1st grow, ready to harvest yet?

[Lusi]

Hey folks,

I finally have made it to the real harvest... I think. My outdoor grow didn't quite finish before frost. Right now they are in my garage (bugs too) under the new 600W light, but only in growing temps (70s) when that light is on. I chopped 2/3 of them before vacation last week... in case someone hopped the fence to get my plants. Those buds smell like grass and gave me a huge panic attack instead of pain relief and sleep. 5 jars full of these. :-(

I'm hoping it's time now.... though my plants have almost no odor whatsoever. Green, dried, cured, vaped. No MJ odor?!! Shiva Shanti II Sensi Seeds.

Now that I have a macro lens on trial, I decided to put some pics up for expert advice. The trichs are mostly cloudy, some with amber tips some with clear stems. I want the max narcotic couch lock effect I can get. A night's sleep is worth a million bucks. All the books and pics just don't have me sure enough to start chopping a second time. I need to mention you can't go much off of the pistils, I fried these into crispy brown strings the 3rd week of flower. Nutes or sprays, likely my sprays. :-( There are very few nice orange hairs to see here... Plenty of cat hairs though!! I'm glad they don't vaporize.

OK, these a 4 different plants. Only one I recognize (the purple one), I forgot to number the pics. All same strain, put outside in May, brought in last weekend. (now in limbo) If ya can tell from these pics, let me know which ones are good to go and which are not. I'll have to figure which plants they are with my scope. TY for the help!! (If you could fill in details, plz do. I'd like to learn from this harvest!) My HA and I are hitting the sack... Danke!!

tasty cat hair! Yummy!

The purple "grumpy" Grumpy died twice, all leaves off dead. Came back nice!

 

[Lusi]

chirp.... chirp... chirp (crickets)

Uh, are my buds so messed up that no one will answer? I consider myself lucky to even have a harvest after the hell these plants went through. I'm working on a retro journal, a 6 month project. LOL

My new tent is ripped and going back for a smaller 2.5x5x6.5 tent. Until then, I might as well bring the buggy plants in the bedroom now that there is no tent to contaminate. Bummer. Sure would be easier just to harvest the darn buds and get it over with! If ya have any suggestions at all, I'm all ears.

 

[PrairiePoet]

Well, I can't see what color they are. You need a close up of them. Something like this:

You need at least a 40x microscope to see the tricomes up close.

Hope this helps.

Prairie

 

[Lusi]

I don't think my Macro lens can go closer. I've only had it a few days. Is there a trick or setting to get the color to show up? Did yo take that photo? It's gorgeous!

2 plants have all cloudy trichs, some with amber heads. The other 2 have trichs from clear to amber, all different. I need the max sleep narcotic effect, but don't want to wait too long either. I have 6 jars full of buds I harvested too early as a precaution when I went on a short vacation. Anyone can hop into my back yard. These buds are strong, but gave me a panic attack, no sleep and more pain. Crud!!

I do have a 60x-100x scope, but am returning it since have to mash the bud with the tip in order to see. Only a few trichs come into to focus at a time, usually squashed by they scope. You're right, my other 30x scope is useless for this. I can barely see spider mites with it! I wish radio shack had these so I could avoid buying a 3rd bad choice. :-(

Could you give me some advice on which kind is better to order? I have this one, $17 from BGH!!!, and will be returning it:
Mini LED 60X-100X Magnifier Microscope Jeweler Loupe - eBay (item 190473183934 end time Nov-30-10 00:08:13 PST)

I was thinking to order this kind:
Jeweler Loupe LED 60X Magnifier Microscope currency - eBay (item 180593401756 end time Nov-30-10 2230 PST)

This is another kind:
Jeweler Loupe 100x 0.02mm handheld Magnifier Microscope - eBay (item 280596535924 end time Nov-29-10 2118 PST)

Thanks for replying. I'll get some new pix up tonight. ))

 

[Lusi]

I forgot the Macro rental lens had to go back today. Thus us the best i can do with the Macro setting on the the cheap point and shoot camera. The white balance is fixed to offset the yellow HPS.

