Chopping with lights on/off

[Bobbo4200]

Hi everyone!,
I think Im supposed to chop in the dark, but I was wondering what the advantages were. Something about the sugars? So I was wondering, If I was to chop during the lights on period-what would be the disadvantage? Will it just take longer for the sugars to break down? Thanks for the help!

 

[mmmcake]

ive always wondered this also. ive always done my cutting during lights off after 2-3 days of lights off but would like to see if anyone has done a comparison.

 

[Bobbo4200]

Yeah, I also cut during the dark/lights off period. I don't leave em' in the dark for a few nights though. I've heard of doing that, its just that I don't have the extra space to do so. Doing that increases the trichomes? What does the extra darkness do?? Thanks

 

[OrganicOzarks]

I have tried lights on, lights off, and lights off for 36 hours, and they all looked the same to me. No difference in the final product either. Maybe I am just a tard though.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

I have tried lights on, lights off, and lights off for 36 hours, and they all looked the same to me. No difference in the final product either.

I've had results and non-results with a 24-48hr dark period for my plants.

The only time I had good results (noticeable) with a dark period is when my environment sucked and they enjoyed the dark restful period from all the stress. Doesn't take much.

Stay Safe!

 

[self]

I've been taking plants from lights on through to 48 hours of dark as well, and never can really notice much of a difference. If the plant is already ripe, and most of the active ingredients are concentrated in the trichomes, which are not sensitive to daily fluctuations in sugars and metabolites as they are more like secretions in my understanding, then i doubt the dark/light thing matters.
I would hypothesize that for under-ripe plants a 48 or 24 hour dark period could trigger some sort of "o frack, the world is ending" emergency response which could lead to faster ripening...but I don't know if this is documented anywhere...

 

[jus'plain'gill]

I believe there is at least one solid reason to harvest after a dark period.

With light and heat, especially in the indoor environment, the terpenes produced by the plant can be destroyed. I wish I could link to an article or accurately quote info but I know I've read that terpenes and essential oils are "activated" at certain temps, which is why your flower room is less stinky during the cooler dark hours and gets funkier as your room brightens and warms. I take this to mean those terpenes, and the desirable aromas, are being preserved during those 12 hrs of lights off. So is 24 or 36 hours longer in the dark beneficial? I can't say definitively but I imagine if the smell and taste of your pot is important it's worth considering.

In outdoor growing, harvest time comes at a point when temps are cooler and light less intense as each day passes. Indoors, harvest comes and the environment remains consistent, and in my case that means bright and very warm for the top colas that are closest to the light source. I use one of those thermal "guns" to read the temps all over the canopy and its amazing at the variance as you get closer to the light source, the temps rise very quickly. The entire plant could surely use a period of cooler temps and w/o the radiant heat of a HID bulb to preserve those terpenes, right??. How long should that period be, IDK? And would the benefits of preserving the terpenes with a dark period be outweighed by possible negative effects, such as stress to the plant or something else? I'd love to see this discussed further.



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[Hydro-Soil]

So.... Like I said. It only helps if your environment isn't dialed in.

(Your ladies should be experiencing cooler temps and less light at the end of your indoor flowering as well)


Hint: If your bud smell/taste quality is better in mid canopy and not the colas... you'll probably see a difference with the lights out. Fix your temps, air, humidity and lamp height and your ladies will thank you with a heavier, tastier yield.

Stay Safe! ;D

 

[jus'plain'gill]

Even in dialed in grow rooms the temperature will rise and radiant heat from the bulb is produced with lights on.


http://www.vias.org/church_paintchem/church_paint_039.html This little article only refers to the boiling point of some terpenes, it doesn't go into much more detail.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17126345 This article refers to terpenes in basil and oregano but I'm sure the info is relevant to what we're talking about here.


I'd like to see more info on at what temps do the "evaporation" rates of certain terpenes begin to really climb. Until someone can post the pertinent info on terpenes/temperatures, I feel this is at least one aspect to consider. Show me the science!!

And that's just one aspect to consider. What if yield is positively affected? What if potency is positively affected?? (THC is subject to degradation from heat and light after all) My point is that the idea shouldn't be written off totally until someone can point to solid information saying this idea should be written off totally



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[fukndenny]

doesn't matter. chop them when they are ready, light or dark. there is no scientific data to suggest otherwise.

 

[señorsloth]

i always thought the reason to chop in the dark was because most of the moisture was down in the roots, causing the buds to dry quicker...

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Nope... that happens when you give them less water.

 

[self]

I believe there is at least one solid reason to harvest after a dark period.

