# Buds not dense enough



## SimpleSimon (Aug 26, 2008)

So i just finished my second grow and am now smoking it.

My buds are light and fluffy. Not hard and heavy

400watt HPS/ cool tube (light very close to plants w/out burn)
Soil Mega home made mixture First one was pretty plain. Second one when all out with total organic EVERYTHING. And i used a large wide variety of ferts and styles, without burning.

Question: Is it my light? Would 1000 fatten those bitches up? What if i use both my 400hps and 400MH at the same time.?


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## durbinexpress (Aug 26, 2008)

how many plants and sq feet are you trying to light? the light close to the plants might not cause bleaching but you have to mind the tempature. to much heat will dry out the buds while growing and leave you with a finnished product that will be very light and the bowl will burn in one or two hits. look up the recomended height for your light. it should be listed on the manafucture site for the lights. if not search on here for the right height. I am not sure but i think that for a 400w light, you need to keep the light like 2' from the plants. with my 1000w I keep the light atleast 2', 3' if I have the room. air cooled lights and fans in the room to controll the temp also allows you to bring your lights closer to the plants. look out for yellowing in the center of the plants, that indicates light bleaching.


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## FLoJo (Aug 26, 2008)

durbine is spot on but also the amount of light makes a huge difference in the density of your buds... i have heard advanced nutes bigbud carbo load and overdrive can help fatten and stiffen up the buds but while i am in the process of using them have never finished a crop with them... on the other hand a 1k watter will make dense buds fosho... 

long story short if you want dense buds increase light intensity.. get the 1k if you can control temps


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## SimpleSimon (Aug 26, 2008)

Yeah, im running a cool tube right now. So i have NO problems with heat.


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## durbinexpress (Aug 26, 2008)

do you have a thermometer in you room? if not you might want to get one just to be safe


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## Thraxz13 (Aug 26, 2008)

Yea mine are four weeks in 1000 wts I am using Dr Hornbys Bloom and some seaweed extract any suggestions on how to fatten them up!! Also does molasses do anything for them!


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## Silky Shagsalot (Aug 26, 2008)

usually heat and low rh affect the denseness of your buds. you may also need to change your bulb. how old is it? i read up in your thread where there was a suggestion to keep your light 2 feet away from your plants. MISTAKE!! a 400 watter can be very close and not cause heat issues. i keep a 1000 watter 18" from my tops. i have a 6" vented hood that keeps things very cool.


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## asdfva (Aug 26, 2008)

Don't believe the hype. 

What strain are you growing?
That would be my first question.

Some strains grow light and airy.
Next I would ask for complete specs.

I have no problems with 400w hps,
no cool tube, and I have it no more
thank 14" away from the tops of my
plants. Also, how did you cure your 
harvest? So many things can factor
how your end product will be, but in
this case having too little info...

I would blame the strain before I 
blame the light, but there are totally a
slew of other scenarios, and potential
habits, that could cause this problem. 

Need more input.


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## 2supra4u (Aug 26, 2008)

asdfva said:


> Don't believe the hype.
> 
> What strain are you growing?
> That would be my first question.
> ...


 
Was exactly what I was going to say, but I got down to the bottom and it was said for me. Even if your growing all of the same strain...if it's from seed, females could easily differ by bud formation or potency, among the other MANY things.

Get some quality seeds or cuttings known for dense buds and i'm sure you will be fine.

My first grow was Skunk#1....not even from a quality seed company....they came from my roomates outdoor grow....with my new 400w (at the time about 2 years ago) I flowered 3 plants I had and left the best one (5th) up in my closet in my room for a mom. I ended up with 2 females (plus the mom in the closet so 3 total). The mom I ended up wasting....it was 5+ feet when I took it outof my closet LOLOL. So what I did was cut every branch and use them for clones and gave most to my buddies. I got some nice top buds from the 400. However it coulda been much better cuz one was 3+ feet and the other was like 2feet cuz it was stunted. All in all 400w was fine.


