This is a test. Different harvest times and parts of the plant.

[Opie Yutts]

Day 47

For once Iâ??m going to try a harvest the right way. From my understanding this means taking different parts of the plant at different times. Not all buds get ripe at the same time, and someone correct me if Iâ??m wrong but normally the buds closest to the light mature faster. Some people go so far as to do a perpetual harvest, where they harvest for months, letting the lower and less mature parts of the plant grow some before harvesting them. I read years back that some people bud a plant for years, though I canâ??t find anything about it on the boards. Anyone?

If things go according to plan Iâ??ll also be testing how harvest times affect the way a plant smokes. As most of you probably know, the longer you let a plant mature the more amber the trichomes will become, and the more it will have a narcotic, couch-lock effect. The sooner you harvest the more clear the trichomes will be, and youâ??ll be more likely to be able to think and work while high.

Trichomes, from the Greek meaning "growth of hair", are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants and certain protists. These are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillaeâ?¦A common type of trichome is a hairâ?¦Any of the various types of hairs may be glandular. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichome

So hereâ??s my first real indoor dirt grow, and my first cuttings at day 47 of flowering. 3 days ago they got their first flush of plain water, and thatâ??s probably all theyâ??ll get from now on. On the left and right is BBxNL and in the middle is AK-47. FYI the left plant was LSTed some, and the right one was topped twice and weaker branches removed. As to be expected LST seems to give more and smaller buds. The photos are after removing three test buds.

Opie Yutts Reviewed by Opie Yutts on 07-31-2008. This is a test. Different harvest times and parts of the plant. Day 47 For once Iâ??m going to try a harvest the right way. From my understanding this means taking different parts of the plant at different times. Not all buds get ripe at the same time, and someone correct me if Iâ??m wrong but normally the buds closest to the light mature faster. Some people go so far as to do a perpetual harvest, where they harvest for months, letting the lower and less mature parts of the plant grow some before harvesting them. I read years back that some people bud a Rating: 5

[Opie Yutts]

First off Iâ??m not used to dirt farming and am noticing, well, less stuff. Less weed, less trichomes, much less density and stickyness in the bud department. Iâ??ve been growing moms in dirt for years, but this is the first time I put dirt plants in my real flowering section. Also, Iâ??m high, so please bare with me. Iâ??m sure I might be doing things wrong, but the plants look OK, except for some extra yellowing on the AK. Also, Iâ??m used to these babies being the way I like em after this amount of time. I find it a little hard to understand why simply growing in hydro would decrease days until harvest, especially if Iâ??m treating them the same otherwise.

Iâ??ll make somewhat of an effort to follow through, at least partially, somewhat. I hope to take a little from the plants every 5 days for awhile. Perhaps even supplying some side by side photos of buds and trichomes. Iâ??ll compare the different highs and hopefully be able to find what amber percentages give me the medicinal values Iâ??m looking for.

Well for what itâ??s worth, hereâ??s some buds from the tops of plants. Normally I would expect about 10% amber (my normal goal) and most of the pistils brown. These trichomes are pretty consistently cloudy, with a couple here and there just turning cloudy, and a couple just turning amber. Amber is way less than 1%, and strangely there will be one beautiful solid amber in a field of cloudy. Can someone explain this? From left to right is a bud from each plant and is shown like the overall grow. After trimming the wet weight is 7.3, 5.6 and 5.1 grams respectively.

[Opie Yutts]

Hereâ??s my first try at trichome photography, and Iâ??m not exactly proud of it or anything. I couldnâ??t figure out how to get a shot through my pocket microscope, which shows things at 80-100x, and really brings the trichomes up into your face. These shots are through a 30x loop, which can do 10 or 20x as well. Since judging trichomes is the only way to really tell if a plant is ready to your satisfaction, I highly recommend picking up at least one of these instruments. I have kind of a hard time seeing properly through the loop, so I recommend the scope if you only are getting one. You can walk out of Radio Shack with both of em for about $12.

[Weedhound]

You know Opie I wonder sometimes if the difference between soil and hydro is something like "digestability" or how "palatable" (sp?) their diet is.

In hydro a plant draw up the nutes already in a form that they can easily use. Nothing has to be "transformed" or "converted" in any way.

I wonder if that's where the "harvest speed" comes into play between hydro and soil.

Just thinking out loud.......

[rhizome]

I find it a little hard to understand why simply growing in hydro would decrease days until harvest, especially if Iâ??m treating them the same otherwise.

It's easier to cut the N in an inert media- higher N levels delay flowering.

[Dutch Pimp]

Can someone explain why my plants are only buds...no leaves ...when I harvest? 10% amber. Not that I'm complaining, or anything...just curious.

yes it's true...I hung my girl. She couldn't stand on her own.

[Opie Yutts]

Hey Dutch, what variety is that? I know weed plants draw nutrients from leaves more during flowering, especially toward the end, essentially eating themselves. Some more than others, and once the leaves are yellow and all the nutrients are out, the leaves fall off. Is that what happened to yours or as she been mostly foliage free? Looks good.

[Opie Yutts]

It's easier to cut the N in an inert media- higher N levels delay flowering.

I guess that makes sense. So when growing in dirt would it be beneficial to switch to flowering nutes maybe a week or two earlier than in hydro?

[Algag]

Yopie looks great, as does the hi-jackers bizarre but pretty plant. I thought about that BBxNL strand... how do you like it?

[Dutch Pimp]

Hey Dutch, what variety is that? I know weed plants draw nutrients from leaves more during flowering, especially toward the end, essentially eating themselves. Some more than others, and once the leaves are yellow and all the nutrients are out, the leaves fall off. Is that what happened to yours or as she been mostly foliage free? Looks good.

Hi Opie. Sorry, I jumped off the subject matter...:stoned: I only grow white widow/white rhino because 1. easy to grow indoors 2. crippling highs.

I tried havesting this time in stages. First the colas, 10% amber. One week later, the middle buds; and finally, one more week, the lower popcorn buds, which I had pollinated. Now I have all the seeds I need.

To tell you the truth...it's more trouble than it's worth. IMO. Next time, it all comes down at the same time. The amber % never did increase in those extra two weeks.