Help needed! No microscope.. Am i ready to consider harvesting?

I am at just over 6 weeks into flowering, and even though the strain is usually an 8 week, I am starting to think it is finishing early. I could really use some help on this.

I dont have a pocket microscope or anything of any decent magnification (called my local radio shack, and of course they don't carry it), but I was looking around the web to see if I could makeshift anything and I stumbled upon a little gem on YouTube. This little little kid really had something, lol. So I found a pair of old binoculars and sure as shit, it worked.. To a degree.

I was able to see the trichs on a closeup level, and I can distinctly see that some (not many) have gone amber. The problem I am having is telling the difference between the clear and hopefully milky ones. The magnification window is small and even though I have pretty good eyes, it is difficult to tell. My thoughts though are, if some have started to go amber, it's a good bet that what I am seeing are milky ones? It wouldn't be loaded with clear and then suddenly have some go amber without the milky transition, correct? Anyway. I don't want to sit around and wait for more to go amber if she's just finished early on me and is ready for harvest.

A few notes regarding the lady. I vegged her for a long time.. about 8.5 weeks. So she has a highly developed root system. I would say that 60-70% of the hairs have gone orange/red and receded, and some of the larger fan leaves have begun to yellow and die.

Unfortunately I have no magnified shots to show, but here are a few closeups of colas I took with my phone. The last photo, I counteracted the 2700k bloom light with the bright white from my phones LED to give a better idea of the plants actual color. I hope someone more knowledgeable than myself can lend some advice, because I am stuck right now .. lol..






- It is the plant from the BLuE DrEaM link in my signature

Whats up bro?? Do the trichs look amber at all? As long as they are milky looking you would be fine. Preferred about 20% amber or so. But that depends on the person. Looking good though bro.

Myself I would go another week if you could. If it's Blue Dream it will want 70days.

Take another picture but set your camera to macro mode and get as close as possible.

Then pull it up on your computer and zoom in.

This works for me because i have a 23+ megapixel camera so if i take a picture form a few inches away once i upload it my computer acts as my microscope. haha

hhel11 said:

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I am at just over 6 weeks into flowering, and even though the strain is usually an 8 week, I am starting to think it is finishing early.

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Unless you're experienced with the strain and know differently, a good rule of thumb is to add another week to whatever the strain is advertised at.

So an "8 week" strain should probably take about 60-65 days to finish.

Except for the earliest of the early, almost nothing really finishes in 6 weeks. So even without looking at your plant at all, its probably a safe bet to let it go another week or two.

I dont have a pocket microscope or anything of any decent magnification

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If your cell phone has a camera, it probably has a "macro" setting. . .use it for better closeups, which you could then enlarge on your computer.

You can buy a decent enough quality 30X or 40x loupe on Ebay for under $5 including shipping to your door from within the USA (ie you'll get it in a week or less). You may be able to find something like this off the shelf at a Walmart or Harbor Freight tool store for only a few bucks.

IMO, these are FAR better than microscopes anyway, because the lower magnification means less image wobble, you don't have to cut off buds to examine them, you don't have to focus anything, they only need one hand to use (or maybe zero hands for an in-eye loupe) and they're dirt cheap.

I was able to see the trichs on a closeup level, and I can distinctly see that some (not many) have gone amber. The problem I am having is telling the difference between the clear and hopefully milky ones. The magnification window is small and even though I have pretty good eyes, it is difficult to tell. My thoughts though are, if some have started to go amber, it's a good bet that what I am seeing are milky ones? It wouldn't be loaded with clear and then suddenly have some go amber without the milky transition, correct? Anyway. I don't want to sit around and wait for more to go amber if she's just finished early on me and is ready for harvest.

Click to expand...

Some strains don't go "white", and some strains never really turn amber. So you have to be a bit careful.

Without being able to see your whole plant, in general, its unlikely that your plant is REALLY done in only 6.5 weeks.

Assuming all the other signs are there (mostly dark/withered hairs, swollen calyxes) once you get a significant percentage of amber (say 10%), you can harvest. Note that while its easier to see the trichromes with magnification, you can still appreciate their general color with the naked eye. To my eye, the middle picture you posted seems to be showing some amber near the center. If the rest looked clear/white you could harvest that individual bud if you liked.

if youve got an iphone 4/4s then cop this one of these days.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-60x-100x-ZOOM-LED-Digital-Microscope-Micro-Camera-Lens-for-Apple-iPhone-4-4S-/400329359770?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item5d357d419a

really helps getting a good look and picture of the trichs

you can snap a shot then examine it out of the bright light youre using to grow.

I always look for the prism effect the trichs have when clear if you don't see that all over the buds then its a good indication they are clouding up. Not done, but maturing off I guess u could call it.

Going by the 'look' of the buds, and the number of white hairs also, I would guess at least another couple weeks, in which time you'll see the buds filling out.
Plenty of time to order a cheapo from EBAY.
I have the one in bottom right, as well as a flip open one, and like them both.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5X-45X-60X-100X-Mini-LED-Eye-Jewelry-Loupe-Fold-Unfold-Magnifier-Microscope-/290754171504?_trksid=p2045573.m2042&_trkparms=aid=111000&algo=REC.CURRENT&ao=1&asc=27&meid=3119914162948586197&pid=100033&prg=1011&rk=1&sd=290754171504&

Alright, so I fiddled around with my camera app and was able to get a few decent macro shots. Take a look.

Looks nice man and now can see the pic good too. Me personally I'd let go another week but just my opinion. I do see some ambers in there but not many.

Wow, pics are a LOT better!
Ya, I still see some clear, so if you can hold off for a week or more and watch to try and catch that window where you're closer to all cloudy but very little amber, I think you'll still pick up more weight.

Bakatare666 said:

Wow, pics are a LOT better!
Ya, I still see some clear, so if you can hold off for a week or more and watch to try and catch that window where you're closer to all cloudy but very little amber, I think you'll still pick up more weight.

Click to expand...

-That's what I was thinking, at least 1 more week, and hopefully gain a little more bud mass as well
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Thank you everyone for the feedback. I feel much better about waiting to harvest now.

Yep bro one one week you will be doing lovely.

Very nice pix. See what you can do without a microscope?

Anyway, I still say 7-10 days.