The days are getting colder and the mornings are starting to get frosty. Now its time to finally reap the rewards of a long long season. But where do I start?

Typically, a big healthy cannabis plant will not be fully mature all at once. You might have to snip the limbs that are ripe enough to start drying (when 75% of the pistils are brown and curled) and let the sun get at the unlucky shaded ones at the bottom. I cut the limb right above an internode because it hangs perfectly on some rope or twine. I then pick all the big fan leaves off, not getting too picky at this stage. Next the limbs are hung up in a cool room with a fan running on low speed to create some air movement (you do not want stale air at this stage of drying). For the first few days I make sure the Relative Humidity is around 55%. I use a dehumidifier in my room because without it, the room is sitting at around 65%+ with a bunch of sticky icky hanging from the ceiling. This is to remove a good portion of the moisture that could cause some fungus problems. After the first few days I raise the humidity to 60%. This is to prolong the drying process to 10-14 days. Sit back for a long couple weeks and check in every day or so to make sure things are going ok.

The drying is complete when the sugar leaves surrounding the bud basically fall off to the touch. The buds should be slightly spongy. At this point I will do a final manicure and get the buds off to start curing. I use Ziploc Freezer bags for large quantities because it's easier to burp than a bunch of mason jars. For the average homeowner, it's not rocket science, it's not supposed to be complicated. Just be patient, it will all be worth it in the end

By no means am I an expert, this is strictly what works for me and I encourage you all to do what works for you.