Seal-a-meal (vacuum pack) instead of jars?

Lumburn

Active Member
When it comes time to harvest / cure. I understand the use of Jars.
Has anyone ever used a vacuum seal bag system used for foods?
Seal-a meals? they suck alll the air out and make a solid seal. Preserves food very weel. wondering if anyone has any experienc and or thoughts on this subject!

Thanx !
 

Paola

Well-Known Member
I use Seal-A-Meal to keep the smell in check but I have never used for curing. It works like a charm for the smell though... You can't smell ANYTHING even with the bag right on your nose.
 

mogie

Well-Known Member
For long term storage I use the jars. The bags will rub the crystals off. You don't want anything that will produce/cause a lot of friction. Think of it like sandpaper rubbing against your skin vs. silk.
 

VirginHarvester

Well-Known Member
I use the foodsaver bags to store my stash once it's been cured. They work great. I wouldn't think the bags would be good for curing because I think you want some air in there for the buds to breathe.

There's no air at all in the bag so the theory would be that the bud doesn't progress, degrade or change, who knows. I've wondered if the THC/CBDs change while sealed in the bags without any air whatsoever. At any rate I think they make for great long term storage. You could use their cannisters too which would be very good but you have to check the seals now and then as those can leak.
 

mogie

Well-Known Member
For personal stash, I got rid of the tupperware and paper bag stage a while ago. This method for glass canning jars gives the strongest aroma and best texture for smoking. Here's the procedure, it couldn't get much simpler..

1) Cut, manicure, hang your plants in a cool, dark place until totally crispy and smokable in a joint-- usually 5 to 8 days. Optimum conditions are 68-74 degrees F and between 50% and 60% humidity.

2) Place gently into wide-mouth glass canning jars. Close the lid until buds sweat, usually 2 or 3 hours the first time. Open jars and let buds dry to crispy again. I only bother keeping large buds for personal stash but if you do this with shakier stuff, you have to get some air in there and turn the buds over. Larger colas usually have enough flow around them so you don't have to mess with them unless they are really touching each other inside the jar. I don't worry about "do too much damage to the ever so fragile buds" by turning them in the jar. Who cares if you lose 2% of the trichomes to the bottom of the jar, just be gentle and just collect your skuff on the bottom of the jar and enjoy.

3) Repeat the sweating process-- open the jar until crisp, close until sweated. After about a week of this (depending on location), you get to that perfect point of curing where there is enough moisture to keep it smelling strong but as soon as you take it out of the jar to smoke, it crisps up and can be rolled. An easier way to cure and store you smoke. ;)
 

Jesushasdreads

Well-Known Member
well, would the buds fluff back up once the bag is opened or do they remain compressed??? not that it matters, i'll smoke it either way, just wondering
 

greengiant420

Active Member
Has there been any more research done with this tech. because I just bought this gadget and I am hoping for a good turnout. I hung them for a matter of three days then put them into these vacuum seal containers that a machine pulls all the air out. So far I havent had any problems they are sort of just slow drying slowly. I still have a problem with a little bit of a green leafy smell but I hope that is removed with time. Oh the stems didnt snap just bent when they went in. Now if you wanted to you could leave a small amount of air in the jar if needed I am not sure of the science of it all and how important oxygen is to the process. Thanks for the input if you have any.
 

Jesushasdreads

Well-Known Member
don't use the vaccum seal bags for drying or curing, only for long term storage. i would go with what mogie said about drying and curing....that's essentially how i do it and it works great for me. then once your buds ar nice and ready to go you can put them in the vaccum bag but they will be all compressed when they come out and you will lose some trics and hairs but if that dont bother you then you're golden with the vaccum bags.
 

