Anyone tried 48 hours of darkness right before harvest?

tangerinegreen555

tangerinegreen555

Well-Known Member
Anything you do here that veers away from the consensus approved 18/6 veg., 12/12 flower is controversial.

I never run either 18/6 or 12/12...and I don't see, smell. taste anything different or worse than the next guy's stuff.

You can do all kinds of little tweaks here and there based on theories. Nothing wrong with experimenting...

But all the results are probably marginal at best... I do 48 dark at the end all the time...nobody who smokes my stuff says, "hey...
I can taste that you had a 48 hr. dark period after you flowered them."

Experiment all you want, just don't expect a huge difference because there isn't going to be one...
To me, it's just a practical and fun hobby...and I like going against the so called norm and the insistence that you must do what somebody says or you'll fail. That's ridiculous.
 
mo841

mo841

Well-Known Member
i left mine in the dark for a week cuz i didnt have time to trim them n they were done. only thing that happened was the leafs drooped. Thats it, no differance whats so ever.
 
Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
One benefit to leaving them in the dark for a prolonged period is that in the dark cycle, nutes and toxins and moisture and all of that stuff that makes plants taste nasty migrates back down to the roots, so maybe keeping them in prolonged darkness before harvesting can improve the taste and smoothness? I have not the experience nor the ability to test potency wise, but from a taste and odor standpoint I would think prolonged darkness could be beneficial.
 
Indagrow

Indagrow

Well-Known Member
Giddy up said:
One benefit to leaving them in the dark for a prolonged period is that in the dark cycle, nutes and toxins and moisture and all of that stuff that makes plants taste nasty migrates back down to the roots, so maybe keeping them in prolonged darkness before harvesting can improve the taste and smoothness? I have not the experience nor the ability to test potency wise, but from a taste and odor standpoint I would think prolonged darkness could be beneficial.
Click to expand...
Where did you get this migration theory?
 
Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
Well I'm just thinking that Vapor Deficit Pressure and the metabolic processes involving light and photosynthesis are what keep the nutrients and water in the leaves during daytime. That, plus during the dark cycle aren't roots usually growing and repairing, as opposed to sending nutes and water up to the leaves when they won't be using any until the sun comes up? I could be way off, I am in no way saying I'm anything close to right, just seems like that's the way it would be. I only have a general knowledge of plants (I was a chem major) so I might be way off, it's just that last harvest I left them in the dark for 60~ hours and they stunk WAY better than they did two and a half days before, the last time they saw light. I'm guessing because all the nutey, watery stuff wasn't influencing the terpenes since they were all down in the lower parts of the plant. (Once again speculation)
 
Velvet Elvis

Velvet Elvis

Well-Known Member
wow some knucklehead responses.

I like to start out flower with 48 hour light deficit to kick in flowering hormones. and like to finish with a dark period to eliminate chlorophyll for smoother smoke.

Migration theory is bunk. It doesnt translocate the nutrients, it just doesnt call for more and especially chlorophyll.

And always slow dry, any of yall who speed dry by cutting wet buds off branches etc have no intention of finest smoke possible
 
Giddy up

Giddy up

Well-Known Member
The elimination of the chlorophyll must be what I had noticed because there was a noticeable difference in taste and smoothness...what mechanisms remove chlorophyll? Does it just degrade when not utilizing light? If so, then how would the broken down products of chlorophyll be removed from the buds in the dark if not for being removed and therefore returned down low (since they can't go up.) Can the byproducts of chlorophyll breakdown be removed via transpiration? If so, do plants transpire enough in the cooler night temps to remove that stuff?
I know curing buds can eliminate chlorophyll, but is that occurring chemically because it is a bud that is now dead and no longer connected to a living circulating plant, as opposed to some sort of mechanism a still living plant might do to the same bud while still connected to the vascular system?
I am not being argumentative, just curious. I may also be overthinking it all and be way off base. I am an extreme newbie and none of my thoughts should be taken as anything other than guesses lol.
 
Velvet Elvis

Velvet Elvis

Well-Known Member
Giddy up said:
The elimination of the chlorophyll must be what I had noticed because there was a noticeable difference in taste and smoothness...what mechanisms remove chlorophyll? Does it just degrade when not utilizing light? If so, then how would the broken down products of chlorophyll be removed from the buds in the dark if not for being removed and therefore returned down low (since they can't go up.) Can the byproducts of chlorophyll breakdown be removed via transpiration? If so, do plants transpire enough in the cooler night temps to remove that stuff?
I know curing buds can eliminate chlorophyll, but is that occurring chemically because it is a bud that is now dead and no longer connected to a living circulating plant, as opposed to some sort of mechanism a still living plant might do to the same bud while still connected to the vascular system?
I am not being argumentative, just curious. I may also be overthinking it all and be way off base. I am an extreme newbie and none of my thoughts should be taken as anything other than guesses lol.
Click to expand...

you are overthinking this. but if you must...."The first steps in chlorophyll breakdown are the removal of the phytol tail (dephytylation) and the central Mg atom. It has been thought that dephytylation typically.....etc"

Dude. Senescence is the key to most wonderful smoke. along with not demanding or making a call for nutrients and chlorophyll.

ready for mind = blown?

So all of mainstream growers and gurus suggest 2 week flush with pure RO or sweet products. And for it to be Ph adjusted. So most know that reason for adjusting PH is so the wideband of elements are available for uptake.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................But we do not want any nutrients to be absorbed or translocated???!!!! right??????

So why not adjust PH to be well outside of powerband or sweetspot, to effectively render any elements in medium unavailable....?
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Done it several ways & my shit comes out pretty much the same. The bud is potent if I wait till the bud is ripe; not as strong if I pick too early but since I have a drying tent I do put plants in darkness before chopping them. Not because it makes much difference; surely doesn't increase potency by 30% in my exp but it does allow me to pull plants out of the bloom room & give them a few more days to harden up real good. Plus as somebody mentioned earlier it gives you a place to leave your plant to finish trimming later if need be.
Extended periods of darkness at the end of flowering is not as effective as waiting until the buds are completely done IMO. Give your indicas & hybrids a full 9-10 weeks & then it doesn't really matter if you give them time in the hole before chop. I do like the idea of chopping after plant was in darkness as opposed to pulling it while in full light cycle so I will continue to do it but for no other reason.
 
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