# leafs



## bubbawhale (Dec 9, 2011)

Hi folks, my girls are five weeks into flower and they have a very strange looking substance on they're leaves, Its clear and looks like small bubbles of some form of liquid. I just bought my first pocket microscope so maybe this is normal and I just haven't seen it before, I don't know. The closer you get to the pistols(sp.) the more of this is evident. This is my 4th grow(inside, in my grow room) so I'm not to good at it just yet but "with a little help from me friends" I'm getting better all the time. Thanks for your time.

Larry:icon_smile:


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## Roddy (Dec 9, 2011)

Do you see them with the naked eye, or just through the scope?


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## Rosebud (Dec 9, 2011)

Can you take a picture please?


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## bho_expertz (Dec 9, 2011)

Powdery Mildew ?


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## Roddy (Dec 9, 2011)

LOL, I'm thinking could be the trichs??


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## Lemon Jack (Dec 9, 2011)

Lol thats what iI was thinking Roddy,but 4 grows in and never seen trichs???


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## Roddy (Dec 9, 2011)

Yeah, but first time using a scope....


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## bubbawhale (Dec 9, 2011)

It is very possible that it's trichs as I don't know if I have seen them, as I said I just bought my first microscope. I'm not really to computer savy Rosebud, so I don't know how to take a picture but my wife is pretty good so when she gets home from work I'll see if she will help me take pictures. My last two grow's were ak47 and I let them go to far and got "couch lock" about every time I smoked some and that's why I bought me a microscope. This grow is Permafrost so maybe it's suppose to look that way, but Lemon and Roddy might be right, I'm an amature that's for sure. Thanks all.

Larry


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## WIDOW LOVER (Dec 9, 2011)

Strange looking substance? Need pics!!


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## dman1234 (Dec 10, 2011)

sounds like trichs to me too but without a pic its hard to say, i sometimes see trichs form early on large fan leaves.

PM will look like someone dumped flour on your leaves, it wont be clear.


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## bubbawhale (Dec 10, 2011)

Sorry about the quality of the photos guy's but that is as good as it gets. I am barely able to get them to you as it is because of my inability to use this computer. Look at the buds in the background, it gives you a better idea of the color and texture of the plant itself. Thanks again.

Larry


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## bubbawhale (Dec 10, 2011)

I just got to look at the pictures I posted and they are worse then I expected but without a lot of help I never would have gotten them on the forum to begin with. I think you can get a general idea from the look of them. thanks.

Larry


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 11, 2011)

If the little bubbles that you are seeing are on top of little stems like shiny clear lollipops then you are indeed looking at the "resin glands" known as trichomes, that you are hoping to get lots of when you harvest. Those will be what you need to watch as the time gets closer to the standard harvest time of that strain. When she reaches full maturity you will see those little bubbles swell and become "milky" looking. 

When you can look all over the uppermost buds and see 90% or more are completely milky, with maybe a few turning amber colored, then you have reached peak harvest. The more of those amber colored bubbles you see, the more couchlock you will get from them. If you like the heady buzz then try to let them get as milky as possible without having more than about 10% amber then harvest


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 11, 2011)

I just took a closer look at the pics. In my opinion you are a little rich on the nutrients. The burnt looking tips and very dark green leaves are a good sign that they are overnuted. Also they look like the leaf margins are a little curled and discolored, that is possibly a sign of magnesium deficiency starting to show. If you are feeding them I would back off from using anymore nitrogen and just feed with bloom nutes and probably give them some cal/mag for good measure.


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## bubbawhale (Dec 11, 2011)

Thanks Hushpuppy, I thought I was over feeding them myself so I will start to give them just rain water. I have read a lot of posts on this forum and always thought the trichomes were on the pistols(sp). These do look like little lollypops with the microscope but they are on the leaves and there are more of it every day. Is my time line about right,12\12 light on 11\11, flowers started 22\11, that means it's been one month on 12\12 light? The little ball on top is clear now and kind of small but everyday the buds get thicker and thicker with this substance, it doesn't appear to be hurting them can you tell me how close I am to harvest, approximately ofcourse? Thanks alot folks for all the help.

Larry


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## Roddy (Dec 11, 2011)

Over a month would be my guess, they take at least 8 weeks and up! They look to be about 4-5 weeks in, those buds will likely double in size...or more before the end! The trichs all over is a good thing, no worries there!

The last few weeks will really show some bud production, wait it out and watch for great results!!


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 11, 2011)

Yeah I would agree with Roddy on schedule. Like you I thought the trichomes were the white pistel hairs but after doing some serious study I learned the difference. Some strains don't have as much in the way of that snowy look from all those trichs forming on the leaves. Most of the white strains and a lot of the kush strains will have a lot of resin glands(trichomes) form on the leaves.

Don't touch them if you can help it. As they age and mature the glands will really swell and if you touch them they will burst and your fingers will get gummy from it. If you want to make a little "finger hash", you could run yer fingers over the lower buds that are showing good frost and get them good and gummy. Then put yer fingers in ice water for a minute and peel off the resin, dry it a bit and roll it into a ball and smoke it. Very nice little bonus from when you handle them when harvesting.


