Here's how the standard curing process goes: add buds to jars and let them sit in a dark cupboard for a few weeks. Where it gets tiring is that you have to take the jars out and burp them every day throughout the curing process.
While this may be fine for growers with just a couple of jars, it can be very annoying if you have hundreds of them. It can be a time-consuming, back-breaking, and mind-numbing chore. Not to mention how boring it could get.
And, doing this every day? No sir.
So, what do you do in such a case? Make a DIY automated cannabis curing system with a bucket, some hoses, and an air pump. In this article, learn about the benefits and steps for setting it up.
What is the Curing Process?
As a beginner, you might wonder: what's meant by curing cannabis?
If you've grown a few plants, you may already know about it, but let's review it again. The curing process is the last stage in your weed-growing journey, which usually comes after the drying stage. However, sometimes, some growers prefer to cure their cannabis buds before drying them.
In any case, the curing process has one job: to bring out the flowers' flavor and aroma while ensuring the cannabinoids and other compounds stay retained and locked in for a long time.
If you cure your weed properly, it will be more potent and taste flavorful without the chlorophyll undernotes. Additionally, the process will allow you to store your cannabis buds for longer, so you don't have to worry about them being tainted by bacteria or mold.
Curing Time Duration
So, how long does it take to cure weed properly? Generally, the curing process for most cannabis strains lasts anywhere from two to four weeks. Various factors come into play here, including the strain, your preferred outcome, and the environment in which you cure it.
For instance, if you cure cannabis buds for a short time, the buds will be less refined. That's not necessarily bad; it works for hobby growers wanting to enjoy their harvest without spending much time. On the other hand, if you have time, you can extract the full potential of your weed with a longer curing process.
Significance of Curing Cannabis Buds
Curing plays a role in the cultivation of cannabis impacting the quality, strength, taste, and overall enjoyment of the product. Many new growers tend to underestimate the importance of curing, which is crucial for maximizing the potential of cannabis buds. Here are a few key reasons why curing holds incredible value in cannabis cultivation:
Enhancing Flavor and Fragrance
Intricate chemical transformations take place within the cannabis buds throughout the curing process. These alterations help develop and preserve the plant's terpenes, contributing to its flavors and scents. Proper curing allows these aromatic elements to mature, resulting in a sophisticated taste and aroma.
Boosting Potency
Curing also plays a role in determining the potency of cannabis. This process aids in converting psychoactive cannabinoids like THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) into their psychoactive counterpart THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). This change enhances the strength and effects of consuming cannabis.
Diminishing Harshness
Freshly harvested cannabis contains chlorophyll and other pigments that can give it a peculiar flavor and cause throat irritation when you smoke or vaporize it. Curing helps break down these compounds over time, leading to a smoother smoking experience. Reducing the harshness of the product enhances its enjoyment and reduces the likelihood of causing coughing or discomfort.
Preventing Mold and Mildew
Proper curing significantly lowers the moisture in the buds, reducing the risk of mold and mildew growth. Moldy cannabis does not taste different, but it can pose some serious health risks. By managing humidity and temperature during curing, you can keep your buds free from contaminants.
Preserving Cannabinoids and Terpenes
Curing plays a role in maintaining the makeup of cannabis buds, preserving cannabinoids and terpenes for longer durations. Without curing, these compounds can deteriorate rapidly and result in a loss of potency, flavor and therapeutic properties. Cured cannabis can retain its quality for months ensuring a great experience over time.
Extending Shelf Life
Cured cannabis is less susceptible to deterioration. You can even store it for extended periods without significant loss in quality. This is especially vital for commercial producers aiming to maintain the freshness and potency of their products until they reach consumers. As a home grower, it's also important for you if you have lots of buds and want to store them
Optimizing Therapeutic Benefits
Most people use cannabis for its therapeutic properties, but curing is essential to maximize it. If you cure the buds properly, it retains significant levels of cannabinoids and terpenes that makes cannabis effective in the first place. Without these cannabinoids, it is pretty much useless to smoke or vape cannabis. Even for medical cannabis users, these cannabinoids like THC and CBD are important to experience any effects.
So, take your time and let the buds cure slowly as it guarantees a top-notch product that meets standards of potency, flavor and overall satisfaction.
