How to Avoid 5 Common Weed Drying Mistakes

The specific conditions the cannabis plant requires to grow and thrive can make cultivation difficult, especially for beginners.

The challenges continue after harvesting, as drying and curing present hurdles to overcome. With so much potential for disaster, it’s important to identify problem areas and address them before beginning your cannabis-growing operation.

Here are 5 common weed-drying mistakes to look out for. 

Humidity

For your weed to dry properly, it’s important to maintain the proper humidity levels in your drying room. Overly moist weed is less potent, less flavorful, and more susceptible to developing mold or mildew.

Not maintaining adequate humidity levels risks ruining your yield before it reaches the consumer.

To solve this issue, you must keep an eye on the relative humidity of your drying room. Relative humidity measures the amount of water vapor in the room, which allows you to control the room’s conditions more precisely.

The ideal range of relative humidity should fall around 55%. Keep in mind that as the room temperature changes, so does the relative humidity. In general, your levels should never dip below 50% relative humidity.

There are products out there to help you control humidity levels and overcome your humidity challenges, such as 2-way humidity control packs that are eco-friendly (made of 100% compostable materials) and 2-way humidity control bags and jars. 

These products take the guessing out of the equation and help you achieve your desired weed-drying results. 

Temperature

Just like humidity, maintaining the right room temperature can make a big difference during drying. Aside from affecting the relative humidity levels, improper temperature control can cause a slew of other issues:

• Too hot: drives contaminant-causing humidity
• Too cold: results in over-dried, brittle cannabis

There are a variety of factors that can influence the temperature of your drying room. A common culprit is the lighting. 

Certain types of lighting can generate enough heat to increase room temperature by several degrees. Switching the lights in your drying room to LED is an easy way to significantly reduce the temperature to ideal levels.

It may also be wise to invest in a climate control system. A well-functioning HVAC system can regulate a room’s temperature year-round, regardless of outdoor conditions.

Airflow

Airflow and ventilation are key components in drying and curing. Good airflow helps to maintain temperature and humidity and prevents the air from becoming too stagnant.

Keep in mind the size of your drying room and the size of your equipment. A drying room that’s too small and too crowded will negatively impact airflow. Consider clearing out some clutter or even upgrading to a larger space.

Harvesting Too Early

When cannabis grows, it relies on nutrients from the substrate. During this cultivation phase, the cannabis has its highest water content, which means that harvesting at this point will prolong the already lengthy drying and curing process.

To avoid this issue, simply have more patience. Even if you’re behind on the production schedule, your product and your consumer will benefit more if you don’t rush the process.

Rushing The Process

The amount of time you commit to the drying and curing process directly affects the weed’s quality. Ideally, you want to leave your cannabis to dry for at least 2 to 3 weeks.

When it’s ready, your cannabis should be hard to the touch but not so dry that the twigs and branches become brittle. Just take it from Dr. Dank in the video below: