Grow Q&A: How Can I Store My Buds Without Them Getting Moldy?

Dear Dan,
Aloha, my problem is storing my harvest! I live in Hawaii and the humidity is horrible! I use wide mouth mason jars for storage and always seem to get mold on by buds. Any suggestions? Mahalo in advance! — Pete in Kauai

Dear Pete,

Aloha! If your buds are molding up inside of sealed jars, that means you are putting them into the jars too wet.

First, make sure that the jars seal and close tightly. Seal an empty jar as best you can, and then dunk it under water. If it stays sealed and doesn’t let any water in or give off any bubbles out, then your jars are working fine. In that case, the problem isn’t the humidity but the timing of when you’re jarring up your still drying buds.

After harvesting, let your branches hang to dry in a cool dark place with decent circulation. Once the branches snap and break, instead of bending, trim the individual buds from the branches and seal them into your jars. They should feel popcorn dry on the outside before you put them into jars.

Very quickly, the moisture that is still inside your buds will spread throughout them. When you open the jar of seemingly-dry nuggets a couple of hours after jarring them, they will feel moist on the outside again. The buds are now curing, and require that you open the jars several times a day to release the built-up moisture and replace the air inside your jars with fresh air that will continue to slowly leach the moisture out of your buds. Some call this “burping” the jars.

How often you need to “burp” the jars depends on how quickly the buds inside are drying out. If they feel dry, leave the jar closed longer, and if they feel moist, consider leaving the jar open for a little while to allow more moisture to escape.

Don’t miss our previous Grow Q&A: Will Using Light Rails Affect My Yield?

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