Drying In Grow Room With Lights On? Quick Answer

New growers often think the hard work is over once they grow and harvest their prized marijuana plants. Not quite! Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a little longer to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You need to trim, dry, and cure your crop before it’s ready to use.

The trimming and drying aspects of cannabis preparation are essential. However, not everyone proceeds with the curing process, mainly because it is not 100% crucial. Plus, it means waiting even longer to taste the harvest. However, experienced growers recommend going through the full curing cycle. The process increases potency and enhances the flavor and quality of your smoke. It also allows you to store your weed longer.

It’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to cure your marijuana. However, there’s no question that you need to dry it properly first and foremost. This topic is the basis of this guide: How to Dry Marijuana Buds… the Right Way!

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A few things to consider when drying weed

There are several sophisticated methods of drying marijuana flower, including freeze drying. As luck would have it, the simplest way is arguably the most effective. The drying (and curing) process begins the second you cut off the cannabis plant. First and foremost it is important that you are patient during the drying process as you need to dry it slowly.

However, you must ensure that this is not done too slowly or you risk mold growth. Impatient individuals make the mistake of using ovens, microwaves, and heat guns to speed things up. You’re welcome to try any of these tactics, but don’t blame us if your pot is ruined.

Experienced growers know that drying should take place in a dark environment, as exposure to the sun reduces the weed’s cannabinoid content.

Darkness also reduces chlorophyll levels in plants. This is good news because too much of it will result in a harsher smoke. However, whichever method you use to dry the buds, you must trim the plant first. It’s a lengthy process that feels like it’s going to take forever. Nonetheless, you must complete the process to end up with a more aesthetically pleasing bud.

You can skip trimming and risk leaving leaves on the plant. You’ll regret it when the weed burns your throat and lungs! Also, the sugar leaves on the bud have a lower THC concentration. So if you don’t prune the plants, you’re cheating yourself out of a damn good high.

Drying marijuana old-school style is STILL one of the best methods

One of the best ways to dry marijuana is to first cut off 12-inch branches from the plants. Next, cut off the unwanted leaves and hang the branches on hangers or even string! There is no need to invest in expensive equipment as long as you have enough space to hang the plants.

The most important aspect of proper drying is making sure your storage space is at the right temperature and humidity. Keep the drying area between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and make sure the humidity stays in the 45-55% range. It’s okay to use a small fan to circulate the air; do not point it directly at the grass.

Having trouble keeping the temperature and humidity within the recommended range? If this is the case, buy a humidifier (or dehumidifier if necessary) or an air conditioner.

Hanging your buds upside down is the best method when trying to dry weed. However, you can lay them flat on a surface such as cardboard if space is at a premium. If you do this, make sure to turn the buds every few hours to avoid wet spots. Also, since you’ll need to check your buds daily, make sure your grow space is easily accessible.

If you have the wherewithal, you can purchase a special drying rack that will dry your buds faster than the hanger method. This is mainly because you are removing the moisture-laden stems from the buds. If you live in an overly humid area, mold will be a problem. In this scenario, it makes sense to invest in a rack.

How to Dry Weed: Feel the “snap” of dry buds

Depending on storage room conditions, you should have fully dried buds in five to nine days. If they’re dried faster, you can still cure them, although this particular process takes longer. Once the buds are ready to cure, you can break off the smallest buds with minimal pressure.

Larger stems may feel a little pliable, meaning there is still moisture inside. That’s okay, because the curing process causes the hidden water to find its way to the outside of the buds. If you have a large harvest, you can place the branches in containers without a lid overnight.

Every day, slide your hand to the bottom of the trash can. If there is more moisture than above, turn the branches over. Once the bottom feels the same as the top, you can place the lids on the containers.

Related article Best weed containers to keep your marijuana fresh Keep your buds fresh for a long time…

How to dry marijuana… an “urgent” matter

In most cases, you do not need to “press” the cannabis. However, if you’re growing weed nuggets outdoors that look bushy, pressing will improve their appearance. It is best to do this exercise 5-9 days after hanging as you want slightly damp marijuana. Put the buds in plastic bags, roll them up and squeeze the weed. Place the bags under pillows or similar for a few hours.

Be careful when pressing marijuana. If you go too vigorously, the trichomes will burst and reduce the overall quality. After a few hours, take the weed out of the bags. You will notice that the buds stick to each other. Separate them and return them to the hangers to complete the drying process. You can repeat the trick every other day until you are happy with the aesthetics.

Cure or not cure your weed?

Once the buds are dry enough for your taste, remove them from the branches and store in wide-mouth mason jars. At this stage, you are free to use your marijuana. However, keep in mind that her potency and flavor are far from optimal. Experts believe that properly curing cannabis accounts for nearly half of its final bud quality. Having the patience to properly cure your weed could double your enjoyment!

Curing marijuana is not complicated; it just takes time.

The buds are placed in mason jars until the containers are 75% full. Make sure the lids are tightly closed, then store the buds in a cool and dark place in a room with a temperature of 70 degrees and a humidity of 60-65%.

For the first week, open the containers for a few minutes several times a day to ensure the weed is breathing. This action replenishes the oxygen in the jars and allows more moisture to escape. After a week, you only need to open the jars every few days. In most cases, 2-3 weeks of curing is enough to significantly improve the quality and potency of the herb. However, it is best to keep the strains in the jars for up to 8 weeks.

Final Thoughts on Drying Marijuana Buds

Ultimately, you need to dry your marijuana buds if you plan to enjoy them later. It’s a simple, albeit slow, process. All you need is patience and a storage space with the right humidity and temperature. It’s up to you whether you want to wait a few more weeks or months to cure. You can taste your weed immediately after drying, but we recommend drying it for better flavor and a stronger high.

Here is a brief summary of the process:

Cut off the marijuana plant at harvest time.

Remove extra leaves.

Hang the buds to dry; Wait 5-9 days for the small stems to break.

Store the buds in mason jars once they are completely dry. Jars are for curing, not drying!

Open the jars daily for the first week while curing, and then every few days for several weeks.

You can estimate how dry your buds are by touch or by relying on relative humidity (RH):

70+% RH: The buds are too wet to go in a jar. Set them out of the jar for a few hours at this humidity level.

The buds are too wet to go in a jar. Set them out of the jar for a few hours at this humidity level. 65-69% RH: You can put the buds in a jar. However, leave the lid open for at least two hours.

You can put the buds in a jar. However, leave the lid open for at least two hours. 60-64% Relative Humidity: This is the ideal humidity level for curing.

This is the ideal humidity level for curing. 59% or less: Your buds are “okay” in the high 50s. Once the relative humidity drops to 55% or below, your weed is too brittle. You can buy a humidipak to increase the humidity.

