Best time to Harvest~ Lights on or Off~not sure it matters but wanna check!
- Thread starter Jayzee
- Start date
Brick Top
New Member
Prior to lights coming on ... light degrades THC ... but an extended period of darkness before harvesting is even better.
"The Stichting Institute of Medical marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden.
One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.SIMM’s growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."
"The Stichting Institute of Medical marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden.
One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.SIMM’s growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."
would it make a difference if i actually harvested in a green room? if i let my normal lights stay off rather than turn on at their usual time? i have green lights i can use and go harvest in the green light without using true light and disrupting the plants. youve already said its best to have extended dark periods before harvest and to harvest before the lights come on... so what im getting at is, if i harvested under a green light and never exposed the buds to light after harvest, until the point i actually smoke them, would this make superior buds? or is there a point where its required or just necessary to expose them to light?
Serapis
Well-Known Member
Harvest in green...... do not let plants see light on harvest day and here is why.... BT offered you the common reasons, here is one scientific one..... as the plant rests, or sleeps, broken down sugars and other chemicals are sent to the roots to rest, because they are not needed for photosynthesis when the plant is resting. Once the lights come on, and the process starts, those starches are sent back up the plant to provide leaves with resources for photosynthesis. Those same starches are what we cure the bud to get rid of, to smoothen the smoke and take the harshness out.
I'm not a huge fan of 72 hours of darkness yet, but it makes sense.... I do go 24-48 hours darkness and I cut with green lights on.
I hope this helps in some fashion...
I'm not a huge fan of 72 hours of darkness yet, but it makes sense.... I do go 24-48 hours darkness and I cut with green lights on.
I hope this helps in some fashion...
Its just best in general to try to keep buds out of the light, even when they are cured. If I had the capability (green lights) I would definitely go green.
Also those LED headlamps that tweakers wear, you can get those with green LED so you can tweak out on your plants in the dark, alot of outdoor growers use those.
Also those LED headlamps that tweakers wear, you can get those with green LED so you can tweak out on your plants in the dark, alot of outdoor growers use those.
Brick Top
New Member
Stages of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis occurs in two stages. These stages are called the light reactions and the dark reactions. The light reactions take place in the presence of light. The dark reactions do not require direct light.
Light reactions occur mostly in the thylakoid stacks of the grana. Here, sunlight is converted to chemical energy in the form of ATP (free energy containing molecule) and NADPH (high energy electron carrying molecule). Chlorophyll absorbs light energy and starts a chain of steps that result in the production of ATP, NADPH, and oxygen (through the splitting of water). Oxygen is released through the stomata. Both ATP and NADPH are used in the dark reactions to produce sugar.
Dark reactions occur in the stroma. Carbon dioxide is converted to sugar using ATP and NADPH. This process is known as carbon fixation or the Calvin cycle. Carbon dioxide is combined with a 5-carbon sugar creating a 6-carbon sugar. The 6-carbon sugar is eventually broken-down into two molecules, glucose and fructose. These two molecules make sucrose or sugar.
[SIZE=+1]stroma - part of the chloroplasts in plant cells, located within the inner membrane of chloroplasts, between the grana.[/SIZE]
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Brick Top
New Member
When it comes to potency it does matter. Decades, or maybe way longer, before growers knew that sunlight degrades THC growers learned that harvesting before the sun came up resulted in higher potency than harvesting later in the day or at sunset.
theexpress
Well-Known Member
yeah cuzz there is a huge difference in potency between a 56 day strain picked on day 56 in the mourning, then the same 56 day strain picked on day 56 at night lololololol....
Brick Top
New Member
Possibly you missed this:
Stages of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis occurs in two stages. These stages are called the light reactions and the dark reactions. The light reactions take place in the presence of light. The dark reactions do not require direct light.
Light reactions occur mostly in the thylakoid stacks of the grana. Here, sunlight is converted to chemical energy in the form of ATP (free energy containing molecule) and NADPH (high energy electron carrying molecule). Chlorophyll absorbs light energy and starts a chain of steps that result in the production of ATP, NADPH, and oxygen (through the splitting of water). Oxygen is released through the stomata. Both ATP and NADPH are used in the dark reactions to produce sugar.
Dark reactions occur in the stroma. Carbon dioxide is converted to sugar using ATP and NADPH. This process is known as carbon fixation or the Calvin cycle. Carbon dioxide is combined with a 5-carbon sugar creating a 6-carbon sugar. The 6-carbon sugar is eventually broken-down into two molecules, glucose and fructose. These two molecules make sucrose or sugar.
[SIZE=+1]stroma - part of the chloroplasts in plant cells, located within the inner membrane of chloroplasts, between the grana.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE]Doesn't the dark reaction stage ofphotosynthesiswhere carbon dioxide is converted to sugar using STP and NADPH, a process known as carbon fixation and also the Calvin Cycle and carbon dioxide is combined with a 5-carbon sugar creating a 6-carbon sugar say something different than you did? The 6-carbon sugar is eventually broken down into two molecules, glucose and fructose, and they make sugar, and this occurs during the second stage of photosynthesis, during hours of darkness, doesn't that somewhat contradict where you said; "plant is not making new sugars or photosynthesizing in the dark" since new sugars are produced during hours of darkness and it is a process that is one stage of the two stage process of photosynthesis?
