Leave plants in the dark 24 hours when flipping 12-12

[Brad104]

I am wondering if anyone else leaves there plants in the dark for 24 hours before flipping to 12-12 I have been doing it so long I don’t remember why I started.Am I alone doing this or are there others who do as I do with keeping them in the dark so long, prior to giving them there 12-12 schedule.

[asa.eco]

ooof. This is one of those myths in the cannabis community a lot of people keep beliving even tho it has no real scientific background. Leaving plants in the dark for so long probably wont hurt your plants, but it can be a source of stress, which combined with some other mishaps can cause real problems. The only real benefit would maybe be triggering flowering a bit sooner, but even that is questionable and kind of irrelevant since youll only be starting flower a few hours early if at all. I think those few hours arent as important as 1. keeping your plants stress free and 2. getting that 12 h of light u could be getting if u didnt leave the plants in darkness.

 

[Keith]

I ended up taking your advice and didn’t do it.  I didn’t do it the first harvest either but I had read some about it on reddit and thought I’d give it a try.  But I couldn’t ever find anything definitive about it, plus what you were saying, so I didn’t do.  I didn’t want the rh to be higher for 24-48 too.  My rh goes up a bit at night.

[asa.eco]

Oh, and same goes for leaving the plants in darknes pre-harvesting, no real benefit, just a waste of time the plants could use for some extra rippening

[Brad104]

I appreciate your feedback, I am going to stop 🛑 doing it.Ive been doing it for the last 7 years or so for real,all them buds could have been that much better huh I do thank you for your response honestly I do

[Keith]

Was going to ask about this.  It sounded like bro science.

[Cannabliss]

Definite bro science.

[Somatek]

Do you have anything to back that opinion up?  We know light degrades THC so there is logic in harvesting plants after the dark period or after a 24 hour dark period to maximise THC content.  Plant growth is minimal before chopping as the plant should be well into senescence, so it’s not like 12 hours of light is going to have an appreciable effect on yield but it should have an effect on THC to CBN ratio for the same reason we dry in dark instead of full light.  Although I haven’t seen any actual studies or data looking at THC content over the day, it’s just the practical application of what we know degrades THC, mainly air and light.

[Racky]

When do you chose to flip. Mine sprouted sept 3rd and look like this

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[Somatek]

A plant reaches maturity and is ready to flower when the branching (phyllotaxy) switches from an opposite to alternate pattern, which is usually around 6-8 weeks after germination.

[Racky]

Only in a 2x4x6

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[Racky]

Hope they stop growing upwards soon lol

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[Racky]

Ive raised the light like 3 times in a week

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[Brad104]

I personally choose to flip mine by the numbers of limbs it has so I don’t think that will help you out much,but I will tell you I try not to let them get any taller than 2′ because the plant is going to double at the least once you flip it and it gets it’s stretch on for certain.I don’t like for my plants to get past 4 ‘ personally that’s my preference I have a few buddies that will grow big old pine trees

[Atom]

I think its one of those things that probably happened by accident and it might of triggerd flowering early. Some people go by the day of flip and some go by when you first see mutli sets of hairs starting. If going in the dark for 24 hours triggerd flower earlier they may of started the flower clock earlyer so to speak.

[Somatek]

Leaving in the dark for 24 hours at the beginning of flowering doesn’t make sense as it’s the balance of phytochrome red and far red over time that signals a plant to flower and 12 hours is enough to hit the levels needed while giving them as much light to grow. For some varieties, specifically equatorial long flowering ones which have evolved growing with a 14-10 to 10-14 light cycle (or 12/12 constant at the equator) having a longer dark period is used to control growth and get them flowering quicker.

[Brad104]

I truly appreciate the knowledge for I have a 70 yo father in-law, that I love dearly,but he’s a hard headed opinionated and is hard to change his mind, for some reason he thought that this helps.He still does it.I just let him go.I wasn’t sure what was wrong about it so I wasn’t able to argue with him.

