DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[zecht]

Aight so I messed up but everything's all good

I was able to get 8 days of low and slow in the fridge and it works great. Was slowly getting there, but things were still climbing over 80% RH when put in test jars. And by that time we were very tired of how everything in the fridge smelled like weed lol. Gotta have a dedicated fridge next time.

Problem was I didn't have anywhere else to dry since my next run was already active. So I cut up the paper bags and put everything out on the balcony, covered and with a fan blowing nearby. Very hot outside but the RH was right. Of course, then the RH climbed way high overnight. Thankfully no mold. So I then moved the rack to awkwardly sit above the LED light fixture in the grow tent, where RH and airflow was actually in a good spot, and it quickly dried the rest of the way in like 12 hours. About 11 days of drying all said and done.

I don't think that rapid dry at high temperature at the end is going to do me any favors but everything is feeling really good right now. Got 2 oz of Mephisto curing in 3 mason jars without RH packets, and readings are at a nice 63-66% after several hours.

I'll plan this better next time but I'm a believer! Thanks all for documenting so much.

 

[BarloBruz]

Been a while since my first post here when I got my wine cooler - the crop I'd anticipated to dry in it got attacked by thrips, the grow I had following that one didn't even make it to flower due to grower's neglect - BUT I was able to dry that first crop in the fridge, and while the flower wasn't anything to write in about, at least it smoked like a well dried and cure harvest should.

Anyways, I'm excited to finally have successfully harvested my current grow without problems, and it's hanging in the Koolatron at a steady 62%RH when I last checked it. Humboldt Seed Company's Blueberry Muffin, grown in organic soil. Apartment was filled with the aroma of blueberries, candy, muffins, and gas at chop and wash time. Patience really is a virtue, waiting this out is killllllling me haha.

 

[InTheShed]

Aight so I messed up but everything's all good

I was able to get 8 days of low and slow in the fridge and it works great. Was slowly getting there, but things were still climbing over 80% RH when put in test jars. And by that time we were very tired of how everything in the fridge smelled like weed lol. Gotta have a dedicated fridge next time.

Problem was I didn't have anywhere else to dry since my next run was already active. So I cut up the paper bags and put everything out on the balcony, covered and with a fan blowing nearby. Very hot outside but the RH was right. Of course, then the RH climbed way high overnight. Thankfully no mold. So I then moved the rack to awkwardly sit above the LED light fixture in the grow tent, where RH and airflow was actually in a good spot, and it quickly dried the rest of the way in like 12 hours. About 11 days of drying all said and done.

I don't think that rapid dry at high temperature at the end is going to do me any favors but everything is feeling really good right now. Got 2 oz of Mephisto curing in 3 mason jars without RH packets, and readings are at a nice 63-66% after several hours.

I'll plan this better next time but I'm a believer! Thanks all for documenting so much.

Sounds like a roundabout way to get there but getting there is the most important thing! 2 ounces and lessons learned for next time...

Been a while since my first post here when I got my wine cooler - the crop I'd anticipated to dry in it got attacked by thrips, the grow I had following that one didn't even make it to flower due to grower's neglect - BUT I was able to dry that first crop in the fridge, and while the flower wasn't anything to write in about, at least it smoked like a well dried and cure harvest should.

Anyways, I'm excited to finally have successfully harvested my current grow without problems, and it's hanging in the Koolatron at a steady 62%RH when I last checked it. Humboldt Seed Company's Blueberry Muffin, grown in organic soil. Apartment was filled with the aroma of blueberries, candy, muffins, and gas at chop and wash time. Patience really is a virtue, waiting this out is killllllling me haha.

Congrats on getting that Blueberry Muffin crop to harvest!

And for thrips in flower I go with Safers insect killing soap spray. Spray on and rinse off when it dries to keep it from accumulating on the leaves. Every 4 or 5 days for a couple of weeks should do it, and wash your harvest at chop.

 

[BarloBruz]

Sounds like a roundabout way to get there but getting there is the most important thing! 2 ounces and lessons learned for next time...

Congrats on getting that Blueberry Muffin crop to harvest!

