DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[SweetSue]

Ime, the buds need to come back out of the jars a few more times b4 they are completely dry. If you break some up the stem should still be rubbery in the middle.
Also if you are having trouble with buds having no smell I've heard that boveda packs kill taste and smell.

I've yet to experience any depletion of smell or flavor from using the Boveda packs. Hmmm.... I'll pay closer attention from now on.

I do air them briefly every day for the first week they're jarred, but I'm beginning to question that process Luweedgi. I'm wondering these days if the best approach might not be to get them stable in the general neighborhood of 62% and then close them up for a couple months. Every time you open and air you allow more monoterpenes to float away.

 

[AnimaSola]

Here are a couple terpene charts that might interest you.

 

[DobeWan]

Thought I'd update as I previously mentioned doing low & slow. It looks like I didn't babysit my fridge closely enough and end up drying more quickly than intended. As it was my first grow I also didn't have a lot of big buds and I removed everything from stems. I did 9 days each for all 4 plants and then got 65% and lower on the readings. My fridge RH went down to the low 40s so I think I overdid correcting the high initial humidity and then didn't remove the paper and rice I used to correct the RH, sending me past ideal range and into too dry range.

In any case, even with curing just starting the smells seem very well preserved. I'll cure from here on out.

 

[SweetSue]

Thought I'd update as I previously mentioned doing low & slow. It looks like I didn't babysit my fridge closely enough and end up drying more quickly than intended. As it was my first grow I also didn't have a lot of big buds and I removed everything from stems. I did 9 days each for all 4 plants and then got 65% and lower on the readings. My fridge RH went down to the low 40s so I think I overdid correcting the high initial humidity and then didn't remove the paper and rice I used to correct the RH, sending me past ideal range and into too dry range.

In any case, even with curing just starting the smells seem very well preserved. I'll cure from here on out.

Been there, done that. Don't beat yourself up about it. Over dry isn't the same as fried or burnt. You have some Boveda packs? One in each jar should do it. It'll rehydrate the buds rather nicely. If you don't have Bovedas try a slice of apple. I've never tried that, but it was an inspired thought that came when I was typing my response, so there might be something to it.

 

[DobeWan]

Been there, done that. Don't beat yourself up about it. Over dry isn't the same as fried or burnt. You have some Boveda packs? One in each jar should do it. It'll rehydrate the buds rather nicely. If you don't have Bovedas try a slice of apple. I've never tried that, but it was an inspired thought that came when I was typing my response, so there might be something to it.

Thanks, they're in with 62% Bovedas now. I've been opening the jars up daily to be safe as well. My samples tasted great!

 

[InTheShed]

I just want to add something I discovered about the Boveda 62 packs as long as we're talking about them. They do a good job of adding moisture to the jar but won't bring the RH down by much. They raise the RH in dry jar and keep it there. Boveda doesn't even mention using them to reduce humidity. Rice balls are the way to go if you need to dehumidify your jars, but be careful not to overshoot to the dry side. They work pretty quickly.

Here's the full description of how I make rice balls:


[PULL QUOTE]
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 50% in about 90 minutes. Yes, 25% moisture reduction in an hour and a half. I had to open the jars to let the buds re-hydrated from the moisture in the air!

Here's what I did:
I poured uncooked (not instant!) white rice in the bottom of a mason jar to fill about 2.25" which was to be divided across three jars of buds. I spread the rice on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven at 200° for about 45 minutes. When it was done, I needed it to cool down, but if you leave it out to cool down it will absorb the moisture from the air and end up at the ambient RH, offering no desiccating properties. So I put it in a ziplock bag, got the air out, sealed it, and put it in the fridge. This kept the rice dry as it cooled.

From there, it went into panty hose balls and into the bottoms of the jars.

Within approximately an hour and a half the RH in the jar had dropped to 50% and the buds felt crunchy again (like after they had hung in the box), so I took the rice out and left the lids open for about 20 minutes until the RH had risen to 66%. Then I closed them up and put them back in the dark to sit overnight.
[/PULL QUOTE]

 

[Blazinjones]

Ime, the buds need to come back out of the jars a few more times b4 they are completely dry. If you break some up the stem should still be rubbery in the middle.
Also if you are having trouble with buds having no smell I've heard that boveda packs kill taste and smell.

Yes i notice my buds get a hay like smell sumtimes wen i use my boveda pack to cure so i dnt use them unless its for long term storage now since i seemed to lose alot of flavor n i didnt really notice till i started not using them one time n flavor was way better so i quit using them unless long term is needed which is why im trying to increase my yields so i can harvest enuf to actually make it to long term storage lol

 

[Slowpuffer]

Been there, done that. Don't beat yourself up about it. Over dry isn't the same as fried or burnt. You have some Boveda packs? One in each jar should do it. It'll rehydrate the buds rather nicely. If you don't have Bovedas try a slice of apple. I've never tried that, but it was an inspired thought that came when I was typing my response, so there might be something to it.

