How and Why You Should Cure Your Weed

[0:07] What's up you amazing listeners. I'm Chronic from the Cannabis Chronicles on Instagram and YouTube, as well as the host of this amazing podcast brought to us by Homegrown Cannabis Co. Remember, if you're seeking top-notch cannabis seeds to cultivate, head over to www.homegrowncannabis.com and check out their catalog. In today's episode, I'll be teaching you growers out there how to
 

[0:27] cure your cannabis and telling you why you should cure your cannabis. So be sure to follow along whichever platform you're tuning in so you never miss out on any episode that we post. Now grab your favorite glass piece and pack a fat bowl or drop a big old glob and let's get lifted into some amazing cannabis content. Let's begin.
 

[0:47] In this first segment, I'll be telling you all how I cure my cannabis to perfection, which starts with a good dry. So if you haven't already, be sure to check out previous episodes on the podcast where I discuss how I dry my cannabis. For now, I'll do a quick rundown of how I dry. I do a 7 to 10 day dry hang in my Dry-Tense
 

[1:06] unit, which uses centripetal force to evenly dry the bud. So definitely check them out. I keep that environment at 45% to 55% relative humidity and 68 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. By the 7 to 10-day marker, I am checking for the stems to be dry enough for a bend to snap check, where they will bend and kind of make a snap noise but not fully break.
 

[1:30] This lets me know I have a nice dry time. This is where curing comes into play. You'll then trim your bud, your preferred method, and then you'll jar your cannabis. But is it really just jarring your cannabis, or is there a method to all this madness? Well, of course there's a method to all this madness, and for this episode, I'm going to give you two
 

[1:50] options to choose from, well, a few options to choose from, that I've used with great success as far as jars and humidity packs to choose from. So yes, jars do actually make a difference if your jars are sitting on an open shelf or out in the open. Clear jars that get direct light of any kind will end up degrading terpenes
 

[2:09] over prolonged periods of time, which is why you want to store your jars in a cooler dark place that has a nice moderate temperature, like 68 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit with a good humidity range of at minimum 30% with no higher than 60%. But you're aiming at that 45% to 55% marker. This way your jar's internal climates will be much more stable and
 

[2:32] consistent, and the light won't degrade terpenes. So this is why I also like to use blackout jars, which are hard to come by, but fortunately, Dry-Tense does have those amazing cure kits available with blackout jars and all-natural two-way humidity packs that come with them. And yes, they do work amazing. You can check out any of the items
 

[2:53] I mentioned from Dry-Tense at www.dry-tense.com. And you can use code Chronic to save yourself some money on any of the items I mentioned, like the cure kits or the Dry-Tense unit. Now, these are very nice products as the alternatives are really just clear mason jars or finding colored ones elsewhere or blackout jars, which currently mason jars are on the decline of being available
 

[3:15] with the world being so wacky. On top of the jars, you will also need to find yourself two-way humidity packs to make sure the internal climates of your jar in the first month stay consistent. And since there really are no other companies that have come out with all-natural packs that don't leach chemicals over time, you have to be quite
 

[3:34] diligent by or before the 60-day mark to pull all of the two-month-old packs out of your jars that leach harmful chemicals such as Boveda or Integra. This is due to packs like Boveda or Integra having paper packets that degrade over time naturally, which will cause the internal chemicals used to create the two-way humidity pack to begin leaching to the nearest cannabis.
 

[3:56] It's no fault of theirs, and I actually like that they use all-natural packaging. So this is why I do enjoy the cure kits from Dry-Tense because they use an all-natural carbon pack that doesn't leach anything to the bud. This makes it less of a worry. Now for those wondering why I just blabbed about jars and packs for two-way humidity adjustments, well,
 

[4:16] they are quite important. If you're a large-scale grower as well, you can think about using those massive sealable bags for wheats, grains, or various other homesteading use to bulk cure your large crops. However, for home growers, jars are almost the go-to, specifically mason jars. So it is important to note that if you use clear ones to make sure they are not in direct light, and if you're using traditional
 

