Help With Trichomes Please :)

[KaylasKush]

Senescence: It's basically the plant telling you it's getting ready to die. Take a look at the following pic of a plant right before it got chopped, and compare it to yours now.

What is the first difference you notice?


View attachment 760918


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People keep pointing that out to me but I know for a fact that not every strain does that. I’ve seen people harvest green plants. Just look on YouTube. I’ve also been told on these forums not to focus on that and just focus on trichomes because not all leaves will show this sign.
In all honesty I do not think my plant will lose its greenness completely. I also simply cannot wait another 3-4 weeks for them to start dying if they were going to. It’s the start of winter, humidity is 99%, temperature at -3. I still need to dry and cure. I live with my parents so there’s no keeping the heater on consistently and having a ridiculous electricity bill.
Keep in mind they’ve been flushing for 4 weeks now, SURELY they would have changed way more in colour.
And before I get screamed at for flushing and “starving” my plant for so long like some idiot on another forum, it wasn't by choice. I thought I was close and it turned out my plant needed a few more weeks. The cold has made it grow very slow.

I’m at a loss. I’m just going to do what I think because everyone is giving me different advice. I’ll wait 3 days and go from there.

Thanks again. Not every strain is the same which is why this makes it difficult to determine/put trust into people.

 

[BioStimz]

That droop and the lack of senescence is troublesome. The plants look like they're either over-fertilized, over-watered or they're not getting enough light.

What is your light source? Are you getting good penetration?

Where is your pH at?

When was the last feeding of nitrogen?

Nonetheless, it's quite obvious to me that they need more time.

~

 

[BioStimz]

People keep pointing that out to me but I know for a fact that not every strain does that. I’ve seen people harvest green plants.

All strains exhibit senescence.

Have you considered the fact that these guys on YouTube may have harvested too early?

 

[BioStimz]

I’ll wait 3 days and go from there.

It's just a matter of trial & error. We've all experienced this issue at one point. You will soon be able to look and quickly determine wether it's ready or not.

My eyes tell me she's definitely not ready.

~

 

[KaylasKush]

View attachment 760955



That droop and the lack of senescence is troublesome. The plants look like they're either over-fertilized, over-watered or they're not getting enough light.

What is your light source? Are you getting good penetration?

Where is your pH at?

When was the last feeding of nitrogen?

Nonetheless, it's quite obvious to me that they need more time.

~

It may be light or over watering, but I’ve been pretty good with determining when they need water. If the soil is dry underneath when I put my finger in, I water. They have no light source but the window as this was an outdoor grow that I had to bring inside due to bud rot. My biggest top bud had rotted so I cut it off and brought them inside to finish. I didn’t use artificial light after that as I read it can confuse a plant after it’s been in natural sunlight. And I’m on a budget and live with parents. I can’t be buying LED’s. Maybe next year. I also didn’t realise it was this far off from being done.
Are you fully reading my replies? I said the last feeding was 4 weeks ago. And no, that’s not what I wanted but I mistakenly thought my plant had 2 weeks to go before harvest at that point. I didn’t want to feed again as I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough flushing time. The more the days go by the more I’m regretting not continuing to feed for those extra 4 weeks.
My PH is a 6.5.

Before I started growing I did a shit ton of research. I know for a fact I’m doing most things right. The bringing her in and planting her too late was the unfortunate part.

 

[KaylasKush]

All strains exhibit senescence.

Have you considered the fact that these guys on YouTube may have harvested too early?

Sorry but I do not believe they all show that. They may all show that in the end, but not always when they’re ready. The main thing you always go off are trichomes as they’re the most accurate. You’re telling me if my trichomes go amber and my leaves are still green, that I still need to wait for my leaves to yellow?
Because I wouldn’t do that, the THC would be too degraded for my preference.

And no I don’t question the YouTubers because they’ve been growers for most of their life and a couple have companies. I’d harvest rather early than late anyway. These youtubers are going off trichomes, not the fading leaves.

