Harvest Question ?????

I have a question that has proabably been answered a couple times but i couldn't find. The question is when do i know its time to harvest if i dont know what strain type it is. In conjunction with this question is if you are suppose to flush the plant and aonly starit water for the last two weeks how do you know when to flush the pants in order to prepare for harvest? If i am not mistakeni know you are suppose to look at the tichomes or the %hair coloration but wouldnt those change alot in 2 weeks that you are flushing the plants?

when the clear resin known as "crystals" begin to cloud over,and the hairs begin to turn red.....it's time to start flushing......when more than 50% of "crystals" are cloudy it's about time to harvest.

Dive:stoned:

I'd do it by % hair coloration.
When you see that there aren't lots of fresh white hairs being produced, you are nearing finish.

Yep, I do it by a combination color of trics, and the red hairs as well. I am having a weird situation with my Purps right now, some of the plants appear to be like a week more mature than the others... lots of red hairs... some cloudy trics etc. The other bunch don't have any red hairs yet... so perhaps it will be a two step harvest though I'm not entirely sure where I will dry if not in the grow room and it's far too warm in there with the lights on to be hanging any amount of plant.

You can buy a 10X scope at a grow store or radio shack for pretty damn cheap... it gives you a great peek at your trichomes and should help you to know how far along you are.

BOL

so what you guys are saying is when 50% of the hairs turn color begin flush and then wait the 2 weeks?

I don't think anyone said a % of the hairs. You have to get a sense for how fast that strain changes... also be aware that high temps can make hairs go prematurely brown, giving the impression that it is time to flush when it isn't.
When the hairs are turning brown at a faster rate than they are being replaced by fresh white hairs, you are nearing completion. Does that make more sense?

The issue i am having is i am not sure of the strain. There lies my biggest problem of knowing when to flush to begin my pre-harvest (flush followed by 2 weeks of strait water). Basically my question is what can i look for to know when to flush and wait another 2 weeks. Is there any way i can tell by looking at the trichomes with a scope and looking for a certain percentage. Or by looking for a certain percentage of hair coloration. Like i said i dont know this strain and i dont know how long it takes or anything about it at that matter. I am guessing this is a real crucial part of harvesting and i want to get it 100% as good as i can get it. Thanks for all your input already given although im not really understading what to really look for.

It's okay, don't tell anyone, but I don't really do much in the way of a flush myself. I am heavy on the organics and use that to my advantage- I feel that it helps avoid that un-flushed chemically harshness.
The first run with a new strain is about practice anyway. Even if you don't know the name, just note down how it behaved in different life stages- like, how much stretch in flower, did it like to be topped in veg, etc... the second grow is always easier to time.

So if i am using organic ferts (botanicare), I won't really get that really harsh burn my throat taste? So i shouldnt really worry all that much about flushing you think one week would be enough? Maybe like 60-70% hair coloration then flush one week then harvest what you think?

I think that is a pretty good plan. I like that botanicare stuff. It even smells good!
Part of the harshness you will often find in weed is from a combination of too much Nitrogen and not a long enough cure. Basically, it's the chlorophyll (green pigment, more N leads to more chlorophyll) that is really harsh and allowing your leaves to go yellow the last couple weeks signals that it is breaking down. Then after harvest, a good cure for a few weeks will let it break down even further and yield smoother smoke.
So do what you were saying, test smoke as soon as it is dry, then cure it and see how much change there is in smoothness. It will be significant.

Do you think using a booster would be a bad thing knowing that i dont know really when this strain is going to be ready to harvest. I obviously would like to get the most yield i possibly can but dont want to ruin them at the same time know what i mean lol. So do you think i should go with the booster and tutore the plant in order to get more yield or just stick with my plant and just use the botanicare stuff. I use "pro bloom, karma, sweet" im guestimating another 4 weeks wait till a harvest maybe but im not really sure. Basically whats your advice on the booster and do you think in my situtation i should use it? OR just take it easy and do what im doing?

I am a little afraid of some boosters because of the problems you could get if you overdo it.
I DESTROYED my plants with Gravity because I had temperature problems whil I was using it. It is a pretty amazing product if you have TOTAL control over your environment. It is said to add around another 20% to your weight, but you have to use it carefully.
Bud organic bud boosters like bone meal are nice- bone meal mixed in with the soil at the last transplant.
I have heard VERY good things about the 'PK' bud booster. It isn;'t something I have experience with.
If you are using Sweet, you can still add molasses to add more carbon- the Sweet has carb synthesizers and if you give it another sugar source, it will helps the plant use it better. Bonus, you can feed molasses right to the end. My friend says he has been able to actually TASTE the molasses in the finished product, but not in a bad way.
Just some thoughts anyway!

Your the best with answering questions. Idk know i see other peoples things at like 4 weeks and they seem like more then mine. Maybe im doing somehting wrong or maybe its the strain in itself who knows. Dont know where you are from but have you ever heard of a New York Haze strain just curious to know? But i think im just going to continue to do what im doing they look great had a PH problem eralier this week got is flushed and taken care of caught the problwm a little later then what i had hoped but owell shit happens lol.

I don't know, we had some unidentified Haze strain going around western MA. It was a BEAUTIFUL plant with big, pale green buds- not giant colas, but the kind of big nugs that look SO good in a baggie. She took a while to finish- your probably will too; hazes are notoriously slowpokey- I think I ran her 10 weeks but it was the same deal, I got the seeds labeled only 'Haze' from a grower friend and no other info.
The reason you think yours is small for 4 weeks probably has a lot to do with the type of plant. It might just be getting off to a slow start. IF it takes 9 or 10 weeks to finish, expect it to pack on some sERIOUS weight within the last 3 weeks.
At this point, you are going for HEALTHY. The hardest part about growing a long-flower strain is keeping the damn thing happy for 2 1/2 months, lol!

Well thats good to hear that the strain you talk about doesnt take 12 - 14 weeks lol. Yeah around the New York area all they call it is haze so im assuming your proabably talking about the same strain as i am. It has a very distinct smell to itdont even really know how to explain it other then almost like a leather smell lol but its not skunky at all. Dont know what the plant looks like itself. But usually the buds break apart fairly easy and they usually arent all that compact. But they are the most expensive type around that area. IDK let me know if this helped you out to finding what kinda strain this really is. And btw thanks for all your info your very helpfull.

Hey no prob.
There are a lot of different Haze derivatives- I'd hesitate to say it's the same strain even if you lived in the next county, but they DO have a lot in common, like structure, flower time, and yeah I think that a rich complex smell is a very haze-y trait too. The one I had was more sweet but not a simple fruity sweet, a interesting sweetness that was just shy of perfumy. Definitely no trace of skunkiness. Pleasant.
Just watch that if it came from bud, take what the dealer called it with a grain of salt- I've seen some absolute CRAP being sold as 'haze' or worse, 'purple haze', lol... don't EVEN get me started on that one HAHAHAHAHA!!!
happy growing

No i dont trust anything any dealer tells me about strains the last thing i listen to them is what they call it. Although whatever this strain is it seems to be haze as this same strain has been going throughout the NYC for at least a good 7-8 years aournd that area with the same name. You can tell it is it as sooon as you smell it no doubt. Whether or not this is actually what it is who knows. Everyone that tries it loves it athough it is very pricey sa most good strains are lol unfortunetly. Maybe this helps you some more uncovering this case of the unknown haze strain if it is even haze lol. All i know this type of strain that i talk about it one of my favoroite along with kush although they taste nothing like each other.