Drying, Curing, and Testing the Bud
Drying the Bud
After the bud has all been trimmed and each one looks nice in size than it is time to let it hang to dry or simply place on a drying rack. The reason for this is because at least 70% of the bud itself is still water from being freshly on the plant and will not burn if you try to smoke it. Instead for about 7 to 14 days you want to hang it rotating it every few hours to every few days so that the bud can evenly dry on all sides. After about the first 7 days take one bud in your hand and see how much weight has been lost. Crack the stem with your fingers to see if the stem bends or cracks.
If the stem cracks than it is a good sign that the bud is about ready or already ready but if the stem bends than there is still water in the bud and the bud needs to dry for a few days longer. Repeat this process as necessary until the bud is completely dry. Make sure that the bud is hanging in a dry area with not too much and not too little light. Having the bud in a cool damp area will take longer for it to dry and even cause the bud to become moldy and it won’t be able to be smoked. As well as keeping the bud in too dry and too hot of a place will cause the bud to dry up too quickly and to lose most of its potency. Be sure that there is an appropriate balance between all this and that the bud can properly dry.
If hanging the bud than a good option is to hang a sturdy piece of string or small rope and using wooden clothespin attach each bud by the stem in an orderly manner. This will help each bud dry and focus all the moisture to the top of the bud and eventually out. If using a drying net however, than make sure that you are rotating the bud every so often and checking up on the progress of it as much as possible. Remember to not the handle the bud too much as you can lose much of the THC that lies on it. As the bud begins to dry than more and more crystals will begin to form and the smell will become much stronger. This is a very good sign. By this point each bud’s stem should crack and the bud is about ready to be tested and smoked.
Curing the Bud
Curing marijuana buds is a very simple and easy process and helps to bring out their full flavor. This is done by placing buds in a jar making sure that they are not compacted and allowing them to stay there for 7 to 10 days. Be sure to check on them every day for signs of mold or mildew and throw away and buds that do show signs of having this. Rotate the buds around in the jar trying to bring the ones from the bottom to the top than reseal the jar and allow to sit for another 24 hours before checking on them again. This process can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months but is most commonly done within the 7 to 10 day range.
Testing the Bud
Once you are satisfied with the drying and curing process than it is time to test the bud. Keep a sober state of mind when trying your bud remembering that hopefully your own bud will get you high because you took such good care of it while it was growing and drying. Load a small bowl and take a hit carefully paying close attention to the taste, smell, and the effect of the high. Congratulations, if you have achieved a decent high than you have read this book carefully and are no longer an amateur at growing marijuana. You can begin another grow op or even expand to a larger more efficient one while trying many different types of grow op’s, lights, soils, nutrients,
and even systems.
After the bud has all been trimmed and each one looks nice in size than it is time to let it hang to dry or simply place on a drying rack. The reason for this is because at least 70% of the bud itself is still water from being freshly on the plant and will not burn if you try to smoke it. Instead for about 7 to 14 days you want to hang it rotating it every few hours to every few days so that the bud can evenly dry on all sides. After about the first 7 days take one bud in your hand and see how much weight has been lost. Crack the stem with your fingers to see if the stem bends or cracks.
If the stem cracks than it is a good sign that the bud is about ready or already ready but if the stem bends than there is still water in the bud and the bud needs to dry for a few days longer. Repeat this process as necessary until the bud is completely dry. Make sure that the bud is hanging in a dry area with not too much and not too little light. Having the bud in a cool damp area will take longer for it to dry and even cause the bud to become moldy and it won’t be able to be smoked. As well as keeping the bud in too dry and too hot of a place will cause the bud to dry up too quickly and to lose most of its potency. Be sure that there is an appropriate balance between all this and that the bud can properly dry.
If hanging the bud than a good option is to hang a sturdy piece of string or small rope and using wooden clothespin attach each bud by the stem in an orderly manner. This will help each bud dry and focus all the moisture to the top of the bud and eventually out. If using a drying net however, than make sure that you are rotating the bud every so often and checking up on the progress of it as much as possible. Remember to not the handle the bud too much as you can lose much of the THC that lies on it. As the bud begins to dry than more and more crystals will begin to form and the smell will become much stronger. This is a very good sign. By this point each bud’s stem should crack and the bud is about ready to be tested and smoked.
Curing the Bud
Curing marijuana buds is a very simple and easy process and helps to bring out their full flavor. This is done by placing buds in a jar making sure that they are not compacted and allowing them to stay there for 7 to 10 days. Be sure to check on them every day for signs of mold or mildew and throw away and buds that do show signs of having this. Rotate the buds around in the jar trying to bring the ones from the bottom to the top than reseal the jar and allow to sit for another 24 hours before checking on them again. This process can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months but is most commonly done within the 7 to 10 day range.
Testing the Bud
Once you are satisfied with the drying and curing process than it is time to test the bud. Keep a sober state of mind when trying your bud remembering that hopefully your own bud will get you high because you took such good care of it while it was growing and drying. Load a small bowl and take a hit carefully paying close attention to the taste, smell, and the effect of the high. Congratulations, if you have achieved a decent high than you have read this book carefully and are no longer an amateur at growing marijuana. You can begin another grow op or even expand to a larger more efficient one while trying many different types of grow op’s, lights, soils, nutrients,
and even systems.