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    A new approach to Curing

    There have been several great discussions on Drying and Curing lately and I thought I'd share what I recently learned.

    I'm curing a harvest of Bruce Banner right now and this time I decided to get a bit more empirical about the process so I put a hygrometer in each jar and monitored the inside humidity closely. The result was instructive.

    The buds were dried over five days using my normal routine: two days hanging untrimmed on the branch, third day trim all the saggy fan leaves, fourth day trim the buds off the branch and begin drying on a tray with good ventilation, fifth and beyond, stick with the tray until the little stems snap off clean. So five days can become longer depending on the humidity of the room and the nature of the bud.

    After drying they go into quart Ball jars filled half to three quarters full. Pretty standard process, but a close watch of the humidity in the jars drives the next steps. I'm shooting for about 62% RH in the final cure. The dilemma I found with burping is that it can be counter productive depending on the humidity of the outside air versus the humidity you are shooting for in your cure.

    As I understand the curing process, it allows the curing herb to slowly release the humidity in the buds by periodically exchanging fresh air with the humid air in the jars. The problem is that the outside air may be higher in humidity than the target you are shooting for. For example, one of my jars spiked up to 75% RH after drying and being jarred. Probably because I left some of the larger buds on their stems (because they were so pretty!) and the stems still had some residual moisture. Obviously time to burp, but the outside air was 85% RH due to a current rain squall and the result of burping was to spike the sir in the jar up over 80%. Wrong outcome.

    I left the jar sealed to see what would happen but the inside humidity stayed high until the next day when I burped the jar again, for half an hour with the outside air at 60% RH. After that, the inside RH rose again, but only up to 63% where it stabilized.

    So, the moral of this tedious story is that mechanically burping on a schedule may not be the right approach for a perfect cure and that you should consider the environment in which you are opening the jars as a factor.

    My new heuristic (rule of thumb) is to only burp when the inside RH is more than 10% off target, then burp in an environment that pushes the jar towards the target goal. Leave the jars open long enough to approach the target cure zone then seal em up and keep watching.

    I've been following that approach with this cure and after 10 days in the jars everything is stabilizing between 60-63% RH. The bud is already good to the touch, dry but not crumbly, the smell is beautiful and the taste, well, joyous. Going forward I'll only burp them once a week and only in outside air that is close to my target zone.

    I don't know if this approach is correct, but it gave me a definable process and seemed to work. Your mileage may vary, caveat emptor, etc.
    My goal is epicurean quality rather than high yield.
    I'm learning how to create cannabis tinctures and hashish and I almost always use a vaporizer to spare my aging lungs.
    Despite my avatar name I'm generally amenable and helpful. So, if there's a question I'm qualified to answer, hit me up!

    -Grouchy

    #2
    Those colors look fantastic!

    I approach curing the same way, if the humidity in the room is higher than 64% it’s counterproductive to open the jars. As long as it doesn’t get over 68% in the jar I leave the lid on and let the buds stabilize on their own. May take longer but I’m in no hurry 😁

    Comment


    • grouchyoldman
      grouchyoldman commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks for the feedback!

      Your "wet versus dry weight" approach is a nice addition. Dry it down to 25-30% of the wet weight, then break out the jars & hygrometers.

      By the way, those little black hygrometers on Amazon are about three dollars each and the ones I received are both accurate (compared to a calibrated model) and consistent in relation to each other. Cheap enough to sample a batch of jars at once.

    • Catfish22
      Catfish22 commented
      Editing a comment
      10-4 to both of you!

      Thanks for the weight parameters! I won't be as worried about "over running" the target weight.

      I got one of the 75% test kits from Boveda and 11 of 12 of the hygrometers were within 1%. I now have confidence that I'm getting a correct humidity. All temps were either correct or high by 2 degrees F.

