36hrs of Darkness Pre-Harvest??
- Thread starter Ender87i
- Start date
When lights go off for the last time, I make sure my medium is not saturated (recently watered).
Then I give them 24-36 hours of darkness, and chop them before they ever see any light again. This last bit has some science behind it, but the 24-36 hours darkness might be a myth. I do it anyway
Then I give them 24-36 hours of darkness, and chop them before they ever see any light again. This last bit has some science behind it, but the 24-36 hours darkness might be a myth. I do it anyway
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."
SantaCruzed
Member
My room is in three stages of flowering right now, 2 weeks apart per group. What would be the repercussions(if any) of running 24-48 hours of darkness for the whole group? I am 1 day away from bringing down. Just curious...
makinthemagic
Well-Known Member
The risk is that with the younger flowering plants that they might freak out and turn hermie. The older plants won't have time for such crap.
SantaCruzed
Member
Duh, I didnt even think of that! Good point and certainly not worth the risk!
Assuming you have the average 4X4 grow and just a few reasonably sized plants just put them in a large cardboard box. Then you can maintain the light cycle, still have the smell evacuated through your ventilation system and give as much darkness as you like. Also if you have the room/etc, you can punch 2 holes in the box and connect the box to your your main passive intake from your main grow(assuming you have one (ie I have a tent and use one of the duct ports) and keep the dark box outside the main room.
and yes it can work. The info has been around for years, I think I read it in marijuana chemistry by starks and thats over 20 years old and the study it cited was older than that.
and yes it can work. The info has been around for years, I think I read it in marijuana chemistry by starks and thats over 20 years old and the study it cited was older than that.
abe supercro
Well-Known Member
Just remove the mature plants from the flowering room and create another dark area elsewhere, if possible.
Continue w/ remaining plants in flower without interruption.
Serapis
Well-Known Member
The scientific reasoning behind the dark period before harvesting is to allow the starches and sugars to drop to the roots. The less sugars and complex carbohydrates in the flowers, the less time we have to cure for the best flavor. I've read 48-72 hours AND you chop in dark. If you allow the plants to see light before chopping after 3 days of darkness, the sugars and starches will rush up the plant to fuel photosynthesis within the plant within two minutes of exposure to light.
I hadn't heard about a 30% spike in THC levels. That seems kind of inflated. I'd like to read that study and see if a control group was used and what conditions were recorded. I do see where it was cleverly worded that 'some varieties' benefited from the darkness. That would indicate that some did not benefit or the difference was negligible. It has been proven that arid conditions cause cannabis plants to increase resin production. Research has shown that THC production is dependent on photosynthesis. A study was done in 1978 showing that THC production doubled in a 12 hour photoperiod as compared to a 10 hour photoperiod. Therefore it argues with science that 72 hours of darkness is more beneficial than maintaining a 12/12 cycle. Heat also increases THC production, yet temperatures drop in the dark.
There are no confirmed methods in agriculture to promote THC biosynthesis. History and cultures are full of lore regarding secrets of the ancients for making the drug more potent. THC levels in plants are genetic and related to the plant's genotype. A grower is not going to be able to coax more THC out of a plant than it is genetically capable of. The very idea that THC production occurs at beneficial levels in sustained darkness argues against common sense.
What will produce the maximum level of THC are quality nutrients, fresh water, proper PH, sufficient lighting, temperature, etc.
I hadn't heard about a 30% spike in THC levels. That seems kind of inflated. I'd like to read that study and see if a control group was used and what conditions were recorded. I do see where it was cleverly worded that 'some varieties' benefited from the darkness. That would indicate that some did not benefit or the difference was negligible. It has been proven that arid conditions cause cannabis plants to increase resin production. Research has shown that THC production is dependent on photosynthesis. A study was done in 1978 showing that THC production doubled in a 12 hour photoperiod as compared to a 10 hour photoperiod. Therefore it argues with science that 72 hours of darkness is more beneficial than maintaining a 12/12 cycle. Heat also increases THC production, yet temperatures drop in the dark.
There are no confirmed methods in agriculture to promote THC biosynthesis. History and cultures are full of lore regarding secrets of the ancients for making the drug more potent. THC levels in plants are genetic and related to the plant's genotype. A grower is not going to be able to coax more THC out of a plant than it is genetically capable of. The very idea that THC production occurs at beneficial levels in sustained darkness argues against common sense.
What will produce the maximum level of THC are quality nutrients, fresh water, proper PH, sufficient lighting, temperature, etc.
hellraizer30
Rebel From The North
30% thc increase hmm I got to call BS but I could be rong and would like to read some more on this brick can
you link it soz all of us can get a good read?
you link it soz all of us can get a good read?
abe supercro
Well-Known Member
the best thing about a day or more of darkness is that it can unlock real estate in your perpetual flowering room to throw a new group into the mix. the day or so of darkness can also lighten up your work load if you are low on time or just don't wish to break down too many plants at once. later i will explain my patented techniques, the procrastacure and vine ripening.
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
Like the above poster said, dropping the sugars and starches helps ease curing worries. I chop all the main stems with the green light on then go about harvesting with regular bulbs (im in a scrog).
The BEST way to increase thc is to dip them in hash oil then roll them in ground sugar leaf. Cotton candy. Too much for this light weight, but will put a room full if people in a coma pretty quickly
The BEST way to increase thc is to dip them in hash oil then roll them in ground sugar leaf. Cotton candy
. Too much for this light weight, but will put a room full if people in a coma pretty quickly 
homebrewer
Well-Known Member
When I was a beginner, I used to do the 72 hours of dark. The only thing I noticed was my harvests were delayed by 72 hours. Don't even bother with it.