is it time for the chop? (with pics)

0james0

Active Member
im not sure but one of the pics looks like a seed pod if a male flowers pops up somewhere the pistils will turn brown or orange and die back if they get pollinated i had this happen if it says 8-9 week i would go atleast 8 the last 2 weeks is when they put on alot of weight
They were fem seeds, so should be OK, unless I stressed them when pruning recently, but they still look pretty female, I think its just a bad picture.
 

0james0

Active Member
I'm actually quite excited to get my loupe tomorrow, how sad is that. I'll try get some magnified pictures, but I'll hold off until at least next weekend, which would make it 8 weeks into flower.

I've also looked at the trophy pics on the big Buddha website and they are covered in rust, so I'm sure I need to leave them longer.

Everyone here has been great, really grateful for the opinion so far.
 

hogbud

Well-Known Member

AllenHaze

Well-Known Member
Not in any scientific studies that I can find, I have been researching this for a long time and put the info in a thread that unfortunately is controversial I guess but all the info is here

https://www.rollitup.org/t/if-your-a-new-grower-youre-gonna-wanna-see-this.828754/

Please read the whole thread, I really had hoped to start a conversation about it and well you'll see
I have the same book. Robert Connell Clarke, yes? You're are generalizing though. "Not in any scientific studies that I can find" Followed by a link where it clearly states that you can determine thc content by Trichomes. There are many strains whose maturity can be determined by reading trichomes while there are may who, for example, may have white pistils up to harvest or whose trichomes never really turn a deep amber color but more of a clear, amber - like this lemon clone I have going right now - which it clearly states in the article you linked. I get your point but this isn't the case for all strains. The best method imo is to wait until you start to see the hairs turn red, then start watching the trichomes. If you're familiar with the strain you can eyeball a well done nug without even checking the trichomes. :peace:
 

hogbud

Well-Known Member
I have the same book. Robert Connell Clarke, yes? You're are generalizing though. "Not in any scientific studies that I can find" Followed by a link where it clearly states that you can determine thc content by Trichomes. There are many strains whose maturity can be determined by reading trichomes while there are may who, for example, may have white pistils up to harvest or whose trichomes never really turn a deep amber color but more of a clear, amber - like this lemon clone I have going right now - which it clearly states in the article you linked. I get your point but this isn't the case for all strains. The best method imo is to wait until you start to see the hairs turn red, then start watching the trichomes. If you're familiar with the strain you can eyeball a well done nug without even checking the trichomes. :peace:
it sounds to me like maybe you didn't read the whole thread? I have been growing since the 70's and I never check trics to decide harvest time
 

weedenhanced

Well-Known Member
Not in any scientific studies that I can find, I have been researching this for a long time and put the info in a thread that unfortunately is controversial I guess but all the info is here

https://www.rollitup.org/t/if-your-a-new-grower-youre-gonna-wanna-see-this.828754/

Please read the whole thread, I really had hoped to start a conversation about it and well you'll see
The first, and perhaps most important, aspect of harvesting cannabis is knowing exactly when to start chopping down the ladies. A precision harvest is essential for potent cultivation. Growers must be very careful not to cut down plants that are not yet at the pinnacle of resin production, but they must also be wary of cutting plants too late—at a time when THC production has curtailed and resin glands begin to degrade.

There are various methods by which even the most amateur grower can tell when buds are truly ripe for the picking. The simplest and quickest way to know is by examining the pistils, or long hairs, that cover the plant’s buds. At the onset of flowering, these pistils are white and stringy. But as the flowering period comes to an end, they begin to turn color, first from white to orange and then again to a dark red or brown. These color changes signify the maturation of the buds; however, the color and time frame may vary significantly across different varieties of cannabis.

Therefore, a better, yet slightly more complicated, method for determining ripeness is through trichome examination. Trichomes are the actual resin glands that contain THC and other psychoactive cannabinoids, and they are very delicate and easily ruptured. These trichomes are visible on the outside of buds and small leaves and look like little white sugar crystals to the naked eye. However, with the power of a magnifying glass or simple microscope, you can see that trichomes are comprised of a stalk and resin head and are clear or white in color.

As with pistils, trichomes also begin to change color as the buds mature. But in this scenario, a grower wants to harvest buds before they get too dark in color. Even a subtle amber hue in these glands could mean that cannabinoids have begun breaking down and decomposing, which means less potent pot. Using a magnifier between 50x-100x, advanced growers look for a creamy or milky white color in trichomes that tells them it’s time to harvest.

