# Mold-Free & Storage Solutions



## blondeboy (Mar 20, 2011)

*Here is some advice that I've learned in protecting pot from mold while storage during long-term (3-6 mos).  Other helpful suggestions and Critic criticism are welcomed so long as they are wise and informable. 


·	First&#8230;Remove all of the weed from their steams.  Also remove the seeds because this is usual where mold first appears and spreads throughout
·	Grind the weed into fine particles, fine enough to be smokable. Sticky or wet weed will mold and grinding it allows all of the water to evaporate.  Buy a manual weed grinder is a suggestion. 
·	Afterwards, Dry them on a screen but not until they are too flaky!
·	Store them in an airtight container half-filled in the bottom of your refrigerator. Although, the THC level will rapidly deteriorate from 2-3% monthly in a refrigerator, it&#8217;s the best proven method. A freezer will deteriorate the THC much faster then storage in refrigerator.   
·	Vacuum pack the jars in zip-lock vacuum bags. 
·	The shelf like is short.  Personally 8 months is as long as I will keep it around.  Discard old pot if discoloration sets-in and begins to look bad (Black & hairy), even if it has been properly stored because it&#8217;s not worth your health to keep shitty and potentially deadly pot around.
·	Check regularly for mold and Discard the entire jar of pot if any mold is found.
*


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## dman1234 (Mar 20, 2011)

I'd have to disagree with grinding your weed up especially with a coffee grinder, i also dont think a refrigerator is needed if you have a cool dark space, i also wouldnt throw away 8 month old weed that has been properly stored.


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## Growdude (Mar 22, 2011)

:yeahthat:  I agree, I store hole buds on the stem, 12 inches or so in glass jars.

If the weed is properly cured it can be stored in the dark cool place without ever having to open the jars for months, ive had jars sit for 6+ months and seemed as good as it ever was.


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## dman1234 (Mar 22, 2011)

BB edited his post, it now says manually grind, it originally said to use a coffee grinder.


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## PencilHead (Mar 22, 2011)

After being ground up and dried, you could probably either snort it or toss a pinch between cheek and gum like snuff.


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## niteshft (Mar 23, 2011)

Grinding it damages the trichs and makes it more likely that oxygen gets to the thc and destroys it. I would never grind up weed that I plan to store.


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## blondeboy (Mar 23, 2011)

The Japanese Emperor is getting high on that Nuclear Bong over there!  Anyways&#8230; Ground up weed isn't the preferred method, like you said but I'll rater have trich damage then mold.  What can you do because mold will mess up your weed if it&#8217;s left in it&#8217;s natural form?  And weed has to be temperature controlled in a cool environment all year round.  The minute it gets below 57 degrees, mold sets in.  The only place to stash your weed is inside a refrigerator because when it's stored there, you are certain a consistent temperature.  There are only few cool places in my house during the winter to store it, and none in the middle of a hot summer.


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## OGKushman (Mar 23, 2011)

Ive never had mold in god knows how many crops. That goes for seeds too unless I put the pollen there. :rofl:

I have never cut or grinded my weed down. Unless to consume or process it.

Storing your meds will evaporate your terpenes and your meds will lose flavor. The THC will degrade becoming CBN. Lessening the high..


After 2 months your meds will be 1/2 the level of terpenes and nearly tasteless after 5 months it will be nearly useless.

Only possible way to combat this is storing using an inert gas such as nitrogen.


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## Growdude (Mar 23, 2011)

blondeboy said:
			
		

> The minute it gets below 57 degrees, mold sets in. The only place to stash your weed is inside a refrigerator because when it's stored there, you are certain a consistent temperature.


 

Do you even read what you post?

I dont know about your fridge but mine is below 57 degrees.

If you dont want mold dont jar up wet half cured weed thats all there is to it.

Hey here is a thought maybe the reason you've had so much mold is how you cure your weed. :doh:


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## ArtVandolay (Mar 23, 2011)

PencilHead said:
			
		

> After being ground up and dried, you could probably either snort it or toss a pinch between cheek and gum like snuff.



