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Matter of preference, I prefer observing 5% amber on indica dominant plants (best lab numbers), but if the plant is harvested at the moment amber first appears the buds look fresher (and a wee bit smaller) with little to no "dark hairs". If one wants more THCA (as opposed to delta 9 THC) then harvest prior to amber. The last batch of Cherry Cobbler was harvested with 5% amber and lab results were: 27.3% THCA and 2.29% THC (delta 9), 31.3% total cannabinoids. The last batch of Purple Punch was harvested with less than 3% amber (a lot less) and lab results were: 22.0% THCA and 0.826% THC (delta 9), 23.6% total cannabinoids . When labs convert THCA to an equivalent THC (delta 9) they use a 87.7% factor, so total THC = [(THCA x 0.877) = THC (delta 9)] On the flipside, in my garden buds bulk up and extra 10-20% if I wait until 5% amber--rather than pull at the first sign of amber.

Happy Birthday, Graywolf.

Here's the conflict: Most organic nutrients right out of the bag are not immediately "plant available" while many "inorganic" nutrients are. It takes time for organic nutrients to metabolize and become "plant available". Then we have this issue, after 75 days or so, most organic nutrients are fully decomposed and consumed, which means the time to add organic inputs would have been about 60-75 days ago, not now. So feeding with an organic water soluble nutrient is your destination and that can be accomplished with a tea; bat guano teas are popular and are quite effective. However, public acceptance of using bat guano is somewhat mixed. Some suggest those that collect bat guano do so in hazardous conditions and involve political corruption (Peruvian Seabird Guano for example). So, here we have an effective organic solution that may not be socially correct. In the world we live in today, one must choose their words and actions carefully (as some people are easily offended) thus I no longer mix Bat Guano into my grow medium but reserve it for teas.

Yes, the number of days are flowering days starting with the first 12 hour dark photoperiod change. I have seen trichs go from clear, to milky, to cloudy, back to clear and then go directly to amber. You are at day 35 in flower, and my suggestion is pretend you have a 9 weeker (63 days) and feed her accordingly. Those flowers will bulk up if you allow them. One advice I used to provide for hobby growers is "when you think its time to harvest, wait another 10 -14 days, then decide. You will be amazed what happens after 7 weeks (49 days). Now remember, THCA converts to THC under these 3 conditions: Time (aging), Light (UVs), and Heat (combusting or vaping). So when you pack a bowl of 2% THC/20% THCA weed, after you light it and inhale, its all THC. Now my Daytime Tinctures contains 14% THCA/86% THC (should have been nearly 80% THCA but the stupid fool Erich (Pharmex) that extracted my Cherry Cobblers was "all hat, no cowboy" and failed). The taste and flavors are remarkably different than the Nighttime Tincture (100% THC). But that's is a story for a different day, as the objective was to create two tinctures within the OMMP network: one dominant in "non-pyscho active" THCA and the other dominant in "pyscho-active" THC. The Sherwood OMMP dispensary still has a very limited supply of my tinctures and I finally received from La Grande OMMP dispensary's all my tincture inventory (La Grande was not supposed to receive the tincture, they did not want it and were not going to sell the tincture--but the gang at Pharmex thought otherwise days before their OMMP license expired). I will post more tincture information later in a new thread....sorry did not mean or desire to hijack this wonderful thread.

For a hobby grow, snipping a few buds a day from a flowering mature plant is one way to experience buds at different stages of maturity. For a production grow, most will harvest the whole plant and usually all the plants of that batch at the same time. That said, interesting experiments can be conducted by allowing a plant to mature past its suggested harvest date. Years ago I was growing Chocolope that was insanely aromatic (beautiful rotten tropical fruit) and I decided to flower it 100 days (almost twice the normal 54 days) and wow: Hershey Kisses. It tasted, smelled and smoked just like those foil wrapped chocolate drops. My buddy years ago, had an jumbo greenhouse plant that he forgot about (high desert in southwest) and around Christmas he discovered his "mistake" and buds were so big they were laying on top of each other, stacks and stacks, that pulling them apart was impossible. The trichomes swelled and behaved like glue and formed "trichome puddles" of sticky goo. Had I not seen the video, I would be calling this a crock of shit...but, my eyes were not lying. LOL, hazards of unattended automated irrigation always generates "plant growth". Determining the "harvest date" for new strains is a process, I snip and tag good sized top buds daily for 2-3 weeks (55 -77 days maturity) and conduct my quality assurance and comparative tests. In my garden, the sweet spot is seldom under 60 days; sweet spot for Cherry Cobbler is almost 10 weeks (68 days), Purple Punch is 62ish (plus minus 4 days).

Hi so I have a new question...... most all of the heads of the Trichomes are milky or clear now. I understand that for a "typical" harvest of "heady" or THC-heavy smoke, that one should harvest about the time when the trichome heads are about 75 to 85% milky and 25 to 15% amber. Any longer (with a higher percentage of amber trichomes), and the smoke becomes more CBD dominant? Also will the trichome changes (of color) happen at bud sites all over the plant? I am sharpening my executioners blade now, but I'd like to know folks' feelings about the best time to harvest.

