# AK48 harvest ruined. Waited too long to start curing.. buds were too dry.



## ganjaluvr (Sep 13, 2010)

Son of a bitch.

I think I'm losing my green thumb!!! 

Two harvests completely ruined.. the first one that got ruined was my Nirvana Ice.. which I let dry to a crisp.. like a fucking moron!! ughh..

and now, to top that off!! I just fucked up my AK48 harvest as well. I can't seem to figure out when to start the curing process.. 

I know what I'm doing wrong, I'm letting the buds air dry too long.. before starting the curing process.. which your suppose to start the curing once the buds have dried and lost most of their moisture.. not all of it.. just most of it. I was letting the buds get too dry I guess.. before starting the curing process.

But see, the problem is.. is the internet is LOADED with information about cannabis. How to grow it; harvest; dry; and cure it... and the problem with that is.. is you get conflicting information. You read one article on how to dry and cure... and then I'll read another one.. that tells you something completely different. It's starting to get to me.. and I'm a patient person.

So, if anyone would be so kind to share their knowledge.. and let me know exactly when I should start the curing.. that would be fucking great. Because I can't seem to get it right.. and without a cure.. cannabis is going still have the "hay" smell to it.. which is chlorophyll trapped in the bud.. and gives the bud a yucky smell and a very harsh taste.. which isn't what I want! ugghh.. just frustrating that I can't seem to get the curing process down..

so again.. if anyone could enlighten me on when I should start the curing process.. that would be fucking wonderful!! I'm about to start up another AK48 plant.. in hopes that this one will go better than the last two grows. I'm getting tired of wasting 8 to 9 weeks of my life.. and having nothing to show for it. Almost puts me to tears.. seriously.. because I take so good care of my plants while they're growing.. and to not have anything to show for it.. after 8 or 9 weeks.. is very very depressing.

So again, please.. could someone help me with this?

thanks in advance to anyone that helps. 

peace.


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## Banditt (Sep 13, 2010)

I don't see how letting them dry too long ruined your harvest...Take a fresh leaf and throw it in the jar with the curing buds. It will rehydrate them and you can continue curing. The best time to start the cure (for me at least) is the first day the buds seem really dry on the outside, which is about 5-7 days of drying. Put them in the jars, they should be moist again the next day, if not you waited too long. But like I said you can use a leaf or something to rehydrate it.


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## ghb (Sep 13, 2010)

try lemon peel


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## ganjaluvr (Sep 13, 2010)

Banditt said:


> I don't see how letting them dry too long ruined your harvest...Take a fresh leaf and throw it in the jar with the curing buds. It will rehydrate them and you can continue curing. The best time to start the cure (for me at least) is the first day the buds seem really dry on the outside, which is about 5-7 days of drying. Put them in the jars, they should be moist again the next day, if not you waited too long. But like I said you can use a leaf or something to rehydrate it.


Exactly.. like I said bro. I waited too long to start the curing process.

Thanks for the help though.. peace.


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## captain crunch (Sep 13, 2010)

I start curing when the buds are dry to the touch on the outside and the stems splinter a little bit when you bend them. If the stems break you're too dry, if they only bend you are not dry enough.


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## ganjaluvr (Sep 14, 2010)

thanks for the help everyone..

I figured it out though. Curing is nothing more... than simply slowing down the drying process... thats all it is.

but, people tend to make things sound more difficult than they really are.. which confuses some people like myself.

All you gotta remember, is.. curing is pretty much the same exact thing as drying. Only.. curing.. your simply slowing down the drying process in order to get a final product that will taste like it should.. and have the potency that it should.. that's what curing is.

You air dry the buds.. until the outer sides of the buds are dry.. and the stems bend.. but don't snap (too dry)... then

simply throw them into your curing jars.. to slow down the drying process.. to give a nice cure to the buds and to give

the buds a nice smell with no harshness.. only a nice smooth potent smoke.


Hah! Finally... I figured it out. 

Thanks for the help Captain! 

I've started germinating two more AK48's... and this new grow is going to be magnificent. Thanks for the help everyone.


peace...


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## johndoecangrow (Sep 14, 2010)

dude just put in some fresh leaves or a fresh picked bud inside a mason jar don't leave it closed too long because it doesn't take long at all to moisten it back up! if you dont have any green leaves just moisten a paper towel a little bit and use it .should only take a couple of hours in the jar.


