Question Drying at low humidity

Mike_B

Member
Jul 4, 2022
33
51
First time grower, never harvested before. I see a lot folks saying that you should hang up the cut stems and dry them in a dark room with about 50% humidity.

I don't have any fancy set up nor own a humidifier so I'd like to know what would happen if I dry my cannabis in a room that has a RH of 20%?

Mind you, the cannabis that I'm growing is not used to a much higher RH anyway. I'm growing a couple of autoflowers on a window sill in a room that has between 20 and 30% RH, using only the outside daylight and sunshine. My plants are over 2 months in and started to (pre-) flower a couple of weeks ago, so I'm guessing I'll be harvesting in about 2 to 4 weeks from now.
 

Joheim

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2021
540
1,345
Sounds fast for harvest. If you can, drop a pic or three, is easy to harvest early, and almost always disappointing. You will be happier with the result if it goes a bit long rather than rushing and harvesting early.

I live in Oklahoma, so I feel ya on the low humidity. I jar up early. I also wet trim. 2-3 days in a cardboard box with air circulating above the box to draw moisture. Once I get a good snap on a mid sized branch they get bucked (removed from stem) and jarred with a temp and hygrometer. If RH is below 60% after about an hour in the jar I'll add a 65% boveda pack and start burping the jar. 2-3 weeks later beautifully cured buds. After the cure i keep burping down to about 45-50%rh in the jar then (if that plant produced enough) i vacuum pack in Mason jars.

This one is on its way to 50%
 

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Mike_B

Member
Jul 4, 2022
33
51
Here's a photo of one of my plants, this one is the most advance judging by the denseness of the buds, the other is still a ways off.

day66.jpg

You think after another 2 to 4 weeks it will still be too early to harvest?

I made an assumption based on the strain details on the seedbank's website - https://seedstockers.com/autoflower/bcn-critical-xxl-autoflower

It says lifetime 11 weeks and right now I'm in week 10.


Putting the harvest in a cardboard box to draw out the moisture sounds like a good idea. I think that way I might be able to control the RH better than just drying in a large room. Thanks for the tip! :)
 

Alphatoy

Humble Helper
Oct 7, 2018
1,974
3,911
🤠your plant looks a ways from harvesting look and follow the phistles they are white now also watch the trycones with a jewelers ruge when they turn clowdy they should be clear now and the phistles are about 70% amber that is the time to cut i myself never worry about the humidity if they grow in what ever humidity you have they will be ok to cut and hang in same 🧙‍♂️
 

Mike_B

Member
Jul 4, 2022
33
51
Thanks for the replies, guys 👍

So the pistils should be 70% brown... what about the trichomes? How much brown should there be in between them?
 
I

Ice man driver

Guest
Howe about heat?
Can I hang my plants up in my garden shed to cure?
Its in Ontario and gets down to single digits [5 - 12 c] at nights.
They are about 1-2 weeks away from curing.
 

Bendejo Jackson

Active Member
Apr 11, 2022
113
196
And what I mean is in a jar on a heat mat...I guess to promote "fermentation" (for lack of a better description) to break down sugars faster? Or is that inviting mold and mildew?
 

PirateJoe

Well-Known Member
Dec 10, 2020
135
285
Sounds fast for harvest. If you can, drop a pic or three, is easy to harvest early, and almost always disappointing. You will be happier with the result if it goes a bit long rather than rushing and harvesting early.

I live in Oklahoma, so I feel ya on the low humidity. I jar up early. I also wet trim. 2-3 days in a cardboard box with air circulating above the box to draw moisture. Once I get a good snap on a mid sized branch they get bucked (removed from stem) and jarred with a temp and hygrometer. If RH is below 60% after about an hour in the jar I'll add a 65% boveda pack and start burping the jar. 2-3 weeks later beautifully cured buds. After the cure i keep burping down to about 45-50%rh in the jar then (if that plant produced enough) i vacuum pack in Mason jars.

This one is on its way to 50%
Just North of the border from you. What is humidity? I’ve watched the lightening south of me all Summer long, just can’t get over the border. Seems like you either have flooding or drought this year.
If you have to dry cure in an environment that is low in humidity your stash will be dry and fragile. You can revive it in jars with a little lemon peel for a few hours. Don’t overdo it or you’re prone to mold. Overnight is too long. I took some of my plants this year and froze it, screened it into kief and pressed it into hash.
Congratulations on the first grow Mike! That plant has some growing to do, maybe by the time she reaches maturity you’ll have higher humidity.
 

Joheim

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2021
540
1,345
Just North of the border from you. What is humidity? I’ve watched the lightening south of me all Summer long, just can’t get over the border. Seems like you either have flooding or drought this year.
If you have to dry cure in an environment that is low in humidity your stash will be dry and fragile. You can revive it in jars with a little lemon peel for a few hours. Don’t overdo it or you’re prone to mold. Overnight is too long. I took some of my plants this year and froze it, screened it into kief and pressed it into hash.
Congratulations on the first grow Mike! That plant has some growing to do, maybe by the time she reaches maturity you’ll have higher humidity.
Stillwater has a strange weather vortex around it. I know it comes from the 3 lakes around us but almost everything seems to break up, peter out, or split around us. So even when a good portion of ok
Oklahoma is getting washed away, Stilly is like "Can we have some?!?"
 

