Day 88....

I finished my "Dry Box" last night....hoping that a somewhat enclosed space will make it easier to control conditions....

So now I am ready...I think....just waiting for something to hang in it!!! Hahahaha

Happy!

Allot of growers will cut all there plants down when there top buds are finished, this is not the best way to maximize your crop potential, especially if its a smaller show. Marijuana plants have apical dominance, which means the whole plant doesn't ripen at once, you wouldn't chop down a tomato plant the first sign of a red tomato. Chop your top buds, once you do that the branches below will become your new dominant tops and your plant will focus on that, they will get much bigger leave them for a few more weeks, then check them, you can chase it all the way down to the bottom using this method. Don't go by calendar ever, those are estimated times that typically reflect optimum conditions. Using a 30-60x zoom cut the bud when the trichs are 80% amber and blown out,

Trim as much leaf as possible this will help with the hey smell loll. There's lots of chlorophyll in the leaf, the more you flush the yellow the plants get this is a good thing, if you want your product to burn properly you want to flush out those chems, yellowing leaves are a good sign of depleted nutrients and you successfully done that.

Let it hang for 4 weeks, your not just waiting for it to physically dry, you want the chlorophyll to die, that's the hay smell. Don't directly blow air on your plants, just keep the air moving.

humidity 55-65%

This is a picture of a previous grow, not nearly 80%, these aren't ready yet,

In more detail, Cannabis continues to cure after it's harvested, while it's drying and even after it's put in a jar. Just like a fine wine or gourmet coffee beans, marijuana needs to be cured to achieve the rich, smooth, robust taste that lingers on your palate and in your brain. During the curing period, the cannabinoid, and the terpenes will isomerize to create new polyterpenes.

Just as with any other fruit, when cannabis is harvested, the fruit or bud isn't dead; it continues to metabolize. Pick a tomato from your garden while it's still partially green and set it on a windowsill; it'll continue to ripen for days. The same is true of a fresh banana. As the banana ages, the peel will turn a darker yellow, and the fruit inside will become softer and have a sweeter flavor. The more robust flavors and tantalizing fragrances of cannabis begin to appear as the chlorophyll and other pigments break down. When the small stems that remain under the buds are dry enough to snap, and the buds themselves are dry enough to smoke, it's time to begin the final curing process. Make sure your cannabis is completely dry before putting it in a sealed jar or container. Sealing wet cannabis in a jar or container will result in mold, rendering the weed unsafe to smoke.

Use glass canning jars (i.e., Mason, Ball or Kerr) to cure and store your finished product. Freezer bags can also be used for storing cannabis, but glass is always preferred. Don't store your cannabis in sandwich bags or anything made of a similar plastic; the buds will become too dry and lose potency.

It's important to open the jars occasionally to let in oxygen needed for the curing process, as well as to allow gases built up from the curing process to escape. During the first three days of curing, I open the jars once a day. After that, open your jars twice a week for two weeks, then once more after the first month. At this point, the curing process is basically complete, but the buds will continue to mature and acquire more delicate flavors with time if stored properly.

Store your jarred, cured cannabis in a cool, dark place to help slow the breakdown of the cannabinoids. Although cannabis needs oxygen through the metabolizing/curing stage, at this point oxygen will have an adverse effect on the already-cured cannabis, since it causes the breakdown of THC into CBN. The implementation of the simple steps listed above will make your dank a legend among your friends. Imagine their surprise when you break out some buds from a three-year-old harvest and they smoke and taste better than ever. There's no limit to the superb qualities of aged cannabis when it's properly dried, well cured and suitably stored.

Source: hightimes

When buds dry slowly, it makes for a smoother cure. If buds are dried too quickly, a harsher smoke could result. With slowly dried buds, the humidity remains closer to the humidity inside the stomata. If cannabis is dried to rapidly, the "green" taste will remain in the final product.

Heisenberg wrote:Using a 30-60x zoom cut the bud when the trichs are 80% amber and blown out,

That's somewhat subjective, many people prefer to harvest earlier than that.

if you want your product to burn properly you want to flush out those chems

I know plenty of growers that don't flush.

Let it hang for 4 weeks

That's way too long, hang dry for a few days max, then cure.

humidity 45-55%

I'd go that low for 1-3 days but that's a little low for long term storage and curing.

When buds dry slowly, it makes for a smoother cure. If buds are dried too quickly, a harsher smoke could result. With slowly dried buds, the humidity remains closer to the humidity inside the stomata. If cannabis is dried to rapidly, the "green" taste will remain in the final product.

You can water cure in a week and dry in a couple days more, there is more than one way to get a good cure.

Thanx for the info!! Lower RH will quicker drying time...Higher RH results in slower drying....which slow is what we want, right??

At what point is RH too high and I'm risking mold? From reading, seems I want to keep RH below 70% to reduce risk of mold....but I have to stay above 55% for the curing process to take place??

I am aiming for 62-65%.....so I have a small margin or error on either end....is this a "safe" range?

Right now I am at 69F & 64% rh....only air circulation is the humidifier, on low...

Supposed to be warm here today so the temp might creep up some as the outside warms up....and the more the central AC runs, the more I have to watch humidity....

On the one hand sure, you can hang dry them for a few days until the stalk is snap able, and the bud is crispy, then throw them in jars burping them, and cure for a couple weeks, 90% of people do this because its faster weeds a business dry it as fast as possible and on to the next crop. If your growing because its a hobby and you love doing it, and your a cynosure, I recommend trying with one plant, dry it for a long time, you'll see the difference in taste its crazy. All the cannabis cup winning weeds cured for months actually, don't take mine or sister Mary's word for it, watch the green house grow sessions, these guys have been growing commercially for 25 years, jeorge cervantis, go to the seed companies website and read the information, sure sister mary is right you don't have to do it this way, But it is the best way to get the most optimum results! Cannabis cup type stuff, who has that kinda time, except commercial growers that have so much they can try this kinda stuff.

I actually slow dry my personal, ill always leave a jar lingering for as long as possible

And not flushing your weed may not be wise, lots of beginners assume more nutrients means more bud it simply doesn't. Maybe that's the reason why someone would want to feed them till the end, not sure what the advantages is there? I do know vegtable farmers that have been growing for hundreds of years all stop using chems and flush with water the last few weeks, every single nutrients company recommends you flush the last two weeks, If you don't, it wont always happen, but your bud may not burn, keep going out and burn black. Ive seen that before actually, never happen to me before. Not to mention chems are expensive, I prefer not to waste them. not flushing because you know people that don't may not be the best argument. Giving them that last bit of nutrients towards the end increases overall weight? Perhaps im wrong, but these are the reasons why I flush currently

The best crop I ever had, was when I screwed up thought I was a week later then I was and flushed for 3weeks, shit tasted amazing, probably yielded slightly less, who knows?

Some plants actually cure in tempered rooms (controlled humidity and temperature) for months, sounds crazy i know

Colder temps too, I try to shoot for 20-22C, could be wrong but just what i like to do 55-65%
Keep them in the dark,
don't blow air on them, that speeds up the process