Trichomes, THC and UVB light.....

Damn you guys move fast, been away like half a day and all this reading to catch up. And Tahoe, NICE avatar haha

thanks man.....muy delicioso....

um, it's newton meters I think....Tahoes caution point is well made...I have a tent full of plants developing at different rates and a bunch of uniform clones waiting for space. I propose to lovingly harvest the dirtiest girls, and subect the smallest skank to stress pressure- something like 24/24 for a few days and ripening nutrients, it wouldn't hurt to add UV or perhaps better only to use the UV so as to better monitor any changes. I will post results in my grow journal day by day and see what occurs.
"selah"

this could prove to be very interesting....I have read that the preponderenvce of trichomes is a reaction of the plant to stress......of all kinds, predatory, moisture, heat, and light.....good luck....and keep us uptodate!

psyclone said:

um, it's newton meters I think....Tahoes caution point is well made...I have a tent full of plants developing at different rates and a bunch of uniform clones waiting for space. I propose to lovingly harvest the dirtiest girls, and subect the smallest skank to stress pressure- something like 24/24 for a few days and ripening nutrients, it wouldn't hurt to add UV or perhaps better only to use the UV so as to better monitor any changes. I will post results in my grow journal day by day and see what occurs.
"selah"

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Will do bud.

Yes, this is a point often missed. Not only does a plant produce trich's in the dark, but it also gets them when stressed... the banging of the proverbial nail through the stem.

This stress could even just be a shaking of the plant, or the trimming of it's leaves a few days before harvest. i have done both of these things, even snapped a stem clean in half and sellotaped (sticky tape) it back together. Also through accidents, I have had to piece plants back together. Every single time these plants will release an excess of trichomes.

Although this could also be in a response to harness more light, as the plant will need light to heal itself.

You could of course argue that the plant does it to defend itself against whatever is attacking it... but in the case of the plant snapping in half, how does it defend itself against an elephant, with trichomes?

hahahahaha....thats a good one skunk.....I believe the dark is a stressor.....its keeps trying to grow but can't....the elephant...haven't thought about that one? certainly keeps this discussion interesting though....

light intensity from both ranges could still be the plants total goal in life... and UV have little to do with the plants flowering development. There is less UV around when the plant is flowering, which will likewise be magnified into the plant (unless the trich' actually reflects UV)... and we're assuming that this is where the potency is made, from a reaction in either of the cells in the head of the trich.

What if the light is magnified through the head and in between the cells, and down the narrow tube of the trich stem and into the plant itself? The plant then processes all this energy and this governs how many trich's it will produce the next night. The cells in the trichs are merely there to pump out the necessary chemicals to attract nitrogen-giving animal life. Doubtless, the broader the spectrum we have will add flavour and potency to the bud. Therefore it is merely light intensity we are after, and not particularly UV.

Another point on the sticky trich's... if they're so sticky that a fly will stick to them, get drugged up and die on the leaf. Is it possible for cannabis to foliar feed from the rotting corpse?

thanks man...a couple of thoughts....

1. you say .....assuming that this is where potency is made.... is this not stated in the chemical ecology of cannabis.....or am I taking statement for measured/known fact....and should be theory?

2. I have been always thikning that the stock was the transport mechanism....as we have the paper that YGF orginally put forward regarding the yellow pigment and the correction in chromatic abberation for lbue light?

3. as Item 1. I think there is already scientific evidence that uv plays a role....it just might be a different role than we (or at least me) was thinking?

wow....I keep going on about this....but I am so fascinted by these discussions...

skunkushybrid said:

light intensity from both ranges could still be the plants total goal in life... and UV have little to do with the plants flowering development. There is less UV around when the plant is flowering, which will likewise be magnified into the plant (unless the trich' actually reflects UV)... and we're assuming that this is where the potency is made, from a reaction in either of the cells in the head of the trich.

What if the light is magnified through the head and in between the cells, and down the narrow tube of the trich stem and into the plant itself? The plant then processes all this energy and this governs how many trich's it will produce the next night. The cells in the trichs are merely there to pump out the necessary chemicals to attract nitrogen-giving animal life. Doubtless, the broader the spectrum we have will add flavour and potency to the bud. Therefore it is merely light intensity we are after, and not particularly UV.

Another point on the sticky trich's... if they're so sticky that a fly will stick to them, get drugged up and die on the leaf. Is it possible for cannabis to foliar feed from the rotting corpse?

Click to expand...

For me personally, what I am trying to create for my plant is the most natural environment I can. I'm new to this so some of the things you guys discuss goes over my head, but I'm trying to understand. Like I said I'm creating a natural environment but it's hard to decipher what each specific strain prefers and needs to create the most THC, and fully realized THC. I thought UVB was a step forward and another form of light that my plant would need to produce more potent bud. Another light I need is a form of blue light as I just have a 400W HPS and it's getting mostly red. So my next step is getting a 250w blue Enirolite and seeing what that does. Hopefully with all 3 lights I can create this natural environment and implement them in the right quantities and order, and thus creating bigger, better buds with fully realized THC. Maybe I'm missing the point by trying to create thus natural environment when the strains we are growing today aren't as affected by it and have lost most of their abilities to counteract UVB etc... maybe they have adapted so far already that it's of less importance... I hope not so I will still try the blue light thing with HPS and UVB, together creating a THC dripping bud of monstrous size

