Humidity in jars during curing

[ArtVandolay]

I have a little temp/humidity gauge that would fit in my jars. Does anyone know what the appropriate humidity for mj in a jar is to have the right level of moisture content?

 

[purplephazes]

well i would have thought 0% moisture levels.. wet weed won't burn and may get mouldy ! paper bag is the ticket and mix it up know and then.. just throw that out there .. purely guess work interesting thread !

 

[umbra]

never actually checked weed, but my cigars are at 7% and i would think thats about right.

 

[ArtVandolay]

Thanks, everyone. Though I didn't ask it clearly, what I wanted to know was when it was ok to quit burping the jars.

My problem is we've been having RHs in the 90-100% last few days. Since my newly harvested buds aren't doing any drying at those RH levels, I jarred them and brought them inside (we're running the a/c already).

They're still quite moist, though, and it occurred to me to put the hygrometer in one of the jars. The battery is dead, though. I'll buy a new one tomorrow and I'll post the results?

edit: One other thing - 70% sounds higher than I would have thought and 0% much lower , but I asked because I didn't know. Thanks again!

 

[ArtVandolay]

Bought a new battery for the hygrometer and here are the results. I put the hygrometer in and put the lid on and waited 1.5 hours and took a reading:

Harvested RH
Ice 3 April 86%
WW 4 April 89%
BB 6 April 98%

Out of the jars and into paper bags.

 

[420benny]

Wow, Art, that is wet! When I harvested outside last fall, it was raining here and I got lots of moldy bud, while trying to dry it down. Praying for no rain until November.

 

[Old Hippy Toker]

Hey 420benny I had mold problems too. I sprayed with "That Stuff Mold and Mildew Control " and it stopped it dead and it didnt come back!

 

[purplephazes]

Bagging the Marijuana Buds

After the marijuana buds are trimmed (and a little moist still) you would want to dry them some more in the paper bag step. The best choice would be the brown shopping bags found at a supermarkets, because they are not bleached (the stuff you don't want in your buds) This is another tricky step. Put the trimmed marijuana buds in the brown bag loosely and its best not to fill it more than 3-4 inches from the bottom. It is not necessary at this time to close the bag ( still need to prevent mildew and mold) When the buds are in the bag you would want to check every day to rotate the buds in the bag so they dry evenly. This can be achieved by shifting positions of the marijuana buds, turning them ever so often, or shaking the bag. As the buds dry they will naturally compact into the self-preserving state that is mostly desired . At this time that the buds can be more compacted together and the bag can be folded close. They should now be fully smokable, though perhaps still ! slightly moist in the middle. A big reminder that every climate differs and may take more or less time. There is nothing better than repeated, hands-on checking to prevent damage to the marijuana buds from mold and mildew.

Curing the Marijuana Buds

The last step is to create a way to bring out the full flavor and best smoke from the marijuana buds. This can be done by using an air tight jar or similar. Put the dried buds into the jar loosely (do not compact them) and cover them. It is very important in the early jar-stage to check the buds at least once a day to replace the air, take them out(this helps dry evenly) and put them back in a different order. This should be done for 7 to10 days then it can be done lest often. After 7 days all you need to do is open the jar and check the buds on a daily basis for mold and mildew. If mold and mildew is found in this step. Take the buds with mold or mildew out of the batch (throw away) and put the rest back in a brown bag for a few more days then the jar step can be repeated . this step can take from 2 weeks to 2 months depending on how you want you buds to develop its distinctive characteristics. The longer the better

A bud is completely dry, cured, and ready for consumption when the stem in the middle of the bud snaps easily with the fingers. The snap is easy to detect with practice. The marijuana buds now can be sealed and stored for a really long period of time.

lastly there are many ways to dry marijuana buds, but this is the best method yet I use and never failed me

 

[ArtVandolay]

Bought a new battery for the hygrometer and here are the results. I put the hygrometer in and put the lid on and waited 1.5 hours and took a reading:

Harvested RH
Ice 3 April 86%
WW 4 April 89%
BB 6 April 98%

Out of the jars and into paper bags.

