Cold and dark for last week of flower?

TacoMac

Well-Known Member
Wrong.

This is another old wives tale. Your best off straight out harvesting and hanging to dry. When you let a plant actually die like that, it will actually consume itself in an effort to survive, taking a lot of its power with it.
 

Bakersfield

Well-Known Member
I've shut off the lights at harvest, in the grow room, and pulled individual plants to trim and hang.
This has left plants in the dark, except for a brief visit with a headlamp, up to 4 days.
The only thing different, that I noticed was a lightening in the color of the buds from lack of photosynthesis.
 

growingforfun

Well-Known Member
Wrong.

This is another old wives tale. Your best off straight out harvesting and hanging to dry. When you let a plant actually die like that, it will actually consume itself in an effort to survive, taking a lot of its power with it.
Thats just not true. Have you got the experiance to back up your claims?

Ive seen firsthand several times that what your saying (especially the last bit) just isnt true.

Maybe you dont think there is any way other than to cut and trim immediately, and thats fine, but there are other ways and they work well also.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
When I grew WW, it was recommended to put them in darkness for the last 5 to 7 days. I tried it but not sure it did anything. Seemed to be the same amount of trichs afterwards.

Give it a shot. They are about to die anyway, right?
That was a recommendation from someone stupid. a week of darkness will kill a plant. I remember seeing a thread where someone was saying to leave them in the dark that long. Sounds stupid to me.

Extended dark is pointless. Only thing that will happen is higher terpene level. The starches are in the root zone anyways after one night.

Its why I chop right before lights on.

I have read about putting plants in last days of flower in total dark for a day or so and was wondering if I were to put plant in total dark (like in a box) and put in my garage temps are about 40-50 degrees f. What would happen. If it would hurt help or be indifferent.
Plant is ww 8 week flower and showing milky all around trichs with maybe 5% amber.
Any ideas as i sort of wanted to experiment. But not to the detriment of yield or quality of course.
Soil ffof
Mars hydro 96 reflector bloom and veg on, w/2ft t5 3bulbs 65k 1 bulb 2700k combo
White widow from seed day 56 into 12/12
No nutes since day 45View attachment 3901942
Don't waste time with extended dark.

I however do like pot that goes through a cold spell and actually prefer a light frost to hit my outdoor plants. I think pot that gets a cool or cold spell at the end is better.
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
That was a recommendation from someone stupid.
if i remember correctly, it was actually from the creator of WW. Mr Nice or Shantibaba himself.

EDIT: just looked it up. memory off a bit but it's Dinafem White Widow is recommended to have 5 days of darkness pre-harvest.
 
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whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
if i remember correctly, it was actually from the creator of WW. Mr Nice or Shantibaba himself.

EDIT: just looked it up. memory off a bit but it's Dinafem White Widow is recommended to have 5 days of darkness pre-harvest.
I've grown the dinafem ww several times. It is an ok plant. I prefer the seedsman ww. It is sativa dominant.

I still wouldn't run 5 days even with them recommending it.
 

Bakersfield

Well-Known Member
if i remember correctly, it was actually from the creator of WW. Mr Nice or Shantibaba himself.

EDIT: just looked it up. memory off a bit but it's Dinafem White Widow is recommended to have 5 days of darkness pre-harvest.
It's a logical fallacy to presume, because a breeder recommends something, it's got to be true.
Smells of Broscience!
 

TacoMac

Well-Known Member
Consider this:

If you're growing cattle to sell beef, do you starve it to death before you slaughter it?

No.

Why? Because when you stop feeding it, it will instantly start consuming it's fat reserves and the meat will toughen and get stringy.

Plants are no different. You don't starve a plant to death before you harvest it because it will literally begin to feed off itself in an effort to survive, just like a cow or human would.

It's an old wives tale...probably started by a botanist that wanted to see how many idiots would actually do it.
 

Strocat

Well-Known Member
Theres one thing I do that is still an old tale to try and boost trichomes at the end and that is.. lower humidity a ton at end of harvest. I have a 180$ dehumidifier that can put my closet wherever i want it. last week of flower I'll drop humidity to 30%. I dont know if it actually works better or anything though. I've just always done it. I can tell you that I grow some god damn good dope on a very small scale. I only grow 2 plants at a time.
 

