So, you now know how to grow pot, and your marijuana plant is ready for harvest! If you’ve grown it correctly, drying comes immediately after harvesting. A Pot for Pot has everything you need for your marijuana harvest, but you should prepare for drying before you finish growing your plants.
You want the truth about quick drying cannabis? We think you can handle it. So in this blog, we’ve compiled the best methods to get you a fast stash post-harvest. We can’t promise perfection but these methods will put a rush on the drying process and give you a decent bud to toke on.
OK, so you have cannabis plants close to harvest and insufficient marijuana reserves to see you through the typical 30+ day period between harvest and cured finished product. Perhaps you don’t even have a stash to make it through the average 1–2 weeks it takes to dry buds conventionally? Or perhaps you are just curious whether or not your flowers are ready to harvest? Regardless of your personal motivations, you have plenty of options when it comes to quickly drying cannabis. The problem is, the most popularised quick-dry methods will degrade buds so much in the process, they are hardly worth the effort.
Our readers deserve better. Not only will we break down simple ways to speed-dry Sinsemilla without ruining your reefer. We have also included a sticky surprise in the text for those cannabis concentrate lovers seeking more flavoursome extracts using the fresh non-dried material.
BROWN BAGS AND COMPUTER FANS
Simple brown paper bags, like the kind you get from the bakery, are perfect for drying buds. Especially popcorn buds. If you place a handful or two of freshly manicured smaller nuggets into a paper bag and leave them to dry for 2–3 days your halfway there. Ideally, you should leave them another 3 days to dry completely. But if you’re in a hurry, proceed to the next step.
Next, turn on your laptop and figure out where the fan is. Modern laptops all have fans expelling warm air to keep the internal workings of the device cool. Place the small half-dry nuggets on a paper towel on the keyboard. Or on a paper towel directly in front of the fan vents, if you have a model that vents a different way. Turn buds over every 10 minutes or so, until they feel dry to the touch. This may take an hour or longer, but the buds will still pack a punch. Don’t expect a full bouquet of aromas or mouth-watering flavour, rather an acceptable if a little harsh tasting smoke.
Drying marijuana (weed) quickly
Please remember though, that properly dried and cured marijuana only gets better with time. It smokes smoother without harshness or the green taste. However, these tips to drying your weed quickly work very well.
You do retain THC levels, they may get crispy (the buds silly), but these function just fine. These processes will help you dry your pot quickly and be able to enjoy it in minutes or a few hours. And then you should be ‘crispy’ too.
Place your trimmed buds on a cookie sheet spread out evenly. Set your oven to 125-140 degrees Fahrenheit (no hotter!). Leave for 10 minutes, remove for 5 minutes and turn buds. Repeat once more.
Rig a flat piece of 10″ foil to be held under a 100 watt light bulb (no hotter) within 2-4 inches. Turn your buds every 1-2 minutes. Should be smoke-able within about 10-15 minutes time.
Take your buds and flatly wrap them in paper or use a paper envelope and place them over your water heater, radiator, or the back of your TV. Pot should be dry in a few hours or overnight.
Place buds flat on a plate. Use your microwave on 50% power or less (important not to burn). Set for only 10-12 seconds at a time, remove and turn, repeat as necessary. Done quickly, be careful.
I’ve heard you can use a food dehydrator, it takes a little longer (hours) but should work as well if you have one one of these.
Also, if your buds get too dry (crispy), you can put them in a ziploc bag or glass sealable jar with a piece of orange peel… yep, it will smoke much nicer by morning.
NEVER have your heat source be more than 150 degrees Fahrenheit! Any hotter will actually burn or vaporize the THC or resin glands…this IS what gets you high, so be careful of this.
These tips should help you enjoy a little of your smoke a little faster… However – I still recommend proper drying and curing – You WILL notice the difference.
How to dry a sample bud quickly for testing?
Quick-drying buds for testing can let you sample your bud without having to wait. Here are a few methods to dry your buds that help you retain THC and CBD levels:
Oven, microwave or food dehydrator method
Using a microwave on low heat settings or a food dehydrator can do wonders when it comes to drying your buds.
- Begin by trimming your buds and laying them on a generous piece of the baking sheet placed neatly inside your baking tray.
- Do make sure that your buds are evenly spaced apart.
- Set your oven or microwave to 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pop in your baking tray and leave them inside for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pull them out, turn them over, and leave them in for another 5 minutes.
Caution! Please remember that you need to make sure your oven or microwave setting is incredibly low for this technique to work. Heat is known to effectively destroy cannabinoid content so it will compromise the quality of your buds. However, this is one of the quickest methods to dry them out and test them!
Brown paper bags and fans method
You can get brown paper bags from any grocery store or supermarket. You might even have some lying around at home!
- Place a handful of your buds inside these paper bags and hang them horizontally in a windy area outdoors.
- Leave your bags here for 2 – 3 days to almost completely dry out your buds.
Leaving them for another extra day will get the job done, but if you are in a hurry, then you can use a fan. Place the fan adjacent to your buds and flip them every 10 minutes until they are dry to touch. In less than an hour, your buds will be ready for testing!
Sunlight method
If you do not have electrical appliances such as fans or microwaves, then you will have to turn to nature’s ultimate source of heat: the sun.
- Place your paper bags full of marijuana buds in your front yard or porch where they have maximum sunlight exposure.
- Use a heavy item such as a chair or flower pot to keep your bag from being carried away by the wind.
- Depending on which climate zone you live in and the sunlight intensity available, this process may take anywhere from a few hours to 2 days.
Conclusion
Drying your buds requires heat which can be extremely damaging to your buds. The trick to quick-drying your buds with potent results is to choose a method that is a balance between the amount of heat you apply and the length of time it takes for your buds to dry.