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## carokann (Sep 14, 2010)

here is what i am doing i think i may have stumbled onto this method by luck or somthing. after hang drying them for 5 days they will still have a moisture in them, put them in the mason jars for 4-8 hours, this will make them sweat in the jars and the buds will get soft again. then put them in cardboard boxs only kind of opened. this is where i am at today. im thinking repeating this process for 1-2 weeks everyday should work pretty good. what do you think?


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## Gank (Sep 14, 2010)

ganjaluvr said:


> thanks for the help everyone..
> 
> I figured it out though. Curing is nothing more... than simply slowing down the drying process... thats all it is.
> 
> ...


There is a lot that goes on in the curing process other than drying. There are chemical reations taking place that makes the bud um um good.


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## shnkrmn (Sep 14, 2010)

Actually, if the stems snap when you bend them they still aren't over dried. Like everyone keeps telling you, you can easily rehumidify buds. I personally like a fresh carrot for 24 hours in the bag. And it doesn't contribute any aroma of its own like lemon peel can.


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## growone (Sep 14, 2010)

some of the answers are very interesting, and collide a bit with some other curing info i have seen
that being if you dry too far, curing will not happen even if you add humidity
i don't claim to know the answer, but i have seen good posts arguing for it
curious on the experiences of adding humidity to dry bud


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## doc76 (Sep 19, 2010)

My last three grows I have had good luck using paper grocery bags to start the drying/curing process. I first cut and trim the buds and put them directly in the paper bags only filling the bottom of the bag so there is one layer of buds. I then fold over the top of the bag to close it up, and put it in a cool dry place. Open the bags every 24 hours and move the buds around to promote even drying. The paper bag will wick away extra moisture to prevent any problems with mold and the bud will dry very slow since there isn't a lot of air flow. When the outside of the buds are crisp but the stems still bend (but don't quite snap) put the buds in big mason jars. Open the mason jars every 24 hours to exchange the air and move the buds around. If you see any moisture on the inside of the jars, put the buds back in the paper sacks and wait a little longer. When the stems snap you can stop opening the jars every day and keep them sealed until you're ready to use them. Just store in a dark, cool, dry place. I just cracked open a jar of Jack Herer that was sealed 18 months ago and it has lost no potency or flavor.


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## DankShasta (Sep 19, 2010)

You can easily bring those buds back to life. I use orange peels, bread, or even soaked cotton balls to bring it back to life. I gotta say though two big fuck ups in a row?? This shit is so easy, I really don't "get" people who continually fuck shit up, while still trying to come off like they know what the fuck they're doing. You might want to relearn your basics man.

BTW even re-hydrated though, they'll never be as good as they could have been. You'll never get back the full smell either, but if they were true KBs to begin with you should still end up with some potent smoke.


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## DankShasta (Sep 19, 2010)

shit sorry guys I posteed this in the wrong place.


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## djruiner (Sep 19, 2010)

best way ive found to cure is this.....kinda long,but in detail....Cut the product, trim it per your preference, but don't dry it until the stems snap. Take it down while the stems still have some flex, but the product feel dry on the outside. This is a perfect opportunity to drop the dry-feeling flowers onto a screen and collect prime-quality kief that would otherwise get lost in the jar.

Jar the product, along with a hygrometer. Then, watch the readings: 

+70% RH - too wet, needs to sit outside the jar to dry for 12-24 hours, depending.

65-70% RH - the product is almost in the cure zone, if you will. It can be slowly brought to optimum RH by opening the lid for 2-4 hours.

60-65% RH - the stems snap, the product feels a bit sticky, and it is curing.

55-60% RH - at this point it can be stored for an extended period (3 months or more) without worrying about mold. The product will continue to cure.

Below 55% RH - the RH is too low for the curing process to take place. The product starts to feel brittle. Once you've hit this point, nothing will make it better. Adding moisture won't restart the curing process; it will just make the product wet. If you measure a RH below 55% don't panic. Read below:

Obviously, the product need time to sweat in the jar. As such, accurate readings won't be seen for ~24 hours, assuming the flowers are in the optimal cure zone. If you're curing the product for long-term storage, give the flowers 4-5 days for an accurate reading. If the product is sill very wet, a +70% RH reading will show within hours. If you see the RH rising ~1% per hour, keep a close eye on the product, as it's likely too moist.


