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Im on my 3rd grow, and ive never used a microscope to see the trichromes so i know when to chop.
is this an important tool? as i just go by how long the strain says to flower for, and when i see some hairs start to brown, i start to flush until most hairs are brown and then chop!!!


is this ok to do and is this what most experienced growers do?

microscopes do help to give ya an idea of where your at.it will be able to show you the trichs colors.If you see about 50% Of trichs amber,your in the harvest window.I have also just waited for about 50% of the pistils to turn brown and then harvest.Sometimes a plant may take an extra week or 2 before being ready due to stress it may have endured from too much nutes,temps.bugs,ligting.etc.

Hi Smoka,

I use a microscope because I like to harvest just as the trichs are turning milky, get a high compared to a stone. This is a cheap one like I had first http://www.starmagic.com/PenTelescope-8x-Micro-30x.html a bit tricky to use but its good enough to see the trichs, if you have a laptop or your computer is near enough to your grow check this one out http://www.asseenontv.ie/products/Tech_Gadgets/Digital_USB_Microscope.html its the one I use now and I recommend it

Those that have grown for years can usually tell by eye, but the rest of us are better off magnifying our trichs. Keep in mind, if we harvest too early, the bud never reaches potential. If the bud is producing a few grams of resin a day, the last thing we want to do is chop in the middle of that. It would be similar to blasphemy.

I use a jewelers loupe.

I did buy a microscope and it arrived today. The pic below is just a few hours old.

View attachment 1224360

You can get closer than this. I cant wait to see her trichs through this though.