After months of care and nurturing, the long-awaited time of harvesting finally arrives. Here you should take your time to achieve the best flavour and the most potent effect. The drying phase is as important as all the other steps in the growing process. If this process is not done properly, the effect and high will ultimately be compromised.
Some tips for drying marijuana
Here are some tips for those who want to get the best quality marijuana with the best possible effect and a nice aroma. The freshly cut weed has to go through a long process until it finally develops its full potential. Marijuana does not die once it is cut. There is still liquid in the tissue of the flowers and chemical reactions take place that have a decisive influence on the quality and taste of the final product.
Many experienced growers say, not without reason, that if you wait less than a month after cutting, you are impatient. If you wait a month, the result will be much better, especially from a medicinal point of view. There are two important processes in drying: Firstly, the weed has to lose water and convert and form THC from the precursor of THC the THCA. The drying itself takes about 1-2 weeks depending on the weather. Secondly, the chloropyll (green colour of the plants) in the flowers has to be broken down. Through this process, called fermentation, the weed gets a milder taste and is no longer scratchy and irritating when smoked. The weed loses the "meadow taste" and it gets its true potential. Depending on the variety, fermentation takes between 2 and 6 weeks.
1. drying the fresh flowers
The plants that are ready for harvesting are cut into their individual shoots and all the large leaves are removed by hand. Then hang the individual shoots upside down on a line in a dark, well-ventilated room and let them dry out for 2-3 days. If you have previously grown in a grow box, you can use it very well with the fan running. This has the advantage that the very strong smell does not disturb the neighbours due to the activated carbon filter.
Then the small leaves are carefully cut out of the flowers with scissors. From these leaves, which are very rich in resin, one can later, after drying, make a very good Cannabis butter produce or make them BHO process. Care should be taken not to touch or bruise the buds too much so that they do not lose quality. The defoliated buds are now removed from the branches and placed to dry on a Dry net laid. Drying is done in a well-ventilated, dark room, the temperature should be 18-22°C and the humidity 20-40%. After 1-2 weeks, the flowers are dry on the outside and the stems can still be bent. Now the weed is ready for the next step, fermentation.
2. fermentation of the buds
The buds are now placed in a sealable, airtight box (Tupper-Box), which should be stored at room temperature in absolute darkness. The box is opened twice a day for about 20 minutes and the buds are carefully turned over so that the air can be completely exchanged. The process of fermentation takes a few weeks, during which the weed slowly dries completely and the chlorophyll decomposes, causing the weed to also lose its fresh green colour and the cannabinoid acids transform into the effective cannabinoids. The buds are finished fermenting when the stems of the flowers crack when broken.
Correct storage of the finished weed
When the weed is properly dried, it can finally be smoked or otherwise consumed and has reached its final taste and full effect. If you have too much to consume relatively quickly, it should be stored well so that it does not lose any of its effect and flavour. The two main enemies of cannabinoids are light and heat. Therefore, weed should be stored in a cool and dark place, but contrary to earlier opinions, it should NOT be kept permanently airtight. In Colorado, in the course of legalisation, tests have shown that if cannabis is stored permanently in an airtight container, microorganisms and spores/fungi can multiply. For this reason, a regulation was passed that prohibits the airtight packaging of cannabis. Therefore, it is best to store weed in a Tupperware box in the refrigerator and to open and ventilate the box at least once a day.
Drying too quickly
As mentioned above, proper drying and fermentation takes time. If the weed is dried faster, it loses its effect and cannot reach its full potential. Drying in the microwave also destroys most of the cannabinoids or prevents them from being formed in the first place.
If you really can't avoid having to dry a part quickly 😉 , it is best to do this in the oven at 50°C with the oven door ajar. This is one of the gentlest methods, but it still destroys a lot of the THC and the weed doesn't taste very good. Good things just take time and who wants to jeopardise their month-long grow by drying it too quickly?
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