To maintain the right level of moisture, use a salt-based control sachet — also known as humidity packs — to maintain the ideal relative humidity levels. Additionally, you can store your marijuana in a cannabis humidor box, which has been designed to maintain the humidity for marijuana.
Keep your flower fresh and potent by storing it in an air-tight glass container that's either blacked out or stored away from direct light. Additionally, keep your stash away from heat sources in your home (for example, appliances). And remember, always store your jar in a cool, dry place.
Similar to the fruit peel and lettuce methods, bread slices and tortillas can also contain some moisture that may help rehydrate your weed. Simply stick a piece of bread or tortilla inside your cannabis container and check on it in a few hours.
The best humidity for cannabis is between 55% and 65%, according to ASTM standards.
The elements that affect cannabis include temperature, humidity, and exposure to air and light. The best way preserve weed is to store it in an air-tight glass jar in a cool, dark place.
If it's too humid, cannabis will begin to grow mold (it is a plant after all!). Don't store cannabis in the refrigerator or freezer and instead, tuck it away in a drawer or cabinet away from other food.
If you wait too long, your buds will be overripe and possibly ruined. If you harvest too early, the buds may not have finished growing (and developing their potency). Ultimately, the goal is to harvest when your plants' trichome and resin production is at its peak.
To some degree, more light translates to fatter buds and higher yields (you'll need to pay attention to the distance between your grow light and plants or your plant may suffer from light burn). Increasing light intensity is the most effective way to fatten up buds.
Increasing the amount of CO₂ in your grow room can help you grow bigger, denser buds. By doing so, you'll help plants photosynthesise faster and encourage them to take up more nutrients and water.
When Do I Know My Buds Are Properly Dried And Ready To Cure? There's a simple test to know if your buds are dry: Simply take a small branch and try to bend it. If it snaps, your buds are dry and you're ready to move on to the curing process. If they bend, your buds need a little longer to dry.
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 the buds dry too quickly, more of the chlorophyll will remain, and the smoke will be bitter and have a green aftertaste.
If the pH of the growing medium becomes too low or too high, plants lose the ability to absorb nutrients. Low levels of molecules such as iron and magnesium—important for chlorophyll formation and enzyme synthesis—can lead to crispy, dry leaves. A nutrient surplus can also cause dry and damaged fan leaves.
Your crops are still at risk after they're harvested, so take the following precautions to reduce your chance of facing bud rot post harvest: Maintain the optimal temperature and humidity level while your crops are drying. Dry crops in a well-ventilated space where air can flow freely. Spread crops out to dry.
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.
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.
During flowering, switch the lighting schedule to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. The key for maximum yields is to provide large amounts of light and to distribute it as evenly as possible across the canopy. Space your lights accordingly.
Flowering – 5-20-5 or 5-25-10 – During flowering, you want to prioritize phosphorous to promote bud growth and make sure to limit nitrogen so your plant doesn't get too tall or “leggy.” You want it to concentrate on developing huge buds, not lots of stems or leaves, and phosphorus will make your buds grow.
Weeks 4-6: Buds Fatten Up
At this stage of cannabis flowering, your buds are getting bigger. They'll still have all the white pistils sticking out, but you'll be able to see the buds getting bigger every day.
You can remove fan leaves during flowering in much the same way you do during veg. Prune away large leaves that are overshadowing bud sites, as well as dead or dying fan leaves. One thing to keep in mind is that you should prune in intervals, giving at least a couple weeks between each session.
The last three weeks is when your buds can actually gain the most weight – that is if you feed them Overdrive®. After your peak bloom phase, your plants enter their late bloom phase (the precise timing and length of which depends on the strain of cannabis you're growing).
Even these trichome-heavy, tiny leaves will give your buds a harsher experience, so it's best to remove them — but definitely don't waste them! Why? Because if you collect all the plant matter you cut off your buds, you can later use them to create other products such as hash, teas, butter, tinctures and edibles.
At the absolute minimum, you should wait until 50% of the trichomes are cloudy and 50% of the hairs have changed color. Again — do not harvest if fewer than 50% of the trichomes have turned milky. And do not harvest if fewer than 50% of the pistils have turned brown/orange.
During the earlier stages of plant growth, the fan leaves should only be removed if they yellow or dry out. However, once the plant begins to flower, you can trim off some of the fan leaves. However, don't remove more than half of the fan leaves, because they are still needed by the plant.
Do not wear the device during activities, such as swimming, playing water sports, taking a shower, or while visiting spa or sauna facilities. Doing so can damage the device.