A few days ago I googled “Milky trichomes but green leaves” and found this: “To me it is mandatory that all the leaves stay green.
folks let their leaves yellow off by starving their plant. it has nothing to do with the strain......... they call this "flushing". Mother Nature wouldn’t do it so why would we?”
I’m also confused as to why after flushing for 4 weeks, my leaves remain green.

So you can understand why I’m stuck on who to put my trust into. In the end I’m going off trichomes and nothing else. If I see my trichomes are 90% cloudy and 10% amber, while my leaves are green, I’m cutting.

 

[kansabis]

Sorry but I do not believe they all show that. They may all show that in the end, but not always when they’re ready. The main thing you always go off are trichomes as they’re the most accurate. You’re telling me if my trichomes go amber and my leaves are still green, that I still need to wait for my leaves to yellow?
Because I wouldn’t do that, the THC would be too degraded for my preference.

And no I don’t question the YouTubers because they’ve been growers for most of their life and a couple have companies. I’d harvest rather early than late anyway. These youtubers are going off trichomes, not the fading leaves.

A few days ago I googled “Milky trichomes but green leaves” and found this: “To me it is mandatory that all the leaves stay green.
folks let their leaves yellow off by starving their plant. it has nothing to do with the strain......... they call this "flushing". Mother Nature wouldn’t do it so why would we?”
I’m also confused as to why after flushing for 4 weeks, my leaves remain green.

So you can understand why I’m stuck on who to put my trust into. In the end I’m going off trichomes and nothing else. If I see my trichomes are 90% cloudy and 10% amber, while my leaves are green, I’m cutting.

I would start with this,senescense probably should happen all the time but it doesn't and not by natures doing,all plants in wild do go through this. Second your plant isn't looking like much at all in the yield department for starters so if your not already,I would rec processing it in some way. And last you can harvest whenever,your plant seems to be at the beginning of its harvest window and after this one is done then sooner for the next one to grow lol. Happy harvest

 

[Monster762]

I was thinking that too. But I did read that some leaves just won’t turn yellow depending on the strain, even when it’s ready to harvest. Hopefully I see a change in the leaves within the next 2 weeks though. Thank you!

Leaves turning depends on a few things. I ran my big plant to 90%+ Amber trichs and leaves were still a healthy green. No yellow or fade at all. If you still have nitrogen stored in there they won’t fade or fall off. But with 4 weeks clean water idle. You should be able to pack more weight on too. Don’t rush it. Especially if your not afraid of couchlock. Have you given any form of carbohydrates? Or molasses. If not I’d throw a little at it before you do actually get too close to harvest for it to make a difference. I also pushed cold water at the end and my trichs went from maybe 20% Amber to pure amber within 48 hrs of cold cold watering. Also the last day put total darkness. 24+ hrs. It will shock the plant to produce more trichs and ripen. It feels life is coming to an end it’s going to try with it’s last breath to reproduce. It’ll produce more trichs and sticky in a last effort to catch pollen. Hope it comes out nice for you. Patience. Last thing you want is to spend all this time and harvest at 1/2 the weight you would get and 1/2 the potency.

 

[BioStimz]

They have no light source but the window as this was an outdoor grow that I had to bring inside due to bud rot. My biggest top bud had rotted so I cut it off and brought them inside to finish. I didn’t use artificial light after that as I read it can confuse a plant after it’s been in natural sunlight.

Well that certainly puts a different spin on things. Bad lighting, infection and a premature 4-week flush..... no wonder this plant looks so underdeveloped.

 

[BioStimz]

If you still have nitrogen stored in there they won’t fade or fall off.

Have you given any form of carbohydrates? If not I’d throw a little at it before you do actually get too close to harvest for it to make a difference.

Agreed. It looks like the premature 4-week flush, combined with a horrible lighting situation and infection are the primary reasons there is a total lack of development and senescence.

 

[BioStimz]

You’re telling me if my trichomes go amber and my leaves are still green, that I still need to wait for my leaves to yellow?

