Leaving the plants longer to rippen vs. doing faster cycles

[Gorilla599]

Hi everyone!

I am in a bit of a dilemma currently - plants have been growing for 8+ weeks and by my normal standards their are almost done, but I also would need to cut them down sooner because the new ones are getting really big and it kinda made me wonder.

I think I either read or listened to something where they were talking about industry standards where supposedly plants are taken down after exactly 8 weeks of flower (obviously talking about strains thatare supposed to flower in 8 weeks) to optimize for profit.

And I was wondering, is that true?

Am I better off cutting them down 3-7 days too early but still after 8 weeks of flowering and hence being able to do more cycles or is it better to leave them longer and get more weight ?

 

[TheTerpinator]

Depends on the high you're after. I prefer my trichomes on the cloudy/amber side. The industry, IMO, harvests way too soon with too much clear trichomes. I can't do clear, too racy of a high for me. So how you like your high is when you should chop.
Edit: If you're growing for personal, that is. If you're growing for market then that's a different story. Personally I believe there is a niche market for clear, clear/cloudy, cloudy/amber.

 

[Gorilla599]

Depends on the high you're after. I prefer my trichomes on the cloudy/amber side. The industry, IMO, harvests way too soon with too much clear trichomes. I can't do clear, too racy of a high for me. So how you like your high is when you should chop.

Hm…Maybe I do want it a bit more racy. I smoke when I work because I do a lot of work on the computer and sometimes the head pressure from what I normally grow is just too much and I have to lay down immediately. But I also need it for sleep and what I do works perfect for that when it’s time to sleep, it knocks me out like I just did 4 hours on the bike.

Never tried to cut down early, would it make it worse as a sleeping aid ?

 

[Gorilla599]

And what I mean is I fucking love sativa through the day, don’t want to grow it though…but I don’t want to end up having to smoke 5gs before sleep just for it to work. And I am wondering if it’s the same effect kinda.

 

[TheTerpinator]

Never tried to cut down early, would it make it worse as a sleeping aid ?

Depends on how it affects you. When I was a youngster I could smoke it all with no ill effects. Now not so much. Try it all and see what works for you.

 

[Gorilla599]

Depends on the high you're after. I prefer my trichomes on the cloudy/amber side. The industry, IMO, harvests way too soon with too much clear trichomes. I can't do clear, too racy of a high for me. So how you like your high is when you should chop.
Edit: If you're growing for personal, that is. If you're growing for market then that's a different story. Personally I believe there is a niche market for clear, clear/cloudy, cloudy/amber.

Now that you have added the edit - you mean as in if it’s for the market you would cut down early as that would be a better optimization ?

 

[beansin]

times irrelevent and more just a ruff time line ...plant will be done when it wants to be done or when youre done waiting for it lol to be ready. if i got veg plants ready for flip and my flower ones are close they get the chop and i start my next flower run but im space limmited . chopping to early is not worth it though

 

[TheTerpinator]

Now that you have added the edit - you mean as in if it’s for the market you would cut down early as that would be a better optimization ?

If I were in the industry I would want to take advantage of the niche aspect and craft for the customer not the industry.

 

[ALPHA.GanjaGuy]

I think I either read or listened to something where they were talking about industry standards where supposedly plants are taken down after exactly 8 weeks of flower (obviously talking about strains thatare supposed to flower in 8 weeks) to optimize for profit.

This is what happens when you put profits/money over quality, it becomes a choice. Let them run the time they need and let them show you when they are done for the best possible quality plant or, cut them when you need the room at the potential sacrifice of yield, flavor, and overall quality

 

[Gorilla599]

If I were in the industry I would want to take advantage of the niche aspect and craft to the customer not the industry.

I definitely agree. But there is a difference between legal and illegal, when legal you can market yourself as a connoisseur, when illegal you just get the same rate because there’s guys doing 20 kgs a month on hydroponics and co2 bombs who produce at a cheaper rate and at that point one has to become an end customer dealer which isn’t that desirable I think.

