DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

There you go. Enjoy!
 
Hello all

Newb here and just saw the prior pages references to wine coolers . I have two I'm not using and was thinking about trying them for a dry if I survive the outdoor rainy season

My units only go down to 52-55 F. From my reading of this thread, seems the low n slow method ideal temp is much lower ?

So this is a roundabout way of saying had anyone tried the dry in a wine fridge at about 50 degrees ?

I would much prefer to use my work coolers ... rather then take up space in my extra fridge

thanks in advance for any thoughts
 
Kbuzz said:
My units only go down to 52-55 F. From my reading of this thread, seems the low n slow method ideal temp is much lower ?
Click to expand...
I posted my thoughts on this here:
InTheShed said:
The humidity will always be variable but if your coldest temp is 50º, that's too warm. Most fridges keep the temps around 37ºF, and the cold is one of the things that keeps the mold from growing.
Click to expand...
 
The core concept of Low and Slow is the refrigerator evaporator removes moisture from inside and collects it on the evaporator coil. A frost-free refrigerator removes this moisture off of the evaporator coil via heat and drizzles water outside the cold cavity down into a pan. This moisture evaporates into the air.

In a refrigerator that is not frost-free like my mini fridge, the moisture will continue to collect on the evaporator until manually removed by turning temp to off and letting it melt off. This refrigerator has a plastic tray to collect this moisture but I removed it to improve cooling efficiency.

Note the additional frost build-up in just 2 days:

Tuesday:
Sunny in fridge two

Sunny in fridge two


Today:
Frosty evaporator

Frosty evaporator


All of that moisture was inside the buds just a few days ago. The process is working.
I'm drying bags of stinky weed in my fridge!
 
My goal this year was to grow enough stinky weed for not just myself but for several friends as well. My refrigerator capacity for Low and Slow dry is . . . lacking, so I gave a few friends freshly washed bags of flower (hung dry for a few hours) for them to fridge dry and cure (with my guidance). Hoping this works out OK.

Here are my instructions to my friends:

Overview -
Once buds have been chopped, trimmed and washed (if desired - I grow outdoors so I use a 4 bucket wash then hang dry for a few hours) then you can dry it in the refrigerator. This should result in fresh clean tasting buds to smoke or use in edibles. I grow all organic with no harsh pesticides. I use Neem oil in veg (before flower), and Safer™ insect soap spray in flower. No spray the last 3 weeks of flower.

It is too hot here so I cannot hang dry outside, and there is no way my wife will let me dry inside the house and stink it up. This process lets you DRY in the refrigerator in about 2-3 weeks. Low (temperature) and Slow (slowly remove moisture from the buds) is the idea. It should take at least 14 days to dry. After about ten days I check it to see how the buds are doing. In my fridge they dry fairly quick - about 10-14 days. Other refrigerators may take longer - which is OK. You do NOT want to over dry it.

Process -
Write the harvest date on the outside of a large paper grocery bag.
Place buds into bag - just enough to cover the bottom with not much stacking. I've found this to be about 120 grams wet (fresh from plant). This should end up being about one ounce of dried flower. You lose about 75% of weight during the drying process. This is moisture leaving the flowers and slowly exiting through the pores in the paper bag. If you notice bag is wet move contents to a new dry paper bag.

Fold over top twice and secure with paper clips.
Place paper bag inside a standard refrigerator. Frost-free is best but a mini fridge will also work. Glass shelf is fine (place an empty bag underneath) but a wire rack is better. Don't stack bags too tightly. The buds will be fluffy the first few days. After 3 days they shrink down quite a bit.

Do not place into the crisper bin - that section keeps it too moist.

The first 2 days open the bag twice daily and gently tumble / shake for a few seconds.
Day 3 - open bag once and gently tumble to keep buds from sticking together. You tumble so they don't get flat spots.
Day 4 - don't open bag unless buds still look kinda mushy. Gently tumble or simply flip it.
Day 5 - once they look like they are drying out a little, open bag only every 3 days to check.

Continue to flip bags daily.
May smell a little grassy - that's OK.

