When to harvest

[Smokeblunts&makepants]

My plant is about 3 to 4 weeks into flowering and i was wondering when i should pick my buds. a friend of mine said i have to do it when the pistils are a lightish amber color, and another friend of mine said it depends on what kind of smoke i want. what should i do? any help would be much appreciated.

[sentravapor]

hey there smokeblunts! there are TONS of different opinions about when to harvest a crop. basically what it comes down to is what YOU prefer, not anyone else (provided this is a personal crop).

Some people like a head high - mostly milky trichomes

some love the couch lock - half amber to mostly amber with the rest being milky(maybe a few clear)

others like a mix - somewhere in between

theres plenty of info on other peoples harvest's here. check some out for the info then make your own judgement based on what you learn.

if your going by hairs not trichomes, i believe most people harvest when the pistils have mostly gone brownish amber with a few lighter colored ones left. not white but a more tan hue i assume. you can always do it the lazy stoner way and just look at a bunch of harvest pics and kinda judge by eye what the growers were going for.. then just take that info home to your babies.

[sentravapor]

mine is into the 4th week as well so ill most likely be harvesting around the same time as you man, good luck and keep us posted!

[justplainbill]

Originally Posted by Smokeblunts&makepants

My plant is about 3 to 4 weeks into flowering and i was wondering when i should pick my buds. a friend of mine said i have to do it when the pistils are a lightish amber color, and another friend of mine said it depends on what kind of smoke i want. what should i do? any help would be much appreciated.

Harvest, Hash, kief & Curing - Dedicated to Cannabis Education, Recreational. Medicinal, and Cultivation.

I do not know of many/any strain, other than one of the lowryders that flowers in less than 8 weeks but there are other things to take into consideration. Check it out.
WB

[snickelfritz]

Here's a nice li'l thread about it. Porn included!!!

Originally Posted by Mrgreenjeans

The question that comes up a lot from new people is when to harvest?
This article should clear it up for new growers.
There are two ways to determine when a plant is ready for harvest.
One way is by looking at the pistils. Pistils start out as white, and as the plant ripens the hairs start to turn red on the bud area of the plant. . If using this method, harvest when the hairs are form 20% red, to 80% red, 20% is a milder high and 80% is a couch lock high. Important! some varietys of MJ may not get alot of amber in the trichs, but with practice you will learn the difference with the plants..Notice the difference in the color of the hairs in the picture?...


The next method which is the best one to judge when the plant is ready, is to look at the trichome’s.
The Trichome are the crystals you see developing on the buds. This is where most of the THC is stored
When you look at them they look a lot like small clear mushrooms. At first they start out clear, then cloudy, and then a amber reddish color.
Depending on the high you want will depend when you harvest. Do not harvest when clear. When they are cloudy you can harvest for a more energetic high. When they are 50% to 80 % amber in color you will want to harvest if you are looking for a heaver body and mind numbing stone.
The first picture is a close up of a bud shot. you will notice trichome's all over the bud.


The next shot you will notice the trichs are about 60 to 70% amber in color.


The last shot is from a trichome chart that has been posted before.



This should answer all question as to when to harvest.

[Smokeblunts&makepants]

Hey thx for all the advise u guys gave me. i looked at my trichomes and they seem mostly mily whitish in color. i am gonna wait until they turn amber, i love haveing a body and mind high. How long u think until they start to turn amberish?

[Smokeblunts&makepants]

Oh and what kind of tool do you use to see the trichomes so well? withmy magnifying glass i cant see them that small.

[sentravapor]

RadioShack.com - Cables, Parts & Connectors: Tools & soldering equipment: Magnifiers: Illuminated Microscope

i got this at a local radio shack, had to check more than one store though.

its cheap and works easy once you get the hang of it. not really something you can use to check stuff while its still attached to the plant though. just cut a small trim leaf off and check it on a table or something steady.

[scott06]

that's the way to do it sentra...I used to try and hold it up to the bud...that was never gonna work

though tric development is the prefered methed now-a-day...if you know your strain well I think you can do a very good job just by pistle color and weeks of flower...one reason to not continually jump for strain to strain each grow...become an expert on one or two great ones and you will become very sensative about harvest time, watering, and nute needs as these all vary quite a bit by strain

[justplainbill]

hand held microscope, Jewelry Design Repair, Educational items on eBay.com


I'm waiting for a 60x-100x for $9.95 and I also purchased one with a USB interface for $69.