 

[Gorilla599]

This is what happens when you put profits/money over quality, it becomes a choice. Let them run the time they need and let them show you when they are done for the best possible quality plant or, cut them when you need the room at the potential sacrifice of yield, flavor, and overall quality

You are totally right. I am merely asking though as this a unique situation which made me want to discuss this. The plants however already have same amber trichs so it’s not like we are talking about cutting them down with clear trichs.

 

[TheTerpinator]

Yep. I'm in the legal southwest, so there wouldn't be any real issues if I wanted to get into the industry. I don't, but if I did it would be all about the customer over profit. Those wanting a profit are in a whole different ball game and for that kind of knowledge you need an industry insider; of which I am not.

 

[ALPHA.GanjaGuy]

You are totally right. I am merely asking though as this a unique situation which made me want to discuss this. The plants however already have same amber trichs so it’s not like we are talking about cutting them down with clear trichs.

No doubt, and I was not trying to sound high and mighty just giving my opinion.

Maybe think of it like this, do you think the customer would want a semi rushed finished product or one left to be fully ripe? My opinion is you could get a better following if you bet on quality rather than pulling as much as often as the next person. just my .02

You can choose, compete with their quality or their output.

 

[Gorilla599]

times irrelevent and more just a ruff time line ...plant will be done when it wants to be done or when youre done waiting for it lol to be ready. if i got veg plants ready for flip and my flower ones are close they get the chop and i start my next flower run but im space limmited . chopping to early is not worth it though

So we basically have the same problem because I am space limited, one tent that’s big enough for drying is being fixed and will be back next week which is too late and I need to cut at least something down for which I do not have the space, I can spare something under the other light but not all.

 

[Gorilla599]

No doubt, and I was not trying to sound high and mighty just giving my opinion.

Maybe think of it like this, do you think the customer would want a semi rushed finished product or one left to be fully ripe? My opinion is you could get a better following if you bet on quality rather than pulling as much as often as the next person. just my .02

You can choose, compete with their quality or their output.

I didn’t take it the wrong way. If I was purely after profit that would the the reminder I needed.
My concerns are that some guy showed me weed grown with pgr last week and people loved that toxic shit. Basically the market slurps up everything you feed it here.

 

[PopAndSonGrows]

I can tell you from experience that you're kneecapping your bud's taste and potency by harvesting too early. That said, I still prefer weed that's more on the early side than the late side.

You should only ever harvest early out of absolute necessity; pests, a move or shutdown, etc. Otherwise just harvest as soon as the harvest window opens, most likely 9-10 weeks for almost any polyhybrid nowadays.

 

[thumper60]

Yep. I'm in the legal southwest, so there wouldn't be any real issues if I wanted to get into the industry. I don't, but if I did it would be all about the customer over profit. Those wanting a profit are in a whole different ball game and for that kind of knowledge you need an industry insider; of which I am not.

You would never make it in the legal market its always profit over customer

 

[TheTerpinator]

You would never make it in the legal market its always profit over customer

The legal market right now is the same as going into a corporate supermarket to get your fruits and vegetables versus going to a mom and pop farmers market. The legal market has yet to embrace a true craft model. As long as profit trumps quality, the only ones who will make it in the legal market will be those who care about profit. But as I said in other comments above, I'm not interested in anything other than my own personal smoke.

 

[Nope_49595933949]

Pics of the plants?

 

[Splinter7]

Hi everyone!

I am in a bit of a dilemma currently - plants have been growing for 8+ weeks and by my normal standards their are almost done, but I also would need to cut them down sooner because the new ones are getting really big and it kinda made me wonder.

I think I either read or listened to something where they were talking about industry standards where supposedly plants are taken down after exactly 8 weeks of flower (obviously talking about strains thatare supposed to flower in 8 weeks) to optimize for profit.

And I was wondering, is that true?

Am I better off cutting them down 3-7 days too early but still after 8 weeks of flowering and hence being able to do more cycles or is it better to leave them longer and get more weight ?

i haven't done it, but jeff from grow from your heart podcast mentions how he will go back to 18/6 the last 10 to 14 days of flower. it makes bigger buds and sets up reveg faster. anyway, maybe look into that.