Getting ready for drying/curing. Second grow almost complete

So i messed up my dry last time. Probably missed by a day or 2 (45%)

want to get it right this time.

I saw on here something about VPD drying.

What is the vpd range for drying?

Also,

I will be drying in a 3x3 tent. was hoping at least a weeks to dry. Very arid natural environment.

My experience the humidity is very high 1st couple days (obviously) then it dried out super fast.

I have a humidifier and a dehumidifier. Should I use both? The humidifier blows warm air into the tent but at worst would be 70F in the tent. But im guessing after a couple days the dehumidifier will be unnecessary.

My last dry was 7 days and it was too long. And that was full branches no trimming. By the time i got the humidifier in the tent it was 45%rh inside.

I can regulate everything with the spider farmer ggs controller. I guess the main question would be is the dehumidifier necessary at all in the beginning or will just opening the vents and running the clip fan be good enough?
 
The dehumidifier should not be needed if you’re in a dry area, just slowly circulate air. I personally like to dry at about 55-60f. A VPD of .8-.9 is ideal for drying, and many people go lower, 60f/60% rh is about .7 VPD. The smaller the environment the easier it is to keep the rh up, control the temp and slow the dry. The link in my sig to the koolatron project will take you to a wine cooler based drying machine that is fairly cheap and works well if you are in a dry area, quite a few here use and like it.
 
The dehumidifier should not be needed if you’re in a dry area, just slowly circulate air. I personally like to dry at about 55-60f. A VPD of .8-.9 is ideal for drying, and many people go lower, 60f/60% rh is about .7 VPD. The smaller the environment the easier it is to keep the rh up, control the temp and slow the dry. The link in my sig to the koolatron project will take you to a wine cooler based drying machine that is fairly cheap and works well if you are in a dry area, quite a few here use and like it.
I actually read that, not really what i am looking to do at this moment.

My concern is over drying. I actually think i understand the cure. I need the be able to control the humidity in a 2x4 tent with what i have on hand.

(Humidifier,dehumidifier,fans, vpd monitor.

I guess my question is how do i keep humidity low in the beginning then maintain 60 rh after a couple days

My temp will be 65-70F. But the humidity is difficult to control after chop. I have no humidity problems during veg/bloom because it seems more consistent.
 
The koolatron is perfect for keeping the temp and humidity where you need it for the complete dry. You have full control of the environment and can drop the rh slowly. Some people leave it for the cure also. For me once dried it goes into sweet decades or grove bags then put back in the koolatron for the cure and extended storage. I have 2 of them and love them.
 
I actually read that, not really what i am looking to do at this moment.

My concern is over drying. I actually think i understand the cure. I need the be able to control the humidity in a 2x4 tent with what i have on hand.

(Humidifier,dehumidifier,fans, vpd monitor.

I guess my question is how do i keep humidity low in the beginning then maintain 60 rh after a couple days

My temp will be 65-70F. But the humidity is difficult to control after chop. I have no humidity problems during veg/bloom because it seems more consistent.
If you don’t want to invest in a koolatron that’s fine, I think you missed a key part of my response. You don’t want to drop the rh real low at first, that is part of your problem. I said a smaller environment allows you to keep the rh UP at first and control the dry, not drop too fast when there’s low humidity which results in a fast dry. I would not use your dehumidifier if you are drying in a tent with rh below 60%.
 
60% RH and 60 degrees. No wet trim, hang entire plant, oscillating fan pointed away from plants on low. 7 to 10 days. Use humidifier, de humidifier, ac unit what ever it takes but 60/60 is the target. Watch for swings in the environment and act accordingly. GL!
 
Cut somegary Payton tops that looked very close. Lots of amber and dont want couchlock. Probably clipped 1oz. Rest doesn’t look quite done. Gary payton on right. Filled so much in the middle never saw light and looks like it needs even a few more weeks.

So moist in there i cant believe i didn’t get bud rot in the middle of the plant. My airflow must have been perfect. Dehumidifier and vent fan worked together pretty well apparently.

First pic on left is grape stomper. I pulled the scrog screen out 2 days ago to access easier pruning.

Growers choice seeds. Grape stomper is 3 days from term according to website. Looks like it may be close.

Gary Payton is about 3 days past term but everything in the middle was light green with almost no red hairs. Still trying to open it up to expose to the light.

Thoughts? Recommendations?
 

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This is my dry tent 3x3 with spider farmer humidifier from the top port and 2 speed fan on the floor with another open vent to escape.

The hogwire is gonna be my scrog screen on my next attempt in the 3x3
 

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Id make a room sized cooltron, so its vast with more reliable parts. Use a inkbird rh controller, set to 60rh to control huey and dehuey. You can hang whole but I wet trim and dry herb shelf in a 2x2 and or 2x4. They dont really have a 2x6 or its not practical to have a 4x4 but thatd be better so one tent can be controlled on the dot.

The next most important if not, thee most important thing is temp. It can be a little more humid its just risking mold but not really as big concern if still below 65rh. Basement might work for you like me being in northern midwest home closer to canada. My basement is 60F. Its a vast basement tho but with lots of unrelated belongings so I cant fit a 4x4 easily.

