Experimenting with Lighting— The Harvest
[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]E[/dropcap]arlier in the season, I set up a garden in a greenhouse that received light only from the front and the top, far less than the total amount of light the plants could use. An induction fluorescent was mounted on a sidewall that delivered light only to the middle of the garden. The plants close to either the front or rear door received no light from the fixture.
The plants under the light were harvested September 3rd. The controls were harvested 12 days later but by that time the weather had changed. Oakland, a coastal city, experiences high humidity because the ocean heavily influences it. With the temperature dropping at night to 55° and the plants spending a large part of the time in the 55° to 70° range, it was almost inevitable that the plants would be attacked by powdery mildew (pm). We tried controlling it using a 10 percent milk solution and herbal fungicides, but the attack was overwhelming.
The second part of the harvest was not worth our collection efforts because of the looser buds resulting from late September’s lower light levels and widespread attacks of powdery mildew. So, the use of supplemental light resulted in higher yields of the light enriched plants, and also decreased ripening time, saving the crop from the onslaughts of fall weather.
The uncut plants were hung in an unheated room for about three weeks. The temperature in the space stayed in the cool range of about 60°-70°. The buds dried but retained some pliability; perfect for smoking- not over-dried to stale and crisp. Then a friend manicured the four plants. The two Jack hybrids weighed 68 grams and 87 grams respectively. Two unknown hybrids weighed 80 grams and 53 grams, respectively, a total of 288 grams, about 10 ounces. All the buds were moderate size but tight and fully loaded with trichomes.
The buds were placed in clean glass jars and will be stored in a refrigerator at about 45°, which will keep them fresh.
The point of the beginning garden experiment was to see if flowering could be induced using far red light of 730 nm after dusk. This experiment was unsuccessful, but inadvertently I noticed I was conducting another experiment, enhancing light intensity.
TIP OF THE MONTH FROM ASK ED®
The possibly frantic days of harvest are over. The plants have dried and been manicured. Now you might have some time to deal with the leaf and trim that you have saved. There are so many ways that it can be used:
Tincture-Make a tincture by soaking the grass in high-proof alcohol such as Everclear or over-proof rum for a week. Shake occasionally. You can use it as a drink or concentrate it into drops.
Salve-Easily made by mixing ground leaf or buds in glycerin, aloe and alcohol or into a commercial salve. Use it externally for pain relief.
Kief-Rub leaves or buds over a silk or metal screen. Kief screens are available in many shops.
Marijuana Butter or Oil-Make this by slowly simmering the leaf/trim in butter or oil for a few hours. Strain the leaf and use.
Water hash-Shake leaf/ground bud in a jar with water and ice for 5 minutes. Let settle. Pour out the water and leaf. The THC containing glands remain at the bottom of the container. Dry and use.
