# does darkness before harvest ACTUALLY do anything??



## anonymuss (Apr 26, 2010)

or can they just be chopped in the middle of the day?


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## husalife (Apr 26, 2010)

I have always chopped mine in the afternoon when I have the most free time, always had pretty quality bud.

kinda like saying if you pluck a hens feathers before sunrise they will make a softer pillow. 

LOL but hey I could be wrong


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## anonymuss (Apr 26, 2010)

Anyone else?


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## bongmarley2009 (Apr 26, 2010)

I chop whenever I have free time as well. People claim that resin production increases or something when you give it some darkness, but I haven't seen any clear-cut evidence.


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## buds4us (Apr 26, 2010)

Yes. During darkness the plant stores starches in its roots, during the day when light is on, they are drawn up into the plant. Harvesting just before lights on (after flushing thoroughly of course) minimizes the amount of starches in the plant at the time of harvest. This means less starches to cure out, and a less harsh final product.


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## ganjaluvr (Apr 26, 2010)

It does do something buddy... good question too.

I'll try and explain this.. as simple as possible.. but from the question you asked, I'm thinking your an intelligent person so you shouldn't have any problems understanding what I'm about to explain to you.. and everyone else that cares to read this. Let's get started..

Darkness before harvesting your buds.. (I give my plants 36 hours of darkness personally) which is what I suggest to anyone that asks me.. but lets stay on the subject here... Darkness before harvesting your plant(s).. gives the plant(s) time to use up and nutrients/water that might be in the soil.. and in its root system (its roots). Not giving your plant(s) plenty of a darkness time.. will and can result in having buds that will taste funny and possibly even smell funny. 

Why you might ask? 

Well its simple, during the dark period of growing or what I call (sleep time)... your plant's roots thrive & grow. This is also where Photosynthesis comes into play.. which is where the plant uses up all that energy from trapping light into its leafs.. and uses this energy to sustain its life. It's how the plant lives..

But to sum this up for you.. in a short summary:

You should give your harvest ready plants.. 36 hours of complete darkness (to avoid THC breakdown as also). Why? because not doing this can cause your precious buds to smell and taste funny (smelling & tasting like nutrients.. or just not good at all) Why? Because, again, when you don't give your plant(s) that 36 hours of darkness.. your not giving the plant a chance to dispose and use up how ever much nutrients and water that the plant may still have in its stems, leafs, and of course.. its roots. And so when you just decide to harvest your plant(s) without doing this.. and just decide to harvest the plant... and dry your buds.. you will have buds (that you spent alot of time and energy on) that will smell/taste like crap.

So therefore.. giving your plants this 36 hour dark period before harvesting them will really help in aiding in the quality and taste of your buds. I know from experience.. My first grow taste like crap, but then again.. I didn't know about giving the plants the dark period before harvesting her. lols...

Live and learn.

Flushing your plants helps too... this will also help rid of any nutrients that may still be lurking inside the soil some where.


Hope this helped you some.
If not, my bad. Peace.


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## Thrashgasm (Apr 26, 2010)

YES ^^ two posts above me are right, but they both failed to mention this is when the SUGARS retreat back into the roots as well because the plants are not photosynthesizing. I give them 24 hours dark because Im inpatient!

But however, I disagree with the nutrient taste thing. If you are flushing your plants for a week with strait water or some store bought product (ie Final Flush) for 3-7 days you wont get the nutrient taste. The bad taste will come from the sugars and starches that havent receded (thats spelled wrong I know) back into the roots not because of nutrient build up.

+rep I know. Thanks.


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## fdd2blk (Apr 26, 2010)

when i have pounds in my yard to harvest i harvest all day and all night long. i cut off a 5 gallon buckets worth of branches at a time. sometimes at 5 am, sometimes at 11 pm. it makes NO difference in the final product.


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## anonymuss (Apr 26, 2010)

Lets say, for the sake of arguement, that you WATER cure and bad taste from nute buildup isnt really an issue. Does darkness do anything?


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## acidbox420 (Apr 26, 2010)

THANK YOU FDD iv tried bolth on the same strain and they taste and smell and look EXACLTY THE SAME so its all about growing your buds right, not what things we can do to them at the last minute. casue i mean; realy, it took how LONG to grow your buds? I dont think that 36 hours will do mutch besides make it wonder what happend to lights


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## Anjinsan (Apr 26, 2010)

99% of the herb that the average d00d has smoked in his/her life was not given long periods of dark before harvest. That of course includes 100% of outdoor crops. (kinda hard to turn off the sun) 
Harvesting at the right time...flushing is key...properly drying and harvesting...pretty key as well. You do those things properly your herb will be far better than the VAST majority of herb out there.
Buy great genetics...grow properly...finish properly.


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## HookdOnChronics (Apr 26, 2010)

Anjinsan said:


> 99% of the herb that the average d00d has smoked in his/her life was not given long periods of dark before harvest. That of course includes 100% of outdoor crops. (kinda hard to turn off the sun)
> Harvesting at the right time...flushing is key...properly drying and harvesting...pretty key as well. You do those things properly your herb will be far better than the VAST majority of herb out there.
> Buy great genetics...grow properly...finish properly.


Can't be said much better than that!


