How to tell when to harvest if you don't have a loupe, or Don't rely solely on trichomes

  • Thread starter Seamaiden
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Gaspipe67

Gaspipe67

4
3
Opinions, I got.

Looks mostly cloudy from here.
I'd start a staggered harvest about now.
Take the terminal buds and start them drying along with a popcorn bud or two for testing.
That will yield morning wake and bake bud. Get you moving and working.
Wait about a week, then take the midsection.
It will have more "thump" and duration.

Let the lower branches sit for a few more days for some bedtime, couch lock, sleepy time, pain killer, bud.

Looks very tasty, How does she smell?

Aloha,
Weeze



Smells incredible! Thank you for the insight, you relieved some stress :)
 
Kalebwws

Kalebwws

8
3
We've all seen them, the threads asking, "Is she done yet?" or "Is she ready?" The vast majority of farmers are well familiar with using trichomes as the gauge for figuring out when to harvest their crop. Hopefully the newbies have gone through the two DJ Short threads posted up in this forum by Texas Kid. While everyone's at it, read this quick primer to help round out the harvest window picture for you.

Those who've got enough grows with enough strains under their belts are going to know that not all strains' trichomes will change color in the 'usual' manner, and in fact some strains trichomes will never change color until after harvesting. I've run strains on which the trichomes never got cloudy, they went from clear to amber, and I've run strains with purple trichomes that never got cloudy or amber.

And so, to that end, I'm doing another one of my threads to discuss what other metrics can be used to tell when a lady should be harvested.


Don't rely solely on trichomes for harvesting.

1: Pistils. Is she throwing out tons of new pistils, or is she just popping a few whities here and there, mostly at the tops of the buds, with an overall red appearance? If still popping out a lot of new pistils, she may have a little longer to go just yet.​
2: Buds. Are they still growing noticeably, or does it seem they've stopped growing? If still growing noticeably, the plant has more time left to go. Don't shortchange yourself by getting impatient for the chop!​
3: Appearance. Does the plant have an autumnal appearance? Especially once the major fan leaves begin yellowing, then you know you're nearing that finish line. This may be a more or less reliable metric depending on how you feed. Many folks continue pushing N long into flower, possibly all the way through, depending on their fertilizing regimen, and that can cause the plants to retain an overall bright green coloration. That makes this metric a little less reliable if taken on its own.​
4: Water/fertilizer consumption. If it's still taking in a lot of water, it's still transpiring actively, which would suggest it's still growing actively. If it's still 'eating' as it was during the earlier phases of flower, then again, she likely still has some time. If it seems to have stopped drinking and eating, as some put it, then it's likely done.​


Now, add these other metrics to trichomes and you'll know when your girls are done and how you want to handle them. :)
What about when hairs are pink/purple...? Help
 
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Ina

Ina

2,097
313
Тhe pistils are different color but they are all fresh,not dried so its too early:)Calyxes under the pistils also should swell lot more.Now it still looks hairy.
About the trihomes,the bud is starting to look more white overall when its getting close to ready,not crystal and shiny but white and cloudy.Also its getting swollen and harder overall.And it looks like it wont grow any more,most of the pistils are dried(brown,red)and there is not many new even after watering.
Every time i have to cut them earlier i regret it so dо not hurry!:)
 
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LiveandLearn502

LiveandLearn502

38
18
:) I use Gimp..lol Just to size and crop. Thanks Sea :)
Those are almost done.

I want to add another way to tell it time to harvest,
Its time to harvest when you see bud rot:depressed:


I was lucky not to get any PM with my latest lite deps (biowar helped to no doubt)
But I found a tiny bit of bud rot on two different plants this morning :(
The thumb sized middle buds snapped right off. and I didnt see any more bad buds
And I dont wanna...So, Im Harvesting :)


Good lord what strain is that and how much dry weight was it? those buds look dense AF. Very beautiful.
 
kixto

kixto

3
1
Hello, I need some help too ...

it is an outdoor grow ... some pistils are white, some brown. The season is getting wetter and rainer now so ... bud rot is very possible.
 
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tealeaf402

tealeaf402

11
3
Funny, I had the same thing happen to me with my Sour Diesel, a couple of those small buds just snapped off! I had done LST and pulled back the dominant branches to give the small ones a chance, but I feel it's not worth it, those 'thumb-sized middle buds' are very weak and don't grow as vigorous as the main few branches, yet hog the light. Next time I'm going to do less restricting of the main branches, at least on the Sour diesel —it's going really yellow now, even the small leaves, but the buds are big. It's stopped drinking and so has the Blue Dream. They are coming out tomorrow. The other two are still very thirsty...
How do you tell if it has stopped drinking? does it get really droopy? Not so much the leaves drooping, but the stems? There's one that's sagging super bad, it drank yesterday. The leaves are not quite yellow, but some are blotchy.. I don't know how to tell if they are drinking or not, if the container feels a normal weight for watering yesterday it seems like it could be drinking still?
 
420dudee

420dudee

5
3
Excellent post/thread Seamaiden



From what ive read, Amber trichomes are "overripe"
Mostly cloudy and fat is what im shooting for..
I dont always get the "fade" in my beds
I mostly use the "new Pistils" and the "is it still growing?"as my gage
edit to add;
47 days..and waiting a tiny bit longer.:)
View attachment 418892

It cant posably be done in 47 days...could it?
What a beauty!
 
