The when is the earliest I can harvest my plants thread.

[hamstring]

I was reading some of the recent posts about harvest time as it relates to rain, mold, frost and rippers and it came to my mind that I would like to get as many opinions as possible on what can be construed as a newbie question but I think is a very valid one.

When is the earliest we can harvest our buds.

I think everyone has heard the, “point of diminishing returns” where you wait to the pistols are 50% brown and as an old timer I still use this. Others bust out the jewelers loop and look for a certain amount of amber trichomes some even sample thier girls and all are valid.

What happens when there is a threat of mold, frost or rippers how can we make informed decisions. I think it boils down to what’s the earliest we can harvest our flowers with out interfering with the quality. I am not including yield because I believe we would all trade some yield to be able to harvest but when the flowers are so immature that we loose quality that’s what scares the shit out of a guerrilla who has put all the time and his/her freedom on the line only to harvest flowers that aren’t worth smoking.

So PLEASE everyone jump in with the earliest you have harvested your plants and still had good quality flowers. Were you surprised? Did this change they way you harvest forever? What area the signs you look for?

I have seen pics of buds that are harvested that still have all white pistols I have never done it but I have to admit I am stuck in my ways but open to all suggestions.

 

[bagend12]

I usually harvest early for many reasons. mold, rippers, hunters, hikers, leo, etc. As the surrounding vegetation dies, my plants become more noticeable. Id rather harvest early than risk losing my crop and my spot.

Anyway, I wait until the buds fatten up and fill out as much as possible, usually this is around 9/15 for me. They are not quite done at this point, but they are done enough to get a good stone and look good in a bag.

This year is weird though, I don't know if it was due to a lack of rainfall and high temps or what, but some plants I have didnt start to bud until 9/1, and these were clones. These are in a spot that will become more visible as fall gets closer, and I suspect that I will have to pull these early and make hash or risk losing my spot.

 

[THE TROOPER]

mine are behind a bit also! praying for a cool dry fall but things aren't working out!


TT

 

[hamstring]

bagend12
Hey brother thanks for the input it's great to hear from someone with this experience can you tell how you know they are being harvested early how do you judge bud development what is your method? What do you think you maybe loosing if anything by harvesting early potency, taste, bag appeal, yield??

I can't comment on late flowering although i have heard it from more than one person. I am growing all new strains this season so my input would purely uniformed speculation.

 

[hamstring]

Trooper
Are you considering pulling a little early or have you done so in the past?? If not hopefully this thread can shed some light on something all guerillas deal with at some point in their growing career.

 

[187020]

september blows and fall fuckin sucks !!

september blows and fall fuckin sucks !!

08-31-2011 would this budlet cola get me high now? sure its sticky but not dank...

8/31/2010 below, same spot, strain and everything...oooo girl !! if necessary these coulda been yanked early last year

2010 had leaf spot mold homies this year did not...bring back my fuckin mold !!

 

[hamstring]

Cravenmore
Hey brother are you saying that second pic is ready for harvest?? Looks immature to me because all the pistils are white no brown at all. I was always told they are still in development until you start seeing them die off.

Hey, but that’s what this thread is about my man give me you input!!!

 

[bagend12]

bagend12
Hey brother thanks for the input it's great to hear from someone with this experience can you tell how you know they are being harvested early how do you judge bud development what is your method? What to do you think you maybe loosing if anything by harvesting early potency, taste, bag appeal, yield??

I can't comment on late flowering although i have heard it from more than one person. I am growing all new strains this season so my input would purely uniformed speculation.

For harvesting early, I mainly look at the size of the bud and resin development. Usually at 6 weeks the buds have filled out enough and there are enough trics to give harvesting a serious thought.
Take a look through some of the various grow journals and you will see buds at different stages of development.

For the ones I can let go longer because they are more difficult to spot, I know they are done when

1) the buds are fat, and feel solid went gently squeezed (immature buds will give a little bit;

2) The pistils have started to wither and have retreated back into the calyxes;

3) The leaves have started (hopefully) turning yellow/purple and other funky colors (doesnt always happen outdoors);

4) Trics. I'll usually try and harvest when I have 80% cloidy/10% clear with a few amber.

What do you miss out on by not taking it those extra weeks?

1) Quality/Potency: Buds are not as tight and solid as they should be, are smaller, and because the various cannabinoids have not been allowed to develop the high wont be as strong or long lasting

2) Taste. Bud allowed to go to completion just simply tastes better, for many reasons.

3) Yield: You probably lose anywhere from 10%-20% in overall weight.

For me it is a no brainer. If it is a choice between my spot being discovered and losing my plants and location, and harvesting early with inferior bud, I'll take harvesting early any day.

 

[bagend12]

Cravenmore
Hey brother are you saying that second pic is ready for harvest?? Looks immature to me because all the pistils are white no brown at all. I was always told they are still in development until you start seeing them die off.

Hey, but that’s what this thread is about my man give me you input!!!

Those are too early. they look like they are about 4 weeks.

