# White Widow - Three Days Dark to produce extra frost?



## Jack Larson (Mar 5, 2011)

I have heard that if you put a White Widow in total darkness for 3 to 5 days @ the end of flowering that the plant will really get frosty.
Does this work?
If so does it work on any other strains?


----------



## Jmayne Chronic (Mar 5, 2011)

wow dude ive personally never heard of this but im thinking that its not a good idea........i think that 1 u would get frostier buds from either adding some kind of sugerie solute like molassas mixed in water, 2 you would probably get a higher result by Adding more light towards the end, i dont mean longer hours of light of course but adding more light sources, and 3 i might be wrong, and it might not make a difference to a plant if its towards the end, but everything in me tells me that theres a possibilty of hermiying.....so id just try the first two and see what results you get


----------



## C.Indica (Mar 5, 2011)

I'm new to this site, and have no idea how active I'll be, so don't quote me.
I've heard this too, on top of flushing the last couple weeks of flower with pure water,
I've heard adding sugar like Koolaid/Molasses to It's food pumps up the THC too.
And I've definately heard 2-3 days total darkness at the end.
It simulates deep winter with no light, which in a TOTALLY PRIMITIVE ENVIRONMENT would 
trigger the plant into getting desperate to reproduce.
It supposedly drags every last bit of THC out of the plant, in an effort to catch pollen and finish it's life cycle.

I vote flush + darkness at the same time.
I don't know if I'd add sugar, but I guess it helps.

BUT you should look all this up yourself just to be extra sure.


----------



## 420God (Mar 5, 2011)

Interesting quote you might find useful.

"The Stichting Institute of Medical marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden.

One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.SIMM&#8217;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. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."


As far as sugars go, they don't do anything to the plant itself. It feeds the microorganisms that live in the soil and if you don't have living soil you're wasting time.


----------



## 420God (Mar 5, 2011)

Jmayne Chronic said:


> wow dude ive personally never heard of this but im thinking that its not a good idea........i think that 1 u would get frostier buds from either adding some kind of sugerie solute like molassas mixed in water, 2 you would probably get a higher result by Adding more light towards the end, i dont mean longer hours of light of course but adding more light sources, and 3 i might be wrong, and it might not make a difference to a plant if its towards the end, but everything in me tells me that theres a possibilty of hermiying.....so id just try the first two and see what results you get


 I don't think it's possible for a plant to go "hermie" in the last three days of it's life especially if it's in total darkness.

Even if it could it wouldn't matter because it's getting chopped right after.


----------



## xivex (Mar 5, 2011)

Just harvested my lsd last week after 60 hr dark period. No sign of any hermi at any point in the grow. Still drying so i cant yet say how potent it is..

X


----------



## cannabisguru (Mar 5, 2011)

I've personally never tried this.

But, I've heard/seen/read all kinds of shit about it.

I guess it could work.. I mean, all its doing is stressing the plant out for the last 3 days of its life.

Give it a try xivex.. but be sure to come back and share your experience so that the rest of us will know if its worth trying or not.

Good luck with it!


peace


----------



## DrFever (Mar 6, 2011)

i do it and yes it works anymore then 72 hrs is a waste what u need to do is keep temps aroun 60 - 65 degrees humidity 40 -45 and you will have some sticky buds

also i seen plants off for 30+ hrs and guy put lights back on and they didnt go hermie at all he thought he was done


----------



## NorthernLights#5 (Mar 6, 2011)

Ive seen some breeders say to keep White widow strains in total darkness for 2 weeks, I had a buddy who did a white rhino and let it sit in dark for 72 hours and one that didnt, there is a difference and its a big one buds that got 72 dark were almost white.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 6, 2011)

There's info about this all over this sight.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 6, 2011)

Thanks everyone...
What I would like to know, is... 
Are there any other strains that this method works on? 
A 30% increase in THC is significant! 
I'll go ahead and try it out with some other strains & will keep you posted. 
I am curious if it works better on Indica or Sativa.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 6, 2011)

Yes!!! Do some fucking research. It has nothing to do with the strain. Cannabis plants produce THC during the dark/night cycle to protect itsself from the sun/light that it faces during the day. Make sure that at the end of the extended night cycle you take your plants right out of the dark and into chop and trim. Do not turn the lights back on before harvest because the plants will start to re-suck up alot of the nutrient and salts around the root zone creating bad taste. As you can see there are other reasons for this extra dark period before harves but also, as i said, all of this info is on the sight so do your own damn research we're not going to spoon feed you all of your answers. And the ones who do are probably feeding you shit. Peace.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 6, 2011)

NorthernLights#5 said:


> Ive seen some breeders say to keep White widow strains in total darkness for 2 weeks, I had a buddy who did a white rhino and let it sit in dark for 72 hours and one that didnt, there is a difference and its a big one buds that got 72 dark were almost white.


