Should I harvest my Early Maroc plant?

[Poekie]

Need at least 2-3 weeks more, minimum.
Better finished buds with a bit of rot then unfinished buds that hardly have any effect after smoking. The rot is easy to cut out of the bud.
I had an early Maroc some years ago, did finish end August here in Spain.
Good luck !

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

Hi guys I'm giving you an update since it's been 7 days since my last update.
I'm a little worried for my plant because temperatures drop as low as 12°C at night. No sign of bud rot for now though. A minority of pistils are turning orange and many leaves are dying which is a good sign I think, isn't it? If I don't harvest saturday I will have to leave it alone for 6 days without any surveillance because of my job, is it in your experience worth the risk?

 

[bigbagofbuds]

Hi guys I'm giving you an update since it's been 7 days since my last update.
I'm a little worried for my plant because temperatures drop as low as 12°C at night. No sign of bud rot for now though. A minority of pistils are turning orange and many leaves are dying which is a good sign I think, isn't it? If I don't harvest saturday I will have to leave it alone for 6 days without any surveillance because of my job, is it in your experience worth the risk?

Your plant looks hungry, it's definitely a bit early for it to be yellowing like that but that is how it will look when it gets close to harvest (for future reference). It also definitely could use a few more weeks of life, however if you don't do anything for the yellowing, you will likely lose at least some of your harvest. If you can get it a bit of food I would say to leave it be for another week, your buds are still very immature and need more time if you can give it to them. Outdoors is really a case of waiting as long as you can possibly stand and potentially trading some yield quantity for quality if you run into things like bud rot (chop off the rot, leave the rest to mature).

 

[TheKushie]

Buy a clear garbage bag poke some holes and use it as a raincoat. Lol now you can finish your plant in the rain.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

Your plant looks hungry, it's definitely a bit early for it to be yellowing like that but that is how it will look when it gets close to harvest (for future reference). It also definitely could use a few more weeks of life, however if you don't do anything for the yellowing, you will likely lose at least some of your harvest. If you can get it a bit of food I would say to leave it be for another week, your buds are still very immature and need more time if you can give it to them. Outdoors is really a case of waiting as long as you can possibly stand and potentially trading some yield quantity for quality if you run into things like bud rot (chop off the rot, leave the rest to mature).

Ok thanks for your honesty. Do you think I should buy some flowering food? Do you have any names in mind ?
@TheKushie But it will not receive any sun then. Isn't it a problem?

 

[bigbagofbuds]

Ok thanks for your honesty. Do you think I should buy some flowering food? Do you have any names in mind ?
@TheKushie But it will not receive any sun then. Isn't it a problem?

TheKushi is suggesting a clear bag, sort of like a mini greenhouse, the light will pass through, I have no experience doing this though and would worry about poor airflow and high humidity causing problems with fungus.

I would highly recommend you get a dry fertilizer, I'm not in your area so I can't suggest any brands. What I use (in Canada) is Gaia Greens Power Bloom 2-8-4 for flowering combined with a bit of Gaia Green All Purpose 4-4-4 (about 75% 2-8-4, 25% of 4-4-4). I use about 6 TBSP for my 5 gallon pots and that will feed the plant for 3-4 weeks.

Power Bloom | Gaia Green Organics

GAIA GREEN Power Bloom is a high phosphate fertilizer specifically formulated to support prolific flowering and fruiting. As a result, GAIA GREEN Power Bloom is our best fertilizer for root development and for all flowering and fruiting plants. ORGANIC GAIA GREEN Power Bloom is approved for use...

www.gaiagreen.com

I would recommend you find something local from a garden centre, look for something that is either organic, or slow release. Sprinkle the amount suggested by the product on the ground around your plant (approximately 2 to 3 inches from the stem) and water it in. This should be enough food for your plant for the rest of it's life.

