48 hours darkness ??

rocpilefsj said:

"The Stichting Institute of Medical marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden.

One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency. SIMM’s growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."


These tests were done under labratory conditions which 99.9% of growers will never see. Notice how it also says "could" and "some varieties"... This is the clearest study I can find available on the subject and it sure as hell doesn't prove anything for me. This is one of those things that people will argue about for years and years and never get anywhere. Do what you think is best for your plants in the end, but there is no need to be a dick because people do not feel the same. Stay High!

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The bold print in your post is the only diddy you'll find on that 'study'. That blurb has been posted and reposted with no links to the actually study itself. I realize you're not taking sides in this matter but as far as I'm concerned, that 'study' never happened.

homebrewer said:

The bold print in your post is the only diddy you'll find on that 'study'. That blurb has been posted and reposted with no links to the actually study itself. I realize you're not taking sides in this matter but as far as I'm concerned, that 'study' never happened.

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I added the bold lol. But it's a Brick Top copy and paste so it must be true???? I am of the exact same opinion as you homebrewer, but to each their own I guess.

Learn2Grow said:

sigh..
actually the plant stays at right around 3% THC content throughout its entire life and then right at the end THC content increases drastically, suddenly and without us knowing the cause.. So with all of the THC production packed into the cycle of the plant no wonder this method works so well. You people are wrong about pretty much everything.. Don't you guys read about this plant at all?

PS if you dont believe this is true cut your bitch down 2 weeks early, smoke that premie and tell me it has 6 weeks worth of THC.

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THC is the product of decarboxylation. It's not present in the form you think it is.

THCA is present in the plant during growth, in different stages of synthesis.
Clear trichomes containing mostly precursors in various stages, cloudy trichomes containing fully realized THC(A).
Trichome production is gradual as MajorCoco said, I'm not sure where you got the idea of a 'sudden drastic increase' from.


And the personal insults have no place here.

homebrewer said:

The bold print in your post is the only diddy you'll find on that 'study'. That blurb has been posted and reposted with no links to the actually study itself. I realize you're not taking sides in this matter but as far as I'm concerned, that 'study' never happened.

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Do your own study then and you will see it works I just did a lil research for another thread (trichs never turn amber) to see what I could quickly come up with and this is the best thing I have found so far

1love

http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2159.html

okay people.. i just tried 24 hours darkness with one of my two plants.. No difference that i could see... however I did notice a difference when drying them in a dark dark room. the ones that were under 24 hours darkness seemed to be more frosty.. HOwever.. this could also be chimed up to the fact that it may have gotten better light or that it was taken care of better.. or what not... so basically my post still didn't prove anything positive or negative.. hahaha!

I'm sure it's been done and documented but at the cost of repeating someone or something. Someone should take two clones from a Sativa strain, Indica and at least one hybrid and do a side by side study. One gets the 24,48,96 or whatever you decide to use darkness time and the other does not. Both get same nutes, water, everything else grown in the same medium and have both lab tested at a reputable lab. Will it be the end all perfect answer, no. But it might show the differences and it would be then documented.

MajorCoco said:

Sigh..do you want to argue with me, or with researchers at the UN...(see the last chart at the bottom of the page)
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/bulletin/bulletin_1997-01-01_1_page003.html

Or perhaps you want to argue with the guys over at GH (many have)
http://www.greenhouseseeds.nl/shop/strains-terpenes-profiles.html

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Yea I looked at your chart.. If you are only getting 4% THC in your end product then there is your problem! THC content in all forms does not increase in a linear fashion. Here from the same article on advanced cannabis cultivation "The floral clusters are barely psychoactive at this stage, and most cannabissmokers classify the reaction as more an "effect" than a "high." This most likely results from small amounts of THC as well as trace amounts of CBC and CBD. CBD production begins when the seedling is very small. THC production also begins when the seedling is very small, if the plant originates from a drug strain. However, THC levels rarely exceed 2% until the early floral stage and rarely produce a "high" until the peak floral stage."
"As a result of low resin production, only a slight terpene aroma and psychoactivity are detectable. The floral clusters are not ready for harvest at this point. Total cannabinoid production has increased markedly over the premature stage but THC levels (still less than 3%) are not high enough to produce more than a subtle effect."

