Drying and Curing Cannabis
…for the Most Potent Smoke

Drying and curing cannabis properly will yield the most THC-potent smoke. When dried and cured improperly, potency can diminish substantially. The level of THC in a plant is determined by its genetics. Proper drying and curing will keep the THC level as high as genetically possible. It does not increase potency. A little background on what happens inside and outside the harvested drying plant will help you understand why proper drying and curing are so important to good quality dope.
Drying evaporates most of the 70- 75 percent water content in fresh marijuana. Drying also converts THC from its non-psychoactive crude acidic form to its psychoactive pH-neutral form. Once dry, THC-potent marijuana can be smoked and you will get high. Every THC molecule must shed their moisture content before they are fully psychoactive. In other words fresh green marijuana will not be very potent.
When you cut a plant or plant part and hang it to dry, the transport of fluids within the plant continues, but at a slower rate. Stomata, small openings on leaf undersides, close soon after harvest and drying is slowed since little water vapor escapes. The natural plant processes slowly come to an end as
the plant dries. The outer cells are the first to dry, but fluid still moves from internal cells to supply moisture to the dry outer cells. When this process occurs properly, the plant dries evenly throughout. Removing leaves and large stems upon harvest speeds drying, however, moisture content within the “dried” buds, leaves and stems is most often uneven. Quick drying also traps chlorophylls and other pigments, starch and nitrates within plant tissue, making it taste “green” burn unevenly and taste bad.

Taste and aroma improve when these pigments break down. Slow even drying – where the humidity is similar inside and outside the foliage – allows enough time for the pigments to degrade. Hanging entire plants to dry allows this process to occur over time, about 3-4 weeks at 50-60 percent relative humidity and a temperature range of 60-70 degrees F. (15-21 degrees C.) The large outer leaves also form a protective sheath around buds. This protective foliage shields resin glands on buds from rupture and bruising.
Removing large leaves and stems upon harvest saves time. This is what most growers do, because fresh supple leaves are easier to work with than dry leaves. When you are looking a manicuring 5 kilos, you make it as easy as possible! However, this process often causes uneven drying and keeps moisture inside the foliage. This is why it is important to “cure” the “dry” marijuana.
Curing lets the plants continue to dry slowly. The first week of curing affects potency in that it removes moisture within the bud evenly, so that virtually all the THC is psychoactive. Curing also allows buds to dry enough so that mold does not grow when it is stored. A well-cured bud will also burn with an even glow.
Note:
Rough handling and friction from fondling hands will bruise and knock off resin glands. Even with proper drying and curing, brutal handling of harvested marijuana will diminish THC content.

Drying

Here is one of the best ways to dry plants to retain the maximum amount of psychoactive THC. Cut the entire ripe plant at the base and hang it upside down on a line to dry. Try to keep plants from touching each other to avoid uneven drying and mold. Keep the humidity between 50-60 percent. Keep the temperature at about 60-70 degrees F. (15-21 degrees C.). The room should be relatively dark as light, especially direct sunlight, degrades THC.
A circulation and ventilation fan may be necessary to control heat and humidity. You can also use a dehumidifier to control humidity or an air conditioner to lower ambient relative humidity and control room temperature. Do not train fans directly on drying plants it causes them to dry unevenly.
Depending upon atmospheric conditions and the size and density of plants and buds, plants should be dry enough to smoke in about a week. Plants with outer “fan” leaves intact take longer to dry than if leaves have been removed.
Check for dryness by bending a stem. It should snap. The bud should be dry to touch, but not brittle. The bud should burn well enough to smoke now.
Once dry, carefully manicure buds by cutting large leaves where they attach to the stem. Leaving the petiole (leaf stem) can cause mold to grow. Snip off smaller leaves that show little resin so that buds a beautiful bud remains.
Freeze Drying
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide. CO” changes from its frozen solid to a gas without turning into a liquid, a dry (ice) process that is called sublimation. The atmosphere contains little CO2. Dry ice sublimes (converts) completely into a gas leaving virtually no liquid. It is dry.
When moist marijuana is enclosed with dry ice at virtually zero relative humidity, water molecules migrate from the cannabis to the dry ice. The relative humidity of the CO2 increases and the moisture content of the marijuana decreases. This process occurs below 0 degrees C (32 degrees F), preserving the cannabis.
Place equal amounts of dry ice and bud into a container. Dry ice on the bottom and bud on top. Seal with a lid. Make a few small holes in the lid of the container for excess gas to exit. Place in the freezer. Check the dry ice every 24 hours. When the ice is gone, the buds will be completely dry. If not dry, add more dry ice until cannabis is dry. Conserve dry ice by partially drying buds for a few days before enclosing with dry ice.
This method retains potency, freshness and causes very little degradation of resin glands by the bad guys – heat, light, air and fondling hands. The marijuana tastes ‘minty’ because the chlorophyll does not break down.

