Harvesting and Curing Weed

Generally, ripeness is defined as when the white pistils start to turn dark yellow, orange, light to mid red, etc. and the trichomes, "crystals", barely begin to turn milky from clear. These trichomes can range from completely clear (generally deemed underdeveloped), to amberish-red. Ideally, professionals will use a decent power magnifying glass, a brix meter (to measure "sugar" content), and a microscope. The potential seed pods swell with resins usually reserved for seed production, thus improving the quality of the buds (called colitas, Spanish for "little tails"), which will swell to form full "colas" (Spanish for "tails"). If harvested early on with only a few of the pistils turned color, the buds will have a more pure THC content and less of the cannabinoids CBD and CBN. The later, non-psychoactive cannabinoids contribute to create the bouquet of the marijuana, and modulate the overall nature of the high from anywhere from purely psychedelic to purely sedative.

Drying

The plants are dried slowly for over 2 weeks at roughly room temperature. A stable temperature preserves cannabinoids well. Flowers are hung by their stalks, allowing the internal fluids of the plant to remain in the flowers. Roots are removed. When the stems in the middle of the largest buds can be snapped easily, the plant is dry enough to be cured. Drying is done in a dark place, as THC resins will deteriorate if exposed to light and the degradation product CBN will be formed, thus significantly altering the cannabinoid profile of the dried flowers.

Curing

The curing process continues breaking down sugars and helps develop taste and smoothness of smoke. Usually, the dried product is packed (not compressed) into glass canning jars which are airtight. Initially the product is checked periodically (every few hours) to make sure it was properly dried and has not remoistened itself. After several days, when the product is dried to satisfaction, the jars are sealed off and opened just once a week. Curing is highly varied—the minimum is usually two weeks. Some growers even cure as long as six months, while others do not cure at all. As with tobacco, curing can make the cannabis more pleasant to smoke. For the same reasons as when drying, curing jars are stored in a cool, dark, place.

A recent method of curing is called water curing. This method is quicker and can improve a lower quality product. The buds are submersed in water for a period of 7 straight days, changing the water daily. The buds are then dried and are ready to use. Nutrients can be added to the plants up until they are harvested. When water curing, the water will flush out harmful chemicals (such as the ones used to feed the plants) as well as proteins, sugars, pigments and some resins. This will also increase the THC to weight ratio.