How to Store Cannabis at Home
Knowing how to properly store weed is just as important as knowing how to choose the strain and the cannabis shop where you’ll buy them from. Store your weed incorrectly and you’re left with a stash of weed gone bad.
As a beginner to cannabis, how should you store your weed?
What are the factors that degrade weed when storing marijuana?
Before we go to the tips on how to store weed long term, let’s first discuss the different factors that affect the freshness and quality of weed. These factors speed up the degradation process of weed. They reduce weed potency, decrease its THC, and affect its flavors and aromas.
- Temperature
If you want to keep your weed fresh for a longer period of time, then you have to prevent mold and mildew from developing on it.
Mold and mildew are a type of fungus that is present just about anywhere. They are one of nature’s ways of breaking down and decomposing organic matters.
But left unchecked though, they can be pretty invasive. Moreover, the spores they release can be pretty toxic to people as well.
However, for them to really thrive and flourish, they need moisture and an ideal temperature of between 70 degrees and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now, mold and mildew also grow on cannabis. Their growth prompts the decomposition of your buds, destroying your plans for long term cannabis storage.
You can easily prevent their growth though by keeping your weed at a temperature not suitable for their growth and development.
Experts say the best temperatures for storing weed are between 32 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Too cold and you slow down the decarboxylation process of the cannabinoids and terpenes. Too hot and you risk drying out the buds.
So, the best place to store weed is to keep it in a cool and dark place, preferably away from direct sunlight or too much air moisture or humidity.
- Humidity
As mentioned earlier, too much air moisture and humidity easily allow the growth and development of mold and mildew. Moisture also allows mold and mildew to spread rapidly and speed up the decomposition process.
Now, for mold and mildew to thrive and flourish, it needs a relative humidity or RH of about 65%. This means that you should keep your weed at an RH lower than 65%, let’s say at about 63%, if you want to preserve its quality.
Now, an RH of 55% and lower causes the trichomes to become brittle. This is definitely something you don’t want to happen since trichomes contain the plant’s cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes. The loss of its trichomes easily affects your weed potency, flavors, and aroma.
So if you want long term marijuana storage, keep your weed at an RH of between 59% and 63%. This should keep your trichomes from decaying or drying out.
To know your room’s RH, all you have to do is to use an online RH calculator. These RH calculators can easily be found online.
Simply fill in the boxes with the necessary info such as outside temperature, outside RH, and inside temperature. The online RH calculator will then automatically calculate the RH inside your house.
- Light Setting
Another factor that can also easily degrade your weed is the light setting of the room. Too much light, experts say, can make your weed go bad.
As mentioned earlier, direct sunlight dries up the trichomes and makes them brittle. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s UV rays easily speeds up the degradation process of weed and significantly affects its THC levels. You’ll be left with buds that are less potent, less flavorful, and less aromatic than fresh buds. In fact, according to a study done by the University of London, too much exposure to light is the biggest factor that affects weed degradation.
You can prevent or at least delay the degradation process by keeping your stash of weed away from direct sunlight. So store your buds in a cool and dark place and make sure they are nowhere near a stove or something that emits heat such as electronic appliances.
By controlling temperature, humidity, and light, you can preserve the freshness and quality of your weed for a longer time.
According to the same study conducted by the University of London, cannabis can stay stable for about a couple of years if it is stored correctly and under proper conditions.
- Air
Storing weed at home is an art. If the room is too cold, you slow down the decarboxylation process. If the room is too moist, you encourage the growth of mold and mildew, which you definitely don’t want.
On the other hand, if it’s too hot, too dry, and too bright, you speed up the degradation process. You lose your buds’ trichomes which contain most of the plant’s cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. Not only does your bud contain less THC now, but they’re also less aromatic, flavorful, and potent.
Now, the air inside your container also affects the quality and freshness of the buds. Too much air and you have the risk of speeding up its degradation process. After all, oxygen, which is present in the air, also triggers degradation.
On the other hand, too little air inside the container affects the RH, and your buds need a little moisture to preserve its freshness and quality.
To control air exposure, you need to store your buds inside an airtight glass container. Make sure that the container is tightly sealed, so the buds won’t be exposed to too much air. You can also cover the container with a dark paper to prevent exposure to light.
What are the best tools for long term cannabis storage?
Now that you know the factors that speed up the degradation process of weed, the next step is knowing the different types of containers where to store weed.
- Airtight Glass Containers
The most common way of storing marijuana is by keeping the buds in an airtight glass container. A good example of an airtight glass container is a mason glass jar. Its lid has a plastic component that acts as a sealing compound when you close the jar. This plastic component sits over the jar’s mouth, and as you press and screw the lid closed, the plastic component will create a seal that prevents more air from entering the container.
To enhance the way your airtight mason glass jar protects your buds, you can cover it up with a dark paper. By blocking out the sun’s UV rays, you are slowing down the degradation process of weed and preserving its freshness and potency.
