Urdedpal
New Member
There is a method that will allow you to determine precisely when to harvest. All
you need is a magnifying aid and a little experience.
As the pistils grow out from the calyx they form resin glands (trichomes), which gradually change in color before they shrink and wither. This withering of the trichomes affects the look of the pistils, which in turn fade and tend to look burnt and dry. This ^unhealthy' appearance of the trichomes is perfectly natural. The plant has completed the blooming period and the trichomes are no longer needed to gather pollen.The cannabinoid content of these trichomes is not lost, however. It is simply converted into other psychoactive cannabinoid compounds. THC will also degrade as it is converted into other psychoactive compounds. Eventually, exposure to light will further degrade these cannabinoid compounds to next to nothing if the plant is not plant harvested.
The trichome withering process does not occur rapidly. It can take up to two weeks before the plant has withered its trichomes and pistils entirely, but even then new trichomes and pistils can be found growing in among the faded pistils. Eventually the old pistils will die to be replaced by the new pistils. The process will continue until there is a change in the photoperiod or a cellular breakdown in the plant and it dies.
As the plant reaches its peak bloom many of the pistils will change in color. Using a magnifying aid you can observe this change in the trichomes themselves, which affect the overall look of the pistils. By checking these trichomes daily you will be able to detect when the plant is nearing peak potency.The more trichomes change color, the more some will start to wither.The ones that wither first are usually in the minority because they were the first trichomes to form on the first pistils during the early days of flowering.
As some of these older pistils wither the other pistils begin a visible transformation in color from white to orange, red or brown. At this point, you should be anticipating the 'harvest marker' of 50 to 70 percent. When 50 to 70 percent of the pistils change color, the plant will have stopped producing new crystals (trichomes) and resin (cannabinoids secreted from the trichomes), the smell will have reached its peak and the bud mass will not have increased in a few days. At this stage any of the major bud masses on the plant can be theoretically observed as follows:
1. Less than 5% of the pistils are withering.
2. Approximately 90% of the pistils have reached maturity.
3. Less than 5% of the pistils appear to be in the early stages of growth.
The 90% group is the one that you should gauge your harvest with. Compare these to the ones that have gone past their peak bloom and harvest the plant just before they reach this stage. You should note that this usually corresponds with the breeders' flowering times. In the case of a plant with an unknown flowering time, you can use this expert method to predict when to harvest.
It's all about careful observation of the trichomes and their comparison to withered ones. Don't forget that trichomes can be harvested early or allowed to grow past their peak in order to affect the eventual high of the finished product.
you need is a magnifying aid and a little experience.
As the pistils grow out from the calyx they form resin glands (trichomes), which gradually change in color before they shrink and wither. This withering of the trichomes affects the look of the pistils, which in turn fade and tend to look burnt and dry. This ^unhealthy' appearance of the trichomes is perfectly natural. The plant has completed the blooming period and the trichomes are no longer needed to gather pollen.The cannabinoid content of these trichomes is not lost, however. It is simply converted into other psychoactive cannabinoid compounds. THC will also degrade as it is converted into other psychoactive compounds. Eventually, exposure to light will further degrade these cannabinoid compounds to next to nothing if the plant is not plant harvested.
The trichome withering process does not occur rapidly. It can take up to two weeks before the plant has withered its trichomes and pistils entirely, but even then new trichomes and pistils can be found growing in among the faded pistils. Eventually the old pistils will die to be replaced by the new pistils. The process will continue until there is a change in the photoperiod or a cellular breakdown in the plant and it dies.
As the plant reaches its peak bloom many of the pistils will change in color. Using a magnifying aid you can observe this change in the trichomes themselves, which affect the overall look of the pistils. By checking these trichomes daily you will be able to detect when the plant is nearing peak potency.The more trichomes change color, the more some will start to wither.The ones that wither first are usually in the minority because they were the first trichomes to form on the first pistils during the early days of flowering.
As some of these older pistils wither the other pistils begin a visible transformation in color from white to orange, red or brown. At this point, you should be anticipating the 'harvest marker' of 50 to 70 percent. When 50 to 70 percent of the pistils change color, the plant will have stopped producing new crystals (trichomes) and resin (cannabinoids secreted from the trichomes), the smell will have reached its peak and the bud mass will not have increased in a few days. At this stage any of the major bud masses on the plant can be theoretically observed as follows:
1. Less than 5% of the pistils are withering.
2. Approximately 90% of the pistils have reached maturity.
3. Less than 5% of the pistils appear to be in the early stages of growth.
The 90% group is the one that you should gauge your harvest with. Compare these to the ones that have gone past their peak bloom and harvest the plant just before they reach this stage. You should note that this usually corresponds with the breeders' flowering times. In the case of a plant with an unknown flowering time, you can use this expert method to predict when to harvest.
It's all about careful observation of the trichomes and their comparison to withered ones. Don't forget that trichomes can be harvested early or allowed to grow past their peak in order to affect the eventual high of the finished product.
id like to blaze a blunt for you 