Here's the first two plants:

Curly is sadly the one I took the largest and best bud off of too early.

Rootsy is my second oldest with only small buds left. She has a lot more amber heads than Curly.

I'll get the others up when done sizing.

 

[Lusi]

Hmmm, there's a tasty cat hair or dozen on each bud. Even a tiny caterpillar if you want to play seek and find. LOL I just had some Ice cream, a la cat hair.

I've brought the plants out of the cold and into a bedroom with the 600 light. The tent had a rip and is going back, so no worry about anything getting contaminated. Will these gals started to ripen again when back in the warm house?

Here's the other 2 plants:

Corny seems to have the most amber and the least clear trichs, to me. She only has little buds left.

Grumpy is oddly going purple. She has a few amber heads and all cloudy.

I hope these photos help...

 

[Lusi]

Hey folks, it's OK to tell me my buds look like monkey's butts, better bad new than none!

I checked all of the girls today. There are many amber trich heads, but many clear ones too. Only the leaves look like cloudy trichs. Some of the heads are broken, not sure if it was me or they are past harvest. The icky scrap from the dispensary a while back also has clear bottoms and a few amber tops, and does little for me... thus why it is still around. The good stuff I long used up. Everything I've tried of my gals so far tastes like mowed grass and smells like the same. My 2 indoor and 4 outdoor plants are now all crammed in an open bedroom under a 600W light until I figure out what to do. Despite being all closed up in one room, the plants only smell if I physically shake them. The only thing I smell is wet dirt. Bleh! WTF??

Since new grower's mistakes include harvesting too early, I want to get it right. I already have 4 ounces from these 4 plants that are useless for pain. I've had to start back all of the medications I replaced with MJ now that I have no where to buy it left in my area. I can't even find anyone to give these buds to for free just to test them in a smoke!! All the harvest tests seem to be about how they burn or smoke. :-(

Can anyone give me any advice? I've run out of searches, books and harvest info to read about! My buds don't match any photos I've found. It's also hard to tell color because the light from an HPS or T5 can completely change the look of the trichs in photos. The 60x scope I had made everything look more blue. The ones I have are white balanced to be true. What is my largest problem, is that my pistils dried up so long ago, there are few colors or live ones left to watch.

I really want to do this right and have invested time and dollars into this and my new set up. Can no one else tell either whether these are close? Are the missing pistils making this look too weird for anyone to say anything? The only healthy pistils I could find on on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th photos. You'll notice the few dead ones in the 3rd from last photo and the 3rd from the top. Poor little things!

This is getting frustrating!! I'm about to go to the local hydro shop and offer to pay someone there to come over and look. I'm sure someone there must have their own MJ grow. Not safe to do, but I'm out of ideas!

 

[RPsmoke]

Good morning Lusi!

sad to see not many people willing to help. In a 420 community, you'd expect help by the truck load. But maybe that's just me. I'll assume everyone is still busy with their outdoor harvests.

Anyway, I'm trying to read back over the couple threads of yours I have posted in. In all honesty, with everything that has happened with these ladies, plus the landlord coming, it may be best to harvest these now. Get what you can. Take everything down for the landlord visit. After that is said and done, then maybe start up a new grow. Each new grow will get better, I promise. Live and learn.

 

[MJGenius]

I agree with RPsmoke... At this point your probably going to start losing potency. Going from outdoors puts a lot of stress on plants, i know from personal experience. Your trichs look about ready for harvest, and taking into consideration all the other variables, your better off harvesting now. Even just a few days can make the difference bewtween panic attacks, and a nice relaxing smoke. Good luck Lusi!

 

[Lusi]

Hey fellas,

I'm beginning to think chopping at least two of these will be a good start. The last 2 I might have a bit more time. They have to reach me before they can set up a time to come over. My tent arrived today. I'll be taking the time to inspect every seam on it after having someone set it up... then opening the fan and filter. I'm undecided as to set this up before or after the visit. The tent screams I'm up to no good, but she can't make me open it up. Then again, the 600W HPS in the bedroom is already fishy. Stress is too much!

