DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest

[LionOfJudah]

to 420magazine Lion. Hope you feel at home here and get a lot of great insight from all the journals on the site. Next grow you should start a journal (see the "helpful links for new members" in my signature) and read what the rest of the members here are up to in the meantime!

After a week in the fridge put them in a jar with a hygrometer and see what it says after an hour or so. If it's in the low to mid 60s it's time to jar it up.

I have high RH here in Los Angeles and I use rice balls (see the link in my signature) to lower the humidity in jars, or a mini-dehumidifier in a small cardboard box with the buds for an hour. Every time I burp my jars the RH goes up!

il see If they can, now that they've been drying they really are tiny buds and only 2 of them

 

[InTheShed]

il see If they can, now that they've been drying they really are tiny buds and only 2 of them

Small jar .

 

[LionOfJudah]

heres my main harvest and buds the early buds that have been in my fridge a week, the main harvest is small, for this experiment only like an 1/8 dried or something, the leaves and resin were wetter a day or 2 ago so thats a decent sign, my main harvest has been in my sisters crisper drawer for a few days now im trimming as I go, will update on dryness and all that and see if I can fit my hydrometer in a small enough jar for the little ones lol, the buds had a pronounced sweet and sour blueberry smell when touched a few days ago that has faded, the genetics are a blimburn blue dream freebie, I think its blueberry x amnesia and I got the blueberry pheno I believe

 

[SweetSue]

Nicely done @LionOfJudah We all understand the initial trepidation. Lol! I no longer fuss with worrying about humidity levels or temp levels. If it's a frost-free fridge that suits my groceries I load my 28 grams of wet into each bag and get out of the way. After the initial three-days-in bouncing apart of the buds I do my best to leave them alone and let them dry without my interference. I set an alarm for the day I want to remove them, hoping I'll have forgotten by then. Lol!

It's been well over a year and I've yet to encounter any difficulties myself. Mold was my biggest concern, but if you limit the bud date in each bag that isn't a problem.

 

[LionOfJudah]

Nicely done @LionOfJudah We all understand the initial trepidation. Lol! I no longer fuss with worrying about humidity levels or temp levels. If it's a frost-free fridge that suits my groceries I load my 28 grams of wet into each bag and get out of the way. After the initial three-days-in bouncing apart of the buds I do my best to leave them alone and let them dry without my interference. I set an alarm for the day I want to remove them, hoping I'll have forgotten by then. Lol!

It's been well over a year and I've yet to encounter any difficulties myself. Mold was my biggest concern, but if you limit the bud date in each bag that isn't a problem.

when I do jar the buds for curing do I leave them in the fridge still?

 

[SweetSue]

when I do jar the buds for curing do I leave them in the fridge still?

I use Boveda 62% packs in my jars and store them in a cupboard. I'm pretty sure most of the guys here do the same.

 

[weenmeoff]

Hey Sue! I'm sure you've heard or seen rumblings about to use Boveda packs or not. I've read they steal flavor, not sure if I believe it or not. I've heard from a couple members about a different option, boost that they report don't do that. I've also read a few that don't use any at all which is what I'm trying this round. I can say a couple things, I definitely smell a difference when I check on them for the better, much more fragrant (before with Boveda packs, each jar smelled similar) and the other thing is, besides a couple jars that are kinda low, about 52-56, the others are holding steady, need to burp still as they are high 60s. I know long term storage is a concern but those few that do it with no packs don't seem to have a problem and I'm giving it a try. Figured I'd share. I didn't do low and slow this round due to a couple things. Sad face, ha!

 

[Mr. Krip]

Hey Sue! I'm sure you've heard or seen rumblings about to use Boveda packs or not. I've read they steal flavor, not sure if I believe it or not. I've heard from a couple members about a different option, boost that they report don't do that. I've also read a few that don't use any at all which is what I'm trying this round. I can say a couple things, I definitely smell a difference when I check on them for the better, much more fragrant (before with Boveda packs, each jar smelled similar) and the other thing is, besides a couple jars that are kinda low, about 52-56, the others are holding steady, need to burp still as they are high 60s. I know long term storage is a concern but those few that do it with no packs don't seem to have a problem and I'm giving it a try. Figured I'd share. I didn't do low and slow this round due to a couple things. Sad face, ha!

