Recomended Suggested Harvest Times

[Redbuddz]

High All

Getting close to harvest time and I'm seeking some input to help guide me to the perfect harvest time. When you buy seeds they tell you how many days to harvest. I'm growing an Indica strain and most Indicas come in around 8-10 weeks/ 55-70days. My question here is, when do you start counting? When you flip the lights to 12/12? or after the stretch when the buds start growing?

Keep on growing!

Redbuddz

 

[Midnight Tokar]

When I flip to 12/12. Most of the seed companies times are about a week short but the best way to tell is when the calyxs have swollen and the trichs are cloudy/milky

 

[Redbuddz]

Yes, I'm familiar with using a microscope to view the trichomes too judge when to harvest but my previous harvest did not seem to match what was suggested.

 

[Midnight Tokar]

A lot of that could be different grow methods. Such as nutes, light intensity, temperature, humidity, watering schedule and even phenotypes. That is why strains need to be dialed in for your method to really get the most out of them. But most people consider the flowering time begins once you flip to 12/12.

Once you see how your buds swell at harvest time and the other signs the plant is ready it's hard to mistake. BTW, if you notice most of the really nice bud shots are taken before the plant is really finished. Once finished they aren't usually so photogenic.

 

[half]

there is a pre-flower stage (1-2 weeks) then flower stage(1-3 months) once you change to 12/12 the per-flower time starts, and then once you see flowers starting to develop - start your flower count down

 

[Midnight Tokar]

there is a pre-flower stage (1-2 weeks) then flower stage(1-3 months) once you change to 12/12 the per-flower time starts, and then once you see flowers starting to develop - start your flower count down

That's not accurate at all. Pre-flower starts at maturity, whether you switch the lights to 12/12 or not. In fact the plants can pre-flower and never flower as long as you keep the light cycles up. Lots of growers don't switch to 12/12 until the plants have pre-flowered and shown sex, thus having the ability to cull the males before flowering. The flowering can be about 2 months to almost 6 months on some sativas. I just had a sativa hybrid that went 15 weeks and still wasn't done, but I needed the room.

 

[RonSmooth]

People want fast finishing "8 weeks or less" strains. The breeders are telling them what they want to hear. You'll sell a lot more seeds if you say "8 week flowering time" even if the plants would be much better at 10 weeks.

From what I see, experienced growers don't use calendars, they recognize the physical signs. IME an extra week NEVER takes away from the final product. It is almost always better when allowed to flower an extra week or two.

I consider the 12/12 flip day 1 although I almost always let "8 week" strains an extra week or two, regardless of what the breeder says. There are strains/phenos that finish quickly, theyre just a lot less common than it would seem.

 

[BlackSnakeTop]

Consider that there are other issues pushing growers towards harvesting before optimal conditions present...

I got away from the idea that any plant has a "specific born on-->harvest date" but started to thinking about it as a range and moved more towards learning to payi attention to my plants and try figuring out what they want/need when they want/need it... then give it to them.

Like now...
Got about 8 "Dione Warwicks" on day 65 flower/9 flush but trichs still clear... so been gettin lots of daily microscope work waitng for cloudy.

For me the bigger issue is the 5 plants in veg that are outgrowing the veg cabinet and up into the lights...

So I guess what I'm getting at is, that lots of times its not just simply impatience but more a function of logistics/space resource allocation issues that make us try to hurry along a grow.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

That's not accurate at all. Pre-flower starts at maturity, whether you switch the lights to 12/12 or not. In fact the plants can pre-flower and never flower as long as you keep the light cycles up. Lots of growers don't switch to 12/12 until the plants have pre-flowered and shown sex, thus having the ability to cull the males before flowering. The flowering can be about 2 months to almost 6 months on some sativas. I just had a sativa hybrid that went 15 weeks and still wasn't done, but I needed the room.

actually that was 100% accurate, well cept there's only seedling/veg/flower phases. no preflower. thats just part of veg. some plants show sex in veg aka preflowers. but... all plants don't show preflowers in veg. some plants won't even flower with more than 11 hours light. you count flowering from when they first show sex after flipping to 12/12, or if they already showed sex in veg, you could from when the pistils start popping on the nodes and top.

counting from beginning of 12/12 is silly. i have a sativa that goes 20+weeks. takes 6 weeks to even show sex from when you flip 12/12. why would i add 6 weeks to my flower times (erroneously) when i know it takes 23 weeks from when flowers first show and not 29 weeks as you would have me count it.

 

[Midnight Tokar]

Well being as most seasoned growers rely on how the plant looks for harvesting the time to actually start counting doesn't really matter. Newbies want to know (impatient...). By far, most of the people that I recognize as being knowledgeable and experienced say to start at the flip. As for the long flowering Sativas you just figure in those extra weeks to achieve full flowering and harvest when the plants tells you it's done.
We'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

i'll agree to that. but in my reasoning if you count from when you flip 12/12... and i have yet to see a single plant out of what has got to be 100(s) by now start actually putting out flower less than a week from flipping 12/12... if seed pack says it's a 65 day plant, surely they don't mean it actually only needs 57 days / 7 weeks to full ripeness. that's just ludicrous. every strain can't possibly be a 50 day wonder.

