Oops Better Late Than Never 1st Time Grow Journal, Sort Of

[oopssteptinit]

We all have those days. Rest up!

Thank you, Thank you

 

[SQl2kGuy]

Again, sorry for not keeping up with this. Ya know how life has a way of just keeping you busy and next thing you know, it's been a day or two or seven before I come on here and post. The girls are looking good, of course, I was too pooped to go out and take some pictures. Thanks to those of you who have popped in to see how things are going. Will try to get some pictures and probably some more questions for you learned folks in the next day or so. Good evening all. Gonna go poke around 420 for awhile.

Glad to see you back!

 

[oopssteptinit]

Thank you @SQl2kGuy It's good to get to relax for a bit. I'll be poking around here some more as time allows.

 

[oopssteptinit]

Ok, it's way too hot outside for me to get any work done out there, so, thought I'd toss up some pictures. Day 53 from 12/12 light switch, or day 43 from when I first saw bud-set:

And, I split the difference on the PH worries.... I bought a few gallons of RO water for the remainder of the grow. I am seeing maybe 30% amber on the pistils and through the 60 power part of the microscope, I can see clear trichomes on the sugar leaves? Thinking I have maybe a week or two before harvest? Sorry, my camera is an old kodak easy share, and my old hands are not too steady at times. You all have a Blessed day! Oops

 

[InTheShed]

I'd say your timing sounds good based on the color of the pistils. Nice frost!

 

[oopssteptinit]

I'd say your timing sounds good based on the color of the pistils. Nice frost!

Awesome thanks @InTheShed, I was hoping you would pop over and confirm the timing, sorry the pictures aren't better, but woot! am I excited!

 

[InTheShed]

I did notice you're making good use of the tomato cage!

 

[oopssteptinit]

I did notice you're making good use of the tomato cage!

Thanks, and I noticed you had a cage hidden in one of your girls as well today. Yeah, hoping, by tying them loosely, they can still sway to the wind, sort of.

 

[InTheShed]

Hidden is right! I'll still probably be tying outside branches to mine as well.

 

[oopssteptinit]

Just dropping in to toss in some more pictures. Sorry folks, have relatives coming in and things get busy. Hope everyone is doing wonderful here in 420 land. OK. Here's some pics. I think they are getting close to harvest. Funny, they don't seem to smell as good as they did a week or so ago. Is that typical? I mean two weeks ago, I would hang out in the closet and let my body absorb that aroma, and now it is next to no smell. Hmmmm, miss that aroma.



A week or so? And will I get the aroma back during drying and curing? Thanks all, in advance. Blessings to all!!
Oops.

 

[oopssteptinit]

Evening all. Just a quick note. Got the aroma back today, Yay! Who knows? Maybe it's just me. Have a great evening.

 

[InTheShed]

Oh that's where I left my reading glasses!

Frost looks great, and the smell can come and go. A few weeks into the cure will be the best inhale ever .

 

[oopssteptinit]

Oh that's where I left my reading glasses!

Frost looks great, and the smell can come and go. A few weeks into the cure will be the best inhale ever .

Thanks for stopping in, lol bout the glasses. Aww ok, on the smell, whew, cause I wasn't doing anything different, so whew!
When I'm told that I am looking for 60% amber pistils for peak of harvest on this semi-unkown strain, which pistils am I looking at? The one's on top, while I am looking straight down on them? Which are mostly amber, at least 60%. Or, am I looking at the new growth pistils that are growing between the leaves from the side angle? Which are only maybe 30% amber? Because of the situation of my clone-guy, I can't just call him up and ask him. I have been practicing with the microscope 60X and still see mostly shaky, but clear trichomes. I have scoured through the galleries here looking for pictures close to what this NL cross is supposed to look like when ready for harvest. Of course, at least in my eyes none of them look similar to me. Thanks, Oops

 

[InTheShed]

Pistils are really hit and miss based on the strain. Professor Flora grew a plant that had all burnt orange pistils and it wasn't ripe for another 2 weeks.

It's the trichomes that will really tell you when to harvest, and with shaky hands I'd suggest something a lot lower power than 60x. An 8x loupe and a smart phone can take great trichome pics, and the loupe under $15.

This:

gets you this:

 

[oopssteptinit]

Pistils are really hit and miss based on the strain. Professor Flora grew a plant that had all burnt orange pistils and it wasn't ripe for another 2 weeks.

It's the trichomes that will really tell you when to harvest, and with shaky hands I'd suggest something a lot lower power than 60x. An 8x loupe and a smart phone can take great trichome pics, and the loupe under $15.

This:

gets you this:

Thanks InTheShed, I wish I would of found this site before I ever knee-jerked and threw my grow together.
I can probably pick up a jeweler's loupe from amazon or something, but I don't think the missus will let me get a smart phone. I'll try to get a loupe and tape it to my old camera and see what I can do. When they do start turning cloudy, does it happen over the course of days? Or hours? I'm trying to not let it get over too awful far into the couch-lock area, I want to still have a brain when I get to sleep.

 

[InTheShed]

Even without the phone I can see the trichomes clear as day, and the lower the magnification the less steady your hand needs to be.

Plants ripen over days, not hours (well, not that we ever check that often). If you are looking for sleep meds then you're looking for more amber. If you looking for less couchlock then you want less amber. Trichomes go from clear (unripe) to cloudy (peak THC), to amber (THC degrading into CBN, which is the cannabinoid that causes couch lock).

In the ideal no-couchlock situation, we would harvest at all cloudy. Unfortunately, plants rarely cooperate that way, so we do our best to balance the unripe clear with the over-ripe amber when we decide when to harvest.

One last bit of advice when scoping trichomes...it's best to check the buds rather than the leaves. The leaves will show amber first.

 

[oopssteptinit]

Even without the phone I can see the trichomes clear as day, and the lower the magnification the less steady your hand needs to be.

Plants ripen over days, not hours (well, not that we ever check that often). If you are looking for sleep meds then you're looking for more amber. If you looking for less couchlock then you want less amber. Trichomes go from clear (unripe) to cloudy (peak THC), to amber (THC degrading into CBN, which is the cannabinoid that causes couch lock).

In the ideal no-couchlock situation, we would harvest at all cloudy. Unfortunately, plants rarely cooperate that way, so we do our best to balance the unripe clear with the over-ripe amber when we decide when to harvest.

One last bit of advice when scoping trichomes...it's best to check the buds rather than the leaves. The leaves will show amber first.

Awesome, Thanks InTheShed. You've answered a lot of questions for me, and I really appreciate it! I've been going through your journal and am still in your earlier area of your journal, taking my time and taking notes. Sure am thankful for your knowledge and patience. So, I will be watching the buds themselves, looking for the trichomes to be evenly or more amber than cloudy, for a couch-lock, or mostly cloudy with some amber for a more alert yet not, heart-racing effect. I think I might be getting it. I hope.
Thanks again!

 

[oopssteptinit]

Hiya 420! Girls are looking good. Think I still have a week or so left, I think. Getting better with the microscope. The missus nixed my jeweler's loop and my perfectpipe for now, anyway. Hmmmpff. Hah, guess I shouldn't have asked her.... Oh well, anyway here's the gals

 

[InTheShed]

Nice frost oops!

 

[oopssteptinit]

Thanks InTheShed!