Why does cannabis produce resin?

[Microbeman]

Ilewop
Cannabis actually has two kinds of trichomes, glandular and non-glandular. The non-glandular trichomes are the really small hairs all over the plant, they often make the stem of a young plant look sort of white. These hairs are modified epidermal cells that restrict water loss from the plants stomatal pores, playing a key role in regulating the plants internal temperature.

The second kind of trichome is what the OP is asking about. These are also modified epidermal cells, that function to secrete resin. It has been suggested that this resin is not to capture pollen, but as stated in an earlier post to attract pollinators. This is justified by the fact that resin is not need for pollination since most plants do not have any resin on their pistils, yet they are able to reproduce just fine. The idea that resin does play a key role in pollination is shown in an unpollinated female that will continue to produce more resin towards the end of its flowering phase, yet halt resin production if germinated.

Perhaps one of the best points made. Am I off base to say that a plant loaded with seeds is much less resinous than one grown non-pollinated? Does not a non-pollinated flower produce more and more resin (to a point)? This seems to indicate some relationship with the plants 'efforts' to become pollinated as she becomes smellier and stickier.

VG: I too have noticed that flies are attracted to the flowers.

mriko
Wind is the pollinator. Resin would rather attract animals for them to feed on seeds and help spread them more or less far away from the mother plant. Animals too like to get high...

Maybe wild cats...cats love cannabis.

Maybe because man has bred modern chickens for egg production or meat production but not for flying? I am sure all the original wild chickens ancestors that modern chickens are derived from did fly maybe even good flyers, but man would prefer non flyers that were easier to keep domesticated. As well as mans focus on meat or egg production over flying ability.
-SamS

I'm sure the higher resin content results from man's hand but originally resin is likely produced for some role in seed production. That's what its all about from a plant's perspective.

BTW, I had an old race of chickens about 35 years ago that flew quite well. They roosted in the trees where I lived in the forest.

 

[VerdantGreen]

Perhaps one of the best points made. Am I off base to say that a plant loaded with seeds is much less resinous than one grown non-pollinated? Does not a non-pollinated flower produce more and more resin (to a point)? This seems to indicate some relationship with the plants 'efforts' to become pollinated as she becomes smellier and stickier.

VG: I too have noticed that flies are attracted to the flowers.

afaik, yes a non-pollinated bud will be more resinous than a pollinated bud, but i think i read somewhere that a seeded bud has a wider range of terpenes/cannabinoids than a sensi one. sorry i cant give a reference for that.

flies, yes ive often seen buds covered in a particular type of fly like a greenbottle (as we call them in the UK) ive seen this with other flowers such as eryngium (sea holly)

VG

 

[ibjamming]

direct sunlight is 30 000 to 130 000 lux

1000 hps over a meter footprint is about 30 000 lux

VG

and sunlight will travel through many levels of foliage and still provide energy,,,, the energy from grow lights barely makes it through three sets of leaves,,

It's NOT a fair contest...a HID lamp is a "point source" of light...all the light comes from a "point" and radiates out making a "triangle". The sun however...is a parallel source...the suns rays fall parallel, no triangle. The sun doesn't get weaker with distance because of that. At the scale of your plants...you HAVE an inverse square law with a HID bulb...but none with rays of sunlight.

Why? Because the bulb source is small and close...meaning a triangle of light intensity...and the sun is BIG (1 million miles in diameter) and far away leading to no triangle and equal intensity from canopy to soil.

Sure...at planetary scales, you have an inverse square law...but for a 10ft plant? Nothing.

To be equal, you'd have to have a big light of equal intensity shine down from all points of the "roof" of whatever the plants are growing in. If a cab...the whole ceiling would have to be a big HID bulb...the small inner part...

You CAN give a plant more light than it can use...if you get the light close enough...it's more light than the sun in that small area. But we all know it's not practical to do things that way.

