Rehydrate Your Dry Cannabis Flower
With proper storage, you won’t need to rehydrate your dry cannbis. Dried flower can stay fresh for a long time.
Be honest, you probably haven’t always treated your buds with the loving care and compassion that they deserved.
I left my baggies sitting in the sun. In College, I even left a quarter laying close to the fireplace one night.
That weed was so dry, it turned to dust when I moved the bag the next morning.
If you’ve ever mistreated your stash, then you’ll know; over dried cannabis is basically schwag.
It’s harsh on the lungs, and it doesn’t taste like that Top-Shelf you bought yesterday.
It’s one of the worst ways to treat your buds!
Along the way, however, I learned some good methods to rehydrate dry cannabis flower, but, more importantly, I learned how to keep it from drying out.
Let’s look at some good, and , not so good, ways to treat your Cannabis.
Water And Weed
All plants require water, and, throughout its lifespan, a big healthy cannabis bush can drink hundreds of gallons.
Some of those massive Canna-Trees grown outdoors, can even use up to 15 gallons in a day!
That water carries nutrients through the root system, and into the rest of the plant; including the flowers which get quite swollen.
When harvest time comes around, it’s time to get rid of all that moisture. Typically, fresh cannabis is about 75% water by weight. That is a LOT of water that has to evaporate, but it has to be done properly.
The drying process usually takes from a few days to as long as a week, in a climate controlled space.
Cannabis flowers dry from the outside in. This can leave the outer part of the buds dry, while the inner bud structure is still very moist.
As with all things, however, balance is key.
Too dry and your buds are brittle to the touch, and harsh on the lungs.
If it’s too wet, the bud won’t burn, or, worse, you could get mold growth.
Proper dryness can be difficult to judge, and beginner growers often over dry their early crops.
You’ll need a Hygrometer. A Hygrometer measures relative humidity, or how much water vapor there is in the air. I use these small ones, because I can drop them into the jars.
After drying, the buds must be stored in airtight, climate-controlled containers in order to ‘Cure’.(Mason Jars are typically used,and those hygrometers fit perfectly!)
This Cure allows the moisture to migrate slowly from the stem and inner bud to the outside of the flower.
This slow, controlled process gives you the best tasting, best smoking buds.
*During curing, the moisture levels must be monitored and maintained, or you WILL HAVE MOLDY BUD!
Keep Your Cannabis Fresh - The Right Way
OK, you’ve got perfectly dried and cured bud.
It has the perfect amount of water content, and smokes and tastes like a dream.
Unless you do something to MAINTAIN that perfect balance of moisture, however, your buds will eventually dry out.
The answer is simple, Climate Controlled Storage!
This can be as simple as a mason jar and a Boveda Pack(my normal method), or as wild as this super-cool Stainless Steel Humidor w/ Glass door.(Someday when I grow up, I’m getting one!)
The Boveda Packs are cheap, and effective. They are two-way packs, that can add or remove moisture. The 62% and 58% ones are made for Cannabis storage.
Another product that works is RAW’s Hydrostone.
It’s a ceramic disc, that you soak in water, and it releases that moisture into your buds.
That’s it. The best way to keep your stash fresh, is to maintain temperature and humidity. Then you won’t have to rehydrate dry cannabis.
There are a few budget/emergency methods that work, BUT they can also ruin your buds.
Proceed with Caution!!
Technically It Works, But...
Here are a few methods for rehydrating your over dry cannabis buds, but, be careful, you can ruin the taste or make your weed moldy if you aren’t watching.
Moisture Material:
- Potato: When I was in high school, a friend told me to cut up a potato, through it in the baggie to ‘fix my weed’. While it kind of fixed the crispiness, it made the weed smell and taste terrible.
- Citrus: Orange, Lemon, or Lime Peels work. They also impart their citrus smell/taste to your bud. This can be good or bad.
- Wet Paper Towel: A damp paper towel placed in your jar/bag will increase your buds moisture content.
- Tortilla/Bread: You can tear up a tortilla or a piece of bread, and place the pieces in with your weed.
The Method:
- Put the lemon peel/potato/tortilla/etc. in a jar
- Place your open bag of cannabis in the same jar(you don’t want physical contact with your weed)
- Close the jar, and return to check the moisture of your buds EVERY HOUR until it’s not crumbly
If you put your ‘moisture material’ in contact with the cannabis, or forget to check on it , you risk mold!
Moldy bud is dangerous to smoke.
Bottom Line
The absolute best method to rehydrate over dry cannabis is prevention. Keep your weed in good condition, and it’ll stay fresh for quite some time.
The Boveda Packs inside mason jars is THE easiest, most idiot-proof method for keeping fresh cannabis, but others can work as well.
