Hey Man!
Thanks for the kind words and support! I know that you guys are busy, so no worries about just "lurking" my journal and not posting.
As far as the color behavior of your plants... Today in 2012, there are all sorts of varieties of "purple" Cannabis out there. Far more than even 5 years ago! Each genetic version tends to have different properties when it comes to producing that purple color. From what I have researched, the purple color is actually a chemical cocktail produced by the plant to resist freezing. Think of it as a form of "anti-freeze". Some purple varieties produce these pigments as a matter of course and don't need the weather conditions normally associated with this change to exists in order to change color.
Much of this is a result of breeding by growers to amplify this natural trait and make it far more dominant than it would normally be in the wild. The GDP that I grow which is the original "Ken Estes" strain, turns purple at the end of the flower cycle if the plants sense temps approaching the freezing point. Since GDP is native to Northern California's higher elevations in the Sierra Foothills and higher, it will start to react to low temps in the 40s. My plants do not seem to make the change until they are at the end of their flower cycle. So, if we get some unusually cold lows early in the season, the plants will stay green unless they are at week 6-8 of the flower cycle.
Since I grow mine outdoors, these low overnight temps begin to commence at the exact same time in the plants flower cycle where they are predisposed to react to it. (Mid-September through Early October) Basically, my outdoor growing conditions here are nearly identical to the natural conditions of the GDP's parential ancestors, so they naturally begin to make the color change right on schedule. This is their way of protecting themselves against potential freezing conditions at the end of ther life cycle.
I guess you could say that they are trying to give themselves as much time to finish growing out their seeds as possible, before the first snows come, and the mother plant succumbs to the elements.
EDIT: I should mention that as of this post, NONE of my outdoor GDP has shown any signs of purple yet. I expect that they will start changing color in the next 2-3 weeks provided that our overnights start getting down into the low 50s high 40s. This is already starting to happen as of this last week, but we keep getting these mini heat waves lately which are prolonging the more summer like overnight lows.
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Anyway... Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to check in! I am always happy to hear from the 420 Mag staff! You guys are doing a fantastic job with this site and the nurturing of this growing community of great people!
I will definitely stay connected to this site even though I won't be growing anything next season. IN a way, this will give me more time to participate in other groewer's journals and add my two cents to the various discussions!
I see it as a good thing!
Thanks again for checking in!
