Thanks for the great info @jmystro, incredibly helpful. Working with several cannabinoid-centric publications, he publishes a variety of digital content, supported by strong technical knowledge and thorough research. During the day, when the air gets warm and sometimes hot, part of the terpenes evaporate. Keeping your plants in the dark for 48 hours before a harvest helps to increase the production in the trichomes and thus increases the overall potency of your marijuana crop. Take a peek at cannabis buds under a microscope, and you'll notice thousands of white, glandular mushrooms protruding from the surface. Cookies ensure that you remain logged in during your visit to our online store, that all items remain in your shopping cart, that you can shop safely and that the website continues to run smoothly. hcking123 5 yr. ago Hmm, harvest before lights come on. I wonder if there is some other factor. What were your results? What trichomes look like when they're ready, Customer Service Monday - Friday 8:00 - 16:00, Free Giftbag with every order above 75,-. Or even to cool down the root zone by watering your mature plants with ice-cold water. You also waive any liability towards Zamnesia if you act outside your laws. The average is more than 1% higher. 2) Darkness increases terpene production This was always a head scratcher, but now its clear to be an old wise tale. As always, I could be wrong, but I believe the whole "48 hrs of dark to increase resin/quality" is a misconception based on partial truth. No offense, but your beautiful state is crazy dry! As well, the potency is supposed to increase, and it will be a smoother plant to smoke. Seems that would happen better with lights on,,but im not a Botanist. 48 hour light deprivation would actually slow down trichome production hence slowing down THC production. growingpain5 brings up some valid points hes read based on the plants biology. ), Ugh, sorry the message directly above ^ was meant for another forum (about cobbing). After all, during the flowering stage, your plant is already getting 12 hours of darkness each day. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Some growers have shared stories of how they had to leave their plants in dark for 4-5 days and sometimes 1 week and even more. LST (ScrOG) has the most negligible impact on plant growth compared to HST. 48 hour dark time before harvest Grow Cycle Harvesting flowering Rob26 August 24, 2018, 3:56am #1 Hi everyone I've been reading about 48 hrs dark time before harvest so what's everybody opinion on it pros/cons is it worth giving it ago and what's the benefits of it if it is 1 Like Drinkslinger August 24, 2018, 4:47am #2 poor bitch. Unpollinated female plants keep increasing the mass of flowers in hopes that at least some of them manage to catch pollen. This results in a smoother smoke, much faster than a traditional day time harvest. Trichomes are the lifeblood of cannabis buds. 48 hours before harvest Mere days away from harvesting your ripe buds, two final techniques stand between you and success. no thats why we are here and not in a lab, do i have a few gadgets and books that may make think iam one my wife always reminds me that i got no phd on science and if the plant knows the end is near it prepares its self for the last meal and shuts down photosintesys this is why you way thill plant is rippen think about it Ive heard as much and trust it as testable science. (and why that might or might not be a good thing). That's not to say a decent soil mix and the standard NPK ratio won't work wonders for most plants, but the focus here is pushing trichome production to the max. How Big Should My Plants Be After 2 Weeks? I always try to harvest at the end of the dark period because thats when the odor is the strongest. In fact, you would never make it to the flowering phase without suitable levels of both, so why change either 23 weeks from harvest? I personally saw a noticeable difference in trichome coverage and they bulked up a bit more. Trichomes make up that little fuzzy layer on top of the plant that film that almost looks like frost and that usually carries a fairly strong aroma. Ive seen a lot of people say they put their plants into a dark period before harvest. YouTube restricts most of our content, so Join the iCan Family! For an advanced grower, monster cropping is another powerful Organic farming is such a hot topic right now for the simple We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. If anything it'll make it easier to trim and dry better. It's time to harvest, of course! Hummm,,,not sure about that. After all, not all of us like smelling Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How to Train Auto-Flowering Plants for Bigger Yields. It's easy! I've been flushing a couple weeks if the run off is like 550 ppm and my water once ph'd is like 290. For this reason alone, its very important to lower by a few degrees the daytime temps during flowering, and especially closer to harvest. One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.SIMM's growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Or some unknown factor. Mere days away from harvesting your ripe buds, two final techniques stand between you and success. I cover all aspects of growing from equipment recommendations to plant health/care tips to help both new and experienced growers. As for upping THC levels, I'd say that a superior smoking experience would give you the placebo effect of a higher THC content. Naturally, a few dark days before harvest contribute to the higher concentration of terpenes in buds. I think we're better. Depending