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## ganjaluvr (Sep 19, 2010)

djruiner said:


> best way ive found to cure is this.....kinda long,but in detail....Cut the product, trim it per your preference, but don't dry it until the stems snap. Take it down while the stems still have some flex, but the product feel dry on the outside. This is a perfect opportunity to drop the dry-feeling flowers onto a screen and collect prime-quality kief that would otherwise get lost in the jar.
> 
> Jar the product, along with a hygrometer. Then, watch the readings:
> 
> ...


wow, alright.. doesn't seem like it could get much easier than that. Ahh yes, I've got a good feeling about this new AK48 grow. I've got two babies.. which are just now starting to spit out their first set of true leafs. I can feel it!!!! It's gonna be a good grow...  

Thanks goes out to all of ya's that came in and helped out a fellow smoker/grower. I appreciate it!!! 

Peace..


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## Jdubb203 (Sep 19, 2010)

In my opinion what the internet does not tell you everyone drying area is differnt. I found letting them dry till the stem snaps is to long. FYI once the bud is to dry you cant bring it back. Curing is allowing the the mositure to slowy escape once it's all escaped the process is done. I let mine dry to the touch I want some mositure in the stems so when I jar it the bud it will burn consistent once you see the grey ash once smoked you got a good cure just my 2 cents.


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## growone (Sep 19, 2010)

Jdubb203 said:


> In my opinion what the internet does not tell you everyone drying area is differnt. I found letting them dry till the stem snaps is to long. FYI once the bud is to dry you cant bring it back. Curing is allowing the the mositure to slowy escape once it's all escaped the process is done. I let mine dry to the touch I want some mositure in the stems so when I jar it the bud it will burn consistent once you see the grey ash once smoked you got a good cure just my 2 cents.


this actually a very good point, where you are is huge
i didn't find it all that simple to dial in to the exact zone, it took a few tries
but well cured bud is one hell of nice way to take your medicine


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## homebrewer (Sep 19, 2010)

ganjaluvr said:


> So, if anyone would be so kind to share their knowledge.. and let me know exactly when I should start the curing.. that would be fucking great.


 I hang mine until they're dry to the touch, then I put my personal stash into mason jars to start the 'sweating' process. After 24 hours, the buds become moist again and I'll air dry them again for a few hours, then put them back into the jar. I repeat this until they are totally dry and this process takes a few weeks I guess. In all honesty, curing probably makes your smoke smoother, but it doesn't make it more potent in my experience. Once the bud is 100% dry, it's as potent as it will ever be. All I've ever noticed with curing is added smoothness.


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## P. STONIE (Sep 19, 2010)

Id throw a fresh fan leaf in the jar


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## WillyPhister (Sep 19, 2010)

> I hang mine until they're dry to the touch, then I put my personal stash into mason jars to start the 'sweating' process. After 24 hours, the buds become moist again and I'll air dry them again for a few hours, then put them back into the jar. I repeat this until they are totally dry and this process takes a few weeks I guess. In all honesty, curing probably makes your smoke smoother, but it doesn't make it more potent in my experience. Once the bud is 100% dry, it's as potent as it will ever be. All I've ever noticed with curing is added smoothness.


curing certainly does bring out the potency of your buds. as a personal rule I dont start sampling my harvests until after one month of curing and its pretty enjoyable, but after 2 of months of cure it usually turns into 1 hit quit for me.


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## homebrewer (Sep 19, 2010)

WillyPhister said:


> curing certainly does bring out the potency of your buds. as a personal rule I dont start sampling my harvests until after one month of curing and its pretty enjoyable, but after 2 of months of cure it usually turns into 1 hit quit for me.


 Have you considered the fact that if you're curing for 2 months, the moisture content will be greater at 1 month than 2, supporting my statement that 100% dry bud is as potent as your bud will ever be? I'm not saying I'm totally right here, this has just been my experience with young or old, moist or dry buds.


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## horribleherk (Sep 19, 2010)

ive used orange peel & ive used fresh leaves & you can also put in jars & referigerate dont be afraid to experiment


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## Guitarman840 (Sep 19, 2010)

homebrewer said:


> Have you considered the fact that if you're curing for 2 months, the moisture content will be greater at 1 month than 2, supporting my statement that 100% dry bud is as potent as your bud will ever be? I'm not saying I'm totally right here, this has just been my experience with young or old, moist or dry buds.