An experienced grower doesn't just use one method to gauge when the plant is ready.

When I see a plant that isn't exhibiting at least some degree of leaf-senescence when it should be.... I ask myself what was it that I got wrong.

I'm just showing you that leaf-senescence is a sign that everything is going right. Yours isn't yellowing because of the horrid growing conditions combined with a premature 4-week flush.

~

 

[BioStimz]

I’m also confused as to why after flushing for 4 weeks, my leaves remain green.

You prematurely over-watered for 4-weeks, combined with shit-lighting. This delays leaf senescence by removing all the sugars and slowing down photosynthetic-rates.

~

 

[therealAries]

Rad name I'm actually making seeds of a strain "kaylas kush" lineage being alien kush f3 mum x Girl Scout Cookie Bc1f2 pilsbury sugar cookie smelling Pheno male but to your post sativa strains typically aren't harvested with Amber trichs but cloudy ;) bless up and best of luck

 

[KaylasKush]

Rad name I'm actually making seeds of a strain "kaylas kush" lineage being alien kush f3 mum x Girl Scout Cookie Bc1f2 pilsbury sugar cookie smelling Pheno male but to your post sativa strains typically aren't harvested with Amber trichs but cloudy ;) bless up and best of luck

Really?!? Keep me updated on them! I just combined my nick-name and kush.
I actually just read yesterday somewhere that I should “harvest a sativa when the trichomes go amber”, hahaha. Dunno what to do anymore. I’ll leave them and go with my gut instinct on when I think I should harvest.
Thank you :) Best of luck to you as well.

 

[KaylasKush]

Well that certainly puts a different spin on things. Bad lighting, infection and a premature 4-week flush..... no wonder this plant looks so underdeveloped.

My plant was always going to be underdeveloped because I’m in a country with about 5 days of actual summer. I was prepared for it. Apart from that my plant has been extremely healthy and has managed well. The leaves were still vibrant and healthy until about 2 weeks ago, now they’ve wilted a lot and I think that’s from overwatering and lack of light.

While I don’t disagree that my plant isn’t getting all it deserves right now, that’s the consequence of being on a budget and being a beginner. It was only supposed to be an outdoor grow and now I know to plant much earlier so I don’t have to bring them in. I’ll learn from this.
But you’re making it sound like they came out a complete failure when they obviously didn’t. I simply have small buds, which like I said, I was always going to get when growing in this country specifically. I can feel that they’re dense, can see cloudy trichomes, and they have a beautiful smell to them.
So personally I’ve done well to even reach the flowering stage, and they’re perfectly smokeable buds.

Thanks for your input

 

[Wolfe]

If you are in a place that only gets minimal sunlight. I would consider auto flowers. Plus they will be quicker for you. Have you had water come out of the bottom when watering? If so that is a sign your soil is too dry. If it takes the water and it feels damp and is growing things at the top it’s too wet and even then it still will do better than underwatering in most cases. unless over watering lands an infection. I would invest in supplement lighting as well and supply the plants possibly with the 12/12 light if possible. Try the autos and see if they work in your location if you can’t get more light. My guess is those are under watered. Most overwatered plants won’t sag like that. Typically that’s what a under watered plant looks like with lack of light. I use a hot water foliar spray sometimes to kill any bugs( veg stage is best) if you have them. It may boost the size of those buds too but only do it when it’s light to prevent bud rot( you can also crush an egg shell and throw it in your soil to prevent bud rot also) If it’s a sativa you could be going a long time to get amber trichomes. I grew autos outside with regular plants and they finished in less than half the time. You don’t want to be growing sativas in a place that has minimal light anyhow. Sativas are equator based and in places where there is the most sunlight. Indica is the opposite and requires less time. Indica also gives you the high you may be looking for, that sedative couch lock feeling. Sativa has more racey feel and part of that could be because it’s long
Flowering cycle of sometimes 13 weeks or even longer to mature with amber trichomes. Autoflowers combine ruderalis( sun species of Cannabis found in central and Eastern Europe parts of Russia) and known favorites for plants that can finish in 10 weeks from seed. Best of luck.