I've found that once you let the nugs get below 58%, it's possible to hydrate it again, but the taste will never be the same. I've been taught that the slower a nug is dried, the better the quality ?? Was i taught incorrectly ?? I hang the whole plant till the outside feels crusty, but the nugs feel spongy when squeezing them. Then into paper bags for like three days and then fill one jar, and check the humidity inside the jar after a few hrs. If it's under 68%, I jar the rest and start daily burping for about 1 week, then every other day for a week and then every 3-4 days for a month. but if a dehydrator gives me the same result, I'm all for it !! As the people of today say, WHATEVER !! And when I say burp, I mean emptying the jar into a bowl, and letting it air for a minute, depending what the humidity was inside the jar. This takes time, everyday, but time is what I have the most of !! Ha !! makes for quality smoke !!

 

[Peeece]

So how is the smell from the dehydrator? Is it bad during the 24 hours, or worse at some point? Or just hay at first?

 

[AnimaSola]

Makes my house smell like a dispensary, oil burners kill the smell inside but I almost always smell it when I walk up to my front door...

 

[SweetSue]

Makes my house smell like a dispensary, oil burners kill the smell inside but I almost always smell it when I walk up to my front door...

Oh, I know the whole apartment smells like ripening cannabis. I'm so used to it I don't notice until I come home and open the front door. I live alone, top floor and last apartment at the end of the hall. There's no traffic up here at all.

I didn't notice smell from the dehydrator anywhere near what I smell in the fridge or hanging from the vine.

 

[Blazinjones]

Ok so I went to check the mail 2day I got my card sue thank u so much that really made my day that was the best birthday gift I've ever received thank u so much I've been grining all day ear to ear lol all I can think about is starting those seeds haha I really dnt have the room but I'm like ohh come on its only 2 more plants I can make room hahaha so I'm now trying to figure out how to rearrange my veg area to accommodate to more plants lol I cud always jus do them hempy style and put them in the bucket with my hempy clones I think that's what I'm guna do lol plus then I have a reason to go play in the perlite haha but yea here is alil bud porn of my red poison auto I chopped dwn n washed last night then into the fridge to start the low n slo dry

 

[SweetSue]

Congrats lookn tastey 4 sure now with a cbd plant do u still get high or no i always thought those where more for medical reasons but not really a buzz but i cud be wrong please correct me if am

The CBD Critical Cure from Barney's Farm is a 2:1 ratio with up to 15% CBD and 10% THC in anticipated values. It won't get you blasted the way something with in excess of 29% THC and no CBD will, but it'll get you to a more enjoyable high. The CBD tempers the euphoric effect of THC, but it makes it work in a stronger way and also extends the therapeutic window.

I describe it as more a sense of wellbeing, but enhanced wellbeing. In the wild THC and CBD were almost equal in proportion in the plant. We've bred most of the CBD out and now they're breeding it back in and breeding strains that are almost all CBD.

The FHO I make with my CBD CC is double strength, and potent enough I have to limit the number of capsules I take in a given day, or I get too high and get nothing done other than laugh and daydream.

 

[SweetSue]

Those are beautiful buds Jones. Never had any red buds before.

I harvested Candy Cane 2 this morning. The daughter and I decided to dry the entire plant in the dehydrator instead of turning it into FHO. She's willing to wait a couple more days for her brownies to make it easier on her mother.

This time I went with another approach. These are some sizable buds, and I want to slow down the drying process just a bit.

I trimmed the leaves without trichome stalks and left everything as attached as possible. The lower rack has the largest buds. I'll be cutting these apart some when I open up the dehydrator for the first time tomorrow afternoon. I'll check at 24 hours and take them out at 48 hours to jar up if they're dry on the outside, then toggle back and forth between the dehydrator and the jars.

Second rack has buds a little smaller, all still attached to the branches.

The top rack has some that may be dry enough to vape tomorrow, and if not, definately by the day after. I might even have enough there to make a pan of brownies.

Let the drying commence.

I love what we do.

 

[Peeece]

Hey guys! Thought I'd throw my 2 cents in... I am doing a dehydrator dry right now with a tip I chopped a week early... it came out to close to 26g wet after I cleaned them up a bit...not a whole lot but enough to try this technique before I put my whole plant into it. .... it'll have been in there for 24 hours in another couple...
I am planning on taking the smaller ones out and putting them in a jar with a hygrometer to see where they are... after an hour I will return them. I'm going to check them every 6-8 hours after that in a jar with a meter.
I'd like to hit close to the 62 and have a good D.O.E. hopefully use it on a whole plant...

