Keeping weed fresh is a tough task – If you don’t know the basic rules of storing weed.
Well, once you have purchased the package from the market or even you have grown your own weed, you need to be aware of the factors and basic rules that help to keep weed fresh as well as preserve its ingredients.
So, what are those rules?
Or what are the factors that affect the freshness of weed?
Let’s get to know them:
Contents
Storing Weed Appropriately is Important
Before we move ahead to keep weed fresh part, it is important to know how to store weed first. Because before putting effort into maintaining weed freshness, we usually store them firstly. So, it matters the most.
While storing weed, moisture is one of the major factors that needed to keep in mind. As increased moisture in the storage area can completely ruin your buds by giving a home to molds and mildew.
That is why in the process of storing weed, relative humidity is kept in range or below 65%. Above this level, humidity can damage your weed buds.
Also, while storing weed, the humidity level should not decrease too much as well. As the decrease in humidity can make the temperature slightly rise which is also not good. As it can burn out the terpenes that your flower has. Even the potency of weed also gets affected.
Though in the market, when cannabis is produced at a large scale, to reduce the moisture, growers store their weed buds after a process known as “curing”. Even any cultivator “cures” their weed buds so that they can last for a longer time.
In the curing process, the moisture in your buds is reduced at the level of 6 to 9%. Even while packing it for the market distribution, the excess air or oxygen is removed. In this way, the ideal storage of weed is done commercially.
Now, the catch is that when you bring this packed weed at home, it’s your responsibility to make the ideal storage condition so that your weed can last long in a fresh manner.
So, overall, if we sum up all the theories then it comes that you should store your weed buds in such a place where the relative humidity is balanced. Neither too high nor too low.
Apart from moisture, there are other factors as well that comes into play while storing weed.
Temperature
The ideal temperature for storing weed is around 21 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature of the storage area gets too high with humidity, then it can lead to bud molds and mildew.
Apart from this, high temperature can cause the burn of required terpenes (as mentioned earlier), which can ultimately affect the taste and aroma of marijuana.
Exposure to light and air
Weed is generally stored in an airtight container, ideally in an opaque one. However, you can also use glass jars which are quite popular in the market, and keep them in the dark area where light can be avoided.
When exposed to the light, weed loses its potency and terpenes as well. Even mainly the UV component of visible light degrades the quality of marijuana.
That is why ideally you should store your buds in a completely opaque container. Although if you still want to look at your buds then you can either use a brown container that filters out the UV rays or green containers as well which block up to 30 percent of UV rays.
The science behind the exposure to light and its effect on weed is that, if you keep marijuana in light and open-air, it will gradually convert THCA into THC and then into CBN. And, as you might already know CBN is a non-intoxicating component, which ultimately means your buds have lost their potency.
Therefore, the non-opaque glass jars are not an ideal solution to store your weed nuggets.
Storing it with other things
This is one of the common mistakes that the weeders do. Either they store their weed buds with some other paraphernalia or with some fruits or even with any organic matter, which is a huge mistake.
Leave your weed buds alone!
They should not be kept together with anything else. Also, people usually keep the containers in the kitchen near to some objects which produce heat. This is also not acceptable when it comes to preserve and store weed.
Apart from this, putting buds in the refrigerator or freezer doesn’t make them last longer in a fresh way. Rather, they age faster in the freezer or refrigerator.
So, overall, you should avoid the storing mistakes, and then you can gradually increase the chances that your weed buds will be fresh for more time.
What is the best way to store weed?
After knowing the above factors, now, you might be wondering, what is the best way to store weed?
Here is that:
The key point to be successful in keeping weed fresh and storing it for a long time is to maintain the ideal environmental factors.
- For temperature – keep the room temperature at which you are storing weed, around 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t let the temperature exceed this limit.
- Humidity – keep an eye on the humidity level as well. Don’t let your storeroom be too humid. Also, opening the container (in which you have stored weed) too often exposes the buds to air, which should be avoided.
- Light and air – use an airtight container for storing weed. You can use an opaque container if you can protect them from direct sunlight or heavy exposures. Ideally, you can use brown or green containers. Also, don’t use large containers for small storage, as the larger container might trap some air which can also lead to a slight degradation in the quality.
- Curing – this is for those people who grow weed on their own. If you have recently harvested buds then don’t forget to cure them. To know what curing is, read out this detailed guide!
Overall, there are no hard and fast rules for following each step same. Though the main purpose of these trips is to make you aware that how can you store your “love-buds” ideally. While storing just keep in mind that you have to use an airtight container while protecting them from sunlight and heat.
That’s it!
How to keep weed fresh? [5 Storage ideas]
After knowing everything related to storin`g weed, now you must know how you can extend the life of weed buds or how to keep weed fresh and potent.
