How to Cure Marijuana - Step-By-Step Tutorial
by Nebula Haze

Beautiful White Widow nug is taken out of her curing jar for a pictureHarvest time!

Your buds are ready for harvest, yet your job as a grower is not quite over yet.

(When do I harvest?)

Before you use your freshly harvested buds, you must prepare your buds with a process known as curing, which involves drying your buds slowly in a controlled environment.

Growers cure buds for many reasons. If you started with great genetics and you’ve taken care of your marijuana plants properly during their life, than curing is what will make the difference between "just okay" and trophy-worthy buds.

A big part of why buds from medical marijuana dispensaries or cannabis cups often seem so special is they have been expertly cured. People who have never experienced buds prepared this way will often be amazed by the smooth, pleasant experience of slow cured buds.

Additional Tips & Tricks for Drying/Curing Perfectly Every Time



Why Do Growers Cure Buds After Harvest?

Here’s what drying and curing properly does for you...

Breaks down chlorophyll and dramatically improves taste of buds

Gets rid of the unpleasant “fresh hay” or “cut grass” smell which is common on newly harvested buds

Brings out the subtle flavors and unique smell of your cannabis strain

Reduces “harshness” in buds; you’re less likely to start coughing or get a headache

Buds are less likely to cause anxiety, racing thoughts, or paranoia

Reduces the chance of mold growing on your buds

Curing seems to actually increase potency! Read on to learn more...

In most cases, a proper cure will change the subjective effects of buds. There is something that happens during a slow curing process which changes the exact composition of cannabinoids and terpenoids. This changes how buds make you feel.

Don’t believe me? Try smoking buds directly off the plant vs smoking those same buds after they’ve been dried/cured.

Many growers feel that drying buds slowly and proper curing will actually make buds more potent up to a point. Growers also report that properly cured buds are much more pleasant to smoke, vaporize, or turn into edibles. This is likely due to how cannabinoids and terpenoids are altered during the curing process.

So now you may be wondering...

How do you dry your buds slowly?

How do you know how long to dry your buds for?

How do you cure buds perfectly every time, without leaving anything to chance?

Get the answers right here!

Note: This article covers the tried-and-true steps for traditional curing. This is the most used and well-studied way to cure your buds. However, there are other possible methods including water curing.

Curing Marijuana: Overview

Curing begins as soon as you cut down your plant.

An important part of the curing process happens during the first few days, as you begin drying your buds. During this initial drying phase, the main goal is to let your buds dry out relatively slowly (usually 4-10 days) while protecting buds against mold.

A slow drying process (along with smart curing practices) gives you the best benefits. Any time you “speed dry” your freshly harvested buds, you’re losing many of the benefits of curing. However, even overdried buds can be improved somewhat by curing.

Here's an overview of the process. Keep scrolling down for complete instructions...How to cure marijuana overview - cheat sheet

Note: Right after you harvest your plant, it's important to dry your buds slowly, over a couple of days to a week or more.

This is why buds which are dried in a dehydrator, via dry ice, or in a microwave taste terrible, smell even worse, and often leave you with a migraine or paranoia. When you quick-dry your buds, you are completely skipping over the most important part of the curing process.

Once you remove all moisture from the buds, curing slows down dramatically, or may even come mostlyto a halt. Overdried buds will cure, but it takes longer.

Re-Hydrating Overdried Buds

If you've only got household items, trying to re-hydrate buds afterwards is risky and probably not a good idea. Re-hydration increases the risk of mold, especially if using something organic, like an orange peel, do do the re-hydrating.

Boveda Humidipaks

However, there are specific products made for cannabis that can help re-hydrate buds to reduce the brittleness of over-dried buds, mainly Boveda Humidipaks (62% version) which can be placed in curing jars to bring the humidity back up to 62%.

If you're still in the early curing process, I recommend removing the Humidipaks once the buds are re-hydrated. While Humidipaks are good for long-term storage, some growers believe that they can hinder the curing process during the first few weeks, or at least reduce the taste/smell benefits. It hasn't been proven either way, but just in case I think it's a good idea to avoid having Humidipaks in your jars during the first 4 weeks of curing, except as an emergency way to re-hydrate your buds.

Now I will walk you through a step-by-step process so you can produce a professional cure every time, with no guesswork involved.

This method will work for you even if you’re just starting out and have never cured buds before. No matter what previous experience you have curing buds, this will show you how to ensure they come out connoisseur-quality every time.


