Trich colors got me confused!

So I recently picked up a nice little pocket microscope to check out my trichs so that I can start to harvest more selectively. I've been trying to get as much info as I can about the maturation process of the trichomes, and what different colors signify. I've already had about a dozen harvests, but this is only my second one with a scope. Im still confused on the life cycle of a trichome because there seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there. I've already looked through the FAQ and I think I got a good grasp on it, so I just need whoever can help me to tell me if this is correct:

1. Trich starts out clear and small, picking at this stage will give little if any stone. Do some start out colored?

2. Trich enlarges and develops fully while staying clear? Ideally you would want to pick an Indica-dominant strain when it has all clear trichs, but this is not possible because some of them will be underdeveloped (clear but still small?) or overdeveloped (cloudy?)

--- now here is what im really confused about

3. After fully developed the trich will start to turn a golden (amber?) color for a short time while a small about of THC degrades. This is the color people are looking for when they say " I want my Indica to be X% amber?"

4. Then the trich will turn cloudy white and even more THC will degrade?

5. After this the trich will start to turn a darker amber and eventually very dark brown. This is an indication of degraded THC. In Indicas you never want to reach this stage? But in Sativas you want to wait for about 30% of trichs to look like this?

What Im mainly confused about is if trichs turn ripe, then "golden," then "cloudy" (white), then "amber" (dark reddish gold) or if they just go clear, cloudy, amber?

I ask because I've seen some VERY clear golden colored trichs. They look like they haven't gone cloudy first, and they dont look like the same color as the old, degraded trichs. But this doesnt seem to match a lot of the info I've seen posted.

Any help would be awesome!

I mean im not the expert on the matter but i have grown a few times. The THC isn't degrading as the trichs mature. I think it becomes more concentrated and the chemical structure changes as it goes towards the cloudy consistancy. The first grow i didn't really know shit about the coloring of the trichs until a week or two past when i should have harvested. So the trichs were all a dark amberish color......needless to say i melted to the floor when i smoked the shit. But my next two grows i did go for the 90% cloudy and 10% amber. Thats all i can put on the situation.......i mean you might just be thinkin to hard about it.......but good luck!!!

search out fdd's post on when to harvest.

spindoktor said:

The THC isn't degrading as the trichs mature. I think it becomes more concentrated and the chemical structure changes as it goes towards the cloudy consistancy.

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They are the same thing. THC degrades into other things like CBN which changes the chemical structure of the trich. I looking for info about when this happens.

bump, anyone?

Yeh,the more amber the trich,the more of a lazy "body"high" you'll get,the clearer the trich,the more of a "headhigh" you'll get.

ok so... thc goes away after blank amount of hairs turn amber and you wont get as stoned? what? idk im confused

1kooguy said:

Yeh,the more amber the trich,the more of a lazy "body"high" you'll get,the clearer the trich,the more of a "headhigh" you'll get.

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i get that, but do you start getting a more body high when it turns cloudy, or amber?

Does it just go - clear - cloudy - amber, or does it go clear - gold - cloudy - amber ?

mr.man said:

ok so... thc goes away after blank amount of hairs turn amber and you wont get as stoned? what? idk im confused

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Its not about the hairs its about the trichomes. They are the glands that form the THC and look like "crystals."

it goes clear - cloudy - amber, some sativas can go in and out of peak harvest but most ganja will follow the path above. My preference is to harvest when the trichs are about 75% amber, but basically it's the longer you wait to chop, the more "couch-lock" your weed will be.

clear, cloudy, amber. for mr man, we are not talking about hairs, we are talking about the crystals on the bud, when looked at through a magnifying device like a microscope. when the crystals are clear, there isnt much of a high, when they get cloudy, you have more of a cerebral, clear, head buzz. when they turn amber, the more amber you have the stronger body stone you will get. it's your preference of when you want to harvest depending on the high you want. most people harvest when the trichs are 50 - 70% amber, that way they get the head stone but also a heavy body stone

This is what's said in the FAQ:

"When growing Indica hybrids, unless you want to end up on the couch, it’s best to harvest when the trichome heads are fully formed but before they start to cloud over and turn amber."

"With the Sativa dominant hybrids you want to make sure that all the trichome heads are fully formed and also about thirty percent amber. Letting a plant mature beyond this will risk flavor as well as, the finished smoke may be harsh with very little “high”. "
"1.Fully formed but still clear will provide a cleaner ‘up’ high with less sedative effect; this is the best window for heavy Indicas.
2.Fully formed and turning slightly cloudy or milky; this is probably the best time to pick most hybrids available today.
3.Fully formed completely cloudy or milky with at least thirty percent of the heads turning amber; this is usually best window for the late maturing Sativa’s such as Haze. This is also a good window when using the plant primarily for Hash production.
"

Ive always heard that you wanted to wait until at least 30% were amber, but this seems to say that is only for sativas.

https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/107709-amber-alert-harvesting-guide.html

Then the other one in the FAQ says this:

"Some cultivators wait for about half of the secretory cavities to go opaque before harvesting, to ensure maximum THC levels in the finished product. Of course nothing tells the truth more than your own perception, so try samples at various stages to see what is best for you & the phenotype your are growing. While you may be increasing the total THC level in the bud by allowing half of the glands to go opaque, the bud will also have a larger percentage of THC breakdown products such as CBN, which is why some people choose to harvest earlier while most of the secretory cavities are still clear. "

which seems to indicate that THC starts to break down when it starts to turn cloudy.

https://www.rollitup.org/view.php?pg=faq&cmd=article&id=149

It also says:

"Most strains start with clear or slightly amber heads which gradually become cloudy or opaque when THC levels have peaked and are beginning to degrade. Regardless of the initial color of the secretory cavity, with careful observation you should be able to see a change in coloration as maturity levels off."

So some trichs can start amber?