First time grower - Outdoor - Harvest status opinions please

[Zafu]

Thanks all for your continued comments. Ordering this... Digital Microscope, Crenova Handheld 3" TFT LCD Screen Digital Microscope 5MP Video Microscope 200X Magnifier Camera with Adjustable Stand for Windows XP VISTA WIN7 Mac OSX UM039

Please let me know if there's a different one you'd suggest. This seems to look good though with the SD card to grab pictures outside and then upload to PC later.

 

[Halibut]

That looks really good, you may have to pluck buds and put them on a table to get it to work on higher magnification settings without being blurry. I was cheap and got a handheld led one I think 60-100x, maybe $30. Can't take any pics with it though so yours looks alot cooler!

 

[Zafu]

That looks really good, you may have to pluck buds and put them on a table to get it to work on higher magnification settings without being blurry. I was cheap and got a handheld led one I think 60-100x, maybe $30. Can't take any pics with it though so yours looks alot cooler!

Thanks Halibut. It looks like a great deal for what it is. Almost $300 list, sold for $100. Seeing how much I've loved my first grow and at risk of jinxing myself, awesome results I'm hoping for, will probably be growing every summer from now on so seems like a very smart purchase for the long-run. Plus, finally making it to the end, would suck to miscalculate the harvest time. Thanks to this awesome site and its members, with good pictures, a lot of my doubts and guess-work can be laid to rest with so much experienced input.

Peace

 

[brightlight]

Zafu....I use 20x handheld microscope, costs ~$20. Even 30x was too hard to hold steady. But I'm old. Have read others saying same.

 

[Zafu]

This may not be the best place to ask this question but trying not to spam the forum.

Is there a particular type of glove I should consider using when handling the harvest? It's getting sticky and thinking latex gloves are possibly the way to go. Any feedback on this?

EDIT: Just ordered these after googling. 200 for $12 seems pretty good.

 

[Major PITA]

This may not be the best place to ask this question but trying not to spam the forum.

Is there a particular type of glove I should consider using when handling the harvest? It's getting sticky and thinking latex gloves are possibly the way to go. Any feedback on this?

Latex should be fine. We use nitrile gloves. Cheap and easy to find.

 

[HemiSync]

This may not be the best place to ask this question but trying not to spam the forum.

Is there a particular type of glove I should consider using when handling the harvest? It's getting sticky and thinking latex gloves are possibly the way to go. Any feedback on this?

EDIT: Just ordered these after googling. 200 for $12 seems pretty good.

Powder free is probably the most important thing, so I would say those would be fine. I hate dealing with finger hash.

 

[brightlight]

I don't use gloves Zafu. Tried them once...for me as much bother as no gloves. Hot & sweaty as well. Alcohol & rag work for me at harvest. But I still hang whole plant so not quite as sticky later at trim time. Just giving you another viewpoint.

 

[Zafu]

Thanks all.

@bightlight, I can't hang the entire plant which is why I figured gloves would be a good idea. Will be doing branches and experimenting on trimming. Figure I'll harvest, take off obvious bad and large leaves, wash, trim and hang. In that way, the leaves with trichs will be washed too in-case I want to make hashish. Got a 8 tier hanging net type thing for the leaves and will hang branches separately on lines with clothes pins ;p

Make sense, or any reason to wait to trim until moving to jar? Figured it would be dry on the outside and harder to trim versus when wet.

 

[brightlight]

Except for large fans I no longer trim any leaves until final trim. Based on Carestaker's input wet trim gives greater likelihood of hay smell. He researches all this stuff so good enough for me. Plus he's right based on my experience. I use DJ Short "double dry" method...hang then colas into paper bags/cardboard boxes for 2nd level dry. Then trim to jars. Whole plant or branches ok too. About 5 days ea. average but depends on temps. Washing is very big on this forum but not so much elsewhere. I don't do it since I don't foliar. But outdoors if no rain around harvest I will hose them off. Indoors nothing. No experienced growers I know outside of forum do it either except for hosing off outdoor plants at harvest. Again just another viewpoint.

 

[Conradino23]

It's a thing here no doubt. I've done it once or twice, didn't feel it was worth your while, but yeah outdoor you can have them dirty, which means sand, leaves, some small insects can stick to your buds. If you're concerned with it, then you can give it a try.

