Quick Drying/Sampling your crop in 55 hrs.

I'm sure everyone has heard of the methods of 'quick drying' their crop.

However, personally I have used these methods, ranging from oven, in the car, microwave. All that. I think these methods suck and I would like to share my method which has been *very* good to me.

Oven drying: Doesn't work worth a damn in my book. I can be watching it the whole time at 150*. It crisps the outsides, tends to shrink the bud.

Microwave: You can put my microwave on the lowest possible setting, and within 2 seconds you will hear the "fizz pop" of your crop burning up in there. Sucks.

My Method: I clip my bud, shave the leafs. Then I put a magazine or catalog with a shiny covers/backing. (small 1/2" thick) Then I put down a paper towel on top of the magazine, fold it over the back and place it atop my 400W hps.
It won't dry it unevenly, it will dry perfectly within 2-3 days of 12/12. (Most likely the cycle you are on if you are harvesting) flip the buds over once or twice a day. I figure the catalog reflects a little bit of heat due to the shiny cover (not to mention fire risk) and any moisture is absorbed by paper towel. But at the same time the paper towel under the bud allows a slight humidity which keeps bud from dring too fast as well as out of contact with heat.

If they are really dense buds, after 3 days if you want to smoke them right away, cut the bud length ways (stem to tip) and within another 4-5 hrs they will be ready to smoke, smell like bud (not green). It is by far the best way (i have found) to go from a growing plant to smoking in 2.5 days. Like i said before, i believe it is because the moisture is drawn out at a steady rate.

The quality of the smoke will be just as good as bud dried at 75* for 6-7 days. I should actually get a thermometer and find out exactly what temperature the paper towel which the bud sits on is at.

Anyone else have great methods they'd like to share?

Sup man ,
Im game , havta try it . All other so called methods do suck just like you said . Do you happen to own a good vaporiser ? I cut raw nugz right off my finished wet blueberry plants and poped em directly in my vapor bros. and was blown away . Granny Storm Crow does it too . Amazing flavor -n- buzz - just like it was dried and cured .
Peace bro.
Crispi :jointsmile:

Just use a blow torch on the plant like the Trailer Park Boys!

i like to save all my leaves from the clip and when its dry throw it into my fireplace and have a nice fire =)

ill give it a bash.thx

Can lightbulb vape be used to utilize early sampling in the same Manner that a professional vape would yield?

Lightbulb vapes work about 80% as efficient as pro vapes do. You have to do your first heating, then crush the bud up more, then heat, then stir it up, then heat, then crush some more...

They work good for early sampling, but I would much rather use a good vape.

You can quick-dry in about the same amount of time by hanging a small bud in the center of a paper sack then hanging the sack in a closet or similar dark spot. The paper soaks up the moisture and usually within 48 hours it's dry enough for the bowl test.

I've wondered about the vaporizer thing, since it heats the plant pretty smoothly and evenly, vs. burning it. This might not be good information though for my crop.......

Another quick-dry method I read in Mel & Ed's book and tried once is using dry ice and a shoe box. Take equal mass amounts of bud and dry ice, place into shoebox and leave closed until the ice has "melted". The bud will be crispy dry in only a few hours but most of the flavor remains. I would only recommend this to the extremely impatient as the buds do get dusty dry in no time!