A perfect cure every time

SimonD

Well-Known Member
[video=youtube;oIS5n9Oyzsc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oIS5n9Oyzsc[/video]

The joking aside, there is no disagreement here. At all. Yes, temperature has an effect on humidity. No kidding. It's Growroom101. The rest, frankly, is a whole lot of self-aggrandizing bullshit. We can sit here and spout poetic about absolute humidity, specific humidity, relative humidity and spend a whole lot of time achieving nothing. It's one of the reasons I kept the thread closed. Proceed as you wish.

BTW, I do talk like this IRL. bongsmilie

Simon
 

GrowBrooklyn

Well-Known Member
RH = Relative Humidity

It is the humidity at a given temperature. For curing purposes, just think RH = humidity unless you are working at unusually high or low temps.
 

GreatDane

Active Member
Thanks SimonD. I have a Caliber IV that I will use for this when the time comes. Simple and easy. +Rep to you.
 

Edgar9

Well-Known Member
Tough crowd in here, I guess curing is a touchy subject. I did want to add that I was going to get the caliber III but you can't calibrate it like you can with the xikar. I went with the xikar and I love it and it's about the same price on ebay. I use the salt test method to calibrate it and test it again when I think it may need a check. I'm surprised nobody on RUI talks about the xikar, I think it's a kick ass product.

Another thing nobody seems to mention is that I've found you have to get a baseline humidity level in the empty jar first before you add the buds. My empty jar had a rh of 64%.
I think it would be fair to say that if I started with an rh of 64% in the empty jar that it would be pretty damn hard to lower the rh in the jar full of buds to below that baseline level of 64%. I at least found it was tough to do, so when I was at about 67% I went for the cure and things ended up great.
 

guy incognito

Well-Known Member
Tough crowd in here, I guess curing is a touchy subject. I did want to add that I was going to get the caliber III but you can't calibrate it like you can with the xikar. I went with the xikar and I love it and it's about the same price on ebay. I use the salt test method to calibrate it and test it again when I think it may need a check. I'm surprised nobody on RUI talks about the xikar, I think it's a kick ass product.

Another thing nobody seems to mention is that I've found you have to get a baseline humidity level in the empty jar first before you add the buds. My empty jar had a rh of 64%.
I think it would be fair to say that if I started with an rh of 64% in the empty jar that it would be pretty damn hard to lower the rh in the jar full of buds to below that baseline level of 64%. I at least found it was tough to do, so when I was at about 67% I went for the cure and things ended up great.
The rh inside the jar should be the same as whatever room you close the jar in. For example if it is 64% rh in your room, and you have an open jar and put the hygrometer inside the jar and close it...well you've just closed up whatever air is in the room (in this case 64%). The rh will change based on temperature. If you have buds in the jar the rh will not change very much with temperature though, the buds act as a buffer to even out the rh across a temperature differential. What I mean is that if you jar it at 80*F and 60% humidity, and it is somewhat stabilized at that temperature and rh, when the temperature drops to 60*F instead of the rh increasing in response to the temperature drop, the moisture from the air will go back into the bud with the net effect of a temperature independent rh reading.
 

prosperian

Well-Known Member
Harvested my first grow 8 days ago. I live in the south with 35-40% humidity. Had to really keep an eye on the buds the first three to four days in the dry room to hit the 70%. Things working out just like your predicted.

Jars humidity is decreasing and stabilizing. I set my phone alarm for a 12 hour reminder to pop the lids and another couple hours later to put them back on. Hydrometers in the jars are reading 58% when I close jars and 63% when I go to open.

Should I stay on the same schedule or reduce the frequency and time the lids are staying open? Thanks.

 
If your product gets too dry, go to a tobacco store & purchase a "bovida", it's a Rh bag. A company called humidipak makes them, they will raise the moisture content of your product without allowing it to get wet. They also work to keep cured product @ optimal humidity levels. They range in Rh from 65-70%. Fine cigar companies put them in their boxes to hold flavor & essential oils in place for longer shelf life. A $4.00 investment for a lb. of product is a wise investment in my opinion. I've been using them for years & wouldn't be able to store & cure without them. Hope this helps someone, Peace
 

prosperian

Well-Known Member
Thanks. The jars have been capped for 12 hours and are reading 59%. Going to watch them today to see if the humidity creeps up. Usually it would have been at 63-65% in 12 hours. Think the moisture is stabilizing in the buds. Wanted to try to do this without the humidity packs and fall back to those if needed.
 