And for thrips in flower I go with Safers insect killing soap spray. Spray on and rinse off when it dries to keep it from accumulating on the leaves. Every 4 or 5 days for a couple of weeks should do it, and wash your harvest at chop.

Ah sweet, I wasn't sure whether or not I could spray Safers in flowering. Thanks!

 

[Delps8]

This is an incredibly helpful thread. Thanks to all who have contributed with special thanks to @InTheShed for providing summaries and guidance.

With all of the information that's been laid out here, the process looks very straightforward. That, of course, makes me a bit suspicious because, as we know, Murphy lurks everywhere.

A question about determining when to remove the bud from the fridge - rather than remove a bag of bud, allow it to come to room temp, and then read the RH, is there any reason to not use a wood moisture meter to determine if the buds are at the right moisture level?

 

[InTheShed]

is there any reason to not use a wood moisture meter to determine if the buds are at the right moisture level?

Absolutely! A wood moisture meter has two little prongs that you press into the wood to determine its dampness. I can't see how that would give you an accurate measure of the entire bud since the prongs could be contacting completely different spots. The outsides of a flower will dry much more quickly than the insides.

A hygrometer in a sealed container will give you the average RH for the entire bud, averaging the wet and dry areas, which is what you want. After all, when the bud sits in the jars to cure it will stabilize the humidity across the entire flower.

 

[Delps8]

Absolutely! A wood moisture meter has two little prongs that you press into the wood to determine its dampness. I can't see how that would give you an accurate measure of the entire bud since the prongs could be contacting completely different spots. The outsides of a flower will dry much more quickly than the insides.

A hygrometer in a sealed container will give you the average RH for the entire bud, averaging the wet and dry areas, which is what you want. After all, when the bud sits in the jars to cure it will stabilize the humidity across the entire flower.

A hygrometer will give you the RH of the air in the container. Over time, osmotic pressure in the plant material will tend to equalize the distribution of moisture in the plant material. If that moisture is evaporated, it impacts the humidity in the container and will be measure by the hygrometer.

Until the moisture in the plant material has equalized and has evaporated, the RH meter cannot give an accurate reading of the amount of water in the plant material because it's reading the moisture in the air, not in the plant material.

As I understand it, a wood moisture meter sends a current through the plant material and is able to derive an estimated water content. If the current could not flow at all, I would expect that the device would show an error.

 

[InTheShed]

A hygrometer will give you the RH of the air in the container. Over time, osmotic pressure in the plant material will tend to equalize the distribution of moisture in the plant material. If that moisture is evaporated, it impacts the humidity in the container and will be measure by the hygrometer.

Until the moisture in the plant material has equalized and has evaporated, the RH meter cannot give an accurate reading of the amount of water in the plant material because it's reading the moisture in the air, not in the plant material.

All correct, but nature abhors a vacuum so that over time the air in the container will reflect the overall RH of the contents of the container, air and flowers alike. This is why it's important to leave the jar overnight to get an accurate reading and not just an hour or two.

And if you tried 20 times with the wood meter on a flower you would probably get 20 different readings, with none of them reflecting the actual average moisture content of the bud. It's the average moisture content we want to get to 62% (or wherever your preference is) for curing.

We don't use large container with lots of dead air space for storing weed, so that the RH meter is reading the flowers rather than the air.

 

[BarloBruz]

Just admiring, and sharing my first successful harvest. Deets below:

- 73 days flip to clip
- A bag of Gaia Green soil in a GrassRoots fabric container
- Straw mulch
- Topped at 5th, cleaned below 3rd, LST'd & scrogged
- Top dressed with bloom amendments, and watered with EWC extract at flip
- Rotating weekly applications of sprouted seed tea, lactobacillus, liquid kelp, and monosilicic acid (foliar sprayed these during veg as well)
- Water only, in the last month or so before chop
- DIY saponin extract in watering tank during every watering and foliar spray
- Chopped during lights out
- Koolatron Wine Cooler dried
- The cooler rides at 60-62%RH when set to 8-12 degrees celsius. Had stem snaps at day 10. Proceeded to buck, trim & jar up.