Day 10 - open bag and gently tumble. If the buds feel REALLY dry - time to check RH%. If they are not really dry to the touch place bag back in fridge for another day or two. I left a few long stems on several buds. Bend the stem - if it cracks bud is dry. If it bends leave in fridge for another day or two.

How to properly check Relative Humidity% -
Once buds feel really dry you're gonna think "crap, I ruined it". Don't worry - you didn't.
Remove contents from paper bag and place in a large air tight container or jar. Mason jars work great. You can also use a turkey / oven bag if you have a lot of buds. You will need a small hygrometer.

Place hygrometer inside the jar / oven bag on top of the buds and close air tight. Let sit for at least 2-3 hours at room temp. Overnight is also OK.
If RH is above 68% place contents back into paper bags in the fridge for another day or two.
If RH is 68% or below = time to Burp.
Below 60% RH is too dry. Add a fresh moist bud if you have another bag, or you can add a small piece of bread to the. jar. Don't let it get below 64% RH if you can help it. You can always lower RH but it get's really hard to add humidity back to buds. Will still be OK - it will make great edibles but may smoke harsh.

Burp process -
Once buds are at 68% RH or lower after at least 2 hours - leave in jar in a cool place (around 70 degrees) for next 30 days to continue dry and start cure. Burping continues the drying process but also "burps" away the grassy smell. It's not just about lowering the RH% - it's also about air exchange.

Burp jars 2 times per day first week, then once per day for another week.

To Burp - just leave lid off jar or leave turkey bag open for about 2-3 minutes. Gently shake / tumble container. Jars should be no more than 2/3 full. When burping - RH% should be around 64-68%. If after a few days RH% is still close to 68% just leave bag / jar open a little longer. You want to slowly get it down to 62% - this should take about two weeks total.

After burping for two weeks the ideal RH is 62%. Below 60 is little dry; mix contents of jar with a more humid bud or two. You can also add a small piece of bread to the jar for a few hours to raise RH slightly.

Next place (or leave) buds in a sealed air-tight container to continue cure. After 20 days the nice stinky flower aroma will return and buds are ready to smoke. You can also add a 62% Boveda packet to the jar to help retain that stinky flower aroma and maintain RH at 62%.

*Boveda packs will not significantly raise or lower RH - will only maintain it at 62%.
*Turkey bag is only used to burp - move to an air-tight jar after two weeks.

Let jars cure for at least 30 days after burping and stabilized at 62% RH for optimal flavor. Long term just burp jar for a minute or so once per month.
Click to expand...

For those of you who wash and do Low and Slow, could you do me a favor and review my instructions and let me know if I am off base on anything? I appreciate it.

Last year's harvest was slightly grassy (I still smoke it) and I'm trying hard to make this year's crop taste shcmickey-doo (as @Trala says).

Thanks!
 
GratefulBud said:
My goal this year was to grow enough stinky weed for not just myself but for several friends as well. My refrigerator capacity for Low and Slow dry is . . . lacking, so I gave a few friends freshly washed bags of flower (hung dry for a few hours) for them to fridge dry and cure (with my guidance). Hoping this works out OK.

Here are my instructions to my friends:



For those of you who wash and do Low and Slow, could you do me a favor and review my instructions and let me know if I am off base on anything? I appreciate it.

Last year's harvest was slightly grassy (I still smoke it) and I'm trying hard to make this year's crop taste shcmickey-doo (as @Trala says).

Thanks!
Click to expand...
It's important that they get two weeks in the fridge as a minimum to allow the chlorophyll to burn off, and small bags with 28g wet in each is preferred over bigger bags with more bud.

And the actual low and slow method does not involve any burping. The raison d'etre for low and slow is terpene preservation, which is why they go from the fridge to the sealed jars. As Sue outlined, if they come out with the RH too high you put rice balls in the jars to quickly remove the excess RH, but once you start burping the terps are floating away.
 
InTheShed said:
It's important that they get two weeks in the fridge as a minimum to allow the chlorophyll to burn off, and small bags with 28g wet in each is preferred over bigger bags with more bud.