How to Perfectly Cure Your Marijuana Every Time

What you need:

Wide mouthed mason jars - 1 quart size

Drying rack (optional) or string and creativity - I actually prefer not to use a drying rack unless there's high humidity or a lot of buds to be dried in a small space (otherwise a drying rack can dry buds too quickly).

Hygrometer (optional) - I like the Caliber III Hygrometer because it easily fits inside quart mason jars

Humidipaks (optional) - Boveda Medium 62% packs are cheap and specifically formulated for storing cannabis so it does not dry out or get crispy

Wide-Mouth Mason Jars - Quart size

Drying racks are a convenient way to dry your cannabis with less worry about mold Caliber III Hygrometer will easily fit inside your 1-quart mason jars "Boveda 62" Humidipaks - forumalated for curing and storing cannabis

Step 1: Cut down your plant

Some growers cut the plant down at the base and hang the whole plant upside down to dry. Others will cut off branches and hang them to dry. Still others will cut off individual buds so they can lay them out and dry them on a mesh screen or rack.

How should you cut down your plant?

As a general rule, if you live in a very dry area (relative humidity is less than 30%), then you want to leave buds on branches, if possible, so buds dry more slowly.

If you live in a very humid area (relative humidity is greater than 60%), then you may want to trim as much away from your buds as possible, so the drying process happens more quickly.

I personally cut down branches one at a time. Here’s a plant that is halfway through being harvested.

Harvest time! Continue chopping down parts of the plant until all the branches are harvested

Step 2: Trim away extra leaves

Before you start drying your buds, most growers will trim away extra leaves.

At the very least, you should trim away all your big fan leaves, though many growers also trim down the little leaves that grow on the buds.

This improves the appearance of your buds, and will provide a smoother experience. Too much leafy matter can make buds more harsh.

Trimming your marijuana buds - before and after

The amount of leaves you trim off is due to personal preference. However, like the last step, you want to leave more if you live in a very dry area. You want to cut off as much as you can if your area is humid, to help speed up the drying process and prevent mold.

I recommend trimming your buds while wearing disposable gloves, to prevent your hands from getting covered in sticky resin.

You may want to save your trim. These extra leaves are not good to smoke by themselves, but after being dried, the trim can be processed to make marijuana butter or other cannabis extracts.

Learn how to make cannabis extracts

Step 3: Begin the slow drying process

Drying marijuana buds on stringThere are many ways to dry your buds.

Hanging buds upside down to dry is considered the "standard" way of drying. You can get creative when coming up with ways to hang plants upside down.

You can dry buds by hanging them upside down from clothes hangers, string, almost anything you can think of. You can even hang the entire plant upside down. Personally, I prefer to hang buds upside down for the drying process.

The following picture shows how I dried the buds from my very first harvest. I took random branches and found a way to drap them over hangers. I then lined up all the hangers in a closet. My first buds were on the small side, but I was so proud

Nebula hanging buds from her very first harvest back in 2004

However, you can dry your buds via many different ways.

These mesh drying racks are great for drying your newly harvested budsSome growers place their freshly harvested buds on a drying rack as pictured to the right.

A drying rack will dry your buds faster than most of the other methods because the stems are removed from the buds (and the stems contain a bit of water). Using a drying rack is the preferred drying method if you live in a humid area where mold is a problem, if you're drying a lot of buds in a relatively small space, or if you have huge colas or buds that you're worried might mold.

Some growers dry their buds in paper bags or even by laying them out on cardboard.

Remember, if you’re laying your buds on something flat like cardboard, it can create wet spots, and will leave an imprint on the sides of your buds where they touched the flat surface.

If buds are creating wet spots, you may need to rotate them every few hours so they dry more evenly. This is one of the reasons I prefer to use a drying rack or hanging buds.

Cannabis buds hanging to dry after harvestIf buds start to seem wet/soggy, or if you live in a very humid environment, you may need to use a small fan to create extra airflow in the drying area to prevent buds from getting too wet and causing mold. However, be careful of drying buds too fast with a fan! You should avoid using a fan unless it's absolutely necessary because it can easily overdry buds. I've overdried an entire harvest by adding a fan before, so use with caution!

For those who live in extremely humid areas (where the high humidity in the air is preventing buds from drying even with a fan), there are more resources at the bottom of this article on how to dry out your buds properly. Learn how one grower was able to dry his buds even with 85-95% relative humidity in his area.

