Packaging and Storage

Marijuana Horticulture

by Jorge Cervantes

Storing cannabis in an airtight environment will preserve aroma, taste, and potency. Use a vacuum sealer to evacuate air in glass jars. Inexpensive vacuum sealers are available in the canning section of grocery and variety stores. Growers report that containers sealed with inexpensive vacuum sealers work much better. When properly vacuum-packed, buds will stay as fresh as the day they were sealed in the airtight jar.

Vacuum seal the jar, and place it in the refrigerator for storage. Leave it in the refrigerator or a cool, dark, dry place for a month or longer. The taste and potency will be tops! Refrigeration slows decomposition, but remember, refrigerators have a high humidity level, so the container must be sealed airtight. Do not place it in the freezer. Freezing draws moisture to the surface of buds, which can harm resin glands on the surface.

Place sealed containers in a cool, dry, dark place. Some growers prefer to keep airtight sealed containers in the refrigerator. If the seal is not airtight, the low temperature in the refrigerator creates a condition of high humidity. Dry buds stored in a container that is not airtight attract moisture in the high-humidity environment. Before long, the buds are so moist that they must be dried again.