time to chop?

i have 2 plants. the one on the right i already cut the top colas off cuz i was feigning. the left one is untouched and like a week or 2 younger. but looks great.

what you think? first grow.....IMG_0364.JPGIMG_0365.JPGIMG_0366.JPGIMG_0368.JPGIMG_0370.JPGIMG_0371.JPG
 

brimck325

Well-Known Member
looks like u went little heavy on the n. in flower but for first grow....well, looks pretty damn good. hope you learned a few things....peace
 

St1cky1cky

Active Member
Do yourself a HUGE favor and spend like 10 bucks on a 30x scope. Look at the trich's, that is the only sure fire way to know when it's ready. They sell them on eBay all day long!!
 

nowhereland

Active Member
^ get the 60x with led lights, got one a few days ago on ebay from china only about 5 or 6 bucks but it works great, seen some of my trichomes were cloudy already! very small amough though

i got the 30x and while you can id from it if you know what to look for ,the 60x just makes it way better and certain
 

FootballFirst

Well-Known Member

Vindicated

Well-Known Member
A loupe is a great idea, but the cheap 30x and 60x ebay ones are junk. Just like those plastic hand held microscopes. The edges distort really bad and the colors can be off. The handheld pocket microscopes are the worst. You basically have to pluck a nug off and smash it against the glass, then hold your breath so you can stay still long enough to find a trichrome.

A professional grade only costs $35 brand new on Amazon. Also you really want a 10x, not a 20x or 30x or anything higher. A high quality 10x loupe goes right against your eye and then you bring your sample up towards you. A good professional jeweler's loupe will have three or more separate optics (think microscope or pro digital camera grade) fused together, then coated for color correction. The result is a clear wide angle of view that has little to no shaking.

The BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe or the Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet 10x Loupe sold on Amazon are two really good ones. You can find some cheaper in the $18-$20 that won't have the color corrected coatings, but IMO it's worth it when the whole point is to spot amber vs cloudy, vs clear.

http://www.amazon.com/BelOMO-Triplet-Loupe-Folding-Magnifier/dp/B0002OVC9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345431887&sr=8-1&keywords=10x+Loupe

http://www.amazon.com/BAUSCH-LOMB-Hastings-Triplet-Magnifier/dp/B0011GINQU/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1
 

Vindicated

Well-Known Member
To the OP, just going by your photos I believe it's safe to wait a bit longer. A loupe will tell the exact moment to pick, but you can still tell with your naked eye by looking at the amount of white hairs in addition to the overall health and look of the plant. Having said that, I generally lean towards over ripe then under ripe, while many people would prefer to pick earlier than later. It helps to know what your after.
 

teoborg

Active Member
Even without magnifying glass it's to to early to harvest. Wait until a month +, and then you buy a 60-100% scope and then follow the instructions. But now it's very early.
 

nowhereland

Active Member
i see what your saying but how does a 10x work better than a 30x or 60x, i can barely see the color of the heads with a 30x pressed agaist the bud, how iam gonna see one with the 10x?
 
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