Preflower Help!

[Brett Brown]

Okay! Good then, it's not just me. not only do they look orange but when the batteries are new and strong it lights them up so much that they look flourecent or ultra violet kinda like the way a black light lights up a black light poster it makes everything stand out. Well, that is what it is doing here it lights the trichs up so much that they kinda glow and it's hard to see if they are cloudy or clear the amber ones are pretty obvious but between clear and cloudy it is kind of difficult. So I will just check the plants in the daylight to be totally sure. Now you said to start harvesting them when they are 50/50 because they will lets say rippen even after they are off the plant if I want them to be like 3/4 amber and 1/4 cloudy. Is that about right? So if I take them down or harvest them at 50/50 by the time they cure they won't be burnout weed will it? didn't you say if they all turn to amber it becomes burnout weed or makes you sleepy and I don't want that!!!!!! or should I harvest them before they are 50/50 amber and cloudy? get what I am asking? I am sorry i just don't have the lingo to say exactly what i mean.

 

[Korner420Garden]

much less then 50/50... When gauging ripeness, I zoom out as much as I can with the scope. I start on the top of the plant and look for an area where I can see about 50-100 or so individual trichs in one frame. I count and note how many clear, cloudy and amber heads I see, then move to a middle area on the plant and do the same thing, then again on the bottem. When the average is about 3-5 amber heads per group, I chop. There will still be some clear, but most of the heads will be cloudy. Doing it this way makes it much easier to harvest a large plant in sections or even a branch or nugget at a time. Under CFLs, the top seems to be ready weeks before the bottom is.

 

[Brett Brown]

Okay, That sounds good to me, I also looked up in here about harvesting and one guy said don't go ny the trichomes and he hasn't ever looked back and then another guys says yes deffinetely go by the trichomes or how can you be sure if they are ready and ready for how you want them and he posted a picture of buds that that were not ready 2 of them and the pictures of buds that were ready and the ones that were not ready looked just like mine and the ones that were ready the white hairs were all dried and were now red hairs(isn't that what the red hairs are? is the white ones that have dried up?) also the buds looked like they were allready to smoke like he left them on the plant untill they were almost dry. So I am going to stick to what you said because I think that makes the most sense and everyone was about 50/50 on that subject about using the trichomes But I tried your technique a while back when I took all the bottom branches off and they had small buds on them and at the end a few semi bigger ones and dried it as you said and that looked like the stuff I used to buy. not totally dry but not wet either it was just the resin that was keeping them a little wet feeling, actually they were dry but they felt sticky and they would crunch a little bit but not break apart. is that about right . I did the glass jar thing too. and another guy did it exactly as you did except instead of clipping the buds onto the hanger he hooked them on a string that went from one end of the box to the other and he just hung them on the string. So pretty much the same way you did it at least everything else. So what I wanted to ask you this time is as you dry them out you should be able to see the trichomes still even after they are dry and some of them will get darker still? is that correct? and the part above where I asked is the buds should feel dry but the resin makes them feel spongy I guess would be the best word and then if you are going to store them a long time then you would want them to be totally dry or you could get mold correct? anyway I just want to make sure that when I did it, That I did it corectly or preety close. If I did anything wrong please don't be affraid to tell me!!!! Thanks, BB2112 I guess that is about it have a nice week!!!! Good luck in school.!!!!

 

[Korner420Garden]

you should be able to see the trichomes still even after they are dry and some of them will get darker still? is that correct?

that is correct.
The problem with going by the hairs is that every plant is going to be different. Going by the crystals gives you a definite account of the content of the buds, not just how many hairs they have pushed out or what color they are.
Yes, the white hairs age and turn red.

actually they were dry but they felt sticky and they would crunch a little bit but not break apart. is that about right

that sounds perfect, right where you want it to be. Once you get it to that point and have had them in cure for a bit, it is safe to leave them in the jars for storage. Just keep checking them every week or so for moisture but you should be safe from mold.

