Not A Newbie Not A Vet, I Need Tips to Getting Better Dry and Cure

I've been growing since a lil before the start of the pandemic and I got the signs of deficiency , temp/humidity contr , lighting etc... down pact and understand what i need to do. My plants look amazing up until after harvest when they are dry, my entire first grow dried too fast( bone dry in about 3 days ) because here in nyc it gets really cold and my closet is close to my window. This caused my buds to get that ammonia smell and taste and i was disappointed since i put in months of work to have it basically thrown away in just a week. So this time around i aimed to dry for about 7- 10 days being max , I ended up chopping a day before 7 since the buds were dry and snapping ( which i think i was also getting wrong since im sure they are supposed to snap slightly not in two). i left the leaves on to keep extra moisture so they wont dry so fast which im told should help but doesnt seem to have given me any different results than last time. My temps would fluctuate ( which is also probably a problem) between 59 - 80 F with extremely low humidity due to the heater with relatively low air flow i admit , so i have 4 more plants ( 3 gsc from nirvana and 1 jock horror from them as well) and want to make sure i can get the best dry and cure to maintain the look and also have a great taste and smell as well. its gonna get hotter here since spring just started so i figured i dont need the heater i had to maintain a higher temp. what are some good ways to not only extend the dry period but keep the humidity in the right place since im sure those are the main issues in my drying set up. Also any tips on rehydrating buds , i still have the buds from the first plant , i was thinking to make edibles so they dint go to waste. i cant smoke them since they're so dry and bovida didnt help after being in th ejar for 2 -3 days with the buds.

Hanging the whole plant instead of just leaving a few leafs on will definitely slow down the process
Not sure if you have fans blowing on the drying plants but if you do then turn them off
Keep the humidity up by turning down your exhaust fan, "Infinity" exhaust fans have controllers that automatically speed up or slow down your exhaust based on what humidity you select in the settings, theyre badass and theyre fairly inexpensive, you can get them on Amazon 4" fan for 120$ or 6" for 150
Im no pro by any means but this has worked for me
Totally sucks when you bust your ass the whole grow and get screwed on the drying process

Ive been told 60 degrees and 60% humidity when drying

I agree with jackgonza, don’t cut the plant in sections ideally leave some main stem as those hold moisture, hang the whole plant and only remove big fan leaves. A small rise in humidity will make a real difference.
I usually have the opposite problem, need to keep air moving and dry individual branches because the humidity is so high and buds can develop mold and will never dry properly without the right care

for drying on my first grow I used brown paper bags for two days then I hung them, this is my second grow. My first grow was around 15 yrs ago. What you guy’s think about using paper bags just for the drying process?

When I was in drying in a more controlled constantly air conditioned environment I’d always brown paper bag after 5-6 days of hanging. So dry them till just crispy on very outside of bud, but stems still bendy and not snapping. Just loose stack all the buds and give a few more days before jarring or until the buds look and feel ideal, stems just starting to snap. Few weeks or even months of burping in jars and it’s usually stellar

Water the day before you chop. Hang whole plant. It’s a MUST to make sure your humidity is not too low so maybe get a humidifier. 50-60% is ideal. You want temps around 60f. Mine take 12-14 days and they absolute stink by this point.

ZeeeDoc said:

Water the day before you chop. Hang whole plant. It’s a MUST to make sure your humidity is not too low so maybe get a humidifier. 50-60% is ideal. You want temps around 60f. Mine take 12-14 days and they absolute stink by this point.

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Water the day before? Uh. No. You’re trying to dry the thing when you hang it up. And chop just before lights on or soon thereafter when water content is lowest in the plants. We want to dry however in a controlled environment. Air moving around but not directly on. Moisture 60% or as slightly under.

There’s various ways to provide humidity and to control it. Some thought and expense on that end seems called for considering all the checking of pH and measuring runoff and how many lumens am I shining on these bitches.

Think 2X2 tent. Inkbird controls. Exhaust fans like your grow. Variable speed. You don’t want a hurricane in a cabinet. And trim the fan leaves off at chop those don’t add shit to the dried product. The drying plant benefits not at all having them hanging around.

People pay $1000 for a flipping LED. Hundreds for seeds and God only knows how much else before the first plant is chopped. And you hang that shit in a closet? C’mon, man.

This is what I have access to. I have a large outdoor situation. I run a lot of plants. Lots of clones. Even plants ready to flower.

My buddy gets free electric. Or it’s included in the rent. Plus he’s got the floor space. I live in a 20’X24’ one room cabin. But we took it to his place from mine eh? Spend $250 and get set up. No filter or light needed obviously. Just air moving gear and humidity control. You can increase the humidity inside a tent. You have to dehumidify the room a tent is in. Keep that in mind too.

hotrodharley said:

Water the day before? Uh. No. You’re trying to dry the thing when you hang it up. And chop just before lights on or soon thereafter when water content is lowest in the plants. We want to dry however in a controlled environment. Air moving around but not directly on. Moisture 60% or as slightly under.

There’s various ways to provide humidity and to control it. Some thought and expense on that end seems called for considering all the checking of pH and measuring runoff and how many lumens am I shining on these bitches.

Think 2X2 tent. Inkbird controls. Exhaust fans like your grow. Variable speed. You don’t want a hurricane in a cabinet. And trim the fan leaves off at chop those don’t add shit to the dried product. The drying plant benefits not at all having them hanging around.

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His question was to long out his drying time. If you want to extend drying then to water a day before the chop, this will guarantee an extended drying time. lve done this for last 15 years with excellent results. I agree a controlled drying environment is a MUST. Hey if you want your buds to dry quicker then that’s your choice but I’d prefer a 14 day dry over a 10 day any day of the week.

ZeeeDoc said:

His question was to long out his drying time. If you want to extend drying then to water a day before the chop, this will guarantee an extended drying time. lve done this for last 15 years with excellent results. I agree a controlled drying environment is a MUST. Hey if you want your buds to dry quicker then that’s your choice but I’d prefer a 14 day dry over a 10 day any day of the week.

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Let’s see how many agree with your method. I’ve done a bit of searching and find nothing at all about your method. Perhaps you should copyright it and write a book? Looks like people could use some enlightenment.

hotrodharley said:

Let’s see how many agree with your method. I’ve done a bit of searching and find nothing at all about your method. Perhaps you should copyright it and write a book? Looks like people could use some enlightenment.

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Write a book ? Lol . It’s not rocket science. I’m sure many people would agree that a slow dry results in better tasting, smellier bud. If his stuff is drying out in 3 days then I totally recommend this method. I recommend this to everyone who wants to prolong drying. It adds 3-4 days to the dry time which is a good thing.