DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[medmanmike]

My method is slightly different. After harvest i wash and hang the colas in the grow room with lights on. This allows further photosynsesis (akin to your comment of being alive for 3 days) to take place and for the moisture from the wash to evaporate. Depending on the time of day I harvest/wash etc I will sometimes leave the colas hanging overnight which further reduces surface moisture.

I’ve tried both of your methods ie hang colas in a closet/tent for a couple of days and then into bags, vs straight into bags. I prefer straight into bags.

My non-frost free refrig sits at 40-45° and and the rH fluctuates depending on the moisture content of the buds, number of bags, etc. It’s high to start 60-80% and obviously drops over time. If I have only one load-a plant or two bagged at the same time, I wait until the rH is in the low 50s before the buds go in the jar. If I have multiple harvests (ie days apart) then I check rH periodically by removing a bag and placing the buds in a quart jar with a screw on hygrometer. If they’re under 65% rH I jar/burp/cure otherwise they go back in the refrig for a few days.

I gently shake, flip and rotate bags every 3 days and check rH around day 10. I do not reach in and touch/move buds around. More chance of breaking off trichs. Buds are typically ready for jarring day 10-14. I’ve never had mold with this method either with one exception: I put the buds into the refrig when they were still very wet from the washing.

Everyone has their own version of this and it sounds like yours works well. I am a little surprised they don’t dry out faster at such low humidity.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Hey y'all,

This thread caught my eye... I'm (re-)thinking maybe this is a solution for me.

I just harvested some beautiful Blueberry buds, but sadly I'm still running them through my high-and-fast, stupid, terpene-destroying drying method.

My situation is off-grid on a small solar power system in wet, warm, tropical Hawaii. I was planning on building a closet-size drying room, and already bought a free standing, dry-type air conditioner, and a small dehum. But if I can accomplish what I need using a small, non-frost free mini-fridge, I'm open to trying it. I also don't have the ability to hang-dry branches – it's just too warm and humid here. So I always trim buds when freshly harvested.

I'd like to see a basic HOW TO of the low-and-slow, with the latest and greatest tweaks as well. What's the best fridge temp to run at? Etc.

I know I looked into this before, but can't remember why I decided against it. Maybe it's a bit labor intensive, manually checking RH in bag/jars?

thanks!

 

[cbdhemp808]

omg y’all it’s working

this sounds amazing!

 

[Trala]

Hey y'all,

This thread caught my eye... I'm (re-)thinking maybe this is a solution for me.

I just harvested some beautiful Blueberry buds, but sadly I'm still running them through my high-and-fast, stupid, terpene-destroying drying method.

My situation is off-grid on a small solar power system in wet, warm, tropical Hawaii. I was planning on building a closet-size drying room, and already bought a free standing, dry-type air conditioner, and a small dehum. But if I can accomplish what I need using a small, non-frost free mini-fridge, I'm open to trying it. I also don't have the ability to hang-dry branches – it's just too warm and humid here. So I always trim buds when freshly harvested.

I'd like to see a basic HOW TO of the low-and-slow, with the latest and greatest tweaks as well. What's the best fridge temp to run at? Etc.

I know I looked into this before, but can't remember why I decided against it. Maybe it's a bit labor intensive, manually checking RH in bag/jars?

thanks!

Hi there

I literally just harvested a plant last week and put together a little show and tell on the way I fridge dry. I have a frost free fridge set to 3 degrees I think.

My Fridge Dry Regime

There’s so many different ways to do it tho. This is just what works for me.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Hi there

I literally just harvested a plant last week and put together a little show and tell on the way I fridge dry. I have a frost free fridge set to 3 degrees I think.

My Fridge Dry Regime

There’s so many different ways to do it tho. This is just what works for me.

Awesome, thanks. I'll check it out.

 

[Machineguntoker420]

9/2023 low n slow experiment in the refrigerator. First harvest I dried for 24 hours normal in closet at 68F and 62H which than went into the fridge for about 9 days in paper bags. Than jarred with 58H packs. Still waiting to smoke.
Second harvest Bubba cheesecake went into fridge in bags right after harvesting n pruning. Took 3 days to start drying cuz the plant stays alive for 3 days or so. I noticed the terps are real good smelling on both strains. Day 4 for bubba and day 9 for fruity pebbles which I'll check today. I open the fridge once a day to flip the bags and move buds around. I do cut the buds off the stalks before bagging. The humid/temp gauge in the fridge reads 38F and 20H. I know this is low humidity but it's worked so far with no mold even under the microscope. I'll get back to you's later when I check the lotus cure again.
Any tips or questions? This is a working progress.

