re: Cardboard Flowerbox Test 3 - 41 Week Perpetual SOG
looks very nice mate, cant wait for the smoke report, how long do you cure it for mate, i know the longer the better but do you leave it a certain amount of time before vaping it, i plan on doing a long cure this time as ill have more bud, i just need to get a small humidity tester to make sure i cure it at the right point, what kind of humidity would you say is the best for curring, i didnt want to put it in to early and risk bud rot, i read different versions of curring it how ever you spell it, some say when its 15% moisture left in it but what the hell is that on a humidity gauge, sorry if you have all ready answered this question mate but i been off line for a while and i got at least 25 journals to catch up on,
Excellent question.
My method:
Hang to dry and a dark ventilated place until the stem snaps.
Cut off stem, trim excess, but in glass canister-type jars.
let sit in Jar for about 24 hours. Open 16 hours. Close 10. open8. smell, fluff, feel.
Close 48 hours. Open 10 hours. Close 24 hours. Open, fluff, smell inspect for curing. Insert Hygrometer, and close for at least 4 hours. Read Hygrometer. Magic Number is 65% to 68%. Above that open for 4 hours at a time, then close 4 hours and read again. DO NOT let it get below 60%. Once 65% is reached, leave closed for a month, only opening to smell, fluff, feel once per day. If any damp spots happen, REMOVE damp bud, and let jar sit open 2 hours at least.
Once 65% is stable and does not fluctuate at all, leave closed indefinitely for 2 months, and up to 6 months for a good, long cure.
The reason to SLOWLY dry your bud is to let chlorophyll and liquid pigments evaporate off with the water in the bud. If bud dries too quickly the chlorophyll does not have time to exit the plant material before it dries. This will cause a harsh, bitter taste, and can ruin even the highest quality bud.
Final cure hygrometer reading can be in a range of 55% to 65%, never below or above. Below, will give a very crispy, airy feel and will burn like paper. Above is risking mold... need I say more on that one?
Good luck on your first real cure. If you follow the 65%-68% guideline, you'll have a very high quality smoke after the cure.
Be well, my friend.