Need to know when to Harvest?

m420p

Well-Known Member
I found this very informative article explaining almost everything you will need to know about when to harvest. Let me know if anyone wants me to copy and paste it.

Edit: Its pretty long so I'll just take out the good parts and leave the link at the bottom of the post if you want to check out the rest.

A indication of plant maturity is the color of the pistils, the little hairs that grow from inside the calyxes. Their purpose is to collect male pollen to fertilize the ovum inside the calyx, creating a seed. When no male pollen exists calyxes grow dense without any seeds, resulting in sinsemilla cannabis. Near the end of the flowering phase, pistils change color, entering the window of peak maturity. The ratio of white pistils to red pistils determines the type of effects your plants are likely to produce: a high or stone. In the final few weeks of the flowering phase, the pistils change from bright white to a rusty orange or brown, signifying the end of the plant?s life cycle.

Examining Trichomes
As the amount of trichomes covering your plant increases, you should take a closer look at them, maintaining a light touch to avoid crushing the resin glands. Your best bet is to purchase an inexpensive 25x microscope (available at most electronics stores), and most pocket microscopes have a small light to help you get an illuminated peek at your trichome development.
When you cut small buds from your plant to test them, you want to concentrate on the stalked glandular trichomes. The coloration of the gland heads can vary with different strains and maturity, but most start with clear or slightly amber heads that gradually become cloudy or opaque when THC levels have peaked and are beginning to degrade. Regardless of the initial color of the trichomes, with careful observation you should be able to see a change in coloration as maturity levels off. Some cultivators wait for about half of the trichomes to go opaque before harvesting to ensure maximum THC levels in the finished product. However, you will also want to try samples at various stages to see what is best for you. While you may be increasing the total THC level in the cannabis by allowing half of the glands to go opaque, there will also be a larger percentage of CBN, which is why some people choose to harvest earlier while most of the trichomes are still clear.
Now you understand how trichomes develop on your plants and how to examine them as they turn from clear to opaque, indicating THC breakdown.

Early and Late Harvesting Every strain has its own unique window of peak maturity, typically one to two weeks long. However, there is a difference between harvesting early or late within that window, depending on whether you want a head high or a body high.
As cannabis matures the chemistry of the plant changes, as does the type of effects. While these differences in chemical nature still require a lot of research to fully understand, you can utilize them to produce different types of highs for different needs.
By harvesting earlier in the window your buds tend to produce more of a cerebral head high, an effect much more pronounced in Sativas than Indicas. A head high is more psychedelic in nature, providing you with a pleasant mental "up" state, often ideally suited for social situations when you still need to have your wits and plenty of energy.
If you choose to harvest later in the window, your buds produce more of a body high, which is conversely more pronounced in Indicas than in Sativas. A body high is similar to a narcotic ?down? effect, usually associated with being ?stoned?. A down type of high is often desired in the late evening to calm nerves and drift into sleep. A late-harvest yield is often sought by medicinal cannabis users to ease pain and increase appetite. If you choose to harvest somewhere in the middle of the peak window of maturity, you don?t necessarily get the best of both worlds, but more of a happy medium. If you aren't sure what type of high you like or want, aim for the middle and you likely won?t be disappointed.

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/articles/4822.html
 

m420p

Well-Known Member
Hey what about pistols that look almost ready to harvest on top but all other buds look 3 weeks away?
You know what man, I'm sort of in the same situation at the moment. I have one plant where the lower tops and tops farthest from the light have pistols turning orange right now while the main top colas still have white pistols. I did some research and this is what I'm going to do:
The pistols changing color are basically a indication that the end is nearing, but the more important thing is to keep an eye on the Trichs. Thats when the chemical changes start to happen. I am basically going to look at the trichs on the lower tops that have their pistols already turning orange and see if they are clear, cloudy, or amber and then look at the top colas trichs and see how they look. If there is a difference, say the bottom tops have half amber trichs(indicating they are ready) and the top colas trichs are still clear or cloudy, then I will stagger my harvest. In other words I will harvest the tops with half amber trichs before the rest of the plant. Then wait till the rest of the tops have half amber trichs to harvest as well.
 

sasquatchstrain

Active Member
Yes, that is what I think I would have to of done! I think my white widows did this last year, ended up chopping a little early cuz I was confused. I need to go get a new pocket microscope. I take it is plausible to clip a top bud without damaging the rest/keeping them intact?
 

m420p

Well-Known Member
Yes, that is what I think I would have to of done! I think my white widows did this last year, ended up chopping a little early cuz I was confused. I need to go get a new pocket microscope. I take it is plausible to clip a top bud without damaging the rest/keeping them intact?
I'm sure the rest would be fine. Even if it did stress the rest of the plant at all it would most likely cause those other tops to ripen up quicker cause they sense the stress.
 

Dwezelitsame

Well-Known Member
plausible to clip a top bud without damaging the rest/keeping them intact?

no need to clip bud to check just check a few surounding leves

and leave rest of plant intact

when i check and i think time is close i check in 3 or four varied places

but for most part im watching whole plant fan leaves pistils trichs
and the plant changes to a warm sun taned looking color when ripe finished
i just use microscope to varify my feelings on finished yet
 

m420p

Well-Known Member
plausible to clip a top bud without damaging the rest/keeping them intact?

no need to clip bud to check just check a few surounding leves

and leave rest of plant intact

and the plant changes to a warm sun taned looking color when ripe finished
He's not clipping them to check if the whole plant is ready, he's clipping them because they are ready before other parts of the plant.
But what you said about using the surrounding leaves to check the trichs, if you had to clip something off, is a good idea.
Also, what you said about the color of the bud is also very true, fdd has a good thread showing pics of the same bud not ready and then ready, there was a big difference.
 

sasquatchstrain

Active Member
Went out and bought a pocket micro. Mostly cloudy/clear, some amber but not a whole lot. Last bud I will clip before harvest and it was not a big one either. I'm "drying" it in the oven right now lol (which I would never do for finished product). We'll see how this NL is.
 

sasquatchstrain

Active Member
Obviously the effects are dulled, but I like this. I took threw good hits, I can see the taste will be quite good. The high is a happy one. There you have it.. a pre review. Preview? Pre-viewing? Shit. Pre-Smoke. lol. Yeah this is nice (I've not smoked anything significant in the last month and a half) lol.
 

m420p

Well-Known Member
Went out and bought a pocket micro. Mostly cloudy/clear, some amber but not a whole lot. Last bud I will clip before harvest and it was not a big one either. I'm "drying" it in the oven right now lol (which I would never do for finished product). We'll see how this NL is.
You growing Northern Lights? That's what I'm growing as well, just found out what it was cause I got the clones from a old timer that was a friend of the family and he didn't know what strain it was, must have smoked to much:eyesmoke:. But I talked to a family member he got the strain from and they said it was NL.
 

m420p

Well-Known Member
lol, you messin with me right, I was just playing madden and quit cause I was baked and getting robbed.
 

VoidObject

DWC/Bubbleponics Mod
Here's a few more good ones.. lol Btw I think you meant to say something besides "I took out the good parts" Stoned much?


 

m420p

Well-Known Member
Here's a few more good ones.. lol Btw I think you meant to say something besides "I took out the good parts" Stoned much?


lmao, thats good shit! and no, I meant to say what I did, I guess I could have said I copied and pasted the good parts from the article but I figured you would get what I meant. But yes, stoned all the timebongsmilie:bigjoint:! lol
 
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