 

[KaylasKush]

If you are in a place that only gets minimal sunlight. I would consider auto flowers. Plus they will be quicker for you. Have you had water come out of the bottom when watering? If so that is a sign your soil is too dry. If it takes the water and it feels damp and is growing things at the top it’s too wet and even then it still will do better than underwatering in most cases. unless over watering lands an infection. I would invest in supplement lighting as well and supply the plants possibly with the 12/12 light if possible. Try the autos and see if they work in your location if you can’t get more light. My guess is those are under watered. Most overwatered plants won’t sag like that. Typically that’s what a under watered plant looks like with lack of light. I use a hot water foliar spray sometimes to kill any bugs( veg stage is best) if you have them. It may boost the size of those buds too but only do it when it’s light to prevent bud rot( you can also crush an egg shell and throw it in your soil to prevent bud rot also) If it’s a sativa you could be going a long time to get amber trichomes. I grew autos outside with regular plants and they finished in less than half the time. You don’t want to be growing sativas in a place that has minimal light anyhow. Sativas are equator based and in places where there is the most sunlight. Indica is the opposite and requires less time. Indica also gives you the high you may be looking for, that sedative couch lock feeling. Sativa has more racey feel and part of that could be because it’s long
Flowering cycle of sometimes 13 weeks or even longer to mature with amber trichomes. Autoflowers combine ruderalis( sun species of Cannabis found in central and Eastern Europe parts of Russia) and known favorites for plants that can finish in 10 weeks from seed. Best of luck.

Yes I read into autoflowers after I had already purchased my seeds, so it was too late. Although autoflowers turned me off a bit due to their low yields, however if I compare what I’m getting now I don’t think it would be very different. So I’ll definitely give them a go next year, thanks. As for lighting, I don’t have a good enough income at the moment to invest in that, hence outdoor growing. I also stay with parents and can’t expect them to pay the electricity for that. I always knew I would get small buds growing outside, and I didn’t mind. But hopefully by the new year I have a new job and can start buying indoor grow products instead. I’d probably run into less problems.

No there is no water coming from the bottom as I put water there and allow the plant to soak up as much as it needs.
I’m 99.9% sure I’m not underwatering. I make sure the soil is still moist when I put my finger in about 1-2cm. You need to remember I also can’t water the same amount as everyone else because there is no sun or light to help dry it out, only my heater. So it stays moist, and I don’t want to put loads as obviously moisture creates mould.

Thanks for those tips. Didn’t know about the hot water or egg. However I don’t think my buds will be getting any bigger. I’ve made the mistake of flushing too soon and now I deal with the consequences. I will learn from this for next year! :)

Yeah very true, I doubt I’ll wait for amber trichomes. I’m giving it another week and I’m cutting. They’re all cloudy now, just giving them an extra week.
Yes I’m aware of that. And I’m actually an indica lover, I’m not a fan of sativas. The only reason I grew Durban Poison was because I’m South African and I felt obliged to have it be my first grow. It was also an easy and good grow in colder climates. In future I will always grow an indica.
Thanks for the tips and guidance! I’ll remember them for next time.
Happy growing :)

 

[Monster762]

Yes I read into autoflowers after I had already purchased my seeds, so it was too late. Although autoflowers turned me off a bit due to their low yields, however if I compare what I’m getting now I don’t think it would be very different. So I’ll definitely give them a go next year, thanks. As for lighting, I don’t have a good enough income at the moment to invest in that, hence outdoor growing. I also stay with parents and can’t expect them to pay the electricity for that. I always knew I would get small buds growing outside, and I didn’t mind. But hopefully by the new year I have a new job and can start buying indoor grow products instead. I’d probably run into less problems.

