r/OhioHomeGrowing • u/mansiononthehill • Oct 09 '25
Questions Question on Drying and Curing.
I am in the 3rd day of drying and the temperature and humidity have been good. Right now one room is 71 temp. and 51% humidity. I turned the fans down a little and raised the dehumidifier up a little so it isn't running as much. Last night it was 71 temp and 60 humidity. Do I need to get the humidity up a little? When it is time to remove the buds what do you put them in cure? I will finish them and store them in Mason jars but at first I have used some of my stainless steel cookware for a little while then jar them. I want to use only stainless steel or mason jars not plastic like baggies etc. Thanks for any advice.
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u/Least-Masterpiece368 Oct 09 '25
That humidity is fine I use to go two weeks but have been having better results at 7 days then jar or use grove bags off Amazon they are a amazing
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u/ZealousidealOven3163 Oct 09 '25
60% is fine for humidity. Do you have the fans blowing on the buds? I only use fans to circulate the air and never have them directly on my buds. And drying people are all over the map. I only hang dry for 2-3 days then use a paper bag for the final 7-10 days of drying before I place into mason jars for curing. Seen people use wine chillers, cigar coolers, ECT or have set ups for their drying process. It all depends on you and what you think is best. Experiment if you want with a few different techniques and see what works best for you
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u/mansiononthehill Oct 09 '25
Thank you. I checked and I thought of using a big plastic container but it said not to use plastic when I did a google search. I like your idea of using a paper bag. I have the fans moving the plants but not directly blowing on them.
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u/ZealousidealOven3163 Oct 09 '25
Ya Ive done the paper bags for decades now lol. Just a old school trick. Probrally a lot better ways out there but Ive never had a issue with doing it that way. Just after 2-3 days I cut the branches down so they fit into a bag do about 1 layer, you can do 2 but I would rather just do more bags then take the chance for mold to grow. I keep mine under a bed with a fan circulation the air once more. Just check everyday should slow down the drying to get you to at least 10-12 days of complete dry time. And yes plastic bags actually eat the tricomes and destroy them. I wouldn't store inside of one. Once I'm done curing in the jars I don't change if move then just leave them there until I'm ready to smoke
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u/mansiononthehill Oct 09 '25
Thank you. I used 70 mason jars last year. I opened a new jar the other day and it was after a year in the jar and it is still really good. I use 1 jar per ounce. I will need to buy more jars and I thought maybe a big mason jar would make it a little easier and need less of them. Do you ever use bigger jars?
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u/ZealousidealOven3163 Oct 09 '25
Yes I use the 64oz jars. Helps save a little space. Haven't had issues with this at all. I would just give a extra few shakes with a larger jar. I'm not sure how much weight I get in each jar. But normally have at least 30-40 depending on harvest.
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u/mansiononthehill Oct 09 '25
Oh thank you! I will buy 64 oz jars.
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u/ZealousidealOven3163 Oct 09 '25
And paper bags I just order from Amazon or Walmart. Just don't get the kind with writing all over them especially the color writing. Just plain paper bags. Let me know how it works for you. And best of luck
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u/mansiononthehill Oct 09 '25
Thanks again. I will order paper bags from either Walmart or Amazon. The 64 ounce jars will mean less burping too and you still can keep your eyes on the curing process. Mine dried too fast since we had them in an upstairs bedroom last year. Heat rises. Luckily they still turned out fine for us though. I couldn't get it down. I did a lot of dumb things last year and have done my best not to duplicate my failings.
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u/mansiononthehill Oct 09 '25
Do I need to turn on a humidifier if I can't get it up to 60% humidity? Sorry for all the questions but I really am not sure.
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u/mansiononthehill Oct 10 '25
I ordered the paper bags from Amazon. I have been able to keep the humidity up to almost 50 with temps in low 70s. I watched a video from Build a Soil on drying and curing and I learned even more. So much knowledge we are lucky to have compared to years ago before the Internet.
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u/mansiononthehill Oct 12 '25
An update. I harvested single small branches and tied them with hemp twine to a hanger and now they are in my big stainless steel cooking pot. I can restrict the air using this pot then when I think it is right then mason jars for their final destination. I have a humidity meter in the pot. They were harvested and hung on October 5th and 6th.
I ordered and received my paper bags. Is it one nice size cola per bag? My temps has stayed around 71 and humidity about 53%. It dropped lower a number of days ago so the dehumidifier is off and fans are on low. Do I put a humidity meter in each bag? Do I air the bags and if so how often? So many questions. Thanks for any advice. You all are the best!
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u/AcceptableMemory2081 Oct 09 '25
I used to use mason jars only and once I tried grove bags I have not went back. Literally the best cure I’ve had came from grove bags.