drying and curing for dummies?

[caregiverken]

i hang for 3 to 4 days...then cut the nugs from the stems and continue drying in paper bags for 4 or 5 more days

I have forgotten about a bag or two and the stuff was fine weeks later..

Can't really mess it up in a paper bag

 

[Harrison Allen]

thank you all for the tips --- will share the results !;)

 

[mikeb437]

I cut down one of the branches and hung in my basement. ( last week) It took 3 days for the stem to snap and then i cut down the stem and placed the bud in a small mason jar. The bud still has a chlorophyl smell to it. Will that change?? So today i clipped another branch off and its hanging in my basement. I DID notice that my basement is dry and theres not much circulation. I lit a match and noticed the flame doesnt flicker so there cant be much air movement down there. Is that a problem as well???

 

[mikeb437]

i hang for 3 to 4 days...then cut the nugs from the stems and continue drying in paper bags for 4 or 5 more days

I have forgotten about a bag or two and the stuff was fine weeks later..

Can't really mess it up in a paper bag

Do you put holes in the bag or just place inside and fold top?

 

[caregiverken]

Do you put holes in the bag or just place inside and fold top?

3 days seems kinda fast to have stem snap...I dunnoo_O

Yes, a fan is usually Important, but may dry them even faster.

No holes in the bag...some times I close it...sometimes I leave the bag open for the 1st day or 2
the thin paper bags dry from the outside and the buds dry slowly

 

[mikeb437]

It wasnt a big stem or bud.. The stem itself was no more than a foot long. And not very thick. What about the chlorophyl smell?

 

[caregiverken]

It wasnt a big stem or bud.. The stem itself was no more than a foot long. And not very thick. What about the chlorophyl smell?

That should go away with some curing..keep them in the dark(i hear that might help the smell)
But Im new at this(2nd year) so I am learning as I go too.

 

[mikeb437]

Thats why im pulling a branch off here and there. Its so i can test a few different ways and see what works best for me. Are there no brainer drying boxes i can buy?

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

It dried waaaay to quick bro!! That chlorophyll taste/smell is permanent IME. Don't worry about the lack air movement if it's dry. You need to figure out how to add 3 days of dry time atleast if you expect to have tasty herbs.

 

[mikeb437]

What do you suggest? I can try to water the plant a day or two before i cut it down to help keep the moisture in the plant. I have a very dry basement so what else could i do?

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Keep the plant whole or in larger pieces. No wet trimming just fan leaves that you can remove by cutting their stem. The less cuts you make the longer it takes to dry. A closet that will help them retain some RH will help too.

 

[mikeb437]

ok,, i picked one of the branches today to try another method for drying. possibly the basement is too dry to do this process slowly enough. so i took a cardboard box approx 12"x6" and 3 ft tall. i poked a few holes on each side for ventilation. i then hung a string across the top and clipped the bud onto the string. the vent holes are about the same level as the main cola so im not sure if thats ok or not but i have this in my garage now to see if that makes a difference. tell me what you think!

 

[mikeb437]

heres a nice close up of the bud at the end of this stem!

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Buds this small on thin branches will dry super quick. Not sure it could get to day 6 of drying with out turning to dust. These sized buds I dont even even worry about the taste cure or trim just put them in the hash pile. Branches with nugs on them will not snap in 3 days, I promise.

 

[caregiverken]

Good Posts Walter!

Yeah Bro,
I cut Buds that size off the stems and Dry a couple dozen of em laying in a open shoe box
(with sugar leafs on)

 

[mikeb437]

Those are the bottom branches from the plant. They are smaller and thats why im practicing my technique on these before the bigger branches get pulled. Plant is approx 5 ft tall so alot of the branches are smaller on the bottom of the plant

 

[caregiverken]

right on Mike. Yeah like Walter said those are gonna dry alot faster
So 3 days is good for those size buds. I smoke those.. :)

And that Box looks like a good idea!

 

[mikeb437]

I still have the first buds i picked in a small mason jar right now and im opening twice a day for 10 min or so. Im gonna leave this bud i picked today in the box and keep it in the garage and see how that goes. And this week sometime im going to pick a couple more branches and put into a brown paper bag i have to see how that goes. Im going out of town on the 18th for 10 days so i want to at least get some experience drying some of these before i leave town. The rest of the plant is going to a friends house to see if he can dry/cure while im out of town. It sucks i cant do this process myself but cabo fishing is top priority!! Lol

 

[Smoking Gun]

Do not put any buds directly into the paper bag. They still need a hang dry first.

 

[mikeb437]

Ok smoking gun. I will not do that! Thankyou for the advice!! Im going to stick to the box and just hang them. THis is by far the hardest part of the growing process!!! Lol