Foxtailing: Chop Now or Later?

I have an auto Jack Herer x AK47 outdoors in Northern California, which is now at 98 days since germination. Being an auto, it flowered at about day 35, so I'm now at 63 days of flower. According to the seed bank, these should be done and dusted by now, even though I'm learning that sativas generally take longer than advertised.

I've been waiting for the mostly white trichomes to turn amber, which isn't happening — and now the plant has started generating brand new calyxes and pistils.

This has to be a good thing, right? And I shouldn't interrupt this process, which I understand is called 'foxtailing'?

Yeah take it now, you're ready. Got a current pic of the whole plant?

rzza said:

Yeah take it now, you're ready. Got a current pic of the whole plant?

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Yep. You can see I took the main cola down (due to a combination of sunburn and impatience).



This second one is her little sister, about 3 weeks younger. Substantially purpled in the sun, but also no amber trikes and now foxtailing.

I think I see little tiny web strings in your first photo. Don't panic I am wrong on this sometimes but I'd check for spider mites. Also I can't see the color of the pistils in your next photo of the plant which is likely ready so I can't judge if it's mature.

MeJuana said:

I think I see little tiny web strings in your first photo. Don't panic I am wrong on this sometimes but I'd check for spider mites. Also I can't see the color of the pistils in your next photo of the plant which is likely ready so I can't judge if it's mature.

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I've observed quite closely and what I have, I think, is spiders, rather than spider mites. The grow area is surrounded by other plantings liberally carpeted in their webs. One of them is a sizeable rosemary bush we call "Spiderholme" because of its large arachnid population. I haven't seen any sign of mites themselves, but I have seen ballooning spiderlings. Let's hope I'm right.

With regard to the pistils, the ones that came early in flower have all dried to red. The new pistils (which just started bursting out last week) are still ivory colored. As above, the trichomes are almost entirely white, with maybe 15% still clear and 1 in 1000 amber.

I won't comment on the trichs because I only go by the pistils. Once they are receded and dark then I pull. Looks good though.

rzza said:

I won't comment on the trichs because I only go by the pistils. Once they are receded and dark then I pull. Looks good though.

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Have you ever seen a new flush of calyxes, weeks after it appeared they had stopped increasing their number?

Yes for sure, if you let it keep going, even after its mature then that will often happen. I have also had plants that foxtail naturally every time.

rzza said:

Yes for sure, if you let it keep going, even after its mature then that will often happen. I have also had plants that foxtail naturally every time.

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And is it a bad thing to let the regrowth go? Doesn't that increase yield? Given that I'm not seeing any appreciable numbers of amber trikes, isn't the smart thing to do to just let them continue to add volume?

I dunno if I am just stoner mything right now I am digging deep in my memory which isn't great but here it is. On some Sativa I get white pistils popping out when the buds are ready both indoors and outdoors. I guess that would be new calyxs. Weird to see a fully mature bud with new white hairs and if I didn't take it at that moment I'd get foxtails with loss of structure on the buds. (they become loose when dried barely more than tethered calyxs) Also I think if you stall a Sativa last minute where she finishes a week or two behind, the late but new white pistils that pop out don't stall they stay on time. Then you have a little conundrum as the buds need another week to mature but doing so will make them foxtail with them unraveling as buds I guess it is. Honestly I am working off old memories here I don't foxtail my sativas now. For the record I don't remember seeing this on Indica dominant plants maybe I lack the talent to foxtail that variety

I suppose so. Again though, I would base it on the pistils, not the foxtails or the trichs (I know that goes against whats written in the forums, it could be bad advice). If theres white long pistils I would keep going, if not then I would chop.

I would say that the foxtailing is the signature of the AK47 in it's genetics and I think heat helps express it.

Looks done.

Yeah I'm sorry I meant to add that foxtailing doesn't always mean done my description was for when it is done then it surpasses done and then foxtails