      Happy farming! 🙂🌱

    • bboyfromwayback
      bboyfromwayback commented
      Editing a comment
      This isn’t my preferred way but that bud spinner is the berries. You can harvest a big plant in less than an hour. That’s cleanup and everything

    #3
    Last year's harvest time it was way too hot and way too humid, so mine ended up in jars with cheesecloth over the lids in the fridge. Took a couple weeks until they were in the correct range, as a plus, self burping. Negatives...dont have baking soda in the fridge....and expect everything to stink of weed. Lotus Slow Cure, there's plenty of infos out there if you choose to go that route.
    Learned a lot this year. pH and whiteflies are issues that need controlling. Maybe an auto over January.....hmmmm...

    Comment


      #4
      Mine were a little on the dry side. I opened 15 jars then closed them back up, this was during winter. I was getting carpal tunnel symptoms. 6-7 months in jars and they smell divine, not dry at all.
      Soil: Coast of Maine Stonington Blend, perlite; Seedlings: CoM org potting soil
      Indoor: 2 x 5.5 x 8' Closet grow
      Viparspectra XS2000; EnjoYield 220W full spectrum light added during flower
      Various size fabric grow bags
      Cal-Mag & GH Trio if needed; Flower Fuel & molasses during bloom; ReCharge
      4 clip fans. Exhaust into attic is vented to the eaves
      Current grow: DEAD FLOWERS

      "Joker, smoker & midnight toker, I sure don't want to hurt no one"

      Comment


        #5
        In principle, there is a problem with this method: clearly, if it stays too humid both inside and outside the jar, you're going to have problems. I say get a dehumidifier and keep the cure room at around 60% RH.
        Anyone can grow schwag. If you want to grow top shelf bud, study hard: https://www.growweedeasy.com

        Growing since July 21, 2016; pothead since 1967
        2 BCNL Roommate hydroponic grow boxes w/ 400w COB LEDs, Future Harvest nutes
        Grow # 18, Aug. 2023: Anesia Seeds: Imperium X, Future 1, Sleepy Joe, Slurricane

        Comment


        • bboyfromwayback
          bboyfromwayback commented
          Editing a comment
          😂😂😂 Bruce is a stinky one

        • Puglover1
          Puglover1 commented
          Editing a comment
          That's too funny grouchyoldman

        • grouchyoldman
          grouchyoldman commented
          Editing a comment
          Beautiful day on the water, but a dearth of hungry trout. That's why they call it 'Fishing' rather than catching! Mellow afternoon and the RH dropped back to 62% Stinky BB is indeed wafting down the valley. I'm guessing only the Scout Masters will recognize it.

        #6
        I have the opposite problem. I live in a high desert area and have trouble keeping my harvests from drying out too much.

        However, I ran across a product that may be a work around for your situation. Burp lids. I ordered a set, two of the four wouldn't hold a seal. I ordered a replacement set and all four work. They comes with a little simple vacuum pump. I would think you could just withdraw a pump or two, to lower the humidity?

        A Legend...in his own mind - , 48" X 60" X 80" 2-in-1 Grow Tent, Flower light: Vivaspectra P2500 LED. Veg light: Mars Hydro TS600 & Mars Hydro TS1000 LED lights. Nutrients: GH Flora Trio/Calmag coco/perlite, GH PH Down or pure lemon juice, in case PH down isn't available.

        Comment


        • TOKABIGONE
          TOKABIGONE commented
          Editing a comment
          Sir, would those be like the lids on jars I use for kim chi? They have a one way valve but you can hold it open a bit if needed?

        • grouchyoldman
          grouchyoldman commented
          Editing a comment
          Hi BR2K, Humidity too low is a serious problem for sure. But even a bathroom with a cheap humidifier would create a "Lung Room" effect where you could boost your buds with a little drink of the humid.

          I can personally attest that "Burp Lids" do not work for curing. They are designed to release gas from a variety of fermenting processes and that's not what we need. It is easy to imagine but hard to create the device we need for precise curing. Think a big Ball Jar with a top that had two tubes, one to push air into the jar and the other to suck it out. If you had control of what went in and what came out, and even the option to create a vacuum.... well, then Curing would become a science, rather than an art.

