Harvesting Myths.

[MYOB]

Hi all,

Over the course of time, I have read several methods growers have tried prior to harvesting. And thought it might be helpful for everyone if we could separate the dross from the gold so to speak.

So, I'll just ask questions b/c I have never tried any of these...so have no idea if they work:

1. 24 hours of darkness before chop, good or bad idea?.
2. Cutting back or withholding water prior to chop?.
3. Withholding/eliminating nutes in later flowering stages?. This one I cannot imagine doing any good, why deprive a plant during the most critical time?.

TY in advance for your input.

My understanding is that the sunlight degrades cannabinoids such as THC. So the darkness is not creating more, it is just not suffering any losses that might have been caused by the sun or artificial lighting. I would like to know exactly how much light it really takes to degrade THC. Would normal ambient room lighting do it? Does spectrum matter? Intensity? Seems like a lot of these studies were done on outdoor plants.

I skip the watering before I harvest. Usually the pot will be very light and dry but the plant hasnt shown any wilting yet. If it speeds drying at all, it would be negligible. Just seems like a waste of water to me.

I cut down the nutrients over the last 3 weeks until I am giving them tap water for the last week. I dont think this flushes anything from the plant, or makes it taste better. My plants dont look dead when I harvest though the leaves are usually not green. My thinking is that the plant has enough stored nutrients to sustain it for a couple weeks. When I think she is a couple weeks from harvest, I save mine and let her use her own. Seems like a waste to feed it full strength until the day you chop it.

IMO, late flowering is not the "most critical time". It is the end of the plants life. It has done all it can do. I would think the seedling stage is more critical to the plants survival.

 

[qwizoking]

"Seems like alot of these studies were done on outdoor plants."

The studies I've put up show degradation weekly then monthly over the course of a few years..as a resin slab and dissolved in etoh......most of the tests are performed under standard lab lighting which is just some ambient cfl action but they do show some sun testing(not much because of the speed it degrades)......most studies are performed to find losses in drug testing/handling and storage of...or synthetically producing it..for example around 10ng/cm2 will be lost simply in crevasses in the glass...you could see the implications this would have with drug testings low amounts..and materials of containers..

 

[Sunbiz1]

My understanding is that the sunlight degrades cannabinoids such as THC. So the darkness is not creating more, it is just not suffering any losses that might have been caused by the sun or artificial lighting. I would like to know exactly how much light it really takes to degrade THC. Would normal ambient room lighting do it? Does spectrum matter? Intensity? Seems like a lot of these studies were done on outdoor plants.

I skip the watering before I harvest. Usually the pot will be very light and dry but the plant hasnt shown any wilting yet. If it speeds drying at all, it would be negligible. Just seems like a waste of water to me.

I cut down the nutrients over the last 3 weeks until I am giving them tap water for the last week. I dont think this flushes anything from the plant, or makes it taste better. My plants dont look dead when I harvest though the leaves are usually not green. My thinking is that the plant has enough stored nutrients to sustain it for a couple weeks. When I think she is a couple weeks from harvest, I save mine and let her use her own. Seems like a waste to feed it full strength until the day you chop it.

IMO, late flowering is not the "most critical time". It is the end of the plants life. It has done all it can do. I would think the seedling stage is more critical to the plants survival.

The best I can add to this is based upon recent experience running the same clones both in-ground and indoors. Under natural sunlight, ladies showed amber much earlier than indoors. However, this strain is bubba kush dominant and outdoors had zero shade. Outdoors the strain also began flowering when daylight hours fell below 14, whereas indoors of course I just flip to 12.

 

[Sunbiz1]

"Seems like alot of these studies were done on outdoor plants."

The studies I've put up show degradation weekly then monthly over the course of a few years..as a resin slab and dissolved in etoh......most of the tests are performed under standard lab lighting which is just some ambient cfl action but they do show some sun testing(not much because of the speed it degrades)......most studies are performed to find losses in drug testing/handling and storage of...or synthetically producing it..for example around 10ng/cm2 will be lost simply in crevasses in the glass...you could see the implications this would have with drug testings low amounts..and materials of containers..

My canning jars could use a good cleaning, figure I'd make a tincture w/rubbing alcohol.

For this reason, I prefer buds stay at 65% RH...otherwise the jars begin claiming meds.