Here are some pics i found from back then....vegging...early flowering....mid flower....late flower 2 pics.... my 5 foot mom (Pepe)....clones.....harvest


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## born2killspam (Aug 26, 2008)

I tend to agree on the strain factor.. I give your setup the benefit of the doubt since you were slick enough to go cool-tube.. A second note on the strain question though - How long did you flower them for? Alot of plants have a beefy surge at the end.. The buds may not appear to be growing, simply filling in the space between the calyxes.. Do you have a magnifier to look at your trichromes?


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## [email protected] (Aug 26, 2008)

molasses and humboldt countys own "Gravity" work well to add density for me.


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## SimpleSimon (Aug 26, 2008)

Okay More info it is.

Two strains. Kush and Juicy Fruit

Flowered in 11 liter pots.
My soil mix is Organic Composted material with peat moss (1.5 part)
COCO fiber (1.5 Part)
Worm Castings (1 Part)
Humic Acid
Peralite (1 part)
Bat Guano veg
Bat Guano Bloom
Greens Sand
Dolomite Lime
Blood meal
Bone meal
Rock Phosphate
Pot Ash (from fire place, washed)
During Veg and bloom i made compost tea from my worm bin and air raided with molasses for 48 hours and fed to plants. Growing tempeture was 75 degrees and RH was between 35% and 45% throughout the grow.
Also did a second pot ash tea.

Plants were fed Molasses once or twice a week.

They were tall, five feet. But i trimmed all the lower branches off, Fimmed the top. By the end of the eight weeks the buds were heavy and dense. Fattened up a lot. I checked the tricomes with my mag, and harvested one most were milky. I Manicured and hung for a week and a half in 40% RH. They got light and airy, they are now curing in jars.

I smoked the Juicy Fruit tonight and it was fucking amazing. Which is good news. I weighed the plants and got six oz. off of four plants.....thats medium i think.


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## 2supra4u (Aug 27, 2008)

Well those strains should be able to produce nice buds, espically kush if its the real deal. Well I'd say to be honest that it could be because you grew the plants so big. You could try doing them a bit smaller so they finish like around 2 or 3 feet maybe. Then you could proly put 6-8 under the 400. you should still be able to get at least a OZ a plant. Those pics I put up...the taller one only main bud was nice and dense the rest was a lil fluffy, but almost hard. The lil one finished under 2 ft and it still got me an ounce


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## BloodShot420 (Aug 27, 2008)

Simon - its definitely the light! I started with a 400 also - and got the same light fluffy bud, that LOOKS huge... and smokes good. It breaks your heart when you weigh out a quarter and its a whole sandwhich bag! anyways, if you got 6 zones from a 400 you are doing ok... a little less than 1/2 a gram/watt... if you bumped it up to 1K... and you got the same yeild ratio you would get over 16 zones... but those buds would all be nice and tight... i went from 400 to 1400, to 2K, which is where I am now... and supplementing with some UVB thats about twice as strong as it ever appears naturally on earth  from my experience 400 watters just make some airy bud, but its about the best light to start with - anything less and you dont have enough to make it to the next harvest. hope that helps!


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## Thraxz13 (Aug 27, 2008)

I have a Vented Hood with a thousand wts, It stays around 78 to 82 in the Hut, I have Four Strains the S.S.H. Some GDP, N.L. and A Cyber Crystal Indica. The N.L. and S.S.H. were from clone and the Other two from seed..I was wondering, Is it true they start doing more filling out in the last 3 to 4 weeks? This is my first go around with indoor 1000 Wts!! Kinda wondering what to expect..


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## MrBaker (Aug 27, 2008)

born2killspam said:


> I tend to agree on the strain factor.. I give your setup the benefit of the doubt since you were slick enough to go cool-tube.. A second note on the strain question though - How long did you flower them for? Alot of plants have a beefy surge at the end.. The buds may not appear to be growing, simply filling in the space between the calyxes.. Do you have a magnifier to look at your trichromes?


