Peak smell hours and harvesting

edgein123

Well-Known Member
Hi guys,

So I'm pretty sure this is not the 1st time someone asks this question even though I couldn't find anything besides your usual harvest discussion on Google or just couldn't find the right wording.

I'm growing some autos and found that they smell the most a few hours after lights on, now I know that most cultivators recommend chopping down during lights off but since we know know that terpenes play a huge role on the overall quality, doesn't it make sense to harvest when the plants smell the most?

Would love to hear your thoughts.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
The more they smell the more terpenes are wafting off the pot into the air so are lost.

I harvest when I have the time regardless of what part of the light cycle they are at and don't think it makes a significant difference. I'm sure if it were scientifically measured there would be some measurable difference but not enough for your average toker to notice. Not enough to make me run my schedule around the time of day when I crop for sure.

:peace:
 

Jimmyjonestoo

Well-Known Member
The more they smell the more terpenes are wafting off the pot into the air so are lost.

I harvest when I have the time regardless of what part of the light cycle they are at and don't think it makes a significant difference. I'm sure if it were scientifically measured there would be some measurable difference but not enough for your average toker to notice. Not enough to make me run my schedule around the time of day when I crop for sure.

:peace:
Exactly.
 

MichiganMedGrower

Well-Known Member
My experience and research shows me different than the above comments. The ripening plants tend to smell the most towards the end of their dark cycle. I noticed it at first as I was not running a carbon filter at my new house at first. I exhaust out the chimney and no one smelled anything until about 6pm one day when the first plants were half way through flower. My lights go on at 8pm. Seemed pretty consistent that way.

I harvest as close to lights on as I can get the plant out of the flower room.

Yes it is true that the lights damage trichomes and terpenes throughout the day. But the real reason to harvest early in the day or in the dark is when the light hits the plant it starts uptaking carbohydrates that are stored in the roots overnight. This makes for harsher longer needing to cure weed.

The carbs being stored in the roots is also the reason it helps speed up the cure if you leave finished plants in the dark for 24-48 hrs. All the carbs will go back down to the roots leaving smoother smoke.

The extra frostiness is a myth the plant does not produce thc in the dark.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
I never thought about the carbs. Might be worth just leaving them in the dark for the few days it takes me to crop them out. Not that's there's lots to crop atm but with my arthritis I can only work so long at one sitting.

Good point!

:peace:
 

MichiganMedGrower

Well-Known Member
I never thought about the carbs. Might be worth just leaving them in the dark for the few days it takes me to crop them out. Not that's there's lots to crop atm but with my arthritis I can only work so long at one sitting.

Good point!

:peace:

According to Ed Rosenthals book it will be all back in the roots in 24 hrs of dark time. So even 2 full days is overkill. When it sees light it will start to uptake again so chopping the stem from the roots is the way to block the carbs/sugars.
 

Stink Bug

Well-Known Member
Carb sources and sinks really do not include the roots when it comes to C3 annuals. That process is carried out with the leaves and canopy for the most part. This is an area where some overlap annuals, perennials and deciduous plants. The later two do store carbs/sugars in the roots come fall/end of the growth season. To be used in the spring/beginning of the growth season.
 

MichiganMedGrower

Well-Known Member
Carb sources and sinks really do not include the roots when it comes to C3 annuals. That process is carried out with the leaves and canopy for the most part. This is an area where some overlap annuals, perennials and deciduous plants. The later two do store carbs/sugars in the roots come fall/end of the growth season. To be used in the spring/beginning of the growth season.

Please quote a source that says his about cannabis.
 

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
I always let mine go 24 hrs dark ive.gone.more but it doenst do much so i settled on 24 hrs dark years ago and i chop in the dark also lol

You dont have to schedule anything just shut the power off to the lights before you go to work
And snip before you turn the main lights on
 

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Also i thought roots constantly produced carbs to feed the bennies. Which in turn feed the plant.

Am i mistaken? This is why peeps used to give molases to their plants when flushing it feeds the plants through feeding the bennies
 

Stink Bug

Well-Known Member
I did not say roots do not contain carbs. I'm saying the source and sink process is mainly carried out within the canopy. Circadian rhythms play a role in this. I would like to see a source that says cannabis translocates carbs from the roots to the canopy near the end of the dark cycle. On a daily bases. Just doesn't happen in a healthy, happy environment.
 

MichiganMedGrower

Well-Known Member
I did not say roots do not contain carbs. I'm saying the source and sink process is mainly carried out within the canopy. Circadian rhythms play a role in this. I would like to see a source that says cannabis translocates carbs from the roots to the canopy near the end of the dark cycle. On a daily bases. Just doesn't happen in a healthy, happy environment.

I did quote a source. Ed Rosenthal’s book.

And I didn’t say that the plant translocates carbs from the roots to the canopy “near the end of the dark cycle”. I said in the dark the carbs go back down to be stored in the roots and it takes over 24 hours of dark to do it completely.


Source and sink is completely different. That is nutrients stored in the leaves. And translocated as and where they are needed to buds and leaves.
 

Stink Bug

Well-Known Member
https://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule


The source sink relationship is mainly carried out in the canopy of a healthy annual. If you want it to use stored energy from the roots. Well then you will need to leave it in the dark for a period of time greater than it's normal 12 hrs.

Most annuals only store enough energy to sustain it for 36-72 hrs with no photosynthesis occurring.
 
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CannaBruh

Well-Known Member
If we're still arguing about it, I'm not sure it's discernible... like so many things with this plant.

OP if you want to preserve terps, get your temps right (cooler) but at some tradeoff of losing some rate of growth. Warmer veg temps will get them moving fast, but in late flower, I'd prefer to have them cooler than warmer to prevent smells (preserve terps)
 

Stink Bug

Well-Known Member
Yes I know it was about perennial plants. It describes what you describe happening in annuals on a daily bases.
And that's not how annuals go about their life cycle.
 
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