# 48 hrs of dark and no water



## Warzardo (Jul 4, 2009)

Is it true that when you give your plants 48 hrs of darkness it will make the buds bigger more potent?  Also if you stop wattering your plants 1-3 weeks befor you harvest does it really do anything for the better?? thx


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## cadlakmike1 (Jul 4, 2009)

Definitely do not stop watering for three weeks!!!!! I think you may have misunderstood what someone told you.  Many stop using nutrients for the last few weeks, this is known as a final flush.  It allows the plant to uptake the nutes that have been built up in the soil and supposedly helps with flavor.  

Jorge Cervantes recommended putting the plants into total darkness for the final 48 hours.  A lot of people consider him to be a leading authority on growing.  Personally, I take everything everyone says with a grain of salt(especially him).  I don't see any need to plunge the plants into darkness for two days, it doesn't really make sense to me, being that plants create photosynthesis and uptake water/nutes only when the lights are on, I don't see how it can be beneficial.


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## Six (Jul 4, 2009)

cadlakmike1 said:
			
		

> Jorge Cervantes recommended putting the plants into total darkness for the final 48 hours.  A lot of people consider him to be a leading authority on growing.  Personally, I take everything everyone says with a grain of salt(especially him).  I don't see any need to plunge the plants into darkness for two days, it doesn't really make sense to me, being that plants create photosynthesis and uptake water/nutes only when the lights are on, I don't see how it can be beneficial.



I understand the whole grain of salt and stuff but may i ask "why especially him?" (Jorge Cervantes) I do alot of reading and ive read alot of his stuff...seems to be right on with most of it...is there something im not aware of here?


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## dman1234 (Jul 5, 2009)

stop watering the last 4-6 days 

when their ready, give them 4-6 more days of 4/20  4 on/20 off.


jmo


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## zipflip (Jul 5, 2009)

> Jorge Cervantes


most the time when an author writes a book an publishes it tehy dont just reprint it in a diff language an brag of it like its another book. i mean he always streses all these books he's written but imo they all the same dam book just only made lil prettier the next version.  
 i myself own the hort bible and find it very useful as well but i wouldnt say he's pn my top ten. lol
  i aint bashin the guy but i just dotn get how he brags of all the books he's written when the next ones only but a mere copy of the first is all really. just added color and photos which he stresses of his new book. (the color pages an # of pix)   
  but still i have learnd so much more here than i ever would from his book.  jmo


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## ShecallshimThor (Jul 5, 2009)

i believe the 48 hours is for a little stress for more thc  right before the chop


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## cadlakmike1 (Jul 5, 2009)

Well for starters he is associated with High times which I feel is an absolute joke.  Any publication that so readily advertises "Legal bud" is not out for our best interest, they are out to make money.  That's fine, capitalism makes the world go round, but that doesn't mean I have to respect what they write.  Jorge is not about teaching people how to grow, he's about making as much money as possible.  The greatest resources to learn how to grow pot is available for 100% free.  You're looking at it.  This site has a very impressive collection of growers, all offering there knowledge for free to anyone that will listen.  I do own a few grow guides that I bought a long time ago, I learned a lot from them, but they are no longer necessary.  Any information that I hear from only one person, regardless of how credited they are, I will not take as 100% truth until I verify it myself or see a lot of other people confirming it.(Even then I would still want to verify it myself before I would tell someone else that it is correct.)

Secondly, He reviewed a seed bank last year and talked about how great they were and how they were secure and all this other jazz. In hindsight it was less than a review and more of an advertisement disguised as an article.  So a bunch of readers obviously want to buy seeds from a site Jorge recommends. Well the site rips a bunch of people off so they write into Jorge asking him what's up.  He basically tells them tough luck, seeds are illegal in the states so that's what they get.  I don't know if that is how it ended or if their was a resolution, but his response alone pissed me off.

Lastly, some of his information is wrong, like leaving plants in darkness for 48 hours.  I've never seen a large scale study on it, but i have seen (in person) a small grow that this was tested on and there was absolutely no difference between the plants in the dark and the plants in the normal light schedule.  I can't think of any other examples off the top of my head but this is not the only info I have heard from him that just wasn't true.  

Everybody is going to be wrong about something at some point.  I'm sure he is a great grower, but I think he has gotten away from his roots and more towards that of a salesman.  So many people hold him up on a pedestal like everything he says is gospel, I try to be subjective and question any radical ideas.  I'm very open minded buy I just can't say I'm a fan of his.  Phew, rant over.


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## zipflip (Jul 5, 2009)

> I'm sure he is a great grower, but I think he has gotten away from his roots and more towards that of a salesman. So many people hold him up on a pedestal like everything he says is gospel, I try to be subjective and question any radical ideas. I'm very open minded buy I just can't say I'm a fan of his. Phew, rant over.


 EXACTLY!! you said it better than i did tho..


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## BBFan (Jul 5, 2009)

IMHO Stopping watering the last few days helps with the drying process.  As far as darkness for the last 48 hours, I've not done it, but I've read most of Clarke's _MJ Botany _ and he talks about how light destroys THC and the plant is constantly creating new trichs to replace the ones that are destroyed.  So would the buds be bigger?  I doubt it.  Would they be more potent?  Perhaps, but I doubt you could tell the difference through smoking.

Now, if you're into gas chromatography......


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## Hick (Jul 5, 2009)

According to studies, nearlly twice as much thc is produced under 12 hours of light than under 10 hours. (ref. MJ Botany, by Clarke) 
I don't see how a 48 hour long dark period could be beneficial in either case. Both photosynthesis and thc production take place during light hours.


