# Staggered Harvest Tutorial



## Green Cross (Sep 15, 2009)

I'm sure you've all heard about it, but I haven't seen it documented, until now. 

This plant was heavily LSTed so the lower buds got more shade than the tops. This caused uneven ripening, so I harvested the tops first - about 3 weeks ago - and left the lower buds to fatten up and ripen. They look equally dank and delicious now.  It was definitely worth the wait. 

It's actually very simple. The only other advice I can think to give is to cut the top (stem), just above the bud you intend to leave, so you don't have a bare stem sticking up afterwards. 

The plant - not quite ripe in this pic 






Here: All the tops were taken, leaving the immature lower buds to ripen further






3 weeks later the lower buds have ripened. 






And ready for harvest 






Any questions fire away


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## Joe Camel (Sep 15, 2009)

Yep indeed an good show for some Newbies.
+ to you my friend.
~~Joe~~

edit:
Damn sorry man cant rep you. I have to pass it around before I can hit you up again.
I tip my hat to you sir/


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## Green Cross (Sep 15, 2009)

Joe Camel said:


> Yep indeed an good show for some Newbies.
> + to you my friend.
> ~~Joe~~
> 
> ...


I'm surprised we don't see more staggered harvests. After all that hard work, and months of growing, it's a shame to harvest any popcorn.


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## DubRules (Sep 15, 2009)

i dont think that i have ever had this issue. 
i always make sure that they all grow at the same rate by using a screen..

do things right to begin with and no compensation is needed later.


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## Joe Camel (Sep 15, 2009)

Impatience my friend it gets to all of us.
But yeah i used to harvest like this.

Now i have a phenomenal method.

I use Home depot Security lights for side lighting.
They are 70w HPS i keep them on the bottoms and they nugg up just as fast as the tops. I just rotate the plants around so they all get the juicy delicious light.

I cant find a pic but it looks like this, with a 70w hps bulb in it.
I just wired it with a plug and added it to the timers.


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## Mikey Hustle (Sep 15, 2009)

Joe Camel said:


> Yep indeed an good show for some Newbies.
> + to you my friend.
> ~~Joe~~
> 
> ...



I can figure out how to toss some rep pts around.. Anyone wanna explain how?


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## Joe Camel (Sep 15, 2009)

Alright look at the top of my post. See those scales on the top right corner. Next to the #7
Click them, then type:
Joe your awesome + rep
Then rep everyone else on this thread
and you get money sent to you and rep.
Everything is true cept the money part.
~~Joe~~


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## newbieneedshelp (Sep 19, 2009)

Thanks for doing this. So basically you wait till the buds at the top are 50/50 you then either top the plant (stress?) or you cut the buds off. The purpose is to allow the lights to penetrate the bottom buds to turn from pop corn into larger buds correct?


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## mr.woodes (Sep 19, 2009)

good info GreenCross, I too have my plants in LST and have done a staggered harvest. My lower buds are still going right now. How bad were your plants shocked / stressed? (meaning, how long til you noticed change in the lower buds?)

+rep to you


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## Green Cross (Sep 19, 2009)

newbieneedshelp said:


> Thanks for doing this. So basically you wait till the buds at the top are 50/50 you then either top the plant (stress?) or you cut the buds off. The purpose is to allow the lights to penetrate the bottom buds to turn from pop corn into larger buds correct?


Exactly! Light can now penetrate the canopy so the lower buds can ripen up. 

No amount of side lighting could have penetrated that LSTed plant by the way


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## Green Cross (Sep 19, 2009)

mr.woodes said:


> good info GreenCross, I too have my plants in LST and have done a staggered harvest. My lower buds are still going right now. How bad were your plants shocked / stressed? (meaning, how long til you noticed change in the lower buds?)
> 
> +rep to you


Thanks bro, Glad to hear you're doing staggered... I believe it's under-rated. 

The funny thing is I didn't notice any more stress than normal, after I took the top colas. It seemed like it took forever lol but the lower buds actually took 3 weeks to ripen up.


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## Green Cross (Sep 25, 2009)

A little more info. 

Someone asked if they should cut on an angle or strait when harvesting the tops. If anyone needs to know, strait across is always better when pruning, because it minimized the wound size. 

The only time I can think of when you want a larger wound (surface area) is when you're taking cuttings, for cloning purposes. this gives a larger area for roots to form.


