Hi all, this is a super lemon haze 58 days since switched her to 12/12. The breeder says its a 10 weeker so based on this it still has 2 weeks left. Playing around with my camera to see if i can see read trichomes i took these shots. Let me know what do you think and please explain me some things that will help me understand when a plant is ready to harvest. Thank you all! Here are 3 photos of the same bud zoomed in.
I need some opinions to understand
- Thread starter savvas
- Start date
higher self
Well-Known Member
Nice buds!! I say another month not two wks. Still a few white hairs & the red hairs could recced into the buds a bit more. You can pull sativas early for bit more racy effects but imo harvesting too early makes the effects short lived. With sativas you cant go wrong by letting them go longer than expected. They will bulk up again, maybe even foxtail a bit.
Wow didnt expect to hear this at all. I had patients told me that the weed was not holding much time after the smoke and that put me in a stress mode. Now it make sense.
I would want all the white hairs to turn red and most of them become shorter right? Is this only what i want to see?
In the zoomed photo there are amber trichomes, are those because of the light?
What exactly is the spot to look on the bud to read them? The swollen calyx is a good place?
After higher self put me in thought, searching in the forum i found this answer, for anyone who is a noob like me, to help understand the science of when to harvest:
Thundercat said:
The signs of ripeness are pretty standard for cannabis plants.
First a few of the pistils begin turning color and start receding. Your plant is just starting to ripen. Depending on the strain you could still have two months to go. We're just starting this journey.
Two to four weeks later you'll notice that most of the pistils(>80%) have now changed color and curled back into the bud. It's frosty, way bigger than it was a few weeks ago(aren't you glad you waited), and smells dank! It's time, right? Not a chance killer. Patience is a virtue.
Over the next 2-3 weeks it doesn't look much different, maybe a little more swelling in the calyxes, and the rest of the pistils change over, but the stems are starting to bend under the weight of the buds. These ladies are putting on weight internally by adding density and now the buds are doing their final ripening.
Now you begin looking at trichomes, on the calyx, not the leaves, and harvest according to your preference. When looking at trichomes it’s essential to look at them from the side. The bulbous heads can magnify the opaque stalk under it giving a false cloudy appearance. Looking from the side allows you to more accurately see the condition of the resin in the trichome head.
There is still no rush to harvest, the window just opened, and you have several weeks before you MIGHT start having to think about it possibly beginning to get too ripe. It takes WEEKS for plants to mature not days.
It is very easy to harvest a plant to early. It is very hard to harvest a plant to late. I’ve never seen someone accidentally wait too long.
Thundercat said:
The signs of ripeness are pretty standard for cannabis plants.
First a few of the pistils begin turning color and start receding. Your plant is just starting to ripen. Depending on the strain you could still have two months to go. We're just starting this journey.
Two to four weeks later you'll notice that most of the pistils(>80%) have now changed color and curled back into the bud. It's frosty, way bigger than it was a few weeks ago(aren't you glad you waited), and smells dank! It's time, right? Not a chance killer. Patience is a virtue.
Over the next 2-3 weeks it doesn't look much different, maybe a little more swelling in the calyxes, and the rest of the pistils change over, but the stems are starting to bend under the weight of the buds. These ladies are putting on weight internally by adding density and now the buds are doing their final ripening.
Now you begin looking at trichomes, on the calyx, not the leaves, and harvest according to your preference. When looking at trichomes it’s essential to look at them from the side. The bulbous heads can magnify the opaque stalk under it giving a false cloudy appearance. Looking from the side allows you to more accurately see the condition of the resin in the trichome head.
There is still no rush to harvest, the window just opened, and you have several weeks before you MIGHT start having to think about it possibly beginning to get too ripe. It takes WEEKS for plants to mature not days.
It is very easy to harvest a plant to early. It is very hard to harvest a plant to late. I’ve never seen someone accidentally wait too long.
higher self
Well-Known Member
Thundercat is spot on with the harvesting info, in a nutshell it's easier to pull too early & harder to harvest too late. It's one of those you can just tell its done kinda things & that comes from not harvesting early. With patience you will eventually develop an eye for ripeness. I usually grow my new strains more than once, so on the 2nd run I let them go longer than the 1st grow. It's not like I'm short on smoke nor do I run a commercial grow so why not let them ripen up longer.
That said I dont really check trichome heads much anymore, it's not the deciding factor if plants are done or not. Could be amber at the top & cloudy to clear in lower buds or vice versa. The only thing I use my jewelers loop for now is to check for male or female on my early vegging plants.
Herb & Suds
Well-Known Member
I had a great cut of SLH for a minute
A true 12 weeker
Not particularly potent but taste was amazing if you like haze
A true 12 weeker
Not particularly potent but taste was amazing if you like haze