 

[Korner420Garden]

My clones are looking yummy....

So I decided to chop them today...

 

[Korner420Garden]

also the buds looked like they were allready to smoke like he left them on the plant untill they were almost dry.

Is that what you're talking about?



These lil Ladies were small enough, so I didn't have to do any cutting at all other then the leaves and such. I wish I had a better camera so you could see the frostee nuggits.

 

[Brett Brown]

Hello, Went to Vegas over the weekend and just got back to see what you said!!! It was nice to see that I had done it correctly but those were the bottom branches that you told me to cut off and they are pretty strong back then and now the mother or large plant is getting very ripe I still haven't chopped her down yet. the trichomes are still cloudy, clear and some amber so I am going to wait untill we had talked about before, waiting till the amber are about 1/3 of the bud. Also now my clones were pout in the ground as well and they are starting to get trichomes and turning into some very nice plants as well. They grew much faster because i put them in the ground when they were still about 12 inches tall. So I just wanted to see what you were up to and i see you chopped your clones down, How were they? I asume they are almost gone. Showing me that they were not much bigger than the lighter but that is just amasing how they mature even if they are so small. Now if they had a feild with wild plants growing by themselves males and females they would just drop there seeds and then the plants would keep growing every year correct. but the weed would be very seedy even the females? Dam today after I got home a truck pulled into my driveway and it was our electric company and they wanted to drill a hole in our telephone poles to see if they were rotted or still ok and he just went into my backyard because they are allowed to by law because they own that property were the pole is so they are aloowed to encroch whenever they want and he went in the back yard and saw my plants all 5 of them and I didn't know what to do or say and he was just gazing at them like man look at that. So I went out when he left and asked him if he smoked and he said yeah!! So I gave him some off the small popcorn buds that I cured and he said cool thanks!!!! But I have a card so he can't really do anything except come back when I'm not here or at night and chop her down. or if he tells anyone they may come and do it now I am going to have to stay around here so noone cuts her down. Oh well, I was actually a little paranoid I guess cause I have never grown before but his eyes lit up like God just put an opportunity right in front of him. I bet if I were gone , the plant would have been gone as well. Oh well guess I have said enough but I will have to stay near with guns loaded and ready. LOL!!!! take cvare and Thank You, BB2112.
P.S. Oh my plant (the big one) the buds are starting to get red hairs or the white hairs are starting to wilt a bit but mostly still white but they are starting to look like they are very close to being ready!!! very Sticky and very covered with trichs. So I am going to wait another week and check her out next weekend. How long or how short can it be, when a plants trichs can turn from cloudy to amber in a day a week or a few days? Thank's!!!! BB

 

[Brett Brown]

hey I also was looking at one of my clones when I got back today with my magnifying led glass and I was looking at the trichs on the plant and they are now starting to come in but as i was looking at one of the buds I saw a little white ball on one of the leaves in the buds, about the size of a pin head and with closer examination it looked like some kind of pod or spore maybe but it was stuck to the leaf. It looks like a small maybe spider is growing in there or it may be pollen but then I thought spiders don't just put one egg for one spider. So I was thinking maybe a small egg of some kind? Do you have any idea it looks like a white ball and it has a hole in the top of it like some day something is going to crawl out of it. I only found a few on all of the plants except the big one like the big plant was too sticky to put anything on so they went for the others. If you have any Idea what it is please let me know and if I should be worried? Thanks, BB2112!!!

 

[Korner420Garden]

waiting till the amber are about 1/3 of the bud

lol I see you like fractions better then decimals and % i use. The amber content should be much less then 1/3. More like 1/16 to 1/8 amber depending on how you like it.

Ive had a cable guy come to my house one time. I could tell he caught a whiff of something he liked, but didnt make much of a deal about it. I think those guys see a lot of stuff going to houses all the time. But I always find that I'm being way more paranoid then I need to be.

