Bring stale grass back to life

Sometimes you find a strain, stock up and want to enjoy it for months, or sometimes money is tight and you want to make the most of what you have. Either way, you’re suddenly faced with prime greens that have seen better days. It’s dry yet packed with what you want. Good news, here’s a guide to rehydrating stale weed.

Two of the main reasons weed dries out is either that it dried out too much after harvest or that it wasn’t stored properly. If you cut your grass to dry, the stems will soon lose their stiffness. The best way to tell if it’s dried properly is if you can snap a stalk in half but the stalk keeps bending, it’s taking longer to dry.

However, if you live in dry climates, you may need a humidifier.

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When it comes to storage, beginners often make many mistakes that result in their weed ending up drying out or becoming brittle. These are: chilling or freezing, too much humidity and high temperatures.

RELATED: Cannabis Pro Tips: 8 Ways to Store Marijuana Properly to Keep It Fresh

However, don’t worry if your weed has dried up. We’re here to help before you decide to toss that dry shot. Before we get started, remember that you shouldn’t be smoking crumbly, dry weed – it’s extremely corrosive to your throat and bad for your lungs as well. Not to mention the terrible taste.

So why should you rehydrate your weed? Well, weed isn’t cheap to buy in most places. When you get rid of your stash because it’s dry, you’re wasting money. But nobody wants to smoke dried up weed, although the good news is that rehydrating your stash is simple, easy and not labor intensive so you can do it yourself.

Rehydrate your dry stash

Because your weed is dry, you need to expose it to some moisture to rehydrate it efficiently. Dried-up weed likely has no taste or aroma left, which is why you smoke it in the first place.

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The buds should be exposed to a moisture content of between 6 and 9%. Moisture levels above 65% can lead to mold growth. When drying, the moisture content should be below 15%. During curing, the moisture content is then dried to an even lower value of around 9%. Typically, to rehydrate weed, one must place the pot in a sealed container along with another wet object, creating a microclimate. This allows water to transfer from the wet object to the dry object until an even moisture system is created.

RELATED: Is That Old Marijuana I Found Under the Couch Safe to Smoke?

However, keep in mind that you should always use distilled water for best results. This is because distilled water has already gone through the process of evaporation and subsequent condensation and is passed through a filter. This ensures that the distilled water is completely free of chemicals and contaminants that can affect the cannabis as it rehydrates.

There are several methods you can use:

Damp paper towel

Take a clean paper towel and lightly dampen it with distilled water. Be careful not to get it soaked. Place it in a thick plastic or ziplock bag next to the cannabis and seal tightly to let sit for an hour or two. Check if the weeds have already absorbed moisture and also check if the towel is less wet.

fruit peel

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The fruit peel method of rehydrating cannabis is one of the simplest and most popular. All you have to do is place the stash in an airtight container, with fruit peels, lime and lemon being the most common. But you can also use apples, grapes, cherries, grapefruit, bananas and pears.

Using fruit peels not only effectively rehydrates your weed, but also has the benefit of adding some delicious fruity flavors to your stash. This is because some of the fruit’s essential oils and terpenes are transferred during this process. Simply place the rind of fruit in the jar with the weed in it and air in once or twice within 24 hours, after which your stash should be ready to use.

If you like the benefits of additional flavor and aroma, you can also experiment with adding herbs like coriander, mint, thyme, or other aromatic herbs.

Depending on the size of your stash, this process may need to be repeated a few times. Remember that this process should not be rushed. Just repeat it until the weed has reached the desired moisture level.

Bread

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A fresh slice of bread is touted by many as the best, tried and true way to rehydrate cannabis. Simply wet the disc and place in the same container as your pot. Avoid contact of the bread with the cannabis as you don’t want to smoke breadcrumbs once rehydrated. The process with bread is the same as with fruit peels, but you may need to repeat it about 5 times to get the best results.

lettuce

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Being mostly water, lettuce is a great choice for rehydrating weed. The use of lettuce is similar to that of fruit bowls. Simply leave a slice of lettuce in an airtight container or ziplock bag for about 12 hours.

moisture packs

Your last resort can always be a disposable moisturizer bag. There are many reasonably priced products sold online, but some are made specifically to help maintain the ideal humidity level in cannabis.

bottom line

Rehydrating your weed probably isn’t something you want to do often. Because of this, prevention is always key, and you can prevent this by making sure you store it properly in the first place.

If you want to make sure you’re always smoking the freshest cannabis on the market, consider investing in a humidor or humidifier. There are many cannabis humidifiers for every budget.

Finally, the next time you store your pot, always make sure it is airtight and out of sight.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been republished with permission.