DIY versus Commercial Curing Systems
If you're unsatisfied with your current curing process, you have two choices: creating your own DIY curing setup or investing in a curing system. Each option has its pros and cons and deciding between them depends on various factors such as budget constraints, operational scale and personal preferences. Here's an in-depth comparison to help you grasp the variances and determine which approach might suit you best.
How Does An Automated Curing System Help?
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There are various traditional ways of curing cannabis, including the water method, but did you know that you can automate the entire process easily? That's where an automated curing setup comes into play — it makes the process efficient and easier than ever.
An automated curing setup takes care of the environment, like airflow, burping, relative humidity, et al. to ensure that your weed cures properly. Plus, you don't have to worry about all that either since the process is automated. It's quite like a set-it-and-forget-it type of solution.
If done correctly, this system can easily ensure your weed does not taste of leaves or chlorophyll and the delicate strain flavors are retained. Even the potency will be brought forward since the buds will be cured in an optimal environment.
How does it do that? As mentioned above, curing relies on various factors, including the environment, some of which are never constant. There's a bit of randomness to it, which can affect the overall curing output. This setup eliminates that randomness, producing consistent results.
As a result, this can also come in handy for professional growers who want to ensure each bud coming out of their garden is cured consistently and tastes the same. It helps build brand credibility and user experience.
Also, can you imagine opening 50 jars every single day for burping? That's a lot of hassle, isn't it?
Benefits of Commercial Curing Systems
- Dependability and Consistency
Experts design commercial curing systems. They conduct several tests to ensure they deliver consistent outcomes. These systems can uphold curing conditions even if you don't interfere in their functions at all.
Numerous commercial systems are equipped with features like humidity and temperature controls, automated airflow regulation, and integrated monitoring systems. These features can greatly improve the curing process.
Opting for a commercial system saves time and labor. Growers can concentrate on other important aspects of cultivation or business activities while the curing system manages the upkeep.
Commercial systems often include customer support and warranties. In case of any problems, growers can depend on help and service, which is especially beneficial for large-scale operations.
Drawbacks of Commercial Curing Systems
The primary disadvantage of curing systems is their cost. These systems can be pricey as they are sophisticated with high capacity. This may not be affordable for small-scale or home growers
Unlike DIY curing systems, commercial systems cannot be customized according to your preferences. Thus, you may face issues when you want to tweak something to meet your needs.
Commercial setups heavily depend on technology, which is not foolproof. A power outage or equipment breakdown could disrupt the curing process, potentially affecting quality if not promptly addressed.
Benefits of a DIY Automated Curing Setup
Here are some of the benefits you can get when automating your weed's curing process:
Generally speaking, DIY curing setups are more budget-friendly compared to the ones available commercially. By doing some research and sourcing the various materials needed to make your own curing system, you can save money while still achieving great results.
Creating your system allows you to tailor it to fit your needs and preferences. Growers have the freedom to design their setup based on factors like the space available, the amount of cannabis being cured, and how automated they want it to be. Plus, the results will be consistent because it will eliminate randomness and human error. If you have a large number of buds, the process will be much easier and less labor-inducing
Putting together a DIY curing system can be a learning experience that's both educational and fulfilling. Growers can deepen their understanding of the curing process and the variables that impact it, ultimately enhancing their cultivation skills.
DIY systems provide flexibility in terms of design and functionality. Growers can experiment with many configurations and make adjustments as necessary without being limited by the constraints of pre-made products. Moreover, it's easy to scale in case you want to increase the number of buds you cure every season
You will end up with perfectly cured buds every single time as they will be cured in ideal humidity and air quality conditions, thanks to automated burping and humidity packs. Just imagine that! There will also be reduced chances of mold, over-drying, or other issues that come with incorrect curing methods.
And, finally, you are not stuck in your house burping every day — you can take a break
Drawbacks of DIY Automated Cannabis Curing
As you can see, automated curing is an awesome addition to any grower's arsenal, but it can also have a couple of downsides.
The process of designing and constructing a DIY curing system can be time-consuming for those who are not experienced in DIY projects. It involves research, planning, and hands-on work. Also, you need to invest some money even if it's an easy setup.
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Potential for Variability
DIY systems lacking professional-grade equipment may exhibit variability in performance. Maintaining precise levels of humidity, temperature, and airflow can pose challenges that might impact the quality of the cannabis.
While some level of automation can be incorporated into a DIY system, it may not reach the level of sophistication or reliability as commercial systems do. Growers might have to check and adjust the environment manually often.