I'm told that by curing the buds, you allow some chemical changes to take place that wouldn't happen otherwise. If the bud is slow-dried in a curing process, more non-psychoactive acids in the plant break down to release more THC and other cannabinoids versus what would happen in fast-dry methods. If you disagree, don't flame me, lol...like I said, this is what I was taught, and it makes sense from a chemical perspective, so I've decided to ALWAYS cure my buds! Just my 2 cents =)


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## marijuanabg (Sep 20, 2010)

Guitarman840 said:


> I'm told that by curing the buds, you allow some chemical changes to take place that wouldn't happen otherwise. If the bud is slow-dried in a curing process, more non-psychoactive acids in the plant break down to release more THC and other cannabinoids versus what would happen in fast-dry methods. If you disagree, don't flame me, lol...like I said, this is what I was taught, and it makes sense from a chemical perspective, so I've decided to ALWAYS cure my buds! Just my 2 cents =)


Good point, bro. I am totally agreed with


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## homebrewer (Sep 20, 2010)

Guitarman840 said:


> I'm told that by curing the buds, you allow some chemical changes to take place that wouldn't happen otherwise. If the bud is slow-dried in a curing process, more non-psychoactive acids in the plant break down to release more THC and other cannabinoids versus what would happen in fast-dry methods.


 This is also my understanding too, minus the part about fast drying. I googled the subject out of curiosity and found these tidbits about the process:

http://www.marijuana-seeds.net/Curing-the-Marijuana-Plant.html

http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj009.htm

http://www.amsterdamcannabisseeds.com/cannabis-harvesting-drying-curing.html


Basically they all say to slow dry over about 2 weeks until the stems in the middle of your larger buds snap, but none go into any amount of scientific detail. They also touch on the fact that THC is evolving even after the plant has been chopped. So is this purely a function of time or moisture content, or both? If it's just a function of time, the OP should be able to just throw is dried buds in a jar and the THC levels should continue to evolve regardless of the moisture level. If curing is dependent on some amount of moisture, then the OP is screwed . Really the only way to figure out if curing increases potency is to send off some samples to a testing facility. I'll send off some product if someone wants to offer up an address for the results to be sent to.


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## growone (Sep 20, 2010)

this is quite the involved topic
it's probably safe to say that the total cannabinoids at harvest is near a maximum
but these cannabinoids do change during the cure
in particular, THCV becomes THC over time, this can also be done in the oven dry method
many seem to talk about a change in character of the high over cure time


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## SCOTTYBALLS (Sep 20, 2010)

I think it also depends on what your growing heavy dense indica's are going to hold more water then a fluffy sativa... Either way I dont recomend letting you buds dry till the stems "snap" I find its best when the stems bend.. not a rubbery bend but a solid bend like say if you bent a coffee stirring straw.. 

I personally dont think the weed is getting any stronger then if it was not curred.. its defintly smoother wich means you can take a bigger hit wich would allow you to take in more THC then if it were not curred.. 

I actually like the taste of fresh dried bud over bud that has been curred for months.. many will disagree with me but there is somthing about the friuty taste of fresh bud that I just prefer over a long curred bud.. but ofcourse its not as smooth.

Either way it comes down to personal prefrence.. what taste great to me may taste like shit to somone else.


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## plaguedog (Sep 21, 2010)

djruiner said:


> best way ive found to cure is this.....kinda long,but in detail....Cut the product, trim it per your preference, but don't dry it until the stems snap. Take it down while the stems still have some flex, but the product feel dry on the outside. This is a perfect opportunity to drop the dry-feeling flowers onto a screen and collect prime-quality kief that would otherwise get lost in the jar.
> 
> Jar the product, along with a hygrometer. Then, watch the readings:
> 
> ...


ICMAG ftw. Nice copy and paste of Simons post.


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## djruiner (Sep 21, 2010)

plaguedog said:


> ICMAG ftw. Nice copy and paste of Simons post.


best way ive FOUND to cure is this...notice the key word there


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## Kayne (Nov 20, 2010)

This is the easy way....

- Cut
-Hang
-Cure
-Smoke

lol...You want to make the drying process take a little time... drying to fast is bad, and your smoke will taste like shit....The amount of days to hang your plants is going to vary from person to person, bud to bud.....just depends, its a touch thing....its not hard though.....i have never ruined or failed a curing process, even when i was a noob, 15 years ago....just take it slow.....You can do it Forrest..You can do it!


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