Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question...

[Seraphim]

Partial Harvest question:

OK.... One of my buddy's AK-47's is showing a good ratio of amber trichomes to cloudy/clear ones on the main cola.. however, the satellite buds around the main cola could all use a week or two more as they have a lot less amber trichomes on them.

He is concerned that if he lets her remain up for another week or two for the satellite buds to ripen good, the main cola may go over ... (I think he's over-thinking it) anyway....

The question is.. can he harvest the main cola fist and leave the rest of the plant one more week or two until the rest of the buds reach peak maturity? Or will that kill the plant?


Trichome location question:

Having three ladies on their 8th week of flowering, its no wonder my buddy is always looking a trichomes. This is only his second grow and there is still a lot to learn. For example... One of the things to look for is the color of the trichome heads for a sign as to when is a good time to harvest. However, upon close inspection, it seems that the amber trichomes first begin to appear on the outer tips of the leaf fingers that are protruding from the bud, not on the calyxes that make up the actual bud itself. These leaf tips are likely to be clipped off during manicuring of the bud... so the question begs itself.....

When you say look for X% of amber trichomes to know when to harvest, are we looking for all trichomes (even the ones likely to get manicured off?) or are we looking for amber trichomes only on the actual calyxes? Or is that being too anal?


Harvesting Method question.

Is there any difference that you know of between cutting the plant and hanging the hole thing upside down to dry - as opposed to - cutting all of the individual buds off the main stems and branches right at the time of harvest and hanging those up to dry individually?

I would imagine that leaving the entire plant intact and hanging it upside down would cause it to dry a little slower from the buds sucking out the last bit of moisture from the stems.... (slower drying = better smoking?) Is this reasoning sound or flawed?



Thanks for all your help!!!!

 

[Dacob]

Re: Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question..

1. Partial Harvest question:


Yes, you can take the cola now and the rest of the plant will be fine, it will not like it but considering its life is about over anyway, the damage will not be important.

This is done all the time, and I actually recommend it if parts of the plant are very underdone or are ripening much more slowly than others. This is more common in sativas, indicas usually to a bit better at developing all at the same time. Of course, in most commercial seed lines, the trait of ripening at the same time has been bred for and enhanced, which is great for us as growers.


2. Trichome location question:

No such thing as being too detailed. You are looking for an over-all picture of the trics, the location is important but it's not the end all and be all of the situation. Ideally, just look at as many parts of the plant as you can and try to get an average for all the trics on the plant, regardless of location. This is hard! It takes time and experience, but don't worry, if you don't harvest at the absolute peak of ripeness, that does not mean you will have lousy results, far from it.

For example, a bottle of wine that is opened a little before or a little after its peak time is still very good, just perhaps 5% less that it could have been. Not a huge problem.


3. Harvesting Method question.

There are lots of ways to dry. Hanging the entire plant does take a little longer, as the main stem is usually large and takes a bit to dry. The conditions you maintain in the drying room are really the key -- 70 degrees, 50% RH, and at least 7 days are what I recommend. I advise to remove the branches from the main stem and dry the buds, still on the branches, on a mesh rack, but cutting the branches and hanging them individually from a string works just fine. I do trim all fan leaves and manicure my buds before drying them, not after they are dry.

There really is no "right" way to dry, but it is important to NOT dry too fast, as that can really lock in chlorophyll, which is not what you want. Too slow, you many encounter mold. 1 to 2 weeks is about right, for most people, but that 50% RH is really important -- low RH really sucks out the moisture way too fast and high RH really can slow down the drying process to a crawl, not what you want.

 

[Seraphim]

Re: Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question..

Dacob,

The plant who's main cola is ahead of the rest is in fact the more Sativa leaning of 2 Ak-47s (the other one is much more Indica leaning)

50% RH/70*F. Got it! Shouldn't be difficult.

Thank you for taking the time to give me your advise! It is appreciated.

 

[diesel farmer]

Re: Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question..

when yer main cola is good for you as far as trichs cut it and let the others get bigger and ripen, with the main cola gone they will receive more light and get a little bigger, its worth it if you have the time, peace!

 

[diesel farmer]

Re: Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question..

it doesnt matter where they are (trichs) if you see em count em, and I never hang the main stem, just the branches from the main stem, peace brother, good luck and have fun !

 

[Seraphim]

Re: Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question..

Diesel Farmer.. Thank you for your feedback man! I appreciate all the advice .. you guys rock!!!

 

[diesel farmer]

Re: Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question..

no prob brother, best of luck with the grow : )

 

[weedman79]

Re: Partial Harvest anyone? Amber trichomes location and Harvesting method question..

Partial Harvest question:

OK.... One of my buddy's AK-47's is showing a good ratio of amber trichomes to cloudy/clear ones on the main cola.. however, the satellite buds around the main cola could all use a week or two more as they have a lot less amber trichomes on them.

He is concerned that if he lets her remain up for another week or two for the satellite buds to ripen good, the main cola may go over ... (I think he's over-thinking it) anyway....

The question is.. can he harvest the main cola fist and leave the rest of the plant one more week or two until the rest of the buds reach peak maturity? Or will that kill the plant?


Trichome location question:

Having three ladies on their 8th week of flowering, its no wonder my buddy is always looking a trichomes. This is only his second grow and there is still a lot to learn. For example... One of the things to look for is the color of the trichome heads for a sign as to when is a good time to harvest. However, upon close inspection, it seems that the amber trichomes first begin to appear on the outer tips of the leaf fingers that are protruding from the bud, not on the calyxes that make up the actual bud itself. These leaf tips are likely to be clipped off during manicuring of the bud... so the question begs itself.....

When you say look for X% of amber trichomes to know when to harvest, are we looking for all trichomes (even the ones likely to get manicured off?) or are we looking for amber trichomes only on the actual calyxes? Or is that being too anal?


Harvesting Method question.

Is there any difference that you know of between cutting the plant and hanging the hole thing upside down to dry - as opposed to - cutting all of the individual buds off the main stems and branches right at the time of harvest and hanging those up to dry individually?

I would imagine that leaving the entire plant intact and hanging it upside down would cause it to dry a little slower from the buds sucking out the last bit of moisture from the stems.... (slower drying = better smoking?) Is this reasoning sound or flawed?



Thanks for all your help!!!!

How did this go for you? I have been doing this with Autos with good results