I took a few more pics today. The two scraggly gals are turning funny colors. One with a nute issue and the other has dying leaves. I figured having her die while the buds are on her is not a good thing... that one I'll chop tomorrow for sure! The other...? I'd like to learn which nute it is before I kill her off too. All 4 plants these gals have their best buds harvested too early. :-( Am learning the hard way. Chopping these 2 would make hiding the smaller plants easier...

Grumpy is going purple and all her leaves have a grayish purple tint on them. Curly also has her best buds cone... Her beds are VERY leafy and I don't see much change in her other than more yellow. Her mite damage is there as is the caterpillar ruins where I pulled buds apart. Still all bugs seem to be dead from Bath soaks at BT. I'd look at this gal and think she's only a few weeks into flowering. Her and grumpy are unusual... I hope the pics help the decision!

1) All 4 gals and a few others under the new 600W HPS. Hanging out in the extra bedroom. Planning to hide the MJ and move in the other 3 flowers when the landlord shows up. You'll see there is not much left on my 4 girls. Since i have 4 ounces of useless MJ from them already I desperately need some medicinal MJ from this last harvest. There's no dispensaries or collectives here! :-( I can scrape by another 3 months if what little I have left is usable...

2) These are of Corny. She has only small buds left and is turning yellow with her leaves drying up and falling off. I think I'll have to harvest her tomorrow before I lose more trich filled leaves. :-( See how leafy and odd these buds are?

3) Rootsy is about as bad off as corny. I'll go ahead and chop her as soon as I learn what nutrient does this to her leaves. My 1st guess is Mg, but I don't know squat! She has even less buds on her than Corny and is in a 10 gallon terracotta pot. Too heavy to put up with stealthy hiding.

4) Grumpy is the least mature. This is the only plant going purple. ?? Her buds are all cut, but dense bushy ones still remain. They are more leaves than buds! What nute makes the purple gray sheen? I know there was a similar photo under a nute, but I can't locate that thread I saved. I'd like to learn what it is before I chop her. Is she anywhere close to harvest? All were germinated in May.

5) Last is curly, now free of mites and bugs. I had hoped to reveg her... She's going a bit yellow. Should I still feed her if I want to grow her again? Why are her buds also so leafy? Her trichs are also many colors. I just can't believe this plant looks like this after 7 months. Even if all of November was cold, she should have matured more since blooming started in mid Sept. If you think these look odd, my mutant clones say not! Time for a new seed batch. LOL!!

Any more suggestions? I just vaped a whole bowl of my buds harvested a month ago. I think my headache is worse. Other than that, nada.

TY for the good advice! I'll get ready to chop corny tomorrow. I have to figure out what nute is off in rootsy before she gets it. These ladies taught me an awful lot and amazing me by not dying. It kinda sucks to chop em.... like naming a pet Turkey, until Thanksgiving arrives... <sniff>

 

[Lusi]

Oh dear heavens.... the new scope works perfectly and I can now see everything... it's horrible!! I used that other scope for a month and found no bugs or anything odd. Now I can see mites and eggs where before I'd turn over a speckled leaf or cut it off and find nothing. Now I see many many bugs!! They are even on my tween plants!! #$@%^&%#^@^#&*)!!! There much more... I just test vaped a little bud I picked last week. Nothing.... did nothing... not even munchies. It at least tasted better than earlier buds. What a disaster!

For a start, here's the new scope, under $10 with shipping. You can get screwed on ebay for up to $44 or as low as $1 on ebay form Hong Kong. Only 2 US sellers for the under $10 cost. :-(((

Next the trichs... They are now clearly in focus and I can easily sit down and inspect every bud and leaf. All the trichs are long and clear with amber heads. I'm not finding anything else, yet am sure there were some cloudy ones in there before. To make it worse, it looks like most of the amber heads are falling off or look kind of like they are melting. WTH??! I think I both missed the best time to harvest or it never even arrived. :-( I'm completely confused!!

