Post-Harvest¶

Post-harvest processing guides a harvest batch through the stages Drying, Curing, and Storage up to Released. You track drying progress by weight, get concrete next-step recommendations, and see automatic mold warnings as soon as a batch gets too moist.

Prerequisites¶

At least one harvest batch to start a post-harvest batch from.
Starting drying, recording progress, and advancing the stage requires the Grower or Admin role in your tenant (see Tenants & Gardens: Roles and Permissions). As a Viewer, you can view batches but not change them.

The post-harvest batch lifecycle¶

A post-harvest batch moves through four stages — always forward, with no skipping or going back:

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Drying: Start drying
    Drying --> Curing: at 95% drying progress
    Curing --> Storage
    Storage --> Released
    Released --> [*]

Stage	What happens
Drying	The batch is drying until the target moisture is reached. You record the weight regularly to track progress.
Curing	In airtight containers the batch cures further: residual moisture evens out, and aroma and potency continue to develop. Briefly open the containers daily at first (burping).
Storage	The batch is in storage. Monitor storage conditions and act promptly on mold warnings.
Released	Post-harvest processing is complete — the batch has been released.

Curing refers to letting the already-dried harvest mature further inside an airtight container (e.g. a mason jar). During this process, residual moisture equalizes between stem and flower, chlorophyll keeps breaking down, and aroma and potency continue to develop — a process that typically takes several weeks.

A stage change cannot be undone and cannot skip a stage: from drying you can only move to curing, from curing only to storage, and from storage only to released.

Drying → Curing: only from 95% progress

Kamerplanter blocks the transition from drying to curing while drying progress is below 95%. Record more weight measurements until the batch is ready.

Start drying¶

Step 1: Take a batch into post-harvest processing¶

Open Post-Harvest in the navigation, under Harvest (/ernte/nachernte).
Click Start drying.
Select the harvest batch you want to dry.

Step 2: Enter drying details¶

Field	Description
Harvest batch	The harvest batch to be dried
Produce type	Coarse classification — flower, herb, root/tuber, fruit, or mushroom
Drying method	Hang dry (gentlest), Rack dry, Dehydrator (fastest), or Air cure
Start weight (g)	Optional. If omitted, Kamerplanter automatically uses the harvest batch's wet weight.
Target moisture (%)	Typical target: about 10% residual moisture (range 5–15%)
Notes	Free text

Once saved, the batch appears in the list at the Drying stage.

Track drying progress¶

Open the batch in the list to open its detail view. While the batch is at the Drying stage, you can record the current weight there: enter the weight and click Record. Kamerplanter then automatically calculates:

the drying progress (0–100%, shown as a progress bar)
a recommendation for the next step
the estimated days remaining until fully dry

Progress is derived from weight loss relative to the chosen target moisture. The estimated days remaining additionally depends on the drying method you selected.

Recommendations¶

Progress	Recommendation
Below 40%	Ensure adequate airflow
40% up to 70%	Keep an eye on temperature and humidity
70% up to 95%	Run the snap test: a stem should snap, not bend
From 95%	Ready for curing
Weight loss above 85% (regardless of progress)	Over-dried — start curing promptly

Over-dried

If a batch loses more than 85% of its starting weight, Kamerplanter shows a "Over-dried" warning instead of the usual recommendation. In this case, start curing promptly to avoid further loss of aroma and potency.

The snap test is a simple manual check that requires no equipment: bend a thin stem — if it snaps cleanly, the batch is usually dry enough; if it just bends, moisture remains.

Water activity (a_w)¶

Water activity (short: a_w, scale 0–1) indicates how much of the water in the batch is actually available to microorganisms such as mold — unlike raw moisture content in percent. Above an a_w value of 0.65, mold risk rises sharply, even if the batch already feels dry. For storage, a range of about 0.55–0.65 is considered safe.

Water activity via API only

The drying-progress form in the interface currently accepts only the weight. Water activity, CO₂ concentration, and the snap-test result can additionally be submitted via the API (e.g. from a connected meter) and will then be shown in the detail view once available — there's no input field for them in the interface yet.

Mold alerts¶

Kamerplanter automatically raises a mold alert when a recorded environmental observation indicates mold risk — primarily based on water activity, falling back to relative humidity. An open alert appears as a banner at the top of the batch detail view, at two severity levels:

Severity	Meaning	What to do
Warning	Elevated risk (a_w above 0.60, or relative humidity above 62%)	Watch the batch closely, ensure adequate airflow, and lower the humidity at the storage location where possible.
Critical	High risk (a_w above 0.65, or relative humidity above 65%)	Check the batch for visible mold immediately, increase airflow, and lower the humidity. Remove and, if needed, discard affected areas.

Visible mold

A software alert does not replace a visual check. Mold (e.g. botrytis, gray mold) appears as a gray or white fuzz and smells musty. Remove any affected material immediately and separately from the rest of the batch at the first sign — when in doubt, act early rather than late.

Environmental observations via API only

Mold alerts are calculated from structured environmental observations (temperature, relative humidity, water activity, CO₂, visual and aroma condition). These observations can currently only be recorded via the API — there's no form for them in the interface yet. Alerts that have already been raised still appear in the detail view regardless of how they were recorded.

Advance the stage¶

In the batch detail view, Kamerplanter shows a button Advance to: at the bottom, as long as the batch is not already at the final stage (Released). Clicking it immediately moves the batch to the next stage — there's no confirmation dialog, but also no way back.

While the batch is at the Drying stage and drying progress is still below 95%, the button is disabled; a note explains that more weight measurements are needed first.

For Technical Users / Self-Hosters¶

A batch cannot currently be deleted through the interface. The API provides a delete endpoint for this, available exclusively to members with the Administrator role — see API Reference: Post-Harvest.

Frequently Asked Questions¶

Can I delete a batch I created by mistake?

Not through the interface — there's no button for that yet. An administrator of your tenant can delete the batch via the API.

Why don't I see a water activity value even though I've recorded weight several times?

The interface only records weight when you weigh a batch. Water activity only appears once it has additionally been submitted via the API, e.g. from a connected meter.

What happens if I try to skip a stage or move backward?

That's not possible. Kamerplanter only ever allows the next step in the fixed order Drying → Curing → Storage → Released.

I received a mold alert but don't see anything unusual — what now?

Check the batch carefully anyway, ideally with a magnifying glass and by smell — early mold isn't always visible to the naked eye. As a precaution, lower the humidity at the storage location and improve airflow, even if nothing is visible yet.