Seems to me that the time to work on increasing yield is in the growth/swelling phase. Trying to extend it during ripening would be asking for knockout headache weed (is that CBA?) and foxtails.
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O
OG Tree Grower
Yes your correct , I'm not at all talking about letting it go over ripe, been there and done that, the effects are not desirable and it doesn't increase yeild any noticeable amount if any. I want to delay maturation.
I've done it a handful of times in the last few years. It's just really hard to produce consistent results. A lot of times I can get a strain that normally ripens in 8 weeks to go 9 weeks, but getting it to go to 10 weeks is much harder and the few times I have done it I can only contribute it to a stree free environment. But other times In an almost identical environment they will be fully ripe at 9 weeks.
With that same strain selection I've been using for years, I can drop humudity or let the lights off temp drop a few degrees they will always ripen at 8 weeks, that's why I believe it's mostly environmental , partially strain dependant and even light sensitive like "weird" suggested.
My last crop just harvested at 9 weeks with substantial yeild gains compared to the normal 8 week crop. I would say it was a relatively stress free grow and I had it on a 13 on 11 off light cycle since the start of this thread so when I flip next time I'm gonna go 13-11 the whole 9-10 weeks too see if i can at least get 9 weeks consistently
I will try this in two different rooms for the next few grows to prove or disprove my theory
Just a few posts ago someone mentioned cytokinin, I ment to research it but haven't found the time yet, after I'm done with the light schedule trick I may or may not try to chemically delay it
I've done it a handful of times in the last few years. It's just really hard to produce consistent results. A lot of times I can get a strain that normally ripens in 8 weeks to go 9 weeks, but getting it to go to 10 weeks is much harder and the few times I have done it I can only contribute it to a stree free environment. But other times In an almost identical environment they will be fully ripe at 9 weeks.
With that same strain selection I've been using for years, I can drop humudity or let the lights off temp drop a few degrees they will always ripen at 8 weeks, that's why I believe it's mostly environmental , partially strain dependant and even light sensitive like "weird" suggested.
My last crop just harvested at 9 weeks with substantial yeild gains compared to the normal 8 week crop. I would say it was a relatively stress free grow and I had it on a 13 on 11 off light cycle since the start of this thread so when I flip next time I'm gonna go 13-11 the whole 9-10 weeks too see if i can at least get 9 weeks consistently
I will try this in two different rooms for the next few grows to prove or disprove my theory
Just a few posts ago someone mentioned cytokinin, I ment to research it but haven't found the time yet, after I'm done with the light schedule trick I may or may not try to chemically delay it
GreenHands13
Active member
Senescence: condition or process of deterioration with age.
loss of a cell's power of division and growth.
Preventing senescence doesnt mean produce overly ripe cannabis. Its keeping a plant healthy so it continues to divide cells/builds more plant matter. When you say you are trying to delay maturation that means you are doing exactly that preventing senscence
H
Huckster79
You know the extended light period could really b the trick. What about pushing it to see how much light you can get and still trigger flower. Then slowly over time shorten it up... kinda mimicking falls shortening days so may slow the oh winter is coming mode....
J
Johnny Redthumb
Your yield is directly related to your root growth. "More roots, more fruits!" And a majority of your root growth will be in veg. If you want to increase your yield by increasing time, increase your veg time, not your flowering time.
From what slownickel said, cytokinin is the hormone(s) that is antagonistic with auxin(s). Cytokinin is found naturally in seaweed/kelp. It encourages lateral growth and root growth, and takes energy away from vertical growth and flower initiation. If you are already in flower, and that trigger has been hit, it won't slow things down, in fact it can speed things up. Tomato hot houses foliar feed kelp for cytokinins at least once per week to get ripe tomatoes 2 weeks earlier. It can be used to control stretch in early flower.
Outside of synthetic hormones, I don't know of anything that will slow down or lengthen the flower cycle. I don't know why you would want to either, if you have adequate veg times and managed to control stretch via cytokinins and canopy control. Nothing will help yield more than a full canopy, and you can use cytokinins to help fill out a canopy laterally right before and right after flip. But once again, there is no replacement for proper root growth in veg!
