I've posted this on another board but have gotten no experienced responses yet:

Has anyone noticed a MORE potent high from a plant they've vegged LONGER than one of it's brother's? (clone or seedling?)

I forget where I read it, but I have multiple links which seem to confirm the idea that a plant should be at least 8 weeks old (from seed) before you switch photoperiods to flowering.

The idea is that the plant has to be mature enough to produce THC at the potency it is genetically rated at. Too young = less potent THC.

Obviously, this only applies to seedlings because clones are the same age of the mother.

Can anyone else confirm this advice? With a link preferably.

Here are some of the articles which support the idea but do not state it:

D9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Content in Cannabis Plants of Greek Origin
Maria STEFANIDOU,* Sotiris ATHANASELIS, Giorgos ALEVISOPOULOS, John PAPOUTSIS, and
Antonis KOUTSELINIS
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Athens, Medical School, 75, Mikras Asias str., Goudi,
Athens 115.27, Greece. Received September 30, 1999 ; accepted December 28, 1999

There are wide variations in the relative amounts of cannabinoids in cannabis plants, depending on many factors. The predominant factors are the genetic characteristics of the seedstock,17,1 the environment in which the plant is grown,19,20) the maturity, sex, the part of the plant harvested, the time elapsed between harvesting and chemical analysis, and the conditions of storage of the plant.21)

What do you think they mean by plant maturity, if not AGE?


cannabis@Everything2.com

The THC in the cannabis plant is produced as a defense mechanism to protect itself,and its spawn. This is the reason that THC is produced only when the plant reaches maturity.


HIT - Second perspectives on Cannabis conference - Zerin Atakn.

The hemp plant (cannabis sativa) has been cultivated as a multipurpose economic plant for thousands of years
Some are grown for their fiber content, others for their psychoactive properties
The plant is a lush, fast growing annual which can reach maturity in 60 days indoors and around 120 days outdoors
There are male and female plants and both contain psychoactive ingredients. But female flowers have a higher amount of THC (the main psychoactive ingredient).


What is meant by ‘plant maturity’ as used in these quotes, if not ‘age’? As it turns out ‘age’ is not the correct term. Because, as many sources say, ‘chronological age’ is not the deciding factor. Rather, I am going to use the term ‘light hours’ to refer to maturity of plant.

Take the next quote:


Pot Seeds Marijuana Seeds Cannabis

The potency of the marijuana plant is related to its maturity rather than Chronological age. Genetically identical 3 month and 6 month-old plants which have mature flowers have the same potency. Starting from seed, a six month old plant flowers slightly faster and fills out more than a 3 month old plant.

Here I assume they are talking about cuttings ("genetically identical"). If you let one age for 3 or 6 months, they will be the same potency. But is it possible that they are refering to the flowering stage maturity, and not plant maturity (light-hours age)?

I am interested in this because the White Widow I grew from seed was flowered at 8 weeks old. The smoke was mid to high grade. Nice mellow high that got smoother and more potent after 8 weeks curing. But all in all, I expected a greater punch from White Widow. It was a creeper too. It felt immature, like it just wasn't aged long enough. I think if I vegged the seedlings for 12 weeks instead of 8 it would improve. Or, I could keep a mother and all the clones would be very mature.

I wrote this in another forum and got dissed by an asshole who says he never heard of plant age/maturity effecting potency. (I guess the guy read and knows everything.)

I welcome all experienced growers to weigh in on this.

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This proves my theory!

Well, It is true I have never heard of it before this. At least you had the brains to actually provide us with a little background info on where you are coming from.

