# Smell, harvest, and drying conditions



## sap_boy (Oct 10, 2007)

I have three questions:

1. My buds are ripening, and I've used a pocket microscope to examine the tricomes. They seem to be partially clear, partially cloudy. However, there is ALMOST NO SMELL to the buds. Is this normal? Does no smell equal no potency?

2. I am going to harvest in the next few weeks. I don't think the plants are going to be 100% ready, but I'd rather harvest partially ripened bud than no bud at all. Will this stuff have ANY potency, or should I just give up?

3. I have the option of drying in my shed. It is dark, and there are air vents. However, I'm wondering if the colder temperatures outside will affect the drying process or cause damage after the plants are harvested.

Any help is appreciated.


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## Homemadegravity (Oct 10, 2007)

1. Does no smell equal no potency?
No smell has nothing to do with it.
You mite just have a strain that has low smell. Ive had weed smelled great but the high was jus ok, and Ive smoked weed that had no smell and got me tore up. 
Since you have your trusty little pocket microscope just keep an eye on your trichs. You want IMO 60% cloudy the other 40% will get there as it cures. And yes your bud should have potency. Dont give up man it sounds like your on the rite track, just watch those trichs. 
 I think you want it kind of a cooler dryiing room but not freezing. Im not sure on that one.


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## stickerbushman (Oct 10, 2007)

> there is ALMOST NO SMELL to the buds. Is this normal? Does no smell equal no potency?
there should be smell if they are ripening, how many weeks into flowering are they?  

>I am going to harvest in the next few weeks. I don't think the plants are going to be 100% ready, but I'd rather harvest partially ripened bud than no bud at all. Will this stuff have ANY potency, or should I just give up?
how big are they?  when were they planted? why did you pull the males?  

>I'm wondering if the colder temperatures outside will affect the drying process or cause damage after the plants are harvested.
they will slow it down, a few cold night won't hurt, but they won't dry properly in prolonged freezing temperatures


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## sap_boy (Oct 11, 2007)

stickerbushman said:
			
		

> > there is ALMOST NO SMELL to the buds. Is this normal? Does no smell equal no potency?
> there should be smell if they are ripening, how many weeks into flowering are they?
> 
> >I am going to harvest in the next few weeks. I don't think the plants are going to be 100% ready, but I'd rather harvest partially ripened bud than no bud at all. Will this stuff have ANY potency, or should I just give up?
> ...


 
To answer your questions:

1. It's at least 10 weeks into flower

2. It's a single plant, it's growing in a pot, and it's about nine feet tall. It was planted in June. There were never any males, only this one seed germinated. I just got lucky that it was a female.


Also, the pistils aren't changing color. Does this mean the stuff won't get me high? Or are there some strains that don't change colors?

Finally, once I harvest, is there any way to re-generate this plant and perhaps grow it in a window or something during the winter? It's too late to clone, but it would be a shame to waste such a healthy female.

Thanks.


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## Gadhooka (Oct 11, 2007)

NINE feet in a pot??? wow, that must be quite a site!:shocked: 

Once you harvest it's over for her.  Clones can be taken during the veg cycle but it's to late now I think....If I'm wrong someone else will prbably tell you.


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## Growdude (Oct 11, 2007)

You could revegg the plant, just leave some buds and leaves on it and put it back into 24/0 lighting, might take some time and stress but ive done it this late before.

Your pistils will change color as the bud matures,  no need to worry


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## sap_boy (Oct 12, 2007)

Gadhooka said:
			
		

> NINE feet in a pot??? wow, that must be quite a site!:shocked:
> 
> Once you harvest it's over for her. Clones can be taken during the veg cycle but it's to late now I think....If I'm wrong someone else will prbably tell you.


 
Yes, it is quite a sight. If you'd like to see it, the pics can be found in this post (you'll have to imagine it with larger buds):

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17753


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## Richy-B (Oct 12, 2007)

Hairs usually do change red or other colors but different strains do different things. Just like he said as long as those thrichomes are ripe the high will be ripe too!


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## sap_boy (Oct 13, 2007)

OK, so I've got another problem. My plant is starting to smell a bit, so I'm happy about that. There are more trichomes on the leaves now, so I'm happy about that. My pocket microscope is showing cloudy trichomes, so I'm happy about that.

Here's the problem: I harvested a small amount from this plant one week ago. I dried it for six days. I smoked it today, and it did NOTHING to me. Shouldn't I be getting at least a LITTLE high off of something I harvested a week ago? 

I'm worried that my nine foot lady is going to yield six ounces of bud that isn't worth the dirt I grew it in...

HELP!


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## Slartibartfast (Oct 17, 2007)

In those pictures, it was nowhere close to mature.  That was 4 weeks ago, so it must have made some progress, but I wouldn't expect it to have any potency yet.  When the colas take shape, the buds and small surrounding leaves will start to look frosty with trichomes.  When it starts getting really mature, the trichs will be jam packed, standing room only when you look through your magnifier at a cola.  I think it will tolerate a few light frosts.  Like someone said, cover it, but don't suffocate it.  Or, do what the fruit growers do when it freezes, soak it with water right when the temperature approaches freezing.  It will ice over and protect it from the killer-drying breeze.


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## sap_boy (Oct 17, 2007)

Thanks, Slartibartfast

Updated photos here...might give you a better idea of where she's at...

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18471


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## Slartibartfast (Oct 17, 2007)

Oh yeah, she's coming along, but those colas are still pretty spindly.  You said ten weeks into flower?  I wouldn't have guessed that much, but I've never even seen one that big.  It must be a slow variety, but leave it as long as you possibly can.  You could aim a space heater at it on freezing nights.


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## sap_boy (Oct 17, 2007)

Well, I don't have a space heater, this plant is hundreds of feet from my house, and it's going to freeze pretty soon. My only option, as far as I can tell, is to bring it inside to see if it'll ripen any more sitting next to a window.

Will this be adequate? Will light leaks during the dark cycle and little natural light during the day do any damage to a plant this large and this far along?


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