Cannabis dries out over time, that’s no secret. Sometimes it’s already a little dry when it gets to the dispensary from over-curing or over-drying with the cultivators. Sometimes there is a delay in patients receiving a batch of flower because a cultivator or dispensary will have the flower voluntarily tested at a lab.
Regardless of why your cannabis flower gets dry – we’re going to help you keep it fresh and maybe even revive dried out cannabis. Yes, you can put moisture back into cannabis flower; we’re going to explain how. There’s nothing more annoying than bringing home your just purchased cannabis just to find it dry and crumbly. It burns quickly and becomes a waste of money.
Check Harvest and Package Dates
It’s common for it to be 6 weeks to 2 months after harvest before patients can buy a strain of cannabis. This is because it has to be cured, dried, trimmed, transported and, in some cases, packaged. Most dispensaries across Arizona choose to pre-package all of their flower simply to make serving patients a faster process. Is this the best idea? Not always.
As cannabis dries more, it loses weight – so, if it is prepackaged and it’s been in that package for a few days or a week or more – chances are, it’s lost a little weight. If the cannabis flower is already packaged but it’s not sealed closed, ask the budtender to weigh it in front of you. If the package is sealed, take video of you opening the package and weighing it at home – just in case it is short. If it is short, you have to have proof that the package did not weigh properly, so take video of the entire process, don’t skip anything or edit the video.
If the cannabis was packaged a week or more before you’ve purchased, it is a very good idea to weigh it before consuming any.
Why are the harvest dates important? Three reasons – THC converts to CBN over time, which reduces its potency. Reason number 2 – it dries out more and loses dry weight. Reason number 3 is – flower loses its flavor and aroma as it dries out more – which may have an impact on how much of the terpenes of the strain remain by the time you use the flower.
Some cultivators deliver their cannabis flower to dispensaries already packaged. While some of those glass jars are cool to look at, they’re not always the best type of packaging. Those foil and plastic bags are even worse (not only because shake gets stuck in the corners and bottom and you have to destroy the package to get every spec of flower out of them, but they don’t protect the flower either.
Dark or opaque packaging is best.
Air and Light are Enemies to Cannabis Flower after It’s Cured and Dried
The more you open a container of cannabis flower, the more air you’re letting in. This means you’re helping your cannabis dry out more. Light is also an enemy.
Store your cannabis in a cool, dark cabinet away from heat and light.
Purchase a Cannador
What is a Cannador you ask? It’s a humidor but for cannabis. It helps to keep the flower soft and allows some of the moisture to stay in. The humidity is controlled, which helps prevent the flower from drying out too fast.
There are different sizes so that you can store several strains at one time. You can only purchase a Cannador online.
Can’t Afford a Cannador? Try this Method
Cannadors can be expensive and may not be in everyone’s budget. If you don’t use a lot of cannabis, purchase smaller quantities. Yes, this means more trips to a dispensary, but your cannabis flower shouldn’t turn to dust if you’re only purchasing what you’ll actually use in a week.
Paint an airtight container black. This helps keep the light out. Use chalkboard paint or a chalkboard decal on the outside so you can label the container with the strain’s name and the date you put it in the container. This will keep the light out.
Try a small piece of citrus peel in your container. Yes, that’s right – citrus peel. The oils in the citrus peel will add moisture back to your cannabis flower. If you have a strain that is already citrusy – it’ll boost the flavor and aroma. The citrus flavor will seep into the flower – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You only need a small piece, but you want to move the flower around at least once/day so that all of the buds are exposed to the peel.
Closing Thoughts
Now that you know why and how cannabis flower dries out and how to keep it fresher for longer, we hope you use these tips. Since we can’t actually touch the flower at dispensaries due to health and safety restrictions, we don’t know if it’s dry or not until we get home. Of course, if it comes in one of those dreaded aluminum/plastic bags, you can squeeze the package to see how the buds feel. If they are crunchy or crumble – leave that flower at the dispensary.
Let Us Be Blunt 