So I checked the lotus cure yesterday on day 7 for the bubba cheesecake. I decided to take it out of the paper bags and put it into curing jars with the 58% Humidity packs. The buds are not dry as the other batch but not wet either. The stem test I don't think is a good indicator when it's ready with this type of cure. I look at the water weight since the last batch where it was too dry on the outside but moist on the inside on day 9. So this time I took it out of the fridge 2 days early. I open the jars a few times a day. I noticed with a 58% humidity pack the monitor is reading 71% for the 7 day bubba cheesecake. I believe this is due to the moisture in the buds still. Should it go back into the bags for another couple days or keep on keeping on?

 

[weenmeoff]

omg y’all it’s working……it’s actually working for me this time and I’m pretty sure I am officially in the curing phase. That aroma is like nothing I’ve ever smelled before with this same strain, God Father OG. Right now it smells really sweet like “orange candy”.
I got scared and took it out of the fridge when it was still at 70%. I’ve been burping the jars all week, starting last Friday, about three times a day maybe more, and for maybe 15 minutes each time. Well actually I would burp them as soon as I noticed the meter rising above 66%. I was just so paranoid and didn’t want that awful ammonia smell to set in, I would always end up with it when trying to cure and not burping enough.
I’m @ 65% and going down now.
OMG that aroma that is coming through is just so amazing, like nothing I’ve ever personally done. I finally feel like I am actually drying/curing right this time. I can’t believe it’s taking me this long to realize what I was doing and why I was doing it (or what I did wrong) when it comes to this process. I am a very visual person, I sometimes just don’t get it until I am actually doing it, but dang this took me so much longer than usual. Mostly bc I was flat out doing it wrong. So now it makes me happy and so excited, bc I just couldn’t imagine not being able to cure my beautiful babies to their fullest potential.
It wasn’t until now that they are getting close to the lower 60’s in humidity that the aroma coming through is so “sweet”, at first when they were in the upper 60’s they smelled like “watermelon” or “cucumber” to me. I wondered about the “candy” aroma I read about. I thought well maybe that’s what they meant when they say “sweet,” almost like “candy” but no it is actually a “candy” aroma coming through, it’s so delicious!
I’ll definitely trust the process next time and leave them in the fridge until they are @ 64%rh, then jar.

The jar reading 67% has large dense buds, the 65% jar have a lot smaller and airy buds.
We are definitely getting there

Awesomesauce! The only thing I would say is don't be scared to throw it all back in bags in the fridge vs burping. The aromas are going to change/develop. There is nothing better than opening a fridge full of TASTY TERPS! I can't wait to get my Black Cherry Punch in my fridge.....

Just my $.02. I have been drying in brown bags for years. The average time depending on buds is usually 3-5 days and then in jars.

I love ice cream! I am guessing you stumbled on this journal and could possible walk away with a better drying method....? Our intention is to have your buds dry out slower and retain the terps. I highly recommend trying it, even with a couple bags (put in about 1 wet ounce per bag to get 1/4 dry)

Cheers!

My method is slightly different. After harvest i wash and hang the colas in the grow room with lights on. This allows further photosynsesis (akin to your comment of being alive for 3 days) to take place and for the moisture from the wash to evaporate. Depending on the time of day I harvest/wash etc I will sometimes leave the colas hanging overnight which further reduces surface moisture.

I’ve tried both of your methods ie hang colas in a closet/tent for a couple of days and then into bags, vs straight into bags. I prefer straight into bags.

My non-frost free refrig sits at 40-45° and and the rH fluctuates depending on the moisture content of the buds, number of bags, etc. It’s high to start 60-80% and obviously drops over time. If I have only one load-a plant or two bagged at the same time, I wait until the rH is in the low 50s before the buds go in the jar. If I have multiple harvests (ie days apart) then I check rH periodically by removing a bag and placing the buds in a quart jar with a screw on hygrometer. If they’re under 65% rH I jar/burp/cure otherwise they go back in the refrig for a few days.

I gently shake, flip and rotate bags every 3 days and check rH around day 10. I do not reach in and touch/move buds around. More chance of breaking off trichs. Buds are typically ready for jarring day 10-14. I’ve never had mold with this method either with one exception: I put the buds into the refrig when they were still very wet from the washing.

Everyone has their own version of this and it sounds like yours works well. I am a little surprised they don’t dry out faster at such low humidity.

I like this lights on idea and am going to borrow that for my upcoming low and slow, thanks MMM!

Hey y'all,

This thread caught my eye... I'm (re-)thinking maybe this is a solution for me.

I just harvested some beautiful Blueberry buds, but sadly I'm still running them through my high-and-fast, stupid, terpene-destroying drying method.

My situation is off-grid on a small solar power system in wet, warm, tropical Hawaii. I was planning on building a closet-size drying room, and already bought a free standing, dry-type air conditioner, and a small dehum. But if I can accomplish what I need using a small, non-frost free mini-fridge, I'm open to trying it. I also don't have the ability to hang-dry branches – it's just too warm and humid here. So I always trim buds when freshly harvested.