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## husalife (Apr 26, 2010)

I say DO NOT WATER CURE, waste of good green. When growing outdoors you dont really have a 36 hr of dark time option and the bud will be just as fine as yours with all that dark time. its all preference of the grower.


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## vh13 (Apr 26, 2010)

fdd2blk said:


> when i have pounds in my yard to harvest i harvest all day and all night long. i cut off a 5 gallon buckets worth of branches at a time. sometimes at 5 am, sometimes at 11 pm. it makes NO difference in the final product.


My last harvest took me a day and a half to chop/trim, I had to take a sleep break. I noticed the same, absolutely no difference between buds chopped at different times.



acidbox420 said:


> THANK YOU FDD iv tried bolth on the same strain and they taste and smell and look EXACLTY THE SAME so its all about growing your buds right, not what things we can do to them at the last minute. casue i mean; realy, it took how LONG to grow your buds? I dont think that 36 hours will do mutch besides make it wonder what happend to lights


I completely agree, 2+ months of growth, 6 weeks of noticeable flower development, 4 weeks of bluking up and ripening, 2 weeks of heavy trich development... 36 hours is tiny compared to the time spent doing all this.

I don't see new trichs form in the last few days before I harvest, just normal ripening, it's how I know when it's time to harvest. The only direct correlation I've seen between increased trich development and light is with MORE light of the right spectrum, not less!


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## clasonde (Apr 26, 2010)

i always chop when its most convienent, which is usually 5 or so hours after the light turned on. a lot of people will say that light degrades thc, but i agree with the others: i havent noticed a difference in potency/yield/quality. as for 3 days of dark, i tried it and noticed zero difference in resin production. only thing it did for me was make my plants finish faster. but to each it's own i guess.


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## anonymuss (Apr 26, 2010)

thanx its good to hear someone that actually tried it.


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## bongmarley2009 (Apr 26, 2010)

I forgot to mention that I gave 1/6 plants 2 days of darkness and didn't notice any difference.


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## anonymuss (Apr 26, 2010)

this darkness period sounds like bullshit..

HOWEVER, i noticed that a flowering plant put into 18/6 will resin up like winter.... i dont know how reliable that method that is but thats what happened with 1 plant.


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## meowmix (Apr 26, 2010)

I was just about to say this would make sense, especially with MH (more uv right?) since THC is produced (so i hear) to protect the plant against UV. It'd make sense that if the season was changing and the plant is expecting more blue spectrum that it'd resin up. There was a big thread on this, and people ended up using black lights in their grows. Not sure if that made a huge diff, but damn. Wish I had 2 flower rooms so I could try the switch to 18/6. Maybe like a week of that? 



anonymuss said:


> this darkness period sounds like bullshit..
> 
> HOWEVER, i noticed that a flowering plant put into 18/6 will resin up like winter.... i dont know how reliable that method that is but thats what happened with 1 plant.


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## clasonde (Apr 26, 2010)

the only thing that in my experience has increased resin production, are lower temperatures.

p.s. nice avatar meowmix


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## fdd2blk (Apr 26, 2010)

it takes WEEKS for resins to develop. it doesn't happen overnight.


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## sufc8t1 (Apr 28, 2010)

Hi guys,
My first RIU post hereIve been tralling the forum for some time doing research on growing(ahem,,for a friend of a friend ofcourse ),I have come across this 48 hour darkness thing a few times with a few different reasons to why peoople do it/don't do it.I saw on someones video(cant remember which one)but they claimed they put it into 48 hours darkness to fool the plant into thinking it was dying,and therefore it would produce some sort of chemical to help it to survive?.Like I say I dont know anything from experience here,just bits and bobs that I have been learning on the web for the last month.I will do a project oneday(errrr,,,I mean my friend will,,,,possibly)as I/he has a perfect stealth closet that is just asking to be pimped out with mylar .
Anyhow,,thanks to all those that have given info on RIU with their projects and knowledge of growing first hand.


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## Gardenmaster1 (Apr 28, 2010)

Light and heat break down THC, so I figure that first thing in the morning the least amount of damage is done to those precious thricomes. This is at least how I justify my chopping when the lights come on.


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## fdd2blk (Apr 28, 2010)

light and heat degrade THC after the plant is dead, not while it's still alive. otherwise we'd all grow in the dark.


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## Prot3us1` (Apr 28, 2010)

ganjaluvr said:


> It does do something buddy... good question too.
> 
> I'll try and explain this.. as simple as possible.. but from the question you asked, I'm thinking your an intelligent person so you shouldn't have any problems understanding what I'm about to explain to you.. and everyone else that cares to read this. Let's get started..
> 
> ...


Did he really say that photosynthesis happens at night lol...or did i read this wrong?

Taken from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis).



> *Photosynthesis* (from the Greek _&#966;&#974;&#964;&#959;- [photo-]_, "light," and _&#963;&#973;&#957;&#952;&#949;&#963;&#953;&#962; [synthesis]_, "putting together", "composition") is a process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight.