Curing

Even though the plants appear to be dry, they still contain moisture inside. This moisture affects taste and potency. To remove this excess moisture, curing
is necessary. Curing makes the bud uniformly dry and converts virtually all THC into its psychoactive form. Cut stems into manageable lengths – less than 12 inches (30 centimeters) – and place them in an airtight container. Glass containers with a rubber or similar seal on top are the best. Avoid Ziploc plastic bags, which are not airtight. Many growers also avoid plastic containers such as Tupperware, sighting the plastic imparts an undesirable flavor in the buds.
Enclose buds in a container. This creates a microclimate that allows moisture to “even out” within the buds. Internal moisture will migrate to the dry portions of the bud. Gently pack as many buds
in the glass container as possible without damaging them. Leave the jar(s) in a cool dry dark place. Check the jar in 2-4 hours to see if buds “sweated” moisture. Check buds by gently squeezing to feel if they are moister than they were a few hours before. Be careful when squeezing buds, they bruise easily. Most often they will be completely dry. If not, leave them in the sealed jar overnight and check the next day.
The buds will be a bit moist. Remove them from the jar and gently lay in the bottom of a paper bag. They can be stacked in the paper bag as high as 10 centimeters (3 inches). Close the top of the bag by folding once. Check the buds 2-3 times during the day to see if they are dry. Carefully turn them in the bag so that different sides are exposed. Remove when they are dry and place back into the sealed glass jar. Check them the next day to see if they are evenly dry and not moist again. If moist, remove and place back in the paper bag until dry. When dry place back in the glass container. Repeat process until buds are evenly dry.
If buds appear to have fairly low moisture content, you may be able to leave them in the jar and let excess moisture escape out the top. Simply open the jar for a few minutes every few hours to let the excess moisture escape before closing the lid again.
Check the container daily, leaving the top open for 5-10 minutes so moisture evacuates. After a week or two, it should be totally dry and ready to seal airtight. Vacuum seal the jar and place it in the refrigerator for storage. Leave it in the refrigerator or a cool dark dry place for a month or longer. The taste and potency will be tops! Refrigeration slows decomposition but remember, refrigerators have a high humidity level, so the container must be sealed airtight. I just checked the relative humidity in temperature in my refrigerator – 65 percent relative humidity and 5 degrees C. (40 degrees F). Do not place it in the freezer. Freezing draws moisture to the surface of buds, which can harm resin glands on the surface.

FAST DRYING

I do not recommend fast drying however here is a brief rundown on several methods for those of you who can’t wait.
Method One: Manicure fresh buds. Spread them out evenly and wrap in paper or enclose in an envelope. Place the paper or envelope on top of a warm object – refrigerator, radiator, television, etc. Depending upon heat level, buds will be dry in a few hours to overnight. Buds should be a bit crispy when dry. Place buds in an airtight container until they sweat. Follow curing instructions above.
Method Two: Cut up fresh buds and foliage. Place on a 6-inch (15 centimeter) square of tinfoil. Hold or place it over a 60-80-watt light bulb. Stir every 30 seconds. The weed takes 1-3 minutes to dry.
Method Three: Place cut up buds and foliage on a cookie sheet in an oven at 65 degrees C. (150 degrees F.) for 10-15 minutes. Check regularly until dry. Follow curing instructions above.
Method Four: Place cut up buds and foliage in a microwave oven. Power the oven to 40-50 percent and give short 5-10 second bursts. Check regularly until dry.
Method Five: Cut fresh buds and foliage into small pieces and place them in a glass jar with an airtight lid. Place several silica gel desiccant packs (the kind that come with electronic devices and cameras) into the glass jar and seal the jar. Moisture will migrate to the silica gel in a few hours. Remove the packets and dry in the sun. Replace silica packs until marijuana is dry enough to smoke. Find silica gel packs at auto parts or electronic stores.
Method Six: Peel stems so they plants dry faster. First remove large leaves. Peel off the outer layer of the stem with a knife. This exposes the inside of the stem and cuts drying time by about 20 percent.
Patient growers smoke no bud before its time!
Note:
Some of the information in this article was extrapolated from the “Frequently Asked Questions” and “Forums” found at www.overgrow.com. The following OG members were sighted in putting together this article: Apollo11Genius, BigIslandBud, Doctor Dangerous, Fatima, Fergetit, Flick, Glass Joe, HashMan, Leaf, Lock, Lord of the Strains, Mr. Beaner, PREMIER, Psychotropic Nomad, SC, and Twofingered. Thanks for the help!



