Newbie tricome question for pros...

I finally got around to growing, started off with two northern lights auto fem. I keep the light at 18/6hr, 600 viparspectra, I know they say theres better but this was cheap and seems to work out good for me so far... My question is about the tricomes as I cant seem to find anything that is more then just guess work.

I had to be in the hospital for a week and believe I missed when my autos started to develop bud sites, so I wasnt able to mark to exactly when. However, my father who I moved back with was more then happy to do basic watering "ph the water around "6.3 -6.5"... I noticed some sugaring which were the tricomes, bought a celestron digital microscope to help me observe them better, as Ive heard if you want more relaxing you want them to amber some, but not all of them amber... and not to ambered... I know not to look at ambering on pistils, just focus on buds and small sugar leaves. Im just worried if I let them sit to long the thc will start to diminish and possibly the whole plant "plants" could stress out and hermie?

Can anyone please take a look at these and get your opinion if you think these are about ready to harvest or let alone for another week or two?

Thanks in advance for any help...

They look ready, or you could wait until more of the trichomes get cloudy, if you want it to be more sleep-inducing.

NonNom said:

They look ready, or you could wait until more of the trichomes get cloudy, if you want it to be more sleep-inducing.

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I was thinking that, and like to, but was afraid of them hermaphroditing. I just heard how they can hermie if left to long before harvest due to stress...

Still learning...

Thanks for the help!

Kentucky_Thunder said:

I was thinking that, and like to, but was afraid of them hermaphroditing. I just heard how they can hermie if left to long before harvest due to stress...

Still learning...

Thanks for the help!

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Plants dont herm becauae you leave them too long - otherwise all the best bud would be hermed.

Even if it did herm being so close to harvest there aint enough time to make seeds anyway.

Your fine dude

Kingrow1 said:

Plants dont herm becauae you leave them too long - otherwise all the best bud would be hermed.

Even if it did herm being so close to harvest there aint enough time to make seeds anyway.

Your fine dude

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I honeastly never knew this. This was one of this "I heard from a friend" kind of things and never could get a true answer or anything...

I dont take much stock in that "friend"s advice one being he claimed soon as you see your first orange hair "pistil" your about ready to harvest... but Im growing northern lights autos, and to my understanding stay soaked with white and orange pistils, and the tricomes right now should be my main concern. but that same friend said if you leave them to long they hermie, however although hes grown in the past some I dont know how serious and how far he taken this art...

This is my first grown and it taken me about a year to get ready, Im so overly excited about this, it aint funny. I guess Im starting to be a worry wart with my little girls :/ the first year was getting supplies like my tent, light, then hospital stays, but finally there now!

But my other main concern is, northern lights take 8 weeks according to all Ive read, but this is like 9th week now.

Thanks for any and all advice and help

“Im just worried if I let them sit to long the thc will start to diminish and possibly the whole plant "plants" could stress out and hermie?”

Don’t worry, as advised above. And get a digital microscope. You’ve got a lot of money and time wrapped up in this. Spend another $60 on the proper tool to determine trichome readiness. She does not look ready. I see no ambering of trichome heads. As @Kingrow1 said all the best bud goes long. Patience, grasshopper

Father Ramirez said:

“Im just worried if I let them sit to long the thc will start to diminish and possibly the whole plant "plants" could stress out and hermie?”

Don’t worry, as advised above. And get a digital microscope. You’ve got a lot of money and time wrapped up in this. Spend another $60 on the proper tool to determine trichome readiness. She does not look ready. I see no ambering of trichome heads. As @Kingrow1 said all the best bud goes long. Patience, grasshopper

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Actually I got a celestron and its really nice. taking picies with it and zooming in isnt the greatest, so what I do is try and find "sections" on both plants, such as the one on left, start at top and take two photos and theyll be titled in count down when uploading to computer as such "LTF" and "LTP" for left top front and left top back, same for middle then bottom buds, then move on over to the right and do the same thing such as "RTF" "RTB" etc...
Not trying to be a smart ass or trying to act like Im some super grower, Im not, this is my first grow (and not last by far!!!), but wow, I taking this more serious then I thought...

Once uploaded to computer I can zoom in much more clearly and study them. "A little flower before to study aint bad either "


This is an older photo, not long ago, earlier this week actually. I think this does a pretty good job although I know theres a learnign curve to it to use it better which takes some practice, but hey, thats all part of the fun

I cant thank all the gurus for your alls help. Thanks immensely

But whats weird is, I check them in the morning, and looks like ambering has gone away and gone back to milky or even clear? is this normal? Not all the bud sites and not the entire bud, but sections I know were ambering at night, then in morning just doesnt look as lightly toasted?

Maybe you’re the one who is lightly toasted. Never heard of that.
As for using the mic, cut a few tiny piecs off a bud, and place them on a flat, matte black surface (velvet is ideal but any fabric will do) You have two zoom levels. The super close one is difficult to focus. It’s about imposible to take good mic pics on a whole plant

Father Ramirez said:

Maybe you’re the one who is lightly toasted. Never heard of that.
As for using the mic, cut a few tiny piecs off a bud, and place them on a flat, matte black surface (velvet is ideal but any fabric will do) You have two zoom levels. The super close one is difficult to focus. It’s about imposible to take good mic pics on a whole plant

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I was referring to the ambering as lightly toasted, because thats what some of them are looking like, to describe just how ambered they are, not like dark, just kind of light, like toasted looking is all... sorry about the terminology...

Kentucky_Thunder said:

I was referring to the ambering as lightly toasted, because thats what some of them are looking like, to describe just how ambered they are, not like dark, just kind of light, like toasted looking is all... sorry about the terminology...

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Here’s the thing about using any standard as a guide - it’s a little like how do you like your steak? rare, medium or well. And until you have several grows under your belt, you won’t have a frame of reference to gauge by. I like to harvest at multiple stages because that way I have different kind of effect flowers. Clear trichs deliver an uppy clear fun high that doesn’t last long. 100% amber trichs will likely put you to sleep. Make sense?

I believe trichome maturation level has more to do with whether the high is energetic or narcotic than whether it’s indica or sativa. Which, curiously, are both incorrectly named, but everyone calls them that so, ok, I’ll play along. See a post by @PJ Diaz if you want that real story according to Robert Clarke

Your friend is part right but its not to cut early to avoid and well grown plants rarely suffer herms. Just whatever happens happens and first grow.... after ten to twenty you wont care that much the small stuff.

Forget trichs just harvest when buds look done the first few grows and plants will take longer a lot when not perfect its no big deal, some wont finish well but get as best and close you can.

I write a lot on how to dry bud when you get that far bit atm if the bud is maturing along just try to get it latr harvest or as close to sll pistils brown and withered and all calyxs swollen as a general guide. I fucked up a lot learning but ots all valuable experience and part of learning a hobby

Kentucky_Thunder said:

I honeastly never knew this. This was one of this "I heard from a friend" kind of things and never could get a true answer or anything...

I dont take much stock in that "friend"s advice one being he claimed soon as you see your first orange hair "pistil" your about ready to harvest... but Im growing northern lights autos, and to my understanding stay soaked with white and orange pistils, and the tricomes right now should be my main concern. but that same friend said if you leave them to long they hermie, however although hes grown in the past some I dont know how serious and how far he taken this art...

This is my first grown and it taken me about a year to get ready, Im so overly excited about this, it aint funny. I guess Im starting to be a worry wart with my little girls :/ the first year was getting supplies like my tent, light, then hospital stays, but finally there now!

But my other main concern is, northern lights take 8 weeks according to all Ive read, but this is like 9th week now.

Thanks for any and all advice and help

Click to expand...