How to Store Weed Properly: Everything You Need to Know

Knowing how to store weed properly is just as important as knowing your consumption methods or preferred strains, no matter if you’re an occasional or habitual smoker. Storing weed the right way is essential, as it plays a big part in its potency and quality. After all, cannabis is a plant – grown, dried, harvested, and cured before it’s ready to be smoked.

Improper storage of anything intended for consumption will harm the quality of the product as well as your health. It can affect the taste, potency, and overall desired effects. So, the best way to preserve cannabis is to store it in an airtight glass jar in a dark and cool place. After all, every cannabis connoisseur must know that humidity, temperature and exposure to light and air can greatly affect cannabis buds.

Below we’ll explain everything you need to know about taking care of your weed stash.

The do's and don’ts of storing weed

The best way to store bud containers like a pro is to keep them at an ideal room temperature of 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit, in a dark spot. Proper temperature is essential for long-term cannabis storage as it helps keep your weed fresh and potent. Maintaining proper humidity levels is also vital for the quality and potency of your buds. Keep your weed away from excess moisture and try to maintain 55-65% relative humidity.

You can use humidity packs when storing your cannabis buds, as it will help keep moisture at bay for a period of time. You can also invest in a hygrometer to check humidity levels if you don’t prefer to use humidity packs. Minimize oxygen exposure, and whenever possible, store your buds in a glass container rather than plastic or anything similar. Keeping your stash in a weed jar will help you enjoy a fresh and flavorful product at any time. Mason jars also help keep the smell away from spreading across your house, and they’re perfect for traveling with your buds.     

Never put your buds in a fridge or freezer as it can cause the trichomes to break. Lower temperatures can slow decarboxylation, which converts THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) into the intoxicating THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Control light exposure since UV rays can cause serious damage to the terpenes and cannabinoids, which will affect their potency.  Do not expose your buds to too much air, and never store them in a plastic container along with paraphernalia. You can also separate the strains to keep individual flavor profiles and label your mason jars with a date. 

The importance of proper weed storage

If you care about flavor and potency, you should care about proper storage. The appropriate storage conditions will let you have the greatest and most enjoyable smoking experience. When it’s properly cured and stored, the marijuana flower should be consumed within 6-8 months from its harvest date. However, when exposed to heat and excessive light, the buds will dry out and be too harsh to smoke. That’s why keeping labels on your weed jars with the harvest or packaging date is essential.

In addition, cannabis-infused edibles and concentrates also have their own storage guidelines, which are usually outlined on the packaging. After all, cannabis is a delicate flower that needs protection. You must protect it from too high humidity and temperatures, as well as light and too much air. These elements can negatively impact the flavor, quality, and potency of your stash. When kept in a humid environment, the marijuana buds can grow mold, while in a dry environment they can easily become harsher and brittle to smoke. That’s why keeping them in a controlled environment is the best way to maintain their aroma, color, and flavor.

Too much exposure to UV rays and air has a direct impact on humidity and temperature. Light will degrade the cannabis buds over time, so try to keep them away from direct sunlight. You should always consider the elements when wondering how to store weed. If you’re considering long-term storage you can try vacuum-sealing your glass containers to reduce odor. This is usually one of the most common problems when storing marijuana.

Proper temperature to store weed

Temperature is the most important factor for weed storage. Extreme temperatures, both too cold and too hot, can dry out the herb’s terpenes and cannabinoids, so it’s important to keep an ideal temperature of under 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Drastic swings in temperature are a surefire way to degrade your weed, so try to avoid that. Mold usually thrives in temperatures above 77 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that you need to keep your weed containers in a cool and dark place to avoid damage.

