Freezing cannabis: why and how to do it?
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If you have ever made a cannabis resin concentrate or have learned something about how to do it, you will know that one of the steps to follow to obtain a top-quality product is to freeze the plant matter before starting the extraction process. This simple step allows the trichomes to detach much more easily from leaves and flowers, thus achieving excellent yield and superior quality.
However, as we will see in today's article, there may be other reasons why one wants to freeze his weed, especially if we are talking about maintaining the effect and organoleptic qualities of the plant during a prolonged storage period. Today we tell you everything you need to know about this practice, in which cases we advise you to carry it out and how to do it correctly to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Reasons to freeze cannabis
As we mentioned in the introduction, most people who make extractions such as hashish or BHO usually freeze the weed for a few hours before starting the process. This allows the trichomes to be released much more easily, achieving maximum performance without compromising the quality of the final product; Especially with hashish, the faster the trichomes are released, the less the plant matter will have to be removed (whether flowers or buds), so the cleaner the concentrate will be of impurities.
But there is another type of grower who usually freezes not the typical trim leaves, but whole flowers. We are talking about outdoor cultivation, when sometimes a large amount of cannabis is harvested at once. Imagine that you only have one chance a year to grow all the cannabis you will need until the next season; Once the flowers are harvested, you will have several good options for storing them, such as the Secret Smoke or the Tight Vac airtight jars. However, as the months go by and even using this type of storage, the quality of your buds would be compromised; less power (THC would degrade into CBN) and a much less intense flavor and aroma than when your flowers were freshly dried.
Precisely to avoid this degradation in the general quality of the flowers, many growers who find themselves with an amount of cannabis much higher than what they are going to consume in the coming weeks or months choose to freeze it, so that qualities as appreciated as its effect or flavor are not diminished over time. Let's see how they do it.
How to store marijuana buds
In previous posts we told you when to properly harvest your plants and dry them. Now we'll learn the basics of storing our buds, so we can enjoy first quality marijuana throughout the year. Storing is a key aspect of cannabis cultivation, the time when almost all work is done and we only have to keep our top grade buds with their psychoactive and organoleptic features intact.
How to freeze cannabis correctly
We already know that by freezing any part of the plant that contains trichomes, the ease with which they will detach from the plant matter will be much greater than if they were at room temperature. For this reason, you should be especially careful with this conservation method, especially when choosing the container where you plan to store your buds. Thus, it is best to avoid freezing the weed in plastic bags or similar items, since due to pure friction a good number of trichomes may come off during the process, especially when thawing the material.
In this way, it is best to opt for containers such as glass jars or, better yet, vacuum-tight jars like the ones we have already mentioned. If you do not have access to these types of containers or want to use your vacuum plastic bags, we recommend being especially careful to avoid losing trichomes along the way, for example, when removing the bag from the freezer. Remember that friction will be the worst enemy for your trichomes, especially once the flowers are frozen!
Once you have your jars filled, all that remains is to store them in the freezer and keep them at a temperature as constant as possible until you need to defrost them. It's a good idea to use containers of a suitable size, so that when your reserves start to dwindle you can thaw just one of them, enough to get you through the next few weeks. This way you will avoid having to manipulate the frozen flowers to pick only the ones you will need, which would cause a large number of trichomes to come off.
How to defrost cannabis?
Defrosting your buds is as easy as taking one of the jars you have in the freezer and leaving it in a dark place at room temperature for a few hours. Simply let the jar and its contents cool down without opening it first or stirring it excessively. Of course, do not use any type of heat source to speed up the thawing process, the only thing you would do is harm (and maybe a lot) the quality of your flowers. Patience, in a few hours you will have them ready!
Can I freeze fresh cannabis?
Yes, you can do it without too much problem, although be careful. If your idea is to freeze freshly cut and undried buds, keep in mind that they will be somewhat more susceptible to rot if something goes wrong (like, for example, the freezer breaks and you don't realize it). Let's take the example that you go on vacation and, while you are away, your freezer stops working; If you have frozen dry weed, nothing will surely happen, your buds will thaw and stay perfectly in their container. On the other hand, if this happens with fresh buds, there is a possibility that your weed will be rotten when you return, which would undoubtedly be a very bad welcome.
Once you have thawed your fresh flowers, it is best to give them a drying period similar to that you would give them once they were cut from the plant, unless you want to do a Live Resin-type extraction. If that is the case, logically the ideal would be to carry out the extraction once you take the material out of the freezer, without letting it defrost at any time.
As you can see, freezing the buds or sugar leaves of your plants is a simple process that can be very useful, especially when you have just harvested and have more weed than you will need in the coming weeks. This is probably the best way to preserve its properties, and if you do it correctly you should not have any type of problem.
Happy harvest!
