Drying question

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member
Read a lot on here, and just trying to dial it in.
Have my dry room set up with buds hanging from clothes line. I washed my buds, and will be dry trimming.
I have a hygrometer hanging right up there with the buds. I have a radiator style heater in there, temps dialled in at 20C(68F). Window open a crack, a fan blowing lightly away from buds at the wall, and a humidifier when needed.
I find when room stabilizes at 20C the RH levels out at about 42RH. So I turn the humidifier on bring it up to 55-60RH than shut it off. In about 2hrs it levels back out at 42-44Rh.
So main question is.. Do you just let it level out and leave it there? Or I’m going to have to continue the every 2 hr humidifier on/off to bring it up to 55? Keeping in mind that’s impossible at bed time. It’s only been a couple days. But I definitely bring it up to 58RH than head to sleep. Morning I wake up it’s leveled back to 42, and than it’s repeat all day. Is this necessary?
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Read a lot on here, and just trying to dial it in.
Have my dry room set up with buds hanging from clothes line. I washed my buds, and will be dry trimming.
I have a hygrometer hanging right up there with the buds. I have a radiator style heater in there, temps dialled in at 20C(68F). Window open a crack, a fan blowing lightly away from buds at the wall, and a humidifier when needed.
I find when room stabilizes at 20C the RH levels out at about 42RH. So I turn the humidifier on bring it up to 55-60RH than shut it off. In about 2hrs it levels back out at 42-44Rh.
So main question is.. Do you just let it level out and leave it there? Or I’m going to have to continue the every 2 hr humidifier on/off to bring it up to 55? Keeping in mind that’s impossible at bed time. It’s only been a couple days. But I definitely bring it up to 58RH than head to sleep. Morning I wake up it’s leveled back to 42, and than it’s repeat all day. Is this necessary?
I know you'd hate to spend more money, but for $50 you could have an inkbird humidistat that would do that for you.
 

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member
I know you'd hate to spend more money, but for $50 you could have an inkbird humidistat that would do that for you.
Thanks. Just reading up on that now. Obviously dehumidifying isn’t an issue so I wouldn’t need to operate both plugs. It gets mixed review for sensor issues, and calibration. You’ve had good experience with using one? I have 5 more plants to go. Still 1-3 weeks away. Just currently drying first plant.
I can’t get away with 20C and 42-44RH and still benefit from a nice slow dry? Need that 50-55RH? Currently going through the grassy smell stage as chlorophyll breaks down.
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Thanks. Just reading up on that now. Obviously dehumidifying isn’t an issue so I wouldn’t need to operate both plugs. It gets mixed review for sensor issues, and calibration. You’ve had good experience with using one? I have 5 more plants to go. Still 1-3 weeks away. Just currently drying first plant.
I can’t get away with 20C and 42-44RH and still benefit from a nice slow dry? Need that 50-55RH? Currently going through the grassy smell stage as chlorophyll breaks down.
I got by just fine without it by alternating with brown bagging and hanging. The moisture kinda reequalizes in the brown bag then you hang em back up. Way easier to just dry the whole plant slow in a controlled environment though.

I have the older inkbird itc-608t Their is no calibration with that model that i know of
 

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member
I got by just fine without it by alternating with brown bagging and hanging. The moisture kinda reequalizes in the brown bag then you hang em back up. Way easier to just dry the whole plant slow in a controlled environment though.

I have the older inkbird itc-608t Their is no calibration with that model that i know of
Ok. Gotcha. Thanks. I’m hanging by stem. I was hoping I could saturate a towel and hang it in there. Just need to get the room to stabilize around 50-55RH only need that extra 10%. The on/off with humidifier will drive me crazy. The ink bird is a great idea. But a little Leary from reviews. $65 purchase. 42-44RH is too low hey? That 10% increase in the slow dry is needed?
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Ok. Gotcha. Thanks. I’m hanging by stem. I was hoping I could saturate a towel and hang it in there. Just need to get the room to stabilize around 50-55RH only need that extra 10%. The on/off with humidifier will drive me crazy. The ink bird is a great idea. But a little Leary from reviews. $65 purchase. 42-44RH is too low hey? That 10% increase in the slow dry is needed?
It will probably be fine
In the winter our humidity here is near 0. Never noticed it tasting bad unless i let it dry out too quick.
I try to keep it around 2 weeks before they are dry enough to jar. The more even you can get it to dry the better the final product.
 

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member
It will probably be fine
In the winter our humidity here is near 0. Never noticed it tasting bad unless i let it dry out too quick.
I try to keep it around 2 weeks before they are dry enough to jar. The more even you can get it to dry the better the final product.
Oh for sure. I hear ya. I just figured from all the reading, and posts in order to achieve that slow dry 10-14 days it requires a dialed in dry room of roughly 20C and 55RH. I am probably being a little to ocd over the RH. 42-44Rh seems close. But sometimes that close is the difference in a quicker dry, or say on the other end that same 10% on the upper could be mould. Just not sure how accurate to the 50-55RH it needs to be.
 

