When to Stop Burping Curing Jars: A Complete Guide

When to Stop Burping Curing Jars: A Complete Guide to timing, humidity checks, and steps for smooth, terpene-rich buds every cure.

I’ll never forget the first time I fired up those mason jars with months of work behind them. I’d just harvested, dried, jarred everything, and I stared at those jars like I’d just launched a rocket. My heart raced a little. Because: when do I stop burping them? This is one of those Personal Growth & Lifestyle moments where you learn through doing. I kept opening the jars, twisting the lids, checking humidity, sniffing for weird smells… all at odd hours. If you ask “when are you going to stop burping in the healing jar?” you’re not alone. I’ve been there. Let me walk you through what I learned the hard way, what the latest practical research says, and exactly how you should approach this so you end up with smooth-smoking, terpene-rich buds instead of harsh disappointment.

Why “Burping” Matters (And Why It’s More Than Just Opening a Lid)

First off: what the heck is “burping”? In simple terms, when you’ve dried your buds and placed them into airtight jars, the flowers still contain moisture inside and are still releasing gases like CO₂ and ethylene. If you lock them away and do nothing, you risk trapping that moisture and those gases. You get a build-up of stale air and excess humidity. That is the perfect recipe for unwelcome guests like mold, ammonia scents, and ruined flavor. As one grow-community guide put it: “burping is your number one defence against opening a jar and finding a fuzzy, heartbreaking disaster.” Blimburn Seeds+1

So yes, you open the jar. But the deeper reason is: you’re managing a tiny ecosystem in each jar. You’re allowing the buds to breathe, you’re letting the moisture gently redistribute, you’re avoiding rapid drying (which kills terpenes) and avoiding excess humidity (which breeds mold). As one paper long ago noted, once enzymatic activity slows and the major gas release is done, the benefit of constant burping drops off. Twister Technologies+1

My Journey: When to Stop Burping Curing Jars

When I began, I made every mistake you can imagine. I canned too early (buds still felt damp inside), I over-filled jars (no room for air), I ignored hygrometers (because I thought “I can feel it” rather than trusting the data). One morning I opened a jar and the smell hit me: ammonia. Yup.I panicked, took everything out, dried it again, cleaned the glasses again. Needless to say, that harvest was not my proudest moment. But it taught me a lesson: burping is not optional, and when to stop is just as important as when to start.

Over time, I refined my workflow, tracked numbers, experimented with different strains (some dense, some airy) and learnt that each batch behaves slightly differently. But the underlying rules? They stayed the same. And you’ll benefit from them.

How Long Should You Burp?When to Stop Burping Curing Jars

Here’s the “meat” of the article: a week-by-week breakdown of how to burp, when you can reduce it, and when you can effectively stop or shift to maintenance. Lots of growers and guides converge around similar numbers.

Week 1 … “High Activity Phase”

• Immediately after drying and jarring, for the first 7 days, you should burp your jars daily or even twice daily. Some growers open 10-15 minutes, some up to 30 minutes. Trimleaf+1 
• Why so frequent? Because moisture is still being released aggressively from the interior of the buds; CO₂ is off-gassing; if you don’t exchange the air, humidity may spike above safe levels. For example one guide says: open jars 2-3 times daily for 10-15 minutes each. atmosiscience.com+1 
• My tip: label each jar with strain + harvest date + hygrometer reading. First week I went around with a notebook, tracking RH every morning. It made me feel like a scientist and kept me honest.

Week 2-3 … “Stabilization Phase”

• By the beginning of week 2 you should see your hygrometer readings begin to settle in the target range (more on that in the next section).
  
• At this point you can reduce the burping frequency to once daily, then maybe every other day. For example, one site says: weeks 2–4: burp every 2-3 days for 5-10 minutes. Trimleaf+1 
• Keep checking for warning signs: condensation on jar walls, stems still bendy, ammonia smell, etc.
  
