# can I compress my sticky buds while drying.



## bombtombadil (Mar 17, 2022)

My last grow, I dried using paper bags. While sealing up one of my bags, I accidently squashed my largest cola. The bud was so sticky that it compressed very much, almost triple the weight of my non compressed buds.

So, I'm wondering if these rock hard nugs I get from the dispensary are compressed in some way during the curing process. If the grow shops stuff the buds into small storage, I would imagine quite a bit of compression takes place.

Is it a big no-no to squish your buds during the cure process? Put some gloves on and give them a good squeeze while sticky?


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## pute (Mar 17, 2022)

First, paper bags will over dry your buds.  Lots of different ways going forward..I defer...done this to many times.


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## bombtombadil (Mar 17, 2022)

pute said:


> First, paper bags will over dry your buds.  Lots of different ways going forward..I defer...done this to many times.



I was stuck with RH of 25% (mid-winter during last harvest.) I used the paper bags to prevent the air movement from my grow cabinet from drying the buds too fast. It actually worked very well and kept the humidity at around 50% in the bags. I couldn't think of another way to get around the low humidity in my stealth grow.

This grow, Spring will be here, and I should be able to hang and dry at 50%-60% RH without paper bags. But the question remains, should I gently squeeze my buds to make them more compact?


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## pute (Mar 17, 2022)

bombtombadil said:


> I was stuck with RH of 25% (mid-winter during last harvest.) I used the paper bags to prevent the air movement from my grow cabinet from drying the buds too fast. It actually worked very well and kept the humidity at around 50% in the bags. I couldn't think of another way to get around the low humidity in my stealth grow.
> 
> This grow, Spring will be here, and I should be able to hang and dry at 50%-60% RH without paper bags. But the question remains, should I gently squeeze my buds to make them more compact?


Jars


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## OGKushman (Mar 18, 2022)

The nugs you get from the dispensary are 100% absolutely positively treated with phosphoload. That is why they are rock hard.

if you want denser after you cut wait til day ~4 to trim, dry on the outside and trimmable but pre-cure and still moist in the center, throw in a plastic bag, let it get moist again, and suck the air out. Vacuum it lightly. Not with a machine. Let it sit 20 min. Open the bag let it dry some more.

the problem with doing this is you disturb the calyx that has been basically sealed with terpenes in it until you break them open. Being rough with uncured herb is taboo to me.


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## WeedHopper (Mar 18, 2022)

I like my buds as natural as possible. I trim but I don't trim real tight. I'm smoking my shit not selling it. It's all about the strain and the growing environment. My buds are dense enough for my bowl.
And I've seen store bought dense buds that was shit. Pretty is as pretty does.


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## bigsur51 (Mar 18, 2022)

bombtombadil said:


> I was stuck with RH of 25% (mid-winter during last harvest.) I used the paper bags to prevent the air movement from my grow cabinet from drying the buds too fast. It actually worked very well and kept the humidity at around 50% in the bags. I couldn't think of another way to get around the low humidity in my stealth grow.
> 
> This grow, Spring will be here, and I should be able to hang and dry at 50%-60% RH without paper bags. But the question remains, should I gently squeeze my buds to make them more compact?




no , do not squeeze your buds!


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## Bubba (Mar 18, 2022)

But Mr Whipple, they are so soft and squeezable!


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## bombtombadil (Mar 18, 2022)

OK all, the reason I'm asking about the "bud squash" is that one of my grow books recommends taking all of your buds, putting them in a bag and then crushing everything by rolling the bag with weight (it says to use pillows). So you roll the bag under pillows to condense the buds according to their instruction

So, I know I'm crazy, but this ain't my idea and I cant take credit for it. I did squash a few of my popcorn buds just for fun, they look like thai sticks now.


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## bombtombadil (Mar 18, 2022)

pute said:


> Jars



Thanks man, yeah I'm using glass jars to cure. After drying everything gets put in glass and burp daily for a few weeks.


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## Hippie420 (Mar 18, 2022)

Bubba said:


> But Mr Whipple, they are so soft and squeezable!


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## bombtombadil (Mar 18, 2022)

OGKushman said:


> The nugs you get from the dispensary are 100% absolutely positively treated with phosphoload. That is why they are rock hard.
> 
> if you want denser after you cut wait til day ~4 to trim, dry on the outside and trimmable but pre-cure and still moist in the center, throw in a plastic bag, let it get moist again, and suck the air out. Vacuum it lightly. Not with a machine. Let it sit 20 min. Open the bag let it dry some more.
> 
> the problem with doing this is you disturb the calyx that has been basically sealed with terpenes in it until you break them open. Being rough with uncured herb is taboo to me.



