DEHUMIDIFICATION AND STORAGE OF HEMP

Relative humidity is a fundamental parameter in the good storage of cannabis.

After harvesting, an environment dedicated to correct drying which has the % of relative humidity controlled for the right humidity ensures optimal drying. Generally, an attempt is made to tenderize a drying room at a humidity value of around 50% or even lower, which ensures rapid withering and rapid drying while also preserving the precious aromas and essential organoleptic characteristics of the plants and flowers.

In general, correct dehumidification must also include correct and constant lateralization of the air. The use of stratifiers in fact makes the dehumidification work more uniform in the room to thus have a uniform humidity value that is well distributed throughout the drying room. but also to increase and facilitate the rapid release of humidity from the hemp and at the same time of water from the plants, all of this significantly reduces the withering and drying time of the product.

The excess humidity caused by the release of hemp plants during drying, if not collected and eliminated quickly, leads to the formation of condensation on plant surfaces resulting in the development and proliferation of pathogens that cause plant diseases such as fungi and mold. Correct dehumidification prevents excess humidity in a controlled manner, to prevent a reduced yield in terms of quantity and quality of the finished product or even crop failure with significant economic losses.

The rooms used for drying of hemp must be prepared for this purpose, trying to prevent any unexpected events, especially when there are many plants and placed in narrow spaces.

It is necessary to organize and prepare the spaces in the correct way in order to speed up the work of checking and positioning the plants in the room, avoiding points of accumulation of too much material.

The provision of adequate spaces must be prepared so that as little time as possible passes from the collection of the hemp to its placement in the spaces used for drying. The fundamental factors to keep in mind are:

humidity,
temperature,
free space and properly stratified to prevent accumulations of wetlands
correct aeration.

Relative humidity is one of the most complex parameters to manage, if the humidity is too high it involves a real risk of mould, bacteria, fungi and if the humidity is too low it causes the flowers to dry out too quickly.

Obviously with the fresh and green product it is easier to encounter high humidity. Mold, fungi and bacteria are the harmful and unwanted products of excess humidity that threaten proper drying. Drying hemp must be checked several times a day and, should signs of mold or product deterioration appear, no time should be wasted, it is necessary to eliminate the damaged parts and lower the humidity levels.

The correct percentage of relative humidity also allows for a higher yield, in fact the controlled humidity during the growth and flowering phase, which lasts approximately six – nine weeks, unlike the varieties and types of cultivation, makes the plants less susceptible to attack by parasites, bacteria, fungi or diseases that could compromise production and conservation and therefore ultimately increasing the yield of the crop with a better quality of the product and the consequent reduction in economic losses.

Drying cannabis flowers correctly ensures that they maintain several important characteristics and functions, which allow the quality and shelf life of the final product to be maintained.

DRYING TIME – DRYING – HEMP DRYING

There are many factors that influence the drying speed of hemp. Normally the drying process can last from 7 to 15 days but is very variable
At the beginning of the drying process the plants will tend to lose more water so the dehumidifier will be able to condense a greater quantity of water. As the days pass, the water content of the green hemp material will tend to decrease, so the water that the dehumidifier will produce will be much less.

The withering and drying process of the green parts of hemp will obviously not be uniform and contemporary throughout the production and not all the leaves, stems and parts will reach the correct degree of drying at the same time. Therefore in terms of time, in some periods of time there will be smaller and thinner green plant parts that will dry before others which will obviously be larger in size, will have thicker tissues and therefore richer in water which will obviously require, under the same climatic conditions, a longer time for drying.

The size of the leaves, stems, flowers and buds

Generally the ideal temperature for drying hemp must fluctuate between 20 and 26 degrees. Hence obviously the advice to frequently ventilate the drying and drying warehouse, to use a cool place, to avoid significant temperature changes which would lead to deterioration of the product.

While the countries of origin of hemp generally have optimal climatic conditions for the cultivation of hemp outdoors, European countries from a climatic point of view are less suitable for the purpose, hence the need to condition the temperature and humidity of the environment to favor cultivation, flowering and drying.

fundamental for the cultivation of hemp but above all for drying and conservation:

Ideal ambient relative humidity is generally around 50% but can sometimes be even lower
Renew air
Destratification

direct sunlight and the exposure of the green parts during drying to long periods of direct light is detrimental to the organoleptic characteristics of the product. We therefore recommend (in general but obviously there are many exceptions and different theories) drying in adequately shaded rooms, not exposed to direct sunlight.

For perfect drying, hemp plants must not form piles, must not be too close together, or be positioned too compactly but must be able to expose the entire green surface to continuous and constant light ventilation to encourage the transfer of humidity from of the plant.

One mistake is to underestimate this aspect. It is advisable to use fans or an air recirculation system, as long as there is moving air in the room. It is necessary to avoid blowing air directly and violently in the direction of the green material because in this case the drying would no longer be natural but forced, losing some typical characteristics.

high humidity and insufficient ventilation almost inevitably leads to the formation of mold fungi, unwanted bacterial proliferations with consequent product loss and even considerable economic losses
too high aeration or forced ventilation directed on the green parts would dry out the plants too quickly

DEHUMIDIFIERS FOR HEMP CONSERVATION

The professional or industrial refrigeration cycle dehumidifier is an appliance designed to condense and eliminate excess humidity in certain environments or on a certain surface. Dehumidifiers are used to keep humidity levels under control inside greenhouses to avoid or prevent the formation of fungi and mould, professional or industrial dehumidifiers are also used in commercial and industrial settings, for example to lower humidity rates in storage warehouses or food material storage cells.

Unfortunately, the absence of this appliance often leads to the development of fungi, mold and parasites, potentially capable of destroying an entire plantation. The purchase of the dehumidifier is a fundamental factor for drying hemp and even more so is the choice of the model best suited to your needs based on the type of product to be dried. It is never worth saving on this type of equipment and undersizing the system with the obvious consequences of what incorrect sizing entails.

If you would like sizing and advice on the type and model of dehumidifier to use, you must have these reference data: