To cut or cut not. That is the question.

[Popdee]

Hello my fellow farmers
The question at hand is: can I, a devoted indica men learn to be patient enough to finish this "taking forever" sativa girl!?
8 months old in 9 days, 11 weeks 12×12. She's growing fat with new pistils ALL over, yet leaves died and yellow.
So great minds of smoke and vapors, how much more time do you think? OH, trichs are "milky" not a very frosty plant.
Should I lay off the Bloom and just water for the remaining time. Any thoughts will help.
Again the pictures are simi- in focus, same as me.
Over and out Popdee

 

[Jimster]

Sativa's keep growing forever it seems... even when flowering they keep growing! They usually don't get the big frosting of sparkly trichomes like an Indica, but it looks pretty close to me. One sign, besides the yellowing of larger fan leaves, is when the buds start to get sort of pointy at the tips and you start to see single bladed leaves kind of sticking out at odd angles. It's always a judgement call, but the buds appear to be finishing up to my eyes. Looks good n tasty!

 

[MIMedGrower]

Agreed close to finished. But close for a sativa leaner could still be a couple weeks.

 

[Popdee]

Sativa's keep growing forever it seems... even when flowering they keep growing! They usually don't get the big frosting of sparkly trichomes like an Indica, but it looks pretty close to me. One sign, besides the yellowing of larger fan leaves, is when the buds start to get sort of pointy at the tips and you start to see single bladed leaves kind of sticking out at odd angles. It's always a judgement call, but the buds appear to be finishing up to my eyes. Looks good n tasty!

Sativa's keep growing forever it seems... even when flowering they keep growing! They usually don't get the big frosting of sparkly trichomes like an Indica, but it looks pretty close to me. One sign, besides the yellowing of larger fan leaves, is when the buds start to get sort of pointy at the tips and you start to see single bladed leaves kind of sticking out at odd angles. It's always a judgement call, but the buds appear to be finishing up to my eyes. Looks good n tasty!

Thanks for your input. Because she is bagseed, Mexican most likely and Sativa by area, I have learned more than I bargain for but being neck deep, I'm all in!
Read tonight that some Sativa don't always go amber on her trichromes, that milky/clear are best.?
Week 12 in 3 days. Then once chopped?? 30-60 days dry and cure.
But I'm giving those popcorn buds all the time they need,doubled in last week. Water only or a bit of Bloom ? Thanks and will keep you updated.
Over and out Popdee

 

[Beachwalker]

Thanks for your input. Because she is bagseed, Mexican most likely and Sativa by area, I have learned more than I bargain for but being neck deep, I'm all in!
Read tonight that some Sativa don't always go amber on her trichromes, that milky/clear are best.?
Week 12 in 3 days. Then once chopped?? 30-60 days dry and cure.
But I'm giving those popcorn buds all the time they need,doubled in last week. Water only or a bit of Bloom ? Thanks and will keep you updated.
Over and out Popdee

If your having trouble determining ripeness by trichomes pick a small bud and quick-dry it and 24 hours later there's a nice sample to help you decide?

 

[Jimster]

Sativa's can be tricky to determine full "doneness", but since they grow so long, it doesn't really matter too much since the variation between the trichome cloudy/amber doesn't matter nearly as much as the genetic pre-disposition the plant has. In other words, the amber/cloudy Trichome ratio is supposedly based on the idea that as trichomes get older, they change from THC to CBD, providing more of a "couch-lock" than a uplifting high. In summary, the amber trichomes are less desirable because they have degraded into CBD. This is true, but the actual change from THC to CBD is very small... too small to readily be noticed. The normal variation between strain's THC/CBD is MUCH greater than any variation in potency that results from Trichomes aging an extra week or two. SO.....
With that being said, I let Sativa's keep going until they either start to get skinny at the bud tips or most of the leaves have yellowed and dropped. Sativa's really bulk up at the end of flowering, and get a greasy feel to them, at least most of mine have. If they stop growing and start turning colors, you are ready. To me, it's more of a combination of signs/clues.... but after 30+ years, I still ALWAYS second guess myself! I guess it's not something that you outgrow!

 

[MIMedGrower]

Sativa's can be tricky to determine full "doneness", but since they grow so long, it doesn't really matter too much since the variation between the trichome cloudy/amber doesn't matter nearly as much as the genetic pre-disposition the plant has. In other words, the amber/cloudy Trichome ratio is supposedly based on the idea that as trichomes get older, they change from THC to CBD, providing more of a "couch-lock" than a uplifting high. In summary, the amber trichomes are less desirable because they have degraded into CBD. This is true, but the actual change from THC to CBD is very small... too small to readily be noticed. The normal variation between strain's THC/CBD is MUCH greater than any variation in potency that results from Trichomes aging an extra week or two. SO.....
With that being said, I let Sativa's keep going until they either start to get skinny at the bud tips or most of the leaves have yellowed and dropped. Sativa's really bulk up at the end of flowering, and get a greasy feel to them, at least most of mine have. If they stop growing and start turning colors, you are ready. To me, it's more of a combination of signs/clues.... but after 30+ years, I still ALWAYS second guess myself! I guess it's not something that you outgrow!

THC degrades in to CBN after the trichome turns cloudy and goes amber. THC is peaked when the trichs are big full round and clear. But we wait till they go cloudy to be sure of max production of all the cannabanoids. Once the trichomes start to degrade and go brown the plant has less potency. CBN is not responsible for “couch lock” at all. That is a forum myth. The different effects from different strains are due to the ratio and content of different canabanoids and terpenes and posiibly flavanoids.

THC is psychoactive. CBN is not. And CBD is another canabanoid altogether. CBD also is not very psychoactive but has other medical properties. It does lessen the effects of thc though so trasitionally a high cbd content was not desirable. But a 1 to 1 cbd to thc ratio has become popular as medicine.

In my opinion high thc weed actually has better healing and pain reducing properties than cbd for most illnesses. Of course many parients dont want to be high so the market has introduced high cbd as a cure all. It is not.

Seizures are mitigated by high cbd though.

As far as sativas go i grow heavy sativa leaning plants all the time. I just harvested one. It has flowered for 13.5 weeks. The tricomes were mostly clear until a week ago and on harvest they were about 80% cloudy, 20% clear and a few amber degrading to brown.

I disagree with your information about this. I think its difficult to keep a finicky plant healthy for 13 weeks. But when I do the trichomes turn like any short flowering plant. Parience and careful feeding is key.

When the trichs get 80-90% cloudy a sativa will rip your head off with potency. No short flowering indica pheno of the month or supposedly elite clone ever can compete.

Longest I have gone with the seeds i have tried was 14 weeks. But these are still hybrids. Really all the popular “preservationist” supposed land race sativas sold are really hybrids. Like ace seeds and jordan of the islands. Even the locals where they are from were crossing them for generations.

Like mexican sativa brick weed in the 70’s. It has been bred for potency and yield like any weed by the growers. Last i had any was about 5 years ago. It was nothing like what we smoked in the 80’s.

 

[Popdee]

If your having trouble determining ripeness by trichomes pick a small bud and quick-dry it and 24 hours later there's a nice sample to help you decide?

You have no idea( or maybe you do) how many times I've battled the thought.. just one bud to check! But I've resolved to do this girl right and actually dry and cure her properly, something you never get from the street.
Time will tell, but I did "accidentally" knock off a popcorn bud and it is drying for scientific applications

 

[Beachwalker]

You have no idea( or maybe you do) how many times I've battled the thought.. just one bud to check! But I've resolved to do this girl right and actually dry and cure her properly, something you never get from the street.
Time will tell, but I did "accidentally" knock off a popcorn bud and it is drying for scientific applications

I do it all the time! (Best way to know?) It'll give you a good idea where she's at if you're having trouble, been meaning to snitch a little taste off some Blackberry Gum coming ripe soon, thanks for reminding me! :) LOL

 

[Popdee]

THC degrades in to CBN after the trichome turns cloudy and goes amber. THC is peaked when the trichs are big full round and clear. But we wait till they go cloudy to be sure of max production of all the cannabanoids. Once the trichomes start to degrade and go brown the plant has less potency. CBN is not responsible for “couch lock” at all. That is a forum myth. The different effects from different strains are due to the ratio and content of different canabanoids and terpenes and posiibly flavanoids.

