A detailed explanation of why fast curing buds in preferable to slow curing.

[YarraSparra]

Yarra I would like to apologize. I concededly backflip on what I said. So I looked up for myself. I gotta hand it to ya, you’re right on the money. Found over a dozen papers that have made me question why slow curing ever became the norm at all. I was dead certain you were wrong but you clearly did your homework. To be honest I didn’t even read your thread properly the first time, I just looked at the bottom couple of paragraphs so shame on me for calling shit on ya. So now seriously considering changing my whole drying setup. Years of refinement wasted on doctrine and I never thought twice to question it. PHaarrrrkkkkk!!!! Back to lurking for me…

No problem. Yeah if you stick to peer reviewed journals you’ll be able to make up your own mind instead of letting others do it for you.. I always encourage people to do this. Unfortunately you need subscriptions of many of the good ones. And wading through hours of dry literature isn’t everyone’s cup of tea either. Best of luck with your new drying system and let me know if you have any questions, happy to help.

YS

 

[way2green]

Yeh Yarra
Like I posted previously, I think most peeps just had a different interpretation of "crumbly weed".
That is what got me off track. However, sungrown said he thought it meant crumbly sweet leaves and I never thought of that. I was truly picturing buds turning to shake at the smallest touch!

 

[outwest]

I think most peeps just had a different interpretation of "crumbly weed".

Here it Outkast's interpretation.

outwest

 

[dabs4life]

do you have any pics yara of like not your whole setup or anything but just close bud pics to put images with the different stages of the process as to give a better feel? or anyone else that uses it?

cause like was said above i pictured crisp dry like dry dry before rehydration. if not i dunno.

side note i am usually pissed trying to look at journals due to most needing money to view like you were saying. shit sucks when you know your answer lies behind that .pdf just a click away. fuckers.

aww naw hush that fuss,everybody move to the back of the bus

 

[UCMETOO]

Well i think the first problem was Y's description,.....talking about leaving 10-15% moisture as if it were too much, seems like an odd place to start. I'm a huge fan of peer reviewed research, but you have offered no link and no specific reference to a specific review, so please understand that you left it up to each of us to review what you wrote ( and many found 'issues' whth how you presented this information ).

Its easy to get what you want to say lost in the mix. especially around a forum with a thousand different styles of sharing going on, but if you offer the link or easy reference points to a specific reviewed paper ( like the origional author, when the research was done, University or other research facility involved ) your going to get a lot less flack and a lot more traction,......might even start a conversation that enlightenes all participants, but that can't really happen if you leave us to do the research, that you claim to already have done but have failed to share.

Being that there is a ton of information shared here you have to expect being exposed to a certain level of 'Filter' . more than a few of us have a 'dismiss button' mentality when the info is poorly worded, unclear and sounds like conjecture (this happens when you offer no link or research info) when this happens your post is gonna get sent down the poop shoot or your gonna have to spend an inordinate amount of time to defend your post,.......why not go FTW?

Also just looking this over prior to posting i see that the problem might be how you titled your post, See your setting up a debate because you offered no 'proof' . If you had posted a technique, it could be discussed but you posted a ' judgement based value assertion ' without any back~up,.....just another $.02

 

[ethnoman]

The rise of the medical marijuana industry will influence how we view many traditional growing techniques. New ideas and practices are going to be popping up everywhere. Growing weed will migrate from the margins of society and become mainstream and more diverse. This is an exciting time to be grower!! Thanks YS for starting the thread, really appreciated.

 

[way2green]

Well i think the first problem was Y's description,.....talking about leaving 10-15% moisture as if it were too much, seems like an odd place to start. I'm a huge fan of peer reviewed research, but you have offered no link and no specific reference to a specific review, so please understand that you left it up to each of us to review what you wrote ( and many found 'issues' whth how you presented this information ).

