I am a new member and am looking forward to learning new things and growing something new here! I have had a farm and an online seed business for years and have grown, harvested and dried all my own herbs, teas and seeds...so I understand the current drying technique - hanging the entire pod stem to dry. That said, can anyone tell me if this would work: Cut off the mature buds, chop up and spread out thin to dry on a screen in the shade, then cure in jars. Would this not prevent moulding or would it dry too fast? Maybe keep a good watch on it so it doesn't get over crispy? When I dry things like his, I constantly stir them around with my hand whenever I walk by, more than once a day. Do the drying stems shrink enough when hanging to fall out of the holder on the closehanger? (I've lost a lot of stem hung herbs that way, and tobacco too but will try it with the mj since I have cats...) Maybe I will try both methods and judge which works best. I am deathly afraid of mold, a real problem drying indoors, even with a small fan. I know the screen drying will be faster, just not sure it will produce a better product. Does anyone know? Best guess, advice? I have used one thin layer of curtain sheers on a screen to dry things that have such small pieces that waste fall through the screening. It would be worth doing for something as valuable as mj. Has anyone tried a food dehydrator for dryng just the buds? Another question: If you cut off all the mature buds, can the plant be kept growing to produce another crop of buds after a rest (grown indoors) or is it better to start over with a new cutting?
i have read in marijuana books that food dehydrators, microwaves, and the surfaces or radiators have been used to quickly dry buds, but it almost always sacrifices some taste/bud quality by doing so. From what ive read the RH (relative humidity) plays the biggest role in mold propagation. If you can control that, it should help greatly.
Cut and tie the green twist ties around stem tightly and hang from string line. I hung 8 colas in a big screen tv box with many holes in it and fan in closet. It came out very dry, too dry I thought. However, after 6 days in jar the moisture has come out from centers and the smell when just one jar is opened fills 900 sqft of dank herb smell fast, so be warned! Stirring over a screen would seem to be knocking trichs off, you dont want that! So, try rumpleforeskins stickey. I did, sans the paper bags and it is curing oh so nicely. No mold but very dry where i live in winter. Good Luck