I just chopped Corny and hung her up. Then I saw that yet another batch of caterpillars hatched on Rootsy and chopped half her to death before I noticed something really strange. She's 7 months old and gets 10 hours of light a day, and now she's re-blooming fresh healthy pistils in the middle under harvest ready buds?! WWTF??? Only this plant... one other has new growth on the main stem, but this one is re-blooming!? Frankenpot?

Here's the base of Rootsy where the most lively old bud lives:

Here's the ying-yang bud. Half of it is regrowing pistils the other needs harvested!?

Here's the jewel, like a tiny anemone! There's another like her on one of the upper branches. I chopped most of the plant up before finding these little things...

 

[Racefan]

Amber is a sign of decay but with that decay come the couchlock effect. That's why we suggest a mix. Did anyone point you to this thread? Read the first and second post in the thread for sure although the entire thread is good.

How To Know When To Harvest

 

[Lusi]

Hi Racefan,

TY for the link. I've read all of the harvest links I could find a while back and several books I have. Now that I have a better scope that arrived yesterday, can see the trichs more clearly. My 30x scope was not enough and the 60-100x one was not working well when I bought it, so returned. The newer one is 1/4 the price and 100% better.

Up until this one arrived, I was seeing a mix of cloudy and clear trich with amber heads. I saw more cloudy then anything. now with the new scope I'm not finding anything cloudy! Every single head is amber and looks melted, the stems clear. It's like I have completely different plants just be switching the scope! I really don't know why...

It appears I've completely missed the harvest, of there never was one. These plants went through hell and look a few months younger than they are. I have to wonder if the heat suppressed so much veg growth outside, the cooler weather brought on blooming and more veg growth together. My buds are full of leaves and they are not covered in sugar. Can a plant just shut itself down onto minimum existence until the conditions improve? Why are new pistils/hairs/stigma (which is correct?) growing on old buds that were harvest ready? I see my nest pic didn't make it up here... will add it. LOL

Well, I guess that's toast for this thread. I'm chopping the rest tomorrow and will let 2 of them reveg since they want to live so badly. If it fails, no loss... I'll soak them in water to remove the soil from the roots and then soak it again in neem every 3 days until no bugs can be left alive. Since I'm throwing out all of my vegging plants but 1 seedling (hopeless to root) and both early flowering small plants are having mite issues, I'll just try to rescue the seedling and seeds in the new tent and let the last 2 and their bugs live in another room. The bugs have one on my new grow and the conditions got the ones that were both harvested too late and too early.

I have to say those Shiva Shanti II seeds really were the perfect beginner strain to grow. I spent a week in Amsterdam hanging around the Sensi Seeds museum. He fellow there let me try some and said it's one of the easiest to grow and was cheap at under $5 a seed! When I get around to my retro journal, you'll see these plants went through hell, beginning life in a window sill. LOL On top of that, I smell NOTHING. These plant give off so little odor people come over and don;t notice them. The plants are on an open room! Even the harvested plants do not smell like MJ. Bizarre, but a good choice for me to practice on inside and out. My one white Label White Skunk is a finicky pain in the butt. :-D

TY for all of the great advice!!

Here's a photo of the beautiful tiny bud that is now completely covered in fresh white pistils over the top of her old ones from September! I'd like to know how a plant being harvested can reflower in the same old buds and growth!?? See the trichs all over the buds and original leaves?! She's still getting no water and only 10 hours of light. LOL!

 

[RPsmoke]

Up until this one arrived, I was seeing a mix of cloudy and clear trich with amber heads. I saw more cloudy then anything. now with the new scope I'm not finding anything cloudy! Every single head is amber and looks melted, the stems clear. It's like I have completely different plants just be switching the scope! I really don't know why...

It took me some practice to learn how to use the scope correctly. I was lucky to be with a seasoned grower, with samples. That way I could practice at telling the color, and have someone to correct me. You'll get the hang of it, now that you got yourself a scope you like.

