Urgent: Mega Opinions Required to Settle Debate

Greetings All:
My partner and I are about two days away from harvesting one of the most BEAUTIFUL crops I've ever laid eyes on buttttttttttttt we have an issue "or two" that we could REALLY use opinions from experienced indoor growers.
Here's the scoop:
Lights in the "room" come on at 10:00am. I most definitely agree with my partner insofar as the trimming should begin after the lights have been on for a bit. As for HOW LONG, I'm really not sure. Partner believes that they should be on for a couple hours to insure the crystals have had ample time to "come to a head" so to speak. Sooooooooooo giving the 2 hrs. on, trimming wouldn't commence till HIGH NOON "no pun intended"...
Here's where the debate comes in. I'm very much a morning person that starts their day at around 5:00am I'm really working my tail off trying to finish a HUGE reno job I started so burn out for me starts between 2-3pm. cause I've been up 9-10hours at that point. 5am-noon translates into SEVEN hours that a good portion of which could "possibly" be used for trimming if it wasn't for having to have the lights on for that crystal factor. I suggested flipping the lights on a couple of hours earlier. So instead of 10:00am they would come on at 8:00, and IF they really DO need TWO whole hours for that crystal factor then I could at least start trimming at 10:00.
My partner insists that the plants and consequently "the crop" will LOSE WEIGHT if I FLIP the lights two hours earlier. It sincerely is NOT MY INTENTION to put the crop at risk IF what he's saying is TRUE, BUTTTTTTTTT on the flipside I don't want to waste time IF it really wouldn't hurt the plants, with weight loss etc.
I'm going to show him this thread first thing in the morning so I'm hoping like hell that there is lots of you folk reading AND responding to this thread. One way or the other. I NEED to know for sure!
1. How long do the lights need to be on for crystal formation?
2. Will flipping the lights at 8:00am negatively affect the plants?
THANKS in advance to EVERYBODY who takes the time to let me know their opinions
preferably based on experience...

r u serious, where do people get this garbage from. crystal formation from lights, lol. sry, couldnt help it.

Here is the best way for an optimal harvest:

36-48 hours of complete darkness before harvest, & then u harvest FIRST thing in the morning...so at least that jives with u being an early bird.

So what I'm hearing from your opinion is that the lights being on have absolutely NOTHING to do with crystals surfacing on the buds? I HAVE heard of the complete darkness prior to trimming though I've never tried it.
Thanks for your reply.

the formation of resin glands has everything to do with the spectrum of the light that hits the plant... however, as far as potency is concerned, thexception is correct.. darkness seems to help, IMHO.

Complete darkness,drowning.........................amateur hour.
The best way to do it is actually let them finish,trim,hang till dry.
Especially if your processing quantity.

Hey IAm5toned:
Sorry but a tad confused. Are YOU saying that the lights SHOULD be on for a period of time before you start trimming?
IF so, HOW LONG would you say they SHOULD be on???
Thanks for the response.

I always harvest right at lights on, may take a couple of hours to get all of the plants out, but I actually think the first ones look better when trimming. Finished product you couldn't tell if you tried. The whole darkness thing goes out the window quick in a perpetual hydro set up. Most books i have read say right at lights on is best, couldn't remotely remember why, but i know it was a Cervantes book that said it.
They expect the lights on at 10, i wouldn't harvest any earlier than that, as far as turning the light on, it might reduce some hormones therefore affect resin production. Hormones are made during the dark, i believe they have a lot to do with resin production, that i could be wrong on.
Good Luck and Happy Harvest.

Magpie501 said:

So what I'm hearing from your opinion is that the lights being on have absolutely NOTHING to do with crystals surfacing on the buds? I HAVE heard of the complete darkness prior to trimming though I've never tried it.
Thanks for your reply.

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it is not an opinion. crystals do not surface on buds, what ur speaking of is trichs or trichomes which are the tiny bulbous things u would see if u examined ur plant under a microscope. These hold the THC that get u high, stoned, medicated. Now I am glad to hear ur plant is beautiful, however I caution u, how do you KNOW it is 2 days away from harvest? Because some "suggested window" told u x amount of days?

