Hang drying is the traditional drying method: cut branches are hung upside down from lines or hangers in a dark room with controlled temperature, humidity and gentle air movement. Buds dry in open air without being crushed, and the stem slows moisture loss from the buds.
In practice
A good target is a dry of about 7-14 days at around 15-21 °C (60-70 °F) and 55-62% RH, the zone the "60/60" rule aims for. Keep fans off the buds directly; air should move around them, not through them. Darkness protects cannabinoids and terpenes from light degradation.
Practical tips:
- space branches so they don't touch;
- hang thick, dense colas with more room than airy branches;
- check daily for musty smells or soft spots in dense buds;
- check stems from about day 5-7 on; when small stems snap rather than bend, it's time to trim or jar.
Rack drying (buds on mesh shelves) is the main alternative, common after wet trim. It suits limited space but is more prone to flat spots and uneven drying.
Don't confuse with
- Whole-plant hang: hanging the entire plant uncut.
- Curing: the slow finish in sealed containers after drying.
- Freeze drying: rapid vacuum drying (Contested, not recommended).
Relative humidity is the water vapour in air as a percentage of what it could hold at that temperature, so the same RH dries plants differently at different temperatures.A drying rule of thumb: dry cannabis at about 60 °F (15.5 °C) and 60% relative humidity so buds dry slowly over roughly 10-14 days.A cannabinoid is any compound that binds the body's cannabinoid receptors or shares the typical cannabis terpenophenolic structure; the plant-made ones are phytocannabinoids such as THCA and CBDA.Terpenes are volatile hydrocarbon compounds built from five-carbon isoprene units; in cannabis they are made in the trichome heads and are a major part of aroma and flavour.The dense, elongated cluster of flowers that forms at the end of a stem or branch; the main cola tops the leader.Trimming sugar leaves from buds immediately after harvest, while the plant is still fresh, before drying.Drying an entire harvested plant upside down, uncut except at the base, so the large stem mass slows the dry.Drying fresh cannabis by freezing it and then removing ice under vacuum (sublimation) in hours or days; GenetixBay labels it Contested and does not recommend it.A dark, ventilated space where freshly harvested cannabis is dried under controlled temperature, humidity and gentle airflow, usually for 7-14 days.Trimming sugar leaves after buds have dried, leaving the leaves on during the dry to slow it and protect the bud.A drying fault where a bud's surface dries too fast and seals, leaving the core wet; buds feel dry, then rehydrate and risk mould in the jar.