- Been curing for about 2.5 weeks. Getting notes of blueberry, icing sugar, chamomile, and sneaker rubber/basketballs/asphalt/"road-y" flavours in the smoke, very interesting. Smoke is smooth, medium thick, white when the light hits it. Jarring up the buds felt like a practically free re-up (seeds were freebies). Every time I have a smoke, I can't believe I grew it, and I tell myself I'm in this shit for life. Secrets of the world, loll. Happy growing everyone!

 

[Costanza]

Just admiring, and sharing my first successful harvest. Deets below:

- 73 days flip to clip
- A bag of Gaia Green soil in a GrassRoots fabric container
- Straw mulch
- Topped at 5th, cleaned below 3rd, LST'd & scrogged
- Top dressed with bloom amendments, and watered with EWC extract at flip
- Rotating weekly applications of sprouted seed tea, lactobacillus, liquid kelp, and monosilicic acid (foliar sprayed these during veg as well)
- Water only, in the last month or so before chop
- DIY saponin extract in watering tank during every watering and foliar spray
- Chopped during lights out
- Koolatron Wine Cooler dried
- The cooler rides at 60-62%RH when set to 8-12 degrees celsius. Had stem snaps at day 10. Proceeded to buck, trim & jar up.

- Been curing for about 2.5 weeks. Getting notes of blueberry, icing sugar, chamomile, and sneaker rubber/basketballs/asphalt/"road-y" flavours in the smoke, very interesting. Smoke is smooth, medium thick, white when the light hits it. Jarring up the buds felt like a practically free re-up (seeds were freebies). Every time I have a smoke, I can't believe I grew it, and I tell myself I'm in this shit for life. Secrets of the world, loll. Happy growing everyone!

oh wow this is wild, I just bought a wine cooler to keep my grove bags in just for cure and storage but I had no idea it was possible to dry your buds in these things. Now I wish I would've gotten a much larger model instead of a 12 bottle size

 

[VeigarMid]

I've been reading a lot about this method of fridge drying, and one think I haven't seen so much in this thread is the use of desiccant packs in the fridge to keep the RH down. I got a 12 pack of 100g desiccant packs, about the size of my hand. It keeps the initial RH after buds go into the fridge at around ~55 instead of the 80, 90 it was without.
I also found this thread on reddit that had some very interesting ideas about drying with desiccant packs in jars! I can't go that far, but I do wonder about what the best practice is for drying with desiccant packs in the fridge. Anyone have any advice on this?

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[InTheShed]

I've been reading a lot about this method of fridge drying, and one think I haven't seen so much in this thread is the use of desiccant packs in the fridge to keep the RH down. I got a 12 pack of 100g desiccant packs, about the size of my hand. It keeps the initial RH after buds go into the fridge at around ~55 instead of the 80, 90 it was without.
I also found this thread on reddit that had some very interesting ideas about drying with desiccant packs in jars! I can't go that far, but I do wonder about what the best practice is for drying with desiccant packs in the fridge. Anyone have any advice on this?

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

The point of low and slow is to preserve the terpenes by slowly drying in a closed environment, and it seems to work for almost everyone using a frost-free fridge without further adjustment to the system.

If you're using a different setup then you need to tweak the system to fit the environment your buds find themselves in, as folks with fridges that aren't frost-free will do by opening the door a few times a day to reset the RH inside.

Also, you would need to take care that you correctly size your desiccant packs so as not to either overdry the buds or leave the RH too high when they run out of absorption ability.

 

[Denotheflintstone]

Since beginning this thread we've had a member show up who'd spent the years since 1993 refining this very process. He's already worked out what we were trying to discover - the most favorable atmospheric conditions, how to adjust humidity levels when it's time to jar it up, and for that matter, how much time it really takes to get dry enough to begin that step. He's also worked out schedules for burping to maximize the effectiveness of the cure.

You're more than welcome to wander through our early explorations. We had great fun and worked out some neat ideas, including some interesting ways to make shelving, and learning to accelerate the drying with paper bags. But no one will be upset if you choose to jump right to the good stuff. You can always backtrack to find out what other delights we discovered.