Its easy to get what you want to say lost in the mix. especially around a forum with a thousand different styles of sharing going on, but if you offer the link or easy reference points to a specific reviewed paper ( like the origional author, when the research was done, University or other research facility involved ) your going to get a lot less flack and a lot more traction,......might even start a conversation that enlightenes all participants, but that can't really happen if you leave us to do the research, that you claim to already have done but have failed to share.

Being that there is a ton of information shared here you have to expect being exposed to a certain level of 'Filter' . more than a few of us have a 'dismiss button' mentality when the info is poorly worded, unclear and sounds like conjecture (this happens when you offer no link or research info) when this happens your post is gonna get sent down the poop shoot or your gonna have to spend an inordinate amount of time to defend your post,.......why not go FTW?

Also just looking this over prior to posting i see that the problem might be how you titled your post, See your setting up a debate because you offered no 'proof' . If you had posted a technique, it could be discussed but you posted a ' judgement based value assertion ' without any back~up,.....just another $.02

That was a very well thought out description and critique! Thx ethnoman

 

[mantid]

lol

 

[ssteely71]

Flash cured for taste ....yeah ok fine, sounds great! ... but sell that **** to the masses.
Give me my slow dried and cured for "effect" any day over a flavor.
I want medicated in ways that only a slow dried and cured flower gives me.
When science meets science it will be said that for medicinal quality or those finer nuances of a great high , slow cure wins. Im not really caring how pretty it is if effect is proper.
This is just my uneducated mostly medicated opinion.

 

[Mr_GreenGenes]

Flash cured for taste ....yeah ok fine, sounds great! ... but sell that **** to the masses.
Give me my slow dried and cured for "effect" any day over a flavor.
I want medicated in ways that only a slow dried and cured flower gives me.
When science meets science it will be said that for medicinal quality or those finer nuances of a great high , slow cure wins. Im not really caring how pretty it is if effect is proper.
This is just my uneducated mostly medicated opinion.

Yep that's what I'm sayin. :D MGG

 

[way2green]

That is my exact opinion on wine! Birds of a feather......Haha

 

[Zero Theorem]

Flash cured for taste ....yeah ok fine, sounds great! ... but sell that **** to the masses.
Give me my slow dried and cured for "effect" any day over a flavor.
I want medicated in ways that only a slow dried and cured flower gives me.
When science meets science it will be said that for medicinal quality or those finer nuances of a great high , slow cure wins. Im not really caring how pretty it is if effect is proper.
This is just my uneducated mostly medicated opinion.

Either you didn't read or didn't understand the OP. The entire point, as I understand it, is that a snap dry process preserves maximum cannabinoid content, resulting in buds of higher medicinal quality. This is because it arrests oxidative processes as quickly as possible. Same reasoning I store in CO2 & vacuum sealed bags.

 

[UCMETOO]

That was a very well thought out description and critique! Thx ethnoman

LOL, your welcome!

 

[way2green]

I am smoking some 6 day "flash cured" grapefruit skunk along with my flash distilled Kendall Jackson and I feel like I just won the fucking Lotto!

 

[ssteely71]

Either you didn't read or didn't understand the OP. The entire point, as I understand it, is that a snap dry process preserves maximum cannabinoid content, resulting in buds of higher medicinal quality. This is because it arrests oxidative processes as quickly as possible. Same reasoning I store in CO2 & vacuum sealed bags.

I read it twice .. And every reply.
I understand it , fundamentally. I just don't agree with it.
Preserving maximum cannabinoid content does not equal a better high IMO. And Yarra consistently refers to flavor and taste , not effect.
I think that science will discover , that the subtle changes in cannabinoids , caused by oxidation during curing , produce effects not found in noncured product.

I smoked a lot of damn weed. Cured weed is the best for effect. Flavorful, well preserved or not.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[YarraSparra]

Thanks for the pointer UCME, duly noted. I agree a review or article should include references. Actually doing this properly (I mean really properly) takes considerable time i.e.. authenticating references against supporting literature and more importantly scrutinizing supplementary data and methods, etc etc…so it’s not as simple as one might stipulate. Also it takes a good science communicator to explain often abstract scientific concepts in a way that is understandable to the public. Unfortunately I’ve never been a good science communicator and I certainly don’t want to be perceived as an authority on science (thanks all the same piehole) so will try to modify my language accordingly.

