Cannabis Compounds in Constant Flux

Understanding the relationship between cannabis growth stages and their impact on the final product is vital for both commercial operators and home growers alike. One CBT reader asked our in-house expert Kenneth Morrow why his early-harvested flower has a different effect than the buds harvested on schedule.

Here, Morrow explains the science behind these variations and emphasizes the importance of timing and lab analysis to optimize harvest for desired outcomes, whether for flower or extraction purposes.

Question: Hi Ken, I recently had two drip emitters clog, causing some plants to die six weeks into the flowering stage. I harvested and processed the immature buds as I usually would. I finished the other plants (the same cultivar as the plants that died) three weeks later—nine weeks into their flowering stage.

After sampling the six-week and nine-week buds, I realized the premature flower produced an entirely different physical experience from the buds harvested at week nine. The high was uplifting, akin to what is typically described as a “sativa” high. The aroma and flavor were very similar, except they were not as pronounced in the week six buds.

Besides the elevated THC levels in the nine-week batch, what is causing the difference?

Answer: There are well over 100 additional cannabinoids in cannabis, as well as over 100 terpenes and terpenoids in the plethora of cannabis cultivars. A cannabis plant can contain over 500 chemicals in total.

It’s this combination of cannabinoids and terpenes that contributes to the entourage effects of cannabis on the human endocannabinoid system. Other factors such as psyche, body chemistry, physiology, and tolerance also weigh on a person’s cannabis experience.

The bulk of the cannabinoids, terpenes, terpenoids, and many of the other compounds present in cannabis are produced by the plant over the 8- to 12-week flowering cycle. The ratio in which these compounds present themselves is in constant flux during this period.

The majority of these chemicals gradually increase until the plants reach peak maturity at harvest, while others degrade. For instance, as the plant reaches maturity, some resin glands (trichomes) begin to oxidize, which darkens their color, and the THC slowly converts to CBN (which is reported to have more of a sedative effect).

So, the plant changes rapidly throughout the flowering stages, meaning the buds at week six of flowering are much different chemically than buds at week nine of the flowering stage. Could you repeat the process and send samples of the buds from week 6 and week 9 to a lab for analysis? Doing this will give you a better understanding of their chemical ratio differences.

By understanding these aspects at various growth stages, you will gain a better understanding of when to harvest your plants to yield the effect you desire. Perhaps you will purposefully harvest a few plants slightly early to yield a milder effect, as you experienced. Conversely, you could choose to allow a plant to flower longer than normal to yield elevated CBN percentages.

Another consideration on harvest time depends on whether you intend to extract your flower for concentrates. Many extractors choose to harvest plants before any of the resin glands begin to oxidize and turn amber to avoid negatively influencing the product’s final color. (Consumers generally are less attracted to darker-colored extracts.)

The resulting extract also is chemically different from an extract from buds that were harvested between weeks 9 and 12 of the flowering cycle. Perhaps some growers, with the guidance of lab results, will choose (or are already choosing) to harvest at different stages to yield desired chemical ratios targeted for a specific effect.

Kenneth Morrow is an author, consultant and owner of Trichome Technologies. Facebook: TrichomeTechnologies Instagram: Trichome Technologies Email: k.trichometechnologies@gmail.com

About this column: Cannabis industry expert Kenneth Morrow regularly fields questions in response to his “Tomorrow in Cannabis” column in emails and direct messages. Now, Cannabis Business Times is giving people an opportunity to ask questions and get them answered in an open forum. What questions do you have for Ken? Please send all questions to Noelle Skodzinski, nskodzinski@gie.net, and your inquiry may be the foundation of the next article.