I'm sorry but have you guys really never noticed that youur weed becomes way more fire in just the last week of its life? If you have not, then you have been pulling your girls too early and you are in for quite a pleasant surprise when you try this fruit actually ripe for the first time. I am sorry for being rude but I just find it crudely antiproductive to start from a point where we don't know that the product goes from 3% to 15%+ in it's last stage of floral growth. A chart from the government showing that it goes from 0% to 4% is not going to convince me of anything. Hell the government said it would make me kill my family too....

CashCrops said:

I'm sure it's been done and documented but at the cost of repeating someone or something. Someone should take two clones from a Sativa strain, Indica and at least one hybrid and do a side by side study. One gets the 24,48,96 or whatever you decide to use darkness time and the other does not. Both get same nutes, water, everything else grown in the same medium and have both lab tested at a reputable lab. Will it be the end all perfect answer, no. But it might show the differences and it would be then documented.

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I am working on this also. I will provide photos of each day of harvest. I am doing my best to get the same nugs photographed but overall you can see an improvement in every strain.


Some shots of the line I just moved into ripening stage. And before you guys pick apart minor flaws on my plants let's see some pics of your own perfection right...

chrishydro said:

I flush and water the crap out of them to fill the stalk, buds and branches so when I hang upside down I get the good stuff in the buds. Never tried the 48 hour thing but you could stab them 24 hours before at the base of the stalk, drive a knife right through it, makes the plant produce a lot of juice to the trichs just like adrenalyn runs through our body when we are hurt. Do it in the morning so the light works the plant all day than harvest in the am.

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just once.......or repeatedly?

Ok Im gonna target this nug to have a simple experiment. Here is fresh from the room and after 1 day in the cold dark. And also the picture does not account for the noticeable increase in aroma that you will have to just take my word for.

Notice the AC. You cannot make this work without it. I actually have two in this room.

Hey man, you dont get any hermie issues with all that light leaking in around your ac unit?

matt1420 said:

Hey man, you dont get any hermie issues with all that light leaking in around your ac unit?

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Way too late in the game for hermaphroditing.. This is not in my room. This is where I park my car except at harvest I pull the girls out here to chill while they are being trimmed. And my next line is already in the bloom room.

mr. green thumb 01 said:

Do your own study then and you will see it works I just did a lil research for another thread (trichs never turn amber) to see what I could quickly come up with and this is the best thing I have found so far

1love

http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2159.html

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I've done my 'own' study and tried this dark period deal on probably 16 different strains now. In a blind test, no one could tell a difference. It's your time, it's your meds, do what you see fit.

Learn2Grow said:

I'm sorry but have you guys really never noticed that youur weed becomes way more fire in just the last week of its life? If you have not, then you have been pulling your girls too early and you are in for quite a pleasant surprise when you try this fruit actually ripe for the first time.

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You'll be in for a pleasant surprise when you learn to keep that outrageous spider mite infestation under control. If you're after high potency herb, you'll never realize the genetic potential of any of your strains with your plants under constant attack like that.

Given the millions of mites crawling all over your plants, you're actually the last person that should be giving advice on 'what works' and 'what doesn't' as you can't even manage a healthy environment for your girls.

homebrewer said:

I've done my 'own' study and tried this dark period deal on probably 16 different strains now. In a blind test, no one could tell a difference. It's your time, it's your meds, do what you see fit.



You'll be in for a pleasant surprise when you learn to keep that outrageous spider mite infestation under control. If you're after high potency herb, you'll never realize the genetic potential of any of your strains with your plants under constant attack like that.

Given the millions of mites crawling all over your plants, you're actually the last person that should be giving advice on 'what works' and 'what doesn't' as you can't even manage a healthy environment for your girls.

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Did you make sure and cool the room significantly? Did you ever think maybe you just did it wrong? Now you are giving people wrong advice. Seeing that something does in fact work is more powerful than believing it doesn't based on your own failure. I know this works. And if you could find no difference at all I will tell you, I end up one full week ahead every harvest because of my room opening up early and it also leaves me ample time to trim, without losing THC to the heat and light of the room.

I don't have a spider mite infestation. Clearly I am posting pics of quite excellent plants.. I am trying to show you pics for the ripening of the fruit, what do mites have to do with this thread on darkness anyway?