Here we go :rofl:


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## maineharvest (Mar 23, 2011)

Would you buy chance be trying to cure fan leaves from a male white widow?


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## Hick (Mar 24, 2011)

* "Properly"*.. (properly as in per the drying and curing stickies on THIS forum) dried and cured full buds,stored in jars, in a cool dark place will NEVER mold, and potency loss will be minimal. 
This is a "tried and true", proven method that has worked well for thousand of folks for decades. 
  There is no need or reason to destroy your product, grinding and freezing..."none"...


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## OGKushman (Mar 24, 2011)

:yeahthat:


that and all methods stated in OP will hurt potency. I have the GC results to proove it.


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## Locked (Mar 24, 2011)

Do you go out of your way to stir crap up with these crazy threads bb ?


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## Irish (Mar 25, 2011)

this member is too familiar. yeah, we know you. get bored lately? :doh:


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## blondeboy (Mar 26, 2011)

My "meds" were cured properly.  In fact, I gave them extra time to dry.  Then they where place in clumps inside canning jars.  Yet I still had mold develop inside all of them.  I never had a problem with The weed that was cut-up into small pieces, but always when I left them in their natural state on the steam. when left in large clumps, mold develops inside them within 3 months. I lost nearly a pound of good weed, (not fan-leafs!) and half of my summer supply one year.  That is when I begun getting serious about mold. Learning from that disaster, I cut my meds up into smaller clumps and no larger then the size of my nail.  I've never had a problem since doing that.  My strain of meds had a high level of THC so if it drops off by 2-3% ill still be ok.


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## blondeboy (Mar 26, 2011)

Hey Kushman.. how do you add nitrogen to a jar of weed, and where do I pick up some of that gas, Walgreen????


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## ozzydiodude (Mar 26, 2011)

Check this bb

hxxp://www.justsayn2o.com/nitrous.obtain.html


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## OGKushman (Mar 26, 2011)

Ozzy, not Nitrous Oxide :rofl: although....no nvw 

an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon can be purchased from welding supply chains like airgas

to add it to a mason jar you will need to add one way valve fittings on the lid and fill it upsidedown.


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## OGKushman (Mar 26, 2011)

and on another note, if you dry your bud and it still molds, you have mold in the weed to begin with, or you have wet weed. Its that simple. You realize you developed a drying and curing style because you had mold problems to begin with.


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## Jericho (Mar 26, 2011)

I agree with OG, If you are getting mold in them while curing then you are not drying right if it didn't have mold to start with. 

I may suggest slowing down your initial drying process so you dont dry the outside to fast. 

Also before putting them in jars permanently i spend a about a week of taking the buds out for 12 hours and in for 12 hours.  That way while in the jar it rehydrates the outside from the inside of the bud and then when you take it out it dries off. That way you dry the inside as well. When the bud doesn't get so when on the outside you know the inside is dry.


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## Hick (Mar 26, 2011)

I've been curing weed in mason jars for about 20 years. If it is dried and cured correctly, it can't and won't mold. I've found jars that had been misplaced, lost, or hidden for well over a year with NO mold, and very smooth and potent product.  
 Only If it is put in the jars without a proper dry, or if moisture is 'added', can it mold or rot. The jar is "sealed" from outside humidity.


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## blondeboy (Mar 27, 2011)

How wet is wet anyways.  I leave mine a little sticky, but I wouldn't consider that wet.  And I've always thrown out any weed when any signs of discoloration seats in, even brown weed.  But now I've learned that you can inspect your weed for mold & micro insects with a black-light.  In fact I fear mold so much, that I only smoke green weed.


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## OGKushman (Mar 27, 2011)

"Sticky" is completly different from "wet" 
your best bet would be to dry your plants until the stems snap.


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## mountain man (Mar 27, 2011)

"Quit chucking my wood"  !!


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## mountain man (Mar 27, 2011)

blondeboy said:
			
		

> *The strongest I've had was white  widow that claimed to have 20% THC.  I don't remember much after I  smoked a joint, but the next day I woke up and my car was stollen.   Needless to say, I stoped smoking White Widow before other things turned  up missing.  But I did a little research before purchasing this years  order, and found that White Russian has 22% THC.  *




 Hmmmmmmm.........


