DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

Remystemple said:
Just wanna say that all of this seems like way more work than reward. I've been smoking like a mad fiend since i was a kid, 41 now with a tolerance that is through the roof. so maybe that's why i notice no difference in the high between fresh dried herb and cured. I just did a 5 day dry and it's getting me more stoned than my cured stuff from the batch before.

Not saying curing is useless, but all this work seems a little much for what? a few terps? i don't get it.
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I’m glad you’re happy with your product, because that’s all any of us are looking for. I did a side by side of this with a hung dry cola from the same plant and for me the difference was day and night. I also realized that fridge drying is more or less fail-safe. Especially when I have to be out of the house for days, so I’ll go on drying in the fridge. But to each their own!
 
ChefDGreen said:
I’m glad you’re happy with your product, because that’s all any of us are looking for. I did a side by side of this with a hung dry cola from the same plant and for me the difference was day and night. I also realized that fridge drying is more or less fail-safe. Especially when I have to be out of the house for days, so I’ll go on drying in the fridge. But to each their own!
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I think i will try dry in the fridge next time. I always read 7 to 10 days and mine takes 5 days. so i think i'd be happy with a longer slower dry. my weed cures in the jars while it waits to get smoked lol. so the last bit i smoke gets the most cure.
like i say, i'm not dismissing it at all. I'm just thinking I might put more effort into the dry and cure next harvest. Maybe it didn't cure properly and there was no added effect for me to notice. but there definitely wasn't any apparent reduction in quality over the few months either. so i guess i'm happy to just go with the flow, but i could use some added terp flavor in my smoke.

one major thing that's messing with me is that my weed right out of the dry tent doesn't seem any different than the stuff i was buying online for years before i started growing. Maybe they don't cure their stuff? hmmm
 
Remystemple said:
I think i will try dry in the fridge next time. I always read 7 to 10 days and mine takes 5 days. so i think i'd be happy with a longer slower dry. my weed cures in the jars while it waits to get smoked lol. so the last bit i smoke gets the most cure.
like i say, i'm not dismissing it at all. I'm just thinking I might put more effort into the dry and cure next harvest. Maybe it didn't cure properly and there was no added effect for me to notice. but there definitely wasn't any apparent reduction in quality over the few months either. so i guess i'm happy to just go with the flow, but i could use some added terp flavor in my smoke.

one major thing that's messing with me is that my weed right out of the dry tent doesn't seem any different than the stuff i was buying online for years before i started growing. Maybe they don't cure their stuff? hmmm
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Most all weed bought online , from dispensary, or from dealer is never cured.
Takes to long
And time is money.
I get what your saying.
Me and another friend used to have the same car.
67 veedub bug
I drove mine as is
He spent tons of time working fixing his up
Both did the same thing
got us from point a to point b.
There are a myriad of reasons why one may not see a difference.
How was it grown??
How is it consumed??
Is a bowl being blazed with or torch or is it being vaporized??
how fast was it dried??
The list goes on and on.....
The only way is to test for yourself
My bother in law whom I finally got growing grows weed.
He loves his grows. Perfect for his palet.
Do I smoke it??
Yep
Would I be satisfied if I had grown it??
Nope.

I wouldn't recommend this fridge dry tech for you.

I'd recommend taking a small amount of your grow and experiment.
Lookup paper bag/cardboard box dry
Paper bags , cardboard boxes, mason jars and Boveda or Boost is way cheaper than a fridge.
Then put up this experimental stuff to share with friends
Smoke the rest
As long as it works for you and your happy with it that's all that matters.
In closing of this overwritten book,
Lots try to compare curing weed to aging wine.
Only problem is
90% of people can't tell the difference between a $300 bottle of aged wine and a $30 off the grocers shelf wine.
Enjoy your journey
 
I bought mine at Home Depot and it came with a freezer, I certainly don't think its needed. It might actually be a source of humidity. I am a noob grower and curer and this process has essentially been my only one. In variations. So I am by no means an expert, merely a practitioner.
 