Maybe I am missing something here but according to plant biology the process of photosynthesis is an ongoing thing, something that occurs in two stages, one of them during hours of light and the other during hours of darkness and in the second stage, during hours of darkness, new sugars are produced. So what is it that I am missing considering that both ATP and NADPH are used in the dark reaction stage of photosynthesis to produce sugar?
Serapis
Well-Known Member
I didn't miss shit..... you can't read..... the plant is using up those sugars at night, just like your cut and paste states,.. if someone has plant in dark for 72 hours, the fucking plant ain't making new sugars, it is using up what it already has..... If there is no photosynthesis for 72 hours, where are new sugars coming from?
Did you really think that you needed to post your cut and paste twice in the same thread? Are you back to being an ass?
Welcome back....
Photosynthesis doesn't happen in marijuana plants at night C3 classification, remember?
Did you really think that you needed to post your cut and paste twice in the same thread? Are you back to being an ass?
Welcome back....
Photosynthesis doesn't happen in marijuana plants at night C3 classification, remember?
i was just asking for some basic advice....and your post covers it im sure but im half battered and need a degree to work that out...ill read that in the morning......well afternoon...however from what i gather in one period they are making and in the other they are distributing and using....
Brick Top
New Member
Originally Posted by Brick TopWhen it comes to potency it does matter. Decades, or maybe way longer, before growers knew that sunlight degrades THC growers learned that harvesting before the sun came up resulted in higher potency than harvesting later in the day or at sunset.
Many growers figured it out long before scientific research proved it to be true that light degrades THC.
But look at it logically. Most people tend to purchase strains that are as high in THC as they can find or afford. Some spend large amounts of money on their setups and 'designer soils' and 'designer nutrients' and some spend additional money for CO2 setups and some spend even more to add UV-B lighting and some spend money so they can control not only temperatures but also humidity ranges, and some also do more, all so they can squeeze every last tiny bit of potency out of what they grow. So why then ignore proven scientific fact and allow plants to be exposed to THC degrading light before someone harvests their crop?
If someone is going to willingly throw away some amount of potency, even if only a small amount, then why bother to have spent all they spend and put in all the time they did to do all the things they did up until that point in an attempt to achieve maximum potency ... only to just throw some of their expense, efforts and potency away at the end?
It would be totally illogical to do so.
Oh .. and just out of curiosity, what difference would it make if it were a 56 day strain or a 105 day strain?
Serapis
Well-Known Member
I thought people use co2 for better growth, not potency...... You know better than that BT. Nothing we do is going to increase the THC... We can harvest at peak, but you are not going to change the plant's potential with gear. The gear is to increase yields, so your argument is off base.
p.s. Marijuana, or cannabis, is a c3 plant.... it does not photosynthesize at night and produce sugars.....
p.s. Marijuana, or cannabis, is a c3 plant.... it does not photosynthesize at night and produce sugars.....
Brick Top
New Member
When I am wrong I am wrong and it took some searching for me to feel about 86% sure that I likely was wrong, or at least partially wrong and that should be enough in this case for me to admit it.
In December I had a total computer failure and I lost years of links to what was an almost limitless number of scientific research findings and general growing information.
I had a fairly recent research study, roughly in the last year, that found that some strains of cannabis are not just C3 species but actually C3-C4 intermediate species. I am almost sure it was only a number of the tropical strains though (so I am only talking about a limited number of landrace strains here and it would likely apply less to most modern hybrids than to certain landrace strains or some early more genetically simple hybrids).
Not having the link to reference I have nothing more than memory to go on but I so think I remembered that is said those species performed a lessened dark cycle photosynthesis to that of what C4 strains/species do.
I have been searching but so far have not been able to locate the study again. I do remember that it was at least in part about their photorespiratory process but not totally sure at this moment if it also included their photosynthesis process. I do know it was about their ability to handle/deal with extreme temperatures/environment.
I still want to say that I do believe it said they had a reduced capacity for dark cycle photosynthesis compared to a C4 plant, but still did perform the function to some degree. That was because they had to perform the function at night due to daylight conditions at times being so extreme that the stomata, the tiny guard cells around stoma, would close the stoma and that would stop the transference of gasses and that would stop photosynthesis even during hours of sunlight. No longer having the link to verify that for myself or C&P it for proof I will only say that is what I seem to remember reading.
Even if I am correct about it I should have thought how since it would only apply to a limited number of landrace stains it really would not be more than slightly pertinent information at best in this case since few, if any, here are likely growing those strains or will ever have the chance to grow them even if they want to.
If I can find it again and if it say what I believe I remember it saying and I am not wrong or not totally wrong I will post it .. and admittedly I will likely crow a bit while doing so.
But right now I think I might have confused the two processes and or remember there being more said than was said. Since I believe is possibly be the case and since at the moment I am unable to prove otherwise, I can only say that I might likely have been wrong, and almost certainly totally wrong in regards to the average hybrids most people grow, and I apologize for not first verifying what I believe I remember being correct, or at least partially correct, before coming on so strongly and for not thinking to clarify that it is at most only a limited number of cannabis strains involved..
The; "ass" has spoken.
B.U.D.S.I.C.L.E.S
Member
Why does thc only degrade in sunlight after harvesting...and not while still rooted? UV light?
It does degrade during the day, and it recovers during the night hours. but after you cut it down, there is no recovering, so its best to cut in the dark