TacoMac

Well-Known Member
Actually, it's always recommended to lower the humidity in the mid flower stage onward for one simple reason: to cut down on the possibility of mold and/or mildew.

As your buds develop, a lot of moisture can get trapped in between them and the leafs. Having a drier room helps that evaporate more efficiently and lower the chances of mold/mildew setting in.

It does nothing for the strength of your finished product, but it is extra insurance against it going south on you due to mold/mildew, so keep doing it.
 

Strocat

Well-Known Member
Actually, it's always recommended to lower the humidity in the mid flower stage onward for one simple reason: to cut down on the possibility of mold and/or mildew.

As your buds develop, a lot of moisture can get trapped in between them and the leafs. Having a drier room helps that evaporate more efficiently and lower the chances of mold/mildew setting in.

It does nothing for the strength of your finished product, but it is extra insurance against it going south on you due to mold/mildew, so keep doing it.
well yeah I get that and keep he humidity low throughout flower. i just like to drop it to 30% last week or two. That is the lowest my dehumidifier goes. I all through flower keep it at 45% till last 2 weeks
 

HydoDan

Well-Known Member
I've run the diminishing light cycle starting in veg dropping 2 hours a week until 12-12 is reached. Then again dropping 1 hour a week in late flower to 9-15... Imo diminishing light equals diminishing return.. I now run 20/4 thru veg then 12/12 to start flowering.. The last two weeks I go to 14/10 to fatten them up.. I get good color by dropping night temps to 60f the last three weeks by opening a window.. keep feeding up until you harvest.. I don't think a dark period before harvest does much.. my 2cents
 

growingforfun

Well-Known Member
you should look up what photosynthesis is because it doesn't happen without light.
Plants run off a lot more than moar light.

Ever notice a plant become full on light after about 18 hours or less when using 24 hour light and droop/sleep for a few hours then perk back up?

Nature doesnt do a constant 12/12, if the plant is getting enough light it may be happy with only 9.5 hours a day for its stage of life.

Or maybe i should look up photosynthesis cuz ive only been a memeber for like 6 or 7 years haha
 
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Shadrock15

Member
I wasnt so interested in the light situaltion as i was to what the cold would do temp here are gonna drop to the teens all the sudden so i will wait bit i wanted to see if the plant would respond with more trichs due to a 40-50 degree 3-4 day cold spell, has anyone ever tried this? I know they are not the recomended temps but.... I am curios
 

growingforfun

Well-Known Member
I wasnt so interested in the light situaltion as i was to what the cold would do temp here are gonna drop to the teens all the sudden so i will wait bit i wanted to see if the plant would respond with more trichs due to a 40-50 degree 3-4 day cold spell, has anyone ever tried this? I know they are not the recomended temps but.... I am curios
Ive had room temps drop to 29 a few years back in a outdoor shed in winter. The strain was ATF, it did fine.

Generally the only thing the cold does is slow them. Remember how they sell flowers in coolers? Yea. You can keep clones in a fridge for a long time.
 

Shadrock15

Member
Wait, clones in the fridge !! Are you serious, that would be incredible sorry to sound so astonished, is that a common thing to do, and if so do you need to expose to light, could you clone and keep for a month until flower was over... please elaborate... growingforfun..
 

growingforfun

Well-Known Member
Wait, clones in the fridge !! Are you serious, that would be incredible sorry to sound so astonished, is that a common thing to do, and if so do you need to expose to light, could you clone and keep for a month until flower was over... please elaborate... growingforfun..
Treat it like a typical plant. Boom.

So... you can put them on hold in a fridge, no lights needed. Is this ideal? Fuck no. Its gonna slow it down and slow to start back up. Will it work? Yes. Will it recover? Yes.
 

growingforfun

Well-Known Member
And no, not common. Most basic plant info, even stuff people see done every day, doesnt occure to 99% of people who grow mj, cuz mj is not the same as a normal plant in most peoples eyes.
 

Shadrock15

Member
Right, right I hear ya im not big on changing the normal growth, heck im not that big on nutes I think a few feedings here and there is more than enough, good soil, good watering schedule, etc... but if one cold ice a few choice clones in the fridge, well dang, and it does make sense as when I winter graft japanese Maples i fridge um for a couple months with no harm done. Cool idea just screw around with.
 
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