Trichome color for harvest

I am growing some Chunky Cherry Malawi under a 600 hps in a SOG. I'm pretty sure they are known to mature in 9 weeks. I am at week 7 and I can clearly see trichome crystals standing on end with bulbs on top with a 10x's. I can't stand still long enough to see anything very well with a very small 60x/100x I just got in the mail. The trichomes are clear, but not translucent. Some are whitish, but none are amber or brown. I flushed a couple of days ago, but will need 10 more days to get the 2 weeks of dry time to use up excess nutes, as I've heard of people doing. In 10 days will the trichomes become more amber? Brown hairs are now on under 1/2 plants. Anyone have any familiarity with this strain?

I've heard that if you turn the lights off for the last 3 days, before harvest, you can scare more THC out of the plants. Anyone have an ideas about this?

I've heard that I can harvest ripe buds and drop the lights on the lower growth for a couple more weeks. Can I scare them for three days, cut ripe buds, the return to 12/12, when they are finishing.

Thanks You now for any advice.

This is my 1st grow. Can anyone see if I'm doing anything wrong? I have ceiling height issues so I topped and pinched. I have only 1 600 hps so I squeezed them all together. I now realize I'm basically growing a SOG and am going to use builders screen next time to keep my buds from falling over. I'd like to get a little more height next time. I'm only at 2.5-3 feet. Any recommendations? C'mon guys, we all love telling other people what to do.

I'm a MMJ patient and I'm growing these plants legally. Paranoia and an old fear response made me say that.

just giveum water for another 2-3 weeks.

Just flush them for 2 more weeks, within the next week your trichomes will become more cloudier and amber-like. Do not turn off your lights and "scare" them for 3 days, that's probably just a bunch of bullshit, I wouldn't risk 3 days of dark and end up having a dead-like plant. Just stick to growing how you are.

I've heard to flush them two weeks before harvest and then no more h2o, at all, so the plants use up the extra nutes they have stored, so that you won't taste the nutes when you smoke. You're saying h2o till done? 420...you're saying to flush a second time? I only h2o once a week, so I planned on skipping the last h2oing.

There are dozens of threads on this forum that describe the 3 day dark thing and discuss it but I have never seen one grower post that hey I did that and it's true, it works, here are the pics. it is based on the notion that trichs grow in the dark time and are depleted during the light time. there is a quote posted in several threads of a research institute doing a study and proving that thc was 30% higher on the dark plants than those not left in the dark but if you google key words from the quoted research all you get is the threads that it was posted in here at RIU, IOW the study does not seem to exist??? though the research institute does and the study is not even on thier website???

as far as harvesting the top and lowering the lights to finish the bottom, lots of growers do this (I did in my last grow) you can even re-veg the plant and go again if you keep some healthy leaves on it

I only see 2 mistakes 1) taking the 9 week finishing time as gospel instead of letting the plant decide most breeder finishing time is crap and unreliable, you really need to learn how to look for the signs yourself to determine when YOUR time to harvest is and it should be based on the type of high you want not what the breeder says

and 2) cramming your plants topgether tightly as they do much better if allowed room to flourish

one more bit of advice, if you read something here or on another forum or in a book research it or try it your self to see if it is true if you ask the question in a thread/post you will get mixed and contradicting info that will leave you more confused than when you started, there are 20,000 active opinions here all with thier own style and belief, which is why I share my research in raw form so others can decide for themselves

plants look good by the way, keep up the good work

riddleme....thanks for the advice. Though I researched growing thoroughly before even putting seeds in dirt, I still like to send questions out. I don't mind weeding through the stupid opinions to get some sound advice. You sound like you have an analytical and objective mind. What is your opinion, gained through your experience, about not watering the last 2 weeks so the plant uses up excess nutes it has stored? Aslo, in regards to my tight spacing.....I don't have very much room, can't afford another vent set up that would come with another light to control heat, and was actually thinking of doubling the amount of plants under the one 600 hps, rather than spacing the exisiting amount. SOG technique says around a sf per plant, but I've read very little on the subject. I figured I'd just learn how to grow at all, before refining techniques. It is very dry where I live. I fill a humidifier every day to keep RH above 30. Mold and funk growth is not a concern so I have felt comfortable pushing my plants together with good air circulation. I agree with your advice about learning through trial and error, but I can't afford to screw up too bad. I am desrperately bereft of funds and need a product I can easily offload at the dispensaries. Also, it doesn't seem right to scare my plants. I love my plants, but the theory that plants produce more THC as a defense mechanism when frightened seemed like it could be plausible.

thanks joe and 420. your advice is helpful. I didn't know if my plants were just ready early, but now I know that they are not.

