DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[ChefDGreen]

Thanks derby. I’ve always tried to preface my advice with “this is my experience.” I know in the scheme of things I’m a cultivation infant.

I would challenge you and ween and shed to give tempering a shot. Maybe try it with just a couple branches and see if you detect a quality difference. You might find it’s a good technique for the tool box when you need your meds a touch faster.

 

[weenmeoff]

I'm all for trying chef and will do! Same for the slow cure....

Cheers!

 

[Derbybud]

Haha yeah Chef you don't want to know some of the not so normal ways I do things. Drying for instance. I've low & slow, taken whole plant upside down in a cool corner of the dungeon, tent dried, threw buds on a screen, you name it I've tried it. It's comes down to how much time I have to devote to the process and what I'm going to be using the product for in the end. My smoking, vaping, rosin making buds get the low & slow if time permits. Gets the most flavors out of your product.

 

[Tejasdirt]

All families have their squabbles.....

Cool, glad we've cleared that up. Now can we have a group hug!?

I think sharing ideas here is a great idea. We are each going to do what works for us. Like the cold cure Teja just shared, interesting and worth a try. Just think about all those growers that dry the "normal" way and think we're crazy. They'll never know the joy of low and slow. Suckers, ha

Just a quick side note.....



The cool cure tech I posted can also be adjusted to how one likes to cure.

If ( likeme) one does not have a good consistent cureing environment...
AND is not a fan of the cool cure ( not like me) all one has to do is turn the inkbird ( temp controller) UP to 65-68f and use 50% humidity pacs instead of 62%
This kinda mimics the “perfect” ole Skool established environment, which may be a good thing for those spaced challenged without a proper cureing environment!!
Y’all wash yer hands
And stay well

 

[InTheShed]

I would challenge you and ween and shed to give tempering a shot.

I only dried low and slow once, in the early days of this thread. I have neither the fridge space nor the ability to keep my 18-year-old son's hands off the buds! We even have to hide the UK chocolate .

I'm old school hang dry.

 

[Tejasdirt]

I only dried low and slow once, in the early days of this thread. I have neither the fridge space nor the ability to keep my 18-year-old son's hands off the buds! We even have to hide the UK chocolate .

I'm old school hang dry.

Here I was thinking I was the only one with kids with STICKY fingers!!!

Cab and mini fridge have locks on them now.
When asked why they were told I didn’t want anyone stealing my soda pops in there.
And yes
There are soder pops in there for ballast..

Y’all wash yer hand!!

 

[pZy]

I have been doing a refrigerated cure for years before I heard about the low n slow dry.
In the short form:
You will need a temp controller ( I use a inkbird)
Also need AIR TIGHT containers (. I use steeltainers)
And also need 62 % humidity pacs of your choice ( I use boveda )

Set refridge to 40-50degrees f via temp controller and do the low n slow dry tech
Once dried to your liking place UNTRIMED buds into airtight containers with humidity pacs.
Place back in fridge and RAISE temps via temp controller to 50-60 degrees
(58f is my sweet spot)
Leave containers alone no burpie no touchie no peekie for minimum of 3 weeks
( longer=better but I rarely make it past 3 weeks)
After 3 weeks Open container to do a check/ smoke

Smell the sweet smell of success!!
Enjoy!!!
By putting humipacs into the airtight containers you are regulating the humidity.
Setting the temps to 58f regulates well..... the temps!!!!
The Low n slow tech then a cold ( cool) cure is amazing.
All my connoisseur buds get this treatment.
Here is where I got the idea from:

Cold cure

Have fun
Grow well

Tnx for the information this will definitely be useful my fridge has long came but I am still waiting to flip my babies to flowering, then some 55 days before I get to play with them and drying and curing after but keeping an eye on this topic thanks for the input!!!

can't wait to try it out x)))

 

[THC Onlyfans]

Ended up in fridge one for 15 days and one for only 9....the buds were not dense so i think they dried faster.
Temp was 5.3c avg
Humidity 34% avg

Paper bag very spacious, didnt put any buds on top of each other.
They look and smell great! Going in jar now and burping daily till 62% then will cure in 15c closet.

