# Ok.... i need help with this curing part...



## Akitaone1 (Apr 11, 2022)

So I'm having the dreaded grass smell. I hang dry until the bigger branches snap then I either hand trim or put in a spinning trimmer. 90% is done in the dry trim. I then put into jars and open 1 or 2 times a day. The humidity level is usually around 53-57% in the jars. I tried putting some of the 62% packs in as well. All the jars are In a dark cupboard. The room they are in is anywhere from 60°-70° and humidity is around 60-65%. Buds have been in jars for 2-3 weeks after drying.what am I doing wrong???


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## WeedHopper (Apr 11, 2022)

Curing is simply the process of extracting unwanted chlorophyll from your buds immediately after they have dried. Chlorophyll is a chemical that plays a key role in photosynthesis and is what makes plants green. With uncured bud, the chlorophyll will overpower its flavor and odor and is also very harsh on the lungs, making for an all around bad session. If you want your bud to be as dank as possible, you gotta take the time to properly cure it.

*Steps to curing your bud:*


Trim the large fan leaves from the plants and hang them upside down in a cool dry place with plenty of circulation.
Allow the buds to dry until the stems snap and break when bent in half.
Finish manicuring the bud by removing the rest of the small crystal filled leaves. Set the leaves aside for making hash or edibles later.
Remove the buds from their stems and place into glass mason jars.
Put the lids on the jars and store them in a dark place like a sock drawer or something for 48 hours.
Open the jars and notice that the buds are a bit damp again and have that cut grass smell.





*That cut grass smell you get is actually Ammonia*, which is the byproduct of Chlorophyll decomposition. There are tiny microbes floating around everywhere in the air that are responsible for the decomposition of all organic matter, especially plant matter. By sealing the buds in the jars, you accelerate the decomposition process. Think about what happens when you leave freshly cut grass in a lawn bag for a few days. Since grass is pretty much all water and chlorophyll, you will find a bag full of wet, stank sludge. If you don’t put the grass in a bag, it will just dry up and turn brown and crumbly. You don’t want either one of these things to happen to your buds and that’s why we dry and cure them.


Stir the buds around and allow them to air out until they dry back up. (usually about 2 hours)
Put the lid back on the jar and return it to the sock drawer.
Wait a few days and repeat steps 6 and 7.
Continue this process until the bud remains dry in the jars and there is no longer any trace of the ammonia smell. (usually about 1 month)
When you no longer get the cut grass smell, the bud has been successfully cured. Only then will you get to experience its full effects including its true aroma and flavor.

If you are going to take the time to grow your own medicine, you need to come correct and take time to finish the job. Harvest time may be only two months, but the bud’s not ready to smoke for three. You wouldn’t eat non-ripened fruits and vegetables so don’t smoke uncured buds. If a fine wine takes 20 years to age into perfection, you must wait 20 years to drink it. Otherwise you are cheating yourself


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## CrashMagnet (Apr 11, 2022)

Is there a reason, other than cost, for using glass over something opaque, like stainless or ceramic? I really don't want my weed sharing a drawer with my socks. If you saw my feet, you would understand : )


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## Akitaone1 (Apr 11, 2022)

So are you saying it takes a few weeks? Say more than 4or 5 to bring back that smell


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## Hippie420 (Apr 11, 2022)

A good cure will take a month. You can smoke it in the mean time, but you'll notice an improvement in the taste after a month.


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## WeedHopper (Apr 11, 2022)

Never used anything but mason jars because of the way they seal.


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## Akitaone1 (Apr 11, 2022)

Hippie420 said:


> A good cure will take a month. You can smoke it in the mean time, but you'll notice an improvement in the taste after a month.


So I should have some kind of hay smell in the beginning? But over time in the cure this should disappear?


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## pute (Apr 11, 2022)

Your bud shouldn't be smelling like straw after 3 weeks.   What strain is it?   I love my Golden Pineapple.   Never looses its sweet pineapple smell.  It might not be the strongest pot I grow but once somebody gets a whiff of it.....sold. But, some strains take longer for the taste and smell to come back.  The curing process doesn't really start until you can leave the lid closed.  When you are popping the lids you are still in the drying process.


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## pute (Apr 11, 2022)

One last thing....good genetics is important.  Took a long time for me to get the genetics I have.   Like a basketball team.....you have to be really good to make my starting lineup.


