How close?

Thanks

Bsr045 said:

Thanks View attachment 4325860

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Couple of weeks I’d say

Need to see the whole buds/plant to get the best idea what point you are at. IF you are checking trichomes make sure to check the whole plant, not just the to bud.

I know I said whole plant. I asked for that. What I actually want to see is the buds, but not a zoomed in close up of the buds. A wider view so we can see the whole bud area . Right off the bat is doesn't seem to have a ton of new growth and white stigma so thats a good start. From this distance its hard to see the bracts(calyxs) accurately, but you want to ideally let those swell up so they look plump. Thats when the trichomes will also be finishing up ripening.

Thundercat said:

I know I said whole plant. I asked for that. What I actually want to see is the buds, but not a zoomed in close up of the buds. A wider view so we can see the whole bud area . Right off the bat is doesn't seem to have a ton of new growth and white stigma so thats a good start. From this distance its hard to see the bracts(calyxs) accurately, but you want to ideally let those swell up so they look plump. Thats when the trichomes will also be finishing up ripening.

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Thanks for the help! Better pics 6

So it looke like its to the point the bracts are swelling. They are starting to look pudgy . I would guess that in 7-10 days it might be about perfect. Thats when I would start looking at trichomes if you want to.

If it's my plant, I'll cut it down.

3rd picture, I wont be surprise if those upper calyxes are covered with trichomes starting to amber or has plenty of amber. Verify it with a loupe

I learned years ago it is very easy to harvest early, but VERY hard to over ripen a plant. I have NeVER seen someone accidentally over ripen a plant. It's takes multiple weeks of ignoring your plants for that to happen.

Pulling it now would definitely leave potential on the table. The best smoke comes from fully ripened buds on healthy plants .

Thundercat said:

I learned years ago it is very easy to harvest early, but VERY hard to over ripen a plant. I have NeVER seen someone accidentally over ripen a plant. It's takes multiple weeks of ignoring your plants for that to happen.

Pulling it now would definitely leave potential on the table. The best smoke comes from fully ripened buds on healthy plants .

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In a sense I agree, but lots of amber buds is not my thing. Even the original close up pic the OP posted last Tuesday is full of ambering trichomes already.

Here's an enhancement of that pic and this was last Tuesday.

I counted about 15 ambers in that first picture that didn't have the color fucked with, and lots of clear. Those 15 ambers are more likely from getting touched or damaged then from actual maturity. Its also really important to consider the whole plant, not just the very top cola, which is why some guys harvest in stages.

I cant speak for the OP but all I can say is for the OP to confirm it with at least a 60x loupe.

When it comes to pictures, I learned too, that you cant trust pictures even shots from USB microscopes of low magnification. From my experience, bright light, flash, and white light from USB microscope can hide ripe trichomes. Thus I developed that techinique of enhancing pictures through the process of removing luminosity.....at the very least it tells me where to look for ripe trichomes.

Case in point...

This is a 9 week Strawberry Banana



From the picture you can't tell how mature are the trichomes.

In fact here's a shot from USB microscope



Now that's a pretty darn close shot of trichomes. If we look at this picture, seems no amber at all, in fact, looks like we got a bunch of clear trichomes. Seems like I harvested this too early and could use another 2 weeks maybe?

Enhanced picture (luminosity removed)


Suddenly we see areas of ripe trichomes, including trichomes in the background.

Is this for real?

I've verified this with a 60x loupe (which I hate using)…. ripe trichomes are all over the place. Unfortunately I don't have pictures for the 60x loupe.

But here's some 250x shots from USB microscope






I could go on and on with shots like this. In fact I should have harvested this plant AT 8 weeks.

So...I wonder what would happen if this plant is left for another 2 weeks. I've been relying on that lower magnification microscope to show me mature trichomes for too long, didn't realize that it doesn't show what's really happening with the trichomes.

On a side note....the 60x loupe is more accurate to get a general picture of maturity. I just hate the damn thing.


Back to the OP plant.... I stand by my opinion that if it is my plant ….I'll cut it down. It would be nice if the OP can verify the maturity with a loupe.

Thundercat said:

but VERY hard to over ripen a plant. I have NeVER seen someone accidentally over ripen a plant. It's takes multiple weeks of ignoring your plants for that to happen.

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I disagree with this statement too. I say it depends on the strain. I've seen strain that seems to stay cloudy forever and strain that is covered with amber if left for too long...so it's strain dependent

Xs121 said:

I cant speak for the OP but all I can say is for the OP to confirm it with at least a 60x loupe.


I disagree with this statement too. I say it depends on the strain. I've seen strain that seems to stay cloudy forever and strain that is covered with amber if left for too long...so it's strain dependent

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Strains definitely mature differently that is no doubt. Most follow pretty typical patterns though. I found years ago that focusing just on trichomes makes you miss out on yield and quality that the plant has to offer. I don't know how long that 9 week plant was drying before you took the picture, but it definitely doesn't look like your bracts were swollen.

Amber trichomes are part of the ripening process. I would much rather have 20-30 percent amber then 20-30 % clear. The THC doesn't instantly become CBN, its a slow degrading process in most cases.