Growing cannabis is such a fun and rewarding experience. Many cannabis enthusiasts have explored the other side of the cannabis world and tried their green thumb in growing the cannabis plant. Growing cannabis is now a trend, and with the help of cannabis experts, cannabis growers can now grow top quality products with the help of advanced cannabis growing methods.
Yes, cannabis is a versatile plant, but there are ways to take care of your plants better. It is also important to know what to do during harvest time like curing cannabis when they have been harvested to preserve your harvested materials.
It may seem like growers are most focused on just drying the harvest but not that your harvested cannabis product must also undergo the curing process.
What is Curing?
The curing method in the cannabis community is the process of age and dry marijuana or cannabis before it can be used. Curing is an essential process for crops that have just been harvested. Note that unlike drying, the curing process can be a bit time-consuming and quite difficult, but it can be rewarding, especially if you want to enjoy quality cannabis products.
Though curing is not so much done by many cannabis growers, it depends on you if you want to cure your harvested product. If you have the time and would like to extend some efforts to try curing, then it’s a good thing so that you can see the difference between a cured and uncured product. The curing process takes place after the harvested cannabis flowers have been dried. The curing process is mainly done to improve the potency, taste, aroma, and the overall quality of the cannabis.
How is Curing Cannabis is Done?
As mentioned, curing may entail time and effort. It is done to improve the overall quality of your cannabis plant. The curing process is done after the cannabis flowers have been thoroughly dried. Here are the steps on how curing a cannabis flower is done:
- Prepare the harvested cannabis flowers. Make sure to separate each bud.
- Place the stash inside airtight containers. You can use any jars as long as it can an airtight cover. Mason jars are good examples. Fill in about 75% of the jar with the stash. Shake the jar gently to know if the stash is dry. If they rattle around the jar, then they are dry.
- Cover the jar and then place them in a room or a location that is cool and dark. You can place them in a cupboard, but just make sure to keep them away from high temperatures to avoid moisture.
- After a couple of days, you can check on your buds. Thoroughly inspect them and check if there are any molds. Open the lids for several minutes so that fresh air can get through.
- Continue to open the jar every day for the next two weeks. Keep on checking for molds as well as be keen on maintaining its humidity. Three weeks after, you can open up the jar and take out the now cured buds. The process has surely made your buds tastier, aromatic, and have amazing effects.
What are the factors that affect the curing process?
In curing a cannabis bud, it is important to know the important factors that will affect the curing process. Here are the important factors that you need to consider if you will cure your crop:
- Make sure to keep them away from the light. Light exposure can play an important factor in the curing process. Avoid light exposure to avoid moisture. Place your stash in a dark location or anywhere that is away from any light exposure. Also known that light can affect important molecules like the THC and the terpenes of cannabis.
- Temperature. If you keep your stash away from the light, you must also keep it away from heat as it may cause moisture and also activate some important compounds. Always keep your stash in a cool location to avoid mold formation.
- Humidity. The curing process involves thoroughly dried cannabis flowers or buds. The cannabis bud can be dried in humidity, which is about 45-55%. The ideal humidity for curing is about 62%.
What are the benefits of curing?
Cannabis curing happens after the cannabis flowers have been dried. Here are some of the benefits of curing:
- Curing allows the bacteria in the plant to breakdown the chlorophyll or the plant food and the mineral that it contains, specifically magnesium. Magnesium is responsible for the hast taste of a cannabis bud. Allowing your buds to undergo a curing process will increase the magnesium that it contains.
- The curing process will allow you to control the moisture level of your plant. Even if the flowers have been thoroughly dried, there are remaining moisture in it. Curing will draw the remaining water.
- The curing process forces the buds to use up the starches, sugar, and other excessive nutrients before they get stuck in the plant.
- Curing preserves and improves that quality of the bud, so when you consume it, it is so much better than the products that were just dried.
For most commercial cannabis growers, they don’t let their cannabis buds into the curing process because they need to supply customers with their products, and seeing that curing can take time, they only go about drying their harvested products and deliver them to their customers.
Conclusion
If you are a cannabis cultivator and you want to try curing your buds, then we suggest that you go for it. Though it may take time and effort, at least you will be able to know and compare the products from those who were just dried. Knowing the curing process and to be able to cure your bud will surely be an achievement unlocked for you as a cannabis grower.
Curing cannabis entails patience. It requires and effort, but in the end, expect that your efforts will surely be rewarded with amazing buds with better effects, smell, and taste compared to the uncured ones.
