Jarring up and humidity

[Tomateo.grower]

Drying and jarring doesn't seem to be my strong point. Outdoor grower, so no tent or extraction to use at home.

 

Question is, what should the humidity and temps be for when I've jarred up?

Just a bit worried about long term storage, and also the quality of the smoke.

 

Bit of background info, with it being a GG and space tight for when coming and going from the plot, only the nuggets where brought back, no main stems etc, and all had a quick trim at site, and mold or suspect bits binned. I understand it's better to hang whole for a slow even dry, but it's impractical for me.

Also with no extraction or tent at home, this is how I've dried them. They were layed out on work top by variety, double checked for mold, then a small amount placed into brown paper bags, opening rolled over, pegged closed, them hung on string going across the inside of cardboard box on its side. Lid open, with a fan at some distance generally blowing at it to keep air moving around the bags.

This seemed to do the job. If was particularly cold the fan has heating, but always lowest setting and be honest with the distance I had from the box it wouldn't have made much different, I could keep my hand Infront of it on not get hot.

If bags looked wet I swapped them for fresh ones, and after approx 10-12 days they were dry, but not snapping. So they where kept in the bags but put into a draw while fresh buds where coming in and swapped around. After about another week or more, not sure now, when the stems would 'snap' cleanly, I jarred them. These have not been dry trimmed, so sugar leaves still intact, and some stems, but it's Percy so not arsed what it looks like.

If this sounds rubbish also please say, still all new to me.

Some of this has been jarred for some time now, and all my plants have been brought in now, last was just over a week ago, and still in the box set up, anyway I got paid, and had a little left over, so brought some of those small humidity and temp monitors to check the jars. Might even get some of those bov sachets if they may help.

Thanks for reading.

[MindSoup]

Doesn't matter how you get there as long as you dry them out nice and slow, so I dare say you've done a good job, I still dry my stuff in a cardboard box . 17/18°c and 58-62% humidity is where they want to be mate, and keep the jars in the dark as well. 

 

 

Theres a thread at the moment about making the ultimate drying setup which could be something to work towards for the future. 

 

 

 

[Tomateo.grower]

Just now, MindSoup said:

Doesn't matter how you get there as long as you dry them out nice and slow, so I dare say you've done a good job, I still dry my stuff in a cardboard box . 17/18°c and 58-62% humidity is where they want to be mate, and keep the jars in the dark as well. 

 

 

Theres a thread at the moment about making the ultimate drying setup which could be something to work towards for the future. 

 

 

 

Only problem is I had no idea how they were drying, temps and humidity. Was just in spare room. 

And funny enough was reading that the other day! Bit technical for me possibly.

Just don't want hey like last year! Although the smell came back when crumbled.

[Tomateo.grower]

So the smell in the stuff that's been jarred is faint but can't tell the differences between them.

Got 2 them monitors in the jarred up stuff, I tested them at ambient room, both were reading same before I put them in. Temps of both are around 16.5, but humidity is 71 on one them and 67 the other.

They been getting burped, but thinking now should I open them up and place near a radiator or an hour or so, before closing again?

[Wacky Wardrobe]

You could put it in paper bags for a day or so.

Don't put them by the radiator.

[Boojum]

71% humidity is too high (in my opinion), they're not gonna properly dry if the surrounding atmosphere is humid. Get a cheap dehumidifier maybe (not to dry the plants as such, just to lower the background humidity). I dunno, I'm a piss poor grower, but you ain't gonna dry plants properly in a humid atmosphere.

 

E2A Sorry if I misunderstood the numbers and shit

Edited November 4, 2021 by Boojum

[Tomateo.grower]

Thanks

@mikeydoughnut

@Boojum @Wacky WardrobeWardrobeWardWardrWarWardrobeWardrardro

I dunno what happened there. Lol.

ANyway I will get them back out. The room must be quite humid I'm thinking too, so I'll paper them.up again.

and funnily enough, was checking some of the stuff that's drying last night. Found 2 of the nicest buds I've got, with mold. Was not happy, weird how it looks totally different than when it's growing on a live plant. Also a tip, use a white light rather than a warm one (colour) when looking for them. I spotted it, and shone my pocket touch at it and could see it so much easier. Looks like a spiders web rather than fuzzy.

 

[Killuminati7]

Deffo low and slow is the only way 

[Cajafiesta]

I'm definitely still learning...every day.  So take what I have to say as just my experience.  Not necessarily what is "correct."

 

 

I've dried/cured several different ways.  The general consensus, as everyone has said, is moderately slow and controlled.

 

I've dried at nearly 80f (26.7c) 30-40%rh with a fan blowing directly on the bud in a room.  That dried stuff unevenly and too fast.  The outside of the bud would dry to the point of crumbling when touched in about 4-5 days, but the inside was still slightly squishy.  If you do this, and then hold them in a jar, burped daily, they will even out to some degree, if they don't mold in the process.

 

 

I've dried at 70f (21.1c) 50%rh inside of a tent with only the extraction fan on low.  This dried "branches" or colas in 7-9 days and seems to maintain smell and flavor a bit better.  This is my current "process."   After the branches snap, I cure them for a time period.  I've "cured" two ways.  Glass jars, burped at some interval, for a duration of time.  This works well and seems to be the "standard" way.  I've also gone into glass jars, after the drying period, with 62%rh humidity packs.  This works too, but seems to slow the cure down a bit.  Either way makes acceptable dope for me. 

 

 

A grower buddy worked a spare room into a controlled environment for drying. 

 

He has his environment set at a pretty consistent 65ish f (18.3c) and 65%rh.  His drying takes a bit over two weeks and is very slow and controlled.  The texture of his dried product is more delicate, sort of soft.  It's dried down to an acceptable level with the branch snap test, though.  It just comes out slightly softer.  Burns great.  I'm just too impatient to take that long to dry.  

 

He and I did a side-by-side test.  We each took a portion of the same plant and cured it.  Between my dry/cure and his drycure, I can say that there wasn't much appreciable difference.  I think mine may have been slightly more pleasant to smoke, but mine had been curing in a jar a couple weeks longer than his.  The temp/humidity difference between his and my process didn't seem to influence the end smoke a whole lot, but that's only applicable to the particular strain we cured, I'd assume. Every plant does different stuff, you know?

[Tomateo.grower]

Bit of an update. 

Been drying in paper bags Ian a draw in room after getting them to snap. It's down to low 60s now in the draw so gonna jar up. This was very slow process. Hopefully it's all good