No there is no water coming from the bottom as I put water there and allow the plant to soak up as much as it needs.
I’m 99.9% sure I’m not underwatering. I make sure the soil is still moist when I put my finger in about 1-2cm. You need to remember I also can’t water the same amount as everyone else because there is no sun or light to help dry it out, only my heater. So it stays moist, and I don’t want to put loads as obviously moisture creates mould.

Thanks for those tips. Didn’t know about the hot water or egg. However I don’t think my buds will be getting any bigger. I’ve made the mistake of flushing too soon and now I deal with the consequences. I will learn from this for next year! :)

Yeah very true, I doubt I’ll wait for amber trichomes. I’m giving it another week and I’m cutting. They’re all cloudy now, just giving them an extra week.
Yes I’m aware of that. And I’m actually an indica lover, I’m not a fan of sativas. The only reason I grew Durban Poison was because I’m South African and I felt obliged to have it be my first grow. It was also an easy and good grow in colder climates. In future I will always grow an indica.
Thanks for the tips and guidance! I’ll remember them for next time.
Happy growing :)

Seriously water them with cold cold water. If you plan to chop soon either way push the cold water once. Cold cold but not ice water. It will shock the plant to believe the end is here. It turned my trichs to pure amber in less than 48 hrs after doing it. They were about 20% when I hit em with the cold water. Hit once hard with cold water. Let the soil dry and lights out for 24-36 hrs then chop.

 

[BudBogart]

Yes I read into autoflowers after I had already purchased my seeds, so it was too late. Although autoflowers turned me off a bit due to their low yields, however if I compare what I’m getting now I don’t think it would be very different. So I’ll definitely give them a go next year, thanks. As for lighting, I don’t have a good enough income at the moment to invest in that, hence outdoor growing. I also stay with parents and can’t expect them to pay the electricity for that. I always knew I would get small buds growing outside, and I didn’t mind. But hopefully by the new year I have a new job and can start buying indoor grow products instead. I’d probably run into less problems.

No there is no water coming from the bottom as I put water there and allow the plant to soak up as much as it needs.
I’m 99.9% sure I’m not underwatering. I make sure the soil is still moist when I put my finger in about 1-2cm. You need to remember I also can’t water the same amount as everyone else because there is no sun or light to help dry it out, only my heater. So it stays moist, and I don’t want to put loads as obviously moisture creates mould.

Thanks for those tips. Didn’t know about the hot water or egg. However I don’t think my buds will be getting any bigger. I’ve made the mistake of flushing too soon and now I deal with the consequences. I will learn from this for next year! :)

Yeah very true, I doubt I’ll wait for amber trichomes. I’m giving it another week and I’m cutting. They’re all cloudy now, just giving them an extra week.
Yes I’m aware of that. And I’m actually an indica lover, I’m not a fan of sativas. The only reason I grew Durban Poison was because I’m South African and I felt obliged to have it be my first grow. It was also an easy and good grow in colder climates. In future I will always grow an indica.
Thanks for the tips and guidance! I’ll remember them for next time.
Happy growing :)

I think you have done a great job for a beginner. That you have learned skills along the way you will apply next time. Not everyone gets as far as you have this grow, enjoy the buds, they've been grown with love, that's obvious.

 

[KaylasKush]

Seriously water them with cold cold water. If you plan to chop soon either way push the cold water once. Cold cold but not ice water. It will shock the plant to believe the end is here. It turned my trichs to pure amber in less than 48 hrs after doing it. They were about 20% when I hit em with the cold water. Hit once hard with cold water. Let the soil dry and lights out for 24-36 hrs then chop.

Damn really? That’s pretty cool. I think I read about someone else doing that a couple days ago. Might give this a go.
However I can’t give them complete blackness for that period of time, the light through the window during the day will interfere. And it’s not worth buying a blind to put up now. Do I have to do that?
Also the water I’m giving them is pretty much already just below ice water as it gets to -3 degrees at night. Unless I put a few blocks of ice in and then take them out?