Cure Your Medicine by DJ Short

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Big Deal

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@ Buddy

I am at a somewhat high altitude and have a RH of 30% and i say it dries to fast.
 
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EZnot

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Sealed and stored? Please elaborate. We have a rather large crop - Yeah! How do you seal and store, Tex? We are at that point. Seal-A-Meal? Suck the air out of baggies? In rubber sealed glass jars? Thanks, EZ ( formerly EZnot)
 
efnscreenames

efnscreenames

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Ed Rosenthal says curing takes place before drying ... So who is right?
 
Ohiofarmer

Ohiofarmer

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Agreed 100% ^ fractal , hanging the whole plant is straight love, i also generally start the cure while it's still in the pot. Take it easy guys
 
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perriogkushgrow

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Awesome post! Does it matter if you clip the leaves and do the "manicuring" immediately upon harvest? You mentioned the leaves would drip and "protect" the buds and to clip the leaves when they're dry; what are the leaves protecting the buds from in the hanging stage?
 
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Photon12345

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What humidity level is optimum for drying room after harvest

What humidity do you suggest for the "dark" drying room?

And any suggestion if humidifier should be placed high or low?

Thanks in advance.........

P


Re-hang the branches in the drying room and regularly check them until the smaller leaves and bud tips become dry and brittle to the touch. It is then time to remove the buds from the branch and remove the rest of the leaf material as best as possible. This is what is referred to as "manicuring".

Now you have a few choices as to what to do with your manicured buds. The buds should still be a little wet at this point, especially on the inside, but the outer part of the buds should be starting to feel dry. Some of the buds, the smaller ones in particular, might even be smokable at this point.

If you are in a more humid area, or if the buds are still feeling heavy with moisture, you may want to try placing them on a suspended screen for a little while. This will help to hasten the drying process. Once again, regular checking to decide when they are ready for the next stage is crucial. This is also a skill that is developed more with time and experience, so practice!

Brown Bagging It
Once the buds are crisp on the outside but still moist on the inside it is time for the next step in the process: the paper bag. I like to use brown paper shopping bags due to their not being bleached, an unwanted chemical.

Simply fill a paper bag a few inches deep with the manicured buds. Don't pack the buds down and do not fold the bag too tight. A few small folds at the top of the bag, like a lunch bag, should suffice.

If the buds are a tad wet or if humid conditions dominate, you might want to consider cutting a few small holes in the bag, above the level of the buds, for ventilation.

As with proper manicuring, regular checking is key. The bags should be gently shaken, ever-so-carefully turning the buds, at least once a day. As the buds dry they will naturally compact into the self-preserving state that we all know and love. It is at this time that the buds can be more compacted together and the bag folded down tighter. They should now be fully smokable, though perhaps still slightly damp at the core.

The entire process, from harvest to these first smokable products, should take anywhere from two to four weeks, depending on your climate. Extremes in climate, such as very arid deserts or tropical humid areas, may take more or less time. There is no substitute for consistent, hands-on checking.


The Final Stage
A final curing stage, preferred by most connoisseurs, involves sealable jars. The nearly ready buds are transferred from the bag to the jar, packed in very loosely, and the jar is sealed. It is very important in the early jar-stage to check the buds at least once a day.

I like to dump them all out of the jar and gently fluff them up at least once a day at first, then less often as time progresses, usually for a week to ten days. It is important to be as gentle as possible so as not to damage too many of the resin glands. After a week or so all I do is simply open the jar and check the buds on a daily basis.

Watch for Mold
The main thing to watch (and smell) for throughout all of the curing process is mold. Whenever mold is found it must be dealt with immediately. The moldy bud needs to be removed, and the rest of the product needs to be exposed to a drier environment for a while.

The simplest solution is to go back one step. For example, if the mold was detected in the jar stage simply put the rest of the product back to the bag stage for awhile (after removing the contaminated product from the batch). If the mold is detected in the bag stage, go back to the screen. The screen is the driest process that I know of. If problems with the mold occur prior to this, a dehumidifier in the drying room may be the answer.

Aside from watching and smelling for mold, always remember to keep the product in the dark.

Ready to go!
A bud is completely dry, cured, and ready for sale or consumption when the stem in the middle of the bud snaps when the bud is cracked with the fingers. The snap is easy to detect with practice. It is at this stage that the product can safely be sealed and stored for an indefinite period of time.

The longer you can stretch out this process, while also avoiding mold, the better. I like when it takes six to eight weeks from harvest to the finished product. You will be able to detect the fragrance of the product becoming more and more desirable as time progresses.

Another ditty I grabbed along the way

Tex[/QUOTE]
 
Dunge

Dunge

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I gave it a try once. Not sure how it is meant to work, but I put some fresh buds under dry ice for 24 hours and it simply seemed to put those buds 24 hours behind the drying of the others.
 
four20 bliss

four20 bliss

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Been spending a lot of time researching best curing methods, know some growers who got fucked their first harvest and they just learned the hard way. They don't brown bag it but I may try that.
 
Dunge

Dunge

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I was reading too much and came upon "water curing".
Seven days ( must be seven!) of water submersion with daily water change.
Results: It is CRAP.
Combustible components must be water soluble because the stuff just will not burn.
It came out just very wet but dried up quickly but with a "not so good" smell.
Don't know if it effected the strength but consider this a "don't do it" data point.
The advantage is no smell in curing, which is something.
 
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