nothing is moving up and down stems after you cut the plant - you can cut the whoel plant - I do branches its easier to work with...

i cut them down to branches then hang them inside of a cardboard box on yo-yo string and close it up all the way when humidity is low for 5-7 days then cure in jars made of glass and crack em open like once or twice a day till perfect. If humidity was higher then just a dark closet for the 5-7 day period and on to the jars. The buds that sit for like a month or two before getting smoked are the tastiest and the most potent.IMHO! Also removing the extra leaves is best done while plants are still fresh looking and it helps out with smell and taste removing the hay smell that was mentioned earlier....The slower they dry without rotting or getting moldy the better the quality. A 2 week dry with a 2 month cure would be the best but difficult to acheive.

iuse a drybox and cure in glaas jars

I water at least 24 hours before i chop them down.
(my theory is the plant is full of water and not eating itself being full of Chlorophyll. i have had better luck with plants being watered before harvest than i have had with letting them wilt at harvest.)

i then trim the buds to branches removing all large leafs.
and making it look like its ready to smoke with a full manicure easier to trim while wet.

I use a box to start my drying. (777)
Outside temps 70f - RH 20%
Inside the box 70f - RH up to 70%
I want them to take at least 3 days to dry but the slower the better. 7 days for a normal harvest.
I wait till the buds are crispy and then i put them loosely into sealed glass jars.
I check the bud if its moist and gooey after a few hours they are to wet so i put them in a paper lunch bag that is folder over for a few hours until they are crispy again.. then back into the jars. i do this for a day or two
Then they will stay in the jars and stay sealed up until they are ready to be smoked.

That has always worked for me.
if they dry to fast they will taste like grass.
if they dry to slow you may get mold.

Practice makes perfect and it only takes a few times and you will have it down.