• At this stage I personally started decanting only in the morning, ensuring that the glass was stored in an even climate (cool, dark, stable temperature) so that internal changes would not occur. up by external variation.

Week 4-5 … “Transition to Maintenance”

• If everything is going smoothly, by week 4 your buds are in the “sweet spot” region: the aroma has developed beyond “fresh-grass-cut” to strain-specific terpenes, the stems snap instead of bend, humidity is stable. Many growers reduce burping to once every few days or even once weekly. Blimburn Seeds+1 
• At this point you may consider switching to humidity-buffer packs (like 62% packs) or just moving to long-term storage routines. But be careful: some growers say doing that too early reduces quality.
  
• I actually took a little celebration photo of my jars with “Week 4” tape on them. Nerdy? Maybe. But helpful.

Week 6 and Beyond … “Long-Term Storage / Maintenance Mode”

• At this stage, if RH has been stable for 1-2+ weeks in the 58-62% range, you can practically stop regular burping., Does this mean you will never open the jar again? Not enough.I Love Growing Marijuana+1 
• Store your jars in a cool (15-21 °C / 60-70 °F), dark place. Keep humidity in the jar stable. Avoid light, heat, and oxygen exposure which degrade terpenes and cannabinoids. THCFarmer – Cannabis Cultivation Network+1 

The Key Humidity Numbers & What They Really Mean

You’ll hear a lot of numbers thrown around. Here are the key ones and what they tell you.

• Target Jar RH: ~58-62% … Many growers use 58-62% as the ideal range for curing deep flavour and aroma.Danger Zone: >65% RH … If internal humidity climbs above ~65% you risk mold and anaerobic bacteria growth which produce ammonia smells. THCFarmer – Cannabis Cultivation Network+1 
• Too Dry: <55% RH … If you drop too fast you’ll lose terpenes, buds become crispy, stems shatter, aroma fades. THCFarmer – Cannabis Cultivation Network+1 

In plain English: imagine your buds are like a sponge inside a sealed container. They slowly release moisture while shrinking slightly. The ideal is when they’ve given off most excess moisture, but are still slightly springy…not bone dry, not damp. Once the sponge is dry and stable, the “burping” can go from frequent check-ups to occasional.

When Really to Stop Burping (The Signs)

• Hygrometer consistently reads ~58-62% for at least 7-14 days.
• You open the jar, smell the buds: no grassy/raw smell, no ammonia/musty odour. Instead you get a clean strain-specific aroma.
• If they still bend, you’re not done. THCFarmer – Cannabis Cultivation Network+1 
• Bud texture: Outer surface feels dryish, but inside there’s a slight give…if you squeeze the bud it springs back a little. Too dry means brittle.
• You’ve already done the “heavy lifting” of burping and the internal gases/moisture exchange has largely passed.

If all those check out, you can stop daily burping, maybe move to weekly or monthly checks.

Strain, Drying & Jar-Filling Factors That Affect Your Burping Routine

One size doesn’t fit all. In my second harvest I grew both an airy sativa-type strain and a dense indica-type. I treated them the same and learned my lesson. Dense nugs hold moisture longer, need more attention; airy buds dry quicker and risk over-drying. Community sources echo this: density, trim level, initial dry phase all change your burping schedule.Here are some nuance points:

• If you dried too fast (say you hung for only 4 days instead of 7) you’ll have more internal moisture → burp heavier.
  
• If you packed jars full (no headspace) you’ll trap moisture, less air exchange → risk of mold. Best practice is ~⅔ full to allow air space.
• If you have pruned poorly (leaving many sugar leaves intact) more moisture is retained, which means a slower recovery.
  
• Temperature and ambient humidity of your drying/curing room matter. If your room is hot/humid you’ll need more frequent burping.

Tools, Setup & Practical Tips from My Grow Room

Since we’re going deep, here are real tools and habits I built to make things easier (and less nerve-wracking).