Ur plants should be harvested according to the color of the trichs, again that u can only see under a microscope OR magnifier of at least 30X magnification for best view. U can "guess" by the plant hairs, or just know with years of experience with a certain strain or in general overall, but u worked this hard to get this beauty, why would u chance pulling her potentially too early? She may look nice, but that doesnt mean she is ready, & certainly no disrespect, but if u have so little knowledge (right now, we all were there at one time)...to think that trichs r called crystals & to think that the light helps bring them out, when in fact the light only makes them illuminate more for u to see them with the naked eye, then u really have no idea if it is ready or not.

Now u can get one "maybe" at ur local radio shak. U can also post the pics here for more experienced opinions on whether they r really done or not if u dont know. I am trying to help u get the BEST from ur grow.

FYI: THC levels peak early in the am, & that is why ur best option is to pull her early. Darktime "may" be a factor in increasing THC slightly (debated issue), and once u have harvested (cut ur plant to dry) she is to have NO light, because once she is ready, from that point forward light actually degrades the THC from the plant & while those "crystals" as u say, may still shine in the light, the potency will be retarded. BTW if ur plant is that "frosty" as we call it with the naked eye, u have one hellava beauty there for sure!

everything that i've read is to leave them in complete darkness for an extended period of time to help create all of the trics that the plant is going to create.. i've also heard of flushing the last day or two with ice cold water to kind of shock the plant into producing more trics, but i've never tried either of the two..
but i honestly don't see any point on what having the lights on for two hours is going to do for you... if you've already grown the plants to their optimum, i don't see what more you can really do to produce more trichomes.. at the end of the day, and the end of the grow, i don't really see what kind of benefits your going to get by doing any of these so called tricks.. at that stage, you're pretty much going to get what you're going to get in my eyes..

okay, I see now reading some of the replies where ur confusion probably came into play. Lights on, when it comes to harvest, only means what would have been ur lights on period...since obviously u cant see in the dark, & if ur not going to do a period of darkness before u harvest, well then u would do it when you TURN ur lights on, simply as that. Not that they need to be on for x amount of time before u harvest.

1. Don't grow with a partner, for the same reason you don't do anything with a partner, business-wise.

2. Consult a botanist, not some hip-jive-looking fool-pot head like Cervantes .

3. If you cannot consult a real authority on this matter, become the authority yourself. Even if you only had one plant, you could harvest part of that with lights off, another part with lights just on, and then more after your partners(soon to be ex) bs 2 hour rule.

Point is, if you need information this badly (mega opinions?), and cannot get it, the best way is to experiment on your own, as long as you use something similar to the big S-method(I hope you don't need this link, I believe it's for 3rd grade teachers ), and you should be fine.

Thanks Thexception.
I understand what you were saying. As far as how do I "KNOW" they will be ready in exactly TWO days... That two day remark was made because my partner wants to wait for two more days for whatever reason. We've had our "issues" soooooooo if waiting two more days makes him happy then far out & groovy, two days are NOT going to make a whole lot of difference. For the most part they are looking up to 50% brown which has ALWAYS been the way that "I" personally determined WHEN was the right time...
As far as the lights being on for a bit BEFORE you start trimming. I have heard BOTH the DARK AND the LIGHT argued to no end and I'll be the first to admit I'm not sure WHO'S right anymore. I guess I'd have to see TWO crops of the SAME strain with the SAME EVERYTHING and THEN look at them both with a magnifing glass to determine just WHAT effect either/either is had...
I really DO appreciate your opinion though and "NO disrespect" taken. I never CLAIMED to have the greenest thumb going, that's why I check out these forums. If I have a curiousity, I'll research it via these forums. IF I manage to get the same answer 8-9 times out of 10, I'm going to grant some credibility. Thats all...

yes, i feel ya on getting the concensus of the same answer. Light doesnt do anything for the harvest, (except degrade it after u chop) I simply think u misunderstood people arguing about if a darktime was warranted before harvest vs none. Right 2 days is not going to matter much & again I hear u when ur talking about 50% brown hairs...but if we r lucky we learn & grow all the time. Having said that, I am hear to let u know there is a better way. All plants, not even most plants, can be harvested by that "rule of thumb" if u will; it just doesnt work like that. Now granted, ur going to get high or stoned, but wouldnt u like to choose between, having a soaring uplifting high vs a sit on ur ass not wanting to move couch lock stone? U might want the first one, or the other one, or a combination of both. That is what checking the trichs can do for u, & they can make sure, ur not harvesting too early & getting maybe only 1/2 of the punch u could be getting from a proper harvest.