> In the Light-independent or dark reactions the enzyme RuBisCO captures CO2 from the atmosphere and in a process that requires the newly formed NADPH, called the Calvin-Benson Cycle, releases three-carbon sugars, which are later combined to form sucrose and starch. The overall equation for the light-independent reactions in green plants is:[17]
> 3 CO2 + 9 ATP + 6 NADPH + 6 H+ &#8594; C3H6O3-phosphate + 9 ADP + 8 Pi + 6 NADP+ + 3 H2O


In order for the plant to make sugars it requires a light period followed by a dark period. This is why 24/0 veg is stupid. The plant is doing the complete opposite at night time to day..at day time it uses sugars created at night, mixed with water and sunlight to create ENERGY...some of you are thinking it creates sugar from sunlight and water...it doesnt it creates the precursors to sugar during the day time, then at night it uses these to MAKE sugar, which will then break down again during the next DAY cycle.

At night it releases co2 and requires oxygen...during the day it releases oxygen and requires co2. This is because we its NOT photosynthesizing it still needs to create energy to continue to live. So it uses cellular respiration for this...its not efficient at all really, but it is necessary. 

So the correct way to get rid of all of your sugars would be to leave the plant in the LIGHT for longer. 



> YES ^^ two posts above me are right, but they both failed to mention this is when the SUGARS retreat back into the roots as well because the plants are not photosynthesizing. I give them 24 hours dark because Im inpatient!
> 
> But however, I disagree with the nutrient taste thing. If you are flushing your plants for a week with strait water or some store bought product (ie Final Flush) for 3-7 days you wont get the nutrient taste. The bad taste will come from the sugars and starches that havent receded (thats spelled wrong I know) back into the roots not because of nutrient build up.
> 
> +rep I know. Thanks.


That would be cool...if it was true!


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## Prot3us1` (Apr 28, 2010)

fdd2blk said:


> light and heat degrade THC after the plant is dead, not while it's still alive. otherwise we'd all grow in the dark.


EXACTLY lol...deny your plant heat and light and it wont grow...unless you are harry potter or some shit. Be smart and dont post a fact unless you know its a fact...otherwise we will LITERALLY end up like idiocracy... People talking shit about what they dont know is probably how the worlds irrigation systems got to using gatorade instead of water! They even go as far as to say that the REASON they do it is because "it has everything you need". They no longer think about whats in it, and why they drink it..they have been told it has everything you need, why doubt it...they even go as far as to laugh at the guy for saying they need to water their plants with water not gatorade (salts building up in the soil from electrolytes lol)...they laugh at him and say "water, like from the toilet?" lol.

Well you have now been told that plants take the sugars and store them in the roots...if the roots arent hollow tubes (and they arent) where are these sugars stored? like..subspace or some shit. For this reason you have been told to leave your plants in the dark for 3 days.

You have also been told and shown that during the dark period the plant creates sugars, and during the day uses them...I provided links to info you should be able to understand, and the bottom of the wiki page has even more links and info.

If you are embarrassed i just proved you wrong dont get mad and flame me...in the future be worried i will come along and say you are bullshitting, do some research...If your answer doesnt sound right i will spend all night learning if i have to to get the RIGHT info out there.

Also, for interest...adding OXYGEN during lights on will burn sugars even faster. (thats why we need fresh air..or the plant stops growing!) - but if you start burning all your plants sugars things are going to go downhill...if you dry and cure properly the sugars should be long ago "consumed" by the process of curing. (If sugars even make a difference to final taste...)

Cut your plants the day they are ready...my advice would be to do as FDD does...cut branches in manageable sizes, and go trim...FDD has a lot of bud to trim so he cant really be as vigilant as some of us, but handle the bud as little as possible...you dont want all the trichs off the top of the plant wiped all over your hands and carpet and kitchen table lol..you want them on the plant matter.

FDD, my fiancee and i watched your youtube vid of the outdoor grow...she said to me: 
"Look! the chairs!! they are always facing the "tree", If i had a plant that big i would watch it too lol." 

She also asked why mine were so small >.< I said cuz i cant fit a 7 foot high, 10 foot wide plant in a friggen 4 foot high growbox LOL. <official tree envy>

Also laughed when you were commando style under the canopy...watering or trimming lower growth i assume lol. you were gone in there! TREE HOUSE lol...

We also sometimes drop in to your glass blowing show, just to see what you are working on...I badly want to get into it later on too!

prot


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## fdd2blk (Apr 28, 2010)

stoner reasoning, all thought out while stoned.


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## CyberSecks (Apr 28, 2010)

nooooooooo.
stop trying to fix things that arent broken.
if it worked better wouldnt all of us be doing it?

there arent many new tricks to this game so keep it 12/12


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## jolly8541 (Apr 28, 2010)

I agree with clasonde. I put a couple of plants outside to experiment with what would happen if they received a longer photo-period for the last week. The plants that I put outside appear to be growing normal from the increased photo period, I'm doing this for the last week of flowering for them. What has happened though in the last 4 days made me a believer in the low-temp theory. The nights have been in the 48-55 degree range, the plants responded to this with a noticeable increase of trich production, in addition to turning a deep purple. I am doing this to a third pland and am excited to see what effect the cool nights have on it(different strain). 

I'm still undecided on what effect the increased photo-period if any has had on the plant development in its final week, I'm not noticing any male flowers yet, but they've got a few days to go so we'll see what the end outcome is.


