So, ive grown a few harvests in my day. Theyve all been getting better and better as I learn more and more. When it comes to drying and curing, I can almost, but not quite achive what im looking for. My question is why does anthying homegrown that I have ever seen look completely different from the bag nugs I get from my dealer?
I use a slow dry and long cure method. And I've talked to folks in Vancouver who grow the nice, dense BC bud, and they dry and cure pretty much the same as I do (they cure in a cardboard box, and I use a paper bag then switch to glass for at least a month). Anyways, they get these super dense buds that reek like the nugs im used to... when i sample any homegrown, or any of mine, it usually doesnt seem to get me as high, i still get blown from a bowl, but it just aint the same. I harvest when the trychomes are 50/50 pale and amber, then dry slow without clipping the fan leaves for the first day or two. I was told that this helps form the buds a little tighter, and slows the drying process a bit, so the smoke is smoother and will expand better in the lungs... when the stems snap instead of folding, i cut out any long stems and clip off any smaller leaves to save for butter or bubble bags. then they go into the brown paper bags until they are slightly more compact. once fully dry, I put them into glass mason jars and keep em in the dark, maybe opening them once a day to check for mold or excess moisture. and I'll keep them in the glass for AT LEAST a month, usually two.
this is from what ive read, one of the best ways to dry and cure, and other growers have said my technique is by the book. so is the shit i get from my dealer just been cured longer, or does all that time being passed from person to person, and in plastic bags usually, somehow enhance flavor and smokeability? should I try curing for 3-5 months to see how it works? I read somewhere that in keif, the crystals will "ferment" together over time and make it more potent (not sure if this is tru, but if it is, it would support my theory on the longer cure time).
so sorry for the rambling, but im just trying to figure out how to get nice, compact, potent as possible buds since i just clipped my babies and they are hanging as i type this....... any help would be awesome as hell
