New grower needs help on buds

Yeah. Buds range in different sizes and shapes. It all depends on how much light they're given during growth. So giving you a picture of an undried bud, wont do you much good.

With small wattage lights during the growth of the plant, chances are the buds will be small, but good. The overall yield should be about 2-3 ounces with a weak lighting system (CFL).

And with HPS and HID lights, around 400-600 watts, it's quite possible that the yield could be in lbs (pounds). Or high-number ounces, such as 5-6 ounces.

It really all depends on the lighting, and the nutes you feed the plant once you see it start flowering. Buy a fert. with a high middle number (Phosphate, if I remember right), for best results, during the flowering cycle.

The hairs range in size as well. I've seen a plant with hairs a half an inch long, and i've seen another with hairs an inch and a half long. The hairs really don't matter much, to be honest. As it only matters that your plant actually HAS hairs. Thus, confirming its female gender.

Determining if your bud is ripe or not can be done 1 of 2 ways. Checking the trichomes, or checking the hairs.

If the trichomes (crystals) all (or atleast 70%) become opalescent, then the plant is more than likely, ripe. And it's time to harvest. Once you see the crystals turning reddish, then immediately harvest. As the THC value is deminishing. This method is kinda tricky to find out, and takes rather a magnifying glass, or a microscope. Unless you've got a lot of patience on your hands, and enough money to afford rather a microscope, or a magnifying glass, i'd go with the next method.

The hair method. Simply check the hairs. If 70% of the hairs become amber in color (a brownish-red color) then it's time to harvest. This is the method most commonly used by growers, and it delivers pretty good results. If you don't have alot of time on your hands, go with this method.

When harvesting, cut the bottom of the stalk, and trim/pull the large fan-leaves off your plant. Then hang them (the buds) upside down (to promote flushing) on a clothes-line, in a well insulated room, for about a week or two. Checking them daily, to make sure that they're not growing mold.

After about a week or two, they'll then be ready to smoke, eat, vaporize, etc.

I just got a 8x magnifying glass.. Trying to get a microscope. The trichomes are white, some are clear and shining. I dont see any amber ones, but I dont know if the magnifying glass is strong enough to see it. Thinking about harvesting some now soon and wait abit for the rest to turn alittle more amber, to see the difference. I want weed that knocks me out :D

go to radio shack and get a small hand-held microscope for $10. It's what I use and it works great. Oh yeah, Nice BUD!!!

check out the pic. That is the flower of the marijuana plant. the substance that we smoke is these flowers mixed with small curled up leafs and some steams. they all contain lots of thc. the pictures that you posted are giant buds, they dont look like what you buy because you need to trim them.

alright pic one is the flower
pic two are trichomes, the things to gage harvest time by
and the third is a nice big bud, in you know my personal grow room :rasta:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Valiante

I just got a 8x magnifying glass.. Trying to get a microscope. The trichomes are white, some are clear and shining. I dont see any amber ones, but I dont know if the magnifying glass is strong enough to see it. Thinking about harvesting some now soon and wait abit for the rest to turn alittle more amber, to see the difference. I want weed that knocks me out :D

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your goin to want to wait till late harvest for strong indica like weed.
early harvest gives you more of a "head high" which i find to be way less intense

Quote:

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Originally Posted by harris7

your goin to want to wait till late harvest for strong indica like weed.
early harvest gives you more of a "head high" which i find to be way less intense

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True dat. =P

lucky you! a neophyte and you already have a hell of a weed! happy smoking dude.

Thanks for the tips..

Anybody got a clue why my plant is turning yellow?
I mean, every single leafes are turning yellow. The one on the picture is yellow all over, and the 2 other plants that are about 2 weeks behind in flowering are turning yellow too.

Is this normal? Or is something wrong?

looks normal the leafs go yellow when all the nitrogen is getting used up
dont worry about it
cheers all :)

When do you guys think it will be ready for harvest?

Been flowering for 9 weeks now! Most of the hairs are red/brown. But the trichomes are all white. I only have a 8x magnifying glass, is that enough to spot the amber ones? I mean, I dont see any amber, only white.

Do you recommend I maybe harvest one branch now, and wait with the rest to see if they get any more amber?

I'm worried that they are turning amber but the magnifying glass not beeing strong enough to see it...