If you have a spare fridge great but takes lots of room in my everyday fridge! Prob will keep doing this as well as hang dry for faster smoke

 

[SplifStar]

I have been doing a refrigerated cure for years before I heard about the low n slow dry.
In the short form:
You will need a temp controller ( I use a inkbird)
Also need AIR TIGHT containers (. I use steeltainers)
And also need 62 % humidity pacs of your choice ( I use boveda )

Set refridge to 40-50degrees f via temp controller and do the low n slow dry tech
Once dried to your liking place UNTRIMED buds into airtight containers with humidity pacs.
Place back in fridge and RAISE temps via temp controller to 50-60 degrees
(58f is my sweet spot)
Leave containers alone no burpie no touchie no peekie for minimum of 3 weeks
( longer=better but I rarely make it past 3 weeks)
After 3 weeks Open container to do a check/ smoke

Smell the sweet smell of success!!
Enjoy!!!
By putting humipacs into the airtight containers you are regulating the humidity.
Setting the temps to 58f regulates well..... the temps!!!!
The Low n slow tech then a cold ( cool) cure is amazing.
All my connoisseur buds get this treatment.
Here is where I got the idea from:

Greetings everybody! First and foremost give thanks to everyone who contributed information on this post. You kept me reading from start to finish all week. I’ve grown pot for almost 20 years now and have had many successful grows and harvest. My traditional way has always been hang to dry and cure in jars in very cool room temps. I have never dried in the fridge or freezer. I have a grow that is now on day 15 in flowering. Currently have SoCal Master Kush, white widow and Gorilla Glue 4 and soon to follow Milky Way and 9 Lb hammer. I plan on drying in a temperature control wine cooler fridge in paper bags and using Eva-dry incase I have issues with condensation. After bud is dry, I plan on vacuum sealing into jars and continuing with a cold-cure as describe above. First time drying and curing this way so will keep you guys inform with progress and pictures when I’m at that point. super excited to give this a try since there are dispensary around me already selling cold cure buds that I have tasted and are explosive with taste and aromas. Wish me luck!

 

[InTheShed]

Wish me luck!

 

[Pman Sticky Ikky]

Hi folks! Is there any reason not to cure in open air if the temp & RH remain in the sweet spot? 50-60% 65-73°F? Under constant airflow, of course

 

[weenmeoff]

Because you lose precious terpenes but otherwise of course it's fine to do it that way, most growers do. Low and slow is a superior method, so thinks this group, ha! Give it a try!

Did you mean to say dry in open air? The cure is done in jars....

 

[Pman Sticky Ikky]

No, I meant cure.
I was thinking while checking the RH & ° yesterday that if my drying area is consistently in the sweet spot for the jar environment, Why jar & have to burp when the same environmental condition can be met in the dryer box?
The only difference would be the constant airflow. Which if terpens get stripped away with weeks and weeks of air movement that makes sense.
I'm still newb-ish so the only conceptual reference for me was air curing tobacco (having grown up in SE-US) I'll more than likely wind up in jars because I'm doing an early harvest & late harvest & I'll need the room in the dryer come phase 2. I was just curious if anyone had experience doing both & pros & cons.
Below is phase 1 of the harvest with the clippings in the bottom to dry also. When I check them I also grab on the cuttings to mix them up to avoid wet spots & make traditional hash. With the current lockdowns I don't want to go out just for dry ice to make bubble hash. Though I discovered yesterday that if you are absent minded while rubbing your hands together blister on your pads are a VERY real & inconvenient thing!

 

[SplifStar]

My first experiment drying in my wine cooler will start tonight.

 

[throwitmj8000]

Any suggestions for a wine cooler/mini fridge I should use? Last grow I did a mini fridge, though it ended up with a lot of condensation that would drip on the buds :/

...and any special handling for those that wash the buds after chop before curing? I hung dry got about six hours after wash before going into fridge...

