When to harvest? Top of cola looks 75 % orange hairs middle to bottom maybe 10%

I am having the hardest time determining when the most optimal time to harvest is. I am growing Royal Queen Northern Light. It is a 7-8 week flowering strain and I am a day from the 7th week. I figure I have a week to go. I bought a USB microscope but it is almost impossible to use without cutting a piece off so I want to keep that to a minimum. What part of the plant do I want to test? The small sugar leaves at the very top already are showing 30% to 50% amber trichomes but some people said not to use the small sugar leaves as a gauge

The bottom 2/3 of the cola has maybe 10% orange hairs and just started changing so I wouldn't think it is near ready yet.

Would I be better off taking my readings from a calyx near the middle of say a 8 inch cola or is using the sugar leaves the correct thing to do? If I went by the small top sugar leaves I would have been ready a few days ago but that can't be right.

I read you can harvest in stages but I wouldn't think you would chop a cola in half or would you?
If you are supposed to harvest before the lights come on how would you do this if you harvest in stages?

Hey iruleyuou1,

Basing your harvest window on the percent of orange hairs to white hairs is a rather old school and inaccurate way of determining when your cannabis plant is ready for harvest. I'm guessing you are already aware of this as you bought a USB microscope to check the maturation of the trichomes. A cheaper option would be a 60x jewelers loupe (can be found at any hydroponic shop). This way you can observe trichomes directly on the live plant.

To answer your questions:

1. You can harvest in stages but this does not refer to spitting colas in half per say. Usually people harvest the very top colas on each branch first. After about a week, the bottom half of the plant (popcorn buds, etc.) are harvest as these sites usually need a little longer to mature due to the lack of sunlight those bud sites were receiving compared to the top colas.

2. Not sure what you mean by "supposed to harvest before the lights come on". You can harvest a plant anytime if it's ready to go.

3. Finally, you are best taking your readings from the middle of one of your top-most colas. If your colas is about 8 inches, take your reading about 4 inches from the top. I have never met anyone who takes their reading from the sugar leaves.

I hope this helps, if I made something more confusing or if I left something out please let me know.

Trichomes are the best indicator but really it's the plant as a whole (leaves, pistils, calyxes) that you should read. Some strains' trichomes don't turn as amber as others. I like for my plants to look spent overall. It's OK to watch the sugar leaves closest to the buds. Easier to read the trichs against the green IMO.

You can harvest the tops first. I've tried it. But you're not gonna get much more growth from the lower buds afterwards. It's more important to get as much light penetration during and after the stretch. If you are at the topping stage, the buds aren't swelling at the same pace anymore, if at all. Too late to see anything measurable. Use the larf for vaping or butter.

Pulling plants in the dark ... old wives tale. I get the hardcore angles people go for, but most of them are bunk.

go ahead, snip that bud, take a look at it, when it dries smoke it. you be the judge. some like it early some like it late.
a finishing plant will slow up take of water, yellow some fan leaves, harden up flowers, tan pistils, cloud trichomes. if this is happening you are right on.

Organic Altruism said:

Basing your harvest window on the percent of orange hairs to white hairs is a rather old school and inaccurate way of determining when your cannabis plant is ready for harvest

Click to expand...

It does work fine if you grow the same strain over and over.

I usually stagger harvesting- chop the top colas and then let the understory mature. Always works for me...and I use a loupe to ck trics for maturity.

iruleyou1 said:

I am having the hardest time determining when the most optimal time to harvest is. I am growing Royal Queen Northern Light. It is a 7-8 week flowering strain and I am a day from the 7th week. I figure I have a week to go. I bought a USB microscope but it is almost impossible to use without cutting a piece off so I want to keep that to a minimum. What part of the plant do I want to test? The small sugar leaves at the very top already are showing 30% to 50% amber trichomes but some people said not to use the small sugar leaves as a gauge

The bottom 2/3 of the cola has maybe 10% orange hairs and just started changing so I wouldn't think it is near ready yet.

Would I be better off taking my readings from a calyx near the middle of say a 8 inch cola or is using the sugar leaves the correct thing to do? If I went by the small top sugar leaves I would have been ready a few days ago but that can't be right.

I read you can harvest in stages but I wouldn't think you would chop a cola in half or would you?
If you are supposed to harvest before the lights come on how would you do this if you harvest in stages?

Click to expand...

http://en.seedfinder.eu/strain-info/Lemon_Haze/Royal_Queen_Seeds/

Go with lemon next time

Best way to tell is to get a decent microscope and check the trichomes, not the hairs. There are threads on how to tell

Organic Altruism said:

Hey iruleyuou1,

Basing your harvest window on the percent of orange hairs to white hairs is a rather old school and inaccurate way of determining when your cannabis plant is ready for harvest. I'm guessing you are already aware of this as you bought a USB microscope to check the maturation of the trichomes. A cheaper option would be a 60x jewelers loupe (can be found at any hydroponic shop). This way you can observe trichomes directly on the live plant.

To answer your questions:

1. You can harvest in stages but this does not refer to spitting colas in half per say. Usually people harvest the very top colas on each branch first. After about a week, the bottom half of the plant (popcorn buds, etc.) are harvest as these sites usually need a little longer to mature due to the lack of sunlight those bud sites were receiving compared to the top colas.

2. Not sure what you mean by "supposed to harvest before the lights come on". You can harvest a plant anytime if it's ready to go.

3. Finally, you are best taking your readings from the middle of one of your top-most colas. If your colas is about 8 inches, take your reading about 4 inches from the top. I have never met anyone who takes their reading from the sugar leaves.

I hope this helps, if I made something more confusing or if I left something out please let me know.

Click to expand...

It is best to harvest at night or right before sunrise because your plant store food sugars etc in soil when exposed to light it will send it from root base threw you're plant giving you a product full of sugars and starches. Again you can cure them out but why waste time just chop it while dark and cut its main attorey so it can't send these up the plant. Agian you can harvest anytime but prime time is before sunrise to allow everything to settle in root ball

I'm not gonna call out the person giving wrong info.

All I'm gonna say is you need to check the trichomes on the bud not the sugar leaves to determine if it is done.

The leaves mature way faster than the buds themselves. Checking leaves for readiness is a sure fire way of chopping early.