When requested by my pricey good friend Ellen, the editor in chief of this publication, to renew writing for Excessive Instances I jumped on the request. As a journalist/educator and lifelong scholar I’ve at all times loved diving into subjects that I’ve coated for this journal over time and revisiting sure topics as new science turned obtainable. Right here I look into rising hashish particularly for terpene manufacturing.
Terpenoids or terpenes are one of the vital essential chemical compounds produced by the hashish plant. They’re the compounds answerable for the plant’s odor and provides every cultivar their distinctive fragrance. Terpenes, like cannabinoids, are produced within the plant’s trichome. The trichomes are the little appendages that develop out of the plant, they’re discovered on the buds in addition to generally on the leaves of the plant. Within the hashish plant they’re sometimes comprised of a stalk and head. Inside these heads are many of the important oils discovered within the hashish plant, together with the cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and different compounds.
Presently there’s a shift within the dialogue concerning THC proportion and its sole significance to promoting hashish within the many authorized markets around the globe. This needs to be understood as improbable information to shoppers, as they’ll lastly be the beneficiaries of extra information surrounding the plant and the best way by which its energetic compounds work with one another to steer results. This has come to be referred to as the entourage impact. THC is just like the fuel of the automobile and the terpenes and different compounds act just like the GPS, giving the excessive its course.
The primary researchers to debate the entourage impact had been Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and Dr. Shimon Ben-Shabat. They proposed that the mixed impact of all of the compounds discovered within the trichome head labored in a “botanical synergy,” to maximise the pharmacological impact of hashish. This idea was additional expanded by Dr. Ethan Russo in a paper he wrote in 2011. Within the British Journal of Pharmacology, Dr. Russo wrote “that phytocannabinoid-terpenoid interactions present in hashish provide complementary pharmacological actions which will strengthen and broaden medical purposes and enhance the therapeutic index of hashish extracts.”
This dialogue has mirrored enhancements within the cultivation of hashish and have proven that phytocannabinoids and terpene percentages rise to unbelievable ranges. It’s not unusual for some strains to check as excessive as 35-38% whole cannabinoids, with some flower testing as excessive as 5.5-6% whole terpene content material. As extra hashish analysis emerges, cultivation methods have gotten an increasing number of refined. Utilizing a science-backed strategy, cultivators can take a look at their flower and actually dial in setting, nutrient utilization, and genetics. In the case of rising for terpene content material, the primary elements a grower can management are: vitamins, ultraviolet (UV) gentle, temperature management, harvesting schedule, the drying/curing course of, and genetics.
Vitamins
Vitamins, particularly sure plant hormones like methyl jasmonate, can stimulate the systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in a plant. This forces it to extend the pure oils, on this case terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids, as a way of safety. One other method to entry this response is one thing known as salicylic acid. In an article discovered within the journal, Meals Science and Diet, a group of botanists from Urmia College of Medical Sciences in Iran, found that utilizing salicylic acid as a foliar feed can enhance cannabinoid, flavonoid, and terpene manufacturing. When sprayed on the hashish plant the acid regulates the jasmonate signaling pathway naturally present in hashish. This makes the flavonoid and terpene synthesis extra environment friendly, growing their values by a number of proportion factors. Essentially the most well-known nutrient used for terpene enhancement is the Terpinator. The product incorporates no methyl jasmonate or salicylic acid, as a substitute its foremost ingredient is potassium (Ok) which will increase enzyme exercise making the important oil manufacturing extra environment friendly. One other product in the marketplace is FlaVUH from Ventana Plant Science; it makes use of a proprietary polyaspartic amino acid which will increase the nutrient uptake to the plant, growing yield and pure oil manufacturing. It additionally incorporates no jasmonate or salicylic acid.
UV Gentle
UV gentle has been discovered to even have a big effect on terpene manufacturing in addition to a rise in cannabinoids. This comes from the truth that the plant naturally protects itself from UV gentle by growing important oil manufacturing. One of many extra attention-grabbing advances in cultivation has been the advance within the high quality of LED lights. In recent times LED fixture corporations have added UV diodes to their lighting, which causes cannabinoid and terpene values to extend. The very long time query surrounding the advantages of outside vs. indoor cultivating has additionally discovered new proof to assist the advantages of UV gentle. Within the journal Molecules a bunch of scientists from Columbia College, in partnership with a number of cultivators in California, examined the distinction between out of doors and indoor cultivation. Utilizing the identical clones, medium, and nutrient regiments, they grew vegetation in out of doors farms and underneath synthetic lights. Their discovery confirmed that not solely had been the terpene and cannabinoids larger in out of doors grows, however that there have been additionally distinctive terpenes and minor cannabinoids detected within the vegetation grown outside. Moreover, the chances of sesquiterpenes like b-caryophyllene and a-humulene had been larger within the out of doors vegetation. One may speculate that these terpenes had been extra current within the out of doors vegetation as a result of they wanted further safety from the UV gentle.
Temperature Management
Temperature management is one other essential issue within the manufacturing of terpenes. Sometimes by decreasing the temperatures on the finish of your flower cycle additionally, you will see a rise in terpene manufacturing. Normally a drop between 5-10 levels Fahrenheit will do the trick. An additional benefit to dropping the temperatures is that flavonoid manufacturing can even enhance and the vegetation that naturally get purple can even enhance the quantity of shade current within the buds.
Harvesting Schedule
A harvesting schedule is a reasonably straightforward issue to regulate because the introduction of cannabinoid and terpene testing labs. Up to now we needed to depend on loupes or magnifying glasses to check the colour of the trichomes. Now you’ll be able to take a look at your flower at any level within the harvest cycle and decide the proper second of ripeness, relying in your wants. Normally for terpene manufacturing you wish to harvest a bit on the sooner facet, whereas with THC you’ll wish to harvest a bit later within the cycle.
Drying & Curing
Drying and curing is simply as essential a course of as rising is. Most individuals neglect that your 9 weeks of labor can simply be ruined by an improper remedy or storage. Particularly in cities like Denver the place the altitude can simply dry out your flower. My desire for drying is a decrease temperature setting between 45-50 levels Fahrenheit and round 55-60% relative humidity. I additionally wish to hold the fan leaves on the plant in addition to preserving the plant as intact as attainable. This enables the hashish to dry on the slowest attainable fee preserving the important oils. As for storage, glass is at all times higher than plastic, until you’ll be able to nitrogen flush and vacuum seal the baggage. The important thing to storing flower is to have a full jar. The top house within the jar, which is the native house between the lid and the flower is what causes the terpenes to slowly evaporate, due to this fact decide a jar measurement that may be stuffed to the highest. Some folks additionally swear by way of the humidity-regulating packs. I personally have discovered that they trigger a response to among the extra risky terpenes with the consequence being a extra homogenous odor throughout totally different cultivars. I might say put money into some analysis and take a look at your flower earlier than and after utilizing any humidity packs to see in the event that they be just right for you.
Genetics
Lastly, genetics can even play an essential position in terpene-rich flower. The important thing right here is to experiment along with your setting and hold testing. Take a look at which cultivars work finest for you, to your setting and for the nutrient program you might be utilizing. Science is your ally right here, use hashish testing labs to your benefit. Keep in mind that science relies on proof and never perception, so utilizing it’s going to enable you to uncover extra about your flower and the chemical compounds discovered inside. This can help you develop the dankest, loudest, and most potent flower you’ll be able to. Might the terpenes be with you.
This text was initially printed within the Might 2023 challenge of Excessive Instances Journal.