What do I need to measure RH?

leahr · Oct 14, 2025

I am a 1st timer. I grew 1 plant because out of 7 seeds, only 1 sprouted. They all germinated but I had to have done something. Anyway, temps here are dropping (Im in Iowa). I planted my cannibus in late May. Next time will start in March or early April. Anyway, reichomes were all cloudy with few Amber. Decided to harvest and I have the whole plant upside down in our shed. My bf doesn't partake and also was complaining about the smell.
My question is how do I know my buds are dry? How do I measure RH? This is sooo technical. But, Im in for the long haul till I do an autofliwer in the spring (I grow outside)
Thank you!!

leahr · Oct 14, 2025

Trichomes...crazy...mis spellings

MileHiGhost · Oct 14, 2025

leahr said:
I am a 1st timer. I grew 1 plant because out of 7 seeds, only 1 sprouted. They all germinated but I had to have done something. Anyway, temps here are dropping (Im in Iowa). I planted my cannibus in late May. Next time will start in March or early April. Anyway, reichomes were all cloudy with few Amber. Decided to harvest and I have the whole plant upside down in our shed. My bf doesn't partake and also was complaining about the smell.
My question is how do I know my buds are dry? How do I measure RH? This is sooo technical. But, Im in for the long haul till I do an autofliwer in the spring (I grow outside)
Thank you!!

Oven dried or cured? Very different.

RoadKillSkunkHunt · Oct 14, 2025

leahr said:
I am a 1st timer. I grew 1 plant because out of 7 seeds, only 1 sprouted. They all germinated but I had to have done something. Anyway, temps here are dropping (Im in Iowa). I planted my cannibus in late May. Next time will start in March or early April. Anyway, reichomes were all cloudy with few Amber. Decided to harvest and I have the whole plant upside down in our shed. My bf doesn't partake and also was complaining about the smell.
My question is how do I know my buds are dry? How do I measure RH? This is sooo technical. But, Im in for the long haul till I do an autofliwer in the spring (I grow outside)
Thank you!!

RH is measured with a hygrometer however it only measures moisture in the air. If you're looking to check the moisture in the drying bud, most people use the stem test. If the stem breaks when you bend it, its dry. If it bends without snapping its still pretty wet. You can also use a wood moisture meter to measure moisture content. I don't use one but some people do.

If you start a photoperiod plant indoors in March or April under lights, don't move it outside until the end of May. If its placed outdoors too soon, it will flower prematurely and then re-veg on you during the long days of summer. Many people do start them early and then find out the hard way that a plant that starts flowering prematurely and then goes through a re-veg frequently never fully recover in time to flower at the end of the summer. There's a lot to learn about timing.

If you start an auto indoors in March or April, it will be in full flower by the end of May. You'll be harvesting in late June or early July. If you plan on doing this, you can also start another in the middle of May and you can harvest your second plant or group of plants in late August/early September.

MileHiGhost · Oct 14, 2025

RoadKillSkunkHunt said:
RH is measured with a hygrometer however it only measures moisture in the air. If you're looking to check the moisture in the drying bud, most people use the stem test. If the stem breaks when you bend it, its dry. If it bends without snapping its still pretty wet. You can also use a wood moisture meter to measure moisture content. I don't use one but some people do.

If you start a photoperiod plant indoors in March or April under lights, don't move it outside until the end of May. If its placed outdoors too soon, it will flower prematurely and then re-veg on you during the long days of summer. Many people do start them early and then find out the hard way that a plant that starts flowering prematurely and then goes through a re-veg frequently never fully recover in time to flower at the end of the summer. There's a lot to learn about timing.

If you start an auto indoors in March or April, it will be in full flower by the end of May. You'll be harvesting in late June or early July. If you plan on doing this, you can also start another in the middle of May and you can harvest your second plant or group of plants in late August/early September.

I always hand on a stem that has weight. Because the lower ones , that are thin will snap. I take as much of the main stock as I can! She is still sending her water to the buds. Hope it helps! If someone didn't already say it, Welcome to the Farm.

JIMKSI64 · Oct 14, 2025

You might want to just keep it simple and old school. It is really not going to help you knowing what the humidity is if you have no way to modify it.
Large plastic tote with old school brown paper grocery bags. Cut into long rectangular pieces and then crumpled up so the paper is krinkled. Layer in a tote 3 layers deep with a fan blowing over the top of the tote. This will hold it while you decide how you are going to dry this weed.
They make hygrometers that can integrate with your phone on an app that can give you real time and history temp and humidity readings. Most dry at as low as they can and around 62-65% a small pot plant might take 2 weeks to dry out and the slower the finish the better the outcome.
To tell you what you would need would require us knowing what temp and humidity you have to correct to meet your goals. You may need a humidifier or a dehumidifier. You may need both if it rains lots. Your temp may vary to much in the shed with the sun hitting on it or on a rainy day. These answers change what you need and the expense.
Yes it can be technical. If you get them in paper with airflow over them it will at least buy you some time to find out and decide.
Here is a sample app trace representing a week of drying in a tent.

