cannabisguru
Well-Known Member
THE ART OF RIPENING
This article is the tenth in a series that evaluates the stages of a successful indoor crop, and the various techniques that are worth a try. Each of the articles is specific to a subject or a situation, and this month I will go into a subject that all indoor growers have at hearth: ripening the buds to get the most weight, aroma, flavour and high.
No matter what strain or what medium, the last weeks of the flowering period are a crucial step towards a great result. The plants are now devoting all energies to make the flowers more compact and to coat them with the most resin. In this phase it is very important to boost the feeding schedule with high P and K and high levels of trace elements, up until the moment when flush is applied to eliminate traces of fertilizer from the buds.
pH levels of the feeding solution depend on the strain, but it is safe to say that a pH of 6.4-7.0 will allow good ripening on all strains and all mediums. EC levels depend on many factors, but as a general rule the EC should be slowly descending (the moment of peak flower production, a few weeks earlier, is usually the highest EC of the crop).
During the last 2-3 weeks of flowering the resin production is at maximum and the complex cocktail of cannabinoids and terpens that will characterize the final product is taking shape. For this reason it is important to understand that choosing the moment for harvest depends on the desired final outcome in flavour and effect. Of course each strain has a certain aroma, taste and effect which are determined by the genetics. Nevertheless harvesting one week earlier or later can influence the final outcome quite a bit.
Once the flower clusters have formed and the plant is focusing on making the buds compact and heavy and on resin production, the thc-acid starts converting into delta-9 thc, and the delta-9 thc starts degrading and transforming into CBN, CBG and other cannabinoids. Also CBD levels change during ripening, as well as terpens.
If you would harvest one branch of a plant each day for a week, you would discover that the flavour and effect are slightly different each time.
When weed ripens, the flavour and aroma tend to get more complex and sweeter, with a more layered taste after combustion or vaporization. When it is harvested early the flavour tends to be fresher and greener, and not as complex (think of fruits or vegetables, where it goes in a similar way). The effect is usually more cerebral and uplifting when harvested early, and more physical and narcotic when harvested later.
Most growers agree that it is better to try to ripen weed as much as possible to have a full effect and a complex aroma and flavour, but in some cases (especially with pure sativas or pure indicas) it may be interesting trying different harvest times to find the desired outcome.
Another point on which there is much agreement is the fact that sativas tend to mature less uniformly than indicas. This has to do with the tall structure and the fact that flowering time is generally longer. In pure sativas the typical phenomenon is that lower branches tend to finish earlier, while the top part of the plant still shoots new flower clusters. The best way to cope with this delay in maturation is to harvest in two steps, cutting the lower branches first and allowing an extra week or so for the rest of the plant.
If the desired outcome is to have the most resin and the most aroma and flavour, it is possible to reduce the length of the day to 11 or 10 hours during the last week of ripening. This way the plants will try to finish their life cycle even faster, and the resin will be thicker. On the down side, the compactness of the buds could suffer slightly.
The resin itself can be a very precise indicator of the level of ripeness. Looking at the trichomes one can discern the level of ripeness; clear shiny trichomes indicate most thc has not degraded yet, while a more amber and opaque color indicates that thc has already degraded into cbn, cbg and other cannabinoids. To have a good reading try to sample resin from different areas of the plant, considering that light exposure will influence the resin (buds from the lower parts of the plant that receive less light are more likely to be less degraded than tops exposed to direct light all the time).
Other factors influencing resin production are light, temperature and humidity.
The red-orange-yellow spectrum is more indicated for resin development, even though intensity is always more important than spectrum.
Temperature plays an important factor in ripening plants as well. The resin production is very much linked to heat, and if the temperature in the growroom drops below 18-20 degrees Celsius is hard to get white buds. Too much heat can also damage resin production; above 33-35 degrees Celsius the vital functions of the plant slow down and resin becomes thinner.
Humidity above 65% will also present problems for optimal resin production, and the threat of mould and fungi attacks rises dramatically.
Whatever the strain or the medium, ripening the buds is the best way to get tasty, strong weed.
Most feeding companies nowadays produce ripening products, and most of them work fine. Try different products on the same strain for a real comparison test.
Because buds, like fruits, are enjoyed at their best when harvested at the optimal time.
I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did. It's one of my favorite reads because its 100% accurate and correct information.. and its as 'simple' as it gets when explaining the importance of being patient during your plant(s) flowering cycle. It's not all about just checking your trichs people.. there's more to check and analyze than just your trichs. Their important, don't get me wrong.. but you should never judge your plants maturity level judging by trich color only. Which is an extremely common mistake.. there's more to it than just the trich color.