The most important aspect of the drying process is to dry them slowly, and in such a way that it’s easy for you to check on them regularly. So don't hide them in the back of a closet that's hard for you to get to. You need to be able to check on your buds every day, and more often is possible (especially during your first few harvests, until you know how buds dry in your personal environment).

Step 4: Continue drying until outsides of buds feel dry to the touch, and smaller stems snap instead of bend, usually 4-10 days

If buds are dry sooner than 4 days, it may mean you've dried your buds a little too fast, but that's okay! Live and learn for next time. Even if buds have been overdried, they still benefit from the curing process, but it will take longer than normal for buds to be fully "cured."

When to jar buds?

Your buds are ready to be placed in jars when the outsides of all the buds are completely dry to the touch, but not brittle. With drying methods where the buds have been removed from the stems, it's important to jar buds as soon as the outsides feel dry to the touch, before the buds dry all the way through.

I personally think it's easiest to know when to pull buds down if you're hanging your buds upside down to dry. At some point, some of the very smallest stems will snap when you try to bend them, while the thicker stems still have flex when you try to bend them in half. This is the perfect time to pull down your buds and jar them.

Even though the buds feel dry on the outside, there is still moisture in the middle, which is what is causing the stems to bend instead of snap.

This is ideal because you can slowly draw out the moisture from the middle of the buds, which allows the curing process to continue.

As long as the outside of your buds feel dry to the touch, it is unlikely for mold to grow. Mold generally grows where the outsides of your buds feel moist or damp to the touch.

Some growers choose to sample some of their buds at this point, but be aware that the smell, taste, and potency are not even close to optimal yet. Buds that haven't been cured are also usually harsh, and tend to bother the back of your throat at this point. Bud don't worry, your bud quality improve as you cure the buds and help break down some of the "bad stuff" that you don't want in your buds.

Step 5: Place your buds in jars

From this point, your goal is to store your buds in a controlled environment. You want to stabilize the relative humidity at around 60-65% when the buds are placed in an enclosed container. This is the correct environment to cure your marijuana buds to perfection. If you've taken your buds down when the smallest stems snap, but the larger ones bend, then chances are your buds will already create the perfect humidity when they're in the jars.

But for everyone else, here's how to jar your buds the right way every time, without any guesswork on your part.

Wide-mouthed mason jars are perfect for curing marijuana budsThe ideal storage containers for marijuana buds are wide-mouthed glass mason jars. These can be found pretty easily at big grocery stores, most craft stores, online, and at superstores (like Wal-mart). As cannabis cultivation has become more popular, these jars are appearing in more and more stores.

You want mason jars that hold 1 quart (labeled "Quart jars"). Each of these jars will hold about an ounce of dried buds (usually about 0.75-1.25 ounces of bud will fit in one jar, but it can be more or less depending on the consistency of your buds).

One-quart glass mason jars have proven to be a great size for proper curing. Bigger jars are more likely to encourage mold - I've learned this one from experience Other types of jars don't seal the right way, and buds usually won't cure. For example, the type of jars that have a rubber seal don't seem to cure buds for me. I always use quart-sized glass mason jars, and you'll see that the majority of growers do the same.

You want to fill each jar 75-85% full of buds, so there’s still a bit of air at the top. If you shake the jars, you want the buds to be able to move around.

Marijuana buds curing in mason jars

If buds are sticking together in clumps when you try to shake the jar, it means they still have too much moisture and need to be dried further. Just like when buds are too dry, when buds are too wet they slow down the curing process, but it's even worse because it can cause mold. Never let buds sit in jars if they feel wet, or even moist on the outside!

If you notice that any buds feel damp or moist, do not store them in the jars yet! Allow those buds to continue drying slowly until they start to feel dry on the outside before putting them in jars.



Step 6: Curing (first few weeks): Open all jars regularly to inspect and air out buds

During the first few days, you may want to check even more often than once/day, especially if you are worried about mold or too much moisture.

It’s important that you’re checking on your buds at least every 24 hours during the beginning stages, as described below. In addition to checking on your buds, it's also important to open the jars once a day, because buds need fresh air as part of the curing process.

For the impatient, this also gives you the opportunity to “try out” your new buds and see how they improve during the curing process

As mentioned already, the trick to a great marijuana cure is controlling the humidity of the environment. Ideally, you would like to keep your buds stored in an enclosed container with about 60-65%% relative humidity. This is the perfect amount of moist and dry to get the fastest and best curing process.

