Tips to Keep Your Cannabis Flowers Fresh
Cannabis is a natural medicinal herb with numerous health benefits like anxiety control, sleep, pain relief, etc. According to many studies, cannabis has more than 100 cannabinoids. These substances achieve the effects by stimulating your body's endocannabinoid system. Most states authorities have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Thus, you can get your highly potent cannabis products from the state-recommended dispensaries with a recommendation from a marijuana doctor.
Importantly, it’s good to understand that these plants don’t stay fresh all the time. After harvesting, the buds start degrading, and over time, they lose their freshness. Thus, it’s important to understand how to store them properly to maintain their freshness. Let’s look at the proper storage of marijuana.
How to Store Medical Marijuana?
We’ve got numerous factors that affect the cannabis degradation rate. Degradation starts immediately after harvesting, as the buds will lack water and nutrients from the roots. Nevertheless, we have some cannabinoids that can synthesize into different chemical compounds after harvesting. For example, the THCA will turn into THC at high temperatures.
Additionally, humidity plays a key role in fastening the degradation of cannabis. Having the buds in conditions with high moisture levels results in the growth of molds. Lastly, ultraviolet rays are also harmful to marijuana flowers. Below are some tips to consider when storing marijuana.
1. Air Control
When growing, these plants need oxygen to enhance photosynthesis, but too much air during storage will enhance the degradation process.Having too much air will enhance the degradation of your cannabis. Lastly, when you expose the plant to too much air, the THCA cannabinoid will convert to THC and later to a compound, CBN, which lacks psychoactive effects.
2. UV Light
UV rays are very harmful to your cannabis and fasten the degradation process, reducing its taste and potency. When you expose your cannabis to direct sunlight, they are likely to fade from green to brown. According to researchers from the University of London, sunlight plays a key role in enhancing the degradation process of cannabis. This study shows that under suitable conditions, you can keep your cannabis fresh for approximately two years. Therefore, you can store your marijuana buds in UV airtight containers to protect them from the light.
3. Humidity Factor
When storing your marijuana, the ideal Relative Humidity is between 59-63%. Higher humidity, above 65%, will result in molds buildup, while they may develop trichome brittle if you store them with conditions under 53%. You can choose to use a salt-based control sachet to help balance the storage container’s moisture levels of between 0.55 and 0.65. Alternatively, you can use a marijuana humidor box for storing your cannabis.
4. Temperature Control
Experts recommend storing marijuana in a dark and cool environment with an appropriate room temperature. Ideally, the best temperature for storing marijuana is 70 degrees, as higher temperatures enhance mildew and mold growth. In addition, high temperatures may also lead to drying out of the buds and evaporation of terpenes, which affects marijuana’s potency and taste.
5. Use Air-tight Containers
It's essential to store your cannabis in airtight containers as they come with features that help to keep them safe from external forces that may cause degradation. These containers may include different varieties of glass mason jars. It’ll be vital to avoid storing your cannabis in plastic containers, as they make the flowers sweat, realizing moisture, which causes degradation. Importantly, choose glass containers, which you need to seal to ensure proper protection from light and air completely.
6. Parchment Papers
Parchment papers produce the best option for storing cannabis for long without spoiling. While using these papers, you have to wrap the flowers and place them inside air-sealed containers. They reduce the chances of breakdown by preventing external forces from interfering with the flowers.
Don'ts for Storing Cannabis
It’ll be essential to avoid improper storage of marijuana as it may affect the potency and taste of the buds. Effects on the bud’s potency will significantly reduce their medicinal properties. Let’s look at some don’ts to consider when storing your marijuana:
1. Don’t Store Cannabis with Grinders or Pipes
When storing, it’ll be good to keep marijuana separately from the other supplies. If you store them together, ash from the burnt cannabis will affect the buds and flowers.
2. Don’t Use a Tobacco Humidor
It’ll be good to avoid using a tobacco humidor or cedarwood. The wood contains some oils, altering the bud’s flavor and temper with the optimal relative humidity levels.
3. Avoid Storing Marijuana near Heat Generating Appliances
It’ll be essential to keep your marijuana off from any source of heat. Avoid storing near components like microwaves or stoves; instead, you can store them on your shelves.
4. Don’t Freeze your Cannabis Buds
Contrary to most believes that freezing will keep your buds fresh. Freezing does more harm than good to your marijuana; it makes the buds’ trichomes break easily.
Additional Factors to Consider
When storing cannabis, it’s essential to understand that these products come with varying levels of cannabinoids. It’ll be vital to follow the storage guidelines and requirements for each different cannabinoid.
The procedure of Applying for 420 Evaluations Online
Currently, medical marijuana is legal in approximately 33 states in the US. However, you need an MMJ card approved by a marijuana doctor to legally purchase, possess, and consume these products. It's important to check your state's conditions for qualifying the card due to the varying conditions and laws.
Before receiving the card, your marijuana doctor will check if your conditions warrant marijuana treatment and may also request medical reports to verify the condition. Additionally, it may not be safe to physically visit your doctor's clinic with the current corona pandemic. Instead, telemedicine provides an easy solution for applying your 420 evaluations online. After the verification process, you'll get your card in your email.
The process includes the below steps:
● Sign up for your account
● Consult online with a licensed doctor through the HIPAA-compliant platform
● You get your PDF recommendation letter through your email instantly
In most states, you'll need to renew the card after the expiry of the 12-month validity
Key Takeaways
Marijuana is a valuable natural herb that is perishable. Storing the buds properly ensures they remain green and fresh retaining their medicinal benefits. Humidity, air, light, and temperature are the primary factors that enhance the degradation of the buds. The cannabis buds will dry out at higher temperatures. In contrast, lower temperature limits the decarboxylation of THCA to THC and makes the trichomes brittle, thus breaking away more easily. Ideally, it’ll be essential to store marijuana under a 70 degrees temperature.
In addition, store them in the right relative humidity levels, ranging from 59% to 63%, as any higher value increases mold buildup. Airtight storage containers will provide the best alternative to keep your marijuana from light and air exposure. Lastly, it’ll be good to buy high-quality cannabis products from licensed dispensaries for enhanced freshness and durability. Importantly, it’ll be appropriate to apply for the 420 evaluation, which comes with numerous benefits. The benefits include having the legal right to possess marijuana products, grow them legally, and avoid high taxes when purchasing marijuana products.
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