While California is going bankrupt, one business is booming. “How Weed Won the West” is the story of the growing medical cannabis / marijuana industry in the greater Los Angeles area, with over 700 dispensaries doling out the buds. As a treatment for conditions ranging from cancer and AIDS, to anxiety, ADHD, and insomnia, cannabis is quickly proving itself as a healthier natural alternative to many prescription drugs.

Following the story of Organica, a southland dispensary which was raided by state and federal agencies in August of 2009, the film shows that although much has changed with Obama in office, the drug war is nowhere near over. From Kevin Booth, the producer/director of Showtime’s “American Drug War”, “How Weed Won the West” puts California forward as an example to the rest of the country by documenting how legalizing marijuana can help save the economy.

IMDb Most Rated Review:

This film definitely opens anyone’s eyes concerning the detrimental economic, social and human ramifications created by marijuana prohibition. This film is a must-see as it destined to become an icon of the marijuana anti-prohibition movement.

It takes the viewer through a journey of real life stories involving the relatively new California legal marijuana industry. It does not focus strictly on the medicinal value of marijuana, but the widespread responsible consumption of marijuana for personal recreation and mood enhancement as well.

While there are many light and entertaining moments which are implied by a somewhat playful title, the subject matter and the production values of this film give it a serious and mainstream position in documentary film history.

Official Trailer:

Here is the link to full documentary uploaded to youtube:

How Weed Won The West Part 1

Mothers & Clones

For indoor growing nearly all growers in the Netherlands are reliant on clones or cuttings. There is no land on earth where so many young ladies are shunted from one corner of the room to another, to be repeatedly robbed as a mother plant of her young shoots. This trade is very lucrative in the Netherlands (especially when one knows how to make real top class cuttings), but alas, thanks to the chances of getting caught, it’s also rather dodgy.

In previous times this was quite different, with whole greenhouses full of cuttings the rule rather than the exception. Making and selling clones was often more lucrative than the growing of the weed itself. Particularly when you had a reputation for delivering good quality clones and you had several varieties on offer, you were sure of a large circle of customers and a network of contacts. Alas, those days have dramatically changed for the clone dealer. Whether you’re caught with 100 tiny cuttings or a barn stuffed with 100 mother plants, Justice doesn’t give a toss: you’ll pay. Similarly, the clone dealer is more frequently demonised as the source of all evil these days, and that does not do a great deal to encourage a light punishment. All of this adds up to a heap of stress for the clone business.
It does still happen that a grower ‘forgets’ to pick up his ordered clones, and that doesn’t make things any easier for the clone farmer. By contrast there are also the growers who know how to bring down problems upon themselves, by bringing a veritable plague of insects home with the clones they just bought, for example. Fortunately there are clone farmers who sort this out tactfully and arrange for the frequently disappointed grower to get a free biological method of control. Anyone can make a mistake. Sometimes the clones are sitting there happy as Larry, when less than a week later they’re already infested (with insect larvae), without there having appeared anything seriously wrong. Similarly, it is often the clone farmer who traded his clones trusting in good faith they were in top condition, and above all a bad name is the last thing he or she sat there hoping for.

Varieties

Be smart and check the clones well before you definitely buy them. In the eventuality
that you do get insect problems after a couple of days, and as the grower you are convinced that they came from the clones, let the person you got them from know as soon as possible. Most growers this has happened to go green with indignation,
then vow never to return. Alas, the damage is already done and maybe there are even dozens of growing sites infested.
Some growers really do have only great clones on the premises, but then the same breeds and varieties every time. For the growers who want to grow something a little different from the usual weed varieties, it is not particularly easy to get hold of another sort of weed, other than the couple available directly from the supplier. For many growers there is no
choice but to build themselves a nice collection of seeds with which to provide themselves with new strains. Happy is the grower who knows how to raise his own top plants from seed! Rare varieties, with exotically high levels of THC, a good yield and even a great taste too!
If you’re successful and you end up with a number of potential mother plants raised from seeds, read in this instalment how we can select a beautiful mother from which you can harvest the clones you need.
Must
Before we can set to making clones, we first have to select a good mother plant. A
good mother ensures that we get good progeny – and that, as a grower, you’ll notice! Important attributes I often look for to choose my mother plants are: a good, tight leaf cover (for optimal uptake of light), a strong stem and side branches (produce far more than pitiful ladies), the grow- and bloom-periods of the (mother) plant (determines the number of harvests per year) and perhaps the most important: the appearance and eventual taste of the (dried) flower clusters. Of course, every grower has his or her own preference and

we will rarely be able to select the mother that fulfils all our expectations. But learning how to make you own clones remains a must-have skill, and as a grower you can do yourself a number of favours by acquiring it. When you make your own clones you can always be sure of young plants, that you know how best they can be raised to become superb adults, and save yourself a pile of cash outflow along the way.
Fibres
The best clones come from young growth shoots of between five and fifteen centimetres in length. It is vital that the shoots have complete and well-developed leaves in order to develop into a clone. Once we have removed a few shoots from the mother plant, we cut the base of the stem off with a slanting cut from a razor blade (these are ideal because they are so sharp). By cutting the stem at a slant, the stem has a greater surface area with which to take up moisture, and that increases our chances of success. Often, I remove a strip of fibres, so that the cutting powder

