A question about trichomes

jape

Member
So I understand the ratio of clear to cloudy to amber that I am looking for. I have a 30x jewelers loupe and a Carson brand 60x-120x pocket magnifier. With the 30x I can get pretty close details of the plant but it would be very hard to judge cloudy vs clear with it. The best way I have found to know for sure is to pluck small buds from the bottom and use the magnifier to zoom in and really see the head color and @ 7 weeks they have still been mostly clear. I cannot use the magnifier with my hand on the plant because it is so touchy to focus and I don't want to be plucking samples from multiple bud sites if I don't have to. I know some of you may have better microscopes/digital microscopes but is anyone else using just a 30x loupe to go by? Is this accurate enough?
 

Anon Emaus

Well-Known Member
I do exactly what you do, i have the carson and I can sometimes do it on the plant but way easier and safer to just pluck a peice off and check it out. My plants got a good lb on her tho so plucking a little off is no worry.

I just smoked the samples I had taken and made use of em though so you could do the same.

But sorry can't help on the 30x loupe question
 

Six9

Well-Known Member
OP it's difficult even with a stationary digital microscope to check trics with bud on the plant. I snip samples, check em and smoke em. It's too difficult for these crappy eyes otherwise.
 

Bbcchance

Well-Known Member
lower buds develop slower than the tops most of the time in my grows, if the bottoms are all cloudy then the tops are usually done, my vote is for checking cuttings also , trying to see trics with a scope on a live plant makes me motion sick lol
 

jape

Member
I snip samples, check em and smoke em.
I have saved my samples and I am avoiding smoking any until I find out if I need to take any pre-employment drug screenings. Seeing as they have only had mostly clear crystals I may just save them for some sort of hash/extraction method as well as any major fan leafs that get trimmed. I will be keeping the sugar leafs on for hopes it helps slow the drying of the buds in my 40% RH climate.

My plants got a good lb on her tho so plucking a little off is no worry.
O_O Damn. This is my first grow and I don't know how much yield it will be at this point. Maybe an ounce out of the three plants, just depends on how thick they get. I know the tops develop more quickly than the bottoms, I just don't want to clip something that could have been more substantial to inspect under a microscope and have it be clear. I am hoping that when the amber tichomes come out, they will be somewhat visible under the 30x loupe and I wont need to clip any samples.
 

Bbcchance

Well-Known Member
I have saved my samples and I am avoiding smoking any until I find out if I need to take any pre-employment drug screenings. Seeing as they have only had mostly clear crystals I may just save them for some sort of hash/extraction method as well as any major fan leafs that get trimmed. I will be keeping the sugar leafs on for hopes it helps slow the drying of the buds in my 40% RH climate.


O_O Damn. This is my first grow and I don't know how much yield it will be at this point. Maybe an ounce out of the three plants, just depends on how thick they get. I know the tops develop more quickly than the bottoms, I just don't want to clip something that could have been more substantial to inspect under a microscope and have it be clear. I am hoping that when the amber tichomes come out, they will be somewhat visible under the 30x loupe and I wont need to clip any samples.
Just nip off one of the small sugar leaves from the tops and check that, no one is saying remove a cola, that would be silly
 

jape

Member
Just nip off one of the small sugar leaves from the tops
I thought checking the calyxes was the most accurate method? I guess I will have to look the best i can and take sugar leaf samples for the best accuracy. thanks fellas, if anyone else has a good method let me know
 

Bbcchance

Well-Known Member
I thought checking the calyxes was the most accurate method? I guess I will have to look the best i can and take sugar leaf samples for the best accuracy. thanks fellas, if anyone else has a good method let me know
Not much difference between the calyx and the very small leaf growing right under it
 

jape

Member
I just use my camera, IMO a good camera is a must
Wow, you coulda told me that was a coral reef the way that thing looks. I definitely do not have a camera of that accuracy, I'm just looking to get a half-way decent estimate. What % amber do you chop them down? Your microscope pic seems to show quite a bit of amber
 

RM3

Well-Known Member
Wow, you coulda told me that was a coral reef the way that thing looks. I definitely do not have a camera of that accuracy, I'm just looking to get a half-way decent estimate. What % amber do you chop them down? Your microscope pic seems to show quite a bit of amber
because I like amber lol, no actually I'm dat early amber guy

you should be more concerned with brown
 

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
So I understand the ratio of clear to cloudy to amber that I am looking for. I have a 30x jewelers loupe and a Carson brand 60x-120x pocket magnifier. With the 30x I can get pretty close details of the plant but it would be very hard to judge cloudy vs clear with it. The best way I have found to know for sure is to pluck small buds from the bottom and use the magnifier to zoom in and really see the head color and @ 7 weeks they have still been mostly clear. I cannot use the magnifier with my hand on the plant because it is so touchy to focus and I don't want to be plucking samples from multiple bud sites if I don't have to. I know some of you may have better microscopes/digital microscopes but is anyone else using just a 30x loupe to go by? Is this accurate enough?
First you can buy a 100x zoom jeweler scope on ebay for about 9$. Second never cut the bud. An idica will mature at the top first. A sativa will mature at the bottom first. This is why people cut the mature buds first and then wait a couple of weeks to take the rest.
Clip off a sugar leaf near a bud and place it on a flat surface and then u can check your trichs. You want at least 50% amber. The longer you wait the more couch locking the high will be. Though there is a cut off. If you let it go way to long it can actually lose potency. Though I do not think anybody lets them go to long because most cut them to early.
 

Cannacat

Well-Known Member
First you can buy a 100x zoom jeweler scope on ebay for about 9$. Second never cut the bud. An idica will mature at the top first. A sativa will mature at the bottom first. This is why people cut the mature buds first and then wait a couple of weeks to take the rest.
Clip off a sugar leaf near a bud and place it on a flat surface and then u can check your trichs. You want at least 50% amber. The longer you wait the more couch locking the high will be. Though there is a cut off. If you let it go way to long it can actually lose potency. Though I do not think anybody lets them go to long because most cut them to early.
I've become obsessed with checking the weed I buy ever since i got my microscope and it seems to me that every fucker round here takes it down too early, it always has mostly clear trichomes. All this time I've been wondering why weed doesn't help with my pain, can't wait to finally have my own homegrown stash!
 

ganga gurl420

Well-Known Member
I've become obsessed with checking the weed I buy ever since i got my microscope and it seems to me that every fucker round here takes it down too early, it always has mostly clear trichomes. All this time I've been wondering why weed doesn't help with my pain, can't wait to finally have my own homegrown stash!
Its quite commen I know. People get in such a rush to make that money, but the funny thing is....25% of your bud mass happens in the last two weeks of maturity. In reality they are losing money.
 

RM3

Well-Known Member
Its not how you grow but the genetics.
It actually is about how you grow but you are right genetics are involved, thing is it is how you grow that causes genetic expression. The genetics are programmed to respond to different things. Once you figure that out you can take your garden pretty much anywhere.

Take an Indica and flower it under a less than 12/12 light cycle and see how it changes 8)
 
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