Regardless of what cannabis strain youâre growing or the approach you take, the underlying goal remains the same – high-quality cannabis – and thatâs not something you can do without knowing the how to process of curing cannabis. For high-quality yields, you need the right know-how and the right tools, otherwise, your horticulture goals will remain an elusive dream. This is where curing cannabis comes in — itâs a set of processes that takes place after the trimming stage thatâs meant to prevent and preserve your plantâs cannabinoids throughout its life. In this article, weâll breakdown the details of why curing cannabis is important and how you can implement curing processes yourself.
Why Is Curing Cannabis Important?
Growing cannabistakes place in stages, from germination to vegetation to the final harvest. So, where does curing cannabis fall in? The answer: neither. Instead, curing cannabis is a post-harvest series of steps that are usually taken by growers who want to refine the smoking experience of their home-grown buds. Put another way, if you want your cannabis plants to retain their utmost psychoactive chemical profile, while also improving its texture, flavour and longevity – curing is highly recommended. However, just saying that curing weed preserves and maintains your plants doesnât sound enticing, so here are the specifics of just how it improves your weed!
Curing Weed Breaks Down Chlorophyll
Whatâs chlorophyll, you ask? Itâs thepivotal chemical that helps your plants grow and become dense buds. However, smoking cannabis where the chlorophyll isnât removed results in a much harsher taste, resembling an experience thatâs akin to smoking hay or grass. Yikes! For chlorophyll to be removed, your plants need excess water, light and air so that bacteria can do itâs eradicating thing. More on this in the steps.
Curing Weed Ensures More Cannabinoids
Why do we consume cannabis? For cannabinoids like THC and CBD (and terpenes), plain and simple. However, THC and CBD are only obtained through heating cannabis to very high temperatures, aprocess known as decarbing.Before any decarbing occurs, THC and CBD cannabinoids live in plants as THCA and CBDA, which are further converted from CBGA throughout the growing stages. This is where curing comes in — it aids in this conversion process, ensuring your plants have peak levels of cannabinoids.
Curing Ensures Cannabis is Mold-free
Curing and drying cannabis plants go hand-in-hand. Given that the goal of drying cannabis is to systematically prevent mold from growing, the buds from your cannabis plants will be better preserved, thus increasing its storage life. To dry cannabis in a drying room is essential for a quality smoke and for a quality yield.To dry your weed, here are some tips:
The buds moisture content should be between 5-10%: Otherwise, thereâs a higher probability that mold can grow. To be safe, keep it within this range.
Drying rooms should be well ventilated and dark, having temperatures between 16-21 degrees Celsius and humidity levels of 45-55%
Your plantâs terpenes can degrade at room temperatures as low as 21 degrees celsius, thus 16-21 degrees is recommended
Drying should aim for 45-55% humidity levels as mentioned: This can be assessed by comparing the before drying and after drying weight of your plants. As a benchmark, roughly, 70% of pre-dried cannabis is water content.
A good indicator of when your plants are dried is when its branches are brittle
Curing Cannabis Steps: How-to Guide
The curing process isnât overly complicated, all thatâs needed is effort, patience and time. From start to finish, itâs recommended that you let your cannabis cure for at least 2 weeks. Aside from this, here are some steps:
Remove excess plant materials through trimming leaves and stems
Store your cannabis in airtight jars or containers
Ensure theyâre gently packed, not stuffed or jammed inside
Record the date on each with a label and a marker
Ensure containers have humidity levels of 62% and are placed in a dry, dark and cool area
For the first week, open containers roughly every 6 hours, about 2-3 times a day to allow for oxygen and moisture
Monitor and track progress with a journal, recording dates and assessing your plantâs quality each time
After the first week, open containers roughly once or twice a week to allow for oxygen and moisture
The curing process can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months
When your buds are relatively sponge-like, youâre done!
Curing Weed Done Right
Curing weed isnât as complex as it sounds. No, you donât have to subject your plants to intense therapy or have access to revolutionary drugs and chemicals, rather whatâs needed is an understanding and the appreciation of what the curing process will do. Ensuring your budsâ shelf life, while maximizing its cannabinoid profile and refining the consumption experience are three important reasons why you should cure. With these three boxes check-marked, youâre sure to gain compliments on your horticulture efforts.Best of luck!
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