GENETICS
One of the most convenient ways to consistently produce purple, or any color, is to invest in strains that carry the genes to do so.
This may sound like "common sense" but the market can be very deceiving when it comes to delivering strains that consistently express color. This article will cover tips on how to tell which strains are "boof" and which are legit. From a genetics standpoint, look for breeders who have good documentation (information about breeding parents and selection process) and have access to large samples before selecting phenotypes. The Tropicanna Punch BX1 and Panama Red lines I work with turn blood red starting at week 3. A bunch of other strains like Apple Fritter, some Trop Punch phenos, Sundae Driver, Blueberry, and Biscotti that I have worked worth turn purple/blue starting around week 6 or later.
I have also found that red strains turn color faster than blue, black, or purple strains. The specific genes responsible for creating these colors are mentioned in the next section.
ANTHOCYANINS
Anthocyanins give plants purple and blue pigmentation and are responsible for some flavors.
It is interesting to note that studies have purposely induced tomato plants to overexpress the synthesis of anthocyanins which dramatically changed its color (from red to almost black) and increased the flavor. This is pretty much cheating when it comes to growing cannabis!
DON'T OVER FEED
Oddly enough, some purple strains won't show color change unless you starve them. This is something that can be challenging for new growers since it's easy to overfeed and also a skill every grower should work towards developing. Monitor your soil runoff nutrient levels with an EC/TDS pen and make sure they are well fed at week 4 and by week 7 you should notice it really dropping off. ​ Again, diversity in all things! Some strains will eat up more nutrients than others so monitoring the plant before deciding to add nutrients is very important. Testing first is always best.
THE LATE BLOOMER
Many experienced growers will tell you that some purple strains just need a little extra love to get there. Sometimes the key to obtaining the purps is waiting an extra week or two before harvesting. My Sundae Driver cut was speckled with purple when I harvested her at week 8. When I kept her around longer to reveg, by the time it was week 10 she was completely black (bracts and fan leaves).
Many strains will look like a totally different plant with just one week of difference. Slow and steady gets them ready. ​ Something to note in this section is that some breeders will let a plant go well past the advertised harvest time just to get the purple expression "money shot" which can be misleading. Just be aware that going the extra weeks might be what it takes to go purple. If you want a strain that starts to change color during week 5 and be completely purple by week 8, do your research and purchase seeds that have the potential to do so.
-JBee Love
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