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## BlackFinger (Apr 28, 2010)

Seriously, people are still talking about this? Surely who ever came up with this is out of their mind. No darkness before harvest will do absolutely nothing for your plant, some sick minded individual probably made this up to make you wait just a little bit longer. Like plenty have said before me, if your plant has not produced enough resin come harvest time your out of luck. 24-48hrs will do absolutely nothing.


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## jahjah kush (Apr 29, 2010)

I could be totally wrong but i read somewhere that if you turn off all your lights 2-3days or outdoors places a plastic trashbag over it for 2-3days the plant thinks its winter and that its dying so it will dump all of its thc to the buds


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## husalife (Apr 29, 2010)

LOL, I need help, I need to order 10 or so 500 Gallon trash bags. 

I will have some monsters growing outdoors this year "at least 13' or more" and need a way to

cover them for three days so they will make THC. Any Ideas???????


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## NLNo5 (Apr 29, 2010)

Haha, so fng hilareous acid box is funny. What happened to the lights? hhehheheheh. LMAO, I'm hi.


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## fdd2blk (Apr 29, 2010)

i'm gonna need a circus tent.


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

in a word YES.. a dark period before chop will give your plants a resin boost as light degrades thc, I only go 24hrs pitch black before harvest but have heard good results from those who've gone longer. hope this helps


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## fdd2blk (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> in a word YES.. a dark period before chop will give your plants a resin boost as light degrades thc, I only go 24hrs pitch black before harvest but have heard good results from those who've gone longer. hope this helps


if light degraded living THC then all your THC will already be degraded. you do grow under lights don't you?

i'm gonna close this thread.


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

thc levels are highest before your lights turn on. FACT


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## fdd2blk (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> thc levels are highest before your lights turn on. FACT


your mom loves me. FACT.


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## blaze1camp (Apr 29, 2010)

lol...thats funny


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

I ripped this from another board..High Times and other mags say to harvest at the end of the dark period, right before your lights turn on, and that its best to not let the plants see light on harvest day unless its been cut from its roots. In the photosynthesis process, nutrients are moving during the day, and getting stored in the roots at night. By harvesting late in the dark period, you give your plants the chance to clear out all their nutriends from the buds. This method is still helpful even after flushing, as plants will always have some sort of nutrients in them. flamed for trying to help? My mum does work for special needs children so would probably love you fdd2blk


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## fdd2blk (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> I ripped this from another board..High Times and other mags say to harvest at the end of the dark period, right before your lights turn on, and that its best to not let the plants see light on harvest day unless its been cut from its roots. In the photosynthesis process, nutrients are moving during the day, and getting stored in the roots at night. By harvesting late in the dark period, you give your plants the chance to clear out all their nutriends from the buds. This method is still helpful even after flushing, as plants will always have some sort of nutrients in them. flamed for trying to help? My mum does work for special needs children so would probably love you fdd2blk



so now it's because of nutes? i thought we were talking about THC degrading.

keep grabbing, something will eventually hold. 

high times sucks ass.


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## Anjinsan (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> I ripped this from another board..High Times and other mags say to harvest at the end of the dark period, right before your lights turn on, and that its best to not let the plants see light on harvest day unless its been cut from its roots. In the photosynthesis process, nutrients are moving during the day, and getting stored in the roots at night. By harvesting late in the dark period, you give your plants the chance to clear out all their nutriends from the buds. This method is still helpful even after flushing, as plants will always have some sort of nutrients in them. flamed for trying to help? My mum does work for special needs children so would probably love you fdd2blk


I've seen pounds upon pounds upon pounds of FDD's harvest...show me what you got. I KNOW from this thing called my own personal experience...that weed cannot be made stronger or better or anything by harvesting at 8 am vs 8 pm or any darkness before harvest BS...seriously d00d you have 11 posts and I've read 2 of them that were filled with crap. I don't even particularly like FDD...but he knows his shit cold and has 45,000+ posts. Why are you arguing with him?


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm not arguing with some idiot who grows in his back garden with whispy buds full of insects.. the thread asks whether darkness does anything. The answer is yes. Resin production is greater in darkness and no matter what you say thc is degraded by sunlight/artificial light as with all organic matter. The benefits of nutrient diffusion are also good news. I suspect you've been in the sun too long.. get back under your bridge


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## fdd2blk (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> I'm not arguing with some idiot who grows in his back garden with whispy buds full of insects.. the thread asks whether darkness does anything. The answer is yes. Resin production is greater in darkness and no matter what you say thc is degraded by sunlight/artificial light as with all organic matter. The benefits of nutrient diffusion are also good news. I suspect you've been in the sun too long.. get back under your bridge



you just embarrassed yourself. welcome to rollitup. 

note the resin development at 6 weeks, 3:22 ... 


[video=youtube;2QLiEgCN350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QLiEgCN350[/video]





it was out in the sun though, so all the THC degraded.


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

lol a good flaming.. I stand corrected, that's some mad shit


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## johnny961 (Apr 29, 2010)

Fabulous video & burn fdd. rofl


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## blaze1camp (Apr 29, 2010)

man them things where fuckin huge...man them plant looked tasty as hell...