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## OGKushman (Mar 27, 2011)

:yeahthat:

:rofl:



This guy is either another member playing us. Or a 16 year old that should not be self medicating.

:rofl:


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## Hick (Mar 27, 2011)

blondeboy said:
			
		

> *The strongest I've had was white  widow that claimed to have 20% THC.  I don't remember much after I  smoked a joint, but the next day I woke up and my car was stollen.   Needless to say, I stoped smoking White Widow before other things turned  up missing.  But I did a little research before purchasing this years  order, and found that White Russian has 22% THC.  *


 Jose Quervo and a brunette dancing on the bar did that to me once in Guymon, OK..   I quit both of them to BB.

    If you doon't own a hygrometer, and can use the levels from the sticky, it makes it difficult to explain, describe. I think it takes some "trial and error" to learn to get the 'feel' for the next step. (jarring/curing)  Where "I" think you might be falling short BB, is 'burping' during the cure. Once you 'think' it is all done drying/curing, 'burp' the jars for 30 minutes p/day, for the next week. If EVER you detect an _ammonia_ or _urine_ like odor, remove it from the jars and allow it another 24 hours(at least) before re-jarring.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Mar 28, 2011)

Hick said:
			
		

> Jose Quervo and a brunette dancing on the bar did that to me once in Guymon, OK..   I quit both of them to BB.



THAT was YOU    :giggle::rofl:?


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## shuggy4105 (Mar 28, 2011)

Air the buds daily throughout the curing process and close em` back up in their jars for another 24hrs. Dry them first obviously, in a cool dark area.
Resin will most certainly not cause any mold to form, easily told apart from wet weed.


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## Hick (Mar 28, 2011)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> THAT was YOU    :giggle::rofl:?



Still have the tattoo to prove it!  You?...


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## niteshft (Mar 29, 2011)

I wonderred where tattoo went:shocked:


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## maineharvest (Mar 29, 2011)

It is very commen for growers in my area to not dry and cure their buds properly and it drives me insane.  I hate getting wet weed and it happens way too often.  It sounds like you just arent drying the buds quite long enough before you are putting them into jars.  I let the outsides of my buds get crispy and then when they are put into jars the moisture from the inside of the bud is pulled out and it gets to a nice perfect texture.  If I find some that didnt dry long enough I just burp it extra long.


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## blondeboy (Mar 30, 2011)

Ok Hick you may have a valid point and Im listening to you.  The lids I bought suppose to burp themselves, and I heard them popping off several times a day, so I thought the lids were working properly and burping themselves. IDK!  But, here is the scope of the problem.  After curing, I placed entire branches of weed inside the jars, without breaking them down or removing them from the steams.  After 3 months, the center of the branches turned black.  From the outside, it looked perfectly green and healthy.  Because the weed clump up so tight after awhile, it's hard to notice the mold from the outside.  Mold had found the wettest and darkest place to form on the weed, in the center.  I still don&#8217;t recommend leaving the weed with seeds  & on steam.  Large clumps left on the steams can&#8217;t be good either.  I&#8217;m simply saying&#8230; break your weed down to a  manageable size because the bigger the clumps the easier it is for mold to hide.  And what ever you do, keep you sack of weed cool because the minute it turns slightly warm, it turns.


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## dman1234 (Mar 30, 2011)

propper curing IMO means this.

you hang to dry, when buds are dry you can jar them, but the moisture in the stem will be drawn out into the buds, this is why dry buds in a jar get damp again,simply burping may not be enough, i open the jars for a few hours at a time, you can feel the bud dry out again, lid goes back on the jar, next day they are damp again, lid comes off for a few hours, keep doing this until you open the jar and the bud has remained dry while the lid was on, at this point you can open them for a quick burp every couple of days. if they remain dry all this time close the lid until your ready to smoke it.

another solution for BB may be to simply smoke more weed, then it wont sit around for 6 months.