I gotta agree with these statements and questions posed. 

If some strains can grow light and fluffy outdoor, then I gotta believe that it can happen indoor with a good setup.


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## showgirl (Aug 27, 2008)

My expieiance has been that the density of the buds just depends on the strain. All grown under 1000mh/hps some strain consistently grew hard nuggets while others were airy and others the middle of the road.omo Showgirl


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## born2killspam (Aug 27, 2008)

I really have to disagree that a 400W HPS can't produce great buds over atleast 3x3.. My very best buds were grown like that.. I found it tough to keep superbity up as I expanded simply due to plant access on a larger table.. I had an airy crop like this once because I had some issues during clone vegging, and had to delay flowering until they were much bigger than I planned.. Its hard to say what the actual culprit was between light penetration, and air penetration, but now that I think about it, everything up top was decent density even in badly lit areas to the rear of the sockets etc.. But the table was a freaking jungle!! Everything lower was way fluffier than normal, even stuff that had decent light holes hitting it.. It was just nearly impossible to push air sufficiently through the entire mass without the nearest plants receiving hurricane force..
Any possibility your internal ventilation could be lacking? I could see how a cool tube could make you think you need less than you really do..


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## SomeGuy (Aug 27, 2008)

born2killspam said:


> I really have to disagree that a 400W HPS can't produce great buds over atleast 3x3.. My very best buds were grown like that.. I found it tough to keep superbity up as I expanded simply due to plant access on a larger table.. I had an airy crop like this once because I had some issues during clone vegging, and had to delay flowering until they were much bigger than I planned.. Its hard to say what the actual culprit was between light penetration, and air penetration, but now that I think about it, everything up top was decent density even in badly lit areas to the rear of the sockets etc.. But the table was a freaking jungle!! Everything lower was way fluffier than normal, even stuff that had decent light holes hitting it.. It was just nearly impossible to push air sufficiently through the entire mass without the nearest plants receiving hurricane force..
> Any possibility your internal ventilation could be lacking? I could see how a cool tube could make you think you need less than you really do..



I agree with you. Any plant I grow over 2.5' gets a little fluffy. I still got over 9oz with my 400 on my last harvest. That was off of 8 plants. Air circulation as well as light penetration play a big role in bud density I think (based only on observation). However, I think that genetics is the big factor. I had only one plant that had rock hard buds. I finally have some good genetics to start on after the move... cant wait!


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## born2killspam (Aug 27, 2008)

Yea, my yeild was great.. About 50Oz total from....hmm, I started with 32, and culled it down to either 30, or 28 IIRC.. Only about 3/4 pound was at all impressive in anyway compared to previous crops, and the rest was REALLY grueling to harvest as well..
That was on a 7x5 drip table using 5" pots, hydroton, and DNF nutes.. The plants were about 3.5' NL#5 clones from 2 VERY different plants that came from Marc Emery's seeds.. I don't know what to think about those seeds actually.. Of the 10, I got 6 females, 3 males and an instant herm.. No two plants had much in common at all, but on the otherhand, I did get 3 very decent mothers for flavor, potency, and yeild in 2 of them..
The third I swear was a pure sativa.. It grew so tall/lanky, and had the longest skinny buds.. The calyx's were quite loosely distributed, but they themselves were giant and dense.. Stank a ton, which NL#5 isn't exactly famous for, spicy taste, and cerebral high.. I smoked that stuff when I knew I had 20 hours of wave equations to churn through.. Come to think of it, I had one of that girl on the table too..


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## SimpleSimon (Aug 27, 2008)

the comment about plant height is well observed i think.
They grew way to fast, even with the light so close they shot up like rockets. Thats why i ended up fimming them, then they were still close to five feet. I vegged for too long i think. The Buds at the top were denser then the other lower buds, but still light. As far as ventilation goes, that is NO problem. I am growing under my stairs. Lots of room, 200 cubic feet. Vented by a 465cfm fan running non stop, one ocillating fan and intake fan.