From what I do know, most companies list the number of weeks for your variety to be "Commercially Viable," which basically means "sellable." It has been my experience that by leaving the 'fruit on the vine' for 1-2 weeks longer than is usually suggested will improve on the creation and accumulation of a diverse and varied range of different cannibinoids than you would have had at "Recommended Harvest Date." Since a quick turnaround is a good selling point, companies tend to list the fastest possible harvest. It is also an old grower rule of thumb to wait a week once you think they are ready. Similar reasoning is involved with this as well. There may be more to it than just this, but what I am talking about applies to all cannabis plants, no matter how long they are vegged for. It is possible that also using a very short vegging period could also effect this. I am going to do a relatively short veg period on an indoor harvest, but all parent plants are gonna be vegged at least all summer, so I can compare the ones I let veg all summer to the ones that had an 8 week or so veg.

I'm stoned, and running late for work, but I've had a quick gander at your post and I think you're right, there is an optimum veg time to produce better matured THC, most experienced growers seem to reckon you should veg around 2months. However this varies between Indicas and Sativas and will also vary between strains and probably between indvidual plants.
Most growers have other deciding factors which determine their veg time, grow space and time for example.
I think you may be trying to think of this as a way of growing 'super bud', but I think that if you are able to veg for as long as you want then it just takes experience and a knowledge of your particular plant to know when is the optimum time to start flowering.

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perfect! that's the kind of experience I'm looking for. i haven't had a chance to experiment myself with different veg times. i'm sure someone her has done it.

thanks.

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This proves my theory!

thanks for reply. i agree with everything you suggest. now if i could only find someone with first hand experience.

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This proves my theory!

For first hand experienced help, try asking:
fdd2blk's Marijuana Growing Profile

I've not been on this site for that long but this fella is a very experienced grower with an excellent knowledge of the plant and growing. I need no other proof than this link showing his 100 Oz plant. Read and be slack jawed!

the bigest uk plant ever 64 oz can eny one beet that

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i love all the "reasons" the plant produces THC. i've heard defense, light intensifiers, pollen collection, ................. what if the plant "just" has THC. kinda like milkweed has milk. it just does.

i've never flowered a plant straight from seed but i know i've heard of it. from what i hear it works fine.

i have seedlings with THC on them.

unless you are doing lab tests for THC levels it's all just opinion.

hope this helps.

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i'm the guy i've always wanted to be

I'm not too sure it works like this. I always thought the longer you veg the more yield you get because of the size. I don't think anyone would veg for 2 months unless its a monther and taking clones from it or you want a monster of a plant(depending on pot size of course). For me I always veg for 1 month, or wait for pre-flowers whatever comes first. almost everyone don't like to grow sativas because of the long flowering times, Some people flower as soon as it sprouts and its still excellent quality, Grapefriut is like this. people also do this for height/space factors also. But I have never heard of this "mature THC" you talk of. the only mature THC I know of is when the trichomes change from clear to white or white to amber.

You veg your plants for 2 months then depending on the strain its usually 8 to 14weeks for flowering, then 3 to 7 days for drying and then a minimum of 14 to 30 days for curing?! Thats a long fucking time man, no one is goin to fuck like that unless you have time,money and a nice spot in the middle of nowwhere. because remember, the plant will actually start to look like its got defeciencies when its overgrown its pot and if you want to keep it for 2 months i would suggest an 85 liter pot. and at least 1 foot high ceilings. Look at my X-mas tree columbian red haze for example, its at 5'11. its in a 3 gallon pot vegged for 1 month un topped. If it had grown even another inch taller I would have had to cut it beacause I have no more ceiling height for the light. The topped one with 4 main stems was 4'11. The breeder for the strain says it will grow 1.5 metres in a 7.5 litre pot with a VERY short veg time.

let's step outside for a moment. IMG_2675.jpg vegged for 6 months.

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i'm the guy i've always wanted to be

well. i guess no one agrees with growing 'older', mature plants for more potent THC. It just doesn't have a lot of support.


if this is true, i am led to believe I will need different seeds because the WW I have from Joey Weed just aren't that potent as compared to many other strains I have smoked. so either: A) grow with different nutes or B) different seeds.

because it looks like vegging the plants for longer isn't going to increase potency. sucks.

I no longer recommend Joey Weed Seeds.

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This proves my theory!