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## maineharvest (Mar 31, 2011)

You dont cure the buds still connected to the branches.  That is problem right there.


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## dman1234 (Mar 31, 2011)

i dont have any issues drying and curing, i dont brake buds down they stay attached to the branch, well a twig within the bud, not a branch.


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## maineharvest (Mar 31, 2011)

Right Dman.  Stems not branches.


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## niteshft (Mar 31, 2011)

Yep, need them stems to do the snap test.


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## maineharvest (Apr 1, 2011)

My buddy brought me a jar of buds yesterday and she swore up and down that they were completely dry cause she knows how much I hate wet bud.  So I opened the jar and what do you know it still has another day of drying to do before going back into the jar.  Curing is pretty simple and easy but most people just dont understand the importance of a correct and proper cure or they just dont care.  I think its mostly just a lack knowledge and impatience.


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## Hick (Apr 1, 2011)

blondeboy said:
			
		

> Ok Hick you may have a valid point and Im listening to you.  The lids I bought suppose to burp themselves, and I heard them popping off several times a day, so I thought the lids were working properly and burping themselves. IDK!  But, here is the scope of the problem.  After curing, I placed entire branches of weed inside the jars, without breaking them down or removing them from the steams.  After 3 months, the center of the branches turned black.  From the outside, it looked perfectly green and healthy.  Because the weed clump up so tight after awhile, it's hard to notice the mold from the outside.  Mold had found the wettest and darkest place to form on the weed, in the center.  I still dont recommend leaving the weed with seeds  & on steam.  Large clumps left on the steams cant be good either.  Im simply saying break your weed down to a  manageable size because the bigger the clumps the easier it is for mold to hide.  And what ever you do, keep you sack of weed cool because the minute it turns slightly warm, it turns.



  "Self burpers" ehh..hmmm.  I can't even imagine how those would/could work, but I'm guessing they 'don't'..  Burping is going to be dictated by several factors, but essentially boils down to moisture content.  Bigger buds = bigger stems/branches and will in all likelihood retain more moisture and take longer to cure. Just like a sponge, the more volume, the more water it will retain. Thick, dense buds will require more burping, more frequently, for longer periods, than long wispy buds. 
   Even after thhe outside of buds "appear" to be _crispy dry_ and the stem "snaps", the inner most parts close to the stem deep inside, are still retaining moisture. Sealing them in an airtight container allows that moisture to permeate, redistribute itself more equally out into the bud. Burping (I leave the lid off for at least 30 minutes to an hour _each_ time) then dries the outside of the buds again. Sealng then draws out yet more interior moisture,... burp,.... seal,.... burp....  I usually continue the process for 'at least' two weeks, sometimes more time is required. Sometimes, I've needed to remove the buds from the jar and give them an additional 12 or so hours of drying time. 
    For me, it has become something akin to watering your plants or detecting their nutritional needs. Over time, you develop the ability to read their needs almost without knowing it. 
    Mold deep within the buds would say to me, either they were molded in there when they were placed in the jars, or the burping/curing process was cut short, and allowed to develop. 
  When finished properly, you  end up with buds that have a rather tough texture, as in, they won't just turn to powder/dust when you break it down for consumption. It brings out aroma and allows terpines to express more fluently.  It is really a process worth the extra effort.,,IMO.


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## EDGY (Apr 1, 2011)

:giggle: Hick, for some reason I'm getting pictures of your lawn filled with holes from you diggin' up your mason jars like Lucius Clay! (probably showing my age there...)
I also use mason jars and store them in an old chest freezer (unplugged).
I've never had any problem with keeping six months +  and, never really noticed any drop in potency. 
In the beginning, however, fear of mold would cause me to overdry before storage, then I would rehumidify by throwing a piece of orange peel in the jar when I got ready to use it.
For me, learning to properly cure took longer than learning to grow.
And twice as much patience...


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## blondeboy (Apr 2, 2011)

Burp...Yea large dense branches was where i found all of my mold.  I bought some Amsterdam seeds this year.  I expect This will be the bomb (Government-13/Sour Diesel).  Has Anyone smoked any of this kind of weed?


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