Perfect Example. 2 weeks? Really? Please show me the "breeders" who say this. And please don't put your plants in darkness for the last quarter of its life either lol ooh mannn.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 6, 2011)

alex kelly said:


> yes!!! Do some fucking research. It has nothing to do with the strain. Cannabis plants produce thc during the dark/night cycle to protect itsself from the sun/light that it faces during the day. Make sure that at the end of the extended night cycle you take your plants right out of the dark and into chop and trim. Do not turn the lights back on before harvest because the plants will start to re-suck up alot of the nutrient and salts around the root zone creating bad taste. As you can see there are other reasons for this extra dark period before harves but also, as i said, all of this info is on the sight so do your own damn research we're not going to spoon feed you all of your answers. And the ones who do are probably feeding you shit. Peace.


 dude chill


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 6, 2011)

duuuuuuuude................... you're asking simple questions and the answers are everywhere.


----------



## Uncle Ben (Mar 6, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> I have heard that if you put a White Widow in total darkness for 3 to 5 days @ the end of flowering that the plant will really get frosty.
> Does this work?
> If so does it work on any other strains?


Is that a rhetorical question?


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 6, 2011)

Alex Kelly said:


> duuuuuuuude................... you're asking simple questions and the answers are everywhere.


 
You gotta be kidding me! 
With all of the stupid ass questions asked on what is supposed to be an "advanced" forum my question is "simple"? 65,691 views on a discussion about cloning a fan leaf...Who the fuck cares? Even if you could, why the hell would you? You said I should do my own research...so I did...on you. It turns out you're a jerk who hijacks threads just to be a shit disturber who gets off by using belittling negative comments.  Well, you've been made. Now you can start a new search for your next victim. Maybe a nice older lady with cancer who has the nerve to ask a question that has already been asked.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 8, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> You gotta be kidding me!
> With all of the stupid ass questions asked on what is supposed to be an "advanced" forum my question is "simple"? 65,691 views on a discussion about cloning a fan leaf...Who the fuck cares? Even if you could, why the hell would you? You said I should do my own research...so I did...on you. It turns out you're a jerk who hijacks threads just to be a shit disturber who gets off by using belittling negative comments.  Well, you've been made. Now you can start a new search for your next victim. Maybe a nice older lady with cancer who has the nerve to ask a question that has already been asked.


https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/412179-cloning-off-clones-4.html#post5408545

?


----------



## auldone (Mar 8, 2011)

Alex Kelly said:


> Perfect Example. 2 weeks? Really? Please show me the "breeders" who say this. And please don't put your plants in darkness for the last quarter of its life either lol ooh mannn.


I pulled this off of Attitude...

*Dinafem Seeds White Widow* is the most potent cannabis on Earth and is named for the abundance of trichomes, giving the plant a whitish tint. It is also one of the more powerful strains of marijuana (alongside AK-47 and Afghan Kush) with a very high 20%-25% THC content.
*White Widow* feminized seeds are (60%/40%) indica/sativa cross-strain and is best suited to indoor cannabis cultivation. *Cannabis seeds* grow as high as 35-80 cm with the yield up to 450 gr per m2. It's suggested to flower (12 hour light) this marijuana variety for 8 weeks, but 10 weeks will really give you the crystals you are after. *Try to turn the lights off altogether the final 2 weeks of the flowering cycle*- or at least down to 8 hours. This keeps the flowers from re-growth and stresses the plant into giving up its last drop of goodness as crystal to protect the flower! The buds have so much THC on them that it is hard to see them at all.
*White Widow* feminized seeds produce plants that give you the taste of freshness laced with many fruits, because of the strength of the cannabis crystals - the only real taste goes hand in hand with the expectorant effects of the THC. The smell is strong pungency. It first hits you, then follows a sour sweetness with the final whiff ... turning sweet. If a plant could have a strong body odour then the White Widow needs a deodorant.
Cannabis smokers adore its sweet, thick, acrid smoke that imparts a hammering stone. Extremely powerful. Recommended for experienced smokers only.

Dinafem's site says 60 hours of darkness....


----------



## digg (Mar 8, 2011)

Plants apparently produce resin during the dark period, so I reckon there must be some truth in this........... I'm sure as hell gonna give it a try.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 8, 2011)

auldone said:


> I pulled this off of Attitude...
> 
> *Dinafem Seeds White Widow* is the most potent cannabis on Earth and is named for the abundance of trichomes, giving the plant a whitish tint. It is also one of the more powerful strains of marijuana (alongside AK-47 and Afghan Kush) with a very high 20%-25% THC content.
> *White Widow* feminized seeds are (60%/40%) indica/sativa cross-strain and is best suited to indoor cannabis cultivation. *Cannabis seeds* grow as high as 35-80 cm with the yield up to 450 gr per m2. It's suggested to flower (12 hour light) this marijuana variety for 8 weeks, but 10 weeks will really give you the crystals you are after. *Try to turn the lights off altogether the final 2 weeks of the flowering cycle*- or at least down to 8 hours. This keeps the flowers from re-growth and stresses the plant into giving up its last drop of goodness as crystal to protect the flower! The buds have so much THC on them that it is hard to see them at all.
> ...


Thanks Auldone! That's great info from a good source. Sounds like Alex Kelly is the one who should do some fucking resarch...


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 8, 2011)

420God said:


> Interesting quote you might find useful.
> 
> "The Stichting Institute of Medical marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden.
> 
> ...


420 god...sorry, I am just getting around to thanking you for your contribution. It definitely made a believer out of me!


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 8, 2011)

I wonder if this method works on all strains? Or is it only associated with White Widow, and, if so, is it because it's more visually dramatic?


