what brings aromas out in plants ?

carlosescobar · Jan 27, 2025

I am trying to work out what it is that makes a plant produce strong smells . I have a 2 auto plants just 4-5 weeks away from harvest , they are bulking up, they are sticky , ive been feeding plagron A+B for coco , silica, and a bit of guano top dressing.....but there is zero smell . I did read once that it is sulphur which affects smell and the only other thing i can attribute it to is stronger lights ? or perhaps heat . i have noticed that rubbing the stem produces a smell but the higher i go up the plant the less it is ?

Jmaes Mabley · Jan 27, 2025

Best thing one can do, is just make the plant as healthy as possible.
Give the plant plenty of fresh air exchange-which is the very first thing I try to figure out, before I start the grow. Fresh Air Exchange, to me, is one of the most important aspects of indoor gardening. Not enough fresh air exchange, will also limit the plants ability to use all the light supplied.
Give the plant, all of the food, it needs to be healthy. Dont over think things.

While its true, Sulfur, HAS been suggested to be beneficial in the production of terpenes, it should be part of a daily/weekley ect, feeding schedule. Sulfur, is a vital element, and should be used, from day 1.
Another is curing. You can ruin it, by a bad cure.
Again, plenty of fresh air exchange, cooler temps, and lower humidity. Dont have anything else, in the drying room. I screwed up a harvest, when I dried it, in a room, that still had Wet/Damp Promix BX in it, and low and behold, the weed smelled, and tasted, like Promix BX!!!! So, anything in the room, that has odor? Can it.
Just dont over think things. Keep it as simple as possible, dont try unproven methods, and just strive, to make the plant as happy, and healthy as possible.
Genetics, will take care of the rest.

NairnM16 · Jan 27, 2025

Plants put on there weight in the last 2 weeks of flower
Aslo a lot of terpene production
Giving your in week 3 flower probably won’t start getting the smells your after till like week 5

You won’t get the proper smell till after your dry an cure if done right
Nd you let all the gasses evaporate from the plant without over drying or losing moisture
Then the aromas you seek really come forward
Some people rush the dry/finishing stage nd end up with a harsh hay like smoke verry green smell,
Take your time nd focus on environment

Light leaks
Low humidity
Nd heat
Kill terpenes (flavour smell)

Aim for aroun 50/55% humidity in the tent
Nd bring tht as close to 62 when drying
Temp about 74/76 f
Don’t rush nd you’ll be fine

OODAloop · Jan 27, 2025

Get away from autoflowers and try reg photoperiods!

Ninjadogma · Jan 27, 2025

Some strains just stink more than others. I've heard and read that a healthy carbohydrate uptake encourages terpene production which is why there are products out there like Bud Candy, and why some people add unsulphured blackstrap molasses. Not because that sugar goes straight to the buds (wouldn't that be nice!) but rather because it provides a comfortable carb-rich environment for the roots and it feeds the healthy microbes in the soil so that the plant has all the ingredients it needs to get stinky if it wants. I've used both but never done a controlled grow of with vs without a carb supplement. I rooted a couple extra clones for my late spring harvest, might experiment with one and see if I notice a difference.

LoveGrowingIt · Jan 27, 2025

I have two Royal Creamatic autos in almost the same stage of flowering. We love the aroma. They smell like cream or maybe milk chocolate. The aroma just began in the last few days. I'm guessing they'll be ready for harvest near the end of February or early March.

Terpenes are responsible for the aroma (or odor). They are produced in trichomes. Silicon is important for the growth of trichomes (and other parts of the plant).

carlosescobar said:
I did read once that it is sulphur which affects smell

Sulfur affects both smell and taste and is especially important for some vegetables. Onions come to mind. There are others. I read up on it once, but can't remember much more offhand. Some common amendments, including Epsom salt or magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) contain sulfur. Gypsum also contains sulfur. I use both.

Jmaes Mabley said:
Best thing one can do, is just make the plant as healthy as possible.

That is precisely my approach to growing. All the growth factors best be working together, at the right times, in the right amounts.

Ninjadogma said:
Some strains just stink more than others. I've heard and read that a healthy carbohydrate uptake encourages terpene production which is why there are products out there like Bud Candy, and why some people add unsulphured blackstrap molasses.

I don't know much about carbohydrate uptake, but I've been using molasses in the last month or so of flowering for many grows now. People tell me they love the flavor of my weed. So, I figure it's doing something worthwhile.

PooToe · Jan 27, 2025

Cannabis aroma comes from terpenes. Terpene production is mostly genetically determined. Terpenes form in the trichomes that are produced by the plant as a defensive measure among other things. More trichomes more aroma more thc more cbd, etc, etc.

Trichomes form as sheets of water that the plant secretes to protect itself from whatever environmental(too hot/too bright a light/ etc.) or mechanical(Deer eating the tops) it encounters. You can "encourage" trichome production by targeting specific stressors without stunting the plant.