Knowing how to store bud containers to avoid lessening the efficiency of the buds is very important for all marijuana lovers. Carefully choose the place and method of storing cannabis. Try to avoid placing your stash in the fridge, as fluctuations in temperature and humidity make it prone to growing mold and mildew. Especially avoid taking your stash out of the fridge and then putting it back repeatedly. A lot of research showcases the impact of temperature on cannabinoid degradation in dried flowers, and scientists have even developed a cannabis stability calculator where you can see how the concentration of cannabinoids changes over time. 

How long can weed stay fresh if stored properly?

You may have found yourself in a situation where you encountered a stash of weed and didn’t know how old it was. Part of knowing how to store weed is knowing how long it can stay fresh if stored correctly. It’s good to know that it never goes “bad”, meaning unsafe to use after getting old, provided you haven’t kept it in a humid environment where it could develop mold. However, it can lose its freshness and go stale, if forgotten for too long. And let’s be honest, no one likes to smoke stale weed.

A few important conditions determine the freshness of your weed. If your stash has been well harvested, dried, cured, and stored, it will stay fresh and potent for longer, usually between six months to a year. 

If kept in environments prone to growing mold, your weed is as good as garbage. You wouldn’t want to ingest it as it can make you very sick. Since mold typically develops at humidity levels above 77% RH, it’s important to keep it below that threshold. It’s best to use airtight mason jars and a humidity pack, to maintain not only proper humidity levels but also ideal temperature. The place where you keep your stash will also greatly impact the freshness of your buds. Place it in a dark and cool spot away from moisture and light.

The Effects of Stale Weed

The chemical components of cannabis break down over time, just like any other substance. THC, the main psychoactive component of weed that’s responsible for giving you a “high”, will slowly degrade over time. For instance, after a year, your weed will lose around 16% of its THC. And after three years, it will lose 34% of its THC. So, even if weed loses some of its potency over a period of time, it will not “expire” as groceries do.

However, it doesn’t mean you should let it go stale. Besides losing its potency, it will slowly lose its aroma and flavor over time. In the worst-case scenario, you’ll be left with nothing but a pile of ineffective, crumbling dust that can’t be used for anything. That’s why proper storage conditions are essential if you want to avoid stale and unpleasant weed. Do not place them in plastic baggies or overly large containers, and stick to weed jars.

The best ways to store your weed

When it comes to properly storing your cannabis buds, it’s useful to know the right methods of storage, if you want to avoid ruining your precious buds. Lose the plastic baggies, and stock up on glass containers instead. Mason jars allow for an airtight seal to protect against oxidization, and you can even find ones with anti-UV lighting glass coating, to protect your stash from the harmful rays which speed up the degradation of THC into CBN. 

You might also consider using parchment paper to prevent damage. You can softly wrap your buds before placing them inside your container, and you’ll then have a convenient place to break apart nugs or roll joints. If you already read a few guides on how to store weed correctly, you probably know that you should keep your stash moist, but not too moist. Maintaining RH is the key factor in weed storage. You can use a cannabis humidor to keep your stash in if you’re looking for a fancy way to store weed.

Humidors will not only protect your buds from the elements but they also provide a safe and elegant way of storing marijuana. You can even travel with them, as they perfectly blend in with any furniture. If you have kids or pets, a humidor will keep your stash safe and secured. Long-term users also appreciate humidity packets. You can place them inside an airtight container, usually a glass one, and they’ll keep a steady humidity of around 62% RH. They’re also cheaper than a humidor if you’re looking for an alternative.

Bottom Line

Proper cannabis storage calls for a few essentials including temperature, humidity, oxygen, light, and the material of the container you use to store your marijuana flowers. If you do everything correctly, you’ll have fresh and flavorful cannabis in perfect shape for at least a year, if not longer. You can also consider using these methods for keeping other forms of marijuana such as tinctures, edibles, and concentrates.

Although cannabis buds can survive for a few weeks in improper storage, if you’re planning to keep them longer, you should consider investing in glass mason jars or other forms of airtight glass containers. Once you follow these simple rules, you’ll be able to enjoy premium-quality marijuana for months to come.