----------



## WillyPhister (Mar 8, 2011)

> *I pulled this off of Attitude...
> 
> Dinafem Seeds White Widow is the most potent cannabis on Earth and is named for the abundance of trichomes, giving the plant a whitish tint. It is also one of the more powerful strains of marijuana (alongside AK-47 and Afghan Kush) with a very high 20%-25% THC content.
> White Widow feminized seeds are (60%/40%) indica/sativa cross-strain and is best suited to indoor cannabis cultivation. Cannabis seeds grow as high as 35-80 cm with the yield up to 450 gr per m2. It's suggested to flower (12 hour light) this marijuana variety for 8 weeks, but 10 weeks will really give you the crystals you are after. Try to turn the lights off altogether the final 2 weeks of the flowering cycle- or at least down to 8 hours. This keeps the flowers from re-growth and stresses the plant into giving up its last drop of goodness as crystal to protect the flower! The buds have so much THC on them that it is hard to see them at all.
> ...


lol this is a complete and total sales pitch, not at all relevant information. breeders are great at selling their seeds to gullible stoners. but anyways i have tried the darkness thing on a couple plants before. i've done 72 hours of darkness on two grows. I cant say that it improved the quality of the herb since i didnt have a control to compare to, but i can say that i was fairly satisfied with the end results. who knows if it made a difference or not but i do like the idea of it, im gonna try it again on my next grow though, just for the fun of it. and if you guys are serious about getting more trichs on your buds then do a search on for UVB lights. people will get UVB emitting CFLs that are made for reptiles and use them on their plants for a limited amount of time per day and claim to see significant gains in trichome production, I've seen a few threads about it and the results look really promising. its definitely something i want to experiment with in the future.


----------



## donscrons (Mar 9, 2011)

I did 72 hours dark with my strawberry cough and had very noticeable gains in trich production. I'm at 48 right now with my WW I'll let you know in a couple days.


----------



## Flo Grow (Mar 9, 2011)

*Total darkness for an extended period of time BEFORE harvest works on ALL strains !*
*Sugars from molasses and such feed your beneficial organisms, makes your buds taste sweeter and helps add to final yield (some more than others).*
*Use in combo with a humic acid nute like Liquid Karma, which feeds the little guys and increases the plants uptake of nutes, for better benefits/yields too.*


----------



## Uncle Ben (Mar 9, 2011)

WillyPhister said:


> lol this is a complete and total sales pitch, not at all relevant information. breeders are great at selling their seeds to gullible stoners. but anyways i have tried the darkness thing on a couple plants before. i've done 72 hours of darkness on two grows. I cant say that it improved the quality of the herb since i didnt have a control to compare to, but i can say that i was fairly satisfied with the end results. who knows if it made a difference or not but i do like the idea of it, im gonna try it again on my next grow though, just for the fun of it. and if you guys are serious about getting more trichs on your buds then do a search on for UVB lights. people will get UVB emitting CFLs that are made for reptiles and use them on their plants for a limited amount of time per day and claim to see significant gains in trichome production, I've seen a few threads about it and the results look really promising. its definitely something i want to experiment with in the future.


Yep, oldest trick in the book, photo of frosty plants. It's not the density of the trichome field that counts, it's what in the resin heads that counts.

Amount of light or darkness doesn't drive trichome production. Things like genetics and plant age do.

UB


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 9, 2011)

OK, so now I am conflicted. The posts from 420 god & auldone seemed conclusive to me. I tend to pay attention when someone sites an actual scientific study by a legitimate institute. But then Uncle Ben chimes in. I respect his opinion and if he says it's BS then I have to take that into account as well. So, I guess it's time for my own controlled side by side experiment. I'll keep you posted on strains & results. Begin flush today, so a couple more weeks.


----------



## Uncle Ben (Mar 9, 2011)

According to Mel Frank's studies with the U. of Miss. lab results, THC levels rise during the dark period and fall with light. His Insiders Guide has graphs showing this. Whether or not the overkill of doing 5 days in the dark promotes more THC production than harvesting during the plant's natural dark cycle, I doubt if it has any real world impact. Photosynthesis drives plant processes. He does not say what the causal effects are, just graphs the small THC increase. Get the book.

My reply was in regards to some off the wall 5 days darkness theory.

I take a plant that I plan to harvest out of the grow room the night before the evil deed and put it into a dark room for harvest the next day. It's more of a feel good thing for me, not a verifiable fact. My focus in this hobby is growing a healthy plant naturally and not relying on gimmicks. That means maintaining healthy green leaves until harvest with the judicious application of plant food.... no "flushing".

No need to split hairs, just harvest at your convenience would be my recommendation.

UB


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 10, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> Thanks Auldone! That's great info from a good source. Sounds like Alex Kelly is the one who should do some fucking resarch...


72 hours is the standard. Go ahead and do two weeks though its not my crop.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 10, 2011)

WillyPhister said:


> lol this is a complete and total sales pitch, not at all relevant information. breeders are great at selling their seeds to gullible stoners. but anyways i have tried the darkness thing on a couple plants before. i've done 72 hours of darkness on two grows. I cant say that it improved the quality of the herb since i didnt have a control to compare to, but i can say that i was fairly satisfied with the end results. who knows if it made a difference or not but i do like the idea of it, im gonna try it again on my next grow though, just for the fun of it. and if you guys are serious about getting more trichs on your buds then do a search on for UVB lights. people will get UVB emitting CFLs that are made for reptiles and use them on their plants for a limited amount of time per day and claim to see significant gains in trichome production, I've seen a few threads about it and the results look really promising. its definitely something i want to experiment with in the future.


