Curing times in a very dry climate

zubey91 · Mar 28, 2011

hey everyone.. thanks for the input.. what I should have done was put it in jars at 2 days of drying instead of 3.. and yeah burped it for like 15 seconds. I really appreciate everyones 2 cents and i'll definately cure better next time I just couldn't believe how it dried out from just burping the jars..

i'm definately getting a meter next time....

there is a little bit of moisture left in the center of the buds so I'll just keep em close for 4 days and see if it redistributes..

Beansly · Mar 28, 2011

Serapis said:
While you are correct that the total THC will not increase, the amount of psychoactive THC will increase while the non-psychoactive will decrease. Ask Brick Top about the SIMM study that has proven, and i thought, widely known, that proper curing can indeed increase the amount of active THC by up to 30 some percent. He'll be happy to paste the data and conclusions for you. Inactive THC is converted to active during teh curing process through chemical reactions that take place after the chop. Just because you cut the plant, doesn't mean that those chemical reactions stop occurring.

Decarboxylation

Some decarboxylization will take place during curing as well. This happens when the carboxyl group (COOH) located at C-2, C-4, or the end of the hydrocarbon chain at C-3 is destroyed leaving a hydrogen attached and liberating CO2.

Decarboxylization is necessary to convert cannabinoids to usable psychoactive forms; the plants (and your body) carboxylize cannabinoids to make them more soluble in water (for metabolic reactions and excretion).

Most of us would agree that curing is basically a slow controlled drying right? We do it this way because drying too fast gives us harsh, boring bud, and drying to long gives us dust. I would bet money that most people dont know that thc isn't psychoactive until it's dried. That said, I think the reason most people think curing somehow raises the potency is because most people are impatient and don't want to wait two weeks before they smoke the weed that already took them at least three months to grow. I think they smoke the non-psychoactive THC, get a little buzzed, then someday the smoke some cured bud which was dried long enough for the THC to be ripe enough to smoke, and now everyone thinks that cured bud has more potent THC. If anything, the longer you cure your bud the less % THC it's gonna have because of degradation/decomposition.
So long story short, I think you mixed drying with curing. Curing is gonna dry that bud slowly making the THC psychoactive, but not stronger. If you look at trichomes before you cure your weed, its clear or cloudy or whatever you picked it at. But after you cure it for a month or longer, there are significantly more amber trichomes. That's a sign of THC decomposition.

kbo ca · Mar 28, 2011

Serapis said:
How does leaving the jars closed absolve the grower from knowing the RH inside? While it is possible to cure well without them, new growers should find them valuable in controlling the curing process, instead of guessing when to open jars or simply following a routine. Routines and calendars don't work when you are talking about variables such as humidity, Real humidity and moisture content. Failing to burp jars that have a higher RH will lead to mold on the product. As I pointed out, master tobacco growers use hygrometers... it isn't a guessing game.

hey so when you burp your jar, do you let the hygrometer go to 55 percent then put the lid back on?

Serapis · Mar 28, 2011

Do a little research on the subject. I know what I'm talking about and even provided other references. Curing causes non-psychoactive THC to be become psychactive, not drying. Go ahead and leave your weed out to dry for two weeks... it will be nowhere near as potent as the exact same weed properly dried and cured. Again, I've provided off site resources, and you can always ask Brick Top, who will give you a deeper scientific explanation and additional university studies, etc.... If curing converts THCA and makes it active, then you said it yourself, curing does increase the potency. Without proper curing, most of that THCA will not convert, until possibly lit by a lighter or match, but that isn't efficient.

Beansly said:
Most of us would agree that curing is basically a slow controlled drying right? We do it this way because drying too fast gives us harsh, boring bud, and drying to long gives us dust. I would bet money that most people dont know that thc isn't psychoactive until it's dried. That said, I think the reason most people think curing somehow raises the potency is because most people are impatient and don't want to wait two weeks before they smoke the weed that already took them at least three months to grow. I think they smoke the non-psychoactive THC, get a little buzzed, then someday the smoke some cured bud which was dried long enough for the THC to be ripe enough to smoke, and now everyone thinks that cured bud has more potent THC. If anything, the longer you cure your bud the less % THC it's gonna have because of degradation/decomposition.
So long story short, I think you mixed drying with curing. Curing is gonna dry that bud slowly making the THC psychoactive, but not stronger. If you look at trichomes before you cure your weed, its clear or cloudy or whatever you picked it at. But after you cure it for a month or longer, there are significantly more amber trichomes. That's a sign of THC decomposition.

Serapis · Mar 28, 2011

Hecks no.... the idea is to prevent the jar from reaching 55%. Once it does, the curing is done. The length of time I leave my jar open depends on the hygrometer reading before I open them. The higher the RH, the longer I let them air. Above 65% and I air for 5-10 minutes. Below 65% and I cut it down to about a minute of air and tumbling the buds. Below 60% and I burp for 15 seconds, once a week. Below 55%, I place a fresh leaf in the jar and bring it back up to around 60% ish.

kbo ca said:
hey so when you burp your jar, do you let the hygrometer go to 55 percent then put the lid back on?

kbo ca · Mar 28, 2011

Serapis said:
Hecks no.... the idea is to prevent the jar from reaching 55%. Once it does, the curing is done. The length of time I leave my jar open depends on the hygrometer reading before I open them. The higher the RH, the longer I let them air. Above 65% and I air for 5-10 minutes. Below 65% and I cut it down to about a minute of air and tumbling the buds. Below 60% and I burp for 15 seconds, once a week. Below 55%, I place a fresh leaf in the jar and bring it back up to around 60% ish.

sweet thanks im gonna give it a try.

Beansly · Mar 28, 2011

Serapis said:
Do a little research on the subject. I know what I'm talking about and even provided other references. Curing causes non-psychoactive THC to be become psychactive, not drying. Go ahead and leave your weed out to dry for two weeks... it will be nowhere near as potent as the exact same weed properly dried and cured. Again, I've provided off site resources, and you can always ask Brick Top, who will give you a deeper scientific explanation and additional university studies, etc.... If curing converts THCA and makes it active, then you said it yourself, curing does increase the potency. Without proper curing, most of that THCA will not convert, until possibly lit by a lighter or match, but that isn't efficient.

I guess I agree with most of what you said, other than that thc doesn't become psychoactive during drying. I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure you and bricktop are well versed in cannabis info, I get the bulk of my information from books first.

jethead · Mar 29, 2011

I've noticed on another thread that someone who grows for dispenseries just hang, dry and package. I know why they do this, to get their product out fast for monetary reasons.Just wondering how they get away with doing that without a perfect cure.

Curing times in a very dry climate

zubey91

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Beansly

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kbo ca

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Serapis

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Serapis

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kbo ca

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Beansly

RIU Bulldog

jethead

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