# Last week total darkness... ?



## rebel (Jan 7, 2014)

so I have never heard of this until lately while googling.
Is this proven or just hear-say ?
nature and outdoors don't do this , so ?

im getting ready to harvest and would like to put em in total darkness for 3 days or more if I knew this is fact that's proven or myth.


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## ozzydiodude (Jan 7, 2014)

it's a tall tail. Light is were the plant gets energy to grow and mature. where it going to get the energy from to finish growing?


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## rebel (Jan 7, 2014)

my thoughts also Ozzy, goes against nature


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## 7greeneyes (Jan 7, 2014)

Don't rob it's last bulk-building days of light, not good imo...


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## robertr (Jan 7, 2014)

They do that to supposedly increase resin production.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 8, 2014)

robertr said:
			
		

> They do that to supposedly increase resin production.



The key word there is "supposedly".  I have never seen any studies that show that a day or 2 of darkness does anything to increase resin production.  I have never heard of any scientific reason that darkness would increase resin production.  I personally have not found it to do anything to increase resin production.


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## Locked (Jan 8, 2014)

I sure as hell wouldn't let my ladies sit for days in the dark. You want more resin production?  Then grow a strain that has that trait.


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## Hushpuppy (Jan 10, 2014)

I think that idea comes from the same idea about MJ plants needing a dark period to make repairs and do plant building. The idea is that the plant moves materials around during the dark time to do all of the building work to the plant. It is a farce in my opinion and experience  

I have also heard that when its done 24hrs ahead of harvesting it causes more moisture to be forced into the buds to give them more mass. This is also a farce at best. 24hrs isn't enough time for the water to be turned into resin so it wouldn't help if water was pushed into the buds. Even if it did do as stated, I don't want extra moisture in my buds that will just get dried out of them.


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## homebrew420 (Jan 26, 2014)

This stems from the idea that glands produce resin and active compounds during the night. Ie if you ruptured a bunch of glands maybe a few days would help repair. You will get looser flowers anything after 48hrs. I promise.
Don't do this.
Peace


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## trillions of atoms (Feb 2, 2014)

Cut them down when trikes say they are ready.


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## zipflip (May 19, 2014)

I think its all an illusion to put it best. I check and otice a difference in my girls every 12 hours I check on them at lights on and off time. and each time especially late in last few weeks of flower when all is happenin , I get stoked when I open the door 12 hours later and see a noticeable diff  wether be size, trich coverage etc..  I can only imagine how  difference would be after a whoel wek of not sein them. of course id prolly be blown away. but instead itd prolly no diff than if id checked em every 12 hours , same change and excitement. only times x's how ever many cycles u choose to run dark and go without seein them for at the end..  anyone else see where im goin wit this tho..


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## DrFever (May 25, 2014)

Actually here is a copy n paste from stitching institute that has proven  leaving your plants in dark up to 72 hrs   raised  THC levels   in some strains 
it  does make sense ,,, light destroys THC  so  every light on in your 12 hr cycle  THC gets broken down and your 12 hr of darkness,,  what ever THC the plant lost is recovered  and little more THC is added  and so on....... So when your plant is in darkness for 72 hrs or so THC production continues as it  would  in darkness the plants  more or less run out of there fuels / energy as there is no light  to fill plants gas tank    just like  running your lawn more out of gas

This is more or less  the same as in which time  to harvest your plant   during plants light on period  THC  gets broken down  and in darkness  the plant recovers what was lost 
 so it is better to harvest   indoor  after 12 hrs of darkness giving  plant enough time  to recover THC what was lost,, And  by harvesting  right after lights on    you will harvest less THC 

here is the paste -------+  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&#8217;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."


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## Kraven (May 25, 2014)

Just my two cents but i did a side by side on the same stain/pheno and the one that was put in the dark 2 days was no different, and I'm very comfortable that my test indicate the more light the better towards the end. That has been my experience.


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## DrFever (May 25, 2014)

Kravenhead said:


> Just my two cents but i did a side by side on the same stain/pheno and the one that was put in the dark 2 days was no different, and I'm very comfortable that my test indicate the more light the better towards the end. That has been my experience.



 Kraven TBO   you would need  some lab equipment to  actually test  THC content  sorry the average  grower  here or anywhere don't have the resources,,  like these labs.
   these places like  stitching institute  run under lab conditions  So very control rooms  and  most  growers rooms wouldn't  come  anywhere near  to these rooms  Hell most growers  Never  get there strain even close to its actual  THC content So chances of you  noticing a difference  hahaha  probably not


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## Rosebud (May 25, 2014)

Yes, this is why we have two days of total darkness in nature, for the plants to finish...baloney.