Happy growing! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch via our Facebook page!

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in the April 2017 issue of the Cannabis Business Times. Ken Morrow has been a regular columnist since the publication’s first issue. This article is the second most read story in CBT’s five-year history.

One of the first questions I ask a prospective consulting client is, “Do you and your staff purchase and use the cannabis you produce? And if so, are you proud of the products you make?” The answers I get sometimes surprise me, especially when the answer is “no” and that it doesn’t matter because their products still sell. In such cases, I politely decline the employment opportunity. At no point in my career have I had a desire to produce anything other than cannabis of the absolute best quality possible with the funding and situation presented. I always try to make the best of what I have.

A Colorado grower once asked me to do a farm evaluation because his production totals were getting lower and lower each month. I began my evaluation with a brief tour of the facility and then walked through the facility unmanaged, which enabled me to question staff as to why production was slowing down. Each employee explained embarrassed that management had not listened to employee input or needs and that management had told the grower that the plan would be dictated by cost. Two out of three members of management have never used cannabis and for them it was simply a commodity. They were more concerned about completing their dispensary remodel than they were about the quality of their cannabis.

I once tried to explain to the carpenter/owner that no healthy cannabis plant is entirely yellow and that he has 200 yellow plants. He wouldn’t even invite me to look at them.

At the same facility, another owner took me to his drying room. As soon as they opened the door, I was hit by the overwhelming smell of ammonia, a by-product of decomposition caused by insufficient airflow and by placing freshly cut produce in the same environment of near-dry material. This essentially rehydrates the nearly dry material and doesn’t properly address moisture levels. Freshly cut material should not be stored in the same room as material that has been drying for several days and is intended to dry at a consistent rate without proper ventilation, humidity and temperature control.

Again, these owners didn’t care because the product was still being sold. The one owner who used cannabis, as well as all of his employees who were consumers, did not use the cannabis he produced, nor did they take pride in the product they sold.

A Phoenix, Arizona, plant was so focused on filling its 65,000 square foot facility to make money that it completely neglected to build a proper drying and curing area. Management did not understand or care about the importance of drying and curing. After three years of operation, her chief breeder quit. They couldn’t sell all of the medium-sized products in their two pharmacies, so they were forced to sell most of their crops to competing pharmacies.

They don’t grow high-quality cannabis, and their product is certainly not a product to be proud of. When competitors produce superior products at a superior price, a company built on inferior cannabis will eventually implode. You can grow the best, strongest, most flavorful cannabis in the world only to have most of those qualities destroyed through improper drying and curing.

The art of drying and curing

A cannabis bud should have a certain give and take when squeezed, similar to the give and take when squeezing a marshmallow between your thumb and forefinger. The bud should not be so dry that it simply crumbles or turns into a dry powder. Photo at Virtual Las Vegas by Mel Frank

Drying and curing cannabis properly is an art in itself. Likewise, a tobacco farmer who grows tobacco for the finest hand-rolled cigars pays the utmost care and attention to detail during drying and curing, which sets the stage for the end product. I’ve been to organic tobacco farms on a Caribbean island that dry and cure their leaves using time-honoured standards, just as they’ve been doing for decades. The care and attention to detail they demonstrate is all for the love of art, not just monetary gain.

In the coastal regions of the states of California, Oregon or Washington, it is very difficult to dry or over-dry cannabis quickly due to the sea layer influence, resulting in increased nighttime humidity and fog in some areas. It is this influence of the sea layer that is responsible for the proliferation of mold and/or mildew in some cannabis strains. To dry or over-dry cannabis quickly in these regions, one would have to try fall and winter.

This is not the case in some areas of Nevada, Arizona, or Colorado, two of which have significant differences in elevation, temperature, and humidity. Arizona and Nevada are both distinct climate zones that can range from 115°F in summer to 28°F and lower in winter, with low humidity most of the year and no real humidity influence other than Arizona’s monsoon season.

Denver, Colorado is more than 5,000 feet high and in many areas the elevation is even higher, and temperatures can range from below 0°F in winter to well over 100°F in summer. In winter, it can range from sub-zero temperatures and snow with 0 percent humidity at night to 75 degrees F with 60 percent humidity at midday in a 24-hour period when the snow melts in the sunshine. These two distinct climates require special attention to drying and curing, which may not be necessary in a region that has predictable coastal sea layer influence.

A cannabis bud should have a certain give and take when squeezed, similar to the give and take when squeezing a marshmallow between your thumb and forefinger. The bud should not be so dry that it simply crumbles or turns into a dry powder. As previously mentioned, quick-dried or over-dried cannabis has reduced levels of desirable terpenes and is much less aromatic than properly dried and cured cannabis. Small amounts of cannabis are relatively easy to dry and cure, as long as you understand the nuances and maintain a stable, appropriate environment in a well-ventilated area that is neither too hot nor too cold.

Columnist Kenneth Morrow told a customer in Arizona that they need to seal their perimeter; Their solution was to try sealing roller shutters with spray foam, which fell off immediately. Photo courtesy of Ken Morrow

However, large commercial quantities of cannabis require special attention to every detail to ensure the resulting product is of excellent quality, not over-dried and tasteless. Many believe that with properly dried and cured cannabis buds, the main stalk inside the body should be so dry that it breaks in half when flexed. In reality, that would be considered overdried. It should tear but bend without being wet or overly damp. Again, the stem should snap audibly, but not snap in half, and the bud should have a give and take, not explode into powder.

It’s a fine line to walk. Curing and curing are developed skills that come from actually consuming the cannabis you produce (if you’re a medical patient or working in an adult consumption business) and striving to always use it to do better. And yet it is also an art. There is no magic temperature and humidity set point as there are many variables such as seasonal temperatures, fluctuating humidity levels, altitude, barometric pressure, different varieties and quantities, etc.

However, a drying room should always be well ventilated, with fresh, filtered outside air and with proper odor control practices on all exhaust air. It should have the ability to both release moisture via a humidifier and dehumidify via a dehumidifier, as well as both heat and cool. Whether you’re hanging dry individual plants or branches with clinging buds, or placing wet, trimmed buds on screens, whether your crop is 500 pounds or 50,000 pounds, you need at least that much control over the drying rate — not overly hot (over 75 °F to 80 °F). Many dry at lower temperatures, such as 60°F to 70°F, to get the highest percentage of terpenes possible.