 

[Peeece]

Hey guys! Thought I'd throw my 2 cents in... I am doing a dehydrator dry right now with a tip I chopped a week early... it came out to close to 26g wet after I cleaned them up a bit...not a whole lot but enough to try this technique before I put my whole plant into it. .... it'll have been in there for 24 hours in another couple...
I am planning on taking the smaller ones out and putting them in a jar with a hygrometer to see where they are... after an hour I will return them. I'm going to check them every 6-8 hours after that in a jar with a meter.
I'd like to hit close to the 62 and have a good D.O.E. hopefully use it on a whole plant...

It's been 24 hrs at the lowest setting and have just pulled the smaller nugs and started the hour with them in a jar with a meter, meter said 68ish before they went in.... they felt very delicate, and brittle... a bit intimidating to handle to be honest but easy enough to get threw and be gentle with.

I left a bigger nug in the dryer and won't check it until after 36 hours.

 

[Peeece]

It's been 24 hrs at the lowest setting and have just pulled the smaller nugs and started the hour with them in a jar with a meter, meter said 68ish before they went in.... they felt very delicate, and brittle... a bit intimidating to handle to be honest but easy enough to get threw and be gentle with.

I left a bigger nug in the dryer and won't check it until after 36 hours.

Back into the dryer. After an hour in the jar, the RH had reached 80%... I will check them in the morning and see where they are...

 

[SweetSue]

Back into the dryer. After an hour in the jar, the RH had reached 80%... I will check them in the morning and see where they are...

There's a difference between checking the humidity for the dehydrator dried buds and the fridge dried buds, to my understanding.

The fridge low and slo buds you jar for an hour and put them back in the fridge if they are too moist. With the dehydrated buds you don't want to put them back in until they are moist again on the exterior. They're dry to the touch when you jar them, but you leave them in the jars until the moisture has moved from inside the buds to outside.

Do you understand what I mean?

Luweedgi, am I understanding this correctly? I can see the possibility that after an hour the moisture might not have migrated sufficiently to warrant replacing them in the dehydrator.

 

[Peeece]

There's a difference between checking the humidity for the dehydrator dried buds and the fridge dried buds, to my understanding.

The fridge low and slo buds you jar for an hour and put them back in the fridge if they are too moist. With the dehydrated buds you don't want to put them back in until they are moist again on the exterior. They're dry to the touch when you jar them, but you leave them in the jars until the moisture has moved from inside the buds to outside.

Do you understand what I mean?

Luweedgi, am I understanding this correctly? I can see the possibility that after an hour the moisture might not have migrated sufficiently to warrant replacing them in the dehydrator.

My hope is to find the sweet spot. I completely understand what you mean. When they came out after an hour, the exterior was gaining softness and they didn't feel like they were going to crumble or break apart. I had thought that I may need to make it 2 hours if they were close just to be sure...
My thought is that the process is pretty sound, in achieving what a longer dry may do for a good cured product.
The variables that affect it and will requiring tweaking would be equipment, and location (elevation more specifically). Sort've like boiling water up a mountain... if I can achieve a mid 60's RH in 24hrs ( which is a nope...I can scratch that one off my list... 24 hours at the lowest heat setting) maybe it will be 36 hours. I'd rather stop there (a bit earlier) than go past and need to use boveda if I can avoid it... know what I mean? Maybe I'm doing too much thinking and not enough partaking! Lol! .

 

[Blazinjones]

Those are beautiful buds Jones. Never had any red buds before.

I harvested Candy Cane 2 this morning. The daughter and I decided to dry the entire plant in the dehydrator instead of turning it into FHO. She's willing to wait a couple more days for her brownies to make it easier on her mother.

This time I went with another approach. These are some sizable buds, and I want to slow down the drying process just a bit.

I trimmed the leaves without trichome stalks and left everything as attached as possible. The lower rack has the largest buds. I'll be cutting these apart some when I open up the dehydrator for the first time tomorrow afternoon. I'll check at 24 hours and take them out at 48 hours to jar up if they're dry on the outside, then toggle back and forth between the dehydrator and the jars.

Second rack has buds a little smaller, all still attached to the branches.

The top rack has some that may be dry enough to vape tomorrow, and if not, definately by the day after. I might even have enough there to make a pan of brownies.

Let the drying commence.

I love what we do.

Hey sue wht is fho? Ive heard of cco and bho but not fho so just wondering what it was lol?