ready for harvest?

[DazedandConfused]

Alright this is my first grow so im hoping you guys can answer these harvest ?'s cool so ive got two plants outside in a pot and the buds are huge, but i heard you can tell when its time to harvest by how many red hairs there are, and there aren't many. its probably about 80-90% white hairs to 10-20% red. but its been like that all month so im wondering if this strain just doesnt have a lot of red hairs. all that seems to be changing about the plant this month is the thickness and number of white hairs. the rerason im asking about harvesting is because i know we're supposed to have cold weather this week, and im wondering if these are ready or not. thanks

[DazedandConfused]

any answers?

[spiked666killer]

How old are the plants?
How many days in to flowering?
And you need a 30x magnifier to see the (Trichroms). And if most are white and some are amber than it is ready. Not sure on the correct %'s of color is it suposta be. But I can tell you this going by the hairs color isnt always such a good way to go.

[KillerDemo]

when they are 50% amber is the time to chop

[Garden Knowm]

Picture please,...

iloveyou

[DazedandConfused]

oh i cant get a picture, i definately would if i could. i love you too

[Tom Swierzbinski]

Grab a small pocket microscope, 15x is adequate but you really need a 30x one (Ive heard Radio Shack do them in the US, I suppose you could get one from eBay) and look at the trichomes. When theyre all cloudy you can harvest then for a more sativa oriented head high, or you can wait a little longer until you have 50% amber, this will give an indica couchlock feeling.
Of course it also depends on how sativa/indica the strain is too :)

Edit: you can also harvest by looking at the pistils (hairs), but this isnt exactly accurate. If you do this, then harvest at 50% amber/red.

[DazedandConfused]

alright i got some pics, i couldnt get close enough to see the hairs but i already explained that ratio anyway. heres my bitches

[DazedandConfused]

here

[NightProwler]

damn dude,, i think thats coming pretty close to harvest time, but dont take my word for it

[DazedandConfused]

anyone? I gotta know today cause im leaving till next weekend if theyre ready ill bring em with me to dry

[stinkyattic]

Not ready from what I can tell, but you have to look at the trichs for a definitive answer.

[yankeesgirl83]

i'd say no... even w/out the magnifier it looks like there are not enough amber hairs for it to be ready

[Tom Swierzbinski]

Beautiful, but not ready yet. You'll know when they're nearing harvest because they will REALLY beef up.

[Garden Knowm]

99% sure those are not ready.. BUT they are about 2 weeks from READY.. and they look GREAT!! More of the fan leaves will turn YELLOW... nearly all of them!! : )

iloveyou

[.undefined]

Yep, everyone's right on this, They aren't QUITE ready. Pick up a magnifying glass and take a look! 50% cloudy 50% amber is what I would suggest. Make sure you dry and cure properly and then you'll be able to fully enjoy the harvest.

By the way, cool temps are not bad for the plants. In fact in many strains cold temperatures induce a color change in which the plants begin to turn hues of blue and purple!!!

This is sometimes desirable to a grower so an indoor grower may use A/C to lower temps and change color.

[qrvotchfirve]

hey i have some really big buds and i was wondering what i should do on drying them...curing them and how loong i should wait

[rottenPauL]

u hang em 2 weeks upside down for good air flow in a dark dry place. U want air movement but not directly into the buds, just air to flow. They r dry when the stem snaps. When they r dry take them and put em in airtight glass jars. Dont stuff the buds in there, just fill 1/3 of the jar. Shake em daily, open the jurs for some hours every day (about 5-6hrs is fine). The jars should stay in dark dry place. Curing can take up to 8 weeks but u can stop anytime u want. Just take some cured buds to smoke and let the rest curing in the jars. Now remember a bud that has been cured for longer time is better.