It appears I've completely missed the harvest, of there never was one. These plants went through hell and look a few months younger than they are. I have to wonder if the heat suppressed so much veg growth outside, the cooler weather brought on blooming and more veg growth together. My buds are full of leaves and they are not covered in sugar. Can a plant just shut itself down onto minimum existence until the conditions improve? Why are new pistils/hairs/stigma (which is correct?) growing on old buds that were harvest ready? I see my nest pic didn't make it up here... will add it. LOL

I think you have/had a mix of things that went on. This summer, wasn't much of a "summer". I had some plants begin to flower too early, revert to veg, only to flower shortly after. Stressed them out. I also had horrible luck with my watermelons. They never really grew. Plants can do truly amazing things, and they will fight to live. They can go into flower, back into veg, back into flower over and over. Plants wont like it, but they can do it.

Stigma vs. Pistil from Robert Conell Clark's Marijuana Botany:

*The term pistil has developed a special meaning with respect to Cannabis which differs slightly from the precise botanical definition. This has come about mainly from the large number of cultivators who have casual knowledge of plant anatomy but an intense interest in the reproduction of Cannabis. The precise definition of pistil refers to the combination of ovary, style and stigma. In the more informal usage, pistil refers to the fused style and stigma. The informal sense is used throughout the book since it has become common practice among Cannabis cultivators. The female flowers appear as two long white, yellow, or pink pistils protruding from the fold of a very thin membranous calyx. The calyx is covered with resin exuding glandular trichomes (hairs). Pistillate flowers are borne in pairs at the nodes one on each side of the petiole behind the stipule of bracts (reduced leaves) which conceal the flowers. The calyx measures 2 to 6 millimeters in length and is closely applied to, and completely contains, the ovary.

Well, I guess that's toast for this thread. I'm chopping the rest tomorrow and will let 2 of them reveg since they want to live so badly. If it fails, no loss... I'll soak them in water to remove the soil from the roots and then soak it again in neem every 3 days until no bugs can be left alive. Since I'm throwing out all of my vegging plants but 1 seedling (hopeless to root) and both early flowering small plants are having mite issues, I'll just try to rescue the seedling and seeds in the new tent and let the last 2 and their bugs live in another room. The bugs have one on my new grow and the conditions got the ones that were both harvested too late and too early.

Why remove soil from the roots? If the soil has an infestation, you can treat it with something like azamax. A refined neem oil, with less "oil" and more extract. Make a neem spray for the leafs. Maybe a pyrethrum spray. A neem dunk can work if they are small enough. Google "neem dunk" and there are lots of info. I am a big fan of Home Defense. I spray it indoors to try and stop bugs before getting in.

I have to say those Shiva Shanti II seeds really were the perfect beginner strain to grow. I spent a week in Amsterdam hanging around the Sensi Seeds museum. He fellow there let me try some and said it's one of the easiest to grow and was cheap at under $5 a seed! When I get around to my retro journal, you'll see these plants went through hell, beginning life in a window sill. LOL On top of that, I smell NOTHING. These plant give off so little odor people come over and don;t notice them. The plants are on an open room! Even the harvested plants do not smell like MJ. Bizarre, but a good choice for me to practice on inside and out. My one white Label White Skunk is a finicky pain in the butt. :-D

TY for all of the great advice!!

Wow! That's pretty cool. Still haven't been over that way myself. Need to. It's fun growing different strains. Some are fun, some are a headache. But I truly enjoy it. I love this plant.

Here's a photo of the beautiful tiny bud that is now completely covered in fresh white pistils over the top of her old ones from September! I'd like to know how a plant being harvested can reflower in the same old buds and growth!?? See the trichs all over the buds and original leaves?! She's still getting no water and only 10 hours of light. LOL!

That's a trip. Plants can do some crazy things I suppose. I remember before I learned to look through a scope, I would harvest based on stigma color. Once they died back, it was time to chop. One strain just wouldn't die back. I mean, some would, but always tons of new hairs popping out. Ended up harvesting that plant WAY too late. It hermied on me. Had seeds. But I learned a lot.

