How to check if seeds are ready to harvest?

Hey, guyz!

I've pollinated a couple of buds of my females in order to get some seeds. Now they are at 8th week of flowering, I don't really want to harvest them too early. But I still would like to get a social smoke from my buds - need to harvest a bit earlier, when trichs are mostly cloudy. What can I do in my situation?

Maybe I can harvest everything except pollinated buds and let them stay for a week or so more? It sounds good but don't want my plants to be in such shock.

Anyway, how can I see if seeds are ready?

Thanks a lot!!! :rastasmoke:

peel back the calyx and if they are starting to darken, they are ripening.
Seeds do ripen to a certain extent after harvest.
I have usually harvested my seeded buds any time after I see the seeds are starting to show stripes. And then I take the plant down, strip the fan leaves, do a rough trim, and leave it upright in a vase set in the center of a cookie sheet to catch any seeds that fall during drying.

stinkyattic, THANKS! I really appreciate your input! :rastasmoke:

I've just checked a calyx and it seems there is a seed but it smaller like 5 times than the seed it has been grown from. Maybe it's because I used the pollen from another strain?

Please check the picture and tell me your opinion - the seed is on the right side.

Does a size stays for anything? Or it depends on particular strain?

PS: the seed on the pic is not on the bud. I've found only one big (I guess, of normal size) seed on the seeded buds, and it's still greenish/whitish. It seems I wasn't successful with my first pollination. I think the pollen was too old - ~11 months :(

The seed shown is ripe or very nearly so. It will be just fine after the length of time it takes for the plant to dry.
Seed size IS strain dependent; I've seen lame little pips and giant honkers (from mexischwag).
If you get a seed at ALL, pollination was successful.
Greenish/whitish means not NEARLY ready yet. You have to wait until you see some brown color at least.

THANKS AGAIN :)

Of course, you are right, if I get only one seed it will be great for sure! btw, I've just found another seed on the seeded bud, of same greenish\whitish color. :) I'll give them time. Maybe will see others as well. It's like a dream for me to get my own hybrid, I'm so excited hehe

One strange thing - there are calyxes not on buds, one of which has the seed (like on the pic), on my plants - on main cola and other branches that were not pollinated. And it seems they have got those small seeds as well. How come? I think there are may be 2 cases:

1) plants are hermies, whether genetically or because of my mistakes - I've got a period of several weeks when I had to remove some male flowers from bottom branches of my females.

2) some stigmas got the pollen, whether of the plant itself (could miss a male flower) or when I was pollinating.

However, I do not notice other calyxes with seeds on other buds (at least the ones I've tried to peel off). Have you ever experienced similar situations and what could this mean?

Well, will see later on how it turns out for me :)

Yeah I almost always get the odd calyx in a branch node, and yes, they can bear seed without building up bud mass. You should see my OG kush mother who lives in the closet with my males... she's got a seed at every node, lol, and she's under 24h of light.
Give the green seeds time.
As for how you got odd seeds, you said you pollinated earlier? That pollen might have been viable after all, or you had a bit of residue in your room, or a hermie.