#KahliBuds

How to Perfectly Dry & Cure Your Marijuana Every Time What you need: Wide mouthed mason jars – 1 quart size. These are sometimes labled as “32 oz” jars. Place to Dry or Drying rack (optional) – I usually hang my buds from clothes hangers in my closet but you can hang buds from almost anything! String and creativity go a long way 🙂 It’s only recommended to use a drying rack if there’s high humidity or a lot of buds to be dried in a small space, because a drying rack can dry buds too quickly in average humidity conditions. Hygrometer (optional) – I like the Caliber IV Hygrometer because it easily fits inside quart mason jars. This measures the humidity of the air inside your jar, so you can make sure it’s not too humid or too dry for optimal curing. Humidipaks (optional) – Boveda Medium 62% packs are cheap and specifically formulated for storing cannabis so it does not dry out or get crispy Step 1: Cut down your plant Some growers cut the plant down at the base and hang the whole plant upside down to dry. Others will cut off branches and hang them to dry. Still others will cut off individual buds so they can lay them out and dry them on a mesh screen or rack. How should you cut down your plant? It’s tough to mess this part up! You can harvest your plant a piece at a time, and I’ve also seen growers trim their buds while they’re still on the plant so they can hang their whole plant upside down to dry. I personally cut down branches one at a time. Here’s a plant that is halfway through being harvested. Step 2: Trim away extra fan leaves Before you start drying your buds, most growers will trim away extra leaves. At the very least, you should trim away all your big fan leaves, though many growers also trim down the little leaves that grow on the buds. This improves the appearance of your buds, and will provide a smoother experience. Too much leafy matter can make buds more harsh. The amount of leaves you trim off is due to personal preference. However, like the last step, you want to leave more if you live in a very dry area. You want to cut off as much as you can if your area is humid, to help speed up the drying process and prevent mold. If it’s very humid where you live than you may consider removing buds from branches while drying. If Your Humidity Is… Dry (Under 30% RH) – You might consider leaving more leaves on your plant while trimming to help slow down the drying process. The more plant matter left behind, the lower the buds dry. For example you could trim your buds but leave extra fan leaves, or possibly even not trim at all until after drying. Average Humidity – If you never really notice the humidity where you live chances are it’s perfect for hanging your cannabis upside down to dry 🙂 Humid (Over 60% Humidity) – If it’s very humid where you live, you might consider actually separating buds from branches after trimming and put them on a drying rack or mesh to help them dry in the high humidity without running into problems with mold (here’s how one grower dried in high humidity) I recommend trimming your buds while wearing disposable gloves, to prevent your hands from getting covered in sticky resin. You may want to save your trim (resin-covered leaves or larfy buds you’ve trimmed off). These extra leaves are not good to smoke by themselves, but after being dried, the trim can be processed to make marijuana butter or other cannabis extracts. Learn how to make cannabis extracts with trim Right after you harvest your plant, it’s important to start drying your buds slowly, over a couple of days to a week or more. Step 3: Begin the slow drying process Why should you dry your cannabis slowly? Drying your buds is the first part of the curing process, and important! Optimal Drying Environment: Room Temperature – Around 70°F (21°C) 50% Humidity Here are some ideas to adjust your environment: Air Conditioner – Cools Air & Lowers Humidity Evaporative Cooler – Cools Air & Raises Humidity Dehumidifier – Heats Air & Lowers Humidity Humidifier – Heats Air & Raises Humidity Heater – Heats Air & (Usually) Lowers Humidity Buds which are quick-dried in a dehydrator/stove, via dry ice, or in a microwave taste terrible, smell even worse, and often leave you with a migraine or paranoia. When you quick-dry your buds, you are completely skipping over the most important part of the curing process! In fact, even drying your buds in mildly hot temperatures, like 85°F (30°C), can burn off valuable smells (terpenes) & possibly certain cannabinoids. Curing you cannabis properly makes up almost 50% of your final bud quality! You can take the best cannabis in the whole world but if it’s not cured it’s going to be mid-quality at best! There are many ways to dry your marijuana buds. Hanging buds upside down to dry is considered the “standard” way of drying. You can get creative when coming up with ways to hang plants upside down. You can dry buds by hanging them upside down from clothes hangers. by KahliBuds