Roseman's DIY Bubbleponics Tutorial

[LBCroll]

For those of you that have bought into the Hallmark Holiday routine, or those of you that just believe in pure Karma, I'd suggest adding Roseman to your Christmas Blunt list. Either way, Rose is a guy that puts out some serious knowledge, and has taken a large amount of time and consideration in providing readily available grow intelligence. Hey, the man even took the time to index important topics... This takes quite some time. Those too lazy to read should learn to use the advanced search features provided by RIU. Outside of all that, Roseman, Keep on Growin! You Are the man!

 

[socialsmoker]

For those of you that have bought into the Hallmark Holiday routine, or those of you that just believe in pure Karma, I'd suggest adding Roseman to your Christmas Blunt list. Either way, Rose is a guy that puts out some serious knowledge, and has taken a large amount of time and consideration in providing readily available grow intelligence. Hey, the man even took the time to index important topics... This takes quite some time. Those too lazy to read should learn to use the advanced search features provided by RIU. Outside of all that, Roseman, Keep on Growin! You Are the man!

i agree 100% thanks roseman five stars

 

[Roseman]

This is a discussion of HARVEST TIME of Indica, Hydropnically grown indoors. Sativa is much different.

From experience of growing this strain many times, I know more than 8 weeks and less than 9 weeks of Flowering will be a great time to harvest my Indica as well as most other Indicas.
But what if I did not know that?

In the old days of growing outdoors, we harvested when the weather man told us the first frost was coming. What we were really doing is harvesting when the plant and buds became MATURE. But how do you determine that? How do you know the buds are ripe? How do you actually determine the right time to harvest?

Many growers say go by the calendar and count the weeks of 12/12. That will work fine, but it is not an exact science.

And then there are those that harvest by the color of the hairs, or pistals. For the first 7 or 8 weeks, we see white pistals. Then, just overnight, we see a darkening of them, a reddening, or some say a browning of the hairs. They do change from white to red to a very dark near brownish red color. Many growers harvest by waiting until the majority of the pistals turn about 75% red, and then they harvest. That will work too, although still not very scientific.

The most scientific logical practical time to harvest is determined by the trichome color.
Trichomes (the trichs) are what we used to call the "crystals" or "diamonds" or "sparkles" that we see on the trim leaves very near the buds. In Europe, they are called the resin glands.
Trichomes are very sticky, almost like fresh model airplane glue. They stand tall, looking like a phallic symbol. Some have large heads like a tall skinny muchroom, and some do not. Some appear like a golf ball sitting on a T.
Let me show you a few pics of trichs taken with a microscope.

Here are some trichome close-ups, still on the bud:

Other than the Trichome color and counting the weeks in 12/12, you should also determine harvest time by

When the Calyxes are fat and plump, looking like they contain seeds.

When about 80% of the pistils have turned reddish brown.

When the new pistil development has come to a crawl suggesting the plant is at the end of its life cycle.



Why does the plant have trichomes?

Trichomes are on the plant's flowers to deter insects.

They are there to hold moisture in, to collect humidity, and to warm the plant from the cold.
(Chill the plant to increase the trichomes)

Trichomes are there on the flowers and young trim leaves to prevent mold and fungus.

Trichomes are supposed to taste bad to animals, although most cats loves them.

And best of all, Trichomes are where the THC is stored and concentrated.

 

[Roseman]

This is the most popular trichome chart available for determinging Harvest time.

You can easily tell by the chart, that you do not want to harvest while the trichs are still clear.

Trichomes begin CLEAR, then get CLOUDY or MILKY, then they get AMBER colored.

When the trichs are the color of male semen, a milky cloudy color, the buds will give a HEAD HIGH, similar to a HASH High.

When the trichs are the color of Heineken Light Beer, or what we jokingly call BUD LIGHT , the High will be a couch lock high, a sleepy high, or a numb high, the one most desired for medical reasons.

And when the trichs are half and half, the High is both half heady and half body high too.

 

[Roseman]

So how do you look at the trichs up close?

I spoke to a grower today who uses a telescope turned upside down to look at them. Some growers use a large magnifying glass.

Then there are jewelers loupes

and loupes used to look at 35 mm film slides.

Radio Shack has a small battery operated lighted microscope for about $13 to $14 that can be found on the Internet for about $8 or $9.

With the smaller microscope, it is easy to cut a sample of a trim leaf off, and take it to the kitchen table, holding it with tweezers, laying it on a white dinner plate to examine it.

 

[Roseman]

I have many pistals in the inbetween stage or color, that are not white, but not red yet either.
I looked at my trichs for the first time today, and they are all clear, with just a very few cloudy ones to be found. Experience tells me I have a week to two weeks remaining.

I will look at them everyday until I find the most of them AMBER and CLOUDY BOTH. Then it is SCISSOR TIME!

 

[Roseman]

IF you are a week or two weeks from Harvesting, go back to page 53, and read SUPER CROPPING, And INCREASING TRICHS AND YIELD.