This is exactly what I was hoping to hear ! Have you seen the containers they pack an ounce in at the dispenseries? They are so small ! Meanwhile one ounce of my weed uses an entire Mason Jar stuffed to the brim. Something weird is going on, maybe its the phosphoload you mention.

I'll just dry naturally but was curious to know about the processes used to cure.

Thanks for the great response.


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## boo (Mar 18, 2022)

pick a strain that has the propensity to produce dense flowers...the girl crush I grew out last month is as hard as any flower I've ever seen and I use nothing to make it so, just good nutes and care...


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## bombtombadil (Mar 18, 2022)

boo said:


> pick a strain that has the propensity to produce dense flowers...the girl crush I grew out last month is as hard as any flower I've ever seen and I use nothing to make it so, just good nutes and care...



Any tips? I'm loving the Northern Lights but am ready for another strain. All I need is low odor and a small bushy plant. I love the high that northern lights gives, its like floating on a cloud of titties..AND Northern lights is amazing in the bedroom. (XXX)..... BUT its a night time strain for sure that takes all of my motivation away. If I smoke Nothern Lights during the day, forget anything getting done. I even tell myself " Your gonna smoke this and stay busy" but ten minutes later I'm on the couch doing nothing. Even watching TV is too much effort, the remote is 5 feet away and I'd have to get up.

I'm thinking Durban Poison, Green Crack, Bubblegum, or Jack Herer?


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## bombtombadil (Mar 18, 2022)

I done a bad thing and am gonna get a whoopin.

These are popcorn buds trimmed at 1st day of week 8 flower, Trics clear and cloudy, not ready yet, perfect for a little Charmin squeeze. Note: These buds are wet, 3 days into drying. (they will shrink a lot more)

Upper bud, no Charmin

Lower Bud Charmin squeeze.



,


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## WeedHopper (Mar 19, 2022)

I've cheated before when I was outta weed and took a few buds


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## Extractminussixtyethanol (Apr 13, 2022)

Well, I hang dry with sugar leaf’s on buds 10 days then trim & remove buds & place in a large food cooler for 30 days(all while keeping humidity @ 60-62% best I can & buds on a screen inside cooler to get air all around them)…Cooler is opened daily  1st 2 wks then every 3 days after 30 days to Mason jars or vacuum packed jarred & frozen…just depends on yield.
—-BUT back to the original question can Buds be compressed and my answer is yes quite successfully because I do it now and then…on nice tops.
First off it was a mistake I broke a bud top off about three days before harvest. It was sticky had nowhere to put it so I grabbed a paper towel & Gently
 rolled/ wrapped it in the paper towel with sugar leaves on the bud still, it was slightly compressed maybe 30%…
And thought what the hell so I put it on a bud drying rack that I use occasionally for certain projects…The rack is in my basement and I put the bud on the lowest space available… Believe it or not I forgot about it and eight days later found it unwrapped it & wow terp heaven god it smelled good…so I placed it in a jar monitored it for 4 weeks burping daily 1st 8 days then occasionally!!!
The strain was GSC 
So, ever since that mistake I now cure about 1 oz of top buds this way from each grow…The buds are semi hard & smoke well and make good conversation.
It works for me… absolutely no paper towel odor & buds r sweet & tasty.


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## Redrum92 (Apr 13, 2022)

Look into the cob curing method. Wrap and compact your shit, basically like 70s style, and let it ferment anaerobically. Never done it, but people claim to have amazing results.

Putting fresh buds in a jar can compress them naturally, but of course they need to be looked after closely to cure and not rot. Stuff here compresses to some degree during curing because of the weight of bud on top of it in jars


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## pute (Apr 13, 2022)

Hmmm.  Interesting ideas.