I'd like to see a basic HOW TO of the low-and-slow, with the latest and greatest tweaks as well. What's the best fridge temp to run at? Etc.

I know I looked into this before, but can't remember why I decided against it. Maybe it's a bit labor intensive, manually checking RH in bag/jars?

thanks!

Yes, yes, yes! This could work for you. Since you are off grid and DIY, you might consider a root cellar! Someone in this journal does just that.

This is easy peazy and there are TONS of posts, step by steps in this journal, one or 2 links in the past few posts, if you need help finding, let us know! What questions do you have? We are happy to help!

So I checked the lotus cure yesterday on day 7 for the bubba cheesecake. I decided to take it out of the paper bags and put it into curing jars with the 58% Humidity packs. The buds are not dry as the other batch but not wet either. The stem test I don't think is a good indicator when it's ready with this type of cure. I look at the water weight since the last batch where it was too dry on the outside but moist on the inside on day 9. So this time I took it out of the fridge 2 days early. I open the jars a few times a day. I noticed with a 58% humidity pack the monitor is reading 71% for the 7 day bubba cheesecake. I believe this is due to the moisture in the buds still. Should it go back into the bags for another couple days or keep on keeping on?

A couple things here. Someone earlier said, trust the process which is great advice because it's scary trying something new with your valuable meds!

Wait at least 10-14 days and when feeling dry enough with spongy center, put in jars and if rh is 68 or higher after an hour or so, back in the fridge. You really want to pull them close to 58/62, preference. I would also suggest that you do not use humidity packs, I know that is debatable but they are not needed until you get into Long term storage of 6 months or more. It is my opinion, that they take away from the flavor. I leave a little stem on each bud or group of buds and mix small and big buds.

 

[Trala]

I believe this is due to the moisture in the buds still. Should it go back into the bags for another couple days or keep on keeping on?

I believe you’re right lol.

For me it would defs be back in the fridge for two more days.

 

[Machineguntoker420]

So I checked the lotus cure yesterday on day 7 for the bubba cheesecake. I decided to take it out of the paper bags and put it into curing jars with the 58% Humidity packs. The buds are not dry as the other batch but not wet either. The stem test I don't think is a good indicator when it's ready with this type of cure. I look at the water weight since the last batch where it was too dry on the outside but moist on the inside on day 9. So this time I took it out of the fridge 2 days early. I open the jars a few times a day. I noticed with a 58% humidity pack the monitor is reading 71% for the 7 day bubba cheesecake. I believe this is due to the moisture in the buds still. Should it go back into the bags for another couple days or keep on keeping on?

Since my last reply I did put the bubba cheesecake back in the fridge for 1 day than back into the jar. It was drier but not too dry. So 8 days for this strain in the fridge. I'll take some pics for you to see. I look at it as an experiment even using a microscope to check daily on the changes of the buds. This also is during the daily burping to use the time well. I've been burping the jars of 2 strains 3 times a day in 8 hour increments. I also have some colas drying normal so I can test the difference when all is done. I did smoke the bubba yesterday and it was so smooth. 2 tokes and I was mellow like jello with cottonmouth and full terp profile thus far. Pics are coming...

 

[Machineguntoker420]

Awesomesauce! The only thing I would say is don't be scared to throw it all back in bags in the fridge vs burping. The aromas are going to change/develop. There is nothing better than opening a fridge full of TASTY TERPS! I can't wait to get my Black Cherry Punch in my fridge.....




I love ice cream! I am guessing you stumbled on this journal and could possible walk away with a better drying method....? Our intention is to have your buds dry out slower and retain the terps. I highly recommend trying it, even with a couple bags (put in about 1 wet ounce per bag to get 1/4 dry)

Cheers!



I like this lights on idea and am going to borrow that for my upcoming low and slow, thanks MMM!



Yes, yes, yes! This could work for you. Since you are off grid and DIY, you might consider a root cellar! Someone in this journal does just that.

This is easy peazy and there are TONS of posts, step by steps in this journal, one or 2 links in the past few posts, if you need help finding, let us know! What questions do you have? We are happy to help!




A couple things here. Someone earlier said, trust the process which is great advice because it's scary trying something new with your valuable meds!

Wait at least 10-14 days and when feeling dry enough with spongy center, put in jars and if rh is 68 or higher after an hour or so, back in the fridge. You really want to pull them close to 58/62, preference. I would also suggest that you do not use humidity packs, I know that is debatable but they are not needed until you get into Long term storage of 6 months or more. It is my opinion, that they take away from the flavor. I leave a little stem on each bud or group of buds and mix small and big buds.

I'm going to test with and without humidity packs and get back to you on it. Thanks for the tip.