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## DrFever (May 25, 2014)

Rosebud said:


> Yes, this is why we have two days of total darkness in nature, for the plants to finish...baloney.



 Hmm Again believe what you like     haha  but to answer your  post  in nature   there is  24 hrs of darkness as well as 24 hrs of light on earth  i been there  worked in it  its fawking unreal 
   this is because of the tilt of the earth on its axis in the northern hemisphere  could you classify that as nature ???  it happens every year  hahaha
 But anyways   i hope we can agree upon   how light  degrades  THC  and what  resin actually does for a marijuana planthttp://www.cannabisculture.com/content/inside-trichome     In nature, only the strong survive, and it is hypothesized by biologists that trichomes evolved as a defense mechanism of the cannabis plant against a range of potential enemies (1). Trichomes, from the Greek meaning &#8216;growth of hair,&#8217; act as an evolutionary shield, protecting the plant and its seeds from the dangers of its environment, allowing it to reproduce. These adhesive sprouts form a protective layer against offensive insects, preventing them from reaching the surface of the plant. The chemicals in the trichomes make cannabis less palatable to hungry animals and can inhibit the growth of some types of fungus. The resin also helps to insulate the plant from high wind and low humidity, and acts as a natural &#8216;sun-screen&#8217; in protecting against UV-B light rays. But since trichomes contain euphoric properties attractive to humans, it may be man who has had the most influence on the plants&#8217; development through many years of favoring strains that consistently produce more of these gooey resin heads.


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## Locked (May 25, 2014)

Dr we appreciate you now indicating a Copy and Pate item.   For the record i could see a valid argument in your post about 72 hours of darkness at the end. I would love to know if the Science backs that theory up.


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## DrFever (May 25, 2014)

Hammy   Yes   science backs it up    the stitching institute  did the study  and like they said some strains not all  showed a increase in THC up to 30 percent just because   nature does not really give 3 days of darkness means  shat ????  growing indoor and growing in nature is  two totally  different    ways  like saying   leaving a plant  grow naturally will produce more then  a trained plant  from topping  / cropping   the winner in yield would go to the trained plant  every time 100 out of 100 times 
I sit here thinking what are the two most elements on earth  ???  and  Rose i guess the falls under nature being  its natural and on earth  oxygen  and silicon   yet  silicon is not on the major element group ????  if you look at your hydroponic food there is no  Potassium silicate  and what does  potassium silicate do to plants ,,,, it plays a major role  in a plant  as for  nutrient uptake  resistance to disease , drought and heat and cold temps  yet i bet  most growers are more worried about  about adding dolomite  then  silicates   and its being proved  that by adding  Potassium silicates  actually  increase's  resin / THC    i bet you,,,, Norcal  uses  silicates  in his big grow  most  veteran growers do
 Bottom line  when  people like Subcool  mention  about and agree about 72 hrs of darkness prior  to harvest i tend to also  follow there foot steps


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## zipflip (May 25, 2014)

so be it may it be fact that light does destroy thc and all that, but honestly I truly feel the difference is so marginal that if one were a simple home grower they prolly wouldndt be able to incorporate any significant numbers to whrre one would be able to math out the difference in such a small grow, but if say doin a mondo huge warehouse grow wher esay that single gram per plant or even half gram per plant or watver times a few plants in closet vs thousands in a warehouse ... and not havin to  nothing them few days but turn lights off and sit back and prepare for harvest coming..  
 I aint arguing the facts u found and posted up in anyway. im  just sayin im bettin its a marginal diff. maybe like u said tho maybe more strain dependant also as far as if it makes any diff or not.  
   I geuss I just always looked at it like say u aint seen ur neice or nephew in few months and next time u se him he loks like he grew like a weed overnight, but if u wer to be round him/her every single day u prolly wouldn't be...
   im stickin wit "the difference is marginal if any at all-strain dependant as well"
 and for the record tho I have done the whole 2-4 days darkness before harvesting many times over the many years and some strains over an over and honestly like I said I feel iits more a illusion if ur actually visually seein the difference. - per my stoned analogy of the nephew/neice thing. LOL


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## DrFever (May 25, 2014)

