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How to boost terpenes production naturally

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Bulls
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How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by Bulls »

Lately I've been reading a fair bit about terpenes and terpenoids. Some might wonder what are they? If you're a weed fan and like the smell of pungent , skunky weed you have terpenes and terpenoids to thank.

The smell and taste of weed is unmistakable. Here are some steps you can take to boost this unique flavour, and really take your stash to the next level.

Terpenes and terpenoids


These are the compounds within cannabis that are largely responsible for its taste and aroma. With some crafty growing skills, it is possible to boost the production of both of these compounds during growth, resulting in a much stronger, tongue tantalising, nostril widening result.

So let’s get into it! Of course, each strain has its own unique flavour, but these methods can be applied to all in order to boost the final terpene and terpenoid content.

Note: a lot of the following should only be attempted by growers confident in their skills. This process involves some advanced techniques that could end up hurting you cannabis if done incorrectly.
RESTRICT NUTRIENT FEEDING AT THE END OF FLOWERING

The great majority of terpene and terpenoid are held within cannabis bud. Too much nitrogen is known to slow down bud formation, so it makes sense that restricted bud formation results in restricted terpene and terpenoid formation. By making sure that specially balanced nutrients with low nitrogen are used during flowering, and that the last 2 weeks of flowering are spent flushing the cannabis.
LIGHTLY STRESS THE CANNABIS

Cannabis is known to produce greater terpene and terpenoid content when exposed to low levels of stress. There are a number of ways you can go about this, but bear in mind that stressing your plants out too much can kill them. As such, stress should be phased in, and always kept light. Stress is particularly effective when applied during the last few weeks of flowering.
LST

Low Stress Training is used to manipulate the physical shape cannabis grows in throughout its life. Stems and branches are carefully bent during growth, and then tied in place. This changes the direction of growth, causing stress and also exposing more of the plant to light. It can result in a smaller plant that produces more bud with a stronger flavour.
Defoliation


By cutting away a small amount of the leaves around buds sights, you expose them to greater light and higher stress – boosting terpene and terpenoid content. However, some strains, especially those more indica dominant, don’t react well to defoliation, so start slowly and monitor the reaction.
Leaf Damage

Damaging the lower leaves (which aren’t getting much light) can be a great way to induce a little bit of stress. This can be done by creating small tears in the leaves, or crushing a few between your fingers.


KEEP THE TEMPERATURE BELOW 26 DEGREES CELSIUS



Keeping the grow environment temperature low during flowering will help preserve any terpene or terpenoids created. Higher temperatures can cause some of the content to evaporate out of the plant, diminishing taste and aroma.
LOWER THE NIGHT TIME TEMPERATURE

There is also evidence to suggest that a lower night time temperature boosts terpene and terpenoid production. Generally speaking, you want this temperature to be 5 degrees Celsius below the day time temperature.

BE GENTLE



Pretty obvious really! You don’t want to be too rough with your bud. Being overly hands on with the actual flowers can damage them, and cause the terpene and terpenoid content to also be damaged.

DRY YOUR WEED CORRECTLY

This is probably one of the most important steps you can take to ensure your final product is as pungent and tasty as possible. There are many guides out there that suggest drying your marijuana with all possible haste, but the real correct way to do it, like anything in life, is take your time and make sure it is done properly.

Drying should be done slowly, in a relatively cool temperature. Hot temperatures will cause much of the terpene and terpenoid to evaporate. Drying in a cool condition over a longer period of time will ensure that a lot of what would be lost is maintained, improving the final product. Humidity is also a factor during drying. It is a good idea to keep it in the 70% region.

With this knowledge in hand you should be well on your way to ensuring your cannabis is the best it can be. It’s not all about potency! Real top-shelf cannabis has the taste and aroma to go with it!

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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by ohlordyeah_420 »

Great post mate!!!
I'll get right into this later when I got time. But a quick scan through and I agree a little stress during flowering makes the plant think it's under attack from pests and therefore defends itself making more oils and trichomes. Makes perfect sense!

Stay irie.

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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by GMO »

Another brilliant post there Bulls mate

I have to completely agree with all of it

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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by The Aspie Toker »

ohlordyeah_420 wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 10:02 am
Great post mate!!!
I'll get right into this later when I got time. But a quick scan through and I agree a little stress during flowering makes the plant think it's under attack from pests and therefore defends itself making more oils and trichomes. Makes perfect sense!

Stay irie.
I do it to chillies. Letting the leaves wilt due to lack of water also stresses the plant and makes the chillies hotter. No idea what it does to weed though.
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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by ohlordyeah_420 »

trichomes are there to help defend the plant from pests, as well as other functions, so it makes sense that they would get extra resinous when under attack if their main form of defense is being sticky.

imagine having an invasion of these in your room:
However, some organisms have developed mechanisms to resist the effects of trichomes. The larvae of Heliconius charithonia, for example, are able to physically free themselves from trichomes, are able to bite off trichomes, and are able to form silk blankets in order to navigate the leaves better.

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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by Keeno »

Great write up Bulls.

Bit off subject but picks up where Lordy left off. I've seen a lot of stuff relating to trichome/resin production being a form of defence, or at least being set to overdrive when the plant thinks it's under attack. This also applies to intense uv, the plant will produce more resin to protect itself from intense sunlight, like a sun block if you like. Makes sense when you think of the hash strains being found in countries close to the equator.

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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by Hobbit »

Nice thread Bulls, good to see this getting the attention it deserves.
I kept my light high on my last grow on the theory that light intensity deteriorates terpenes, unfortunately yield suffered and while its the tastiest ive grown this strain I think overall health was the main factor for that. In hindsight I think getting it down lower and stressing them might have been a better idea if temps arent an issue.

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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by Hobbit »

I have done a fair amount of work in the past with citrus farming. The brix content of citrus is heavily regulated and tested before harvest to be sure of the sweetest fruit. Citrus are generally at their sweetest when the cold starts to move in. The colder temps effect the carbohydrates increasing the over all brix in the fruit. Here in Australia most outdoor growers harvest end of April early May. I always leave mine in until around the 18th of may or a week or two after the night temps drop. The result is a much sweeter tasting bud, so id agree with the theory that dropping your temps before harvest is a good thing. I would be attempting to drop it much lower than 5c below lights on temps. I also wonder if increasing your dark period to coincide with this would be beneficial as well as you are really telling the plant that time is up. I did drop my temps for lights out on my last grow and the result was the plants threw more white pistils, so while this doesnt finish them quiker it certainly did stress the plant out a bit.

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Re: How to boost terpenes production naturally

Post by shamenwulf »

Hobbit wrote:I have done a fair amount of work in the past with citrus farming. The brix content of citrus is heavily regulated and tested before harvest to be sure of the sweetest fruit. Citrus are generally at their sweetest when the cold starts to move in. The colder temps effect the carbohydrates increasing the over all brix in the fruit. Here in Australia most outdoor growers harvest end of April early May. I always leave mine in until around the 18th of may or a week or two after the night temps drop. The result is a much sweeter tasting bud, so id agree with the theory that dropping your temps before harvest is a good thing. I would be attempting to drop it much lower than 5c below lights on temps. I also wonder if increasing your dark period to coincide with this would be beneficial as well as you are really telling the plant that time is up. I did drop my temps for lights out on my last grow and the result was the plants threw more white pistils, so while this doesnt finish them quiker it certainly did stress the plant out a bit.
Thanks its really helpfull info

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