 

[GroundCherryKing]

I'm here for the ride!
Just pulled out 25g of blue dream auto from the fridge. They had been in there 9 days. Buds were washed and left to dry for about 8 hours before going into jars. A trick I learned from Keltic is using a paper bag instead of the jars. This to me seems a little safer route if you can't be around to tend the jars. I did a small test run with this. I put in jars first for 3 days so initial wetness was gone and from there into a small paper bag and into the fridge. After 6 days it was dry enough for curing and smoking (if you can't wait)

I'm drying in a small dorm refrigerator temp stays 38-40* with RH @ 35-42. I know its been suggested to use a frost free fridge which mine isn't. But since I only open the door once per day I haven't had any issues. I could see it being a problem if you are opening it a lot and condensation is allowed to form.

Just threw in 100g of Royal Kush into jars. Going to leave them until tomorrow and then switch over to the bags since I'll be gone on holiday for the next week. That will be a nice treat to come home to!

Why not just start in the bags?

 

[SmokingWings]

Why not just start in the bags?

The quoted comment reads like RheinRover is running a test to see what happens with different methods. He has not been around since 2018 so no telling how all the experiments turned out in the end.

 

[Machineguntoker420]

 

[Machineguntoker420]

This was on the 10th day in the bags closed in the fridge. I than used mason jars for 1 month with 58% H packets. The finished product was very smooth with a full terp profile compared to the closet dried of the same strain. Also I took these few buds and on the first day I put them on copper mesh with a fan and turned them over 2 times. Than in the fridge for the rest. This technique made the buds more dense I noticed. I used a lot for canna oil and hash. The real test was sparking up people. They all liked it and thought it was as good as the weed clinic.

 

[InTheShed]

This was on the 10th day in the bags closed in the fridge. I than used mason jars for 1 month with 58% H packets. The finished product was very smooth with a full terp profile compared to the closet dried of the same strain. Also I took these few buds and on the first day I put them on copper mesh with a fan and turned them over 2 times. Than in the fridge for the rest. This technique made the buds more dense I noticed. I used a lot for canna oil and hash. The real test was sparking up people. They all liked it and thought it was as good as the weed clinic.

Sounds like you're dialed in MGT!

 

[Trala]

Good job

 

[Machineguntoker420]

Sounds like you're dialed in MGT!

Thanks but with all experiments I will replicate it again tweaked for improvements. The comacakes I made last night are still lingering with one of the strains I just grew. These edibles are too strong. I'm going to have to cut them by 4s. Cheers

 

[Machineguntoker420]

The quoted comment reads like RheinRover is running a test to see what happens with different methods. He has not been around since 2018 so no telling how all the experiments turned out in the end.

I started in bags and 1 day room dry than in fridge w bags. Came out best all bagged from jump.

 

[Lowender]

Hey all! 1st time grower hitting my 1st harvest likely in the next 1-2 days.

Have been lurking in this thread for months, it's huge!

Have a frost free fridge set up, temp has been cycling around 40-45 degrees F, rh is low (averaging around 19%) but I assume this is normal until I get the harvest in there.

Is there a general consensus about wet vs dry trimming when using the low and slow method? Think I've seen people in this thread trimming the big fans but leaving sugar leaves, and others doing full wet trims.

Also, is it best to buck the buds off of their stems before putting into bags?

since we are trying to slow things down, I'm guessing stems would slow it down even more? Not sure if that's desired or not yet. Ha..

I'm pumped for my 1st harvest, but am now into another brand new part of growing (drying!) and want to do what I can to not mess this part up! A bit nervous to be honest!

Any tips or things to watch for that yall wish you were aware of your 1st time using a fridge to do low n slow would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Trala]

Hey all! 1st time grower hitting my 1st harvest likely in the next 1-2 days.

Have been lurking in this thread for months, it's huge!

Have a frost free fridge set up, temp has been cycling around 40-45 degrees F, rh is low (averaging around 19%) but I assume this is normal until I get the harvest in there.

Is there a general consensus about wet vs dry trimming when using the low and slow method? Think I've seen people in this thread trimming the big fans but leaving sugar leaves, and others doing full wet trims.

Also, is it best to buck the buds off of their stems before putting into bags?

since we are trying to slow things down, I'm guessing stems would slow it down even more? Not sure if that's desired or not yet. Ha..

I'm pumped for my 1st harvest, but am now into another brand new part of growing (drying!) and want to do what I can to not mess this part up! A bit nervous to be honest!

Any tips or things to watch for that yall wish you were aware of your 1st time using a fridge to do low n slow would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi

For me, I take all of the bud off the stems. I also wet trim. Most times I take all leaves off, just leave bud.

The secret is taking what you’ve read and learned and tweaking it to suit you. I think it took me approximately 7 fridge drys to find my sweet spot.

Good luck!

I’ll be watching