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## Joe Camel (Sep 25, 2009)

Green Cross said:


> A little more info.
> 
> Someone asked if they should cut on an angle or strait when harvesting the tops. If anyone needs to know, strait across is always better when pruning, because it minimized the wound size.
> 
> The only time I can think of when you want a larger wound (surface area) is when you're taking cuttings, for cloning purposes. this gives a larger area for roots to form.


Thats is some good advise.
Props GC


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## volcomrider157 (Sep 25, 2009)

I have outdoor and the lower buds are a little behind but man I'd say only by a week or less....I'm showing about 20-30 percent amber trichs up top and only about 10 percent down low.....would I benefit from chopping the top now and waiting a few days or so on the bottom? considering the top is about where I want it....?or will it stress it out and I'll have to wait like a week or more for them to finish out on the bottom?


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## Green Cross (Jan 7, 2010)

volcomrider157 said:


> I have outdoor and the lower buds are a little behind but man I'd say only by a week or less....I'm showing about 20-30 percent amber trichs up top and only about 10 percent down low.....would I benefit from chopping the top now and waiting a few days or so on the bottom? considering the top is about where I want it....?or will it stress it out and I'll have to wait like a week or more for them to finish out on the bottom?


I haven't noticed any plant stress using this method.

If you're outdoors you're probably better off letting the top go 50% and the lowers 30%, but it the top of the plant is shading the lower buds, by all means take it off.


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## thewinghunter (Jan 7, 2010)

Green Cross said:


> I'm sure you've all heard about it, but I haven't seen it documented, until now.
> 
> This plant was heavily LSTed so the lower buds got more shade than the tops. This caused uneven ripening, so I harvested the tops first - about 3 weeks ago - and left the lower buds to fatten up and ripen. They look equally dank and delicious now.  It was definitely worth the wait.
> 
> ...


 
my plants looks just like this, are the hairs purple/red bc of the strain or bc i let it in the cold too much? what do u have growing here


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## JN811 (Jan 7, 2010)

very nice rep ^ . So if I want to do this I would just harvest the tops and then leave the lower ones in tact. Will this shock the plant?


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## businessmen (Jan 7, 2010)

Think it was answered that the plant is not shocked. But it makes you wonder about the extra 3 weeks. If you put your next plants in to flower that were vegging from clones after hacking the tops, in 3 weeks you would have the same amount of bud again. Only it would be unripe.... But someone should do the math. Winghunter, how much did you get the first harvest, and how much the second? How long did it take to flower? 

If it took 9 weeks to flower, then 3 weeks is a third of that time. Did you get a third more the second harvest? Then your kinda breaking even. Could even use the popcorn for hash or cooking and throw the next batch of clones in instead of doing the staggered harvest.


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## hb2727 (Jan 8, 2010)

did you flush the plants before harvesting just the tops?


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## defcomexperiment (Feb 9, 2010)

thanks for this, might help me better manage the limitations on medicine im allowed to keep on hand at a time while getting the most out of my plants... killing two birds with one stone...


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## joedubs (Feb 18, 2010)

hb2727 said:


> did you flush the plants before harvesting just the tops?


I'm also wondering the same thing, did u start flushing like u would if u were to harvest when u harvested the tops? and then after u harvested tops did u continue flushing or started up mild nutes for the rest of the 3 weeks for the rest to ripen up?


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## doobie_brother (Feb 20, 2010)

same question as above. If you flush before the first harvest and keep flushing until the second that makes 5 weeks or so of flushing for the bottom buds no?


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## Xv7vX (May 26, 2010)

Bump
No replys to the flushing? Im getting ready to do a staggered harvest soon but Im concerned about flushing time.


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## stinkbudd1 (May 26, 2010)

I guess all i can say is a picture is worth a thousand words his plants and the harvest both early and late look outstanding many peeps use this method and it does has its values im a believer and great job and post....+repppppppppppp Peace


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## farmboss (Aug 25, 2010)

i am wondering, WHEN, what time of day to cut the colas? Before the light turns on, or right after it shuts off?


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## SmokeyMacPottt (Aug 25, 2010)

+Rep man, a lil off topic.. but what strain is that bud? it looks tasty


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## Corey Smith (Mar 6, 2011)

I am considering a staggered harvest but I've heard of people's plants dying two days after and that you are supposed to treat the top wound with something any ideas?


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## dapio (Mar 7, 2011)

yes I lst'd my last grow and I know what you are talking about by LST causing intense shades to bottom buds that would be really great with some intensity added to them and I believe this is the point of the thread the fact that you can pick your buds piece by piece another case of another mans trash is another mans treasure some will look and say hmm... maybe if these had just one or two more weeks these would be dense and finished! I think its another win for the logical grower!


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