I have a batch I’ve been just rotating the buds every couple days by flipping the bag gently laid on its side buds spread out over the surface area of the bag no flat buds.very faint smell creeping out the bag like a mouse fart very tiny can’t even smell it unless you jam your nose near the seal but holy damn the smell is marinating in them rank as all hell
and budsize and density and weight are exceptional.I keep it in a dark temp controlled cabinet.Color me intrigued.Will report back in a couple weeks.
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So only on my second harvest so still figuring things out. My samquanch og I harvested 10 days ago started to get a hay smell 4 days ago but has lessened. I have 2-4 more days of dry will the cure in the Grove bags pull the terps and smell so doesn’t have the hay smell?
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As far as I know, yeah, they’re all the same basic technology but different finishes and weights to the bags etc
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Hay smell is pretty normal, especially in mid-dry. I think putting the buds into the bags fairly dry is the way to get the best terps in the cure, I like to take them down to 60% in the tent and 58-59% before they get to the bags.
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I don’t burp them that way, just dry hard, toss into the Grove with a Boveda, and forget about it for a month or two other than tumbling them and peeping a sniff
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I’m not using boveda in my grove bags. Just 2 weeks dry “14 days” snip of stems right into grove.
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Did you guys know that you can re-humidify Bovida packs? Yep. I have what is called a “Dampit” It’s a humidifier used for acoustic guitars. I had some Bovida packs that went dry so I put them in a Ziplock bag with a Dampit filled with distilled water. The Bovida’s plumped right back up.
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That’s awesome bro, thanx for the tip.
Yup, I have also rehydrated them by just putting them into a sealed takeout container with a little bowl of water, just let the pack absorb until it’s plump again, but that sounds simpler. I use boiled water, the heat gets the moisture going in there right away.
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Glad I could offer the tip. I’m a very frugal individual due to necessity. lol
I’ll do that next time @Dirt_Wizard . 
Thanks
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I dried my plants whole for 2 weeks. Leaving the leaves on helps slow down the dry. I usually do 60f to 60-68 rh. Airflow with small 4 inch to 6 inch fans moving the bottom air and top air. I evacuate the stale air daily or sometimes I leave it on all the time on low.
After that I try to put them in the bags. I put a calibrated humidity gauge in the bags to see if they are the right rh. So far the bags hold that 58-62 rh but my area is dry rh like 20-30. I’ll see if they leak humidity in the next two months. I put the buds in too wet (68) at first and the humidity did not lower much in the bags.
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Way I use them
Bud has to be 58 to 62 percent before going into the bag . Put dry bud at 50 percent in one it will stay there or lower .
Bud cures between 55 and 62 , to far below 55 it’s pretty much done . Will hydrate but your cure is over .
With 58 to 62 percent bud in the bags 3/4 full , they will hold there IF ambient humidity is between say 45 and 80 . I have found here that bud at 58 % Will fall lower if ambient humidity is lower than 40 percent or so .
95 percent humidity does not seem to raise their levels however .
Counter productive using boveda . I have stopped using them . The bag is designed to do what the humidity packs do . Gonna use a boveda use a glass jar , why waste money on a Grove ?
Bags are convenient, store much tighter , no damn burping .
Will drive yourself nuts if you do not use them correctly . This is how I use them :
Bud about to be placed in groves is placed in large ziplock with a meter. Hour to stabilize . Falls between 58 and 62 into the groves , into a dark cool closet , and left alone . Too high will dry on my wooden tray for an hour or so ( at my ambient 60 percent humidity ) and re check . Place when right . Too low , blow into bag a few times and close . Same deal , get to 58 -62 and then Grove them and left alone .
Had 4 months or so now maybe 5 , none have leaked none are heat sealed nor going to be . Several have been opened a hundred times with no issue : I have a 3 buck meter in every bag and every time I pinch form them I make sure to set the humidity . Mine have stayed stable , if anything they tend to go dryer rather than wetter. Do not believe bag works two ways only one way in my opinion .
