And yet another NOOB asking for advice...

First Grow Ever...
Be Gentle...

I didn't want to post anything about this first grow until it was complete, BUT, here we are.
Thanks go out to @Dr.Amber Trichome and @Laughing Grass for their help along the way.
The essentials:
5X5 tent
650 watts (at the wall) of LED. 200 of 3500K and 450 of 5000K
E & F system in a 2.5 X 4.5 SCROG format.
Strain is Cookies and Kush CDB, from Seedman.

I have read a lot on when to harvest, and that is well and good, but until you've done it, one still feels a bit lost.
These two plants were started from seed 110 days ago, vegged for 60 days, and have been in 12/12 for 50 days.
The breeders says 60-65 days, and I've read enough to know you can't go by that.

This is where I currently stand:

They seem to be continuing to throw out new white pistols


Especially on the buds below the main canopy.


Some closeups on the buds.


But then I got out the digital scope. Yep, first time using one.


And all that did was confuse me...

I do not believe I am at the point of harvest.
My current thought is to wait 10 more day, that will be 60 from flip, and re-evaluate.

I post this with the hope that those with more experience that I, will be so kind as to offer their opinions as to how they feel I should proceed from here.

Just a NOOB looking for a hand, Thanks!
WillieP

Congrats WillieP on your first grow! Looks great! Nice pictures of the plants and trichomes. That helps in figuring harvest time.
It's your grow, you can pull when you want. . . . If it were my grow, I would wait 2 weeks. Buds gain more weight and terpenes toward the end of their life. What I look for is all of the trichomes to be a milky white color (not clear). Some of the trichomes will turn amber and lose their heads, that's ok, as long as its not the majority of them. Also 80% of the hairs turn brown, and the buds should have a soft swollen feel to them. Peak potency lasts a week or so, and it ok to pull anywhere in that time. You could try to harvest one plant when you think it's ready, then harvest another a week later, and another a week later. It's your first grow, it would be a great way to hone your harvest timing skills without cutting the whole harvest too soon, or too late.
Best of luck!
Dank777

I take small buds from the plant at different intervals. I cure them, and when they are ready I sample them. The ones I like the best are the ones that tell me when I should harvest the plant next time.

Some Sativa strains will stay clear forever and keep throwing white hairs.

DANK777 said:

Congrats WillieP on your first grow! Looks great! Nice pictures of the plants and trichomes. That helps in figuring harvest time.
It's your grow, you can pull when you want. . . . If it were my grow, I would wait 2 weeks. Buds gain more weight and terpenes toward the end of their life. What I look for is all of the trichomes to be a milky white color (not clear). Some of the trichomes will turn amber and lose their heads, that's ok, as long as its not the majority of them. Also 80% of the hairs turn brown, and the buds should have a soft swollen feel to them. Peak potency lasts a week or so, and it ok to pull anywhere in that time. You could try to harvest one plant when you think it's ready, then harvest another a week later, and another a week later. It's your first grow, it would be a great way to hone your harvest timing skills without cutting the whole harvest too soon, or too late.
Best of luck!
Dank777

Click to expand...

Dank,
Thanks for the reply.
I like your suggestion, but in this case, there are only two plants.
I'm considering taking the main cola's when I think they are ready, and then letting the lower stuff go a bit longer. Any thoughts on that strategy?

Cheers,
WillieP.

Looking good but not ready IMO. I'd keep watching for the white pistils to turn brown and shrivel into the buds. The calyxes will swell and the buds may start leaning from weight. Nice trich photos, just make sure you inspect trichomes on the calyx. Trichs on leaves mature early.

Mohican said:

I take small buds from the plant at different intervals. I cure them, and when they are ready I sample them. The ones I like the best are the ones that tell me when I should harvest the plant next time.

Some Sativa strains will stay clear forever and keep throwing white hairs.

Click to expand...

Mo,
Thank you as well for your reply.
Good info on some Sativa strains staying clear, I did not know that. Thanks
In this situation, I have started seeds of two different strain for my next grow.
What is your opinion on a staggered harvest? Taking the top buds first and letting the lower stuff go a bit longer?

Killer work you have done on the Frenchy Hash thread by the way. MUCH RESPECT!!

Cheers,
WillieP

SheeshM said:

Looking good but not ready IMO. I'd keep watching for the white pistils to turn brown and shrivel into the buds. The calyxes will swell and the buds may start leaning from weight. Nice trich photos, just make sure you inspect trichomes on the calyx. Trichs on leaves mature early.

Click to expand...

SheeshM,
Thanks. I appreciate your reply.
I did know not to watch the trichs on the sugar leaves, but thank for the tip anyway!
Cheers,
WillieP

WillieP said:

Dank,
Thanks for the reply.
I like your suggestion, but in this case, there are only two plants.
I'm considering taking the main cola's when I think they are ready, and then letting the lower stuff go a bit longer. Any thoughts on that strategy?

Cheers,
WillieP.

Click to expand...

WillieP with 2 plants that's a great idea. Take the tops that are ready and let the bottom buds develop and ripen more. Great job!
Dank777

So it's been a bit, so I thought I would update how this is going.
One down, one to go...



These were both the same strain, although you could see differences in them.
I reached out to a friend, and he recommended that I wait for more amber on the second plant.
I liked this idea, as it will give me a chance to experience the differences of harvesting at different stages.






Hoping for the best. First grow...first harvest.
Cheers,
WillieP
@Laughing Grass @Dr.Amber Trichome

Congratulations Willie!

You made it and now you know how much trimming sucks! There's nothing like the satisfaction of getting high on weed you grew yourself. Can we see some glam shots of the buds that you harvested?

