# Ready or not? Here she comes?



## PapaJane (Dec 28, 2014)

Hi,
This is my first growing attempt and would like your expert opinions on  whether this plant is ready for harvest or not. I have stopped adding  nutrients to their water a week ago in the prospect of harvesting them  in about a week time. As I have no clue what variety these plants are  (seeds found in stash) I do not have a precise cycle to follow. Any help  is highly welcomed.
One more thing from the first picture do you think that that my plants get too much heat/light? 

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## lyfespan (Dec 28, 2014)

You did good to get them this far, but as you already there are a few issues to improve upon, knowing this is the sign of wanting to be a better grower.


Here's what I see, plants that have been stressed due to light timing issues. Heat and humidity issues that need immediate addressing. A lot of broken trich heads, maybe gone longer than needed, or too much contact?


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## 000StankDank000 (Dec 28, 2014)

Looks good Bro for your first attempt you got them all the way to harvest great Job. You will improve on every grow. Green mojo


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## PapaJane (Dec 28, 2014)

Thanks a lot for your advices guys, it is really appreciated
Yes indeed I have made too much contact as I ve recently reconfigured my small dark room (60*60cm) to higher the light as much as possible. I did not control the growth properly and the plants grew too close to the light. Since I have very little space to higher the lamp further I ve tried to bend them but broke one of the plants in the process and might have damaged the others. 

I use one 400 HPS lamp and a Can-Fan Metal in Line Fan RS100 100mm - 200m³/h. I also have an internal fan for better ventilation. Temp is usually around 28-30 degrees and humidity between 50% and 60%. 12hour automatic lighting has been set too.

How long before they are ready you reckon?


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## 000StankDank000 (Dec 28, 2014)

Get yourself a jeweller lope and have a look at the trich's sativa you want cloudy trich's indica people go for amber trich's . 
Looking up the strain you are growing gives you an idea of flowering times? 
You do not want your RH past 50% or you could have bud rot
What are you growing?


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## PapaJane (Dec 28, 2014)

I have no clue what variety these plants are (seeds found in stash). So I m on my own on this one. Have a 10x jeweler loupe but it is not strong enough. Getting a 40x this week.
They look like Skunk #1 though...


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 29, 2014)

You definitely need the 40x loupe to look at the trichomes to get the best timing for harvest. They look good though. You must have done some homework before starting. Most people who start out straight away without much help usually fail on their ffirst attempts. 

A bit of advice though, you got lucky on this one with the "bag seed" as those more often than not end up being hermaphrodites that ruin the harvest. Now that you have your ffirst grow just about in the jars, you need to look at buying some quality seeds from a reputable breeder. Here is a good place to begin looking at strains: www.worldwide-marijuana-seeds.com  make sure you have about 2 hours to burn before you go here as there are a lot of seeds to choose from


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## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 29, 2014)

There is no way that you can determine strain if you do not know what you planted.  Even with clones from the same mother you can get varied growth patterns.

How long have these been flowering?  The last pic, the plant seems to be developing single bladed leaves which could be a sign of revegging.  Overall though they look quite nice.  They look to be sativa dominant, so will probably take at least a 9-12 week flowering period.  But like mentioned, the only real way to tell is to check the trichs with a 30x or better scope.


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## PapaJane (Dec 30, 2014)

Yeah I will certainly look for better seeds next time. This came somewhat unplanned as plants started to grow outside from seeds I had thrown in my garden pots. 
They have been flowering approx. from November 19.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 30, 2014)

If they didn't start flowering until Nov 19, I doubt that they are done.  They have a very sativa look to them and sats take longer to mature.  I would start feeding them again.


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## samarta (Dec 30, 2014)

I agree with HG - and for the obvious effort put forth by you, you will be floored over what happens when you do just what you did - with good genetics.  I can not do perpetual grows or experiments with unknowns.  Yours are healthy and you learned, so now get ready for a whole world that these genius breeders have made available.  IMO - with good genes, go easier on all that pruning.  You'll have bud sites you never thought possible.


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## PapaJane (Dec 31, 2014)

Hey guys, here s an update on the girls. It seems that the two in the largest pot are ready for harvest while the other five still need a bit of time. I have finally got the 40x magnifier/loupe and trichs can be seen more clearly. They are cloudy on the two big ones while the other five still have clear trichs. I have flushed the largest pot with approx 3l of water at 6.0 ph. Let me know what you think 

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## PapaJane (Dec 31, 2014)

Happy new year by the way!