With light and heat, especially in the indoor environment, the terpenes produced by the plant can be destroyed. I wish I could link to an article or accurately quote info but I know I've read that terpenes and essential oils are "activated" at certain temps, which is why your flower room is less stinky during the cooler dark hours and gets funkier as your room brightens and warms. I take this to mean those terpenes, and the desirable aromas, are being preserved during those 12 hrs of lights off. So is 24 or 36 hours longer in the dark beneficial? I can't say definitively but I imagine if the smell and taste of your pot is important it's worth considering.

In outdoor growing, harvest time comes at a point when temps are cooler and light less intense as each day passes. Indoors, harvest comes and the environment remains consistent, and in my case that means bright and very warm for the top colas that are closest to the light source. I use one of those thermal "guns" to read the temps all over the canopy and its amazing at the variance as you get closer to the light source, the temps rise very quickly. The entire plant could surely use a period of cooler temps and w/o the radiant heat of a HID bulb to preserve those terpenes, right??. How long should that period be, IDK? And would the benefits of preserving the terpenes with a dark period be outweighed by possible negative effects, such as stress to the plant or something else? I'd love to see this discussed further.



.JPG

I agree, it makes sense that any break between lights on and harvesting probably allows the plant to produce more undamaged trichomes and terpenes if these are produced at night, which I'm not sure of...a brief google search yielded no answers.

I'd like to see more info on at what temps do the "evaporation" rates of certain terpenes begin to really climb. Until someone can post the pertinent info on terpenes/temperatures, I feel this is at least one aspect to consider. Show me the science!!

I'm about to go back and read those articles, i just wanted to mention that I've often noticed, but not noted, the release of different terpenes at different temperatures when quick drying buds for testing in the microwave. My technique is to put a bud in on a small ceramic saucer, then subject it to 10,15, or 20 second bursts. after each I take the bud out to help the water vapor disperse, but I often notice distinctly different smells between the 2nd and 4th burst. You could take (or i could) take readings with an infrared thermometer after each, say, 10 second burst, and observe the smells accompanying each temperature rise.
a crude experiment, definitely, but it would tell you some general things about terpenes and their melting points.

 

[self]

I believe there is at least one solid reason to harvest after a dark period.

With light and heat, especially in the indoor environment, the terpenes produced by the plant can be destroyed. I wish I could link to an article or accurately quote info but I know I've read that terpenes and essential oils are "activated" at certain temps, which is why your flower room is less stinky during the cooler dark hours and gets funkier as your room brightens and warms. I take this to mean those terpenes, and the desirable aromas, are being preserved during those 12 hrs of lights off. So is 24 or 36 hours longer in the dark beneficial? I can't say definitively but I imagine if the smell and taste of your pot is important it's worth considering.

In outdoor growing, harvest time comes at a point when temps are cooler and light less intense as each day passes. Indoors, harvest comes and the environment remains consistent, and in my case that means bright and very warm for the top colas that are closest to the light source. I use one of those thermal "guns" to read the temps all over the canopy and its amazing at the variance as you get closer to the light source, the temps rise very quickly. The entire plant could surely use a period of cooler temps and w/o the radiant heat of a HID bulb to preserve those terpenes, right??. How long should that period be, IDK? And would the benefits of preserving the terpenes with a dark period be outweighed by possible negative effects, such as stress to the plant or something else? I'd love to see this discussed further.



.JPG

I agree, it makes sense that any break between lights on and harvesting probably allows the plant to produce more undamaged trichomes and terpenes if these are produced at night, which I'm not sure of...a brief google search yielded no answers.

I'd like to see more info on at what temps do the "evaporation" rates of certain terpenes begin to really climb. Until someone can post the pertinent info on terpenes/temperatures, I feel this is at least one aspect to consider. Show me the science!!

I'm about to go back and read those articles, i just wanted to mention that I've often noticed, but not noted, the release of different terpenes at different temperatures when quick drying buds for testing in the microwave. My technique is to put a bud in on a small ceramic saucer, then subject it to 10,15, or 20 second bursts. after each I take the bud out to help the water vapor disperse, but I often notice distinctly different smells between the 2nd and 4th burst. You could take (or i could) take readings with an infrared thermometer after each, say, 10 second burst, and observe the smells accompanying each temperature rise.
a crude experiment, definitely, but it would tell you some general things about terpenes and their melting points.

 

[supermanlives]

I have tried lights on, lights off, and lights off for 36 hours, and they all looked the same to me. No difference in the final product either. Maybe I am just a tard though.

i agree but i aint a tard LOL