I think i will do ScrOG next time, it will give me a more even canopy in which cast my light. And grow shorter plants.


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## asdfva (Aug 27, 2008)

SimpleSimon said:


> They were tall, five feet. But i trimmed all the lower branches off, Fimmed the top.


How big were they when you FIM'ed them?
Some strains do not do so well when topped. 


> By the end of the eight weeks the buds were heavy and dense. Fattened up a lot. I checked the tricomes with my mag, and harvested one most were milky.


Where they Milky, or Amber?
Half Amber is mature... Half milky
is premature... Too soon to cut. Will
give you a mellow high that doesn't
last that long. Will also aid in light
and airy buds regardless of strain. 



> I Manicured and hung for a week and a half in 40% RH. They got light and airy, they are now curing in jars.


Are the red hairs sticking out and
away from the bud as it dries? I have
seen this before with premature harvests.



> I smoked the Juicy Fruit tonight and it was fucking amazing. Which is good news. I weighed the plants and got six oz. off of four plants.....thats medium i think.



^^But it all might just be the strain and 
you are totally enjoying crucial smoke!

I hope so!
Thanks for sharing.


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## born2killspam (Aug 27, 2008)

I forgot about the FIM.. Plants gotta work really hard to deal with that transport passage, but it is going to focus on the tops and make them nice and everything.. I initially did have a nice scrog set up, but my circumstances outgrew the original plan, and it wasn't as sweet when I tried to raise it, so I'd say it was ghetto scrogged..
I really did consider chopping the upper stuff and letting the rest sit a while, but I was so sick of that jungle I just wanted it over with.. Did you consider that?


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## ganjaluvr (Jun 17, 2010)

everything plays a part in the end product you guys.

everything from the soil; nutes; lights; and the overall environment.. and of course.. the grower!

bud density doesn't just rely on one thing.. everything effects the way your buds will look/smell/taste/smoke/weigh.

Just thought I would add my 2cents worth.. 

As long as you have good lighting; soil; nutes; and give your plants good veg time... and let them finish properly during flowering.. you should end up with nice dense and heavy buds in the end. If not, then you made a mistake somewhere.

Although I will say as far as sativa genetics go... most sativa plants will have buds that are more light and airy.. then when compared to an Indica plant that has pure Indica genetics. Indica buds.. are usually and almost always more dense and heavier.. than buds that come from a pure Sativa plant.

Peace ppl..


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## homebrewer (Jun 17, 2010)

Unless you've grown clones of this before and they turned out rock hard, then I'd say your light flowers are because of the strain.


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## alienascii (Jun 17, 2010)

That setup sounds decent, probably just genetics.

did you use superthrive in flower of something? 

One of my flowering rooms has 2 400w HPS in cooltubes about 2-4" from the canopy, and I always get A bumper crop of dense buds... 

I don't think the lighting has anything to do with the buds being light, but to get the right distance from canopy get an IR thermometer at radio shack and aim it at the top canopy for an exact temp reading. I try for around 80


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## sensisensai (Jun 17, 2010)

Agreed. That 2nd 400 will add not only weight but will give u a nice trich profile. Other than the obvious I can vouch for. Cal/mag, big bud, and carboload. While there is no "super juice" to end this dilemma, these product did help in my garden, enough for me to pay the price at least, however don't expect miracles, what strain u growing?, I'm sure someone mentioned by now, but sativas and leaning hybrids will tend to display lankier growth and fluffier buds. Work on getting dialed. Temps, feeding schedules, humidity and of course prper diet are all gonna be very big determining factors. Just remember there's nothing u can do to override genetics (not in a typical garden at least)


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## free99 (Jun 17, 2010)

There are other factors here that are important in achieving a high yield of dense sticky buds from your plant. However, it's not really up for debate; light is a huge contributing factor to dense buds and yields. Anyone doubting the importance of intense light exposure at all times is passing bad information. 

