SuperSkunk Manifold

[H.A.F.]

When you do normally chop?

What is your criteria?

Basically I like for all the original pistils to be brown.

Like in the pic above where the new pistil clusters are popping out, those won't be ripe. All of them turn red after it dries and cures.

:thinking:
I wonder if those are the "super-strong" hairs on my GDP that keep surviving the grinder​

Read harvesting articles to get descriptions of what you'll get from the same plant harvested at different times. For your 1st grow, it might be cool to try harvesting at different times, like for your 3 plants the same strain. Try and learn.

The simple facts:
Pistils are just a clue, but they are a clue because they are ripening as the trichomes grow and ripen.
New pistils late in flower means new calyxes and trichomes as well - but waiting on them means the older growth is getting older.
Look at the trichomes close to the flower, not on leaf tips, to determine % of amber.

Tops mature faster, so look at the middle too - that is where most of your weed is. Not so much the bottoms.​

You get high off the junk in the trichomes.

• Clear trichomes = not ripe
• Milky trichomes = ripe
• Amber trichomes = overripe/dead.

After that there is a lot of theory and conjecture. Do the 'dead' trichomes lose potency if still attached to the growing plant??? They don't seem to mind hanging out in a mason jar If not, why not just let them all go amber? How much 'late growth' would justify watching IT rather than the stuff you've already been watching? Some plants 'foxtail' genetically, and if I see that, I may let it go if the plant is still healthy - but usually that is a sign of stress on a dying plant.

I play it by ear, factoring in those things. When they are about half red I start looking at trichomes closer. I want to harvest this one a little early, because I have some real couchy-locky stuff in the vault already. ​

 

[H.A.F.]

@diggs99 - that is why I found that "21-days from first brown pistil" handy if it is true. It gives you time enough to plan any pre-harvest activities like flushing, stem-splitting/drilling. a dark period, etc.

Nothing says you have to chop on that panned date. But I think that if you choose to start giving her "THAT" treatment at some set point after seeing brown pistils, she WILL be ready when you planned.

So if you said today that you were going to harvest March 1st, and you started weaning her off nutes (as I'm doing now, hint hint LOL), she would respond as expected. (pro-growers have to do something like this to time harvests for market)

If you keep feeding her full strength I think they will keep growing. Problem is that you are not producing many new leaves to feed the plant at this point, so at some point it gives you no choice.

You have 3 plants the same though right? I would experiment.

 

[H.A.F.]

Personally, as I watch them slowly ripen there's a point when it just looks good.

If you do anything like splitting the stem though, that is putting a definitive harvest date on it. short of that you could keep watering with little or no nutes to keep her going

 

[diggs99]

I fed at full strength this morning with the plan to begin lowering nutes for remaining feedings.

Our plants are very close to same stage, I think I will do as you said and harvest them at different stages of colour trichomes. Gain some knowledge plus have a little different high from each plant maybe lol

 

[diggs99]

About how long you think they have left?

I need a jewellers loupe, order from amazon taking forever with the recent crappy weather

I honestly have no clue how long I have left lol

 

[H.A.F.]

About how long you think they have left?

I need a jewellers loupe, order from amazon taking forever with the recent crappy weather

I honestly have no clue how long I have left lol

If mine last until the 1st I'll be surprised. That is just based on leaf health.

I feed again today, but factoring that in I'm leaning towards a 100% feed (just flushed last week), then nothing but cal-mag until the end. And that is only to compensate for me using RO water.

 

[diggs99]

Ya I think mine fruit will be close by then aswell


I just posted new zoomed in phone pics of a bud off each plant. Maybe your eye can see something

 

[H.A.F.]

@diggs99 Take a pic on your phone, camera, whatever - but zoom in on that pic. A computer screen is even better.

When you take the picture, either set it on "macro" if available, or auto focus. slowly push the shutter on a camera to let the auto focus do it's thing, then take a dozen pictures

and then delete them all because it focused on a leaf tip, or your thumb, or nothing LOL and try again with the flash, without the lights on, etc.

Anyway, I take a bunch because I am not watching the viewfinder. I am off to the side watching the distance between the lens and te flower so it doesn't touch - then taking pics at different distances.

 

[H.A.F.]

Ya I think mine fruit will be close by then aswell

Maybe closer, it took about a week longer for me to see reds than you other than a random one here and there.

