Drying your buds is one of the easiest steps in the cultivation process! For many first-time growers, once you make it to this stage, you can relax and feel a sense of accomplishment.
You’ve made it through some of the most difficult steps in the growing process! You’ve germinated your seeds, taken the right steps in the vegetative stage, and found the perfect environment for the flowering stage. Now you have massive buds ready to dry and cure! First and foremost, give yourself a pat on the back. You did a great job! You’ve reached the top of the mountain, and now it’s time to climb down. Sure, there are still some steps you need to take, but let’s go through the drying process and get you squared away!
Drying Vs Curing: What’s The Difference?
Drying involves letting your buds sit in a dry environment. This is to ensure that no moisture remains locked in each nug. If moisture is to remain, it can cause a series of problems like black mold. Once you start seeing black mold, you must remove it ASAP as it can very quickly spread to other parts of your plants. This also makes your plants more smokable. Sure, having “dank” bud means it’s a little sticky, but that comes from the trichomes and not the bud itself.
Curing, on the other hand, comes after the process of drying. This is where you take your already dried bud and place them into your jars! This process takes upwards of 2 weeks and allows your buds to develop their sense of aroma.
How To Best Dry Your Buds
You’ll want to dry your buds evenly. While wet buds do not allow air to move freely in between the leaves, dry buds are easier to smoke. Utilizing a drying rack is one of the best methods. It allows you to flip your buds like hamburgers. Simply make sure that your humidity is low and that you regularly flip the buds so they don’t flatten out on one side.
Simply take the trim, place them on the rack and let them sit in a dry temperature regulated room! It’s that easy
Humidity Level For Drying
While having a higher humidity level was great for developing big sticky buds, the drying process, well, needs to be dryer. The humidity level should be between 35-45% where your previous levels were up near the 60% range. This is to ensure the moisture leaves the plant and provides the perfect airflow!
How Long Does It Take To Dry Cannabis?
There are a number of factors when it comes to how long your drying process will take. For starters, the size of your bud dictates a lot. The bigger the bud the longer it will take. The size of your branches also comes into play. Branches hold the most water in a single plant, so while your buds might be drying, your branches will most definitely not be done if they are large enough. Lastly, the airflow in your tent will dictate the time. Make sure you keep circulating air with your carbon filter so that moisture gets moved out and new fresh dry air enters the tent.
All in all, the process should take anywhere from 7-12 days to fully dry your plants!
How Will I Know My Buds Are Dry?
There is a quick and easy test to see when your buds have fully dried. Simply take a mid-size branch, and bend it. If there is still moisture in the branch, then it will bend. If it’s dry, it’ll be brittle like kindling. A quick snap is all that dictates a wet branch or a dry branch.
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