Professional Marijuana Grower July-August 2019 Issue | Page 26
benefi cial microbial population. They also simply give
the plant access to more carbohydrates. A large num-
ber of fl avor enhancing additives also contain amino
acids which contribute to the overall health of the plant.
Providing the plant with sugars and/or increasing the
plant’s overall health indirectly helps increase terpene
production. There are also nutrient additives that are
specifi cally designed to increase terpene production
and are advertised as such. These additives utilize
naturally occurring plant compounds that are bio-os-
motic potentiators. These compounds encourage plants
to up their production of terpenes and essential oils. In
other words, they make cannabis plants increase their
production of trichomes.
Feeding Regimen for Terpene Production
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The last few weeks of the fl owering stage is a critical
time for terpene production in cannabis plants. As
stated earlier, a plant creates terpenes to protect itself
and to increase its chances of successful reproduction.
This explains why a cannabis plant expends the most
energy on producing terpenes during its fi nal stages of
fl owering. And this is just one of the reasons why a can-
nabis grower should reduce or alter his or her feeding
regimen during the last stages of fl owering. The vast
majority of a cannabis plant’s terpenes are found in the
trichomes on the fl owers or buds. Particular elements,
such as nitrogen, are known to slow down fl ower for-
mation. This reduces the production of trichomes and,
in turn, the production of terpenes. A balanced nutrient
regimen with a reduced amount of nitrogen should be
used throughout the fl owering stage. It is important to
completely eliminate nitrogen from the feeding regimen
during the fi nal two weeks of fl owering. This will help
promote larger fl owers and more trichomes/terpenes.
Temperature and Humidity for
Maximizing Terpene Production
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26 • Professional Marijuana Grower
The atmospheric conditions of an indoor garden or
greenhouse can also signifi cantly impact the terpene
production in cannabis plants. For example, the high
temperatures from an artifi cial light source can actually
damage terpenes and essential oils. This is one reason
why it is recommended to lower the operating tempera-
ture of a fl owering room during the last couple weeks
of fl owering. Generally speaking, the optimal operating
temperature for growing cannabis is 75-80 degrees
F. During the last couple of weeks of fl owering, some
growers will drop the temperature range by 5-10 de-
grees F. This reduction in temperature will slightly stress
the plant (which actually increases terpene production)
and protect the terpenes from being damaged by exces-
sive heat. A gardener must be careful to not drop the
temperature too low, as operating temperatures below
60 degrees F can be counterproductive and reduce
yields. It is also important that there is not a differential
July/August 2019