Additionally, you need a bit of patience to make it work properly. You need to regularly interact with the system to ensure it is running properly. So, don't expect to cure your buds and go on a week-long road trip; you'll still need to monitor it regularly.
Deciding between a DIY and a commercial curing system depends on many factors such, as budget, scale of operation, and desired level of control. While DIY solutions offer cost-effectiveness and customization, they demand time and effort for construction and upkeep. Conversely, commercial systems guarantee reliability, advanced features, and professional assistance but come at a higher price point. Evaluate your requirements and resources meticulously to determine which approach suits your cannabis curing objectives.
How to Set Up a DIY Automated Curing System?
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Considering the drawbacks, if automated curing sounds awesome and right for you, you're in luck. You don't have to spend a bomb to get a dedicated curing machine at home just yet. While they are good, they work on basic principles that you can apply in a DIY setup to get similar results.
Yes, you do need to invest some time, money, and care into a DIY setup, but it's nothing you can't do if you've ever played with LEGOs or IKEA furniture. It's that easy. So, let's get started.
Step 1: Gather the Supplies
First things first, you need to gather the equipment required for this. Here's the checklist:
- A bucket that is free of BPA and has an airtight lid
- Air pump
- Digital timer
- Check valves
- 3 mm silicone tubes
- A Manifold that will connect to the pump
- 16 mm PVC pipes
- Hose clamp, ideally stainless steel
- Humidity control packs
- Needles
- 2.8mm drill bit and drilling machine
Ideally, you want to pick 2.5 to 5 gallons of buckets, depending on your requirements. This should suffice for most growers, but if you feel like you need something bigger, don't fret about it. The steps stay the same.
Step 2: Drill Holes in the Bucket
Now, you need to prepare your bucket by drilling a couple of holes in it. One hole should be at the top and one at the base. Use a 2.8 mm drill bit here so that you can use the 3 mm silicone tube in it snugly.
Step 3: Connect the Hoses
Next, you need to connect the silicone tubes to the bucket. Or, you need to press the intake hose at the lower hole, which will then be connected to the manifold. Then, add a 15 cm hose to the top hole, acting as the exhaust hose.
Step 4: Install Check Valves
A bit of the hose will be sticking out in the bucket; that's where you need to install the check valves to prevent backflow. For the upper hose end, attach the valve's small side, and vice versa for the lower hose.
Step 5: Set Up Air Distribution Tubing
You then have to take a 1-meter-long 3 mm hose and start puncturing it every few centimeters. Then, you must connect this hose to the bottom valve of the bucket and secure it tight. Then, set the hose at the bucket's base in a spiral to ensure an even distribution of air.
Step 6: Start Connecting It Up
Start connecting the intake hose with the manifold, and release the check valve. Then, connect the air pump to the manifold. Tighten down every connecting point with clamps.
Now it's time for a test run. Let it all run check for any leaks and ensure the valves are working as intended. Generally, if there's a leak somewhere, you'll hear a hiss. If not, run your fingers along the hoses to catch them.
Step 7: You Can Start Operating It
Now it's time to pour your cannabis buds into the bucket. Then, add your humidity packs with around 60% RH ratings. You can add more cannabis until the bucket is almost full.
Finally, shut the lid and set up the air pump timer. The timer should run the pump for 5 minutes every day — this will keep the air burped and humidity at ideal levels at all times. Then, let your buds cure for a couple of weeks or more, as required.
Some Tips for Running the Automated Curing System
Now that you've set it all up, let's run through some tips that you should keep in mind when using it. These tips will help you get the best out of your cannabis. Here are the tips:
- Each strain has unique curing needs, so you must customize your curing process accordingly
- Check out online forums for guidance and advice on curing specific strains
- Inspect your cannabis often for mold or over-drying
- Dry your flowers first before the curing process for best results
- Label each bucket with the strain and other details like harvest date and weight
- Keep the system clean and tidy to prevent issues in the setup
- You can even use the same buckets for storage
Summary: DIY Automated Cannabis Curing System: Cure Your Cannabis Buds Easily
To conclude, a DIY automated curing system is practical and makes curing streamlined while ensuring consistency and quality of the final product. And it's so easy to set up. All you need is a bucket, some hose, clamps, and an air pump with a timer. With proper setup and maintenance, you can enjoy flavorful, potent cannabis without the hassle of daily burping routines.
