# Why all the trichome production???



## an11dy9 (Oct 18, 2012)

Now, everything I'm going to write in this post is a result of me assuming and inferring things from common knowledge and also things I've read on forums like this.

So here's my theory:

I came across an older post and was reading where they got a little off subject and someone claimed that they turn off the lights for 24-72 hours just before harvest in hopes of the plants to produce more trichomes. They poster claimed it was due to the plant sensing it's life is coming to an end and therefor going into a frenzy of producing these trichomes. This doesn't add up with what I know about trichome production.

From what I understand, trichome production varies from plant to plant, but often gives you an idea where the plant is originally from (and also a general idea of whether it's indica or sativa). This is because plants that are grown at high altitude, like on top of a mountain, produce these trichomes for protection from the sun- Being that the sun is more intense on the top of the mountain. Trichome production further varies depending on where you are on the earth in terms of latitude. Closer to the equator, more direct sun, and therefore more trichome production. So why would shutting the lights off for a day or 2 spark trichome production... What makes more sense to me would be that it MIGHT spark the plant to produce more bud. Here's why:

Bud is like the fruit of the plant. It produces it so that it can protect the seeds while growing, and I think it also protects it through the winter, or until the next growing season. So if the plant senses it's life is ending- I would assume it wants to make sure that it has enough "fruit", or bud, produced to protect it's offspring, the seeds. 

So to conclude, turning the lights off for the last few days wouldn't be to increase trichs, but to increase bud size. I don't really believe it would do much of anything, but to think that trichome production would spurt- well, that just doesn't make sense to me. That is assuming that I have my facts right and that I'm recalling everything correctly- and might I add that doesn't happen all the time  .

I'm not really interested in using this method- It just got me thinking about things and I was hoping for some clarification from ya'll.

So what do you all think? Is my reasoning fairly... reasonable? Or am I missing something? Better yet- Am I over-thinking this and does this post actually belong in the new growers section or something? If so, sorry!



Thanks in advance!


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## Martybutch (Oct 18, 2012)

This has always been in debate..Some people do it...Some dont... If there is a benefit of lights out for upto 72 hours its a very small difference that in my eyes is not particully worth doing  

So..Its all in your hands weather to try it or not.


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## Seedling (Oct 18, 2012)

Martybutch said:


> This has always been in debate..Some people do it...Some dont... If there is a benefit of lights out for upto 72 hours its a very small difference that in my eyes is not particully worth doing
> 
> So..Its all in your hands weather to try it or not.


IF the end result is an equal or greater quality/quantity running no lights for the last 3 days, then there is the benefit of not running the light for 36 hours, which equates to $$ savings on your electric bill, albeit a small amount. Waste not want not!


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## tip top toker (Oct 18, 2012)

What i have read is that the trichomes act as protection for the plan and seeds, from the sun and from predators. It degrades in the light and then is built back up in the dark period.


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## an11dy9 (Oct 18, 2012)

tip top toker said:


> What i have read is that the trichomes act as protection for the plan and seeds, from the sun and from predators. It degrades in the light and then is built back up in the dark period.


Very interesting... I read that about the sun, as implied in the OP, but I never knew that about giving protection from animals.. Can you elaborate on that at all? Do the animals not like the taste and therefore they won't eat it and ruin the seeds? Or maybe that would be a good thing becasue the animal will shit it out later at a different spot and spread the seeds out? Because from what I understand, cannabis, like most other plants and animals, number one goal in life is usually to give offspring.


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## an11dy9 (Oct 18, 2012)

Seedling said:


> IF the end result is an equal or greater quality/quantity running no lights for the last 3 days, then there is the benefit of not running the light for 36 hours, which equates to $$ savings on your electric bill, albeit a small amount. Waste not want not!



That's possible if it is true... But it wouldn't be worth it if you're running a perpetual harvest. Then those three days can add up. If you run about 6 harvests per year that would be about 20 or so days. That would be like a third of a harvest. Then after factoring electricity.. hmm.. Wouldn't be likely to make up those kinda numbers. I guess it depends on your set up though, huh?


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## Seedling (Oct 18, 2012)

an11dy9 said:


> I guess it depends on your set up though, huh?


Yup, everybody's situation is different, but one thing is for sure, they ALL like extra cash!!!

