Chapter Twenty-Nine
Harvesting
Female marijuana goes through several stages of flowering.
First a few flowers appear. Then new flowers develop around the
first ones. Flowers also form at each leaf node along the branches
and main stem. The buds start to fill out so that the cluster becomes
thick with pistils (the little antennae) reaching out for pollen. The
pistils are white, or sometimes shaded pink or lavender. They look
fresh and moist.
Some of the pistils begin to wither and turn red, purple, or
even a light brown. Just as the cluster looks like it's finished, a new
wave of flower growth appears, usually concentrated in a relatively
bare spot. Successive waves of flowers may appear for weeks.
The flowers close, and the calyxes start to swell. This is a false
seed pod; the flowers have not been fertilized and no seed can
develop. These pods are totally covered with resin glands. At
maturity the glands should sparkle like individual jewels in bright
light. The individual glands should appear clear under magnifica-
tion. When the glands turn amber, the buds should be harvested.
No bud should be picked before its time. Plants and varieties
differ as to maturation pattern. Some plants mature all at once, so
that the whole plant can be picked. Other varieties mature from the
top down. One respected researcher claimed ""Most plants I've had
mature bottom to top. The main bud was the last to finish." Under
lights, however, the top buds mature first most of the time. Next,
the buds nearest the top and so on. The buds on the outside of the
branch are likely to mature faster than inner buds. It may take a
month before the plant is totally picked. Picking the plant a little at
a time allows previously shaded portions of the plant to receive light
and grow.
thnx