 

[smokefrogg]

i took off 1/4 of the bottom of 2 plants about 3 weeks ago, was just going to toss them but these stringy things did have sticky trichomes all over them, so i let them dry out and cure a tad, it was harsh and there wasn't a lot of taste up front, but the after taste was lovely and the high was surprisingly strong!

i had to chop about half of a sour diesel x lowryder #2 f1 plant early this saturday, i am not sure what is happening but half of the plant has pistils that are getting way too brown way too fast, the other half looked okay so i am letting it complete. this stuff was weaker than the bottom larf i pulled off other plants a few weeks back, the taste was harsher as well, although i did not let this one cure at all so maybe that is part of the issue

none of these have made me happy though, none of them seem to give the full effect, while what they do give is pleasant, i know the finished bud would be so much more so

i got 1 plant that is a reveg, i guess i did not clear it out enough of the old dead growth from it's previous flowering period as i am seeing rot happen mid stem where the old growth was, everything above it that is new that was looking okay is drying out looking dead, if it wasn't doing this i'd let it go another 3 weeks or so, honestly though i might just chop the poor thing tonight or tomorrow, won't get much from it but i think it'll be more than if i attempt to let it finish!

sometimes you just gotta' do what you gotta' do, sucks chopping early, at least some of the herb is still pretty decent even if it's early

 

[RetroGrow]

08-31-2011 would this budlet cola get me high now? sure its sticky but not dank...



8/31/2010 below, same spot, strain and everything...oooo girl !! if necessary these coulda been yanked early last year



2010 had leaf spot mold homies this year did not...bring back my fuckin mold !!


[/B]

Those do look early. No red hairs at all. They look like they need another month, at least. What strain?
I know the fear of rippers is always there the longer you wait, but I would wait at least until there were 50% red hairs.
I'm praying that mine are still there this weekend, as they were 50% red hairs last weekend. Rolled the dice and decided to wait. Might have been a mistake, but in your case, they are definitely not ready.
Just another reason to use fast finishing strains out doors.
Good luck!

 

[187020]

did i say they were ripe homies?

did i say they were ripe homies?

I was reading some of the recent posts about harvest time as it relates to rain, mold, frost and rippers

we are talking about earliest possible pull not most ripe here fellas...good lord did i say they were done on august 31st ?!?

so once again, if i had to pull today i'd have slim pickins, at the same time in 2010 if i had to pack it in there would be something salvageable and possibly worth mentioning here.

october 1st, 2010...i go all the way with my shit homies for real !!

 

[hamstring]

bagend
Great input and I agree with you on all accounts except the trichs I have never looked at any so I don’t know. Do you really believe that 2 weeks affects the potency? I agree with the taste and yield but I'm not sure about potency yet but I am listening.

Smokefrogg
I agree with you I have smoked 2 week immature weed and I cant say for sure no way I wolud say 100% but the potency seemed very close to the finish potency it was all the other stuff that bagend mentioned that doesn’t come through.

Retrogrow
Thanks for the input I was thinking wow! that’s pretty early to harvest but I have never tried anything that early so i can’t debate what I don’t know.

 

[187020]

i would take this plant to save it from rippers

i would take this plant to save it from rippers

september 10th, 2010...this shit would get me high, it is not ripe but its about to be stolen so i'd harvest these early

 

[hamstring]

we are talking about earliest possible pull not most ripe here fellas...good lord did i say they were done on august 31st ?!?

so once again, if i had to pull today i'd have slim pickins, at the same time in 2010 if i had to pack it in there would be something salvageable and possibly worth mentioning here.

october 1st, 2010...i go all the way with my shit homies for real !!

That’s the shit for sure and sorry for the misunderstanding. I see some leaf spot has made your acquaintance but not much very nice bud.

Ok now that i know what you meant have you smoked anything as early as you first set of pics and give me your input on what it was like if you have???

 

[187020]

if some teens came along and ripped these now, im sure they'd feel high from smoking it, but what a shitty smoke for us if we had to pull them...harsh smoke, puny yield and weak high

 

[RetroGrow]

Nice. What strain?
I am running Critical+ outside, a very fast finishing strain, so they are basically done by third week of September. Buds are fully sized by 4th week of flower.

 

[187020]

ok not trying to antagonize, but early finishers dont get me really high...am i way off on this ??

outdoor i always monocrop, sssc M12 skunk x creeper. it has some undeniable potency, its intoxicating !!

peace homie !!

 

[softyellowlight]

ok not trying to antagonize, but early finishers dont get me really high...am i way off on this ??

outdoor i always monocrop, sssc M12 skunk x creeper. it has some undeniable potency, its intoxicating !!

peace homie !!

I dunno... I'm high as a kite, as my stop-sign eyes in the mirror just attested, off some not-even-really-dry Vanilluna that is barely into week 7 (at a quoted finishing time of 55-60 days). I don't honestly feel that there is a lack for potency at any point after which the trichomes become tangibly formed, but I'll make sure to push it this time 'til they start smelling to see if that makes a real difference in the potency department.

The last random hazey plant I grew, one clone I took to around 50 days and the other to 70 days, and certainly the latter produced more but I feel like I might have preferred the high of the former, even. I think the only way to know is really a smoke test. You don't need to dry and cure to know, just fire her up. But I personally would not hesitate to harvest even only the first flush of fully-formed buds if the circumstances made it seem quite prudent.

 

[hamstring]

Well I’m going to try and keep this thread on topic I thought it might be helpful to those looking for answers on the earliest harvest possible when trouble pokes his head up in you MJ plot. Anybody else have any experience with early harvest due to environmental or human conditions that they feel may help other guerrillas in a predicament.