EDIT: They were put back into paper bags yesterday and now, 24 hours later, I put the Ice & WW back into jars and tested rh:

Ice 74%
WW 76%

The ice stems are starting to have a nice snap to them. It's starting to look like 70% rh or so is the right level. I'm going to burp them till I get there and I'll let you know. I just want to have a good idea when the buds are ready for long term storage.

 

[TURKEYNECK]

too bad stoneybud wont chime in, I remember him saying he's kept bud for years so he could probably shed some light on this for us..but ..cool thread Art!

 

[JBonez]

hey art, the moisture content of the buds shouldnt fall below 14%, i hear they are too brittle from that point on.

I hang mine a couple days, then into bags for a few and finally into jars.

 

[ArtVandolay]

Hey, JB, thanks. But the RH inside my house with the a/c on is 60% - I don't know how the rh inside the jar could ever get below the rh in the house?

 

[purplephazes]

heres a bit of stoneys info .. http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1566&highlight=drying

 

[JBonez]

Hey, JB, thanks. But the RH inside my house with the a/c on is 60% - I don't know how the rh inside the jar could ever get below the rh in the house?

Sorry, should have clarified.

I wasnt talking about the RH in the jars, merely how much moisture the buds contain.

Example: Fresh cut marijuana has a near 100% moisture level.

Buds cured for a couple weeks in jars should have about 14% moisture content.

i dry between 40-70% RH. I would like a controlled environment where the RH is 60%. That seems like the best RH range imo.

I guess 70% is ok, just pay attention to temps as a rise in heat could cause condensation on the buds, perfect environment for mold.

I also feel that the longer you can drag out the drying process, the more uniform the buds are in moisture distribution and in appearance as well.

jmo,

JB

 

[ArtVandolay]

Thanks for that, JB, and I understand your point.

When I started this, I was just curious what the approx rh was in the jar when I no longer needed to burp them. Something I've noticed (and everyone but me probably knew without testing it) is that the rh inside a sealed jar goes up, indicating the need for another burp. I assume the rh will stabilize at some level (the level I'm curious about) and the jars won't need further burping.

 

[JBonez]

Thanks for that, JB, and I understand your point.

When I started this, I was just curious what the approx rh was in the jar when I no longer needed to burp them. Something I've noticed (and everyone but me probably knew without testing it) is that the rh inside a sealed jar goes up, indicating the need for another burp. I assume the rh will stabilize at some level (the level I'm curious about) and the jars won't need further burping.

Man, me and you would make great friends. Anyone who worries about the RH in their jars is really wanting to make everything perfect and i respect that. But, its really not something that you need to worry about man, unless you just want to know.

In the jars, the amount of water in the air would be controlled by temperature.

sure, its hard to know without have a monitoring device in their with them, but remember, when the temps go up, humidity goes down, when temps go down, humidity goes up.

Knowing the RH in your home may give an idea, but would be nothing compared to inside the jar i would presume.

good stuff, these are the types of threads i want to see more often!

PS, im know pro when it comes to RH, so anyone with better advice please chime in!

 

[ArtVandolay]

. But the jars are sealed, JB. Just to make sure we're on the same page, here is an example.

Jar has been sealed for 24 hours, rh is 85%.
Open jar for half hour and seal it back up. Rh an hour later in the jar is 74% = burping the jar reduced the rh.
24 hours later, rh is 83%. Rh has increased in the sealed jar, presumably because the buds are still wet (whatever wet means).
Repeat.

I'm unclear about how temp affects the rh in this case, although temp is constant - it's always 76 degrees in the house.

 

[King Bud]

Hey Art, you might enjoy this thread: hxxp://www.mjp.com/ic/archive/index.php/t-81975.html

 

[ArtVandolay]

That's real interesting, King Bud, much appreciated.