the truth about trichomes.

[Harry bootlace]

ok. for the last few years i’ve used or tried to use trichomes as the sign the plant is ready.
which seems to be the popular way.

but. every season i run into the same issue.

look here. unless i’m crazy or blind or both, i see clear, milky and amber.



the plant is about 8 weeks into flower and not ready.
but the buds are big and if I was an absolute beginner i’d probably see some amber and pull.

i still look at trichomes, but also look at the buds as a whole and the entire plant.

i realise often the main buds have amber when the lower ones aren’t ready and also the sugar leaves will get amber earlier.

i’m also wondering if sometimes there’s a reflection of the orange / brown hairs that confuse you into seeing amber trichs.


this plant is only about 4 weeks into flower max.

anyone want to comment or discuss ?

 

[afghan bob]

I hear u Harold, seen it a few times, a tad confusing but best 2 go on percentage of amber i think
But your on 2 it, have a look at whole plant, calyx development and pistil shrivel
The early taste always seems 2 work
Fark, 4 weeks in2 flower, u sure u haven't been bud squeezing ?

 

[Harry bootlace]

first pic is 8 weeks. second 4 weeks ( different plant ). yeah no squeezing there. i choose one to squeeze at some pin t but this one isn’t even close to bother.

who knows.

 

[Rabbitlicker]

Have you considered sequential harvesting? Not every bud on the plant will mature at the same time, so taking the ones (usually uppers) that are ready to go to your liking & letting the others go a bit longer until they're also ready to go.

It also makes the whole chore of harvesting & trimming a bit less daunting than chopping the whole thing in one go & setting yourself a mammoth task.

 

[benn0]

Yeh its got me fckd, I often wait as long as possible when I actually do have plants, I do prefer to let my plants go over a bit because I prefer the stone/high like that, where the THC apparently drops a bit and the other cannabinoids rise, but not too much! Just my personal preference.
Buutt you are right, depending where you look there can be amber trichs then even at the same level of the plant but maybe a different stalk its all different, sometimes maybe even on the same bud I've found if its within the stage of them turning I guess.
Dunno what I can say to help lol sorry

 

[itchybro]

i'd say possible plant stress , often water stress can make some trichomes amber early
plant stress can also make a plant take longer to finish
i often see guys on here saying yellowing leaves are the plant fading when in my opinion it's stress not fade

if you grow in a sub irrigated planter & you only fill the rez when it's empty you can see a plants need for
water as it grows especially through flower when water needs go from quite high to a minimal need towards the end

 

[Harry bootlace]

i'd say possible plant stress , often water stress can make some trichomes amber early
plant stress can also make a plant take longer to finish
i often see guys on here saying yellowing leaves are the plant fading when in my opinion it's stress not fade

if you grow in a sub irrigated planter & you only fill the rez when it's empty you can see a plants need for
water as it grows especially through flower when water needs go from quite high to a minimal need towards the end

interesting ( as always). might have early amber from the recent hale storm perhaps.

 

[Harry bootlace]

i'd say possible plant stress , often water stress can make some trichomes amber early
plant stress can also make a plant take longer to finish
i often see guys on here saying yellowing leaves are the plant fading when in my opinion it's stress not fade

if you grow in a sub irrigated planter & you only fill the rez when it's empty you can see a plants need for
water as it grows especially through flower when water needs go from quite high to a minimal need towards the end

agreed. I usually harvest half with some amber and leave the rest to harvest later and have a much higher % of amber.
dry and label the latter as late harvest.

 

[Harry bootlace]

Have you considered sequential harvesting? Not every bud on the plant will mature at the same time, so taking the ones (usually uppers) that are ready to go to your liking & letting the others go a bit longer until they're also ready to go.

It also makes the whole chore of harvesting & trimming a bit less daunting than chopping the whole thing in one go & setting yourself a mammoth task.

sorry reply above was meant for you. haha. haven’t even had a come today.

 

[itchybro]

sorry reply above was meant for you. haha. haven’t even had a come today.

to much info mate

 

[afghan bob]

Strange, but tbh, those trikes in your pics don't really look full on milky
Sorta look see through milky, not full on creamy
Personally, i'll chop when most have that shiny cream with fark all amber
But we all diff, so whatever floats ure boats and gets the job done

 

[Goonie Goat]

I harvest when milky. From what i gathered the trichomes will still change to amber after harvest (oxidation??) anyway..

 

[Harry bootlace]

to much info mate

oops. thought this was my only fans page.

carry on.