You need that light as close as possible to that plant without burning it. ALL growers should consider investing in a vented hood with a fan to allow you to achieve the closest possible distance from canopy to lamp. These vented hoods will pay for them selves several times over off of one grow if utilized properly. If you can't use a vented hood, get a fan going gently over the top of your canopy.

You gotta top em' too. When you cut the top off of a plant, it forces it to fork, giving it 2 nodes of separate growth. This results in a shorter plant with more colas, which equals more bud. Topping your plants while they are young is standard procedure, and is actually a pretty important process. 

You may also want to invest in some reflective paint or material like mylar to utilize wasted light. 

Stain, feeding program, and environment all play a roll in yield. As growers, we are trying to replicate the outdoors while remaining indoors. Outside, we have the sun. We need INTENSE light indoors for flowering if we want dense buds and nice yields. 

- GET YOUR LIGHT CLOSE as possible! Use a vented hood if possible, it will pay for it's self quickly. 
- "TOP" your plants! Cut the top off, and allow them to fork. A week or two after that, cut them at the top AGAIN!. Guess what? They will fork again! This makes MORE COLAS. 
- Use proper feeding programs. Finish your last weeks of flowering with a late flowering nutrient that is high in phosphorous. 
- GET YOUR LIGHT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE. Try to make use of wasted light! Keeping the light close will also keep your plants from stretching!
-Trim off your lower, under developed buds that you won't smoke. This will keep the plant from putting energy into developing these buds, and into the rest of the more developed plant. 
- Get your light as close as possible. 

MORE LIGHT = MORE BUD. It's not up for debate! 

You can easily put a 400 watt HPS six inches away from the top of your plants with a standard hood if your room is properly vented with air flowing gently over your plants. 

Consider this: A light at 12 inches away has half the lumens that it would have at 6 inches away. TRY TO USE as MANY of those lumins as you paid for!

I use a 1k HPS with a vented hood, and I keep it about 4 or 5 inches from my canopy on a light mover. This allows me to keep the light very close! The results are a short plant with DENSE soda bottle colas. 

I also have a vented 600 watt over 7 plants. This is NOT on a mover. They are in a rubber made bin in a compact, closet size space. I expect over a pound off these 7 plants in a space that's under 4x4 feet. They are less than 3 feet tall, and vegged for about a week. If anyone is actually interested, I can elaborate further on how I achieved this with my simple closet sized hydro set up. 

Again, anyone doubting the importance of INTENSE direct light and passing doubt to others is passing bad information!


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## Brick Top (Jun 17, 2010)

asdfva said:


> Where they Milky, or Amber?
> Half Amber is mature... Half milky
> is premature... Too soon to cut. Will
> give you a mellow high that doesn't
> ...



That is an extremely commonly held misbelief. It is really less about color and more about clear or opaque. In some strains trichome heads can begin as a light amber and in some more rare cases even a light yellow. Once clouding begins THC is beginning to oxidize, it begins to break down and turn into CBN. 

CBN is produced as THC ages and breaks down so waiting for those trichomes to cloud and or only then turn amber is a case of throwing away THC so someone can increase levels of CBN. High levels of CBN tend to make the user feel messed up rather than high so who in their right mind would grow their plants long enough to allow THC to oxidize into a cannabinoid that is far less wanted than THC?

Some claim that there is still an overall increase of THC with amber trichomes, but so far no test results seem to prove that to be the case in a high enough percentage of the time to accept it as being fact. But even if someone gets lucky and would end up with somewhat higher levels of THC they will still have increased levels of CBN taking away from the buzz by making them feel confused and messed up instead of high or stoned. So why do it? Is someone actually gaining more than they are losing? That does not seem to be the case. 