Given the choice, perfect tropical conditions...the sun always wins in my book. Imperfect sun, northern lats, indoors is your only choice. I know in Jersey you can't grow outdoors...you're lucky to GET a single flower before the frost comes. Was with bagseed in the 70's anyway...

If you can...go with the sun...none better.

 

[GreenintheThumb]

afaik, yes a non-pollinated bud will be more resinous than a pollinated bud, but i think i read somewhere that a seeded bud has a wider range of terpenes/cannabinoids than a sensi one. sorry i cant give a reference for that.

VG

Sam is this true? I've never read this...

 

[SOTF420]

The resin is produced so we can get high on the THC & other Cannabinoids contained within it and thus the plant will ultimately prosper and survive as a result. It's a simple theory known as the Survival Of The Fittest or "SOTF" you may have heard of it around these parts

In this life example the Cannabis plants with the most resin are ultimately preserved and kept in one way or another, as to ensure their survival & proliferation as a species.

 

[GreenintheThumb]

Looks like it's about time to move this thread to another forum.

 

[Skunkbeard]

Resin, THC and it's constituency are biochemical messengers from Nature. It's God, The Universe, Nothingness communicating with us on a molecular level. Science will undoubtably reach the same conclusion some day.

 

[GreenintheThumb]

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaah.....

 

[SOTF420]

Says the empty soul...

 

[bombadil.360]

like it was said before... the question: "why cannabis produces resin?" is not a scientific question...

answers to this questions in the form of : "because resin is a uv protector etc..." are not really answer to why, they are answers to 'whats'.

for example, 'what are the environmental influences that make cannabis produce resin?', and even then, the question is loaded with a ton of premises...

the closest scientific question is 'how does cannabis produce resin'... where we could try to observe the bio-chemical mechanism the plant has to produce resin... and even then, whatever answers we may come up at this time, will be incomplete...

peace all, be good

 

[3dDream]

Just for reference, corn used to look like this before man did a number in it.



http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/variation/corn/ for more.

Why do long flowering cannabis plants make small resin heads and short flower make large heads?

 

[dmt]

sensi has more resin then seeded plants becuase it puts the energy of seed production into self defense. everything is much simpler seen from the lowest common denominator = energetically, d

 

[Microbeman]

sensi has more resin then seeded plants becuase it puts the energy of seed production into self defense. everything is much simpler seen from the lowest common denominator = energetically, d

sequential logic?

 

[Arthur Dent.]

Being a founding member I've been here long enough to say this about that:


Take a look at 2 comparison's one of the perfect INDOOR TREE (A Teresa Tree) and then take a look at a PERFECT OUTDOOR Tree (A Babba Bush or a Tom Hill Bush)you pick and I think you will see a huge contradiction.

In racing we say there is NO REPLACEMENT for DISPLACEMENT and in our case it remains true as well only our DISPLACEMENT is represented by amounts of light produced instead of HP and from what I've seen after all these years is you simply CANNOT beat Mother Sun imo just the way it's suppose to be.


It is amazing to me tho to see what folks can do with indoor lighting. So Quick is SO MISSED and to see buds the size of your leg:



You see that's a bad ass indoor bud right there BUT

Compared to a Babba Bush or Tom's it becomes a lower branch instead of a Main Cola.

I played outside for damn near 20 years b4 I got tired of the BS associated with it. I do ok inside but don't ya know ever so often I find myself sitting in my little boxed in cage and I think to myself about the lion in the zoo. You know what I'm talking about the one that you can tell came in from the wild and no longer has that fire in his eye (trapped) so to speak with him knowing this isn't right I should be outside running free not sitting here in this little cage.

To all of us lions who sit here knowing what I'm talking about our day is coming,Pandora's box has been opened and some of the states have ALREADY taken the first check and money has exchanged hands so therefore it has begun and will only get better from here.


Have A Great Day
Mr.Wags

Very very true the buds are huge indoor and can be bigger out doors, but We are talking about the resin content right? as far as I am educated from smoking for a while with a fare understanding of growing. Out door bud have less resin. which is the topic of discussion here, So like I said I agree the sun is perfect, its the 9000 other things that grow over,walk on or in front of, eat, blow,burn and wet the plant that reduce its ability to keep the resin so intact.

