Sixth week of flowering, zkittlez hermie
- Thread starter darkbud
- Start date
Thundercat
Well-Known Member
Pretty obvious how much more the buds have grown in the last few weeks.
Thundercat
Well-Known Member
Heres how you tell when your plant is done.
The signs of ripeness are pretty standard for cannabis plants.
First a few of the pistils begin turning color and start receding. Your plant is just starting to ripen. Depending on the strain you could still have two months to go. We're just starting this journey.
Two to four weeks later you'll notice that most of the pistils(>80%) have now changed color and curled back into the bud. It's frosty, way bigger than it was a few weeks ago(aren't you glad you waited), and smells dank! It's time, right? Not a chance killer. Patience is a virtue.
Over the next 2-3 weeks it doesn't look much different, maybe a little more swelling in the calyxes, and the rest of the pistils change over, but the stems are starting to bend under the weight of the buds. These ladies are putting on weight internally by adding density and now the buds are doing their final ripening.
Now you begin looking at trichomes, on the calyx, not the leaves, and harvest according to your preference. When looking at trichomes it’s essential to look at them from the side. The bulbous heads can magnify the opaque stalk under it. Looking from the side allows you to more accurately see the condition of the resin in the trichome head.
There is still no rush to harvest, the window just opened, and you have several weeks before you MIGHT start having to think about it possibly beginning to get too ripe. It takes WEEKS for plants to mature not days.
It is very easy to harvest a plant to early. It is very hard to harvest a plant to late. I’ve never seen someone accidentally wait too long.
The signs of ripeness are pretty standard for cannabis plants.
First a few of the pistils begin turning color and start receding. Your plant is just starting to ripen. Depending on the strain you could still have two months to go. We're just starting this journey.
Two to four weeks later you'll notice that most of the pistils(>80%) have now changed color and curled back into the bud. It's frosty, way bigger than it was a few weeks ago(aren't you glad you waited), and smells dank! It's time, right? Not a chance killer. Patience is a virtue.
Over the next 2-3 weeks it doesn't look much different, maybe a little more swelling in the calyxes, and the rest of the pistils change over, but the stems are starting to bend under the weight of the buds. These ladies are putting on weight internally by adding density and now the buds are doing their final ripening.
Now you begin looking at trichomes, on the calyx, not the leaves, and harvest according to your preference. When looking at trichomes it’s essential to look at them from the side. The bulbous heads can magnify the opaque stalk under it. Looking from the side allows you to more accurately see the condition of the resin in the trichome head.
There is still no rush to harvest, the window just opened, and you have several weeks before you MIGHT start having to think about it possibly beginning to get too ripe. It takes WEEKS for plants to mature not days.
It is very easy to harvest a plant to early. It is very hard to harvest a plant to late. I’ve never seen someone accidentally wait too long.
How do you like the facts of the video?
HydroKid239
Well-Known Member
I had to stop watching after he finished the week 8 explanation. I cringed every time he chopped a cola off. His words are mostly right.. but the video is a bad example imho. They were checking trichomes on the leaves.. any old trichome. When he said thc had “peaked” while examining the week 8 bud.. I knew he had sampled meth within the last 15 mins.
HydroKid239
Well-Known Member
I’m on week 6 day 5 with this one. Still not ready. Not checking trichomes til week 8 day 1.
I will contemplate chopping when I’m around 10% amber on 3rd node down from the top.
End game is all preference.. if you want to chop a branch off at week 8 & quick dry for a sample.. have at it.. most ppl do it if they’re excited for a new strain. By the time that dries & you blaze it.. you will have gone 9 weeks. Trichomes will be worth the check by that time. Sativa… maybe longer.
I will contemplate chopping when I’m around 10% amber on 3rd node down from the top.
End game is all preference.. if you want to chop a branch off at week 8 & quick dry for a sample.. have at it.. most ppl do it if they’re excited for a new strain. By the time that dries & you blaze it.. you will have gone 9 weeks. Trichomes will be worth the check by that time. Sativa… maybe longer.
He makes a consideration that the leaves maturate earlier than the inner parts of the bud though.
6th week is the last pic, right?
HydroKid239
Well-Known Member
Yes.
HydroKid239
Well-Known Member
He may have made it seem better as he went on.. idk I couldn’t watch him butcher the plant.
Thundercat
Well-Known Member
ive seen that video before but didn’t watch it this time to refresh my memory. From what I remember he harvests everything too early. There is also more to weed then “peak THC” numbers, and it takes weeks for plants to actually mature and ripen. The amount of time from the “peak THC” to a properly ripe plant has minimal effect on THC levels but will significantly effect yields, terps, and overall smoke quality because of the increased bud density allowing slower dry times.
He talks about harvesting at specific weeks which is just the wrong approach. Plants don’t grow by calandars so generalizing that week 8 is the peak isn’t even close to accurate when there are thousands of strains and phenotypes out there and MOST WILL NOT be RIPE at week 8.
Ive watched thousands of plants mature at this point in my growing career. Healthy plants usually follow the pattern I posted above. Once in a while you get a weird plant or the grow conditions effect a plant negatively and they might veer from that.
trichomes are the last sign of maturity to be looking at, and they take weeks to mature, not days. They also take weeks to significantly degrade so don’t be afraid of letting your plants ripen. The patients really pays off in the end result.
But I think he emphasizes "peak cannabinoids" not only thc.
But I agree one cant generalize from week 8. I think he makes a point that peak cannabinoids can be reached before it ripens.
Thundercat
Well-Known Member
Sorry I don't know what to tell you. I didn't care for the guys methods or agree with his conclusions, based on a single plant, if I remember correctly. You are totally welcome to harvest whenever you'd like based on whatever info you wanna believe. Personally, I have found from many years of experiments and harvests that finished ripe buds are better in every single way, better high, better flavor, better smell, and definitely better yield.
My 4 plants are 8 weeks in . All have been hermitized. 1 plant had its way with the others before I knew. Ride it out and smoke the weed. Just like others have said most weed use to come with seeds. I have plenty of tee shirts with little holes where seeds popped and burnt through the shirt. Just learn by this and move on
I am smoking by now and it is great. Many seeds though. I started with brick weed from Paraguay, so this is wonderful. Fresh and wonderful taste and high.