1st Grow - Indoor Northern Lights Auto

[GreenKitty]

What about the calyxes? Are they starting to swell up and get real fat?

Without a scope, you'll want to see swollen calyxes, pistils turning color, buds filled in on the colas, and taking a sample wouldn't hurt!

Some people have very good eyesight and can look really closely and see some trichomes..

She's sleeping I'll check the calyxes in about 4 hours. I have lots of brown pistils, like little hairs, on the pictures they're hard to see, but she's grown quite a bit in just the last 3 days so I'll post some pics but only of the main buds, and I'll try to get pictures of calyxes and stuff so Dr. Antics can check it out

 

[GreenKitty]

I think there's some swollen calyxes and some that are less swollen but at least some of them look swollen to me, also I found out that I can reduce the exposure on the phone camera so I think these photos are better than others I've put because you can see more detail:

And the fullest nug yet:

EDIT: Oh and day 68.

 

[Soup 01]

Looking great!, the leaves look thick with frost. And those calyxs do look a bit fatter in my opinion but still looks like it needs a couple weeks more time, i bet those buds will fatten up a fair bit more as well. Loving the progress!

 

[SBG]

Hey Greenkitty welcome to 420 magazine. For your first indoor grow you have done amazing stuff and it just shows you don't need much to do this. she looks like she is still filling up the bud sites with lots of white hairs. I usually wait til those just about stop showing up and start to turn brownish. Even a magnifying lens can be handy to see tricomes or at least there colour. Your have a very good person looking over your shoulder in Antics he has also helped me alot getting my cabinet up and running. Onto my second grow already with a Vscrog. Check it out if you have the time. again Great job. reps for you.

and I'm in til the end. Sub'd

 

[Antics]

Calyxes are looking like they're starting to swell, but I don't see a lot of trichomes yet (But almost there), and I see a lot of white pistils still. I agree with soup, I'd give her a little more time to fill in and get bigger.

And don't believe SBG.. he did it all on his own.

 

[SBG]

Calyxes are looking like they're starting to swell, but I don't see a lot of trichomes yet (But almost there), and I see a lot of white pistils still. I agree with soup, I'd give her a little more time to fill in and get bigger.

And don't believe SBG.. he did it all on his own.

Oh stop it. your hand is in there. ( wait that didn't sound right)hahahaha

 

[Antics]

LOL Ah man I never take credit for helping out. I merely offer suggestions and advice, whether or not they are listened to is up to the grower. If my advice was accurate and suggestions were good and the grower freely choose to follow them, I credit the grower.

Now If I pass you a bowl or a joint of something I grew, and it's the best you've ever smoked, well.. then I want credit for that

 

[BlinKey]

A Late comer to the journal but wow that looks great. Subbed

 

[GreenKitty]

Hey Greenkitty welcome to 420 magazine. For your first indoor grow you have done amazing stuff and it just shows you don't need much to do this. she looks like she is still filling up the bud sites with lots of white hairs. I usually wait til those just about stop showing up and start to turn brownish. Even a magnifying lens can be handy to see tricomes or at least there colour. Your have a very good person looking over your shoulder in Antics he has also helped me alot getting my cabinet up and running. Onto my second grow already with a Vscrog. Check it out if you have the time. again Great job. reps for you.

and I'm in til the end. Sub'd

Calyxes are looking like they're starting to swell, but I don't see a lot of trichomes yet (But almost there), and I see a lot of white pistils still. I agree with soup, I'd give her a little more time to fill in and get bigger.

And don't believe SBG.. he did it all on his own.

Thank you guys You make me so happy with all the compliments

Okay, so now I know what calyxes look like when they're starting to swell up But the pistils, I'll harvest when they're brown? Or like an amber to brown color? And I can see individual trichomes with my eyes, they're all white still so, but those should also turn that brown amber color right?

