48 hrs of dark and no water

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.

Click to expand...

Jorge Cervantes

Click to expand...

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.

Click to expand...

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.......
. Cannabis seems not to produce more resins in response to dry soil, as it does to a dry atmosphere. Drying out plants by with-holding water for the last weeks of flowering does not stimulate THC production, although an arid atmosphere may do so. A Cannabis plant in flower requires water, so that nutrients are available. for operating the various bio-synthetic pathways.......
There is really no confirmed method of forcing increased THC production. Many techniques have developed through misinterpretations of ancient tradition. In Colombia, farmers girdle the stalk of the main stem, which cuts off the flow of water and nutrients between the roots and the shoots. This technique may not raise the final THC level, but it does cause rapid maturation and yellow gold coloration in the floral cluster (Partridge 1973). Impaling with nails, pine splinters, balls of opium, and stones are clandestine folk methods of promoting flowering, taste and THC production. However none of these have any valid documentation from the original culture or scientific basis.....
In general, it is considered most important that the plant be healthy for it to produce high THC levels. The genotype of the plant, a result of seed selection, is the primary factor which determines the THC levels. After that, the provision of adequate organic nutrients, water, sunlight, fresh air, growing space, and time for maturation seems to be the key to producing high-THC Cannabis in all circumstances. Stress resulting from inadequacies in the environment limits the true expression of phenotype and cannabinoid potential. Cannabis finds a normal adaptive defense in the production of THC laden resins, and it seems logical that a healthy plant is best able to raise this defense. Forcing plants to produce is a perverse ideal and alien to the principles of organic agriculture. Plants are not machines that can be worked faster and harder to produce more. The life processes of the plant rely on delicate natural balances aimed at the ultimate survival of the plant until it reproduces. The most a Cannabis cultivator or researcher can expect to do is provide all the requisites for healthy growth and guide the plant until it matures......
Drug Cannabis production requires 11-12 hours of continuous darkness to induce flowering and at least 10 hours of light for adequate THC production (Valle et al. 1978). In a greenhouse, supplemental lighting need be used only to extend daylength, while the sun supplies the energy needed for growth and THC biosynthesis. It is not known why at least 10 hours (and preferably 12 or 13 hours) of light are needed for high THC production. This is not dependent on accumulated solar energy since light responses can be activated and THC production increased with only a 40-watt bulb......
Cool night temperatures seem to promote flowering in plants that have previously differentiated sexually. Extended cold periods, however, cause metabolic processes to slow and maturation to cease.......

Click to expand...

Jorge vs Big Mike

Click to expand...