Curing newbie question

Peaceman12

Active Member
Any issues curing in giant 21/2 gallon air tight glass containers?

I realize it could hold a lot of buds, but if you rotate daily, will it work well?

Also if anyone has good link to curing with hydrometer, I would appreciate that. Read 6 different post that got way off topic and were old so I want to know about putting a hydrometer in jars to optimize my cure. Still very new. 1st cure went well, but 2nd cure drying area was too warm. Dried too quickly and made buds a little harsher
 

DeeTee

Well-Known Member
As far as hygrometers go I strive for 60 to 62% humidity, for that I use the Boveda 62% humid packs, they work great for me, standard mason jars with 1 small boveda pack, burp the jars for some time 'till you reach your goal, keep an eye on it so you don't over dry it or let it get too most, once it stable at 62% you can check it once a week of so to make sure it stays that way, 'course there are other methods and I'm sure someone will chime in with their methods.
 
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Rold2Tight

Well-Known Member
I'm down with DeeTee and RAYRAY420. :bigjoint: Get some Boveda's and the regular qt mason jars. That way you don't have to burp (unless you really can't help yourself...lol) and you can rotate the jars to make sure there's no mold. Bigger jars make this much harder to do, and it's also hard to figure how many Boveda packs you'll need. Like DeeTee says, one jar, one pack. Makes it real easy. Each jar can hold a bit more than a Z. Granted you may wind up with a shitload of jars. But you can keep them in their boxes and stack 'em :hump:

Good luck and fill lots of jars k... :peace:
 

bravedave

Well-Known Member
Bigger jars make for more room yes but also holds more air unless have enough to fill them to the brim id advise smaller ones. and yah curing with a hydrometer inside your jar is perfectly fine and best way to optimize your R.H. I just ordered a bunch for cheap from china on ebay. should be here couple weeks.
heres a link for curing good luck :bigjoint:
http://bigbudsmag.com/grow/article/how-to-grow-marijuana-drying-curing-buds
Really like the link (except for it trying to download a bunch of BS when you go there). A little bit of a buzz kill though thinking I have to cure my FG for a month when I thought I would be enjoying it in a couple weeks. Actually I will be enjoying it...but I am going to take a jar or two and cure correctly and stake out the difference. Oh and what kind of hygrometers did you order?
 

RAYRAY420SMOKEWEEDEREDAY

Well-Known Member
Really like the link (except for it trying to download a bunch of BS when you go there). A little bit of a buzz kill though thinking I have to cure my FG for a month when I thought I would be enjoying it in a couple weeks. Actually I will be enjoying it...but I am going to take a jar or two and cure correctly and stake out the difference. Oh and what kind of hygrometers did you order?
yeah i was bummed out to hear that as well. to be honest not really sure what to believe heard the month rule heard that the longer it sits in jars the more potent it gets of course until it starts to go bad which of course varies. also heard if grown and dried properly with good bud can get away with couple weeks curing deff good idea to do what you said and take a jar or two and stake out the difference
here is a link for what i ordered
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Mini-Digital-LCD-Indoor-Temperature-Humidity-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Meter-SS-/321457983524?pt=US_Weather_Meters&hash=item4ad8639024
 

losangeles

Active Member
I had come across some information that herb can be cured for up to 3-4 years, via dj short article i read somewhere, high times if memory serves.
not tried curing for that long, but im fairly certain ill get around to testing it out.
 

az2000

Well-Known Member
Any issues curing in giant 21/2 gallon air tight glass containers?
I think the weight of that volume would be a problem, mashing buds together. I use a 1-gallon jar[1] for walking it down from 70% to 65%, then hold it for 3 weeks there before moving to 1/2-gallon jars[2]. The size of the 1-gal jar makes it harder to "burp." I have to fan the lid over the opening to help move the air. At the higher range, I'll pour the buds out, let them air for 30 minutes. While holding at 65-62% for 3 weeks I lay the jar on its side and roll it every day or three. I notice when I don't do this, the buds get mashed together. I think a jar holding 2-1/2 times the volume would be too much weight on the bottom buds (even laying on its side), and harder to expose the bowels to fresh air when burping.

For longer-term curing (storage?) I size the jar to what I have. Anything from a pint to a half-gal. The half gals are hard to find locally. Ace Hardware seems to be the go-to place for these.

