Making the Cut

High gang,

So I noticed a few people talking about the chop down, and how they keep their plants in the dark for X numbers of hours. 36 hours was a number I read last night.

Q: Why do you do that?

I assume it makes the plant do something, but what? and why do you think that?

Yesterday I chopped the top off a plant that was done, yes the lights were on, about half way in the light cycle. 1. I'm blind and need the light to see WTF I'm doing & 2. It's my first ghetto grow under CFL's so I don't really know WTF I'm doing... But I did stay in a holiday inn once~!

I do know 1 thang, the test bud I dried out a week ahead is the funk...

Y.R. Token said:

High gang,

So I noticed a few people talking about the chop down, and how they keep their plants in the dark for X numbers of hours. 36 hours was a number I read last night.

Q: Why do you do that?

I assume it makes the plant do something, but what? and why do you think that?

Yesterday I chopped the top off a plant that was done, yes the lights were on, about half way in the light cycle. 1. I'm blind and need the light to see WTF I'm doing & 2. It's my first ghetto grow under CFL's so I don't really know WTF I'm doing... But I did stay in a holiday inn once~!

I do know 1 thang, the test bud I dried out a week ahead is the funk...


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I admire your skepticism. I have harvested plants that sat in the dark and plants that were in fully bright rooms.
Imagine if you had plants outside. Would the bud really be noticeably different if you picked it at night or at high noon? Noticeably? I don't think so.

I like to put indoor plants into 48 hours of darkness when I kick the lights down to 12/12. There is a reason, and a good one at that. The flowering hormone builds up at night in cannabis. By giving 48 hours of dark, you build up enough of that in the plant to get it flowering.

I suppose people think that the dark at the end of the cycle stresses the plant into producing more thc or something, but how? They aren't photosynthesizing in the dark.. I can't see how much THC they would be making in the dark, but I am not positive.

ive done both as well... havent noticed a difference... of course people will tell ya that it makes there buds much more frosty and what not... People think (i have never seen scientific proof of this) that when a plant is left in the dark it is tricked into thinking its winter and time to die soon. In turn, the plant supposedly puts all energy into creating resin, to attract pollen befor dying. Basicly its making the plant think "shit, winter is here and i havent been pollinated... i better do work and push out some more delicious crystals because i feel like im going to die tomorrow, and id really love to create new life..."

Its just something else to confuse new growers. Stick to the basics until you've read enough to understand everything and can draw your own conclusions, and then look into the advanced techniques. Sometimes simple is better. - S.s.