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## Akitaone1 (Apr 11, 2022)

pute said:


> Your bud shouldn't be smelling like straw after 3 weeks.   What strain is it?   I love my Golden Pineapple.   Never looses its sweet pineapple smell.  It might not be the strongest pot I grow but once somebody gets a whiff of it.....sold. But, some strains take longer for the taste and smell to come back.  The curing process doesn't really start until you can leave the lid closed.  When you are popping the lids you are still in the drying process.


Gold leaf and skittlez.. so are you suggesting that the time on the stem is enough time for it to dry out and I should keep the lids closed as long as i think the buds are dried in cure??


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## Hippie420 (Apr 11, 2022)

Akitaone1 said:


> Gold leaf and skittlez.. so are you suggesting that the time on the stem is enough time for it to dry out and I should keep the lids closed as long as i think the buds are dried in cure??


I wouldn't. Once you trim the buds and jar 'em, they'll still need burping 'til you get the humidity right. If you leave them sealed too early, you ain't gonna like the taste of the weed 'cause it'll taste like mold.
Take your time. Ya don't wanna screw up after all the hard work you've put in.
Just my opinion. YMMV.


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## pute (Apr 11, 2022)

Don't know exactly what you mean. We all do this a bit different and you need to decide what works best for you.  Most here will do a wet trim.  I do a  dry.  So, when I cut the plant I take off all fan and biggest sugar leaves.  I hang in a cool dark place with the RH starting at 60% and slowly dropping to 50/% for as long as it take for the stems to snap when bent.  This usually takes about a week.  Because of my genetics I rarely smell the Straw odor you are referring to. 

Then the drying process continues in paper sacks for a day or two.  Then to jars.  then it is a matter of crispy, spongy texture of the bud.  As long as the buds go from crispy to spongy popping the jars is necessary.  There will come a time when the buds stay crispy long enough to leave the lids on for a few days at a time that is when the real curing process starts.  I still pop the lids on occasion to let the gasses escape. After 30 days or so your pot is ready to go.


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## Akitaone1 (Apr 11, 2022)

pute said:


> Don't know exactly what you mean. We all do this a bit different and you need to decide what works best for you.  Most here will do a wet trim.  I do a  dry.  So, when I cut the plant I take off all fan and biggest sugar leaves.  I hang in a cool dark place with the RH starting at 60% and slowly dropping to 50/% for as long as it take for the stems to snap when bent.  This usually takes about a week.  Because of my genetics I rarely smell the Straw odor you are referring to.
> 
> Then the drying process continues in paper sacks for a day or two.  Then to jars.  then it is a matter of crispy, spongy texture of the bud.  As long as the buds go from crispy to spongy popping the jars is necessary.  There will come a time when the buds stay crispy long enough to leave the lids on for a few days at a time that is when the real curing process starts.  I still pop the lids on occasion to let the gasses escape. After 30 days or so your pot is ready to go.


I must be screwing something up somewhere. That's pretty much what I do, but I do a dry trim. Well I have 4 getting ready to come down and hopefully I get theses correct.


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## bigsur51 (Apr 11, 2022)

Akitaone1 said:


> I must be screwing something up somewhere. That's pretty much what I do, but I do a dry trim. Well I have 4 getting ready to come down and hopefully I get theses correct.




yeah , it sounds like somewhere along your process the timing is off

i would rather have my flowers a tiny bit on the moist side versus to dry

it is easier to dry a flower out if it’s to damp than to have to rehydrate a flower once it gets bone dry

it has been my experience that if my flowers dry to fast after harvest , the hay smell is more noticeable and harder to get rid of , not to mention rehydrating the dry flowers

the drying curing process is sometimes tricky and takes a lot of attention to detail to get it right

 so yeah  , I’ve screwed up a few times and had some bad hay grass smelling flowers and anyone who grows enough cannabis over the years will eventually deal with this problem

keep trying and you will find the sweet spot

good luck

cheers
big


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## Akitaone1 (Apr 11, 2022)

bigsur51 said:


> yeah , it sounds like somewhere along your process the timing is off
> 
> i would rather have my flowers a tiny bit on the moist side versus to dry
> 
> ...


 I don't think I'm going too fast, the humidity is around 60-67% and I'm usually about 10-14 days. They still have a bounce back to them, should i wait a bit longer before putting them in the jars.. maybe leave them on a screen for a couple days? Then jar them? The buds will snap off the branch, not come off with a bit of branch on there. I'm messing a step up somewhere..