Glad someone knows what theyre talking about.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 10, 2011)

Uncle Ben said:


> According to Mel Frank's studies with the U. of Miss. lab results, THC levels rise during the dark period and fall with light. His Insiders Guide has graphs showing this. Whether or not the overkill of doing 5 days in the dark promotes more THC production than harvesting during the plant's natural dark cycle, I doubt if it has any real world impact. Photosynthesis drives plant processes. He does not say what the causal effects are, just graphs the small THC increase. Get the book.
> 
> My reply was in regards to some off the wall 5 days darkness theory.
> 
> ...


Good info. Well we could always test this with a control group, although i don't know how to measure THC presence.


----------



## Uncle Ben (Mar 10, 2011)

Alex Kelly said:


> 72 hours is the standard. Go ahead and do two weeks though its not my crop.


 You mean "popular". There is no "standard" that I know of, just a bunch of anecdotal evidence and feel good nonsense. I studied the tests in Mel's books and acted accordingly. Now, if indeed there is an increase in THC at harvest immediately after a dark period that you can pick up on......I seriously doubt it. If you've done an excellent job of promoting and maintaining foliage and the roots until harvest then the rest is taken care of by the plant.

UB


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 10, 2011)

Uncle Ben said:


> You mean "popular". There is no "standard" that I know of, just a bunch of anecdotal evidence and feel good nonsense. I studied the tests in Mel's books and acted accordingly. Now, if indeed there is an increase in THC at harvest immediately after a dark period that you can pick up on......I seriously doubt it. If you've done an excellent job of promoting and maintaining foliage and the roots until harvest then the rest is taken care of by the plant.
> 
> UB


You're right I do mean popular not standard. I don't believe that I have seen any real scientific evidence showing an increase in THC levels, but there is definately some good first hand experience to go off of out there. Correct me if I am wrong but, during the night cycle (night time), a cannabis plant produces more THC than during the day. From my understanding, cannabis plants produce THC in order to protect themselves from sunlight. Therefor, when it is dark your plant "focuses" (i know not a botanist) more "energy, time, whatever it is" on producing THC so that it is protected from the suns harmful rays while it focuses more on other things during the day (don't want to state what the other things are and be wrong because I am not sure so I will just keep it at other things). So it couldn't hurt to throw throw em in darkness for 72 hours, and IMO this would most likely improve the concentration of the THC of your cannabis plant. 

That being said, there are other benefits to leaving you plant in the dark for a period of time before harvest. When you harvest, regardless of an extended dark period or not, harvest at the end of the dark cycle, *BEFORE* the lights come back on. In darkness your plant performs different tasks than in light, and one of the effects of this is that alot of the salts and nutrients trickle or drain down into the root zone at night. This can theoretically help to remove unwanted chemical tastes and properties seen in cultivated cannabis (especially in hydroponics). I would think that the more dark your plant sees at the end of the cycle the more salts and nutrients would be removed and drained from the plant producing a better tasting and higher quality product. Just some thoughts. This 2nd part obviously doesnt efffect organic gardners nearly as much.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 10, 2011)

The main point of that statement was to tell him that 2 weeks is definately too long to leave your plants in darkness. I may be wrong but plants need sunlight to survive, like us, so wouldnt 2 weeks possibly kill your plants? I don't ever plan on trying this just wondering. 



Alex Kelly said:


> 72 hours is the standard. Go ahead and do two weeks though its not my crop.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 10, 2011)

I'll try the 72 hours with a couple of plants as an experiment. There is no fucking way I'm gonna put any plant in total darkness for 2 weeks. I don't care who says what! My point was, you said "show me a breeder that says this" and auldone did just that. Right or wrong, that's what the sponsor of this website says. No one was more surprised than me. Has anyone ever tried contacting one of these big seed distributors? Surely their statement has some research attached to the statement, or, it's just bullshit.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 10, 2011)

It's just bullshit.


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 10, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> I have heard that if you put a White Widow in total darkness for 3 to 5 days @ the end of flowering that the plant will really get frosty.
> Does this work?
> If so does it work on any other strains?


No. It only delays harvest by 3 to 5 days. Some will site a study by some institute but in a blind side-by-side test, I could never tell a difference between the 10 or so strains I tried it on.


----------



## Jmayne Chronic (Mar 10, 2011)

well ill be damned but if this many people say yes to it then fuck.......ill check this shit out man im only a couple days till my harv. and im tryin to get situated lol


----------



## Byron (Mar 10, 2011)

I kill my lights 2 to 3 days before chop. But im not sure if it improves anything. I use molasses as well. Think its mostly habit, but it seems to work well lol.


----------



## Justin00 (Mar 11, 2011)

i can't argue with the results, if ppl are doing it and it work then great i might need to try it, however,....

we should at least consider the purpose of THC/Resin to the plant. at first TCH was considered a defense mechanism against animals that would eat the plant but recently there seems to be more support the idea that THC acts as a sun block for the plant absorbing UV-B rays from the sun protecting the plant from damage. I won't go into the details of it here but it is discussed on this forum. 

at any rate like i said i cant argue with proof but it does seem to contradict the accepted reasoning behind THC production.


