# Using ethylene to accelerate ripening



## Mr Stop Out (Jan 17, 2017)

Ok so I have a Northern lights x big bud coming close to the end of Flower, I maybe wrong but I'm pretty sure I read that ethylene (plant growth regulator) gets released as a gas by ripening fruit like bananas and apples. My question is would a 48h dark period with over ripe fruit speed up the ripening period? Or is my logic completely flawed?


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## growingforfun (Jan 17, 2017)

The question is actually, if it's finished why try to ripen it, and if it's not finished why cut your yield.


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## Mr Stop Out (Jan 17, 2017)

I heard alot of terpene production happens in the week or 2 after swells finished I was wondering if I could accelerate it so instead of waiting a week to finish ripening it could be less like a couple of days


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## sallygram (Jan 17, 2017)

I tried it two grows ago, I got a pile of rotten apples and a few banana peels and put 6 green crack plants in a small room with them, they were at day 63 with no brown hairs and still clear under the microscope. About 45% of the hairs turned brown witin a few days and things started to cloud up. Since I did not have a control I won't say this was the reason but I will be trying it again.


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## Milliardo Peacecraft (Jan 17, 2017)

You can reverse a male into a female with high ethylene concentrations. I guess that might be useful if you're trying to select a breeding male for female trait inheritance.


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## pineappleman420 (Jan 17, 2017)

Mr Stop Out said:


> Ok so I have a Northern lights x big bud coming close to the end of Flower, I maybe wrong but I'm pretty sure I read that ethylene (plant growth regulator) gets released as a gas by ripening fruit like bananas and apples. My question is would a 48h dark period with over ripe fruit speed up the ripening period? Or is my logic completely flawed?


I would recommend boiling it and leaving it under the light... why introduce rot and mold rite before you dry and cure??? sounds like problems. Ethylene works well for seed germination...


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## growingforfun (Jan 17, 2017)

Mr Stop Out said:


> I heard alot of terpene production happens in the week or 2 after swells finished I was wondering if I could accelerate it so instead of waiting a week to finish ripening it could be less like a couple of days


If your trying to shorten the flower time your going to lose a lot. Your gonna have less, and worse. Just wait it out. Like the other guy said why introduce the potential for mold? Fungus gnats... and did I mention less yield?

This just sounds like all downside to me.. during the last 2 weeks is when all the real weight gets put on, it may look like they swelled up, but they are still airy.


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## Jaybodankly (Jan 18, 2017)

"Or is my logic completely flawed"? 
Your logic is fine. It is the idea you started with is giving you problems. The idea that "fruit and cannabis have similar chemistry in regards to ripening". 
I have read that pears/apples can be put into sealed storage in trains. They remove the air and replace it with nitrogen. The fruit can be stored for two years this way. When it is needed they pump out nitrogen and replace with ethylene gas. A week later the train arrives at market full of ripe fruit. Dont try this with a trainload of cannabis because it is not fruit.


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## Rrog (Jan 18, 2017)

But Ethylene is a common plant hormone. It governs more than fruit


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## Jaybodankly (Jan 18, 2017)

True but applying fruit logic to cannabis culture is not helpful. A lot of the controversy we face is lack of objective science. What we are left with is observations made by skilled growers and applying what works in other fields and seeing what sticks. I expect this to change like the recent proposed changes to the naming convention of cannabis.


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## Rrog (Jan 18, 2017)

My tests with Ethylene and seeds was interesting. S T R E T C H........ Not again for this boy


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## Jaybodankly (Jan 18, 2017)

How did you apply ethylene?


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## Rrog (Jan 18, 2017)

Seeds + ripe apples in a bag for a few days.


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## Jaybodankly (Jan 18, 2017)

What? You exposed seeds to ethylene and that made them stretch? Curious.


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## Rrog (Jan 18, 2017)

Yes, exactly. They stretched like 6". Had to bury them deep deep, and after all that, no continued growth. Without continuous Ethylene, the stretch stopped and they grew normally after that.


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## churchhaze (Jan 18, 2017)

I'm very curious about whether this has any effect too. Ethylene for fruits and some nectaries is a hormone signal which prompts the rapid conversion of stored starches to sugars (ripening). It's fruits'/nectaries' way of not getting eaten until its ready. If ethylene did have an effect on curing, it would be in the form of a lower starch content (good).

All that being said... plastic bags are polyethylene and putting fruits in polyethylene bags is also known for causing certain fruits to ripen faster. By that reasoning, you'd expect putting weed in plastic bags to cure to improve ripening (starch to sugar).

You could also try putting some overripe fruits next to the weed... (one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel)

Realistically though, by the time you chop, the buds should already be ripe and the rapid conversion of starch to sugars should have already happened..


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## Jaybodankly (Jan 18, 2017)

putting weed in plastic bags to cure to improve ripening

Think it would mold unless you could remove moisture but keep ethylene up. I just posted on farming with gases besides CO2.


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## vostok (Jan 30, 2017)

Mr Stop Out said:


> Ok so I have a Northern lights x big bud coming close to the end of Flower, I maybe wrong but I'm pretty sure I read that ethylene (plant growth regulator) gets released as a gas by ripening fruit like bananas and apples. My question is would a 48h dark period with over ripe fruit speed up the ripening period? Or is my logic completely flawed?


I do this to males waiting on the pollen to develop

would I do this to my females ..?

NO!

and for a very good reason

...but what can that be...?


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## BobCajun (Jan 31, 2017)

Ethephon is used on tobacco, so in theory it should be safe on mj too. This study didn't find any effect on growth though. It did increase CBD levels.


