Well I cocked that up...what are my options?

[Surfanarchist]

Lesson so far for me is drying and curing just takes practice. I harvested my Gorilla Cookies a few days ago. I chopped the plant down to main colas and hung them in my grow room. About 65F, 40% humidity and a ceiling fan blowing on them. After about 3 days they were still very moist, pliable and sticky. Because of my growing situation I have to do things when I can (my grow areas is remote from where I live) so I needed to get these things jarred up and moved back to where I can watch them (my home)..

Anyway at this point I cut the buds out individually and placed them on a screen in the same room and conditions to dry overnight under the fan. Boom...next morning they are real dry. I jar them up and I'm reading like 40%. Holy **** I thinks to myself. So in each jar I take a piece of aluminum foil and I place that loosely over the buds and on top of the foil I place a small piece of damp paper towel. Damp paper towel is in the jar but no contact with the buds. After about 4 hours I'm reading about 70% humidity in the jars so I pull out the foil and moist paper towel and seal up the jars.

Over 24 hours later all the jars are holding steady at between 62% and 68%. Buds still smells strong but maybe not as strong as before. They also are pliable in that if I take a bud and squeeze it it mushes and then springs back.

I know now how fast the trimmed buds can dry out. Won't be using that method again. Bottom line is I'm going to smoke this stuff eventually so at this point it is what it is. Anyone care to comment on how badly these buds are cocked up and is there any chance that maybe if I can keep them at around 62% will they still cure?

Liven and learnin here.

 

[pute]

Research is your best friend. The dry/cure process is just as important as the way you grow.

 

[spunom]

I'm no expert, but it might be that you are overthinking this. I would think that if you just take them out of the jars until the outsides feel dry but not crispy and then stick them back in a few times, you'll get to the "put them in jars" point and can rock on? ... As long as they don't already have mold.

 

[pute]

First off, there are lots of different ways and techniques in doing this. If done properly they all probably work just about as well as the other. I do it the old-fashioned way it's been done this way for decades.

Complicated I'm sure I'll miss some things.

When I harvest I cut the plant down take off the larger sugar leaves and all the fan leaves and hang them in a dark place. I like the humidity to start out at 60% and slowly dropped to 50%. When the branches start snapping when I bend them usually 7 or 8 days then I debone them and do a dry trim. Then in grocery sacks for around 48 hours. Most strains have no smell at this time some do. Don't worry about it if cured properly it will come back.

Regarding jars, about 9 to 10 days out I put them in jars. I like quart jars with wide mouth lids. I live in a low humidity area so I don't use humidity packs. Everything is done by feel from this point forward. Oh by the way always dark. I then go into a spongy, crispy mode. I pop the jars let them air out as needed until the buds become crispy. I reseal the jars and they become spongy. After some time they will remain crispy but not dust. They should always bounce back when you squeeze them. A good cure is minimum of 20 days and I like 30.

That's my way and I'm sticking to it.

 

[user 60570]

wait a couple more weeks and let us know if there is a difference

im smoking some c99 that is over a year old and it is awesomely fresh , tasty , and potent

 

[Bubba]

Lesson so far for me is drying and curing just takes practice. I harvested my Gorilla Cookies a few days ago. I chopped the plant down to main colas and hung them in my grow room. About 65F, 40% humidity and a ceiling fan blowing on them. After about 3 days they were still very moist, pliable and sticky. Because of my growing situation I have to do things when I can (my grow areas is remote from where I live) so I needed to get these things jarred up and moved back to where I can watch them (my home)..

Anyway at this point I cut the buds out individually and placed them on a screen in the same room and conditions to dry overnight under the fan. Boom...next morning they are real dry. I jar them up and I'm reading like 40%. Holy **** I thinks to myself. So in each jar I take a piece of aluminum foil and I place that loosely over the buds and on top of the foil I place a small piece of damp paper towel. Damp paper towel is in the jar but no contact with the buds. After about 4 hours I'm reading about 70% humidity in the jars so I pull out the foil and moist paper towel and seal up the jars.

