¿Ready or Not ready? Judge the Youtubers.

Article talking about harvest times. The author had his herb tested at different harvest times and the results are interesting.

TBH you don't gain any significant weight between an early harvest and a late harvest, all you do is change the ratios of the psychoactive chemicals. The "big mistake" of an early harvest is just wives tale hysteria. There's degrees to being early, but as long as the bud has reached about 95% of it's final volume/weight, then it's only a matter a personal preference.

Attached is a small paper talking about the relationship between THCA/THC ratios vs harvest window times.

JOO©E said:

Article talking about harvest times. The author had his herb tested at different harvest times and the results are interesting.

How To Harvest Cannabis To Alter CBN, CBD And THC Levels

This harvesting technique will help you enjoy a diverse high from your cannabis crop — something for you, and something for customers. We explain how.

bigbudsmag.com

TBH you don't gain any significant weight between an early harvest and a late harvest, all you do is change the ratios of the psychoactive chemicals. The "big mistake" of an early harvest is just wives tale hysteria. There's degrees to being early, but as long as the bud has reached about 95% of it's final volume/weight, then it's only a matter a personal preference.

Attached is a small paper talking about the relationship between THCA/THC ratios vs harvest window times.

Click to expand...

Not sure what you are calling early or not, but there can be a huge difference in weight from when most people and commercial growers harvest vs when a plant is actually ripe. In the final 2-3ish weeks you can watch a plant pack on more weight through density as the stems start to sag from the increase. The buds don't physically appear to get much larger on the outside but the weight definitely increases.

Thundercat said:

Not sure what you are calling early or not, but there can be a huge difference in weight from when most people and commercial growers harvest vs when a plant is actually ripe. In the final 2-3ish weeks you can watch a plant pack on more weight through density as the stems start to sag from the increase. The buds don't physically appear to get much larger on the outside but the weight definitely increases.

Click to expand...

Ya probably talking a bit passed each other here. Buds will droop from weight, but also because stems are weakening as they grow older. Past 8wks you're really not guna put on much weight. There are exceptions, but most strains get to ~75-100% of their final weight after ~2months in bloom. Once the calaxyes fill out there's not much more growing to be accomplished. They'll very slowly stack (but mainly foxtail) and throw new hairs for weeks after prime, but the added weight you see from this type of maturation is "meh" at best and I personally don't like the heavy stone. There are exceptions, but that's with everything. I don't have any hard evidence to provide so take it with a grain of salt. Its just something I've come to notice over the last 15yrs. Sativa take longer and if youre growing a high % Sativa then you're going to want to give them longer, but I don't wait as long as most, 10wks goes by and if the Sativa haven't come down yet they probably will soon. 12wks it kinda my max anymore. If anything I want to err on the side of too early over too late.

Nice, Mr Canuck is my fave YouTube guy and it seems like he's closest here. Dude puts out decent content, though like anything you gotta take it with a grain of salt. He's a proponent of flushing and a long dark cycle before chop, for instance.

JOO©E said:

Article talking about harvest times. The author had his herb tested at different harvest times and the results are interesting.

How To Harvest Cannabis To Alter CBN, CBD And THC Levels

This harvesting technique will help you enjoy a diverse high from your cannabis crop — something for you, and something for customers. We explain how.

bigbudsmag.com

TBH you don't gain any significant weight between an early harvest and a late harvest, all you do is change the ratios of the psychoactive chemicals. The "big mistake" of an early harvest is just wives tale hysteria. There's degrees to being early, but as long as the bud has reached about 95% of it's final volume/weight, then it's only a matter a personal preference.

Attached is a small paper talking about the relationship between THCA/THC ratios vs harvest window times.

Click to expand...

This guy just went by the breeder recommended bud time? I'd have loved to see pics of his plants to see if we thought they were ready for harvest at any of the times he picked

I judge the YouTubers by NOT giving them views.

JOO©E said:

Ya probably talking a bit passed each other here. Buds will droop from weight, but also because stems are weakening as they grow older. Past 8wks you're really not guna put on much weight. There are exceptions, but most strains get to ~75-100% of their final weight after ~2months in bloom. Once the calaxyes fill out there's not much more growing to be accomplished. They'll very slowly stack (but mainly foxtail) and throw new hairs for weeks after prime, but the added weight you see from this type of maturation is "meh" at best and I personally don't like the heavy stone. There are exceptions, but that's with everything. I don't have any hard evidence to provide so take it with a grain of salt. Its just something I've come to notice over the last 15yrs. Sativa take longer and if youre growing a high % Sativa then you're going to want to give them longer, but I don't wait as long as most, 10wks goes by and if the Sativa haven't come down yet they probably will soon. 12wks it kinda my max anymore. If anything I want to err on the side of too early over too late.

Click to expand...

Lol usually I run hybrids, but I’ve taken sativas to 14-16 weeks from the point of flower production not 12/12 flip. They absolutely needed the time, and improved the whole time.

