Is this lady ready to harvest? (pics!)

I have been growing this thing since early October. For vegging, I used a 26W CFL @6500K. For the bloom phase, I used 40W CFL @ 2500K and a little 13W CFL desklight @ 9500K or some shit. No nutes, just miracle gro "moisture control" soil and whatever was in it. IIRC, I started flowering sometime the first week of January. It should be harvest time, but I'm not quite sure if she's ready. I doubt it's supposed to take this long, unless this bagseed plant is almost pure sativa.

I cut off a nice bud near the cola and let it dry overnight over my computer exhaust fan. In the end, it was not that much better than the buds I sampled weeks ago, WTF?? It got me high, but I didn't get the usual 'rush' when I first smoke and the whole high was mild at best. Then again, I am comparing this bud to the high end sours I usually pick up. I really hoped the stuff off this plant would at least be somewhat close to that.

I just don't get it. Is the bud still not ripe enough, or is it the drying method? This was not a harsh microwave/toaster oven quick dry either, it took at least 12 hours. I know that a traditional dry and cure will make it look and taste better, but will the potency really improve that much? I hope this isn't just some weak ass strain that only looks good.

Anyway, here are the latest pics:



If these pics are accurate, then most of the trichs are cloudy and some are starting to turn amber. With that level of amberness, shouldn't I get a nice high even though the bud wasn't fully cured?

Now for a few pics of the dried bud:



Notice the clusters of amber trichs, or at least that's what it looks like. Damn, I wish I had that scope right about now . Someone has to be able to tell what is going on by looking at all these pics.

how long have you been flowering and what ratio are your trichs cloudy-amber

Holy william shatner

No fertz is your first problem. Your plants need alot more then just water and soil to produce maximum results. Lighting is also very important sounds like you don't have enough lighting.

Axelbro said:

how long have you been flowering and what ratio are your trichs cloudy-amber

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I'm not quite sure of either, actually. I'm pretty sure I started flowering in January, so this would be the 11th or 12th week .

As for the trichs, I was kinda hopin you could tell me. I don't have a scope nor can I get one soon, so I have to go by those macros. To me, it looks like 70% cloudy, 20% amber, 10% clear. This is my first grow so I'm probably wrong.

No fertz is your first problem. Your plants need alot more then just water and soil to produce maximum results. Lighting is also very important sounds like you don't have enough lighting.

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Hahah trust me, I know. The temps were too cold, she didn't always get complete darkness, the CO2 level in the room is dismal at best, etc. The lighting wasn't just insufficient, it was laughable. I honestly have no idea how I got this far, other than just taking care of her as best I could on my limited resources.

Oh and you should let them dry for 2 weeks. then put them in a jar open 4 times a day for 2 weeks you will have killer bud! true cure takes months though! You spent all the time to grow this now cure it right or you just waisted all your efforts for some grassy tasting shiznit. Oh and flush your plant w h20 real good before harvest.

another is it looks like it is lacking phosphorus BAD!!! next time I would use different soil and add nutes. especially nuts with lots of Phosphorus. good luck

your not useing nearly enough lights. u need min 100 actual watts to veg,and for flower the more the better.good luck

carter651 said:

another is it looks like it is lacking phosphorus BAD!!! next time I would use different soil and add nutes. especially nuts with lots of Phosphorus. good luck

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Thanks bro. What exactly did you see that made you think P deficiency? Don't worry, I believe you . I just want to know what to look for next time.

TheFucknChrOnic said:

your not useing nearly enough lights. u need min 100 actual watts to veg,and for flower the more the better.good luck

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Yeah like I said, it was a laughable amount of light and I really have no idea how I got this far with it. Once I have my actual grow financed, I'll have >1000W MH lights for vegging and >2000W worth of HPS to flower.

President Kush said:

Yeah like I said, it was a laughable amount of light and I really have no idea how I got this far with it. Once I have my actual grow financed, I'll have >1000W MH lights for vegging and >2000W worth of HPS to flower.

