Trichomes & Harvesting

Originally Posted by Antihero17

In the beginning of the thread it was mentioned that the trics will continue to change so that being said. If I chop my girls down at say 80% cloudy trics what percentage of cloudy/amber could I expect once they are completly done? This is my first grow and I'm fixing to harvest soon and this is the only knowledge I haven't been able to scour off the Net so any input is appreciated.
Good Luck and Good Grow!!

The trichomes continue to develop even after you harvest.
But it doesn't mean that you can harvest early and let the trichomes mature while you dry & cure since your buds will not be fully developed and you'll end up with airy/small/underdeveloped buds.
I cannot give you a precise answer regarding your early harvest chop without knowing more about strain, conditions etc.
There are so many variables that play into it, no one could possibly answer that question fully or factually.
If it's a slow flowering plant, you might not see much change if it's not you might see 5%-10% change, but then again, temp, RH, drying time, curing time etc. all affect this.

You just need to keep in mind that the trichomes will keep developing and that you should take care in the drying & curing process (especially with temp and light exposure and handling) to not lose any trichome nor cause any THC to degrade more than what is normal (exposing your buds to UV light and high temps can cause this).
What you should take away from the 'trichomes keep developing' statement is that you should never harvest too late, since you won't end up with the amber % you had when you harvested (because trichomes keep degrading (in case of cloudy to amber) / developing).

Originally Posted by k0ijn

The third state is amber. Amber trichomes contain degraded THC --> CBN. CBN represents a loss of 90% potency (from THC). CBN is not desirable in any harvest, since it not only represents a huge loss of potency but research into the substance has also shown that CBN does not produce a high like THC does, CBN produces a more sickly feeling not a true high.

Couldn't agree with this more! Soooooooo much MISinformation pertaining to amber trichs on this site and a whole lot of others as well. "Don't chop until you see at least 30% amber." WTF??!! I hear that bullshit all the time. My first harvest I let it go a week too long and consequently started flushing way too late as a result. Bud was still bomb, but it was very noticeable at least to me that the overall effects had drifted far from the psychoactive to the medicinal part of the scale. Now don't get me wrong I love a little bit of couchlock, but my ass being put straight to sleep after a few hits is not exactly what I'm aiming for.

Originally Posted by panhead

One bit of additional info,you mentioned being at 60 days flower,when did you start the day count ?

If you started counting as soon as you went 12/12 then you skipped a step,all strains have a transition period where the plants metabolism switches gears from veg to bud phase,this is also when the plants will stretch out,you shouldnt start a day count until the plants fully transition from veg to bud.

Keep in mind most strains have a different length of transition,some as fast as 5-7 days & others as long as 14-18 days,most indica dominant strains are around 7 days & the more sativa in the strain the longer the transition period.

Transition from veg to bud is complete once most of the stretching out of the plant is finished & when the plant starts putting out new pistils.
I dont start a day count till see new pistils comming out of most bud sights.

If you started counting as soon as day 1 of 12/12 then you still have atleast 7 days.

That's the first time ive ever heard that. i always have been counting from the day I flip. Do you have a source for this info?

Hi again, I'm stumped again. I had one plant that i chopped 2 weeks ago with 20% amber. Now the other plants are just stubborn and now they are at 71 day into flowering and 84 days since i shut the lights out for 2 days to trigger the flowering stage. They are purple kush grown in FF soil. I stopped giving them nutes about 23 days ago. Most of the plants are all cloudy and no sign of going amber. 18 days ago i did a 2 days lights out so i can get more trichomes but now the plants are not turning amber...is it because of the lights out or is it because i stopped giving nutes?? Oh and the plant that i did harvest....are the leaves suppose to be brown?....I thought all buds are suppose to be green and where is the purple in the purple kush. Yes this is my first grow and i am stumped at the end...atleast i get to smoke one plant until i figure it out,...thanks for any help.
DSC05998.jpgDSC06006.jpgthese pics of the purple kush that is so brown.
DSC06591.jpgthese are the stubborn plants

is'nt purple kush an 8 week (56 days about) strain?

I don't follow, why did you stop giving nutes 23 days ago? Your plants look famished, they are basically eating themselves to stay alive.
I don't understand why you did a 2 day light out either, that has undoubtably stressed your plants.

The third picture plants look alright but they look famished as well, all fan leaves look mostly dead or well on the way.
You should never stop giving nutes at the end of flowering, it's the critical time, when your plants really need nutrients to grow calyxes and produce.


If you want to speed up flowering you can change the light schedule to 10 (ON) / 14 (OFF).
It's shown to speed up plants, making them finish quicker, however it's not scientifically proven yet.

Your plants look almost finished though, don't be discouraged that no amber trichs are present, it's a good thing.
By the size and colour tinge of your plants they mostly look ready, taking into account what you have done with the nutrients and the light schedule I'd advise you harvest.
You won't get much more out of those plants in the state they're in, you should harvest before the plants start eating more of themselves to survive.

Originally Posted by Supersoul

Hi again, I'm stumped again. I had one plant that i chopped 2 weeks ago with 20% amber. Now the other plants are just stubborn and now they are at 71 day into flowering and 84 days since i shut the lights out for 2 days to trigger the flowering stage. They are purple kush grown in FF soil. I stopped giving them nutes about 23 days ago. Most of the plants are all cloudy and no sign of going amber. 18 days ago i did a 2 days lights out so i can get more trichomes but now the plants are not turning amber...is it because of the lights out or is it because i stopped giving nutes?? Oh and the plant that i did harvest....are the leaves suppose to be brown?....I thought all buds are suppose to be green and where is the purple in the purple kush. Yes this is my first grow and i am stumped at the end...atleast i get to smoke one plant until i figure it out,...thanks for any help.
DSC05998.jpgDSC06006.jpgthese pics of the purple kush that is so brown.
DSC06591.jpgthese are the stubborn plants

I like to harvest when all are Cloudy personally. Waiting until Amber is the point of degredation to many people and not necessary. I run my Indica 60 days and Hybrid 70.

• I don't follow, why did you stop giving nutes 23 days ago? Your plants look famished, they are basically eating themselves to stay alive.
  I don't understand why you did a 2 day light out either, that has undoubtably stressed your plants.

  
  

I stopped the nutes to clear out any chemical taste in the organic FF soil and nutes that i was using, seems like i did it prematurely because i was timing it according to the schedual of an 8 week strain. Was that the wrong thing to do since i read in many places to do that. To stop the nutes a week before cutting?

Also i heard that 2 days of darkness before cutting brings out more crystals. Is that a myth also?