Once again she passes my expectations, late to the show with trichome production. I'm surprised there is purple on the bud, maybe Purpinator does work. I thought I could see hints under the grow lights and thought my eyes were deceiving me, I was just being hopeful. But nah 2 of the 3(under the UV) have developed a beautiful tone of purple. I was never going to bother with a deep freeze but maybe the whole bud will change given conditions, that would be something, fingers crossed. 🤔 was a little skeptical that reducing temps humidity would change density, but it does, buds are solid something I've not been able to achieve before. Rule of thumb is never to surpass 60% RH in the flowering phase and try to progressively reduce it down to 40% in the last 2–3 weeks before harvest. The plant will react as it seeks to protect its flowers, responding by producing denser buds and a higher concentration of resin. Cannabis plants are sensitive to sudden temperature changes, especially in the flowering stage. Extreme heat or cold can impact bud density and overall yields. In nature as a defense mechanism from cold, the plant sensing sudden dips in temperature will attempt to remove the pockets of air within the bud, it achieves this by compacting itself in doing so to better protect itself from cold snaps which are normally indicators in nature that worse weather is on the way. Terpene levels are the highest just before the sun comes out. Ideally, you want as many terpenes present in your plants as possible when you harvest. Cannabis plants soak up the sun during the day and produce resin and other goodies at night. The plant is at its emptiest from "harvest undesirables," so to speak,k right before the lights come on. Freshly cut buds are greener than dried buds because they still contain loads of chlorophyll. However, when rushed through the drying process, the buds dry but retain some chlorophyll, and when you smoke it, you will taste it. Chlorophyll-filled buds are smokable, but they aren’t clean. Slow drying gives the buds enough time and favorable conditions to lose the chlorophyll and sugars, giving you a smoother smoke. How the plant disposes of the chlorophyll and sugars by a process of chemically breaking them down and attaching the decomposed matter once small enough to water molecules, which then evaporate back into the ether. Time must be given to the process to break down the chlorophyll and sugars. Think of it like optimizing the environment for decay. Plant growth and geographic distribution (where the plant can grow) are greatly affected by the environment. If any environmental factor is less than ideal, it limits a plant's growth and/or distribution. For example, only plants adapted to limited amounts of water can live in deserts. Either directly or indirectly, most plant problems are caused by environmental stress. In some cases, poor environmental conditions (e.g., too little water) damage a plant directly. In other cases, environmental stress weakens a plant and makes it more susceptible to disease or insect attack. Environmental factors that affect plant growth include light, temperature, water, humidity, and nutrition. It's important to understand how these factors affect plant growth and development. With a basic understanding of these factors, you may be able to manipulate plants to meet your needs, whether for increased leaf, flower, or fruit production. By recognizing the roles of these factors, you'll also be better able to diagnose plant problems caused by environmental stress. Water and humidity *Most growing plants contain about 90 percent water. Water plays many roles in plants. It is:* A primary component in photosynthesis and respiration Responsible for turgor pressure in cells (Like the air in an inflated balloon, water is responsible for the fullness and firmness of plant tissue. Turgor is needed to maintain cell shape and ensure cell growth.) A solvent for minerals and carbohydrates moving through the plant Responsible for cooling leaves as it evaporates from leaf tissue during transpiration A regulator of stomatal opening and closing, thus controlling transpiration and, to some degree, photosynthesis The source of pressure to move roots through the soil The medium in which most biochemical reactions take place Relative humidity is the ratio of water vapor in the air to the amount of water the air could hold at the current temperature and pressure. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. Relative humidity (RH) is expressed by the following equation: RH = water in air ÷ water air could hold (at constant temperature and pressure) The relative humidity is given as a percent. For example, if a pound of air at 75°F could hold 4 grams of water vapor, and there are only 3 grams of water in the air, then the relative humidity (RH) is: 3 ÷ 4 = 0.75 = 75% Water vapor moves from an area of high relative humidity to one of low relative humidity. The greater the difference in humidity, the faster water moves. This factor is important because the rate of water movement directly affects a plant's transpiration rate. The relative humidity in the air spaces between leaf cells approaches 100 percent. When a stoma opens, water vapor inside the leaf rushes out into the surrounding air (Figure 2), and a bubble of high humidity forms around the stoma. By saturating this small area of air, the bubble reduces the difference in relative humidity between the air spaces within the leaf and the air adjacent to the leaf. As a result, transpiration slows down. If the wind blows the humidity bubble away, however, transpiration increases. Thus, transpiration usually is at its peak on hot, dry, windy days. On the other hand, transpiration generally is quite slow when temperatures are cool, humidity is high, and there is no wind. Hot, dry conditions generally occur during the summer, which partially explains why plants wilt quickly in the summer. If a constant supply of water is not available to be absorbed by the roots and moved to the leaves, turgor pressure is lost and leaves go limp. Plant Nutrition Plant nutrition often is confused with fertilization. Plant nutrition refers to a plant's need for and use of basic chemical elements. Fertilization is the term used when these materials are added to the environment around a plant. A lot must happen before a chemical element in a fertilizer can be used by a plant. Plants need 17 elements for normal growth. Three of them--carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen--are found in air and water. The rest are found in the soil. Six soil elements are called macronutrients because they are used in relatively large amounts by plants. They are nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur. Eight other soil elements are used in much smaller amounts and are called micronutrients or trace elements. They are iron, zinc, molybdenum, manganese, boron, copper, cobalt, and chlorine. They make up less than 1% of total but are none the less vital. Most of the nutrients a plant needs are dissolved in water and then absorbed by its roots. In fact, 98 percent are absorbed from the soil-water solution, and only about 2 percent are actually extracted from soil particles. Fertilizers Fertilizers are materials containing plant nutrients that are added to the environment around a plant. Generally, they are added to the water or soil, but some can be sprayed on leaves. This method is called foliar fertilization. It should be done carefully with a dilute solution because a high fertilizer concentration can injure leaf cells. The nutrient, however, does need to pass through the thin layer of wax (cutin) on the leaf surface. It is to be noted applying a immobile nutrient via foliar application it will remain immobile within the leaf it was absorbed through. Fertilizers are not plant food! Plants produce their own food from water, carbon dioxide, and solar energy through photosynthesis. This food (sugars and carbohydrates) is combined with plant nutrients to produce proteins, enzymes, vitamins, and other elements essential to growth. Nutrient absorption Anything that reduces or stops sugar production in leaves can lower nutrient absorption. Thus, if a plant is under stress because of low light or extreme temperatures, nutrient deficiency may develop. A plant's developmental stage or rate of growth also may affect the amount of nutrients absorbed. Many plants have a rest (dormant) period during part of the year. During this time, few nutrients are absorbed. Plants also may absorb different nutrients as flower buds begin to develop than they do during periods of rapid vegetative growth.