DrZiggy's Low And Slow Drying: Maximizing Your Harvest
Low and slow traditionally is wet-trimmed before going into the bags in the fridge.
Err but i read they leave the sugar leaves.
Im not here for a debate. Just wana clear things up hihihi
I don't think anyone is debating! Try it both ways and see which way you prefer. You're the one who has to be happy with the results.
TysonOG
Well-Known Member
I leave the sugar leaves on, it helps maintain relatively high humidity in my fridge and allows me to dry for 15-21 days. I find if I wet trim, it only takes 10-14 days to dry which is better than hanging but still not low and slow. My climate is super dry and I keep my fridge in the garage so that is part of it.
My drying seems to be going well. buds are getting noticeably drier... i removed them from their stems today. it’s about Day 7.
the temp/rh readings are a bit difficult to interpret as it’s my first time using this method. like a few in this thread i’ve been using a box vs paper bags for drying and i have a mini meter mounted in the box lid.
In the first few days, humidity spiked in both the box and the fridge as several mentioned in this thread to expect. as high as 80% Rh with low fridge temps. at that time i had the lid to box open or partially open to vent some of that excess moisture and as the extremes normalized over a few days i went progressive towards a more closed lid, if for no other reason that to slow down the evaporative process a bit and use the kraft paper of the corrugated cardboard as a bit of a buffer.
i pulled a handful of nuggs this AM and put them into a large mason jar with a mini meter inside and sealed it. (maybe i should have waited to seal it until temps had reached ambient before sealing?)
Inside Jar: when the meter was up to ambient temp the RH was 80% at 70°F (21°C)
Inside box: in the box, in the fridge. the remaining buds were 44% at 51°F (11°C)
Inside fridge: the fridge itself (meter outside the box, but still inside the fridge) is 40% at 50°F (10°C)
Question: do these seem like typical parameters, shifts based on past experience?
1) 44% rh in fridge to 80% rh in ambient room temp, does that seem like a normal delta? (i realized it would be a big gap, but not sure how big)
2) It’s been 7 days fridge drying and i’m wondering what sort of targets i’m watching for in the box-mounted meter, is there a possibility of it going any lower if the fridge itself is already at 40% RH?
im not in a hurry and don’t need to rush it if i don’t have to.
Jarred at 80% RH is still too high obviously and i need to get closer to 60% for curing. but i’m wondering mostly about a fridges ability to do so when it’s holding at 35-40% and 40-45° and hoping your collective experiences can shed some light.
Fridge is a repurposed wine/beverage fridge with a fan and evaporator (it’s not the cold plate at the back type) and digital control is set at 45°F.
thx in advance for any advice.
the temp/rh readings are a bit difficult to interpret as it’s my first time using this method. like a few in this thread i’ve been using a box vs paper bags for drying and i have a mini meter mounted in the box lid.
In the first few days, humidity spiked in both the box and the fridge as several mentioned in this thread to expect. as high as 80% Rh with low fridge temps. at that time i had the lid to box open or partially open to vent some of that excess moisture and as the extremes normalized over a few days i went progressive towards a more closed lid, if for no other reason that to slow down the evaporative process a bit and use the kraft paper of the corrugated cardboard as a bit of a buffer.
i pulled a handful of nuggs this AM and put them into a large mason jar with a mini meter inside and sealed it. (maybe i should have waited to seal it until temps had reached ambient before sealing?)
Inside Jar: when the meter was up to ambient temp the RH was 80% at 70°F (21°C)
Inside box: in the box, in the fridge. the remaining buds were 44% at 51°F (11°C)
Inside fridge: the fridge itself (meter outside the box, but still inside the fridge) is 40% at 50°F (10°C)
Question: do these seem like typical parameters, shifts based on past experience?
1) 44% rh in fridge to 80% rh in ambient room temp, does that seem like a normal delta? (i realized it would be a big gap, but not sure how big)
2) It’s been 7 days fridge drying and i’m wondering what sort of targets i’m watching for in the box-mounted meter, is there a possibility of it going any lower if the fridge itself is already at 40% RH?
im not in a hurry and don’t need to rush it if i don’t have to.
Jarred at 80% RH is still too high obviously and i need to get closer to 60% for curing. but i’m wondering mostly about a fridges ability to do so when it’s holding at 35-40% and 40-45° and hoping your collective experiences can shed some light.
Fridge is a repurposed wine/beverage fridge with a fan and evaporator (it’s not the cold plate at the back type) and digital control is set at 45°F.
thx in advance for any advice.
I can't answer all of your questions but I can take a stab at a few.
I don't remember my wet-bulb/dry-bulb stuff from high school physics, but one way to test this is to take a hydrometer, put it in an open empty jar at room temperature for an hour, seal the jar, and put it in the fridge! That will at least tell you what the delta is for the air itself.
The buds can't get any dryer than the air in the fridge, but you don't want it anywhere near that. As the buds dry, the meter in the box will be measuring more of the air in the fridge rather than the moisture of the buds, which is why it's important to keep an eye on them as they dry. Let them come to room temperature with the lid off so that when you seal it, you're getting a room-temp humidity reading.
Assuming you live somewhere that has an ambient RH of under 60%, I'd say take them out around 68-70% and burp them down to 62% (or 58% if that's more to your liking).
appreciate you taking the time to respond man. props.
Hiya Rawlus!
I've harvested two batches now using the low and slow fridge dry method. Don't get too excited about humidity inside the fridge - it will be high at first but should slowly come down. My mini fridge worked almost too well and after a few days inside the fridge it was 35-40%. Dried 8 oz. in about two weeks.
