the last plant i harvested was a bit of a runt and i wasnt too worried about the buds. as an experiment i weighed the freshly trimmed buds, and every morning after that until i jarred them. i felt like jarring them when they weighed 25% the original weight then stuffed the buds loosely packed in a mason jar. this turned out a bit ambitious, when i checked the next day the buts were wet. i left the jar uncovered for the evening. the next day i capped it then left it for several weeks.
turns out this was one of my best cures ever. the buds do seem overly moist but not in an off putting way.
not trying to claim that this is the end all be all method of drying but im absolutely going to try this again. this batch was only about 40g. i suspect larger batches would work more effectively so long as you regularly mix the buds once jarred
I feel if you’re going to use “weight” as a determining factor, figure out what the weight is after it’s gotten a good cure, then use that as a basis. Sounds like you out then I’m just a little early, and that might cause mold to start if they are too wet. It’s not a bad idea at all, especially if it works for you, just be very careful that you don’t put them when they are too wet.
Great idea, I just ordered the same General Tools MMD4E moisture meter you have. $32 from the Azone. I look forward to having another objective data point to consider for drying & curing.
I like using a CannaBrush for final trim and you need to get the dry just right for it to work correctly.
thanks for all the suggestions guys! i nabbed the moisture meter given its only $30. ive got a more sizable harvest coming up here end of may so itll come in handy
I haven’t used the moisture meter yet but I’m pretty sure the recommended way is to leave whole branches or plants and test the main branch stalk since that’s the water reservoir the buds are drawing on later in the drying process and into cure. Testing the buds before a sweat might get you an artificially low moisture number compared to after 24-48 hours in a sealed paper bag or a bin to homogenize the moisture levels.
Doing it by weight is an old and reliable approach, but I honestly have gotten really simple with it:
Chop plants, trim fans, dunk the whole plant in a bucket of clean water and hang/drip.
Three weeks in a tent or drying chamber at 65F, in a room kept at 55-60% RH, tent/box is sealed and filtered, vented with an inline (either my old 4” cheap Vivosun or a 4” dryer vent booster. That’s controlled by an Inkbird or other humidistat, set to 65% for the first week, 60 for the second, 57 for the third.
Each whole plant gets chopped into branches in its own clear Sterilite storage bin with a mini Inkbird thermo /hygrometer taped to the inside so I can read it. They get stacked in a corner under a tarp in the basement and burped daily for a week until holding steady at 57-59% RH when I check the next day. I will probably automate this in the future with an air pump and lines the way people make Gamma Bucket curing setups but I need to switch to bins that will hold pressure or gasket my existing ones. The blowoff pressure for one way valves isn’t that high if I choose the right ones or used something like a weighted louver or water airlock
Then they get a quick dry trim and cut up into one pound Grove bags with a 58% Boveda in there and put in a cardboard box for a month or two, I “burp” them about once a week sampling buds but it’s not necessary. The Boveda is a safety measure so that if they’re a little dry or I leave a bag open etc I don’t bork the whole process. I find that the Groves are good at expelling and preserving moisture (you gotta heat seal them for long term IMO, the difference in smell when you cut one open vs a zippered bag after six months is noticeable) but they don’t let it back in from the air, I don’t think. I could be wrong, that’s just anecdotal observation.
After a few months in the Grove they are ready to get vac sealed or glass jarred etc and they keep going on a slow cold cure in my 45 degree weed and seed dorm fridge. Best cure I’ve ever had, keep it moist and keep it cool. I’ve definitely gotten surprisingly good results from letting things get hella crisp down to 50% and bringing the moisture back up by just spraying the underside of the bin lid with water once a day, and that did interesting things but the complexity of aroma and bud quality is definitely stickier and deeper with the slow and wet approach, just wash your buds and bleach everything first to make as sterile of a field for this as possible since cooler temps are a risk for botrytis and the like.
Cheap silicone basting brush with the bristles cut down until they’re stiff, and then I like to use a stainless Asian soup spoon as a tool to reach in and snap small leaves off at the stems, or this weird tool I found in a thrift shop that’s a “super squash scooper”, it’s thin hard plastic with a curled edge about ninety degrees, does its job okay but it’s really good for weed!
Waiting for stem snap didn’t work well this run. Checked everyday. Never got a legit snap, started jarring day 10 and registered mid 40’s rh right off the bat. Dry tent stayed nailed at 60% rh and mid to low 60’s temp.the whole time