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## Extractminussixtyethanol (Apr 14, 2022)

Always wondered how long they dried there weed down in Mexico and South America before compressing it into bricks kilos and bales… I am 61 and have seen all of them.
My buddy would have to take a humidifier
& place a large thick plastic sheet over it and the Bale before breaking it apart and weighing it out into pounds (Did this for two reasons the pot was usually pretty dry and  it was easier to break apart once it was moist). Took quite a while to break up a 40 to 50 pound Bale…

thanks for the Cob information I had heard about that before, maybe subconsciously that’s why I tried rolling my big bud up in a paper towel that one day… only to find it worked. ( and a few since) pic below of several that were wrapped dried & then jar cured
I make my Thai sticks in a very similar 
way. Pic attached…
The weed is dried for three days Then rolled in waxless parchment paper before applying the frozen ground hash to it, then rolled in Waxless parchment paper again and tied up with wire to cure In a warm well ventilated area to prevent mold.
((I usually use a 6”  1/2”inch thick bud branch for the stick, Ends up being about 3/8”inch thick one cured))


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## Bubba (Apr 14, 2022)

bombtombadil said:


> This is exactly what I was hoping to hear ! Have you seen the containers they pack an ounce in at the dispenseries? They are so small ! Meanwhile one ounce of my weed uses an entire Mason Jar stuffed to the brim. Something weird is going on, maybe its the phosphoload you mention.
> 
> I'll just dry naturally but was curious to know about the processes used to cure.
> 
> Thanks for the great response.


Stuffed to the brim, mine usually have 2 oz in a mason jar.

Bubba


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## bombtombadll (Apr 17, 2022)

Extractminussixtyethanol said:


> Always wondered how long they dried there weed down in Mexico and South America before compressing it into bricks kilos and bales… I am 61 and have seen all of them.
> My buddy would have to take a humidifier
> & place a large thick plastic sheet over it and the Bale before breaking it apart and weighing it out into pounds (Did this for two reasons the pot was usually pretty dry and  it was easier to break apart once it was moist). Took quite a while to break up a 40 to 50 pound Bale…
> 
> ...



Nice ! Those look cool and stack nicely I'm sure. I'll have to make some Northern Lights sticks..

I did this with a few more buds a while back and they dried out nicely (pic later) They are the prettiest buds I have and seem to be curing well in stick form.


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## bombtombadll (Apr 17, 2022)

Bubba said:


> Stuffed to the brim, mine usually have 2 oz in a mason jar.
> 
> Bubba



2 oz in one mason jar? Are they compressed?


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## Bubba (Apr 17, 2022)

No, not really.  But they are very carefully arranged! One ounce just in there, not arranged usually more than half anyway.  These are Indicas with hard dense buds.  Some strains can be a bit more whispy for lack of better term?

I try to keep the tricomes from being disturbed as much as possible.  For long term storage, frozen I used to put in seal ameal bag on full squish, which keeps it fresh for a long time, but I didnt care for that at all in terms of "bag appeal" or whatever. Might be good for long term, but now I would do a lesser squish, mine is adjustable.

I have a couple mason jars, empty now, that are still marked "115 grams" on the lid.  That was both jars together. This works fine with minimal compression for nugs except the big honkers....they wont go in mason jar anyway.  typical nice bud size

This is after cure of course....

Bubba


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## bombtombadll (Apr 21, 2022)

Extractminussixtyethanol said:


> Always wondered how long they dried there weed down in Mexico and South America before compressing it into bricks kilos and bales… I am 61 and have seen all of them.
> My buddy would have to take a humidifier
> & place a large thick plastic sheet over it and the Bale before breaking it apart and weighing it out into pounds (Did this for two reasons the pot was usually pretty dry and  it was easier to break apart once it was moist). Took quite a while to break up a 40 to 50 pound Bale…
> 
> ...



Nice! I just smoked the little bud I compressed earlier. It looks so small, but when it got to my grinder, it exploded ! A small pinch off the top of one of my compressed buds fills my bow easily. They look pretty too.


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## AddisynSwanson (Aug 16, 2022)

You can use paper bags for that. Still, in my opinion, it is more reasonable to buy cannabis rather than grow it by yourself. It will cost you approximately the same amount of money, but you don't have to take care of your plant to water it daily. They have many cannabis sorts, and you can get many discounts there. You can find prices, offers, and other products they sell on their website.


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## oldfogey8 (Aug 16, 2022)

AddisynSwanson said:


> You can find many websites on the internet where you can buy CBD and THC products online. You can also get them delivered right next to your door. Unfortunately, it is not as free as in other countries where cannabis is legalized, so you won't find any coffee shops on the streets where you'll be able to buy cannabis.


Growing your own is kind of a common goal on this forum. Buying online products can be fruitless and/or dangerous if the products are not properly grown or tested.


