Water Curing Cannabis

It takes months for cannabis seeds to develop and produce flowering plants, so growing your own, demands time and patience. Furthermore, the curing process needs more time. However, cultivators might be prone to impatience at times. Maybe you’d like to take your freshly acquired buds to the next dance party, or you need to finish the procedure swiftly since your mom is arriving next month. So then, what do you do?

You can’t hurry a plant to maturity. It would help if you let it go through germination, vegetative, and flowering stages without compromise. However, you may hasten the curing process by using water. Find out what water-curing weed is and how you can accomplish it by reading this article.

What is water-curing cannabis?

Curing requires storing buds in glass jars for weeks, which is common knowledge among growers. You improve the quality of the blooms considerably through several activities that occur at this time, despite the seeming simplicity of the situation. Moisture Fighters facilitate maintaining the ideal humidity for cured buds, which modifies their phytochemical qualities. There is a significant reduction in the chlorophyll, carbohydrates, and other chemicals that make smoking cannabis unpleasant. The terpene profile of each strain becomes more apparent when these molecules are significantly reduced in the final product.

Curing also improves the smoke’s quality, transforming it from harsh doses that irritate the throat into smooth, creamy hits that go down smoothly in bongs, vaporizers, and blunts. Water curing yields the same result as air curing in jars despite using a different method. In contrast to the weeks it would take for these harsh chemicals to decompose, they are quickly extracted from the blossoms upon contact with water. Growers shouldn’t overlook the substantial costs of this method’s rapid success. The bud-washing method, which is different, is sometimes confused with this.

The process of water curing

Cannabis flowers contain several harsh and unpleasant chemical components, many of which are water-soluble. They migrate from the resin and plant tissue toward the water upon contact. Cannabis buds need to be soaked in water for a brief time. Clearwater soon becomes cloudy as it accumulates chlorophyll, carbohydrates, and other compounds that some people may find unpleasant.

Water curing may speed up the process of fermentation, allowing the sugars in cannabis buds to be metabolized and the phytochemicals in the plant to be degraded in a matter of days rather than weeks. However, not all cannabis’ water-soluble molecules have an unpleasant taste. Some of them are rather priceless. Since cannabinoids are fat-soluble yet hydrophobic, they will remain in the trichomes regardless of how long they come into contact with water.

With terpenes, though, things change. These aromatic compounds not only give cannabis its distinctive fragrance but also give each strain its unique flavor. Terpenes synergize with cannabis to determine the stimulating or couch-locking effects of a strain’s psychoactive properties. Terpenes, being water-soluble, are washed out of cannabis flowers during the water-curing process. It leads us to the key compromise inherent in water curing: speed at the expense of flavor. Some smokers describe Water-cured buds as having a “grassy” or “flat” flavor. However, this technique takes center stage when cultivators prioritize a more refined smoke.

What are the advantages of water-cured cannabis?

Many producers depend on water curing to finish their production processes as soon as feasible. Here are some advantages of water-curing cannabis.

It’s a quick way to cure cannabis

Unlike the conventional curing procedure, which may take weeks, water-curing weed may help cure your buds in only a few days. It is a great perk if you’re in a hurry or want to get high as fast as possible.

It produces a smoother smoke

Water-cured cannabis also has the added benefit of being a more refined smoker than its normally cured counterpart. It is because the buds don’t contain many harsh chemicals contributing to a bad smoking experience.

Simple to implement

Curing cannabis in water is simple and requires no prior experience or specific equipment. It is frequently as easy as using tea bags to brew tea, as you will learn later in the text.

Discreet buds

Buds won’t have any recognizable cannabis flavor or aroma after being water cured. Even though this is a serious downside, it might be useful in some sneaky situations. You can smoke water-cured buds on your lunch break without raising any eyebrows.

Disadvantages of water-cured cannabis

The buds contain several water-soluble compounds, including those that are toxic. Consequently, these chemicals only leave the buds when you submerge them in water. Sugars, chlorophyll, and other abrasive substances dissolve over time, causing the water’s hue to change. Everything happens quite rapidly. Water-curing cannabis buds often doesn’t take more than a week. Furthermore, cannabis buds may be water-cured in as little as 10 hours.

