You know all the grow techniques; low stress training, NPK ratio, The perfect amendment mix; but what about how to dry? Not knowing how this is done could ruin everything.
My first home grown crop looked beautiful as any other blooming cannabis plant. I really thought I knew what I was doing and was getting ready to smoke some of the best weed ever. Harvest came and not necessary having the adequate space and environment for my plants to dry. I set the trimmed branches in brown paper bags and the main colas on drying racks.
From some quick research and what I had handy at home I got the job done. So I thought. When it was time to trim and cure I noticed a lot of inconsistency in my buds. Some were dry, some extra dry. I had to get down to business and really understand how to dry my cannabis buds more effectively.
I wanted to dry like the pros or at least the people I believe can grow some fire cannabis. As you read along, follow some of the tips I picked up along my cultivation journey.
How To Dry Your Cannabis
The first thing I noticed is that these guys leach their plants or give them nothing but water for at least the final week of the flowing cycle. Doing this removes any salts or other residuals left over from feedings. I've found that a half gallon of distilled water is best for my plants and haven't had any issues since starting this a year ago.
Giving your plants at the minimum, 2 days of complete darkness can and will increase your cannabis plants trichome production. This is a reaction plants give themselves to prepare for the next wave of light to hit them. In this instance, I would believe the longer you leave them in darkness the frostier they'll be. Personally haven't tried it yet, but eventually we'll get there. As soon as the dark age is over it's time to move on to the next step which is a pre trim.
Remove all the dead, extra large, and yellowing leaves from plants. They should be as obvious as you read the last sentence. Do this by holding the plant upside down and trimming them off. Holding the plant upside down allows you to make clean cuts in tight spaces and makes trimming bud much faster.
The next and final step is to pick a place to hang dry your cannabis. No matter where it is the environment has to be clean and controlled to ensure proper drying. Temperature and humidity also play a huge role in drying, the room temperature should be in the range of 55° C and 70° C with the humidity ranging from 45% to 55% anything +/-10 (° or %) is considered acceptable in the growing community. But you must know the higher the humidity the more likely your plants will begin to mold and/or suffer from budrot. A lower humidity level will cause your buds to dry a little faster than normal.
Using a clothes pin or tough enough wire you should hang your plants upside down to remove the water weight which is about 75% once it's freshly cut down. Hanging then allows chlorophyll to breakdown and remove the earthy and grass-like smell bringing the water weight down to about the 10% to 15% range.
How To Tell When They're Dry?
After 7-14 days your cannabis plant should be dry enough for final trim. The best way I know how to physically check to see if the plant is ready is by attempting to snap a branch. When you snap a drying cannabis branch one of the following will happen: the plant bends a little which lets you know there is still moisture within and it's not ready OR it simply will snap right off, confirming dryness. Once it gives you that nice crisp snap, you can then head to final trim.
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