Drying In 20% Rh

[FutureGrower]

I greatly prefer TOP FILL ultrasonic humidifiers because they are so convenient. Just remove the lid, and pour RO water in.
Tap water will produce white dust from the impurities in the water, which will shorten humidifier lifetime, and possibly settle onto plant leaves.
This is a good one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZXDXN3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1NGES3AZ0GL01&psc=1

That would take more dialing in the other one has a humidity censor and turns on and off :)

 

[OldSmokie76]

Humidifier may be might next upgrade. Midwest basement runs around 30% during the fall and winter months. Best temps for flower tent, but humidity just bottoms out. My dry and cure process is very tricky. Hang fast and manicure quickly within 10 days. Jar, but must burp religiously to allow the remaining moisture to dissipate. I've lost some fluffy sativa dominant buds to minimal humidity. Luckily the crunchy nuggets made great dry sift. Lemons into lemonade. Yes humidity plays big role from start to finish.

 

[Hands On]

Its a really interesting problem to have do you live in a desert?? How do your plants grow?? Ive never seen such low rh its very interesting reading how people deal with it good luck bro

No im not in the desert,the RH just gets low in the winter

 

[Simplicio]

That would take more dialing in the other one has a humidity censor and turns on and off :)

They all have settings that can be increased or decreased.
My experience is that the setting only needs to be changed occasionally to keep humidity the way you want.
I've never had a problem with this.

 

[Pass2TheLeft]

No im not in the desert,the RH just gets low in the winter

From extreme cold weather?i guess its really dry when temp gets below freezing

 

[Jimster]

It's difficult to get the RH above 20% during the winter, so what I have done is instead of hanging branches, I layer them in sheets of newspaper, making sure that there is adequate airflow around the paper's edge. You can stack them a few layers high and attend to them daily to make sure that things don't get too damp. Towards the end it dries out much faster, so be ready to jar/bag em up!

 

[Buzzer777]

It's difficult to get the RH above 20% during the winter, so what I have done is instead of hanging branches, I layer them in sheets of newspaper, making sure that there is adequate airflow around the paper's edge. You can stack them a few layers high and attend to them daily to make sure that things don't get too damp. Towards the end it dries out much faster, so be ready to jar/bag em up!

Just out of curiosity..won't the newsprint/chemicals leach out into the buds?

 

[Jimster]

The newsprint is made out of carbon, and not much else. Newsprint isn'y heavily processed and is often not bleached or only lightly treated. When I use the newspapers, I often will only put 1 or 2 layers initially...this way there isn't much weight pressing down on the buds, it just holds a little more humidity. As it dries, and loses some heft, you can stack another layer or two...or not. It just holds the water back from too quick of evaporation. Once it gets dried to your preference, proceed with the cure and jar/bagging process. The idea is just to slightly raise the RH in the area directly around the buds instead of the whole room. It takes a little practice, but since you should rotate the buds around daily, you should have a better feel about how the process is coming, and avoiding problems like mold (keep the air flowing!)

 

[OldSmokie76]

I just dried and manicured this past week. Temp in drying cabinet varied from 52-66°f and 30-40% RH. The plant hung for a week trimmed of all the fan leaves I could easily snip their stems. I just manicured tonight. Remaining sugar leaves and outside of buds we're crisp but sticky. A week in 30% RH and I'll manicure and jar. Do NOT let the freshly manicured bud sit. Next day must be opened and laid out to dry again. Day or two and seal it up. Repeat this process along with regularly burping of the jars until you reach your intended cure. A balanced mix of dry and moist. After a couple weeks the aromas and moisture will be spot on. Low RH will draw the moisture out quickly, but you can use the jars to help control the process. Time consuming, but slow and low like good bbq. Must be attentive to avoid mold.

Over dry? Simple. Go buy an orange or any citrus for that matter. Consume it. It's good for you. Save a hunk of the rind. Place a piece of rind in jar with bud overnight. Check back next day. Poof. Crispy bud no more. I've done this trick twice now to rejuvenate some crispy buds. Again be attentive. Don't just leave it in there for long.