To be able to get a reading on your current humidity levels (so you can make sure they’re perfect every time), you may want to invest in a tool called a hygrometer.

I like the Caliber III hygrometer, which is small enough to fit in your curing jars and can be found online for cheap. A hygrometer is more of a luxury than a necessity, though it will take out a lot of the guesswork.

As you can see in this pic, the Caliber III hygrometers display both the temperature and the relative humidity in each curing jar. (click for a closer look)

Marijuana buds curing with Hygrometer III hydrometers

Use a hygrometer for pro cannabis curing results, as it will allow you to determine exactly where you are in the curing process and spot possible humidity problems before they affect your buds. Even if you only have one, you can put it in different jars during your daily check to get an idea of the RH (relative humidity) in your jars.

Buds need some amount of time “to sweat” in the jar before you can get an accurate reading of how much moisture is really in the jars. Sometime buds which seemed dry when you put them in will feel damp and soggy when you check them a few hours later. This is because the moisture that was contained in the middle has spread out to the rest of the buds, and it means the buds need to be dried further.

A hygrometer will let you measure the relative humidity within your curing jars most precisely, but I was able to do this process for years without any extra tools just by following the general guidelines below for how buds should look/feel.

For the first week, you want to air out your jars for a few moments at least once a day. Just open all the jars and close them again once a day. While the jars are open, check on buds to determine the current humidity levels. You may also take this time to shake the jars and move buds around, to ensure there are no moist spots, and buds aren't sticking together in clumps.

This is what you're checking for every time you open your jars.

What to do when buds feel wet while curing

Buds feel wet - Wet buds need to be placed outside the jar to dry for another 12-24 hours. Moist buds should not be touching each other! It is very important you react quickly if buds feel damp to the touch, as this is the most likely time for mold to grow.

> 70% humidity - When buds are too wet, your hygrometer will read greater than 70% relative humidity after buds are in jars with hygrometer for 24 hours. If buds are very wet, you may see the humidity climb up this high within just a couple of hours. If you see the humidity rising on your hygrometer at a rate of 1% per hour or more, you may want open the jars early, or at least keep a close eye, as your buds are probably too moist.

What to do when buds feel moist during curing

Buds feel moist - If you shake the jar at this point, you may notice that some of your buds are still sticking together. You’re almost there, but buds are still a little too damp and you’re at risk for mold. If you live in a normal to dry climate, you may be able to get away with just leaving the top off the jars for 1-4 hours. If you live in a humid climate, you may have to take the buds out of the jars and lay them out until the outsides begin to feel dry again.

65-70% humidity - When buds are slightly moist, your hygrometer will read 65-70% relative humidity after buds are in jars with hygrometer for 24 hours.

What to do when buds feel sticky while curing

Buds are not wet, but also not brittle - You’re in the cure zone! Your buds may feel a bit sticky to your fingers. Buds should move independently and not clump together in big bunches when you shake the jars.

60-65% humidity - When buds are in the cure zone, your hygrometer will read 60-65% relative humidity after buds are in jars with hygrometer for 24 hours.

What to do when buds feel too dry during curing

Buds are too dry - Buds feel brittle and crumbly. At this point, there is not enough moisture in the jars for the curing process to continue at a normal pace, and buds tend to cure much more slowly.

If you’ve been watching buds closely from the beginning, it is unlikely that buds will become over dry. However, if you have over-dried buds, one safe option to at least reduce the brittleness (freshen them up) is to add 62% Humidipaks to your jars. These will help slowly infuse moisture back into your buds and won’t affect the taste or increase the chances of mold. Once the buds have been re-hydrated, remove the Humidipak. They should only be left in your jars during long-term storage, because some growers have reported that leaving Humidipaks in jars for the first 4 weeks of curing can reduce the taste/smell of buds.

< 60% humidity - When buds are too dry to continue curing, your hygrometer will read less than 60% relative humidity, even after buds are in jars with hygrometer for 24 hours.

Here's a picture of buds stored with a Humidipak. You simply place the little pouches inside with your buds.



Buds curing with a Humidipak to control humidity

Buds being cured with Boveda Medium 62 HumidipaksHumidipaks are used to regulate the humidity automatically. They originally were invented to keep cigars fresh in humidors, which is how they got their name. I first became aware of Humidipaks from other growers who realized that the environment needed for a humidor is nearly eactly the same as cannabis while it's curing.