Zip you are correct  not many  growers   get right into the THC  they grow till there  trics are 30 percent or what ever and  chop  and chances of  getting even close to the THC content  the strain is capable of getting  again  most growers will never  get it there anyways  and  for the average grower  who would try this  with out  tons of  lab  tests  again which  would cost a arm and a leg????
  we will never  really know i have done  48 hrs of  darkness prior  which i cannot say it worked or didnt  i know i worked for my time schedule for chopping
Also  it was not tested  and usually  all  my weed  turns out  wicked  anyways hahaha  so my buyers have told me  hell   before i even chopped  buyer would hand me  5 - 10 k  to insure he was getting it   
 But it does make some sense  if you really open your mind to it   light degrades  THC   so after  12 hrs  believe it or not  your plant has less THC / resin glands as it was doing its  job  protecting plant from heat  and UVB light   but plant still photosynthesized  charged it batteries  then in  plants dark period   started using its stored food and energy  to move starches and sugars through out the plant  in order  to repair it self as well  make  more THC

 plants believe it or not are more efficient in the dark cycle   here is a post i found online  60 hrs of darkness   and his plant  Hey guys, well my plant is about at hour 60 of a 72 hour dark period right before I chop her... And I am noticing quite a bit of new pistils shooting out of some calyxes.
My plant is an unknown strain but is def. more indica looking, week 8 of flowering, thinking of harvesting her at week 8 because leaves are really looking sad and the sugar leaves look like they are starting to die... But the bottom half of the plant still looks green and ok. All the buds on the plant look excellent, it's just the fan leaves that are really dying off. I also have done some research and saw that indica plants tend to ripen up at week 8 and you have a week window to harvest for best potency... Trichomes are about 50%milky, 20% clear and 10% amber. My question is, should I bring it out of the dark period, and put it back on a 12/12 schedule to let that new growth grow, or just keep her in the dark a few more days and just chop her? She has gotten pretty sticky from this dark period, and I don't know if this new growth is normal right before harvest or if I take her out of the darkness and put her on a regular light schedule, will that move from dark to light screw things up????
Thanks for the help guys, i have found all my question all ready answered in this forum, but not this one!!


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## The Hemp Goddess (May 26, 2014)

Sorry, but there is absolutely no way that I believe there is any way to up the thc content by 30%--I just call bull.  I also want to know the science behind it.  

I have been forced to put a plant that is ready to harvest in dark for several days because of circumstances--illness, have to be out of town, too busy, etc.  I have never seen any improvement whatsoever.

How about a link to this study?


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## Rosebud (May 26, 2014)

Fever, i don't want to appear that i am not up for some new research, i like new research. But let it be real tested research,not what some guy says. It would be very cool if something like that had the studies to back up the theory.  I have been around agriculture my whole life and it just seems kinda not true to have 48 or 72 or whatever hours of darkness help anything, except perhaps mildew.

Again, i was grumpy when i posted that sarcastic post, sorry. I just had a plant hermi.


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## DrFever (May 26, 2014)

the link used to be there it is not anymore   this is going back  3 - 4 years ago  when it was 
 i looked for it  i even looked for the actual lab  and cannot find it 
 Rose bud  its all good and sorry to here about hermi    
 THG  like i said in previous posts  unless  you have lab tools to actually  test   THC  i think  it would be impossible for any of us  to prove or see a difference   but to sit back for a moment and really think about it ..... IMO i believe it could be true  I always  wait   min 24 hrs after lights are off to harvest   this allows  the plants to replace any THC / resins  it lost due to intense light ,heat  etc .
By doing this it also   moves starches  and liquids back into the root zone  when  lights are off  Osmosis   and  fluids move back up into the plant  and so forth   when lights  are on  all in a normal day of a plant  right ??   its a 2 way highway in a plant  up and  down


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## P Jammers (May 26, 2014)

Wow, just wow.


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## Locked (May 26, 2014)

P Jammers said:


> Wow, just wow.



Lol....


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## DrFever (May 27, 2014)

Hey  Hammy  you remember  Brick top ?????  i believe he was here on this site before  and pretty sure he would school anyone on this site  about  MJ   very  knowledgeable man ???
http://www.rollitup.org/t/72-hours-darkness-before-harvest.236944/

http://experts.weedportal.com/3939/giving-sativas-hybrids-darkness-before-harvest-production

http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-growing/89312-complete-darkness-before-harvest.html


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## DrFever (May 27, 2014)

n the 70&#8217;s, a University of Mississippi doctor named Carleton Turner showed that THC amounts seemed to differ based on when the marijuana plants were harvested. The potency tended to be increased just prior to dawn. In 2000, Dr. Paul Mahlberg at Indiana University discovered that THC was produced in an extracellular fashion in the center of the glandular membrane (which permitted for daily recycling).

Thus, your theory certainly requires some research, but it might hold true. Turner&#8217;s research showed that long dark periods produced the best environment for THC production.

http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.co...na-plants-continuous-darkness-before-harvest/


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