Elisha

Elisha

1
1
Image
Hey bredren,
I’m a noob to this process it’s been 16 weeks on my god’s gift strain, not sure if to harvest or wait a likkle more. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advice,

Blessed
 
Edinburgh

Edinburgh

2,692
263
You can buy a magnifying glass or jewelers loupe fairly cheapley, you do chop by your trichome not your pistils.
 
HippiHemuli

HippiHemuli

178
63
When 80% pistils are turned brown if dont want use microscope to check trichs. Heard many pro using pistils method too and not watching trichs but all go how they like best for themselves. 😊
 
Clyde4210

Clyde4210

516
63
One thing I noticed by eye is if you're flowers reflect light or shiney then it's most likely not ready. It's when it looks dusted with powdered sugar is when they've changed from clear to opaque or cloudy.

It's just a opinion of an observation.
 
M

maryjanegrow

4
3
Hey guys, I was hoping someone could give me some advice on how long to go before I should harvest??

P.s this is my first attempt so be nice 🙂
 
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Peat_Phreak

Peat_Phreak

540
143
Can't make a determination from the last set of pics. But it probably needs at least two more weeks.

Most modern cameras are capable of taking pics that will reveal the status of the trichomes. Set the resolution to the highest you can take. Put the camera as close to the bud as possible while being in focus.

The pic will be huge. Zoom in. You should be able to see what you need to see.
 
C

Crisimac

21
3
This is my first grow, I’m not sure if it’s ready to harvest or not. Can someone help me out?
 
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Wee Zard

Wee Zard

518
143
Might be past the ideal.
I see a lot of uncapped trichs.

It's always an option to do a staggered harvest.
Take some at mostly cloudy for an up and energetic effect. Take the top bud at it's peak for your special stash when you see the first ambers or when capitate glands start disappearing.. Wait a week or so for sleepytime thumper.
 
AngryPossum

AngryPossum

45
18
Sorry, but I always use a loupe. It's much better to use a loupe. As Loupes don't lie IMO. Cloudy with some ambers Trichomes do it for me. My weed is amazing.
 
Wee Zard

Wee Zard

518
143
Agreed, a loupe is a must.
But, I have found that some strands will never show amber, indoor or out.

Jus' fine for me.
I prefer "mostly cloudy" so I can still get chores done.
I leave some lower buds alone for another week or three for my night smoke.
Even without "ambering" it can still knock you out.
 
C

Christos1974

186
43
We've all seen them, the threads asking, "Is she done yet?" or "Is she ready?" The vast majority of farmers are well familiar with using trichomes as the gauge for figuring out when to harvest their crop. Hopefully the newbies have gone through the two DJ Short threads posted up in this forum by Texas Kid. While everyone's at it, read this quick primer to help round out the harvest window picture for you.

Those who've got enough grows with enough strains under their belts are going to know that not all strains' trichomes will change color in the 'usual' manner, and in fact some strains trichomes will never change color until after harvesting. I've run strains on which the trichomes never got cloudy, they went from clear to amber, and I've run strains with purple trichomes that never got cloudy or amber.

And so, to that end, I'm doing another one of my threads to discuss what other metrics can be used to tell when a lady should be harvested.


Don't rely solely on trichomes for harvesting.

1: Pistils. Is she throwing out tons of new pistils, or is she just popping a few whities here and there, mostly at the tops of the buds, with an overall red appearance? If still popping out a lot of new pistils, she may have a little longer to go just yet.​
2: Buds. Are they still growing noticeably, or does it seem they've stopped growing? If still growing noticeably, the plant has more time left to go. Don't shortchange yourself by getting impatient for the chop!​
3: Appearance. Does the plant have an autumnal appearance? Especially once the major fan leaves begin yellowing, then you know you're nearing that finish line. This may be a more or less reliable metric depending on how you feed. Many folks continue pushing N long into flower, possibly all the way through, depending on their fertilizing regimen, and that can cause the plants to retain an overall bright green coloration. That makes this metric a little less reliable if taken on its own.​
4: Water/fertilizer consumption. If it's still taking in a lot of water, it's still transpiring actively, which would suggest it's still growing actively. If it's still 'eating' as it was during the earlier phases of flower, then again, she likely still has some time. If it seems to have stopped drinking and eating, as some put it, then it's likely done.​


Now, add these other metrics to trichomes and you'll know when your girls are done and how you want to handle them. :)
Hello. Excellent topic. I'm currently on my 3rd grow and I have 2 mimosa orange punch from Barney's farm and 3 pineapple xx from Brother's Grimm. My last grow was BubbleBOMB from Bomb seeds and I'm pretty sure that I chopped them too early and I don't want to make that same mistake again, I'll do my best to apply what you said to my next harvest. My current grow is about 6 weeks into flowering and the pineapple xx is definitely taking longer than the mimosa orange punch. I'm posting pics of my 5 plants, I have 2 pineapple xx in a 3x5 under an HLG 350R, and 2 mimosa orange punch and 1 pineapple xx in a 4x4 under a an HLG SCORPION DIABLO with UVA supplemental light. Please, any criticism snd/or advice is welcomed.
 
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