Too cold temperatures, however, with inadequate air circulation, will produce low-quality cannabis with undesirable properties; The end product retains excessive levels of chlorophyll and never smells or tastes like it should, sometimes having a freshly cut grass or hay smell. Moisture control is always a must. Logically, one wants to eliminate as much moisture as quickly as possible, which is typically accelerated with elevated temperatures. But there is a fine line between drying cannabis quickly and evaporating the terpenes contained in the trichomes that coat the outside of cannabis buds.

Each individual terpene has a boiling point and a temperature at which it begins to vaporize. Monoterpenes vaporize first and are typically the primary terpenes vaporized upon drying. The task is to remove unwanted moisture from the plants and buds as quickly as possible without vaporizing excessive amounts of terpenes. The outside of the bud dries first and is slightly dry to the touch.

The trick is to slowly pull the inner core moisture out without sacrificing terpenes. The cigar leaf drying sheds on the Caribbean island had ropes hanging from the ceiling. Bundles of leaves were raised or lowered from the ground to the 20-foot ceiling several times a day to allow for proper drying and curing, because the higher you go in the shed, the hotter and more humid the air gets. Note that this is in the Caribbean on an Atlantic archipelago with a hurricane season.

No healthy cannabis plants are yellow, and starting with unhealthy plants not only indicates a lack of concern for product quality, but also results in poor quality cannabis once dried and cured. Photo courtesy of Ken Morrow

Heaters, coolers, humidifiers and dehumidifiers combined with airflow are the science when used correctly, but there must also be “the art” in the equation. Drying and curing should not be the responsibility of anyone who fails to appreciate the nuances of cannabis and all of its qualities, whether they personally use cannabis or not.

When the outside of the plant is dry, it’s best to rehydrate the outside of the bud by drawing the internal moisture there. The best way to achieve this is to place the buds in a sealed container at drying temperature for a short time (for 2 to 24 hours, depending on the quantity) while regularly exchanging the air in the container. The bud again becomes uniform in moisture consistency or dryness. This can be very time consuming and difficult on a large scale, which is why few large commercial growers do it. The homogenized buds are then re-hanged or placed back onto drying racks to repeat the process until the desired moisture level is reached, which should never be “very dry”.

This starts the curing phase. Always be careful to avoid excessive temperatures and watch out for possible signs of mold. When mold is present, it will spread in a warm, humid environment, which is exactly what you don’t want. Properly dried cannabis is fairly easy to cure. After proper drying, the cannabis is again placed in sealed containers to prevent moisture and terpene loss. The closed containers are checked several times a day and all the air in the container is exchanged for fresh air.

At this point, the correct moisture content is closely monitored. If a container is opened and the buds are overly soggy, the container will remain open until the desired moisture level is reached, or the contents can be placed on the drying rack and closely monitored.

This process is repeated over and over again until the perfect, even, desired moisture and moisture level is achieved. And therein lies the art.

Want the truth about fast drying cannabis? We think you can handle it. So, in this blog, we’ve rounded up the best ways to get you a quick post-harvest stash. We can’t promise perfection, but these methods will speed up the drying process and give you decent bud to hit.

OK, so you have cannabis plants about to be harvested and not enough marijuana reserves to get you through the typical time span of 30+ days between harvest and the final cured product. Maybe you don’t even have a stash to last the average 1-2 weeks it takes to dry bud the traditional way? Or maybe you’re just curious if your flowers are ready to harvest or not? Regardless of your personal motivations, there are many ways to dry cannabis quickly. The problem is that the most popular quick drying methods degrade the buds so much that they’re hardly worth the effort.

Our readers deserve better. Not only will we share easy ways to dry sinsemilla quickly without ruining your fridge. We’ve also included a sticky surprise in the text for those cannabis concentrate lovers looking for tastier extracts with the fresh, non-dried material.

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BROWN BAGS AND COMPUTER FANS

Plain brown paper bags, like the ones you get from a bakery, are perfect for drying buds. Especially popcorn buds. If you put a handful or two of freshly manicured smaller nuggets in a paper bag and let them dry for 2-3 days, you’re halfway there. Ideally, let them dry completely for another 3 days. But if you are in a hurry, go to the next step.

Next, turn on your laptop and find where the fan is. Modern laptops all have fans that expel warm air to keep the internal workings of the device cool. Place the small semi-dry nuggets on a paper towel on the keyboard. Or on a paper towel just in front of the vents if you have a model that vents some other way. Turn the buds over about every 10 minutes until they feel dry to the touch. This may take an hour or more, but the buds will still pack a punch. Don’t expect a full bouquet of aromas or delicious taste, rather an acceptable if slightly harsh tasting smoke.

CONVERT THE BOILER ROOM INTO A DRY BOX

Most private households have a boiler room. The kettle inside keeps the boiler room temperature fairly cozy and relative humidity is minimal. This is a great place to dry cannabis quickly. It is best to place all small buds in brown bags, but larger buds can be hung with string as you normally would when drying. The big difference is that you turn up the heat by turning on the water heater. You can completely dry huge crops in 3 days if you keep the hot water on most of the time. This is sure to skyrocket the utility bills. With normal use, expect the small buds to be dry enough to smoke in just 3–4 days, with thicker hanging colas taking 6–7 days. This method has less of an impact on quality than most, but the buds still won’t taste fantastic.

ALTERNATIVE: GO LIVE

The dabbing trend of 2018 is live resin concentrates. Even the most potent extracts like wax and shatter still have room for improvement. Using fresh frozen flower instead of carefully dried and cured bud is the breakthrough US extract artists have made to create gourmet concentrates with far more terpenes. Something is definitely lost in the transition with standard BHO extraction methods. Live resin features the same sky-high potency with a vastly improved flavor profile. Unfortunately, this is probably out of reach for the average home gardener. The cannabis needs to be kept at sub-critical temperatures throughout the extraction process, and you really need laboratory conditions and equipment to achieve this. Nonetheless, it’s a premium treat coming to all good cannabis clubs, cafes, and dispensaries in 2018. Be on the lookout for names like “sauce,” “juice,” and “sirup” that appear on the menu.

SUN-DRIED WEED

Outdoor ganja farmers have dried marijuana placed on rocks in direct sunlight for thousands of years. It’s certainly not the most efficient way to dry cannabis, but it works. Both heat and sunlight affect quality. However, if you want to dry small buds quickly and it’s hot and sunny outside, you could do worse than toss a handful of popcorn buds into a brown bag and dry them in the sun. It’s best to use a rock to weigh down the bag of buds in direct sunlight, you don’t want a gust of wind sweeping your weed. Then you play the waiting game. After a day or two of warm, dry, sunny weather, you should have some crispy buds to puff on. Again, flavor and potency have deteriorated, so you won’t get the most out of your marijuana with this method.

