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Long darkness before harvest, is it working?

Dirizhor
Dirizhorstarted grow question 3d ago
Is any one had experience proving that long darkness periods (24h, 2 days, longer?) before harvest improve crop quality?
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ATLien415
ATLien415answered grow question 2d ago
Perhaps folks can start doing research instead of asking the same questions for the same accounts to have the same arguments. Will it trigger a fade, yes. Is it sound logically, no. I've done this each and every way for experience and can discuss the science behind it. Long story short, light does degrade trichomes and the plant has a daily cycle of repairing trichomes (this is the majority of your flowering period). The plants also have an incredibly accurate and well-establishing circadian rhythm. Anything you do to adjust the photoperiod is going to dramatically stress this natural rhythm. The argument for doing this FOR fading is silly. you should be well into the very final days of your fade by now, so you're late and wrong if you do darkness for this. If you just wanted to stress them go hit them right before harvest. Or throw ice in their solution. I wouldn't mess with the primary driver of their entire life for no reason. Basically, if it involves dramatically changing things at the end...then you are growing wrong or going off bad (20-40 year old timer anecdote/'crack an egg yolk on your seeds and do a rain dance or it is mids' type) advice. The balance is when to chop. If you are a fader (like me) then force a fade whenever you want by small changes in photoperiod (like shortening) or temperature changes in solution or air. Chopping at somewhere between the mid point of the established dark period and the noon-equivalent of the day period is the best time to harvest. Least free salts in tissue above the roots for the day and maximized potency on the daily cycle. I always turn my lights down at the end of the flowering period. I might be at 400 ppfd by then. Because I want to protect the trichomes I spent 4 months stewarding to the finish line. none of this is complicated. The only complicated part is 100 folks with 1/100th of the science coming together to try to make a cohesive statement.
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Ultraviolet
Ultravioletanswered grow question 2d ago
Lol 72 hours of darkness with no light is a known trigger for senesceance. This is a signal to the plant to begin autophagy, releasing enzymes that accelerates the decomposition of chloryphyll. Rather than having the plant hang for a couple before signal is recieved. More of a jumpstart than anything else. But meh, don't recall anyone saying anything about magic plants. Will help give you a slightly smoother smoke, that's about it. How much? Who cares? 1% is still 1%. All I know is all those little 1%'s add up.
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John_Kramer
John_Krameranswered grow question 2d ago
Cannabinoid Degradation: Cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, are susceptible to degradation when exposed to light, especially UV light. Overexposure can result in the breakdown of these valuable compounds, reducing the potency and therapeutic effects of the cured cannabis. yeh u can blast em with 24/7 before harvest bs u don't know the simple rules of destroying THC on the ligh shame on u guys ='(ъ
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Organoman
Organomananswered grow question 2d ago
It is BS! There is nothing you can do in the last two days after weeks/months of careful growing that will turn normal buds into super buds. No light = no photosynthesis = a plant that is comatosed = a plant that is unable to process anything.
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m0use
m0useanswered grow question 2d ago
plants use light to build trichomes and other things. can't do a lot of shit in the dark in terms of building. Plus that stuff takes time, it can't do much in 2 days. Its a bro myth in my books. If anything blast em with 24/7 light the last few days. or do nothing at all and keep it stupid simple.
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00110001001001111O
00110001001001111Oanswered grow question 2d ago
I've yet to see anything other than anecdotal accounts... so unless you find some hard evidence it's an assumption and assumptions make people look like asses. Also initial studies that show something is statistically significant is not proof. just a good reason for further investigation. Always read methodology and discussion/conclusion sections. Bad research sticks out like a sore thumb. one thing is for sure, even if it has an effect, it's so tiny it really doesn't matter. One day out of 80-100+? Ain't gonna do much. You cannot accurately nor precisely measure aerial density of trichomes with the naked eye, a handful of plants and a jeweler's loupe, lol.
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John_Kramer
John_Krameranswered grow question 2d ago
yes it is 1) plant burning thc on the light to protect itself and recovering its quantity on dark time 2) it stops feeding and start to eat itself also getting some stress wich stimulate thc quantity usually ppl do 72h or 7 days (with drought) it won't be better like 50 or 80% but around 15% for sure u can ask Bruce Bugbee he did some tests gl man Ps u should try it to belive it
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therealgrowmie
therealgrowmieanswered grow question 2d ago
Hey Growmie! It is very unlikely that the plant is doing anything productive without light for photosynthisis. :) Until next time!
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