Sometimes you find a strain, stock up and want to savor it for months, or sometimes the cash is tight and you want to make the most of wha you have.  Either way, you suddenly find yourself with some prime green which has seen better days. It’s dry yet still packed with what you want.  Good news, here is a guide to rehydrating stale weed.

Two of the key reason weed gets dry is either it’s over-dried after harvest, or it hasn’t been stored correctly. If you are cutting down your weed to get ready to dry it, the stems will soon lose its stiffness. The best way to tell if it’s dried properly is if you’re able to snap a stem in half but if the stem continues to bend, then it requires more drying time.

However, if you’re living in arid climates, you may need a humidifier.

When it comes to storage, there are many common mistakes that beginners often make, causing their weed to end up drying out or becoming brittle. These are: refrigerating or freezing, exposing it to too much moisture, and high temperatures.

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But if you find yourself with weed that’s dried out, don’t worry. We’re here to help before you decide to throw out that dry dash. Before we start, remember that you shouldn’t be smoking crumbly, dry pot – it’s extremely harsh on the throat and will also hurt your lungs. Not to mention taste terrible.

So why would you rehydrate your weed? Well, in most places, it isn’t cheap to buy weed. Getting rid of your stash because it’s dry pretty much means you’re throwing money away. But no one wants to smoke weed that’s dried out, though the good news is that rehydrating your stash is simple, easy, and isn’t labor-intensive so you can do it yourself.

Rehydrating Your Dry Stash

Since your weed is dry, you’ll need to expose it to some level of moisture to efficiently rehydrate it. Dried out weed will likely no longer have any kind of flavor or aroma, which is why you’re smoking it in the first place.

Bud should be exposed to moisture levels between 6-9%, and if it’s above 65% this can cause mold growth. When it’s being dried, moisture should be under 15% then curing involves drying it down to even lower at around 9%. Rehydrating weed typically involves putting the pot together with another wet object inside a sealed container, which results in the creation of a microclimate. This will enable water from the wet object to transfer to the dry object until there is an even system of moisture.

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However, keep in mind that for the best results, you should always use distilled water. That’s because distilled water has already gone through the process of evaporation then condensation, and it’s passed through a filter. These ensure that the distilled water is completely free from any chemicals and impurities that can affect the cannabis when you it for rehydration.

There are several methods you can use:

Damp Paper Towel

Get a clean paper towel and lightly dampen it with distilled water. Be careful not to soak it. Place it beside the cannabis in a thick plastic or Ziplock bag and be sure to close it tightly, allowing it to sit for an hour or two. Check the weed to see if it’s already been able to absorb moisture, and check the towel as well if it’s less wet.

Fruit Peel

The fruit peel method of rehydrating cannabis is one of the simplest and most popular. It simply involves placing the stash inside an airtight container with fruit peel, lime and lemon being the most common choices but you can also use apples, grapes, cheery, grapefruit, banana, and pear.

Using fruit peels will not just effectively rehydrate your weed but it also has the benefit of infusing some delicious fruity flavors into your stash. This is because the process involves transferring some of the fruit’s essential oils and terpenes. Just put the fruit peel in the jar with the weed and allow air in once or twice within 24 hours, after that, your stash should be good to go.

If you like the benefit of added flavors and aromas, you can also experiment by adding herbs such as cilantro, mint, thyme, or other herbs that are rich in fragrance. 

This process may need to be repeated a few times depending on the size of your stash. Keep in mind that this process shouldn’t be rushed, just repeat it until the weed has reached the moisture levels you’re looking for.

Bread

A fresh slice of bread has been touted by many as the best tried-and-tested method for rehydrating cannabis. Just moisten the slice and place it in the same container as your pot. Avoid letting the bread come into contact with the cannabis because you don’t want to be smoking bread crumbs after it’s been rehydrated. The process involving bread is the same as fruit peels but you may need to repeat it around 5 times for the best results.

Lettuce

Since lettuce is primarily made up of water, it’s a terrific choice for rehydrating weed. The process of using lettuce is similar to fruit peel; just leave a lettuce cut in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for around 12 hours.

Humidity Packs

Your last resort can always be a disposable humidity pack. There are many inexpensive ones sold online, but some are also made specifically for preserving the ideal humidity in cannabis.

Bottom Line

Rehydrating your weed is probably not something you want to be doing often. This is why prevention is always key, and you can prevent it by making sure you store it properly in the first place.

If you want to ensure you always smoke only the freshest cannabis out there, you might want to consider investing in a humidor or humidifier. There are many cannabis humidifiers out there to suit all budgets.

Last but not least, air tight and out of sight should always be your motto when storing your pot next time.

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