Over 24 hours later all the jars are holding steady at between 62% and 68%. Buds still smells strong but maybe not as strong as before. They also are pliable in that if I take a bud and squeeze it it mushes and then springs back.

I know now how fast the trimmed buds can dry out. Won't be using that method again. Bottom line is I'm going to smoke this stuff eventually so at this point it is what it is. Anyone care to comment on how badly these buds are cocked up and is there any chance that maybe if I can keep them at around 62% will they still cure?

Liven and learnin here.

I like to be available, i.e. off work a few days in a row when I harvest. I wet trim all the buds, cut them individually and then lay them out on cooling racks for baking. (No, I don't bake the weed, the racks are made for cooling baked goods on) After 2-3 days, they are getting dry on outside, and if jarred, will go over 80%, pour out of jar, few hours, rejar measure. This might go on a day or two until jars won't go higher than mid 70s. Then they can stay shut all day, get burped, or possibly dumped out for an hour once I get home.

Before you "re humidified" them, I would have sealed them up tight for several hours and see how high the humidity would naturally come up.

If the stick part of the bud isn't dry enough to snap, there is still some core humidity that may take a while to build back up. Like cooling a hot room, it takes a while for the internal humidity to rehydrate the dry areas. Maybe you did. If it is internally snap dry, you had no choice, but curing is likely done. Hopefully the combination of both got you that humidity, and the cure will continue.

Bubba

 

[Oldschoolboy]

Lesson so far for me is drying and curing just takes practice. I harvested my Gorilla Cookies a few days ago. I chopped the plant down to main colas and hung them in my grow room. About 65F, 40% humidity and a ceiling fan blowing on them. After about 3 days they were still very moist, pliable and sticky. Because of my growing situation I have to do things when I can (my grow areas is remote from where I live) so I needed to get these things jarred up and moved back to where I can watch them (my home)..

Anyway at this point I cut the buds out individually and placed them on a screen in the same room and conditions to dry overnight under the fan. Boom...next morning they are real dry. I jar them up and I'm reading like 40%. Holy **** I thinks to myself. So in each jar I take a piece of aluminum foil and I place that loosely over the buds and on top of the foil I place a small piece of damp paper towel. Damp paper towel is in the jar but no contact with the buds. After about 4 hours I'm reading about 70% humidity in the jars so I pull out the foil and moist paper towel and seal up the jars.

Over 24 hours later all the jars are holding steady at between 62% and 68%. Buds still smells strong but maybe not as strong as before. They also are pliable in that if I take a bud and squeeze it it mushes and then springs back.

I know now how fast the trimmed buds can dry out. Won't be using that method again. Bottom line is I'm going to smoke this stuff eventually so at this point it is what it is. Anyone care to comment on how badly these buds are cocked up and is there any chance that maybe if I can keep them at around 62% will they still cure?

Liven and learnin here.

I’ve always dried my bud about half way, maybe a little more and bagged it up with freezer bags. It then goes into the freezer until I need some, out it comes and a day later it perfect for smoking. It’s always fresh like it was picked last week and I never worry about any fungus or it being too dry. If you find the taste of the buds a little back in the day of Mexican brown weed I would put it on a screen and mist coke over it then gently dry with a fan. The coke mellows it out and gives it a sweeter taste.

 

[Bubba]

Ok...I much prefer slow cure but what ever floats your boat, and you end up with smoke.

Laying them out can take days before jarrable. The fan did you in.

Bubba

 

[Surfanarchist]

Thanks all for the replies. Im looking at the buds now and they are doing pretty well. Average about 65% and tighting up. Still not crisp to the touch but the stems are brittle. Ive not sampled yet but im not to concerned. My grow situation, like everyones I imagine, is unique. I have to find my own way to manage the time and process. Just getting experience with how the buds look, smell and feel as they dry has been educational. Looking at some growers drying process pictures, with big ass colas from expertly grown photo period plants, and I see how cola size, stem thickness, etc., all are going to effect drying time. My plants are autos and smaller overall and that makes a difference. I just need to learn what works for my situation. Its just practice I think.