The last two weeks is the time to chill that grow room as cold as you can get it.

 

[tilemaster]

I guess winter time is an ideal time to get that finishing chilly effect in the OP...

 

[Uncle Ben]

Excellent thread Roseman. I use a 5X eye mount loupe that jewelers use, but only use the trichome color as one criteria of when to harvest. A few points - harvesting is a race against time. The earliest produced trichomes will also be the ones where THC is degraded into CBN and other crap, so, my thoughts.

I harvest when:

1. Calyxes are fat and plump, looking like they contain seeds,

2. About 80% of the pistils have turned brown, resin heads are cloudy with some ambers thrown in here and thar,

3. New pistil development has come to a crawl suggesting the plant is at the end of its life cycle,

4. Harvest as the buds "ripen", like apples on a tree. IOW, take out the bulked up colas and put what's left of the plant back under the lights to bulk up the lower airy buds. Makes a nice difference in yields.

Ben

 

[Mr. Homegrown]

4. Harvest as the buds "ripen", like apples on a tree. IOW, take out the bulked up colas and put what's left of the plant back under the lights to bulk up the lower airy buds. Makes a nice difference in yields.

Ben

Nice tip! I'm going to try this. + Rep for you

 

[Lt Shiny Sides]

4. Harvest as the buds "ripen", like apples on a tree. IOW, take out the bulked up colas and put what's left of the plant back under the lights to bulk up the lower airy buds. Makes a nice difference in yields.

Ben

That makes sense, but how long does the plant take to recover from the shock of the first harvest? Won't it be at least 2 weeks before the lower buds develop any more?

 

[Roseman]

Excellent thread Roseman. I use a 5X eye mount loupe that jewelers use, but only use the trichome color as one criteria of when to harvest. A few points - harvesting is a race against time. The earliest produced trichomes will also be the ones where THC is degraded into CBN and other crap, so, my thoughts.

I harvest when:

1. Calyxes are fat and plump, looking like they contain seeds,

2. About 80% of the pistils have turned brown, resin heads are cloudy with some ambers thrown in here and thar,

3. New pistil development has come to a crawl suggesting the plant is at the end of its life cycle,

4. Harvest as the buds "ripen", like apples on a tree. IOW, take out the bulked up colas and put what's left of the plant back under the lights to bulk up the lower airy buds. Makes a nice difference in yields.

Ben

Thanks Ben, I am going back and add some of that to what I already psoted.

 

[Jesus Moosh]

suscribed brilliant thread following it down to a t

 

[RPsmoke420]

That makes sense, but how long does the plant take to recover from the shock of the first harvest? Won't it be at least 2 weeks before the lower buds develop any more?

You got it. Figure two weeks to recover from shock, two more weeks for any worth while growth. That's 4 weeks to get some extra yield

Uncle Ben - how long do you put em back under lights for after the first chop? I was debating doing this on my current couple plants.

 

[Yanaco2]

just speant 3 days reading this very imformative as im just about to start a dwc grow!!!!!!!!!!!! Cant wait to see the bountiful harvest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good luck

 

[Uncle Ben]

Uncle Ben - how long do you put em back under lights for after the first chop?

What can I say other than "until they're done."

 

[Roseman]

I attempted a Partial Harvest two years ago, and I was not satisfied with the results.

I harvested the top third of 6 plants, leaving the lower 2/3s. I stayed on BLOOM nutes and maybe I should have switched back to VEG nutes, but I only wanted my popcorn buds and smaller buds to mature.
I harvested the top 1/3 larger colas on a Saturday and two weeks later, on a Saturday, NOTHING had changed. NOTHING. They stayed in SHOCK for two full weeks. They barely drank half as much as previously. I waited two more weeks and very few buds got any larger. None of the popcorn buds showed any increase in size. I could have spent that 4 weeks on a full new grow. I lost patience after 4 weeks and took them. I feel it was a wasted 4 weeks.

 

[Uncle Ben]

That makes sense, but how long does the plant take to recover from the shock of the first harvest? Won't it be at least 2 weeks before the lower buds develop any more?

Not sure what you mean by "shock". Harvesting doesn't shock a plant whether it's cannabis or grapes. The plant continues to ripen the last flowers "to bloom" and will bulk up lower buds in about 2 weeks. If you can't wait, then don't ever try to grow a sativa indoors.

Of course if you butcher your plants by flushing or abusing bloom foods which induces premature fan leaf drop, you won't gain much from this drill.

C99:

First:

Second:

Results:

 

[Uncle Ben]

I attempted a Partial Harvest two years ago, and I was not satisfied with the results.

I harvested the top third of 6 plants, leaving the lower 2/3s. I stayed on BLOOM nutes.....

Gotta take care of the leaves amigo.

 

[HookedOnChronic]

what does that pic prove? u harvested half the plant and waited on the other half for??????? a bucket of tiny buds?
just trying to find out the point of those 3 pics? the buds look just as small as before