SimonD

Well-Known Member
Humidity packs are great for maintaining a given level of moisture in the product after it cures. During the cure, however, a humidity pack won't restore product that's too dry.

Simon
 

Moldy

Well-Known Member
Simon: I tried your method and it appears to work great! Since I have a RH of 21% things move fairly fast. I use a humidfier to hang @ 55% for 4-6 days. Cut em off the stems and then into jars. I got a hygrometer from Ebay and set it in there after about a month of cure. It read 75%. Yikes! so I pulled it out of the jars and put into a paper bag. I let it sit (RH = 21% in the room) for about an hour and put it back into the jars. RH showed 65% solid after a day. Watching now after brief lid openings and working well. Thanks again, nice way to avoid mold (I've never seen it here in the desert) and now I don't have to worry. rep+
 

Trousers

Well-Known Member
Another perfect cure. I have been using Simon's method for years with out realizing it. He got me to use a hygrometer instead of going completely by feel. I was good at it without the hygrometers, but it leaves a lot of room for error.

I always put the nugs in the jar as the stems are close to snapping or snapping. It is hard to explain, it is like riding a bike for me. The thing is, then I would spend weeks burping the jars. I'm pretty sure I was ending up with the same product, but just wasting a lot of time.

With the hygrometers it doesn't take me weeks. Once the buds are in the jar, I am usually done in a week.
I have three jars downstairs right now that are hovering at 60%. Once the jars spend an entire night settled at 58% I am done. No more burping or worries. The only time the jars get opened is to grab some buds to smoke.

www.hygrolid.com Simplifies curing by mounting a hygrometer on the top of a mason jar lid.
If they would only make those on top of 5 liter jars with digital hygrometers...

I need to find a glass guy to customize my big jars like that.
 

verge

Member
How do you know if it's over dried and what and how do a hygrometer works????????? And where can I get one?
 

verge

Member
How do you know if it's over dried and what and how do a hygrometer works????????? And where can I get one?
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
Another perfect cure. I have been using Simon's method for years with out realizing it. He got me to use a hygrometer instead of going completely by feel. I was good at it without the hygrometers, but it leaves a lot of room for error.

I always put the nugs in the jar as the stems are close to snapping or snapping. It is hard to explain, it is like riding a bike for me. The thing is, then I would spend weeks burping the jars. I'm pretty sure I was ending up with the same product, but just wasting a lot of time.

With the hygrometers it doesn't take me weeks. Once the buds are in the jar, I am usually done in a week.
I have three jars downstairs right now that are hovering at 60%. Once the jars spend an entire night settled at 58% I am done. No more burping or worries. The only time the jars get opened is to grab some buds to smoke.



If they would only make those on top of 5 liter jars with digital hygrometers...

I need to find a glass guy to customize my big jars like that.


I feel ya. when i first made this thread it was more of a "perfect dependent on strain" type dry/cure setup.

Its one of those things that you gotta assess your situation ie. RH%, density of buds, amount of buds per area, amount of exhaust power, etc...

And work from there. Adjust accordingly.

Didnt think this many people would be arguing over actual humidity and relative humidity. haha

But this works if you plan on growing one strain out for several months or longer like i did. After the first run through i had it perfectly dialed in on the second and for about 4-6 chops after that, even through the dry ass winters we have up here.
 

budbro18

Well-Known Member
How do you know if it's over dried and what and how do a hygrometer works????????? And where can I get one?
If your weed smells like nothing its usually a sign that youve over dried. also if the stem snaps completely in half (depending on strain) youre usually a little past the ideal point to start curing.

A hygrometer measures the RH% or relative humidity %

This is used to make sure you have enough moisture left in your buds to be distributed evenly throughout
 
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