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## pute (Aug 16, 2022)

I haven't been to a dispensary in over 13 years.  If I didn't grow for myself I would get my bud on here.  No commercial grade s-hit for me.


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## oldfogey8 (Aug 16, 2022)

pute said:


> I haven't been to a dispensary in over 13 years.  If I didn't grow for myself I would get my bud on here.  No commercial grade s-hit for me.


Went to a dispensary in Massachusetts a couple years ago just to try some legal bud. It was nothing special but I walked out of the place with an eighth ounce and a pre-roll all for the bargain price of $80. Taxes are a killer. The smoke was not.


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## Extractminussixtyethanol (Aug 16, 2022)

pute said:


> I haven't been to a dispensary in over 13 years.  If I didn't grow for myself I would get my bud on here.  No commercial grade s-hit for me.


Amen 13


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## bigsur51 (Aug 16, 2022)

pute said:


> I haven't been to a dispensary in over 13 years.  If I didn't grow for myself I would get my bud on here.  No commercial grade s-hit for me.



funny thing is , there are some good dispensaries out there , heck , we ran one for a couple years up in Teller county

i grew all the weed and it is the same weed I grow today , no evil additives , clean good medicine

our herb was far from commercial grade sh-it


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## oldfogey8 (Aug 16, 2022)

bigsur51 said:


> funny thing is , there are some good dispensaries out there , heck , we ran one for a couple years up in Teller county
> 
> i grew all the weed and it is the same weed I grow today , no evil additives , clean good medicine
> 
> ...


I think establishments like your are an exception to the rule rather than the norm. The kid who sold me the eighth ounce didn’t know squat about their products. He was just in it for a tip because the owners of dispensaries here pay minimum wage which isn’t a living wage in Taxachusetts. He didn’t even really deserve the minimum wage to be honest but I tipped him just the same…


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## Hippie420 (Aug 16, 2022)

I'd be nervous about compressing buds. Better than 40 years ago, we got in a bunch of pounds that were compressed into the shape of a small football. The weed was decent for commercial stuff, but you had to be careful. If you smelled the least whiff of ammonia, you either passed or demanded to cut the pound in half. Nine times outta ten, the center core would be gray with mold. If they refused to let you slice the pound, you walked out.


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## ClaireFischer (Aug 18, 2022)

You can use paper bags for that. Still, in my opinion, it is more reasonable to buy cannabis rather than grow it by yourself. It will cost you approximately the same amount of money, but you don't have to take care of your plant to water it daily.


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## WeedHopper (Aug 18, 2022)

No way is it better to buy weed than grow your own. Like anything it takes start-up money. But it doesn't take long for your weed to pay for itself unless you suck at growing.
And as for as taking care of your girls,,,that's the best part of growing. Most everyone on here loves growing weed. It's very satisfying.
I'm a Gardner and i love growing anything and everything. I would rather eat my home grown veggies than store bought anytime. And I will always love smoking my own weed . Plus I know that my shit doesn't have pesticides.


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## bigsur51 (Aug 18, 2022)

ClaireFischer said:


> You can use paper bags for that. Still, in my opinion, it is more reasonable to buy cannabis rather than grow it by yourself. It will cost you approximately the same amount of money, but you don't have to take care of your plant to water it daily.




hello Claire and welcome aboard

thank you for you opinion ,it is always good to hear from more people to help us put things in perspective…….

none of us see things the same , we are all different

having said that , I can grow cannabis far cheaper than any dispensary 

how?

growing outdoors

and I know people who can grow indoors cheaper than dispensary weed

so yeah , everyone’s experience can be different

i can also agree with you that yes , some people spend approximately the same amount of money and could buy cannabis for about the same

minus all the watering

 it there are ways around all of that and for some of us , watering cannabis plants is very relaxing and therapeutic , be one with the plant



stick around


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## Extractminussixtyethanol (Aug 18, 2022)

This is the main reason I have a legal med grower card…
Because…—>



















—> it’s good shit man and it ain’t from no Labrador retriever!


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## pute (Aug 20, 2022)

ClaireFischer said:


> You can use paper bags for that. Still, in my opinion, it is more reasonable to buy cannabis rather than grow it by yourself. It will cost you approximately the same amount of money, but you don't have to take care of your plant to water it daily.


Bwahahaha....that is the silly.   And I will leave it at that.


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