If you’ve never smoked dehydrated weed, you’re lucky. The harsh flavor and thick smoke is an unforgettable experience, though an interesting one. Keeping the right moisture content in weed is crucial for its quality because it allows for the cannabinoids CBD and THC, flavonols, and terpenes to remain in perfect condition without losing any of their powers, especially for long-term storage.
Sometimes, though, weed happens to dry out, and this is what we’ll discuss below. If you’ve thrown a stash away once or twice in the past because it was too dry, keep reading to find out how you can prevent it or even rehydrate it.
How to Prevent Dry Cannabis
Taking good care of your crops is not only highly satisfying, but it’s also highly rewarding, especially as a grower, when it’s time to smoke the weed produced with your own efforts. The secret to preventing dry cannabis is proper storage by limiting the exposure to the elements, like moisture, light, and heat.
When the cannabis plant is growing, it needs higher temperatures and sufficient light, but after it’s been dried and cured, any extra exposure to UV rays or relative humidity will inevitably decrease the shelf life and the quality of your cannabis buds. Therefore, ideally, you should store your weed in a dark place with low humidity levels, away from direct sunlight, and preferably at below room temperature (about 15-21°C is the ideal temperature).
In the first place, the absolutely best container for storing cannabis in is airtight glass jars, with the emphasis on airtight. Just simple mason jars will do the trick nicely, and if they’re tinted, it’s even better for light prevention. The reason for this is that airtight glass containers have a vacuum sealing that makes them efficient in preserving the weed’s freshness by keeping the water content in. You should fill up the jars to about ¾ and don’t leave too much room for air.
Another tip we can give you, if you tend to buy in bulk from dispensaries, or happen to cultivate cannabis yourself, is to store smaller amounts of weed in multiple airtight jars. The reason for this is to protect the weed that you’re not using at the moment from unnecessary exposure to air and light every time you open the jar to get some fresh weed for your session. So, having multiple smaller containers to store weed in will keep the rest of the stash fresh and fragrant until you need to use it again.
How Can You Tell Your Weed Is Dry Enough?
Knowing when your trichomes are dry enough is a crucial step in the process. You get the best feel for it with time and experience, but even then you can make a mistake for various reasons – when you try out a new strain and can’t really tell, or other circumstantial factors. Over drying weed can really hamper all your efforts. It will not only have a harsh flavor and a lot less terpene and cannabinoid content, but it will also hamper the curing process.
Trimmed Buds
Properly dried marijuana will feel dry to the touch. Dried buds that were cut off the stem should only be dry on the outside, but slightly moist on the inside. You can deduce this by examining them closely where the stems were trimmed. If it seems too dry in that area and it’s a little crumbly to the touch, then the buds are probably overdried.
Buds With Stems
Buds that were left to dry with the stems are a little trickier to examine for dryness. The best way to do it is to break off a small stem and see if it snaps. If it snaps right away, it’s probably dry enough, but if it leaves a few tiny strings behind, it probably needs some more time. On the other hand, bigger stems shouldn’t be completely dry because they need to supply the buds with some moisture. They should feel more flexible when pulling.
When in Doubt…
When in doubt, err on the side of moisture, as it’s much easier to control how much water evaporates than to have to rehydrate the weed later. Ultimately, the excess water will evaporate eventually during the curing process, and that will be that.
What if You Overdid It? Ways to Rehydrate Weed
Well, over-drying your weed can happen to anyone. Luckily, there are some creative methods that will help you add some moisture back and make it more pleasant for consumption. Though, mind you, once you’ve rehydrated it, you’ll still need to place it in an airtight container to prevent it from overdrying again.
The Citrus Peel Method
This one is one of the most popular methods for rehydrating weed, and it’s very simple and effective. You’ll need the peel of a citrus fruit – orange peels are most often used, but you can use a lemon or a lime as well. The amount of fruit peel depends on the amount of dry weed you need to rehydrate, but we recommend you don’t skimp on it, so your effort will count. If you put in too little, though, it will still be effective, but you’ll have to give it more time.
Just place the peel in the container (assuming it’s with a vacuum seal) and leave it for a few hours, just enough for the water content to migrate from the peel to the weed. During this time, you should check on it a couple of times just to see how it’s going and if it’s going to take more time. The weed should be good when it feels moist. Take note that citrus fruits tend to leave some of their aroma on the buds, so if you’re not a fan, you can also use apple peel.
Use Some Lettuce
Similarly, you can also use some lettuce. Lettuce has a water content of 96%, so that makes it a perfect rehydrator. This method is almost identical to the citrus peel one, however, because lettuce has a much higher water content, it means that it will probably rehydrate your buds faster, so the waiting time for this is about 2-3 hours. Any longer than that, and you risk moisture build-up which can lead to mold and mildew formation. If, after 3 hours the buds are not moist enough, give it another half an hour.
Mix ‘Em Up With Fresh Buds
Mixing fresh buds with dry bids is a great way to add some life to those dehydrated buds. Just place a few freshly cut cannabis flowers with the dry buds and give it some time. Again, the amount of fresh buds depends on the amount of dry buds you have, so, there are no rules. You just need some patience.
The Slice of Bread Technique
Hard to believe, but bread can really help overly dry cannabis. Just place a slice or two of bread with the dry weed in a plastic bag, seal it, and leave it overnight. Be careful to not leave it for too long, as it can become moldy.
Wet Paper Towel
Using a wet paper towel is perfect if you have a whole batch of dehydrated weed. It can actually save you a lot of trouble. To do this, take a generous amount of paper towel sheets and soak them in water. Next, place them neatly one over the other in a zip lock bag, seal the bag, and poke many little holes through it. Then place this wet paper towel “blanket” in a larger airtight container together with the dry weed and give it time. For larger amounts, it will take anywhere from 3-6 hours, but make sure to check on it every two hours or so to prevent excess moisture.
Conclusion
Properly dried and cured cannabis is a delight to enjoy, but unfortunately, sometimes it can become too dry and lose in quality. Overly dry cannabis can be prevented with proper storing in glass airtight containers, away from light, heat, and moisture. However, if it happens to become too dry, there are some methods to put the moisture back in instead of throwing the whole stash away.
