Do these plants look ready for harvest?

[jokerlola]

So, I've been posting about these plants for the last few weeks. They are on around week 13 of flower and I'm still not seeing hardly any amber trichomes and still a lot of clear trichomes. These were grown outdoors but because of the weather I've had to bring them inside. The big plant (Funky Charms) has 0 amber trichomes and about 70/30 cloudy to clear. The smaller plants (Phoenix Fire) have a few amber trichomes on the sugar leaves but less than 5% on the buds and they are also about 70/30 Cloudy to clear. I'm hoping someone experienced can tel me if the overall plants look ready to harvest despite the trichomes or do I need to keep them going longer?

Right now I've been shuffling them between the spare bedroom and the sunny kitchen.

 

[Icemud]

I would in my opinion, yes... I usually judge by the calyx swelling and the orange hairs receding. Looks done to me.

I know there are others who judge finish by trichomes (clear, cloudy, amber) but I personally don't.

Very nice looking buds! bravo!

 

[jokerlola]

I would in my opinion, yes... I usually judge by the calyx swelling and the orange hairs receding. Looks done to me.

I know there are others who judge finish by trichomes (clear, cloudy, amber) but I personally don't.

Very nice looking buds! bravo!

Thanks for the input! I might let them go another few days to a week. I've never had a plant not show any amber this late in flower. This is the longest grow I've ever had.

 

[Bill284]

So, I've been posting about these plants for the last few weeks. They are on around week 13 of flower and I'm still not seeing hardly any amber trichomes and still a lot of clear trichomes. These were grown outdoors but because of the weather I've had to bring them inside. The big plant (Funky Charms) has 0 amber trichomes and about 70/30 cloudy to clear. The smaller plants (Phoenix Fire) have a few amber trichomes on the sugar leaves but less than 5% on the buds and they are also about 70/30 Cloudy to clear. I'm hoping someone experienced can tel me if the overall plants look ready to harvest despite the trichomes or do I need to keep them going longer?

Right now I've been shuffling them between the spare bedroom and the sunny kitchen.

I don't see any white pistils, a good sign flowering has come to an end.
How is nutrient uptake.
It'll almost stop at the end, another indicator flowering is over.
You have mature buds and she is ripe.
All good signs she is ready.
Great work my friend, absolutely beautiful.
Congratulations on your upcoming harvest.
Take care.




Stay safe
Bill284

 

[SmokingWings]

I might let them go another few days to a week. I've never had a plant not show any amber this late in flower. This is the longest grow I've ever had.

The overall plant and the buds themselves look good. How long ago did the first pistils start to show?

The first thing I think about with my plants is how long they have been actively flowering. That means 8 weeks after the start of pistils at a minimum. If the plant is still not ready then another week. Going past that is now a special event.

Could give a better opinion and be able to explain it if I was there checking on it every week or saw and watching it grow like you are but going by the photos I say a bit more time. If the majority of the trichomes are starting to mushroom and turning milky I would be pulling. No visible mushroom cap but that could just be the camera's focus.

One thing I have read in several messages over the past couple of years is active members mentioning that they are coming across plants with trichomes that just do not turn amber or have just a few amber in them even after 10, 11, and sometimes 12 weeks. The 5% amber that you mention might be it.

You have mature buds and she is ripe.
All good signs she is ready.

Bill says she is ready so go for it or wait another week if you are up to doing all the shuffling back and forth between the bedroom and kitchen. Might not be worth going past that unless suddenly more amber shows up for you.

You plants -- your call. Or, flip a coin and let the force decide for you.

 

[jokerlola]

The overall plant and the buds themselves look good. How long ago did the first pistils start to show?

The first thing I think about with my plants is how long they have been actively flowering. That means 8 weeks after the start of pistils at a minimum. If the plant is still not ready then another week. Going past that is now a special event.

Could give a better opinion and be able to explain it if I was there checking on it every week or saw and watching it grow like you are but going by the photos I say a bit more time. If the majority of the trichomes are starting to mushroom and turning milky I would be pulling. No visible mushroom cap but that could just be the camera's focus.

One thing I have read in several messages over the past couple of years is active members mentioning that they are coming across plants with trichomes that just do not turn amber or have just a few amber in them even after 10, 11, and sometimes 12 weeks. The 5% amber that you mention might be it.


Bill says she is ready so go for it or wait another week if you are up to doing all the shuffling back and forth between the bedroom and kitchen. Might not be worth going past that unless suddenly more amber shows up for you.

You plants -- your call. Or, flip a coin and let the force decide for you.

