I have a few questions about the drying / curing process. I took 3 sample nugs from 1 of my 3 plants and decided to figure out what works best before I do a true harvest in a few weeks. The test nugs are 8 weeks 3 days old. The plant is some sort of sativa. I checked the trich's and 85% are milky and 15% are light cloudy/clear. Below is the process I've followed so far, if I've done anything wrong or if you have any advice I'd be grateful to hear it.

Drying:
After cutting and a light manicure I hung the buds in a cardboard box. The top of the box is removed and I cut a square hole in both ends. I put the box in a completely dark area with a humidity of 50%-53% and temperature of 74F-75F. I did not use any sort of fan or air flow. (On my first grow I placed a fan in front of the box and I think it dried them out too fast because the bud never got that weed smell - just smelled like pine?)

I inspected the buds moisture level daily. For the first day and a half they were damp. After 2.5 days the surface of the bud was dry but I can tell if I was to squeeze it the inside would still be damp, but not wet. The stems felt between dry and damp but they did not snap, only bent. I figured this would be a good time to put the buds in a curing jar. I'm going to leave them in the jar over night and then open the jar in the morning while I get ready for work and then close the jar up for the duration of my workday. Then open the jars again when I get home from work etc etc until I am happy.

Questions:
Did I hang dry them long enough? The buds are <= 1g each and I did not want to over dry them. Is 2.5 days enough? When they are still semi-damp should I put them in paper bags for a day or two and then start the cure? What is the purpose of drying in brown paper bags? Is it faster or slower drying then if you were hanging?

Thats all I got, check the pictures. The first picture is of my current SCROG grow the buds came from. Second is the buds.

Attached Images

	scrog7-18-09.jpg (85.5 KB, 246 views)
	scrogtest.jpg (55.2 KB, 233 views)

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Current Grow: Grow #3: Green House Sativa/Indica Mix B

Sounds like you've done a good job so far....Keep them in the jar opening it daily or twice daily for about 30 minutes each time, do this for another week or so and you should have some great nugs. Most important you want to prevent them from drying to fast, or staying wet in a sealed jar.

So it should be ok if they are damp in the sealed jar, they'll still dry like this? I am not 100% sure on what happens during curing. The air trapped in the jar pulls the moisture out of the bud? Where does it go? On the glass jar walls? Then you open the jar, let new air in and drys them a little more?

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Current Grow: Grow #3: Green House Sativa/Indica Mix B

Ok so I put the buds in a jar last night, woke up this morning and they seemed fine! Not wet like I was worried about. I let them air out for 30 mins and then closed them back up in the jar for the duration of my work day. Came home from work and opened the jar they seemed ok again. I didn't place them back in the jar, put them in bags for 3 hours and about to stick em back in the jars over night and repeat this process (minus the bag dry) again tommorrow. My goal is to have something smoke-able by friday. I know the curing process takes longer then 3 days though but I dont want that damn grassy taste on friday!!! They have a mix of a grassy and skunky smell right now...so maybe the jars will help a little?

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Current Grow: Grow #3: Green House Sativa/Indica Mix B

Got home from work today and checked my cure experiment. The buds are a little dryer then yesterday, the stems still bend (will they ever get to a snapping point?). Touching them leaves that nice sweet weed smell on my fingers mmm. I am very happy so far with the outcome. I am pretty sure that by tomorrow they'll be ready for smoking. Maybe not 100% cured but good enough for now

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Current Grow: Grow #3: Green House Sativa/Indica Mix B

you got it jus keep it all in the jar as u smoking it over a period of days and will keep getting nicer, prob is the last one is always the sweetest and i always kick myself for not leaving it all to get as nice lol we cant have our cake and eat it though

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dont worry worry till worry worrys u

lol yeah. I know I thought about just letting them cure for another week after seeing such good results thus far....but I figure I can do that when I do the real harvest haah for now I need some smizoke!

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Current Grow: Grow #3: Green House Sativa/Indica Mix B

i know that feeling i always give in wit a little bit in the end lol at the mo every time i walk in my room i gotta have wil power, they soooo nearly there

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dont worry worry till worry worrys u

I like to water cure a few so i can stand the wait of the jar cure. They won't look as pretty and will
end up weighing about 10% less than air cure but if your not trying to sell then that's no big.

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Hey officer krupke KRUP YOU!!!!

I think you may have longer than you think before harvest, they don't look anywhere near ready - they look at least a month out.