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## happybudfarms (Jan 31, 2017)

I could not help myself. Let me be as clear about this as possible, NOTHING AND I DO MEAN NOTHING will short cut time spent doing the work or gaining experience keeping your plants as healthy as possible. IMO these are the only true keys to open magic doors. 
That said, investing the time and experience to know what the best gear is (for a specific applications) and then keeping everything organic as possible will usually always produce the best results. None of which can be figured out or really. learned w/o many years of hands on experience and or lots of help from true highly skilled professionals. 
Look at alcohol and especially wine for an example. Most people would never be foolish enough to try to short cut learning how to make a really good wine. Nor would they be (usually) be foolish enough to think that they could simply pay for that knowledge with (magic seeds) It takes good old fashioned hard work, dedication, combined with decades of hands on full time experience to produce the best results. It's taken most gifted growers that I know including myself, decades to (really) learn the basics. At some point around the the second decade I thought I was a decent breeder/grower. I then woke up, and started really understanding just how much more there really is to know. 

The old man drilled these two things into my hard early on. 

"Give up on secrete shortcuts or buying experience, your time is always better spent on hard work and hands on experince" 

This one is still my favorite! 

"AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE" 

HBF


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## Odin* (Jan 31, 2017)

^Agree.


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## mordynyc (Feb 26, 2020)

Good write up how to apply it https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/tips_for_improving_the_efficacy_of_ethephon_pgr_spray_applications
My research shows spraying on a mature plant in veg causes thc to go up 4% in leaf.
Some spray around flip to control nanners which i havent had an issue with.
I got 40% liquid solution ethephon so to make 400ppm i need 1ml/L? 1ml will have .4 mL so .4ml/L is 400ppm?


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## xtsho (Feb 26, 2020)

Why?


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## mordynyc (Feb 26, 2020)

xtsho said:


> Why?


fun


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## cannawizard (Mar 6, 2020)

growingforfun said:


> If your trying to shorten the flower time your going to lose a lot. Your gonna have less, and worse. Just wait it out. Like the other guy said why introduce the potential for mold? Fungus gnats... and did I mention less yield?
> 
> This just sounds like all downside to me.. during the last 2 weeks is when all the real weight gets put on, it may look like they swelled up, but they are still airy.


good advice, don't rush to the finish line, enjoy the plant's finale~

(plus if you google horticulture work--peer reviewed studies-- on actual ethylene application, its a waste of effort used on cannabis unless your doing it in a"lab" like setting)

cheers


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## MICHI-CAN (Mar 6, 2020)

cannawizard said:


> good advice, don't rush to the finish line, enjoy the plant's finale~
> 
> (plus if you google horticulture work--peer reviewed studies-- on actual ethylene application, its a waste of effort used on cannabis unless your doing it in a"lab" like setting)
> 
> cheers


Why? Bypass the development of sugars and flavors. And Tric's. Should taste green. Like those beautiful gassed oranges and tomatoes. Wait it out. Too much effort to half ass it at the end.


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## LinguaPeel (Mar 10, 2020)

churchhaze said:


> All that being said... plastic bags are polyethylene and putting fruits in polyethylene bags is also known for causing certain fruits to ripen faster. By that reasoning, you'd expect putting weed in plastic bags to cure to improve ripening (starch to sugar).


Blasphemy, you need glass jars and brovida to cure weed. Curing weed without brovida is a myth! Terp shield = curing! Sugars cause cancer, smoke brovida instead!


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## DankWilliamsSr (Apr 23, 2020)

Jaybodankly said:


> "Or is my logic completely flawed"?
> Your logic is fine. It is the idea you started with is giving you problems. The idea that "fruit and cannabis have similar chemistry in regards to ripening".
> I have read that pears/apples can be put into sealed storage in trains. They remove the air and replace it with nitrogen. The fruit can be stored for two years this way. When it is needed they pump out nitrogen and replace with ethylene gas. A week later the train arrives at market full of ripe fruit. Dont try this with a trainload of cannabis because it is not fruit.


That's pretty cool. Kinda like those vacuum sealers that backfill with nitrogen. Henkelman brand I believe makes the one I used, those things are bad ass. I didn't get to use it for weed though, wonder how long it would extend the shelf life?


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## Cannabisco (Jun 2, 2022)

*sorry to resurrect a dead thread*
Ethephon is the main ingredient in AN Bud Ignitor besides p & k. It has many uses. It would be wise to research how it could help or hinder bud ripening. Most use it at the flip to promote females instead of males, to help bud set & to hinder stretch. But many are also wondering if in low doses, it would have any positive effects in late flowering to help ripening? I've always pondered over this as well.


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## Herb & Suds (Jun 2, 2022)

Cannabisco said:


> *sorry to resurrect a dead thread*
> Ethephon is the main ingredient in AN Bud Ignitor besides p & k. It has many uses. It would be wise to research how it could help or hinder bud ripening. Most use it at the flip to promote females instead of males, to help bud set & to hinder stretch. But many are also wondering if in low doses, it would have any positive effects in late flowering to help ripening? I've always pondered over this as well.


Never found anything A&N exceptional to warrant added cost or all the additives 
Plenty of cheaper brands that produce dank


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## Cannabisco (Jun 2, 2022)

I only mentioned it because it's not listed on the bottle. Yes there are many ethephon products. That wasn't my question or point of the post though. But thank you for your opinion. Personally I don't concern myself over cost , it's merely a hobby for me. One could simply just use free water and grow dank bud. I've seen many use miracle grow or Peter's, Jack's etc. even just Epsom salts and get good product. I try not to concern myself with names, brands, costs.. more interested in the science aspect. Cause & Effect.


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## Cannabisco (Jun 2, 2022)

Ethephon being a synthetic pgr that has many uses & usually is used at the flip. My question would be since it promotes increased ethylene productivity.. would that be beneficial in the late ripening phase?


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