48hrs of darkness before harvest?

some growers say it helps trichome enrichment some say don't make a difference some say makes trichomes greasy?

What's a greasy trichome?

I've been told that is supposed to increase resin production... not sure about this one.

The theory behind it is that much like flushing to eliminate any excess nutrients so that plant puts its last efforts into the buds. With the dark photo period you are sending a message to the plant that it is going to die so it uses what it has left. I dunno if it works though.

I give about 48 hours of darkness before harvest alot of time, just because I don't have time to cut them untill the weekend.
I have never noticed a difference.

Yeah, what is a greasy trichome?

The one time I heard someone put a number to the darkness thing they said it increases thc content by less than 1%.

I have absolutely nothing to back that up. Just what I heard.

I have done 72 hours and 48 hours over the years, I dont know if it helps but thats the way I was taught so thats what i do.

This all started from one study that claimed there 'might' be an increase.. Was never proven, they will not release the report or how the test was run and no one has run another test.

Do what you like. I cut my plants and hang them in the dark anyways.. so what's the diff?

yeah by greasy trichome i meant more oily i guess butt i don't think it makes a difference... as long as you let your herb dry in the dark your good

I dont know what it does to change THC content but it always helps to ripen up the last of the unfinished flowers. The plants usually come out of the dark with an almost amber aura to them. I dont know if it makes a difference for sure. I have not done a side by side to have a real answer. With my experience with trying it both ways, I try to give them the 48-72 hour dark period when I can. I feel like it makes a difference.

if you think it makes a difference enough it will make a difference. Placebo growing techniques

i'm so so with this method, maybe it helps, doesn't seem to hurt
i did just chop after about 30 hours of dark, and it does look like some extra maturity in the trichomes
i had been checking, maybe not as a close as i could have, was a reveg so had a pretty good idea of the point i wanted things to be
a few days after the cut i see quite a few more ambers than i saw on my last trichome check, quite a few 'clear amber' trichomes, which is the 1st time i've ever seen such a thing

I do the 48...but, truthfully. I don't really see any difference.
Could just be me..lol

e theory behind the 72 hours of dark before you harvest is to increase potency. Look at what is known. Light destroys trichomes and during the plants dark period it packs on trichomes naturally to protect the plant itself from sunlight. 72 hours of dark gives the plant three days of dark to produce more trichomes without them being harmed by light. Hope this helps

Travis9226 said:

e theory behind the 72 hours of dark before you harvest is to increase potency. Look at what is known. Light destroys trichomes and during the plants dark period it packs on trichomes naturally to protect the plant itself from sunlight. 72 hours of dark gives the plant three days of dark to produce more trichomes without them being harmed by light. Hope this helps

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where did you read this bro, this is the first explanation that made sense!

t2kallday said:

where did you read this bro, this is the first explanation that made sense!

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nevermind i found it...your right. Im going to lower humidity a ton and put plants in cold wind, and dark for three days thats gotta do something good! check it out! Inside the Trichome | Cannabis Culture

I have heard this way back.. I have tried 48 hours, in the early morning, late at night and now I just walk in when theres time and chop. If you have done everything right... then wtf is this MYTH really going to accomplish anyways.. I could never tell the difference myself.

putting a plant into darkness for two or three days stresses it out, the plant thinks she is going to die and makes more resin to catch any pollen she can before she dies... It works... i use a 48h dark period. the greasy feeling is the natural oils that build up on the plant... thats it really

Don't know about any of the dark time shit. Been growing outdoors for over 30 years and certainly don't put black trashbags over my plants the last few days. Wouldn't do it indoors either. It is what it is and if you did it right it should be good to go. Just me though.

I've had success with the following technique. On the day of harvest, I pull the plant out of the room sometime during the day cycle (usually after its recieved 5-6 hours of light). Then leave it in a dark room until I have time to trim. Usually another 8 - 10 hours. I've also tried the "dark period" for 24, 36 and 72 hours, but didnt really notice a difference. It seems that interupting the light cycle, followed by darkness, makes plumpier buds. I actually did a comparison test three months ago and observed 4mm average bigger radius in buds that had a light cycle interuption the day before harvesting. In terms of dry weight, I didnt notice a significant difference, so maybe the buds just absorb more fluids making them bigger. The average was based on 6 plants, so I suppose it could also be a fluke.

this is advice given much too freely
evidently certain (white) strains do "ice" up after a 48-72 hour dark period, but it's crap
take 2 plants of the same strain
at harvest time, put 1 in a cardboard box for 2 days with next to no water - dont even peak at it
leave the other in your room 2 extra days
i've got a pack of tga beans says the 1 in your room is harder and icier and funkier to boot
people are silly - wanna ice up your buds? put a box fan from walmart on medium and put it right against your plant for its last 2-3 days
it's really a matter of a magic little zone you are trying to hit - you want to cause your plant stress without stressing it out,,,,,,,rofl
seriously - plants make resin for 2 reasons - to capture pollen and to protect their tender vegetation
water stress and air stress are much more likely to help resin production than darkness
heat stress is good, but could increase humidity inside the bud, encouraging botrytis(bud rot)