How to Keep Weed Fresh Longer

When purchasing marijuana from a dispensary, most people acquire more than they need for a single dose to have leftover cannabis for another time. Though this practice is common, it does little good if you don’t know how to keep weed fresh for long.

Unfortunately, incorrectly storing weed can lead to a host of problems, like the loss of potency, aroma, and flavor. The weed can become too harsh to smoke when it dries out. Also, damp weed can be difficult to smoke, and it can develop toxic mold. 

Properly storing your cannabis makes all the difference in how long you can use bud without reducing its quality. Cannabis connoisseurs and novices alike can benefit from knowing how to keep weed fresh. This guide will teach you the best way to manage and store your weed to ensure its freshness and potency for when you’re ready to use it. 

Store in the Proper Container

Knowing how to keep weed fresh longer starts with knowing the type of containers that work best for short-term and long-term storage. Ideally, you want to keep cannabis in an airtight glass jar with some UV protection. Glass containers with lids help prevent cannabis flowers and joints from terpenes and cannabinoid degradation from exposure to heat, light, and oxygen. 

Since cannabis is a natural material, it will degrade over time. It can take about three months before the THC levels have a substantial decline in cannabis flower. Still, you can preserve the bud’s THC potency and quality beyond the typical three-month with proper storage. 

With a glass jar and lid, you can prevent pathogens and microbes from growing on the weed because airborne particles won’t penetrate the container. For the best results, consider a glass bottle with a rubber seal, and make sure the container’s interior is completely dry before inserting your cannabis.

Use an Old Medicine Bottle in a Clutch

If you don’t have a glass bottle with a top, you could use an old medicine bottle to store your weed. Prescription bottles are plastic. However, manufacturers design them to keep contents dry and contaminant-free, so they work well as handy cannabis containers.

Medicine bottles are also convenient since people typically have more access to them than small glass jars with rubber seals. Still, before you put weed into a prescription bottle, thoroughly sanitize and dry the bottle to remove residue from its interior that could affect your bud. You should also be mindful that while storing weed in an old medicine bottle is efficient, it will not contain the bud’s odor. 

Don’t Put Organic Materials into a Container with Cannabis

A common assumption about dried weed is that you can rehydrate it by storing it with slivers of fruits and vegetables like orange peel or pineapples. Another assumption about keeping fruit and weed together is that the fruit will imbue its flavor and scent into the cannabis.

When it comes to keeping weed fresh, it’s better to err on the side of caution and abstain from adding organic matter into your cannabis storage containers. Fruits and vegetables degrade faster than weed, which can cause the storage container to become a breeding ground for potentially harmful pathogens like mold and mildew. 

Insert Humidity Packs into Containers and Packages

If cannabis flower is too moist, you will have a tough time grinding it. Excess moisture makes the bud sticky, so using a grinder won’t break it apart much. The dampness also makes it harder for the weed to burn, which means you won’t have a pleasant smoking experience. 

Another problem with damp weed is the formation of mold and other pathogens. Mold and microbes thrive in moist environments. When your weed is too wet, you have a greater risk of it developing mold and making it unusable due to the toxins the cannabis now contains.

Mold and texture issues aside, you also don’t want damp weed because moisture breaks down the trichomes and cannabinoids, which affect its potency and aroma. To combat this issue when storing your weed, insert a humidity pack into the container with your bud.

Humidity packs for weed, like Boveda packs for cigar cases, have water-absorbent beads and salt. The packs’ contents absorb extra moisture inside the container to regulate its humidity level, preventing the cannabis flower from becoming too wet to use.

Keep Cannabis Out of Silicone or Plastic Long-Term

Sometimes people source weed from dispensaries in plastic or silicone containers, but they’re unsuitable for long-term use. Trichomes can stick to these materials, reducing the nugs’ cannabinoid and terpene content. Using plastic for short-term storage is better before switching to a permanent glass or medicine container. 

Vacuum Seal Packages

Though you can store cannabis in plastic short-term without much issue, you might wonder how to keep weed fresh longer in plastic bags. Vacuum-sealed packaging is the answer. 

If you purchase a fragrant weed strain and don’t have any glass bottles with airtight seals, you could vacuum seal your products in special weed bags specific for that purpose. Since vacuum-sealing plastic prevents the bag’s contents from absorbing oxygen and moisture, you can safely store your cannabis this way to keep it fresh for several months. 

Avoid the Freezer and Refrigerator

It might seem like a good idea to store your weed inside your refrigerator or freezer to keep it fresh for a long time. Unfortunately, that’s a bad idea because the temperature inside a fridge or freezer will fluctuate since you have to open their doors repeatedly. The temperature fluctuations can cause marijuana to develop moisture more quickly, resulting in degraded nugs with mold and mildew. 

Even if you keep your cannabis in a container in the freezer and don’t open the door often, you still risk ruining your weed. If you don’t store your flower correctly, the cold environment can cause the trichomes to break off, which drops the weed’s terpene and cannabinoid content. 

Don’t Wait to Use Ground Flower

While storing weed flower, joints, and blunts for weeks or months under the right condition is acceptable, the same tactics won’t work for ground flower. Ground flower loses its terpenes more quickly than intact bud.

So it’s better to consume ground weed within 30 days instead of looking for ways to preserve it. It’s also a good idea to only grind enough flower for each smoking session. Grinding breaks the trichomes off of nugs to create kief, but that process also speeds up the degradation of the cannabis’s terpenes.  

Put Extra Weed in a Dark, Cool Place

Even if you vacuum seal your cannabis or place it in a sealed glass container, your product can still degrade if you leave it in a bright area. Exposing your nugs to light, especially sunlight, for long periods will cause them to degrade more quickly due to their organic nature. Bright environments can cause the terpenes on the flower to dry out, reducing its aroma and potency. 

When possible, choose a tinted container to protect your weed from light damage. If you keep your flower in a transparent glass jar, store it in a dark, cool place to limit light exposure.

Storing your weed in a dark, cool environment also helps avoid too much heat exposure. If temperatures get too high, terpenes and cannabinoids can boil, causing the cannabis to develop yellow or brown spots. You’ll end up with weed without the desired flavor, aroma, potency, or color. 

Invest in a Cannabis Humidor

The best way to keep weed fresh for an extended period is to invest in a cannabis humidor. These humidors are similar to cigar boxes but specifically for storing cannabis. The boxes are airtight and dark and maintain the ideal relative humidity level for cannabis, which is between 59% and 63%. 

Cannabis humidors are also great if you need to store multiple weed strains without mixing them. You can keep each strain in individual jars inside the humidor. 

Contact 420 Stock for All Your Weed Accessories

Now that you know how to keep weed fresh for longer, reach out to 420 Stock for all your cannabis storage needs. We offer a variety of high-quality cannabis products at affordable prices, like premium flower packaging, concentrate containers, and packaging for prerolled joints and blunts. We offer prices lower than our competitors and free shipping on orders over $225.

Visit our online store today to browse our inventory, or call (844) 420-7862 for more information about our products and services.

Also Read: Storing Cannabis Concentrates