[4:39] Boveda or Integra two-way humidity packs, just be diligent about removing them from your jars within the two-month mark. Otherwise, I definitely suggest snagging some packs from Dry-Tense or just grabbing one of their cure kits. They do also have humidity and temperature readers on the tops of the jars in both Celsius and Fahrenheit built into the lids, which I was going to
 

[5:01] add next because a lot of growers do like to buy a pack of those little readers off Amazon to place in their jars to monitor the environments. So the pros of buying a cure kit is that it's all in one and you don't have to mix and match or hope Amazon or wherever you're buying from has your product. And the pro of the cure kit and DIY are
 

[5:20] they are actually about the same price breakdown. It's just the cure kits come with a blackout jar and everything's kind of built in and it's a little bit more nifty. The biggest con for me personally is the leaching from the Boveda packs or Integra packs for the DIY option. So if that really doesn't bother you and you're cool with removing them, then just choose whichever you prefer.
 

[5:40] And once you've collected your jars, your two-way humidity packs you prefer, and some humidity and temperature readers, it's time to go about burping your jars properly. Because you always want to collect all your materials before you actually get to curing or drying or cultivating because you don't want to be in a situation where you don't have the items that you need.
 

[5:59] Now if you really are wondering, "Do I seriously need all this junk for my curing process?" Well, the answer is yes and always yes. This isn't junk. This stuff is fairly inexpensive, but it will make all the difference in the world. Many times, growers will trim their plant a day or two early when they should have let them dry just a bit longer.
 

[6:18] And when they put them in their jars, all that excess moisture can create a very hay smell or even worse, bud rot, very rapidly. So having that little gauge that reads temperature and humidity makes your life insanely stress-free. Along with that, this is why those two-way humidity packs are so important. If your plant is releasing a ton of
 

[6:37] excess moisture, those packs are designed to absorb excess moisture above 62.5% humidity generally. And if there's not enough moisture in the air, the pack is then designed to release humidity to the same range. This keeps a stable relative humidity within your jar for your terpenes to properly cure. It helps prevent hay smells, and with curing, you really help round off those
 

[6:58] terpene profiles of your cannabis. So keeping a stable environment for your plant to cure evenly, just like the dry process, is very important. With drying and curing, you can ruin months of hard work by improper dry times or cures. So it's really important to put the time and effort into everything, which does include supplies. Now to get to the burping process, it's quite
 

[7:19] simple. The first week, you'll burp your jars 15 minutes each, three times a day every single day. The second week, you'll burp your jars two times a day, 15 minutes each every single day. The third week, you'll move to burping your jars twice a day for 15 minutes each every other day. The fourth week, you'll burp your jars once a day for
 

[7:37] 15 minutes every two to three days. The fifth week, you'll burp your jars once a day for 15 minutes once a week. The sixth week, you'll burp your jars once a week to every 10 days for 15 minutes. The seventh week, you can begin to burp your jars once every 14 days for 15 minutes. At the eighth week, you can
 

[7:56] begin moving towards burping your jars once every 21 to 30 days for 15 minutes. Now once you reach the three-month mark span, you can leave your jars shut, burping only once a month for 15 minutes. Six-month cures are considered cup standard cures, with longer cures being actually preferred. However, you are able to begin consuming for many cultivators after the two to
 

[8:17] three-week cure mark for those in need of medication. Now I hope you all enjoyed this first segment of the episode and learned some new curing methods. Remember, if you're not using Dry-Ten's all-natural packs, I would highly suggest not leaving those packs like Integra or Boveda in your jars past the 60 days of use. Now be sure to stay tuned, pack
 

[8:35] another big bowl, or drop a big old glob as we take a short commercial break. Hey, Kyle Kushman here. Sorry for the interruption. If you're enjoying this podcast, you're going to love the educational content at the Homegrown Cannabis Co. Our blog is jam-packed full of amazing articles. It's all covered. Everything from germinating your seeds to transplanting to harvest, drying, and curing.
 

[9:07] We have specialist articles on hydro grows, choosing your soils, feeding and watering. We've even got videos showing how to make delicious cannabis cocktails. Your next party is going to rock. Keep your finger on the pulse by subscribing to our email list, YouTube, and social media channels. Never miss a beat, never stop growing. See you all soon. And we're back from that amazing break.
 

