How To Increase The Potency Of Your Weed

[0:07] What's up, you amazing growers, future growers, or veterans of cannabis. I'm your host Chronic from the Cannabis Chronicles on YouTube and @homegrown_chronic on Instagram, as my original page has been shut down for some unknown reason. However, I'm not here to chat about Instagram, and you're not here to listen to anything but the amazing podcast brought to us by Homegrown Cannabis
 

[0:30] Co. Remember, if you enjoy podcast about cannabis, be sure to follow along whichever platform you're listening from so you never miss out on any episode we post. As well as that, be sure to check out my mentor's podcast he does with Homegrown Cannabis Co., called "Get to the Roots with Homegrown Cannabis Co." @organigrower0624 from Instagram is an amazing host

[0:51] and very knowledgeable on his strain information, lineage history, and profiles of said strains, which in today's episode, that knowledge will be vitally important as we'll be discussing how to increase the THCA production and potency within your cannabis. Be sure to pack a very fat bowl of some sticky icky goodness and drop a nice size glob to get you going, and let's blaze
 

[1:13] into some fiery cannabis content. Let's begin. Now in this first segment, we're going to break down how to increase resin production, not necessarily potency or active cannabinoids. However, they do sort of go hand-in-hand, which we'll talk about later. I'm sure you're wondering as well why I said that strain history, lineage, and terpenes present are vitally important for today's
 

[1:35] episode. Well, it's because genetics are directly responsible for any of this information being useful, as no matter how hard you try, if you do not have the right genetics to go after the resin production or potency you're seeking, it won't ever happen. So definitely head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.com to browse a very wide selection of top-notch strains that are extremely
 

[1:57] stable and they have quite the resinous options to browse through, including Bruce Banner variations, which is one of the highest yielding strains out and about. So aside from genetics, which I suggest listening to my mentors at @organigrower0624's podcast to learn which strains you may want, training environmental conditions, light potency or PAR, and countless other factors come into play when trying to increase resin production
 

[2:21] in your cannabis plants. If you haven't listened to the episodes I have on this podcast about cannabis environments or proper conditions, I highly suggest you go do that and listen, as having a dialed in environment that offers cooler, more humid times at night with some drier and hotter times during the day will give your plants the best experiences indoors
 

[2:40] mimicking nature and what nature does outside. Having an environment that naturally stresses your plants such as wind, like using fans, having a powerful light that you can dim and brighten for light stress like the sun, along with having the ability to increase temperature for a few hours a day can all be very beneficial to increasing resin, as resin or trichomes are a natural defense
 

[3:03] mechanism for cannabis against light potency, heat stress, insects, and even animals. So a good way to increase resin is by having natural stresses that actually stress your cannabis plants, such as the ones found in nature. Now environment is not the only thing that will increase potentials. Having a quality full-spectrum feed that gives your plants the valuable macro and micronutrients cannabis craves is very
 

[3:26] essential. I use Homegrown Cannabis Co.'s organic line, and they take the top spot for my top three favorite blends. I base my choice off of how easy it is to use or implement without burning or ruining your plants, what the smells of the nutrients themselves are like, how it makes the grow room smell, how fast or reactive my plants
 

[3:45] are to it normally and with deficiencies, and how evenly it balances pH-wise without any adjustments. So for my top spot, Homegrown Cannabis Co.'s organic line has pretty much hit every mark out of the park with how amazing their blend has been and how amazing my plants have truly reacted from it. You can check out their nutrients at
 

[4:05] www.homegrown.supplies and browse some of their other products such as their plant protectants as well. Now the other two spots I like are for FOOP Organics, which has a phenomenal blend, which you can check out one of the grows I have with FOOP on my YouTube channel, the Cannabis Chronicles, to see the results. You can also see plants I'm using currently with Homegrown Cannabis Co.'s blend as
 

[4:27] well. Now the reason FOOP isn't my number one isn't anything to do with quality. My top three are honestly equally very quality nutrient blends. The main thing I considered with FOOP was that it's liquid-based, which some growers only use granular. It does have a very fishy smell, and for some indoor growers, that's a little strong for them. And so I gave FOOP my number two spot thinking of some of
 

[4:49] the cons against all those pros out there. Now the last spot is tied between two blends, Nectar of the Gods and Bloom Yellow Bottles, as these blends are both phenomenal. They're nicely concentrated formulas that work very well to go a long way. However, the reason they get the bottom spot is due to the fact that a consumer has to purchase multiple bottles, more than three.
 

