What happens with Brownish/amber Trichomes

hey guys, this is my first grow, and a week ago my first premature plant was ready for harvest, unortunately i thought i had to wait until most trichomes were amber, instead i just learnt that only like 30 percent had to be.

would that plant still be good to smoke? its curing as we speak,
what effects would that have on the bud?

Nicolantonio said:

hey guys, this is my first grow, and a week ago my first premature plant was ready for harvest, unortunately i thought i had to wait until most trichomes were amber, instead i just learnt that only like 30 percent had to be.

would that plant still be good to smoke? its curing as we speak,
what effects would that have on the bud?

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There is no set rule, There are several factors that determine when to chop. A picture before chopping would have helped. I have smoked them at all stages from 3 weeks into flowering to the finish. It just keeps getting better and better. Chop late and you get more of a couch lock type of high. Some people like to chop a little early, some like to wait a little longer.
Study up on: pistils, bud swell and crystals at harvest.
Pistils change color.
Buds begin to swell, this is a big indicator for me, it gives me an idea of when to expect the crystal color to turn milky. When watching for bud swell, ignore the pistils and the leaves. Focus on the little pods that would hold seeds if you had them. Those pods will visibly swell the last few weeks.
Crystals change color, a key sign for me is when the crystals start changing to a milky white color. I can see the change take place over a few days just by looking at them from a distance. That is my best indicator. I don't quite chop yet but it tells me I'm close. When I see this I have already gone through the bud swell and the pistil change.
Note that not all strains have crystals that turn amber.

I harvest when every trichome is solid milky white, at/before ambering.

peaches, apples and trichome contents all degrade with time. The sugars in the produce ferment and degrade, break down and turn colors. some people like soft apples, browned, others crisp and ripe.

both are useful and tasty.
google rocks

chemphlegm said:

I harvest when every trichome is solid milky white, at/before ambering.

peaches, apples and trichome contents all degrade with time. The sugars in the produce ferment and degrade, break down and turn colors. some people like soft apples, browned, others crisp and ripe.

both are useful and tasty.
google rocks

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Only if i got a nickel everytime ive seen this pic^ lol

Rolla J said:

Only if i got a nickel everytime ive seen this pic^ lol

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I am so sorry I'm partly to blame.
so fitting though, right to the point, no bs allowed after that.
about a pound !

Haha. That pic should be in the growing bible lol
growweedeasy.com.

Rolla J said:

Haha. That pic should be in the growing bible lol
growweedeasy.com.

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has been in both for decades even, in between all the w o r d s

guys i really want to thank you...that pic solved all my problems!!! ahhahahahah cannabis comunity rocks!
throw seeds not bombs

seeeee @Rolla J

chemphlegm said:

has been in both for decades even, in between all the w o r d s

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Crap! There were words in that book? I only looked at the pictures and came right on here for the real info.

And the chart is misleading. Degraded brown trichomes have degraded thc. It is turned to cbn. A non psychoactive sucstance. Cbd is the relaxing cannabanoid and it is found in full clear to cloudy trichomes. Not degraded brown ones.

The "amber" couch lock high is a fallacy. It is nothing like a strong cbd heavy plant properly ripe.

The highest cannabanoid levels are found in standing tall clearish full round headed trichomes.

We wait for all cloudy to make sure the plant is finished producing cannabanoids and chop it before it degrades more. And some cannabanoids come later in the ripening. That's why longer flowering plants tend to have better more complex highs in my opinion.

MichiganMedGrower said:

And the chart is misleading. Degraded brown trichomes have degraded thc. It is turned to cbn. A non psychoactive sucstance. Cbd is the relaxing cannabanoid and it is found in full clear to cloudy trichomes. Not degraded brown ones.

The "amber" couch lock high is a fallacy. It is nothing like a strong cbd heavy plant properly ripe.

The highest cannabanoid levels are found in standing tall clearish full round headed trichomes.

We wait for all cloudy to make sure the plant is finished producing cannabanoids and chop it before it degrades more. And some cannabanoids come later in the ripening. That's why longer flowering plants tend to have better more complex highs in my opinion.

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A lot of times I see pictures of crystals on leaves of buds with good crystal extension but were it looks like the head of the crystals have all been knocked off. Is that what happened or are there cases when that is the way the crystal developed? It looks like they developed that way the ones I have seen. Was wondering if it was genetic or grow error in cases were they are not knocked off but grow that way.

Buba Blend said:

A lot of times I see pictures of crystals on leaves of buds with good crystal extension but were it looks like the head of the crystals have all been knocked off. Is that what happened or are there cases when that is the way the crystal developed? It looks like they developed that way the ones I have seen. Was wondering if it was genetic or grow error in cases were they are not knocked off but grow that way.

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I think that maturing trichomes are easily damaged and they tend to ripen on the leaves before the buds.

They get broken from handling, light and heat. Maybe wind from the fans and maybe even the weight of the oil in the head just breaks the top off eventually sometimes.

But I do see what you describe often. And mostly on older riper plants.

MichiganMedGrower said:

I think that maturing trichomes are easily damaged and they tend to ripen on the leaves before the buds.

They get broken from handling, light and heat. Maybe wind from the fans and maybe even the weight of the oil in the head just breaks the top off eventually sometimes.

But I do see what you describe often. And mostly on older riper plants.

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I never thought of the fans possibly doing it.

Buba Blend said:

I never thought of the fans possibly doing it.

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I am just speculating here. I try to have no direct fans and not mishandle plants but I still see a few broken heads. Seems like the better care I take the less damaged trichs.

Now you have me really thinking about this. Maybe the book Marijuana Botany has info. I will look when I get time. I think I have a PDF in my laptop of it.

Is this pertinent to this thread? I am not sure.

MichiganMedGrower said:

I am just speculating here. I try to have no direct fans and not mishandle plants but I still see a few broken heads. Seems like the better care I take the less damaged trichs.

Now you have me really thinking about this. Maybe the book Marijuana Botany has info. I will look when I get time. I think I have a PDF in my laptop of it.

Is this pertinent to this thread? I am not sure.

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Definitely don't want to highjack. Been wanting to ask that question for a while. I'll look for spots in the future where I see it and inquire about fans and stuff.
Edit: Another that makes sense to me is a violent shake enough to send the crystals flying which fits into mishandling. Hopefully I'll have some good crystal to experiment with in about 8 or 9 weeks. Maybe I can collect them and find a new way to make hash.

Those trichs are not all that fragile as they have been growing in the wind and rain for many thousands of years. They are actually there for protection so they must be tough. Some places in the tropics get heavy downpours quite often and some places get a lot of wind in the fall and still the herb is good. When the weed is dry they become more fragile especially if dried quickly. Some strains hardly drop any kief when I grind for vaping and some will shed like a husky.

Once the weed is dry it must be more carefully handled and you can shake trichs out all over if you want.