I 100% agree with your friend. Going by the trichomes that second plant isn't ready to come down yet.

Nice job Willie. Yeah I would also wait for amber Trichomes .

Looks good.

Laughing Grass said:

Can we see some glam shots of the buds that you harvested?

Click to expand...

As per your request, (I'm not sure these qualify as glam shots).



Trimming the first plant wasn't bad.
(I think it's the same as getting to mow the yard the first time) I'll bet the fun wears off pretty stinking fast. LOL

Wow that's a nice haul from one plant and your buds look great! I wish the buds from my first grow looked that nice. What's your final weight?

I love the paperbag curing method too. @Dr.Amber Trichome got me on that. I did it with like a dozen lunch bags my first time which was a pain in the ass. I used a yard waste bag last time. Have you had a chance to taste it yet?

Trimming sucks! Your first grow it's not bad for people like us with low plant counts. Second grow you forget how much it sucked... by the third grow you just dread having to do it. It would be nice if there was a service where you could drop off your untrimmed plants and pick up nicely manicured buds ready to smoke a few weeks later.

Enjoy your smoke!

Laughing Grass said:

Wow that's a nice haul from one plant and your buds look great! I wish the buds from my first grow looked that nice. What's your final weight?

I love the paperbag curing method too. @Dr.Amber Trichome got me on that. I did it with like a dozen lunch bags my first time which was a pain in the ass. I used a yard waste bag last time. Have you had a chance to taste it yet?

Trimming sucks! Your first grow it's not bad for people like us with low plant counts. Second grow you forget how much it sucked... by the third grow you just dread having to do it. It would be nice if there was a service where you could drop off your untrimmed plants and pick up nicely manicured buds ready to smoke a few weeks later.

Enjoy your smoke!

Click to expand...

LG
It’s legal up there. Maybe you’ve got a million dollar idea there. Drop off trimming.
Drying has been an experience, I of course have read all about it, but that’s different than doing.
I have not tried it yet, but plan to soon.
I know it will be a little green, but it should give me an idea of the type of high it will provide. It’s to be a high THC and high CBD strain, which I‘ve never had before.
Thanks for your kind words!
WillieP

PS haven’t weighed it yet, waiting till the moisture is stabilized.

Looks good Willie, congrats! I used the paper bag method last grow for the first time and I found it fairly easy to control. I had lots of bags, like LG, but it worked well.

Hey all,
I lump everything together and weighed it.
167.5 grams, just under 6 oz. plus another 62 grams, just over 2 oz. of trim and popcorn.


Still waiting on taking down the second plant. (I think I jumped the gun on the first one, NOOB mistake)
(But it will be interesting to see the difference in the smoke...)
However I did ask a friend to try it and give a smoke report. He is a lifetime smoker, and much more knowledgeable in the topic than I.
His last remark was "Overall evaluation, dispensary quality smoke". That may not be considered a compliment to some, but in this case it was intended to be, he had recently purchased off the street, and said it was the worst smoke he had consumed since the 80's. By comparison, he was impressed with the quality of the high.
I have not vaped any yet myself, but we did try canna-fudge last night. It had a nice overall effect. We were cautious the first try and will increase the dose next time.

Second plant. Still standing...



Cheers,
WillieP

WillieP said:

Hey all,
I lump everything together and weighed it.
167.5 grams, just under 6 oz. plus another 62 grams, just over 2 oz. of trim and popcorn.
View attachment 4560068 View attachment 4560070

Still waiting on taking down the second plant. (I think I jumped the gun on the first one, NOOB mistake)
(But it will be interesting to see the difference in the smoke...)
However I did ask a friend to try it and give a smoke report. He is a lifetime smoker, and much more knowledgeable in the topic than I.
His last remark was "Overall evaluation, dispensary quality smoke". That may not be considered a compliment to some, but in this case it was intended to be, he had recently purchased off the street, and said it was the worst smoke he had consumed since the 80's. By comparison, he was impressed with the quality of the high.
I have not vaped any yet myself, but we did try canna-fudge last night. It had a nice overall effect. We were cautious the first try and will increase the dose next time.

Second plant. Still standing...

View attachment 4560071 View attachment 4560072 View attachment 4560073

Cheers,
WillieP

Click to expand...

That's from one plant? Nice! The waiting is the hardest part, but it's so worth it! At least you have some smoke so you can let that second one go until it's done. That's a pretty nice compliment and it's only going to get better with age. Did you make the fudge yourself from your trim?

Laughing Grass said:

That's from one plant? Nice! The waiting is the hardest part, but it's so worth it! At least you have some smoke so you can let that second one go until it's done. That's a pretty nice compliment and it's only going to get better with age. Did you make the fudge yourself from your trim?

Click to expand...

Hey LG,
Yeppers, one plant.
After observing the second plant for the last week, I can definitely say that I chopped the first to soon. Lesson learned. The second plant's buds are really beefing up, I plan on chopping her the weekend.
Yes, made cannabutter with some fresh trim, and then used it for the fudge. Super simple. The Mrs. is at a 2 piece dose, 1 to 1 1\2 hours before bed. Seem to help her relax and sleep better. Working well so far.
I just ordered the items needed to make gummies, not gonna lie, pretty excited about that.

WillieP

So I’m of the opinion that my second plant will be ready this weekend.
This is a 60-65 day strain, (I know that doesn’t mean much) I took the first plant at day 67 (to early).
Saturday would be day 77 from flip.
I can see a notable difference between then and now.
I’m asking for input...If it was yours, would you chop at 77, or wait some more???


Thanks for your help!
WillieP

@Dr.Amber Trichome
@Laughing Grass