PirateJoe

Well-Known Member
Dec 10, 2020
135
285
Stillwater has a strange weather vortex around it. I know it comes from the 3 lakes around us but almost everything seems to break up, peter out, or split around us. So even when a good portion of ok
Oklahoma is getting washed away, Stilly is like "Can we have some?!?"
In Wichita no rain for months, ok 1.1 inch spread out since June 18th to today. Great news today, the city
voted to decriminalize pot up to 36 grams. Basically told the Feds, the County, and State that they aren’t waisting tax dollars on weed infractions. Very good day politically for Wichita, not for the sheriff, he’s already screaming for more money.
Motivated me to clean and weigh my stash from this year into 8 gram jars.
 

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droptopchevy

Well-Known Member
Apr 18, 2021
124
261
And what I mean is in a jar on a heat mat...I guess to promote "fermentation" (for lack of a better description) to break down sugars faster? Or is that inviting mold and mildew?
Absolutely not. Low and slow. 65 degrees F if possible. Terpenes are volatile, which is why plants smell so good under the lights.
Most people whole plant hang in an effort to extend the drying process and rid of all chlorphyl before beginning to cure.
Don't forget to burp the jars after drying.
 

Jaymix

New Member
Oct 28, 2022
5
20
Here's a photo of one of my plants, this one is the most advance judging by the denseness of the buds, the other is still a ways off.

View attachment 21349

You think after another 2 to 4 weeks it will still be too early to harvest?

I made an assumption based on the strain details on the seedbank's website - https://seedstockers.com/autoflower/bcn-critical-xxl-autoflower

It says lifetime 11 weeks and right now I'm in week 10.


Putting the harvest in a cardboard box to draw out the moisture sounds like a good idea. I think that way I might be able to control the RH better than just drying in a large room. Thanks for the tip! :)
A lotta folks buy seeds with time in mind so breeders know that saying a plant finishes in x time carries weight & will always give the earliest time a plant of that strain finished, it’s a estimate it will never tell you exactly when they finish esp when you add phenos to the mix. Good luck & enjoy the adventure
 

BudTree

New Member
Oct 18, 2021
8
16
Strain: From germinated seed, Candyland aka Kandyland, (Granddaddy Purple and Bay Platinum Cookies).
5 Gallon Pot, with reused and re-conditioned organic soil from last year's plants. (and yes I'll be doing that again bc of the results)
Nutrients: Advanced Nutrients 3-part.


I live in Mississauga and I harvested on October 11. I hung branches in my shed and I REGULATED the humidity with a dehumidifier, on a timer to go on for three hours and off for three hours. Set humidity to 55%. 16 days later, a nice snap to the branches. Nights were cold as well, going down to between 10-14C at night and only up to about 18 during the day if that.
I wet-trimmed before hanging, and so I trimmed the buds off the branches and straight into jars for curing. the jars are stored in my unheated garage. The RH went up to 70%RH after a few days even with burping, so I removed them from the jars and laid them out on a tray for an additional 36 hrs in my unheated garage and back into jars where they are now keeping a 60%RH. I kept burping daily for a couple of weeks and now about every third day. Maybe another 2 weeks of burping. I made a micro air pump straw from a micro water pump, that I insert into the jars and allow 5 minutes of slow air pumping into the jars and then re-seal. Seems to be working great. Total weight was just about 280 grams or about 10 ounces.
 

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Briant9tT

New Member
Jan 2, 2023
3
7
Drying cannabis is a critical step, and while 50% humidity is ideal, you can work with what you have. Drying in a room with 20% RH will make the process faster, but it can also lead to quicker drying, potentially affecting the taste and aroma. Since your plants are used to lower humidity, it might not be as big an issue. To improve your drying conditions without a humidifier, consider using methods like a wet towel in the room or placing a bowl of water near your drying area to increase humidity slightly. By the way, if you're looking for gifts related to cannabis enthusiasts, you can check out gifts for stoners. Even though the thread is a year old, these tips can still be helpful for future growers who come across your question.
 
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Monst3rBean

Member
May 24, 2023
29
42
Definitely go with whatever fists your needs or preference.

Your plants look to be somewhere between week 3-4 of flower and if I had to guess I would say another 5 weeks till chop.
As someone mentioned, breeder finishing times are ideal estimates (the grow environments and pheno expressions affect finishing times)

As for drying, for me a dark room with temps between 62f-65f and humidity 40%-45% I believe is ideal.

Too hot and your plants will evaporate to quickly, leading to harsh smoke and damaged flavors/smells.
Too cold and the higher the risk of mold
Humidity to high and the higher the risk of mold (avoiding bud rot is why most books tell you to drop humidity to 40-45 during flower, same goes for drying)
Humidity to low and the quicker your plants dry and again lead to harsher smoke and damaged flavor/smell.

Also, it's worth mentioning fans are not your friend here. Too much air circulation will damage the final product as well.
This also holds true for air conditioners, don't let the cold air blowing in directly hit your flowers.

Once you have your plants in your drying room, they will start evaporating their moisture content which will raise the rooms humidity.

If you need to raise the humidity a simple air stone in a bucket of water works. Mildly heating the water with things such as aquarium heaters, a seedling heat mat or fountain pump will speed up the evaporation.

Don't forget to empty your dehumidifier if you don't have a drain to waste line set up. If you don't, it'll shut off or leak on to your floor.

If heaters are needed, I'd recommend oil for their more even heat distribution over the direct heat that coils produce. Oil heaters lack the glow the coil heaters put off too.

With trimming, I always dry trim. I remove the sun leaves the day of harvest or day before (depending how much work there is). Sugar leaves get left on, as they are the first thing to dry out on your harvest they don't contribute much to humidity or drying times. Dry trimming helps you to not rush through it and allows you to spread out your work load. Also to me dry trimming gives a better appearance as wet trimming often leaves some discoloration/bruising.
 


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