Too soon?

Cass · Aug 30, 2009

Ok, I'm nearing the end of my first grow and I have a dilemma. My girl is just over 3ft tall, sativa strong and has been doing wonderfully most of the summer(once I learned about her basic needs). Unfortunately all of her fan leaves have turned yellow and died in the last two weeks, except for a handfull at the top which are starting to turn. Not sure if that was a K deficiency or what, but at this point there's no saving the leaves. I'm worried that the whole plant will die if I don't harvest soon. The buds all look amazing, and I'm guessing the total weight once dried is around an ounce. But, judging by the percentage of pistils that have yet to turn orange/brown (25-30%) I really don't think she's quite done yet. Can the plant survive and continue to fatten without fan leaves? I'm so worried that I'll lose my summer project by letting her go much longer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Below are 4 pics. The large one is the subject of discussion. The next two are just peeks at my Silver Haze girls, and the last is a closer pic of the big girls buds...resolution is terrible I know, but everyone here always wants pics and that's the best I can give ya right now!

2Dog · Aug 30, 2009

:bump: I dont know heres a bump

SativaWeed · Aug 30, 2009

The leaves often turn yellow as the plant uses up the nitrogen in them for the buds. You need to check your trich color rather than relying on the pistols. Depending on the type of high you are shooting for the trichome color makes ALL the diff. There are a really really amazing amount of threads and posts on this subject here so just give a little search and all will be revealed.....but honestly it's hard to give solid advice with out some more info...are you growing indoors or out? How long has your girl been under the flowering regimen? Got some pics? Pics are ALWAYS helpfull. Good luck and don't dispair! Those buds are prolly gonna knock your socks off!

Alistair · Aug 31, 2009

If you're going to go by the pistils alone, try picking the buds when about 75% of the pistils have turned orange, brown, etc., and have withered a bit. Do a search and you'll see a chart that shows what the pistils look like when ripe.

The best way to know when they are ripe, is to use a microscope and take a look at the trichomes. You can do a search on that too.

BBFan · Aug 31, 2009

Hello Cass-
The yellowing of the leaves is normal as the plant ends its life cycle- it is using up the last of it's nutrient stores and is a sure sign that harvest time is very close.

The really best way to tell whether the plant is ready for harvest is to check the maturity of the trichomes. As SativaWeed, there are some great stickies with pics with changing trichs to help you determine the right age to harvest. You can harvest by pistil color, by breeders recommendations, or by plant condition. But the consensus opinion is to harvest by trich color.

Being that your plant is sat dominate, you'll probably see mostly cloudy trichs and very few amber, unless you've been flowering for a long time.

Congratulations on your first grow and imminent harvest.

Cass · Aug 31, 2009

SativaWeed said:
The leaves often turn yellow as the plant uses up the nitrogen in them for the buds. You need to check your trich color rather than relying on the pistols. Depending on the type of high you are shooting for the trichome color makes ALL the diff. There are a really really amazing amount of threads and posts on this subject here so just give a little search and all will be revealed.....but honestly it's hard to give solid advice with out some more info...are you growing indoors or out? How long has your girl been under the flowering regimen? Got some pics? Pics are ALWAYS helpfull. Good luck and don't dispair! Those buds are prolly gonna knock your socks off!

It's outside, in a 3 gallon container, although I bring it in at night for 12/12 and to keep it warm and safe. It's been flowering for almost 7 weeks now. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow. They'll be low-res but I guess that's better than nothing! Thanks for your info

Cass · Aug 31, 2009

I do understand that trich color is the best way to truly know when you want to chop. I'm on a tight budget but if I can find a microscope for super cheap then I'll do that. My question was, if I don't think the trichs are quite ready for my taste, will it continue to mature and fatten without fan leaves?........

PencilHead · Aug 31, 2009

The Hemp Goddess · Aug 31, 2009

Cass said:
I do understand that trich color is the best way to truly know when you want to chop. I'm on a tight budget but if I can find a microscope for super cheap then I'll do that. My question was, if I don't think the trichs are quite ready for my taste, will it continue to mature and fatten without fan leaves?........

You can get a 30x jeweler's loupe on e-bay for around $5--it is really the ONLY way to tell if your girl is ready. Looking at pistils is a very poor way to judge.

Also, once all the fan leaves are gone, the plant will start to die. It cannot continue photosynthesis without fan leaves.

Cass · Aug 31, 2009

Also, once all the fan leaves are gone, the plant will start to die. It cannot continue photosynthesis without fan leaves.[/quote]

Thank You! That's what I needed to know. This girl was a bagseed, and appears to be sativa dominant. I figured 7 weeks in flower simply isn't long enough and was hoping she'd fatten up a bit more but clearly, she's about done puttin on weight. Looks like this Friday is a great day for tree choppin

It seems that one thing everyone here can agree on is to start with the best genetics possible. Which brings me to brag about my 2 Silver Haze ladies I have going as well. They're about 2 1/2 weeks into flower and are seriously starting to pack on the love. Stay tuned in a few hours and I will post pics of all three. Thanks so much again for all the help of my fellow green thumbs. I've learned more here in the last two months than I ever thought there was to learn!

maineharvest · Aug 31, 2009

radio shack sells little microscopes for about ten dollars. I would let her go about another week if I was you. If your plant was sativa dom it would take much longer than 7 weeks to flower. Whatever she is, she is real pretty.

Cass · Aug 31, 2009

Maineharvest, I agree, and don't really understand why it's giving up just yet but thanks for the advice. I'll wait until I see a cloaked figure with a bladed staff hovering before I give the wack job.

adawg · Sep 1, 2009

Check to see if your baby is rootbound,it happened to me and I repotted and its now starting to come back, rootbound can give same symptoms of N deficency, but she is still sweet looking,good luck, Adawg.....

Cass · Sep 1, 2009

If I repotted my concerns would be stress, and giving the plant too much N from the Ocean Forest soil I use. Plus I've read that a 3 gallon pot was plenty? Maybe not for a 3ft outdoor chica. I dunno..... dis my first grow ; )

But thanks for the advice!

Too soon?

Cass

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2Dog

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SativaWeed

Home Grown Gnome

Alistair

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BBFan

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Cass

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Cass

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PencilHead

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The Hemp Goddess

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Cass

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maineharvest

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Cass

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adawg

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Cass

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