Last Updated on June 23, 2020 by Team Spinfuel

After you have put in months of hard work growing your cannabis buds, we know how impatient you can get to try the product. However, if you are a cannabis pro, you know your work is not yet complete. The process of drying and curing the cannabis buds still needs to be done before you can try the cannabis. Well, why are there not any faster processes to dry and cure your cannabis buds? We don’t know why, but we can give you some reasons why it is worth doing, reasons that will show you your bud is worth waiting for. We will then also teach you the process of drying and curing these buds, so you hang tight with us throughout the article.

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First things first: Why do you need to dry and cure cannabis buds?

 

There are various reasons for this process. We are going to explain some of them here. Check them out below.

 

  • Curing cannabis increases the potency of the buds: Cannabis is the type of plant that produces tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA). Along with the THCA, it also produces some other fantastic cannabinoids through biosynthesis. In this process, certain compounds gradually convert into a new blend. For example, the THCA turns into a unique blend and become THC, the psychoactive compound of cannabis that gives you the soothing and uplifting high you want.
  • With this fantastic process though, you will not be able to stop the second you have completely cut the plant down. If you can maintain the temperature and humidity between 60 to 70 degrees F and 45-55% in that order, you will achieve the conversion of the non-psychoactive cannabinoids to THCA, and this way, the buds will get even more potency.
  • Curing also affects the flavour and the quality: A lot of aromatic compounds give the unique sweet smell to cannabis. These aromatic compounds are volatile. They can degrade and can also evaporate at a temperature as low as 70 degrees F. Slow curing at a lower temperature will preserve these aromatic compounds and will maintain the sweet smell and flavour of your freshly harvested cannabis. Curing also creates an optimal environment that helps the enzymes, as well as the aerobic bacteria, to break down. It also gets rid of the leftover minerals and sugars from the buds. The presence of sugars and minerals causes the harsh throat burning sensation that we get while smoking improperly cured cannabis.
  • Curing will help you preserve your buds for a long time: This is another crucial thing you should take into consideration. Curing cannabis properly will help you to preserve these buds for much longer. With proper curing, you can store buds for a longer period without worrying about mold and losing cannabinoid content. Keep the well-cured flowers in an air-tight container and keep that container in a cool and dark place, and your flowers will be preserved for up to two years or more without losing their potency.
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So, these are some of the fantastic benefits you can get out of patiently curing your buds. Now, we describe how you can dry and cure cannabis.

 

Check out our guide to drying and curing cannabis properly.

 

First things first: How do you dry your cannabis?

 

There are many different ways to dry your cannabis. But, usually, harvesters use the most popular method to dry buds which is the freeze dry-water cure, or dry-ice cure for the flowers; we will be telling you the easiest way to dry your favourite flowers.

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Initial cannabis drying process:

 

How you complete the drying of your flowers will completely depend on how you are going to harvest the cannabis. The best way to dry your cannabis is to cut 12-16” branches, remove unwanted leaves, and then hang them from strings of wire. Many harvesters cut the whole plant, and then hang the whole plant at once. However, there are some growers who snip the buds and place them on cannabis drying racks.

Manicures

You can manicure your flower entirely before drying, or you can wait to do it afterward.

Regardless of the method, you should keep the branches, the whole plant, and even the buds in a dark room, maintaining the temperature between 60-70 degrees F and humidity between 45-55%, with low and gentle air circulation.

 

Once you feel the outer part of the buds have become a little crunchy, and some small branches are snapping, you can move onto the next step; curing the buds.

 

Final cannabis cure:

 

In this segment of the article, we will talk about how to properly cure the cannabis buds to get all the benefits of curing in your bud. We have provided a step-by-step guide below for your convenience. Check it out.

 

Step 1:

Manicure the buds and then separate them from the branches. This is quite a simple step.

Step 2:

Now place these manicured buds into an air-tight container. You can use cans, metal, ceramic, wood or plastic jars and vessels, and even oven bags. But do not use plastic carry bags as they are not suitable for air circulation and oxygen.

Step 3:

Now seal these containers and place them in a cool and dry place.

Step 4:

In the first week, open the containers several times to let the flowers breathe for a few minutes. If you get an ammonia odour while opening the container, that means the buds have not been dried properly. After the first week, you only need to open the containers once every few days.

 

If you don’t fancy putting in that much effort, you can opt for industrial hemp farms, a trusted brand that sells CBD and hemp products online. They will provide you with the best quality of whatever products you are looking for. Try it now.

For further reading, veteran grower James Alexander wrote a step-by-step guide to drying and curing weed over at GreenBudGuru