Since it's been a long time since anyone posted the actual low and slow technique, I thought I would drop the latest SweetSue instructions that
@MrSauga has so kindly assembled:
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Basic points:
- Paper bags will help speed the process by about a week.
- You’ll get better than 25% back, so loading the bags at 28 grams wet means every four bags will bring you very close to an ounce dry.
- 28 grams to a lunch bag is a good volume for smooth drying.
- Save most trimming for later to retain even more terpenes. I only take off fans.
- Laying the bags on their side increases surface area facilitating the drying process.
Wash the buds and hang dry for 4 hours and then trim the buds into the bags.
After three days open the bags, reach in and gently bounce the buds apart. Close up and put them back in place.
Do this again at least one more time, about 3 days later. After that you can forget about them.
In two weeks I pull them and finish drying with rice balls to 62-65%. Then into a jar with a Boveda.
In the instructions below, Sue skipped the step where you take them out of the bags after a week and put them in a sealed jar for a few hours with a hygrometer to check the process.
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The process is a simple one. You want humidity levels at around 45-50% and temperatures at 40-45 degrees F.
* Harvest and wash buds, if that's your inclination. I will tell you, that washing the buds will facilitate a more even and faster dry. Most of us let the branches hang to dry for around 4 hours. This is completely arbitrary. You're going to dry them nonetheless.
* Trim the buds from the branches small enough that they won't take forever to dry. It'll take a round or two to find your personal sweet spot, but everyone has their own comfort zone.
* Place the buds in jars that'll be gently tumbled daily or every three days, or into paper bags. In either case keep in mind that you're trying to create maximum surface area, so avoid overloading the storage container.
* Occasionally tumble, separate, or do whatever floats your boat to keep the buds from forming a big, sticky ball. I find that I have great luck with the bags if about every three days I stick a hand in and move things around.
* Once a week let the buds air dry in a room with reasonable humidity to help drop the levels a little faster. I usually don't start doing this until the second week. Larger buds can take up to three weeks to get down to below 70% humidity, but in bags, most material is ready to work the rest of the humidity out in jars, and the cure begins at the two-week mark. I use rice to help with this.
* When you have them stable in the jars, begin curing as per your favorite method.
Looks ideal.
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help meee
I wrote in my Journal that this post is well worth the read and after completing the entire thing I feel even more convinced that it should be a "required read" for any newbie and most of all others. The urge to skip to the end hit a couple of times but I stuck in there and sure enough it payed off, post #2256 showed me something that I will be using going forward. Thank you SweetSue and Dr. Ziggy and all of the other contributors for starting and adding so much to this. I feel like I just finished a semester course. I will be harvesting my first crop shortly and will be utilizing the knowledge that I have gained here to produce the best final product possible. I have my fridge lined up, my hygrometers are on order and stack of paper bags are on the shopping list.
