How to tell when to harvest.

Shovelhandle

Shovelhandle

Well-known member
I've had many harvests but I still can have questions with some grows. I've had hazes that don't seem to like to finish even under 10.5 hrs of light and even after they stop growing they do not ripen to amber bulbous trichome glands but stay clear. Now I have a bubbleberry and three AK-47 that have bloomed for 12 weeks. Most have stopped putting out new growth, calaxes at week 8. But the trichomes are still clear. Wonderful smelling, frosty and delicious but they do not seem to be ripening. They were under (2) 400 W HID, a MH and a HPS but for the last 2-3 weeks just the HPS. Temp is steady 72º under the light and not much cooler at lights out. Sure I'm getting anxious but I'd hate to lose any flavors, potency or whatever. So, what is the story? Thanks folks, I'm sure this has been a question before but I couldn't find anything.
 
What are you using to scope the trich's?

IME...you need at least 30x magnification to get a good look.
 
I agree with Dman and take mine when they show 30 percent Amber.. This basically means the other 70 percent are cloudy or close to being that way. Just my preference
 
It could be I'm missing out on something here, but I've never let a sat dom strain turn amber. Personally, I think Amber Trich's on a sat would cause the buzz to be too sedate. Thus eliminating the psychedelic effect I'm looking for. I guess it's all a matter of preference. I'd had a Northern lights x Haze from The Seed Bank back in the late 80's to early 90's that simply wouldn't quit bursting out in new growth. She'd stall, and ripen. I'd think she was gonna finish, then just pop out with new growth again. The older growth was dead ripe. So I would take the older growth, and let the newer growth ripen. Eventually she'd try to take over my whole flower room, and I'd just take the whole thing down. She was definitely some of the best I've ever produced to my memory.
 
thats the jungle weed.........or haze.........and she is a constant if conditions conducive............look at where the parents originate and tells all...........

Pickin' time........thats as individual as the gal you lay with.............

ganj on..........
 
wow big, that plants sure looks like she needs a watering...what do you think is causing that...they're wilting it seems...
 
that sure looks like malawi !

great un fucked around by indica genetics take time to prepare..

finish it well and you will be dang happy
 
Hey Big I'm in the same boat with my 2 GDPs. No sign of flowering but everything else has been blooming for a few weeks.
 
Dman,
OK, 100X scope, I can see quite well. I'll check out the rest of the posts. Thank you for the replies.

Alabaster, I also noticed that haze have not turned amber even some at 20 weeks. But this hybrid AK-47 is all clear with very few amber, that's my concern with harvesting this.

Big, my outdoor Bubblegum is surprisingly tardy. Six were flipped to show sex in mid-May then a week under 18/6 and then outdoors. One pretty much went into full flowering (molding problem, unfortunately). The other five, one pulled as it got bad black leaf spot and of the last four, three have just begun to show pistils again and one is 'almost' showing pistils. This strain was always a afghani looking/acting genome and would show a week or two earlier than this at this latitude and elevation. MAF seeds started a month after and went in the ground a week later at 3/3 not being able to go back to veg and a few weeks later went into full flower. Buds are looking great, this worked really well and should be an early harvest.
 
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so with plants that are super sativa dom (which I havent run in a long time) - I like to harvest a good portion at different windows to see what suits me the best

so if I have a new strain and its supposed to be done at 12-14 weeks I will harvest a good cola or 2 week 12, week 13 and week 14 and then chop the rest down week 15 bc i always tend to go longer than what is recommended

now I have 4 different samples to compare and give me a guideline for next run

I had this ssh hybrid that some friends who grew it forever gave me and the insisted it was done at day 56 - well first time I grew it i took it to 77 and it literally shit on theres in comparison in every way - they didnt even believe it was the same weed

I find that the stuff taken a little early is usually more flavorful and the later stuff is more potent and often more expando

good luck bro
 
This AK-47 ran 10-11 weeks when I grew it before. I have had finish times for the same batch of seeds of pretty homogeneous strains vary different. Bubblegum was one that may finish 8.5 to 10+ weeks indoors.

Unless I heard from a reliable source to harvest these clear trics I'll just wait... :tvlaff:
 
no comparison here big.........a probable pure IBL/LR vs a hacked hyb.............

prolly thanksgivin' on before truly ripe........

ganj on..........
 
i have 2 S1's out in the yard, both looking sativa-ish (lanky, no xmas tree, etc). they are truly pathetic, almost chopped em down after seeing how REAL plants should look while we were visiting friends in california. but they're still standing, showed sex but that's about it. we had a terrible growing season here in the midwest. i think the strain (all i know is that it is "PK" S1) isn't suited to wet and chilly temps outdoors. if it needs to go beyond mid-Oct, then i am pretty much fukd. last year, awesome plants without any work :scratch:
 
I never use a scope just my naked eye. It really has become more of a feel for me. When my flowers look done it's time, meaning they are maturing the pistils have turned or mostly and the flowers appear to be done. When I used to grow outdoor I always told myself you've waited this long what's another week? That discipline helps to not pull flowers until there in there prime and ready to go.
 
A scope is a wonderful tool to have around. Not only for testing ripedness. Some of those bugs and fungis and stuff are lots more identifiable. Not too bad for locating those teeny tiny cacti 'powderstickers', too.
 
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that plant in post 6 has far more transpiration than does the latest one big, at least from here...I'm growing a lanky assed bitch currently, I'm told it is williams wonder but I recall growing it in 05 and thought it was far more of an indica,this one has leaves laying gently toward the floor, not down...again, from seed so who knows...what was thought to be a 8 week plant may take another month, easily...dunno...I try and grow indicas
 
Shovelhandle said:
This AK-47 ran 10-11 weeks when I grew it before. I have had finish times for the same batch of seeds of pretty homogeneous strains vary different. Bubblegum was one that may finish 8.5 to 10+ weeks indoors.

Unless I heard from a reliable source to harvest these clear trics I'll just wait... :tvlaff:
Click to expand...

Do some reading up on when Neville used to take his Haze.. clear to milky with no ambering.. The affects really change in a Sativa when you take her to ambering like you might an Indica dominant, especially a pure.. The no ceiling soaring high will actually dissipate and your goal of getting that soaring high will tend to change.. taking at clear is more euphoric and even hallucinating at time, and, if your growing a real landrace Sativa the flowering time may be very Hemisphere related and may not want to flower at all in this Hemisphere Schedule.. yeah, sucks huh? Also, take a look at your one plant that Boo said was drooping due to possible dry soil needing a sip, your veins are yellowing showing a possible deficiency of phosphorous or something in the flowering regime of nutrients, so she make be a nutrient pig or just finicky and needing a push at preflower that many don't..

Also, I'm totally with J on the chop a bud at week 12, 14 15 but go a week further to 16 which should be a max goal on any indoor Sativa.. this is per Neville.. who actually said, for the indoor grower take phenos taking longer then 16 wks to finish and shit can them.. your goal should be 16 with clones of her actually finishing closer to 12-14, a bit sooner..

So take a sample bud at increments, and see what suits your needs.. Sativa's can be very soaring extreme highs and not for everyone.. I hope you find yours. :up:
 
Thanks Cartman. That's what I've been wondering about the sativa dominants, harvest at clear can be good then.
I've read all that about the NH. It's more for selecting mother stock though. When one purchases a pack of seeds to grow out smoke one likes to finish them and not shit can a plant after so many weeks, unless you shit can it into the stash jar. I do not do mothers and clones. I just go to the next batch of seed, the next strain in the list. :up:
 
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