And the actual low and slow method does not involve any burping. The raison d'etre for low and slow is terpene preservation, which is why they go from the fridge to the sealed jars. As Sue outlined, if they come out with the RH too high you put rice balls in the jars to quickly remove the excess RH, but once you start burping the terps are floating away.
Click to expand...
Hi Shed!

I've tried with smaller bags. They dry very fast - less than ten days. Not sure what size bag Sue was using - I use a large grocery bag. I think she was using smaller lunch bags. I'm thinking my error last time was pulling out of the fridge when they were close to 62% RH. It smelled grassy. I burped for a week or two and it got slightly better but the RH was dropping. I'm thinking I put into jars around 68% and burp as normal. Several other users have said thats what they do successfully.

Have you done any low and slow drying in the fridge?
 
GratefulBud said:
Have you done any low and slow drying in the fridge?
Click to expand...
I did it once shortly after Sue started the thread and it worked well. That said, the kitchen smelled like a dispensary every time anyone opened the fridge and it attracted all the teenagers in the neighborhood. ;)
 
InTheShed said:
I did it once shortly after Sue started the thread and it worked well. That said, the kitchen smelled like a dispensary every time anyone opened the fridge and it attracted all the teenagers in the neighborhood. ;)
Click to expand...
Yes it sure stinks up the fridge. A spare is a good idea.

I found this post that outlines the process:

THC Onlyfans said:
Over an hour of reading...lots of info here...just want to confirm what needs to be done for low and slow....here what i gathered...

1. Wash buds
2. Hang buds for 4-8hours - what should humidity at here?
3. Place buds in paper bag in flat even layer with top of bag folded, avoid stacking buds over top each other.
4. Leave in fridge for 1-2 weeks, lightly shake around once a day
5. Check humidity of buds, if around 62% put in glass jar with boveda and cure as normal (burp once a day for a week, then burp every 3 days for a couple weeks)
Click to expand...

Chef agreed to this - sounds like he has done it a few times:
ChefDGreen said:
This is pretty much right. I wouldn’t add the boveda until you are done burping. They don’t like being exposed to fresh air.
Click to expand...

So I'm thinking minimal disruption to the bags. Leave closed up in fridge for as long as possible. Once they get to 68% jar it AND burp. Just trying to verify that with someone who has done it recently. I think Trala and a few others fridge dry.
 
Just keep in mind that a lot of the "summaries" of low and slow ignore the original intent of terpene preservation. If you're going to burp when it's all done I'm not sure there's an advantage other than for folks drying in very low RH environments.

Also, like Chef said, don't burp with Bovedas in the jar, save them for curing. They work very slowly to stabilize the RH in the jar and that's out the window every time you open it.
 
InTheShed said:
Just keep in mind that a lot of the "summaries" of low and slow ignore the original intent of terpene preservation. If you're going to burp when it's all done I'm not sure there's an advantage other than for folks drying in very low RH environments.

Also, like Chef said, don't burp with Bovedas in the jar, save them for curing. They work very slowly to stabilize the RH in the jar and that's out the window every time you open it.
Click to expand...
Yep agreed.

Not sure if it is just my particular setup but I have tried it in two different refrigerators, and while I think it works and will continue doing it, for me personally the quality of the buds could be better. I need to dial it in. I think the missing piece is jar it close to 68%, then burp to bring it down.

Last time I pulled it out of the fridge close to 62% and it seemed fine for a few weeks, but then some of the grassiness returned. I have plenty of terpenes because when I grind it it smells wonderful. The terpenes overpower the grassiness. Hoping to improve this time.

As always I appreciate your input.
 
GratefulBud said:
Hi Shed!

I've tried with smaller bags. They dry very fast - less than ten days. Not sure what size bag Sue was using - I use a large grocery bag. I think she was using smaller lunch bags. I'm thinking my error last time was pulling out of the fridge when they were close to 62% RH. It smelled grassy. I burped for a week or two and it got slightly better but the RH was dropping. I'm thinking I put into jars around 68% and burp as normal. Several other users have said thats what they do successfully.

Have you done any low and slow drying in the fridge?
Click to expand...
I think it totally depends on the size of your bud. I try and keep them uniformed in size. My smaller bud is always ready way before my bigger buds.