I'm not very familiar with pests and such, but bugs don't usually lay a single egg. if you had a problem you would be finding them all over your plant along with damage.

 

[Brett Brown]

well I did find a small green catipillar in one off the buds of the big plant . I saw a dead area on a bud and it was about 1/4 of an inch around and all the leaves were dead in that 1/4 inch area and so I started to look closer and as I dug through the bud in the dead area I found him right in the middle of it and chewing his way inside the bud and so i picked that small part of the bud off and threw it in the trash. So could they be catipillar eggs laid by a butterfly or moth and then when they hatch they feed on the plant? because the white balls I found were on the newer plants the clones and they were right next to the buds center on one of the sugar leaves I guess is what you call them, the smaller ones on the buds, then eventually the inside of the buds as they grow would have grown over them and then they wopuld be inside the bud and after they hatch would explain how they got in the middle without having to go from the outside in. That makes about the most sense that I can think of. Are there any catapillars that are known to be pot plant stockers or go for a green type plant? like weed? have you heard of any catipillars that like pot plants exspecially? If so please let me know because I don't want that to ruin my clone crop and I must have missed them on the big plant if that was how it got there. So let me know if you know what thery could be and if they are harmfull if not found and dried out and smoked because once he is in the bud it is so sticky that i don't know if they could get out of the center and walk away without getting stuck in the resin or whatever it is that makes them so sticky. Thanks BB2112!!!!
P.S I am probably just being paranoid about the city worker's now that it is leagal to grow them I think they probably see alot of stuff. but i they got caught taking it i am sure they would lose their job and I doubt that would be worth losing your job over especially in these times. BB!!!! C-YA!!!

 

[Korner420Garden]

oo that does sound like an issue. I would ask your hydro guy about some organic pest control. Like something that makes the bugs want to leave instead of just killing them, since you wouldn't want to be smoking poisoned bug if they die in the bud. All catipillers like green leafy plants. I don't know of any bugs that especially like maryjane, but I have found that weed has a LOT in common with tomatoes. What afflicts a tomato plant will do the same to your weed plant.

 

[Korner420Garden]

It's starting to get cold up here. I decided it was time to start some new seeds and started germ'ing two in a paper towel today.

 

[Brett Brown]

Dammit, Now I am finding a lot of them in my clones that I planted outside. I think I got the big plant out there early enough so that the moths or butterflies were not out yet when the buds were already grown. Then when i put the clones out I think they got the larva on them and now I am finding them on the top of the colas and I find them were I see a dead spot on the leaves or white hairs are wilted. then I pull the bud apart right there and sure enough a small catapiller eating it's way around inside the newly forming buds. The main question is after i get the catapillers out and clean out all the dead waste can the buds still be used? dried and smoked? because if not they got about 1/4 of my clones production about 1 plant of the 4 that i had and they were putting out some good buds themselves. they were starting to look just like the big plant on a much smaller plant. if you can advise please. I am just crushed . those little bastards are devastating!!!!!!!! if you know of anything I can use to get rid of them all then please help!!! Thank You, BB2112!!!! P.S. I took all the ones that I saw out and got rid of them. I just saw your post above this one so sorry for writing you about it twice.

 

[Korner420Garden]

ive never had to deal with outdoor pest issues. I hear good things about Neem oil, but dont know much about it. Once all the bugs are gone and the dead spots pruned, the plant will almost be good as new (hopefully) and you'll be able to harvest it.

 

[Brett Brown]

lol I see you like fractions better then decimals and % i use. The amber content should be much less then 1/3. More like 1/16 to 1/8 amber depending on how you like it.

Ive had a cable guy come to my house one time. I could tell he caught a whiff of something he liked, but didnt make much of a deal about it. I think those guys see a lot of stuff going to houses all the time. But I always find that I'm being way more paranoid then I need to be.

