As cannabis legalization sweeps across the nation, it is becoming easier and easier to just pop into a local dispensary and purchase high-quality marijuana for whatever your need. But there are also many who prefer to take matters into their own hands. Whether they be cannabis connoisseurs who want to have total control over what they smoke, or entrepreneurs looking to turn their love of cannabis into a business, growing cannabis can be incredibly rewarding as well as profitable. But to enjoy success, be it for business or pleasure, you have to know what you’re doing. There are multiple steps involved in creating the finest weed possible, and growing it is only the first one. Even if you were to cultivate the most perfect and beautiful plant imaginable, it must then be harvested before it can be smoked or extracted — and this is where many people interested in the DIY route start googling how to cure weed, can you smoke fresh picked bud, is curing weed necessary, how to burp weed and more. What exactly do you do once the plant has matured? Here are some answers to all those burning questions.
Ah, wouldn’t it be nice if you could? What a fantasy scene — you’re surrounded by towering marijuana plants higher than the eye can see, and you just reach up and pinch off a bud, place it in a pipe, and proceed to get high. Unfortunately though, that truly is just a fantasy. As the answer to “Can you smoke fresh picked bud?” is sadly — No. That fresh flower would contain far too much moisture to allow it to light and burn. For marijuana to become smokable, the plant must be dried and cured.
Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, they are actually two very different steps within the cannabis manufacturing process. Drying is what happens immediately after plants are harvested and is the initial process of removing moisture from the plants. It is done by hanging the long branches upside down or placing portions onto wire racks to create airflow and evaporate moisture, and generally takes about 10 to 14 days. Curing is the next step when the flower is trimmed and placed within a sealable container to ensure that enough moisture remains to preserve the cannabinoids and terpenes while reducing the water and chlorophyll. This controlled environment and the steps that follow will determine the ultimate smell, taste and potency of the finished product.
Curing weed is not only necessary, it is downright crucial. Curing affects not only the flavor but the quality of your smoke. Taste and aroma are determined by terpenes. These are a very fragile component of the cannabis plant. If treated with care and patience, they can create not only an incredibly potent and enjoyable high but your bud can then be stored in an airtight environment for about two years’ time without any significant loss of potency. If the plant is not properly cured though, enzymes and bacteria can break down and form unhealthy sugars as chlorophyll decomposes. This can cause a truly unpleasant high that can cause your throat to feel like it’s burning as you smoke. Improperly cured weed can result in your beautiful flower losing its fragrance, tasting too green, and not burning evenly. If you’ve spent all your time, money and effort to grow the finest flower possible, then asking “Is curing weed necessary?” is like asking whether you want a good high or a bad high.
Well, that depends on who you ask. It will take at least two to three weeks, but so many different factors come into play such as the temperature, elevation and the humidity level where you live. Many experts believe that an eight-week cure is optimal, while some strains can truly benefit from an up to six-month curing process. A successful cure isn’t really determined by a date on a calendar but rather by an observance of the product. Buds should not be wet or even moist, but they should not feel dry nor crumbly. There should be a strong and pleasant aroma with no hint of an ammonia smell. How long to cure weed is a personal decision but it is one where patience is key.
Curing is all about placing the dried marijuana into a perfectly controlled environment. Control is key when it comes to temperature, light, humidity and airflow. An extreme of any one of those areas can destroy the weed that you worked so hard to grow. Mold and mildew are the enemy that must be avoided. Placing the cannabis buds into an airtight container is the first step but then you have to know how to burp weed as well.
“Burping” is how you can create air circulation and allow the flowers to breathe. In the first few days of curing, burping should be done multiple times per day in order to provide oxygen and inhibit the growth of mold by allowing any excess moisture and bacterial gasses to escape. As you become more accustomed with how to burp weed, and the curing process continues past the first week, you need only open the container once every couple of days.
In addition to burping and checking upon the conditions of the curing flower, you will want to also give the container a good shake to ensure that the buds are not sticking together or clumping, and to further inhibit the formation of mold. As with burping, this should be done multiple times during the first few days and lessened to every few days as the curing nears completion. While how long to cure weed is a personal decision, the signs that you have achieved a successful cure include stems that snap cleanly without bending, and buds that bounce back like memory foam after squeezing.
It all comes down to environment and patience. Patience is something that cannot be bought — but a good environment most certainly can. If you’re wondering how to cure weed in the easiest way possible, look no further than a CVault. CVault is how to cure weed with no thinking required — because Boveda has done all the hard work for you. They have created the world’s smartest curing container that protects what is placed inside from all the elements and ensures high-quality and uniform product from batch to batch.
With CVault’s 304 food-grade stainless steel construction and airtight multiple latch design, combined with the perfect humidity control that comes with the included Boveda pack(s), you not only have a fool-proof curing container but a perfect place for post-curing storage as well. How to cure weed is no longer an issue, whether you are doing it for personal use or as a commercial venture, because CVaults are available in a variety of sizes to fit every need. Work smarter not harder by investing in a product durable enough to withstand the test of time and provide you with the most foolproof cure possible. Shop the CVault lineup today!
Photo courtesy of @happydaddyproducts.