My smaller bud averages 10 days, my larger 12-14.

Over drying is my biggest concern given how low my fridge humidity is.

My last dry has been my best yet. It’s sat at 61%-63% from the minute I clocked it as done.

It smells like the fart of an angel too.
 
GratefulBud said:
Yep agreed.

Not sure if it is just my particular setup but I have tried it in two different refrigerators, and while I think it works and will continue doing it, for me personally the quality of the buds could be better. I need to dial it in. I think the missing piece is jar it close to 68%, then burp to bring it down.

Last time I pulled it out of the fridge close to 62% and it seemed fine for a few weeks, but then some of the grassiness returned. I have plenty of terpenes because when I grind it it smells wonderful. The terpenes overpower the grassiness. Hoping to improve this time.

As always I appreciate your input.
Click to expand...
I think it’s totally okay to put your own spin on any chosen method, or even taking bits and pieces from the shared experiences of other growers then fine tune it so it suits you. You can then add your own summary to the mix. Doesn't mean it’s right, just means it’s your summary.

You do you, babe.
 
Trala said:
I think it totally depends on the size of your bud. I try and keep them uniformed in size. My smaller bud is always ready way before my bigger buds.

My smaller bud averages 10 days, my larger 12-14.

Over drying is my biggest concern given how low my fridge humidity is.

My last dry has been my best yet. It’s sat at 61%-63% from the minute I clocked it as done.

It smells like the fart of an angel too.
Click to expand...

What size paper bags do you use?
How much bud per bag?

Sounds like you pulled yours out of the bag and in a jar it was 61-63%. Did you burp or was the grassiness already gone?

Appreciate your advice. Angel flatulence has me quite intrigued.
 
THC Onlyfans said:
Over an hour of reading...lots of info here...just want to confirm what needs to be done for low and slow....here what i gathered...

1. Wash buds
2. Hang buds for 4-8hours - what should humidity at here?
3. Place buds in paper bag in flat even layer with top of bag folded, avoid stacking buds over top each other.
4. Leave in fridge for 1-2 weeks, lightly shake around once a day
5. Check humidity of buds, if around 62% put in glass jar with boveda and cure as normal (burp once a day for a week, then burp every 3 days for a couple weeks)
-------


This is what I do. About five years now - shortly after this thread started. I have a non auto defrost mini fridge. I keep temp and hum between 40º-45%. Really dependent on the amount of bags (I use small lunch bags with 14-28g wet bud in each - AND on wiping out the water that accumulates in the freezer drip pan). Someone mentioned taking 2-3 weeks, this is true for me. I check rh at 10 and 14 days in a mason jar with a hygrometer lid. If the buds are around 65% they go in qt jars. I burp as follows: 10min 3x/day for 3 days, 10min 2x/day for 3 days, 30min once/day for 3 days. If rh is still to high I use the rice ball method. Once they stabilize around 60-65% in goes a Boveda. I check rh weekly for three weeks and burp if needed. I probably burb more than the average - just to be safe.

I have had the "grassy" smell, but find it dissipates after curing for a while. In general, lo n slo produces buds that are colorful and have a great aroma.

@InTheShed - interesting comment about "terpenes floating away" when burping. My 2c is that if the room the jars are burped in is cool, this won't happen too much. WDIK, I have no way of measuring, but I am aware of the temps that individual terpenes evaporate. Nothing's perfect, right?

One other thing I do is vacuum seal the jar after they've sat for six months. Many food saver vacuum machines will accommodate a narrow or wide mouth jar attachment that sucks the air out and seals the jar lid. I spoke with Boveda about this and they said to keep the Boveda pak in the jar, but leave some air. I vac-pak for 10 sec. then stop.

 
medmanmike said:
THC Onlyfans said:
Over an hour of reading...lots of info here...just want to confirm what needs to be done for low and slow....here what i gathered...

