Drying and Curing
A dark space with precise temperature and humidity control is essential to properly dry and cure your cannabis. Aim to maintain 60°F (15.5°C) and 60% Relative Humidity (RH) for an optimal slow, steady dry/cure. This avoids mold and preserves both the terpenes (aromatic compounds) and THC potency. It also prevents that harsh, “grassy” smell by letting chlorophyll break down while retaining the buds’ natural aroma.
5×5 Tent and Required Equipment
Using a grow tent like the VivoSun 5×5 Grow Tent (60″x60″x80″) is a great way to create a dedicated drying/curing space. You’ll need additional gear to keep the environment at 60°F and 60% RH for about three weeks:
- Portable Air Conditioner
- I have used several of the Whynter 15k BTU Portable Air Conditioner Dual Hose air conditioners reliably without issue for several years now to keep temperatures in my grow tent and curing tent low.
- This keeps the tent near 60°F. If your AC’s lowest setting is 61°F, that’s still acceptable.
- Dehumidifier
- Example: Whynter Dehumidifier – 150 Pint w Pump
- Essential for removing excess moisture, especially the first few days when buds are releasing the most water.
- Condensate Pump
- Example: Little Giant 1/50 HP Automatic Condensate Pump w 20ft 3/8″ Vinyl Tubing
- Automatically removes the water collected by the dehumidifier (and possibly the AC). Prevents overflow and mold.
- Humidifier
- I use the AC Infinity CLOUDFORGE T7 Humidifier 15L and it works great.
- Once buds have lost most of their water and the humidity level starts to drop below 60%RH, you’ll need to prevent them from over-drying by adding moisture back into the air.
- Environmental Controller / Monitor
- Example: AC Infinity PRO 69 Controller
- Let’s you monitor temperature and humidity in real time to be sure the temperature and humidity is being maintained. You can also track data via your phone.
- Govee Water Leak Detectors
- Because water is involved (with the dehumidifier in particular), using one water leak alarm from a 5 pack like the Govee 100dB Water Leak Detectors (5 Pack) can save you from the damage that can be caused by unattended water problems by notifying you even when you are not at home.
- Canvas Partition + Duct Tape
- Use scrap canvas and some Duct Tape to create a barrier between strong airflow (AC and dehumidifier) and the hanging buds. Leave a few inches open at the top and about two feet at the bottom for airflow.
- Hanging Supplies
- Metal Clothespins (or wire, coat hangers, etc.) to hang branches or individual buds.
Moving equipment from your main grow tent to the drying tent every few months can be cumbersome. If the budget allows, consider dedicated gear for the drying tent so you don’t have to keep reconnecting everything.
When To Harvest
- Clear Trichomes: Plant is still maturing, producing little THC.
- Cloudy (Milky) Trichomes: THC levels are rising; buds are nearing full potency.
- Amber Trichomes: Your clue that THC production has completed, and it is now time to harvest. Amber trichomes occur when THC is beginning to degrade into other cannabinoids (e.g., CBN), waiting to harvest will lead to a more sedative effect from these other cannabinoids.
Start harvesting when you see the first few amber trichomes among mostly cloudy ones. If you wait until more trichomes are amber, the effects will lean more sedative. A 60x Jewelers Loupe Magnifier is recommended to accurately see these color changes.
Harvesting
Use a Trimming Tray (or two, if you have a helper) for collecting branches as you cut them. The tray often has a 150-micron screen to catch kief (loose trichomes), which collects in a secondary tray beneath.
Trim only what you can manage at once. If you cut down more plants than you can trim at one time.
Wet Trimming vs. Dry Trimming
Wet Trimming
- Immediately remove fan leaves and trim away sugar leaves.
- Less kief falls off because the buds are still moist.
- Scissors don’t gum up as quickly.
- More labor upfront.
Dry Trimming
- Remove just the large fan leaves, then hang the branches to dry.
- After drying, trim the remaining smaller leaves.
- Produces a lot of kief in your trimming tray.
- Scissors can get extremely sticky from resin.
Many growers combine both methods to suit their schedule. If time is limited, they’ll wet trim some plants and dry trim the rest.
Trimming Scissors
Trimming can be sticky, so keep extra pairs of Trimming Scissors on hand and clean them often. Below are some popular types of scissors that I found work well.
For Cleaning Scissors
The Scissor Scrubber (just add isopropyl alcohol) works great for cleaning your scissors.
For Keeping Your Hands Clean
A Box of Disposable Gloves can be useful to avoid washing hands constantly.
A High-Powered Headlamp
(e.g., Milwaukee USB Rechargeable Headlamp (475 Lumens) works great to see the fine details when you trim and a number of other things!
Hanging the Buds to Dry
- Avoid extremely thick colas (several inches or more) because they may not dry evenly.
- Try to keep branches a uniform size so everything dries at roughly the same rate.
- Keep space (1–3 inches) between hanging branches to promote airflow and prevent mold.
- Add rows if needed. Metal rods, sock dryers, or clothespins are all options for hanging buds.
The Drying Phase – About 10 Days
Use the “60/60 Method”:
- 60°F temperature (range 55–65°F).
- 60% Relative Humidity (range 55–65% RH).
This slow method usually takes around 10 days—possibly longer for large, dense buds. Keep a small fan on the equipment side to maintain airflow without blowing directly on the buds.
- Air Conditioner:
- Set to 60°F. It will cool a few degrees below 60°F before shutting off, creating a stable range.
- Dehumidifier:
- For the first 48 hours, set RH to 50% to remove initial moisture quickly. After that, raise RH to 60%.
- Humidifier:
- If buds lose too much moisture, the humidifier will maintain 60% RH.
- Use reverse-osmosis (RO) water or similarly filtered water to reduce sediment buildup.
- Avoid Conflicts:
- Offset your humidifier and dehumidifier settings by 6–7% to keep them from switching on at the same time.
How to Know Drying Is Complete
- Clean Break: Indicates drying is completed and the curing phase should start next.
- Flexible Stem: If the stem does not fully break it will need more drying time.
When to Start the Curing Phase
As soon as stems snap cleanly, move to curing. If you opted for dry trimming, now is the time to trim off remaining leaves (“sugar leaves”) before placing buds into whatever curing container you prefer.
Dry Trim Now (If Required)
If you have chosen to dry trim any of your harvest, you will need to get your trimming trays out because dry trimming can result in a lot of kief. The very small leaves of the bud which are coated in trichomes are typically referred to as “sugar leaves”. As the trichomes are high in THC, the sugar leaves are ok to leave on the bud except where trimming back is being done to achieve your overall look. Once you have finished dry trimming your buds you can proceed to the curing phase for the remainder of the Dry/Cure process.
The Curing Phase – About 11 Days
Continue the 60/60 Method (60°F and 60% RH) for curing. This slows the drying further, preserving taste and potency.
Paper Bag Method
Paper Grocery Bags are an easy, effective option for larger harvests. They slow moisture loss while allowing the buds to continue drying gradually.
- Fill each paper bag about ⅓ full of trimmed buds.
- Roll the top shut.
- Label the bag with strain name and starting weight.
- Place the bags in your tent, still at 60°F and 60% RH.
Once The Curing Phase Has Completed
After about 11 days of curing and when a grocery bag full about 1/3 full of buds is losing less than 1/2 gram in water weight per day it has stabilized to 60%RH and you can move the buds from the grocery bags to sealed Mylar Bags (e.g., Terploc Bag from Grove) or glass jars and add a Boveda 62% RH Two-Way Humidity Packet (Size 67) to maintain long-term freshness.