----------



## Plebscrubber (Mar 11, 2011)

I read that if you starve your plants of neuts or light near the end of flowering, it will boose resin production.

The plant considers resin a defensive shield and when the neuts or light stops, it starts making more to protect itself. (its not a highly intelligent lifeform)


----------



## mellokitty (Mar 11, 2011)

riddleme has a great informative post about this somewhere.... *off to try to find it*


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 12, 2011)

Please do.


----------



## Zensai (Mar 12, 2011)

When you guys are doing the 72 hours of dark, do you also quit feeding in a hydro system, or do you lower the number of times you feed.


----------



## hoagtech (Mar 12, 2011)

I thought it was established already that 3 days is a bad idea? Does anyone think it is? I dont even think the author thinks its a good idea to put plants in darkness for three days. I understand the incentives if optimal thc production at night would help your opinion, But just like humans revive their bodies during the night time. It doesnt mean living in a cave for three would be healthy? you need the day cycle to make the night cycle what it is


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 12, 2011)

hoagtech said:


> I thought it was established already that 3 days is a bad idea? Does anyone think it is? I dont even think the author thinks its a good idea to put plants in darkness for three days. I understand the incentives if optimal thc production at night would help your opinion, But just like humans revive their bodies during the night time. It doesnt mean living in a cave for three would be healthy? you need the day cycle to make the night cycle what it is


 I don't think it's a _bad_ idea necessarily but on the strains I tried it on years ago, there was never a discernible difference, so I stopped wasting my time.


----------



## Plebscrubber (Mar 13, 2011)

hey hoagie,

While you are guessing what might work based on how humans operate as opposed to plants, I just listen to experienced growers who have tried it all before...

Starving plants (light and/or neuts) during the flowering phase *will* generate more resin... *fact*

Depending on your grow style and strain, the benifits vary dramatically, so it may or may not be worth the effort...


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 13, 2011)

Plebscrubber said:


> Starving plants (light and/or neuts) during the flowering phase *will* generate more resin... *fact*


 Um, not a fact at all actually.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 15, 2011)

OK, so I've been harvesting & I have results. Out of the 3 strains that were in this grow, Cheese, The Purps, & Green Crackle. The Cheese & the Green Crackle showed no discernable differences between plants that were kept in 72 of total darkness & others that were left on 12 & 12. The Purps, however, was noticibly frostier. When I look at the buds under magnification the heads of the trichomes appear larger on the plants/Purps that were kept in total darkness for 72 hours. No, I don't have any scientific proof...all I have is 22 years of experience. Which is enough for me.


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 15, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> OK, so I've been harvesting & I have results. Out of the 3 strains that were in this grow, Cheese, The Purps, & Green Crackle. The Cheese & the Green Crackle showed no discernable differences between plants that were kept in 72 of total darkness & others that were left on 12 & 12. The Purps, however, was noticibly frostier. When I look at the buds under magnification the heads of the trichomes appear larger on the plants/Purps that were kept in total darkness for 72 hours. No, I don't have any scientific proof...all I have is 22 years of experience. Which is enough for me.


 Did you take any pictures?


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 15, 2011)

homebrewer said:


> Did you take any pictures?


 My digital camera drowned last summer & $$ has been tight. I'll try to post cell phone pics if I can figure it out. Not a cop out...just a reality.


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 15, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> My digital camera drowned last summer & $$ has been tight. I'll try to post cell phone pics if I can figure it out. Not a cop out...just a reality.


 I was only curious as to if you had before and after pics, or same cloned strain where one was in the dark and one wasn't. My litmus test for any of these practices is a blind test to people who have no idea what I'm testing. I'll just tell them that they've got two samples of the same strain and ask if they notice anything.


----------



## hoagtech (Mar 15, 2011)

_(alittleofftopic_I dont like litmus paper I test ph with these and it always gives me that 6.0 orangy color when my hanna tells me its 7.2. 
@jacklarson Would you suggest people do this instead of finishing with your light cycle?


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 15, 2011)

homebrewer said:


> I was only curious as to if you had before and after pics, or same cloned strain where one was in the dark and one wasn't. My litmus test for any of these practices is a blind test to people who have no idea what I'm testing. I'll just tell them that they've got two samples of the same strain and ask if they notice anything.


Good Idea. I haven't tested any for taste or potency yet. (now...if I can just find some testers...lol! )


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 15, 2011)

hoagtech said:


> _(alittleofftopic_I dont like litmus paper I test ph with these and it always gives me that 6.0 orangy color when my hanna tells me its 7.2.
> @jacklarson Would you suggest people do this instead of finishing with your light cycle?


