Trich's vs Brown Hairs? Which is your preference?

[Purple Daddy]

Curious what people's preference is here in determining when to harvest?

Most of what I've read on this forum seems to suggest amber trich's are an indication the plant is ready for harvest. MMJ Growers Handbook suggests amber trich's are a bit over ripe?

My brother bases his harvest on the brown hairs, said he's never looked at them under a scope or anything. His bud is always top shelf but they always buy expensive clones.

I have two plants with at least 50% brown hairs, one plant grew purple hairs and at this stage half of them have turned brown. Under the scope the trich's are milky and not amber, the other plant was a little over 50% brown hairs(I purpously let this one go a little longer) but only milky trich's, I harvested it last night.

I'm thinking of pulling the purple hair plant tonight, buds are rock hard and most of the large sun leaves have died off. We're supposed to have a storm moving in by Tuesday and I don't want to deal with it getting whipped around in bad weather hoping to squeeze another week of growth. The branches are sagging from the weight of the buds so it may not take much for a good burst of wind to break one off.

Does anyone have any anctedotal evidence that there is a significant difference between milky trich's and amber? I really want to get this one plant finshed perfectly, it's the largest, the buds are significant in size and the purple hairs have me really curious what this will be like.

The plants I harvested a few weeks ago had just a hint of amber on some trich's but the buds were starting to sprout new waves of white hairs, my brother told me to pull them right away as they may have gone too long.

Purple Daddy Reviewed by Purple Daddy on 10-01-2011. Trich's vs Brown Hairs? Which is your preference? Curious what people's preference is here in determining when to harvest? Most of what I've read on this forum seems to suggest amber trich's are an indication the plant is ready for harvest. MMJ Growers Handbook suggests amber trich's are a bit over ripe? My brother bases his harvest on the brown hairs, said he's never looked at them under a scope or anything. His bud is always top shelf but they always buy expensive clones. I have two plants with at least 50% brown hairs, one Rating: 5

[painretreat]

Well, if you are anywhere near where I am, it is one heck of a storm from yesterday today. Hopefully, you harvested them! I have seen a lot of posts with great pictures of Trichomes and photographer's opinions. Very surprised you have not had a response from the expert growers here. Guess, everyone is busy harvesting due to time of year and weather. Hope it all came out well??? Good luck! pr

[Graywolf]

I harvest when all the trichomes are cloudy for day meds and amber for sleep meds.

[Purple Daddy]

Well I put an umbrella over them because of the storm but as I was looking closer at them the hairs were rapidly drying out and I noticed three damn caterpillars which had burrowed into buds so I immediately pulled them and had to go through all the buds looking for damn worms, found two more and only one looked like it had time to lay eggs so I cut out the spots where the worms were to avoid any mold.

[williboy]

From what I hear and see here up in NorCal there is a window during which you will be happy. Waiting for red or brown "hairs" usually happens during the same time that the tricomes are milky. All milky means about THC peak too! If you wait you may have slightly larger more resinous buds, but they certainly will have more CBN and CBD, more body buzz, less brain. We like too take the largest end buds, letting the buds that were covered up more light and nutes, they go from Bs to As in a few days. This can be pretty important in an ouside grow, when you take the outermost and heaviest buds you have shortened and strengthtened each branch and that can make a big difference when that rains come right before you finish harvest. Thanks for you great work.

[williboy]

We had the same problems with the caterpillars. During the warming hours of early morning when the sun is just reaching the plants you can sometimes catch them outside the bud warming, much easier to see when they are still small. When you saw drying bud in the cola you were probably seeing where the stem had been chewed through, died and was drying out, I think this is about as an early warning as we get that there is a problem with a bud. Caterpillars don't lay eggs, you were probably seeing their poop, when that gets wet you probably will have mold start at that spot. By the way when we had to harvest when wet (and cool) when we swung the branches to dry them some, we flung out a few more. They don't seem to hold on so well when cold and wet.

[williboy]

The only significant difference for me was the "early harvest" of OG Cheese and the latest harvest of the same plant.(last years) There was a difference to its effect, the early harvest had a much more an immediate effect, which seemed pretty energetic, didn't seem to have any set altitude either, never topped out, more fuel the higher we go. When we smoked the later harvest the take-off was more gradual, much more body to it, and a lot more " local gravity". I think that the later harvest had a better flavor, maybe just better cure? Graywolf got it right, when he said "white for day, amber for night". Some folk up here would say it makes a big difference in the strains that you are growing too, but its sounds like you have part indica, right? In which case as long as the tricomes are white all is well.

[Purple Daddy]

Fortunately I only found a few damn caterpillars, interesting you mention them coming out in the warmth of the sun because a few years ago I had some plants outside and moved them in, when I put them under the light I noticed the same thing.

All harvested and with the cooler weather it's taking a little longer to dry out which is a good thing. Hopefully by this weekend I can start getting it into jars.

[emilya]

Purp... here is what I do to determine when to harvest.

First of all, it has nothing to do with the color of the pistils. I have seen many recommendations out there to pull when 50% of these pistils turn brown or red or whatever, but the problem is that this is strain dependent. Some strains will color the pistils deep reds and purples from early in flower... it has nothing to do with the ripeness of the buds. Also, in many strains, these pistils start turning brown way before the trichomes have fully developed.
The THC is in the trichomes, some of them on the pistils, but so much in the pistils. Watch the trichomes, to see when it is time to harvest. If you want a more cerebral high, pick when the trichomes have all turned cloudy and very few have gone amber. A more physical high will be had when the buds are a bit riper, when some of the trichomes have turned amber, and most people harvest anywhere from 5%-50% amber. The problem is that after amber is red... and the deeper colors mean the trichomes are beginning to break down because of the light and you actually start losing potency. Let your plants go too long and you will miss the peak.
You really need a small microscope, loupe or a camera that can do macro mode to see these trichomes well enough to make this determination, but it is well worth the effort. Try some buds at various stages of trichome development, and see which type of high is the one that is right for you with the plant you are growing... its is always a personal decision and can not be made by us out here.

[Max Blast]

The THC is in the trichomes, some of them on the pistils .... Watch the trichomes, to see when it is time to harvest. If you want a more cerebral high, pick when the trichomes have all turned cloudy and very few have gone amber. A more physical high will be had when the buds are a bit riper, when some of the trichomes have turned amber, and most people harvest anywhere from 5%-50% amber. .... Try some buds at various stages of trichome development, and see which type of high is the one that is right for you with the plant you are growing... its is always a personal decision and can not be made by us out here.

Yes, what she said!