Trichomes are where a lot of the chemistry happens in cannabis and are considered Volatile Organic Compounds due to all the different processes that happen. Trichomes and the VOC's they contain will start to evaporate at around 70°/21C. This is why the rule of thumb with dry/cure is slow and low at 60/60. 10° buffer to keep as many trichomes intact.

IMO, when my tent starts to smell it means I'm evaporating trichomes.

OldOneEye · Jan 27, 2025

Light breaks down trichomes, you can always tell when there is an outdoor plant around sitting in the sun. Put it in the shade and smell is diminished.

carlosescobar · Jan 27, 2025

oh i am going to try photos in living soil next

carlosescobar · Jan 27, 2025

Ninjadogma said:
Some strains just stink more than others. I've heard and read that a healthy carbohydrate uptake encourages terpene production which is why there are products out there like Bud Candy, and why some people add unsulphured blackstrap molasses. Not because that sugar goes straight to the buds (wouldn't that be nice!) but rather because it provides a comfortable carb-rich environment for the roots and it feeds the healthy microbes in the soil so that the plant has all the ingredients it needs to get stinky if it wants. I've used both but never done a controlled grow of with vs without a carb supplement. I rooted a couple extra clones for my late spring harvest, might experiment with one and see if I notice a difference.

damn ive got some bud candy but i havent been using it because i thought that was just to feed microorganisms, and i'm in coco, well batmix to be precise, so i assumed i didnt have any

carlosescobar · Jan 27, 2025

ive got a lot of exerience of producing harsh hay like smoke, . i didnt realise that the amber shows on leaves first so last grow i chopped as soon as i saw amber. so this grow i am leaving alone

Redneckx · Jan 27, 2025

carlosescobar said:
damn ive got some bud candy but i havent been using it because i thought that was just to feed microorganisms, and i'm in coco, well batmix to be precise, so i assumed i didnt have any

If not running synthetic it's possible to feed the microbes with stuff like bud candy, simple carbohydrates or molasses, also in Coco.
Myself running organics in coco with mycro & beneficial bacteria and treated it like soil, also without drain and it works great.

Ninjadogma · Jan 27, 2025

carlosescobar said:
damn ive got some bud candy but i havent been using it because i thought that was just to feed microorganisms, and i'm in coco, well batmix to be precise, so i assumed i didnt have any

If we consider molasses, there are some good micronutrients in it so I would say it's use is dual purpose... for good soil health, and supplemental carbs/nutrients availability.

Also, some folks talking about your plant stinking because your terps are evaporating... While that might be true in situations, the way my plants stinks up right after a fresh watering, I can say with confidence thats not the VOCs getting burned off.

LoveGrowingIt · Jan 27, 2025

PooToe said:
IMO, when my tent starts to smell it means I'm evaporating trichomes.

You mean terpenes, I assume. I'm wondering if that's good or bad. It'd be good if the plant is producing more than it can keep.

LoveGrowingIt · Jan 27, 2025

OldOneEye said:
Light breaks down trichomes, you can always tell when there is an outdoor plant around sitting in the sun. Put it in the shade and smell is diminished.

(Terpenes?) This makes me wonder about using high-power lights.

LoveGrowingIt · Jan 27, 2025

Ninjadogma said:
Also, some folks talking about your plant stinking because your terps are evaporating... While that might be true in situations, the way my plants stinks up right after a fresh watering, I can say with confidence thats not the VOCs getting burned off.

Organic nutrients can have quite an odor after watering.

R4V3N · Jan 27, 2025

Light and heat have a lot to do with it. If you can smell the trichomes, then they're evaporating into the air. Opening a warm tent, and the waft just hits you, but a colder tent ie the first few minutes of light, and its just not there until it warms up. I'm drying right now, and I finally got my tent down to 60/60 by just opening the window 1/4 inch (freezing here) near it, and opening the lower velcro panel as the only intake, and just run the exhaust fan, the filter isn't being used. There's no smell at all. I used to dry fast and the house would pong of weed, I loved it, wife not so much lol.

carlosescobar · Jan 27, 2025

Ninjadogma said:
If we consider molasses, there are some good micronutrients in it so I would say it's use is dual purpose... for good soil health, and supplemental carbs/nutrients availability.

Also, some folks talking about your plant stinking because your terps are evaporating... While that might be true in situations, the way my plants stinks up right after a fresh watering, I can say with confidence thats not the VOCs getting burned off.

now you say that , i think i have been slightly underwatering , they got a big drench yesterday with some seaweed based feed with things like sulphur, zinc iron and my big bloom arrived today so we'll see what that does.

Jmaes Mabley · Jan 27, 2025

LoveGrowingIt said:
(Terpenes?) This makes me wonder about using high-power lights.

The Sun, is 2100umol. Indoors, one of the main limiting factors, for high umol, is fresh air exchange.

BB22 · Jan 27, 2025

I grow indoors . South East . In the Summer months keeping the plants temperature below 82 f is a real challenge .

I think that is where is most of the finer things are lost. To the heat.

what brings aromas out in plants ?

what brings aromas out in plants ?

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what brings aromas out in plants ?

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