New Grower First Grow, Short Rider, 400W

[Noods]

Damn, 6 months! If you made it that long, you'll make it another couple weeks. Oooh you're gonna enjoy that first hit of Slow2Gro's Finest!

Your plants are looking very nice! :thumbs:

Wait as long as you can before nipping that little bit of New Years Bud. Those flowers are going to start really putting on weight and more and more THC will be being produced. The longer you put it off, the better it will be. I envy you for the experience. I went through the same thing a month ago, after about 2 1/2 months without. It was fantastic!!

Don't let your buds freeze while drying! (Unless you use some "freeze dry" method..) If the hanging buds freeze, all the trichomes will get brittle and fall off. :no:

 

[Muddy]

Cold temps are okay for drying, just takes longer, but as Noods said, try not to freeze them. Do you have room in your grow area to hang them? Maybe above the lights. Here's something that will help you determine when to pick them. https://www.autoflower.org/f44/when-harvest-autos-your-leaves-will-tell-you-4889.html

 

[Slow2Gro]

Cool thanks for advice guys.
I'll try and hold off as long as I can.
I was trying to start early enough to have it finished by New years, but wasn't able too.
I'm not sure where I'd dry them out at then. I really don't have much room in my grow space, plus I have other plants in there that will be going 12/12 as soon as I harvest my SR's and I thought you should dry in a dark place.

Also I think it might be hard for me to tell when to harvest with the leaves yellowing as alot of my leaves are already yellowish (some are all yellow) from me screwing up my grow.
Well I'll definitely be chaulking this 1st grow as a learning experience. I'm still searching around for a pH meter. I'll order one if I have to, but wanted to try and get one asap locally.

It very hard for me to not chop them now (or atleast a few buds) whenever I go in there. I'll just sit in there and stare at them and pull out my loupe and look at the trichs (doesn't magnify enough to distinguish color though). It getting very exciting now and I can't believe it's already been almost 2 months.
Thanks again all.

*EDIT* Here's my new weight for my air stone. Hope this doesn't affect the pH, but I don't see how it would. I have boiled the stone so there shouldn't be anything bad on it.

 

[Slow2Gro]

Ok, I ordered a pH meter.
With using the drops I pH'd my water to between 6.5-7 (closer to 6.5). I then put my water in my bubbler with stone holding down air stone instead of lead weights. I went and checked my pH this morning and the pH is above 7.0 now. I also noticed the water that was close to 6.5 in vial that I use drops in was also darker and above 7.0. Why is that? Water just sitting there goes back to it's original pH or something?
I can't wait to get that meter, but even if I get it and water that sits there goes back to original pH then what can I do about that?

 

[Slow2Gro]

Day 55

Day 55 and having a tough time not chopping them.
Almost all leaves are yellow, even the small ones and ones around buds.
Some leaves are Very yellow.
Some pistils on buds are orange(ish) not sure if that's from them drying out.

Not having smoke for 6 months and looking at them makes it very, very hard not to chop them. Not sure if I can hold out till day 65, even though I know the buds will fatten up more.

Updated Pics (front and back pics, that's why the 4 look the same (kinda))




**EDIT**
My willpower lost (well kind of). I decided to chop a smaller bud to sample the goods. Wasn't one of the more compacted buds, but I didn't want to mess with the nicer more compacted buds. So I got something inbetween.
I used a small box and put a wire screen in it with my hygrometer at bottom to check temp and humidity while drying.

Pics

 

[Noods]

Ha ha! I know the feeling Slow! That's a sweet looking frosty little nugget you got there. That shit's gonna knock you on your ass after 6 months abstinence! :smoke: I wish I could share the experience with you. Good good fun that!

 

[Slow2Gro]

Yeah it being 6 months since I've smoked I figured even if I did harvest them now it'd probably kick my ass, But I'm waiting. I'll see how fast this bud dries out and then pick another to have ready for New Years. I was thinking of picking it day 60 and then still harvest day 65 regardless.
I have dreams of smoking weed alot since I haven't had any smoke, then I wake up craving to smoke and I realize I don't have shit to smoke, lol.

Also I think I'm going to put a PC fan in that little box and pop some holes in the top to circulate the air.

 

[Muddy]

Patience my friend, patience. You will be rewarded. Glad to see you decided to take a little sample. Nothing wrong with that and it will give you an idea of how it's smoking now and help you to decide how much longer you want to leave it.

 

[sticky pipez]

yes patience is key.lol by looking at them it looks like they should be chopped around day 70 to get the best from it. wait till around 90% of the pistils have turned orange/brown,
if you want you could chop a branch or 2 of the ripest looking buds on day 63-66 if you really need a smoke, then leave the rest to day 70-74 or when it looks fully ripe. that way youl still have some to keep you puffing till the rest is done. you will be glad you did.

pipez

 

[Slow2Gro]

I added some holes to the Dry Box.
I added a big hole at bottom and put a pc fan up to it (exhausting) and placed about 6-7 pencil width holes at the top of box on opposite side.
Temp inside box is about 75° and the Humidity is at about 45%. So I'm hoping it'll be dry by Monday night. Would've liked it dry for Xmas, but not much I can do about that.
I bought a couple of Big jars for my smoke when finished and bought some nice Fisker trimmers. I'm hoping I can fill that jar with the smoke I get from my 2 plants, not really sure though. Better to have it too big then too small.
Not sure if I'll be holding off till day 70 to cut, or even day 65. I don't want a stoned smoke, I'm looking more for a high and still motivated smoke.
Plus my OO x KSB's are getting too big for my little veg. area. I really need to move them out and put into flowering.