How to dry cannabis flowers easily and cheaply

This simple drying of cannabis flowers is done using a large cardboard box. You can learn how to prepare such a box in this article.

Drying cannabis flowers is the process that converts THC from its raw, non-psychoactive form to its psychoactive form.

By drying the cannabis flowers, at least 75 % of the weight of the freshly harvested cannabis plant is converted into water vapour and other gases.

When a marijuana plant or part of it is cut and left to dry, the transport of fluids within the plant continues. The vents in marijuana plants close immediately after harvesting, preventing water vapour from escaping and slowing drying. The natural processes within the cannabis plant slowly stop as the marijuana plant dries out. Removing large leaves and thick branches at harvest time can reduce drying time, but uneven moisture remains in the cannabis flowers, branches and leaves.

Improper or too rapid drying traps starch and nitrates, as well as chlorophyll and other pigments in the plant tissue, giving cannabis an unpleasant taste when smoking marijuana flowers.

So the first piece of advice is: dry cannabis flowers slowly!

How to build your own cannabis drying room

Build a “mini drying room” out of cardboard (choose the right size to fit all the marijuana buds)

Take a cardboard box, punch holes in it, and then thread a string or wire through it, like you do with shoelaces. Finally, you will be left with two loose ends, which you tie well and knot. Hang the cola hemp by using the bottom stick as a hook. You need to think about hanging when you are cutting and create L-shaped or V-shaped branches. If you can’t hang any of the cannabis colas or buds, use a clip, paper clip or laundry pin to attach them.

How to start harvesting cannabis flowers

Many cannabis growers start by removing branches from the main stem of the marijuana plant. Most also find it easiest to remove (trim) the leaves before they dry.

How to dry cannabis flowers in a cardboard box

• Keep the temperature between 18° and 24°
• Keep humidity between 45% and 55%
• Choose a suitable space for storing and drying cannabis flowers

Initial stages of drying marijuana buds

The most popular methods include cutting 30-40 cm long branches from the main stem of the marijuana plant, removing the unnecessary leaves and then hanging them from a prepared rope or wire stretched across the box. Space the buds apart so that they do not touch each other and were not leaning against the wall or floor of the box.

If you have grown cannabis from good quality feminised or autoflowering cannabis seeds, you should also find plenty of resin on the leaves and cut material from the cannabis plants.

Many marijuana growers keep these “leftovers” and use them to make hash or salves and extracts later. Some growers hang the entire cannabis plant to extend the drying time of the hemp buds and thus achieve a better taste. However, drying cannabis plants whole significantly increases the chances of mould.

Whichever drying method you choose, you should store your harvested cannabis in a dark room with a constant temperature between 18 and 24 °C and a humidity of around 45-55 %. Preferably with a small fan to gently circulate the air in the room. This controlled environment is very important to preserve the flavour and aroma of your marijuana flowers. However, if you have higher humidity in the room, then more frequent checks of the cannabis buds for mould are necessary. Check especially the spaces between the flowers and the cannabis stems. We can use a dehumidifier, but we have to be careful that the humidity does not drop too much, which would result in faster drying and this would have a significant negative effect on the taste of your flowers. We also measure the humidity in the box, the humidity should not exceed 60%.

Depending on the density of the flowers and the surrounding conditions, this first phase will take approximately 10 to 14 days to be considered complete.

You can easily verify that the marijuana buds are dried by taking the stem of a dried cannabis plant in your hands and trying to bend it slightly, it will break instead of bending.

The final stage of drying cannabis flowers

1. Cut off the excess cannabis leaves from the buds and separate them from the branches if you have not already done so.
2. Put the trimmed marijuana buds in an airtight container.
3. Place the sealed containers in a cool, dry and dark place. After the first day of storage, you will notice that the buds are no longer as dry on the outside as when you stored them, as the remaining moisture from the inside rehydrates the outer parts. If this is not the case, you have probably already over-dried the cannabis.
4. During the first week, open the container several times a day and let the buds “breathe” for a few minutes. This will also allow excess moisture to escape from the container.
5. If you notice an ammonia smell when you open the container, it means that the flowers were not dry enough when you put them in and anaerobic bacteria are consuming them, which can lead to mould or cannabis rot, in which case dry the cannabis immediately. After the first week, it will be enough to open the cannabis container only once or twice a week.

After 2 to 3 weeks, your cannabis will be in containers in the form of high quality marijuana flowers. Some cannabis growers even recommend leaving the flowers in containers for up to 6 months for even better flavour.

If you pay enough attention to this process, you will achieve excellent quality and taste in your cannabis flowers.

You can buy special hanging nets for drying marijuana in grow shops, but unlike a cardboard box, they do not block light and their price is not negligible..