How to Rehydrate Your Marijuana Buds | Education

It's important to keep your marijuana at the proper moisture levels. Wet weed will mold and become unsafe to smoke, but overly dry weed can quickly degrade and become unpleasant to smoke. There are proper ways to store your weed to keep this balance, but there are also ways to rehydrate your marijuana buds if they haven't been stored correctly. Let's take a look at how to rehydrate weed and keep your stash safe from becoming too moist or too dry.

Why Moisture Levels Matter

Drying and curing marijuana is part of every cultivator's process. Removing excess moisture from cannabis is one of the most vital steps of cultivating weed for use, and relative humidity (RH) levels are used to measure the correct amount of moisture. The safe zone used in the marijuana industry is somewhere between 55% to 65% RH. Humidity above that range may cause wet and moldy weed. Humidity below that range may dry out your weed. Without proper storage, marijuana can dry out in a matter of days, causing it to lose almost all of its potency. If you let your bud dry out too much, it will over-ignite under a flame and won't last more than one or two hits and it may develop a harsh ashy taste.

Alternatively, if your weed is too wet, it will develop mold and become dangerous to your health. Mold can develop at a rapid rate if your marijuana is exposed to too much moisture. Additionally, wet weed is difficult to grind and very difficult to burn, making it nearly impossible to smoke and unenjoyable to consume. Fortunately, when you buy from a legal dispensary, the marijuana should be dried out and kept at the right moisture level. Once you buy your marijuana, however, it's up to you to keep it healthy. The best way to ensure you're weed stays smokable is to store it properly.

How to Store Weed Properly

An airtight jar is the easiest foolproof container you can use to store your stash. That's it. Get an airtight glass container for your bud, put it in a dark area away from heat and cold sources that don't fluctuate in temperature much, and make sure to completely close the container every time you take it from your stash. Ideally, your glass jar will have a latch and rubber gasket to create a vacuum seal. If you want to keep your bud healthy for longer than a few days, don't keep it in a plastic bag or container, keep it away from light, and do not store it in the freezer or fridge. When kept properly, your marijuana will keep for months without losing moisture. Another perk of proper marijuana storage is that it's also a great solution if you're wondering how to make weed more potent. With the right storage, your bud will taste better, remain more potent over time, last longer and stay the right amount of dry.

How to Rehydrate Weed

If you find yourself with a dried-out stash, for whatever reason, there are fortunately ways to safely rehydrate your weed. The best way to moisturize buds is to place them in a container along with something that will increase the relative humidity levels. The citrus peel method is probably the most commonly used for rehydrating weed. Just place a few slices of citrus peel (orange, lemon, lime, etc.) in the same airtight jar as your dry marijuana. This process may take a few hours to a day, depending on how dry your weed is. However, since citrus and marijuana share similar terpenes, the smell and taste of your weed will develop from being in the same container as the citrus will likely rejuvenate some of the lost flavors and not distort the smoking experience.

Instead of citrus, you can also use lettuce or bread, which both naturally contain lots of moisture. Follow the same instructions as the citrus method and your marijuana should rejuvenate over time. Another similar method is to put a damp towel or sponge in the same container as your weed. The trick here is making sure you don't oversaturate your marijuana with moisture. Keep the damp towel or sponge from touching your weed and check in frequently to make sure too much moisture isn't being collected.

Other ways to rehydrate your weed include the hot vapor method and mixing dry weed with fresh weed. The hot vapor method is quick - all you do is place your dehydrated weed in cloth above boiling water - but there is a higher chance you may over-saturate your weed with moisture and make it unsmokable. Mixing dry and fresh weed takes longer, and the downside to this method is lowering the overall HR levels - yes, your dry weed will freshen up, but some of the healthy moisture from your fresh weed will be lost in the process, making the batch overall less fresh. Whatever method you choose to use, just make sure to keep an eye on your marijuana to ensure it doesn't become too moist.

Do you have any special tips or tricks on storing and rehydrating your weed? Let us know and leave a comment below!