Trichs vs Pistils

[Gardinhackle]

I tried searching this so I wasn't bothering the members but I came up dry. My question pertains to which you should follow to harvest, Trichs or Pistils.

I chopped my first grow ever yesterday and I based it on the trichs being milky with about 30% brown. I took them to my friends place to process and he says I chopped too early based on the Pistils. They weren't all dark brown but rather a lighter brown with some darker mixed in. He said I should have left them grow for another two to three weeks. Is that correct?

These were photo-period Indica outdoor potted grows, 8 weeks from first flower.

Thanks in advance

 

[Thirvnrob]

It depends on the effect you’re looking for. Less amber will produce a more “heady” effect. More amber has you looking for a place to settle in AKA couch lock…

 

[GrowNMo]

go with the trichs.

 

[Gardinhackle]

Thanks guys! It's what I thought you'd say...

On a side note, I was handling the buds quite a bit while trimming...I found out after this is bad, do you think it will still be a potent or have I wipe a lot of the trichomes off?

 

[Thirvnrob]

Never hurt mine…

 

[Dwight Monk]

Just make sure you are looking at the trichs on the flowers and not the sugar leaves, as the sugar leaves will change way before the flowers do. Your harvest window is a bit wider than many people think, many folks seem to think it goes from early to ready now to way too late in just a few days period of time.

 

[Emilya Green]

I use the browning of the pistils as my sign that it is time to start watching the trichomes. Almost always, the final coloring of all the pistils coincides with the first amber trichomes showing up in the very upper flowers and when I get to about 10-20% amber at the very tip top, I harvest.

 

[Gardinhackle]

Thanks for the replies guys! Next year I'll have a better handle on things..

 

[013]

same here, pistils tell ya when to watch the trichs

 

[Sativa1970]

Agree, pistols tell you when to start looking at trichs. Just using pistols is how it was done decades ago before we knew what trics were. Some land strain plants will never amber so you wait for clouding and then watch the pistols. That is a rare exception.

 

[Enjoying]

I use the browning of the pistils as my sign that it is time to start watching the trichomes. Almost always, the final coloring of all the pistils coincides with the first amber trichomes showing up in the very upper flowers and when I get to about 10-20% amber at the very tip top, I harvest.

Do you feel 10 - 20% amber at the top is better than harvesting as the branches reach the same point (branch by branch vs whole plant), or is this just easier for you? Sorry, if I worded that in an offensive manner, I am not trying to offend you. I am just straight forward or blunt.

I am trying to figure out my way of harvesting and only being on my second grow I am trying to gather all the data I can. I like a more heady high than couch lock and have read both, it's growers choice (milky vs amber) and that amber means the plant is more ripe or more in the harvest window. I aim for 5 - 10% amber (basically as soon as I see amber anywhere on the flower trichs) for this reason as it would make me sad to have a jar of couch lock buds.

I would like to get better at drying and curing also as I feel my first harvest fell short in this area. Half an ounce(dry) from an eighteen inch plant (no training) isn't to bad imo but it seems to dry as it turns to basically dust when I break it up unless I am very careful. For joints it's okay but for bowls it makes it kind of difficult.

 

[Emilya Green]

Do you feel 10 - 20% amber at the top is better than harvesting as the branches reach the same point (branch by branch vs whole plant), or is this just easier for you? Sorry, if I worded that in an offensive manner, I am not trying to offend you. I am just straight forward or blunt.

I am trying to figure out my way of harvesting and only being on my second grow I am trying to gather all the data I can. I like a more heady high than couch lock and have read both, it's growers choice (milky vs amber) and that amber means the plant is more ripe or more in the harvest window. I aim for 5 - 10% amber (basically as soon as I see amber anywhere on the flower trichs) for this reason as it would make me sad to have a jar of couch lock buds.

I would like to get better at drying and curing also as I feel my first harvest fell short in this area. Half an ounce(dry) from an eighteen inch plant (no training) isn't to bad imo but it seems to dry as it turns to basically dust when I break it up unless I am very careful. For joints it's okay but for bowls it makes it kind of difficult.

Surprisingly to a lot of new growers, the trichomes on the lower branches finish sometimes a week before the big main buds at the top... so yes, it is better to wait. If you enjoy the headier high, harvest when you get to only 2% at the top, or as soon as you see the first one. React to the biggest buds at the top and get them right, don't go by the lower growth that will end up being a small percentage of your yield. On the drying, you definitely overdried if it is able to turn to powder.

 

[Enjoying]

Surprisingly to a lot of new growers, the trichomes on the lower branches finish sometimes a week before the big main buds at the top... so yes, it is better to wait. If you enjoy the headier high, harvest when you get to only 2% at the top, or as soon as you see the first one. React to the biggest buds at the top and get them right, don't go by the lower growth that will end up being a small percentage of your yield. On the drying, you definitely overdried if it is able to turn to powder.

I harvested in pieces. Basically as soon as I saw amber I chopped it. I also separated the buds in the jars, the cola is one, the next 1/4 of the plant in another and so on. Roughly in 1/4s of the plant. Yeah I know I messed up on drying, Drying in Cali w/o a proper set up doesn't seem easy =[