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

did I ever say light degrades ALL the thc? Nope! I apologise for saying garden grow was shit. Theres no way you could do that here. UK Law, frosty mornings and no sunshine means we all got 2 use lights which most of us turn off for a time before chop. If you got that much weed why you such a miserable sod? peace


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## fdd2blk (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> did I ever say light degrades ALL the thc? Nope! I apologise for saying garden grow was shit. Theres no way you could do that here. UK Law, frosty mornings and no sunshine means we all got 2 use lights which most of us turn off for a time before chop. If you got that much weed why you such a miserable sod? peace


i don't really know your mom. but if i did she would love me. 


i think light degrades THC once the plant is dead. this is why it is best to store it in a dark place. but while it's still alive on the plant i don't think it hurts it. 


thank you for being a good sport. i was just playing around. i apologize if i offended you in any way. i do welcome you to rollitup.


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

Not offended easily.. my name attracts flamethrowers so no problem. Seriously though how do you protect a crop that big from insects and thieving? It's making me think about a heated poly tunnel.. but I know some nosey parker would smell or see it


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## fdd2blk (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> Not offended easily.. my name attracts flamethrowers so no problem. Seriously though how do you protect a crop that big from insects and thieving? It's making me think about a heated poly tunnel.. but I know some nosey parker would smell or see it



the insects all kinda control each other. when things get out of hand the birds come in and eat them all. 

did you notice the tent? i live in it for 3 months every year.


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## SaddamHussain (Apr 29, 2010)

Do you own a minigun or similar? lol, I still trying to get over the size of that shit! Combine harvester? I think
I need to relocate to a tolerant country. UK sucks in so many ways regarding mj


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## husalife (Apr 29, 2010)

Beautiful Vid FDD2blk, + rep fer sure


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## sixstring2112 (Apr 29, 2010)

nice amp, i see you have no problems with the tiki torches ( interupting the dark period ). so do people have a special room for the stupid 1-1/2 - 2 day dark period or do you just screw all the plants up at once?


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## autoflowa (Apr 29, 2010)

SaddamHussain said:


> Combine harvester?


wtf is a combine harvester? are you referring to the machine he uses to till the soil? lmao


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## Prot3us1` (Apr 29, 2010)

roots dont store sugars OR nutrients at night. (well they dont take them from the rest of the plant anyway)
a dark period will actually increase sugar levels in all the plant material.

Perhaps the length of my previous posts or the punctuation scared people and they didnt read it. Ill try it this way now. ^^^


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## husalife (Apr 30, 2010)

A combine harvests corn / silage. Just a huge tractor with blades that harvest the crop.


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## luckymeh (Apr 30, 2010)

I've read all 6 pages of this thread and am more confused than when I started. When our ladies are ready to harvest, 24hours of dark then chop or just do it straight after their final 12/12?!

+rep to fdd for that vid, very impressive.


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## husalife (Apr 30, 2010)

Seriously?


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## Anjinsan (Apr 30, 2010)

If you guys can figure out how to turn off the sun for 24 hours...then this will be debatable. So anyone? Anyone know how to turn off the sun? No? 

Furthermore your plant has been in flowering anywhere from 60 - 80 days. (1,440 hours to 1,920 hours) You have been on a 12/12 per day light schedule during this time. So an "EXTRA" 24 hours of dark before harvest is really only knocking out 12 hours of light. (please tell me that you are still following me)
So you couldn't build up a good plant in 1,500 hours...but it's going to be great by fucking with it in the last 12 hours? Does that make sense to you?


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## luckymeh (Apr 30, 2010)

Makes sense 

Only thing that sways me towards thinking the dark period will be good is people saying the plant sucks the nutes back down into the roots so the bud won't taste harsh etc..


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## vh13 (Apr 30, 2010)

Harshness is less by not over-feeding, and goes away the longer you cure.

The most important influence on potency, aside from growing conditions, is harvest time. Let the plant sit in darkness for 3 days and of course it will mature more, it's been 3 days. Give it light during those last few days before harvest and it'll _mature_ and _grow_.


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## sixstring2112 (Apr 30, 2010)

Anjinsan said:


> If you guys can figure out how to turn off the sun for 24 hours...then this will be debatable. So anyone? Anyone know how to turn off the sun? No?
> 
> Furthermore your plant has been in flowering anywhere from 60 - 80 days. (1,440 hours to 1,920 hours) You have been on a 12/12 per day light schedule during this time. So an "EXTRA" 24 hours of dark before harvest is really only knocking out 12 hours of light. (please tell me that you are still following me)
> So you couldn't build up a good plant in 1,500 hours...but it's going to be great by fucking with it in the last 12 hours? Does that make sense to you?


i dont buy into the extra dark doing anything but making you wait longer, but i can shut of the fucking sun on your plants(with a tarp) and guys do it alot in cali and here in mich on outdoor grows. there is a article on this in last months issue of skunk mag.they also use lights to water or " wake up" the plants for 5 mins. in the middle of the night, so they dont start flowering early.I say do like FDD and chop as soon as they are done so you can get ready for the next go around.I got 3 little shits i dont give a rats ass about so i think i will chop 1 about an hour after the lights go on, 1 ill give an extra 12 of darkness at the end, and 1 i will give an extra 24 of darkness so the last one gets 36 hours straight before chop. I bet the first one is gunna be the best for buzz and the last one will taste more smooth.they should be ready in 2 weeks.It's the little shit on the left. Ok i'm done jackin this thread


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## uncalm (Apr 30, 2010)

What do yall think about doing this w/ auto's? Also, on greenhouse seeds white widow...they suggest the last 2 weeks of bloom be in total darkness. This seemed weird and unnatural to me, but I'm no pro. Tell me what ya think. Thanks in advance.