That’s how I do it . Just my opinions on them.
I have thrown out all my glass jars however
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I wouldn’t say “counter productive”. I would agree that they are redundant if using the bags. I don’t use them in the bags. I found out they could be re-humidified so I dropped that tip for those who still use them. I quit using them after I found the bags unless I go too dry while hanging, then I use them or fresh cut leaves to add moisture. I actually like to use the leaves more than the Bovida packs now that I’m used to using them.
I like your explanation on how you use them and why though. It’s pretty much what I do.
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I have to agree with the leaf comment. I have always done it that was. Even a green steam.
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So I think I bucked my flower and put into Grove bags early. They had 12 day dry then I trimmed got 30g and put in 112g bag so I could spread out. This afternoon was at 68% so I laid out in paper bag on side fold over top. Is this a good way to drop moisture level in buds so can go back into Grove bags? Anywhere between 58-62% ok?
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Should work don’t over dry it.
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My humidity in grove bag with a couple ounces was 54%, I put in one large fan leaf. Removed 24 hours later, humidity now 60%. Will let you know if it maintains that long-term. Promising so far.
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Does a hygrometer work properly in a paper bag. Will it work for reading rh of weed I should ask of course it will still work maybe just not for what I need.
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I’m thinking it would be close to accurate in a paper bag but I would not totally trust it. I’d get close, bag and check it. Even if you have to repeat the process, it would be better than over drying.
Don’t tell ANYONE but I cure at a higher RH than most, and think 62 is like, dry. 68% is quite nice if you’re not concerned about mold spores.
Edit: Can anyone link us to something, (paper, study, etc) which originated this 62% threshold? Keep in mind that 69% is what Boveda recommends for premium cigars in airtight chambers, and is thier most popular seller. I assume outdoor grows tend to mold up more, and I assume that Boveda wanted to carve out a “percent” for Cannabis. This 58-62% is mentioned on every forum, far and wide. Is it just Boveda marketing? Any help is appreciated!
Edit 2 @MoBilly : ASTM took a crack and says 65% threshold:
It’s all based on microbial/mold activity. ASTM would publish conservative numbers too, i.e. if they say 65% is safe for humans, you betcha 66% is too. Not knowing a factor of safety, I’d say 68-69 is quite nice.
Edit 3: I found a source graph suggesting 62%… data adapted from Ted Labuza, a food science prof at University of Minnesota:
But the narrative supports a practical limit of 70% water activity.
Quote:
A list of the water activity lower limits for growth of common spoilage organisms can be found in Table I. (See upper right for Table I, click to enlarge.) These growth limits indicate that all pathogenic bacteria stop growing at water activities less than 0.87 while the growth of common spoilage yeasts and molds stops at 0.70 aw, which is known as the practical limit.
Only xerophilic and osmophilic organisms can grow below 0.70 aw and all microbial growth stops at water activities less than 0.60.
In addition, microbial growth rate can be modeled using water activity, along with other growth factors such as temperature and pH. For a cannabis product to be considered shelf stable, it’s water activity must be less than 0.86 aw to ensure that no pathogenic bacteria will be able to grow on the product as it sits on the shelf. Cannabis products with a water activity higher than 0.70 aw but less than 0.86 aw are considered shelf stable but will still support the growth of mold and yeast. Cannabis products in this range are not considered unsafe because while possibly undesirable to the consumer, molds and yeasts do not cause foodborne illnesses.
However, even the growth of nonpathogenic organisms can result in the production of mycotoxins and aflatoxins, which can be harmful if consumed, but especially if inhaled. Consequently, the water activity must be reduced to below 0.70 aw or other interventions such as a preservative system or vacuum packing must be used to prevent mold growth.
I went heavy with the bolds. Now I want to see the ASTM data behind that paywall.
P.S. Edit: I love the internet:
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