Using a Cannabis Drying Box After Harvests

After harvesting and right before curing, one essential step towards better and more potent buds is the process of drying.  Now, don’t get to excited rolling and lighting up some joints of your buds yet! you should not rush the process! Right after harvesting, there are still a few things that you will need to do in order to have some fully viable and consumable weed nugs. After all, because you have already gone through long months preparing and nurturing your cannabis plants, a few more weeks wouldn’t hurt!

Drying out cannabis buds isn’t all that hard to do. In fact, it is basically just leaving your buds in an area where they, well…dry out! But in order to have more efficient and positive results, the use of a cannabis drying box is something that is not uncommon to growers today. We will explain the importance of growing and why it is an essential part of the cannabis cultivation process. 

What is Cannabis Drying?

After harvesting your buds, you will want to dedicate some time into the drying and curing of your weed buds first before combusting them! Drying basically refers to when you expose your weed buds to certain climates and conditions (usually warm and toasty). This, in effect, dries out the weed buds and extracts any excess moisture and water levels in them! Because of the constant watering of your buds during cultivation along with the fluctuations in the weather, your buds undoubtedly accumulated a significant amount of water and moisture!

A lot of factors come into play when your cannabis buds retain water levels. The temperatures, watering patterns, the soil’s water retention all help keep the plants hydrated and fresh during the growth and development stage. However, it is crucial to get rid of this via using a cannabis drying box right after harvest!

You see, the excess moisture in your buds makes it hard for heat to penetrate through. This makes it hard to light up your buds when you decide to smoke them without drying and curing first. And if they do manage to light up, the water burning may cause a bitter and unpleasant taste in your smoke, which would destroy the whole experience. 

How is Drying Different From Curing?

Drying and curing often go hand in hand together during the cultivation process. For one, do them both right after harvesting in order to improve the taste and consistency of your smoke. However, they aren’t the same processes, and they each work in different ways! 

While drying focuses more on removing excess water from the buds, curing leans more towards aging the buds and concentrating the smells, flavors, and potency. With curing, all the best qualities seep into the dry buds and significantly improve the way that they perform when being smoked!

Like some fine wine, marijuana nugs tend to become better the longer you decide to cure them. This will primarily depend on the conditions that you will cure them in. Curing basically acts as an extension of storing weed seeds in the sense that they are kept under optimal conditions until you decide to consume them! 

What is a Cannabis Drying Box?

Now, drying will usually make use of you hanging your cannabis gardens in racks or wires in order to help expose them to the drying conditions. But knowing where and how to dry them is key in speeding up the process while still retaining that same level of effective drying! 

A cannabis drying box is basically a contraption used to hold the wires in place and keep the weed buds hanging, leaving an ample space in between one another to avoid the congestion of such. 

As you can see in the picture above, it makes use of an extremely easy concept! You can literally use any hollowed out space as a cannabis drying box, from actual cardboard boxes to cabinets. The main area of concern in drying out your cannabis buds is the area conditions in which you place them.

Optimal Conditions for Drying:

In order to properly dry out weed, you are going to need to factor in three (3) things: darkness, temperatures, and humidity levels. 

You might think that light gives off heat that can help the buds dry out more. Well, this isn’t exactly the case! Too much heat from the light can deteriorate your weed buds and reduce the overall potency of the flowers. As such, keeping them in the dark avoids any risk of heat stress and degradation of the buds. 

Temperatures are the main factor that will start extracting the moisture out of your weed buds. Even without the presence of light, the warmth of your drying area will be sufficient enough to dry out the weed buds given that they are set to the right levels. With the use of a thermostat in the room where you place your cannabis drying box, set the temperature to around 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This will keep the buds nice and comfortable while still being warm enough to dry them out.

Lastly, we will want to keep the presence of molds and diseases on the down low while your cannabis buds undergo drying. This can be achieved by controlling the humidity levels in your cannabis drying box! An excess vapor level in the air can lead to the development and invitation of molds and mildew in your buds. As you leave them to dry, you might get shocked to subsequently find them being infested by web-like substances! In your cannabis drying box, try keeping the humidity levels in between 55% to 65%. 

Why Should I Dry My Buds Using a Cannabis Drying Box?

Drying your weed buds brings a lot of benefits for you, and using a cannabis drying bud only adds to those benefits! 

• Like we have said, drying out cannabis buds will lead to the removal of excess moisture and water content. This allows for a much smoother and cleaner smoke without any traces of burning or bitter flavors.
• Water and moisture are two main factors that eventually lead to the presence of molds and diseases. As you dry your weed buds properly, your cannabis buds stay fresher for longer periods of time while decreasing their susceptibility to sickness.
• Additionally, using a cannabis drying box eases the whole drying process and gives you a more convenient way of drying your weed nugs! The use of a cannabis drying box will give you a smaller area that is easier to control and maintain. These structures are also designed to be extremely easy to build and construct! With just a few hooks, nails, wires (or racks), and any hollow container, you can easily construct a cannabis drying box by yourself!

Some Things to Remember When Using a Cannabis Drying Box:

If you do decide to go with a cannabis drying box, here are some essential tips and guidelines that can help you tweak your bud setup!

Always Provide Ample Spacing!

One mistake that many growers overlook is the fact that when they start hanging their weed buds, they tend to overcrowd the cannabis drying box and congest it too much! This will make it difficult for the buds to release the moisture and water levels inside them due to the lack of airflow. 

Another great way of avoiding a crowded cannabis drying box is keeping the structure simple! You will literally just have to hang them from the wires; don’t overcomplicate things! Avoid placing any other unnecessary amendments in your setup. 

Hangers or Racks: It’s Your Choice

Hanging for drying your cannabis buds is the cornerstone of the whole process. Because you will be placing the branches onto the wires as they dangle from the lines, no buds will be placed one side downwards. This allows them to avoid flattening and ensures that each part of the buds is exposed to airflow and the right conditions. This ensures a nice, equal drying procedure.

On the other hand, you can also use flat racks to place your drying buds in. For this, you will want to separate the buds from the branches as the long structures of the stems might get in the way. If you plan on using racks instead, make sure that you opt for drying-friendly material such as mesh. Opting for a steel rack might induct too much heat or coldness, which can significantly slow down the drying process.

Clean Your Buds Before You Dry Them!

In addition to looking a lot neater, trimming and grooming your weed buds before placing them inside the cannabis drying box can also help decongest the structure. Not only does this improve the circulation and airflow, it will also help you determine how dry your weed nugs are. 

Get rid of any leaves and stray branches that might get in the way of the hanging buds. Using scissors and clippers is a good choice as this will make clean cuts without damaging the plants. 

The great thing about drying is that once you obtain the desired results, you can simply head on over to curing! Simply transferring your buds into a glass jar and setting up the ideal climates for curing makes it pretty simple to do. Drying your weed buds is an important step and it can surely help you when you use a cannabis drying box! Try making one now and see for yourself!