No matter what strain or what medium, the last weeks of the flowering period are a crucial step towards a great result. The plants are now devoting all energies to make the flowers more compact and to coat them with the most resin. In this phase it is very important to boost the feeding schedule with high P and K and high levels of trace elements, up until the moment when flush is applied to eliminate traces of fertilizer from the buds.
pH levels of the feeding solution depend on the strain, but it is safe to say that a pH of 6.4-7.0 will allow good ripening on all strains and all mediums. EC levels depend on many factors, but as a general rule the EC should be slowly descending (the moment of peak flower production, a few weeks earlier, is usually the highest EC of the crop).
During the last 2-3 weeks of flowering the resin production is at maximum and the complex cocktail of cannabinoids and terpens that will characterize the final product is taking shape. For this reason it is important to understand that choosing the moment for harvest depends on the desired final outcome in flavour and effect. Of course each strain has a certain aroma, taste and effect which are determined by the genetics. Nevertheless harvesting one week earlier or later can influence the final outcome quite a bit.
Once the flower clusters have formed and the plant is focusing on making the buds compact and heavy and on resin production, the thc-acid starts converting into delta-9 thc, and the delta-9 thc starts degrading and transforming into CBN, CBG and other cannabinoids. Also CBD levels change during ripening, as well as terpens.
If you would harvest one branch of a plant each day for a week, you would discover that the flavour and effect are slightly different each time.
When weed ripens, the flavour and aroma tend to get more complex and sweeter, with a more layered taste after combustion or vaporization. When it is harvested early the flavour tends to be fresher and greener, and not as complex (think of fruits or vegetables, where it goes in a similar way). The effect is usually more cerebral and uplifting when harvested early, and more physical and narcotic when harvested later.
Most growers agree that it is better to try to ripen weed as much as possible to have a full effect and a complex aroma and flavour, but in some cases (especially with pure sativas or pure indicas) it may be interesting trying different harvest times to find the desired outcome.
Another point on which there is much agreement is the fact that sativas tend to mature less uniformly than indicas. This has to do with the tall structure and the fact that flowering time is generally longer. In pure sativas the typical phenomenon is that lower branches tend to finish earlier, while the top part of the plant still shoots new flower clusters. The best way to cope with this delay in maturation is to harvest in two steps, cutting the lower branches first and allowing an extra week or so for the rest of the plant.
If the desired outcome is to have the most resin and the most aroma and flavour, it is possible to reduce the length of the day to 11 or 10 hours during the last week of ripening. This way the plants will try to finish their life cycle even faster, and the resin will be thicker. On the down side, the compactness of the buds could suffer slightly.
The resin itself can be a very precise indicator of the level of ripeness. Looking at the trichomes one can discern the level of ripeness; clear shiny trichomes indicate most thc has not degraded yet, while a more amber and opaque color indicates that thc has already degraded into cbn, cbg and other cannabinoids. To have a good reading try to sample resin from different areas of the plant, considering that light exposure will influence the resin (buds from the lower parts of the plant that receive less light are more likely to be less degraded than tops exposed to direct light all the time).
Other factors influencing resin production are light, temperature and humidity.
The red-orange-yellow spectrum is more indicated for resin development, even though intensity is always more important than spectrum.
Temperature plays an important factor in ripening plants as well. The resin production is very much linked to heat, and if the temperature in the growroom drops below 18-20 degrees Celsius is hard to get white buds. Too much heat can also damage resin production; above 33-35 degrees Celsius the vital functions of the plant slow down and resin becomes thinner.
Humidity above 65% will also present problems for optimal resin production, and the threat of mould and fungi attacks rises dramatically.
Whatever the strain or the medium, ripening the buds is the best way to get tasty, strong weed.
Most feeding companies nowadays produce ripening products, and most of them work fine. Try different products on the same strain for a real comparison test.
Because buds, like fruits, are enjoyed at their best when harvested at the optimal time.
I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did. It's one of my favorite reads because its 100% accurate and correct information.. and its as 'simple' as it gets when explaining the importance of being patient during your plant(s) flowering cycle. It's not all about just checking your trichs people.. there's more to check and analyze than just your trichs. Their important, don't get me wrong.. but you should never judge your plants maturity level judging by trich color only. Which is an extremely common mistake.. there's more to it than just the trich color.