Let us see a picture of your plants...

homebrewer said:

I've done my 'own' study and tried this dark period deal on probably 16 different strains now. In a blind test, no one could tell a difference. It's your time, it's your meds, do what you see fit.

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Man Greenthumb this says exactly what I have been saying this whole thread. I don't get what the outlash is about. Don't do it if you don't "believe" but dont say it doesn't work because well it does.

• http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2159.html
  
  
  
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"Harvesting in the morning ensures that your plant will be at peak THC content, as cannabis has shown THC fluctuations peaking in morning and dropping during the day. Some growers leave their lights off for several days before harvest to increase potency. This seems to have some scientific validity as light has been shown to degrade THC, hence the morning peaks. As light is the degrading factor and the plant still has the ability to manufacture THC during darkness, leaving the lights off for a day or two before harvest likely utilizes the plants stored potential for THC conversion without any opportunity for it to be degraded into cannabinol (CBN) and other breakdown products.8"

Try this instead. Give your plants the regular 24/0 or 18/6 in veg then instead of switching to 12/12 do 0/24. No light at all. You will see some serious results then.

Learn2Grow said:

Did you make sure and cool the room significantly? Did you ever think maybe you just did it wrong? Now you are giving people wrong advice. Seeing that something does in fact work is more powerful than believing it doesn't based on your own failure. I know this works. And if you could find no difference at all I will tell you, I end up one full week ahead every harvest because of my room opening up early and it also leaves me ample time to trim, without losing THC to the heat and light of the room.

I don't have a spider mite infestation. Clearly I am posting pics of quite excellent plants.. I am trying to show you pics for the ripening of the fruit, what do mites have to do with this thread on darkness anyway?

Let us see a picture of your plants...

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Every picture you've posted in this thread is of plants and flowers covered in spider mites or spider mite damage. You either don't know what mites are or do and just can't contain them. Whether YOU think the dark period deal works or not means nothing as those mites are robbing you of yield and potency. You can't even maintain a consistent environment to grow a healthy, pest-free 'control' group of plants to determine whether doing something different makes a difference .

My plants:

Nice Purple! Of course I know what spider mites are. I stop spraying 4 weeks before harvest and end up with minimal mite damage by the end. I have done this to avoid pesticides late into bloom. If you advice on spider mites I really am an open person to discussion and learning. Just not on a thread about something totally different. I have 5 ops with 3 employees, cross contamination has been an issue even in the sealed environment room.

But sticking to the point... The science backs darkness it and many growers practice the technique. Are you sure user error is not involved in the cases where it didn't work. Is all I am saying..

Learn2Grow said:

Of course I know what spider mites are. I stop spraying 4 weeks before harvest and end up with minimal mite damage by the end. I have done this to avoid pesticides late into bloom. If you advice on spider mites I really am an open person to discussion and learning. Just not on a thread about something totally different. I have 5 ops with 3 employees, cross contamination has been an issue even in the sealed environment room.

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Mites travel in on clothes and pets. I don't allow pets around my girls and I don't wear street clothes around them either. I still have to deal with mites though. Neem, Azamax, and Take Down are effective and I can usually limit damage to a few leaf spots here and there. Those buggers have wrecked quality and yields before so it's important to be preventative. Manually inspecting every leaf on every plant on a daily basis is about the only safe way to treat mites up until harvest day. Removing severally damaged leaves from flowering plants is much better in the long run than leaving them on and trying to treat them accordingly.

But sticking to the point... The science backs darkness it and many growers practice the technique. Are you sure user error is not involved in the cases where it didn't work. Is all I am saying..

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Here is my challenge to everyone; grow two perfect plants from the same mom. 'Dark period' one of them and leave the other in the light. Conduct a blind test with your testers. Usually I'll give them three samples, one went through a dark cycle. Their odds are 33% of picking the winner but not once have any of my testers all picked the same sample. Btw, the testers should also be independent of one another.

In the end, I think you'll find that 48 hours is exactly two days of wasted time.

Nice Purple!

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Thanks, that was a cross I made; Ak47 crossed to a purple strain I have. It smells like sour fruit and looks great but honestly she's not a keeper