can I compress my sticky buds while drying.

[bombtombadil]

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?

 

[pute]

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

 

[bombtombadil]

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?

 

[pute]

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

 

[OGKushman]

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.

 

[WeedHopper]

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.

 

[user 60570]

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!

 

[Bubba]

But Mr Whipple, they are so soft and squeezable!

 

[bombtombadil]

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.

 

[bombtombadil]

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.

 

[Hippie420]

But Mr Whipple, they are so soft and squeezable!

 

[bombtombadil]

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.

 

[boo]

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...

 

[bombtombadil]

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?

 

[bombtombadil]

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.



,

 

[WeedHopper]

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

 

[Red-Eyes]

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.

 

[Redrum92]

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

 

[pute]

Hmmm. Interesting ideas.

 

[Red-Eyes]

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))