DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

Irelandguerilla said:
@Roy Growin do you put a lid on the plastic container for those first few days?
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Yes, I put a layer of kitchen towel top & bottom and change it every day at first
It soaks up any excess humidity in the tub
To air it, I simply turn the tub upside down and lift it off the lid to air all of it evenly
If it isn't drying, that's when I gently sweat it once or twice
 
I have placed some freshly harvested flower between brown envelope paper and placed it in the fridge. Hoping this will work for the first few days of drying.

Do you guys think this will work okay? I’m very new to this. It’s my first grow aswell

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Irelandguerilla said:
I have placed some freshly harvested flower between brown envelope paper and placed it in the fridge. Hoping this will work for the first few days of drying.

Do you guys think this will work okay? I’m very new to this. It’s my first grow aswell
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Anytime you try a new technique it's good to test it on a small batch first, to make sure you don't lose a lot if it goes sideways.

And I think that one if the reasons for closed the paper bags is the buds contacting the paper for moisture transfer, in addition to keeping the fridge air from sucking the moisture out too quickly.
 
@InTheShed It’s nearing the end of the season here so I haven’t a lot of room for trial and error. Although I’m considering these smaller batches my trial runs. Air drying isn’t much of an option with 80/90% RH indoors.

Do you recommend I switch back to paper bag rather than container like that then? I’m gonna swap it now.. thanks mate

I’m just about to take my cannabutter off the stove, made with some wet trim. Yummy
 
Irelandguerilla said:
@InTheShed It’s nearing the end of the season here so I haven’t a lot of room for trial and erro. Although I’m considering these smaller batches my trial runs. Air drying isn’t much of an option with 80/90% RH indoors.

Do you recommend I switch back to paper bag rather than container like that then? I’m gonna swap it now.. thanks mate
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Paper bags are more tried and true, and don't forget the rice balls are another option for drying in humid environments. Here's how that works:

Rice Balls to lower RH in jars

Let me start by talking about the success of @Scientific's oven-dried rice suggestion. :thanks: HOLY MOLY! Toss out your silicone beads and your store-bought desiccants. If you need fast and extreme dehumidifying, GO WITH RICE! The basic info is that rice took the RH in the jar from 75% to...
www.420magazine.com
 
I use cardboard egg boxes, the kind that hold five dozen egg flats. They have holes in the sides for ventilation and the cardboard is good and sturdy. I put trim in them, to dry, but it is important to “winnow” the leaves often and make sure that air can circulate. Otherwise you get mold.
Another trick is to take the buds after they are trimmed off the stems, put them in the boxes and let them sit around for a couple of weeks to dry. Of course, I live in a temperate climate.
 
A box will work. I've seen others here place fresh buds on racks open in the fridge, and even place in jars with the lids off.

The paper bags help to wick the moisture away in the beginning, but also help to slow the dry to around 2 weeks or more (desirable). I recently placed 6 large grocery bags into a mini fridge, about 120 grams fresh in each bag. This reduced down to about 30 grams once dried (12 days later). I gently tumbled the bags several times during the fridge dry to remove flat spots. Worked well but I left frost leaves to cushion in the bags. I figured I can always dry trim that off later.

Dawn 10.11.22 10 days in bag

Dawn 10.11.22 10 days in bag


Dawn in fridge one

Dawn in fridge one



As a test I placed about 60 wet grams into a plastic jar (with the lid off) on its side in the fridge. It dried a little quicker - about 8 days. I tumbled a few times but because the jar is round the buds did not get flat spots. Sitting in a mason jar right now curing with the rest. Seemed to work just fine. Go figure.
 
After drying in paper bag/box do you then cure at room temp?

I have some I’m drying in closed jars -estimate it’ll take 4+ weeks. Might try to dry completely in paper bag to compare results if that’s what you mean? I already have some in drying in bags, was going to transfer to jars when they felt dry-ish
 
Curing should be done cooler than room temp if you have a spot like that. If not then room temps will do!
 
Irelandguerilla said:
@Roy Growin how do you tell when it’s done mate? Some of mine feel crispy after only 5 days in the fridge. RH is around 20% when I don’t open the door, thinking it’s maybe a little dry in there.

Also the hay smell.. is that normal when buds are drying & does it dissipate during cure?
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Everyone has their own preference, but I like it to be dry to the touch on the outside but still slightly sticky in the grinder
If you gently break a small bud, you should start to get a whiff of the good stuff at that stage
Some of my jars still have a faint hay whiff when I first open the jar, but that disappears when it comes out of the fridge and next day it proper stinks, as it should
If you reckon it's going too dry too quick, get some humidity regulator gel packs, but after a few runs you'll get a feel for when it's about right for your preference
My last crop has been in the fridge for 6-8 weeks now @50% and is making the fridge smell lovely :cool:

Cured bud 6-8 weeks in the fridge
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Irelandguerilla said:
@Roy Growin how do you tell when it’s done mate? Some of mine feel crispy after only 5 days in the fridge. RH is around 20% when I don’t open the door, thinking it’s maybe a little dry in there.

Also the hay smell.. is that normal when buds are drying & does it dissipate during cure?
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For me - the buds felt way over dried and crispy after 13 days in the fridge and I thought 'oh crap I ruined it'.
But I didn't.

I took the bag out of the fridge and placed contents in a glass jar at room temperature overnight. The buds rehydrated and the RH in the jar was 66% the next day. I left in the jar and burped twice per day for 7 days until the RH went down to 62%, then once per day for 7-8 days. Now I'm only burping oncer or twice per week. Not grassy but the nice stinky smell is not as strong as I would like yet.
 
Roy Growin said:
My last crop has been in the fridge for 6-8 weeks now @50% and is making the fridge smell lovely :cool:
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Sealed in jars? Or open in jars in the fridge?
 
Thanks guys :)
My bags that are 7 days into drying are crisp. They grind, very slight stickiness. Burned nice in a joint. @GratefulBud do you think it would be wise to leave it longer before jarring?

My hygrometer doesn’t fit in the jars. Does anyone know if placing it on top like a lid give an accurate reading of the jar RH? I need to get some mini hygrometers

Have some water curing going on too - kinda regretting it already. Watching the colour and smell leave my buds.
And have a cob fermenting. All for experience sake
 
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