There's no reason for peeps to argue these points. Whenever I want to discover if something is true or not. I usually do it myself.
There is something quite different between reading (explanations/concepts/theories/experiments). And actually experiencing the results. Much more profound feeling to discover these results personally.
For my 1st time doing it on my first plant/grow. I was quite pleased.
I noted the planned harvest date. Then I counted the last 3 days as dark days.
Approaching dark time the soil had been drying out for 4 days already. I figured being in the dark and no heat being produced. That she would live a few more days without water. Plus weed likes to produce trichomes as a defense against low humidity. So the drying during the days leading up to harvest was planned.
I had been working with a diminishing light schedule. The theory behind it is to give the plants signals via daylight lengths. Letting it know how far along the seasons are.
As you progress the light schedule. The plant seems as if to slightly alter it's maturation speed to match it's estimated remaining season until winter hits.
We control when we harvest or deem the plants ready. Ideally we would harvest when she says she is ready.
But a middle ground would be for us to manipulate her maturation to match our planned harvest date.
So towards the last week she was getting 9hrs of light per day. And the 3 days of darkness was my way to really finish her off by saying winter has come. I was giving her 1 last chance to push before it hit.
Man when I opened up that tent after the elapsed dark days. The smell wreaked (in a great way). First thing I noticed was that many of the pistils had matured or started pulling inwards. Next was how crystally she had gotten.
Trichomes are used as a method of uv protection. Out of all the plants in the world cannabis produces the best form of uv protection. In the form of trichomes.
As the sunny day passes some of the resin/trichomes/
terpenes etc get used up protecting the plant. During the night phase the plant replenishes what was lost during the day.
So essentially the dark days are giving the plant the ability/final chance to replenish it's trichomes until it runs out of food/stored nutrients during the dark days. Without any extra uv exposure. This means there will be an abundance.
I was quite pleased with results and it will become part of every grow regimen in the future.
4 days drying and the crystals are really starting to show now. Here are a few pics of the smallest flower that I could find on the lowest part of the plant (if that is any indicator of quality)
This little nugget will just keep getting better and better as she dries.
Please excuse the few cat hairs in the pics lol