DESPERATE MEASURES

Baking buds in the oven is a terrible idea. Just do not. It really is a waste of weed. Oven temperatures are way, way, way too hot for cannabis. Even on low – still too hot. Sure, the buds will dry up in minutes, but you’ve also boiled away most of the cannabinoids. These buds taste like burnt plant matter and won’t get you high.

Microwave marijuana is another guaranteed disappointment. Destroying buds with 10-second bursts in the microwave is a disastrous way to dry weed. These methods are probably “the big book of bad ideas” and should be avoided.

We give you some important tips to preserve the aroma and terpenes of your favorite herb. In fact, there’s a lot you can do at all stages of cultivation—be it pre-harvest, post-harvest, or even beyond—to avoid stale smoke that tastes lousy and strains your lungs.

In order to preserve the aroma of your cannabis, you need to preserve the trichomes. And by save the trichomes, we mean save your terpenes. Terpenes give the cannabis plant its distinctive aroma, and they have many enemies in the world that can destroy them, making your buds smell and taste dull.

After your cannabis plants are harvested, these volatile compounds will begin to break down, but there are several steps and tips you can follow to avoid – or at least delay – this process. If you get this right, your cannabis buds will actually have a long shelf life, smell and taste better, and even have a stronger effect.

Some of these tips even start while you’re still growing your cannabis, but most apply to the post-harvest stages – and some actually relate to how you use your buds once they’re fully cured.

Let’s dive into these helpful tips!

This tip applies to all phases of your cannabis cultivation; from the growing process to trimming to drying and curing. If you keep touching your plant’s sugar leaves and buds during growth, you will already have lost a lot of trichomes in the process. Your fingers will smell great, but that’s because you’re destroying the trichomes that protect the terpenes.

Also, avoid too much movement when trimming. Of course, you’ll need to be holding something to manicure your buds perfectly, but just be gentle with them. The same principle applies to the drying and curing process. Do not shake the buds in the jars or touch them all the time as this will only cause the trichomes to fall off and leave you with a diminished end product.

DO THE WASHING UP

Before you can harvest, you need to flush your cannabis properly to remove excess nutrients that have accumulated during the growing process. This results in a smoother smoke that burns evenly and tastes better as the aroma and flavor can penetrate better. You can tell a good flush by the color of the ash. Light gray or white ash indicates thorough rinsing. Black ash signals otherwise.

The right time to start flushing depends on your growing style. If you are growing in soil, it is recommended to flush your plants with pure water 2 weeks before harvest time. If you grow hydroponically, you should flush your plants 10 days before harvest. Only with an organic, soil-based growing style you don’t have to flush your plants for a long time. But you still need to give them pure water at least a week before the chop.

TRIM

When your cannabis is ready to harvest, you need to choose whether you want to “wet” or “dry” trim it. Wet trimming means that you cut your cannabis plant stem by stem right after harvest and hang it upside down for the drying process. Dry trimming involves hanging the whole plant in the drying room after harvest and then trimming it when dry.

If you want to get as many terpenes as possible, you should opt for the wet trimming method. This way you save the most trichomes. If you dry trim you will likely lose a lot of trichomes because they tend to fall off much more easily. Also, you really need to handle the buds to trim them properly.

DRY

This step is crucial to get superior buds at the end of the process. After trimming your cannabis, it needs to dry to get rid of the moisture in the buds. Not only does this prevent problems with mold and mildew, but it also results in exceptional aroma and flavor. Light and humidity are the two main enemies here, so dry your cannabis in a cool and dark place with a temperature of 15–22°C and a humidity of around 50%. If the temperature is too high (above 26°C), your terpenes will start to vaporize, which is something you want to avoid at all costs. This can happen when drying in hot summer conditions.

How long you need to dry your cannabis depends on your drying environment. Most growers dry their cannabis for 3-7 days, but there are some that dry for as long as 14 days. The quick test will let you know when the buds are ready to be filled into jars. Check your cannabis stems or branches regularly. If they break easily, they’re dry enough to continue to the next step. If they bend, it means they still contain too much moisture. For more information on drying, see our comprehensive article on the subject.

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CURING

Some growers will say that the product is ready at this stage, but for the best possible aroma you should definitely go the long way and cure your cannabis properly. This gives it the final touch and refines it so that you end up smoking deliciously smelling and tasting weed.

Additionally, this process increases the overall potency and cannabinoid effectiveness of your buds. So, don’t skip it! To cure your cannabis, add your buds loosely in wide-mouth mason jars with an airtight seal. If you’re growing different strains, don’t just pack them all together in one jar; Separate them to get the most out of each variety. Avoid using plastic bags for the curing process. You increase the risk of mold and mildew, plus you don’t want your prized buds coming into contact with harmful microplastic particles. Additionally, due to their shape, the buds in these pouches will be squashed, which will ultimately result in the loss of many trichomes and terpenes.

The temperature in your glasses should be around 21°C with a humidity of around 60%. There are several means on the market to ensure that these conditions are met over time, such as: B. Moisture packs. For the first two weeks, open or “burp” the jars once or twice a day to exchange air and inspect your buds. You should notice the smell of your buds improving over time. After two weeks, your buds should be dry enough to leave them in the jars without opening them all the time. But the healing process is still ongoing. Most growers say cannabis is properly cured after 4 weeks. But some heal even for several months. We also have a great article on curing.

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USE A GRINDER

Even after you’ve successfully dried and cured your cannabis, there are still a few things you need to keep in mind when preparing and using your bud in order to get the best aroma and smoking experience. Using a grinder will release the pleasant aroma of your firm and dense nuggets. Don’t break your buds apart with your fingers like a Neanderthal. This will only make your fingers sticky from all that resin you now have on your hands instead of in your head or joint.

LIGHTER ALTERNATIVES

Most stoners use regular lighters because they’re convenient and easy to get. But these lighters use butane for their flame. Not only is butane unhealthy, it also masks the terpene profile of your smoke. Trust us, you don’t want that! There are several alternatives to lighters. You can use a hemp wick or a plasma lighter for a natural flavor and less harmful smoke.

CLEAN SMOKING ACCESSORIES

For maximum aroma and flavor, always ensure you are using clean smoking accessories. By this we mean that you should clean your pipes and bongs regularly. Why? Because nothing ruins the aroma of a perfectly dried and cured bud quite as effectively as a disgusting, foul-smelling smoking device. And always go for glass gadgets, because other materials will spoil your experience with their unpleasant taste.