I’m glad that the cultivars you are growing finish in 8 weeks but that isn’t true about all varieties at all. MOST hybrids need 10-12 weeks to finish properly.

I’m not talking about foxtails growing to add more weight. The stems aren’t bending because they are “old” that’s just silly when the plants are strong and healthy. I’ve grown many types of plants from a pretty mixed array of genetics. Cannabis plants absolutely continue to bulk up internally the last several weeks of flower and that is BEFORE the trichomes are ever properly ripe. The outside might not grow at all, but the inside of the buds are gaining density, Ive seen it hundreds of times.

Many new growers harvest before that density is achieved and that is part of why their buds dry to fast and then taste like hay and they come on here asking for help.

Another 20-25 minutes on that number eleventeen.

Thundercat said:

Lol usually I run hybrids, but I’ve taken sativas to 14-16 weeks from the point of flower production not 12/12 flip. They absolutely needed the time, and improved the whole time.

I’m glad that the cultivars you are growing finish in 8 weeks but that isn’t true about all varieties at all. MOST hybrids need 10-12 weeks to finish properly.

I’m not talking about foxtails growing to add more weight. The stems aren’t bending because they are “old” that’s just silly when the plants are strong and healthy. I’ve grown many types of plants from a pretty mixed array of genetics. Cannabis plants absolutely continue to bulk up internally the last several weeks of flower and that is BEFORE the trichomes are ever properly ripe. The outside might not grow at all, but the inside of the buds are gaining density, Ive seen it hundreds of times.

Many new growers harvest before that density is achieved and that is part of why their buds dry to fast and then taste like hay and they come on here asking for help.

Click to expand...

Ya I think we'll just have to disagree. Buds bulk up generally around week 5-7. Calaxyes will swell a bit more after this and then after that's happened, (usually takes a cpl more weeks), the buds won't pack any more significant weight on aside from foxtailing ect. At that point you're either continuing to grow because you want a different stone, or are a victim of cannabis broscience saying that waiting 2 weeks past prime is the "uber" of all MJ. Its just not. I too have bloomed for over 4mo. You just don't get much more weight because the growth has slowed to a crawl, at that point you're just taking up the next grows veg space and reducing your areas yield over time (and for minimal benefit). You grow sativa for the energy high anyways, so by letting it go 17/18 weeks you just diminish this effect.

Stems most definitely are becoming weak with age. To argue this is ridiculous. The strains that take the longest are the strains with the lengthiest stems.

I used to get hay smell when I was first beginning to grow outdoors. Imo hay smell isn't from early harvest, it's from wind blown dust and drying too fast. Once the dry was slowed down the normal smells were back and the hay smell was gone.

People do harvest too early, but people definitely harvest too late as well. Some of the pics posted aren't as grotesquely early as what's being pushed imo.

@everyone
Try an expirement, harvest half your crop when is recommended, then wait as long as some of these folks tell you to wait before chopping the rest. Smoke the 2 samples and take before and after pics and then compare. Be your own judge.

JOO©E said:

People do harvest too early, but people definitely harvest too late as well. Some of the pics posted aren't as grotesquely early as what's being pushed imo.

@everyone
Try an expirement, harvest half your crop when is recommended, then wait as long as some of these folks tell you to wait before chopping the rest. Smoke the 2 samples and take before and after pics and then compare. Be your own judge.

Click to expand...

I honestly don’t believe I’ve ever seen someone accidentally over ripen plants and harvest “too late”. Typically it’s the exact opposite and people don’t have the patience to actually let plants finish. Every new grower I’ve helped see this comes back and thanks me for it later .

Thankfully you can do whatever you want in your garden.

Thundercat said:

I honestly don’t believe I’ve ever seen someone accidentally over ripen plants and harvest “too late”. Typically it’s the exact opposite and people don’t have the patience to actually let plants finish.

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Several times have I seen plants go too long because a guru told him to bloom for 4mo plus. There are those that are eager to harvest and pluck too early, but its all preference past a certain point. The weight increase isn't enough to warrant the time nor the deteriorated high (imo) but some swear by it. Just like some swear organic is better. To me its just hype. I've grown outdoor, indoor, organic, hydro, HID, CFL, LED ect. When it comes to indoor I get em to 8wks and start looking for the signs discussed above.

Thundercat said:

Thankfully you can do whatever you want in your garden.

Click to expand...

Nail on the head. Most is personal preference.

Thundercat said:

Not sure what you are calling early or not, but there can be a huge difference in weight from when most people and commercial growers harvest vs when a plant is actually ripe. In the final 2-3ish weeks you can watch a plant pack on more weight through density as the stems start to sag from the increase. The buds don't physically appear to get much larger on the outside but the weight definitely increases.

Click to expand...

That's when I need to start adding more plant yoyo's. My plant actually just started to sag now and I'm only at 6 weeks. I'm still grateful for you keeping me from harvesting too early a couple years ago.

For me, only #5 was done...