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## bubbawhale (Dec 11, 2011)

Thanks all, there is a lot more to this particular sport than meets the eye and I don't think I'll ever know it all(pun intended). I have ask this particular question before and all I have received is mild scorn, some folks even ignored me so maybe one of you will see fit to educate a dum dum such as myself. I see and hear folks talking about triming buds, am I wrong in assuming that if the trichromes are on the leaves and the majority of the thc is in the trichromes(?) your throughing away alot of good smokable material? This is the one that shuts people down, ready, do you smoke the leaves? I always have but again, what do I know, not much. I have never delt with this quality of pot and always grew outside in cold country so I never got buds to speak of. Again, they talk about triming the leaves from the buds, is this for sale purposes or what am I missing? Thanks again and I can't wait 4 to 5 more weeks, I'm like a kid in a candy store or maybe a child right before Christmas, I'm anxious as heck to see how this grow turns out, I have 8 clones already under floros with good root systems. I smoked a little so I'm rambling, now I'll shut up and say goodnight to all.

Larry


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## WIDOW LOVER (Dec 12, 2011)

Hey Bubbawhale, Trimming leaves from the buds is to help the bud 'cure' better for a better tasting smoke. The leaves with 'crystals' are worth keeping! I dry mine in a paper bag and save seperately for rolling joints. The leaves have a different taste and can be harsh if not dried and cured properly. Some people make hash out of the small crystal covered leaves but that is too much work for me... every now and then a strong joint is fun! The bigger leaves with no crystals I use for compost in grandma's tomato garden... she likes the smell and says her tomatoes taste better! LOL!

BTW: Pics look nice... a little nute fried, back off the Nitrogen and should be good... MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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## The Hemp Goddess (Dec 12, 2011)

I never smoke leaf material.  IMO, it is harsh and smokes nasty no matter how it is cured.  When I trim my plants I trim absolutely every bit of leaf material off that I can.  All the larger fan leaves get thrown away.  The small leaves around the buds I save and make bubble hash.  Bubble hash is really quite easy to make.


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## bubbawhale (Dec 12, 2011)

Thanks for the info Widow Lover and It's good to talk to you again Goddess, It's been awhile. That clears up the triming of leaves and I believe that the mystery of the clear substance is solved. I have backed off all nutes as of yesterday and they get nothing but pure rain water from here on out. I believe the rule of thumb is no nutes for the last week, so, do you think it's ok to stop the food for the last 4 weeks? If not, what should I look for to indicate the need for nutes, i.e. curled leaves, yellowing, things like that?  Again thanks to all of you for the help.

Larry


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## Roddy (Dec 12, 2011)

I'd feed right up until harvest! Not feeding when they're needing fed most means skimpy, airy buds!!


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 12, 2011)

I wouldn't cut out the feeding entirely unless I knew for sure that the soil had plenty to carry them through to harvest. Given that the plants look to be a little overnuted(not terribly overnuted) I would only cut the nutes that you are giving to 3/4 of what you have been giving them. You don't want to starve them at this point as they are in their bulking up stage now.

To answer your question about smoking the leaves(or more trufully speaking, putting in my 2 cents worth) I used to smoke the leaves and know many people who still smoke the leaves. I would suggest to you however, to get some "bubble bags" and use all the trim that has any sign of that "frosty, hairy" look to them to make some ice-water hash. You definitely have the plants for doing that and you will love the hash you get from it


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## bubbawhale (Dec 13, 2011)

I use a lot of compost tea that I gather from my compost pile, plus I'm using a commercial bloom nute so I'll back off about 1\4 or so. Here are some pictures so you can look a little better at the girls, there are three of the little sweeties and they are growing like maniac's, which is a good thing, my best effort by far and that is do to your generious help . Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again Roddy and Hush.

Larry:icon_smile:


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## pcduck (Dec 13, 2011)

Looking real nice bubbawhale:aok:


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 13, 2011)

Yeah they look really good. I would suspect a compost tea is gonna be full of nitrogen with lesser levels of phospherous and potassium. I personally would cut out the tea entirely or just 1/4 of it like you said, but then keep the bloom nutes at the same level. At this point, if you are in soil then you could cut out the nitrogen and the amount of nitrogen in the soil will carry you the rest of the way to harvest.


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## bubbawhale (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks for the comment Duck. Hushpuppy I have looked at some of your pictures on this and other places on the forum and It appears to me that our plants have about the same shape, I don't molest my plants at all, ever. If I were to say, take the bottom 1\4 of the branchs would I get what they refer to as a "cola bud" plant as I see some folks get? I have never gotten a cola bud and I would like to try that next. Thanks for all the advise and help folks. 

Larry


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## Roddy (Dec 14, 2011)

You should have a main cola on every plant unless you top , then you still have several "main" sized colas. Taking from the bottom will help to get better bud production since more resources/energy/etc are able to be exerted to the rest of the plant, but imho won't make a "cola bud".


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## Hushpuppy (Dec 15, 2011)

That depends in part on the phenotype and strain of the plant. It seems like most of the indica dominant plants tend to have the large cola buds while the Sativa dominant plants tend to have more mini pine cone nuggets that are more dispersed across the plant.

If you have Indica dom plants then you should be able to let the plants get going good then(before putting them into flower) cut the lower stems and leaves to allow the plant to push straight up to produce the "cactus" colas. This also depends on how big you let yer plants get and how you grow them.


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