New grower needs help on buds

[Valiante]

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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Valiante Reviewed by Valiante on 10-25-2006. 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 Rating: 5

[Valiante]

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.

[Anathema2121]

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.

[Valiante]

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.

[giterdunzippy]

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

[checkmark9]

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

[Valiante]

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?

T.I.A.

[phytokind]

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.

[Valiante]

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

[phytokind]

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.