Often times growers spend so much time and effort on getting their buds to the point of harvest, they underestimate the importance of a proper dry and cure. A haphazard attitude towards the drying process will not only cause major problems for your final output, it will really sell your efforts short.
Successful growers spend months and months ensuring that their gardens are efficient, optimized, and properly automated. Why should all that hard work and love be wasted, all because of improper post-harvest care?
Luckily, with Ace The Grow by your side you won’t have to worry about any of that. Keep reading for some choice tips, tricks & hacks to make sure your drying process goes off without a hitch.
Trellis
A solid trellis system is necessary to any grow room during the flowering period and immediately after harvest. We recommend stringed trellis, which is more moldable to the needs of the plants as they develop.
This same network of stringed trellis will also serve you well after you cut down your recently ripened cannabis. Hanging the freshly cut branches on the trellis will air them out naturally and evenly while keeping them off the floor. You can keep the trellis in place, or simply hang it horizontally from the ceiling.
Racks
After you’ve sufficiently dried your branches on the trellis, you are now ready for the next step: shucking off the buds, and making sure they are quickly transferred to appropriately sized drying racks. Avoid handling the buds too much with your hands. You’ll lose some highly-coveted sugar and terpenes.
These will continue the drying process while also catching some of the excess kief that may come off the buds. Place a container on the floor of your drying room directly under the racks so that you do not lose all that goodness. Drying racks with separate compartments can also be used as a great organizer if you have several different strains.
Dehumidifier/Air Filter
Next, yet another important component ensuring the air in your room is conducive to drying. The concern here is two-fold: if your room is too humid you will risk the presence of lingering moisture.
If the buds are still wet when you put them in jars for curing, you risk the lingering presence of mold. This will make your freshly harvested cannabis harsh on the lungs and unhealthy to consume. If the humidity is too low in your grow room, then you risk over-drying and shrinking your buds, thus lowering your yield.
Employing an air filter in your drying room is also a useful hack when making efforts to curtail odor issues.
A lot of the strains out there are quite aromatic. This may not necessarily be the best thing for growers attempting to keep a discreet growing style.
Trays
Between the trellis and the drying rack, growers will want to use trimming trays to make sure you’re optimizing your harvest. All the little bits of buds & sugar are valuable and should be salvaged.
It’s also important to keep a clean environment wherever you choose to trim your drying buds. Scattering plant matter across the room breeds pests that you’ll later have to work hard to eradicate.
Jars
The final destination of your freshly harvested cannabis are sealable jars. You can also use other completely air-tight containers that can be opened and sealed periodically. We recommend the classic and trusted Ball Jar.
Many sizes are available; they are easy to open and reseal, and they are also compact, air-tight and ready to make your buds the best they can be.
Drying your newly-harvested marijuana doesn’t have to be a stressful experience if you stick by the above-mentioned Ace The Grow tips.
Avoid mold, over-drying, and waste by paying close attention to our exclusive tips! Happy Drying!
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