Tools I use (and you should):

• Good quality glass mason jars, wide-mouth, airtight. Avoid plastic lids or metal that rusts or taints flavour.
• One small digital hygrometer per jar. Many growers say, “Trust your hygrometer… Your nose and feel are good, but statistics don’t lie.”
• Label: Variety name + Harvest date + Jar date + Initial RH. I use masking tape and a permanent marker. Helps you look back months later and learn from each jar.
• Storage room: dark, cool (I aim for ~18-21°C), stable humidity (~55-60%). I built a small chamber with no light leaks, installed a small fan for gentle air circulation (not direct blasting on the glass).
• Jar headspace: I limit to ~70% full (prefer ~⅔) so there’s a quarter of ‘dead air’ space for exchange of gases and moisture.
  

Routine I follow:

• Every morning for first week: grab each jar, check hygrometer, open lid, slightly shake the buds (to avoid clumping), sniff, note condensation or stems bending. Close lid.
  
• I keep a log on my phone: “Jar A – RH 61% – smell rich – no condensation” etc. Over time you build a dataset and start trusting your jars.

Mistakes to Avoid & Why They Matter

Let’s talk about what not to do…because I’ve done them (and you’ll thank me if you skip them).

• Using inaccurate hygrometers or none at all: Feeling buds by hand is fine, but you need the numbers. One grow forum user said:
  
• Burping too little too late: Your buds may still be “off-gassing” and you’ll miss the window.
  
• Burping too much for too long: Opening jars excessively after the cure is stable can dry out buds, loss of terpenes, harsh smoke. According to one guide:
  
  “Over-exposing to airflow causes terpene loss – repeated exposure to oxygen degrades aroma and flavor.”
  
• Ignoring smell or signs of trouble: Ammonia smell, musty smell, condensation, stems not snapping … all red flags.
  
• Wrong storage conditions: Light, heat and fluctuations kill terpenes and degrade THC. One community post warns: “Light degrades THC to CBN faster than almost anything else.”

If you steer clear of these mistakes, you’ll save yourself many headaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I ever completely stop burping? 

Effectively yes … once your jars are stable (RH ~58-62%, no smell issues, stems snap), you can reduce burping to once a week or even monthly checks. Some purists still open monthly to ensure no micro-issues.

What if my hygrometer reads 62% consistently … can I stop? 

That’s a good target. If it’s been stable for 7-14 days and other indicators are positive, yes you can reduce. Some growers on forums say:

My buds still smell grassy/hay after 3 weeks. What’s wrong? 

That usually means your drying phase was too short or too fast, or the chlorophyll breakdown didn’t complete. Some recovery is possible by extending cure, but you may not reach full flavour.

Can I use Boveda/Humidity packs from day 1 and skip burping? 

Not recommended. The general consensus: do not rely solely on humidity packs in early cure because you’ll still have active gas exchange. Use them after the active burping phase and only when RH is stable.

What about strain differences? 

Yes…they matter. Dense indica buds may need longer drying and more burping; airy sativas often dry faster and you risk over-drying if you wait too long.

Key Takings

• I’ll close by telling you what I tell myself before I harvest now: you’ve already done the hard part. 
• You grew the plants, you hung them, you trimmed them, you dried them, you jarred them. 
• The curing process…even though it feels long and maybe tedious…is the reward phase. 
• This is where all the effort shows up in flavour, aroma and smoothness.
• If you rush this part, you’re cheating yourself. 
• As one community expert said:
• “Nobody ever regretted curing longer. Everybody regrets rushing.”
• So yes…burp when you need to. 
• Stop when you’re ready.
• Let the buds develop. 
• Trust the hygrometer. 
• Feel the difference. 
• And in a month or two, when you open a jar and the terpene profile hits you like whoa, you’ll know you did it right.

Additional resources:

• How and Why to Burp Your Weed: Explains why burping matters, gives a timeline for frequency (daily → monthly) and when you can reduce burping. 
• To Burp Your Nugs When Curing Cannabis: Covers the “how often” schedule, what to watch (ammonia smell, humidity) and when you can ease off.