In any event, I am glad u finally decided to chime in, here at RIU & hope u do so more often

OK, I MUST be burning out. I just typed out an entire large response and then hit refresh the page BEFORE I actully posted what I had typed.
I'll try this one more time. In regards to your remark thexception about HOW do I KNOW it's only two more days. The ONLY reason I said this is because my partner wanted to wait for two more days for WHATEVER reason. All I know is that if it makes him HAPPY then FAR-OUT & GROOVY. There's been wayyyyyyyy too many "issues" and two days ain't going to MAKE or BREAK the crop at this stage of the game.
I have ALWAYS gone by the 50% brown, RULE of THUMB and it's always worked for me so NO DISRESPECT taken fella. I NEVER claimed to have the greenest thumb on the planet that's why if I have a curiousity I hit these forums and IF I get the same answer 8-9 times out of ten THEN I'll perhaps grant it some credibility. Thats all...
I'll check this again in the morning. Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too tired right now!

What the hell. I just posted that last post which is the one I thought DIDN'T get posted. That's it. I'm hitting the sack lol.
Been nice yaking with ya. I'll check again come morning.
Nite EVERYONE...

Magpie501 said:

What the hell. I just posted that last post which is the one I thought DIDN'T get posted. That's it. I'm hitting the sack lol.
Been nice yaking with ya. I'll check again come morning.
Nite EVERYONE...

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Hey Mag,

The truth is... is that you shouldn't worry about trichomes too much as your about to harvest. The work is done, the deed is done! What I'm saying is that there is nothing that is going to "change" or dramatically effect any results now, it took them 8-11 weeks to get to where they are and nothing is going to majically alter your buds now. Your best bet is to leave them in complete darkness, without water, for approx. 24-48 hours and do NOT let any light touch them before you cut them from their roots ok? What this does is it tells the plant that it's not going to get anymore light and sends it into shock mode which increases (maximises) resins/trichomes... a bit. Cannabis is a photoperiod plant and when light hits it for it's daytime period it begins pulling up nutrients and such from it's roots, which you don't want in your plant now because you want clean tasting, smooth pot. So harvest in the dark without light touching them and all that unwanted nutrient matter will stay in the roots and your pot will be automatically cleaner then if they had light all day or for a couple hours. This is my best advice based on my time growing and harvesting. Hope this works out for you. P.S. I've asked you about 5-6 times now if the hot shots worked and for some reason you just won't tell me? lol ttyl Mag

~ BCbuddy

BCBuddy420 said:

Hey Mag,

The truth is... is that you shouldn't worry about trichomes too much as your about to harvest. The work is done, the deed is done! What I'm saying is that there is nothing that is going to "change" or dramatically effect any results now, it took them 8-11 weeks to get to where they are and nothing is going to majically alter your buds now. Your best bet is to leave them in complete darkness, without water, for approx. 24-48 hours and do NOT let any light touch them before you cut them from their roots ok? What this does is it tells the plant that it's not going to get anymore light and sends it into shock mode which increases (maximises) resins/trichomes... a bit. Cannabis is a photoperiod plant and when light hits it for it's daytime period it begins pulling up nutrients and such from it's roots, which you don't want in your plant now because you want clean tasting, smooth pot. So harvest in the dark without light touching them and all that unwanted nutrient matter will stay in the roots and your pot will be automatically cleaner then if they had light all day or for a couple hours. This is my best advice based on my time growing and harvesting. Hope this works out for you. P.S. I've asked you about 5-6 times now if the hot shots worked and for some reason you just won't tell me? lol ttyl Mag

~ BCbuddy

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He's got it exactly right. Though I'm assuming you guys cut out the nutes and have just been feeding with straight water for at least a few days. Post some pics and we can really get a debate going haha.

Nowadays, I don't let light touch any plant matter during the harvest/trim/dry/1st curing process after 72 hr darkness. I trim under lots of green lights.

elduece said:

Nowadays, I don't let light touch any plant matter during the harvest/trim/dry/1st curing process after 72 hr darkness. I trim under lots of green lights.

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Always wondered about that, does doing all that in complete darkness actually make a diff ?

i thought the complete darkness thing was just a "idea" someone came up with, but i tried it and it really made my triches milky and made the pot stonier.

i dont thnk harvesting in any fashion will be detrimental to thebud, as long as you grew it correctly