Ready to harvest?

[Miffy-batman]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum.

 

This is my first serious outdoor grow and I want to get the harvesting time right.  Looking at photo's online it seems like the difference between clear and cloudy trichs can be hard to tell depending on the light.  Some parts of my plant have a fair few amber ones.  It's a silver haze plant and has been flowering since early Feb, so just over 2 months.

 

Sorry about the blurriness of some of the photo's, it was hard to keep the plant still while taking them.

 

Thanks in advance for the feedback

[Miffy-batman]

Just had another look... I think it's ready

[merl1n]

Hey Miffy,

I can certainly see cloudy white triches from your pics, but to truly get a clear view I'd recommend using a microscope. I have a couple here. One is a computer microscope like this

http://www.tmart.com/5X-500X-2MP-8-LED-White-Light-USB-Digital-Video-Microscope-Black_p265419.html?cc=AUD&fixed_price=hk_intl&gclid=CN_H-83q7cQCFQIIvAodb2cA-A,

It works great if you can remove the plant material you want to view.

The other is a small handheld scope, like this http://www.carson.com/microscopes/pocket-microscopes/1235-mm-200

which is great for viewing the triches on the plant.

 

Merl1n

[Miffy-batman]

Thanks for the reply. I have a hand held 10x scope or the macro setting on my camera, which seems to work better, especially after zooming in on the photo. I think I'll be cutting it today, just found a little more but rot today I've been having a bit of trouble with the humid weather, I've caught it pretty early everytime so far though thankfully. Maybe I'll invest in one of those hand held microscopes for next time Edited April 12, 2015 by Miffy-batman

[Miffy-batman]

So I found a microscope I had from when I was you get and cleaned it up. Do you guys think these are mostly clear or cloudy? Thanks

[Miffy-batman]

I know I'm posting a whole bunch in my thread but I'm pretty torn. Looking at some samples from the lower sections of the tops I see mainly clear and cloudy triches, maybe 1 amber per tiny leaf, does to look ready.

Then the top of te plant looks like this...

[merl1n]

That first lot look like some have just turned milky and they need a bit more time

The 2nd lot of pics they look primarily milk to me. Sure there are some browning but they've got a bit further to go too IMO

 

Merl1n

[Miffy-batman]

Thanks again for the reply.  It does look like it could do with a little longer but waking up everyday and finding some more bud rot or leaves beginning to curl due to the humidity/rot made me think it's worth cutting it now, maybe losing some potency but preventing any further rot or mold.  Last night I remembered I'd pulled some small bits of bud off a week or so back and they'd dried so my girlfriend and I smoked that and it was the best stuff I've smoked in a long while.  Very happy with the effects, taste and everything about it made me feel not so bad about cutting early too. 

 

I've started harvesting this afteroon, man it takes forever, all my last grows could probably be considered micro grows, this was my first outdoor grow, although the plant was still fairly small I think (compared to the HUGE bushes a family friend was growing in Uruguay).  I was just wondering, have you ever harvested over multiple days?

 

Thanks again for the help

[merl1n]

Yea, I regularly harvest over time. Only chopped the lot at the same time when I have had no choice. I have in the past taken only the crowns, then allowed the rest to mature a bit more. But as I usually do a full on flush prior to harvest, leaving it much longer than a week, the plant has a marked decline in health in my experience.

But you certainly don't need to be taking the lot on the same day. I'd recommend within the week tho.

Here is one of mine (indoor) https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/gallery/image/10063-7/

And just before harvest https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/topic/12055-all-join-in-just-a-pic-dump/?view=findpost&p=350768

Here is it hanging, harvested https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/uploads/monthly_08_2013/post-24238-0-74057000-1375954767.jpg

 

 

Merl1n

[Miffy-batman]

Awesome It got too dark to keep going today.

They're some nice plants!

Due to the lack of space here (I live with my parents who are somehow okay with my growing for myself) I'm having to manicure it now and dry it in smaller portions.  Does the the way you dry it make that much of a difference? I've hung whole branches, hung smaller cuttings, laid out manicured buds on some sort of paper and put manicured buds in a food dehydrator (on the lowest setting, I think it's 27ish degrees with a fan blowing) and haven't really noticed much difference.  I then cure them in jars.