Is it time to harvest?

[startingfromscratch]

Howdy,
I've been told to wait two weeks when I think it's time to harvest. How long do you think I have?
Thanks

 

[Monkey_]

Get a magnifier and check your trichomes The only way to really tell...

 

[Gmix]

Without pics of the trichs all we can do is take a educated guess.

I’d say about 2-3 weeks left

What you really need to do is buy a heandheld microscope and examine the trichs

This will help you

 

[BudgetGrower]

Sounds like good advice, I would wait another 2-3 weeks.

Buds are covered in clusters of straight white hairs, most of these need to turn red/brown, even then it could be another 7-10 days.

 

[Imzzaudae]

I'm thinking stop all nutrients minimal water only for the next 2 or 3 weeks let her finish up. She is getting there but not quite yet. It's just starting real sugar production. When you stop feeding the plant will get brown leaves and some will fall off. That's all good, let them. You have done a great job so far. Don't rush it now.

 

[startingfromscratch]

Without pics of the trichs all we can do is take a educated guess.

I’d say about 2-3 weeks left

What you really need to do is buy a heandheld microscope and examine the trichs

This will help you

I see a number of handheld microscopes. Any suggestions?

 

[startingfromscratch]

I see a number of handheld microscopes. Any suggestions?

 

[Imzzaudae]

A little jewelers loop works great.

 

[Gmix]

Out of all the ones I have/tried the cheep one in the photo i find the easiest to use on a live plant.

USB/witless ones are great for buds taken of a live plant however to tell while it’s still on the plant this one’s fine and I’ve got shakey old man hands

 

[startingfromscratch]

I see a number of handheld microscopes. Any suggestions?

Great video. Thank you!

 

[startingfromscratch]

I'm thinking stop all nutrients minimal water only for the next 2 or 3 weeks let her finish up. She is getting there but not quite yet. It's just starting real sugar production. When you stop feeding the plant will get brown leaves and some will fall off. That's all good, let them. You have done a great job so far. Don't rush it now.

Thank you

 

[Happysmoke]

If you don't have or don't want to buy anything just wait until almost all the hairs turn color. most plants will only have 5% or less to no white hairs by the time they are ready to harvest. Leaf color is not a very good way to gauge bud ripeness IMHO. I have had plants that were ready to harvest when the leaves were just starting to yellow and some that had dropped almost all leaves before they were ready. If you want the easiest microscope to use get a cheap wireless one off Amazon. They do video and take pics and they are only like $20-30. They also make it so you don't have to try to lean over your plants while simultaneously trying to focus your scope and stay still enough to not blur your sight while using the scope. You are almost there. I say about 3-4weeks. I would say, if your using dry ferts in soil, do not feed anymore. If you are running a fert line, keep it going a little longer until the last 7-14 days, then water only to flush the salts out. Just my $.02. nice job so far.

 

[startingfromscratch]

If you don't have or don't want to buy anything just wait until almost all the hairs turn color. most plants will only have 5% or less to no white hairs by the time they are ready to harvest. Leaf color is not a very good way to gauge bud ripeness IMHO. I have had plants that were ready to harvest when the leaves were just starting to yellow and some that had dropped almost all leaves before they were ready. If you want the easiest microscope to use get a cheap wireless one off Amazon. They do video and take pics and they are only like $20-30. They also make it so you don't have to try to lean over your plants while simultaneously trying to focus your scope and stay still enough to not blur your sight while using the scope. You are almost there. I say about 3-4weeks. I would say, if your using dry ferts in soil, do not feed anymore. If you are running a fert line, keep it going a little longer until the last 7-14 days, then water only to flush the salts out. Just my $.02. nice job so far.

I would have paid $05 for your info. Thank you

 

[BigBlonde]

I see a number of handheld microscopes. Any suggestions?

I use this loupe: BelOMO 15x Triplet Loupe Magnifier. 9mm (.35"). It's a bit pricy at $40, but it has excellent optics. @GNick55 recommended it.

Loupes are good for a quick look just to check the progress. They don't work well for taking pictures, though.

