Contributor: carl s. hobby
Alright, after much debate, you’ve finally decided it’s time to step foot into the cannabis community. No, you’re not awash with ambitions to open up the next big dispensary, your rookie sights are set far lower than that often-unattainable goal. You are just curious about this newly legalized herb, and wondering if it can actually help you live a better, more at-peace life, like it has for millions of people around the world.
So, you do a bit of research on which dispensary is the most trusted establishment near your home, and head on over to pick out a bit of bud. While you’re there, you converse with your budtender about this being your maiden voyage into the world of marijuana, and they happily help you procure a few items that suit your low-tolerance needs.
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You gleefully pay for your goods, and head back home. When you get there, you anxiously wonder if it’s a good time to fire up some ganja to see how everything goes. In a matter of minutes, you are packing yourself a bowl, and lighting up your very first hit. The second that smoke hits your taste buds, you realize that you’ve made the right decision. Instant relaxation and alleviation kick in, and you calmly place that pipe down after that first hit, and ride out the rest of the calming experience. As any newcomer should.
Of course, you kill off the remnants of that bowl throughout the rest of the day, but then you ask yourself, “How long is this marijuana going to last me?” You curiously check the packaging for an expiration date, only to find its cultivated “birthday,” along with other pertinent information about the specific strain.
This lack of useful information leaves you in a bit of a quandry.
How are you supposed to store your ganja to ensure that it enjoys the longest shelf life possible?
Well, that’s precisely what I’m here to teach you about, my fellow enthusiast. And, should you follow these simple tips and tricks, you are guaranteed to increase the longevity of every single batch you bring home from the dispensary.
One of the most important things to consider when storing your newly-bought buds is the amount of light that surrounds them. The preferable amount would be none. Exposure to direct sunlight is murderous for your plant’s potency potential. All of those rays, while needed during the growing of cannabis, are nothing but harmful to your nugs at this point. So, you’ll want to ensure that you keep your dank in a nice, dark place.
Also, with harmful sunlight comes an increase in temperature. So, wherever you are choosing to store your cannabis, be sure that it is also in a cool, mellow environment. Any sort of excess heat will only prove to dry out your bud far sooner than expected.
And, while it probably goes without saying, you don’t want these buds to get even close to wet. So, if there’s a chance of dampness in this predetermined storage area of yours, I promise, you will encounter a whole world of issues.
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Now, another thing that probably falls in the category of “Tremendously Obvious” is that you will need to place your flowers in a jar of some sort. Leaving them out to fend off the elements on their own is, essentially, a death sentence. Before long, the atmosphere around them would suck them dry of their essence, leaving them brittle and powerless.
Which, as you can surmise from these instructions, is exactly what we are looking to avoid.
The best kind of jars, in my opinion, are solid glass. These seem to provide the ideal environment for the storing of cannabis, and if you have a chance to get your hands on some of these, you should reutilize them for your purchased bud. But, if your marijuana already came prepacked in an airtight jar of its own, you should feel free to repurpose that for all of your storage needs.
The main thing you are looking to do with your jar is eliminate excess oxygen from finding its way in and, subsequently, ruining your herb. So, airtight/vacuum seal products are the most successful mediums to use in this regard.
Also, there are little pouches you can buy, akin to a silica packet in beef jerky, that can keep moisture and other unwanted elements from affecting the product. These little babies really help control the climate of the jar, and if you can get your mitts on some of these, they go a long way in preserving the potency of your bud – trust me.
The next tip I’m about to divulge upon you is something that I’ve only come to learn in recent years. For as long as I can remember, I would procure a handful of different strains from a dispensary at a time, and store them all, together as one, in a large, airtight jar. I’d gaze upon this mosaic of marijuana with pride. Much like a bartender would spin around to look at his mirror-backed selection of various boozes, hooches, and hops.
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But, as visually pleasing as that little endeavor may be, it’s actually not the best way to preserve your ganja. In fact, that sort of storage method takes away from each strain’s individual taste and scent profile. That, in turn, affects its taste and potency, overall. And, as you can already guess, that was a major eye-opening moment for me. But, when you really think about it, it makes nothing but sense.
So, next time you find yourself looking at a surplus of a few different strains, be sure to separate those nugs from one another, and store them in their very own jar. It’s also smart to label each one with a simple piece of tape and a pen. While a certain bud may seem distinct in nature right when you open it up, after a few days, they may all start to look the same. That’s why these little written reminders come in handy so often.
If you follow those few tips and tricks, your bud should enjoy a nice, long, super-healthy shelf life. However, there are a few things that you should avoid, as well, in order to get the most out of your marijuana.
The first of which involves the myth that freezing your bud keeps it stronger for longer. That couldn’t be further from the truth. That sort of ebb and flow of extreme temperature only increases the chance of mildew and moldiness kicking in.
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Also, avoid plastic containers and bags, as far as storage mediums are concerned. The interiors of these products often attract a good amount of trichomes to their surface. Which, I’m sure you’ve seen in your own experience, when you remove bud from a tightly sealed Ziploc, or something of that nature. Those THC-enriched trichomes leap from their floral home, and onto this plastic surface, never to be enjoyed by the consumer.
Which, in theory, renders your bud weaker than it should be.
Just like every other industry, the cannabis community is coming up with new methods and techniques all the time. Most of which are designed to help you get the most out of your bud. So, it’s smart to keep an ear to the ground, for all sorts of new tips and tricks. But, for the most part, if you adhere to these basic bits of information, your bud should stay nice and potent for as long as possible.