I'm not very familiar with pests and such, but bugs don't usually lay a single egg. if you had a problem you would be finding them all over your plant along with damage.

Well hello, I kind of got sidetracked with these catepillars!!!! anyway i saw your letter to me saying you are starting a new plant from a seed, So I will go out and buy some seeds.Do you have a good suggestions as far as a good strain that grows well out doors and no pre- determined flowering strains. I saw this stuff in a magazine High Times it was called some kind of diesel, and it had purple and yellow leaves. Do you know what that is called? and wether it is good for groing outside? I would like to have another plant going besides the one strain I have. Talking about the strain I have, My god that stuff turned out to be some very strong stuff. And I haven't even harvested it all yet I have done about half of it and I have a one gallon Iced Tea Glass Jar filled to the top. So It looks as if i am going to end up with about a little over a pound or about a pound and a quarter dried. I couldn't beileve it when i started cutting one of those long colas off and saw just how big the buds were and waiting as long as i did to harvest It is so strong I only need a little this stuff will last for a long time. The buds were so long and so thick about 8 inches long and about 3 inches round. that stuff i was giving it really did make them get bigger. That botinicare pro bloom. Anyway Take it easy and I miss hearing from you. let me know where you're at with the new grow. C-YA, BB2112!!!!!!!

 

[Brett Brown]

ive never had to deal with outdoor pest issues. I hear good things about Neem oil, but dont know much about it. Once all the bugs are gone and the dead spots pruned, the plant will almost be good as new (hopefully) and you'll be able to harvest it.

OK, good, but if I miss a dead catepillar and then i dry it out and 2then it gets smoked is it poisonous? I know it's not a bitchen idea that you are smoking a catepillar but is it dangerous to your health? because if it is, then i am just goingf to throw out what has had something mucnhing on it, or at least just cut that whole part out that had the catepillar touching it and get rid of it. No matter how i don't want to I just wouldn't be able to take that kind of chance . Not just me either I am more concerned about someone else getting harmed by the stuff i grew and then they get hurt and I have killed someone. I am just concerened if it is toxic to accidentally smoke a catepillar that was missed cause some of those things are very small when they are first hatched and they look almost exactly like the white hairs when they are turning that red color ior sometimes they are hidden really deep into a small area and I missed one, one time and then came back after i looked at it the day before and then I found it and it was very well hidden and very small it was so small that it hadn't done much dammage at all but I was looking through everything and wanted to get the live ones out by hand if possible. I think I have gotten them all but i am still going to put that stuff on it my hydroponic's store carries the safer brand it called "safer catepillar killer" it is all organic and the guy said it works really good and it is the best they did have other ones but he said that one was the best and it wasn't the most expensive either so i think he was being honest that in his mind it was the best or he had heard good things about it. So it is only 11.99 on sale now for an 16 oz. bottle and I guess you just spray it on because it comes in a spray can or a squirt bottle actually but I guess you just soak each bud with the stuff . There were 2 different kinds one that killed them by binding up their digestive system and then they die and one that just taste nasty so they leave because it taste so nasty. I think the one I am getting is the one that kills them and then the stuff breaks down organically and is gone in about a week. So I guess we will see how it works. They have allready done some bad damage but the clones are producing about what the one plant did so I think i have got enough product for a while. Then I am going to start my new grow starting tomorrow I kept one clone of my last strain under lights and it is not flowering like the other ones did. I also sent for some seeds for an indica strain I heard they were good for outdoor growin. So I guess I will keep you posted on how things go here, but when can I plant the clone outside? If I put it out now it will start to flower correct? I just need to know when I can plant it so I don't have to keep doing all the lights and having to keep the light schedule. I am going to be very busy once I start harvesting because I gotta take care of my 2 plants that I will have and then harvest all 5 of the plants that are almost ready to chop. I will be cutting them down, trimming, looking for bugs and stuff maybe left behind from the pesticide like little dead bodies, hanging, drying, curing then finally smoking it all. Oh well keep you posted on the grow. Take care and best of luck with the plants or plant you are growing now!!!!!! C-YA, BB2112!!!!

