I grew my first professional grade seed (bought here at Homegrown) this spring. I just got through yesterday taking my dried plant and removing (cutting off) all leafs and form my buds. I bought some Boveda packets to help with the curing. Every day, at least once, I take them out of the cool dark spot I keep them and take the lids off and sniff. So far, so great! The buds need to dry and harden more. I hope they do harden up a little! Will they? How long do they need to be curing? I give the jars a good shake before and after taking the lid off. I really missed not going out every day to look at my plants, trimming, watering, feeding and talking to them. Now I’m glad the pain the arse is done for the year! Takes a long time to trim those buds, getting them ready to cure. Any insight or ideas of what more I need to do and how long…This has been a lot of fun and work. The plants really are very attractive and they grow nice and quickly! Thank you Kyle for all the video’s. That’s what I went by, step by step and I think I have some great high pot! THANK YOU!!!
@dmzimmie it depends on the strain and density of the buds. Indica and indica dominant strains usually will be harder and denser than sativa or sativa dominant strains. Indicas have more naturally occurring PGRs due to their genetics. This also means indicas will take longer to cure. Proper curing can take anywhere from just a few weeks to a few moths depending on the amount of starch and nutrient salt build up. The only way really to tell when it’s done is the smoke test.
As far as how much they harden naturally grown bud doesn’t get super hard unless it’s vacuum sealed or pressed. The buds will dry and get crispy and have a dank smell but won’t get hardball as people like to call it.
Hardball buds as they are called are usually grown with synthetic PGRs (plant growth regulators) and that bud is no good. No amount of flushing in the world can get synthetic PGRs out of your bud.
If anyone ever brings me super dense hard buds with lots and lots of hairs, very little color or smell, and low to almost no trichomes I know they grew it with synthetic PGRs. I turn it down instantly. That is not quality bud.
Properly grown and cured bud should feel slightly dense and a little sticky but not wet or spongy. It shouldn’t break apart just by squeezing it a little and you should still be able to hear a little snap when you break it in half. It should have a dank smell and it should still have good coloring. It should also still have lots and lots of sparkling trichs all over it.
Thank you SO much MDBuds!! I guess I was thinking the curing process was a shorter time. Thus, I appreciate your input and to stay patient. My big plant is a sativa female. The little one I grew was a very nice Reggie plant. Yield was not huge but the skunk smell and all the stickiness…it’s a real charmer when smoked, too! Ahhh… So the curing will help dry the buds, eh? Opening the lids and giving a shake is good? I can smoke either buds and they stay lit and are not green tasting, though it’s still green in color. The taste and reactions from both plants are mighty fine! I’m thrilled but don’t want to undo all my hard work from wrong curing. Thank you!!!
@dmzimmie burping and turning your buds is good. It helps prevent mold until the humidity stops fluctuating so you’re doing it right. Since it’s a sativa it should cure faster than the indica.
Does it smoke smooth yet? Does it still have a harsh burn and a slight bitterness (not a citrusy or diesel bitterness but a grassy kind of bitterness) to it? If it still has nutrient and starch build up it will be harsh and slightly bitter until it all finishes breaking down.
If it’s smooth and has no bitterness it’s pretty much done.
Oh MDBuds…you give me confidence!!! There is no green taste, it’s not harsh and I’m hoping the curing of the smoke will work good and help reduce coughing. It just needs to dry more, thus the Boveda in the jars.
This is all so exciting to me! I’m just giving it away to some specific people who I believe could benefit from it’s effects with their depression and anxiety! Yahoo!!!
Curing will help reduce the coughing and give you a nice smooth smoke. Some strains though will still have some harshness even if properly cured just because they’re highly resinous. A little throat tickle and a cough can happen even with perfectly cured buds. I haven’t grown the strains you mentioned yet but keep that all in mind. Happy to help your confidence. Happy growing. 
Hi @Dana! Sounds like you did well for your first time. And I will definitely concur: @MDBuds is one seriously knowledgeable person when it comes to anything bud-related!!! I think we know why the MD is in front of the Buds 
Maybe post a pic or two of your final product…
@Bill 
i appreciate it man. The MD is actually just my first and middle initial and some of my friends used to call me Doc after Doc Holiday from tombstone so it just worked out. Dropping knowledge and fierce loyalty is a good thing to aquire a nick name over.
You want me to snap a pic of my curing buds? Darn, I grew one great tasting and fun plant!! I miss not checking on it every day!
Just want to throw my 2 cents in here about using the boveda humidity packs…I would not use those until the cure is finished reason being it can keep your flowers too moist I know this because a friend of mine kept doing it and it caused some mildew on some that wasnt fully cured yet
Thank you 19656! In 2 video’s it said putting those Boveda humidity packs in with your buds and such. I appreciate your 2 cents! 
It fascinates me how people get “nick names”. I’d post what my “friends” call me, but it may break forum rules! 
@Dana yes please. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so snap some pics and show us what your hard work netted out to!
@Bill i have a few of those inappropriate nick names too. Mostly from my lady or drinking buddies.
Here is a picture of my “stash”! Some VERY good stash! Just 1 plant. I did also grow 1 reggie, one skunky good reggie. It didn’t yield very much but oh the smell! I’m happy as can be about this. I have already shared with some friends and I have 2 more to share some with. No selling, just giving.
Congrats on your first harvest! I like to keep my jars full to the top when curing/storing. Air degrades the buds over time.
Bushdoc - you are supposed to consume it, not keep it in a jar. 
Dana, wow. 4 jars, 1 plant. Little shake, some popcorn, some bigbud…ready for a party or at least a good movie. What plant did you grow?
It’s in jars only 1/2 full now because I’ve been doling it out to friends I’ve decided to share with. Yes, I should do some combining, fuller jars, less of them. I think the plant that flourished was a Feminized Gelato. If I had no video’s to watch or questions answered here, it couldn’t have been this successful. WHEW! I really enjoyed growing it. Illegal here in Kansas, so I had to be cautious. You’re exactly right about each jar! Say, you must know something about this kind of thing!!! hahahahaah
Dana - so “Don’t show me”?
I belong to the know nothing clan. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
Dana, I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore