Do longer dark periods benefit more in flower?

[AdaminCO]

Just curious if anyone knows if more dark period, say 13-15 hours, would have a benefit.

When I hold over 36 hours before harvest I see a huge difference in tric formation. It has me wondering if trics grow at night, or day.

I plan to start the research, but wanted to ask here first. This ones really got me thinking.

 

[Phytoplankton]

Just curious if anyone knows if more dark period, say 13-15 hours, would have a benefit.

When I hold over 36 hours before harvest I see a huge difference in tric formation. It has me wondering if trics grow at night, or day.

I plan to start the research, but wanted to ask here first. This ones really got me thinking.

From what I’ve read, and I don’t know if it’s anecdotal or scientific evidence, the upside of 14 hours of dark is that it hastens bud ripening particularly in long flowering Sativa's, the downside is you will lose yield, since you’re reducing the light period (growth period) about 15% between 12/12 and 10/14. I know that terpenes are highest after a dark period, don’t know about trichs.

 

[Emilya Green]

I am sure that the opposite happens. When I keep the lights a good distance away from the plants, I get ok plants, but when I move the lights down right on top of the plants, or just a few inches away, I get fantastic plants. Trichomes are crazy when I have more and better light.

I am using a trick right now in my garden and am documenting it in my recent journals, that forces the plants to go to sleep faster, effectively increasing the length of their night, without actually doing so. So far, by using this trick I have been able to INCREASE the light period to 14 hours, without triggering the plants to go back into veg mode, dramatically increasing the daily light index, DLI, and again I saw trichomes go crazy. More light seems to be better. That trick I am using is to use some deep red and far red lights for 20 minutes after the big lights go out for the night. They are called trigger lights, and this trick has been used in commercial greenhouses for a long time.

 

[AdaminCO]

I’m going to read up on it some tomorrow. It crossed my mind today and wasn’t something I’ve really swelled on until now. I’ll report back what I find.

 

[AdaminCO]

I am sure that the opposite happens. When I keep the lights a good distance away from the plants, I get ok plants, but when I move the lights down right on top of the plants, or just a few inches away, I get fantastic plants. Trichomes are crazy when I have more and better light.

I am using a trick right now in my garden and am documenting it in my recent journals, that forces the plants to go to sleep faster, effectively increasing the length of their night, without actually doing so. So far, by using this trick I have been able to INCREASE the light period to 14 hours, without triggering the plants to go back into veg mode, dramatically increasing the daily light index, DLI, and again I saw trichomes go crazy. More light seems to be better. That trick I am using is to use some deep red and far red lights for 20 minutes after the big lights go out for the night. They are called trigger lights, and this trick has been used in commercial greenhouses for a long time.

I’ve been behind on your journals honestly. I’m still back where you finally caught the seed stealing culprits. I’ll need to catch up for sure.

 

[Emilya Green]

Just curious if anyone knows if more dark period, say 13-15 hours, would have a benefit.

When I hold over 36 hours before harvest I see a huge difference in tric formation. It has me wondering if trics grow at night, or day.

I plan to start the research, but wanted to ask here first. This ones really got me thinking.

unfortunately, when the dark period gets to about 14 hours, the plants tend to go back into veg. Its the length of the dark that causes the switch.

the 36 hour darkness at the end works because the trichs are already formed or just forming, and this process doesn't stop just because a period of daylight gets skipped. As the trichs continue to develop, you skip a full 12 hour light period, and since bright light causes some degradation of the trichomes along with developing new ones (they are there to protect the plant from bright light after all), and you skip an entire day of that. From that point forward, you try to keep the buds in the dark, to protect from destructive light. looked at in this way, the 36 hours of darkness before the chop makes perfect sense.

 

[AdaminCO]

I guess where my head is…

The way I understand it, trics are formed as a defense mechanism protecting the flower from threats such as certain parts of the spectrum (UV,IR), pest, anything it considers a threat to the actual bud itself.

I know they form a lot in light, but what exactly are we seeing after that 36 hours in the dark?

Are the trics swelling up or do they produce in darkness also?

I’m noticing that when I check them first thing in the morning they are quite a bit frostier than when I put them to sleep.

That’s what has my gears spinning. 36 hours dark, more/bulkier trics and after 12 hours, more/bulkier trics than the night before.

It’s starting to seem to me that they either bulk, or produce more throughout the night.

 

[AdaminCO]

unfortunately, when the dark period gets to about 14 hours, the plants tend to go back into veg. Its the length of the dark that causes the switch.

the 36 hour darkness at the end works because the trichs are already formed or just forming, and this process doesn't stop just because a period of daylight gets skipped. As the trichs continue to develop, you skip a full 12 hour light period, and since bright light causes some degradation of the trichomes along with developing new ones (they are there to protect the plant from bright light after all), and you skip an entire day of that. From that point forward, you try to keep the buds in the dark, to protect from destructive light. looked at in this way, the 36 hours of darkness before the chop makes perfect sense.

So if you’re revegging a clone for instance, keeping them until constant light is not what you should do?

I’ve never messed with or studied revegging.

 

[AdaminCO]

unfortunately, when the dark period gets to about 14 hours, the plants tend to go back into veg. Its the length of the dark that causes the switch.

the 36 hour darkness at the end works because the trichs are already formed or just forming, and this process doesn't stop just because a period of daylight gets skipped. As the trichs continue to develop, you skip a full 12 hour light period, and since bright light causes some degradation of the trichomes along with developing new ones (they are there to protect the plant from bright light after all), and you skip an entire day of that. From that point forward, you try to keep the buds in the dark, to protect from destructive light. looked at in this way, the 36 hours of darkness before the chop makes perfect sense.

Oh… just read this for the third time. Lol!

I’m thinking 10 on, 14 off schedule. Not skipping a full light period. That would definitely mess things up.

 

[Emilya Green]

sorry, I wasn't clear. When you do the 36 hours of darkness at the end, are you not skipping an entire day period and then continuing the night for another night?

during the grow, 10/14 is very touchy... some plants can take it, but others will revert back to veg or hermi on you because of it. When we were all trying it a few years back, people were noting the plants finishing out faster, but I don't think anyone was claiming better trichomes at the time.

 

[AdaminCO]

I wonder how hard it would be to do a time lapse on tric development over a 24-48 hour period.
You’d have to stabilize the flower from the fans. Have good enough camera to be able to zoom in close enough but be far enough out of the way not to get in the lights way.
Maybe use a green light throughout the night? How could that work I wonder. Night vision?

 

[Emilya Green]

So if you’re revegging a clone for instance, keeping them until constant light is not what you should do?

I’ve never messed with or studied revegging.

I always used 18/6 to make this happen... I just threw them in the veg room.

 

[Emilya Green]

I wonder how hard it would be to do a time lapse on tric development over a 24-48 hour period.
You’d have to stabilize the flower from the fans. Have good enough camera to be able to zoom in close enough but be far enough out of the way not to get in the lights way.
Maybe use a green light throughout the night? How could that work I wonder. Night vision?

good questions, all.

 

[AdaminCO]

sorry, I wasn't clear. When you do the 36 hours of darkness at the end, are you not skipping an entire day period and then continuing the night for another night?

during the grow, 10/14 is very touchy... some plants can take it, but others will revert back to veg or hermi on you because of it. When we were all trying it a few years back, people were noting the plants finishing out faster, but I don't think anyone was claiming better trichomes at the time.

This!

That’s what I was looking for… someone that’s tried it and knew. I figured someone had tried it before.

 

[AdaminCO]

good questions, all.

I bet that’d be an expensive camera.

 

[bobrown14]

on the dark period:

Calvin Cycle aka C3 cycle.

Its critical.

 

[Dwight Monk]

There is one out there that is 12 on 5 1/2 off 1 on and 5 1/2 off for veg and 8 on 16 off for flower (you can find it on your own if you so desire as can't link to it )..........I been meaning to try it out of curiosity but I haven't got around to it yet as usually fighting temps one way or another or some other crapola and would need to start off fresh that way from seed to do it more "scientific".

 

[KingJohnC]

Bright light itself doe not degrade trichomes or cannabinoids, its is the energy system which allows a plant to perform the chemical conversions necessary for tissue generation. Natural sunlight is the gold standard for illumination!

The suspected purpose of resins on female cannabis plants are when pollination fails and does not take place the cannabis plant survival mechanism switches focus to greatly creating more resins to trap pollen in hopes of pollination when we employ a technique to exaggerate resin production in hope of the female cannabis plants ability to create more psychoactive THC compounds. This is the growing technique term without seed or sensimilla.

In the late 2000'speople experimented with a growing light schedule termed "gas lantern system" where the lighting schedule was reduced to as little as 9 - 8.5 hours of light per daily cycle in hopes of either reducing energy expenses or increasing cannabinoid THC concentrations. The "GLS" is failed concept which never produced greater results and only decreased both potency and harvest yields.

People experimented with longer light and dark exposure periods greater than a 24 hour cycle requiring specialty built timing mechanisms still without any produced results.

The cannabis plant is well adapted to a 24 hour daily light and dark cycle. Laboratory results proved little difference in composition.

The majority of the plants hormones which regulate growth are created during the dark phase of the daily cycle.

The greater dark period length of time immediately prior to harvest may allow a plant to continue excreting more metabolic waste back into the grow medium. I am able to detect a difference in more fragrant scents during the dark phase of the daily light cycle, I am unclear either if the dark phase transpiration releases increased compounds or dedicated dark periods allow a plant to continue extended release of aromatic compounds.