Lots of buds, red/brown pistils, dry curled-up bracts, BUT...

Outdoor grow of sativa bag seeds in garden in mid-Atlantic east coast USA. Planted seedlings, got great vegetative growth, topped twice yielding four nice limbs on each of three females (pulled three males, no fertilization). So far, so good.

Lots of healthy buds, 12-16" at tips, pistils nearly 100% red/brown; clayxes swollen; bract leaves turned brown, dried and curled-up. Adequate tricome coverage (nothing to brag about) but none turned amber. Under 60-100X magnification, tricomes appear clear stemmed with milky capitates, but not much amber to be seen anywhere on leaves, bracts or calyxes. Some clear tricomes have no heads -- look like curved needles.

The way the flower bracts look I think they're ready to harvest, but everything I've read says 'wait for the amber'. Realize that patience is important, but I'm worried about lack of amber tricomes. Should I be? Are there strains that don't go beyond milky to amber?
 

Buddingbishop

Well-Known Member
Outdoor grow of sativa bag seeds in garden in mid-Atlantic east coast USA. Planted seedlings, got great vegetative growth, topped twice yielding four nice limbs on each of three females (pulled three males, no fertilization). So far, so good.

Lots of healthy buds, 12-16" at tips, pistils nearly 100% red/brown; clayxes swollen; bract leaves turned brown, dried and curled-up. Adequate tricome coverage (nothing to brag about) but none turned amber. Under 60-100X magnification, tricomes appear clear stemmed with milky capitates, but not much amber to be seen anywhere on leaves, bracts or calyxes. Some clear tricomes have no heads -- look like curved needles.

The way the flower bracts look I think they're ready to harvest, but everything I've read says 'wait for the amber'. Realize that patience is important, but I'm worried about lack of amber tricomes. Should I be? Are there strains that don't go beyond milky to amber?
Whenever its up to you, it depends what kind of high you want. Its a strain that probably finishes in early or mid october so i would give it a couple weeks but if you decide to harvest you'll still have a decent yield and high.
 
Thanks for the advice, guys. I guess seeing those bracts change color and curl-up got me worried that my girls were 'past due'. (Girls being 'past due' has always given me cold sweats! ;-)) I'll give 'em another week or two, keep looking through my little microscope, and wait patiently for some amber.

Can anyone tell me why some of the tricomes look needle-like rather than capitated? They're nice big juicy-looking tricomes, but they're curved and pointy-ended, like a sickle, not straight and capitated, like a mushroom. It's only about 10% of them so I'm not worried, just curious. Have they not developed capitates yet... or have their caps fallen off?
 

troutie

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the advice, guys. I guess seeing those bracts change color and curl-up got me worried that my girls were 'past due'. (Girls being 'past due' has always given me cold sweats! ;-)) I'll give 'em another week or two, keep looking through my little microscope, and wait patiently for some amber.

Can anyone tell me why some of the tricomes look needle-like rather than capitated? They're nice big juicy-looking tricomes, but they're curved and pointy-ended, like a sickle, not straight and capitated, like a mushroom. It's only about 10% of them so I'm not worried, just curious. Have they not developed capitates yet... or have their caps fallen off?
no mate i aint got a clue?... i have heard someone ask before and there was no real reason given in that thread either... i guess if you have a healthy covering of tricomes it will be happy days what ever they look like .... good luck, let me know how you get on yeah?
 
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