Running a 1,000 watt light for 36 hours at $.11 per KWH, you would save $4.  Like I said, waste not want not!


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## Mister Sister (Oct 18, 2012)

Trichromes or not isn't the discussion I see here. It's about potency. Some of the most potent bud I've seen has had small amounts of trichromes. More white doesn't necessarily = more strength.

BUT

If the reason sensimilia is more potent is because the lady is searching very hard for male pollen, getting stickier and ickier in the process. Then what shutting off the lights does is just send out a signal that life is ending soon, so every last bit of energy in the plant is given to the buds in hopes of one last romance before the end of the road.

If you can afford the time, do it.

Do it to half of your crop and not the other half. Let your patients decide.


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## polyarcturus (Oct 18, 2012)

some fruits are poisonous or delicious to encourage the spread of their seed a lot of time seeds consumed will pass unharmed into a nice pile of compost for germination.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed_dispersal#Dispersal_by_animals


regardless THC production is linked to the reproductive cycle encouraging the though of near death should encourage THC production, lowering nute and lowering temps help. i have tried the darkness thing with no reall results. if i do anything i lower the soil temps by watering cold water to simulate oncoming winter.

bigger buds, more THC both sound good to me  lol by i keep it real and keep the lights on till i chop (well 12 hours darkness i chop in the mornings )


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## racerboy71 (Oct 18, 2012)

i've tried the lights off for 36 hours thing and honestly can say i didn't see an iota of difference between the plants before and after 36 hours of lights out..
just my experience with it...


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## althor (Oct 18, 2012)

It has been proven (ask Uncle Ben) that thc is at its peak during the dark period. I give a 48 hour dark period. The differences are probably too minor for us to tell.


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## sixstring2112 (Oct 18, 2012)

Seedling said:


> IF the end result is an equal or greater quality/quantity running no lights for the last 3 days, then there is the benefit of not running the light for 36 hours, which equates to $$ savings on your electric bill, albeit a small amount. Waste not want not!


i dont think its about running the lights an extra 3 days because you dont really do it before they are done.plants wont finish faster without light lol.so in my mind it just makes you wait extra time after waiting 8-10 weeks those 3 days are better spent trimming,drying,and curing so you can smoke or sell the stuff right?it sure seems like most folks that try it say they saw no difference either way including me.i actually though it made my weed smell more like hay than anything else i have ever done but maybe im doin it wrong lol.


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## Kite High (Oct 18, 2012)

I do 72 hours dark as its free and gives me a lil break before all that fucking trimming


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## tip top toker (Oct 19, 2012)

I think it's just one of these things, that sure, in terms of numbers on a piece of paper there may well be a difference, but to the actual users experience, there is no discernible difference.


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## nukethewhales (Oct 19, 2012)

word when growing flowers that are short day like weed .. I increase the light towards the end .. not shorten it
Edit: I figure Id explain why

as the short day plants cycle through the light cycles the blue and red light produce what I like to refer to as the bulking hormone.. in veg state the plant is flooded with this bulking hormone and lacking the flowering hormone.. this is what hold it in veg ... photochemical balance.. 
When you slowly start to change the light down to the 12/12 cut ill drop in increments until at 12.5/11.5 or so depending on strain whatever is proved to show its maximum flowering time without reveg.. that time is where finally the chemicals that are triggered by the light cycle take the bulking hormones produced in the day and convert them to flowering hormones.. once the flowering hormones in % in the plant exceed bulking hormones the plants begin to flower.
This is like a balance, if bulking hormones/flowering hormone ratio is high it stays in veg .. if low it transitions to flower... since the bulking hormone is stored in the plant and not used right away instantly it will build the longer the plant is in 24/0.. the same is true for flower.. towards the end of flower the flowering hormone way exceeds the bulking hormone.. this is why it takes a while to shift the plant back into veg after flower... it has to build the bulking hormone back so that it exceeds the flowering hormone.. well that can take anywhere up to 3 weeks depending on how much flowering hormone is in the plant
If you slowly raise the light cycle back up towards the end of the flowering period.. youll create more bulking hormone without creating so much as to change the bulking hormone to flowering hormone ratio.. this provides more access to to hormones to convert for flowering raising yield and with blasts of extreme far red light you can stimulate the production of resin and thc with the extra bulking hormone which is 750nm light to about 800nm light this if not containing a spectrum below 750nm will not trigger bulking hormone production but will only stimulate flowering hormone production raising your thc and resin production.
you want to full exhaust bulking hormones with fr light towards the end to get maximum production so dont do this unless u have the fr light to trigger this


