I harvested indoor soil Blue Dream 19 days ago at day 65, trimmed it, and hung it to dry at about 55% humidity. 4 days later, the stems were snapping, so I put it in a paper bag, trimmed down further but still on stems. Within a couple of days, the moisture re-balanced in the bud and the stems wouldn't snap anymore, just bending and almost snapping. I let it stay in the paper bag for 10 days, after which there seemed to be no change in the moisture level. The stems continued to be right on the verge of snapping but still bendable. Because of the setup, the bud had to go into mason jars at that point and moved, where it has been for the last 6 days. I've been opening the jars and removing the bud for a few minutes on a daily basis, then returning them to a cool, dark storage area, but there still seems to be no change in the moisture level. At what point should the stems begin to snap again (or should they)? The bud is in a new location and I don't have the option to take it out of the jars except for a few minutes at a time; I also can't go back to paper bag storage because of the smell and the new location. The buds are still on the stems, just cut down enough to fit in the jars. 2 oz of bud are split into 2 different quart mason jars. Should the bud be drier? It has a really nice aroma already and smokes very well, but it's a little soft. I was thinking perhaps sticking a paper towel filled with rice in the jars to absorb the moisture (restaurants use rice in salt shakers to absorb moisture and keep the salt from clumping) for a short time, like maybe 24 hours, then removing the rice so as not to overdry it or dry it too quickly, then repeating the process in a few days. Any thoughts? I'm not trying to rush a cure or take unnecessary shortcuts, but I have to work with the space I have right now, and I really want to make the most out of this bud. Thanks in advance for any advice.
4 days after what? How long did you have them hanging to dry? Should have been at least a week and a half, if it was 4 days that is not close to enough. The paper bag period should not be longer than the drying period. Keeping them on the stems and not trimming them up properly is keeping them moist now. Trim them, lay them out for a few hours to get some of the moisture off, then put them in the paper bag for a day if you can, then back in the jars, opening them frequently.
I thought I had trimmed it correctly... When I harvested the plant, I removed all fan leaves and then manicured the small leaves. I left the buds on the stems because I was told that it would give it a better cure. I cut the plant into a few subsections for space reasons and hung those sections to dry, with the humidity of the room measuring around 55%. On the fourth day after harvesting, trimming, and hanging it to dry, all of the stems were clearly snapping without any bending. I had read that drying would take 5-10 days and the test was the snap test. That's why I put it in a paper bag at that point, where I let it sit for 10 days, at which point the bud had to be moved to a different location and stored in jars. Is there a better test than the snap test to know when it's ready to go into a bag and/or a jar?
Sounds like you trimmed them ok, they do dry a bit faster if you cut the plant up in sections, but slower if they are still on the stem. In any case, 4 days wasn't close to enough because they are still wet three weeks later. Try at least 1.5 weeks next time.
[quote name='"usedtocare"']Sounds like you trimmed them ok, they do dry a bit faster if you cut the plant up in sections, but slower if they are still on the stem. In any case, 4 days wasn't close to enough because they are still wet three weeks later. Try at least 1.5 weeks next time.[/quote] Buddy if you Hung dried any bud for 14 days you would not beable to cure it at that point its to dry
[quote name='"michael015"'] Buddy if you Hung dried any bud for 14 days you would not beable to cure it at that point its to dry[/quote] How many days do u recommend to hang? Paper bag? Then jar?
It depends on the temperature of the room. If you slow dry at 65 to 68 degrees in the basement, it takes close to two weeks, but it is like curing the buds because the buds keep drawing moisture from the branches as they dry. If you dry for two weeks at 75 degrees you will overdry them, they may be dry enough in a week (depending on the humidity of your area too). IMO the extra week is worth the wait for better flavor and more resin. After you trim the leaves off the buds, there are moist on the outside, so a couple days in a paper bag will dry them on the outside. At this point they should be smokeable but you should put them in mason jars to cure them for at least a week, preferably two, opening the jar a couple of times a day, which you probably will anyway to be taking out buds to smoke.
[quote name='"usedtocare"']It depends on the temperature of the room. If you slow dry at 65 to 68 degrees in the basement, it takes close to two weeks, but it is like curing the buds because the buds keep drawing moisture from the branches as they dry. If you dry for two weeks at 75 degrees you will overdry them, they may be dry enough in a week (depending on the humidity of your area too). IMO the extra week is worth the wait for better flavor and more resin. After you trim the leaves off the buds, there are moist on the outside, so a couple days in a paper bag will dry them on the outside. At this point they should be smokeable but you should put them in mason jars to cure them for at least a week, preferably two, opening the jar a couple of times a day, which you probably will anyway to be taking out buds to smoke.[/quote] Awesome, thanks!