How much do you know about curing cannabis? Curing is the process that occurs when cannabis goes from a living, growing plant to those delightful dried buds ready to be ground up and smoked. If you're like many weed enthusiasts, your answer may be that you know surprisingly little!
In this post, we’ll shed some light on the crucial but lesser-known step of the cannabis process known as curing. What exactly happens during the curing stage, and why is it so necessary? And what’s the difference between curing and drying? Let's take a closer look.
What Does Weed Curing Do?
To begin, let's be clear about what curing is not. Curing isn't drying, which occurs first after the cannabis has been harvested and trimmed. Once the initial moisture is removed from the buds, curing comes next.
During the curing process, marijuana buds are stored under controlled humidity and temperature levels to help further manage the moisture level. Curing is used rather than complete quick drying to help preserve desirable terpenes and other cannabis compounds that can degrade or disappear during extended exposure to high temperatures.
How To Cure Your Cannabis
For those curing their cannabis at home, the process can be quite straightforward. First, dry your buds by placing on a line or drying rack in a dark, mostly dry (humidity levels in the high 50s or low 60s), cool place. Allow to dry until the stems snap when bent (start checking after two days).
Once they are dry, place your buds in an airtight container. At least daily, open up your containers to "burp" them, which allows the air inside the jar to be replaced with fresh, dry air. Many growers also use this step as a chance to inspect the buds and ensure that there is no opportunity for mold or mildew growth. If you smell an ammonia-like smell, you need to go back to the drying stage.
Naturally, commercial growers will have a more professional process to monitor temperature and humidity during curing, but the principle of how to cure your weed remains the same.
How Long Does It Take To Cure Weed?
At a minimum, most cannabis will need at least two weeks to cure to a level that will make the smoking experience enjoyable. However, curing cannabis is one of those processes where patience is a virtue.
Most growers will cure their dried nugs for about a month, though some pursue even higher-quality results by curing for up to eight weeks. For individual growers curing weed, there may be some trial and error to find the exact length required for a particular strain in a particular environment.
Curing Cannabis: A Crucial Step to an Enjoyable High
Curing your buds may seem simple, but it’s an easy process to get wrong. By carefully finishing the drying process under slow, controlled conditions, growers preserve the valuable, sensitive compounds that can elevate a cannabis experience to another level.
Adding a few extra weeks to your cure is always a good choice when trying to create an enjoyable final product, but we know how difficult it can be to ignore your homegrown stash for that long. Stay strong, you got this!
Use the Evergreen Storage Solution to Preserve Your Buds After Curing
You’ve taken the time and effort to dry and cure your weed properly, now store it in a way that keeps it fresh and tasty for as long as possible. Evergreen Pods keep your carefully-cured buds at an optimum 55-65% relative humidity, and the Evergreen Storage Solution jar protects against light and outside air. The two together are the best way to keep your cannabis in prime condition long term.
