As summer draws to a close you may be also be reaching the end of your marijuana growing stage. So now is the time to think seriously about how to dry, cure, and store your buds.
All the hard work and effort you have put into growing can be wasted if you do not plan how to deal with this important aspect. So here we have some pointers for you to consider.
Drying naturally occurs after harvesting, when your newly cut plants are full of moisture or commonly referred to as “wet”. There are various ways to “dry” the plants and as usual, there are pros and cons to all of them.
Hang Drying.
This method involves hanging the plants upside down and allowing them to dry naturally. If you are a home grower and have a limited number to deal with you might also consider trimming some of the leaves first to allow better circulation of air around the plants and minimizing the amount of space required.
Strictly speaking, the drying area should be climate controlled with temperature and humidity monitored. Recommended levels are between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit at 45%-60% humidity. The drying process can take three to four weeks.
Drying Racks
As an alternative to hang drying you can purchase a variety of racks or hanging baskets on which to dry the buds. The plants will need to have been trimmed to a sufficient size first and care taken to allow space for air to circulate. As with hang drying care needs to be taken with the climate where the racks are placed. Drying this way will be similar to hang drying.
Drying Machines
The drying process can be speeded up using electric dryers where air is circulated at a controlled temperature inside a dehydrator. This will rapidly speed up the process but will also increase costs.
Wet-bucking Flowers.
This is a system normally reserved for commercial growers who have a large quantity of material to deal with and insufficient space to dry plants. Bucking refers to de-stemming the plant before sending it to be trimmed and just as you can wet-buck you can also wet trim and there are machines specially designed for both these processes. You can read more information about these in our commercial and industrial sections.
Curing.
Curing and drying are frequently interchanged as they are almost one and the same. Curing is really an extension of the drying process. The dried buds should be stored in airtight containers filled approximately ¾ and then stored in a cool dark place for anything up to 8 weeks. Basically, the theory is the longer the storage the better.
Initially, the containers should be opened frequently to allow any moisture to escape and fresh oxygen to enter, but towards the end only once a week should be sufficient.
Storage
Once dried and cured buds should be kept in a sealed container that protects the product from light and condensation and controls air moisture. Preferably indoors in a climate-controlled environment and not moved or only when necessary.
We hope the above gives you some guidance but as with everything related to how to dry, cure, and store marijuana, there is never just one way. Much 
may depend on the strain and the ultimate use of the product. The advice here is primarily for buds for smoking so if you propose to extract rosin some variations will be required.
If you have some advice for our readers or want some further information just let us know in the comments below.
