I just cut off a leaf from the top of a plant. The leaf was loaded with sugar. My purpose of taking the leaf was to study the trichomes and try to determine how we are doing. Near the stem, there is virtually little room left for any new trichomes. They are packed pretty tight. About 95% of them are clear. Roughly 4.9% are cloudy and I spotted about one amber head per 2-3k. I'm going to harvest a little bit sooner than I normally do with this strain. In the past, I've allowed it 9-10 weeks to flower to develop that rich golden color of amber. The high is narcotic, induces couch lock and lack of motivation. While I do enjoy this strain before bed, I don't like to smoke it in the middle of the day unless I have absolutely nothing to do.
By harvesting with the majority of the trichomes clear, I can assure that I'm not contributing to a higher CBN count. That is what gives the burned out feeling, like a pot hangover. CBNs counter the effect of the psychoactive THC. They act as a balance. If you allow the trichomes to turn amber, the THC has degraded, and produced CBNs. I changed my line of thinking after reading the March issue of High Times. I will be practicing selective harvesting. I will only take ripe buds. Buds that look like they might still develop will be given more time to do so. March 5th will be the end of 8 weeks of 12/12.
I'm beginning to wish I hadn't gone out on a limb and predicted 21 ounces. Not long after I made that post, plant #2 started to develop signs of a deficiency. She has had her res changed out twice and her condition continues to deteriorate. This is the same plant that struggled to keep up with growth in the early stages. She appears to be deficient in calcium and magnesium, so it isn't PH, as those micro nutrients are on opposite sides of the PH chart for hydro growers. I've had her to 1400 ppm and she goes for days just wanting fresh water top offs without much difference in the ppm. I think I have two phenotypes going. One is healthy as hell, and will easily do 10-14 ounces on her own. That is Babylicious, and she has about 65-70% of the ScrOG to herself. The second plant did not branch much and the main stems are much taller and stretched. The buds don't look like they are going to fill in. The top sun leaves are damaged from calcium and mag shortage.
I have tried to get the plant back on track with a res change twice. I was sure that the cal-mag in the mix was used up, but I was still reading 1300 ppms. The new water and mix was brought to 1400. There are no burnt tips. The PH has fluctuated, but not much. I'm writing it off to it being a weaker phenotype that got in with my beans. If it gives me 4 ounces I'll be ecstatic. One of the 5 clones made it and has reverted to veg. I'm hoping it came off of the first plant, for obvious reasons. I didn't label. At the time, I thought I had two strong plants. I learned a lesson there and will always mark clones in the future.
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