From high times also if u look up scientific research about marijuana trichome development there is many many articals on the subject https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=OZR-U8GbG8nxkQWI8oHgAg&url=http://www.420science.com/files/420-Scope-Field-Guide.pdf&cd=9&ved=0CE4QFjAI&usg=AFQjCNF8zpPzlFg3eeVBybSxhv5-IpA_sA&sig2=TTVvecgyq10xcQsU5QTkog

Hog u seem to have different views then the rest of the world about harvesting marijuana and trichomes all u do is confuse ppl there is solid evidence about trichome colour and functions iam sure u grow great weed man but as a standard way to harvest marijuana trichomes r the way according to 99% of the pro grower and weed journlists and the scientific weed community
 
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waterdawg

Well-Known Member
So no scientific studies that say it degrades when starting to turn amber but then I can only assume there is no studies that say it doesn't degrade as well. My it is hard to tell what to do lol. As far as knowing when to harvest, I still think I'll go with the tried and true method of if I need it I pull it lol. If not I will let it go until it basically stops growing.
 

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
it sounds to me like maybe you didn't read the whole thread? I have been growing since the 70's and I never check trics to decide harvest time
So how do you know when its cloudy amber or clear amber, jeez I forget now. Obviously you must have used one at some point on the strains you grow or you've got one hell of a set of eyes!!! You guys just kill me lol. Hell I planted my first field at 14. (used dads rototiller while he was at work) 40 years ago and I still use a 60x loupe to check things out lol.

To the op I'm sure your totally confused now lol. I would be very cautious about leaving my bud to go for 4 weeks after seeing amber. Keep reading and determine for yourself what sounds like the tried and true advice. If it was me Id be choppin at the bit to take her down lol. Receeding hairs, lack of any growth, and trichome color at just turning amber is the consensus i believe. Perhaps on the next run you could let them go longer and see if it makes any difference. Keep doing things a bit different every time and years from now youll still be worrying that your on the verge of killing your plants lol.
 

weedenhanced

Well-Known Member
So how do you know when its cloudy amber or clear amber, jeez I forget now. Obviously you must have used one at some point on the strains you grow or you've got one hell of a set of eyes!!! You guys just kill me lol. Hell I planted my first field at 14. (used dads rototiller while he was at work) 40 years ago and I still use a 60x loupe to check things out lol.

To the op I'm sure your totally confused now lol. I would be very cautious about leaving my bud to go for 4 weeks after seeing amber. Keep reading and determine for yourself what sounds like the tried and true advice. If it was me Id be choppin at the bit to take her down lol. Receeding hairs, lack of any growth, and trichome color at just turning amber is the consensus i believe. Perhaps on the next run you could let them go longer and see if it makes any difference. Keep doing things a bit different every time and years from now youll still be worrying that your on the verge of killing your plants lol.
Hogs just a troll with a ver high opinion of him self ppl ask questions ppl answer the and he just trys to say everyone is wrong but him he know more the high times he know more then everyone and everything hes a troll massive troll
 

racerboy71

bud bootlegger
Hogs just a troll with a ver high opinion of him self ppl ask questions ppl answer the and he just trys to say everyone is wrong but him he know more the high times he know more then everyone and everything hes a troll massive troll
well, i'll just say i find myself disagreeing with high times more often than not.. w/e i read ask danny dorko, and some of his responses, i'm always sitting on the shitter shaking my head in disgust.. danny's a big believer in flushing, and the only flushing i do is after i get done reading high times, lol.. a bunch of other shit in that mag i disagree with as well though, but hey, it does pass time between pushing quite nicely.. :D:D
 

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
well, i'll just say i find myself disagreeing with high times more often than not.. w/e i read ask danny dorko, and some of his responses, i'm always sitting on the shitter shaking my head in disgust.. danny's a big believer in flushing, and the only flushing i do is after i get done reading high times, lol.. a bunch of other shit in that mag i disagree with as well though, but hey, it does pass time between pushing quite nicely.. :D:D
Lol, thats why I tell people to try for themselves!! Everything that is done has passionate people on both sides. Hell I figure take it all i. And replicate things that work once tried.
 

