T5's, LED's, HPS....anything that would cause a bit of photosythesis. I theorize that with the wash, the buds can make more sugars and of course there's nowhere for them to go....better flavor.
Doc, thanks for passing on your experience and thoughts. I'm really trying to understand and improve my curing process.
I was a bit surprised to read the FDA recommends drying herbs in the dark with still air. I've always done the opposite with my cannabis.
I assume using still air is to help prevent mold spores from moving between batches. This is not really a problem at the scale of plant processing we normally do.
Darkness would stop all photosynthesis. As long as water, nutrients and light are available, the plant's chemistry will continue to function.
With water in short supply, the enzymes involved in photosynthesis don't move about the plant as well and, eventually, stop working. If the photo pigments continue to absorb light, it causes highly reactive molecules to build up which eventually kills the cells. Essentially, you will flood the plant's cells with unused, highly reactive, toxic fuel from the chloroplasts.
With that in mind, I'd say limited light after harvest is helpful, too much light probably damages the buds.
(Maybe this kind of cell damage improves flavor, I don't know. Curing is a mystery to me.)
Perhaps the whole plant should sit a day or three in plain water under the lights after cutting if the goal is to use up as much stored nutrients as possible. Like cut flowers, smaller buds can continue to mature after the oldest ones have peaked and been harvested.