So thank you once again @somatek

[Somatek]

Learn the science inside and out and then you can explain it to him once your crops are looking better and producing more, easier then changing someones mind is showing them a better way lol

[asa.eco]

@somatek You are right about thc degrading in the light, but what i dont see a significant difference between harvesting after the last 12h of light and harvesting after 24 of additional darkness. Like u said, we would have to read some studies on thc synthesis at night to be sure, but it wont be a great difference even if the plants synthesize thc in the dark – it takes weeks to synthesize the thc in the plant, another 24h of darkness cant really give u a lot more thc. Like u could go for it, maybe youll get a little more thc out of it, but id rather just get the thc/cbn ratio where i want it and then harvest immediately. You also waste a day of drying for something that probably wont have a huge effect on potency.

[Somatek]

Neither do I which is why I harvest after the dark period before the lights come on as leaving them in the dark would be a hassle as I grow perpetually and only harvest a fraction of the flowering room at any given time.

I was more responding to the definitive statements saying leaving a plant in the dark is bro science, when it isn’t as we know light degrades THC.  I was also surprised by the comment about leaving plants in the dark causing stress as that’s not my understanding, stress is caused by irregular dark periods creating inconsistent levels of phytochrome which negatively affect growth by disrupting the hormones.  I regularly leave flowering plants in either 24 hours light or darkness if needed as the odd disruption hasn’t caused any noticeable issues.  What negative effects/stress is created by using a 24 hour dark period at the beginning of flower?  Like I said, I don’t see any point in it but I also don’t see any harm…

[Brad104]

Your reply makes me feel better about them doing this,my ex-wife done it just again for one plant the other night she said look hear and I have to admit it did have more nice florescent green growth on it so I’d definitely love to hear a professors opinion on this,cause if it doesn’t help them going to flower early they do grow nicely through the period I mean it sure looks like it did to me .    JS

[Somatek]

That sounds more like a light starved plant then anything, which is the root of bro science; making speculative guesses about a plant instead of relying on data.  Which is why so much of it is easily refuted when tested…

If you’ve left it in the dark for 24 hours so it can’t photosynthesis then logically any new growth is depleting the plants stored energy and the brix will now be lower.  The phytochrome level would be higher but that’s irrelevant as it’s wiped clean by sunlight; that’s why it’s the relationship between day and nights that matters; after 12 hours the phytochrome levels are high enough to trigger flowering.  Successive long nights passing that trigger point is what induces flowering, getting it ramped up high with 24 hours doesn’t make it flower quicker but does reduce the brix level and theoretically may slow down flowering by eliminating a light period to reset the phytochrome clock that plants use to determine when days are getting shorter in relation to nights.  Which is key, it’s not darkness that makes then flower, it’s the relation between the hours or dark and light that tell them the days are getting shorter

[Brad104]

Now that, I finally understand what it is you were driving at now my friend, I thank you for the detailed explanation and now I understand why and how the new groth was there it’s hard to disprove someone else with out knowing the proper explanation to explain to them,why it’s a bad idea as always thanks @somatek

[Somatek]

I already said this above, these are  the kinds of replies that suggest you aren’t really listening or understanding what people are saying but just spit out replies for points instead because you’re fixated on winning the light.  The flip side is you haven’t been learning and keep going in circles illustrated by this perfectly.  If you didn’t understand the above answer where I basically said the same thing, it would have been more productive to ask questions to fill in the gaps so it makes sense instead of being very grateful but asking the same thing a week or two later because you didn’t actually understand or absorb the info shared.  That’s not being respectful of others, it comes across as fake and disingenuous.