But yes, I like the lion theory.

Very cool.

Namaste

 

[Sam_Skunkman]

Not that I know...
It is true the sinsemilla produces much more Cannabinoids and Terpenoids then the same seeded clone grown under identical conditions.

-SamS

Sam is this true? I've never read this...

 

[Sam_Skunkman]

If you grow in an outdoor environment that prevents plants from fully maturing, or rains so much resin is washed away, maybe the bud is not as good as indoors. But I an assure you that outdoor and greenhouse grown with natural sun can have more resin and be better. Do you have much experience with outdoor growing?

-SamS

Very very true the buds are huge indoor and can be bigger out doors, but We are talking about the resin content right? as far as I am educated from smoking for a while with a fare understanding of growing. Out door bud have less resin. which is the topic of discussion here, So like I said I agree the sun is perfect, its the 9000 other things that grow over,walk on or in front of, eat, blow,burn and wet the plant that reduce its ability to keep the resin so intact.

But yes, I like the lion theory.

Very cool.

Namaste

 

[Weird]

the environment the plant evolved and adapted to living in hold the answer to all the questions

the differences in artificial environments should considered clues

one questions we need to ask is have we grown and bred enough generations artificially to rule out certain environmental variables as part of the cause

this is were much of the collective results of many clandestine growers might change the game if only we had a way to gather and parse it

 

[Arthur Dent.]

I'm a Farmer by trade

I'm a Farmer by trade

If you grow in an outdoor environment that prevents plants from fully maturing, or rains so much resin is washed away, maybe the bud is not as good as indoors. But I an assure you that outdoor and greenhouse grown with natural sun can have more resin and be better. Do you have much experience with outdoor growing?

-SamS

I actually farm sugar cane and went to a agricultural high school as I live in Africa. so I have experience with crops.
And I agree fully if its in a green house, top class buds, My fav in fact.

Lets agree to disagree. I will never say bulbs are better I simply maintain outdoor weed (unless scrutinized) has less resin. but I planted a mother I have been using in a small area outside and I intend on figuring this out the right way, lets do an Experiment.

Im gonna try a side by side for this one.

Love the discussion.
And I love good information.

Namaste

 

[Weird]

three seems to be a very limited understanding between understanding the principals differential between indoor and outdoor growing

First and foremost the optimal outdoor conditions are in regards to INDIGENOUS strains

try growing and equatorial sat in BC outdoors

MOST INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS ARE ARTIFICIAL because they are static

this means that most indoor weed grown in those environments has been chosen because it works ok in them or has been so hybridized to grow in them well

the best resins will be found on plants in an optimal growing environment that matches the one they evolved and adapted to thrive in

just because its been bred.adapted to a homogeneous environment doesn't mean it would not benefit from a dynamic one

much of the unseen in the natural world can be revealed through cause and effect and observation

I found that certain strains outdoors had pronounced resin under the natural sun and with morning dew form the declining temps

i sought to replicate these variables indoors since then and found success

isnt this the whole fucking crux of the organics vs salts debate

the unseen microbiology that cant be seen but certainly does have a tangible impact that most people don't know how to qualify and quantify so it remains in flux until you try it for yourself and compare the results

 

[Weird]

Resin, THC and it's constituency are biochemical messengers from Nature. It's God, The Universe, Nothingness communicating with us on a molecular level. Science will undoubtably reach the same conclusion some day.

For many years I have felt as terrence mkenna did

Terrence theorized that mushrooms were the earths way of communicating with us

i believe the same is true with cannabis but it can be understood on a "scientific level"

if cannabis resin in environmentally sensitive then the proper smoking palate should be able to evolve to sense the state of the environment based on the smoke after enough comparative samples or something along those lines

im sure there are people who can taste wild fruit or meat and discern what it had fed on