(which we apply immediately) can do its work better. Also, the bark of the marihuana plant can hinder the cutting powder from promoting the shoot from forming roots.
Once we’ve got the above steps out of the way, dip the stem into some water and after that dip the sides of the stem into cutting powder. You must make sure not to get cutting powder on the slanted, cut surface of the stem, as the sap flow of the young clone might get clogged up and thereby die an early death.

Air moisture levels

When the base of the growing shoot has had cutting powder correctly applied, I let the growing shoots root in small blocks of stone wool. These blocks are ideal because they hold enough water, and enough oxygen for the young stems when the blocks dry out a little. Oxygen plays a crucial role in successful rooting in growing shoots, and therefore we need to ensure that the conditions for this are made as optimal as possible. So let the stone wool blocks dry out a little once in a while.
When all this has been accomplished, we can best place the yet-to-develop growing shoots in a special germinating tray. Here we can keep the air moisture content high, by sprinkling the clones with water and closing the germinating tray with its (transparent) lid. The young shoots can then take-up water through their leaves, and that will dramatically increase the survival rate of the yet-to- develop clone. Keep the process firmly in hand and don’t go crazy with the air moisture, because clones can also be the victims if fungal attack. When Mr Mould comes a-calling, you can wave bye-bye to a whole generation of marihuana plants.

Light cycle
To give the clones a little extra help in weaning we can place a warming system in the base of the germination tray. The roots of the marihuana plant adore a lightly warmed soil, and by providing this the growing shoots will better develop into clones. Once the germination tray is filled with a large quantity of stone wool blocks with growing shoots sticking out of them, we can place the whole thing under growing lamps. These lights are ideal for letting the clones bed in and root successfully since they do not cause the clones to evaporate too much moisture and yet still provide enough light. Keep the light cycle on 18 hours and the growing shoots should rapidly begin to develop into lovely clones. As a last tip, I’ll advise you to always take more growing shoots (and make clones from them) than you think you’re going to need, since not every growing shoot will take root in the end.

Many experts believe that marijuana use can lead to the use of harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and LSD. However, no conclusive evidence supports this direct cause-and-effect relationship. Studies in several countries, including the United States, indicate that most marijuana users never progress to other drugs.

Teenagers who do go on to use other illegal drugs typically use tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana first. In fact, it has been shown that most teens use tobacco cigarettes and alcohol—before they are of legal age—before ever using marijuana. Also, many more teens use tobacco and alcohol than use marijuana. Thus, tobacco and alcohol may be “gateways” to marijuana use, although it is still not clear whether one drug can cause an individual to start using other drugs. Also, experts point out that psychological and behavioral problems, poor relationships with parents, or drug-taking peers who approve of drug use all are much more reliable predictors of a teen’s progression to harder drugs than is the use of marijuana.

The breeding of auto flowering strains of cannabis plants is constantly becoming more and more popular. New strains and auto flowering hybrid seeds are appearing on the market rapidly but why are these seeds so popular, and how are these new breeds being created.

At the most basic level auto flowering cannabis seeds should be able to grow into fully flowering plants in far more lenient conditions than cannabis plants typically require. While normally growing a marijuana plant will require extremely well regulated lighting, generally beginning with around 18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark at the same times every day during the vegetative stage and shifting to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark (to trick the plant into thinking it’s autumn) to induce the flowering stage. An auto flowering seed however should be able to grow in constant light, and will not require any changes to the set up in order to kick start the flowering process. This is a much more simple process, which gives beginners a far higher success rate.

When growing an auto flowering seed the grower simply needs to plant the seed, leave it in a position where it has constant, 24 hours a day light and make sure that the soil is kept moist by regularly watering it. As well as being less hassle care for, auto flowering plants will typically be ready for harvest in a relatively short space of time. The flowering stage should kick in after 3-5 weeks depending on the type of seed that has been used and the conditions it has grown in. When the initial signs of flowering are detected all that the grower has to do is change the light bulb to a flowering bulb which will help the process along. After this it will be roughly two further weeks before the plant is ready to harvest.

A lot of breeders are currently trying to create new and hybrid strains of cannabis seeds that will auto flower. The most common method of achieving this is by growing an established auto flowering male plant and cross breeding it with any other female plant. Initially this will produce a very low percentage of auto flowering seeds, but constantly inbreeding these seeds will yield higher and higher numbers of auto flowering seeds.