Purple plant won't turn purple- what temp do i need and how long?

samchesser

Active Member
I have a half mendo purps/ half green kush plant that usually gets solid purple tops toward the end of flowering. The summer temps are working against me, the plant is indoor. What kind of temp would I need to get the room and for how long to trigger this to happen. I'm fairly clueless as to if its something that gets triggered by maybe one cold day or if I'd need to run A/C for several weeks which wouldn't really be worth it to me. its really trying to turn but its usually full purp by now and I just have some yellowish leaves with purp stripes. Anyone got a ballpark on the a/c length of time and temp?
 

spencer2121

Well-Known Member
i heard u have to keep it 15 degrees colder at lights off, its all about temps man, i also heard that putting the plant in a fridge during lights out will make it purple too
 
Okay, I'm not a purple plant growing expert but putting it in the fridge sounds like a horrible idea. The extremely colder temperatures could put the plant into shock and possibly kill it... I'm not sure on this but just my word of advice
 

samchesser

Active Member
agree.....35-40 degrees can kill your plant. Plus i'm in CA, we don't grow plants that fit in fridges out this way. My educated guess is that if I cool it down to 65 from 75 in the dark cycle for 2 days, it'll go. I just don't know if I have to keep it there or not. I'm not gonna run the a/c for two weeks so just wondering if I'm wasting the power for 2 days by doing that. Thought someone might have some insight.
 

Clown Baby

Well-Known Member
cold temps can help purple colors come out.

flushing and feeding only water towards the end of flowering will also help.
As the leftover nitrogen gets used up and the plant leaves start to fade to yellow, that's when the colors come out.
 

ink the world

Well-Known Member
I read from a breeder, cant remember which one:
At harvest. break down to small enough branches to fir in refrig......let it sit for a few hours....i tried it on a Purple Kush that wasnt getting any color, worked a little bit.
 

samchesser

Active Member
Why the purple does it make it stronger?? Lol
No, and i agree with you cause of the purple hype, but if its a purple plant, its nice to have it turn. The green (chlorophyll?) going away also makes it smell sweeter too, this strain the tops really only changes so you kind of have both ends of the spectrum. grape jolly rancher tops and tangy skunky bottoms. I always grow this same strain cause its perfect for my medical uses I am just disappointed it isn't turning this time. And no, purple doesn't make it stronger, contrary to what the idiotic population thinks. "dude, I only smoke grapes"....lol!
 

RobbieP

Well-Known Member
if you want the purple to come out a handy trick is right before lights out stick a handfull of ice cubes onto the soil of each pot or a few handfulls in the tank if hydro every night a week before and during flushing , not enough to cause negative shock but works a treat ! :)
 

samchesser

Active Member
here's a good answer on why, i guess the speed at which this happens would be strain dependent so my answer is "as long as it takes this strain"


During flowering, with the passing of summer, days become shorter. The phytochromes, the light-sensing mechanisms in leaves, recognize the shorter day lengths. The shorter days and lower temperatures arrest chlorophyll production. Chlorophyll breaks down faster than it is replaced, allowing the yellow and orange pigments to be unmasked.

The molecules reflecting red wavelengths, anthocyanins, are water-soluble pigments that occur in the cell sap, creating the red, pink, and purple hues. These pigments may not be present during the summer, or vegetative cycle, but their formation is encouraged during a succession of cool nights and sunny days. During these days when photosynthesis and chlorophyll production are decreasing, an abundance of sugars accumulates in the leaf. The cool nights promote a separation layer of cells in the petiole—where the leaf attaches to the stem—that prevents sugar from flowing out of the leaf, and also arrests the flow of nutrients into the leaf. The formation of anthocyanin requires bright light, a diminishing water supply, and the accumulation of sugars trapped in the leaf.
 

Newera

Member
Yes I have also heard putting ice cubes in the reservoir or on top of the soil helps it change to that lovely purple color your looking for. Maybe try a lunch box freezer pack.
 
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