 

[TheVoice]

I’m curious what happens if you simply drop a lower number RH pack in the jars. They should just pull the moisture out slowly right? If your room RH is say 60, and you jar with a 49 or 32 rh pack, it should cut jar moisture by half? And storage in a jar , with no air moving doesn’t mathematically upset the balance unexpectedly since you control the pop of the top. As long as the jars stay sealed, they should dry uniformly w no mold…. Is my guess… esp bc it would eliminate the need for a fan to promote additional air drying. I’m just stabbing in the dark but if anyone can help, I’d appreciate the feedback. I think space for anyone is always an issue.

 

[ROSTERMAN]

Ok...I much prefer slow cure but what ever floats your boat, and you end up with smoke.

Laying them out can take days before jarrable. The fan did you in.

Bubba

I never aim the fan at my buds never ever
But do leave one on low speed pointed away from the branches drying .

 

[Bubba]

I never aim the fan at my buds never ever
But do leave one on low speed pointed away from the branches drying .

I've had trays of buds inside tent with infinity fan on low...
Not blowing on weed, just normal exhaust fan.

Bubba

 

[TheVoice]

I never aim the fan at my buds never ever
But do leave one on low speed pointed away from the branches drying .

Thanks… I’d never aim at either, besides dry speed, fans move air and dirt… and that’s a setup when ur batch is sticky, as it should be.

 

[ROSTERMAN]

I've had trays of buds inside tent with infinity fan on low...
Not blowing on weed, just normal exhaust fan.

Bubba

I have used a Bud drying bag rack
It drys the buds much faster than when left on stem to hang, but if you watch carefully works good

 

[TheVoice]

I’m curious what happens if you simply drop a lower number RH pack in the jars. They should just pull the moisture out slowly right? If your room RH is say 60, and you jar with a 49 or 32 rh pack, it should cut jar moisture by half? And storage in a jar , with no air moving doesn’t mathematically upset the balance unexpectedly since you control the pop of the top. As long as the jars stay sealed, they should dry uniformly w no mold…. Is my guess… esp bc it would eliminate the need for a fan to promote additional air drying. I’m just stabbing in the dark but if anyone can help, I’d appreciate the feedback. I think space for anyone is always an issue.

And the fan is just to keep the room’s air moving. Still air never dries anything i would think, a Mold invitation

 

[CheCulo]

First off, there are lots of different ways and techniques in doing this. If done properly they all probably work just about as well as the other. I do it the old-fashioned way it's been done this way for decades.

Complicated I'm sure I'll miss some things.

When I harvest I cut the plant down take off the larger sugar leaves and all the fan leaves and hang them in a dark place. I like the humidity to start out at 60% and slowly dropped to 50%. When the branches start snapping when I bend them usually 7 or 8 days then I debone them and do a dry trim. Then in grocery sacks for around 48 hours. Most strains have no smell at this time some do. Don't worry about it if cured properly it will come back.

Regarding jars, about 9 to 10 days out I put them in jars. I like quart jars with wide mouth lids. I live in a low humidity area so I don't use humidity packs. Everything is done by feel from this point forward. Oh by the way always dark. I then go into a spongy, crispy mode. I pop the jars let them air out as needed until the buds become crispy. I reseal the jars and they become spongy. After some time they will remain crispy but not dust. They should always bounce back when you squeeze them. A good cure is minimum of 20 days and I like 30.

That's my way and I'm sticking to it.

Hey Pute, when you say grocery sack, you mean the brown paper ones, correct?

 

[pute]

Yep, after trimming and they are dry like 7 days after you chop I put them in a grocery sack for a day or two. The paper continues to wick moisture out of the buds. When they're nice and crispy I go to jars.

 

[pute]

Oh, don't let them to get to dry. The bud should bounce back when squeezed. Then in jars it is a crispy...spongy game for a few days. Don't worry about the smell...it will come back.