On the subject of growing too long, that is also why some people end up with late hermis. If you grow a plant for roughly 10 to 14 days longer than it should, like when someone wants those 'lovely amber trichomes' and waits for them, female plants will often throw out bananas. That is exactly what the 'Soma Technique,' also called the Rodelization method, relies on to create pollen for feminized seeds ... and in doing so hermi genetics are created and passed on. 

So in some cases people are the cause for their hermis rather than it being a light leak or some other stress or it even being genetic. 

Anyway ......... Read and learn. 


*Trichomes *

*What are Trichomes? *





Although cannabis resin glands called trichomes are structurally diverse, they come in three basic varieties: 

*Bulbous: *

The bulbous type is the smallest (15-30 micron). From one to four cells make up the "foot" and "stalk," and one to four cells make up the "head" of the gland. Head cells secrete a resin - presumably cannabinoids, and related compounds which accumulate between the head cells and the cuticle. When the gland matures, a nipple-like protrusion may form on the membrane from the pressure of the accumulating resin. The bulbous glands are found scattered about the surfaces of the above-ground plant parts. 

*Capitate-Sessile: *

The second type of gland is much larger & is more numerous than the bulbous glands. They are called capitate, which means having a globular-shaped head. On immature plants, the heads lie flush, appearing not to have a stalk and are called capitate sessile. They actually have a stalk that is one cell high, although it may not be visible beneath the globular head. The head is composed of usually eight, but up to 16 cells, that form a convex rosette. These cells secrete cannabinoids, and related compounds which accumulate between the rosette and it's outer membrane. This gives it a spherical shape. The gland measures from 25 to 100 micron across. 

*Capitate-Stalked: *

Cannabinoids are most abundant in the capitate-stalked gland which consists of a tier of secretory disc cells subtending a large non-cellular secretory cavity. During flowering the capitate glands that appear on the newly formed plant parts take on a third form. Some of the glands are raised to a height of 150 to 500 micron when their stalks elongate. These capitate-stalked glands appear during flowering and form their densest cover on the female flower bracts. They are also highly concentrated on the small leaves that accompany the flowers. The male flowers have stalked glands on the sepals, but they are smaller and less concentrated than on the female bracts. Male flowers form a row of very large capitate glands along the opposite sides of anthers. 












The figures above denote capitate-stalked trichomes with green arrows, the bulbous trichomes with yellow arrows & the red arrows mark the capitate-sessile trichomes. Cyan arrows denote cystolith hairs.


*Life inside a capitate-stalked trichome *





Disc cells, attached to leaf or bract by stipe cells (RED) & basal cells (GREEN), release fibrillar wall matrix into secretory cavity where it contributes to thickening of subcuticular wall during enlargement of secretory cavity. Plastids (ORANGE) in disc cells produce secretions called lipoplasts which synthesize quantities of lipophilic substances that accumulate outside the plasma membrane, migrating into the endoplasmic reticular cytoplasm and through the plasma membrane and cell wall into the secretory cavity where they form vesicles (BLUE) in the secretory cavity. Vesicles in contact with the subcuticular wall release contents that contribute to the growth of the cuticle during the enlargement of the secretory cavity. THC occurs in the walls, fibrillar matrix & other contents surrounding the vesicles, but not in the vesicles. Trace amounts of THC is present in the disc cells.





*When to harvest your trichomes *

There are several schools of thought as to when it is the time to harvest. I shall attempt to explain how you can determine the harvesting time that will produce the most favorable psychoactive effect for your individual preferences. 

We are most concerned with the capitate-stalked trichomes, as these contain the overwhelming majority of the psychoactive cannabinoids (THC, THCV, CBN). Different cannabinoids affect the high in a multifaceted manner. 


*THC: *

delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol & delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol - THC mimics the action of anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced naturally in the body, which binds with the cannabinoid receptors in the brain to produce the &#8216;high&#8217; associated with marijuana. THC possesses high UV-B (280-315 nm) absorption properties. 