Tejasdirt said:
Most all weed bought online , from dispensary, or from dealer is never cured.
Takes to long
And time is money.
I get what your saying.
Me and another friend used to have the same car.
67 veedub bug
I drove mine as is
He spent tons of time working fixing his up
Both did the same thing
got us from point a to point b.
There are a myriad of reasons why one may not see a difference.
How was it grown??
How is it consumed??
Is a bowl being blazed with or torch or is it being vaporized??
how fast was it dried??
The list goes on and on.....
The only way is to test for yourself
My bother in law whom I finally got growing grows weed.
He loves his grows. Perfect for his palet.
Do I smoke it??
Yep
Would I be satisfied if I had grown it??
Nope.

I wouldn't recommend this fridge dry tech for you.

I'd recommend taking a small amount of your grow and experiment.
Lookup paper bag/cardboard box dry
Paper bags , cardboard boxes, mason jars and Boveda or Boost is way cheaper than a fridge.
Then put up this experimental stuff to share with friends
Smoke the rest
As long as it works for you and your happy with it that's all that matters.
In closing of this overwritten book,
Lots try to compare curing weed to aging wine.
Only problem is
90% of people can't tell the difference between a $300 bottle of aged wine and a $30 off the grocers shelf wine.
Enjoy your journey
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Well said. I actually dried the buds that fell off during trimming in a paper bag and it's totally different than the hang dried. everything is in mason jars now, i'm curious to see how the paper bag stuff does compared to the rest. I'm thinking that maybe my drying process needs to change before i'll be able to appreciate the effects of a good cure in the jars.
 
The fridge, I already had for beer, so I definitely wouldn't buy one just to cure weed. The key to a decent cure is to avoid excessive heat/wind/moisture. Things that can destroy terpenes or thc. The concept of the slow and low is to minimize damaging the good stuff while letting the not so good stuff (chlorophyll) degrade or gas off. Doing it slowly is supposed to smooth out the smoke and keep the tasty. This can be done many ways. Jars, bags, racks, dehydrators, whatever. Because its the concept at work not the specific methodology.

So use what you have, and as mentioned, many people just use a cardboard box and hang it in there. Some add vents. But use what ya got.

I have heard of guys putting their bud on top of a wood stove to dry. Or blowing fans with warm air directly on the buds. They have done this for years. I also hear their bud is harsh and unpleasant. More than likely for the damaging nature of their dry/cure method. There is a wide band of acceptable practices between these two "extremes".

as mentioned, best to experiment and see what works for you and what you like.
 
Yeah
I sourced a small one on Craig's for $30each.
The paper bag dry works great for me but I want my drying to be more streamlined repeatable so that I can fine tune the dry to what I like consistently , in a consistent environment.
And the fridge will not only do that but also give me a place to cure also
Win win for me.
So really looking forward to this
Peace
 
SweetSue said:
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Right now I have a fair amount drying in my fridge. Still working out the best way to make this happen in my fridge.

IMG_74555.JPG


The large jars appear to work best if the buds form a shallow pile. Small jars work with small amounts. Most of my oils get processed into infused oils on the day of harvest, so there's usually only a small amount left. My last harvest I saved more to dry low and slow than I processed into oil. Most of that is in that jar. The jar in the middle of the jar has slightly larger buds and is packed more than I typically do, but I'm experimenting. Same with the bag.

I discovered early on that the smaller you cut the buds the faster they dry. I now cut each individual flower bunch off and dry like that.

IMG_74466.JPG


That's where I stand at this point. I've had success using small buds and layering them lightly in the jar. You want lots of surface area.

