I have my yield hanging up in my closet, keep door cracked, small fan in there. How do you know when the bud is dry enough to start curing?
I like to hang it until you bend a branch and it breaks, rather than bend in half. It won't break off, but snap and be hanging by the fibrous strands in the stalk. If its not dry enough, you can bend it in half, and it will fold over, but not reveal the fibers.
This is great advice! Thanks for the info as I have always wanted to know when bud is dry enough. Once it is dry, what is the best method to cure and store your bud so that it is the same quality/holding the thc for months and even years if you yield too much and want to store it. I have heard anywhere from storing it in the freezer, vaccum sealing it, keeping it in the refrigerator and even mason jars that are air tight. What have you done in the past for best results?
I store it in mason jars and for the first 2-3 weeks, I "burp" the jars by cracking them open to let fresh air in. After that, they can be kept in a dark cool place for storage. I know some people put the jars in the freezer, but I've never had to do that.
The drying should take 7-10 days and the cure is up to you. Most say that a quality cure should take 2 months or more, depending mostly on your own level of patience One suggestion I would make is to plan on having a small part of the harvest allocated for "immediate gratification" and the rest set for the proper long cure. This is what I did for my first harvest, and although I was very pleased with the smoke that cured for about 2 weeks, I can notice a definite increase of quality (taste, smoothness, scent, potency) in the buds that have cured for 2 months. Bottom line is, to get the most out of your hard work, the proper cure is a must and worth every bit of the wait. Good luck, Peace and