Maximum Yield Cannabis USA December 2017 / January 2018 | Page 16

grow
POST-HARVEST
CARE FOR CANNABIS
HOW YOU HANDLE
YOUR POST-HARVEST
CANNABIS IS PERSONAL,
though there are right ways
and wrong ways to each
method. Grubbycup provides
some pointers on various
methods and what they are
best intended for.
16
grow. heal. learn. enjoy.
BY GRUBBYCUP
T
here are different methods of curing cannabis after it has been
harvested, and which is best depends on a combination of how it
is intended to be consumed and personal preference. Below are some
popular methods of storing and preserving cannabis post-harvest.
FRESH FROZEN-
NO DRYING, NO CURING
Some concentrate artists prefer to work with cannabis that has been
immediately frozen after harvest. The material is rough-trimmed while
wet and then placed into containers and then into a freezer. This method
eliminates the drying and curing steps, but is unsuitable for use for
cannabis intended for smoking.
WATER CURE-
CURE WITHOUT DRYING FIRST
Water curing allows for cannabis to be cured without being dried first (it
can also be done with dried cannabis, but that adds an unnecessary step).
The cannabis is placed in a container with clean water. The water is then
changed with fresh water a couple of times a day for five to seven days.
This process will leech out the water-soluble components through osmosis.
Since the concentration of these components is higher inside the plant than
in the surrounding water, they will move from inside the plant material to
try to equalize with the concentration in the water. By exchanging the sur-
rounding water with fresh water, it keeps the concentration low and encour-
ages movement out of the plant into the water. Even though the aromatic
oils (terpenes) are not water-soluble, they too are reduced because they
are lighter than water, and the force of being submerged will cause them
to float to the top where they are removed with the changing of the water.
Then the cannabis is hung and dried before use or storage. 
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