browning off how long

[crewzennow]

Hi guys , what is the time period between the first brown off to the third one .one of mine started to brown 5 days ago , I have started giving this one straight water getting ready to pull ,hope I haven't started with the fresh water to soon ❔

[billygoat]

There are 3 brown offs ? What is a brown off please ?

[Biggdogg]

I think hes refering to the stage of flower when the leaves go yellow and fall off

[The Stoned Jester]

I think he is referring to the hairs on the buds, in that case it's personal preference 3 is the norm i think, some member here let that go on for quite a bit ... something about the THC breaks down into other cannabinoids the longer you leave it.

[Matanuska Thunder]

???when the "hairs" go brown, reemerge white, go brown, reemerge white, then go brown for the third time...

 

how long have the plants been under 12/12 (in flowering)?

[sheep_dreamer]

I think TSJ is referring to calyx and specifically three sepal on the flower.

 

Back to the OP, I think this question might help guide an answer...

 

how long have the plants been under 12/12 (in flowering)?

I'll also ask, what's been her diet in the recent weeks up to now?

[merl1n]

I go the 3 brownings regularly, in fact every grow now. I've been doing a 3 browning for many years now, and NEVER take a plant at less than 12weeks minimum

???when the "hairs" go brown, reemerge white, go brown, reemerge white, then go brown for the third time...

That is it exactly Mata. After the 3rd browning of the hairs (or stigmas) I then check the trichome colour with a microscope, when the trichomes are a nice toffee brown, after 12weeks, I do the final flush. My longest was 16weeks of 12/12 or 5 brownings, but I did not see the benefit of 16week over a 13week in the smoke.

.... I have started giving this one straight water getting ready to pull ,hope I haven't started with the fresh water to soon ❔

I'd have to say 'Sorry, but yes you have' IMHO

I have done this previously, flushed before the 3rd browning, and although I thought the natural process would continue, this was not the case. In my situation I had the 'normal' 8week browning, still feeding full strength nutes, then the 10 week browning. After which I started my flush. It took till 13 1/2 weeks for the 3rd to eventually turn brown, usually this occurs around the 11 1/2 week mark at which point I do the final flush. The smoke was real nice but it wasn't the 'normal' 3 browning smoke I like. It didn't have the full-on, full bodied flavour that I like. Also it was a little harsh, a bit chemically at the end of a cone. Upon speaking to others it seems once you start your flush the plant loses all of its resources to continue the plants processes, then continuing to grow the plant, it starts to 'cannibalize' itself using all of its own reserves.

 

Personally, if you've started your final flush and it's been more than 24hrs of flush, then take your harvest as normal. Once the final flush has taken place re nuteing it can take a couple of weeks to see any benefit as it takes a bit of time for the plant to reabsorb the nutes to a usable level again.

 

Merl1n

Edited December 5, 2014 by merl1n

[crewzennow]

Iv made a bit of a mistake I think they have been under 12 on ,12 off for 8 weeks , I started giving them straight ph adjusted water 1 week ago when the hairs were about 20% brown,I thought this is the time to start flushing .how long do u flush for do I give fresh water with no nutrients to replace the normal feed .no sure of final process ,Help

[merl1n]

Hey Crew,

It's all good, it ain't a mistake, so long as you learn from it. Look at it all as more a learning experience. None of us a born with the skills, we learn them.

When I am doing the final flush I exchange the fluid daily and refill with pH adjusted water. I do this for 5-7 days. You are flushing to remove the salts. There is only so much salts that can dissolve into your fluid. When the salt level is at its maximum in your fluid the fluid is known as a saturated solution and no further salts will dissolve. By pumping this saturated fluid around you are not flushing anything. This is why I exchange the flush fluid daily, I want to get rid of those salts.

You say "... when the hairs were about 20% brown..." The old skool method of harvest went by the colour of the hairs as a signal. Things have been refined a bit more since then and now its recommended you go by trichomes colour and not the hairs. The trichomes start out clear and look like a drop of water on top of a small stem.

To actually see these clearly you need a microscope. Initially I bought a kids microscope from a toy shop, which did work but I needed to remove the bud leaf from the plant to view it. Now I use a small portable scope and can now view them still on the plant. http://www.opticscentral.com.au/index.php/catalog/product/view/_ignore_category/1/id/1016/s/carson-micromax-60-100x-led-illuminated-zoom-pocket-microscope/?gclid=CIKR1cSZsMICFZaTvQod3nQAtg#.VIJTJf8cSM8

 

Hope it helps

Merl1n

[crewzennow]

Thanks merlin1 .when I started my flush the trichomes were clear , some may have been cloudy , in the last few days iv noticed more cloudy one ,I use jewelers magnifying glass 40/25 it lets me see them ok ,just not sure how long it takes between clear trichomes & cloudy & a good flush program is needed . I just think my timing was all out .your help is much appreciated Edited December 6, 2014 by crewzennow