on your preferences, our own cookies may also be used to present you targeted advertisements that match your personal interests. I try to keep it in the 61-55% range for as long as possible. Your plants are still alive when you chop and hang them, it's not like you are shooting them in the brain. You could also opt for LEDs so you can position your lights as close to your plants as possible, without scorching or heat issues. There were no control plants. Dropping temperature to between 1516C and humidity to 3540% helps in achieving this goal while still keeping conditions within tolerable levels. Does 48 Hours of Darkness Before Harvesting Weed Plant Make a Difference? Does it make a diff? Load up each jar loosely to around 75% capacity, seal them closed, and store them in a cool, dark place. Best Cannabis Grow Light for a Cold Grow Room? My soil was damp when I started and it was bone dry when I cut the plant up. It shuts down thinking that it is becoming winter and buds swell an THC gets stronger. Harvesting and Curing; This Topic All Content; This Topic; This Forum; Advanced Search; Browse . The vast majority of growers do tend to lean towards the longer time frame being a better choice, though those who are less concerned with potency might benefit from choosing the shorter time period. From a theoretical standpoint, I personally have difficulty imagining a vast difference in bud quality using last-minute tactics. Such a response could hardly have evolved because in nature no one turns off the sun for several days in a row. So the idea of using the prolonged darkness to improve the quality of buds works here as well. Most people recommend doing a three day darkness period right before the harvest, as this will produce the best result. Is there a minimum/maximum time for the extended dark cycle to achieve these desired results? Now, as far as comparing a 24 hour, 48 hour, and 72 hour darkness period goes, it does appear that the longer this darkness period is, the greater the effect will be. Growing Weed Should Be As Easy As Smoking It, Pruning Leaves During the Vegetative Stage of Cannabis. https://weedkb.com/dark-before-harvest/ Plants have an internal clock that can be reset by being in the dark that long. Therefore, more light equals more trichome production which equals more THCA and more 9-THC production at the cellular level within the trichome. I do like to harvest before lights come back on for this reason but add no extra time. Is my plant a hermie? 24-Hour Dark Period Before Harvest It's believed that turning the grow lights off for up to 24 hours or more before you harvest will bring out purples and other colors in the buds before cutting them down. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Presumably, the idea is to shock the plant's root system and cause enough stress to promote trichome production without ruining your harvest. How Long Should You Keep Weed in Dark Before Harvest? Just like with THC increasing during that darkness period, so do the terpenes, theoretically. //]]> As I plant physiologist and biologist specializing in cannabis I can assure you that the "48 hour light depravation" prior to harvest is typical "street" mythology and Youtube bull. Did it work?Ask my wife !!!!!!!! I really apreciate the responces I've gotten on this thread . Some growers attest to the trichome-boosting potential of UV-B exposure, especially during the final weeks of the flowering stage. In darkness, the far-red change into red. By encouraging a weed plant to activate its defences, we can increase resin production, and thus cannabinoid and terpene production. Germination of seeds is illegal in many countries. You are using an out of date browser. Following a step-by-step guide is a must, as too much stress this close to harvest could ruin all your hard work. Likes 4 6 - 8 8 comments #3. Most experienced cultivators have tried not flushing before harvest, which has caused them to experience first-hand the glaring difference in quality of the yield .You see, during the growing cycle, your plants store excess amounts of nutrients, salts and other compounds. I'm no scientist but I hope my experience with the subject helps. T * Interview with James Burton, 1st version of dutch medical cannabis 1993 2003. I do 48-72 hours of darkness before I cut. Thanks, bud! Be informed before you purchase. The plant will survive it just fine. But I just ended up growing my own by buying a seed pack. However, even if you grow a photoperiod strain from seed with a 12-12 schedule, it will take 3-4 weeks before buds begin to . Why are cannabis plants getting nutrient deficiencies when the pH is correct? True or not i dont know. 1 Spraying Buds Before Harvest: Powdery Mildew Remedy? I must run more side-by-side experiments to see if this is a fluke. Cookies and similar technologies are very small text documents or pieces of code that often contain a unique identifier. Ill go over them. However, it isn't enough for many growers to let plants develop trichomes and call it a day. So the obvious choice is to harvest your weed before lights-on indoors, or at dawn outdoors. All you need are a few mason jarsenough to contain your entire harvest. And dont think that the usefulness of darkness before harvest is a myth. Giving off CO2 in the process. My experiment: Test a 3-day dark period before harvest. Analytical cookies give us insight into how our website is used. Just by picking the right strain, yields can be improved dramatically. No light anywhere. If there is no logical/scientific reasoning behind something, I am surely going to question it. //