Any light is going to degrade THC content along with potential Mold/rot. Where there is light and water, there is algae - You can almost guarantee that, whether visible to human eye or not.

Personally, I've trimmed wet, dry, chopped into pieces, used mechanical trimmers, bowl trimmers, table top trimmers, etc. The very best way I've found is to chop the plant down, remove the majority of the fan leaves, and hang dry in a DARK room, AS CLOSE to 70 degrees F and 55% Humidity as I can possibly get. The room should also have decent circulation - Not fans on the buds or trees, but rather, a blower or fan recirculating air inside the room. These are ideal drying and curing conditions and have produced the best Aroma, Potency, and Flavor given the conditions for me personally. I never have mold or rot and never will if I keep to these standards.

Getting a feel for when to put into the jars is something that will come in time. Just DONT do it too early. Buy a 10$ Miniature cigar hygrometer and put it in the Curing jar with your bud - Keep it between 55-60% for a perfect cure, burp the jar when it becomes to humid to get it back down to the 50-55% range, and continue to do so until your at a stable 55% in the jar. Cure for as long as you wish (I recommend at least a month for my personal smoke) - But a 3 week cure will be mighty tasty if done right.

Hope this helped Fera, Really hope you enjoy this harvest! You Deserve it brother!

Different climates and altitudes also make a big difference in time issues. For instance I used to live in Washington where it rains all day every day and the altitude was 2000 ft., compared to where i live now, 5000 ft elevation and extremely low humidity. Here, even in jars the bud will be dust in 2 months so the curing time (which is simply allowing nature to take out the cloryphyl and develop the thc) is much shorter than in Washington, where it took me 2 months minimum to cure.

Very True RD, I should have mentioned that. It definitely differs based on area, and thats why I say get a mini hygrometer bro.

It's hard to just hop online and get a PERFECT answer as to how long your bud will take to dry, etc. just by going off of others answer's. As far as process goes, sure, we'll all share. But it really depends on the environment you're in. You'll get a good feel for it over a couple plants harvest.

Keep in mind, your buds may be fairly dry to the touch a few days down the line, but that does NOT mean they're dry and ready to jar. Break open the bud, crack the stem, and base it's readiness by these factors, NOT just the touch and look. Most of the moisture and byproducts are within the bud, not on the outside layer.

Good info RD, thanks.