New grower needs help on buds

Hi!

1 of all, what exactly is the bud? I guess it's theese waterdrop shaped balls with hairs growing outta it, or am i wrong? How big are they really supposed to be? Looking at pictures on the net really confuses me. Most are close-ups with no referance so it's impossible to see the real size. On some pictures it looks like the hairs are 5 cm long and thick as a pen. Anybody got some good pictures illustrating what the bud should look like? Or maybe some drawings?

I picked one off my plant and looked at it really close. Theese waterdrop shaped balls are only a few mm long and the hair seems to be shorter than they were before. Is this normal? Are theese balls supposed to be filled with resin, or am I way off here? I opened some of them and they were just hollow. Pls, can someone help me with this? 8th week of flowering.

I know this is very basic for you guys, but I really need help. Been searching the net for ages now, and all i come up with is close-up pictures that doesnt really show much.

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I just need a picture of a single bud, with a referance object showing the size. But not a dried bud, but one that is just ready for harvest/drying.

Hey man, what the bud looks like isn't a good reference for when to harvest. The color of the trichomes (crystals) that form on the bud let you know when it's ripe. They change from clear (immature) to cloudy (ripe) to amber (degrading). You can check that with a microscope.

A less accurate measure is the color of the hairs. I think if you go by those you just harvest once they all turn red, but you can't tell true ripeness by that.

thanks for the tip. I'm gonna buy a magnifying glass tomorrow, or a small microscope, so I'll check it out. But what I mean is, how big are the buds normally? On some pictures it looks like the hairs are realllly long and that they grow out from a BIG ball, not the small ones I got. So any inputs on that would be great.. I'm worried since they are so small you know, and what I've also noticed is that the hairs are shorter now that they've turned red.

Where's the THC actually located? Is it that crystal stuff (trichomes) on the outside, or is the THC inside the bud? or maybe both? From what I've read I believe the small balls will fill up with resin, does that mean inside the balls or on the outside?

T.I.A. Sorry for the stupid questions, but I'm having problems finding answers to this on the net so I have to ask.

you know not a thing about the wonderful marijuana plant that we all love here yet you grew an amazing plant..lucky you...smoke that shit

yea thats bullshit, he doesnt even know what a bud is and grows one beast of a plant and i do a shit load of research and have 3 plants that are all ok

i guess im just jealous

btw the bud is the flower of the marijuana plant it is a cluster of the "waterdrop shaped balls with hairs on them" and if your wondering weather yours is good or not, yes it is

sorry for beeing a newbie :)

First time grower, I've only seen dried buds before, so I just wanted to know for sure. Saying I dont know anything is cool, I've got this far, right? Been reading alot of growing guides.

Anyway, I got a 8x magnifying glass. Trying to get my hands on a real microscope, but it's abit expensive. It looks like the thricomes are about 90%cloudy and 10% clear. But it's hard to tell, they look almost the same except the ones that are shining, I guess those are clear. Will I spot the amber ones easy with the 8x, or should i get some more magnification? :D

T.I.A.

The balls with hairs are actually the calyx. Buds per se are essentially clusters of these calyxes and associated plant material, and can range from very small to huge, and I'd say that your plant is like one huge bud. When it's ready for harvest you hang it upside down to dry for a couple weeks, then you trim off the leaves that are sticking out from the bud, and there you go, one bud ready to smoke. The trichomes grow on the calyxes and nearby leaves and such, and are called capitate stalked trichomes, and the THC is mostly in the bulbous head that forms the top part of the trichome, so be careful not to rub off the trichomes.

great, I hope my plant will be potent. I have 2 more plants that are about 2 weeks behind that one.

All over the place they say that the false seed pods will be filled with resin, when does this happen? The seed pods look kinda empty.. If I sqeeze one of them, will liquid come out? that's how I pictured it..hehe

The calyxes or seed pods will swell during maturation, until the hairs turn orange or brown. I'm not sure where the resin accumulates exactly, I was wondering the same thing. Only one way to find out.

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...

V, I personally would harvest my head-high plants at the exact dimensions you described. If you're looking for a more body high then wait a little. I don't like feeling like a lazy shit, so I stick to more headie typed bud. But life is a matter of preference.