Pistils started to show around August 15th on the big plant (Fucky Charms) and around first week of August for the smaller plants (Phoenix Fire). Looking at them with a scope, the trichomes on the Funky Charms are mushroomed and the majority are cloudy with some clear but 0 amber even on the sugar leaves. On the Phoenix Fire plants, they have about the same ratio of cloudy to clear (mostly cloudy) with a light amber ones here and there (5% or less). There are more, darker ambers on some of the sugar leaves.

I've never grown these strains before and never had plants go this long. I think I am going to let them continue another week and see what happens. Not that big of a hassle moving them from room to kitchen and back.

Thanks!

 

[jokerlola]

I don't see any white pistils, a good sign flowering has come to an end.
How is nutrient uptake.
It'll almost stop at the end, another indicator flowering is over.
You have mature buds and she is ripe.
All good signs she is ready.
Great work my friend, absolutely beautiful.
Congratulations on your upcoming harvest.
Take care.




Stay safe
Bill284

Thanks!

Watering/nutrient uptake has slowed from every other day to needing water every 5 to 6 days. There were still some white pistils last week but it looks like they've all changed now.

 

[Lerugged]

Looms done to me. I would say the window is open now. Personally I'd take them in a couple of days.

 

[jokerlola]

Looms done to me. I would say the window is open now. Personally I'd take them in a couple of days.

Thanks! Yeah, I'm going to maybe keep them going for another week or so and see what happens, maybe sooner.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Thanks! Yeah, I'm going to maybe keep them going for another week or so and see what happens, maybe sooner.

I know your dilemma all too well. I once had a Northern Lights Auto that took 16 weeks to finish. That's ridiculous for an Auto.

 

[jokerlola]

I know your dilemma all too well. I once had a Northern Lights Auto that took 16 weeks to finish. That's ridiculous for an Auto.

Wow! That's a long time for an Auto!

I guess these strains I grew were really not the best for an outdoor grow in Colorado. I have not been able to get any info on the Phoenix Fire strain from Solfire Gardens but the Funky Charms from Exotix Genetix says that it's flowering time is 8-9 weeks which is not what my plant did.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Looking at them with a scope, the trichomes on the Funky Charms are mushroomed and the majority are cloudy with some clear but 0 amber even on the sugar leaves. On the Phoenix Fire plants, they have about the same ratio of cloudy to clear (mostly cloudy) with a light amber ones here and there (5% or less).

Interesting.

Please see this reply from @HashGirl.

Funky Charms has a very complex lineage – a hybrid that's indica-dominant. Phoenix Fire is sativa-dominant with haze in the lineage.

So, I'm just wondering what is the cause of THC conversion to CBN (i.e. becoming amber), and why that might be slow to non-existent in some strains, while not in others. And, is this strictly genetic, or are environmental conditions also involved?

Your plants look amazing... mighty little monster cola plants. It's clear they've gotten everything they need. So maybe they just aren't ready to convert THC to CBN, because they're in such perfect health... maybe they need a wee bit of stress. Perhaps less light, and some cold.

 

[HashGirl]

Wow! That's a long time for an Auto!

I guess these strains I grew were really not the best for an outdoor grow in Colorado. I have not been able to get any info on the Phoenix Fire strain from Solfire Gardens but the Funky Charms from Exotix Genetix says that it's flowering time is 8-9 weeks which is not what my plant did.

Seedfinder.eu says the Phoenix Fire finishes in around 76 days.

 

[jokerlola]

Seedfinder.eu says the Phoenix Fire finishes in around 76 days.

These plants were from free regular seeds I got from the Denver Indo Expo in 2020. The Funky Charms seeds from Exotix Genetix did come with literature but the Phoenix Fire seeds which are from the same parent company (I think), Solfire Gardens, had no info and I can't find anything about it on their website.

I planted 2 PF and 2 FC seeds hoping one would be a female. Both PF plants turned out female and one FC plant was female. I had took cuttings from the PF plants to clone in 12/12 to sex them sooner and they grew so well then I kept them going so I wound up with 4 Phoenix Fire plants. Those plants also were not showing amber but I harvested them. I harvested one in late October because it was infested with caterpillars. I harvested the other 3 last week because of the cold weather and even without ambers, the plants just looked ready. I wound up having 2 other Phoenix Fire plants. One was a late clone from a lollipopped branch and the other was from a broken branch from wind that I rooted. They are experiments that I planted in 100% leaf mold and just give them water. They also have shown no ambers. They are still going along with my Funky Charms plant.

These plants did get a fair bit of stress from cold nighttime temps in October with nights in the 40's and a few nights in the high 30's. I'm now trying droughting them as a final push before I harvest them.