And between work, life and managing 2 grow ops there is limited time I can give to this forum. For the interim you’ll just have to either take my word for it (not recommended) or do your own research or experiments, which I instead encourage everybody to do. But if I find the time next week I will try to post some good references. I’m also happy to share what I know about correctly citing information from credible sources.

The other point I’ve consistently made is that there is a lack of literature (supporting evidence) on many traditional cannabis-specific growing techniques - so this is a very good reason to start questioning what you do. When I was a junior at college no one taught us how to ‘think’ - we were only taught ‘stuff’. It wasn’t until I did my PhD I taught myself how to critically analyze everything I read and heard and became aware of my own confirmation biases and how that was detrimental to my growing. My approach to growing has become very science-based in the last 5 years and I’ve had to reject many ‘cultural practices’ that I believe are either counterproductive, redundant or just plain old nonsense.

For me growing is a lucrative business as much as it's a passionate pursuit, and the risk treads a fine line with the profit. Weed that I have properly fast cured consistently has markedly improved qualities than what I used to produce when I slow cured, and it fetches a higher price because I can’t grow enough of it to supply demand. I have talked with many med growers who also do the same, and for the same reasons - but granted, most still don’t which surprises me. Maybe it’s a herd mentality thing.

I hope some of you will get something out of this thread and I know others will take it with a grain of salt. I don’t subscribe to boasting about numbers and size of my buds etc, I want to instead share what I’ve learnt. Most of what I’ve learnt came from forums like this which is why I believe it’s important to give back. But there are also some practices many of us take for gospel which are in dire need of revising. Growing is a constant learning process for me and I have been there and done many things over the years. I can confidently assert this; if you are both clinical and methodical with your growing approach and constantly seeking to improve your system, then you stand a very good chance of staying ahead of the game.

YS

 

[ssteely71]

I think your ego might be bigger than your buds ..@YarraSparra ....................just my view though

 

[way2green]

Don't overthink it pie! You know what you are doing already. Just speed up the cure. Knock a few days off by using the dehu. Increasing the temps are not gonna help you. The last thing u want is to increase any chance of mold growth. That is why I started using dehu's in the first place becsuse I wanted to get rid of high humidity and my weed judt wouldnt dry. I battle rediculous humidity everday because of the heat and thunderstorms..........

 

[toquer]

Don't overthink it pie! You know what you are doing already. Just speed up the cure. Knock a few days off by using the dehu. Increasing the temps are not gonna help you. The last thing u want is to increase any chance of mold growth. That is why I started using dehu's in the first place becsuse I wanted to get rid of high humidity and my weed judt wouldnt dry. I battle rediculous humidity everday because of the heat and thunderstorms..........

I'm trying not to overthink it either. I'm hoping for the best. So we chopped this past week and instead of setting the dehu @ 85% and reducing it by 5% each day, we set it to 45%. That's as low as it'll go. It heats up the room to 87f. The door isn't opened and the room is a pine box only 200cuft. It should dry a few days faster, the warehouse sits around 55% average. Afternoons are dry but nights get moist as it's coastal LA. I figure once they're crispy well leave the door open for a night and trim the following day.

 

[purpleberry]

I do it fast but not that fast.
I set it to 75 degrees and 45% humidity for a few days, Once it feels dry enough to trim, Ill move the humidity up to slow it down 48-50% It gets trimmed on and put in bins for a few days, and is ready to bag. I then check the bags every day and burp them if they feel a little wet at all. Or even throw it back on racks. I would never burp a jar or anything in humidity over %50-55 your just going to let moisture back in. And going to low is going to make it crispy.
Just like all aspects of growing, having complete control of your environment is key to achieving what you want how you want, and figuring out what works for you.