Strange, but tbh, those trikes in your pics don't really look full on milky
Sorta look see through milky, not full on creamy
Personally, i'll chop when most have that shiny cream with fark all amber
But we all diff, so whatever floats ure boats and gets the job done

yeah. i agree. this plant has a few weeks left in her at a guess for my taste.

I harvest when milky. From what i gathered the trichomes will still change to amber after harvest (oxidation??) anyway..

never looked at them post harvest.
that’s on my homework now.

 

[Squire]

oops. thought this was my only fans page.

carry on.

Nice comeback Harry.
Great idea for a discussion .

 

[Mellow oldfark]

West Oz weather is a whole different kettle of fish to east coast . especially outdoor.
Had a few in ten ltr buckets outdoor ,harvest two weeks ago.
Could of went another 2 weeks ,but clearly mould was starting to grow on bigger colas.after one small shower, admittedly pushing them with p.k so flowers were quite advanced.
So chopped to reduce losses .
Happy with result considering.lost about 1/4 Oz. Tried some crescendo last night, lovely......

 

[Harry bootlace]

West Oz weather is a whole different kettle of fish to east coast . especially outdoor.
Had a few in ten ltr buckets outdoor ,harvest two weeks ago.
Could of went another 2 weeks ,but clearly mould was starting to grow on bigger colas.after one small shower, admittedly pushing them with p.k so flowers were quite advanced.
So chopped to reduce losses .
Happy with result considering.lost about 1/4 Oz. Tried some crescendo last night, lovely......

no mould for me yet ( touch wood). reminds me i should somehow climb up and look at the top of one incase.

 

[Indy]

Years ago we were told to go by the yellowing of leaves and when most of the pistils were red..

Then it was all about Tri's, don't bother with anything else..

But over time I've learnt to go by the overall look and smell of the plant/s. With sativa-dom's they get this hardened off look late in their cycle, and their buds thicken 'n harden up whilst taking on weight, and the aroma of the buds go from smelling good to a sweeter smell.

That's about it. But I still cant help myself, i gotta get the jewelers loupe out and check the tri's.

 

[missrachael]

Years ago we were told to go by the yellowing of leaves and when most of the pistils were red..

Then it was all about Tri's, don't bother with anything else..

But over time I've learnt to go by the overall look and smell of the plant/s. With sativa-dom's they get this hardened off look late in their cycle, and their buds thicken 'n harden up whilst taking on weight, and the aroma of the buds go from smelling good to a sweeter smell.

That's about it. But I still cant help myself, i gotta get the jewelers loupe out and check the tri's.

Well explained Indy. My journey too. Not just one aspect but everything. I find trichs are a great way to confirm or help decide between girls. Trich pics are like porn for me

 

[missrachael]

West Oz weather is a whole different kettle of fish to east coast . especially outdoor.
Had a few in ten ltr buckets outdoor ,harvest two weeks ago.
Could of went another 2 weeks ,but clearly mould was starting to grow on bigger colas.after one small shower, admittedly pushing them with p.k so flowers were quite advanced.
So chopped to reduce losses .
Happy with result considering.lost about 1/4 Oz. Tried some crescendo last night, lovely......

Good call, nothing worse than taking a punt and then throwing out more than you keep. Thanks to getting very wet before I got them undercover DoSiDos (also surprisingly lovely+tasty) came in 10 days ago. I'm off to look up crescendo.

 

[missrachael]

ok. for the last few years i’ve used or tried to use trichomes as the sign the plant is ready.
which seems to be the popular way.

but. every season i run into the same issue.

look here. unless i’m crazy or blind or both, i see clear, milky and amber.


View attachment 59337
the plant is about 8 weeks into flower and not ready.
but the buds are big and if I was an absolute beginner i’d probably see some amber and pull.

i still look at trichomes, but also look at the buds as a whole and the entire plant.

i realise often the main buds have amber when the lower ones aren’t ready and also the sugar leaves will get amber earlier.

i’m also wondering if sometimes there’s a reflection of the orange / brown hairs that confuse you into seeing amber trichs.

View attachment 59338
this plant is only about 4 weeks into flower max.

anyone want to comment or discuss ?

Great topic Harry. I love trich pics! Every now and then I have sporadic stunted amber trichs but mine are smaller than the regular trichs. I agree with Itchy suggesting damage of some sort, especially in my case. Maybe your reflection theory could fit.

I'm with you on not rushing to harvest if you don't have to but just going by the trichs (which all look pretty cloudy to me especially compared with the 1st pic) I'd be happy to start bringing her in, plenty of time to turn amber slowly + gently over the next few months. I was just comparing pics of my 2024 trichs at harvest and then 9mths on. Such an amazing transformation takes place.