Hairs turning red at week 5

[Spidermight]

around 5 weeks into flower


kali dog and wedding crasher.

outdoors, soil, mega crop only.

a lot of hairs are turning red already, is it normal this early??? it's still got a long way to go.

also, do trichomes mature evenly? or in some parts of the plant they become cloudy faster? just wondering if need to take more than one sample when looking at trichomes

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi Spidermite! Yes, it is totally normal for some of the pistils to start turning even earlier than this. Despite the pretty colors on the flowers, she isn't done until the trichomes mature, and not just any trichomes... but the ones at the very tip top of the topmost buds. When those start going amber, she is ready... but not before. The trichomes lower down on the plant and on the leaves mature first, but you are not smoking those leaves... you are smoking the buds. Wait till they get done. Patience is the key. Typically at the end, all of the white pistils go away and are either pulled back into the bud or they turn color. I watch the pistils disappear from the tip top... and THEN I check my trichomes to be sure.

 

[bobrown14]

5 weeks is late - plants use the sun to trigger maturation. Depending on where you're located in relation to the equator and also the strain plays a part.

For example - Durban Poison can flower for 16 weeks if you're near the equator but will finish sooner the farther away from equator you are.

Genetics are key to how fast the plants finish and why we see folks growing AUTO flowers.

It's all in the genetics.

 

[Spidermight]

Hi Spidermite! Yes, it is totally normal for some of the pistils to start turning even earlier than this. Despite the pretty colors on the flowers, she isn't done until the trichomes mature, and not just any trichomes... but the ones at the very tip top of the topmost buds. When those start going amber, she is ready... but not before. The trichomes lower down on the plant and on the leaves mature first, but you are not smoking those leaves... you are smoking the buds. Wait till they get done. Patience is the key. Typically at the end, all of the white pistils go away and are either pulled back into the bud or they turn color. I watch the pistils disappear from the tip top... and THEN I check my trichomes to be sure.

Oh ok! When checking trichomes, should i take samples of a certain spot off the top buds? Like, if i cut a small sample off the top bud will the rest of the bud still mature And turn cloudy?

 

[Spidermight]

5 weeks is late - plants use the sun to trigger maturation. Depending on where you're located in relation to the equator and also the strain plays a part.

For example - Durban Poison can flower for 16 weeks if you're near the equator but will finish sooner the farther away from equator you are.

Genetics are key to how fast the plants finish and why we see folks growing AUTO flowers.

It's all in the genetics.

Here in italy fems start flowering in September, and have until around the end of october to flower before it gets took cold.

Should i use strains with shorter flowering periods because of this? Or does it not matter?

 

[Emilya Green]

Oh ok! When checking trichomes, should i take samples of a certain spot off the top buds? Like, if i cut a small sample off the top bud will the rest of the bud still mature And turn cloudy?

I would not take samples of buds that are still dramatically increasing in size and weight at the end. I go into the grow room first with a loupe and I try to see the trichomes at the top without cutting them and then when I think I am there, I confirm it with a hand held microscope, while still on the plant. If you were to cut some of the bud the rest will mature, but you have lost so much with such a test... and cutting does cause some changes in the buds as a reaction to the attack... not necessarily bad changes, but they can slow things down a bit too. Get the mindset to do non destructive visual tests... save the cutting for harvest time.

 

[Spidermight]

I would not take samples of buds that are still dramatically increasing in size and weight at the end. I go into the grow room first with a loupe and I try to see the trichomes at the top without cutting them and then when I think I am there, I confirm it with a hand held microscope, while still on the plant. If you were to cut some of the bud the rest will mature, but you have lost so much with such a test... and cutting does cause some changes in the buds as a reaction to the attack... not necessarily bad changes, but they can slow things down a bit too. Get the mindset to do non destructive visual tests... save the cutting for harvest time.

Oh makes sense, i just have a really hard time looking at them on the plant, i have a x60 x120 microscope and its almost impossible to keep it still unless its flat on the table ... Tried a jewelry loupe but it's not powerful enough

 

[Emilya Green]

I have a $35 USB powered wifi enabled 1000x microscope that sends the pictures right to my cell phone. Its still hard to get a good shot on the plant, but with two hands it is possible to look around and snap a few as you watch your cellphone.