1. Wash buds
2. Hang buds for 4-8hours - what should humidity at here?
3. Place buds in paper bag in flat even layer with top of bag folded, avoid stacking buds over top each other.
4. Leave in fridge for 1-2 weeks, lightly shake around once a day
5. Check humidity of buds, if around 62% put in glass jar with boveda and cure as normal (burp once a day for a week, then burp every 3 days for a couple weeks)
-------


This is what I do. About five years now - shortly after this thread started. I have a non auto defrost mini fridge. I keep temp and hum between 40º-45%. Really dependent on the amount of bags (I use small lunch bags with 14-28g wet bud in each - AND on wiping out the water that accumulates in the freezer drip pan). Someone mentioned taking 2-3 weeks, this is true for me. I check rh at 10 and 14 days in a mason jar with a hygrometer lid. If the buds are around 65% they go in qt jars. I burp as follows: 10min 3x/day for 3 days, 10min 2x/day for 3 days, 30min once/day for 3 days. If rh is still to high I use the rice ball method. Once they stabilize around 60-65% in goes a Boveda. I check rh weekly for three weeks and burp if needed. I probably burb more than the average - just to be safe.

I have had the "grassy" smell, but find it dissipates after curing for a while. In general, lo n slo produces buds that are colorful and have a great aroma.

@InTheShed - interesting comment about "terpenes floating away" when burping. My 2c is that if the room the jars are burped in is cool, this won't happen too much. WDIK, I have no way of measuring, but I am aware of the temps that individual terpenes evaporate. Nothing's perfect, right?

One other thing I do is vacuum seal the jar after they've sat for six months. Many food saver vacuum machines will accommodate a narrow or wide mouth jar attachment that sucks the air out and seals the jar lid. I spoke with Boveda about this and they said to keep the Boveda pak in the jar, but leave some air. I vac-pak for 10 sec. then stop.

Click to expand...
I appreciate your detailed response Mike - thank you!

Sounds like smaller bags may be they key, although I've read previous posts from members who use the large grocery paper bags like I do.

I'll crack this nut - I'm really close. I guess I'm expecting perfection.

Angel flatulence . . .
 
My buddy has one of these -

HerbsNOW Herb Dryer with USB

He has used it with mixed results. You really need to keep an eye on it. He is drying a little bit in it now.
 
medmanmike said:
THC Onlyfans said:
Over an hour of reading...lots of info here...just want to confirm what needs to be done for low and slow....here what i gathered...

1. Wash buds
2. Hang buds for 4-8hours - what should humidity at here?
3. Place buds in paper bag in flat even layer with top of bag folded, avoid stacking buds over top each other.
4. Leave in fridge for 1-2 weeks, lightly shake around once a day
5. Check humidity of buds, if around 62% put in glass jar with boveda and cure as normal (burp once a day for a week, then burp every 3 days for a couple weeks)
-------


This is what I do. About five years now - shortly after this thread started. I have a non auto defrost mini fridge. I keep temp and hum between 40º-45%. Really dependent on the amount of bags (I use small lunch bags with 14-28g wet bud in each - AND on wiping out the water that accumulates in the freezer drip pan). Someone mentioned taking 2-3 weeks, this is true for me. I check rh at 10 and 14 days in a mason jar with a hygrometer lid. If the buds are around 65% they go in qt jars. I burp as follows: 10min 3x/day for 3 days, 10min 2x/day for 3 days, 30min once/day for 3 days. If rh is still to high I use the rice ball method. Once they stabilize around 60-65% in goes a Boveda. I check rh weekly for three weeks and burp if needed. I probably burb more than the average - just to be safe.

I have had the "grassy" smell, but find it dissipates after curing for a while. In general, lo n slo produces buds that are colorful and have a great aroma.

@InTheShed - interesting comment about "terpenes floating away" when burping. My 2c is that if the room the jars are burped in is cool, this won't happen too much. WDIK, I have no way of measuring, but I am aware of the temps that individual terpenes evaporate. Nothing's perfect, right?

One other thing I do is vacuum seal the jar after they've sat for six months. Many food saver vacuum machines will accommodate a narrow or wide mouth jar attachment that sucks the air out and seals the jar lid. I spoke with Boveda about this and they said to keep the Boveda pak in the jar, but leave some air. I vac-pak for 10 sec. then stop.

Click to expand...
Hey Mike, long time no see! I still link folks to your QWISO test results.
:thanks:
 
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