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## zipflip (Jul 5, 2009)

gas chroma whata?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jul 5, 2009)

IMO, Jorge is no better than many, many growers on this site--it is ultimately just one man's opinion.  There is no scientific reason (botanical) to believe that plants will benefit from 48 hours of darkness.  Depriving your plants of water for 1-3 weeks is ludicrious at best...


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## Funkfarmer (Jul 5, 2009)

I have read on this forum that an extende dark period at the end of flowering will make you trichs amber....


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## dirtyolsouth (Jul 5, 2009)

HI,

I'd really suggest giving it a try sometime...  it's all about stress.  Stress causes the plant to increase trichs as a defense mechanism.  I've had success with most strains giving them 72 hours of darkness without water before harvest.  If I'm watering my gals every 3-4 days I'll give them their last watering about three days before I pull the plug on the lights and then leave them in the dark for 3 days.  This seems to help the plant use up any reserve moisture and pull most remaining moisture out of the stems.

I started doing this about 5 years ago after reading some posts from some of the more experienced growers on the AN forum.  Love 'em or hate 'em, AN had a great forum community until GW Bush...  Any-hoo.  Before I made this routine I did some A/B tests by growing the same strain from clone of some weed I had harvested without a darkness period and cured it for comparison.  We grew another round of the same weed, same nutes, same setup and finished most them in 72 hours darkness.  We compared buds from plants grown in the same batch of clones both with and without darkness at harvest and also some cured buds of the same strain from the last run without darkness.  

The difference wasn't completely 'day and night' but was noticable with increased trichs and more flavor despite the control buds having been cured properly.  After making the darkness period routine to our harvest I noticed that in the winter months when temps during darkness would fall into the upper 50's I saw the best results and IME indica strains responded a little more than sativas.  If you give it a go try to get the night temps down as low as you can.  Around here I can't get temps below 68 at night from May until Sept so you can only do what your envionment will allow.  It seems to be a combination of a lack of light and water along with lower temps that forces the girls to produce more goo IME...  Darkness also helps with the ripening and ambering up of the harvest.

Good Luck!


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## SPEARCHUCKER (Jul 5, 2009)

Ive seen a couple strains like White Russian and White Moscow recommend 48 hours of darkness before harvest.

If its recommended by the company its one thing. If it was meant for all of them then it would be standard procedure.


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## Hick (Jul 6, 2009)

> Follow, for example, the photoperiod for 400 north latitude (Northern California) which begins  with a 15-hour photoperiod on June 21 (summer solstice). As the months progress to the right, the days get shorter and the photoperiod slopes downward. During July the daylength decreases to 14 hours and Cannabis plants begin to flower and produce THC.  As the days get shorter the plants flower more profusely and produce more THC until a peak period is reached during October and November. After this time *the photoperiod drops below 10 hours and THC production slows*.......
> Light cycles and seasons vary as one approaches the equator. Near 200 north latitude (Hawaii, India, and Thailand where most of the finest drug Cannabis originates), the photoperiod never varies out of *the range critical for THC production, between 10 and 14 hours.*......
> Aridity favors resin production and total cannabinoid production; however, it is unknown whether arid conditions promote THC production specifically.....
> Many factors influence the production of THC. In general, the older a plant, the greater its potential to produce THC. This is true, however, only if the plant remains healthy and vigorous, *THC production requires the proper quantity and quality of light. *It seems that none of the biosynthetic processes operate efficiently when low light conditions prevent proper photosynthesis.* Research has shown (Valle et al. 1978) that twice as much THC is produced under a 12-hour photoperiod than under a 10-hour photoperiod. Warm temperatures are known to promote metabolic activity and the production of THC. Heat also promotes resin secretion,* possibly in response to the threat of floral desiccation by the hot sun, Resin collects in the heads of glandular trichomes and does not directly seal the pores of the calyx to prevent desiccation.......
> ...


 from Clarkes MJ Botany


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## umbra (Jul 6, 2009)

Jorge vs Big Mike...what ya think? face off in bulgaria? pay per view? Donald political name as the ring announcer?


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## zipflip (Jul 6, 2009)

i want ringside seating for this one. lol


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## Shockeclipse (Jul 6, 2009)

I am going to give my ladies 33 hrs of glowstick light, see if that makes em more potent.....


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## Hick (Jul 6, 2009)

> Jorge vs Big Mike


Jorge'??  .."big mike" ??  is big mike the guy recommending the dark period?
'cause my quotes are from Robert Connel Clarke, nothing to do w/ Jorge..


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## zipflip (Jul 6, 2009)

i think he had the thread discussin the competition grow off that big mike from advanced nutrients has got goin on in his mind.
 but 2 head strong arrogant guys havin a grow off. i'd love to see them both more than likely humiliate each other lol.



> I am going to give my ladies 33 hrs of glowstick light, see if that makes em more potent.....


 :rofl:


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## natorious (Jul 21, 2009)

Someone should try a few of the same strain under light and a few in darkness. End this once and for all. It would make for a great thread.


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## cadlakmike1 (Jul 21, 2009)

natorious said:
			
		

> Someone should try a few of the same strain under light and a few in darkness. End this once and for all. It would make for a great thread.



I have seen this test done on a small scale with no noticeable difference in taste, quality, yield, or anything else.  That is one of the reasons I originally disagreed with it.  Maybe somewhere under different conditions there would be a difference, but I doubt it.  JMHO though.


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