Your Guide to Storing Weed Long Term

Last Updated on September 27, 2021

Whether it is medicinal or just a regular pothead, you need a place and container for your stash. Freezer, plastic bag, kitchen drawer, paper bag are not the option. Some might think that keeping a stash of weed in a drawer, freezer, or a cabinet rolled up in a paper bag is enough for the long term. However, they are wrong, very wrong. Listen, if you have amounted to a bigger stock of cannabis and you don’t want to smoke that away in a couple of days and want to keep it for as long as a month, a year, or even two years, then you will need to find a way to stash it properly. If you don’t put it away in a way you should store it, you will face dried-out crumbs of cannabis or maybe moisture, which certainly affects the quality and potency of the nugs.

If you store it as you should store it, then your weed stash can maintain the right flavour and freshens for around two or even three years, according to research. Nevertheless, if your plan is not to keep it that long, still, the grocery bag is not a solution, and you should read through this guide to storing weed long term. There are a few methods in keeping your stash long-term, and a Ziploc bag is not your option. You don’t want to lose the money you gave for the weed and don’t need to lose the very weed. Just read through this guide.

Essential Considerations to Store Cannabis Properly

Several things will happen to cannabis flowers when left unattained. First, you are risking ending up with dried-out and brittle buds, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to obtain a perfect container for your precious buds, but we will talk about it later. The second thing is moisture. You only need to keep it fresh and away from moisture. Moist cannabis can develop mould on it, further leading to a few health issues, especially if you are allergic to mould or have a weak immune system.

Nevertheless, with proper storage, you can easily avoid this. Also, several factors influence the quality of your cannabis, including temperature, light, and humidity. Therefore, it would be best to take some action to keep it away from all adverse effects.

Temperature Control

You would want to keep your weed at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is higher, your weed can dry out and leave it without terpenes, while combined with high relative humidity can create mould and mildew on the cannabis flower.

Lower temperatures are more acceptable, as it is better than keep it in an area that’s too hot or humid. Freezing the weed is a good option, but only if you keep it in a sealed, airtight container. However, there is a probability that the icy temperatures will lead to a loss of a great deal of potency and freshness, and it can become brittle and break off easily.

Avoid the Sunlight

The UV rays of the sun harm many things, from organic to synthetic materials. UV rays not only turn green grass into brown and fade car paint, among other things, they also negatively affect cannabis, degrading the potency and flavour on the whole. Never keep your weed exposed to direct sunlight as it will worsen THC in your cannabis, and terpenes lost in sunlight will never come back. To avoid the drop of potency and overall flavour, keep your weed in the dark and cool place.

Humidity Control

You certainly don’t want humidity to affect your stash of weed. However, if kept in humid conditions, moisture is the problem, which can further create mould and mildew. If smoked with developed mould or mildew on it, cannabis can cause several health problems, including nausea, vomiting, and others, which won’t threaten your life but are rather unpleasant, and you don’t want that. However, if your immune system is weak, you can develop some serious health issues, such as deadly infections in the lungs and central nervous system. So, how to avoid mould and the problems that come with it?

Regulating the relative humidity is a delicate act but a highly needed one, whether recreational or medical cannabis. Aroma and flavour connected to terpenes in cannabis will degrade over time if humidity is too low, while a high humidity will bring on some fungi you don’t desire.

Cannabis should be kept anywhere from 59% to 63% relative humidity, as it will keep it safe from losing potency and growing mould and mildew. For this to be avoided, you will need to find a waterproof container and airtight container. However, to track the humidity level inside a jar, you will need to obtain a humidity control pack that restores and maintains humidity for your dearest herbs. A few manufacturers are on the market, but Boveda has proven success in shielding your terpenes from drying out or developing mould. Just insert the humidity control pack into the jar with your herbs and set the desired relative humidity level, and your weed is safe. It will automatically be controlled by one of the control packs that you have chosen.

Glass Jars and Cool Dark Places

Airtight glass jars are your biggest friends when it comes to stashing your weed, and they should do the trick. Please avoid using sandwich bags as that won’t preserve your weed but only ruin it beyond repair. The bud will lose all the scent and flavour if you keep it long in a sandwich bag. However, airtight glass jars are your perfect choice. Just stroll down to a local hardware or container store and buy airtight glass jars. Cannabis stored in glass jars will stay fresh but only if it is not exposed to light. Please keep it in a cool dark place, such as a cabinet, closet, or drawer. Also, no plastic jars, please. Plastic releases odours and harmful compounds under heavy heat, which will only ruin your stash. If you can’t find glass jars, then metal jars are also an option, but make sure they are dark titanium jars so the light doesn’t affect the flavour. It is best to keep it in an airtight glass container away from the light. If you want your freed to be fresh, avoid keeping it above different appliances such as ovens, microwaves, and the electric refrigerator.

Moreover, please pay attention that no air comes in and goes out from your jar, whether glass, metal or ceramic. Make sure it is not too large or too tiny; you want your weed to have some space, but not too much. Airtight plastic bags also work, but only if you put them all together into an airtight glass or metal jar.

Avoid Freezers

You would think that freezer or refrigerator will keep your buds fresh. Well, that is not the case here. Cooler temperatures than 70 degrees Fahrenheit are bad for your weed; therefore, freezers and refrigerators are not a good option for your THC-rich flower. It won’t stay fresh, though; for many things, cool temperature means fresh. Low temperature will separate all the trichomes from your pot, and the light in the freezer will only further degrade the potency of THC.

Conclusion

There are far too many things that negatively affect your valuable weed. Luckily, versed cannabis users, whether they have a medical condition treated by marijuana or are just plain users, have developed a few ways to stash away unused weed securely. You need to ensure that the cannabis doesn’t use its flavour, looks, and potency. Humidity, temperature, and light are your biggest enemies, but you can easily beat these if you just follow our advice. Properly stored weed can last up to two years without losing a single thing of its quality, while those that you keep in a plastic bag in your underwear drawer have no future at all. Be nice to your weed, and your weed will be nice to you.

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