[5:11] It's generally a headache to have to keep up with this and store inside. So for space, purchase price, upkeep, and how many bottles you need to create their ideal full range feed, this is why these two get my last spot. And that's also why I like Homegrown Cannabis Co.'s organic line because it's a four-nutrient pack in total, with two
 

[5:31] being specifically for flower and the other two being different, one for seedlings and one for veg phase. This makes it simplistic, easy, and affordable to keep up with. Now why did I just spend all that time giving my opinion on my top three nutrient blends? Well, top four if you count the last spot. Because genetics are definitely the key component to resin production along with
 

[5:52] those environmental factors. However, the type of food you're feeding your plants will directly affect how resinous your ladies will be. You want to make sure your plants have a full range of micronutrients to macronutrients with simple sugars and carbs covered, as these nutrients are all important to trichome production, especially those simple sugars and carbs. Those are directly responsible for resin production, which
 

[6:15] one additive I highly recommend for increasing resin production as well as the potency of terpenes present or having more clearer, cleaner terpenes is to use a product called Terpinator. Terpinator is a wonderful blend of simple sugars, carbs, and other goodies for your plants and can be used throughout the whole grow. And wow, have I noticed a serious difference since I began using
 

[6:36] it about eight or so months ago. It changed my yields extremely. It's basically like unsulfured blackstrap molasses, but like the Hulk version of molasses. Terpinator is an extremely great blend that I recommend, which if you don't want to drop money on Terpinator and you don't want to try it, that's totally fine. Using unsulfured blackstrap molasses is a good way to feed simple
 

[6:57] sugars and carbs as well to your plants for an inexpensive amendment. However, I really do suggest trying out Terpinator up against unsulfured blackstrap molasses at least for one grow and see your results. Now let's break into what else will help increase resin production as we talked about how important genetics are as that's the key component to start with.
 

[7:16] Then we talked about environmental conditions having a serious role to play and mimicking nature and cannabis' natural response to natural stress, and we just talked about nutrients and some amendments I recommend like Terpinator. So now it's time to talk about training techniques. Training techniques are one of the last ways to increase resin production and potential potency, such as using methods like
 

[7:37] lollipopping, which will keep the weight up top, which will keep all the resin production on those main colas instead of the popcorn or lower buds. You can also use methods like Kushman chiropractics to increase the strength of individual branches to hold more weight which will allow for more space or trichome heads to be produced, increasing overall resin production.
 

[7:57] Another favorite of mine to increase resin production or weight for resin to be produced on is to use time defoliation techniques like Swayze training which will help allow the PAR to penetrate through the canopy and increase the resin on those lower nodes a lot more. The last training technique for physical training to increase potency potential would be super crop spots where you create a
 

[8:20] split essentially or break within the outer and inner membrane of the stem allowing a knuckle to form that becomes a nutrient superhighway for that branch. Doing this can allow more nutrients to flow faster and at higher quantities through the transpiration stream of that newly formed knuckle. Low-stress training techniques are also great methods to increase stem strength or using mainlining which creates a manifold-like
 

[8:44] structure. Your main goal with training to increase resin potential is to increase the strength of individual stems, removing leaves to open up the canopy for light penetration and evening out the canopy to create a uniformed canopy that will create a more even spread of PAR for an even spread of resin production and happy harvest. Now the last ways I'm going to talk about resin
 

