What to do with Dry Weed
Here is something you may not have heard before, but it’s true: dry weed is not bad weed.
Dry buds happen to the best of them! In this blog, we’ll dive into what loss of moisture can truly do to weed, how to fix it and what to do with it.
What dries out cannabis flower?
There are three main factors that will both dry out weed but can also contribute to THC degradation, and that is exposure to UV light, oxygen and naturally over time. The ideal moisture level for cannabis flower is between 6% and 9% so a little goes a long way.
Licensed Producers take quality and packaging seriously, so packaging in this industry (while cumbersome) is designed in a way to maintain quality as much as possible. Packages are already sealed to avoid oxygen and opaque to prevent light exposure. Fun fact: you know when you feel a new bag of bud and it feels full of air? That is intentional! This is due to some Producers filling bags with nitrogen. Nitrogen is an inert gas so this ensures no oxygen is in the bag.
This means that the biggest factor retailers and customers have to deal with in preventing degradation is time. This is tricky, because products can be shipped to retailers that have already aged up to 6 months before the retailer even begins selling it to customers. But don’t fret, because as we mentioned, the technology used to package flower is very advanced and meant to keep cannabis looking and feeling fresh upon opening it up.
What happens to cannabis flower when it dries out?
If cannabis is dried out there could be a degradation of THC. However, THC converts to CBN under the same conditions, so older and drier product can actually have a more sedating effect, and that’s very desirable to some people. Trichomes can become compromised with some levels of dryness, and monoterpenes (the aromatics you get right away when you open a bag) are the first to evaporate over time.
The bottom line however, the THC is still there. The product is still usable and there are even some benefits to choosing drier product.
How can you prevent product from drying out in the first place?
Storage is everything! If you are going to keep product in its original packaging, keep the packages away from heat. If you are moving your flower from legal packaging to something else, go for opaque containers and ensure your product is safe from light, heat, oxygen and humidity. Too much moisture can also be a bad thing. Storing flower with a humidity pack like Boveda, is an excellent choice as well!
How can you rehydrate dried out flower?
This is the first thing to understand—dry weed doesn’t have to stay dry!
Boveda: look for two-way humidity packs from Boveda. These will not only absorb excess moisture, but it will add in humidity to a certain degree.
Dewbie: The Dewbie is a hand-crafted stone made from Alberta clay. It is indefinitely reusable and multi purposed. For rapid cannabis rehydration, soak Dewbie in water for 30-60 seconds, dab dry, then place in airtight container with cannabis for 10-15 minutes per gram. Remove once cannabis is refreshed to avoid over-hydrating.
Citrus peels: this is a popular DIY method for rehydrating cannabis. Citrus peels (orange, lemon, etc) are naturally full of moisture and can do a good job of transferring moisture to flower. Simply cut off a strip of the peel of a citrus fruit and place in your storage container with dried flower, tightly sealed.
What can you use really dried out weed for?
If you don’t feel like rehydrating, there’s a few reasons you may actually want to use really dried out flower.
Cooking and baking: if you are someone who likes to dabble in making your own edibles or infusing your cooking, this is a perfect use for dried out flower. You’ll be applying heat and grinding the product anyways to cook with it, so this gives you a head-start.
Make rosin: if you love concentrates, get yourself a rosin press. You can still make rosin out of dry weed!
Add to your pre-rolls: you’ll be able to get kief out of ground-up dried flower so sprinkle some of that into your pre-rolls. Remember, that THC converts to CBN under certain conditions, so dried out cannabis can have more of a sedative effect that many seek out.
What else do you use dried flower for? We’d love to hear from you! Hit us up on our socials.
