First, let me thanks all that contribute to this forum...I have learnecd a lot from you folks...never would have been able to do it without this. Now...
I have a plant in its 47th day of flowering and none of the hairs have changed color. Dont know what strain it is...bag seed...plant is 32 inches high...cola is size of quart bottle of beer. 400 hps with 4 13 wt cfls. My question is....do the hairs HAVE to turn color? Checked the trics...mostly clear. Thanks in advance.

I am by no means an expert, but I have done extensive research. All I have found says that the Trichomes need to start darkening BEFORE harvest. It depends on which type you are growing (Indica or Sativa) as to how long it takes to start changing color, but all research says to wait until at least half of the Trics have darkened before harvesting. I hope that helps at least a little, or points you in the right direction. The ripening signs for most Sativas are highly similar to Indicas, except extended over a longer period of time. Occasionally, some Sativas have windows of peak harvest that actually open and close. That is, for a week or so the plant may exhibit signs of peak ripeness. However, a week later the plant may have a growth spurt, which lowers the trichome-to-fibre ratio and overall potency for a little while. Usually a fibrous growth spurt is accompanied by a corresponding trichome increase. Again, time and experience are the key elements in this regard. Good Luck My Friend: weed:

__________________
Genesis-1:29: Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, and every plant bearing fruit which is upon the face of the Earth. To you it shall be for meat.--God

It certainly sounds as tho you're dealing w/sativa, in which case it'll be a while yet, up to 8-10 weeks total.
Quart beer bottle, eh? You like the little ones!
Just kiddin' . . . can't wait to see this beast.

__________________
I'd giva ya everything I got . . . for little piece of mind

That quart bottle of beer I have growing has a 12 pack surrounding it LOL. This is my first grow...a learning experience......all ive ever done is smoke it...but now that im retired..gotta cut down on expenses...so says the warden.

Been at it about 40 years . . . harvesting and smoking it never gets old . . . running up and down the stairs, watering and such, well that's another issue!

__________________
I'd giva ya everything I got . . . for little piece of mind

hahah MR fishy thats funny you say that about the stairs up and down with buckets of water. and IM an old fart too.

You need to get you a good magnifying glass. I use a jewelers lobe. It is a 30x and I bought a 60 to 100x at radio shack only 12 bucks. The radio shack I have a hard time using because of my glaucoma. Anyway look closely at the trich and see there true color. First they will be greenish then go to cloudy then gradually to amber. A choice has to be made here. Whether you want mostly mind or body high. I like a body high and wait for the trichs to get 3/4 amber. After a few grows you'll get the right ratio that works for you. You'r going good, keep it up!

the hairs will generally darken as the trichs do. Sativa bagseeds Ive grown out take forever for the hairs to turn brown though around the 10th week usually they will start and contine darkaning up to the 12th or sometimes 16th week of flowering.
good luck and I would love to see some pics. Ive always loved to grow sativas but prefer the high to indica plants. Ive found some bagseed strains that Ive decided to seed and keep around for later grows even. Just so happens that the strain is from a bag of weed that came from the vietnam war all teh way to america hidden in a trunk.