It seems counterintuitive to add water to cannabis bud; so why would anyone want to do that to perfectly good pot? There are several reasons. Some growers may not have dried their herb properly, dried it too long or failed to flush before harvest.
But some savvy growers know a few secrets many would dismiss as lunacy. While the majority of weed is air dried, water curing is an alternative method of curing your marijuana. Let me start by saying while this may not be for everyone, it is important to understand why you may want to try it.
While searching the net about proper curing methods, I came across several posters who claimed that water curing was the best way to clean smoke. The claims were consistent across all media; this was the best way to get the purest smoking experience possible in the least amount of time. I had never heard of it and decided to try it out. I had questions. Why would anyone want to add water when removing water is the way to cure plants? Does it decrease the potency? Does it change the looks, weight or smell of the bud? I found only a few good articles regarding this magical “cure, ” and they set my mind at ease. Before my first attempt, more research was necessary. I read all the articles and watched all the videos I could find.
As with any alternative method, naysayers will be skeptical. Video comments I read were harsh, and some were downright cruel. “You’re an idiot,” one commenter quipped. “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard. Only a fool would use water then wash away all the THC-filled trichomes down the drain, you stupid shit”. It’s shortsighted comments like these that show a lack of understanding about the science of cannabis.
As for downsides, there are always some. Water cured marijuana tends to lose much its signature stink, along with taste, so for those who enjoy the flavor of a strong bong or pipe hit won’t get that satisfaction, but purists are in for a treat from the very first hit because of a simple rule of science; oil and water don’t mix.
Education is key to understanding new ideas
The most important things I’ve learned in my cannabis education are:
1. It’s just a weed, but there’s more to it than dropping a seed and walking away.
2. You don’t know what you don’t know.
3. Everyone isn’t right; everyone isn’t wrong
4. What works for you may not work for someone else.
You get what you pay for
The first is rather obvious; while you can certainly produce a smokeable plant by just planting seeds outdoors, the yield and quality will vary greatly if things like soil quality, fertilization, genetics, length and quality of light, watering regimens, insect infestations and leaf problems aren’t properly tended to. The most important thing quality is starting with good genetics. Don’t expect some crappy bag seed to grow you a Sequoia.
I have no idea what I’m doing
The second factor is where we all find ourselves at some point; unsure of the next step when things go wrong or not knowing all of your options at a given stage of growth. Unless you graduated with a dual botany and science degree, there are most likely holes in your knowledge. Simply put, learning new growing techniques raises our level of expertise. One grower’s method may or may not be better than another, or there may be other factors such as location and climate that makes us change plans.
Don’t lie to me
Thirdly, it’s true, not everything you read is necessarily true or the right way to do it. While the basics of light and nutrients are established, other factors come into play. Light science is marching forward, and manufacturers are making huge strides in LED COB technology, while just a few years ago, most grow LEDs were dismissed as weak or ineffective compared to established light systems such as High-Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide. Their “blurple” hues were an early clue that indicated a lack of a lack of quality.
North vs. South
Lastly, not all conditions are alike. For example, someone trying to duplicate the growing conditions of a grower from Maine to a garden in Arizona may be in for a surprise when the heat it generates is too much for a space that is not air-conditioned. The Mainer may have cool evenings and mornings to help mitigate heat while A/C would be needed in warmer south climates most of the year. By contrast, the grower from Maine may end up with a humidity problem that wouldn’t pose a problem in Arizona.
So how does water curing work? Think about how a brining solution is used in food preparation to impart tenderizing into meat or how alcohol gets infused into fruit. These are both examples of osmosis.
In most cases, air dried (hung and dried after picking) cannabis buds are placed in tepid clean water. It’s best to remove all the large sugar leaves and most of the smaller ones as there isn’t enough THC or CBD to bother with. Use those leaves for bubble hash or other concoctions.
Use RO or distilled water only for best results. Most tap water varies too much from city to city to be considered and likely has added minerals and chlorine or fluorides that will inhibit the proper transfer of chemicals or cause the process to stop early. Standard filtration may remove most contaminants, but salts will remain. The ideal situation is to use either distilled or reverse osmosis (RO) water because the parts per million (PPM) of solids is zero. Water with higher than a zero PPM will skew the results and prevent thorough flushing as equalization of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) tester readings can only meet in the middle. For example, when I test my local water straight from the tap, the TDS tester shows a reading of 200. With that as my baseline reading, there would be technically no way for the result to read lower than 200, in fact, the final result would likely be closer to 220-250 depending on the number of water changes.
Let’s trade
The Wikipedia basic technical definition of osmosis is:
“the spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a semi-permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration, in the direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides.”
So, in water, over time, the plant matter gives up concentrations of water-soluble compounds, diluting them into the zero-particulate water while the plant matter absorbs the liquid until both sides have equal amounts of salts, etc.
Keep track
It is imperative to change the water each day to continually lower the numbers gradually to as close to zero as possible. Leaving the same water in place over time allows no further changes as TDS levels equal out.
So, for example, day one you fill your jar or container with ready to cure product. After filling with water, be sure to submerge all the buds by any means necessary, weighing them down with an inert material. Metals may leach into the water and impart an undesirable taste, so stick to plastics or glass for best results. In my first test, I originally used quart-sized canning jars, but the next time I plan to use a larger container to hold about a half to one gallon so having more water vs. plant material may help to clean better.
I decided that after the first filling, I would flush twice that day. I’m glad I did, as the water turned quickly to a lemon yellow color and was quite stinky, smelling strongly of chlorophyll. This result is to be expected as the plants had only been drying on the rack for a week or so. During longer dry curing, the plant chlorophyll gets transformed and consumed into the plant as chemical reactions take place. Naturally, as these natural metabolic processes continue during curing, the conversion of cannabigerol (CBG) and other compounds to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) will continue, and the potency of the pot will increase.
In water curing, most of the chlorophyll is removed into the water. Jar curing afterward can produce some of the most mellow smoke you have ever tasted.
What’s in it for me?
The Good
THC percentages increase as contaminants exit the plant. The high is intense and long-lasting.
The Bad
On the downside, the total weight of the bud can and will decrease, sometimes quite remarkably, and the look and smell will depreciate, taking away the “wow” effect of a sweet-looking bud.
Grow Room Financing Available
The Ugly
The look changed so much in my first experiment; I quipped that at first glance, the end product looked more like dried up dog turds than pot. The bad and ugly reasons are why you will rarely see such products in a retail
However, the smoke was more smooth than any I’ve ever tried; while it didn’t have the harsh taste we all know, the taste was still there, just very muted. After trying it, I waited a minute and experienced a very sweet, intense buzz.
On an added note, not only can you smell and taste the difference, the resulting ash comes out almost white, which is an indicator of a clean smoke. I wouldn’t water cure all my plant matter, but from now on, I’ll make sure to keep some on hand.
