Drying The Marijuana Plant After Harvest

You will need: wire screens, a line or wire for hanging, paper bags, a fan, a thermometer, and a humidity monitor

Drying is a fairly simple process. It is essential to a good harvest to remove all the excess water from the buds, so that they can be properly cured.

Wire screens (usually plain window-screens) are great for laying the smaller marijuana buds out on. For bigger buds, a wire or line, stretched across a room or closet that can be kept darkened, is equally good.

A thermometer wit ha built-in humidity level is a good investment. They may be obtained at almost any hardware or department store. Using this allows you to control both the temperature and the humidity, while drying the buds from the marijuana plant.

The drying process usually takes 7 to 10 days. Continue it until your buds are dry.

Smaller buds can be placed into paper bags to dry, but most prefer to hang the larger ones, as this gives more air-flow and ventilates the drying marijuana buds much better.

Spread the smaller buds out on the screens or place them loosely in paper bags, leaving the bags open. Put a fan on them for ventilation. Turn the fan so that a gentle breeze blows into the bags continuously.

Turn the buds on the screens daily, keeping the fan turned onto them on low speed, for a for a continuous light breeze to flow over them.

Hang the larger buds on the wire or line, leaving space between them for good air-flow. Clothespins are a simple way to secure most buds. Turn a fan onto them for ventilation, and turn the large buds every day or two to ensure all-over drying.

If your buds happen to be heavy enough so that you are unable to hang them, then place them in lingerie bags and hang them on the line with a fan blowing on them(and count your blessings!). Turn the bags on the line or wire at least once a day, to ensure overall drying. Lingerie bags are made of netting, and are available at most discount or department stores.

These methods allow the buds to dry slowly and thoroughly, while keeping their flavor and potency.

The best way to tell if the buds are completely dry, is to lightly bend the buds. If the stem inside snaps, then they are dry enough to be cured. If the stem inside does not snap in two, then there is still too much water in them, and the buds need several more days of drying.

Once the buds are thoroughly dried, it is time for curing...