"While there are variables that make it difficult to control the drying time, we can easily control the cure time. I never dry for more than three days. Doing so is counter-productive to a good cure. After 3 days, I jar them, each half gallon jar contains buds still on the stems, and a hygrometer. I don't leave much airspace at the top, and that is for a reason. The buds are in varying shapes and sizes and in order to get a controlled cure, we have to sweat the buds once to get everything even. We do that by jarring up the goods after 3 days dry time, whether all the buds feel dry or not. I leave the jars closed up tight for about 3-4 hours, and then I place them in my collapsible net dryer for just 10-12 hours. In this short time, the outsides will crisp up again, quickly. Don't waste too much time getting them back into the jars. At this point, the hygrometers should be reading just under 70% humidity.. and holding steady. If one goes over 70%, empty that jar onto some newspaper and let it sit out for 6 hours and then jar it back up for 6 hours. Eventually, it should drop below 70% and stay there. Now is the time to sweat it out, slowly. Once we get the weed down below 70%, we have greatly reduced the chance of mold or mildew and can begin the slow, drawn out cure to improve flavor, THC levels and allow the terpenoid oils to develop that wonderful aroma that drives us all wild with passion. I allow my jars to breathe for about 15 minutes a day, twice a day, as long as the RH is below 70% but above 65%. My goal now is to take about 3-4 days to get my weed to 65% relative humidity when jarred. At 65%, the chance for mold is almost non-existent, and we can start to skip a day between burping the jars. At 65 - 60%, I burp for about 2-3 minutes, once every other day. When you get to 60% RH in the jars, you are nearing long term storage ability. The goal now is to take your time getting the RH to 55%. At 55%, we want to stop burping the jars and consider a longer term storage that is cool and dark. At the 60% - 55% range, i burp once a week, for maybe 5 minutes. Now I never neglect to check the jars several times a day for mold at first, even when I am not burping. I also cut the buds from the stem after the RH is steady and just below 70% and re-jar, leaving about 20% air space at the top. I also gently shake the jars to move the bud around, and use a chop stick if I have to to break up clingers. This is how I do it. I learned this method, right here on RIU. It is a simple to follow recipe that takes all the BS out of drying and curing. It doesn't matter if you have a high humidity or a low one, everyone can do this. Regardless of how the bud feels at 3 days of hanging, pull it and jar it. As long as you have hygrometers, you won't fail.... the ones pictured below were only $4 on eBay. Some may wish to spend more for a more reliable one, but these can be adjusted from the back to match your trusted analog or digital meter as well. Every new grower should use these until they have mastered curing. even some masters, including those working in tobacco, still use them." ---------------------- This method is particularly effective for folks who are starting out, those looking to maximize quality in a shorter period of time, and folks who's like to produce a connoisseur-quality product each and every time with no guesswork involved. It's a very simple and effective process: Cut the product, trim it per your preference, but don't dry it until the stems snap. Take it down while the stems still have some flex, but the product feel dry on the outside. This is a perfect opportunity to drop the dry-feeling flowers onto a screen and collect prime-quality kief that would otherwise get lost in the jar. Jar the product, along with a Caliber III hygrometer. One can be had on Ebay for ~$20. Having tested a number of hygrometers - digital and analog - this model in particular produced consistent, accurate results. Then, watch the readings: +70% RH - too wet, needs to sit outside the jar to dry for 12-24 hours, depending. 65-70% RH - the product is almost in the cure zone, if you will. It can be slowly brought to optimum RH by opening the lid for 2-4 hours. 60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing. (62% You're good to go! No need to keep burping the jars. Just let them sit there and perhaps open the jars once a week to check on the development of the cure.) 55-60% RH - at this point it can be stored for an extended period (3 months or more) without worrying about mold. The product will continue to cure. Below 55% RH - the RH is too low for the curing process to take place. The product starts to feel brittle. Once you've hit this point, nothing will make it better. Adding moisture won't restart the curing process; it will just make the product wet. If you measure a RH below 55% don't panic. Read below: Obviously, the product need time to sweat in the jar. As such, accurate readings won't be seen for ~24 hours, assuming the flowers are in the optimal cure zone. If you're curing the product for long-term storage, give the flowers 4-5 days for an accurate reading. If the product is sill very wet, a +70% RH reading will show within hours. If you see the RH rising ~1% per hour, keep a close eye on the product, as it's likely too moist. ----------------------- "For smoking ~60% or a hair more is great. In terms on bag appeal, ~65% will deliver a sticky product. Much depends on one's expectations. The flowers will be curing, regardless." "It's important to note that the product should remain at a constant RH for ~5 days. Even then, if the flowers were brought down to that RH relatively quickly - say, 1 week vs 3 weeks - one should err on the side of caution and bring the RH down to the lower side of the scale - ~55-57%. OTOH, if the flowers' RH was brought down relatively slowly, it can be stored at ~60% RH." ---------------------- Quote: Originally Posted by View Post I just finished drying a fresh crop for about 5 days and just threw it in a jar with a hygrometer. It started out at 50% and after about 2 hours it's now at 55%. You