THC is psychoactive. CBN is not. And CBD is another canabanoid altogether. CBD also is not very psychoactive but has other medical properties. It does lessen the effects of thc though so trasitionally a high cbd content was not desirable. But a 1 to 1 cbd to thc ratio has become popular as medicine.

In my opinion high thc weed actually has better healing and pain reducing properties than cbd for most illnesses. Of course many parients dont want to be high so the market has introduced high cbd as a cure all. It is not.

Seizures are mitigated by high cbd though.

As far as sativas go i grow heavy sativa leaning plants all the time. I just harvested one. It has flowered for 13.5 weeks. The tricomes were mostly clear until a week ago and on harvest they were about 80% cloudy, 20% clear and a few amber degrading to brown.

I disagree with your information about this. I think its difficult to keep a finicky plant healthy for 13 weeks. But when I do the trichomes turn like any short flowering plant. Parience and careful feeding is key.

When the trichs get 80-90% cloudy a sativa will rip your head off with potency. No short flowering indica pheno of the month or supposedly elite clone ever can compete.

Longest I have gone with the seeds i have tried was 14 weeks. But these are still hybrids. Really all the popular “preservationist” supposed land race sativas sold are really hybrids. Like ace seeds and jordan of the islands. Even the locals where they are from were crossing them for generations.

Like mexican sativa brick weed in the 70’s. It has been bred for potency and yield like any weed by the growers. Last i had any was about 5 years ago. It was nothing like what we smoked in the 80’s.

Thanks for your input. It seems that growing Sativa is growing a completely different plant than Indica. Different rules and technology are needed to finish properly. Seeing this I have to wonder what the " up side" of growing such a long growing plant is. I guess I'll just have to be patient... Maybe that's what Sativa is about "patient". I have to go vape a bowl, ive got little patients!

 

[MIMedGrower]

Thanks for your input. It seems that growing Sativa is growing a completely different plant than Indica. Different rules and technology are needed to finish properly. Seeing this I have to wonder what the " up side" of growing such a long growing plant is. I guess I'll just have to be patient... Maybe that's what Sativa is about "patient". I have to go vape a bowl, ive got little patients!

I grow them exactly the same way. Just most indica hybrids are shorter and stockier and faster.

and some sativa hybrids never stop stretching so they need training and more work. And they can be finicky to fertilize but so can indicas.

Learn to watch the leaves and learn about all the nutrients and how and what they do for the plant and what deficiencies look like and feed more or less as needed.

And it is simpler even than that sounded.

And then when the plant is truly done growing bud check the trichomes and be sure to look deep into the buds for maturity.

 

[Popdee]

I grow them exactly the same way. Just most indica hybrids are shorter and stockier and faster.

and some sativa hybrids never stop stretching so they need training and more work. And they can be finicky to fertilize but so can indicas.

Learn to watch the leaves and learn about all the nutrients and how and what they do for the plant and what deficiencies look like and feed more or less as needed.

And it is simpler even than that sounded.

And then when the plant is truly done growing bud check the trichomes and be sure to look deep into the buds for maturity.

Talking about her leaves. I have to say her leaves feel rough, sand paper like and "thick". Been a long time since my last grow, but I don't recall leaves being so tough.. maybe just in my mind ?
I use a 40× loupe and look only at the bud tips trichs ( buds are rather "pine cone" looking) and are just showing milkyness ( if that's a word?) so week 12 Friday and looks like the end of month being 14 weeks looks like my goal. Too much growing going on to think otherwise, but will keep my loupe in hand.

 

[Kot]

I've grown a lot of strains indoors and can tell you that almost every seed needs around 2 more weeks in flowering than the seed bank states it needs. The bad thing is that the leaves start dying because of their age and extensive photosyntheses. I harvest when I start seeing one or two amber trichomes on the bud, not on the sugar leaves where they start appearing much earlier.

 

[skh]

This can happen in hybrid plants too as they have sativa genes. Don't even need to be sat doms for this to happen. I find some haze crosses prone to this and I end up harvesting too early and they taste like shit so I end up vaping them. If it has a good smell then it's probably fine to harvest. Also, the vape solves all problems. I made some AHO for the first time in years today. I normally just vape my trim. So much easier.