Of note, keep the glass jar inside a cool and dark cabinet to prevent more exposure to heat and light.
Some people also use airtight plastic containers to store their weed. While these can keep excess moisture from getting inside the container, it can also make your precious buds start to sweat some of its moisture out.
You do not want this to happen since moisture can encourage the growth of mold and mildew, which damages the buds.
- Humidity Packs
Another way to preserve your buds freshness and quality is to throw in some humidity packs inside your airtight glass container.
Humidity packs contain natural salt as well as pure water. They have been specially prepared to maintain a certain level of relative humidity. The natural salt will absorb the excess moisture in the air, controlling the humidity inside the container.
Some packs even provide a two-way humidity control. Not only will it absorb the excess moisture inside the container, but if the container’s humidity goes lower than the pack’s specified relative humidity level, it will start releasing some of its moisture into the air.
So if you want to know the best way to preserve weed, then add a humidity pack into your container. It will help regulate the air inside the container, making sure that it has just the right amount of moisture that can keep the buds fresh.
Humidity packs are convenient and safe to use. They don’t need special chemicals to activate them, and they don’t need constant maintenance. Just place it inside your airtight glass container and it’s good to go.
High-quality humidity packs typically last about two months, allowing you to save some money as well.
- Vacuum Seal Bags
Another cheap and effective way of storing your mail order cannabis is to store them inside vacuum seal bags.
Vacuum sealing has become a popular way of preserving the quality and freshness of many food products. The product is placed inside a vacuum seal bag and a vacuum pump is then attached to the bag to remove excess air.
By removing the excess air from the bag, you will be reducing the bag’s oxygen level as well. Oxygen is one of the factors that speed up cannabis’ degradation process.
In addition to this, vacuum seal bags also help reduce the growth of bacteria inside the bag. Similar to mold and mildew, bacteria also need oxygen to flourish. By reducing oxygen content inside the container, you will be slowing down the growth and development of these microorganisms.
One downside though to this type of cannabis storage is that you risk crushing the buds as the air is being sucked out by the vacuum pump. This will, in some way, reduce the quality of your buds. However, it will not affect your bud’s aroma as well as flavor.
But if your buds are properly cured as well as dried before storing in a vacuum sealed bag, its freshness and quality can last for months to even years.
- Stainless Steel Containers
If you want another way how to store marijuana, then you can try stainless steel containers. Similar to glass containers, stainless steel containers also provide an airtight storage for your cannabis buds.
In addition to this, these stainless steel containers have sturdy clamps that prevent the lid from coming loose. This adds protection to your container and ensures your buds’ freshness and quality.
Stainless steel containers also don’t break. There’s no risk of damaging or breaking them if they fall to the floor. You don’t have to worry about shards of glass mixing with your buds.
Some stainless steel containers also come with their own humidity packs. These humidity packs can help remove excess moisture inside the container or, in some cases, add moisture if the air inside is below the pack’s relative humidity level.
There are some disadvantages though to this type of storage tool.
For one, stainless steel containers can be pretty expensive compared to simple mason glass jars.
Two, some stainless steel containers also affect the way the buds smell and taste.
To avoid these issues, you will really need to invest in high quality, odor proof stainless steel containers, which are more expensive than glass jars.
What are the do’s and don’ts for storing weed?
Ready now to order some Indica for sale or perhaps a Sativa? If you are, then here are some do’s and don’ts for storing weed before you buy cannabis.
Do’s in Storing Cannabis
- Do keep the airtight glass container away from direct sunlight since heat and exposure to light degrade the cannabinoids.
- Do keep your cannabis buds in airtight containers to prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew.
- Do know the strain you want before you buy marijuana.
- Do keep the different strains in different containers to preserve their individual aromas and flavors.
- Do choose a reliable and trusted marijuana store.
Don’ts in Storing Cannabis
- Don’t place the containers near heat and sunlight since they can degrade the cannabinoids and terpenes.
- Don’t store your buds in plastic containers.
- Don’t store your containers inside the freezer since the low temperature can freeze the trichomes and make them brittle.
- Don’t keep them somewhere children and pets can easily reach.
- Don’t forget to read reviews of the marijuana online shop before you buy your buds.
Follow these tips and common do’s and don’ts and you will be able to preserve your weed freshness and quality for a longer time.
How to buy cannabis for the first time?
Mail order weed is now legal in Canada. But before you buy weed, always check the provider first. Make sure they are trustworthy and only sell high-quality, fresh buds. So as a first time cannabis buyer and user, you should read reviews about the seller and feedback left by their clients. These will help you reach an informed decision.
Final Thoughts
It’s legal and easy to buy cannabis nowadays. You can even buy them in bulk. But if you want to buy in bulk to save some money, then you need to know how to store them properly. These tips will help you learn how to preserve your buds’ freshness and quality.