I would not do it as a general rule. As it seems to be strain specific. But if you're going to try this, try it with an Indica dominant strain first. I don't know if it will work with Sativas. My suspicions are that, whether it works or not, it has to do with the geographical origins of the genetics, ie short low light days during flowering. I encourage you to experiment & post results


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 16, 2011)

I'd love to see some pics thad be awesome. I agree that it's definately NOT fact. I would love it if whomever posted that it was did have some scientific proof on the subject. That being said, many eperienced growers do talk about leaving their crops in the dark for 72 hours at the end of the flower cycle and right before chop. It could definately be strain specific and I don't think that there is any way that it could cause any damage to the plants. Regarding the nutrient question, I have seen people feed only PH'd water to their plants, and I have also seen that some people just stop feeding anything to their plants, no water (I wouldn't suggest feeding your plants nutrients that close to chop, but that is just IMO). I believe that the thinking behind this is that the plant may realize that it is not going to have as much nutrients or water in the upcoming days, and may produce as much resin as it can and as quickly as it can because it knows that it will not be able to do so without water. Which it is not getting. 

Although now that I think about this a little more, it could also be possible that without water the plant might "shut down" and try to save all of the water and nutrients that it still has. I dunno. 

Something else that came to mind: Also during periods of darkness (night time) plants discard, or i guess you could say release, some of the salt build up that is in the root zone and then up the stem and throughout the plant into your medium. Im not sure how much of these salts (chemically taste) are released. *IMO* this is why I flush with only water towards the end of the plant's life. Do you ever realize when smoking a bowl that after you remove the flame of the lighter the bowl still stays lit on fire (and by on fire I mean a little flame coming off the top of the bowl, not just cherrying), this is due to the presence of chemicals, or non organic material in your buds. Again, IMO, flush your babies. Others will disagree with me though so once again, this is all IMO.


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 16, 2011)

I've been looking for some real science on this, and I found a little. If you're interested, read. 

"In the 1970s, Dr Carleton Turner at the University of Mississippi found that there was a variation in the amount of THC in a sample, depending upon the time that the plant was taken. The most potent point was just before dawn after nighttime darkness.

Then, in 2000, Dr Paul Mahlberg of Indiana University showed that THC was produced extracellularly, on the inside of the glandular membrane, which would allow for its daily recycling.

The idea of using a dark period to increase THC before harvest warrants some investigation. An extended dark period right before harvest might very well increase THC content."

-Ed Rosenthal in the current issue of Cannabis Cullture. <(8/12/02)



Also, 


"I want to thank everyone who is involved in this discussion.....

To Quote Robert Clark ...

*THC production requires the proper quantity and quality of light. It seems that none of the biosynthetic processes operate efficiently when low light conditions prevent proper photosynthesis. *Research has shown (Valle et al. 197




that twice as much THC is produced under a 12-hour photoperiod than under a 10-hour photoperiod. 

I was wondering if one increased the photoperiod by 1 or 2 hrs durring the last week or so of flowering (when using 12/12 regiment) would positively affect THC production ?

Perhaps then to implement the extended "Dark Period"....

I also appreciated the info :

In Colombia, farmers girdle the stalk of the main stem, which cuts off the flow of water and nutrients between the roots and the shoots. This technique may not raise the final THC level, but it does cause rapid maturation and yellow gold coloration in the floral cluster (Partridge 1973)"


And if youre really interested...
Read what mindphuk has to say, post 34. It's long tho I'm warning you. 
https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/225463-dark-period-before-harvest-4.html


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 16, 2011)

The recycling of THC daily, I did not know that, but very vey interesting. Maybe a 16hr or so period of light on the last day that your plants see light, and then a prolonged period of darkness would work well.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 16, 2011)

Great Info! But it seems the more I learn about this process, the more questions I have. Now I'm wondering if you do 72 hours dark, is it necessary to flush first? 3 days with no nute uptake may be enough. The 16 hour day before extended dark period add more stress which seems to trigger this effect. That last ditch effort to reproduce. I've even heard of Sativa females producing seeds without pollination. So we already know that the plant is capable of change for the purposes of reproduction. Now my question isn't whether or not it works, but why doesn't it work on all strains?


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 16, 2011)

Special thanks to Alex Kelly for "spoonfeeding" me the "fucking research"! LOL


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 17, 2011)

Haha np I'm it's an interesting subject. From what I've read I think that a longer period of daylight followed by the prolonged period of darkness, maybe 48 hours, may very possibly up the thc of your buds. Also from the readings though, it looks like there is definately a point at which the thc content will start to decrease or "recycle itsself."


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 17, 2011)

Are there any visiual clues that THC is recycling itself? ie, how would you know where the tipping point is? Do trichomes lose their cloudiness turn more amber, shrink in size, or is the smoke just less potent?


----------



## henery (Mar 17, 2011)

I don't know about recycling but degrading is easy to see and that surely has the biggest effect on harvest potency!!!
And if studies are correct why not just pick it in or after a day of dark it surely is not gonna hurt anything!
So the most important thing to look for is tricome clarity vs tricome growth!


----------



## jimbizzzale67123 (Mar 17, 2011)

Man there are some bold theory's going on here.

I have never heard about THC "recycling" its self, care to enlighten me.

I never knew THC cared so much about the environment, LOL.

Degrading has too due with the stage the THC is. It goes Clear, cloudy, and then amber. I cant think of any correlation between THC degrading and it being done with that 48hr darkness period.

Its pretty simple, THC is their to protect the seeds from the UV waves in the light. Sunlight destroys THC, therefore THC production takes place at night. So leaving it in darkness for a few days before harvest will lead to a peak in THC. Thats why you are supposed to harvest right before your lights come on. 

