Proper drying of weed is important to ensure that the chlorophyll II is broken down completely, improving the taste of your weed. This also prevents coughing and reduces the chances of getting a headache after smoking weed. For those cultivating commercial weed, it is important to make sure that it is properly dried, so that you can store the buds much longer without losing their potency or going bad. Continue reading to find out the best tips to follow in order to ensure that your buds are well dried.
Essentials of Drying Buds after Harvest
After harvesting mature weed, first trim the buds properly before drying them. The big leaves can be plucked by hand, but you need a pair of sharp scissors to cut off your buds from the main trunk. This will ensure that the smoke is smooth enough and hence you are assured of the good quality of your end product. Make sure the buds have a uniform length, and the big leaves are properly removed. Finally, handle the buds gently, ensuring that the crystals on the buds are not knocked off.
In preparedness for drying, you must ensure that the room is dark and large enough with adequate air circulation. This will help the moisture to dissipate at a good pace. If the humidity is 50-60%, it’s a good condition; otherwise, you need to put on the dehumidifier. Although you need to dry the buds faster, it is important that the moisture on the buds is completely dry to make sure that smoke is smooth. After the buds have been trimmed, they should not be placed on the totes for more than an hour because the moisture will affect the quality of the buds.
Methods of Drying Your Buds
Hang the buds upside down to ensure that the stems drain the moisture into the center of the bud. This is the best approach when drying the buds because it pulls the flavors out for the smoker to appreciate the smoke. A properly dried bud does not snap but bends when folded, and the buds will feel dry if you touch them using your hands. However, the buds should not have a crispy feel when you hold them with your hands.
Apart from hanging, you may also go for the drying racks which are sometimes preferred by commercial growers. Here, you can place the buds in a smaller space, and therefore, you can use them to dry more weed, but since the racks have smaller space, the air flow will be weak.
Drying the buds faster is good if you want to test the quality of your weed, but it is not good for the whole crop because it can reduce the potency. The microwave can also be used for faster drying, but this is also if you want to sample the harvest.
