humidity during curing seems very low...

i dried my first buds in my walk-in cooler, which was running at 61*, and averaged 45-50% humidity. it was a small auto ("small" as in, i got 1.1oz total from it LOL) and i didn't hang the whole plant; instead i broke it down (pics in my grow journal). after 12 days, small stems were snapping, leaves were "crisp." the buds themselves were very loose, airy almost. scent was perfect; i trimmed yesterday and put it all in grove bags.

24 hrs later, i put a couple of hydrometers in the two bags and they're both reading 35% after an hour.

is that too low for a good cure? is there a way to raise it? should i just sit tight and wait for the full two weeks before getting concerned?

wakeNbaker46 said:

i dried my first buds in my walk-in cooler, which was running at 61*, and averaged 45-50% humidity. it was a small auto ("small" as in, i got 1.1oz total from it LOL) and i didn't hang the whole plant; instead i broke it down (pics in my grow journal). after 12 days, small stems were snapping, leaves were "crisp." the buds themselves were very loose, airy almost. scent was perfect; i trimmed yesterday and put it all in grove bags.

24 hrs later, i put a couple of hydrometers in the two bags and they're both reading 35% after an hour.

is that too low for a good cure? is there a way to raise it? should i just sit tight and wait for the full two weeks before getting concerned?

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I suspect they are too dry for a good cure. Optimum drying humidity is 60%. 12 days is also too long, imo. They’ll still get you high. Drying in that environment, they may well have been ready for curing in 4-6 days. Lots of variables. Most of us have done the same.

thanks for the reply. i put another cut plant in the same space yesterday so i'll check it sooner. i was doing the snap test on the first plant and it wasn't passing until yesterday.
thinking about putting a small piece of orange peel in one of the two bags and see if i can rehydrate it a bit...

wakeNbaker46 said:

thanks for the reply. i put another cut plant in the same space yesterday so i'll check it sooner. i was doing the snap test on the first plant and it wasn't passing until yesterday.
thinking about putting a small piece of orange peel in one of the two bags and see if i can rehydrate it a bit...

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I’d be careful with the orange peel, as it can promote mold. You may find the humidity increases some if there’s still moisture inside the buds. If the drying environment is too dry, you might try putting the buds in a paper bag. This can slow things down and be very effective. Are you using Grove Bags (you mentioned bagging the weed)? Otherwise, jar them. Snap test is tricky and can lead to waiting too long. Better to bag or jar them too moist and then open the bag or spread them out for more drying if needed.

DeadHeadX said:

I’d be careful with the orange peel, as it can promote mold. You may find the humidity increases some if there’s still moisture inside the buds. If the drying environment is too dry, you might try putting the buds in a paper bag. This can slow things down and be very effective. Are you using Grove Bags (you mentioned bagging the weed)? Otherwise, jar them. Snap test is tricky and can lead to waiting too long. Better to bag or jar them too moist and then open the bag or spread them out for more drying if needed.

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yes, i'm using grove bags, not jars.

wakeNbaker46 said:

yes, i'm using grove bags, not jars.

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Cool. Make sure they’re well sealed and don’t open and close them! My last two grows, I put the buds in grove bags when they were stable at 62%. That took around eight days in a 60%/60f environment. When I had to cure in my dry basement, those were ready for jar/bag in more like five days. Too fast really.

Sometimes I can't clean my outdoor crop fast enough and a few branches get crispy hanging in the garage. I've found that just exhaling into the jar 3 or 4 times and putting the lid back on and let it sit for a few hours, works like a charm. Each time raises the humidity by 3-4 %.