Look forward to seeing the next round.

 

[Creeper]

Hi Lusi,

First, I'm definitely no expert. But, I have a few grows under my belt and may be able to share some advice. I haven't read any of your other threads, so I may be repeating a few things said elsewhere.

I've only grown from seed. That said, the most important lesson I've learned is that every grow is different. My first few grows were very frustrating because nothing seemed to match anything I was reading about. There were weird plants that didn't conform to anything you've ever read about or seen pictures of. The plants flowered from 56 days to 95 days before they were ready. It was nuts. I completely empathize with your frustrations. I even had 1 plant that had mutated and formed 1 branch from 2.

Concerning the pistils, I wouldn't sweat it. I've had plants' pistils turn brown early in flowering, or super-late. So late, in fact, I began to seriously worry. But, in the end, it all turned out good. Nature is like that, I guess.

Lastly, if it's any consolation, I've learned that bud that I harvest too early gets more narcotic as it cures. So, the several ounces of herb you chopped too early may not be completely wasted. And the grass smell is normal. Some bud just smells like grass for a bit... that will go away as it cures. That's why they call it 'grass', right?

Hope this helps.

 

[Lusi]

OOOH I hate computers!! I had a nice reply with photos all ready to go, then it died and ate everything. I had 50 plus pics open in photoshop, all the changes were lost. It might be a while before I catch up!

I'll write another replay after I recover all I was working on. I know I write long winded sagas, but feel anyone who takes the time to reply to one of my posts deserves a well thought out answer. Old Fashioned... hehe

til then

 

[RPsmoke]

OOOH I hate computers!! I had a nice reply with photos all ready to go, then it died and ate everything. I had 50 plus pics open in photoshop, all the changes were lost. It might be a while before I catch up!

I'll write another replay after I recover all I was working on. I know I write long winded sagas, but feel anyone who takes the time to reply to one of my posts deserves a well thought out answer. Old Fashioned... hehe

til then

Hate when that happens! Also have had the power go out, right at the worst time! Frustrating for sure.

Anyway, hope things are good. Look forward to seeing a nice little recap, or maybe a new grow!

 

[Lusi]

Hi RP!
I actually am trying my first journal. I can then include all the details I want. LOL!!! I have 4 new seeds germing right now. The journal is for them. Meanwhile I put two plants from harvest to reveg, after stripping all soul and soaking in neem for 30 minutes. My vegging seedling and clone were also soaked. Anyone with bugs will be put in the flowering area where 2 blooming plants struggle to live until harvest. (another 6 weeks)They have a long way to go. :-( I need to put them in the sick plant section!
I'm just filling space in the new tent with experiments until I need the space.

Also in the journal, I hope to include any info I have learned, tips from grow class, and link to every gadget and item I buy. I try ti think of what type of info I was searching for before my first grow. Links to where the products are sold or where they are described would have helped me out in the past. As I newbie, acronyms still drive me wild. I'll try not to do that. When reading about LED light grows, I became confused from the start.

I used the be a teacher before military. If there is any way I can help a person to learn from my mistakes, and avoid a few of their own...that's enough for me! ))

Sandwiched in there is info I still need. Like adding peroxide to me seedling water prevents fungus. my grow class says no, book says yes. ???! Of course people have to read my long winded posts to ever find the question. LOL!!

Lusi's 1st Indoor Grow Journal - In My New GL80L Tent

 

[RPsmoke]

Sounds great Lusi! I don't mind long winded posts. MUCH better then those super short posts. I feel bad when someone is asking for help, but not giving enough info for the people here to offer help.

Anyway, sounds like you have a bunch of things going on! Will check out the journal.

 

[catsmeow]

This was my first grow.I planted 6 and then ended up with 5 males. I pulled then up, then continued to flower my one female. I got bugs, I was able to control the ones living in the dirt but did not think about the ones living under the leafs. I had a army of spider mites. I was stupid and did not do enough research on how to use neem oil and I fried my girl:-( Her leafs r almost completely dried up no. I have been misting her several times a day with no results.