Hold it in place while slowly pouring more desiccant all around. Be sure to work the material down in between every petal and leaf to prevent mildew. Add as many flowers or sprigs as you wish, but they must not touch each other. If you are using a deep container, several layers of flowers or foliage can be dried at a time. Be sure that the top layer of flowers and foliage has 2 inches of desiccant above it so no outside moisture can damage the herbs.
Most herbs take two to three days to dry except in sand, where they can take as long as three weeks.
Test for readiness by carefully removing a flower or leaf from the drying container. It should feel crisp when adequately dried. When you feel your herbs and flowers have reached this point, carefully and gently shake or brush off all the desiccant. To make stems longer, add any desired length of florists' wire and wrap with floral tape. This will add support to your dried herbs and flowers and will make them easier to arrange.