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Turning lights off before harvesting

TonkaSun
TonkaSunstarted grow question 2 years ago
I've seen some growers who turn the lights off a couple of days before harvest, and I don't know why. Are there any benefits to doing this? or concerns?
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Other. Harvest - Drying
Setup. Lighting
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HyperactiveHighs
HyperactiveHighsanswered grow question 2 years ago
There is no scientific data to prove this does anything useful. If anything, there is more scientific data to suggest that it may be beneficial to give 48 hours of light as opposed to darkness. There are lots of good videos by Dr. Bruce Bugbee on this topic if you search for him on YouTube. He's the president of Apogee instruments and professor of Environmental Plant Physiology at Utah State University, he knows his stuff. Really it's just a grower's tale that still survives due to prohibition. It isn't until more recently that we can actually get true scientific data on cannabis legally, and in the past people relied on word of mouth and what they could see/smell/experience (i.e. anecdotal experiences). Lights off prevents the burn off of terps, but the plant also CANNOT metabolize sugars into cannabinoids either which is done during photosynthesis. So lights off for 2 days + leaving the plants alone and not opening the tent + ventilation probably turned low because there's no heat to deal with - altogether it makes for a SMELLY experience when you return to your plants to chop them down, which is where the idea of "omg more smell more terps more flavor more thc" came from, but it doesn't actually translate that way in reality.
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Growstick
Growstickanswered grow question 2 years ago
This is why people do it = supposedly, the increased dark hours puts the plant into a state of biological panic as it associates darkness with winter (and therefore death). The plant wants nothing more but to make seeds before it dies, so it produces trichomes and terpenes to attract pollinators and catch any passing pollen more effectively. In the "Bro scientist" mind: the act of putting it in darkness for 48 hours should therefore increase the THC and terpene content in the plant just before you harvest. However, I have done this myself for many years and listened to all of the Bruce Bugbee lectures etc... I still honestly couldn't tell you whether it had any effect at all. I did read recently that it may increase final THC yields by something like 0.2%, but it's another one of those things that needs more research from actual scientists. Years of stupid laws and persecution against growers has put cannabis growing back a hundred years in comparison to the amount of scientific research available on growing hops and making beer. And why wouldn't they research that? All in pursuit of getting drunk so you can go out and have a fight on a Saturday night, or run some kid over, but you couldn't mind your own business and grow a naturally occurring plant. Good job, Nixon! Your "war on drugs" shall be remembered and we will spit on it's grave and yours! Yes it sounds feasible from the "bro science" stand point, but nature doesn't necessarily work how "bro science" wants it to. Test it and see for yourself - I certainly don't think it made the product worse, I just don't know whether it actually improved it.
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GrowingGrannie
GrowingGrannieanswered grow question 2 years ago
I've yet to hear anything that makes me want to do this - I think it's a silly old wives tale myself.... But you do what you want to do ... I doubt it will do anything either positive or negative.
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UnkleSkunk
UnkleSkunkanswered grow question 2 years ago
si utilizza per creare un piccolo stress per aumentare la resina per molti funziona molti dicono che non serve a nulla c'è da dire che il massimo del thc sulle cime è al risveglio quindi in teoria allungare il buio dovrebbe mantenerlo piu alto di quando è alla luce io gli do 24 /48 ore di buio prima della raccolta
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