When I looked online, I saw that my friends were not the only one who had thought of this. It appears that that many growers have been using Humidipaks to re-hydrate their marijuana buds for years.

In fact, the company that makes Humidipaks has started offering Humidipaks specifically formulated for storing cannabis at the right humidity (as stated on their website). These are the Boveda Medium 62% Humidipaks.

Even when using Humidipaks, it’s important that you follow the rest of the steps outlined in this tutorial to ensure that your cure goes great.

Do you need to get Humidipaks?

No. If you follow all the steps outlined in this article, you will not need Humidipaks. They are not necessary as long as you’re willing to check on your buds often and prevent buds from drying out and getting crispy.

Humidipaks work especially well for long-term storage, after the first several weeks of curing. They don't do very well to prevent the humidity from getting too high in your curing jars, but they DO protect your buds from drying out (humidity getting too low), which is often a big problem for growers.

After several weeks of opening jars once/week, you can consider opening your jars less often.

IMPORTANT: Keep opening all jars at least once/day for first 1-2 weeks of curing

For the first 1-2 weekw, no matter what readings you get, you should continue checking your buds and opening all the jars once a day. Even if buds are too dry, it’s important to air out the buds quickly once a day this this first stage, as they need air to continue the curing process.

Once you are sure buds have entered the cure zone, maybe after 2-3 weeks, you may start opening the jars just once/week.

Step 7: Long term storage

As long as buds remain consistently in the cure zone after several weeks, you can begin to open jars once/month.

Buds will continue to improve from curing for up to 6 months. After 6 months, further curing will not continue to have much effect. At this point you want to prepare the buds for long term storage to maintain their potency for as long as possible.

For long-term storage (months), buds should be kept in air-tight containers (the wide-mouthed mason jars they've been curing in are perfect) and placed in a cool, dark environment.

For serious long-term storage (6 months or more), you may want to consider vacuum sealing your buds.

After a year or more after harvest, buds will tend to produce more of a "mellow" effect, and will look a lot more beige than green, but other than that the effects stay mostly the same as long as buds are stored properly.

Buds should feel dry and have been curing for at least 3 months before any attempt to store them long term. It is better to err on the side of buds being too dry when you’re going to store buds for a long time without checking on them. Even if buds get brittle, they can be "freshened up" later with a Humidipak.

Properly stored buds can retain a lot of their potency for years.

~ 62% humidity - When buds are dry enough for long term storage, your hygrometer will read 62% relative humidity or slightly less. It's important that buds are not wet at all before long-term storage, or they may mold! A great way to make sure buds don't contain extra moisture is to leave your cured buds in unopened jars for a few weeks first, to make sure the humidity reading is completely accurate before your store your buds somewhere you won't be able to easily check.

That’s it! Perfectly cured buds every time!

Read Additional Tips & Tricks for Drying/Curing Perfectly Every Time

Now, you may be interested in...

Case studies on curing marijuana, by real growers:

Curing in Average Humidity (45-55% relative humidity) - by GrnMtnGrwr

Curing in Very Humid Environment (85-95% relative humidity) - by Chits

Why I'll never dry buds in a dehydrator again - by anonymous

I'm in a hurry. Why can't I quick dry buds?

What do I do if buds get too dry too fast?

Buds in jars are getting too moist, what do I do?





Case Study on Curing - Average humidity (45-55%)

by GrnMtnGrwr

Here's how I did it, doing my first dry/cure after reading this technique.

I cut the plants, and trimmed them. All of the drying was done in 45-55% RH and 70-75F. I hung them up in the cabinet I grew them in, lights off, with the ventilation still going. I had some inner air circulation fans during the grow but I turned them off for the dry. They were hanging up for 3-4 days and the outsides of the buds were feeling dried out, but the stems weren't quite snapping yet.

This is when I stripped the buds off the main stem and put them into jars. The humidity eventually rose to 65-72% so I took the tops off and let them sit. They quickly lowered to the ambient RH, around 55%. I then put the lids back on, and I've been doing this for a couple days now, and they're slowly stabilizing. I'm extremely confident this will be a great cure.





Case Study on Curing - Very Humid Environment (85-95%)

by Chits

Presently trying this method and results are very good.

Started drying about a week ago. Finally had it down to 68% (not stable though) in the jars, but was not comfortable with it at that point. Looking for around 62%.