So its up too you to identify when you think the plant is done pumping, IMO just do 72 and chop it, no need to get crazy with it. Some people just harvest in the morning and skip that darkness period, I dont let my plants sit in darkness because they are extremely dank either way. I doubt anyone could even tell the difference between a side by side test of the same strain one that was chopped in the morning and another that was left under 48hrs darkness.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 18, 2011)

Ok...so...who the hell said anything about 48 hrs dark, other than you? Perhaps you should first try reading the thread before commenting on it. You are your own contradiction. In one sentence you say "I never knew THC cared so much about the environment", lol. And in another you say, "so leaving it in total darkness for a *few days* before harvest will lead to peak THC". Well, which is it? And btw, you're supposed to harvest just before lights on, so the plant does not begin to take up nutes, as this can cause harshness in the smoke.


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 18, 2011)

jimbizzzale67123 said:


> Did you ever wonder why beer bottles are dark instead of clear, to protect the beer from sunlight.


 So what about Corona and Miller Genuine Draft?


----------



## jimbizzzale67123 (Mar 18, 2011)

homebrewer said:


> So what about Corona and Miller Genuine Draft?


Despite the occasional introduction of civet feces (no joke) or other eccentric ingredients, beer is an essentially simple product, typically made from water, malted grains, yeast, and hops. These seemingly uncomplicated fixings give rise to more than 600 volatile compounds, with chemical reactions continuing the entire time the beer ages.

As with most chemical reactions, heat speeds them up, as can the energy in light. Some of these reactions can yield a mellower flavor. Too much light, however, and your brew may be "lightstruck," meaning you get skunky beer.

The first reference to lightstruck beer dates from 1875, but the cause was unknown until the late 20th century. The culprit: hops. You may ask: what are hops, anyway? I confess to being a little vague on the subject myself.

Hops are the conelike flowers of the climbing plant Humulus lupulus, used for its bitter flavor. When light reacts with certain hop-derived compounds, it creates a variety of unpleasant-smelling and -tasting chemicals, the biggie being 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, or MBT.

There are several ways to prevent beer from becoming lightstruck: brew it without hops, use light-resistant hop extract, or add antioxidants. Since all these things affect taste, though, most brewers prefer to simply keep the beer away from light.

http://www.connectsavannah.com/news/article/103579/


----------



## jimbizzzale67123 (Mar 18, 2011)

Jack Larson said:


> *I am so pissed off right now! *Not at you tho...it's not your fault, you're just an idiot. I'm pissed because I can't believe the govt. has been spending my hard earned taxes on computers and internet access for mental hospitals.
> Next time you get so upset, just relax and have a nice warm dish of oatmeal, and watch Judge Judy with the others.
> Remember when they lock you door at night, it's for your own safety.
> 
> Always flush a plant before harvesting in prelight hours.


You contradicting yourself, you say "they lock your door at night" but I wrote these things at night.



So what is your flushing method bro?


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 18, 2011)

jimbizzzale67123 said:


> Hey but at least u tried to prove me wrong, other than dumbass who just ignored everything and tucked his tail in defeat resulting to insults again.


 Miller uses hop oils with the compounds removed that create that skunky aroma when UV light reaches the alpha acids. That's how they can get away with clear bottles and no skunk. Corona does not, and neither do green bottles from Europe that are treated poorly in transit. Rolling Rock, Heineken, bitburger, can all be skunky. I already knew this, but nice cut and paste .


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 18, 2011)

jimbizzzale67123 said:


> You contradicting yourself, you say "they lock your door at night" but I wrote these things at night.
> 
> 
> 
> So what is your flushing method bro?


I pull the handle, watch you circle the bowl, & away you goooooooo, bro 

I hope you enjoyed spending time with my mom, as she is not one of my favorite peeps, pm me & I'll give you directions to my ex wife's house. You two desrve each other 
It's pointless to argue with types like you - life is too short so this will be my last response to your antagonistic rants. Say whatever you want, I don't care, knock yourself out, hope it makes you feel better.


----------



## jimbizzzale67123 (Mar 18, 2011)

homebrewer said:


> Miller uses hop oils with the compounds removed that create that skunky aroma when UV light reaches the alpha acids. That's how they can get away with clear bottles and no skunk. Corona does not, and neither do green bottles from Europe that are treated poorly in transit. Rolling Rock, Heineken, bitburger, can all be skunky. I already knew this, but nice cut and paste .


I provided the source.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 18, 2011)

I will be harvesting at another grow site soon. Hopefully by then I'll have a new camera so I can post my results. More Sativa strains this time, like Train Wreck, Sour Disel, and, a new strain to me, called Blue Dot (popular in Bay Area Dispensaries). I'll begin flush in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned...


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 18, 2011)

jimbizzzale67123 said:


> I provided the source.


 ...the source of your cut and paste?


----------



## jimbizzzale67123 (Mar 18, 2011)

homebrewer said:


> ...the source of your cut and paste?


Yea, I mean does it even matter, I stated it before my cut and past in another post. And it was there before I even posted it, i dont know what your getting at, out of all the points I made that one is really insignificant because it was used along with many others.

But thanks.


I mean do you want a fuckin cookie for nameing two beers out of thousands and thousands of beers? Give me a break.


