Drying Racks versus Line Dry (Old Fashioned Method)

Newbie Poll Here:

I am approaching my first harvest, you all know the thread. I'm curious for some feedback on drying procedures.

I've seen the mesh discs online and at the local shops. For my space and area, it would work very efficiently.

However, I know you old-school smokers have been line drying for years. I am curious if the screen actually messes with the bud, or if that is (really) just pothead superstition.

Let's hear it, Rhodies (and Beyond). The money isn't really an issue. Really, I will just have to rework and area to accommodate the better technique.

Enjoy and please be respectful,

CD

i fear the screen will cause too quick of a dry. i like to leave the plant in tact (trimmed of course) and hang it. which is what i think you mean by line drying. helps it to dry slower. however it will be getting humid soon enough.

I've got a two-tent system within a bed room, with a can fan sucking heat/stink out the attic. It also does a great job keeping the humidity level down in the room, that was why I want to keep them drying in there. I didn't know that they could dry "too quickly." What's the recommended drying time? I was anticipating a week or two, followed by three weeks of curing.

Yeah, I meant hanging them from the trimmed stalk.

Thanks, brother.

line drying in a closet or box with holes in it is ideal... the mesh things are good but unless you cover with a trashbag or so, you will end up with a crispy outside and a wet inside: which is not ideal... i've found that some twine in a box is perfect to hang them by the branch or so, but if you trim all the way when you harvest (saves time later in the process) the mesh works ideally... remember that if you use the mesh, you will want to cover with a trash bag with holes poked into it so as to not over-dry your medicine... also old tomato cages work really really well if you have a large enough closet to put them in...

Dude,

The box with holes is a great idea. Moving companies sell cardboard wardrobe boxes that have a metal bar for hanging clothes. I think that, with the stalks attached to hangers, would work beautifully. I can put one of those jobbers right in the corner.

The cost is a fraction of the mesh, and I wouldn't have to worry about the over-drying.

Thanks for the response, NL!

CD

I use both.
I have a breathable canvas storage closet that I use for the first stage. Then I switch to my hanging mesh dry rack.

If interested I use this: "Honey Can Do 60' double door storage closet" got it at Target for $40.00. Shipped took a week or so.
I modified it by adding a second rod that hangs from the upper rod which doubles my capacity.
I use hangers with clothes pins. Each hanger can hold about 8 clothes pins across with stem/bud attached.

I usually let the bud hang in the storage closet for 4-7 days depending on the humidity. I vent a couple times a day to change out the humid air by unzipping the doors a little and leaving open for 15 minutes or so. Never put a fan on them as that will dry them too quickly.

Once they feel dry on the outside but still moist inside I will trim the bud from the stem and place in/on my hanging mesh drying rack. This works nice, the one I have has 5 levels to keep strains separated. I will let them stay on the rack for 24 hours. This really works the inside moisture out but not so its completely dry.
Now its time to place the bud in mason jars and burp twice a day for a few days then once a day for another week or so.
If I get a jar that looks a little too moist I dump the contents on the rack for a couple hours before returning to the mason jar. Be careful not to over dry, I find its best to burp out the moisture slowly.

This method takes me about 2 weeks to dry from start to finish.
Good luck on your first harvest!

Thank you very much, Evil Ernie. Your method sounds excellent, and I will shop around for a decent wardrobe closet--the target one looks great!

The system looks efficient and professional, without sacrificing any quality.

Keep up the good work, brother!

I use a large plastic tote. I have mounted a PC fan on each end, I cover them with a charcoal pad which eliminates any smell and also reduces the airflow. I only run the fans for a few minutes once or twice a day depending how humid it gets.
I have 3 of these and they stack well with helps with space issues.

On the cheap...

Plain old cardboard boxes. Twine tied to sticks on the outside of the box for tension. A few dozen ventilation holes...hang the larger branches in there. Use the screens for smaller buds that you don't have room for. Hit dollar stores or flea markets to find the hanging racks.

Let them dry until the stems give a little resistance, but snap. I average 5 to 7 days drying time. More humidity = more dry time.
Then mason jars for cure to taste, paying attention to burp/open/air the buds the first couple days especially. A couple times a week is fine thereafter. I like to cure for 60 days when possible, but most say around 30 is fine.

I bought the disc rack you described....I prefer line drying. I like to retain the depth and texture of outside of the bud, and drying in the racks works decently, but it kind of smooths out the buds with the leaves left on there, so you lose some texture on the outside. Still will look nice, don't get me wrong, but I think line drying works better.

nl3004.kind summed it up pretty well on the other issues with it......hope your grow is going well, man! Feel free to drop by my thread anytime!

