New Grower First auto after 22 year break!

[The Iconoclast]

Last week I was thinking this might end up being harvested in the new year, suddenly it looks like it might be next week. I've been everywhere this morning looking to purchase a little 60x magnifier even though I have one coming hopefully by the end of the week, that's how nerve wracked I am. The buds have only started to fatten up in the past week so I'm loathe to harvest early but at the same time I really want to get maximum THC and minimum CBN or D or whatever it is I don't want. So I've upped the shutter speed and to see if I can get a better look at the trichomes until the magnifier arrives. It's a bit better than above shots and I have tried to get a typical sample close to buds and calyxes. To my untrained eyes it does not look more than 30% cloudy. So here's some more trichome shots. I've upped the blue back to 100% and moved the light a bit further away.

If anyone has an opinion on the trichomes, you're welcome to post.

 

[bakEQuatorial]

Last week I was thinking this might end up being harvested in the new year, suddenly it looks like it might be next week. I've been everywhere this morning looking to purchase a little 60x magnifier even though I have one coming hopefully by the end of the week, that's how nerve wracked I am. The buds have only started to fatten up in the past week so I'm loathe to harvest early but at the same time I really want to get maximum THC and minimum CBN or D or whatever it is I don't want. So I've upped the shutter speed and to see if I can get a better look at the trichomes until the magnifier arrives. It's a bit better than above shots and I have tried to get a typical sample close to buds and calyxes. To my untrained eyes it does not look more than 30% cloudy. So here's some more trichome shots. I've upped the blue back to 100% and moved the light a bit further away.

If anyone has an opinion on the trichomes, you're welcome to post.View attachment 985242View attachment 985243View attachment 985244

There are a few other signs:
1. Are your fan leaves yellowing?

2. How many pistils have darkened and shrivelled? 50%? 60%? 70%?

3. Are all of the calyxes putting out dark and shrivelled pistils and perhaps even some are yellowing?

There are definitely ambers beginning to show in your pics. Cloudy and clear are very difficult to tell apart even with the 60x cos you need lighting to see it clearly and lighting will just make cloudy look clear at certain angles. So in my personal opinion, if ambers are present, the window is clearly open as they are already ripening. How ripe you want your fruit is entirely up to you.

But its really a no biggie to wait till end of week. Most ppl will recommend it even. Best quote i heard is, when you feel its ready, wait another week!

Relax bro! U got this!

 

[The Iconoclast]

There aren't really any fan leaves to speak of as I've been aggressive on the defoliating but what there is are not yellowing. However I am getting some coppery spots around some of the small fan leaves around the buds, similar to what I got right at the beginning, this could possibly be a cal/mag or a lockout or it could just be normal ageing. I'd say the most developed buds would be 50/50 brown pistils, however even those have new curly white pistils coming out the side and the top. However it looks like normal growth and not a stress related burst. Lower down maybe it's 30% brown pistils. Only a few of the calyxes are fat, mostly they are still putting out lots of new pistils and they mostly seem pretty young.

Well I don't feel it's ready yet, so I guess I'll re visit this situation at the end of week twelve in 6 days. meanwhile here's a shot of a typical bud which is the most developed.

 

[bakEQuatorial]

There aren't really any fan leaves to speak of as I've been aggressive on the defoliating but what there is are not yellowing. However I am getting some coppery spots around some of the small fan leaves around the buds, similar to what I got right at the beginning, this could possibly be a cal/mag or a lockout or it could just be normal ageing. I'd say the most developed buds would be 50/50 brown pistils, however even those have new curly white pistils coming out the side and the top. However it looks like normal growth and not a stress related burst. Lower down maybe it's 30% brown pistils. Only a few of the calyxes are fat, mostly they are still putting out lots of new pistils and they mostly seem pretty young.

Well I don't feel it's ready yet, so I guess I'll re visit this situation at the end of week twelve in 6 days. meanwhile here's a shot of a typical bud which is the most developed.

