After pouring months into cultivating cannabis plants, you’re finally ready to harvest it to use for whatever purpose you'd like to achieve. Hence, you’re making sure that you sort and harvest those who are matured enough at the right time. By doing this, you can be assured that the best damp buds are loaded with flavor.
Just as you think that harvesting is the final stage of cannabis production, there’s an additional process you need to take. This process revolves around drying and curing your weeds. In this method, you’ll be removing the water content of the plant for easier handling. When cannabis is properly dried and cured, it’ll be free from molds and provide a pleasant smoking experience.
As you step into your garden, ready to harvest and dry your cannabis, let's discuss the step-by-step process on how this can be achieved without any hitch. Once you follow the steps correctly, you can ensure that your weeds are of the best quality.
The Best Way To Cure Weed
Curing weeds or cannabis is simply putting the buds into a jar, where the time of the sealing and reopening is tracked. You control the whole environment of curing your cannabis after placing it in an airtight glass jar, so you have to make sure that the right conditions are met.
Besides that, you need to allow the buds to rehydrate without absorbing too much moisture. Your goal is to produce a stash that can be smoothly smoked and gives superior flavor.
Here’s a step-by-step process needed to be followed in curing weed. If you want more detailed information on this process, check out this article: GreenBudGuru's guide to cure weed.
Step 1
Prepare your flowers to start the whole process. If you harvested them by branches, you’ll need to trim them. However, if your process involves drying them individually, then it's good to go. Just make sure that you separated the sugar leaves from the buds.
Step 2
After preparing and segregating the plants, you should place each stash inside airtight containers. Mason jars are a good option because it helps you easily monitor the whole curing process. Make sure that the buds are placed loosely, filling around 75% space. The remaining space is allotted for the air needed for the whole curing process.
Once done, you can test the stash by checking whether it is dry for curing. Gently shake the jar. If the buds begin to clump, it means that the weed needs more drying. However, if they rattle freely inside the jar, you can move on to the next step.
Step 3
In this process, you’ll put the lids on every jar you made and store them in a dark and cool area. Preferably, a cupboard or storage room that maintains a 21°C temperature would be a great place to put them. If you want to make sure that you are getting the exact room temperature required, consider adding a hygrometer.
Step 4
In the next couple of days, you should gradually check the buds twice per day. Inspect each glass and make sure that no molds are forming inside. Once done, you must open the lids for a few minutes to allow fresh air to enter. Observe the hygrometers and maintain a 60-65% humidity to continue the curing process.
If you see that the buds are getting too much moisture, open the lids for a couple of hours to reduce the water content. However, if there is less water, leave the jar closed for a longer time to continue the curing process.
Step 5
This is the final step of curing your weed. You must check and continue opening the jars once a day in the next two weeks. Ensure that you take measures to gain the right humidity when drying and curing them. After three weeks, the buds should be completely cured and ready for smoking. If you want to get the best taste, you can leave the curing process for months or longer.
Elements To Avoid When Curing The Weed
To achieve the right curing process for your buds, make sure that you avoid the following factors.
- Direct Light Exposure: exposing the jar to direct light can degrade the buds' molecule value and destroy the taste.
- Too Much Heat: once the buds are exposed to too much heat, the cannabinoids will not be appropriately produced, affecting the buds' potency.
- Low/High Humidity: when placing the glass into tight storage, make sure that the humidity is neither too low nor too high. Else, the stash will break, and the buds won't cure properly.
Takeaway
Curing weeds are a much more intricate process than cultivating and harvesting them. Hence, if you want to achieve a flavorful weed, make sure to follow the exact process enumerated above and avoid the elements that can affect your weed's entire quality.