[9:07] production increase in the first section is going to be a few various amendments to add to your garden such as using UVA and UVB lighting, as using UVA and UVB on specific strains, and I do mean specific strains as every cannabis strain will not react this way to UVA or UVB always. Some strains have shown an increase of resin
 

[9:29] production or potency by up to 5% however in some strains that received UVA and UVB. Along with using UVA and UVB in your flower tent, you could also try adding CO2 like TNB Natural canisters which adding a quality CO2 can increase your growth rate and weight potential by up to 50%, which does help increase resin production as
 

[9:53] well. The more weight, the more space for trichome heads to be produced on the plant matter. Now the only other way I've heard to increase potency or potential resin increase is to do three days of darkness before harvest, as this tricks the plant into thinking it's about to die and it will create more resin out of stress from the dark hours consistently.
 

[10:12] This would be like dark periods late in winter which some plants in nature do experience full-on dark days. Now there is a massive debate on whether or not this adds anything to plants, but with the research I've done, lab tests do show slight percentage increase in overall cannabinoids, terpenes, and potency present in THCA. Now, are those brand-new trichome heads mature or filled
 

[10:34] with lots of goodness that are being produced from those three days of darkness? Not necessarily. However, they are THCA and when activated with heat they will become THC, increasing the psychoactive potential of the plant, but not necessarily the medical benefits. So for me, three days of darkness is beneficial for growers to use if you have a dark tent or space to increase psychoactive potential.
 

[10:59] Now that's all for this first segment as we'll take a short break and hear some of the latest homegrown Cannabis Co. news. But be sure to pack a fat bowl or drop another glob as we get ready to go over some more amazing cannabis content. Stay tuned. One of the things I love most about cannabis is the sense of community.
 

[11:19] People helping each other out, brotherhood, sisterhood. The people I like the best in this world are the people I met through cannabis. The homegrown forum is a meeting place for growers eager to carry on this sharing tradition. It's a place to give and receive advice, to learn new skills. It's a place to network and share tips. It's a place to grow.
 

[11:38] So my white widow is currently hanging and drying. Can I cut some of those yellow leaves off to help it dry? Yeah, you can take off any leaves that don't have trichomes on them. Thanks, Parker. Huh. Homegrown's community forum is moderated by experienced growers always keen to help. It's all neatly sorted by category too, so finding your
 

[11:56] answers is easy. What else is great about the forum? It covers all areas of cannabis cultivation. Your questions are answered quickly and efficiently You'll receive Homegrown Cannabis Co. updates and events. You can show off your grow and talk about your favorite cultivars, and it's free. Sign up now by heading over to homegrowncannabisco.community. And we're back from that amazing break.
 

[12:27] If you haven't already dropped that glob or pack a bowl, definitely go ahead and do so as we break into some juicy cannabis content. Let's begin. In this segment, we're going to discuss increasing potency of your plants and going after actual medical compounds created versus actual resin numbers. So this section is not for increasing that 22% THCA strain to 28% THCA.
 

[12:50] Instead, we're looking at that active cannabinoid number and increasing the goodies within the cannabis plant that help aid medical problems or ailments. So genetics are literally the key component like I mentioned prior. You need to start with a strain that's heavy or prevalent in terpenes you're seeking to help aid your issue or ailments. Terpenes like myrcene, limonene, linalool, and pinene
 

[13:13] are some of my all-time favorites, with myrcene being my favorite for pain management. These terpenes and their profiles can be found by searching online through various articles out there, such as ones written by Homegrown Cannabis Co. on different terpenes found in cannabis or their specific article on myrcene. You can check out their articles on www.homegrowncannabisco.com under the Grow Your Own with Kyle
 

[13:35] Kushman section. So genetics are key, which you can also find at Homegrown Cannabis Co.'s website, but picking genetics that have your preferred terpenes are absolutely key. And if you don't know which ones you prefer, it's best to seek the ones that will aid in issues you're seeking relief from, from articles that you've read describing the specific terpenes. Now once you have that situated, here comes the
 