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I would love to see what you could grow under that. I bet you would be producing some killer buds. Good luck on locating the fundage. By the way nice job on the plant, it must have been all the TLC you gave it.

i guess it was one of those thing you started and the had to finish lol but don t forget it s a weed and they virtually grow anywhere as you can see and dont let it go to your head when you upgrade because theres more in the factor then, nice job on the plant though its one of the bigger ones i have seen from a cfl that didn t know what they were doing good luck for the futur

:.CloudNine.: said:

I would love to see what you could grow under that. I bet you would be producing some killer buds. Good luck on locating the fundage. By the way nice job on the plant, it must have been all the TLC you gave it.

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Thanks, I appreciate all the compliments! I wonder what strain I ended up getting, maybe that's why it did so well. It was bagseed, but I have no idea which supposed strain it was. It wasn't the outdoor grown, airy, narrow-budded, light green stuff with seeds in it like I thought. Looks a lot like haze to me, and smells like it too. It was originally skunky, and now stinks like some weird chemical shit unlike any other kind of weed. I'd even say it's close to "cat piss" haze in terms of odor. I know it's only purple due to the cold, but I could still sell it as purple haze if I wanted to

macrael said:

i guess it was one of those thing you started and the had to finish lol but don t forget it s a weed and they virtually grow anywhere as you can see and dont let it go to your head when you upgrade because theres more in the factor then, nice job on the plant though its one of the bigger ones i have seen from a cfl that didn t know what they were doing good luck for the futur

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Exactly!! I was just wondering if I could get a seed to germinate in some paper towels soaked in mineral water. It worked like a charm, so I found the best potting soil in my area (home depot does not have fox farms or any of that shit), planted, and watered. Viola! In a few days I see a seedling. I stick it under that 13W CFL for a week under 24hr light, and the rest is history.

I know quite a bit about the "theory" aspect of growing. I just never really put it into practice yet because of recourse limitations. An actual grow room will be far more difficult than one "set it and forget it" plant, which is why I'm glad that places like RIU exist . Once I have to start running ducts everywhere and installing high voltage transformer ballasts, expect lots of posts from me hahah. Anyway, thanks for the wishes and I look forward to any future input.

Judging by the latest pics, she is about done! Everything has an amber tinge now. It's tough to make out the trichs though, probably because I moved the camera or something.



When I harvest, I will start with the colas and top buds cause everything else is barely even getting cloudy. Do I just cut the whole main stalk right under the cola and take the whole thing, branches and all, or should I cut the buds off the stalk and leave it there along with the fan leaves and branches?

chopchopchopchop

President Kush said:

Judging by the latest pics, she is about done! Everything has an amber tinge now. It's tough to make out the trichs though, probably because I moved the camera or something.

When I harvest, I will start with the colas and top buds cause everything else is barely even getting cloudy. Do I just cut the whole main stalk right under the cola and take the whole thing, branches and all, or should I cut the buds off the stalk and leave it there along with the fan leaves and branches?

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I would say to cut the main stem under the cola. That way it is easier to dry them slowly.

So, everyone thinks it looks done right? I was just about to harvest yesterday, so I took a bud off the cola and took some flash-free macros in the sun. Is it just me, or are the trichs not even getting that cloudy yet?

Please excuse the lack of thumbs for the last two pics, imageshack decided to crap out so I had to use a different site.




http://i39.tinypic.com/6z7hxz.jpg <--- best macro

http://img150.imagevenue.com/aAfkjfp01fo1i-19668/loc37/56087_3_122_37lo.JPG <--- pic of plant

your plant looks amazing, and your pictures are incredible. good job. can't wait to see some harvest pics..

Chuck420 said:

your plant looks amazing, and your pictures are incredible. good job. can't wait to see some harvest pics..

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Thanks, I'll definitely post some nice harvest pics along with wet/dry weight in this and all related threads.

you can get a scope from radio shack for like 10 or 12 bucks. bud looks good though

you chop yet?