I believe in keepin the plants green and healthy for the whole grow and I flush every time I water I also feed till the end, not everyone agrees with how I grow but I can tell you that my smoke taste great burns good and is not harsh, contrary to popular belief

I invite you to read my Calling All New Growers thread (sig link) please read the whole thread (when you have time) as it is full of advanced info (today I am posting a secret technique to improve harvest) you will find lots of info there as well as pics of grows (testimonials as it were) from others using my way of growing

Riddleme, I do just about the same thing (I feed with Botanicare sweet only at the end when flushing) but I have not had a problem doing this in a perpetual style grow, Florakleen works well for me. It requires more manual work but I simply cannot afford more EQ right now.

Riddleme, thanks for taking the time in putting out info. I'm sure you do it for free. I'll read your stuff when I have some time. It has been a huge help relying on more experienced growers in learning how to grow. I know a lot of experienced growers on RIU like to see NooB's read and read and read, rather than ask questions. I have read and researched for 3+ weeks, taking notes like I was in class, before embarking on this adventure. I still like that I can put any single question out on RIU, using the cyber community as a sounding board, and consider a variety of opinions, and ultimately choose what makes sense for me. Community is good for stuff like that. Thanks again for helping a NooB learn more efficiently. I should probably take the time to answer remedial NooB questions, as well.

YukonTucker said:

riddleme....thanks for the advice. Though I researched growing thoroughly before even putting seeds in dirt, I still like to send questions out. I don't mind weeding through the stupid opinions to get some sound advice. You sound like you have an analytical and objective mind. What is your opinion, gained through your experience, about not watering the last 2 weeks so the plant uses up excess nutes it has stored? Aslo, in regards to my tight spacing.....I don't have very much room, can't afford another vent set up that would come with another light to control heat, and was actually thinking of doubling the amount of plants under the one 600 hps, rather than spacing the exisiting amount. SOG technique says around a sf per plant, but I've read very little on the subject. I figured I'd just learn how to grow at all, before refining techniques. It is very dry where I live. I fill a humidifier every day to keep RH above 30. Mold and funk growth is not a concern so I have felt comfortable pushing my plants together with good air circulation. I agree with your advice about learning through trial and error, but I can't afford to screw up too bad. I am desrperately bereft of funds and need a product I can easily offload at the dispensaries. Also, it doesn't seem right to scare my plants. I love my plants, but the theory that plants produce more THC as a defense mechanism when frightened seemed like it could be plausible.

Click to expand...

I dont know what others would say about this, and I'm a little curious myself, but this response is to the statement you made about not watering for 2 weeks. I wont counterpoint the part that flushing is important to some, but straight water will help the plant find all of those nutes in the soil. Without water, the plant will likely die. it might find those nutes, but water is what allows it to move through the plant.

Think of a human....we can live without food for a long time...but take water away and a very healthy person will die within a week (or thereabouts....you get my point).

The plant still needs water to live those two weeks, you just dont want any chemicals for the taste part of it.

I have previously underestimated the time it takes for those trichs to go amber. I didnt have time for a proper flush, and I really didnt end up with nasty smoke...it was just fine in my opinion. But I did chop one plant early (25% amber), one at the mid....(50% amber) and one late (75% amber) so I could find out for myself. I found that the plant at the 50/50 was the best for me. This was based on the kind of advice riddleme gave you.....read up, and try for yourself. And its kind of fun seeing it all go.

If you dont want to risk losing any product then i would keep watering through those last 2 weeks. If you feel you have a plant that can be risked, then try it on one plant and see what it does. If it starts to droop badly, you can always hit it with some water and see how much you can push it. Then compare the 2 end products.

other options for you would be to water each plant all the way through. feed one until the end, stop feeding one a week before chop, and stop feeding one 2 weeks before chop. see what they do.

good luck to you. you have a nice little grow going there. Plus rep to you and Riddleme for this cool little dialogue..its interesting stuff.

Thank you Jimmy

I do love a good discussion and I love sharing my research and knowledge, helps when others benefit from it. In the end it is all about having better herb to smoke and that is what really matters

I should have thought of this to begin with, talking about community and all. The owner of my local dispensary eyeballed my stuff and says 10 more days til harvest and recommends harvesting before moving to amber for a longer high. I'm taking his advice as I hope he'll be the end recipient of my harvest. Thanks for the feedback. riddlme...I am, as I've been told, growing some "Better Herb", but am so bereft of funds that I'm stuck smoking all the straggly undergrowth unfit for sale, for now. Enjoy that good kind bud I'm sure you're smoking or vaping.