Hydrolife Magazine October/November 2016 (USA Edition)

grow
y
our months of hard work in the garden have paid off
and your crop is almost ready to go. Your plants are
harvested and the nugs are trimmed and dried. The next
steps you take will determine not only the potency of your
cannabis but its essence, flavor and aroma. The curing
process is essential in putting the finishing touches on the
beautiful green buds you’ve worked so hard to grow. Proper
curing and storage of your finely crafted buds will make or
break your finished product.
The first step in properly curing your cannabis is making
sure your buds are properly dried. You want your buds in
an optimal moisture zone. When a plant is harvested, it will
lose 80 per cent of its moisture before it is consumable. You
want to start the curing process before your buds get to that
point. Ideally you want your buds at around 30 to 35 per cent
moisture, a fraction of their original wet weight. Any more
moisture than that and you risk the development of mildew
and mold once sealed in an airtight environment.
If you dried your flowers too long
or at too high of a temperature, you
may need to rehydrate them. Just
make sure that your weed is in
that Goldilocks zone before
you begin your cure. If you
are not sure, you can
test your bud by simply
bending a stem. If the
stem breaks or starts
to break, then it is
sufficiently dry. If it
continues to bend,
it should probably
dry for another
day or more.
One of the chemical
secrets to
curing is cannabergerol,
or CBG.
Cannabergerol is
the chemical precursor
found in cannabis
that metabolizes into
THC. It is believed
that CBG has profound
medical impact on its own.
CBG reduces pressure in cell
walls and is a big part of cannabis
treatment for glaucoma. It is
considered to be the primary cannabinoid,
as it is broken down inside the plant
in order to create THCA, CBDA and CBCA. We are
all familiar with THC and CBD but CBC, or cannabichromenic
acid, is by far the lesser known of the cannabinoids.
Due to its involvement in the creation of other cannabinoids,
CBG is usually found in concentrations of less than one per
cent in finished products.
After the plant is harvested, the metabolic process that
creates THC from CBG continues. This results in THC levels
rising long after the buds have been collected. Some people
choose to begin the curing process in paper bags to make sure
they are adequately dry. I haven’t found this to be a necessity,
so I go straight for airtight glass jars. A mason jar or a jar with
a flip-tight lid are optimal as they perfectly seal and keep air
out. You will want to place as much marijuana in your jar as
possible in order to force out as much of the remaining air as
you can. Always date your jars so as to not confuse them with
other batches you may have already started.
“When
a plant is harvested,
it will lose 80 per cent of its
moisture before it is consumable.
You want to start the curing process
before your buds get to that point.”
Creating Potency
and Flavor
The primary functions of curing are
potency and flavor. As the chemical
components of the plant matter break
down over time, it shifts the taste from an
overly earthy and green flavor to flavors that are
more palatable that we can more readily associate
with particular strains. This process is conducted by aerobic
bacteria present in the plant at the time of harvest. The
bacteria consume the chlorophyll in the cannabis making the
taste and overall experience less harsh. Just like your grow,
your curing buds thrive in a micro-environment dependent
on specific conditions in order to nurture the process. If your
buds are overly moist when you start to cure, you run the risk
of allowing mold to grow, which can lead to harmful bacteria
destroying the fruits of your labor.
It is important to keep your cure in a dark room or storage
area. Light will degrade THC and interfere with the metabolic
process taking place in your jars. Maintenance of the microenvironment
is vital to keep your good bacteria thriving
and your bad bacteria at bay. Your temperatures should be
slightly lower than your growroom at around 50-75˚F. Now that
you have an idea of what conditions you need to cure your
cannabis, you can begin without further delay.
42 grow. heal. live. enjoy.
myhydrolife.com