The dry herb shelfs are 2x2 at biggest so I use that footprint. Basement is vast so it can be hard to control the area its naturally 60rh and the dry tent needs 50rh at first to compensate. I put drop cloth to seal off 50 sq ft as best possible, it worked for my dehuey. A huey would benefit from this just as good and sometimes can be needed so yes get both.

If no basement or its not cool enough with home ac or just closed vents in a cool season, Id try to use a portable ac. To vent the hot air out of the sealed area or use dual hose so it doesnt even suck air out of the sealed area. Whatever it takes to get to 60F. 5000 btu sacc rated portable ac unit, its the smallest they come that actually will work. It can easily get a small space very cool especially with no heat source in sealed area.

Dehuey doesnt really dump hot air like that, only when it has a heat source to tangle with. When my grow lights are off, they dont dump hot air. It will be minimal, no worries that it will heat the dry space, it wont. These things should be outside of tents and conditioning the lung room to make 60/60 in tents.

Very important you do this, your issues with jarring on time will be a thing of the past. My last dry wet trimmed de-nugged was 12 days. De-nugged for consistent dry, I dont like that hanging while, some smaller buds will dry before the chunkier ones that wont dissipate the moisture as consitantly. I wet trim so I can just focus on tossing random most seemingly wet nugs into bag to rh test and repeat or jar.

It will be hard to miss the window, you get like 2-3 days to jar it where as if any of those peramarers were off, it can over dry in just a few hours. Let alone if you had to sleep for 8 hrs.. Quality is superior even in phenos that just naturally are a harsh smoke. Bag test should read within 55-65rh so something like 60rh is likely where youll catch it. It becomes a slow patient game but its hard to lose.

I jar for 2 weeks on dot before finally opening to see how it did. So the microbes arent disturbed and just feed on the chlorophyl etc, for 2 wks straight. Harsher strains that dont really cure could benefit from 3 weeks or more in jar but you can open it to smoke and sample it weekly which naturally burps it. So about a month in the cure is really over or could end from constant opening of jar.

Idk thats just my main pheno I grew 8 times to include from seed, nothing else I can do its just harsh. Only good for dabs but my fam been smoking it the whole time and said its better than the store at the moment. Imagine that lol. So some strains wont explode in aroma but will shed its green smell and smoke very smooth. Some strains will explode in aroma and can leave bag open for days and still retain that and of course smooth smoking.

Those are the best curing phenos, it does it all. All this is pretty accurate, my only problem I still have is all my bud doesnt stay lit in joints no matter what, dried brittle etc. Could relate to grow method, I do dtw coco so hydro people say gives them headaches or missing essential components from organic growing. Organics that make it smoother, more flavor/potency and perhaps stay lit in joints?

Its not related to the core questions you have here with drying and curing tho so advice here is sound. You wont regret the true 60/60 quality and its piece of mind. Could always join the folks in the diy cool tron thread it you cant do what I said but its worth the 60/60 quality. It leaves the meds, terps intact and slowly sheds the bad, the chlorophyl and etc.

I needed to do this to produce quality looking and dabbing flower rosin. Also to rule out improper dry stealing a couple percent yield which I may of observed, but one things for sure; it made it black, ugly looking and dabbed much less great. Huge difference drying it properly. When it has stabilized in moisture meaning theres no excess, youre just going through the 60-55rh window before its dried crisp which you dont want.

If I press before then, the dabs snap and pop in the banger. If its aaaaalmost dry but not quite it will sound like a giger meter clicking. When its ready to jar or press to rosin thats when it wont click or pop in banger when dabbing flower rosin. It wont need to be burped for excess moisture, it just needs to be left alone in a jar for 2 wks minimal. Its stable in moisture, no excess. Just the right amount for microbes to do their thing and cure it.

So a small rosin press for $50 could help with this, just listen to it when you dab it cold start style is what I do anyway. It has to produce flower rosin tho but a lot of strains these days will still yield SOMETHING to do this with lol. This is when the bag test will show a certain rh within 55-65 and stay there for 24hrs. If its spiking every hour, passing 65rh at some point its likely too soon to jar, put back on shelf and try again 8 hours later.

Its suuuper simple. It relates to conditions and 60/60 will turn you into a pro overnight. Otherwise you narrow the window to just some hours and eventually youll sleep over night and miss it. Its just not practical and eeeven if you did.. Youre losing quality significantly after passing 63F, 68F is big time drop in quality, 70-75 forget about it.

Every degree matters but if you can stay below 63F youll see dramatic difference. 62F, 61F and finally 60F showing its maximum effect. The rest is grow method and genetics, thats it. You want to hunt and/or improve grow method to get joint smoking bud, just good smoke in general. I never had a pheno smoke as smooth as what Ive had at the store and during prohibition.

Thats for you to improve as Im dabs only and my smokers will get whatever I have, Im focused on dabs. Would benefit from learning how to clone and keep mothers, so you cam repeat your results. Id think everyone should run a perpetual mother/clone grow anyway to prevent herms, shit phenos etc. Just more control especially in todays market with so many herms and bad smokers etc.
 
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