I’m approaching the harvest window for my first grow, and I’m finding some conflicting information. Am I supposed to check the trichomes or the pistils to tell when the plants are ready?
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This is so diff between cultivars
Are you growing indoor or out ? Sativa/indica/hybrid
In the beginning 20 years ago i went by pistils, tried to aim at 80 brown/faded and it went ok, i was also counting weeks, a cultivar that is supposed to have around 8 weeks flower could be ready in bit over 7 weeks or even 9-10 weeks for a more sedative relaxed effect in general the more earley the more up effect but also could give more stress/anxiety, this is very diff from cultivars and even phenotypes within the same genetics or strain as many call them
Remember how you feel from the herb is worth more than what any lab test could tell you
The most sure way if your running the same clone over and over again is to try harvesting one top early and one later maybe even one very late and see which one you prefer
In general the best and in my opinion the easiest way is checking the trichomes color, they normally start with clear color and turning milky white ish later in harvest
When you see amber or any color in the trichomes you know your getting close people prefer diff % of color compared to the other trichomes i.e clear/ milky
Personally i prefer to see quite a lot of color for a more relaxing effect especially with indicas and hybrids
The main percentage of amber is around 10-30% and is like your window for harvesst
I highly recommend getting some sort of magnifying lens or microscope
There are many types of products out there
So to sum up:
Count weeks
First sign is your pistils turning brown/fading from white usually (there are other colors as well)
Then its time to check trichomes
Also i use my nose a lot bc for me the smell is highly connected to the effect and enjoyment i receive from cannabis
Just a side note if your pistils are turning brown too early itcould be a sign of pollination by males or hermies
Or even it could be male flowers on the same plant hermaphrodite
Good luck
Feel free to ask if my text is confusing and there is many others in here that could chime in with their techniques
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Thank you so much for such a thorough answer. I am growing indoors. I have an auto flower Hindu kush (true Indica) and an Indica leaning hybrid. The autoflowers flipped without me realizing, so i don’t know weeks exactly. I flipped the rest of the tent 7 weeks ago, so these are between 8 and 10 weeks flowering. All the pistils are brown, but I’m not seeing any trichomes changing yet.
To add onto your suggestion, before you buy a microscope, loupe, or anything really, check and see if your phone’s camera has a macro photography mode. You can get ultra closeups without any additional equipment.
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This close up not enough. You need a microscope lents. X10 X20 x30 max x40 magnification (no need more) are the one you want . In Thailand they are very cheap you can buy for 3 dollars
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Not good enough? good to know. I figured as long as i can see the shape of the trichome it would me enough. My phone goes up to x30 magnification, but the photos look bad, so i dialed it back to x10.
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Yes you can see something, but is hard to distinguish the inside of the heads. Sometime amber color is not that marked and you must be able to understand is is cloudy (ripened) or transparent (not ripened)
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The photos I shared also I did with a mobile that has an integrated microscope 30x (not same of macro)
I had to buy like this because I really use a so many times visiting farms and shops but really the most simple portable lent is good
The one with a small light they work better. Choose the simple and cheap ones. Don’t go for the expensive they’re not worthy
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Noted. Thank you for all the advice.
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Your welcome
I have to agree with Prempavee, it’s difficult to se the colors, some strains also have very subtle change from clear to milky, it can be tricky to see 100 %
Some would still look clear with barely visible milkyness
And like prempavee says amber or color also can be difficult to see without a clear focus of the trichome head
You can def find cheaper microscopes, i just googled quick to show what it is. Looking in the microscope is like a hole other world in there
Good tip about the macro setting on phone
have to check if i have that
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Thank you both. This has been very helpful. I found a jeweler’s loupe for $10 that has a 30x and 60x setting that should arrive tomorrow.
You mentioned if the pistils turn brown early it might be a sign that the flowers have been pollinated. I’m sure it’s different for each cultivar, but do you have a ball park estimate on how long between the time that the pistils turn brown and trichomes start turning amber?
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One of the most important things to consider the ripeness is taking multiple shots from the trichomes. This is the area where substances you like are produced - and the best indicator for ripeness.
Do not take 1 area and assume the plant is ripe because 80% of the heads are cloudy. Take multiple shots.
Unfortunately being so close to a plant with a lens drives physics to a point where you just see a thin area really sharp - consider only judging the sharp areas/trichomes for the best suggestions. And a decent amount of photos from several parts.
Best regards!
Edgar
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Shop around for a wi-fi magnifying camera (microscope). About $20 USD. Focus on the flower not the leaves. Link to when one of the references I have used:
https://www.treehuggercontainers.com/blog/cannabis-trichomes-all-you-need-to-know
Couple (not ready to harvest) from my magnifying camera
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I have only grown two autoflower cultivars and both finished very fast, the pistils was over 90% brown, they seem to be more brown at harvest but other more experienced with autos can answer better than me..
But wait for your lens to arrive, only then you can be sure, the weed will not be ruined by late harvest, a lillower in thc but more rich in cbn giving a more sedative/relaxed effect. Many people aim for this, me as well
Very good of @EdgarAllanDope to chime in about looking multiple places as you can have one spot turn amber just from being touched etc. So looking several places will give you an better foundation for deciding the ripeness. I totally forgot to say that
I agree with @Dien-Amok aim for checking flowers and not so much the leaf
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Got my loupe in, and they were nowhere near being ready to harvest yet. Thanks again to everyone who helped me out.
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