[13:58] hard truth and reality of increasing potency on this level. You need to be very dialed in and a seasoned grower. I'm sorry to say that to you novice growers. Not to say you can't grow potent plants, but growing on a level to increase cannabinoids that are active and preserve them means you have every environmental condition dialed in from the literal start of
 

[14:18] the grow to the day of the harvest, as cannabinoids and terpenes are extremely sensitive and can degrade with too much stress, such as overwatering, overfeeding, heat stress, light potency, pH imbalance, or actual physical damage. This means when you see those growers on YouTube squeezing their buds, showing the size, and smelling them, all of that is actually damaging the
 

[14:41] s**t out of every single terpene and cannabinoid found in those areas, including the trichome heads. Your goal is to literally have the pH perfect through the entire grow, the PPM of your feeds perfect or EC, and having no excess stressors, including damaging the buds with your own hands. Heat degradation and light potency are mostly responsible for cannabinoids being degraded, so making sure to have a light that's dialed
 

[15:09] in PAR-wise and is at the proper height start to finish is going to be key as well. With all of that, you also need to make sure what you're feeding is going to give your plants the absolute necessary nutrients they require to create all the compounds you're seeking, which now you're going to be breaking into plant science and
 

[15:28] botany and starting to have to do experiments as a grower yourself. As there are studies for sure on what will increase certain terpenes, but cannabis is still extremely new to science and studies, so we're finding out daily new products or amendments that can potentially increase these compounds. So picking the right blends, mixing and matching blends, or just
 

[15:49] making your own compost teas will probably be the best for you to dial in your own preferred mix. However, starting with quality blends is always what I recommend, like Homegrown Cannabis Co.'s organic line. Now along with that, to make the most of all of this hard work, it's highly, highly recommended to invest into a freeze dryer or flash freezer for
 

[16:13] cannabis and a very nice bubble hash washer for live processing. Processing your plants within 24 to 48 hours of harvest has shown an increase in cannabinoids found by upwards of 50% to 55% when looking at terpenes like myrcene specifically. Now, I promise I have told you growers every which way I can think of to increase potency and potential resin production that I know of, of
 

[16:43] your plants. If there are any other ways, I'm sure I'll find out later along my personal journey of learning and share them with you all. But for now, these are all the methods I know of to help get you growers increasing numbers on your plant potentials, such as THCA or active cannabinoids. I do hope you listeners enjoyed today's
 

[17:02] podcast of the Homegrown Podcast brought to us by Homegrown Cannabis Co. Remember to head over to www.homegrowncannabisco.com to snag your high-quality genetics and check out their articles on terpenes in cannabis. Be sure to follow along on whichever platform you're listening from so you never miss out on any episode that we post. Remember to check out my mentor's podcast called "Get to the Roots" with Homegrown
 

[17:25] Cannabis Co. on strain lineages, history, and terpene profiles to help make your decision on which strains to grow much easier. If you need a place to post your grows with ease and document them, check out www.homegrowndiary.com and sign up for free. If you have any questions for me, be sure to tag @kronic. That's K-R-O-N-I-C at www.homegrowncannabisco.community and ask me your
 

[17:53] questions or just have a chat. Remember, Homegrown Cannabis Co. does free seed giveaways on their Facebook page, so be sure to hit that like button on it and stay up to date daily on their Instagram by following @homegrownworld. I am your host, Kronic, from the Cannabis Chronicles on YouTube and @homegrown_kronic. That's K-R-O-N-I-C on Instagram, and I'll be back every single Wednesday to teach you
 

[18:19] amazing listeners all about cannabis cultivation. I hope you have an amazing day. Much love, happy growing, and peace. If you enjoyed this video and want to learn more about growing your own cannabis at home, hit that like button, subscribe, and turn those notifications on to keep up to date with the amazing marijuana content Homegrown Cannabis Co. has to offer. See you next time.