If you really want long-term storage, get a Foodsaver wide-mouth vacuum lid attachment and the Foodsaver accessory connector. You can attach it to a hand vacuum pump (used to bleed car brakes) if you don't want to buy a Foodsaver. There are instructions on the internet for converting tire pumps to vacuum pumps.

I use Boveda 62 for curing (and long-term jars that are not re-vacuumed after opening). I think it's handy especially if you overshoot the drying process a little (never a lot!). I keep a couple Boveda 65s for when that happens. Helps pull the buds back up higher/faster.

There are reports of Boveda packs bursting in vacuum. Using a Boveda and vacuum together seems like mixing goals anyway. Boveda should be for holding a frequently opened container at a stable RH. Vacuum seal for something you don't expect to open for 2 months or longer.

I like the Western Humidor Caliber IV. It can be calibrated using a Boveda 62 in a mason jar.

[1] Ball mason jar (decorative) sold at Walmart and Target. A slip-on lid, not air-tight but not loose either. Any minor air exchange is beneficial in my dry climate to help walk the humidity down. If I think it should retain its moisture, I stretch plastic wrap across the mouth, and slip the lid on.

[2] Ball wide-mouth mason jar, air-tight, sold at Ace Hardware.
 

bravedave

Well-Known Member
I assume if a person is going the hygrometer route that you can get by with placing them in a % of jars while treating those created together with similar nugs the same. ??? $3 apiece is one thing $20 (like the West. Caliber IV) another. Concerning the Boveda packs...I actually maintain a humidor for cigars but manage the RH without packs so I know little about them. I assume the use of the 62% ones happens at the point the jars RH approached that as they have no utility until then ...right? They are also about $4 a pack from Cigars International...is that a good price?
 

bravedave

Well-Known Member
...just found Boveda "Mini"s for $1 apiece. These are advertised as 30 day cigar travel packs. As the regular packs say they are good for 2 months this seems like the way to go.
 

spek9

Well-Known Member
...just found Boveda "Mini"s for $1 apiece. These are advertised as 30 day cigar travel packs. As the regular packs say they are good for 2 months this seems like the way to go.
These are the ones I use. I typically buy three dozen at a time, and put two in each 1 quart jar. I also use Caliber III/IV hygrometers in a few of the jars so I can visually see where my curing jars are in their progress.

-spek
 

Bugeye

Well-Known Member
My preference would be to cure with jars half full but I don't usually have enough jars to do this. I think you get 80-90% of the benefit after about two weeks. I haven't noticed an increase in potency from going longer just a smoother smoke. Just my observations from personal experience and I have no data to back up these beliefs.
 

bravedave

Well-Known Member
yeah i was bummed out to hear that as well. to be honest not really sure what to believe heard the month rule heard that the longer it sits in jars the more potent it gets of course until it starts to go bad which of course varies. also heard if grown and dried properly with good bud can get away with couple weeks curing deff good idea to do what you said and take a jar or two and stake out the difference
here is a link for what i ordered
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Mini-Digital-LCD-Indoor-Temperature-Humidity-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Meter-SS-/321457983524?pt=US_Weather_Meters&hash=item4ad8639024
How did these hygrometers work out? I suffered through using 2 for 12 jars. Did finish off a nice slow dry to success though. Had a nice pile of hash fixings that got moldy due to grower error and lack of more hygrometers, however.
 

Greenhouse;save

Well-Known Member
fair enuff ...so a dozen jars requires a dozen meters....would need even more looking after...all I was implieing was curing is done with the aid of mostly seeing smelling and finally touching.....I find it was one of the more pleasant parts of growing simply because of this...
 

bravedave

Well-Known Member
fair enuff ...so a dozen jars requires a dozen meters....would need even more looking after...all I was implieing was curing is done with the aid of mostly seeing smelling and finally touching.....I find it was one of the more pleasant parts of growing simply because of this...
. I enjoyed that also.
Fortunately, you still get to do those pleasant things with or without 2 or 12 hygrometers. I first jarred when things seemed exactly as people describe as being ready and I learned that it was about 72%...certainly nice to feel what that and a 65 and a 60 feel like.
 

bullwinkle60

Well-Known Member
You want to know how I cure my bud. I hamg it up to dry for 5-6 days then I put it in old fashion glass candy jars with a wooden airtight lid. I burp it when I take some out to smoke. I guess you could say that by the time it's cured it's almost gone but that never happens. Just how I do it and I've never had any complaints from anyone who has smoked it.
 
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