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## 000StankDank000 (Dec 31, 2014)

If it was me and I'm a noob I would wait till all are at least cloudy and the 2 might be amber by that time and I would harvest. Depends on what type of high you are after . 
How tall are those girls? 
Green mojo bro


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 31, 2014)

Those look real nice. I am seeing a little ffox tailing happening there on them but that's not a problem. I couldn't tell much on the trichomes from the pics but I thought I saw a few amber trichs scattered across the buds. I personally try to let them get about 5-10% amber on the buds with 90% milky/cloudy before harvesting. Now if you had a room full of those, you would have something. I really like the bluish/purplish color on the one set of buds. I would say there are some "blue" genetics in those.


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## zem (Jan 1, 2015)

good job there, these buds look tasty, for a 1st grow from bagseed i would guess that it is a combination of both, talent in botany and good luck that got you this far. how are these soil ph testers working for you? because IME they were a waste


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## PapaJane (Jan 3, 2015)

Hey guys, 
Thanks for your input and support. The girls are about 120cm and slowly ripening! Really looking forward to the harvest!! 

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## oldfogey8 (Jan 3, 2015)

i am a noob as well. i have 3 harvests under my belt. the thing i would do if i could go back in time with all three grows is i would wait longer. most of the experienced growers would recommend to me that i wait 'another week or so' when i would post a similar thread. the plants i let go that little bit longer are categorically always better. i have grown a some sativas like your girls look to be and i would wait until they get a lot more amber. the buzz from a sativa is pretty uplifting but can be down right jittery if you have too many clear trichs. they look beautiful. you have done a great job for a 'noob'. my 2 cents though is i'd wait 'another week or so' if you can(i rarely can)...


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 3, 2015)

just did the math. you are a little over 6 weeks into flower. i went 14 weeks with my thai plants...


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## PapaJane (Jan 4, 2015)

Thanks Oldfogey, I will just do that. I ll keep them for a while longer and continue to water them at ph 6.0. One quick question do you know what EC should be coming back from the residual water? While ph seems to be ok (6.2) the EC is still quite high and wondering if this will affect taste at the end.

Btw @zem these PH testers were indeed a waste. They do not give accurate readings and were not helpful at all.


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 4, 2015)

I have not measured my ec since my first grow and then I only checked my tap water. I would bet though that it should be high coming out of the root ball just because the plants waste is in the run off. Btw - plants must like you. Getting buds to look like that in your first try. They say that buds put on the majority of their weight in the last couple of weeks so those will be some massive buds! Another sign you are done I have heard is when the hairs recede into the calyxes. Like tom petty says 'the waiting is the hardest part'...


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## PapaJane (Jan 4, 2015)

Hey I ve just looked at the dates again. flowering period started 9 weeks ago.(6 nov not nov19 as i iniatially thought). 

Old Fogey how was the quality of the smoke made from your plants? 

I m tempted to distill some concentrated orange  juice in one of the plants just few hours before harvest. Some say flavouring the buds is possible using this technique and is quite appreciated. Any info on this?


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 4, 2015)

Papa jane . Do you have a Link to that method?
From all my reading I have done that sounds like an urban legend to me. If it was true I'd be dumping tangerine juice on the Tangie


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 4, 2015)

I think the hemp goddess said it on one of my posts asking about flavor. We use manure as a fertilizer but the plants don't taste like manure. I have been told the mojority of flavor is due to genetics. Not sure I am sold on that but I think my grows have been from less than great genetics. The taste is not what I was hoping for. It is good. The buzz is really, really, uh, I mean really good. Your buds look like they will be similar. Never tried oj concentrate but I would not risk your work like that. Might be something to try someday on a plant or two but I bet your plants will be quite enjoyable without it.


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 4, 2015)

Old fogey it is genetics ,properly grown and properly cured pot that tastes and smells awesome. No magic trick will beat that.


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 4, 2015)

Not sure if I answered but the quality of my smoke from my first grow was way better than anything available locally. My sons are legendary for what they have compared to what their buddies get.


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 4, 2015)

I hear you, dank. I just have had 3 grows of 5 different strains all taste quite similar. I gotta think some of it is my method. However, I note that the flavor is better at 6 months of cure so my dry/cure could be suspect. I might be jarring too early. Story of my life  ....


