The video explains the process and importance of drying and curing cannabis for obtaining high-quality buds with an increased level of potency along with preserving the chemical constituents of cannabis that are involved in the desired smell or flavors. Experts recommend going slow with the entire process using a controlled environment to get the desired cannabis products.
The Art of Drying Marijuana
The process of drying marijuana starts as soon as you cut down the cannabis plant. But, make sure that you don’t leave your buds lying anywhere. As these buds are breeding ground for fungal and bacterial degradation. Act wisely or else you will lose all the months of hard work in a fraction of seconds. Look below for the best way to dry marijuana.
Cutting Down The Plant
You can possibly not mess up at this level because one can harvest cannabis plants piece-by-piece. You can either cut off buds individually and leave them on a drying rack or a mesh screen.
Or cut off branches of the cannabis plant with each branch preferably 12-16 inches long.
Trim Away Extra Set of Leaves
Before starting the actual process of drying marijuana, one can go for trimming away some leaves on the buds to improve the appearance of your buds. As a lot of leaves on your buds can make your cannabis harsher.
Still, the number of leaves you wish to trim entirely depends on your personal preference and the type of area where you are looking to dry marijuana buds.
For example, if your area is too dry, keeping as many leaves will be beneficial. On the contrary, if the drying area is humid, then trimming away as many leaves will be beneficial to speed up the process of drying marijuana.
Experts recommend trimming buds using disposable gloves to prevent sticking of resins on your hands.
Tip- Don’t throw away the trimmed leaves as you can use dried trimmed leaves to make butter or other cannabis extracts.
Slow Drying
For the process of drying marijuana, make sure you have set the ideal temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit with around 50% humidity.
You can reduce humidity with heater, dehumidifier, or an air conditioner, or go for a humidifier for increasing humidity. Use either of the options as per your drying area prerequisites.
Never go for drying marijuana using microwave, oven or stove. It will taste awful and could potentially cause paranoia. Drying cannabis above 80 degrees will degrade your terpene content.
Hanging your buds upside down is the best way to dry marijuana that involves no or least investment.
Go ahead with the process by hanging your cannabis using string or hangers. You can also go for a drying rack but, it can be a bit expensive. However, using racks will help to dry your buds faster than other methods.
Make sure to remove the stems before drying marijuana buds using racks.
Other than that, you can also lay your buds on a surface like cardboard. But, you need to rotate the cannabis buds every few hours to prevent the formation of wet spots.
If the above methods are not helping you, going for a small fan can help to improve airflow around the area. But, don’t point the fan onto the buds directly.
Patience Is The Key
Well, this is one of the most important elements of the process of drying cannabis. The phrase “slow and steady wins the race” suits perfectly in this situation.
Also, make sure you check the bud regularly especially during the first few harvests. The drying process usually takes around 3-7 days.
Check that the buds are dry and don’t stick together to confirm whether or not the process of drying marijuana has completed.
Tip- If you smell ammonia, then stop right there. Because the presence of ammonia means they are too wet or that bacteria have infested your buds.