If you prefer to smoke joints, choose rolling papers made from natural materials and without any chemicals or additives. Don’t spoil your aroma and flavor with papers that are loaded with chlorine and taste like newspaper. Unrefined options won’t alter the flavor of your joint. Companies like RAW, Smoking, and others offer you various options that are skinny, natural, unrefined, and even vegan. Some options actually use hemp instead of regular paper.

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Q: If I give my plants light all day, they grow faster, right? I guess all I have to do is leave the lights on and they turn into monsters!

A: In general, you should not leave grow lights on 24/7. Plants need a light-dark cycle to develop properly. It’s thought that they really “rest” during times of darkness and likely use that time to transport nutrients to their extremities while they pause in growth.

With this simple fact in mind, you should also know that most plants expect at least 12 hours of light per day, all at varying intensities. Check your plant guides for the specific sunlight needs of your hydroponic plants as they grow and flower.

Of course, you can ensure your plants always get the right amount of light by setting a timer for the lights above your hydroponic garden. With a timer, you no longer have to worry about turning it on or off.

Slips during the flowering phase can seriously affect the size and quality of your harvest. However, with a few simple tricks, you are guaranteed a great harvest every time.

When the light cycle offers your cannabis plants longer hours of uninterrupted darkness, they enter the flowering phase. Your plants will stop growing and instead put their energy into producing buds (flowers). Outdoors, this usually happens as the days get shorter towards the end of summer. If you grow indoors, flowering will begin as soon as you switch your lights to 10–12 hours of darkness.

Most cannabis strains take around 7-9 weeks to flower, although some sativas take even longer to mature their buds.

What happens during flowering and at what exact time can vary somewhat depending on the strain you’re growing. So don’t expect your plants to follow this schedule to the last detail; Think of it more as a general guideline to use as a guide. Let’s look at the flowering phase of cannabis week by week.

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The first few weeks of flowering (weeks 1, 2 and 3)

When flowering begins, it is not an abrupt change in the growth of your plants. Cannabis will not just stop growing and then flower immediately. In fact, during those first few weeks of flowering, many cannabis strains can go through a significant growth phase. This is important to know when it comes to feeding your plants properly, but also when you want to give them adequate space to grow.

(Week 1) (Week 2) (Week 3)

Week 1 (transition and stretching)

In the very first few weeks of flowering, your cannabis plants are in the transition phase. If you think winter isn’t far away and she’s going to have to carry a big load of buds soon, chances are your plant will grow quickly. Some strains can almost double during this time. Due to the rapid growth your plant is now going through, this early flowering phase is also known as the stretching phase.

As your plant works some overtime to gain size and height, it will grow a number of new leaves, mainly at the top of the main buds. Your cannabis plant is busy growing “green stuff” like leaves and stems so it can grow stronger and more resilient.

Important things to know at this early stage of flowering.

Although your plant has officially entered the flowering phase, it will now have an increased need for growing nutrients. Don’t abruptly change your nutrient schedule and use bloom nutrients from one day to the next. It is usually recommended that you continue to give growth nutrients for at least another week after flowering begins.

With early flowering cannabis stretching, you may want to consider training techniques such as low stress training (LST). This is where you bend the stems down and away from the center of the plant so you get an even canopy for more efficient use of your grow lights. This allows you to achieve significantly better yields later.

week 2

In week 2 of flowering you can see the first white pistils growing on your female cannabis plants. These fine and thin white hairs develop where the large fan leaves meet the main stem. These fine hairs later become buds.

If your cannabis plant happens to be male, it won’t grow these “hairs” but will instead grow small pollen sacs. If you’re growing regular, non-feminized plants that you don’t know the sex of, now is the time to “sex” your plants so you can separate the males from the females. The males will not form buds and will also pollinate your females, causing them to grow seeds. That’s something you don’t want.

To properly nourish your plants as soon as they start flowering and to initiate the first signs of bud growth, you should check your nutrient manufacturer’s schedule. Typically around this time in week 2 you will need to increase flower nutrients for your plants to reach their maximum yield potential.

week 3

Your cannabis plants still haven’t quite stopped growing and will now be around 50% larger than they were three weeks ago. Although the track is still stretching somewhat, it will now gradually slow down and soon come to a complete standstill.

In the places on the plant where you previously saw some hairs, you can now see the first signs of real buds developing. There still won’t be many resin glands and trichomes on your plants, which means the smell won’t be too overpowering just yet.

This stage of flowering, when your plant begins to expend more and more energy on growing buds, is particularly critical. Make sure the nutrients you are giving are appropriate and check labels for recommended dosages.

As your plants become fussier, you should look for potential defects, which can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, such as: B. discolored, yellowed leaves or complete loss of leaves. At the same time, you should also check your plants for signs of possible overfeeding (“nutrient burn”), which could also be showing up around this time. Nutrient burn usually shows up as discoloration of the leaf tips. In this case, you need to limit feeding.

(Week 4) (Week 5)

week 4

By week 4 of the flowering phase, your cannabis plants will likely have stopped growing altogether and are now devoting all of their energy to growing buds. There will still be white hairs sticking out of the buds, but the buds themselves are getting bigger and fatter with each passing day. As larger and larger buds grow, your plants will now produce more trichomes, making the smell much more noticeable at this stage.

Since your cannabis plant has stopped growing, you no longer have to worry about training your plants. Where you previously bent branches down, you may now consider holding them up in case they need structural support.

week 5

By week 5 of flowering, you can watch the buds thicken all over your plant. You may also discover new buds growing in new locations, such as along the main cola. With plenty of bud, your cannabis plants will get fatter every day. This is a surefire sign that you are in Thoroughbred mode. At this point, your plant will have a very intense smell. Make sure you have a good ventilation system if you’re growing indoors or in a region that doesn’t allow legal growing.

Some of the previously white pistil hairs on your cannabis plants may now darken to a brownish or amber color. At the same time, if you check your plant’s trichomes, you may notice that some of them are becoming opaque. The trichomes turning milky white and the hairs darkening are all signs that your plants are close to harvest.

(Week 6) (Week 7) (Week 8)

Weeks 6, 7 and 8 (late flowering phase, just before harvest)

Not all cannabis strains take the same amount of time to flower, but many strains will be ready to harvest in those last three weeks. However, there aren’t too many strains that will be ready before week 8.

Flushing your cannabis plants

Depending on the flowering time of your particular strain, the time to flush your cannabis plant is typically two weeks before harvest. When you “flush,” you stop administering nutrients and only give the plant pure, pH-balanced water for those final weeks. This removes (flushes out) salts and minerals from the soil, resulting in better, cleaner-tasting buds. Otherwise, your smoke will be quite pungent and may have an unpleasant, chemical taste.

