If you over-dry your cannabis, it'll be more likely to go moldy, so it's important to monitor the drying process closely. If your buds are too dry, they'll be more likely to crumble when you try to break them up for smoking, so it's important to take them out of the drying chamber before they become too dry.
Healthy buds shouldn't be overly moist and shouldn't break apart easily. If your stored buds are wet or moist, you may be storing them in too humid conditions. On the other hand, dry buds will be, well, dry to the touch, brittle, and easy to break apart.
An ideal time to dry cannabis is around 5-7 days. However, the time it takes to reach the ideal dryness (explained below) will vary depending on your climate and drying location. Also, the condition of your plant will play a role, such as how fat the buds are, how many fan leaves are still attached, and so on.
Mold can also develop while your buds are being dried and cured. There are methods growers use to help prevent bud rot. Wait until after a dry spell before harvesting your plants. Outdoor plants should not be harvested if there has been any rain during the last three days.
In the beginning, bud rot attacks a plant's stem, which will appear mushy and gray. As the infection progresses, signs of bud rot are characterized by wilted, yellow and burnt leaves. It's tricky to spot bud rot ahead of time because the fungus first takes hold inside the plant and works its way to the outside.
Properly cured cannabis will still be spongy and sticky, but not wet. Drying your flower too quickly will cause it to become too brittle and harsher to smoke. This can also cause your cannabis to lose some of its potency and aroma.
The sugar and fan leaves protect the buds while they dry and can help to create an ideal moisture level. When they are removed before drying, it can cause the buds to dry up more quickly than they should and negatively impact quality.
Create an optimal environment in the room
Therefore, the drying room should be a dark, cool room with temperatures of 60ºF and relative humidity levels of 55-60%.
Dry & cure your buds in jars – In addition to improving taste, smell and potency, drying and curing your buds the right way will cause them to “tighten up” a bit.
Lack of light is perhaps the most common reason that cannabis produces fluffy, light buds. You may have noticed the lower, puny 'popcorn' bud sites that form below the main canopy. Often these buds are discarded by growers allowing the plant to focus biochemical energy on the main blooms.
If you cut the buds entirely off the stems, you'll have to use something like a drying rack to place the buds on to dry. If you leave a little stem, you can instead hang them from a line to dry.
An ideal drying environment for cannabis is a dark room between 60-68 F and 55-65% humidity with moderate indirect airflow. The colder temperatures help to preserve highly volatile terpenes.
However, a drying room should always be properly ventilated, with fresh, filtered, outside air and with proper odor control practices on all exhausted air. It should have the ability to both impart humidity via a humidifier and to dehumidify via a dehumidifier, as well as the ability to both heat and cool.
To answer your question—yes, you can cut the mature buds from the top of the plant and clear the branches and leaves to allow better light penetration to the lower portion of the plant. And the lower buds will continue to grow and ripen and can be harvested a week or two later.
Fan leaves contain low levels of THC, which makes them useful for herbal teas and extracts, but not for smoking. More significantly, the fan leaf helps the plant develop the best buds possible. Much like most of the plant world, cannabis fan leaves are a key component of the photosynthesis process.
When should you trim cannabis buds? Ideally, you should start trimming days before you begin the harvest process. At this stage, growers usually start removing fan leaves when senescence, or when larger fan leaves start wilting, begins.
If the drying space has no ventilation and lacks fresh air circulation you're very likely to develop that hay smell. If the buds are close to each other humidity may stagnate and will cause the hay smell. Over 60% RH humidity will easily cause the hay smell, especially in a warm environment.
Most plants will do well in temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the flowering phase. Any hotter than this and the buds can start to present problems, including airy buds. Genetics will also play a part here.
Looking For Signs Of Bud Rot In Your Garden
Bud rot is very difficult to detect in its early stages. Because the infection starts at a bud's internal stem and breaks it down from the core outward, by the time the mold is visible to the human eye, it's too late to save the infected bud.
Lettuce contains up to 95% water, which makes it perfect for adding to your jar of dried-out weed. Popping some iceberg lettuce into the same container as your dry flower will help rehydrate the weed without affecting the smell as much as the fruit peel method.
A bud hardener is an additive you can use at the end of the flower cycle to tighten up your flowers and pack on weight. They are typically used in the final 3 weeks or so of the grow cycle and contain a mix of macronutrients, micronutrients, minerals, essential oils, etc.
You'll need to set up a rotating fan in a dark, cool room with low humidity levels so that the buds dry out completely. Rotating fans are perfect for drying large amounts of buds.
If it squishes when you lightly squeeze it, your weed is likely too moist. Of course, you want a little stickiness. Perfectly cured buds feel sticky because they're coated in THC crystals. But they still have a bit of bounce (not squish).