 

[Derbybud]

3-4 hours after bud wash is good. Just make sure you don't put too much in each bag. I myself put 40 grams per paper bag. Make sure you fluff them the first 3 days then again after a week.

 

[pZy]

Hey guys

This is a picture 10 days ago, I have taken them out now and jared up, they do not look representative as I had such bad luck 3 weeks before the end my exhaust fan died on Friday, and due to Corona lockdown I couldn't get a new one till monday so my temps were crazy and it ended up hermeing up the entire crop.

I cut them after I noticed it, so no seeds developed and its literally shit by all definitions... and still after the low and slow its among top 5 tastiest things I ever smoked in my life. It lacks a terpene profile but it has subtle undertones of taste, but the smoke itself is so smooth and proper its unbeliavable.

I also took this opportunity to try out and load the fridge turned off - so no condensation forms (everyone here was arguing against it when I originally asked but since my stash is already ruined might as well have fun with the experiment) and as I imagined its much much better.

I literally overloaded this fridge turned off, closed it, turned it on and looked at RH... it was at 50% dead... temperature inside was 20c (Room) and in like 15 minutes it was at 4c temperature and 55% RH... RH never went over 55 this way.

So yea, I know you guys got your "way" and no one likes people "questioning it" but as I predicted this way of doing it eliminates the RH spike completely so yea, use it or don't, as you wish.

Thank you all for the input, this is so fucking easy, I opened the fridge every 3 days, turned it off and pulled out the racks and let them air out hanging outside the fridge for like 3 hours... jarred them up yesterday at 64-65% RH perfect, airing them out today.

I mean, if buds formed properly it would take much longer to dry them but due to them being so airy its done in 10 days this time.

This technique rocks, it managed to turn a ruined crop into something that has a better terpene and cannabinoid profile then most "fully done high grade skunks" people smoke in the country where I am from lol.

Awesome

thank you guys

 

[SplifStar]

Things are drying up nice in paper bags. Had condensation freeze up the first few days since my wine cooler is not defrost, but humidity is back to normal now. Steady temp around 40F. Humidity around 40-45 rh.The Dank smell coming out of that wine cooler is Powerful.

 

[iceman6232]

Hello there everyone! Spent a great deal of time making notes on the fridge drying method and a big thanks to each and everyone out there who have taken the risk and gone against the odds to get the quality of buds we all so love..this method has pretty much convinced me of the possibilities and im coming close to harvest. I live near the equator with very high humidity and temps. Managing to pull off the grow with 120gms dry per plant but quality sucks when i dry and cure. So, since i do have a fridge and i live alone.. there's plenty of space...
My question is, my fridge ideally sits at 36f with rh 26%. This is the lowest ive recorded on a sunny afternoon. Would it be fine to use these conditions to dry my bud? Im aware that opening the fridge every now and then raises temps and rh inside the fridge and also placing wet material should spike the rh for the 1st couple of days..
Also, would you advise to close the paper bags or leave them open?
Some are advising to take bags out every 4 days to get the buds to room temps where as some say to do it after the 2 week mark..
Pls help..
Cheers everyone!

 

[WreckLoose]

I'm so glad I found this thread, it's an absolute gold mine of information for someone like me, a huge to @SweetSue, DrZiggy and everyone else that's contributed. As I approach my first ever harvest I've been stressing out a lot due to the fact I have undesirable drying conditions to say the least. Between 25-31°C temps and RH between 40-65% with no AC available. Thanks to this thread, my headaches are over. I'll be following Sue's most recent instructions as closely as possible, confident that I'll get greats results in return. I'm going to hang dry a couple of branches just to have a point of reference for what a difference it makes. I have one small question... When I checked the temps and RH of my empty fridge the temp was bang on 40°f but the RH seems very low at around 25%, does anyone foresee any problems with this or am I good to go? I figure if the RH jumps up when adding the bags, a lower RH when empty might not be so bad? Any input would be great and thanks again to all involved!