There are plenty of inexpensive digital microscopes on Amazon. I have one that cost me about $30. The one I have has a stupid method for connecting to the phone. Another problem with those is they're hard to hold steady and the plants don't like to stay still, either. I tried turning off the fans, but the plants still wobble. When looking for critters, I cut off a leaf and use a desk.

To photograph buds while still on the plant, I figured out a way to mount a digital microscope to a camera tripod. It can be a challenge to get it close enough to the plant. The plant still wobbles, though, so next time I might try to devise a way to keep the stem still.

Someday I might pay bigger bucks for a digital microscope. There are some nice ones for $150 to $200.

Here's a picture of some Acapulco Gold bud I took with my $30 digital microscope from a tripod.

 

[Harpua88]

I'm sure everyone is telling you to wait. I see that most of the hairs (75%+?) are still white, but it also looks like they're still "blooming". Quite often flowering comes in stages, waves.......just when you think things are slowing down, out pops another round of new flowers, more white hairs. We think things "should" go a certain way.......bloom, slow down, ripen, harvest. But there could very well be a second, third wave of flowering, even as the last ones are ripening. As long as you're in no rush, let them keep blooming. It's hard to say exactly how much time these have left, it depends on the variety, how much bloom they still have in them, whenever that runs out of steam and you're left with swelling, ripening more than new flowers, then you can look at the resin glands, the % of hairs that have turned, all the classic signs that they're ready for harvest.

 

[startingfromscratch]

I use this loupe: BelOMO 15x Triplet Loupe Magnifier. 9mm (.35"). It's a bit pricy at $40, but it has excellent optics. @GNick55 recommended it.

Loupes are good for a quick look just to check the progress. They don't work well for taking pictures, though.

There are plenty of inexpensive digital microscopes on Amazon. I have one that cost me about $30. The one I have has a stupid method for connecting to the phone. Another problem with those is they're hard to hold steady and the plants don't like to stay still, either. I tried turning off the fans, but the plants still wobble. When looking for critters, I cut off a leaf and use a desk.

To photograph buds while still on the plant, I figured out a way to mount a digital microscope to a camera tripod. It can be a challenge to get it close enough to the plant. The plant still wobbles, though, so next time I might try to devise a way to keep the stem still.

Someday I might pay bigger bucks for a digital microscope. There are some nice ones for $150 to $200.

Here's a picture of some Acapulco Gold bud I took with my $30 digital microscope from a tripod.

WOW!! Impressive.

 

[Harpua88]

For checking trichs turning color, getting a Jeweler's loup is on my agenda, but other than for photography, I used to use an ild fashioned magnifying glass and it worked just fine........not old fashioned like Sherlock Holmes, like a wooden monocle......although that would be funny.....just a regular magnifying glass. ;)

 

[Harpua88]

WOW!! Impressive.

It's gotta be 20x or send it back......

"Magnify insects"?!. Who the heck wants to do that?? ;)

 

[GNick55]

It's gotta be 20x or send it back......

"Magnify insects"?!. Who the heck wants to do that?? ;)

15x belomo loupe is plenty of magnification..
i use a 10x and 15x..

 

[Week4Bytch]

If you don't have or don't want to buy anything just wait until almost all the hairs turn color. most plants will only have 5% or less to no white hairs by the time they are ready to harvest. Leaf color is not a very good way to gauge bud ripeness IMHO. I have had plants that were ready to harvest when the leaves were just starting to yellow and some that had dropped almost all leaves before they were ready. If you want the easiest microscope to use get a cheap wireless one off Amazon. They do video and take pics and they are only like $20-30. They also make it so you don't have to try to lean over your plants while simultaneously trying to focus your scope and stay still enough to not blur your sight while using the scope. You are almost there. I say about 3-4weeks. I would say, if your using dry ferts in soil, do not feed anymore. If you are running a fert line, keep it going a little longer until the last 7-14 days, then water only to flush the salts out. Just my $.02. nice job so far.

lol, this is so true ... . "I have had plants that were ready to harvest when the leaves were just starting to yellow and some that had dropped almost all leaves before they were ready"