hogbud

Well-Known Member
Lol, thats why I tell people to try for themselves!! Everything that is done has passionate people on both sides. Hell I figure take it all i. And replicate things that work once tried.
Well those that actually read the whole thread would have seen my advice to start harvesting at week 6 and each week thereafter with each strain to determine where it is best "for you" as every one is different.

and I'll always take actual cited scientific studies over high times LOL but that is just me I suppose.

and lots of folks have tried the things I have shared and always thanked me, I've not ever had one person come back and say it didn't work as advertised. Then there are the folks that have actually visited me and posted afterwards that have confirmed things I have said were true. there are people all over the world growing my strains and lovin em

but I'm a troll who thinks I know it all LOL I'm the guy that introduced the Make it Rain technique, I invented the fermentation chamber, and the tanning booth and shared it all for free, but I'm a troll

enjoy your herb
 

0james0

Active Member
Well that certainly cleared it up! :bigjoint:

I think I'll start my next thread on if I should prune the plant during veg, just to get a nice civil discussion!

Its tough, I can see the logic for all sides of this and until I try it for myself I guess I won't know. My microscope arrived today, so I'm going to go in for a closer inspection shortly, let's see what the trichs are saying.

I'm 100% glad I waited, they have already got noticeably bigger since I considered taking them down. Luckily I still have a pretty big bag of smoke from my last purchase, so supply is not an issue, that will run out soon, then I might not be able to control my urges.
 

0james0

Active Member
Well that was interesting, felt like I was in Hunny I Shrunk the Kids!

I liken it to the first time I went snorkeling in the Indian ocean, there is a whole another world out there, a real eye opener when you see it.

I managed to get some pictures for you all, they won't be the best examples you will ever see, I'll try get some better ones tomorrow in natural light. The bulb in my grow room gives an orange glow to everything, but the loupe has its only little torch, so that helps a bit, but outside the centre of the pics you can see the orange tint.

Considering this was the camera on my phone, with me holding the microscope over the camera bit, I didn't think they were too bad.

20140523_200145.jpg 20140523_200143.jpg 20140523_200135.jpg 20140523_200136.jpg

You
 

0james0

Active Member
The definition in the pics is surprinsgly good, if you click on them you can zoom right in for a closer look.

This was just one bud, same one in all the pictures. Overall, they were about 50% cloudy, 50% clear, no sign of any amber/ gold.

Quite a few of the hairs are orange, which which if I hadn't had the microscope would have made me think they were ready. Since waiting the last few days, it has had a burst of new white pistols in places as well, so defo still growing!
 

0james0

Active Member
well, i'll just say i find myself disagreeing with high times more often than not.. w/e i read ask danny dorko, and some of his responses, i'm always sitting on the shitter shaking my head in disgust.. danny's a big believer in flushing, and the only flushing i do is after i get done reading high times, lol.. a bunch of other shit in that mag i disagree with as well though, but hey, it does pass time between pushing quite nicely.. :D:D
Best post in the thread by far!
 

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
Well those that actually read the whole thread would have seen my advice to start harvesting at week 6 and each week thereafter with each strain to determine where it is best "for you" as every one is different.

and I'll always take actual cited scientific studies over high times LOL but that is just me I suppose.

and lots of folks have tried the things I have shared and always thanked me, I've not ever had one person come back and say it didn't work as advertised. Then there are the folks that have actually visited me and posted afterwards that have confirmed things I have said were true. there are people all over the world growing my strains and lovin em

but I'm a troll who thinks I know it all LOL I'm the guy that introduced the Make it Rain technique, I invented the fermentation chamber, and the tanning booth and shared it all for free, but I'm a troll

enjoy your herb
Why are you replying to my post? I never said anything about your teqnuiqes good or bad lol. Basically said same thing as you re: harvesting and trying for yourself. What I did say is you must have one hell of a set of eye's lol. And as far as growing in soil there are some things you do that I agree with re: nutes etc.
 

0james0

Active Member
Today nearly all the clear ones have gone cloudy, a very small amount are starting to turn amber, so its nearly time. The buds are still growing without a doubt, if anyone reads this and are not sure to stick or twist, hold fire, patience is key.

Here's a question for the better educated, some of my most dusty buds are the ones that are out of the light, shaded under other buds, in fact most of the top buds have the least amount of sparkle, on the same branch its the ones under that are solid with trichs.

Why is this?

Does this lend weight to the theory that a prolonged period of darkness before harvest can cause the plant to add more sparkle?
 
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