Well, keeping weed fresh is easy when you give it the right surrounding at the right place. As if you don’t want to go with just a normal container then are multiple storage ways by which you can store your wed and can keep them fresh as you just have harvested them!
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Cannabis humidors
If you are really serious about keeping your weed stuff fresh then you can spend a few bucks on cannabis humidors. These are the best solution for keeping your marijuana in an ideal place. These little boxes are specially designed for storing weed. Also, these containers are completely airtight and opaque as well.
Above all, these humidors maintain the RH level on the exact storage point making sure your weed is as fresh as you have kept them for the first time.
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Vacuum package
If you are storing weed for a few weeks then vacuum-sealed packages can help you keep them fresh for more time. As in the market nowadays you can easily get your weed in vacuum-sealed packages. These packages contain little to no air and hence, if you store them, you can get fresh marijuana every time you open the new pack. S
Also, airtight sealed packages reduce the chances of contamination from humidity, which works as icing over the cake!
Apart from this, some contrary opinions don’t believe in vacuum-sealed polymer packages but it is always good to go option if you don’t have any other solution for storing weed for a shorter time. Yes! These are not for storing weed for up to years!
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Medicine bottles
This is one of the storing ideas that can come in handy as well as can keep your marijuana fresh. Medicine bottles are designed specifically to keep the content dry and prevent contamination. This is where you can take the benefit of it.
You can store some weed nuggets in those medicine bottles as they are a more reliable option. Although make sure to sanitize and dry the container before you put your weed in that.
Another drawback is the odor of these bottles. However, if you can control the odor of the container with some hacks and a little bit of odor is not that much issue for you then this storage idea can be your savior!
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Boveda Packs
When you don’t want to put that much effort into maintaining room humidity then you can use Boveda packs.
As you already know unmonitored humidity can completely ruin your weed buds by breaking down their potency and aroma as well. Therefore, Nevada packs come as a savior in this case.
These packs contain salt and water-absorbent beads that regulate the RH level. This is the best solution when you completely want to be tension-free about the humidity in your weed container.
Because Boveda packs easily absorb the excess humidity and maintain the RH level. Although when it’s necessary or humidity levels go too low, these packs release the humidity back. Isn’t that amazing?
Keep in mind that this pack does your one job of maintaining RH level, however, light and air factors are your responsibilities to be maintained.
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Glass jar
Yes! Back to basics.
When you have a little harvest or small quantity of buds then you should not spend too much time and money on its storage part. Prefer a tinted glass jar over a completely transparent one. Make sure it has a lid that can prevent the air from entering it.
And, that’s it!
You can store a few cannabis nuggets easily in those glass containers. However, to prevent excess light exposure and heat, you can place these weed containers in a dark place ideally.
Don’ts while storing weed and keeping them fresh
- Never store your weed with any external organic substance, paraphernalia, or anything else. Make sure to keep the weed buds in a single container.
- Don’t use a tobacco humidor, as these containers might affect the odor and flavor of your weed.
- Place your weed container in a cold (not too much) and dark area ideally. Avoid them from putting nearer to the kitchen appliances that produce heat.
- Use plastic storage option for storing weed for short time.
- Never store weed in a freezer.
Frequently asked questions
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Is refrigerating weed bad?
Yes! Ideally, you should not store your weed in a refrigerator or freezer. As there are high chances that due to icy temperature your weed buds can lose their potency and aroma. Although some people with the too hot climate in their region can use this for short-term storage. For storage of weed for a long time, you should follow the other options than freezer or refrigerator.
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How to keep recently harvested weed fresh?
If you have recently harvested marijuana then you should go for “curing” it. It is a process in which you lower down the humidity level in the weed. The curing process can make your weed not only last for a longer time but can also help you preserve its potency and terpenes. Ultimately, you will get to enjoy your marijuana for a very long time for sure after this.
You can read our step-by-step guide on curing here!
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Is storing weed in plastic an ideal option?
No! storing weed in a plastic bag is expected to be harmful and you should not opt for this option. However, you can take some precautions and can opt for other sealed packages product which is not harmful. Ideally, for long-term storage of weed, plastic or even sealed packages are not good options. You should prefer other storage ways.
How to Keep Weed Fresh: Conclusion
Keeping your weed fresh is as important as buying the right strain for yourself. However, if you are growing then it becomes more important that you keep your hard-grown marijuana safe, fresh, and potent so that you can enjoy it for a longer time.
Although there might be some factors that affect the age of weed and its potency, however, the good news is that you can control them easily.
To be honest, storing weed and keeping them fresh is easy for experience weeders. Even though if you are just new to this, still, you can rock everything as now you know all about it!
So, it is your turn, go and now store your marijuana in a better way.
