People want cannabis with higher THC levels. This may be for medical purposes, to sell for a higher price, or for personal taste. But in any case, increasing the amount of THC or other cannabinoids is a common goal of a lot of farmers.
High levels of THC mean your weed is more potent and has a stronger psychological impact. It also provides more relief from certain types of pain and other symptoms.
The pursuit of high cannabinoid content is not necessarily to increase the THC content. Some people will pay more attention to the heavy CBD content of cannabis, and prefer cannabis with high CBD and low THC. (This helps with anxiety or epilepsy.) It all depends on what you want from your cannabis.
In this article, we’ll cover how to increase the THC levels in your plants.
The main factors affecting THC
Selection of strains
This is the number one factor for increasing THC—choosing the right strain means you can do more with less. If you choose a strain with no more than 20% THC, you won’t be able to raise its THC level above 20% no matter what you do. You can choose from Chem Berry D (25-32%), Original Clue (24-30%), Girl Scout Cookies (25-28%), or other strains that are inherently high in THC, this will naturally guarantee higher THC levels.
Harvest time
Some farmers harvest their plants too early, which can greatly reduce potency and yield. When trichomes turn milky white and the pistils turn dark red (you can use jeweler’s loupe to see this) it is the best time to harvest for high THC levels. There is about a three-week harvest window for most strains of cannabis and a later harvest will be lower in THC as it begins to be converted into CBD. You need to harvest at the right time to get the highest levels of THC.
Lighting
Cannabis can indeed be adapted to grow in darker light conditions, but then it may not be able to produce enough buds. Cannabis in the vegetative stage requires at least 18 hours of light per day, while in the flowering stage, it requires 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. You need powerful, bright grow lights to provide your plants with enough light to produce the highest levels of THC that your strain can produce.
To increase the THC content, you want to have the plant produce more trichomes (THC-potent resin is produced from trichomes) during flowering. Your plants need more white light, red light, and far-red light during flowering. This is why we recommend using LED grow lights, LED lights with full spectrum can be very convenient to adjust the color and intensity of light.
Your plant health
A perfectly healthy plant produces buds that contain the highest levels of THC. This requires a caring grower. Provide adequate lighting and ventilation, proper watering and nutrition, and avoid heat stress or pests. If your plant’s leaves are yellowing or showing signs of burning, or its roots don’t look healthy, you’ll need to take steps to remedy the problems to keep your plant as healthy as it can be. Be sure to research why you are seeing the problems on your plant and act according to those issues. otherwise, you will end up with a few small and low-quality buds.
Proper drying and curing
The first thing we do after harvest is drying the buds. Trim the cannabis to remove excess leaves and dry in a room at 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent humidity. After about a week, you can pinch the stem with your hands and if it breaks easily, it means the plant has dried.
Afterward, place the buds in a mason jar for curing—a process some belief encourages cannabis to produce more resin to protect itself from “death of thirst,” which increases the cannabinoids (which also contain THC) in cannabis, resulting in greater potency. When curing, open the jar several times a day for the first few days for about twenty minutes to release excess moisture. After those first few days, you can open the jar once every few days.
Suitable temperature
Not only does cannabis need a 12/12 light cycle as a reminder to enter bloom, but it also needs cooler temperatures to make the plant realize that fall has arrived and it’s time to bloom. You will need to control the temperature in the grow room and lower it by about 10-15 degrees (of course this depends on the strain and your local growing conditions). Your plants will put all their energy into producing more resin and producing more flowers.
Wrap-up
We have introduced a lot of knowledge about cannabis cultivation, from some simple common sense concepts to the methods and skills that professional growers need to master. We’re so glad you chose VIVOSUN to grow with you and your plants, and we hope we all continue to love what you grow.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
And be sure to check out our other blog posts for useful tips on becoming a great grower!
Subscribe to the VIVOSUN newsletter for growing tips, grower stories, and special offers, and get 12% off your first order!
We love the new VIVOSUN Smart Grow System and we are certain that you too will love it once you try it.
And join our Facebook farmer’s community for even more exclusive contests and prizes!
Download VIVOSUN App to get 18% off and explore more information!
