So, you’ve been patient all those weeks, maybe months while you were caring for your crops, nurturing them, and waiting for them to flower, and now it’s harvest season, when it’s time to enjoy the fruits (or buds) of your labor.
You know that the natural drying time for those frosty buds is about 30 days, and if you don’t have the patience to wait, you can totally take a shortcut. Below we’ll give you some alternatives for quick-drying your weed that will give you some pretty impressive results for a lot less time so you can roll up a joint or make some delicious brownies.
Nothing is as good as the real deal, but when you’re impatient enough, you can get really decent results with this cheat-sheet for drying marijuana, so keep on reading.
The Difference that Properly Dried Cannabis Makes
In order for weed to be enjoyed properly, it needs to be dried properly. After harvest, the marijuana plant contains extra starches and sugars that make it susceptible to bacteria. Drying weed buds degrades these nutrients, making it easier to store for longer, and it also optimizes the cannabinoid content.
If you’ve never tried proper dry cannabis before, you won’t know what’s in it for you. Drying cannabis the right way and in the right conditions brings out the crop’s full potential, and gives you, as a grower and consumer, the best of it:
- No more green, grassy smell, you get the full, unique cannabis aroma instead;
- The texture and taste of the buds is smoother because chlorophyll is broken down;
- The harshness dissipates, leaving you cough-free and headache-free;
- You’ll be less likely to experience anxiety or paranoia;
- The full potency of the strain comes forth.
Optimal Conditions for Successful Drying
Fresh cannabis contains about 75% water. No surprise it takes a lot of time to dry. Providing the ideal conditions for proper drying is essential, especially if it’s your first time, so you don’t want to be disheartened. Otherwise, you’ll get a bad-tasting or ineffective stash, basically wasting your past efforts for nothing.
For your crops to dry successfully, remember the following:
- Unless you’re drying them in the sun, dry your crops in a cool and dark place that’s well-ventilated so they have enough air for the water to evaporate;
- The temperature needs to be between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything warmer than this and you’ll risk making your plants crispy or damaging the cannabinoid content;
- Similarly, the humidity level needs to be at about 45%. Higher temperatures may reduce humidity, so make sure you use a thermometer and hygrometer for measuring and adjusting when the levels fluctuate;
- When you need to regulate these parameters, feel free to use air conditioners and/or heaters in your space, though keep in mind that utility bills may increase;
- Also, make sure the temperature is not too low, as an increase in humidity, for example, 55%, will put your crops at risk of developing mold.
How to Dry Weed Fast
Whenever you need to speed up the process, you can try any one of the following fast-drying methods. Just FYI, we don’t recommend microwaving as it’s too harsh on the plant and it won’t work well. But to learn the methods that will work, keep on reading and find out how to dry marijuana:
Put the Cannabis Buds in Brown Bags
Regular brown bags from the grocery store can be very handy for drying cannabis buds, especially small buds, like pea or popcorn-sized. This method could save you precious weeks of waiting and it couldn’t be simpler.
Just put a few freshly harvested popcorn buds in a paper bag and leave the bag in a cool and dry corner for 3-6 days at room temperature, while ensuring to leave some room for air circulation. After the sixth day, it’s ready to use.
If you want to level up, you can also use a heat source with this method, though the taste of the weed may suffer. If you don’t have any problems with that, let us reveal the secret – you can use a laptop or a PC fan.
As bizarre as it may sound, these fans blow enough hot air to encourage quicker drying of your buds, so placing the brown bag on top of your laptop will get the job done quickly. Place the bag on one side for 10 minutes, then turn. Repeat until the buds feel dry to the touch.
Bake the Buds
Baking is maybe the best option out of the dry methods, provided that you keep an optimal temperature to avoid burning. This process is also known as decarboxylation, but it’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. For this method to work, you’ll need to set the oven temperature between 125 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, never higher.
Then, place your weed on the oven tray (you can use a cookie sheet to avoid sticking) and bake for about 10-15 minutes. You’ll need to stay glued to the oven during this time and flip the crops every 4-5 minutes to allow even drying while checking to see if they’re ready. You don’t have to be punctual with the timer, but observe how your weed looks.
Dry Them in a Boiler Room
If your home has a boiler room, that’s great. You can dry your weed there as it has sufficient warmth, allowing for its potency to be preserved. Although, you need to be aware that in boiler rooms, there is relative humidity, so when it’s too humid, it won’t work well. Still, you can use the boiler room for drying buds in two ways.
One, you can place the brown paper bags filled with buds here and leave them for 3-4 days. And two, if you have a lot of crops to dry, you can hang them on the drying rack and leave them for 3-5 days to dry, but make sure you check them often.
Dry Your Weed in the Sun
Nature’s way is also a great way to fast-dry your weed, and some may argue it’s the best. The way you can do this is to place your weed in a paper bag and leave it to naturally dry in the sun for about two days. It goes without saying that for this the weather needs to be sunny and hot, but not scorching hot, as it may damage the buds.
This is a good method for fast-drying, but you need to know that the sun will damage the terpenes that give marijuana its scent and will impact the THC and CBD content, making the effects of the cannabinoids weaker.
Hang Them to Dry in a Dark Room
This method is similar to how you would normally dry your marijuana buds, only for it to be quicker, you’ll need to up the temperature to about 92 degrees Fahrenheit and wait for a few days. You’ll need to check on your weed constantly, adjust the temperature often, and ensure there’s enough airflow. When the trichomes have dried, you’ll know, just make sure there is equal heat flow to all parts of your crops.
Conclusion
You don’t need to shop at dispensaries when you grow your own weed, but to smoke it, you need to dry it first. The drying process improves not only the taste of weed but also its effects, and essentially, it’s a prerequisite for storing and smoking it. Typically, drying your weed is a long process that can last for weeks, but sometimes you’re impatient and want to shorten the time.
There is no best method to do it. Whatever you choose, whether the regular way or a shortcut, making sure the temperature is not too high is the best way to keep your crops away from damage.
There are many ways to fast-dry weed, some of the best being baking it in the oven, drying it in the boiler room, or in the sun. Dry buds are the best buds.
