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Hang Drying vs Rack Drying for Hydroponic Crops: Master Debate Notes

Written by Erik Biksa
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By what method do you prefer to dry your crop?

They say there’s more than one way to skin a cat. There’s also more than one way to dry a crop. Here is some food for thought when debating how to handle your prized harvest:

Hang

Pros:
- Nicest looking finished product—has not been handled, rolled around on screens, etc.
- Easy to monitor inventory; it’s a matter of counting stems.
- Quick and inexpensive
- Takes longer to “stem snap,” typically promoting higher quality

Cons:
- More tedious to trim versus flowers that have been separated from stem
- After drying, stems require further trimming to remove individual flowers.
- Takes longer to dry
- Requires a relatively large amount of space
- Takes longer to set up than a drying rack

Rack

Pros:
- Easier and faster to trim the crop versus trimming whole branches
- Faster drying time
- Easy handling of individual flowers once removed from main stems
- Better suited for utilizing most crop trimming machines
- Very efficient use of space versus hang dry

Cons:
- Frequent handling of material can degrade the appearance and quality.
- Small flower leaves are pressed against the flowers, creating an inconsistent overall appearance.
- Less air circulation means potential for harvest diseases.

There you have it. Ultimately, the choice is yours, and you may even want to experiment with each style before proclaiming one or the other to be the best. Either way, best of luck getting a high-quality crop out into the marketplace.

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