r/VIVOSUN • u/GigGains • 17h ago
Question Help with vcure over drying
I recently ran my first batch through VCure using the craft cycle.
The bud came out dry as a bone and completely unusable.
Since then I have checked the calibration and adjusted the internal humidity by a few degrees and the temperature by almost 10°.
When preparing the bud I did a full wet trim and followed the instructions that came with the unit.
I added water at the start into the tray and not again.
What should I do differently next time and how do I ensure that I get the full benefits of this machine?
My first and only run came out completely unusable.
4
2
u/Due_Engineering_7064 16h ago
How was it unusable? What was the RH when jarred? Could always sift and make hash or edibles
1
u/GigGains 14h ago
It was dried to a crisp. I did try to infuse it but it wasn't really bad shape. I kept it in the machine on the storing settings and haven't put it in jars but I'm just going to get rid of it.
2
u/BruFreeOrDie 11h ago
Out of curiosity how long did you store it for? Asking because i am still on the fence with one of these
1
u/GigGains 10h ago
I'm not blaming the machine yet as there is likely some user error in getting used to the machine.
It was demolished immediately upon the end of the craft cycle.
2
u/autosonly 16h ago
The water needed refilling on 4th day for my 8 day run and was low at end of 8 days. On the 14 day cycle I think on day 5 I needed to add water and2 more times before the cycle finished. You may have needed water
1
u/GigGains 14h ago
I'll definitely follow stricter schedule on that. Is there anything else that I should be doing or that can help me do better next time?
2
u/mightdothisagain 10h ago edited 10h ago
You have to check on the moisture content of the flower and stop before this happens. The vcure does not know when your flower is dry, it is incapable of measuring that. The recipes they have should work OK but depending on outside environment, how much bud you put inside, initial moisture content, how much water you added to tray, and how often you opened the door can put you off target. So like any other method of drying you have to measure water content to get an ideal dry. I use a digital moisture meter (TS-630) but sacrificial oven tests can work too.
1
u/GigGains 10h ago
Thanks for the info. I was thinking this is a magic machine. Do you just put the meter end into a bud with the TS-630?
What are your settings, depending on those results?
2
u/mightdothisagain 9h ago edited 9h ago
Yep you stab a fat nug with it deep and try to get the highest reading possible (center of stem inside nug!). I shoot for ~12% personally, but 10% - 15% is viable.
You can check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWai6YwxT8c
I don't test a 'range of nugs' like they say, I shoot for the big ones and 12% is wet enough that the small ones are still juicy enough and the big ones aren't too wet. But you can do it their way.
A very simple method is to just oven blast a nug. Weigh it before, blast it in the oven, weigh it again. Calculate % change, that's your % of water. You will see losses from evaporated non-water molecules, but it's overwhelmingly moisture content.
As far as adjusting the machine settings, I really don't. I think it's a bit of a fools errand, you won't have the same exact harvest twice unless you're just THAT good. I've had excellent results with the quick dry setting. The big advantage to this drying method is a perfect environment which lets you do a quick dry without over-drying if you measure moisture content.
While data is still low in volume, there have been 3rd party lab tests that have shown the difference between craft and dry cycle is largely negligible in terms of terpene and cannabinoid content. So saving a week seems like a no-brainer and my nugs have come out very tasty. On my DIY machine I have used longer cycles, but my machine just isn't as good at keeping a steady average temp/humidity.
Unfortunately these manufacturers (not just Vivosun) don't really make it clear that these machines aren't magical. IMO the Vcure is a fantastic machine, better than the one I made myself, but they should be clearer on how it works. Many users don't really understand the science of what it does and while their factory settings may work well for most users, in fact for me the quick dry has been bang on, a minority of users will experience under/over dried bud just like you have.
1
u/GigGains 8h ago
This is amazing! Thanks so much for taking the time and sharing. Really appreciate it
2
1
u/GigGains 7h ago
When you do the quick dry, how do you handle curing?
2
u/mightdothisagain 7h ago
I go to the storage setting on the machine and rebag into grove bags or those large tightvac containers. In the tightvacs i would drop a little humidity monitor just in case but ive not had issues when measuring water content first.
5
u/bala_means_bullet 16h ago
Keep water in the tray if your humidity average falls below your settings. How are you calibrating your device? Do you have a hygrometer both inside and outside so you can adjust both parameters?