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## TheOrganic (May 1, 2010)

If people say that darkness period doesn't matter why on some strains u should turn the light off for a week or 2 to get good resin prod.


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## fdd2blk (May 1, 2010)

now it's a week or two?


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## BlackFinger (May 1, 2010)

LOL HAHA hohoho, "now it's a week or two? " FDD you seem as shocked as I am that this is still going someone needs to do a controlled test and make it a sticky to end this X X. I heard that if you leave it in a dark cycle for a month you get 500% thc and 2000% cbn everyone leave your plant in the dark for a month after its done! Or just do it the right way and skip the bs that wont help at all.


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## Cali chronic (May 1, 2010)

well i am at the last of the second harvest---tri's are getting amber on the little stuff--looks to be about a 1.5 second hit. I am going to dark them out for 24 hours before harvest to see what difference in the tri's if any? I use a microscope to review and then harvest for peak and perfect ripeness. It seems as though it has been taking forever for the last little stuff to pack-in or harden up "not -so-fluffy" gonna cook with most of it. I have them outside they were on a 12/12 strict diet before I tossed them out there a month ago and harvested 2+ zips already off the girls a peice. And yes the days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter and I turn on my back flood lights sometimes----I have found that once you force them into there flower cycle it's like trying to tell a woman to hold in a baby...K I ll let you know on the tri's ---next few days. I will look and note a bud before tossing in the closet and note the same one 24 hours later at cut time.


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## johnny961 (May 1, 2010)

I guess next time i will veg with flourescents & flower without any light.


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## jdizzle22 (May 1, 2010)

People are way too polar on this issue. This is about shocking and tricking your plant into doing something it wouldn't normally do. Of course no one is dumb enough to believe flowering without light will work, that is retarded. What people are talking about is 3 days tops, not 2-3 months. If it was getting a regular 12/12 cycle for a couple months and all of a sudden there was 0 light for several days, I imagine it would start to freak out pretty quick. Will that panic be more beneficial than continuing the regular light cycle for the same amount of time? Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I've heard this method of harvesting after 1-3 days of darkness works best on 'white strains'

I'm no marijuana expert, I've not graduated college with degrees in botany
But I'm pretty sure if you put a plant in total darkness for up to 3 days its gonna panic, and that panic will suck some of the life out of the leaves (if not most/all). What good will that panic do? Will it produce more trichomes? Will it ripen trichomes from clear to amber?*(I've heard a couple claim it ripened their trichomes a shitload) Will it add more cannabinoids, but not add any THC?

sorry johnny961, I'm not pissed at you specifically, I'm just venting in general over this topic
I'm sick of people acting like anyone who gives any thought to this is stupid and makes jokes about it'
again johhny its not you!


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## Promitius (May 1, 2010)

Anjinsan said:


> . (kinda hard to turn off the sun)
> 
> Buy great genetics...grow properly...finish properly.


One could in theory cover the plant up...


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## uncalm (May 1, 2010)

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! 

From attitudes website for GHS White widow.


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## jdizzle22 (May 1, 2010)

Lights off all together for 2 weeks or for 8 hours a day!?!?!?! Why such the contrast? How could 2 weeks in dark be better than 2 weeks of 12/12?


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## husalife (May 2, 2010)

Is this still going on........LOL


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## Velarin (May 2, 2010)

I'm gonna go ahead and say that instead of using the time by leaving the lights off for 1 or 3 days or 2 weeks , you can make better use of the time curing it which improves taste, smoke and overall quality anyways.

-Vel


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## Prot3us1` (May 3, 2010)

Its mainly about the rumours started today turn into "fact" next year...by the end of the century people forget it was any different and assume the fiction is the truth...all because someone got stoned and thought what if...

Its a plant...plants all work the same...roots dont store shit at night. Show me a scientist who says that! 

If you want to believe theres a way to make your plant more potent search for this thread:
"thc acetate psychadelic" - it will be obvious which result is the correct one....cbf linking for you ive put enough effort just typing this all again.

Theres fact, and logic and scientific procedure to follow, theres info on why you are doing it and what changes are happening....

Explanations on how THC and other compounds are changed between each other, and how to initiate that change ourselves, to manually convert the chemicals the plant uses to create thc, and make that change happen ourselves...all in a saucepan on your stove with water....

You couldnt be any worse off than letting your plant sit in blackness for 3 days or 5 weeks or whatever the magic number is now...


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## Smoke in Mirrors (May 4, 2010)

Im affraid i agree with the above about the storage in roots, im a noob but...i am a scientist. Plants respire in darkness using the glucose they have made and oxygen to create energy as we do. They keep the sugars where they are really or in the form of starch so they are close to the stoma for when the uptake of oxygen (in the dark) happens. Honesly i cant see what the darkness period would do, but the flushing bit yes as all the nutrients will be used and then NOT replaced during the weeks leading up thus leaving a chemical free (well the artificial ones) plant and as i can gather a better smoke . I dont claim to know much about cannabis itself it why im here  but the chemical processes in plants, in general. Peace

SIM


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## haze2 (May 5, 2010)

Subd!!!!!!!