Once the humidity in the buds drops to 62%, they should be good for long-term storage and continue to cure without having to worry about mold. However, depending on how air-tight the container, how long it's stored, temps, etc., the humidity will continue to drop over time. Once humidity drops below 55%, the buds will no longer be in the "cure zone". The Bovedas/Boost packs can help maintain the buds at that 62% so they don't eventually dry out. The packs will dry out before the buds. That being said, if you store in air-tight jars around room temp, you should be able to go quite some time before the buds really dry out. If you want to store longer than 6 - 12 months, one of those Boveda/Boost packs is probably a good idea to avoid the buds getting too dry, IMHO.

 

[weenmeoff]

Thanks Krip! I'm not sure how she does it but the boss manages to go through each crop in about 6 months.

I have a couple jars that are low. I'd rather not use Boveda to raise but will if I have to. Would the old piece of orange peel be a bad idea? Any other suggestions? Not sure why those couple jars are low, they all dried the same way and are in mason jars.

 

[Mr. Krip]

Thanks Krip! I'm not sure how she does it but the boss manages to go through each crop in about 6 months.

I have a couple jars that are low. I'd rather not use Boveda to raise but will if I have to. Would the old piece of orange peel be a bad idea? Any other suggestions? Not sure why those couple jars are low, they all dried the same way and are in mason jars.

The orange peel can cause mold - Better off with a Boveda! Actually, If you put some fresh leaves/buds in the with old stuff, it will re-hydrate it. My understanding is, though, once the RH goes below 55%, even if re-hydryated the buds will not cure any more than they already have.

 

[weenmeoff]

These jars were just harvested so I hope they cure! If not, it's ok, she'll make oil out of them. I'll throw a Boveda in to see if it helps.

Thanks Brother!

 

[LionOfJudah]

Once the humidity in the buds drops to 62%, they should be good for long-term storage and continue to cure without having to worry about mold. However, depending on how air-tight the container, how long it's stored, temps, etc., the humidity will continue to drop over time. Once humidity drops below 55%, the buds will no longer be in the "cure zone". The Bovedas/Boost packs can help maintain the buds at that 62% so they don't eventually dry out. The packs will dry out before the buds. That being said, if you store in air-tight jars around room temp, you should be able to go quite some time before the buds really dry out. If you want to store longer than 6 - 12 months, one of those Boveda/Boost packs is probably a good idea to avoid the buds getting too dry, IMHO.

my indoor humidity is always at least 65% rh if not more, I think if I can get the buds to 62% rh I'l jar then try and burp in the fridge and try and slowly bring it down to 55% rh

 

[Mr. Krip]

my indoor humidity is always at least 65% rh if not more, I think if I can get the buds to 62% rh I'l jar then try and burp in the fridge and try and slowly bring it down to 55% rh

Jar when RH is below 70% and burp down to 62% and you're good from there!

 

[weenmeoff]

No Lion, 62% is ideal. 55 is too low. I'm trying to rehydrate mine now with Bovedas.

 

[LionOfJudah]

the hydrometer said the rh in the jar is 68, thinking im gonna burp twice a day till I can get it to 62 or when it feels like its ready for smoking

 

[Rooster1]

Nice looking produce there LionOfjudah.......

 

[medmanmike]

Doing my first Lo 'n Slo. Could use some feedback.

I washed, and hung plants in the grow room so the lights would continue photosynthesis for a bit and the fans would help with the evaporation of the moisture from the wash. I then trimmed each individual bud off of the stalks and placed them in brown (lunch) paper bags, closing them off with a spring clip. i ended up with ten bags.

They were laid flat in the min-fridge (with freezer). Temp/Hum. Has been consistently 46°/64%. I flipped the bags every three days (twice now) and shook them a bit to spread the buds out. Today (day 10) I decided to have a look inside the bags as they, the bags, felt quite moist. For the most part, the buds were clumped (stuck) together. They're VERY sticky . I decided to remove them from the bags and separate the buds. I also lowered the temp a bit to try to get them under 45° per this thread.

