im goin on my 3rd harvest but so far I never let my plants stay in darkness b4 i chopped them down, but ive been reading that you should leave them in darkness for a period of time b4 you harvest, does anyone have a good idea of how many hours of darkness I should keep them in b4 i chop....thanks
How Many Hours Of Darkness Should I Leave My Plants In Before I Chop?
- Thread starter adam0416
- Start date
debarkerdude
Member
i read at attitude two weeks of darkness or atleast cut down to 8 hours of light for ww
Brick Top
New Member
"The Stichting Institute of Medical marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden.
One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.
SIMM’s growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."
One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.
SIMM’s growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."
Brick Top
New Member
Way back in the 70's, if not before, growers with no scientific knowledge observed that crops harvested before daybreak were more potent than crops harvested later in the day. They had no idea that THC works like 'sunscreen' in trichome heads protecting the delicate inner glands and membranes from damaging UV rays of the sun and that each day a small percentage of THC is broken down and lost while doing that job. They only knew that harvesting before daybreak resulted in increased potency.
It only makes sense that some extended period of time for plants finishing in darkness will increase potency to some degree, even if only minor. Even a minor gain is worth taking, isn't it?
Consider what growers do. Most spend money for professional genetics, some paying upwards of $100.00 or more for their beans. They spend money to create sealed light proof growing environments. They spend money for reflective material to increase their lighting capabilities. They spend money, some spend a great deal of money, on their lighting, including multiple lights and light movers. They spend money on different bulbs, including some who spend money on UVB bulbs to increase resin production. They spend money on high dollar 'designer soils' or hydro or aero setups to grow in. They spend money on 'designer fertilizer's and other additives and nutrients. They spend money on ventilation systems to maintain proper temperature ranges and some go so far as to spend money to control humidity ranges. Some people spend money for CO2 setups. Every penny of that money spent is to achieve the most potent herb possible, it is to attempt to squeeze out every last bit of potency that the genetics their strain possesses will allow.
So since it has been known for decades that harvesting before daybreak, and later turning off lights after their last light cycle before harvest so they do not come on again before harvesting, results in more potency and since scientific research has proven that in some strains an increase in THC levels can be as much as 30% is the plants are given a 72-hour period of total darkness before harvesting ... AND DOING SO IS FREE ... why in the wide, wide world of sports would people who pay out the ass to try to squeeze every last bit of potency from their plants ever even begin to consider not doing something that will add at least a small amount of potency, and in some cases a considerable amount of potency WHEN DOING SO IS 100% TOTALLY FREE?
It is totally irrational and totally illogical to do all the other things that people PAY to do but then not do something that is FREE.
debarkerdude
Member
its cause its free no one can trust something free to people who have money falling out there asses free cant posibly work
Sr. Verde
Well-Known Member
whats the source on that
withoutAchance
Active Member
well stated
100+ dollars for boost and cant wait an extra 3-4 days for teh crop, it totally worth a shot
stubbornstoner013
Active Member
Only one PRoblem w. your analysis: you forgot to account for that point after 'peak' harvest...at which, more time=degrading thc...not increasing just cause the sun didn't shine for a couple days
I say stick w/ mother nature, sometime b4 the lights go on for me
but what do i know cuz mine doesn't end up in a lab
that is until I see an ACTUAL study proving the manipulation is true
myths can get you in trouble in this ballgame
debarkerdude
Member
its ok to try shit even if u chop ur faves and leave a couple scragaly basterds in the dark for a couple days for a first time trie or just leave them all some people just have nothing better to do than come on here and criticise other peoples threads when thay never even have done a try themselves must be them fuckers with money falling out there asses
Brick Top
New Member
The same argument can rightfully be made for drying time. All Chemical processes do not stop or totally switch gears the second harvesting occurs. Of course someone would want to make their best estimate of proper time for all continuing processes to max out, which right now is anything but an exact science, but since actual scientific tests have proven that a 72-hour period of darkness does (in some strains) increase levels of THC as much as 30% without increasing levels of CBD and CBN why would anyone not take advantage of it?
For one, the breakdown of THC would be less in darkness since it would not be subjected to light rays. Then you have to consider how a large percentage of growers do grow past peak harvest time anyway wrongly believing that they have to have amber or deep amber trichomes to have maximum potency, which is really just THC breaking down into less desirable CBN.
As THC ages it breaks down, it oxidizes. High levels of CBN makes the toker feel messed up rather than high, but many tokers confuse those feelings for being increased levels of THC and increased potency. So they grow past peak harvest time and when harvested that process still continues for some period of time, resulting in even more THC lost to oxidization, so how is that as good as a 72-hour period of darkness begun before the point of THC oxidation occurs, let alone better than a 72-hour period of darkness begun before THC oxidation begins?
dr green dre
Well-Known Member
Good bit of info info there Bricktop i might give this a try if anything i'll save on days electric so its definatley worth a shot .I used to chop mine based on hair colour i have bought a micro now and chopped the last crop at about 20% amber or less as i heard about the degrading affect,It makes sense to me as its seems that buy time your ready to smoke it its the thc is on the slide.What confuses me is hw you take an early sample and dry it enough to get a taste of the quailty before you harvest,wouldnt that bud be to early or would the plant be past the choppng time, and how much difference will ther be between the sample and harvest?Sorry for going off track there.
.Btw so its 72 hrs of dark ,what about temps should i add a small heater to keep temps up?
withoutAchance
Active Member
its free and the thc degrade slowly in teh dark.
Brick Top
New Member
An early sample will only be so accurate in relation to what you will end up with but at times it is a good go to option when you are unsure what to do for sure and when to do it. You never want to dry using heat because that will degrade THC. A blow dryer on cool or a small bud set on an A/C vent (not when heat is used) works fairly well. It will taste nasty and only be so close to your final result but try to pick a small bud or a bit of a larger bud where the trichomes are the most advanced and that will be as accurate of a representation as you will be able to find.
When the original 72-hour study was released I read it in full but I can no longer find it online and I cannot remember if there was any mention of temperature during the period of darkness. If I were to venture a guess I would say normal room temperatures would be best. Not over 80 degrees and not under 70 would be what I have to believe would be best ... but I stress that is only a guess or an assumption since I cannot remember if temperatures were mentioned and if so what they were. I do know that humidity should be low since lower humidity increases resin production so high humidity would be detrimental.
dr green dre
Well-Known Member
Ok i think i have all the info i need ,i'll give it a shot in the next 2 wks and see what happens. Thanks again bro+rep
EDIT
I just wondered if any of you guys might be able to help ,stavia & indica nutes..
link below..thanks again
https://www.rollitup.org/nutrients/381479-info-these-nutriants-plz.html
chuck taylor
Active Member
yeah man when Brick Top types i always pay attention. =D