If you’re like me, you may not have heard of burping before. It’s a relatively new technique being used during the curing process that can apparently increase flavor and potency. I’ve only heard good things about it, so I think it would be beneficial to investigate what burping is, how it works, and how it can improve your cannabis crop.
What Is Burping?
As I mentioned, this technique is used primarily during the curing process. Your nugs are usually stored in a sealed glass jar during this time. Burping refers to the act of removing air from the jar at intervals. During the curing process, your buds will release moisture and C02 which can build up inside the container and cause negative effects. By burping and releasing the gases and moisture building up inside the jar, you can improve the curing process and achieve a higher quality final product..
A technique known as “burping” is often used in cannabis curing, but it’s also found in other process such as food fermentation. before you start the curing process, though, figure out how frequently to burp your nugs for best results.
Harvesting and Curing
Let’s go over the process of harvesting and curing your plants before we discuss burping specifically. This technique won’t be effective unless you’re doing everything else correctly. Your plants will usually need two months to flower once they enter the flowering period. Some people harvest without drying their plants while others wait until they are fully dry before beginning the curing process.
If you’re wondering how long the drying process takes, it all depends on the conditions. If everything is done right, it should only take a week. The branches are typically hanged upside down on racks during this time so that hopefully by the time you finish trimming them, they won’t be bone dry. In fact, if they’re too dry (around 30% moisture in buds), then any chance of amazing flavour and quality diminishes quickly. Too much moisture and curing will become complicated unnecessarily quickly as well.
Even if you prefer to harvest your buds before drying, make sure they are dried completely before beginning the curing stage.
Curing usually happens in a sealed glass jar so that moisture can’t escape and the buds stay damp. But some people prefer to cure in a paper bag because it allows more moisture to escape. We are going to focus on the curing process in a sealed jar for this article.
Why Burping?
If you seal away plant matter that still has moisture inside of it, the plant matter will break down and release the moisture. If there is too much moisture build-up inside the jar, mold can start to grow amongst your plants. Your plants will also release C02 while they are curing; if not careful, this can greatly build up inside the jar. The worst thing that can happen is if your glass jar cracks or breaks into your buds. If this happens, not only will the taste of your buds be affected, but it could also cause mold to form on your plants.
How To Burp?
The process of burping often releases gas and moisture, similar to what happens to our bodies when we do it. This is definitely a key element of the curing progress. I always say that it’s better out than in. While there isn’t one specific way to burp your buds, here are some different options.
The most straightforward way to do this is by opening the container and releasing the gas and moisture for a little while. As you’re doing this, give the jar a shake so the nugs move around and release everything. But some people think this method isn’t thorough enough and too much moisture can stay among the buds.
If you have a large quantity of weed to cure, some growers recommend removing all the buds and spreading them out on paper towels or newspaper. This allows you to get rid of pockets of moisture that could otherwise spoil your entire batch.
It is generally advised that you burp your buds once a day for around 10 seconds. If you are laying them all out together, this will obviously be a little longer. However, by the first week or so, most growers think that you should only need to burp them every couple of days since they won’t be producing as much gas or moisture by then.
Cure your buds for a minimum of three weeks for best results. However, some growers believe that the longer you cure them, the better they will taste and the stronger their effects will be.
In order to keep your weed fresh, you need to ‘burp’ it regularly – that is, open the container lid to allow oxygen in and prevent buildup of unwanted byproducts. Even though the amount of byproducts produced will decrease over time, it will never totally vanish. Plus, each time you open and close the jar , moisture and other elements can get in.
Conclusion
Do you need to burp your nugs? No, not necessarily. But if you want great buds and also don’t want your babies getting mouldy, I would highly recommend it.