First Time Grow - UPDATE!

Original Thread - https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/450010-first-time-grow.html

UPDATE

Took the advice given in previous posts on my previous thread, put them in to larger pots kept watering them etc and this is where i am today (06/10/11)...








Once again just looking for some general advice on what i should do at this stage. As i explained in my previous post, this is a first grow for me so am grateful for any tips.

Plants have been in for 4 months now, am trying to leave them as long as possible to get the best/ most from the plants as i am in no particular rush for it. I have cut one bud and smoked it and it was ok but not great, could taste a lot of the 'plant' itself (hard to describe) which may of been because i didn't do a great job of drying it. But it did taste as though maybe i had picked too early, but am unsure as they have been growing for some time now. The leaves have changed to light green color or are dieing and am a bit concerned by some 'brown' patches on the one of the plants (last pic is best example of this). Should i cut now or leave for longer?

Thanks in advance for any help

I wouldn't chop early unless the buds are at risk. Buds also need to be properly cured before you start to get any sort of flavor out of them (this can take a few weeks). I can't stand the taste of buds that haven't been cured. As the plant gets closer to harvest it will start to use up nutes in leaves and they will brown and drop off, usually starting at the bottom and working up. This is normal, just keep an eye on how fast it happens. If leaves are dropping quickly it might need a feeding. If you flush before harvest, leaves can fall kinda quickly. Watch the trichomes for them to get cloudy then amber, this will let you know when you should harvest.

yea keep the nutes flowing up until a week or 2 before harvest, they still got some time left on them.

that brown patch, is it dry (deficiency) or moist (rot)?

its normal to see deficiencies during flowering, bloom nutes lack nitrogen (causing yellowing of leaves) and the plants use a lot of micro nutes to form buds, as well as sugars.
Id suggest a weak mix of everything, obviously heavy on the P and K, but dont neglect a lil nitrogen too. I use 1/4th veg nutes, and 3/4 bloom nutes during flowering, to make sure all nutrients all still present. dont forget micro nutrients (calcium, copper, iron, molybdenum, magnesium, manganse sulfur) even tho they are needed in trace amounts, they are still needed

Yeah don't panic. The plant DOES die after producing flowers, such was evolutions choice for the Mary Jane. So you will see some browning and probably bad leaves from bottom up I imagine.

Let those buds get a little bigger. Lose the nutes maybe in a week, go a couple more days and then cut.

But those are damn awesome plants dude, I wanna visit.