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How Humid is Humid?

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skow69

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I do have something of a clue. All of my primed leaf is strung in pairs, back-to-back, with each pair spaced 0.5 to 1" apart. I typically grow ~250 plants. As Knucks points out, it depends on your average humidity in the curing area, and specifically during the time that a particular batch of leaf is being cured, as well as the leaf variety. Some leaf stems are considerably more succulent than others, and require wider spacing, in order to avoid molding.

Bob

I borrowed Bob's quote from another thread. I'm a first time grower. No doubt this question won't be needed after a season or two, but it would be nice to have some numbers for the first go-round if possible.

I get that if you are in New Mexico you probably need to add some moisture, and if you are in Panama you probably want the driest spot you can find. But I'm in western Oregon. Can I safely assume that R.H. of, say, 50% to 70% will provided a suitable environment for color curing in an unheated shed or outside in the shade? At what point should I move everything inside and maybe provide a little heat? Around 90% R.H.? Or does that oversimplify it?
 

deluxestogie

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Maybe some other members have real numbers, but here's my guess. A 24 hour average relative humidity (RH) in the range of 70% is usually favorable for color-curing. The RH can fall considerably below that while the lamina still contain a fair amount of water. If the lamina of green leaf are wilted, and the humidity is low (say, 50%), then you may end up with leaf that has dried green. Once your leaf has yellowed or browned, low RH is not a problem.

Bob

EDIT: Linus Pauling forgot to toss the vitamin C idea.
 

Knucklehead

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I borrowed Bob's quote from another thread. I'm a first time grower. No doubt this question won't be needed after a season or two, but it would be nice to have some numbers for the first go-round if possible.

I get that if you are in New Mexico you probably need to add some moisture, and if you are in Panama you probably want the driest spot you can find. But I'm in western Oregon. Can I safely assume that R.H. of, say, 50% to 70% will provided a suitable environment for color curing in an unheated shed or outside in the shade? At what point should I move everything inside and maybe provide a little heat? Around 90% R.H.? Or does that oversimplify it?

50-70% is fine as long as the humidity doesn't stay 50% or lower for several days while the leaf is going from green to yellow. This could cause the leaf to dry green. Humidity can be lower when going from yellow to brown. Just keep an eye on the hygrometer. If humidity is in the lower ranges, you may need to open your shed doors at night while humidity is high, then close them in the morning to trap the humid air inside. Over 80% for several days can cause mold or barn rot. During this period you can add a fan to increase air circulation and open the doors during the day and close them at night.

Most people on the forum hang the leaves back to back, front to front, alternating. I found that under certain humid conditions that this can cause barn rot between two face to face leaves that have stuck together. No problem with the back to back leaves. I switched to hanging the leaves all in the same direction. This stopped the barn rot and didn't create any new problems. This may be another area where you need to play with it depending on location and conditions.
 
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