Near the harvest time, but how much?

Hello!

The plant is ripening, I know I'm somewhere near the harvest time but I can't say how much.

Your input will be appreciated: how many weeks would you say I have left?

Here is a trichome report, roughly from the whole plant:

- Clear: 50%
- Milky/cloudy: 40%
- Amber: 10%

I'd like to harvest as few amber trichs as possible, but of course I don't want to leave half of trichs still undeveloped at harvest.

Here are some pics:

An overall picture: (click to see full res pic)


The main cola... (click to see full res pic)


...and a side bud: (click to see full res pic)



A single bud close-up: (click to see full res pic)


Tops is a bit behind if compared to lower buds... I guess I'll go for a staggered harvest.

A few details:
- it's week 16 flowering
- outdoor lighting into the room
- organic pre-fert soil and tap water
- plenty of infos in my grow journal (check the signature link)

Your guesses about the harvest time will be welcome,
as well as (both positive and negative) comments on the plant's look

wait for them clear bitchs to skip town then harvest

Leave it another few days, then check. About a week i'd say, not much more if you dont want lots of amber trichs. You could harvest now for a really sativa cerebal high but imo it'd be a waste to harvest before at least 60% were milky.

Oh man, i have missed it all..Nice journal you have...Very cool windowsill grow so to say...Props 4 u..


I say, leave the plant for 1-2 weeks and the chop-chop, the tree falls....

robtoker said:

wait for them clear bitchs to skip town then harvest

Click to expand...

This is roughly what I intended to do
I was just wondering about how much time I got left.

ganjman said:

Leave it another few days, then check. About a week i'd say, not much more if you dont want lots of amber trichs. You could harvest now for a really sativa cerebal high but imo it'd be a waste to harvest before at least 60% were milky.

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Another week or two sounds great!

I like the sativa cerebral high, but indeed I don't wont to waste anything after 6 months growing.
I'm just waiting for most of those trichs to turn from clear to milky.

I have very few amber trichs, so I am pretty confident I wouldn't lose much (in milky trichs turning amber) if I wait another week or two.

grow space said:

Oh man, i have missed it all..Nice journal you have...Very cool windowsill grow so to say...Props 4 u..

Click to expand...

Glad you liked it mate, and thank you!

The weather here is generally very good for growing, this summer went Excellent and so are forecasts, and on the top of it all... my house is really (and I mean REALLY) sunny, to be indoors.
Even now the plant gets 2+ hrs of full sun every day, but the room is bright from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm.

Of course I know it could have turned into a monster grow outdoor, but I prefer to keep it in the house (less risk, less bugs, more control... and more adorable smell!)

grow space said:

I say, leave the plant for 1-2 weeks and the chop-chop, the tree falls....

Click to expand...

Oh yeah!

Would you suggest to give her dark for the last 48 hrs of her life? Will it increase thc production a bit, or is it just an urban legend?

pretty nice lookin buds growerboy,as for the 48 hours of dark i live by that ive always done two to three days of complete darkness
before harvest i know it increases the resin production on the buds though some strains react more than others, but i always do it
so your not alone in that practice

kms420 said:

pretty nice lookin buds growerboy,as for the 48 hours of dark i live by that ive always done two to three days of complete darkness
before harvest i know it increases the resin production on the buds though some strains react more than others, but i always do it
so your not alone in that practice

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Thanks kms! I'm sure I'll be not alone indeed I'd like to read some scientific/botanic insight about why the 48hrs of darkness would increase thc. Anyone?

It is only a guess but I am guessing that most of the clear to mostly clear trichs are on the lower portion of your plant where there is less production. Would that be a correct guess? If so remember that you want the bulk, the majority of your harvest to have the high or stone or combination you want the most so don’t let the bulk go past what would be prime for you so the lower less producing part of the plant can mature more.
　
Either harvest and take the clear or harvest part of the plant and then give the rest a bit more time .. that is if you do not want any more amber trichomes than you already have.


About the 48-hours of darkness thing ... read below.



"The Stichting Institute of Medical Marijuana (SIMM), the first company to sell marijuana through the pharmacies of Holland, has been investigating the medical possibilities of cannabis, together with TNO laboratories and the University of Leiden. One of their discoveries has been that to keep the ripe plants in the dark before harvesting could increase their potency.

SIMM’s growers separated a crop of mature plants, harvested half of them and kept the other half in absolute darkness for 72 hours before cutting and drying. Analysis of the resulting dried buds showed that some varieties had seen an increase of THC of up to 30%, while CBD and CBN remained the same."

Its actually a 72hour dark period since that's how long your plant can continue to function without light. I cannot produce the article that I got the information from. I have tried to find it after I went looking for it but only managed to set eyes on it once. I only know of one other person on this forum who has claimed to see it but I can tell you what I remember.

After about 24hrs or so in the dark, SOME strains have shown to begin producing extra resin. They were let go for the full 72 hours and the amount of resin produced within that time varied greatly from strain to strain. Some showed no change while others showed anywhere from 5% - 30% increase in resin. 5% increase of 20% THC is 21% total THC while a 30% increase would be roughly 26.5% total THC. Again, in many strains there was no benefit to resin production during this 72 hour period.

