length of darkness at end of harvest

[jaybird]

hmmmm....i plant according to the moons....and harvest according to my trichomes...besides that....i don't follow the crazy wives tales about how to make your buds more tastee...in Hawaii...we say..."It is...what it is".....i've heard plenty of crazy stuff like boiling roots after pulling the plants...sticking a nail in the stem(no idea why)...putting a string into your stem and the other end in sugar water...just sounds all crazy to me...moons/triches ...worked good so far...the cure is what I have to master...
aloha
be safe...and Gro-On
jaybird
but then again...i could be wrong...or just stoned

 

[pvtpilot]

BOG was using this method for a while but quit. He now says that plants seem to do much better if you can provide minimal light the last 48-72 hours. Minimal meaning a 75w light bulb.


Please don't shoot the messenger.

S-H

 

[LA Woman]

I once had a plant fall off the back of my 4x8 table when I was cutting the room down and didnt notice it had fallen back there until i cleaned the room 5 days later. the plant was freaking ridicoulous. I am talkin retard crystals, looked rolled in keif, it smelled soooo intense.

I hadnt thought much about this supper plant until some clown on IC stated that he cuts his lights for 5days without letting the medium dry out and gets 20% more weight due to the fact that the resin triples, and resin is heavy. It got me thinking that maybe those 5days without light cause that plant to shit crystals outta crystals. I havent re-tested this theory due to my urge to transplant my new batch but I think im going to make try it out this round with a plant.

it also makes me think about "whole plant" drying, meaning no fan leaf pluck, just hang the whole plant and dry, I think its djshort that does it or maybe kamara (sp) their theory is the plant continues to finish on the vine. tomoates do it so why not herb? im gonna try it out with a plant this round see how it goes ill holler the report

When you say "whole plant" you def. don't mean roots and all do you? Your talking cutting at the base and hanging everything to dry? Meagan :)

 

[Lost]

I left for vacation over xmas. While I didn't feel good leaving all of the lights on, I just left 1 1k during the flush for about 4 days. When I came back, the stuff looked great, lots of frost! Just did this last week :)

 

[splakow]

*Thx for info stag. BOG was using this method for a while but quit. He now says that plants seem to do much better if you can provide minimal light the last 48-72 hours. Minimal meaning a 75w light bulb.

im definately gonna try this out wit 1 plant. I did the 48 hrs of dark on my first harvest ever. so im not a real good judge

 

[mrdizzle]

no megan you cut it at the base of the stem

 

[LA Woman]

no megan you cut it at the base of the stem[/QU

Exactly.:mysterymachine:

 

[LA Woman]

Well I am trying this on a plant right now. Not for more resin but to get most of the chlorophyl gone. The plant has been in total darkness for 27 hours now and it smells alot stronger than when I put it in. Also when I grab the top cola it feels wet now and more sticky than before. So much so that it wouldn't wash off and I had to rub it off. This is just for what its worth. I may be a first time grower but I am very aware of my grow meaning I am alert to every little change. Meagan

 

[HypnoToad]

Hi everyone,

As a new grower, I'd be the first to admit that there are lots of urban legends pertaining to growing. But also, as one who is technically inclined, it's been my personal observation that 99% of the info received here (and every other forum) is based mostly on empirical evidence. This isn't bad, as enough empirical evidence will eventually culminate into what most call experience and wisdom.

Who doesn't want to be an experienced grower?

But let's be fair here. Most of these urban myths are usually wrapped around a reasonable sounding explanation that is high on flash and low on substance.

We could segway into nutrient companies and advertising here, but I digress...

I know from personal experience that when a new grower hits the forums, the amount of info is staggering. Top that with everyone looking for the best this and that doohickey, the end all of nutrient formulas, experiments galore, and many, many published grow books filled with misinformation, it makes one wonder.

Are we really that surprised?

Maybe what would benefit all growers alike would be to add an urban myth section to the FAQ.

Peace,
HT

 

[SUPERBABY]

It would appear that nobody has some solid science on this..(including me)..(" I guess..I think...it would make sense that...) none of those statements have any real science in them...just hypothesis...

Understand, that I don't think that makes it wrong or not worth trying..for whatever your reason...

interestingly enough there is another debate exactly like this one right now on another growers forum

I've heard from some respectable growers that there is something to the 48 hour darkness at the end...

more importantly, it won't hurt the plant, so I'm going to try it this run with my Hash Plant..right there with ya!I've grown HP before, so I will have a valid comparison...
:)

 

[LA Woman]

It would appear that nobody has some solid science on this..(including me)..

interestingly enough there is another debate exactly like this one right now on another growers forum

I've heard from some respectable growers that there is something to the 48 hour darkness at the end...

more importantly, it won't hurt the plant, so I'm going to try it this run with my Hash Plant..I've grown HP before, so I will have a valid comparison...
:)

Like I said the reason I'm doing this is to rid the plant of chlorophyl to prevent the grass smell. Now at 41 hours of total darkness the plant is already becoming crispy and the nuggets have all firmed up more. So it most definately is doing something. Meagan :)

 

[Donk Frog]

I agree about the Bilble, its great for beginers, but I rarly look at it nowadays, I have done the dark thing and notice no real differance ethier

 

[Pandaman]

It seems to make sense at least, that shortening the light cycle would encourage the plant to give all it's got into finishing its maturation. DJShort mentioned (Here in the farm somewhere) to play with the length of day (hours). Like a 11.5hr day and 12.5hr night.