I've found it is best to open up the bags every day and gently tumble. Although with a large batch this may not be feasible. Look for the buds to tighten up. When the sugar leaves are crispy you are very close. I take right out of the fridge and place in a sealed jar for at least 2-3 hours then observe the hygrometer. You can always put it back in fridge to dry some more, but it gets really hard to add humidity back. Anything over 69% humidity I put back in the fridge; lower than 69% I jar it but burp daily for about 15-20 minutes to get it down to 62%. It is very dry where I am so I can get away with this. If your area is more humid you may want to get it close to 62% before leaving to cure in jars.
With just a box it will dry out even faster so keep a close eye on it. I was like a mother hen checking every single day. One bag got way too dry (under 50%) and I ended up making edibles out of that jar. Still good!
Don't stress, spark a bowl and enjoy!
Ghostwriter31
Well-Known Member
Ok so I have a 4.4 refrigerator full. Chopped yesterday, washed then cut and paper bagged most of the 5 plants but have two hangers in my tent .
I cut all paper bags so I could fold where the bottom meets . Stack more . They were mostly 28g but some had more weight . Humidity is at 70% but it’s been less than 24 hours. I’d say 2:00 is about when everything was settled. Temps are low 40’s .
Am I doing anything wrong ? I need to pull all bags out and move stuff around once a day? Or multiple? After 7 days move to jars ? Or anytime they get to 68% ? I think I can manage jars in their , I’d have to combine bags .
Let me know what you guys think, I will take any guidance you guys can give me . I have until Tuesday with them after that only during the evening time. Thanks you all and Happy Easter
I cut all paper bags so I could fold where the bottom meets . Stack more . They were mostly 28g but some had more weight . Humidity is at 70% but it’s been less than 24 hours. I’d say 2:00 is about when everything was settled. Temps are low 40’s .
Am I doing anything wrong ? I need to pull all bags out and move stuff around once a day? Or multiple? After 7 days move to jars ? Or anytime they get to 68% ? I think I can manage jars in their , I’d have to combine bags .
Let me know what you guys think, I will take any guidance you guys can give me . I have until Tuesday with them after that only during the evening time. Thanks you all and Happy Easter
medmanmike
Well-Known Member
Hey Ghostwriter, I’ll leave it to the experts to chime in regarding "right" way to do this, etc. FWIW you’re method is very similar to mine. Here’s what/ how I do/it. I use the small, standard brown paper bags. From your pics, I’d say mine are smaller than yours. I cut Buds off the stems, do a lite trim and put about 2" of buds in the bag (standing up). In to the refrigde (mine is similar in size to yours). If the buds are dense, I’ll flipped the bag every two days for while and then go to three. If theyre airy, then every 3. I do not stack my bags at all. I can fit three bags front to back per shelf with one or two if need across the front. I try to give them as much space as possible. I find that it takes upwards of three weeks for then to dry sufficiently. After 10-12 days I’ll pull a bag and put the buds in a mason jar with a lid hygrometer. If RH is around 68% I’ll jar them. If not, back into the bag/refridge. Once jarred, I burp in decreasing amounts over 10 days. Do a final Rh test. If rh is not at or less than 65, I burp a couple of longer periods and/or add rice balls for a couple of hours to bring the Rh down quicker. Than the jars get a Boveda and go into storage for further curing. Hope this helps. Questions?
edit: went back and looked at your pics. Noticed you have glass shelves. I removed mine and fashionEd hardware cloth shelves x ½" mesh I believe. A lot more movement of air than with glass.
edit: went back and looked at your pics. Noticed you have glass shelves. I removed mine and fashionEd hardware cloth shelves x ½" mesh I believe. A lot more movement of air than with glass.
Ghostwriter31
Well-Known Member
Ok I see where that would facilitate more air. Oh boy this is gonna be a long 2 weeks . I am using the small lunch bags that I cut off most of the bag. That glass worried me and the freezer above hence the paper bags sitting on top . When will I see humidity drop ?
Ghostwriter31
Well-Known Member
Ok until I can figure out another solution I took out the glass shelves and used paper sacks as a temp shelf . I was able to make 3 rows . While I was at it I made a few more bags because some bags were loaded . Anyhow I will get this one way or the other . Thanks for any and all input
Derbybud
Well-Known Member
Give it time. This thread isn't called low & fast. It's slow for a reason. Sometimes it takes some stains 3 week's. To help quicken things you could open your frig for 30 seconds a few times a day to make sure it cycles the compressor.
Ghostwriter31
Well-Known Member
I am giving it all the time it needs but while I’m at it I want to make sure I don’t fck up what I have . Haha . Anyhow I’ve gone back through the thread and found where someone used grocery sacks . So I went and grabbed 3 , not nearly enough but it seems to be better this way . None of the buds were wet feeling wet and I didn’t see any moisture
kelticBlue
Well-Known Member
Me too. I might wait a day or 2 and leave a twig but I try not to leave much.
Derby. Nice idea, I Like.
I just finished about 3 oz. I has been in the jars for 2 weeks.
I found using the solid shelve the bag would feel a little spongy, ? I dunno? Not as crisp?.
Could have been the circumstance. I just got a new frig before my last harvest. It didn't end up being a problem but it was something I noticed when I took the bags out early during the process to check on them.
Enjoy..
Ghostwriter31
Well-Known Member
I did that except 5 of the tops, they are about 6 inches long but I can certainly go in today sometime and trim them up so the main stem is gone