Curing marijuana buds is the process that allows the buds to dry slowly and the first week of cannabis curing will greatly affect the potency of your marijuana buds. In some areas around the world, people cure buds for 2 – 4 months before use.
Buds that are cured well have more potency than buds that have not been cured or have been cured for only a short time. Many times, after a grower has dried their buds in a growing room, the buds will appear to be dry but still contain moisture. When these buds are placed in an airtight jar or container they will be moist and soft. If this occurs you will need to re-dry your buds before cannabis curing.
If you are going to be curing those that are still attached to their dried stem, you will want to either cut them off the bud stem or cut them to lengths less than 12 inches (30 cm) before you place them into an airtight container. These buds in the container will even out in moisture content from one bud to another and some growers will leave the stems attached to the buds when cannabis is curing.
“Snapping” & Bending Stems
If the stems fold instead of snapping when you bend them and the buds are still moist then remove them from the container they are in and place them into a paper bag to be dried. If buds seem to have additional moisture you will want to leave them in the container with the lid off to let the excess moisture escape.
Be sure to check the cannabis curing containers several times a day during the first week or so of curing. Once the buds are dried evenly throughout, they are ready to seal in an airtight container and put in storage.
Exact conditions that are best for drying
| 1. Temperature | 65 – 75° F (18 – 24° C) |
| 2. Humidity | 45% – 55% |
| 3. Light | None |
| 4. Handling | Minimum |
| 5. Leaves | Remove at harvest |
| 6. Manicured Buds | Hang until dry |
Packaging and Storing
When packaging and storing marijuana, you will want to have them stored in an airtight container environment since this will help to preserve the aroma, taste, and potency of your buds. Using a vacuum sealer to remove all of the air in glass jars, bags, etc. are great things to do before storing them in a refrigerator.
Refrigeration of buds will slow down their decomposition of the buds. If the container that you are using is not airtight and is placed in the refrigerator, the buds will be exposed to higher levels of humidity which is not good for your buds.
You can store your cured buds in other areas that are dark and cool. Many times growers will place them in a cool, dark place in the basement, a dark room, or a cabinet or even bury them underground in a water-tight container.
Seed Crops
If you are going to be harvesting seed crops, you will harvest them when they are big and ripe. Ripe marijuana seeds have a tiger stripe appearance with dark brown and black colors.
Seeds that are very light and white are not mature or did not properly develop. And seeds that are the ripest start to break out of the female flower and show hints of seed color.
Once a female plant is pollinated, the female’s energy is redirected from flower production to seed production. Seeds are fully matured within six (6) to eight (8) weeks into the blooming period.
Many home breeders collect male pollen and use a paintbrush to dip into the male pollen to spread across a few branches of a female plant. This is only if they want to be able to produce seeds while keeping the rest of their garden full of sinsemilla flowers.
When you are storing seeds it is best to store them in airtight containers that are less than 8% humidity that is placed in dark and dry areas. You can remove all seeds that are not developed by picking out white and discolored seeds to discard them.
By finger-testing your seeds you can identify healthier seeds from seeds that are not fully developed. Healthy seeds have a hard outer cask and will not break easily under the pressure of two fingers pressing the seed together while underdeveloped seeds tend to break under your finger’s pressure.
Keeping the healthiest seeds from your harvest will help to ensure a higher germination rate when you decide to plant them.
Rejuvenation
During your harvesting period, you can rejuvenate a harvested female by leaving several of the lower underdeveloped branches and keeping the foliage and branches intact. You can rejuvenate this female back into a vegetative state by giving her an 18/6 day/night photoperiod.
This will stop the plant from blooming and the plant will revert to the vegetative state. Giving a cannabis plant(s) an increased dose of nitrogen fertilizer will help her to begin growing more green leafy foliage, speeding up the process.
Keep in mind that the longer the female plant has been in the blooming cycle the harder and longer it will be to change her back into a vegetative cycle. After four (4) to six (6) weeks of the plant being under the vegetative light, the plant will be reverted to a vegetative state.
You may let this plant grow as much as you would like to take clones or re-bloom.
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