*THCV: *

tetrahydrocannabivarin - prevalent in certain South African and Southeast Asian strains of cannabis. It is said to produce a &#8216;clearer high&#8217; & seems to possess many of the therapeutic properties of THC. 


*CBD: *

cannabidiol - previously believed to be psychoactive, or to contribute to the high by interacting with other cannabinoids, conversely the most recent research indicates that CBD has negligible effect on the high, it is however a strong anti-inflammatory, and may take the edge off some THC effects, such as anxiety. CBD as a non-psychoactive cannabinoid appears to be helpful for many medical conditions. CBD biosynthesizes into cannabinol (CBN) & tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). 


*CBN:* 

cannabinol - a degradation product of THC, produces a depressant effect, &#8216;fuzzy&#8217; forehead. 


*CBC: *

cannabichromene - non-psychoactive , a precursor to THC. 


*CBG: *

cannabigerol - non-psychoactive, hemp strains often posses elevated levels of CBG while possessing only trace amounts of THC. 

Heavy trichome production is not necessarily an indication of a potent plant. Some hemp strains have moderate layers of trichomes yet pack only a strong headache. In a drug strain, a thick layer of trichomes is a symbol that it may well posses an elevated potency level, but it is certainly not a guarantee. 

What defines a cannabis drug strain is the plant's ability to produce THC & THCV. 

A small 25x or stronger pocket microscope, which can be picked up inexpensively at an electronics store like Radio Shack, works well for getting a closer peek at your trichome development. *What we are examining are the capitate stalked glandular trichomes, the coloration of these gland heads can vary between strains and maturity. Most strains start with clear or slightly amber heads which gradually become cloudy or opaque when THC levels have peaked and are beginning to degrade. Regardless of the initial color of the secretory cavity, with careful observation you should be able to see a change in coloration as maturity levels off.* 

*Some cultivators wait for about half of the secretory cavities to go opaque before harvesting, to ensure maximum THC levels in the finished product. While you may be increasing the total THC level in the bud by allowing half of the glands to go opaque, the bud will also have a larger percentage of THC breakdown products such as CBN, which is why some people choose to harvest earlier while most of the secretory cavities are still clear. *

Indica varieties will usually have a 10-15 day harvest window to work with. Sativas and Indica/Sativa hybrids often have an extended period to work with. 











The figures above denotes clear trichomes with green arrows, the cloudy trichomes with yellow arrows & the red arrows mark the amber trichomes. 

*Why did trichomes evolve in nature?* 

Cannabis has evolved trichomes for a multitude of uses in nature, some of these require THC & other cannabinoids to be effective, and others that do not. 


*Insect Protection: *

Many insects find the thick coating of trichomes unpleasant, this offers a level of protection for the developing seeds. 


*Animals: *

The layer of trichomes and cystolith hairs makes cannabis less palatable to many herbivores & omnivores. 


*Desiccation: *

The layer of trichomes helps to 'insulate' the pistilate (female) flower from low humidity levels and high wind. 


*UV-B Light: *

UV-B light is harmful to living things, THC has very high UV-B adsorption properties, thus cannabis evolution may have favored the evolution of genotypes that produced these THC laden capitate-stalked trichomes as a built in 'sun-screen' for protection against UV-B light rays. 


*Fungal Protection: *

Some of the compounds present in the trichomes actually inhibit the growths of some types of fungus. 


Quite possibly, the most important reason for the evolution of the THC laden capitate-stalked trichomes is the intercession of man in the natural selection process, favoring genotypes that produce copious amounts of THC laden trichomes.​


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## riddleme (Jun 17, 2010)

free99 said:


> There are other factors here that are important in achieving a high yield of dense sticky buds from your plant. However, it's not really up for debate; light is a huge contributing factor to dense buds and yields. Anyone doubting the importance of intense light exposure at all times is passing bad information.
> 
> You need that light as close as possible to that plant without burning it. ALL growers should consider investing in a vented hood with a fan to allow you to achieve the closest possible distance from canopy to lamp. These vented hoods will pay for them selves several times over off of one grow if utilized properly. If you can't use a vented hood, get a fan going gently over the top of your canopy.
> 
> ...


