After spending months and months on looking after your marijuana plant, you have finally harvested amazing cannabis buds that you are craving to try. But, this can only be done when you dry and cure them first. You may be too tempted to dry them ASAP, and curing which takes longer to remove the moisture from the flowers under controlled environmental conditions. And believe us, it’s for many good reasons.

Drying

This is determined on the basis of the way on how you harvest your marijuana. The most famous way is to cut 12 to 16 inches branches from the plant, get rid of unwanted leaves and then you need to hang the branches from the string or wire. Many cultivators prefer cutting and hanging the whole plants and many prefer to snip the buds from branches and keep them on drying racks. You can also choose to fully manicure the flowers before you dry them or wait until after. No matter what method you choose, always keep the harvested marijuana in a dark room with temperature around 60 to 70 degrees F and humidity ranging between 45 to 55 percent with a small fan in order to gently circulate the air. This is an important step in order to preserve the flavor and fragrance of your harvested bud, so ensure that you have a dehumidifier, AC unit or any means to keep the conditions in this very range. If the flowers are crunchy on the exterior and the tiniest branches snap when you bend them, then you can cure the plant. The drying may take around 5 to 15 days.

Curing

1. Begin with manicuring the bud and separating them from branches.
2. Keep the trimmed buds in airtight container. You need to pack the flowers loosely without crushing the buds.
3. Seal the containers and keep them in a cool and dark place. After day one, you will see that the buds are crunchy no more and moisture inside has rehydrated the outer parts. If that doesn’t happen, the cannabis has been overdried.
4. In the first week, open the container many times in a day and let the flowers breathe. This lets the moisture to escape. If you smell ammonia, then the bud hasn’t been dried and it will rot. Hence, you need to open the container many times in a day.
5. Then, after 2 to 3 weeks, your cannabis will be cured enough to deliver a quality experience. Many buds take 6 months or more to cure.