The 72 hour dark period is awesome for flavor and smell of your finished product though. Its the perfect start to a good cure and should be used regardless of whether or not you happen to have a strain that produces extra resin over extended dark periods. I do this with all my plants that aren't in the ground regardless of its resin producing possibilities. If I happen to get that lucky then its a bonus. Besides its been 3 months minimum. What's 3 more days if your plant is in a pot.

Yeah so Brick was the other guy I was talking about and he apparently found the info. His google-fu is stronger than mine. Everywhere this is brought up, people call it myth and nonsense. I'm sure Brick bookmarked it and we'll end up seeing it around more because of it though =)

Twistedfunk said:

Yeah so Brick was the other guy I was talking about and he apparently found the info. His google-fu is stronger than mine. Everywhere this is brought up, people call it myth and nonsense. I'm sure Brick bookmarked it and we'll end up seeing it around more because of it though =)

Click to expand...

I have posted that many times and have it bookmarked and saved to file so I can draw it up at a moments notice … usually.
　
Where most people have a problem with it is they read how some strains will see an increase of up to 30% in THC and they think increased higher potency THC is then supposedly produced and of course that makes no sense so they say hogwash.
　
They have to think volume. Think on the scale of a trichome-head. What you end up with is up to 30% more of the exact same potency THC as the plant has previously been producing.
　
Light rays degrade THC. Part of THC’s job is to work like sunscreen for the inner trichome-head. Each day some amount of THC is lost through light degradation. At night when the plant switches too stored energy it allocates all the energy to just a few functions, giving them more energy then they get during hours of light, so the more vital functions continue but at a faster more efficient pace. Growth and THC production are two of them.

So at night the amount of THC that was lost during the day was replenished and them some additional THC was made.

What you have is something of a washboard on an angle, a slow continual uphill, constant changing of THC levels according to when in the hours of light or dark it is that eventually leads to what we get at harvest.
　
When you let plants live their last 72-hours in darkness they are running on stored energy so their energy allocation priorities will be growth and THC production. In that 72 hour period you cut out 3 light periods when THC would have been degrading and while more would still be produced during the day it is not produced as fast as the loss so the additional loss and the extra have to be made up at night.

But you cut that loss out and kept THC production running at its peak production efficiency without any degradation for a full 72-hours straight, which is about as long as any plant can go on stored energy.
　
That in a very simple form explains it …. increased energy allocation combined with more efficient use of that energy combined with no loss of THC equals a higher volume of THC after 72-hours of darkness.

Thank you Brick Top and Twistedfunk for the clear and awesome explainations and references!

+rep for you two, I'll surely give the plant a last 72 hours of dark to increase both potency (hopefully) and flavor.

Brick Top said:

It is only a guess but I am guessing that most of the clear to mostly clear trichs are on the lower portion of your plant where there is less production. Would that be a correct guess?

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No, not in my case at least.

The biggest buds on the side branches (both upper and lower ones), seem to be the ripest ones - in terms of trichomes - while the main cola and the popcorn buds on the branches seems to be a little behind (like a week or two).

I'm pretty sure of that, cause I check often and accurately.

Also, I have already harvested the two lowest branches: they were tiny (say 1 joint total), but definitely ready. I can't explain why, since they receive the least amount of light. But they were ready, almost no clear trichs and 10-15% of them were already amber.

I know it is weird, and i do not really have an explaination for that... maybe it's for lighting angle, that is very low (since I use sunlight thru the window), but it's just an hypotesis.

Indeed, Brick Top, I will follow your advice and check often, so I don't miss the prime time especially for big cola and main buds.

Many thanks again!

growerboy said:

Thank you Brick Top and Twistedfunk for the clear and awesome explainations and references!

+rep for you two, I'll surely give the plant a last 72 hours of dark to increase both potency (hopefully) and flavor.


No, not in my case at least.

The biggest buds on the side branches (both upper and lower ones), seem to be the ripest ones - in terms of trichomes - while the main cola and the popcorn buds on the branches seems to be a little behind (like a week or two).

I'm pretty sure of that, cause I check often and accurately.

Also, I have already harvested the two lowest branches: they were tiny (say 1 joint total), but definitely ready. I can't explain why, since they receive the least amount of light. But they were ready, almost no clear trichs and 10-15% of them were already amber.

I know it is weird, and i do not really have an explaination for that... maybe it's for lighting angle, that is very low (since I use sunlight thru the window), but it's just an hypotesis.

Indeed, Brick Top, I will follow your advice and check often, so I don't miss the prime time especially for big cola and main buds.

Many thanks again!

Click to expand...

I've noticed that when I flower indoors, the buds mature from the top of the plant first and then that maturity moves gradually downward. Flowering outdoors or using a greenroom like you are, my plants mature from the bottom up. Why? I dunno but I'm sure if it was important to you someone probably has a link (looks at Brick) I like to harvest all at once to give them the proper dark period but im not above picking out a low branch and chop chop

Hello there,

just wanted to share news with you.

Here is actual trichome composition:
- 30% clear
- 55% milky
- 15% amber

Tomorrow will be the last time this plant will see the sun.

Tomorrow at sunset, she will start a non-stop 48-72 hours of dark, and then... Chop! Chop!

If you like to read about my harvest, subscribe to my grow journal (link is in the signature).

Thanks again to all of you!