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## uoxi (Jul 29, 2010)

There are experienced growers who will argue this until they're blue in the face, it'd be nice to hear from a botanist. All in all I don't see 24-72hrs of darkness having any noticeable effect on THCA production.

If UV rays have shown to increase biosynthesis, an absence of that light could, in theory, slow production down. 

I'd say stay 12/12 and, if possible, cut down before the lights come on.


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## Scott187 (Jul 29, 2010)

so having plants in darkness is kinda like a self flushing? I mean if you flush regularly it wouldnt matter as much? But the darkness is just giving the plant time to get rid of even more extra "shit" stored in it?


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## uoxi (Jul 30, 2010)

Scott187 said:


> so having plants in darkness is kinda like a self flushing? I mean if you flush regularly it wouldn't matter as much? But the darkness is just giving the plant time to get rid of even more extra "shit" stored in it?



Keeping it in the dark any longer than the normal 12 hours will not prompt it to push any more reserves into the root system. Simply cutting prior to the lights coming on when they normally would, or before sunrise for outdoors, will help as much as it can.


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## Scott187 (Jul 30, 2010)

uoxi said:


> Keeping it in the dark any longer than the normal 12 hours will not prompt it to push any more reserves into the root system. Simply cutting prior to the lights coming on when they normally would, or before sunrise for outdoors, will help as much as it can.


so if more than 12 hrs wont help i dont see why cutting before lights come on would help...12/24/or anytime of darkness


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## uoxi (Jul 30, 2010)

Scott187 said:


> so if more than 12 hrs wont help i dont see why cutting before lights come on would help...12/24/or anytime of darkness



At night, the plant will move reserve starches into its root system. At sunrise, or when the lights come on, it will begin drawing those starches back up into the rest of the plant. Keeping the lights off for any amount of time longer than the 12 will not (or should not, IMO) increase this transfer. Harvesting prior to the lights coming on will reduce the amount of starches in your buds.


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## Biggreen1988 (Jul 9, 2021)

Leave a plant in the dark for several days what happens to the color? It goes yellow because the chlorophyll is breaking down. Why do we cure ? Mostly to break down the chlorophyll. Why leave in the dark ? So it's cures much faster it will taste like it's been cured for six months in about 2 that's the simplest way to explain it


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## goofy81 (Jul 9, 2021)

A lot of these theories are contradicted by the fact that plants transpire at night. Much less than during the daytime, but yes they transpire at night which is what all professional greenhouses take into account for having a large first feed of the day to prevent the EC buildup which occurs at you guessed it over NIGHT.

Then again, what do I know?


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## goofy81 (Jul 9, 2021)

Biggreen1988 said:


> Leave a plant in the dark for several days what happens to the color? It goes yellow because the chlorophyll is breaking down. Why do we cure ? Mostly to break down the chlorophyll. Why leave in the dark ? So it's cures much faster it will taste like it's been cured for six months in about 2 that's the simplest way to explain it


Funny thing is, all the buyers want Green buds.


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## DoobieDoobs (Jul 12, 2021)

the bro science was strong is this thread, 11 years ago xD.


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## TeW33zy (Jul 15, 2021)

buds4us said:


> Yes. During darkness the plant stores starches in its roots, during the day when light is on, they are drawn up into the plant. Harvesting just before lights on (after flushing thoroughly of course) minimizes the amount of starches in the plant at the time of harvest. This means less starches to cure out, and a less harsh final product.


No wonder 99% of you are failing, u guys come up with the dumbest stuff ever. I've never, ever ever ever ever ever never ever never ever never ever ever never ever never heard anyone buying a bag of kush, Diesel, durban or whatever say (in the history of smoking cannabis) this had 48 hours of darkness before harvest. I would bet you 50:1. I will put up $5,000 and you will put up $100. We will do a LIVE side by side comparison of a grow pulled (like it should be) against yahl trash unvalidated bs theory nonsense bullsh*t. I will pull 5 on time and 5 with 48 hour darkness. All you have to do is identify of the 10 which 5 had 48 hours of darkness. If u guess the correct I will give you $5,000 but if u don't u will give me $100. This would be easy right since yahl bullshit yahl believe all that bs nonsense then this is a quick 5k. You would never ever know which 5 had 48hours of darkness, not by smell, not by sight or ell, thats because there IS NO FUKN difference. You can believe all the bs out there and yah keep failing. But let me know when u ready to win $5k.


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## Herb & Suds (Jul 15, 2021)

TeW33zy said:


> No wonder 99% of you are failing, u guys come up with the dumbest stuff ever. I've never, ever ever ever ever ever never ever never ever never ever ever never ever never heard anyone buying a bag of kush, Diesel, durban or whatever say (in the history of smoking cannabis) this had 48 hours of darkness before harvest. I would bet you 50:1. I will put up $5,000 and you will put up $100. We will do a LIVE side by side comparison of a grow pulled (like it should be) against yahl trash unvalidated bs theory nonsense bullsh*t. I will pull 5 on time and 5 with 48 hour darkness. All you have to do is identify of the 10 which 5 had 48 hours of darkness. If u guess the correct I will give you $5,000 but if u don't u will give me $100. This would be easy right since yahl bullshit yahl believe all that bs nonsense then this is a quick 5k. You would never ever know which 5 had 48hours of darkness, not by smell, not by sight or ell, thats because there IS NO FUKN difference. You can believe all the bs out there and yah keep failing. But let me know when u ready to win $5k.


