Why dry cannabis at a lower RH than the cure RH ?

Why is it not recommended to dry cannabis and cure cannabis as the same step and in an enclosed space at the same RH similar to how big tobacco does it? I realize cannabis cures at a lower RH than tobacco however the question still remains as far as process.

Sometimes the numbers change in different tutorials with cannabis
What is currently stuck in my head without looking one up...
Ideal to dry in a room of 45-55% RH
55-65% RH is ideal for the cure/age zone,
Cure/age of cannabis stops at under 50-55% RH
The slower you dry cannabis the better. under 5 days is considered a quick dry and should be avoided if possible

Big tobacco already proved the bad mojo that can grow on plants will not form at 70% RH with decent air flow and average temps of 65-75F when drying.
Sooooooo......

What is the disadvantage to just cutting a branch off the plant, then hang in a cabinet controlled to a RH of 60-65%.Then after a couple months or what ever time frame, trim the nugs and jar them up. For less grey hair on the scalp, one could use a meter like the Caliber III or IV to be sure the jars stay in the butter zone and or use a 62% Boveda to be for sure for sure ??

Just realized I left something out and the first reply prolly would of called me out sooooo....
Please assume air exchange with internal airflow and temps are controlled to ideal conditions as well ?

Cannabis buds are much denser than tobacco leaves. If the temps are in the 60s and the rh is in the 60s the bud wont fully dry, Ive had experience with those conditions before.The buds were somewhat dry on the outside but when squeezed still had a spongy feeling.I had to get the RH down some before they would dry. I think 60% humidity is ok if the temps are warmer, but when the temps and humidity are the same, the process kinda stalls out.

that is a Great question

Right now I am drying with a humidifier for the first time, set to 55% RH, in a small closet in a drying rack. Last dry went too fast and gave a harsh taste even after 3 weeks of curing, so I am trying a slower drying and I also left more leafs on this time. I'm in Colorado and the humidity can be on the very low end (high land desert here). I will let you know results this is day 1 of dry plant was cut on 4/20

You can't really compare tobacco to cannabis, 'our' drug is the little trics hanging in them buds, the drug of smokers is the nicotine, in the leaves of the tobacco plant ...a completely different chemical make up ...withdiffering methods of growing and extracting required, but if you don't know much about cannabis, many will rush to copy the tobacconists methods , and will succeed but only to an certain extent..

...at any time of having a Rh of 65% will expose any plant to active fungal spores, and hence bud rot

BustinScales510 said:

If the temps are in the 60s and the rh is in the 60s the bud wont fully dry, Ive had experience with those conditions before.The buds were somewhat dry on the outside but when squeezed still had a spongy feeling.I had to get the RH down some before they would dry. I think 60% humidity is ok if the temps are warmer, but when the temps and humidity are the same, the process kinda stalls out.

Click to expand...

How long did it remain in this environment may I ask before adjustments were made?
I almost do not want to know this answer but, did you experience any mold or fungus?
If not, do you feel it was headed to that if you did not lower RH or raise temps,
- or do you feel it would of been safe to leave it alone for longer and it would of been fine?

It was like 10 or 12 days. I trim wet, so its usually ready much before that. It had been raining a lot off and on, and foggy outside..so thats what kept the temps low and humidity high so long.No mold fortunately. I dont know if they would've molded, I changed the environment and the rain stopped too..so hard to tell. They were about 80% done drying,but didnt appear to change from day 5 to when I added a dehumidifier. Slightly spongy feeling,no snapping stems etc..so I figured still some moisture in the middle.

I wanna cure my bud in a pressurized environment, sounds like a cool expirement.

mold of any type won't typically grow under 60% humidity. I keep my area about 50. you want it as moist as possible basically but still allow gas transfer, meaning jarring to slow the dry isn't beneficial.

I dry at or under 70° below low 60°s enzyme activity etc is slowed too much and the plant doesn't break down fast enough. over about 77-80 and lighter flavorful compounds are lost. if kept moist higher temps wil increase bacteria and decomposition, will yellow the bud..like tobacco. unlike tobacco thc is not a nitrate and fairly volatile ..

we cure around 60 because when the plant is drying and water is evaporating, right next to the leaves and inside the bud is a very high rh..some circulate air during the dry with an oscillating fan..
once the buds have basically stabilized the humidity can be bumped to around 60 to keep the plant alive and break down, through respiration and hydrolisis.

What got me to start this thread was that I got the bug to build a separate drying cabinet with humidity control. I was curious why I could not also use such a cabinet as a humidor for cannabis too. I think it would be sweet if I could keep the inside at 62% 24/7 and use it for drying as well as short term storage. Could I really have my cake and eat it too

It is unfortunate that some say you should get it down to the cure zone in as little as 3-4 days with such low humidity while others say the slower you can dry the better. I am going to subscribe to the theory that the slower you can wick out the moisture from the center the better. I think however it is done, keeping the outside of the flower and the inside of the flower at the same level of moisture till it reaches 10-15% moisture content would be the more appropriate method. I am still not certain of this is where the Jar method is holding at 62% RH but that seems to be the accepted knowledge from what I have read.

I have been testing a dry starting with a humidipak and couple freshly cut and manicured small branches of Berry Bomb (maybe final wt of 5-6 grams) in a small 6 can cooler. I am getting close to 3 weeks. Unfortunately the only draft is coming from checking on it a couple times a day. I am not sure yet what harm there is with never letting the humidity get below what the humidipak puts out (62%) unless you get a mold or other fungi to build up or how it would be an inferior method. I am not seeing or smelling anything but sweet berry bomb goodness in the cooler. I am starting to suspect that the gospel of drying with a much lower humidity originated with average conditions of the people that make the write ups, what they experienced and or what works for them. The placebo effect could easily skew what is right, wrong, inferior, superior....etc. It would be nice to find a document where different methods were tested in a controlled settings. I am sure with the US state laws advancing in our favor that we will have such tests in the near future. Maybe I just suck at googling and its already been done.

Back to original topic, planning on putting a cabnet on back wall in my grow room, to do just what you discussed. Temps and RH, and smell are already under control. I can only adjust RH in increments of 5. Best spot to hang after cutting. A I'm not sure where best RH to start out. how long to keep that RH, When to drop RH.

vostok said:

You can't really compare tobacco to cannabis, 'our' drug is the little trics hanging in them buds, the drug of smokers is the nicotine, in the leaves of the tobacco plant ...a completely different chemical make up ...withdiffering methods of growing and extracting required, but if you don't know much about cannabis, many will rush to copy the tobacconists methods , and will succeed but only to an certain extent..
...at any time of having a Rh of 65% will expose any plant to active fungal spores, and hence bud rot

Click to expand...

tobacco has trich's and the nicotine really doesnt come out until its cured or "fermented" if we are talkin in baccy language
its actually fairly similar under a loop just from a visual stand point

why not use a inert gas to deter the mold ?