hi, pea. no, it's not nessary to hang them upsidedown, but it is the easyist way to do it. these buds in the pic are smokable, alough they will be much better after a few weeks in the jars. these buds hung for about 4-5 days, then went into the bag for a few more, and finally are in the jars curing. some say to leave it in the jars for 1-2 months, but i can't wait that long.