Curing with your room temperature, humidity, days hanging and a photo of your jar hygrometer.
Sources: about 40,000 posts in THCFarmer drying and curing threads from 2008 on, with brand accounts excluded; the merged THCFarmer guide "From Harvest to Cure"; ASTM D8197 (water activity range for dried cannabis flower); US retail listings for the products named, checked October 2026.
More Harvesting & Curing questions?
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logic has been posting on THCFarmer since 2008 and now carries 547 learn guides for growers who want the real numbers, tradeoffs, and failure points before they spend time or money.