Check your plants for the right harvest time

To find out when it’s time to harvest your plant, you can use a jeweler’s loupe or small microscope to regularly check your plants’ trichomes. You can watch the trichomes turn from a clear color to a milky white color. If many of the trichomes you see are still clear and transparent, it means it’s still too early to harvest. But when most of the trichomes are amber in color and opaque in clarity, it means that the THC levels of the buds are at their highest and the plant is ready to harvest.

Pro tips for a better harvest

Leading cannabis plants through their flowering phase can be intimidating, especially for inexperienced growers. Follow these simple tips to ensure you always end up with a great harvest:

Video ID: 484384984

sexing your plants

Most growers determine the sex of their plants in the last week of growth or in the first few weeks of flowering. Keep in mind that males develop pollen sacs that look like small balls and will need to be culled or separated from your females if you want to prevent them from being pollinated.

Also keep an eye on your female plants while they are blooming to catch hermaphrodites. While not common, some cannabis plants may develop both female and male flowers, while others may develop stamens (colloquially known as “bananas”) as a last-ditch attempt to set seeds in response to severe stress.

Fix problems before flowering

Being an indoor grower gives you the advantage of being able to control when your plants start flowering. Make sure you use this to your advantage and only flower your plants when they are 100% healthy. You don’t want to correct nutrient deficiencies or fight pests and diseases while your plants are in bloom.

When you grow outdoors, you have less control over when your plants start flowering. Instead, you should pay close attention to the calendar and fix any issues before the end of summer.

Make the transition to flowering as smooth as possible

Flowering plants require different moisture levels and temperatures than growing plants. Rather than changing the temperature, humidity and light cycle all at the same time, we recommend changing the temperature and humidity gradually over two days and then letting your plants get used to these changes by allowing them just a few extra days in vegetative growth before turning phase let your lights.

Get your lighting right

Cannabis plants like red and orange wavelengths (between 580-700nm) during flowering to encourage the maturation of their buds. For best results, use a grow light with this spectrum during the flowering phase.

Do not transplant just before flowering

Transplanting shocks your cannabis plants. Always avoid transplanting just before or during the flowering phase to avoid sacrificing your yield potential.

Cut off excess foliage

Before flowering, be sure to train and trim your cannabis plants a bit to allow as much light as possible to reach their buds. Now, every grower has their own approach to trimming, but we like Kyle Kushman’s advice: “If the tip of a branch doesn’t break at least 50% of the plant’s height, it’s gone.” The idea here is to help your plant to focus their energies only on the bud sites that produce the best product.

Also, remember to always trim yellow or dead foliage during flowering. While your plants should remain lush and green by around week four, some of their leaves will stop thriving as they expend more energy on bud production. This is perfectly normal, and you can safely remove any leaves that turn yellow or dry up completely.

Keep humidity at 45%

Bud rot is a serious problem that can ruin an entire crop. To protect your plants and optimize their growth, keep the relative humidity of your grow room at 45%.

Monitor temperature closely

Flowering cannabis plants like daytime temperatures of 20-23°C and nighttime temperatures of around 15-18°C. Watch out for sudden drops or spikes in temperature as you turn your lights on and off. Sudden drops can shake your plants, while sudden surges can cause condensation to form on the surfaces of your buds, causing bud rot.

Use a carbon-filtered airflow system

Supplementing with CO₂ during flowering can increase growth and yield. If you can, aim to keep CO₂ levels at 1,000–1,200ppm during flowering.

Avoid nutrient bur

You cannot compensate for the nutrient burn during flowering. Make sure you follow a strict feeding schedule and remember to stop feeding and flushing your plants two weeks before harvest.

Support heavy buds

It’s not uncommon for flowering plants to buckle under the weight of their buds. Use bamboo sticks and twine to support heavily used branches and ensure they get as much light as possible.

Avoid minor burns

As with nutrient burn, you cannot compensate for light burn during flowering. Remember to keep your lights well clear of the top of your canopy. Lightburn not only damages healthy foliage, but can lead to calcium deficiency in the early flowering phase. If the tops of your plants start to bleach during flowering, you probably need to raise your lights!

Use fulvic acid during pre-flowering

Using fulvic acid in the late veg/early bloom phase can help increase the size of your buds early on. Also, remember to give your plants more calcium during flowering, in both hydro and soil cultures.

Happy budding!

Growing weed can seem complicated and challenging. Cannabis plants are delicate, after all, and a single slip during the flowering phase can seriously affect the size and quality of your yield. To guarantee a great harvest every time, remember to bookmark this flowering stage guide and review it before turning on your next batch of plants!

LED grow lights are becoming increasingly popular and are a great choice when buying a new grow light system or upgrading your old fluorescent light. This post on LED grow light myths will save you time and money.

As with any new technology, there are many myths about LED grow lights. Some are started due to a lack of knowledge from the general public, but many are started by manufacturers trying to sell their product. Some of them prefer to keep us in the dark so they can make outrageous claims, but the better companies don’t. We must do our part and become educated consumers so that we can properly evaluate both the message being sent and the product itself.

Do not buy LED grow lights until you have read this entire post.

Myth #1: Watts indicate brightness

For incandescent and fluorescent lighting, watts were a good measure of a light’s brightness. A 100 watt bulb was always brighter than a 60 watt bulb. Not so with LEDs. Lower wattage can produce more light.

The wattage of an LED grow light tells you how much electricity it uses and therefore the ongoing cost of running the light, but it tells you very little about how bright the light is or how suitable the light is for growing plants.

LED Grow Lights – The Myth About Watts For a more detailed discussion of watts see:

Myth #2: You can use a simple watts-per-area rule

How many watts do you need per square foot of growing area? Consumers want to know, and manufacturers are more than happy to give you a rule, e.g. B. Seedlings require 15 watts per square foot. You can find similar rules for other types of plants, but none of them mean much.

As explained above, watts are not equal to the amount of light. But more importantly, watts says nothing about the quality of the light (i.e. the wavelength of the light). What you really want to know is the PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) for a given point under the grow light.

As a general guide, you can use these values:

100-300 PPFD for seedlings

200-600 PPFD for vegetative growth

600-1,000 PPFD for flowering

800-2,000 PPFD for sunlight (depending on altitude, location, etc.)

600 – 1,600 PPFD for full tone

Plants can be damaged with more than 800 PPFD.

Myth #3: PAR is a measure of light intensity

You will have trouble finding a PPFD value for most lamps. LED shop lights will not offer this value as they are not sold specifically for plant growth. Many LED grow lights won’t give you this value because they sell you by the watts and instead want to give you this value – don’t buy from these companies.