 

[Brett Brown]

ive never had to deal with outdoor pest issues. I hear good things about Neem oil, but dont know much about it. Once all the bugs are gone and the dead spots pruned, the plant will almost be good as new (hopefully) and you'll be able to harvest it.

So how is your new grow going? I have been really busy with pest control on my clones . I don't even know if I should harvest these plants because they have now gone almost all the way amber on the trichomes and I had to kill those catepillars, mites, aphids and mite larva. but I cut one of the stems off of one plant and when I started cutting the buds off it I saw these white little sacs with bugs inside them. I asked the guy at the hydro store and he said yeah use this for everything and (neem oil) and safer brand catepillar killer and they both brak down in a week or so, so I have to wait till next week till the stuff breaks down to harvest and by then the buds are going to be totally amber and i don't think I like that kind of high where you just stare silently at a T.V So maybe i will give it away after i clean all the stuff out. Also when I was looking for the catepillars because they told me to take them out by hand and what happened was when i was handling the buds all the white hairs got killed because the stuff was so sticky that I guess I crushed the hairs and they are all wilted allready so what do you think? I'd like to know what you think. Plus I would like to hear from you on your new grow. well take care and talk to you later. BB2112!!!!!

 

[Korner420Garden]

Wow it's been a while since ive been on. Been busy with school and such. My new growing is going well. Ive started a grow journal on my profile with updated pics a few times a week. I would still harvest those clones that have gone all amber. After your grow is all dried and cured, just mix some of the over done bud with some of the not overly ripe bud when you smoke. If you get really good at mixing, you can adjust exactly how you want your stone from a wake and bake blend to a hard hitting sleepy time smoke. Don't worry about the hairs much. There are crystals on the lil hairs but most of the thc you're going for is on the sugar leaves.

 

[Brett Brown]

smoke is mellower ok Thank you, Hey also when i cured my first harvest I lost that smell of the really nice skunk smell and it was kind of raspy or made me cough miore than the stuff I used to buy at the despensery. Do you know what i may have done wrong to lose that smell that it had at first very strong but slowly was lost. I used glass jars to cure after being in a card board box in the closet for the 1st part and then glass jars and burping as you suggested. please advise for next time if you know. I really want to get it right so the smoke is mellow-er. Thanks, BB2112!!!

 

[Korner420Garden]

smoke is mellower ok Thank you, Hey also when i cured my first harvest I lost that smell of the really nice skunk smell and it was kind of raspy or made me cough miore than the stuff I used to buy at the despensery. Do you know what i may have done wrong to lose that smell that it had at first very strong but slowly was lost. I used glass jars to cure after being in a card board box in the closet for the 1st part and then glass jars and burping as you suggested. please advise for next time if you know. I really want to get it right so the smoke is mellow-er. Thanks, BB2112!!!

how long did you dry the buds before you put them into jars? This is the part that is the hardest to get just right. If you have a small amount and dry just a day too long, you'll lose that dank smell rather quickly. If you don't dry long enough, you are in danger of mold. You literally need to get the feel for when they're dry only on the outside. Most of the time, lack of smell or an off smell (usually like hay) is because the bud was dried incorrectly.
How many times a day did you burp the jars, and for how long did you leave the lid off? How big were the jars and how much did you have them filled? How long did you keep the buds in the jars? Ideally, even after the buds are dry enough and you no longer have to burp the jars, you should keep them sealed in there for another month or so. You also need to make sure the jars are in a dark cool place since light a heat will cause THC to break down quickly.
Air flow is another factor. Im thinking that since you had the box in a closet that the humidity was too high. I like to put a fan on top of the cardboard box to promote air flow. Drying and curing is all about maintaining proper humidity, ventilation and temperature. It is a difficult balance to master.