Taking your hemp through proper hemp hang drying is almost as important as how you grow it. The wrong conditions can greatly impact the quality of your product, damaging terpenes and cannabinoids. The right conditions can help increase the potency of your hemp, improve its flavor, and enhance the quality of the extracted compounds.
During the drying processes, 10-15 percent of the plant’s moisture gets removed. It’s a multi-day process where it’s imperative to keep conditions consistent.
Make sure you’ve got the drying process down with this list of must-haves.
1. Advance planning for hemp hang drying
It’s essential that harvested hemp move from the field to a drying facility as quickly as possible. The more time that elapses the higher the risk you’ll lose terpenes and cannabinoids from your crop. To avoid this, book space in a hemp hang drying facility, or set up your own area, well in advance.
2. Properly cut plants
As you harvest your hemp, how you cut it matters. To hang-dry hemp, you’ll need enough stem to easily dangle the plants from above. It’s best to leave about 12 inches in length to get proper hanging height.
3. Space for hemp hang drying
Hemp hang drying takes a lot of space. You need enough room to hang each plant so they’re not on top of each other. Hanging plants too densely can impact airflow, an essential component to successfully drying your hemp.
4. Humidity
Maintaining both humidity and temperature makes all the difference for hemp hang drying. Humidity levels should stay between 45-55 percent. You may need to bring in either a humidifier or a dehumidifier to regulate moisture in the air.
5. Temperature
You don’t want to let your hemp get too warm or too cold while it’s hanging dry. Proper temperature ensures you preserve the terpenes and cannabinoids for the next phase in processing. Keep temperatures in your drying facility between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Light
Proper hemp drying happens in the dark. Make sure there’s as little light as possible within your drying facility.
7. Airflow
Good ventilation is essential for hanging hemp to dry. Fresh, filtered air should come in from the outside. You should also have odor control set up for the air coming out. Incorporate a fan if necessary, but keep it on low for gentle air circulation.
8. Time
The first 36 hours are critical to get the drying conditions just right. From there, you need the patience to wait until the hemp is properly dry, as well as the ability to keep an eye on your plants to ensure nothing goes wrong.
It can take anywhere between six and 14 days for drying to finish. It all depends on the conditions in the drying facility as well as the quality of the bud on the hemp plant. You’ll know when your hemp is ready because it will pass the snap test. Pick one, small branch from a plant and break it. It if snaps apart rather than simply bending, your hemp is dry.
Finding the right hemp hang drying partner
Not every farmer has the space to hang dry their own hemp crops. With all the effort that goes into perfecting a drying facility, working with a knowledgeable partner can save you time and ensure the quality of your product. At Arbor Vita8, we have close to a million square feet available to accommodate your hang dry needs. Our close attention to detail means you get so much more than a space to hang dry. You also get:
- Ample space to hang dry your crop.
- Curing of colas and buds within a climate-controlled space.
- Whole plant bucking.
- Super sack packaging for remaining biomass.
- Plant moisture monitoring.
- Bud size sorting and trimming.
- Vacuum packaging.
- Climate controlled storage.
- For sale listings and brokering.
- Pre-roll services including grinding and packaging.
- B2B order fulfillment and co-packing.
- Product branding and distribution.
The team at Arbor Vita8 has spent significant time in the hemp industry, We’ve seen or heard about it all, and understand the importance of every detail in the drying process. Contact us today to learn more.
