The myth of amber trics!!

Observe & Report

Well-Known Member
Lots of things turn brown/amber when they get oxidized. Usually, oxidization is undesirable. Are amber trichomes oxidized or is it something else?
 

Sativied

Well-Known Member
Are amber trichomes oxidized or is it something else?
Experts suggested both (with "something else" possibly being terpenes), which is pretty much the foundation of all these discussions. There's a lot of research available, and many many more biased interpretations of it.

I've written a long thread in a dutch forum years ago (where up to 30% amber is 'normal'), called the Amber myth. The point was, don't wait for amber. Which does not mean always harvesting pre-amber, it means don't wait for amber as if it's hard requirement for being ready to harvest.
 

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
A lot of flowers will store energy as starch for the majority of the flowering period, then rapidly convert it all to sugars all at once, to attract insects when when the time is right. Tobacco has flowers like this.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168945207001720

"Quantification of starch in the nectary at various developmental stages showed little starch accumulation at early stages but increasing amounts of starch over the course of nectary development that reached a peak approximately 24 h prior to anthesis. After this point, the amount of starch declined dramatically, suggesting its conversion to sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) for the nectar production that occurs at anthesis."

"Increasingly complex starch structures were observed up to intermediate stages of nectary development, followed by decreased starch complexity and amount in the mature nectary."

"at anthesis, four- to five-times more sugar is secreted into nectar following anthesis."
 
Last edited:

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
Similarly, most fruits will accumulate carbs as starches until the very last minute, where it ripens in just a few days so that pests/animals don't eat it until the seeds are ready. They're purposefully making themselves taste bad until they want to be eaten!

The ripening process is starch quickly breaking down into sugars. This suggests that cutting to early will leave you with a more starchy, hay smelling product, and that you should really pick when your crop is ripe.
 

Sativied

Well-Known Member
A lot of flowers will store energy as starch for the majority of the flowering period, then rapidly convert it all to sugars all at once, to time when insects come. Tobacco has flowers like this.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168945207001720

"Quantification of starch in the nectary at various developmental stages showed little starch accumulation at early stages but increasing amounts of starch over the course of nectary development that reached a peak approximately 24 h prior to anthesis. After this point, the amount of starch declined dramatically, suggesting its conversion to sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) for the nectar production that occurs at anthesis."

"Increasingly complex starch structures were observed up to intermediate stages of nectary development, followed by decreased starch complexity and amount in the mature nectary."

"at anthesis, four- to five-times more sugar is secreted into nectar following anthesis."
Aha.... @polo the don that sound like the science behind your oozing plant.
 

MightyMike530

Well-Known Member
There are some that say it is a sign of more THCV but I have not yet proved this? They turn red when starting to degrade
Yep, trippy highs are supposedly indicative of THC-v effects. I know you have been testing your strains, what levels of THC-v are you seeing from your tests?
 

Rattmannn

Member
lol.. and the point of this is???????/

if your saying.. my advice is not what other will agree with. why even post it? to tell people you like your buds at clear and cloudy? lol

thats all personal pref.. i know dudes who only like amber and cloudy.. and dudes who prefer clear..

pull it when you want it..

but... if your growing to sell.. always pull atleast when everything has fully cloudied up.. because people will TELL THE DIFFERENCE and with the legalization/decrim/medical movement. bud has to stay top quality.. or u get pushed out of business.
Well my obtuse replier. My point is that "amber is not always real". Get it now? Some of the greatest strains never ever ever will amber up until they are done
I find the whole Amber Theory to be somewhat applicable and legitimate when growing Indica/Kush and the mixes dominated by this type Aka Boutique indoor weed. The typically grown types you find to be most common now for the mass and most medical patients. Most but not all of these will be best when the trichomes as others noted have displayed their fullest maturity and peak of potency and most signal this with amber trichomes.

When you step into the Sativa side of the family and mixes dominated by these types you will find many that will never display amber trichomes. Cloudy yes but never amber and then there are those that stay clear and shine even after 17weeks of flowering.

This plant family is as diverse as the human family and when all said and done no blanketed statement can be applied to the plant in general. Only the types and varieties known first handed can be truly spoken for.. It is like Pokemon, you cant call em all let alone catch all of them.
Ok so let me clarify for you. One of the strains is AKxSkunk. Not a sativa fyi.. And a very strong kush.
 

BustinScales510

Well-Known Member
Its pretty easy for experienced growers to tell when plants are ready. It seems like the ones on here that get all hung up on trich color are the new growers that are looking for people to validate their decision to chop their plants at 6 weeks because they dont have any weed to smoke.Those guys always manage to find enough amber trichomes :)
 

lilroach

Well-Known Member
I look at several things......water intake slows, pistils are brown and have curled back into the bud, buds stop plumping up, and of course I check trichs before chopping.

I don't wait for amber though. I chop at mostly cloudy and it's been my experience that there's no loss of buzz doing so. It also saves about a week waiting around for amber to show.
 

brimck325

Well-Known Member
i find most trichs stay cloudy for a week or 2 before amber....i take em when i want to depending on strain/genetics.
 
Top