[9:34] If you haven't already, be sure to pack a bowl or drop that big old dab as we sail into some more cannabis content. Let's begin. In this segment, I'm just going to go over the reasons that you really want to cure your cannabis and why. The biggest reason we cure our cannabis is to preserve all those amazing terpenes and cannabinoids we create during the
 

[9:53] entire flower cycle. Curing allows us as growers to safely allow those terpenes and compounds to be stored in those trichome heads and plant matter without eventually degradation had they had not had a cure stage. This is why light can also be harmful to curing cannabis, as light can degrade terpenes and medicinal compounds in your curing bud. So keeping your buds stored in a nice dark environment that we discussed
 

[10:15] in the first segment is ideal. The next reason you want to cure your bud, aside from making sure all that medical goodness of your cannabis is safely preserved, is the fact that if you want any enjoyable consumption of that herb that you just grew, you definitely want to cure then. Even if you dry your cannabis, without a cure it can turn to a hay
 

[10:34] flavor, smell, and all around be a very harsh product to consume, being flavorless or being a very gross flavor. This can make medicating very difficult and leave you to only use your cannabis for infusions or extracts, which will then suffer as well, as terpenes and compounds will have degraded without a proper cure. Along with all of those reasons, bud rot or botrytis is a
 

[10:57] serious potential problem without a proper dry and proper cure, as drying and curing properly really locks in the proper moisture levels within the center of the buds and really makes sure that botrytis or mold won't appear magically in the future versus improperly dried or cured bud that will release moisture at various times in heavy amounts that can cause mold to form. This can be seriously dangerous for anyone
 

[11:24] consuming bud from that jar, as mold spores can be detrimental to one's health. Now with all of those reasons to cure, I do want to discuss the fact that if any of you home growers have access to ways of creating live or fresh frozen product, your terpene and compounds found in your extracts or infusions will always be
 

[11:44] about 50% to 55% increased versus dried and cured product. There's been several studies done, however one in particular done by Abna Technologies found that amongst various other terpenes they tested, beta-myrcene decreased by 55% from the point of harvest to dispensary shelf or being fully dried and cured. So for the average home grower, access to those fancy flash freezers,
 

[12:11] extraction units, washing units, or various other live extraction methods isn't always accessible or the easiest to do for someone in particular due to an ailment. So for us growers who need to store our product for long-term to still gain medical use from it, drying and curing are vital to storing cannabis for long-term. Even with up to that 55% degradation of beta-myrcene,
 

[12:33] there are still far more medical compounds found in properly dried and cured bud versus bud that was improperly dried and cured or not even cured, as even more than just 55% degradation would occur with improper dries and cures. Well, there really isn't much more on the reasons why you should cure your bud, as it really comes down to preserving terpenes for prolonged use and keeping all your
 

[12:56] hard work secured and safe as best as we can for years to come, as properly dried and cured bud doesn't actually have a shelf life if kept at a proper humidity level and burped at least once a month. There are some growers who cure bud out past a year marker. How crazy. So be sure to follow along on whichever platform you're listening from if you
 

[13:15] enjoyed this episode of the Homegrown Podcast brought to us by Homegrown Cannabis Co. And remember, if you would like to snag top-notch cannabis seeds to cultivate, head over to www.homegrowncannabis.com and check out their wide selection of amazing seeds to choose from If you need a place to post your grows and keep track easily, head over to www.homegrowndiary.com and sign up for free today.
 

[13:38] You can also ask me any questions or have a chat if you head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.community and sign up for free and tag @kronic, that's K-R-O-N-I-C, where I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. Be sure to check out Homegrown Cannabis Co's Facebook page as well for free seed giveaways, and follow @homegrownworld on Instagram for daily updates. I am Kronic from the Cannabis Chronicles
 

[14:02] on Instagram and YouTube, and I'll be back every Wednesday to bring you all amazing cannabis content with this podcast. I hope you all have a great day. Much love, happy growing, and peace. If you enjoyed this video and want to learn more about growing your own cannabis at home, hit that like button, subscribe, and turn those notifications
 

[14:30] on to keep up to date with the amazing marijuana content Homegrown Cannabis Co. has to offer. See you next time.