Ninjadogma · Oct 14, 2025

leahr said:
I am a 1st timer. I grew 1 plant because out of 7 seeds, only 1 sprouted. They all germinated but I had to have done something. Anyway, temps here are dropping (Im in Iowa). I planted my cannibus in late May. Next time will start in March or early April. Anyway, reichomes were all cloudy with few Amber. Decided to harvest and I have the whole plant upside down in our shed. My bf doesn't partake and also was complaining about the smell.
My question is how do I know my buds are dry? How do I measure RH? This is sooo technical. But, Im in for the long haul till I do an autofliwer in the spring (I grow outside)
Thank you!!

When you can pull buds off the stem and a long piece of hemp string doesn't come along for the ride, you are at a good dry stage.

KG1 · Oct 14, 2025

A dry bud is generally three quarters of its wet weight. That dry weight is 10% plant matter the rest 10-15% moisture content. Humidity affects final moisture content, a dry location the 10% and a humid one the 15%.

You need to dry till a certain moisture content is reached 10-15%.

As explained above by a knowledgeable grower humidity is the volume of water in the air. Although it doesn't say the amount the air can hold as even at 70% your bud will still lose moisture to the air (except when you reach dew pints and certain situations).

You can dry in a range of humidity the end result should be the same, how it worked before jars and fancy methods. Just try to avoid it being so slow mold gets a footing, five to seven days is a natural figure for plant material to dry like ours and the flavour and smell will develop in the week after you achieve this moisture content as those enzymatic processes require the moisture content to be that low.

A beautiful and simple cycle between moisture content and humidity. I dry bud at 30% comes out the same as higher humidity just drys a little quicker but not so quick water leaves the plant cells in anything but a natural way I e. Not forced which would be around 50c with air flow or just a lot of airflow as you find when you dry buds in front of a fan or warm oven.

leahr · Oct 15, 2025

MileHiGhost said:
Oven dried or cured? Very different.

The sugarleaves I was told to do in an oven. Aside from them, the whole plant is hanging upside down on a shepherds hook in our shed.

leahr · Oct 15, 2025

Here's thr plant.

JIMKSI64 · Oct 15, 2025

That appears to be a plant that was not in flower when it was harvested.
This will have no measurable THC.

MisterDunk · Oct 15, 2025

JIMKSI64 said:
That appears to be a plant that was not in flower when it was harvested.
This will have no measurable THC.

Yeah, I am curious how the trichomes were looking cloudy/amber here

MileHiGhost · Oct 15, 2025

leahr said:
The sugarleaves I was told to do in an oven. Aside from them, the whole plant is hanging upside down on a shepherds hook in our shed.

Sugar leaves dry way before buds. My sugar leaves go here, till I have 2-1gal ziplock bags for my 5gal 8 bag bubble system. If there "were" any sugar leaves

MileHiGhost · Oct 15, 2025

These are my two tents.
First is 1/3 harvested. Letting the rest go for another week.
Second had another 4+ weeks cause it's Sativa.
Those are buds. You have a very young plant. Sorry Bro. Next time be patient.

JIMKSI64 · Oct 15, 2025

Here is what drying cannabis flowers look like

leahr · Oct 16, 2025

JIMKSI64 said:
That appears to be a plant that was not in flower when it was harvested.
This will have no measurable THC.

It was un flower several weeks. Trichomes were cloudy with very little Amber.

leahr · Oct 16, 2025

MisterDunk said:
Yeah, I am curious how the trichomes were looking cloudy/amber here

JIMKSI64 · Oct 16, 2025

Please show a whole plant picture when it was in flower. This has no useable data to close and showing leafs not calyxes or pistils

orggrwr · Oct 16, 2025

You can clip off a small handful of buds and seal them in a jar with a hygrometer as a sure fire way to check moisture.

leahr · Oct 16, 2025

JIMKSI64 said:
That appears to be a plant that was not in flower when it was harvested.
This will have no measurable THC.

Oh it flowered for weeks. I babied this the entire 5+ months.

What do I need to measure RH?

What do I need to measure RH?

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