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## PapaJane (Jan 5, 2015)

Dank unfortunately the article speaking about giving a taste is not in English. However it is arguing that pouring concentrated aromas just before harvest will give a 'slight taste' to the bud. However once must be careful with the extra sugars when drying as those are not good when burnt. I have only read this once so not really sure how accurate this is. Maybe i ll try it only on one plant to see. 

On another note I have yet to see any amber trichs so i keep watering them with no added nutes at ph 6.0.


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 5, 2015)

I'd be wary that it would mess up the harvest. You are so close to finishing what looks like a really nice grow. I would wait until your next grow and then only try it on one plant where you have another plant just like it that you don't do it to. You will be happy the longer you wait though. I think I harvested one plant about a week earlier than the second one and I got 4 oz from the earlier one and 6 from the later plant.


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## 000StankDank000 (Jan 5, 2015)

Papajane are you flushing them before harvest? Is the run off coming out as 6.0 PH


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## PapaJane (Jan 6, 2015)

oldfogey8 said:


> I'd be wary that it would mess up the harvest. You are so close to finishing what looks like a really nice grow. I would wait until your next grow and then only try it on one plant where you have another plant just like it that you don't do it to. You will be happy the longer you wait though. I think I harvested one plant about a week earlier than the second one and I got 4 oz from the earlier one and 6 from the later plant.



I ll take your advice on that one, unless someone else have tried it successfully.



000StankDank000 said:


> Papajane are you flushing them before harvest? Is the run off coming out as 6.0 PH



I have flushed  two pots of the three pots 2 days ago the PH from the run off was 6.2.   However the EC was still quite high EC 1.13 (790 PPM)
But I have yet to see amber trichs so I ll be waiting a bit longer


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## PapaJane (Jan 6, 2015)

000StankDank000 said:


> Papa jane . Do you have a Link to that method?
> From all my reading I have done that sounds like an urban legend to me. If it was true I'd be dumping tangerine juice on the Tangie



Found something in English about the flavouring process
http://www.growweedeasy.com/how-to-make-flavored-marijuana

http://growingmarijuana.com/flavoring-crops.php


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## oldfogey8 (Jan 6, 2015)

interesting read papajane. it sounds like the author has done the flavoring immediately before harvesting and also one cautions against it in a couple of different places. now if i could find a flavor extract of the thai stick i smoked back in the 70's...


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## Hushpuppy (Jan 7, 2015)

This is just my personal opinion, but I have used the "flavor additives" before, and I found them to be a waste of time and money. Then I had to wonder what I was breathing into my lungs when I smoked it. Grow healthy, happy plants, dry them slow enough to allow proper breakdown of the chlorophylls but not so slow that they mildew. Then cure the same way, slowly and carefully, and you will get the best flavor the plants can produce.


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## samarta (Jan 11, 2015)

ditto hushpuppy, with the strains and flavors available, I just do not see why you would want to taint what nature intended..  Seems there is a strain out there for any flavor you can name.


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## PapaJane (Jan 11, 2015)

samarta said:


> ditto hushpuppy, with the strains and flavors available, I just do not see why you would want to taint what nature intended..  Seems there is a strain out there for any flavor you can name.


Yep indeed! Won t be testing those either.... 

On another note it seems two of my girls (the two on the right) are not faring that well. Not entirely sure what it could be as they received as much care and love than the others. However they are both in the same pot which can be no coincidence.... 

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## Rosebud (Jan 11, 2015)

They don't like sharing the pot. And they are hungry.


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## PapaJane (Jan 11, 2015)

Rosebud said:


> They don't like sharing the pot. And they are hungry.


 
Who would?  
Any particular diet to recommend?


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## Rosebud (Jan 11, 2015)

How many weeks in flower are they?  IF they are about to be done, then nothing, but if you are taking them longer I would feed what ever you have been feeding.


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## PapaJane (Jan 11, 2015)

Entering the tenth week. The girls in the left (big) pot are almost done (I think) but I have yet to see some amber trichs so keep watering them at PH 6.0.

Ok will feed the two hungry girls a bit more. thanks Rosebud.


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## zem (Jan 11, 2015)

maybe they only want to not grow up in a toilet  just kidding


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## samarta (Jan 16, 2015)

maybe they only want to not grow up in a toilet  just kidding

No but they are selfish!!


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