I left one bud out and placed it in a jar with a hygrometer. Hum. is settling around 83-84%.

Not having tried this method befor, I'm a little nervous with the amount of moisture still in the buds. My fear, of course, is mold.

For those of you who have done this a few times, does this sound right? Is there something different I should be doing? I know the process takes at least two if not three weeks and I get the need to do the rice balls . REALLY don't want to ruin this harvest.

Any thoughts or advice will be appreciated. Thx.

Just wanted to report back on my first Lo 'n Slo. I took everyone's advice and kept the faith By day 14 the hum. in the refrig was registering 63° and the buds were no longer sticking (well, some were) to each other or the bags. Did a test jar w/hygrometer and they were approx. 65°. Close enough for me to to finish drying and begin a pre-cure.

Being a little squished in the jar the buds are sticking together a bit when I burp them, but that's to be expected with HB ultra sticky buds, right?.

I've posted the following method before - may have been another thread. Anyway, this method was given to me by a dispensary owner/grower and it's worked well for me.

Day 1-3: Lids off 3 x for 10 min.
Day 4-6: Lids off AM and PM for 10 min
Day 7-9: Lids off once for 30 min
Day 10: Ready

After that, I open and do a visual inspection about once a week leaving the jars open for 15-30 min depending if the buds feel too moist. As many of you have experienced, HB buds can be VERY sticky, so I make sure to separate any that are sticking. Knock on wood, but in five years I haven't had any mold issues with this method. BTW, I use 62% Bovedas.

 

[SweetSue]

Just wanted to report back on my first Lo 'n Slo. I took everyone's advice and kept the faith By day 14 the hum. in the refrig was registering 63° and the buds were no longer sticking (well, some were) to each other or the bags. Did a test jar w/hygrometer and they were approx. 65°. Close enough for me to to finish drying and begin a pre-cure.

Being a little squished in the jar the buds are sticking together a bit when I burp them, but that's to be expected with HB ultra sticky buds, right?.

I've posted the following method before - may have been another thread. Anyway, this method was given to me by a dispensary owner/grower and it's worked well for me.

Day 1-3: Lids off 3 x for 10 min.
Day 4-6: Lids off AM and PM for 10 min
Day 7-9: Lids off once for 30 min
Day 10: Ready

After that, I open and do a visual inspection about once a week leaving the jars open for 15-30 min depending if the buds feel too moist. As many of you have experienced, HB buds can be VERY sticky, so I make sure to separate any that are sticking. Knock on wood, but in five years I haven't had any mold issues with this method. BTW, I use 62% Bovedas.

WooHoo Mike! And yes, sticky HB buds are to be expected. Lol! What did you think of the appearance? The smells won't return the way you hope until the cure gets underway, but the effects can be noted as soon as you jar it up IMO.

Boveda packs are a godsend. Just sayin'.

And thanks for sharing the curing process. That'll come in real handy, and it's nice to have it passed on by a canna professional. I think I'll add that to my written files.

When I move into my apartment I'll be purchasing a small fridge so I don't have the smell of cannabis hanging around in my foodstuffs. Lol! Can't be stealthy when the entire fridge smells of drying buds.

 

[SweetSue]

@weenmeoff, I'd not heard the discussion about the differences between Boost and Boveda, so thanks for sharing your impressions. Now you have me thinking a broader test might be nice. I've used both (got a couple Boost packs in gifted batches) and to be honest, I've never noticed a difference.

I'm in the same class as the Boss, very little manages to stick around for more than six months, so I could probably get away without, at least until the jars get below half-full. I just feel like I'm keeping them safer with the Bovedas.

Sorry low and slo wasn't an option for you this time ween. Next time.

These days "long-term storage" translates in my brain to "cob." Lol!

 

[Headclinic]

So far so good! Got my 2nd batch of slo and low going. This round I have some Skunk XL on day 7 of the dry process.
The 1st batch FB 6 Shooter is jarred up and curing.