EDIT: I've been reading about this here Pictures on when to harvest: Trichome colours so I kind of know something now xD

A Late comer to the journal but wow that looks great. Subbed

Welcome to my journal, hope you like how it goes from here on out

 

[SBG]

The one thing I've noticed around here is that everyone has there own thing when it comes to tricomes. I personally like all milky with about 15% amber, leaves me with more of a creative stone then a body stone but that is also connected the strain Sativa or Indica. But what ever you choose there is always the satisfaction of growing yourself.

 

[pHlipper]

As one who learned through (many) mistakes, it looks you've a green thumb.

Concerned the brown pistils: they are an indicator. without experience (about this strain) or tools, it's hard to make a 'true' statement.
.. so watching the trichomes is the best way. for a better look, have you tried a maximum zoom with your camera/phone?
or perhaps an old-style magnifying glass. i spent some low €s on a "currency detecting microscope", with a light. it's ok, but 60x is a bit too much - every tremble of the hand, trying to gentle squeeze the living bud into the 'scope, results in a blurred and new view... with a 1-4x10 table-microscope, which i got from a friend, i got the best view, but i've to chop the sample down.... and the plant doesn't evolve equaly in every of her parts, yack!

imho, another week will definitly not harm her. i'm trying to say to myself: when she looks good, and you desire her, try to give her another week.
she shows no really deficiencies, so plain water should do it. loosing leaves, from botttom to top, is a welcomed sign for me - when it's an expression of her aging, and not caused by overnukenuting... in my newer organic grow, the first are falling down too. they are only a bit yellowed and still kind of green. i think, it comes from a good nutrition and these safety-resserves aren't needed.

experienceless about autos, perhaps only the ripest upper parts could be plucked and the lower parts later if they aren't as well maturated.

 

[pHlipper]

ah.. one thing about pests, that helped me: yellow traps (or blue too..). yellow and sticky, thats it. i'm sure, there are lots of diy low budget videos. they can trap individuals, who dared to intrude, and in harder times keep the population low. and it's interesting to watch, what is flying out there.
only problem could be, it will stick to the cat too!

 

[GreenKitty]

ah.. one thing about pests, that helped me: yellow traps (or blue too..). yellow and sticky, thats it. i'm sure, there are lots of diy low budget videos. they can trap individuals, who dared to intrude, and in harder times keep the population low. and it's interesting to watch, what is flying out there.
only problem could be, it will stick to the cat too!

Thanks for checking my journal, I haven no pests anymore, I just watched the plant like 2 times a day and killed every bug in sight, I also cleaned the leaves of anything that could resemble any egg, and the pests just disappeared

Zooming in on the camera on my phone just makes everything blurry, it's digital zoom not optical :/

I'm going to give water from now on, the next week an a half and then I think she'll start to be ready for harvest, but I'm going to water her just one last time and wait about 6 days or something so when I harvest she had some pretty dry air going around for some days (I read this will increase resin production correct me if it's wrong).

I can't wait for the harvest, I know that the buds are going to grow a lot until then and I can't wait to get them dry and then weigh them! In the beginning I was shooting for around 10 grams and I would like to get 15, but now I really don't know what to expect, the more I get the better equipment I'll have for next grow

 

[Graytail]

You have a really nice grow going on, GreenKitty!

Reps to you! ...and to Antics for his support!

I wanted to put in my two cents about the harvest. If it were my plant, I'd be thinking another week or two. The buds are just getting into their maturation phase. But there's no rule that says you have to harvest the plant all at once! So, if you'd like to start smoking it, you can sure start lopping off lower branches and drying them. I did that with my first plant.

 

[Teddy Edwards]

...what Graytail said. All of it. Hold that harvest but take a taste. You'll get a benchmark.

You have done an absolutely brilliant job, GreenKitty.

And yes, *chapeau* to Antics for exemplary mentoring.

 

[GreenKitty]

...what Graytail said. All of it. Hold that harvest but take a taste. You'll get a benchmark.

You have done an absolutely brilliant job, GreenKitty.

And yes, *chapeau* to Antics for exemplary mentoring.

Wow thank you so much

 

[Antics]

Think of Pistils.. hmm Ok think of Pistils to the plant, are wrinkles to people. The wrinkles give you an idea of someone's age, but it's impossible to tell what age exactly, as we all age at different rates.