I think it should be up for debate!


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## free99 (Jun 18, 2010)

riddleme said:


> I think it should be up for debate!



Burned!!!!!!!!!!


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## riddleme (Jun 18, 2010)

Burned ???? does that mean you are unable to debate your position?

cause I have proved you can grow dank nugs with just a bit of light


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## free99 (Jun 19, 2010)

You have "proven" that there are other methods for producing a great finished product. That's good for you and good for the community. 

You are developing new techniques. I don't doubt your or your accomplishments. I have no reason. 

But, you should acknowledge the fact that most people don't have the time, experience, money, knowledge, or space to experiment with new or unproven methods. (ie alternative lighting systems like the one in your avatar which looks sick by the way.) Most people are still using HID lighting systems. These lamps should be as close to the canopy as possible without scorching. 

Are you gonna debate that?

MY position? lol... 

I didn't invent the process of photo synthesis or the HID bulb!

It's not my "position" is that more light=more bud. It's a fact, and that it's generally bad information to imply that it doesn't greatly affect the yield. I'm just trying to help. 

Good for you for finding a method that differentiates from what is standard. People like you are helping everyday to evolve the way things are done. 

But, I think your efforts are misdirected in all regards if your gonna sit here and tell me you wanna debate that light intensity isn't important in producing any crop, indoor or out. It's not something I have a "position" on. It's something that I, you, and everyone else knows. It's a fact. 

I knew someone would try to "debate". It's the fuckin internet. 

Pick your battles imo. I'd rather be helpful and learn something than debate facts. Whatever set up your using, if you add more light or get the lights closer, your getting more bud. Even yours.


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## riddleme (Jun 19, 2010)

not trying to pick a battle! and your response was well stated, I thank you

I simply like to point out for confused new growers, that light is only one thing to consider that the sum of all parts is what makes dank buds, light being the most misunderstood it seems of everything

when newbies keep reading that more light is better they end up ignoring other things and cramming light down the plants throat and then post why are my plants dying, or why won't they grow why are they wilting, curling, turning brown, getting crispy etc etc etc

+rep for a well stated stance/opinion!


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## greeni (Aug 13, 2010)

Were u growin Indica or Sativa's ? Indica's tend 2 b shorter dence plants ,so the buds r fat n solidish, Where as if u grew a sativa they tend 2 grow tall n lanky in structure,so the buds r more fluffy and wispy not so dence, As with the light your using it depend's on the size ov the area your growing, 400w should do 4-6 plants ,6 would b pushing it abit,then also how long did u veg your plants? 2 400w lamps would cover more area than 1 1000w lamp, I would use 2 400w mixed spectrum bulbs an grow bout 10 plants, vegged 4 bout 3-4 weeks.good luck on nex gro !!!!!!!


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## EnlightenedOne (Aug 7, 2012)

riddleme said:


> I think it should be up for debate!



I agree with Riddleme, especially on topping, topping doesn't always work, 3 different NL's all topped and there are some big differences, One of them topped as expected, creating 2 very large colas, however another plant has produced leggy heads even though they were under the same 600
:/
Depends very much on the strain, one of the NL's has been bent and that's producing the most at the moment, I also heard some strains HAVE to be topped to maximize colas (blueberry?) so yeah, depends on genetics of the plant


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## Growing101 (Aug 8, 2012)

SimpleSimon said:


> Yeah, im running a cool tube right now. So i have NO problems with heat.


i was runnin 1000w cool tube & temps stayed around 80-85 i kept my light about a foot away....


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