Trichomes and the harvest

[Colodonmed]

Hi all, a general question with I am sure many complex answers. After trying to learn everything I can before attempting to grow my medicine, I have come to a crossroads and am sure the answer is here. OK, most sites giving advice say that the trichomes should be an amber color or at least say 50% of them should be amber to get the full effect, however I have started checking the medicine I get from a few dispensaries with a 50-100x pocket scope and I'll be dammned if I can find very many amber trichomes, most are clear to cloudy. I am not complaining about the quality as they all seem to be pretty effective, but am wondering why I cannot find that many amber trich's and would the medicine really be that more potent if harvested a little later. Hope this is not too confusing to read and really looking forward to your answer(s). Thanks all

Colodonmed Reviewed by Colodonmed on 04-22-2010. Trichomes and the harvest Hi all, a general question with I am sure many complex answers. After trying to learn everything I can before attempting to grow my medicine, I have come to a crossroads and am sure the answer is here. OK, most sites giving advice say that the trichomes should be an amber color or at least say 50% of them should be amber to get the full effect, however I have started checking the medicine I get from a few dispensaries with a 50-100x pocket scope and I'll be dammned if I can find very many amber Rating: 5

[puntacometa]

Hi all, a general question with I am sure many complex answers. After trying to learn everything I can before attempting to grow my medicine, I have come to a crossroads and am sure the answer is here. OK, most sites giving advice say that the trichomes should be an amber color or at least say 50% of them should be amber to get the full effect, however I have started checking the medicine I get from a few dispensaries with a 50-100x pocket scope and I'll be dammned if I can find very many amber trichomes, most are clear to cloudy. I am not complaining about the quality as they all seem to be pretty effective, but am wondering why I cannot find that many amber trich's and would the medicine really be that more potent if harvested a little later. Hope this is not too confusing to read and really looking forward to your answer(s). Thanks all

Because it takes a good eye and experience to know the opimal time to cut and the waiting can add an extra 10 days to the flowering cycle. ....plus you've got to watch them carefully. I prefer to cut when the trichomes are cloudy with just a beginning tinge of amber. It's tricky......amber means that the trichomes are a bit past full maturity and are starting to degrade. As far as potency is concerned, this is also dependent on a proper curing environment and taking the time to do it instead of rushing it out the door. A two month + curing process can make a huge (and positive) difference relative to potency.

[bigtopsfinn]

More amber means longer time until harvest, maybe 1 or 2+ weeks which adds up over a year for commercial/medical growers. Plus if they are more amber, it'll be more of a couch-lock high, which I imagine many people don't like if they need to be productive while medicating.

I'd say pick when there's little to no clear trichs anymore. 50% amber would be the farthest I'd take em.

[TheReleafCenter]

Glad to read those first two responses. I've had numerous arguments with people who say "There isn't enough amber on this bud, it's no good." Very frustrating.

[lampost]

Glad to read those first two responses. I've had numerous arguments with people who say "There isn't enough amber on this bud, it's no good." Very frustrating.

Everyone likes their herb different....

Some people may prefer more amber?

I picked up some White Widow awhile back that was specifically allowed to amber up a bit... it was the stoniest White Widow I've come across yet...

[Colodonmed]

Thanks for the input guys I really appreciate it, I prefer a more "up" high when smoking/vaping during the day and a good heavy body high for pain at night so I guess I will harvest some a little early and wait the extra time for the ambers for pain and sleep. Now I am ready to start my grow, thanks again and peace to all

[puntacometa]

Everyone likes their herb different....

Some people may prefer more amber?

I picked up some White Widow awhile back that was specifically allowed to amber up a bit... it was the stoniest White Widow I've come across yet...

Ambering can induce a bit of a narcotic effect to the experience. Early cut (clear trichomes) can enhance the properties in some strains that make them prone to induce anxiety/paranoia. Definitely not a good thing for patients who are dealing with PTSD related problems.

[Colodonmed]

I am glad Releaf chimed in as I was wondering if folks were giving the dispensaries any feedback/grief or whatever over the amber, do have to say I got 1/8 th of mean green about 8 days ago that was really moist and have had it in a mason jar for the entire time, burping it a few times a day and this morning I noticed the smell was different and now I believe it has some mold, at least white fuzzies in a few places, gonna return it and see what the dispensary will do about it. Damn, I hate hassles

[puntacometa]

I am glad Releaf chimed in as I was wondering if folks were giving the dispensaries any feedback/grief or whatever over the amber, do have to say I got 1/8 th of mean green about 8 days ago that was really moist and have had it in a mason jar for the entire time, burping it a few times a day and this morning I noticed the smell was different and now I believe it has some mold, at least white fuzzies in a few places, gonna return it and see what the dispensary will do about it. Damn, I hate hassles

If you're seeing mold, don't use it.

[MMJinColorado]

Also, if you get wet feeling buds, DO NOT put them in a jar, as they will mold even if there wasn't mold on them to begin with. If you end up with wet buds, take it back to the dispensary before smoking it and ask for a different strain. If you are past the point of no return or simply really want to keep that particular sample, allow it to dry out for 1-2 days until the stems snap and then put it in a Mason jar if you want to cure it a bit.

And yeah, the clamor over ambers is a lot of nothing really. I tend to like my meds with 10-15% ambers because it seems to round out the high on most strains... nice mix of head and CBD-heavy body stones. However, some are better early, sometimes the ambers make it very tough to smoke because you'll fall asleep, etc. A knowledgeable grower should have his/her strains "dialed in" to the point where they know that an early/mid/late harvest will produce the best results.

Seeing nothing but clear is the one time I really question the motives... in those cases, they were most likely just trying to get the product out the door rather than striving for quality... That, or there was some other issue like mold, pests, hermies, etc. that caused them to want to harvest earlier than normal.