The Good Stuff




This was my first recollection of this marvelous procedure we've fondly taken to referring to as "Low and Slow" drying. I can't believe we took so long to play around with it but OMG!!!! Once you've tried this unconventional technique dreamed up by our own mad scientist cultivator and canna chef extraordinare, DrZiggy, you won't look back.

The chief benefit of Low and Slow drying is the ability to retain almost all of the terpenes and flavonoids. When we hang to dry these volitile molecules float away with the air. They weigh next to nothing, so evaporation is swift. In the first week alone you'll lose over 30% of the monoterpenes you had at harvest. Those monoterpenes include myrcene, the terpene that helps the cannabinoids get a fast track through the Blood-Brain Barrier so they can attach to the CB1 receptors and introduce euphoria. I don't know about you, but this is a feature I want to support, as well as all the functions of all the other terpenes that get protected by drying low and slow.

Cannabinoids are are akin to the wheels on a car, and the terpenes the steering column. It'd be nice to be able to steer all that raw power, don't you think?

It turns out that all those wonderful things cannabinoids do for our bodies are determined by the presence of the terpenes. We're not sure yet of the importance of the flavonoids, but you can be certain once they start studying the plant the way it should be, they'll find a good reason to retain them, and you'll already be ahead of the game. This, ladies and gentlemen, is way out on the edge. I'd venture to say we may be the only crazy band out there experimenting with it.

And I want us to experiment. We're already discovering that it's not as simple as "put them in the fridge and let them dry." There are challenges we're working through, but the discussions are going on in journals scattered about. If we put our heads together and share our ideas we can nail this down and start seeing consistent results that everyone's happy with.

So what do you say? Are you with me? Can you bring yourself to "risk" part of your next harvest to get the best buds you ever smoked? Alright then, let's get to work. Share everything. Be long winded. Working across a virtual field has challenges, but we're adept at overcoming those limitations. I'm excited about what we're about to learn. When I consider the value of this drying technique for oil production I get shivers of joy. I can't wait to make my first batch of oil from buds dried low and slow. If the fresh harvest infused oil is any indication we're in for a treat.

Having buds tested and contrasted would be a great benefit to this project. It's already started with Canyon, and I'm anticipating others. Anyone volunteering gets the heartfelt "Thanks" from the whole membership.

We can change the way people dry, but that's not my driving motivation. Better buds make better oils, and better oils help my patients and my friends here at find more relief from the gift of cannabis. If we can put so much of ourselves into growing our plants can we do any less than our best to potentiate the harvests?

Ready to have fun?

Is there a write up on on this process

Since beginning this thread we've had a member show up who'd spent the years since 1993 refining this very process. He's already worked out what we were trying to discover - the most favorable atmospheric conditions, how to adjust humidity levels when it's time to jar it up, and for that matter, how much time it really takes to get dry enough to begin that step. He's also worked out schedules for burping to maximize the effectiveness of the cure.

You're more than welcome to wander through our early explorations. We had great fun and worked out some neat ideas, including some interesting ways to make shelving, and learning to accelerate the drying with paper bags. But no one will be upset if you choose to jump right to the good stuff. You can always backtrack to find out what other delights we discovered.

The Good Stuff




This was my first recollection of this marvelous procedure we've fondly taken to referring to as "Low and Slow" drying. I can't believe we took so long to play around with it but OMG!!!! Once you've tried this unconventional technique dreamed up by our own mad scientist cultivator and canna chef extraordinare, DrZiggy, you won't look back.

The chief benefit of Low and Slow drying is the ability to retain almost all of the terpenes and flavonoids. When we hang to dry these volitile molecules float away with the air. They weigh next to nothing, so evaporation is swift. In the first week alone you'll lose over 30% of the monoterpenes you had at harvest. Those monoterpenes include myrcene, the terpene that helps the cannabinoids get a fast track through the Blood-Brain Barrier so they can attach to the CB1 receptors and introduce euphoria. I don't know about you, but this is a feature I want to support, as well as all the functions of all the other terpenes that get protected by drying low and slow.

Cannabinoids are are akin to the wheels on a car, and the terpenes the steering column. It'd be nice to be able to steer all that raw power, don't you think?

