Closer and closer

[CrankyMaddog]

So here are the ladies. I had thought I would have been able to harvest in the next few days, however they are not quite where i want them. I got a scope (60x-100x), wish it had more viewing area, but it looks like the tricombs are between clear and milky white, I seen like one amber one. So based on that I think I should be patience. Tonight is going to be the coldest (record cold, in fact) low 20's some teens, they say this one marks the end of the growing season here Guess I will just have to keep bring them in at night and keep them warm. Any comments are welcomed.

 

[WizHigh]

Looking good nice buds

 

[Muttt]

I went to radioshack and picked up a pretty cool magnifying glass for about 8 bucks. It has three flip out lenses 5x, 10x and 15x. The 15x seems to work just right. It lets me see the trichomes ..... but not one at a time. I lets me see them good enough to tell. I have one of those 60-100 hand held scopes .... and it sucks. That is unless you want to examine each and every trichome one at a time.

 

[OMGrown]

You can hang xmas lights around the plants and cover them with bags to keep them warm. Nice looking buds!

 

[CrankyMaddog]

That's an interesting idea OMGrown. I just went to take a look at them and I believe that the one is ready (based on tricombs). Sooo tomorrow will be harvest day for me. My first time, a little nervous, just because I never did it before. I have read and watched videos and still don't feel prepared. Anyone have some cool tips and tricks?

 

[CrankyMaddog]

So changed my mind, I'm going to do the 24-48 hours of darkness then harvest, can't hurt right. Plus I did another tricomb look and think the percentage of amber is not quite right but just close enough. Plus in all honesty, I haven't been feeding for two weeks, just water, but never flushed. So I flushed it just to sure and usually the soil goes dry in two days, so should be all good right? Or did I mess up?

 

[Jimmycricket]

Cranky, only feeding water IS FLUSHING! You have been flushing for 2 weeks lol. I would personally say let em go up to 1 more week, just water and bring them in at night.

 

[greenlover32]

great work there,love the pics,
on average how low does it take for trichs to mature?
i am in a race with mother nature have two weeks left before frost(hopefully) with 90% trichs milky

 

[CrankyMaddog]

Thanks Jimmy, I thought that was true, but started reading this and that...just over thinking it. The one plant is ready will start chopping tomorrow....the horror. The other I am letting go another week or so.

@greenlover32, Thanks....I would just keep watching, I went from having like one that was amber one day, and then the next there was considerable more. I believe, if you are able to just keep checking them daily. We had our first hard frost last week...Good Luck to you!!

 

[RoadLizard]

That's an interesting idea OMGrown. I just went to take a look at them and I believe that the one is ready (based on tricombs). Sooo tomorrow will be harvest day for me. My first time, a little nervous, just because I never did it before. I have read and watched videos and still don't feel prepared. Anyone have some cool tips and tricks?

I just did my first harvest about two weeks ago. I found out that trimming is a pain in the rear end and the smell that eminates from freshly cut cannabis plants is extremely pungent and nasty. Your hands will get tired from trimming but it's worth it to do it right, when they are still damp. My first few bud cuts were not sufficient so I had to redo a few of them when they were dry which sucked. About a day before you are going to harvest, it's worth it to remove some of the larger fan leaves. This will aid in drying and get the trimming process started for you.

Make sure you have a good space to work and ensure that leaf clippings get thrown out properly. Try to keep handling to a minimum although that's tough to do when you have to get them leaves off of there!

Where are going to dry the plants? Mine took about 5-6 days to dry but I didn't have any huge buds. I suspect yours will take longer, maybe two weeks or so. Make sure they are in fact dry before putting them in jars. Cut off as much stem as possible too since those will hold moisture and slow the drying process. Once they are ready, get them into good glass jars with rubber seals and let them be for a good two weeks. Each day, open the jars to let the air and gasses escape for a few minutes. The longer you cure in jars, the better. Don't be afraid to try some after a week or so to test your new fruit. If you can wait a month or more for curing, the smoke should get super smooth and be perfect.

I used Fiskars to trim with. Great tool, but after a half hour there was so much green gunk built up that I had to each them between clippings. Have fun, that's all I got.

 

[CrankyMaddog]

One down....one to go...yes I did find it to be quite the process. I think I did okay. I could only imagine what it takes for a big crop. Here are some pics let me know. I have them in what should become a indoor growing area, I have the venting and exhaust fan done. As you can see, still have painting and some other things to do, but in the mean time it will do the trick. I dried the sample in it and worked out well.

I missed trimming that one until after i took the picture.