I like the sentiment
But a bit harsh for a 12 year old thread


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## curious2garden (Jul 15, 2021)

TeW33zy said:


> No wonder 99% of you are failing, u guys come up with the dumbest stuff ever. I've never, ever ever ever ever ever never ever never ever never ever ever never ever never heard anyone buying a bag of kush, Diesel, durban or whatever say (in the history of smoking cannabis) this had 48 hours of darkness before harvest. I would bet you 50:1. I will put up $5,000 and you will put up $100. We will do a LIVE side by side comparison of a grow pulled (like it should be) against yahl trash unvalidated bs theory nonsense bullsh*t. I will pull 5 on time and 5 with 48 hour darkness. All you have to do is identify of the 10 which 5 had 48 hours of darkness. If u guess the correct I will give you $5,000 but if u don't u will give me $100. This would be easy right since yahl bullshit yahl believe all that bs nonsense then this is a quick 5k. You would never ever know which 5 had 48hours of darkness, not by smell, not by sight or ell, thats because there IS NO FUKN difference. You can believe all the bs out there and yah keep failing. But let me know when u ready to win $5k.


Hey here's the guy that believes photons are consumable. Hello


TeW33zy said:


> See here's wt I am talking about. If seedlings require 25watts minimum to branch and u put 7 under a 77 watt fixture then that is 10 Watts per plant. They will never get wider, u will overwater


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## Nykodemuz (Apr 8, 2022)

My winter grow is finally done. Been flushing with just plain water for two whole weeks and got the nutes down from 1200 to 200. I just did my last flush at noon today. I plan to harvest 8AM this Sunday, so when the lights shut off tonight at 8PM, I will shut off the timer and keep them in total darkness till harvest time at 8am Sunday. That's 36 hours of darkness. I will then chop and hang to dry. 

Q1: However, should I work in green light while I harvest, or could I use the shop lights in the room to see better? 

I need to get the plants out of the tent and thoroughly clean it, remove everything except for the exhaust system that pulls the tent air outside. The exhaust is a 4" cheapo Vivosun exhaust, minimal CFM.

Q2: Can I simply use the exhaust system and no fans with the four bottom vents open for equal airflow during the drying process rather than using fans that just blow ambient air around the tent? Or should I do both a fan and the exhaust system?


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## Nykodemuz (Apr 8, 2022)

Ok, is this lights off before harvest bull$h1t or not? Someone make a poll


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## DoobieDoobs (Apr 8, 2022)

Nykodemuz said:


> Ok, is this lights off before harvest bull$h1t or not? Someone make a poll


Short answer: It's bs.
Long answer: it is bullshit.


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## a mongo frog (Apr 8, 2022)

DoobieDoobs said:


> Short answer: It's bs.
> Long answer: it is bullshit.


It makes buds more resinous.


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## Hollatchaboy (Apr 8, 2022)

Nykodemuz said:


> My winter grow is finally done. Been flushing with just plain water for two whole weeks and got the nutes down from 1200 to 200. I just did my last flush at noon today. I plan to harvest 8AM this Sunday, so when the lights shut off tonight at 8PM, I will shut off the timer and keep them in total darkness till harvest time at 8am Sunday. That's 36 hours of darkness. I will then chop and hang to dry.
> 
> Q1: However, should I work in green light while I harvest, or could I use the shop lights in the room to see better?
> 
> ...


Yes


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## WalkinTall (Sep 26, 2022)

Nykodemuz said:


> Ok, is this lights off before harvest bull$h1t or not? Someone make a poll


i wanna pitch my 2¢ in bc I’m trying it now as we speak. I ‘m photoing the plant each day and in the 2nd 24 hr period it had gotten visibly more frost. Not by a huge amount but noticeable.


you can research what i read but there is a legit study that says yes.

so here’s my take.

every plant responds to light the entire grow cycle, evidenced by photo period (auto flower may differ) and lights equal temp and humidity (change ).
If you sit in the dark 3 days, like a plant… your body adjusts and plants are not vastly different. The root temp is lower, the plant thinks it’s winter and gives it’s last to stay alive as long as possible…. So it produces (oil) resin to protect from the impending cold and eventual doom of the plant. I like to think of the process as a “cold sweat” and it’s one that produces oil as the plant uses the last Nutes up. The idea that the plant doesn’t “change” is not logical… so how does it change? It excretes oil as it soaks up water with no sun and no food. As water fills the plant… any resin goes where? Oil and water don’t mix… that part is still true right?


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## Herb & Suds (Sep 26, 2022)

WalkinTall said:


> i wanna pitch my 2¢ in bc I’m trying it now as we speak. I ‘m photoing the plant each day and in the 2nd 24 hr period it had gotten visibly more frost. Not by a huge amount but noticeable.
> 
> 
> you can research what i read but there is a legit study that says yes.
> ...


Cool story bro


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