4 ways to trim & dry cannabis
After spending two and a half months or more growing out your cannabis plants the work doesn’t stop there. The most important part of all is drying and curing your cannabis. This can be the difference of having ok weed or amazing weed, AA buds or AAAA buds, or weed that smells like weed or weed that smells like hay. I’ve seen a lot of good cannabis over the years turn out to be shit simply because the drying or curing process was rushed. Curing your cannabis will increase the potency, taste, and smell and you will be greatly awarded for doing so. When it comes to drying cannabis there are many popular methods and every grower has their own version of each. Today I will be going over a few popular methods I have used over the years as well as the method I use now to dry my cannabis. I will also share the basics of curing cannabis but I will write a more in-depth blog on drying and curing in the future.
Optimal Drying Conditions
Temperature: 16 to 21 degrees C
Humidity: 48 to 58 %
These conditions are best kept up with a dehumidifier & fan circulating air
Wet Trim + Screen
This is a popular method used by small time and commercial growers around the world. This method requires you to trim all the leaves off your plants and buds and then cut the buds off your plants. Next, you’re going to want to place all your buds in the screens not overfilling so the buds have room to breathe. Once all your plants are finished and the screens are full ensure your screens are in a dark area with the optimal drying conditions listed above. This drying process can take anywhere from 4 – 10 days to complete. When the buds start to feel crunchy and the smaller stems are starting to snap where the bigger stems still fold over this means it is time to start curing. These screens are great to have even if you’re hanging your plants as you need a place to put the smaller buds that fall off or branches that will not hang. You can purchase these screens for under $30 shipped to your door by clicking the photo of the screen.
Wet Trim + Machine + Screen
This is a common method in bigger grows that are looking to cut down trimming costs. I’ve used most of these machines before and although they do put out a nice trimmed product they also knock off a good percentage of the trichomes off the bud. These machines are meant to knock down big crops fast. Some of them can fill the work of up to 20 trimmers but by saving time you’re going to have a lesser quality product. To use them you simply pick the fan leaves off the plant and cut the buds untrimmed into a bucket. From there they go into the trimmer and outcomes fully trimmed product. Next, place your buds on the screens leaving room for them to breath. Ensure your screens are in a dark area with the optimal drying conditions listed above. This drying process can take anywhere from 4 – 10 days to complete. When the buds start to feel crunchy and the smaller stems are starting to snap where the bigger stems still fold over this means it is time to start curing.
Hang + Dry Trim
This is a popular method used by many growers across the world indoors and outdoors. This method requires you to simply cut your plants down and hang them to be dried without picking any leaves off of the plant. This drying process can take anywhere from 5 – 15 days to complete. Ensure your plants are in a dark area with the optimal drying conditions listed above. When the stems on the smaller buds are starting to snap where the bigger stems still fold over and the buds are starting to feel crunchy this means it is time to start trimming. Manicure your plant until your happy with the look of the bud and then you’re ready to move on to the curing process.
Wet Trim + Hang
This is another popular method used by indoor and outdoor growers across the world. I prefer this method over the hang and dry trim method but I use a combination of the both. To use this method you will need to trim and manicure your plants. I find its best to get a comfortable seat and something to prop the plant up on well still in the pot and I trim my plants that way. others find it easier to cut the plant and trim it out of the pot. Once your plants are all trimmed up you cut them down and hang them to dry. Ensure your plants are in a dark area with the optimal drying conditions listed above. This drying process can take anywhere from 5 – 15 days to complete. When the stems on the smaller buds are starting to snap where the bigger stems still fold over and the buds are starting to feel crunchy this means it is time to start curing.
How I dry My Cannabis
When my Cannabis is ready to be cut down the first thing is to get my comfy chair get my tunes playing and 2 milk crates to stack to place my plants on. You might only need 1 if you’re going to use this method as I am 6 foot 4. I pick the feeder leaves off each plant and then any leaf I can get to that has a stem. I leave all the sugar leaves on the plant and then cut them down to hang. Sugar leaves if you do not know are the small leaves coated in trichomes closest to the buds. Once I get all my plants hung up I set my dehumidifier to 55% and place a fan in the room ensuring it’s not going to be blowing on any plants as this will dry them plants faster than the others. I like to keep my room at 18 -20 degrees and on average for me it takes between 8-10 days to dry. Once dried I give my buds a final trim. Where all I saved was the sugar leaves this makes good trim and can be used to make oil or butter. Once my buds are trimmed up I go on to the curing phase. I myself usually cure for 14 to 30 days depending on the how long I can wait.
How To Cure Your Cannabis
I plan on writing an in-depth blog on curing cannabis so this will be the basics. Curing cannabis is important if you want to bring out the best overall flavor and smell your genetics has to offer. They say the best curing time is between 2 to 4 months and the longer you cure your cannabis for the smoother it will be when smoked. I myself cure for 14 to 30 days. To cure your cannabis it is best to place your bud in mason jars and leave them in a dark room with temperatures between 18 to 21 degrees. Every day you need to open the jars 1-2 times a day for the first week or two to replenish the jar with fresh oxygen and check the bud to ensure it’s not to wet or too dry. If some buds are still wet you will need to leave the wet buds out for few hours checking them to ensure they don’t overdry. Once they start to feel crunchy on the outside place back in the jar with the other buds. If your buds are starting to feel too dry you can leave the jar shut for 2 days to see if this brings moisture back into the buds. After 2 days if they are still dry you can pick up some humidity packs from your local grow store to put into the jar to keep the humidity at 62% to put moisture back into the cannabis. Each day your cannabis should start to smell better and better. It is up to you how long you cure your cannabis for but keep in mind the longer you can wait the better it will be.
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