Curing Cannabis Buds: A Step-By-Step Guide

Did you know that people have been using cannabis for more than 2000 years? It all began in ancient China when people used the plant for medicinal purposes. Today, people use cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes and you can find all kinds of cannabis products available on the market. But when it comes to growing, harvesting, and distributing cannabis and cannabis products, learning how to cure cannabis is essential knowledge. If you don’t know how to dry and cure marijuana, that weed will never have the chance to get to where it needs to go before it starts to rot. Fortunately, curing cannabis is not as hard as it sounds, although you will need plenty of patience and the right tools to get the job done. Keep reading and learn all about how to start curing cannabis like a pro and why it’s such an important process in the first place.

Benefits of Properly Curing Your Cannabis Harvest

Imagine that you’ve managed to produce a large and healthy batch of cannabis. The buds are in perfect condition and you know that they will be perfect to sell. But then you find that if you don’t cure all that cannabis, the plants will soon start to take on too much moisture and start to grow mold.

At one point or another, all that cannabis will no longer be fit for consumption and all the time it took to grow it in the first place will be wasted. Of course, no one wants to live through this scenario, and you don’t have to as long as you learn about why the curing process is so important.

There are actually many benefits of curing cannabis and making the buds last longer is only one of them. Another big benefit is that by curing cannabis, the cannabis itself will actually become more potent. How might this be possible, you ask?

 

Biosynthesis

It all has to do with a little something called biosynthesis. During biosynthesis, cannabis plants produce a certain cannabinoid known as tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, also known as THCA. THCA is not the same thing as THC, the beloved cannabinoid that can get you high in no time at all. 

Instead, THCA is a precursor to THC. Curing cannabis helps this THCA transform into THC. As you can imagine, the more THC there is in your batch of cannabis, the stronger the high will be once someone consumes it. This is important because most people who buy cannabis want to get as high as possible.

If you don’t cure cannabis, there is no chance that the same cannabis batch will end up with as much THC. Instead, the batch might end up with far less THC than average.

 

Even More Benefits of Curing Weed

If someone consumes cannabis that hasn’t been cured or has been badly cured, the resulting high will be quite weak and unsatisfying. Of course, no one wants to buy weak and unsatisfying weed. Plus, you will be known as the person who produces bad weed, and you certainly don’t want that.

The last benefit that curing offers is that it can greatly improve the flavor and aroma of the cannabis itself. The main smell of weed comes from terpenes which are rich in cannabis plants. 

If you cure the plants too fast, the terpenes will break down and the marijuana might end up having an especially unpleasant smell. On the other hand, if you take your time and let the cannabis cure for a long time, the aroma will actually become much more pleasant and complex. 

 

The Aroma

Think of curing cannabis in the same way as aging wine. The longer and slower you cure your cannabis, the richer and more fulfilling it will be. If you take a whiff of cannabis that has been slowly cured, you will be able to pick up on unique notes that you might have never had the chance to notice before. 

Some well-cured strains of marijuana might even have hints of citrus, vanilla, spice, and more. Curing your cannabis slowly also benefits the cannabinoids. As mentioned before, the curing process allows THCA to become THC which will ultimately make the weed much more potent. 

Curing cannabis slowly is the key to reaching maximum potency. If you rush through the curing process, you may only have a fraction of the THC that your cannabis plants could really have. 

Now that you know about the main benefits of curing weed, you’re surely wondering how you should get started. But before you get started, you will need to know what kind of tools you need to start the curing process.

Pro Tools for Curing Cannabis

Unfortunately, curing cannabis is not as easy as letting your cannabis sit out in the sun for a while and calling it a day. Instead, you will need some particular tools to make sure that the curing process goes according to plan. Without the right curing tools, your cannabis could easily become moldy or otherwise unfit for consumption. 

To start off, you will need a hygrometer or humidipacks. These are more or less the same thing and they aim to keep track of the humidity and moisture levels of your cannabis. It is very important to understand humidity levels when it comes to your cannabis because if you don’t keep a close eye on them, your cannabis could easily become moldy due to too much moisture. 

Before you cure your cannabis, it should already be dried. Once it is dry, there obviously won’t be much moisture left in the buds and leaves, but this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any moisture left at all. Even in dried cannabis, there are still some remnants of moisture that can cause you serious problems down the line.

