Trichome color changes..how long in between?

I'm on my first grow. Last spring I put some seeds in some dirt just to see what happened. Low and behold, plants sprouted, so I started reading up on how to keep them alive. I've read and learned more than I ever thought possible. I ended up with, after removing the males, two female plants about 5-6 feet tall. I'm thinking they're sativas just by their size. They're both outside.

My question is, how long do the trichomes take to change color? Most of mine are cloudy with one or two turning amber. I've harvested some of the bigger flowers, trying to keep some as a cerebral high, but I think I harvested too early, as the flowers are light and fluffy. I only took the buds off the top of the plant so the bottom could get more sun and grow, grow, grow. What I've tested is phenomenal greenery, but I want denser flowers.

I'd like to let the others stay on longer to grow and increase yield, but I don't want to pass the window.

I'm checking every day for trichome color, thinking I'd chop as soon as I saw about 20-30% amber, but I guess what I'm asking is, Is the window like or two, or a week or two?

bump. Still looking for an answer.

I guess I should add:

Hi, I'm a newbie, obviously. I didn't do the whole intro thing in the intros thread because I'm nothing special but a first time grower, trying to get this lucky crop through to fruition. I'm on the East Coast, US of A, and my two girls are outside.

I guess I'm really looking for the time it takes for trichs to go from just starting to turn amber to about 20% amber. Am I going to come home one day, grab the scope, go outside and find out I've passed the window, or is it a slower process?

Also, the temps are starting to get in the 50s at night. There's a lot of dew in the mornings. At what point do I worry about frost and it being too cold for the plant?

Welcome to the site first off.

IMHO I would just keep checking the trichomes every day and when you feel you have the ratio of amber to cloudy/clear trichomes then harvest it.

Depends on if your looking for the plant to really put on weight or do you want the different highs that the different trichome maturity gives ya?

And also any pics? Nutrient info? Random stuff like that. Always like to here what others are doing.

give it a week and check it again. don't worry about the dew till the temp reaches 32 and you actually have frost build up on your ladies. they can take a few frosts b4 they die. major problem is bud rot due to frost only being able to melt and not evaporate.

I have pictures at various stages. Lemme see if I can figure out how to post them. Standby..

craca102 said:

Depends on if your looking for the plant to really put on weight or do you want the different highs that the different trichome maturity gives ya?

Click to expand...

I chopped off the first few big ones as soon as they were all cloudy. I wanted to get a sample of the early stages. I was a dumbass and chopped off the colas, but the other branches are really filling it out now. I want them to start to go amber before I harvest and I've heard rumors they really plump up right before they're ready. I'd like to wait for them to fatten more, but I don't want to wait too long..

And also any pics? Nutrient info? Random stuff like that. Always like to here what others are doing.

Click to expand...

The first picture is the two plants together before the cut. the second and fifth picture are the two plants and the portions that were cut early, the last picture is what was cut. The forth and sixth picture are the two plants now with the remaining branches filling in nicely. The third picture is my setup, where they live. I didn't do nutrients of any kind, other than water them religiously and pot them in miracle grow. I figured they grow in the wild all the time on their own, if I can get it through it's first season with just the basics, I'll experiment with making it healthier next season. Just water here....and watching it religously daily for months.

Tall lanky flowers to hide them in are our friend. Don't laugh at my tomato plants, either. Caterpillars ate em.

Looks good for not much effort. And yes they do really add on weight towards end. It's the plants last ditch effort to try and continue the species before it dies off and spreads its seeds.

Looks good, so just keep at it and you'll have a good amount of smoke.

First little chop-and-dry attempted yielded an oz dry, but they're thin, airy buds you can almost see through. I want thicker.

So I wait. Waiting and watching. I keep going out and arranging plants so they get the best sun. At 11pm last night, when I flipped to the weather and found out it was supposed to drop to the 40's last night, I was the crazy woman, hauling what's now a 4' and 5' plant, though a dark house, half asleep, to hide in the dry room for the night.

I tried to get a good close up of one of the best flowers, but my camera makes it blurry. Cheap technology sucks.

For pics, ya gotta mess with the macro settings on your camera. Stop it from making the background clear and the up close buds blurry.

way too early. 4 more weeks. you won't regret it.

It's going to be a long freakin' four weeks. Some of them are starting to look just downright scrumptious.

rambler420 said:

It's going to be a long freakin' four weeks. Some of them are starting to look just downright scrumptious.

Click to expand...

Yeh. Its hard to look at smokeable buds. But that waiting is what makes the difference between airy fluffy buds and dense nugs.

I got no smoke but a girl growing outside. Its really hard to not snip a little bud and smoke it. But I know that If I wait it will be all that more worth it.

The TEMPTATION, thankfully i have to wait till winter break to smoke, so patience is a must for me, good luck with your ladies gents, listen to FDD, it will be soooo worth the wait

Hey bro.
Those look pretty damn fine to me! Keep up the good work!

What strain are they?

Peace,


docdj

Those are lovely ladies and the 4 extra weeks will make all the difference, nice grow.

your plant can live thru 2 frosts. i wait for at least 2 frosts, because i live in the northeast i need to wait that long i have about 2 to 4 weeks left i hope for longer,but itgets cold here quick. you would be amazied at the thc produced after your plant gets frosted.

from you pics you got to wait they look good they need more time go all the way to oct nov depending where in the east you are.

weedyoo said:

your plant can live thru 2 frosts. i wait for at least 2 frosts, because i live in the northeast i need to wait that long i have about 2 to 4 weeks left i hope for longer,but itgets cold here quick. you would be amazied at the thc produced after your plant gets frosted.

from you pics you got to wait they look good they need more time go all the way to oct nov depending where in the east you are.

Click to expand...

how far up in the north east do you live, i'm lookin to harvest in mid october or depending on the trichs, i'm not really worried to much about a frost within the next few weeks but it's been gettin chilly here at night, let me know

I'm in Virginia, so our days are still warm but the nights are getting cold. I have no idea what strain or type they are. They're from the bottom of a bag that I got lucky with.

Yea i'm in Connecticut, the nights are gettin chilly, so much easier to sleep though, weed is tough, it can handle it,

you can cover them at night. a big cardboard box works. people use bed linens to cover their roses. anything will work, even a small fan blowing on them will prevent frost.