said that if it raises more than 1% per hour then it's probably too moist, but you also said that if it is too moist (above 70%) it will get there within a few hours, so I'm a little confused about that. Reaching ~70% within matter of hours typically takes place when the product is jarred very early. When the product gains RH at a rate similar to yours, it's definitely has a little way to go. It's not a problem. I'd suggest watching its RH for the next few hours and emptying the flowers on a rack overnight when their RH reaches 65-70%, or even a little higher if you have the time. If you can't wait that long, leave the jar open with the hygrometer inside and check it in the morning. Touch the flowers, as well, to gauge their moisture. This is a good opportunity to bring down the RH slowly and guarantee a great cure. Quote: Also, since it takes about 24 hours to get a decent reading, is there a risk of getting mold during those first 24 hours if the product is indeed too moist still? You're not at the point where you have to monitor the RH for that long. Once you have the RH at a curing point and you don't see it rising relatively quickly, then you'll need at least 24 hours for an accurate reading. ------------------- "Once the RH inside the jar is stabilized to a desired level, say 65%, you won't have to open the container at all. Perhaps, very infrequently. Assuming the product consists of a combination of smaller and larger colas, the flowers will gain a slight bit of moisture. At the same time, the container will release air - as few are perfectly airtight - maintaining the desired RH and even decreasing it over time." ------------------ Hi Simon, One question, my jars are in the cure zone 60~65% RH. Should I open them to give them fresh air or leave them alone? I'd leave them alone and keep on eye on the RH. If it keeps rising, even slightly, open the jars for about a half hour. If the RH remains constant, open the jars to take a whiff once a week. ----------------- How long do you have to keep the things in the jars to get an accurate reading? 24 hours. However, if the humidity is going up 1% per hour or more, chances are it's too high. If the humidity is really high (i.e. mold territory) you'll be reading 70% or higher within four hours. ----------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Hydroponics Flora Series Feeding Strategy - Lucas Formula G-M-B (Grow-Micro-Bloom) 0-5-10 - For Vegetative cycle (18/6) 0-8-16 - For Flowering cycle (12/12) Micro first (stir up good), then bloom (stir up good)...then ph adjust. The numbers above indicate the number of milliliters (ml) of Flora Grow, Micro or Bloom formulas that I use in one gallon (US Liquid) of nutrients. You will notice I don't use any of the Flora “Grow” formula, do not need to, the Flora "Micro" provides plenty of Nitrogen. There are two ways to work with this formula: 1. Top off the reservoir daily using a pH corrected water solution as required to maintain full reservoir level. After adding back an amount of water equal to the amount of your reservoir capacity you should change the reservoir and put in fresh solution. 2. Top off the reservoir daily using a pH corrected 100% strength nutrient solution as required to maintain full reservoir level. Continue to use this nutrient solution without dumping the tank unless the PPM rises above acceptable levels. Between vegetative and flowering cycles you should dump your nutrients, then flush (possibly with Clearex) to remove salt buildups, then change to the other feeding program. Always shake your GH nutrient bottles before using them! For young plants, just transplanted into the hydro setup, give them 50% strength nutrient mix to prevent overfeeding them while their young. Gradually bring up the mix to full strength as they grow over the next few weeks or so. The lucas formula is normally intended for use with RO or near 0 PPM water. NOTE: The Lucas formula eliminates the need for Epsom salts to correct (Magnesium) Mg deficiencies in most normal feeding programs recommended by manufacturers. Cannabis needs a lot of Magnesium to thrive. The Flora Micro is providing the Nitrogen and the Magnesium in the proper balance, thus there is no need for the Grow formula and little or no room under the maximum acceptable ppm limit of 1600 @ 0.7 conversion. Calculated EC/TDS levels: EC microsiemen: 0-4-8: 946 µS 0-5-10: 1184 µS 0-8-16: 1894 µS TDS @ 0.5 conversion: 0-4-8 = 473 ppm 0-5-10 = 592 ppm 0-8-16 = 947 ppm TDS @ 0.7 conversion: 0-4-8 = 663 ppm 0-5-10 = 829 ppm 0-8-16 = 1326 ppm Addback Calculator - A few things though to make sure all is well, allow the TDS to drop at least 200 ppm before adding back and top the rez off with fresh water BEFORE taking a ppm reading, then do the addback formula. Say you were running the 0-8-16 formula, at 0.7 conversion with a 22 gallon res. When you first fill it up, your ppm will be around 1330. Now you have been growing for a week, and some of the water has been taken up by the plants, some has evaporated, and now your res is at 947 ppm. You need to get your ppm from 947 to 1330. Here is the equation: ((target - current) / target) * 8 ml per gallon * res gallons = Flora Micro (ml) double this figure to get Flora Bloom (ml) Example: ((1330 - 947) / 1330) * 8 * 22 (383 / 1330) * 8 * 22 0.3 * 8 * 22 = 53 ml Flora Micro 53 ml Flora Micro, double that and you get 106 ml Flora Bloom. So 53 ml Flora Micro and 106 ml Flora Bloom to add back to your 22 gallon res to get you from 947 to 1330. "The most primary concern is to achieve the TDS increase, while staying within pH range... adding nutes lowers pH, so sometimes one can avoid pH adjusting, by adding more or less nutes adding water raises pH, so dont adjust a reservoir, until it is topped up with water and nutes" http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-growing-techniques/613139-lucas-formula-2-0-how-maximize-lucas-formula.html http://forum.grasscity.com/do-yourself/121335-lets-build-bubble-bucket-*step-step*.html http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/2-uniseal-bulkhead-alternative.html