Yes! Definitely revisit when you get the loupe. I harvested most of my plants this round around Day 90 give or take, but mine was not as developed at day 77 as yours. I deliberately harvested earlier (very little ambers...gotta deliberately find them) this round to compare against those i harvested at around 20% to 30% amber last round. I really do get a much more energetic and cerebral high. The downside is buds are more airy. With time, you will be able to tell which you like best! Not everything has to be bag appeal worthy to hit your sweet spot.

Leave them alone for a bit and smoke some bro! I'll say it again...you definitely got this!

 

[The Iconoclast]

@Equatorial, I hear you man, them is some fine words of wisdom. I shall relax into the arms of the cannabis devata. Strangely enough she didn't show her first prepistils till day 40 almost two weeks late, she may even take 90 days. I'm getting excited now, the magic day suddenly seems not that far away.

 

[Nosias]

There are a few other signs:
1. Are your fan leaves yellowing?

2. How many pistils have darkened and shrivelled? 50%? 60%? 70%?

3. Are all of the calyxes putting out dark and shrivelled pistils and perhaps even some are yellowing?

There are definitely ambers beginning to show in your pics. Cloudy and clear are very difficult to tell apart even with the 60x cos you need lighting to see it clearly and lighting will just make cloudy look clear at certain angles. So in my personal opinion, if ambers are present, the window is clearly open as they are already ripening. How ripe you want your fruit is entirely up to you.

But its really a no biggie to wait till end of week. Most ppl will recommend it even. Best quote i heard is, when you feel its ready, wait another week!

Relax bro! U got this!

I agree. Nice line to remember

 

[Nosias]

Last week I was thinking this might end up being harvested in the new year, suddenly it looks like it might be next week. I've been everywhere this morning looking to purchase a little 60x magnifier even though I have one coming hopefully by the end of the week, that's how nerve wracked I am. The buds have only started to fatten up in the past week so I'm loathe to harvest early but at the same time I really want to get maximum THC and minimum CBN or D or whatever it is I don't want. So I've upped the shutter speed and to see if I can get a better look at the trichomes until the magnifier arrives. It's a bit better than above shots and I have tried to get a typical sample close to buds and calyxes. To my untrained eyes it does not look more than 30% cloudy. So here's some more trichome shots. I've upped the blue back to 100% and moved the light a bit further away.

If anyone has an opinion on the trichomes, you're welcome to post.View attachment 985242View attachment 985243View attachment 985244

I just look at the trichomes. I will not harvest until 98% are cloudy. Yours are no way ready, if it was my decision I would wait and please relax. OR take a branch now and see how it is to smoke in a couple of weeks. Then do this in a week and so on. You may want/like it with only 30% cloudy.

 

[The Iconoclast]

Okay, got the 30x/60x loupe in and not a lot has changed. She has pretty well stopped growing I think, however at the end of week 12 it still looks like there's more ripening to go as only about 30% trichomes are cloudy. No amber at all. I have taken some small larfy buds that have grown low down, and dried them in an oven at 80F for an hour, basically just about the worst thing you can do and I tried it in a FireFly2 vape, and the high was über intense, that taste was like smoking alcohol extracted pure THC!

I've also put the blue up to 100% now to see what happens.

 

[Nosias]

Okay, got the 30x/60x loupe in and not a lot has changed. She has pretty well stopped growing I think, however at the end of week 12 it still looks like there's more ripening to go as only about 30% trichomes are cloudy. No amber at all. I have taken some small larfy buds that have grown low down, and dried them in an oven at 80F for an hour, basically just about the worst thing you can do and I tried it in a FireFly2 vape, and the high was über intense, that taste was like smoking alcohol extracted pure THC!

I've also put the blue up to 100% now to see what happens.

View attachment 988376 View attachment 988377 View attachment 988378 View attachment 988379 View attachment 988380 View attachment 988381

You have some nice looking buds, there.

 

[The Iconoclast]

thanks Nosias, I have taken some hi res images of the trichomes as it's very difficult using the loupe. Buds are all completely covered in frosty goodness. Looking at these shots there might be more cloudy trichomes than I first thought. If anyone wants to take a look at these and let me know if they think it's time for the chop that would be useful. Warning these are large files.