[Brad104]

Bro it might come off however to you,but I never have comprehended very well, and people are allowed to think what ever it is that they want to soma , I mean you say that I am being unfair cause I don’t understand things as well as others,yet you still keep replying to every single thread that you can dude which tells me who the fake individual is I’m not going to rant on and on cause I’m not a kid and it is what it is, but I have let it be known from day 1 how much I need this light so no one should call me fake for anything dude, I promise I have never been as you saing oh I have plenty and don’t care if I win anything and yet your points keep saying otherwise,but hey it’s all fair and I still like speaking with you,but I guarantee you,I’m the furthest from f#@kn fake you will ever meet man.How can you be so hypocritical and think that all your answers are the gospel and yes I know what the gospel truth means it’s your own version of the truth, come on man none of us are wearing a black robe so we don’t have to judge anyone.Ive never won anything from any forum and bet I’m going to be on here for the next 60 something hours left so we are going to see who wants what I suppose,but I’m not spamming to get it I’ve put as many hours on this forum from day 1 as anyone dude,but I’m fake I guess because of my disability for not comprehending well,dude you need a muzzle.You are not a god just because you got some book knowledge and I would appreciate it if I would not be called out your opinions on things which after all is only a opinion right 🤣

[Somatek]

I’m neurodivergent but I don’t expect others to cater to my needs or use it as an excuse; I learn how to cope with my conditions so I’m not controlled limited by them.  I pointed out that it’s the 2nd time you’ve thanked me profusely for sharing the same knowledge, if you didn’t learn from the first time then you need to recognize you need to ask more questions until you understand instead of repeating the same things again and again in circles.  I’ve always been clear there’s as many ways to grow as there are growers but if you don’t understand how to grow then you won’t be able to figure out what works best for you.  Do whatever you want, it has no relevance to me as you’re the one spinning in circles confused and unclear about what to do or what’s limiting your yields.

[Brad104]

You can believe I’m going to do as I want I mean,we can’t all be rocket scientist, I mean damn bro your opinion is just not the only one I mean you are untitled to it but you are going in circles as well bro with a bunch of bs too we have all talked on this forum from the very first day and I don’t see how you don’t understand that you’ve given the same opinion to me to Keith to the guy whatever I can’t think now put something up about me. anyway you ve giving your opinions more than once but you keep calling everyone else out I mean damn bro you are only a hundred and something behind me so how the hell did you the only guy who makes original posts and no other types of comments for points and yet your so close to me in the points,but I forgot you don’t want anything do you,even I understand that you are damn sure untitled to a prize too but you said I’m fake I didn’t tell everyone numerous occasions that I don’t want anything like you have said but your points tell a whole different story bro what I got for you until I can get home out of the vehicle is best of luck to you with beating whomever out you wish cause I promise I am going to be here till the end.I don’t know why you feel you had to take it here man and call someone fake didn’t I just read a post about you saying that people shouldn’t be saying hurtful things to others about there sex life and whatnot practice what you preach dude you ain’t God and as far as I know you don’t work for spider farmer I’ve already been punished I keep comenting back because I’m getting all these notifications from you so I’m going to reply believe that

[Somatek]

Lol, how am I “spinning in circles”?  I know exactly what I need to do to get my grow finished, I know what I need to increase my yields and what’s holding them back, I’ve gotten a better job that I’m excited about and will be off social assistance despite my ongoing back issues.  Every day I’m improving my situation and dealing with my issues; I’m not relying on winning a contest by spamming as I’ve put the work in to make my life better.

I make lots of post and I was starting a lot of threads to share useful info as this forum is filled with beginners.  If you don’t understand the difference between those and your posts that I’ve called out as annoying spam then you should take a look at them and see the difference.  Most of my posts are sharing factual info based on botany or horticulture, if it’s purely anecdotal then I make that clear.

You can do whatever you want, I’m just ignoring your posts from here out and skipping over them until you stop spamming.  I’m not interested in helping people aren’t helping themselves. Have a good day, I’m done

[Brad104]

You hit the key words most of your post,or you can tell me in your important post you got 25 points for about dinnerand that is just the first to come to mind.

[Author]

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