This thread is roaring along! I have had a nicely toasted sleep thinking on it, and I would like, if I can to test a plant to destruction under the light I mentioned earlier, both to see what effect if any is noticeable in the production of trichomes, and to nail down (with pics if I can learn how to upload them, tutorial welcome!) the visual signs of 366nm(long wave) UV overdose/damage. I will work out an exposure schedule and put it in my grow journal along with observations. The plant I am thinking of is currently in LST, crawling around the bottom of the tent and it should be easy enough to mount the light in a box, place it over a specific area at a set height and compare with non-exposed areas of the same plant. Not very scientific, I know, but this thread is making me very intrigued-wonder if short doses of intense UV can assist with mould/pest control? any thoughts?

I was glued to this thread on friday and am back now with some new info... I had 4 plants that WERE damaged from the UV light. Of the four, I had to harvest one early bc the buds were losing quality by the second, the other 3 have done some kind things including a noticeable increase in resin heads and much longer and bigger ones. You can almost pick them like mushrooms and look at them. A lot of crispy leaves within some buds and the fan leaves have almost all wilted off these other 3 damaged plants. They seem to have recovered now and the buds have began to plump up again. My 2 blueberries never had a problem and I have been giving them small doses of the UV light and the main colas on these 2 plants have started growing some 'fingers' as I like to call them.Ya know the buds that elongate and stick out of the bigger hosting bud. I love those things... What's most interesting... the fingers emerged from the sides of the blueberries that were facing the UV light those first 2 days (I have not run it again until today and its been exactly one week). and there are fingers on the same sides of the buds just below the top ones, SO yes I am convinced this light serves its purpose and a a great complement to overall lighting. I believe. Does anybody here increase light hours during peak flower? then follow it with a standard dose of 12 hrs dark? I hear when the plants are mature they wont revert to VEG with longer days as long as they get a 12 hr night following the longer day. I am not talking an additional hour or two but more like an 18-20 hr day then a 12 hr pitch black night. whoever wrote the article seemed very intelligent, and including signs to look for (to know when to stop the procedure) when running what he claims a 22hr day schedule for 2 weeks and making sure they get 12 hrs dark after each day. Very interesting, i guess again it would vary depending on genetics. Some of my plants look like they have more potential to keep going without over ripening them and this theory seems applicable for sure..

no input right now about tricombs, but found this very interesting, its about uvb being possibly beneficial to plants.
UV Light Discovery Surprises Scientists

really interesting thread btw

Thanks for the link gogrow... wow, that paper is 11 years old.

It's also turned my attention back to UV radiation... I don't think my mind ever left, but it had started moving in a different direction. Still is, but I now believe that the gentic altering capabilities of UV may be the key to forcing cannabis to evolve quicker.

I'm ordering NL from sensi seeds today,hopefully get them within the next 48 hours. I'm still unsure of which light to get though. I really want the 300w bulb they use in zoos... I think it has to be that one.

interesting link GoGrow. Certainly another method of stressing, if not more-can't wait to see what happens

hey man....thanks for your input on this .....I'll be very interested in what you can find out. with the known uses of UV in wastewater treatment and disinfection, you might have a thought there. keep walking forward!

psyclone said:

This thread is roaring along! I have had a nicely toasted sleep thinking on it, and I would like, if I can to test a plant to destruction under the light I mentioned earlier, both to see what effect if any is noticeable in the production of trichomes, and to nail down (with pics if I can learn how to upload them, tutorial welcome!) the visual signs of 366nm(long wave) UV overdose/damage. I will work out an exposure schedule and put it in my grow journal along with observations. The plant I am thinking of is currently in LST, crawling around the bottom of the tent and it should be easy enough to mount the light in a box, place it over a specific area at a set height and compare with non-exposed areas of the same plant. Not very scientific, I know, but this thread is making me very intrigued-wonder if short doses of intense UV can assist with mould/pest control? any thoughts?

Click to expand...

I am so excited where this thread is going. it spawned out of some other somewhat related discussions, and now look where we are.....

Skunk...your thought about the enhanced or forced mutation is bang on....this will be a potnetially double ednged sword......because there may be challenges to managing the rate and degree of mutation...but I expect that may very well end up in your favour.....interesting....most interesting.....cheers folks....PARTY ON, GARTH!

I can't wait to get started... I've just ordered the seeds. Northern Lights (sensi seeds)... and I have my credit card in hand ready to order the lamp. I just need to be positive it is a lamp, and not just a bulb.

I think we've all come away with our own ideas on what we're going to do with this information... and what a beautiful and rewarding plant to study.

skunkushybrid said:

I can't wait to get started... I've just ordered the seeds. Northern Lights (sensi seeds)... and I have my credit card in hand ready to order the lamp. I just need to be positive it is a lamp, and not just a bulb.

I think we've all come away with our own ideas on what we're going to do with this information... and what a beautiful and rewarding plant to study.

Click to expand...

What bulb are you going to buy skunky?

natmoon said:

What bulb are you going to buy skunky?

Click to expand...

this one:

UV300 Ultravitalux 300W ES Osram