The other reason you will have trouble finding a PPFD value is that many people equate PPFD with PAR. They provide PPFD values ​​but call them PAR values. They just don’t understand what PAR means – it’s a measure of light quality, not intensity.

If the product doesn’t advertise a PPFD value but does show you a PAR value, you can usually assume it’s the same thing. The units should be μmol/m2/s.

Myth #4: PAR measures the light needs of plants

When used correctly, the term PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) describes the light spectra between 400 and 700 nm used by plants. Since plants use more blue and red light, these colors are weighted more heavily than yellow and green.

PAR is a way of measuring light quality from the plants perspective. It doesn’t measure quantity.

PAR ignores the light that plants use below 400 nm and above 700 nm.

Myth #5: LEDs are 100% efficient

A common misconception about LED lights is that they convert electricity into light 100% efficiently. Granted, they’re more efficient than older technologies like incandescent and fluorescent lighting, but they’re not 100% efficient.

Myth #6: LEDs don’t generate heat

In theory, LED lights could convert all electricity into light, but that only works in storybooks. In real life, an LED converts 20% or more of the electricity into heat.

A luminaire with 100 individual LED bulbs generates a lot of heat. The lights are designed so that most of this heat exits the back of the light and is conducted away from the plant. Larger units also include fans that blow away the heat. This is important as heat shortens the lifespan of LED bulbs.

Myth #7: Higher wattage bulbs are better

LED bulbs – the individual units that emit the light come in different wattages. 1, 3, 5, 10 watt bulbs are common. This leads to another myth. It’s often said that a 3 watt fixture doesn’t produce as much light as a 5 watt fixture – so the 5 watt fixture must be better. It’s not that easy.

Most lamps are not operated at 100% efficiency. Higher wattage bulbs tend to run at lower efficiencies because they generate too much heat at higher efficiencies. So a 5 watt bulb can give off the same amount of light as a 3 watt bulb.

The wattage of the bulb doesn’t say much.

Higher wattage bulbs are newer technology and generally cost more. They can also have a shorter lifespan. With current technology, your best value is a 3 watt bulb. It’s a good compromise between efficiency, reliability and cost.

A newer technology called COB-LED (chip-on-board-LED) is more efficient, longer-lasting, but more expensive. At the moment I think the technology is too new and still has problems. A potential benefit of this technology is that it allows the manufacturer to produce longer trails of light, similar to a traditional 4-foot fluorescent lamp. In this configuration, it would cover a larger area for home use. Manufacturers haven’t taken advantage of this feature, perhaps because of the higher shipping cost for a larger unit, but there are some DIY systems worth checking out, like the one pictured here, created by Ichabod Crane in International Canagraphic Magazine.

Myth #8: Mimicking sunlight is best

Plants evolved under the sun, so we assume sunlight is what plants want. It is not. Much of the yellow and green light in sunlight is not used by plants.

Advertising a plant growth light because it has “the same light spectra as the sun” clearly shows that the company doesn’t understand plant light.

Myth #9: White light is better than burple

“Burple” is the industry name for the light produced by many LED grow lights. As most of these lights contain a lot

of blue and red bulbs, the result is a burple.

Traditionally we have always grown plants under white light, and outside they grow under yellow-white sunlight. It’s natural to think that white light is better for growing plants – it’s not.

The best light is one that produces the wavelengths of light plants need in the relative amounts plants need. They use more blue and red and less yellow and green. It doesn’t have to look white.

Myth #10: Inverse-Square Rule Intensity Decay

As light moves away from the source, the light spreads and the intensity at a given point is reduced. This follows the inverse square rule, doubling the distance reduces the intensity to 1/4. If you move a plant from 1 foot under the light to 2 feet, it will get 1/4 as much light.

This rule works for point light sources, but most LED lights contain many LED bulbs, so they are not a point light source. Therefore, the rule does not apply to LED lights.

The other complication is that the rule works well in the real world only directly under the light source. If you move to the sides, the rule does not apply either.

As it is important to know how much light you are getting at each point under the fixture, the manufacturer should provide you with this information as shown in the chart below

Myth #11: Coverage claims are true

What is the growing area under an LED light? This is an important question as it determines how many plants you can grow and varies from lamp to lamp.

Manufacturers try to help you by giving a “value for coverage area” and saying something like coverage area is 8 square feet. That sounds great, but that number means absolutely nothing. When you raise a light higher, it covers a larger area. So if they don’t also provide the height of the light and the light intensity values ​​over that entire area, the coverage area number is worthless.

Let’s take a closer look. The diagram below shows the coverage area for a Viparspectra Par 700 luminaire. You are viewing the grow area from above the light and the numbers are the PPFD values ​​at specific points under the light with the light hanging 60cm above the grow area.

Note that they refer to PAR values ​​- but they are actually PPFD values ​​in μmol/m2/s.

The specifications for this light indicate a coverage area of ​​”Core Coverage at 24″ Height is 4x3ft”. The reason this area is longer than it is wide is because the shape of the light is a rectangle. It doesn’t make sense that the above diagram shows circles and squares for a rectangular light, but let’s assume the numbers are right.

Directly under the light you have a PPFD of 780, which is plenty of light to make any plant grow and flower. Let’s say you want to cover a 3 x 3 foot area, the light at the edges of that growing area has a PPFD of between 30 and 200. That’s enough to grow seedlings, but not much more.

Let’s look at this from a different perspective. Let’s assume that after thorough research you decide that you want to provide a minimum PPFD of 300. This reduces the growing area under this light to a 2 x 2 foot area, and even then the corners will only get about 200 PPFD. So for your requirements (i.e. 300 PPFD) your coverage area is 2ft x 2ft, not the advertised 4ft x 3ft.

Without seeing this light distribution chart and knowing the height at which the values ​​were measured, the coverage area in the specs is of little help. At least Viparspectra provides this information; Many manufacturers don’t. If not, don’t buy from them.

Myth #12: PAR 20, PAR 30, etc.

This isn’t really a myth, but it does confuse things. PAR 20 and PAR 30 are lamp size designations and PAR in this case stands for Parabolic Aluminized Reflector. It describes the shape and size of the lamp and has nothing to do with the quality of the light. PAR 20 and PAR 30 are common sizes for light bulbs used in the home.

The confusion arises because these sizes are now being manufactured as LED home lights. These are not suitable for growing more than a single plant.

Myth #13: Plants don’t use green light

A little factual information can easily lead to wrong conclusions. Plants look green because they reflect green light and absorb red and blue. That makes sense and it follows that they don’t use green light when they reflect it.

The absorption spectra for extracted chlorophyll show peaks in the blue and red zones but no green light absorption. Again we conclude that plants do not use green light for photosynthesis.