When growing outside and winter is approaching, the days get shorter (common knowledge). Why not try to mimic a real-world situation by slowly, little by little, shortening the light hours? Maybe at the start of the predicted harvest time, start to cut 15 minutes a day off the light cycle...?

To me it sounds reasonable that the plant would sense the end was near (winter) and sacrifice it's self to produce that which would be the best chance of propagation (floral development).

Me<-- Still a noob but learning loads from all you guys :). Love to see a pro hit this Side-by-Side and show us the details.

Peace

 

[SkyHi]

^^^the hard part would be measuring resin content before and after. Maybe take a macro and count the glands and then again after the experiment, lol. WHich leads me to ask this ....do the plants produce NEW resin glands or do the EXISTING ones just swell more ?

 

[7rayos]

Pandaman, i make myself the same questions, i don't think the trichs swell, because they're (or should be) mature. Shrinking makes more sense, if any. If in 48 hours it produces more resin, but... 48 hours old trichs? I don't think that hypothetical resin can be appreciated, at least until much later.
The chlorophyll thing you mention, LA Woman, maybe there's a point, but again, enough to perceive it? Towards the end many allow the pots to dry more, and then we ought to allow it to dry before the chop, maybe that crispy aspect is due to lack of water, and not just darkness.
The way to vaccinate begginers against urban myths is themselves looking for the simplest way when growing. Only when we can be sure on how a plant react with the straight method, can we apply different techniques with practical results, otherwise is mostly blindfold shooting.
Something like MrDizzle's fallen plant happens every now and then with good results, but i'm not going to kick the plants down from the table, yet (in my case resin production was triggered by a donkey who ate 3/4 of the plant which I don't reccomend it either).

 

[LA Woman]

7rayos I don't believe mine is dehydrated however because before putting mine in darkness it was soaked in pure clean water for a final flush for 20 minutes. Also the soil is still moist on the surface even now. I believe its just because its getting rid of the chlorophyl. It is also becoming pale. It has no more grass smell now whatsoever and I am taking it out and choping it at 4:30 pm today.

 

[7rayos]

Sorry LAWoman, didn't mean to question your skills, i'm here just to learn. That said, i've used to keep them in darkness for 48 hours at the end too, but i can't find a difference as i didn't make an experiment like shooting macros before and after. If it makes a difference, it didn't leave an impression on me, although might do it in future chops, see if i can appreciate any change.
I flush them plenty two weeks before and the leaves are yellow at the end, so, much of the chlorophyll is also gone that way.
However, the thing of getting rid of as much water as possible before the chop i understand is to avoid mold, just less water altogether, less risk of mold, no big science needed here, although if you keep the drying area with low humidity it shouldn't be a problem, anyway.
Cutting at 4:30? Should be 4.15, the smoke is after the job...:420:

 

[CAPO]

Guys-
The theory behind leaving plants in total dark for 24-72 hrs is relatively simple.

It forces the plant to use up the remaining sugars that it produced in the leaves during photosynthesis.
I've done it both ways many times and the results of a dark period equal that of a good flush. Basically the buds become sweeter.
As for a low light finish, it's worth a try. Especially if your strain likes to foxtail instead of just finishing.
As far as "empirical" facts, jeez ask a brain surgeon, as the brain is still a mystery too. One could easily judge the effects simply through trial and error.
Peace, CAPO

 

[Captain ChroniK]

I like to keep my plants in 36 hours of darkness before the chop..
I've noticed over the years that it really improves the overall flavour and with some strains the density of the bud to.

P'z

 

[LA Woman]

Guys-
The theory behind leaving plants in total dark for 24-72 hrs is relatively simple.

It forces the plant to use up the remaining sugars that it produced in the leaves during photosynthesis.
I've done it both ways many times and the results of a dark period equal that of a good flush. Basically the buds become sweeter.
As for a low light finish, it's worth a try. Especially if your strain likes to foxtail instead of just finishing.
As far as "empirical" facts, jeez ask a brain surgeon, as the brain is still a mystery too. One could easily judge the effects simply through trial and error.
Peace, CAPO

If you mean by "fox tail" they are growing new buds then yes thats happening on 2 of my plants. Overnight I will get up and they have yet even more new growth. so darkness would put an end to this? Meagan