Grower’s Guide: How To Properly Dry And Cure Your Marijuana


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Contributor: KC SCANNELL

Finally. All of your hard work is about to pay off. Well, not quite yet, but your so close to the finish line, you can almost smoke it.

That’s right, my fellow growers. You’ve reached the part of the growing process when it’s time to dry and cure your buds. So, be sure to continue practicing patience during this portion of the grow, as the more time you allow things to run their course, the better off your buds will be.

 

Detailed Look At How To Appropriately Dry & Cure Cannabis

For those who are unfamiliar, the cannabis plant produces a number of different cannabinoids. The two most popular being THC and CBD. More often than not, home growers aim for more renowned seeds or clones, in hopes of creating a strong plant chock full of everybody’s favorite psychoactive ingredient, THC. With CBD strains having enjoyed a boost in popularity only recently.

Just because you’ve cut off your plants from the source, that doesn’t mean the process has been cut off for good. Quite the contrary, actually. If you are able to store and maintain your harvested buds in an area that’s roughly between 60° – 70°, along with a 45%-55% humidity rate, you’ll encourage your plant’s cannabinoids to majoritively turn into THCA, which is the precursor form of THC, which becomes activated through heat.

When it comes to curing, many just want to get their flowers dried as soon as possible, so they can smoke their very own bud. I understand this eagerness, I really do. But, considering you’ve already made it this far in the process without rushing things, it would be a tremendous shame for your buds to, essentially, “fumble at the goaline” by not reaching their full potency potential, simply because you couldn’t wait.

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Plus, this curing process is far more important than the novice grower may think.


One of the most alluring aspects of cannabis flowers are their terpenes. These are the organic elements that give bud its unique scent profile. In addition to their one-of-a-kind aromatic qualities, they are able to deliver a wide array of flavors, depending on the strain’s specific genetic makeup.

These powerful qualities, however, find themselves in grave danger when placed in environments that are too warm. Even a room maintaining a 70° comfort level may be too much for the terpenes. They could potentially evaporate at this temperature. Which is why it is beyond important to cure your buds in a nice, cool place.

Not only will this sort of mellow atmosphere protect the terpenes, but it’ll lessen the eventual “cough potential” of your flowers, as well. That happens because, in these same conditions, the leftover bacteria and enzymes can break down even further. Those, along with excess sugars, are what cause harsh hits. So, by allowing an ideal environment for them to fade away is only going to help your crops in the long run.

When figuring out just how you plan on curing your plants, you should always remember just how important this step is. If you do a good job, and keep your buds in a safe, secure, ideal environment, they have the potential of remaining super fresh for upwards of a couple years. But, conversely, should you fail to pay as much attention as you should on this portion of the process, you could severely damage the potency, and overall well-being, of your plant.

To be fair, there are a plethora of different ways to adequately cure your buds. You could use water, a freezer, or dry-ice to accomplish this goal. But the most common (and simplest) way to do it is by simply cutting the branches off the plant, trimming off excess foliage and leaves, then hanging the branch, upside down, from a string.


While bigger operations tend to hang whole plants upside down to cure, more humble household grows will likely want to aim for branches that are about 1-1.5 feet in length. But there’s no set rule or anything, so feel free to use your best judgment.

When it comes to properly curing buds, the atmosphere surrounding your cannabis becomes your main concern. You want to always make sure they are in a nice, darkened area. There’s no need for extra heat from the sun or grow light during this time.

Also, wherever you choose to cure these suckers, you’ll want to ensure that the temperature never gets higher than 70° or lower than 60°. Either extreme would only hurt the process.

In addition to that, the humidity surrounding your cure will need to be between 45% and 55%. I suggest utilizing the aeration services of a small, often affordable fan to make sure this level stays where it needs to. And if you’re hoping to cultivate cannabis that has any sort of intoxicating taste (or smell) this step in the process is insanely crucial. So, don’t forget it!

One day, you’ll notice that the buds are starting to take on a bit of crispy exterior. You’ll know you’re ready to move on in the process the second you can bend the smallest branches. This typically occurs within a week or two of the drying process.

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If your buds have acquired that aforementioned list of characteristics, you can move on to the final step. In which, you’ll start off by carefully manicuring your flowers from their steadfast branches. Then you’ll take those bad boys and place them into a trusted, airtight container for the time being. Don’t stuff the buds in there, you’ll want to allow them to loosely sit atop one another during this process.

At this point, you’ll want to secure the lid on the container(s), and be sure to store them in a nice, dark, cool area. This atmosphere change will help those crunchy buds regain their inner moisture, and their once-tough exteriors will start to pillow back into dankness in a matter of a day or so.

Sadly, however, if that doesn’t occur – that’s often a telltale sign of over-drying. But, if you’re all good to go, that means you’ve done a killer job!

The last step in this final portion of the curing process requires you to periodically open the container(s) every now and then to allow the buds within to get some fresh air circulating throughout. But only keep it open for a handful of minutes at a time. Keep this going during the first week. After that, if everything is smelling and looking up to par, you only need to open up the container(s) once a day, every few days.

Finally, after 3 weeks in containers, your bud will be ready to smoke. But, if you’ve got it in you, I suggest waiting for anywhere between 4-8 weeks, to really see what your bud is capable of. That being said, I completely understand if you are far too eager to pack those homemade creations into a bowl as soon as possible.

This is one of the most pivotal parts of the entire cannabis growing process.

It is responsible for putting the finishing touches on your plant, but for one reason or another, people tend to rush through the curing and drying portion, without giving it the proper amount of respect that it deserves.

But, if you practice patience, and make all the right moves, your buds are going to turn into some of the strongest ganja in town, no doubt about it.



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