We’re wrong. Some green light (about 500nm) is absorbed by plants, and if we look at photosynthesis in a whole leaf instead of extracted chlorophyll, it’s clear that green light contributes to photosynthesis.

We now know that plants grow best with a broad spectrum that includes all wavelengths, including the near IR and maybe even the near UV. A good LED grow light offers a broad spectrum that includes some green light.

Myth #14: LED lights cannot harm plants

LED lights tend to generate less heat than older technologies and their light intensity is relatively low. This has led to the conclusion that you can put plants as close to the lights as you like and you won’t burn them.

The reality is that modern LED grow lights can produce very high levels of light and can lead to photo fading and burnt leaves. This is very plant dependent, but a PPFD of 800 is enough to damage some plants.

Myth #15 Blue is for vegetables, red is for flowers

This was a myth even with fluorescent technology, but it persists with LED. People who used cool white (more blue light) bulbs used to add a few bulbs (very red light) when the plants were about to flower. It was thought that red light was needed to initiate the flowering process.

Some of the early LED lights were red and blue, and it naturally followed that the blue ones were best for vegetables and the red ones for flowers. There are even lights that let you switch between a vegetable mode (more blue bulbs on) and a flower mode (more red bulbs on).

The reality is that plants grow and bloom best with both blue and red light all the time. For production you might want to fine tune this at different stages of a grow cycle, but for home use we can ignore it.

Myth #16: The more lumens, the better

Lumens are a measure of light intensity, so it’s logical to think that a grow light with more lumens is better. The problem is that lumens measure intensity based on the human eye and we see green and yellow light much better than red and blue.

Consider this extreme case where the light is only yellow. People see a lot of light and therefore get a high lumen rating. But plants don’t use yellow light very well, so that light is very low intensity for a plant.

Lumens are great for evaluating light intensity for your home, but it’s mostly useless for evaluating LED grow lights.

Myth #17: LED store lights won’t grow plants

Some of the early LED shop lights didn’t produce much light and weren’t suitable for growing crops, apart from some very low light requirements. That has all changed. The newer LED shop lights provide plenty of light for seedlings and low plants like lettuce and African violets.

You can purchase complete systems including the reflectors, or you can purchase 4 foot long LED tubes that replace traditional fluorescent lighting so you can continue to use the fixtures you have. Even better, the price of these has come down a lot.

Myth #18: The Kelvin shift from summer to winter is important

Fluorescent tubes and the new LED shop lights measure the light color using a Kelvin (K) scale. A blue-white has a higher Kelvin value than a red-white. Because the Kelvin is a unit of measure for temperature, these lights are also known as cool and warm.

The light in spring is bluer and the light in autumn is redder. Some people believe it’s a good idea to mimic this natural shift by using bluer light (6500 Kelvin) in spring and redder light (3500 Kelvin) in autumn.

There is a real color shift in the northern and southern hemispheres because sunlight has to penetrate more of the atmosphere in winter, but the change from spring to fall is only 300-500K. That’s not significant enough to justify changing lights with the seasons.

In the world of LED grow lights, Kelvin means very little. It’s much better to compare actual spectra, but they can be hard to come by. Some manufacturers show them on their website.

References:

photo source; Tyler Nienhouse

Ms Menon said: “These rooms should be independently heated and ventilated. It harks back very much to the ventilation cabinets that we’ve seen in more historic forms of housing.”

As winter approaches, doctors warn that wet laundry dried indoors can pose a serious health risk for people with compromised immune systems or severe asthma.

Experts have found that clothing placed on drying frames or draped over warm radiators increases humidity in our homes by up to 30 percent, creating ideal breeding conditions for mold spores — and particularly one called Aspergillus fumigatus, which causes potentially deadly lung infections can .

Father of three, Bolton resident Craig Mather knows firsthand the damage it can do. For years he dried laundry in his bedroom and thought nothing of it. But when he contracted tuberculosis in 1997, the disease weakened his lungs and aggravated the problems he had after childhood asthma.

Craig, a 43-year-old fast food executive, explains: “I only began to recover when my doctor diagnosed chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and prescribed me special medication to fight the fungal infection. However, I did notice fits of coughing and night sweats – especially when drying wet laundry on the warm bedroom heater.

“He told me it could make my problems worse, so for the past 12 months I haven’t dried my clothes indoors and I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my health. I can’t do strenuous physical activity, but I’m off the medication and only have to go to the clinic for check-ups every four months – and I can ride my bike again.”

Professor David Denning and his team from the National Aspergillosis Center in Manchester have issued the wet washing warning after treating a growing number of patients who have developed the disease by inhaling the Aspergillus fungus spores.

dr Denning, Professor of Infectious Diseases in Global Health at the University of Manchester, explains: “It is estimated that up to 87 per cent of us dry our clothes indoors in winter. A load of wet laundry contains almost two liters of water that is released into the room.

“Most of us are either immune to the fungus that grows in these humid conditions, or have a healthy enough system to fight the infection. But in asthmatics it can cause coughing and wheezing, and in people with weak or compromised immune systems, like cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, AIDS patients, and people like Craig who have an autoimmune disease, the fungus can cause pneumonia A condition that can cause irreparable and sometimes fatal damage to the lungs and sinuses.

“My advice would be, when in doubt, to dry wet laundry outside, in a tumble dryer or in a well-ventilated indoor space away from sleeping and living areas.

“Be careful, don’t be sorry,” he adds.

Notes for editors

For more information please contact Susan Osborne, Director of Communications at The Goodwork Organization on 07836 229208.

The best solution for drying laundry

A drying room is the optimal solution for laundry rooms in apartment buildings and it’s no secret that El-Björn loves drying room solutions. A drying room is efficient, has a large capacity and is easy to hang clothes in. It dries the laundry without mechanical wear or high temperatures that could damage the fabric. A drying room is easy to keep clean and is also great for drying unwashed clothes. The drying room can be tailored to the space available and your needs in terms of drying time and energy efficiency.

WHAT YOU NEED TO CREATE AN EFFICIENT DRYING ROOM

In order to dry clothes and gear efficiently, it is important that the relative humidity in a drying room remains low enough to allow water from the wet items to evaporate into the air. This can be difficult in a room that’s empty one minute and full of wet and dripping clothes the next.

A drying room dehumidifier removes moisture from the air, allowing more moisture to be absorbed by the clothing or equipment in the room. Without a dehumidifier, the air in the room would quickly reach the saturation point and moisture would no longer be absorbed from the clothing, or only very slowly.

Very high humidity can also lead to condensation on colder surfaces in the room, increased mold and possible corrosion in the area.

Dry rooms are used in many different commercial applications.