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## nukethewhales (Oct 19, 2012)

sorry im not a really good writer ... my specialty is math and science not language so forgive me


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## jojodancer10 (Oct 20, 2012)

i grew a g13 purple haze and put a fan on her throughout her flowering. that girl was covered with thc. i also added snow storm. not sure which one helped out but i keep fans blowing in my tent 24/7


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## MidnightGardener425 (Oct 26, 2012)

I've tried the dark period and in my experience it can make no visible difference or a big visible difference depending on the strain. I've run some strains up to 7days in the dark. First time I had tried it I left 1 of each plant that I had multiples of in the dark and harvested the rest. 2-3 days later I harvested the ones that were left in the dark and most of the strains had more trichomes noticeably to the naked eye, especially on the fan leaves. Indica seem to respond better to this then sativas but not always. I run a veg room, flower room, and dark room so there is no time lost in growing next crop. I don't water during this time and sometimes let them dry out completely until they're to the poing of dying. I've had 2 strains that hermied from this and spit bananas, Northern Lights cuttings and Sensi Star bag seed.. A lot of people claim it has no difference for them, maybe they need to try experimenting with variables, maybe they didn't do side by side comparison of harvesting some and leaving some in dark or possibly don't have as good of eye sight as me. I'm not sure, I just know that it works well for me.


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## Uncle Ben (Oct 26, 2012)

althor said:


> It has been proven (ask Uncle Ben) that thc is at its peak during the dark period. I give a 48 hour dark period. The differences are probably too minor for us to tell.


Actually I was just parroting scientific studies as reported graphically and statistically by author Mel Frank in his Grower's Guide. 

There's a common denominator regarding potency with noobs - they have been brainwashed by seedbanks and forum anecdotal evidence into believing that the more trichomes you SEE, the more potent a plant is. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It's what's inside that counts. In fact, I was inspecting my O. Haze with a 5X loupe yesterday and could hardly see any trichomes, even with the loupe! FWIW, TFD's O. Haze is a pure sativa hybrid, no indica. The trichome field is limited, not dense, the heads are small and the trichome stalks are short.

Facts, not feelings,
Uncle Ben


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## Uncle Ben (Oct 26, 2012)

tip top toker said:


> I think it's just one of these things, that sure, in terms of numbers on a piece of paper there may well be a difference, but to the actual users experience, there is no discernible difference.


Exactly.

It's all based on conjecture, feelings, wishful thinking. If there is any impact good or bad, I doubt if one can tell by smoking the cured bud. Folks will do anything they can to avoid learning how to grow a green, healthy plant that has retained productive leaves until they end, the perfect "bloom food". If any one can fukk up a weed, most cannabis growers will find a way to do it.

UB


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## mytwhyt (Oct 26, 2012)

I've never tried the 3 days dark, but I do turn my 600watt down to 400watts the last 2 weeks of flower... I've never seen a three day eclipse, but I have seen the days get shorter and light get weaker... Although I admit, I may have been stoned enough to miss a 3 day eclipse, but I have noticed the other.... 
I'm so lazy that I only buy and use 1 fertilizer, Flora Nova Bloom, the entire grow... It works so well I haven't been inspired by bad yields to add anything else...


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## mtlhaze (Feb 14, 2013)

One of my most favorite has always been purple kush and with the right genetic you can pull an exceptionally sweet and beautiful bud. In the final week I water with ice cold water, ph balanced with molasses and raise the lights high. I believe this stresses or triggers something in the plant to really bring some color out. I always have a potent bud so im not sure if this adds to it or not but it really brings the purple tips out on the bud that I love to see.

I am not sure about a lot of the theory here but I love reading it and will certainly try a lights out for the last 48hrs. Good thread


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## ASMALLVOICE (Feb 15, 2013)

I know this is an awesome debate. 

My take on the matter is that trich production continues, albeit decreasingly, it does, even a bit after the plant has been harvested. For the cost of running the bulb, I will gladly trade for the trichs that can and will mature during the last 36hrs or so. 

Peace and Great Grows

Asmallvoice


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