Presently we are into a week+ of damp / rainy weather. Ambient air is high 80 to mid-upper 90% RH. a little high for here, but not unusual.

How to get the jar below ambient was a issue for me. So I came up with a test. Here's what I used:

1 gal. glass jar
1 lb. white rice
1 qt. jar of bud
2 paper lunch bags
In the oven at 250 degrees for 45 min. to a hour with the paper lunch bags and rice. Idea is to dry it out as completely as possible.

Once out of the oven, Place bags and rice in gal. jar (loosely capped) to cool.

Okay, now fairly quickly remove contents from jar. Open 1 bag and add rice. Stand it up in the gal. jar. In other bag pour in the buds and install into bag of rice. Slip a hygrometer between outside bag & glass so you can see it's reading, and seal it all up. May take a bit of persistence to get it right where you want it. But go slow.

While aiming for 62%, when the hygrometer rises to 60% I'll put the bud back into it's cure jar and let stabilize. Repeat if needed. The meter will start out really low (being dry) and will rise as it draws moisture out of the bud. Suggest you try and stay right on top of it because it seems to work faster than I expected.

Starting with 72%, made this routine 2Xs and I'm almost perfectly stable at 63%. I may go 1 more time, but I'll let it sit a day or so before determining that.

This was a spur of the moment idea. Seemed to work for a smaller grow anyways and I'm sure something could be changed or modified to be even better (easier/faster?). This was really flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants as they say. (ie; not very scientific)

Anyways, living in the mold capital of the universe, I had to do something and relatively quickly. Seems to be working fine.

Hope it helps someone else.





Why I'll never dry marijuana with a dehydrator again

by anonymous

Harvested 2 plants, still have 2 plants to harvest, and I just wanted to post about some lessons learned.

The first plant I water cured. - Submersed in distilled H2O for 7 days, changing the water daily, and leaving the top open for evap, stored in a dark place.

I used a dehydrator (on low setting ~85F) after curing to dry half the buds, and I hang dried the other half.

The ones left to hang dry have a much nicer smell to them, and seem to burn slower than the ones I dehydrated for some reason.

The dehydrator leaves a dried-leaf/earthy smell that I don't care for, so I will not be using the dehydrator in the future to dry water cured buds. However, with both batches, I can confirm, you get extremely high from water cured bud, plus the taste is fine, and the smell is diminished. Works great for both vaping and smoking.

The 2nd plant, I am air curing. I hang dried half and used the dehydrator for half. The hang dried looks and smells great, the dehydrated weed - not so much. Has that same dried-leaf/earthy smell that I don't care for. I did not over dry it, it has a humidity of 66% in the jars after 24 hours, and the original smell seems to be slowly coming back, but I'm not sure how things will turn out yet, since I have about 3 weeks left on the cure.

Next time, I will not mess around with the dehydrator for drying, it's just not worth it to me. Plus, I think this dehydrator imparts a plastic-like smell due to the plastic parts in the dehydrator, which is extremely undesirable. Hopefully the cure will remove these smells and I will get the original smell back.

So obviously, for my next 2 plants, I will just hang/slow dry and either water or air cure. Just not a big fan of the dehydrator.

I actually thought using a dehydrator for the drying process would work out OK, but current results are not agreeing.

Cheers.





Why can't I quick dry marijuana buds?

Question: What are the cons of quick-drying marijuana?

I want to make it clear that I intend to cure the buds, that's not the problem. My problem is that I have to move to a new place (where I can't dry them normally) the day after I harvest. I'm thinking about using the dry ice method, where you dump the buds on a bed of chopped-up dry ice in a covered (with holes!) container.

I know a lot of people say it's harsher to dry quickly like this -- but why? Is it because they are also skipping curing? Is there something happening as it dries?

What chemical processes are dependent on water? Chemically, what am I missing out on?

Is a slow dry significantly better than an equivalent cure of quick-dried cannabis?

Alternatively, if moisture is required for some of the chemical conversions, can you just trim them, vacuum seal them in jars, wait a week (or whatever), and then quick dry them?

Answer:

The curing process begins as soon as you cut down the plants. If you remove all moisture from the buds, it completely stops the curing process. Completely dry buds won't cure any further. Trying to re-hydrate buds afterwards will not restart the curing process.

Therefore if buds become too dry too fast, curing stops and you lose the taste/smell/potency benefits of further curing.