GREEKO

Active Member
Heya all, ok this is my 4th go at growing my own medical mai jane, as far as the whole drying cycle, i am about to let you in on how the old timers have done it for centuries..generations.. to truely and fully dry you mari jane, u 1st must( i do it this way) i stop using nutrients after the indoor program to the T, i vegged it for 6 weeks and budded it for 6 weeks, after the 3 month period was done, i had 2 different strains, 1 was a a WW/NL cross/hybrid, and the other was a pure 100% Afganni(typo), after the 3 month total veg+bud i fed them nothing but distilled water throughout the 3 months, i then feed it nothing but distilled water for 10 days(usually every other day and i would feed them 3 Liters for the BIG NL/WW, and 2Liters for the Affghanni,, then after the 10 days of nothing but water( reason i use the water trick is) that u need to clean out all the chemicles that u have been feeding them the last 3 months or their entire lives, i then dry them the way u will ALWAYS use after using it once, u dry it out nothing at all for 10 days, at the bottome of the plant the stem is like a tree, take an exacto knife and cut a 1" strip around the circumfrence of the plant/tree, what that does it foreces the plant to give its last attemt at feeding the buds with all the nutrients remaining in the stem/leaves the plant at about the 7th or 8th day starts wilting, its trying to take as much water from the plant as possible for the budds last final days to feed the budds the 400 diff forms of THC/cannaboids, ok u have done 70% of the drying by doing what i mentioned above, when u r ready to harvest them u bring the entire plant in the living room(if done in dirt) and go branch by branch snipping the I call them arms/elbows the leave are all wilted downwards exposing 90%+ og the entire bud, it is AMAZING site to watch, u then put all the arms/elbows on your glass table to waxed paper covered tablle to collect 2 million+ tri chromes, you then take a arm/elbow snip it in to so its easily hanged, u then get theColla, u lave that bad boy intact as much as possible, instead of drying it for 7 to 10 days dry time, it is only 3 to 4 days and ZERO chance at mold iff u crack a window or 2 open and have a fan under them not in direct contact, after the drying is down wich is the easiest and best way, the plant does 90% of the work, people say u can cure your mari jane in 5 or 6 days, never, well u can but if u r smoking it why would u not cut off all the 1/4 gr buddlies put them inna glass air tight jar cure+smoke and cure the 99% rest the proper way in a dark room cool, 3 hours closed or till u see moisture then u open it shake them around talk to them for 30 mins or so, then rinse repeat that 4 or 5 times daily for 30 to 45 days if u have smoke and can hold out cure it for 2 months, u can introduce 1/4 slice Granny Smiths apple, works if u dried it to much + i gives a nice flavor aroma, and if u follow each step, by step, i promise your buds never tasted so great, gowing Mari is like the old farmers tale about the PAPPA BULL and the son bull, the sone bull says to PAPPA BULL, why dont we run down there and find us one girl friend each.... PAPPA BULL syas son relax take our time and walk down and have them ALL, it ususally take 4 months from strat to finish(not curing) 1 month for curing, and write everything down, u r not going to get caught growing 2 or 3 plants, write everyt5hing down, so next time u know when is the proper time to start harvesting, there a thing called the 2 week budding window, if u get it early in the 2 week cycle its a happy go lucky lmao kind of buzzes, it u cut near the end its more a body buzz, i like having both, i put a 10 week strain in with my 8week strain and harvest them right at 10 weeks so the 8 week'r is at the end of the 2 week time, i know its only a weed, but its a very complicated weed, and if u know the basics only good thangs to come, i thank my 67 yr old sapniard for telling me the way his family has been ding it for generations, and i am sharing my blessings to you, mari Jane is made to be used NOT abused, u can oly get so wasted, why smoke 4 rockets thinking yer going to reach cloud 9, if u follow what i have written above u will get the best bud u ever had, oh ya feeding them tap water is wrong, feed them rain water or distilled water it has a perfect PH balance plus it does not react to any TDS total disolved salts, they have electrical currents that cause the PH lvels+ overall nutrient numbers, trust me u will agree with me when u light up the first rocket, u will sit back and say Greeko the MAN!!! the MYTH........ THE LEGEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hehe sorry for the 2500 word essay lol
thanks for reading it and tell me what u think, or if u have a story simular lets hear it
hang loose
Greeko out..

ps i am writing a book not a grow bible, but just a hand book capable of turning the average joe into a master of the budlies, i have traveled around the worldand have smoked weed that was orange, some that was bluey purple and just recently i smoked some purple kush, and MAN have u eveer seen a purple bud growing on a plant, it looks like a purple fish in the coral..
 

GREEKO

Active Member
Have u ever stored ur weed in vAccuum bags? well i did 3 oz's 2 held air tight, the 3rd did not, have u seen the buds when u open the bag? looks like mexican brick we used to buy 20 years ago, i take pride in my time, blood.sweat and tears, and to see my bueatiful buds squashed as they were stepped on, u lose alot of tri chromes sticking to the bags, its all about the presentation, this time i used mason jars, 1 oz fits sweet in the 1L jars, i bought a pump and seal, hand pumped, u poke a little hole in the lid, tops 25 pumps and i think that was too much, and my buds are as sweet as the day i put them there, i took my time with the curing this round, i cured them for 30 days, and WOW, i was told to vaccuum seal the jar in their own baggies, like wearing 2 condoms , if the 1st breaks the seal the 2nd is there in case of emergency, if u have ANY questions pls post them,i am always looking for new ways to do thangs
Later all
Greeko out...
 
I've been using a 'foodsaver' pump system (about $30 at wallMart)..had some stuff the other day from 8 months ago and it was perfect. You can get about an ounce into the small size bags, plus they're resealable. I would think your weed will last for years as long as you keep the air out.
 
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