How to Properly Cure Cannabis

by Ellis Smith, Co-Founder & Chief Development Officer American Cannabis Company

 

From the moment your crop is harvested it begins to degrade as enzymes and aerobic bacteria break down excess sugars and starches.  Curing cannabis essentially forces the plant to use up those sugars, starches and excessive nutrients before they have had the chance to dry out and get stuck inside the plant.

Curing is my favorite part of growing cannabis. This is the last mile of the race and you can practically smell the finish line.  Curing provides preservation to your harvested and dried cannabis.  Proper curing stops the degradation process before terpenes and cannabinoids evaporate or transform into less favorable compounds.

Curing can enhance and finish your flowers for the perfect consistency to be burned for your smoking pleasure. This is the final step to finish what you started but do not grow complacent as this is just as important as any of the other cultivation or finishing processes. The goal of the curing process is to slowly remove and evenly distribute the remaining moisture that is in the center of the plant.

My personal preference is glass jars while others use plastic containers, rubber containers, ceramic, etc. Whatever your choice be sure to follow these easy steps to ensure you achieve your desired finished product.

1. Ideally, I like the flower to be about 90% dry with about 10% moisture left to slowly remove. Fill the curing container 50% full of flower so you have plenty of air and space to allow for proper burping/off gassing.

2. Open container and burp the air built up 3 to 5 times per day depending on your access to the curing room. A good schedule to follow is: first thing in the morning, lunchtime, dinner time and just before bed. Let the container sit open for a few minutes or longer depending on moisture content. Repeat this process daily for 7 to 14 days however some growers will cure for 4 weeks. Try a few different durations and find out what works best for you.

3. Allow your senses to help play a role in knowing the cure is properly taking place as the terpenes are being accentuated. If you start to smell sour mold then try and speed up your cure process by leaving the container open to allow for more breathability for the flower. Don’t slow the cure down too much as you will develop mold resulting in foul smelling cannabis.

4. At peak cure enjoy with friends and family. You worked hard and deserve it.

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