I dont leave any leaf on the bud but do find that the racks can give you a flat side but thats easily fixed by just tapping the bottom of the screen and bouncing the stuff for the first few days, you lose a few trichs but...

As mentioned above, the rack dry is going to go a bit quicker with no lumber in there so I just leave some lumber in tact if we have dry weather or if we have a week of rain like last week you get a plenty long enough dry with all the lumber removed. I just dry according to the current weather and if we're in a steady high pressure system, I'll add a humidifier to ensure they don't dry too fast. Nothing better than a week to 10 days of rain during a drying session to really bring out the flavors.

*Tip- If you DO like the racks, go to ocean state job lot and buy the double hampers for $3 each,...turned on their side and hung with an "s" hook, they give you 3, cake pan size shelves, of drying

LBH said:

I dont leave any leaf on the bud but do find that the racks can give you a flat side but thats easily fixed by just tapping the bottom of the screen and bouncing the stuff for the first few days, you lose a few trichs but...

As mentioned above, the rack dry is going to go a bit quicker with no lumber in there so I just leave some lumber in tact if we have dry weather or if we have a week of rain like last week you get a plenty long enough dry with all the lumber removed. I just dry according to the current weather and if we're in a steady high pressure system, I'll add a humidifier to ensure they don't dry too fast. Nothing better than a week to 10 days of rain during a drying session to really bring out the flavors.



*Tip- If you DO like the racks, go to ocean state job lot and buy the double hampers for $3 each,...turned on their side and hung with an "s" hook, they give you 3, cake pan size shelves, of drying

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Im switching straight to the racks for convience. i was going to shoot for about 60% humidity, to much to little? any thoughts?

you're gonna want it to be drier than that for the finished product... trust me, 60 sounds good but you're gonna end up right around 30 or so before you get to that good zone... i know some folks who go almost bone dry, and theirs light better and finish smoother than most... the trick is not drying it too much too fast...

I've gone both methods.. hangers and drying nets. I personally prefer drying nets in a 4x4 tent. No fans directly on the finished product but I do have an exhaust fan with filter on all the time while drying. Since there are no stems to dry it takes about 6 to 8 days to dry. On larger buds I turn em so they don't get "flat" on one side. And yes some trics will fall BUT... I went a little crazy and had a 3 feet round piece of Plexiglas cut. I attached it to the bottom net and catch everything that falls off the bud. In the end result either way works well. I don't like to wait for the entire stem to dry out before it's all done.

Just a regular hanging drying rack is the way to go. Haven't really experienced any flattening but you can shake it a little so they switch sides

Hey there,

Coming to the end of a first grow, it's taken a long time but now concerned on the drying process, have rack just like the one pictured above to use, however won't be around to nurse it. My place gets a lot of condensation and it's cold, could leave the windows open a crack to help with the moisture. Was planning to hang the rack in the dark(ish) grow room, Need to leave a flap open to let a bit of air in hence darkish. Any advice? Problem was grow took longer than expected. Would it be better hanging it? There is a dehumidifier available but with the windows open, what would be the use? Any help would be valued.

Cheers, mr I.

I'm all for the line drying method. Hang for a few days till stem is just about to snap, then move to brown bags till stems snap. After that I move to jars. Have been experimenting with water curing and I must say it's different...

About to cut mine down in week so doing a ton of reading... seems best to leave all leaves on and just cut main stem closest to the growing medium and hand upside down until stems will just about snap then trim and jar. Jar time is supposed to be next to nothing this way and potency is supposed to be better.

ricky6991 said:

About to cut mine down in week so doing a ton of reading... seems best to leave all leaves on and just cut main stem closest to the growing medium and hand upside down until stems will just about snap then trim and jar. Jar time is supposed to be next to nothing this way and potency is supposed to be better.

Click to expand...

Have to be very mindful of mold when leaving all leaves on when hang drying. I usual trim the sugar leaves and leave the fans on. The fans fall over the buds and retain a decent amount of moisture in the buds, so make sure you have very good air flow. I trim the sugar leaves when fresh because doing it when dry blows and reduces potency imo. I like to handle my buds as little as I can when they are dry.

I also paper bag them for a few days as another preventive measure. The bags take in excess moisture while providing a humid atmosphere, it's like my precursor to curing. This has worked out very well for me, perfect burn and very tasty every harvest.