From what slownickel said, cytokinin is the hormone(s) that is antagonistic with auxin(s). Cytokinin is found naturally in seaweed/kelp. It encourages lateral growth and root growth, and takes energy away from vertical growth and flower initiation. If you are already in flower, and that trigger has been hit, it won't slow things down, in fact it can speed things up. Tomato hot houses foliar feed kelp for cytokinins at least once per week to get ripe tomatoes 2 weeks earlier. It can be used to control stretch in early flower.
Outside of synthetic hormones, I don't know of anything that will slow down or lengthen the flower cycle. I don't know why you would want to either, if you have adequate veg times and managed to control stretch via cytokinins and canopy control. Nothing will help yield more than a full canopy, and you can use cytokinins to help fill out a canopy laterally right before and right after flip. But once again, there is no replacement for proper root growth in veg!
J
Johnny Redthumb
Also, I would advise AGAINST increasing anytime to your flower period once you are in budset. I can tell you what will happen and its not pretty. You could try a 13on/11off cycle from the start, but some more sativa-leaning strains will not want to flower fully. Genetics is also dependent on this. OGs and such are hormonally finicky and any fucking with their light cycles will make them go into emergency survival mode, i.e. making seeds. Some "landraces" and more homogenous genetics are much more resilient to this.
On the topic of CO2.....what are you doing when you supplement CO2? People forget that the most important plant nutrients are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. 90% of the plant is Carbon and H2O. There is solid science out there on supplementing CO2 in greenhouses with tomatoes and other crops. But CO2 isn't the magic most people think it is. Plants take in CO2 and release O2 and H2O. So you are feeding carbon. There is no scientific correlation to yield and CO2 levels, but if you consider one of the primary functions of a plant is assimilating atmospheric carbon, then you are just helping it speed that process along.
I have found supplementing CO2 shaves off a week, maybe more, from the flower cycle. It also increases trichome production. I always get greater hash % return yield with CO2 supplemented crops, even if the over all plant matter yield was lower due to other problems. Makes sense if you figure trichomes are mostly carbon. Supplemental CO2 has been found to inhibit ethylene production in plants. Ethylene is the gas used to ripen fruits taken early off the vine. It is a plant hormone that signals stress and end of life. Trees in the fall when turning yellow and losing their leaves are giving off a ton of ethylene gas, it is how they communicate. This is why they say to drop CO2 for a week or two before harvest.
So you theoretically could keep flowering longer with high CO2 levels to inhibit the final ripening phase and wait to drop CO2 levels until you are ready. I have seen this with the right strain, and it will keep stacking bracts (calyxes) and have new white pistils. Once again, very dependent on the genetics, and it could make all your flowers all crazy foxtailed looking, which would be less marketable....but might be worth a trial...
On the topic of CO2.....what are you doing when you supplement CO2? People forget that the most important plant nutrients are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. 90% of the plant is Carbon and H2O. There is solid science out there on supplementing CO2 in greenhouses with tomatoes and other crops. But CO2 isn't the magic most people think it is. Plants take in CO2 and release O2 and H2O. So you are feeding carbon. There is no scientific correlation to yield and CO2 levels, but if you consider one of the primary functions of a plant is assimilating atmospheric carbon, then you are just helping it speed that process along.
I have found supplementing CO2 shaves off a week, maybe more, from the flower cycle. It also increases trichome production. I always get greater hash % return yield with CO2 supplemented crops, even if the over all plant matter yield was lower due to other problems. Makes sense if you figure trichomes are mostly carbon. Supplemental CO2 has been found to inhibit ethylene production in plants. Ethylene is the gas used to ripen fruits taken early off the vine. It is a plant hormone that signals stress and end of life. Trees in the fall when turning yellow and losing their leaves are giving off a ton of ethylene gas, it is how they communicate. This is why they say to drop CO2 for a week or two before harvest.
So you theoretically could keep flowering longer with high CO2 levels to inhibit the final ripening phase and wait to drop CO2 levels until you are ready. I have seen this with the right strain, and it will keep stacking bracts (calyxes) and have new white pistils. Once again, very dependent on the genetics, and it could make all your flowers all crazy foxtailed looking, which would be less marketable....but might be worth a trial...
O
OG Tree Grower
I agree with this whole heartedly but my buckets are literally packed full with roots and the plants are 6-10" from the ceilings
I just like fucking around and experimenting with things to keep my self busy. If I was that concerned with yeild I would just get a bigger spot with more lights LOlI love all the input tho and got some truely great suggestions that will keep my busy for over a year, thank you all
