Harvest now or wait? Too many clear trics but plant is degrading?

[NickDanger3rdEye]

Well, I like the idea of sampling three strains. (I am an old stoner in a different way: First started in 1971 and smoked a lot through the 80s. But few times after that . . .Back then, whatever my friends sold to me, I smoked. I had NO idea what I was smoking. Never even thought about smoothness or aroma or taste! You just coughed and then found food. (Oh, yeah, I had to decide some thinking: I had to decide to play Moody Blues or Led Zeppelin or Traffic! ) I am "an old stoner" from long ago. So I am excited to get started with being a "new stoner" again.

I get what you mean by the art and the window! I guess I am asking has anyone waited way too long--when it's fully degraded, hasn't it lost all potency? Thanks for helping this "old stoner/newbie gardener."

Old stoner here myself. Smoked a bit back in the early to mid 70's. Gave it up in later years due to work, i.e., I didn't want to get fired. Retired now and I can do what I want when I want. Pandemic hit, staying close to home so started growing on a small scale and partaking occasionally. I remember in the early days of getting "4 finger bags". Mostly just ground up leaves and seeds. Still got high though. Today it's more like "Boutique" growing and smoking only flower. My how times have changed.

 

[Psyche]

Oh, yeah! Times have changed. The 70s are not the 90s are not the 2020s--and there's the pandemic. I am retired as well. And really changed for me--I moved from the USA to France two years ago. We are in almost complete lockdown--no stores (except essential) or restaurants open. Can only travel 7 miles. So this year I became an indoor gardener!

 

[Psyche]

mmm, right u are & my bad what can i say, it'z a bitch bein a stoner & playin alphabet soup sumtimez i'll fix that post forthwith ppp

My thanks to you and Bill--I am learning a lot! I don't want couch lock, so I will be careful. But frankly, it's my first grow so I will be truly ecstatic if I get only one ounce and it gets me high! I just am freaking out from all the bad stuff you read that comes next--so many people saying drying and curing is the key! So such things as drying too fast, mold, overdrying. I don't have to have great quality but don't want problems (I had those in veg and need to learn from my detailed journal what I did wrong.) And now someone wondered if I had bud rot! Yikes--I don't think so but between this being all new to me, not knowing what it's supposed to smell or look like and my colorblindness . . .C'mon let's just grow a weed, please!

One thing more: NL might be 100 days. What about Gelato OG and Blue Dream? Also, should level of amber be different in those two to avoid couch lock? (I will need to harvest all at once because my grow tent is my drying tent!)

Thanks!

 

[BII]

I and many, maybe most, aim for about 15% amber trichomes.

Some plants sometimes don't want to cooperate, their trichomes just don't go to amber like most others. But if the great majority are whitish vs. clear, that's actually more critical than getting to a target amber level. The white trichomes are fully mature but not yet oxidized to CBN/amber. If I see my target amber level but there still is too many clear immature trichomes (associated with generally not liked 'racey'/'speedy' effects), I'd let it go longer, to get more white vs. clear. [But get other opinions on this].

 

[Psyche]

I and many, maybe most, aim for about 15% amber trichomes.

Some plants sometimes don't want to cooperate, their trichomes just don't go to amber like most others. But if the great majority are whitish vs. clear, that's actually more critical than getting to a target amber level. The white trichomes are fully mature but not yet oxidized to CBN/amber. If I see my target amber level but there still is too many clear immature trichomes (associated with generally not liked 'racey'/'speedy' effects), I'd let it go longer, to get more white vs. clear. [But get other opinions on this].

Thanks. I took some close up with an app I just downloaded. Using my scope I can clearly see the tric colors but not with this app (the magnification is higher with my scope.) So it's hard for me to tell in these photos! What do you see in these photos or are they useless? Also, how much cloudy/white do you look for vs. clear--you said the great majority--like 80%?? I know not to wait until 100% cloudy! Thanks

 

[BII]

Thanks. I took some close up with an app I just downloaded. Using my scope I can clearly see the tric colors but not with this app (the magnification is higher with my scope.) So it's hard for me to tell in these photos! What do you see in these photos or are they useless? Also, how much cloudy/white do you look for vs. clear--you said the great majority--like 80%?? I know not to wait until 100% cloudy! Thanks
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Keep it simple: Like I said, just "aim for about 15% amber trichomes" and not worry about unusual cases like that I described. The X% (up to the grower to select) amber method appears to work well enough most of the time for most everybody.

And if you need to see colors better, maybe get a usually <$2-$3 miniature 30-60x microscope or jeweler's loupe; or maybe it's your lighting.