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member

Three Berries

Well-Known Member
I can. But I’d have to shut the fan off. It’s on lowest setting lightly blowing in opposite direction at the wall. So you say 42-44 is too low, and I should aim to keep it around 50-55RH?
My issue with the last dry here was too high humidity I had mine hanging in a small room untrimmed with a small 4" fan and the dehumidifier set at 55% confirmed by a small hygrometer. It dried too fast in 3 or 4 days IMHO, I should have gone 60-65%. I then trimmed it and just hung it for another week before stripping. Ended up at 80% in the jar. Should have left the buds out another day.

I like a final in the jar level of 70% and then I freeze. Had a very hard time getting them down to that level.
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
I like a final in the jar level of 70% and then I freeze. Had a very hard time getting them down to that level.
What is the reasoning here? Do you then thaw them, and finish drying again when you decide to take them out of the freezer?
 

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member
My issue with the last dry here was too high humidity I had mine hanging in a small room untrimmed with a small 4" fan and the dehumidifier set at 55% confirmed by a small hygrometer. It dried too fast in 3 or 4 days IMHO, I should have gone 60-65%. I then trimmed it and just hung it for another week before stripping. Ended up at 80% in the jar. Should have left the buds out another day.

I like a final in the jar level of 70% and then I freeze. Had a very hard time getting them down to that level.
What was your temp? Everywhere I’ve read 50-55RH is the ideal zone for a slow dry. The fact you dried in 3/4 days. Sorry I’m confused. It dries in 3-4 days. But than you hung it back up and ended up with 80Rh in jars? If you had 80Rh in jars how did it dry out? That’s still very moist.
 

Three Berries

Well-Known Member
What is the reasoning here? Do you then thaw them, and finish drying again when you decide to take them out of the freezer?
No 70% is my goal. Any lower and it gets too dry when using and if it's above 72% it too wet. I also cram the jar full and want the buds pliable when I do
 

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
No 70% is my goal. Any lower and it gets too dry when using and if it's above 72% it too wet. I also cram the jar full and want the buds pliable when I do
I thought that level was likely to go to mold. Have always dried to 58-62% before long term storage.
Does it freezer burn with that level of moisture?
 

Three Berries

Well-Known Member
I thought that level was likely to go to mold. Have always dried to 58-62% before long term storage.
Does it freezer burn with that level of moisture?
It's why I freeze it. Usually not more than a year old before use. I went with some two year old stuff a couple years ago and it was not as good as when packed or so it seems. No freezer burn or frost accumulation. I use a jar up in a couple months.
 

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member
Different system. But hey if it works for ya, who’s to knock it.

I’m really just trying my best to dial in a dry room to slowly dry the buds to trim up and jar, start the cure. Ideally I’d like 10-14 day dry to allow as much chlorophyll breakdown as possible.
Not sure I’ll get there with a 42% RH. So either I’ll go with a ink-bird or just keep toggling my humidifier. Temp is dialled. Just that last 10% increase I’d like.
 

Three Berries

Well-Known Member

Refrigeration Is Key
Storing buds in the freezer or refrigerator slows deterioration. Freezing keeps buds fresh and preserves them the longest. However, even in a deep freeze, THC deteriorates at a rate of nearly 4% a year. In deep freeze (below 0°F/-18°C), deterioration slows further. At refrigerator temperatures, THC deteriorates at the rate of about 5.4% a year.

 

Indfireguy

Well-Known Member
Well I don’t know…. Day 6 of drying. They are ready to dry trim and jar. I wanted 4-5 more days. Had a hard time keep RH at 55. Avg at 42RH. I would adjust it with humidifier often as well. It was bedtime that I couldn’t help. I think one adjustment I can make is shut the fan off at time and get the RH up to 60. Let it fall overnight.
Starting to have those nightmares of mold now. Thankfully my next plant is ready. Unfortunately 4 still have a bit(2-3weeks). Temps are average 10C if I’m lucking during the day, and flirting with OC overnight just about every night now.
Im pretty sure all growth of bud has stopped. Thankfully 4 of the 5 did well. I’ll end up with one with smaller buds. Now just to hope I can push them to the finish line on the ripening. I’ll tell ya….only positive is resin production, and smell. Some are extremely frosty.
 

ooof-da

Well-Known Member
If it smells like hey..let her stay.
If it smells like skunk smoke that funk!

that’s what my buddy told me lol…but it’s not that easy to achieve because I think it’s got alot to do with a tight mature bud to start. I never paid attention to drying in the past but I am this year. How does it smell? Smoke? Once jarred did it rehydrate?
 
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