Something to note, your plant looks like it wants more nitrogen right now, you don't want too much during flower though, you should look at the fertilizer you buy and if its organic it should tell you how much of the nitrogen is immediately available, for example the Gaia Green 2-8-4 has 0.5% immediately available nitrogen, and 1.5% slow release, the 4-4-4 has 3% immediately available and 1% slow release. You will need a fertilizer that has at least some of the nitrogen immediately available otherwise it will take too long for your plant to get the nitrogen it wants right now.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

Okay thanks a lot for your long and clearful explanation I will try to find something in my local growshop. I think I will repost on the 13th of September.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

Hello guys I managed to come back a little earlier. I don't see much change yet so I guess you will tell me to wait a little more. By the way I didn't have much money last week so I couldn't step in a growshop but I think I'll buy food for my ganja tomorrow.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

The growshop worker actually advised me against the use of any food on the basis that it is so close to harvest. Does anyone agree for two weeks before harvest ?

 

[bigbagofbuds]

The growshop worker actually advised me against the use of any food on the basis that it is so close to harvest. Does anyone agree for two weeks before harvest ?

At this point I'd say call it a learning experience, I have never fed my plants this late, but I also usually have mostly green plants at this point. I think you can wait it out for harvest, its not going to be an amazing harvest, but some produce is better than none. Give your plant another two weeks then it should be starting to enter the harvest stage or close to it, at that point you can start to make a judgment call on when to harvest, I can see this plant having a harvest window from October 1st to 15th.

I suggest you remove the dry brown leaves, the rest of them should stay though since they are currently providing your plant with the nutrients it wants.

I'm glad you didn't harvest early about a month ago, your plant is starting to get thicker and really mature, it's amazing what kind of weather these plants will just shrug off, just be sure to inspect closely at harvest and trim time to ensure you aren't consuming any mold.

 

[Madmax]

Id keep feeding it ..hairs are still white brother you want to harvest when 3/4 of those hairs are brown..b another 3 weeks i reckon..

 

[bigbagofbuds]

Id keep feeding it ..hairs are still white brother you want to harvest when 3/4 of those hairs are brown..b another 3 weeks i reckon..

If @ThreeLittleBirds can wait a month, I would agree, but if the plant is coming down in 2 weeks out of necessity then I don't think it will make enough difference to be significant.

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

Okay thanks a lot for the information. I'll ask for the food anyway then. Now that I know that this spot takes so much time to produce harvestable ganja I'll be able to schedule more precisely. I'm surprised for the need of food because my recipe for the soil was supposed to prevent this according to some site. For next year I'm willing to try directly in the soil but I was wondering if it's not something to avoid when you have a particularly wet weather. Any ideas about this subject?

 

[ThreeLittleBirds]

Hello guys I was in a bit of a rush last week so I couldn't keep you updated.
Last week I cut off my first plant after I saw some rot bud. I couldn't keep an eye on it for 5 days so I figured it was the best option. I dried it upside down in my garden's shed for 5 days. I smoked it and I was happy to realize it had enough potency for me. However it is true that buds didn't really thicken enough and something like 80% of the product is not potent.

The photos that accompany this message are of the second and last plant I cut yesterday. Even less buds here I think but somehow maybe a little bit more mature and healthy plant because it didn't have the same carency problem.

About the quality. There is a nice smell on the buds which I really like. When I smoke I can't feel much taste so it's not more pleasant or unpleasant than what I'm used to.

About my mistakes. My plants were first in a spot that didn't allow for enough light. I killed one of my plants by putting salt on the plate below the pot. I think my plant somehow reabsorbed that salted water :-( . Don't put salt on the plate. I reacted too slowly to a slug problem but salt was efficient in the end. Same for an ant problem but coffee was efficient there in the end too. I should have anticipated the nutrient need earlier and the delay of maturity resulting from my inadequate weather.

As a conclusion it was a very interesting experience that kept me untertained through lockdown and more. It's a very beautiful plant and it really made me proud. Plus it was nice spending time in my garden. I was very happy to exchange with you guys and receive your precious advices. Thanks a lot !

 

[Oldmanbud50]

Unlucky u couldn't have waited a week or so more that would been a nice plant. But I understand why u did nice job m8