Dark time prior to harvest? Poll inside!

Hello everyone! I'm finishing up a Sweet Dark Devil.

Looking at my options as to a dark period prior to chop or not.

I think it's a good idea to cut right before the lights come back on (12 hours dark).

That's enough time for the leaves to remobilize their stored starch as sugars. Those sugars are used throughout the night to continue growing (sugar -> CO2).

I think you would theoretically see diminishing returns after 12 hours as the plant knows exactly how fast to burn this starch at night to use all of it in one night length. More time couldn't hurt though.

Theoretically if you wanted 72 hours of dark, you could justify it as making space for new clones to begin flowering 72 hours earlier.

I don't think you get an increased amount of THC, but do get a slightly smoother burn, like a headstart on the drying/curing process.

This is a picture of an iodine starch test, where high starch is indicated as a dark black color.

Notice for the wild type, at the end of the night, almost all the starch is gone.


"Accumulation of starch in Arabidopsis leaves (sex= starch excess)."
http://www.botinst.uzh.ch/research/physiology/dianasantelia/research.html


"Researchers monitored carbohydrate production in Arabidopsis plants by using a simple iodine stain. During the day, stained plants remained black (left) due to high levels of carbohydrates in the chloroplasts. At night, when the plant had metabolized the carbohydrates, the leaves turned white (right)."
http://www.sflorg.com/sciencenews/scn082207_02.html

I harvest my plants first thing in the morning with great results

I've tried 12,24,36,48 periods on the same G13 lab's pine apple express. I couldn't really tell a difference between them. It may have done something, nothing magical. It sure didn't hurt anything.

Interesting...I've followed the herd on this one. Only did what I read was best. I never have my plants finishing at the same time though, so I exclude all the long hours of darkness before harvesting. I do pull her out in the early morning to do the deed though.
I can't wait to see what everyone says.
Now I'll go back and read that 1st and 2nd response from Churchhaze again.

I tried 24 and like malicifice stated nothing magical. I think Churchhaze said it best with chopping at end of 12 hr dark. It wouldn't hurt for you to try. I grew regular bagseed and only tried it because I was doin an indoor grow. Outdoors I would chop before sunrise.
I just got my tracking email from Herbies gonna run that Sweet DD as well. Good luck either way!

I surprised nobody commented on the sex mutant yet.

Lol, sex mutant.

Lol... I was wondering but I figured that was way above my head. Wild Type and Sex Mutant!

Scientists make mutant strains (GMO) to test against "wild type" strains to determine what genes are responsible for what things (etc).

For example, the starch excess mutant likely got a gene spliced from bacteria, which doesn't have the same starch storing strategy as plants. (it ignores the signal to stop producing starch). This is mostly to confirm that the response is genetic.

skinnysmoke said:

Lol... I was wondering but I figured that was way above my head. Wild Type and Sex Mutant!

Click to expand...

I have done side by side test with sister clones at 24,48 and72 hours with no noticeable differance. This test was done with a strain I am VERY familiar with. Maybe it will have some magic for you and your strain. I will add that it did not hurt a bit. So really you have nothing to lose if it is truly "done" anyways. Fuk it,try it,experimenting is the best way to learn. The way I see it the light is on anyway might as well use a corner of your grow room to learn something new.

Did you compare 24 hours with 0 hours? (picking as soon as the lights go out)

Theoretically, that's where you're supposed to see the difference. I'd expect you to see diminishing returns after 12 hours of darkness, so comparing 24hours to 48 hours might not be the best test.

polo the don said:

I have done side by side test with sister clones at 24,48 and72 hours with no noticeable differance. This test was done with a strain I am VERY familiar with. Maybe it will have some magic for you and your strain. I will add that it did not hurt a bit. So really you have nothing to lose if it is truly "done" anyways. Fuk it,try it,experimenting is the best way to learn. The way I see it the light is on anyway might as well use a corner of your grow room to learn something new.

Click to expand...

churchhaze said:

Did you compare 24 hours with 0 hours? (picking as soon as the lights go out)

Theoretically, that's where you're supposed to see the difference. I'd expect you to see diminishing returns after 12 hours of darkness, so comparing 24hours to 48 hours might not be the best test.

Click to expand...

churchhaze said:

Did you compare 24 hours with 0 hours? (picking as soon as the lights go out)

Theoretically, that's where you're supposed to see the difference. I'd expect you to see diminishing returns after 12 hours of darkness, so comparing 24hours to 48 hours might not be the best test.

Click to expand...

Chop before lights/sun up is what I've done my first 2 harvest.

Oops my reply was supposed to go with that quote.

I chop at lights on and that's what I compared with. I have not tried the 12 hours of extra darkness but I do have a set coming out in about 2 weeks same strain already mentioned. I guess I have another test to do. Thanks Church.

Polo

Yep, I chop just before the lights go on for the day. Never tried anything else.

A couple of extra hours of dark or light in a ~ 60 day flowering cycle will not make any difference at all.

I've tried 24 hrs on time, 24 off, before th light cycle or after, and to me, I've always preferred harvesting AFTER the 12 hrs on. Seems to me more photosynthesis=more buds.
I'm not a scientist but seems kinda simple, but that's just me. I have a veteran grower-friend that does a 24hr ON cycle before harvest. He swears by it, I didn't notice any difference myself

Why would cutting after 12 hours ON produce more bud than cutting after 12 hours OFF?

That makes absolutely no sense...

Yeah I agree with the poll results. Just chop um quit wast'n time with the bro-science.