 

[OldSmokie76]

The newsprint is made out of carbon, and not much else. Newsprint isn'y heavily processed and is often not bleached or only lightly treated. When I use the newspapers, I often will only put 1 or 2 layers initially...this way there isn't much weight pressing down on the buds, it just holds a little more humidity. As it dries, and loses some heft, you can stack another layer or two...or not. It just holds the water back from too quick of evaporation. Once it gets dried to your preference, proceed with the cure and jar/bagging process. The idea is just to slightly raise the RH in the area directly around the buds instead of the whole room. It takes a little practice, but since you should rotate the buds around daily, you should have a better feel about how the process is coming, and avoiding problems like mold (keep the air flowing!)

Newspaper sounds like a space saver too.

 

[Buzzer777]

The newsprint is made out of carbon, and not much else. Newsprint isn'y heavily processed and is often not bleached or only lightly treated. When I use the newspapers, I often will only put 1 or 2 layers initially...this way there isn't much weight pressing down on the buds, it just holds a little more humidity. As it dries, and loses some heft, you can stack another layer or two...or not. It just holds the water back from too quick of evaporation. Once it gets dried to your preference, proceed with the cure and jar/bagging process. The idea is just to slightly raise the RH in the area directly around the buds instead of the whole room. It takes a little practice, but since you should rotate the buds around daily, you should have a better feel about how the process is coming, and avoiding problems like mold (keep the air flowing!)

TY.

 

[DetGrnThumb]

20% humidity is trash. Buy one of these and upgrade those boofs

 

[OldSmokie76]

20% humidity is trash. Buy one of these and upgrade those boofs

Yes, cuz I'm ready to drop $350 on a mist machine. Lol. Probably the cat's ass, but little guys growing in a closet or tent don't want to make that kind of investment. It's nice to think about though.

 

[DetGrnThumb]

Yes, cuz I'm ready to drop $350 on a mist machine. Lol. Probably the cat's ass, but little guys growing in a closet or tent don't want to make that kind of investment. It's nice to think about though.

Better than losing your entire crop to atrocious environmental conditions

 

[Jimster]

Better than losing your entire crop to atrocious environmental conditions

Unless misting machines/ultrasonic humidifiers are kept totally clean, they can easily pick up bacteria and atomize the water, spreading any bacteria or mold spores with it. I'm not saying that newspapers are sterile...far from it but they don't have the same potential for contamination. I have to deal with RH that spans from 15 to 60%, depending on the time of year. I haven't had any problems in 20+ years but it is something that you have to spend time and attention on. I think that more crops have been trashed due to lack of attention to small details, like letting medium dry out a little too much a few times...little stuff that adds up to big problems.

 

[DetGrnThumb]

Unless misting machines/ultrasonic humidifiers are kept totally clean, they can easily pick up bacteria and atomize the water, spreading any bacteria or mold spores with it. I'm not saying that newspapers are sterile...far from it but they don't have the same potential for contamination. I have to deal with RH that spans from 15 to 60%, depending on the time of year. I haven't had any problems in 20+ years but it is something that you have to spend time and attention on. I think that more crops have been trashed due to lack of attention to small details, like letting medium dry out a little too much a few times...little stuff that adds up to big problems.

That's why that Drop Air unit is so useful. Runs through about a gallon an hour. As the old saying goes, a rolling stone gathers no moss. As for the lower output units, nothing a little bleach run once a week outside the room won't fix to keep everything sterile and clean.

 

[DetGrnThumb]

Humidifier may be might next upgrade. Midwest basement runs around 30% during the fall and winter months. Best temps for flower tent, but humidity just bottoms out. My dry and cure process is very tricky. Hang fast and manicure quickly within 10 days. Jar, but must burp religiously to allow the remaining moisture to dissipate. I've lost some fluffy sativa dominant buds to minimal humidity. Luckily the crunchy nuggets made great dry sift. Lemons into lemonade. Yes humidity plays big role from start to finish.

Never had "midwest humidity" here in the 10+ years I've been growing. There are literally hundreds of products that exist to fix your problem

 

[Hands On]

350 for a Humidifier....WOW

 

[Buzzer777]

350 for a Humidifier....WOW

I don't get that either..I have 2 of the smaller 1 gallon Taotronics and they keep my RH at 50-55% where I hang dry. (It's like 25% in the house without them). I think I paid $120 for both a few yrs ago..Bleach or vinegar to clean easily.

 

[DetGrnThumb]

350 for a Humidifier....WOW

I use them in these test rooms. They pump out a gallon an hour.