 

[DankestBuds42]

I agree with Brightlight and conradino23. I don't think bud washing should be necessary for indoor grows. I would consider it after an outdoor grow, but otherwise I'd be nervous about washing off the trichomes/bud rot. Your plants look savvy though. You've definitely inspired me to grow Vanilla Kush if I make it through my first grow. Some real nice buds you got there bud. Do you use nutrients/additives to your soil? Just curious how these girls became so tall! Hope you're doing well Zafu and all.

 

[Major PITA]

I can understand the concern about trichome loss (but I still do it). No worries about bud rot. I've never had it happen. After they hang for an hour or two, I can't tell any difference in wetness between washed and unwashed.

I've run the wash water through bubble bags. If I'm losing trichomes, it isn't enough to concern me. It looks like bits of leaf and sludge. Well worth any possible trade off for me.

 

[Zafu]

Except for large fans I no longer trim any leaves until final trim. Based on Carestaker's input wet trim gives greater likelihood of hay smell. He researches all this stuff so good enough for me. Plus he's right based on my experience. I use DJ Short "double dry" method...hang then colas into paper bags/cardboard boxes for 2nd level dry. Then trim to jars. Whole plant or branches ok too. About 5 days ea. average but depends on temps. Washing is very big on this forum but not so much elsewhere. I don't do it since I don't foliar. But outdoors if no rain around harvest I will hose them off. Indoors nothing. No experienced growers I know outside of forum do it either except for hosing off outdoor plants at harvest. Again just another viewpoint.

brightlight - That's right. I recall the advise to trim after dry. Not that I have any really large fan leaves left but I get what you're saying. Pull off any large leaves growing from the stem but not out of the buds? Then hang plant and after the initial 5-10 day dry; trim? Correct?

I prefer to go direct from first hanging to point where twig snaps to trimming to jarring. Sound good?

I have fruit trees and there are tons of fruit fly wings on my plants; well not tons, but enough that I see them on assorted buds. I also see crap that just is in the wind outside and this morning pulled two baby inch worms off my plants. From what I've read on the bud washing thread, there is really no down-side. If Trichomes fall off, it's too few to worry about and if bud washing will make my product that much cleaner, just don't see why not. All this is for personal use for my family, so the cleaner the end product the happier I'll be.

The Vanilla Kush is getting really nice looking, smelling and sticky now. I'm thinking of harvesting one of the three plants this weekend or so, then the 2nd 5 days later and the last one 5 days after that. Below are two shots I captured just now with that new portable USB microscope I previously mentioned that was delivered yesterday. What do you guys think?

Thanks -Zafu

 

[Zafu]

I agree with Brightlight and conradino23. I don't think bud washing should be necessary for indoor grows. I would consider it after an outdoor grow, but otherwise I'd be nervous about washing off the trichomes/bud rot. Your plants look savvy though. You've definitely inspired me to grow Vanilla Kush if I make it through my first grow. Some real nice buds you got there bud. Do you use nutrients/additives to your soil? Just curious how these girls became so tall! Hope you're doing well Zafu and all.

Hey DankestBuds42 - It's amazing how little feeding, all things considered, I've had to do. When this is all done I'm thinking of compiling my grow journal since I have pics of the entire grow and would love to give back to this community. All organic stuff. No Foliers. First grow and tried to take a minimalist approach. I used Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil, started indoors on April 28th and transplanted to 25 gallon smart pots outside on June 4th. I used Fox Farm "Big Bloom" and "Grow Big" weekly in June. In July I stopped feeding the plants completely. The plot was so freakin green and doing so well, I just didn't think they needed it weekly and wanted to try and have them use the stuff up before flowering. During June and July I bought lady bugs every two or three weeks to let them naturally help keep my garden clean and they worked like a charm. For August I changed products and started using a Vermicrop dry fert. product called Veribloom (3-10-5)j along with a liquid feeding consisting of Krazy Kelp (1-0-17), Vital Fish hydrolysate (fish emulsion 2-4-0) and Baseline Peat Humus (assists in breaking down nutrients). For all of September same as August but replaced Veribloom with that companies product called "PK Boost" (1-13-6).

