Speed of Drying Affecting Quality(cedar chest)

[Chronic Chrissy]

Ok I know that light degrades the quality of THC, as well as heat. Today my grandmother dropped off a sealed cedar Hope chest and I remembered a thread where someone used cedar blocks to speed the drying of their crop. H says that drying too quickly can affect the quality of product. I do plan on curing for at least a week or two following drying but I'm curiouse to know if dryng too quick will take away from my hard work. Any ideas to bounce around my head or suggestions are always appriciated. I have time to work out my drying/curing method so I figured I'd plan ahead for once.

[the yeag]

well if the chest is large enough for adequate air flow is go for it add a fan if there is room. you wont over dry. but i wouldn't put wet buds in there i would wait a week. i think the moist buds might absorb the flavor of cedar. i do finish hanging in a cedar closet that is 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide. then they go into jars when the stems crack. but the first week i leave in the grow room behind black poly.

[Chronic Chrissy]

The chest is from 1955 (my grand parents first christmas) and has lost alot of it's fragrence it is about 18" baack 39" long and 12" deep so I don't know how I would put a fan in there because it is sealled and I don't want to do irreversable damage since it is a family thing. Maybe if I opened it during lights out and pointed a fan in there? Well keep the suggestions coming.

[Mrs. Greenjeans]

How about you put a small fan inside the chest, leaving the cord trailing out between the lid and the chest. This will leave a small crack for air exchange, yet still keep it mostly dark.

Light degrades THC, but I don't think a smidgen of ambient room lighting is going to promote degradation significantly.

[Racerx]

Typically I like the largest area I can get for drying. This allows proper circulating and uniform drying. But sometimes you have to use boxes due to space. You would be better off with a cardboard box that uses a small computer fan to bring air in and out. If you are stuck on using this box, you might be best off propping open the top of the box, draping a dark cloth over the top, and opening it up at the bottom at the floor so that there is air exchange but little light leaking in. My favorite way to speed up the drying process is to stick some buds that are too dry in there. This will suck up moisture but in turn also moisten the dry buds and not allow the other buds to dry to quickly. Granted you need some large spare dry buds for this too work...

PS. The longer you cure afterwords, the better your product will taste and smell. 4-5 weeks will make a large difference compared to 2 weeks. You need to watch the humidity when drying or it can get moldy. I tend to stick my buds into jars when they are a little dry. After a day or 2 in the jar, they are nice and fresh feeling again but not wet. Smoke well. You can put em in earlier, but make sure you open the jar and let them breath a couple times a day.

[MadHatter79]

I have a perfect story for your cedar chest. Years ago, my cousin got a cedar chest for her graduation gift. She also got a money tree which everyone contributed too. She put the money tree in the chest to make it easier to carry. She left the money tree in the chest for about a week. When she opened it, every bill was stained with sap. We found out later that only old, seasoned chests can hold anything of value. You have to let the the chest "cure" for years, putting only things that will absorb the sap or low quality items. Once the chest is cured, it will hold items in it for years and they won't be affected by outside humidity damage. I don't know how old a chest has to be, but I think it's worth examining whether or not that chest you have will not only dry the bud, but give it a "cedar" taste. Ronco used to make a food dehydrator for like 70 bucks. I have one, and it works great. Try a dehydrator before a cedar chest. It just tastes like a bad idea... =)

[herbaltivo]

You can actually use a food dehydrator? That works? OMG I'm all over that if it doesn't suck...

[Chronic Chrissy]

I have a perfect story for your cedar chest. Years ago, my cousin got a cedar chest for her graduation gift. She also got a money tree which everyone contributed too. She put the money tree in the chest to make it easier to carry. She left the money tree in the chest for about a week. When she opened it, every bill was stained with sap. We found out later that only old, seasoned chests can hold anything of value. You have to let the the chest "cure" for years, putting only things that will absorb the sap or low quality items. Once the chest is cured, it will hold items in it for years and they won't be affected by outside humidity damage. I don't know how old a chest has to be, but I think it's worth examining whether or not that chest you have will not only dry the bud, but give it a "cedar" taste. Ronco used to make a food dehydrator for like 70 bucks. I have one, and it works great. Try a dehydrator before a cedar chest. It just tastes like a bad idea... =)

This.cedar.chest.is.from.1955..

[4x5]

my cedar chest works fine, hang dry for 4-5 days, then into the chest, every other day I prop open the lid a little and stir up the buds, only takes just over 2 weeks to cure in it, after that I have to wet the insides of the chest or my buds get very crispy. Just look into cigar humidor techniques; also very hard to get mold in a cedar chest, and it certainly does nothing to affect taste either. I would lightly sand down the inside of your chest before use, opens up the wood so it takes water in faster.