My humidity fluctuates up to 60% in the early stages of drying. If anyone has any ideas for bring it down, I'm all ears. Tonight it's settled to around 50%.
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If you want to decrease your humidity then you need to increase air flow. :)
 
elbrandone said:
If you want to decrease your humidity then you need to increase air flow. :)
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I use slow n low because of uncontrollable humidity in my drying area. The fridge (if working correctly) should have low humidity anyway and if I increased airflow by opening the fridge door I would lose the benefit of a slow dry in the fridge...
I think many ppl are overthinking this: I find that just making sure i have a working ( frost free) fridge, bagging the buds in paper bags (half full!) works great and I get a consistently great dry. During the first 2-3 days I move the bags a little every day to make sure no bud is laying in a wet patch. During the first few days RH will be high but then starts to go down. Then I leave them for 2-3 weeks until dry (occasionally opening the bags and moving them around gently every 2 days or so). Not complex at all and when temps and rh are high it is the only way I can dry properly.
 
SLHLover said:
I use slow n low because of uncontrollable humidity in my drying area. The fridge (if working correctly) should have low humidity anyway and if I increased airflow by opening the fridge door I would lose the benefit of a slow dry in the fridge...
I think many ppl are overthinking this: I find that just making sure i have a working ( frost free) fridge, bagging the buds in paper bags (half full!) works great and I get a consistently great dry. During the first 2-3 days I move the bags a little every day to make sure no bud is laying in a wet patch. During the first few days RH will be high but then starts to go down. Then I leave them for 2-3 weeks until dry (occasionally opening the bags and moving them around gently every 2 days or so). Not complex at all and when temps and rh are high it is the only way I can dry properly.
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It’s exactly this. Low and slow isn’t the only viable drying methodology, clearly. But it’s one that can be done in any climate really, that’s why it’s so good to share with the community. Anyone can do it the same way we all do, but with a few minor adjustments.
 
Tejasdirt said:
I wouldn't recommend this fridge dry tech for you.
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Maybe I missed something but am wondering why you don't recommend this method for this grower?

:passitleft:
 
It was explained to me by Amy Gardener that the effects I feel from sativa or indica are opposite from the "norm" due to the terpenes. The terpenes play a big role in effects for people who are looking for relief of symptoms. Now I need to chart not just sativa and indica but terpenes to find my sweet spot for now at least
 
UrbanAchiever said:
I bought mine at Home Depot and it came with a freezer, I certainly don't think its needed. It might actually be a source of humidity. I am a noob grower and curer and this process has essentially been my only one. In variations. So I am by no means an expert, merely a practitioner.
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The freezer actually cannot be a source of humidity. It’s too cold for moisture to exist in the air and thus it’s a humidity sink. Ever notice how the frost builds up in your freezer? That’s deposition of moisture to ice.
 
Newfun said:
It was explained to me by Amy Gardener that the effects I feel from sativa or indica are opposite from the "norm" due to the terpenes. The terpenes play a big role in effects for people who are looking for relief of symptoms. Now I need to chart not just sativa and indica but terpenes to find my sweet spot for now at least
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I've read that with all the cross-breeding that has been done, it's the terpene profile that will dictate the effect rather than whether it's been labeled "indica" or "sativa," or whether it has skinny or fat leaves.

Here are a few terpene charts that you may find helpful:
Terpene chart.gif
terpene chart.jpg
terpene education.jpg
 
Thank you Shed. I am inspired. I will have lots of experiments to keep me busy over the winter.
I am noticing changes in how my body reacts now that it's been a few weeks of dosing. Then the terpene make up makes way more sense than the indica or sativa variant. If my herbal tea tastes and reaction to them are any clue. Earthy smells/tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg, bergamot, etc relax me and if I combine it with vanilla I am totally chill.
Thank you, Shed and Amy. I think I can make huge strides in my husband's and mine requirements. :green_heart::thanks:
 
Hey Shed, a few weeks back I did some reading about terpenes. The circular chart you posted is the best for my way of understanding. The terpenes perfectly match my relief. It's great when things make sense. It's not all in my head yet it's all in my head. Wow cool. Lol
 
low and slow for the win!!
dont over think it
its a simple process, just gotta get over chopping up ya nice big colas...
dont fiddle too much, a daily tumble to avoid sticking in the first week, periodically after that, simples, for any climate and any experience level, its the only method ive tried, and was chosen due to space amd fear of ruining some lovely bud lol
stayed lovely, and is curing like a dream still..
 
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