Info on what to do near the end of the grow

[SSDIPainGuy]

I'm looking everywhere for information, but only finding bits and pieces. Can anyone either break it down or tell me where to find information. I'm at the beginning of week 8 of flower, I have stopped feeding, only giving ph'd water. Does the lighting need to change, somewhere I read switch to 8 hours of light then leave the light off for the last 72 hours before harvest. This is My first grow, I got it this far, I want a successful harvest, thanks guys! 296064

[iGanja]

You gotta let it dry out mostly for harvest so let that soil dry up pretty good before you chop

[Dutch Pimp]

http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs/60954-drying-curing-your-buds.html

[catbuds]

Well lets evaluate the situation. First of all, you need to check the trichromes. At first, they look like microscopic hairs, then a little ball forms at the tops of these little stalks. Then they fill & fatten (the plant oils in those little balls contain the thc). You'll need a strong magnifying glass such as as jewellers/photographers loop & good clean white light for viewing, because now were checking for color..... the oils inside these little balls go from clear, to milky, to amber. When clear, defiantly not ripe. When milky, will give a more energized high. Amber is touchy, as at this point, the thc starts to degrade. But pale amber with about 50% still milky will give you that heavy, couch-lock high that knocks your ass in the mud & just leaves it there. So harvest when the trichromes tell you you've reached what YOU want. You know the kind of high you like best, so this is your personal choice. Just don't go to far into amber. THC has degraded, especially at dark amber. At this point, all you will get is a bad case of the munchies & sleep like the dead, waking up feeling drained & burnt.
---- Don't bother with the 72 hr darkness, not necessary, but I do drop the light back a few hrs for the last three days & throw in a couple of red cfl party lights to raise the red spectrum. Thats not necessary either, just speeds up ripening a little. While you don't want plants wet at harvest, you don't want them wilted either. Wilted plants cling to everything, & you'll be ripping off the trichromes when you handle them to manicure the buds.
---- From now untill you harvest, watch the humidity. They can develope bud rot, so maybe kick in an extra fan, oscillating if possible. :) :) :)


P.S. like the toothbrush as size comparison! That's so original! LMAO! also see Dutch posted, for real, click on that. He must have slid that post in while I was typing mine, but bookmark it once you click it, you'll want to keep it till you memorize it!
---- Pretty pretty girl! You should be proud!