In order for you to enjoy your freshly harvested cannabis, you have to dry them first. Drying, as the name suggests, involves the drying of buds so that it can be smoked properly. It is considered to be one of the most important steps in cannabis production and if it is not done properly, it can have a negative impact on the quality of the final product.
Here are the benefits of drying your cannabis properly:
- Improved smoothness of the product. If done right, drying breaks down chlorophyll which gives a smoother and higher quality experience of the product.
Increases potency. Compounds such as THC, the chemical responsible for the psychoactive effect of cannabis, is enhanced during the drying and curing process.
Increases shelf life. If dried properly, the buds can be stored in airtight containers for up to two years without a loss in potency.
To properly dry cannabis, you will need to isolate it from heat, wind, and areas with high levels of humidity. Storing cannabis in humid areas will cause the buds to rot rendering them useless. You also need to make sure that there is no light that gets into the drying room because this will negatively affect the trichomes ruining most of the psychoactive effects. Choose a room that is dark, not too warm, and airy but without any breezes near the plants.
Cannabis Drying rack for sale
To choose the right drying rack, you first need to choose what drying style you are going to do.
There are three main ways of going about this process. First is to hang the plants in their full form with branches and leaves still intact; second is to break down the plants to smaller branches and de-leaf the large fan leaves; lastly, separate the buds from the leaves, stems, and branches and spread the buds evenly around “high-rise dry racks” that hang from the ceiling.
Whatever method you choose to employ, it is important to have a good drying rack to hang and store the cannabis.
Cannabis hanging drying rack
Using a cannabis hanging drying rack is the best way to go about the drying process especially if you are growing cannabis indoors. It saves space and the hanging drying racks allow air to flow through the entire stem ensuring the best quality of cannabis. This process may be slower to be done, but it is worth it in the end.
How to use a hanging drying rack for cannabis properly
First, trim the plants within 1 to 2 hours after they are harvested. Trimming off extra leaves will greatly reduce the volume of the plant. Get rid of all of those fan and sugar leaves before hanging the stems to dry. You will end up having slender branches that take up less space.
Then you hang the stems side-by-side on the hanging drying rack upside down. Hanging the plants upside down prevents the buds from getting flattened or misshapen as they dry. Don’t worry if the stems are placed close together but leave a little room for airflow.
This process may take some time around 5 to 9 days. Overdoing it to more than 9 days will make your buds prone to molds that will damage your harvest.
Cannabis Tray Drying
Another popular method is to just dry the buds and skip the branches altogether. In order to do this, you need to have a cannabis drying rack in order for the buds to dry properly. Make sure that the bud is snipped off its main stem and into smaller nugs to make maximum use of space. This process will make the weed dry quickly which means that you need to check on them often to make sure they won’t dry to a crisp.
Cannabis drying rack vs hanging
You might be wondering, which drying method is better.
The answer is it depends on the operation. Hang drying is a more cost-effective and straightforward solution for someone who is operating on a limited budget but professional horticulturists who run sophisticated operations must employ the tray drying method.
Here are the differences between weed that has been hang-dried and tray-dried:
- Aroma. Hang drying in an open room will produce buds that have a much stronger aroma compared to ones that are dried on a tray. If you are nested close to other residents or businesses, an intense aroma from the weed needs to be avoided. Thus, it is much more beneficial to dry the buds in tray racks if you are trying to minimize the odor.
- Volume. Hang-drying is suited if you are drying a small amount of weed but if you are handling a large number of products, having a tray setup is the way to go. Additionally, cannabis drying racks will allow you to store your final product saving you valuable space.
- Space. If you are operating within a limited space then a tray drying solution will be more efficient.
You don’t have to use only one drying solution. A lot of professional cannabis growers often implement multiple solutions for their drying process and have found great success. For example, you can dry the weed for a couple of days before you trim away the leaves and move the product into a tray drying equipment. A custom drying method will let you monitor and experiment with your own production process making it easier to administer improvements.
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