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## pute (Apr 11, 2022)

Are your buds crispy. If they are at that high of humidity you're letting them get too dry somewhere in the process. Dry equals straw


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## bigsur51 (Apr 11, 2022)

Akitaone1 said:


> I don't think I'm going too fast, the humidity is around 60-67% and I'm usually about 10-14 days. They still have a bounce back to them, should i wait a bit longer before putting them in the jars.. maybe leave them on a screen for a couple days? Then jar them? The buds will snap off the branch, not come off with a bit of branch on there. I'm messing a step up somewhere..




it’s really difficult for me to answer your questions because I am not there to look and see and smell what is going on

maybe you can put some in jars and leave some out….trial and error

and I am sure the drying and curing process is affected by the plant genetics so there is that too


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## pute (Apr 11, 2022)

Can you squeeze your bud they should be somewhat pliable and bounce back if not you're smoking dust.


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## bigsur51 (Apr 11, 2022)

pute said:


> Can you squeeze your bud they should be somewhat pliable and bounce back if not you're smoking dust.




well that is all we are is dust in the wind , dust in the wind


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## Akitaone1 (Apr 11, 2022)

pute said:


> Are your buds crispy. If they are at that high of humidity you're letting them get too dry somewhere in the process. Dry equals straw


No they have a slight spongy feel not wet or flakey. I will say that one of the plants did dry faster and I made the mistake of taking them all down to trim at the same time not telling myself that they will dry at different rates. I am going to write down every step I do this time. If it comes out bad on these 4 I'm gona cry...


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## bigsur51 (Apr 11, 2022)

Akitaone1 said:


> No they have a slight spongy feel not wet or flakey. I will say that one of the plants did dry faster and I made the mistake of taking them all down to trim at the same time not telling myself that they will dry at different rates. I am going to write down every step I do this time. If it comes out bad on these 4 I'm gona cry...




dont cry

make some hash or oil or butter , it’s all good


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## CrashMagnet (Apr 11, 2022)

My first harvest I used a food dehydrator at 105 degrees for 6 hours after hanging it up for just 2 days. I gave most of it away, and they all want more, so how bad could it be? I lost my sense of smell a couple of decades ago, so I can't judge myself. It burns, I get stoned, I'm happy.

Going to try it the long way this time. That's assuming they don't all die before harvest time!


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## Bugus_Monkey (Apr 11, 2022)

This last grow was my best cure/flavor-taste yet of all, buzz is close to the best and it is because of everyone here. My main goal was 60 RH and 60 degrees. It was a lot of work but rarely was I off the mark.  Took about 15 days to dry out to where the stems snapped. Then took them down and manicured and jarred. Then burping about once a day. I left everything on, fanleaves and all. My reasoning was I figured the fans being draped over the branches would slow it some and I think it did just enough. You are going to have several variations for this answer. Maybe try more than one until you come up with a method that works for you. So for me only - 60/60 and patience. I've grown bunches of photo perfect buds that ended up smelling like straw., sometimes I got lucky, usually with outdoor stuff.


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## pute (Apr 11, 2022)

@ Big I prefer not to smoke your smelly azz though


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## Carty (Apr 12, 2022)

I guess I'll never understand how people can spend months, put in all the tender loving care, only to rush the drying process affecting potency, flavor, etc..   and I hear ya saying how good it was, but, imagine it a little bit better.

Slow drying is the only way to achieve this type of pure goodness taking things to the next level.  digger is one grower who totally embraces this taking almost 3wks to hang dry the plant in it's entirety.  removed large fan leaf and hang.
I finally got my buddy Atilla to listen to me and he goes on and on now how much better his weed is now.  It's lost that hay whispy bud crap from having fans blowing on it for 2 days, spreading buds out to dry faster, lights on..  ahhhhhhhhhhh..  Listen to be bro.  hahaha.

Mine takes 10 days for the branches to snap.  just wish I could build stash up enough to cure in jars before it gets smoke up.  working on it.


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## Redrum92 (Apr 13, 2022)

You're leaving the whole plant hanging for the initial period? And are they decent sized buds, with some density, or are they small, or airy?

You could try experimenting with the freezer method. It can work surpsingly well to dry things slowly and simply


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## pute (Apr 13, 2022)

Carty is spot on.  The dry/cure is just as important as genetics and the growing technique. All three are equal in importance IMO.


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## oldfogey8 (Apr 14, 2022)

When I first read you question, I thought the same as Carty. Dry too fast or too long and the chlorophyll doesn’t have a chance to break down. If they are in your jars and the rh is under 60, you are past the point where you can cure the buds. Fast drying won’t affect the buzz much but will affect flavor and smell in my experience anyway.


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