Help. How can I be sur my plants are finished?

[chinstrap]

I'm on day 60 and my buds look perfect ... What should I check so I know when to chop them... I have heard when the trichs are 50 percent amber....

All buds have orange hairs and are thick and full extremely sticky and finally they smell like they should ..

Any quick tips are much appreciated

 

[Admiral Canna]

Have a good read on trichomes and how they change color and what that color means to you.

 

[chinstrap]

How do u figure that out... I'm fairly close just need a liitle guidance...anyway to tell by looking at the buds or plants... .. Also a drying tip wouldn't hurt.. If u got one for me

 

[opt1c]

get a small magnifying scope; search these forums for "microscope trichome" and that should point u in the right direction... either get one online or buy one at radioshack; dunno where else they have em

if you don't check your trichs with a microscope and you aren't familiar with the strain you're shooting in the dark; orange hairs don't mean jack half the time

the trichomes are the glands on the buds that make it sticky and get you high; when they are cloudy to amber its time to chop... when they are still clear the plant is immature... you'll need a microscope to seem them accurately

the microscope is under 20 bucks; if you're this close to harvest no reason to half ass it

far as drying goes... i cut the plant at the base of the stem; hang whole upside down in cool dark place with humidity in the 60s... lower than 70 and higher than 50 for a good slow cure... i let the plants dry for a few days till the fan leaves on the tops of the nugs feel crisp to the touch; the nugs will still be plenty moist... then i chop the plants into sections of branch that'll fit into regular brown paper grocery bags; the branches go into the bags till the bags are about 2/3rds full... then i roll the top of the bag over to close it loosely and let them cure for 2 weeks; after that they're ready to be trimmed and smoked... follow those steps and you'll have a perfect smooth cure that'll last for years if jarred after the 2 weeks in the bags.... fwiw i've left the branches in the bags for upwards of 2 months, was too busy to trim em all, and they were still perfectly cured and not dry at all when i finally got around to em

 

[etinarcadiaego]

I'm on day 60 and my buds look perfect ... What should I check so I know when to chop them... I have heard when the trichs are 50 percent amber....

All buds have orange hairs and are thick and full extremely sticky and finally they smell like they should ..

Any quick tips are much appreciated

The following is used by many, though science has shown that clear trichomes actually contain the most THC, by the time they're milky some of the THC has formed the next chemical in the chain, but it's still a good reference.

 

[Reverend Mojo]

I've always found that chart handy.

 

[ISP_SmokeTrain]

Yes, looking at the trichomes is the only solid way to know.

 

[chinstrap]

got that 420 scope today and none amber!! 50 percent milky and 50 percent clear..

will that change in a matter of days..or could it be up to 3 weeks...

i was planning a chop in less than 10 days...?

 

[Tropik]

I personally like my trichs at amber

 

[opt1c]

if you're in soil just fed them water with some carbo loading product till the trichs are where u want them; whatever nutes the plant will need in the next three weeks are already in the soil or leaves

 

[chinstrap]

What nutes would u suggest for the carbo load!!

 

[metameric]

bud candy

 

[opt1c]

i'm partial to flora nectar fruitnfusion myself; i also use advanced nutrients carboload when brewing tea but i'm odd like that... they all work... i just like the way flora nectar smells in the bottles when they are lined up side by side... i'm still not 100% on how much of the carb product the plant absorbs through the roots as most sugars the plant has are made in the plant but it doesn't seem to hurt trichome/resin production and the plants overall level of happiness so i use it when i feel inclined and my setup allows for it

 

[banjobrain]

Good stuff all! I'm trying to learn some more about harvesting as well, since I'm on Day 36 of my first grow. Thank you!