Question: re-watering before harvest

[julianne]

I have plants almost ready to harvest. Trichomes are still clear. Sativas will be ready in 3 or 4 days; indicas will be ready in about 2 weeks. The fan leaves are bright yellow and falling off. Plants are limp and needing water.
Question: Shall I keep watering right up until harvest if they get limp
or just let them dry up?

 

[julianne]

Anybody?

 

[beensmokin420]

I would ask you this, how fast do your sativas dry up their pots? If its less than 3-4 days on average I'd say water one more time then let the pots dry up real good then chop. If they take along time to drink and dry up their pots, id just give them a little bit of water just to get em by for a day or so, then chop em one the pots have dried up again.

 

[latinkingz]

its all the same to me...if u starve them out they will be way easier to dry out when you chop them its alot about personal preference... i would just leave them thirsty because im lazy

 

[julianne]

^^^
Thanks. Somewhere I got the idea not to water the last week or two before harvest but I don't think that's right. I will give them some water.

 

[NorCalGrower]

let them dry up a few days then water once and dry up again and water again do this the last 2 weeks off and on. It will rippen your hairs and make your plant produce thc as a defense against drying up. u will get tons of thc pop up when u do this as the plant drys up it produces more thc as a protection then water it then dry it then water it! Works everytime!

 

[crabapple]

WHAT? THC production takes energy, energy comes from photosynthesis. Photosynthiss requires water for the electron transport chain to produce atp which can be used to produce every other molecule the plant needs. The plant just naturally produces more trichomes as it gets further into maturity. provide adaquete water and the plant will do just fine, but starve it and it will slow down all cellular processes.

 

[Smokin Moose]

^I agree.

 

[Respect]

I was under the impression that a quick starve, days before harvest, caused the plant to push the remaining THC in the stems to the buds in a effort to moisturize? Now that I write I'm considering that THC is water soluble so my theory probably is incorrect. I imagine that either way, this occurs most of the time as most people water as little as possible during the final stage. The quick starve would be letting the pot dry out for the final day or two.

 

[Smokin Moose]

A quick starve does just that...quick starves the plant. In the days before harvest, the plant is actively producing resins and completing the flowering stage. By starving the plant you deprive it of moisture and nutrients that it requires to do this.
In my opinion, starving is an anecdotal practice that serves no useful process to the plant. The plant can only produce resins when it is "growing", and there is no last minute rush by the plant to do so.

 

[Respect]

thanks for clearing that up Moose. I had merely heard that from a friend and was quick to assume

 

[Smokin Moose]

It's amazing the number of anecdotal stories still floating around after 25 years lol

 

[stratlogic]

I've heard the same thing about starving the plant and was unsure. Informative thread, all you guys/gals rock!

 

[Urdedpal]

Depriving the plants of water before harvest, normally 2 to 4 days. Real reason many growers practice this is part myth and part fact. Myth is resin gland production is ecellerated or something like that, I always forget since the myth changes all the time. Fact and why many experience growers still use this method, causes buds to tighten and look more compact looking. Read it in a book haha but since I am a hydro guy I really wouldn't know.

 

[SmokeyMacPot]

Well you would really want to flush the last week or so. You just drench your plant with nothing but water. You need to make sure there is alot of run off every time you water. This will "flush" out the salts and fert trapped in the plant as well as removing clorophill making it a cleaner smoother smoke.

 

[jebus2029]

I've also heard that 48 hours before harvest you should do one last feeding then turn off the lights for the last 2 days. Supposedly this makes the plant think its dying or something (cant really remember) and it pumps out more resin in an attempt to save itself. Plus in the dark all the sugars and starches go to the roots. So cut it with the lights out and there will be less nasty stuff in the bud. Allowing for a smoother smoke.

 

[jebus2029]

Oh yeah. and the 2 week flush is really good too. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to do it but 4 times over the last 2 weeks i flush my plant (with small waterings or no watering the day or 2 after).

Flush with clean water. 3 times the amount of soil. 5gal pot=15gal of water

worked great for me. Made a very nice and clean smoke

 

[Boss]

If you were to feed and turn off the lights for 2 days, the plants would soak up all the nutes you put in straight to the buds. This can have an adverse effect on taste and smell.

 

[jebus2029]

no nutes, just plain water before the 2 days of darkness. in fact i've heard no nutes for the last month of flowering, but with a good flush i think stopping nutes 2 weeks or so before harvest would probably be fine. After all you gotta make sure you don't starve them either. plus when its dark all the sugars and starches are in the roots. So it is a cleaner smoke if you harvest in the dark. I've read about that in a few mags (Weed world, high times, cannabis culture) and i think it was in jorge cervantes' grow bible, but i'm not positive on that.

 

[potsmokinsumb]

I say no one here really knows unless u have taken 2 clones of the same plant and used different methods and compare highs. Then u can really know without getting 100 different opinions. Also it is the humidity dryness not soil dryness supposedly that increases thc in the trics. Also keep in mind the fan leaves provide energy and moisture to the buds when the roots cant.