 

Humidity Levels

You also won’t want the cannabis to become too dry either, otherwise, the buds will crumble into dust which won’t be good for anyone. If it is too moist, the buds will be unusually squishy, almost like marshmallows. The humidity level for curing cannabis should be around 60%.

Your hygrometer will be able to keep track of this percentage for you. If the percentage starts to waver in one direction or enough, you will want to adjust the environment so the humidity levels go back to 60%. Cold curing cannabis can help keep the humidity levels down, but it can be a bit tricky to master and it may not work as well as traditional methods. 

 

Wide Mouthed Mason Jars

Mason jars with wide mouths should also be at your disposal when curing cannabis. They are perfect for storing the buds as they cure and, more than that, they are super easy to find. You can even find them at some of your local grocery stores.

They are also very easy to store and each one of them can hold more than an entire ounce of cannabis buds. This may not sound like a lot to you, and while it is true that you can buy larger mason jars, it may not be a good idea. Larger jars allow for more moisture and where there is more moisture, there is a larger chance that mold will start to grow. 

The last thing you want to happen is to almost be at the end of the curing process only to find that the buds inside your jars have started to grow mold. Smaller jars are more resilient to mold because they don’t contain as much moisture. To keep mold at bay, you will also want to avoid packing your mason jars to the very top. 

If the buds are too cramped together, moisture will have the chance to fester within the buds. Instead, try to fill the jars until they are around 75% full. This will give the buds plenty of space to breathe and dry out. So, now that you know what tools you need, how should you proceed?

 

How to Perfectly Cure Your Buds for Maximum Potency: Step-By-Step

To start, make sure that you separate the buds from the branches. Branches and stems have no place in the curing process; it’s all about the buds. Once that’s done, use your mason jar containers for curing cannabis. 

These jars will ensure that the environment your cannabis is in is always controlled. As mentioned before, the humidity level should be about 60% so the buds won’t be squishy but won’t break apart either. The temperature should be around 70 degrees which is the perfect temperature to ensure that mold doesn’t end up growing.

Once you seal the buds inside the jars, you shouldn’t let them sit unattended as they cure. Instead, you will need to shake the jars around on occasion. Shaking the jar will be able to tell you how far along the buds are in the curing process. For example, the buds should not stick together when you shake them and if they do, they’re not ready. 

You could technically use other vessels to cure cannabis such as plastic or wood vessels. However, these will not last as long as mason jars because the terpene content in the buds may degrade plastic and wood over time.

Once you’ve filled all of your mason jars, you will want to put them in a place that doesn’t receive a lot of light. Keeping them in a dark spot like your closet will help stabilize the temperature. Every few days, open the jars for a few moments to let the buds get some oxygen. 

After three weeks or so, your cannabis buds should be cured!

 

Options for Fast Curing Cannabis

If you want to cure your cannabis as fast as possible, you can try curing the buds in a freeze dryer. A freeze drier has the ability to suck any moisture out of the cannabis buds in a short period of time. This is ideal if you don’t have a lot of time to cure your buds. 

But will this process affect the terpene or THC content? As it turns out, cannabis terpenes and THC levels don’t suffer all that much when they go through the freeze-curing process. The levels might not be as high as when you cure cannabis the normal way, but they will still be pretty high. 

For that reason, fast curing cannabis in this way can be a great choice if you don’t have 3 weeks to cure your buds.

 

Curing Cannabis FAQ

One of the most common curing questions that people have is in regard to the darkness of the storage room for your buds. How dark does it have to be? Should it be pitch black or only a bit shady?

For the best results, you should store your cannabis in a room that has no light at all in it. This will improve the smell and taste of the cannabis once it’s finished curing.

Other common questions people have involve the temperature and humidity levels. As mentioned before, 70 degrees is perfect for curing cannabis. However, you can go as low as 60 degrees. 

Also, the humidity level should stick around 60%, although this number can also vary. You can let the humidity go up to 65% and as low as 55%. You shouldn’t let the humidity level go beyond this range, otherwise, the buds may suffer as a result. 

 

How to Cure Cannabis

Curing cannabis doesn’t have to be an impossible task. All you need is the right tools and a bit of patience. Keeping track of the humidity levels and temperature is very important, otherwise, the cannabis could end up developing mold.

After leaving the cannabis to cure for 3 weeks, it should be ready for consumption. To learn more about cannabis, contact us here.