It’s important to remember that not all substances that dissolve in water are necessarily harmful. You may thank these chemicals for the unique taste and fragrance character of your buds. The entourage effect refers to how various terpenes work together with cannabinoids to increase the effectiveness of cannabis. Unfortunately, most terpenes are also lost during water-curing, producing less aromatic and flavorful buds. Many cannabis consumers have complained that the taste of water-cured buds is bland and grassy, which is the major disadvantage of this curing method.

In addition to its bland taste, water-cured cannabis has a few other minor downsides.

• Cannabis buds that have been water-cured lose their brilliant color during the curing process, diminishing their “bag appeal.”
• If care is not taken, buds cured with water might develop mold throughout the drying process.

Don’t worry; the buds won’t lose any of their strength. Potency will not be washed away by water.

Step-by-step guide on water curing your cannabis

All you need to water cure your cannabis is freshly picked buds, reverse osmosis water, and sufficient jars to store it all. The complete procedure should not take more than 7–10 days.

Here’s a basic rundown on how to water-cure your weed:

• Make sure you trim the stems and fan leaves from your buds. It is optional; however, remember that trimming is perfect for cannabutter after you cure them.
• Put the buds underwater in the glass jars. Make sure the jars are always sealed, and if you need to, add a weight to keep your weed underwater at all times.
• The optimal range for water temperature is from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Daily water changes are necessary; remember to set an alarm every morning if you have difficulty remembering things. Reverse osmosis results in carbohydrates and salts deposited into the water, necessitating frequent water changes. Osmosis will proceed more quickly in the presence of clean water. Some farmers even do water changes many times a day!
• Likewise, check the water level every day. After about a week or two, the water should start to clear up, indicating that there aren’t many solids left to extract.
• When you’re sure that you’ve removed almost all impurities, hang your buds to dry.

With water-cured cannabis, you may hasten the drying process without worrying about the normal drawbacks, including headaches and an unpleasant smoking experience. Because the water-curing process removes more solids than the standard curing technique, the final weight of your buds will be less when water-curing is used.

Rapid weed curing with water

Using a fast approach, you can finish the water-curing process in about 10 hours. The process uses piped-in water, but this method’s biggest drawback is the high water consumption. Here’s a short breakdown of the steps involved:

•  Place the bud in a big basin and wet it with a slow trickle of water.
• You should use chilly water to keep the leaves from drooping but not so cold that it will harm the trichomes.
• Your cannabis will be ready to dry after 8-10 hours.

How to dry cannabis after water curing

When the curing process is complete, you should dry the cannabis. The buds may dry on a rack or paper towels left out in the open, but you should flip them often to prevent mold formation and guarantee even drying. An alternative method that yields results more quickly is to utilize a food dehumidifier.

Make sure your bud of the cannabis plant is mold-free before you water-cure it. Mold may grow on cannabis even after it has been cured with water. Mold may even flourish in high wetness, so inspecting your collected buds before utilizing them is important.

What’s the difference between water curing and bud washing?

Water curing and bud washing are distinct processes that may seem alike but serve distinct purposes. To “wash buds” is to clean them with water after they have been harvested immediately. Bud washing is much shorter than water curing, which might take many days. Bud washing is when farmers remove detritus from their flowers’ buds and enhance their flavor by dunking them in several buckets. They wash them briefly and then put them on the drying rack.

When is bud washing preferable to water curing?

Growers have the option of bud washing before putting their flowers into jars for water curing, but the two processes should not be confused. The final result of bud washing is clean, healthy cannabis blossoms free of dust, pesticides, insects, and other contaminants. Flowers won’t be floating in a bath of harmful chemicals if you wash buds before water curing. When using air curing, growers may wash their buds to eliminate residual chemicals affecting the finished product.

Ultimately, water curing is a technique that doesn’t make much sense initially. However, many seasoned cannabis cultivators insist on it because of the pleasantness of its smoke. The water-curing process may also salvage cannabis infected with bud rot. The method is useful for removing mold and recycling otherwise useless buds. In addition, you won’t have to wait the customary one month to try out your cannabis buds after harvesting them.