A customer has a question or concerns and I hope we can get some opinions on it, thanks
“Hello, I have a question that I feel only a team of seasoned marijuana farmers/growers can possibly answer. We are going to be harvesting our marijuana from the seeds we ordered from your website and we have been playing around with the idea of freeze drying the buds. We have somewhat scoured the web trying to find out if it has been done, how it has been done, and most importantly, was it successful. There is a consumer sized freeze dryer on the market which we have thought about getting for all our other crops as well but would jump at the idea if we knew we could freeze dry our weed! From what we have found was that it is possible but there isn’t much info available. Do you dry after you harvest then freeze dry? Do you dry and cure then freeze dry? Or could you harvest, trim then freeze dry and skip drying and curing? I’m not sure if you have any experience with this but the science behind the freeze drying process seems plausible. I would appreciate any help you could give on the matter.”
The simple answer is yes you could do it
Why are you wanting to do it is another question that comes to my mind ???
As you know you’ll need special equipment since you can’t freeze dry in you home freezer
If you going to invest in this for long term storage Imo i think you’d be wasting your $ personally and most likely why there isn’t much info on it
Happy growing CB
Freeze drying essentially removes ALL Moisture. That being said, to make the cannabis ready to use, you would have to rehydrate it with the boveda packs or equivalent to the desired 62% moisture content. Perfectly doable. I’ve actually considered the same, and know which home freeze dryer they’re talking about. Just don’t have one. This process might make it easier to make wax, or oil since there’s no water to remove during the process.
I heard recently that you should NOT put your cannabis in the freezer after cure, as freezing can damage the trichomes; make them brittle and fall off. Might the same be true for freeze drying?
@arpeggio I think they would use the freeze dryer to actually cure it. This would ensure a complete moisture evacuation, and no mold issues. I dont know about the trichomes falling off, that could still happen, but then you would have trichomes on the tray. What about the process where you utilize dry ice for one of the processes? Kind of the same thing, except you’re dehydrating if first.
@arpeggio your right unless your going to process the bud further you should freeze it keeping it in fridge will keep it fresh or just vacuum sealing for long term will be best
I would still suggest standard drying and curing process prior to freeze dry the slow drying process adds to flavor and quality breaking down starches and sugars. A plant remains alive and continues to process sugars even after cut which increases terpins and reduces hay like burn and taste if dried too fast the process is disrupted. For long term storage freeze drying is fine but lets not discount years of refining that resulted in product being smoother and having better taste.
When I asked the question I was interested only in freeze drying for long term storage. We have looked into the harvest time units for all of our other crops and got interested in the idea of doing our cannibus. Being that there is no moisture left in the bud there is no possibility of mold (long term) but a main concern was that the freeze drying process elevates the temp of what’s being freeze dried to then have the vacuum pull out the oxygen and moisture. The process leaves all “nutritional” value intact, so I also wondered do you even need to reconstitute the weed to smoke/vaporize? Because the only thing missing is H2O.
I also have a (Harvet Right) food freeze dryer and was wondering about using for the curing process. Less time, less space & less chance of getting caught, (live in OH/not legal to grow). My question is: does this affect the strength of the THC or CBD or make a difference in flavor or uses. Before I get involved in growing I need to cover all my bases, I’m 70 years old and don’t want to go to jail!
@graceanwelcome to the forum. I don’t think it will affect strength, but it may affect terpene profiles.
I would refer back to donaldj’s post a little farther up.
Cannabis is best retaining 62% moisture, and a freeze dryer removes all of it. I’m not saying it won’t work, but you may end up with something that doesnt smell as fragrant as you first had.
Thanks. This is all so new to me and really quite confusing. I live in a mobil home (in a mobil home park) so not much privacy or room. Just am not sure I can keep everything away from nosey neighbors. I was interested in growing for med use, cause product from the dispenseries is so expensive here in OH. I am starting to wonder if I will be saving money or not.
Lighting is the most expensive part of investment of growing. After the initial investment it will pay for itself after another grow or two.
My lights paid for itself the first grow with them. A lot better.
I understand your concern for privacy, I live in a similar situation. Carbon filters for smell can be lifesavers. @gracean
Thanks. I do not plan on selling. For personal use only. My place has 2 bathrooms with skylights. Thought I could use one for my grow room. How would I use the filters? Would the skylights be enough light? They get full sun and are directly over the bath tub, but no other windows.
I don’t recommend using the skylights as you would have very large plants in your room. They don’t allow enough light in. They wouldn’t start to flower until after summer, when the days start getting shorter. @gracean
Carbon filters with an exhaust fan filter out the smell. This is what I have in my room. Energy efficient fan, with a large enough filter, properly rated for air flow.
Can Lite Carbon Filter With Pre Filter, 6-Inch 600 Cubic Feet Per Minute
AC Infinity CLOUDLINE T6, Quiet 6” Inline Duct Fan with Temperature Humidity Controller - Ventilation Exhaust Fan for Heating Cooling Booster, Grow Tents, Hydroponics
the light is a big part of your setup with that said Im just doing this for the first time but Im way over budget.lol Its this thing and that thing that add up.
i might be late on this topic but will appreciate if you could tell me your best setting for the freeze dryer. Did the boveda work? read alot and most people complain freeze drying makes the buds too dry to smoke.( hence my boveda question if it works i think its a win win)
NB: recently acquired (HARVEST RIGHT) small . if anyone has the perfect setting to cure cannabis in Harvest right, info will be appreciated
You would be correct. Freeze drying removes 99% of all moisture. Some people prefer the flower dryer for smoking. I like 52%-62% for vaping flower. The most beneficial the freeze drying process would be for is extracting. Moisture is not your friend with any extracting. With alcohol, butane, or even pressing.
I can’t assist you with what setting to use, I don’t have one, but know exactly which model you have, as I’ve looked at all of them. Any of the pharmaceutical ones have more adjustments available to preserve more terpene content. The small food version I think will work just fine, but not as many adjustments. @420chemist
CB