I know a lot of people say it's harsher to dry quickly like this -- but why? Is it because they are also skipping curing? Is there something happening as it dries?

The curing process actually begins while you're drying the buds. Drying is just the first part of the curing process and you want to dry your buds as slowly as possible throughout the cure (without mold) for the best results. If you dry buds fast and then try to cure them, it just doesn't work.

Over the years, I've tried many drying and curing methods, and I've sampled buds at all stages of the process. In my experience, it's better to have slow dried buds that weren't put in jars at all than quick dried buds, no matter how long those quick-dried buds have been curing.

I think part of the benefit from slow drying is the controlled breakdown of green chlorophyll (which makes buds taste terrible), and part of it has to do with chemical changes that happen with the cannabinoids and terpenoids when a certain amount of moisture is present.

You may want to look into water curing for your situation. Water cured buds look weird and have reduced weight and smell, but water cured buds do get the other benefits from curing and will provide an smooth experience.

1. What chemical processes are dependent on water? Chemically, what am I missing out on?

Because marijuana is illegal in many places, there have not been many studies on what happens during the curing process. No one is 100% sure on exactly which chemical processes cause all the benefits of curing, but water seems to be vital for the curing process to occur.

In the past, I've dried buds too quickly and tried to "reinvigorate" them with by adding moisture back with Humidipaks. This added a controlled amount of moisture, which made the buds less brittle, but buds never cured even after water was re-introduced.

For some reason the curing process seems to come to a stop once all the moisture is removed from the buds, and is difficult or impossible to restart.

2. Is a slow dry significantly better than an equivalent cure of desiccant-dried cannabis?

Yes. Every time. Even vaping quick dried buds is terrible.

I highly advise against quick drying your buds, ever. I've tried quick-drying many ways in my beginning days when I was too impatient, and buds always taste like utter crap. And they gave me a headache. I've had to throw away ounces of buds because they were worse than nothing.

Don't waste a whole harvest this way! You're much better off harvesting early or late then trying to quick-dry.

Try searching around the net for examples of people who actually quick dry their buds. You'll see they almost unanimously say they regret it.

3. Alternatively, if moisture is required for some of the chemical conversions, can you just trim them, vacuum seal them in jars, wait a week (or whatever), and then quick dry them?

It might work to vacuum seal the buds and then start the regular dry/cure process when you can. Your biggest fear would be mold.

In your situation, I recommend either harvesting your buds a little early or a little late, so you can dry/cure them properly.





What to do if buds get too dry too fast?

Buds drying on a DIY setup

Buds feel brittle and crumbly, even if you leave them in a mason jar for 24 hours. That means that your buds are too dry.

At this point, there is not enough moisture in the jars for the curing process to continue. Adding moisture will probably not restart the curing process. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do as far as curing your buds from this point.

When I’ve over-dried buds, I will generally leave them alone. Trying to re-hydrate them doesn’t do much to continue the actual benefits of proper curing. The most important thing when this happens is to learn from the experience to improve things next time.

One safe option to reduce the brittleness (freshen them up) is to add HumidiPaks to your jars. These will help slowly infuse moisture back into your buds and won’t affect the taste or increase the chance of mold.





Buds in jars are getting too moist, what do I do?

I recently received an email that pretty much summarizes exactly how I felt about drying/curing when I first started growing.

“I’m having trouble with the drying/curing process. I can’t seem to get my buds dry enough, but not too dry, so I can start curing them. I just started drying my very first harvest and yesterday, some of my buds felt so dry that they were starting to get brittle. The stems, on the other hand, were not yet dry enough to snap between my fingers. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I didn’t want to overdry them, so I decided to start curing by putting them into mason jars. Then this morning they feel SUPER moist. It’s like all the moisture that was still in the stems has spread out to the rest of the buds. I’m afraid to dry them more in case they get too dry again, what do I do? Do I just keep them in the mason jars and stir them up regularly to help spread out all the moisture?”

Now if you’re in a situation like this, keep the lid of your curing jar open and you can put your jar of moist buds back into your drying area for about 24 hours. This will keep drying the buds slowly, but won’t dry them out so fast that they get brittle. Keep checking back and put the lid back on when the buds start to feel dry again.

Remember to keep checking your curing buds in case they get moist again. If moisture is allowed to sit in the closed jar, you greatly increase your chances of losing buds to mold. Believe me, there’s nothing worse than losing hard-grown buds to mold from a bad curing job!