 

[diggs99]

Maybe closer, it took about a week longer for me to see reds than you other than a random one here and there.

Ya thats true, it was prob 4-5 days for sure.

I cant believe im almost ready to harvest my first crop, crazy how fast time flies

 

[IIReignManII]

That training job is beautiful

 

[H.A.F.]

Ya thats true, it was prob 4-5 days for sure.

I cant believe im almost ready to harvest my first crop, crazy how fast time flies

And yours is looking way better than mine leaf-wise!

But we don't smoke the leaves, soooooo

Seriously, I would come up with a plan to harvest each of your 3 at a different stage, then see if you can tell the difference later. It will be interesting to see how fat one can get if you let it "go loooooong" LOL

 

[H.A.F.]

That training job is beautiful

Thank you sir! Hang out and watch!

I did a half-ass experiment pruning each limb different after I got the manifold set, want to see if the location of the limb, or how it was pruned have any bearing on the weight of the flowers on that limb.

 

[H.A.F.]

@diggs99 and everyone else - you guys playing in that @Dyna-Gro competition?

https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-ultimate-growing-competition.984127/

 

[diggs99]

Is it true that if you let the trichomes go amber that its more couch lock?

Ok if you were me, how would you harvest them? i mean at what stage 50% cloudy...70% and full on amber?

 

[diggs99]

@diggs99 and everyone else - you guys playing in that @Dyna-Gro competition?

https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-ultimate-growing-competition.984127/

Ya i signed up

No idea what im gonna grow yet, i know its gonna be a weed lol

 

[H.A.F.]

Is it true that if you let the trichomes go amber that its more couch lock?

Ok if you were me, how would you harvest them? i mean at what stage 50% cloudy...70% and full on amber?

Read...
I would let the single plant get to full red pistils (first batch) and see what the trichomes look like. For the 3 that are the same, do one early, one 'on time per whatever reference you like, and one longer than you think you should

 

[H.A.F.]

Free weed update:


Just noticed the dates on my pot-label - DAMN. Over 2 months since I snipped the big one. Transplanted from the solo cup just after Christmas. I think this gets one will go right into flower as soon as the Skunk harvests. She got her second veg feed today and seems to enjoy it.


But these guys that I had better experience in handling were just transplanted 6 days ago on the 9th and all three have new leaves. Cleaning off each flower site made a difference. A few spots grew a little more flower, but the new stuff didn't have to fight through as much.

 

[Mysturis420]

General note for newbies. Patience, and buy quality.

I have a 300w and 1200w blurple led, and exhaust fan, pH meter, etc. that I bought on the cheap, then replaced because they suck.

It is better to "make do" and save for the good stuff. You can grow weed with a bunch of CFL's in a pinch. Quantum boards (or similar good lights that won't need to be upgraded) and a scientific quality pH pen (like Apera) are a must eventually.

For those worried about 'covert' - I have seen 3 grows so far without looking too hard, by seeing the blue-purple (blurple) glow coming from a window. Quantum boards are super bright, but white. The glow itself is not a giveaway.

Also, since there are no fans on the light itself blowing the heat around, it is easier (and cheaper) to manage the environment.

Any advice and heat management I can only run my hlg 550s at half power and I'm still at 80f with great air circulation do you have experience with ice boxs

 

[H.A.F.]

Any advice and heat management I can only run my hlg 550s at half power and I'm still at 80f with great air circulation do you have experience with ice boxs

The only thing I have found that separated the "heat-sink" lights from other LEDs is there is no fan.
On the other LED's there is already a fan circulating the heat around the room, regardless of what oscillating fans you have - so more air moving faster is better.

Heat rises. If you have nothing but your exhaust fan running, that is what controls the temp. As long as your intake is low and from a cooler area the heat naturally cycle up and out.

I had heat issues at first and couldn't figure it out. I had up to 3 fans in the room blowing everywhere but right at the plants. I finally said screw it, yanked them all out and shut the closet. The temp dropped.

So having a lot of air moving around was actually stirring up the heat in the room rather than letting it get sucked out naturally. I now have a AC Infinity fan sucking up to 350cfm (haven't needed it yet) and a $19.99 mini-oscillating fan blowing between the tops and the light. That's it.

Hope that gives you ideas.