So after watching Jorge Cervantez' video my understanding is that the stems should be dry enough to bend and crack to tell whether the buds are dry or not. Some other people claim that it shouldn't snap, which one is it? I'm on a day 4 of drying SLH, the smaller branches are dry and snapping, the 8 main colas and their branches are still folding but not cracking or snapping. The buds are crusty though. What do I do? I've put the little lower branches into a jar already as they really looked ready. + rep for any reasonable input Thanks!
I usually cut the buds out the main stem,when the buds are dry on the outside.Then toos them in paper bags.After they dry up good,I toss them in mason jars.
First of all, congratulations on your harvest! With respect to Mr. Cervantez, I believe he's more of a reporter than an actual grower, so I'd take his advice with a grain of salt! When the branches are bone snapping dry, it's dry and you won't get a true cure. Curing is basically slowing down and evening out the drying process. In doing so, the chlorophyll will breakdown and result in a much smoother smoke. I hang my whole plants upsidedown in a dark dry room. When the buds are dry enough to almost smoke and the stems are still bendable, I do the first manicure and put them into 1 gallon stainless steel jugs with snap on lids. Then I open them for an hour or so each day for about 2 weeks. Note that there are varying degrees of dryness depending on where the material came from, top, bottom etc. That's why you cure it all together, letting that remaining moisture evaporate slowly and also migrate to the dryer material. By then they are pretty dry, but still green tasting. I then do the final manicure and put the buds in 1 pint large mouth canning jars and open them up for an hour every few days for another 2 weeks. If you smoke a few pinches during the process you'll clearly taste the difference as they age. After that I keep them sealed up and in the dark, bud will continue to age and cure. I have one last nug of Bubba Kush that's about a year old now and it's incredibly smooth and still plenty potent. Good luck and go with the cure!
Shit, I'm glad I caught it right in time while the branches were still bending. Thank you so much for your input!