Too Humid to get to 62% - How to dry in humid conditions?

I’ve been going back and forth from curing to drying, hoping to get the cure humidity to 62%.
It’s just that in coastal southern California, it hasn’t been below 65%.

The branches snap, though not simply in half. They snap yet part of the twig stays intact.
The buds feel pretty good, actually. Kind of dry but still a little springy.

I’m drying in my studio in one of those multi-level cylindrical netting thingies. I have no heat in the house. No small extra room or closet I can use.

I tried putting four packs of Boveda 62 into the container but they didn’t take on any of the moisture. It stays around 70%

So…
1.
Should I get some kind of desiccant to put into a container with them to take on moisture so the RH comes down? Is there a kind to get? A way to use it?
2.
Do something else?

Thank you!!!

2 Likes

@Hoyt are you putting the boveda packs in jars with the bud or are you just putting them in the basket?

1 Like

@VelcroThumb I believe he is still drying.

@Hoyt dry them in heavy paper bags or cardboard boxes. Give them fresh air 2-3 times a day and drying could take 10 days or so but that’s the only way to do it if the humidity is too high.

8 Likes

I second what @bob31 said. He beat me to the response as I was reading… @hoyt

1 Like

@Hoyt, I’m just north of Santa Barbara along the coast so pretty close by. Initial drying in nylon racks with fans running until dry enough to put in paper bags (where you’re at now). Bags like Trader Joe’s are perfect. Put your buds in the bags loosely and close them up tightly. Shake them gently a couple of times per day.

This has worked for me year round.

3 Likes

@Hoyt i have seen ppl use these bags an they said it can take up to 4-7 days for them to start working correctly an not to freak out if it hasn’t changed after a day or 3,with them in the glass jar,:slight_smile:

1 Like

I even use the same bags! And IMO the slow drying makes the bud even better!

2 Likes

Trader joes bags ?

1 Like

They’re a west coast of the US based grocery chain. @Rexx

They are in most regions of the us.

Well, they are slow drying for sure. It’s been three weeks and according to my meters they haven’t yet reached 62%. I like the idea of the bags as it’s roomy and let air pass in and out just a bit.

I was sealing them up with Boveda just to see if the Boveda (4 packs) would bring them down to 62%. No change. Perhaps Boveda works to -add- moisture to a dry space, not so much to remove moisture from a humid space.

(*My meters are a whole other issue… not consistent at all. That’s another topic soon)

But if the outside air is hovering around 65-70% or more, how does the plant material get lower than that?

Thinking of using the suggestion for a large cardboard box… and then put a mini dehumidifier in it. ?

They will dry eventually, it’ll take longer at 65-70%. Boveda does work both ways, but not when you’re drying. It’s more for keeping the balance in a jar. It’s best to have a fan blowing around the room, with a dehumidifier, rather than a small one in a bag. You don’t want it to dry to quickly. @Hoyt

1 Like

I guess they are drying/curing… They’re too dry for mold and I guess whatever matures over these weeks/months will happen whether the RH is 62% or 67%.

The only thing they’re missing during these weeks is an airtight container, like a jar.
Does airtight matter, for reasons other than holding RH at a specific level? Does air-tight do anything more than control moisture?

Thanks.

@Hoyt it keeps the terpenoids and terpines contained for the best flavors. Besides moisture.

2 Likes

Ahh. Makes sense…

1 Like

And there are two different steps. One is drying, which you are in the process of and the other is curing; which is putting into jars until they are cured, airing them a couple times a day.

This is what I use in my jars

small hygrometer for jars Inkbird

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140UC9XQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?tag=greenrel-20

Bovedas

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JV27MF4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?tag=greenrel-20

2 Likes

You are reading RELATIVE HUMIDITY. What this means is the amount of moisture the air can hold. If your outdoor thermometer says 60° and rh of 70% and your buds are at 70°, there is less moisture available evaporated into the air.

THIS is difficult to measure effectively due to the sensors that are used. Even meteorologists use a wet bulb to calculate correct rh.

Your temperature and rh are fluctuating all of the time and the result (hopefully) is properly cured bud.

3 Likes