It turns out that all those wonderful things cannabinoids do for our bodies are determined by the presence of the terpenes. We're not sure yet of the importance of the flavonoids, but you can be certain once they start studying the plant the way it should be, they'll find a good reason to retain them, and you'll already be ahead of the game. This, ladies and gentlemen, is way out on the edge. I'd venture to say we may be the only crazy band out there experimenting with it.

And I want us to experiment. We're already discovering that it's not as simple as "put them in the fridge and let them dry." There are challenges we're working through, but the discussions are going on in journals scattered about. If we put our heads together and share our ideas we can nail this down and start seeing consistent results that everyone's happy with.

So what do you say? Are you with me? Can you bring yourself to "risk" part of your next harvest to get the best buds you ever smoked? Alright then, let's get to work. Share everything. Be long winded. Working across a virtual field has challenges, but we're adept at overcoming those limitations. I'm excited about what we're about to learn. When I consider the value of this drying technique for oil production I get shivers of joy. I can't wait to make my first batch of oil from buds dried low and slow. If the fresh harvest infused oil is any indication we're in for a treat.

Having buds tested and contrasted would be a great benefit to this project. It's already started with Canyon, and I'm anticipating others. Anyone volunteering gets the heartfelt "Thanks" from the whole membership.

We can change the way people dry, but that's not my driving motivation. Better buds make better oils, and better oils help my patients and my friends here at find more relief from the gift of cannabis. If we can put so much of ourselves into growing our plants can we do any less than our best to potentiate the harvests?

Ready to have fun?

Is there a complete write up on this process somewhere?

 

[StoneOtter]

Hello and Welcome Denotheflintstone! There's lots in there, what exactly are you looking for? Drying and curing?

 

[Denotheflintstone]

Hello and Welcome Denotheflintstone! There's lots in there, what exactly are you looking for? Drying and curing?

A guide for drziggys low and slow. It looks like this thread was a work in progress.

I have a couple harvests under my belt and I haven't been too happy with the quality after a month or so. Figured I'd look into a different way to dry.

 

[Tejasdirt]

Absolutely! A wood moisture meter has two little prongs that you press into the wood to determine its dampness. I can't see how that would give you an accurate measure of the entire bud since the prongs could be contacting completely different spots. The outsides of a flower will dry much more quickly than the insides.

A hygrometer in a sealed container will give you the average RH for the entire bud, averaging the wet and dry areas, which is what you want. After all, when the bud sits in the jars to cure it will stabilize the humidity across the entire flower.

Never been a fan of takeing tester and jarring.
I just use a govee Wi-Fi hygrometers, and it sends the fridges humidity to my phone. I’ve found IN MY situation, once the humidity starts topping out at 50-55% in the filled fridge it’s time to jar up. Just makes it easier for me, and it works

 

[GratefulBud]

A guide for drziggys low and slow. It looks like this thread was a work in progress.

I have a couple harvests under my belt and I haven't been too happy with the quality after a month or so. Figured I'd look into a different way to dry.

Hi Deno!

Here is my summary. There are a few others as well.

Good luck!

 

[InTheShed]

A guide for drziggys low and slow. It looks like this thread was a work in progress.

I have a couple harvests under my belt and I haven't been too happy with the quality after a month or so. Figured I'd look into a different way to dry.

Here is the one I found best summarizes this thread.

 

[Dennise]

I've been reading a lot about this method of fridge drying, and one think I haven't seen so much in this thread is the use of desiccant packs in the fridge to keep the RH down. I got a 12 pack of 100g desiccant packs, about the size of my hand. It keeps the initial RH after buds go into the fridge at around ~55 instead of the 80, 90 it was without.
I also found this thread on reddit that had some very interesting ideas about drying with desiccant packs in jars! I can't go that far, but I do wonder about what the best practice is for drying with desiccant packs in the fridge. Anyone have any advice on this?

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

I’ve never done anything with a fridge but I do jar with humidity packs and have for years actually everything I’ve got is stored with humidity packs and I’ve never had one crisp up on me…..

 

[GratefulBud]

Here is the one I found best summarizes this thread.

I think I like that one the best!