          Cheers,

          -Grouchy

        #7
        Growing weed definitely puts a damper, so to speak, on travelling. I haven't left the house for 5 years except to buy toilet paper.
        Anyone can grow schwag. If you want to grow top shelf bud, study hard: https://www.growweedeasy.com

        Growing since July 21, 2016; pothead since 1967
        2 BCNL Roommate hydroponic grow boxes w/ 400w COB LEDs, Future Harvest nutes
        Grow # 18, Aug. 2023: Anesia Seeds: Imperium X, Future 1, Sleepy Joe, Slurricane

        Comment


        • Puglover1
          Puglover1 commented
          Editing a comment
          Really? You could've taught Zoom courses on how to survive the shutdown, lol.

        #8
        grouchyoldman . That was a really interesting report, and as someone who's about to harvest his first grow it's much appreciated.
        Especially on the drying process. I've read up on whether it's better to do a wet trim or a dry trim and been debating the best way forward. But you seem to have come up with a half-decent compromise by starting to trim on 3rd day of drying. If it works for you...
        Thanks,
        Evengrouchyeroldman
        600W LEDs (when growing indoors)
        70% John Innes #3 compost. 15% Perlite. 15% coir
        10 inch (3 gallon) pots


        "I can resist everything, except temptation"
        Oscar Wilde

        Comment


        • grouchyoldman
          grouchyoldman commented
          Editing a comment
          Glad to be of help welshweed, sharing what we learn is the genius of GWE.

          Let us know how your harvest unfolds.

        • welshweed
          welshweed commented
          Editing a comment
          I harvested Pru the purple auto this morning! (much hand-wringing and angst before I took the plunge and chopped her)
          Blodwen the blueberry auto needs another week I reckon.

        • alltatup
          alltatup commented
          Editing a comment
          welshweed I hear that the hand-wringing and angst at harvest actually increases the amount of THC in the buds. ;-}

        #9
        Ha Ha!
        600W LEDs (when growing indoors)
        70% John Innes #3 compost. 15% Perlite. 15% coir
        10 inch (3 gallon) pots


        "I can resist everything, except temptation"
        Oscar Wilde

        Comment


          #10
          I chopped the NL on 1 July and the colas I chose weighed in grams 33.5, 20.4 and 9.5.

          I hung them in my lung room at 75°F & 60% RH. The only circulation is a small fan pointed at a far wall and whatever movement the tent exhaust fans create.
          After 13 hrs they had lost between 35 & 38% of their starting weight.
          However in the following 6 hrs they lost less than 10% of the remaining moisture weight.
          I'll weigh them again tonight and tomorrow morning and see what happens.

          PS buds are still soft, not crinkly feeling. They feel lightly moist but not just trimmed wet.
          2X4X6 Quictent
          1.5x3x5 Gorilla tent
          600w LED (80)
          1000w LED (180)
          2 X Viparspectra P-1000
          2 X 4" fan with carbon filter ducted to unused boiler chimney
          6" battery/usb fans
          Mother Earth 70/30 coco/perlite
          GH trio with Calimagic
          Lung room humidifier
          3 and 5 gal plastic buckets Nebulas coco for autos nute schedule.
          ArmorSi, kelp when needed
          Running at pH 6.0

          Grow 3
          Northern Lights auto
          (Seedsman)
          auto 00 Kush
          (00Seeds)

          Grow 4 8/23
          2x Northern lights auto
          1 auto 00 Kush
          1 Critical photo


          Don't just "grow weed",
          Cultivate a masterpiece.

          Comment


          • grouchyoldman
            grouchyoldman commented
            Editing a comment
            You are on the right track Catfish22, stick with it and let them dry till you can feel the little bud twigs snap. That's a solid signal to toss them into the jars.

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