"Mens Dei"
What can be made to expand, airy and loose, can also be made to contract, dense and tight.
Trichomes do not discriminate, although we like to think of trichomes' primary purpose as being to get us high; they are there to provide photoprotection (sunscreen). Trichomes apply themselves based on area dimensions; the more area = the more trichomes in order to protect. Different from density: Trichomes, the resinous glands on plants, are often produced in response to stress, including high light intensity. This increased production can lead to denser trichome coverage on the plant, stress, stress, stress, stress is the signal. There is a certain beauty in watching the large water-filled buds once swollen to the brim slowly shrink during drying, as the surface areas contract, the trichomes just cluster up to form denser and denser coatings, already dense from high light intensities, UVB exposure, and IPS, and every other stressor I could tweak. Trichomes, the resinous glands on cannabis plants, are often produced in response to various forms of stress. These stresses can be environmental, like excess light(HIL) or UV-B radiation, temperature fluctuations, or drought, or mechanical, such as wind, pruning, or even the weight of the plant's own buds. The plant reacts to these stressors by increasing trichome production as a defensive mechanism to protect itself and its valuable compounds like THC and CBD. In essence, cannabis plants perceive stress as a threat and respond by producing more trichomes as a way to protect themselves and their valuable compounds. Several studies have shown this. Not so much a "master" grower as a master of stress.
Psssst.
Trichomes fill with "antioxidants," including THC.
Ant"ox"idants,
The production of antioxidants in plants is intricately linked to their oxidative apparatus.
The plant has limited oxidative capacity/apparatus. During daytime photosynthesis, a large percentage of that oxidative capacity is tied up in protecting the plant.
During the night, plants alter their metabolic pathways. This leads to a far more focused production of specific antioxidants, like THC. Plants also produce antioxidants during the day to scavenge ROS made from photosynthesis. The differential ROS production by blue and IR light can have significant biological consequences. For example, high levels of ROS induced by blue light can lead to cell damage and death, while lower levels of ROS produced by IR light may be involved in beneficial cellular signaling pathways. Long nights under the IR (very low ROS), the boost in cellular respiration, and the boost in energy production. In a perfect world, I'd give the plant a shock treatment of 60DLI in 4 hours and give her the other 20 hours to perform cellular respiration under IR. The stress of those 4 hours would be rigorous and full of stress abound, 1800-2000ppm CO2 is easy for a couple of hours during daylight, it's maintaining it that's hard, but 4 hours is very doable with nothing but a little extra "carbon sugar" in your medium every other night during the first 4 weeks of flower.
In my opinion, you only need to jack CO2 for those first 4 weeks of flower to see maximal output, after that it's all about trichome preservation, everything else comes second. Without the temps to assist with metabolism, CO2 is reduced to normal levels along with temps 4-5th week of flower.
Buds are primarily composed of water. Developing flower buds, like other plant tissues, require a significant amount of water for growth and turgor pressure, which helps maintain their structure and firmness.
Turgor pressure in plant cells is primarily generated by osmosis, but transpiration plays a crucial role in maintaining it.
The optimal internal leaf surface temperature for photosynthesis at 1800-2000ppm CO2 is likely in the upper range of 97°F, meaning ambient would need to sit at 102°F-ish or thereabout for full metabolic utilization. That's putting your transpirational pulling force x5 x6 maybe x7 of what it would be if she were cruising at 68F.
"My buds won't fatten, what can I do!!"
Crank it. If your purpose was to blow up a balloon as fast as you can, as much as you can, would you use 2x force or x5 Force to do so? Bad analogy, but you get the idea. Kiss.
Optimize photosynthesis & VPD by day, cellular respiration by night.
TECHNICALLY:
"While transpiration and cellular respiration are both ongoing plant processes, they are not neatly separated into day and night. Both processes occur both day and night, though at different rates and with different emphasis. Transpiration, the release of water vapor from plant surfaces, is primarily driven by sunlight and photosynthesis during the day, but it also continues at a lower rate at night. Cellular respiration, which provides energy for the plant, occurs continuously, both day and night. "
A leaf can perform cellular respiration and photosynthesis simultaneously. During daylight hours, plant cells utilize both processes: photosynthesis to produce glucose and oxygen, and cellular respiration to break down glucose and release energy for the cell's needs. The products of photosynthesis (glucose and oxygen) are used as reactants in cellular respiration, while the products of cellular respiration (carbon dioxide and water) can be used in photosynthesis.
The limiting factor is the oxidative capacity; the less a leaf is utilizing photosynthesis, the less oxidative capacity it uses, and the more it can perform cellular respiration.
Even if a leaf is not in an optimal photosynthetic position, it can still utilize respiration to its full capacity during daylight hours. Kinda too much info to explain when some asks if they should defoliate or not, yeah add calmag or some shit.
BUT Only 10% ATP can be processed through photosynthesis and carbon capture.
90% of ATP is processed when the plant's oxidative capacity becomes available (NIGHTTIME). Cellular respiration relies on the process of oxidation to generate energy. Specifically, the final stage of cellular respiration, called oxidative phosphorylation, utilizes oxygen as the final electron acceptor to produce a substantial amount of ATP, the cell's primary energy currency.
Factors such as oxygen concentration, glucose availability and temperature will all impact the amount of aerobic respiration an organism will perform.
See you next grow, *twiddles thumbs*