I tend to feed on weekend; either Saturday or Sunday so this past weekend will be my last feeding of the Vanilla Kush since I want a 2+ week flush period. The other two strains (Acapulco Gold and Laughing Buddha) will like go to Halloween. They are doing insanely well but just need a longer flowering time. I think the height is merely genetics. As I expected, the Acapulco Gold is the tallest with two of them at about 11 feet. The laughing buddha is Thai/Jamaican and not as high except for one of the four. The Vanilla Kush are the shortest but even there, one of the three got pretty darn tall. By the way, I was told to use much larger pots and I'm sure that would have increased the yield but I'm extremely happy with the results from the 25 gallon pots and like the idea of having more plants as opposed to less even if less would produce the same yield if placed in larger pots. Just a preference thing I guess.

Cheers -Zafu

 

[brightlight]

Hey Zafu....good questions. You're on the right track about the large fans off stem, ok to pluck same from buds only if they come off fairly easy, strain dependent. Some hard to pull off & if you try can kinda mangle the bud by yanking them off. Focus on trichs on growing tip not the sugar leaves, which will show some amber early.

The "snap branch" guideline is widely spoken of but for me when that happens, the bud will already be too dry. Some web info out there about organic plants' branches not snapping so easily. Squeeze test of buds works better for me.

FF Big Bloom is great stuff & organic but the Grow Big isn't organic fyi. Vital Earth makes super excellent products...great people from Grass Valley. Biodiversity products also excellent...also from Grass Valley. Maybe your neck of the woods? Fish fert. does amazing things to our plant. Good overall choices to start with....next year maybe you'll move to mixing your own organic mix....another sub-addiction of growing.

Great looking buds & plants brother.

 

[Zafu]

Hey Zafu....good questions. You're on the right track about the large fans off stem, ok to pluck same from buds only if they come off fairly easy, strain dependent. Some hard to pull off & if you try can kinda mangle the bud by yanking them off. Focus on trichs on growing tip not the sugar leaves, which will show some amber early.

The "snap branch" guideline is widely spoken of but for me when that happens, the bud will already be too dry. Some web info out there about organic plants' branches not snapping so easily. Squeeze test of buds works better for me.

FF Big Bloom is great stuff & organic but the Grow Big isn't organic fyi. Vital Earth makes super excellent products...great people from Grass Valley. Biodiversity products also excellent...also from Grass Valley. Maybe your neck of the woods? Fish fert. does amazing things to our plant. Good overall choices to start with....next year maybe you'll move to mixing your own organic mix....another sub-addiction of growing.

Great looking buds & plants brother.

Thank you !! The "squeeze" versus "snap" suggestion is awesome. I'll do some more research but that sounds perfect. I work from home so I can burp these babies as often as necessary too one in jars.

Yes, I realized the Grow Big was natural and not Organic which is one of the reasons I stopped using it. Since I only used it for June, four times, still feel like this is an Organic yield. Love the idea of mixing my own but not a project I can see taking on until maybe the grow after next. I'm really liking the way this is turning out but the final taste test after curing will be when the fat lady sings.

Can you take a look on my previous post today at the Trichs and let me know if you still think we are on track for another week-ish to-go. Feels so close. Just shot these buds

 

[DrZiggy]

i will always wash my buds. indoor or out..the wash water leftover is amazing dirty...ands thats what you can see.


try it..

test a few buds...compare..

 

[HemiSync]

Thank you !! The "squeeze" versus "snap" suggestion is awesome. I'll do some more research but that sounds perfect. I work from home so I can burp these babies as often as necessary too one in jars.

Yes, I realized the Grow Big was natural and not Organic which is one of the reasons I stopped using it. Since I only used it for June, four times, still feel like this is an Organic yield. Love the idea of mixing my own but not a project I can see taking on until maybe the grow after next. I'm really liking the way this is turning out but the final taste test after curing will be when the fat lady sings.

Can you take a look on my previous post today at the Trichs and let me know if you still think we are on track for another week-ish to-go. Feels so close. Just shot these]

They look like they could go longer to me but I like about 50% amber. I have never gone with the stem snapping baloney. As the other poster said it's way to dry by then. I jar after a few days of hanging from the clothes line and if the hydrometer goes over 65% I open the jar for 24 hours and seal it again and repeat. Once it is stable between 60-65% I throw in a boveda 62% humidity pack and burp daily for a couple weeks and I never have any mold issues.

 

[HemiSync]

I am going to add my two cents on this one. I wash my buds indoor and outdoor grows doesn't matter to me. I know the results are worth it and there is minimal trichome loss, but lots of dirty stuff in the rinse water. Tried running the water through bubble bags and you wouldn't want to smoke the end results.