----------



## jimbizzzale67123 (Mar 18, 2011)

Next time dont go around slandering people JackLarson, you couldn't even handle yourself.

Im done with this worthless ass thread, I did what i had to do.


----------



## Jack Larson (Mar 18, 2011)

_Mission Accomplished_


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 18, 2011)

jimbizzzale67123 said:


> I mean do you want a fuckin cookie for nameing two beers out of thousands and thousands of beers? Give me a break.


 Chocolate chip please. And could you make sure you don't expose it to the sun? I don't want my cookie to explode


----------



## Lt. Dan (Mar 18, 2011)

I mixed whole milk with low fat, and when I stuck my cookie in it,.............. the sh*t exploded- Richard Pryor (on fire)


----------



## jimbizzzale67123 (Mar 19, 2011)

homebrewer said:


> Chocolate chip please. And could you make sure you don't expose it to the sun? I don't want my cookie to explode


Well why would it explode? Thats a pretty silly thing to say, but silly seems to be the them in this failure of a thread. I left your cookie i the sun and it melted, its on the way in the mail regardless. Good job, you failed to do a single thing but repeat what I had already posted, and accuse me of copy and pasting even though a source was there. 


Great job.


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 19, 2011)

jimbizzzale67123 said:


> Well why would it explode? Thats a pretty silly thing to say, but silly seems to be the them in this failure of a thread. I left your cookie i the sun and it melted, its on the way in the mail regardless. Good job, you failed to do a single thing but repeat what I had already posted, and accuse me of copy and pasting even though a source was there.
> Great job.


The thread topic is silly, the responses are silly and you sir should just let it go. Let people believe what they want to and please send me another melted cookie, turns out it was pretty good .


----------



## homebrewer (Mar 19, 2011)

Hey Jimbedazzled, you're starting to embarrass yourself. Slinging insults, misspelled words and poor grammar only sever to discredit anything you've posted. Oh, and quit sending me PMs, I've got regulars that PM me everyday and they don't like it when my inbox is full .


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 19, 2011)

"Then, in 2000, Dr Paul Mahlberg of Indiana University showed that *THC was produced extracellularly, on the inside of the glandular membrane, which would allow for its daily recycling.

*The idea of using a dark period to increase THC before harvest warrants some investigation. An extended dark period right before harvest might very well increase THC content."

-Ed Rosenthal in the current issue of Cannabis Cullture. <(8/12/02)

Enlightened. 





jimbizzzale67123 said:


> Man there are some bold theory's going on here.
> 
> I have never heard about THC "recycling" its self, care to enlighten me.
> 
> ...


----------



## Alex Kelly (Mar 19, 2011)

jimbizzzale67123 said:


> What was accomplished, you proved your *uninteeligent* and lack any real knowledge.


Again! Hahahah there is some real irony goingo on here.


----------



## Harrekin (Jun 7, 2011)

Alex Kelly said:


> "Then, in 2000, Dr Paul Mahlberg of Indiana University showed that *THC was produced extracellularly, on the inside of the glandular membrane, which would allow for its daily recycling.
> 
> *The idea of using a dark period to increase THC before harvest warrants some investigation. An extended dark period right before harvest might very well increase THC content."
> 
> ...


 Which would *allow for* its daily recycling...no actual evidence it recycles, just that this would seem to support the theory that its recycled. The sentences context should be taken into account when posting a quote like that (which is 11 years old by the way, no newer evidence?)

3 days is a bit much, the THC is produced up to a maximum amount allowed genetically and the darkness stops its breaking down, but 3 days on the current evidence of its effectiveness would seem to be a waste.

Why not just harvest after an extended light cycle? Like 24 hours dark? Why waste another 2 days on a pretty shaky theory?


----------



## C.Indica (Jun 8, 2011)

auldone said:


> I pulled this off of Attitude...
> 
> *Dinafem Seeds White Widow* is the most potent cannabis on Earth and is named for the abundance of trichomes, giving the plant a whitish tint. It is also one of the more powerful strains of marijuana (alongside AK-47 and Afghan Kush) with a very high 20%-25% THC content.
> *White Widow* feminized seeds are (60%/40%) indica/sativa cross-strain and is best suited to indoor cannabis cultivation. *Cannabis seeds* grow as high as 35-80 cm with the yield up to 450 gr per m2. It's suggested to flower (12 hour light) this marijuana variety for 8 weeks, but 10 weeks will really give you the crystals you are after. *Try to turn the lights off altogether the final 2 weeks of the flowering cycle*- or at least down to 8 hours. This keeps the flowers from re-growth and stresses the plant into giving up its last drop of goodness as crystal to protect the flower! The buds have so much THC on them that it is hard to see them at all.
> ...


I'm sure it's been pointed out by now, but I just wanted to note;
The website itself says 16%-20% THC.
Later it says 20%-25%

It also claims it's "the most potent cannabis on earth" an OBVIOUS LIE.
and later on it claims it's "one of the MORE potent strains"

They are feeding you marketing crap.

Please don't get got by these scams..

I'm by no means dissing the Attitude's genetics, but I don't like being lied to.
Especially when it's blatent and immoral.


----------



## Jack Larson (Jun 9, 2011)

...wha....wha..whaaaaat..........NO..say it isn't so....those BASTARDS!!


----------