Now the pistiles give you an idea of the plant's maturity, but by themselves, is not enough to determine the right harvest date. We'll need to look at EVERYTHING, leaves, trichome production (since we don't have a scope yet), swelling calyxes, and maybe a couple other things I'm forgetting. That's why I asked some experienced growers to stop in here, I don't have enough experience (or knowledge) to comfortable say to you "Ok harvest now". I would like other opinions so we can get you exactly, or close as possible to the effects you would like from your plant.

And just in case you can use your camera to get close enough to see your trichomes:

Clear is not ready, Cloudy/Milky is at its peak, Amber is where it starts to degrade.
Make sure you look at the buds, and not the sugar leaves for the most accurate reading. The trichomes on the leaves seem to mature a lot faster than on the buds.

Now Sativa strains will typically be an energetic head high when harvested Cloudy.

Indica strains will typically be more of a body high, like a couch lock feeling when harvested Cloudy.
If you have a hybrid strain, you can have a ratio of both effects. For example the Cali Jack I grew is mostly Indica, but the small amount of Sativa in there gives you a feeling of nice relaxing couchlock, but not too heavy, and a little Sativa head high. Absolutely amazing strain to help you sleep, BUT not fall asleep immediately, so you can read a little, or watch TV.

Going more amber seems to amplify the couchlock on Indica from what I've read, and Going more Amber on Sativa I have seen some people say no real couchlock, others say yes. I have read some people are sensitive to the CBN levels that increase with Amber trichomes when the THC starts to degrade, and can cause an ill kind of 'blah' feeling, some say nauseous.

Harvesting at the right time like SBG said is something we all develop a preference for. We'll go through a bunch of plants until one day we find that perfect harvest time and you get that exact effect you want.

Like for me, I'm still finding my exact harvest time, but I love strains that are about 75% Indica 25% Sativa and 75% Sativa and 25% Indica. I love the enjoyment of the head high, as well as the body high, just in different levels, depending what I'm doing

Anyways, I typed way too much here. You're doing an amazing job, keep up the great work!

 

[GreenKitty]

Think of Pistils.. hmm Ok think of Pistils to the plant, are wrinkles to people. The wrinkles give you an idea of someone's age, but it's impossible to tell what age exactly, as we all age at different rates.

[...]

Harvesting at the right time like SBG said is something we all develop a preference for. We'll go through a bunch of plants until one day we find that perfect harvest time and you get that exact effect you want.

Like for me, I'm still finding my exact harvest time, but I love strains that are about 75% Indica 25% Sativa and 75% Sativa and 25% Indica. I love the enjoyment of the head high, as well as the body high, just in different levels, depending what I'm doing

Anyways, I typed way too much here. You're doing an amazing job, keep up the great work!

Thanks you so much for all this information! Really helpful! I'm going to keep this updated with pictures around every 3 or 4 days. I'll try to somehow get something that magnifies stuff, I can't order it online because it'll take about a month to get here with free shipping and I can't afford to pay faster shipping, so it'll arrive too late, but it's something that I'll get for next grow.

Thank you all for your help at this critical stage and thank you to Antics, I feel like we're about a couple weeks from the end of this adventure and then I'll make a special post, with pictures and writing about this whole thing just as a kind of closing post, it'll be a nostalgic post that I think all of you will love

 

[Garage Grower]

If you have a Radio Shack store near you, they carry a lighted hand-held "microscope" that's adjustable from 60x to 100x that sells for about $10.

for a jewelers loupe, that may be a little harder to find locally... I'd say check around jewelry stores in the area and see if they maybe have an extra they'd be up for selling, or if you have a crafts store (Michael's, A.C.Moore, etc) you might find something there as well.

a regular magnifying glass usually won't cut it.... the biggest I've seen those is 6-10x, and for checking trichomes you really want a minimum of 30x to get a good view

 

[GreenKitty]

I just used a couple of short sighted glasses on top of my camera to try and get a better picture, here you go