 

[Well]

People want fast finishing "8 weeks or less" strains. The breeders are telling them what they want to hear. You'll sell a lot more seeds if you say "8 week flowering time" even if the plants would be much better at 10 weeks.

From what I see, experienced growers don't use calendars, they recognize the physical signs. IME an extra week NEVER takes away from the final product. It is almost always better when allowed to flower an extra week or two.

I consider the 12/12 flip day 1 although I almost always let "8 week" strains an extra week or two, regardless of what the breeder says. There are strains/phenos that finish quickly, theyre just a lot less common than it would seem.

+1 on that one, couldnt have sad it better

 

[packerfan79]

there is a pre-flower stage (1-2 weeks) then flower stage(1-3 months) once you change to 12/12 the per-flower time starts, and then once you see flowers starting to develop - start your flower count down

From my experience start your count the first day of 12/12. Your trics should be 40% amber depending on ur preference. I work,commute,grow,raise 3 kids,maintain a wife and a home, so couchlock is a no no for me. Kinda sucks cause my clients are blinded by og. So I have to separate mine from my clients. For some reason socal is a no Sativa zone.I had a new client tell me "if it's not og it can't be any good" stupid

 

[JointOperation]

When I flip to 12/12. Most of the seed companies times are about a week short but the best way to tell is when the calyxs have swollen and the trichs are cloudy/milky

. i start counting budding as after stretch.. i didnt learn this till later.. talking to few breeders .. and after realizing it.. ive always counted from then.. but i dont count days as much as i look at trichomes.. if the trichomes arent were i want them to be.. but its day 100-120.. ill keep going.. my last plant in my room just went to day 100..from the end of STRETCH.. breeder flower time says 10 weeks.. this one pheno went way longer. but still mainly cloudy trichomes barely any clears.. and a few ambers here and there.. but still .. going to make some FINE FINE FINE BHO.

 

[IGROWMYOWN]

From my experience start your count the first day of 12/12. Your trics should be 40% amber depending on ur preference. I work,commute,grow,raise 3 kids,maintain a wife and a home, so couchlock is a no no for me. Kinda sucks cause my clients are blinded by og. So I have to separate mine from my clients. For some reason socal is a no Sativa zone.I had a new client tell me "if it's not og it can't be any good" stupid

og reign supreme down here in so cal and most just arent used to seeing sativas not real sativas anyway.

 

[blastfrompast]

Depends on the strain....those are just suggested times.....

I've had one strain i would consider done at 7weeks from flip to 11/13...everything else has been 8+weeks...11weeks is about as long as I'm patient for....if it takes longer, It isn't going to make it in my garden...space is a premium

 

[Gardening Angel]

Hey,

I usually find that if your going by a breeders flowering time,
You need to add 10-14 days on top sometimes longer.

Breeders are giving you the flowering time of that elite plant they breed with in dialed in rooms

As for counting from the flip or flowers I go from the flip and go off trichomes and personal preference for harvest time.

Thanks
GA

 

[steadydets]

I harvest when it's ready.


I keep a calender but it's just so I know when the plant finishes.

If I listened to what's written on the breeder's pack, I'd have commercial skank instead of homegrown dank!


edit: btw, when it's ready for me is when the buds are full and swollen, the pistils retreating. The trichs and color of said pistils matter, but what matters the most is that the plant is at the end of it's life, and like a sacrificial alter atop the cutting board in my kitchen, it makes it's way out of my room and into the next life.

 

[BCNeil]

I think it matters if you are using seeds or clones.

If you have mature clones, then the breeders estimate will be close.

But if you are starting seeds. It makes a huge difference if you flip at 3 weeks vs 8 weeks. The 3 week old seedlings will probably need an extra week or 2.

 

[Dr.King]

I think it matters if you are using seeds or clones.

If you have mature clones, then the breeders estimate will be close.

But if you are starting seeds. It makes a huge difference if you flip at 3 weeks vs 8 weeks. The 3 week old seedlings will probably need an extra week or 2.

There are a lot of factors that come into play to tell you when your plant will be ready to harvest. Correct, breeders are going by mature cloning times with their most elite clones. It also depends on the breeder as well. Some breeders offer quick flowering fem seed forms such as GHS White Widow and Sensi Northern Lights. I grow them all the time from straight 12/12 in 3 gallon smart pots. I plant them into my soil an as soon as they pop I switch to 12/12 then they finish within 60-65 days. I end up with a 2-3 foot single massive cola which yields between 2-3oz each. Keep in mind these are Indicas and I single cola train them. Sativas are different from 12/12 as they can still grow 3-5 feet and take 10-30 weeks depending on the pheno.

Each and every strain does have a harvest window as THC starts to degrade at a point. Try not to get caught up on the whole topic between adding flower times during stretch as it doesn't matter in the end. Most breeders are breeders for a reason because they are the best at their job and producing stabilized seeds for us is a big part of that. I personally research my breeders for their genetics an stability then they usually end as stated by the breeder. Some breeders have nearly all what you would call keepers and some breeders only offer a few good seeds. Some breeders which I won't name are going down hill and now only offer one or two good strains. Indica produces a heavy stone so pushing her would make sense to me for max yield.