Welcome to our cannabis teaching forum. Let us know how we can help you get started. do you need plants, seeds, medicine? don't be hesitant to ask. Eddie

My Cherry Cobbler has red, brown, tan, gold, as well as yellow and white "hairs". Strain specific I say.

When fighting unwanted pests, instead of attacking the pest with the same weapon (Mode of Action) over and over, I gained the best success with a rotation of "cides" with different MOA. WTF is MOA? Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) is the recognized authority that has grouped and classified insecticidal compounds, bacterial agents, extracts and crude oils, fungal agents, mechanical disruptors, peptides and viruses (aka "cides") based on their "mode of action". IRAC currently has 32 numbered and 5 unnumbered MOA classifications. https://irac-online.org/modes-of-action/ Primary Groups are: Nerve and Muscle Targets Most current insecticides act on nerve and muscle targets. Insecticides that act on these targets are generally fast acting. Growth and Development Targets Insect development is controlled by the balance of two principal hormones: juvenile hormone and ecdysone. Insect growth regulators act by mimicking one of these hormones or directly perturbing cuticle formation/deposition or lipid biosynthesis. Insecticides that act on individual targets in this system are generally slow to moderately slow acting. Respiration Targets Mitochondrial respiration produces ATP, the molecule that energizes all vital cellular processes. In mitochondria, an electron transport chain stores the energy released by oxidation in the form of a proton gradient, which drives ATP synthesis. Several insecticides are known to interfere with mitochondrial respiration by the inhibition of electron transport and/or oxidative phosphorylation. Insecticides that act on individual targets in this system are generally fast to moderately fast acting. Midgut Targets Lepidopteran-specific microbial toxins that are sprayed or expressed in transgenic crop varieties, and baculoviruses. Unknown or non-specific Targets Several insecticides are known to affect less well-described target-sites or functions, or to act non-specifically on multiple targets. Example: Pyrethrins are considered Nerve and Muscle Targets, #3 Sodium Channel Modulators BTI is considered Midgut Tartgets, #11 Microbial disruptors of insect midgut membranes Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is considered Unknown or non-specific Targets, #UNM Non-specific mechanical disruptors Neem Oil is considered Unknown or non-specific Targets, #UNE Botanical essence including synthetic, extracts and unrefined oils with unknown or uncertain MoA IMO, to obtain the best results for both the plant and consumer, one must also know the half-life of their weapon. Some cides have a half-life greater than 200 days and some are hours. It depends.

I remembered that @Purple Power has a complete essay written up here...

FUNGUS GNATS HOW TO IDENTIFY AND GET RID OF FUNGUS GNATS By Christopher Burnett https://www.almanac.com/pest/fungus-gnats

Its true they lay eggs near the top, but they can work their way into most parts including the bottom layer of the plant's roots. Via the drainage holes on the bottom of the container. Try and keep the soil as dry as possible. You can use some builders sand to help keep them from crawling out of the container. Fungus gnats seek out moist soil. a half-inch layer of sand on top of the potting soil in each pot can keep fungus gnats from breeding. It works because sand drains and dries quickly, denying the fungus gnats the moist soil they prefer. I've never had fungus gnats so can't give first-hand info, the information @Backdoor left above explains the life cycle. I would trust his info more than my 'H-bomb' method.

Applications of H202 to the soil will also annihilate most of your microherd. Yellow sticky cards is a good control (no poison), or for a DIY version, buy a tub of Tanglefoot and smear it on cards. https://www.amazon.com/Tanglefoot-300000684-Tree-15-Tub/dp/B000BWY3AA?ref_=ast_sto_dp BTI ( Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) besides being an mosquito killer, also destroys fungus gnat larvae. It can be expensive (Gnatrol) but for the best bargain, try Mosquito Bits (corncob pieces containing BTI). https://www.amazon.com/Summit-Responsible-Solutions-Mosquito-Bits/dp/B0001AUF8G/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=mosquito+bits&qid=1598023215&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-2 Add about 1 tablespoon of Mosquito Bits to the soil surface, mix it a wee bit and everytime you water BTI is released (think time release). But the trick is to apply BTI a few days before the larvae stage. Bits can be mixed in with your grow medium as well (about 1 tabelspoon for 7 gallons of grow medium). The graphic below is 21-30 day life cycle of this critter. BTI is effective at "6 o'clock" so apply BTI before, like at 3 o'clock after eggs are dropped and before those 1 eyed wormy larvae appear (at 6 o'clock) DE is effective between 9 o'clock and 2 o'clock (juvenile and adult). Sticky cards and Tanglefoot is effective on adults (between 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock). Pyrethrin is effective at all stages. I hope this helps.

Awesome! Simple and cheap! Thank You!!!

Mix one part 3% hydrogen peroxide with four parts water. Allow the top layer of your soil to dry, and then water your plants with this solution as you normally would. The soil will fizz for a few minutes after application; this is normal. Contact with hydrogen peroxide will kill fungus gnat larvae on contact.

LOL, Be sure and talk sweetly to her. she is Gorgeous

Here is a pic of today’s star pupil: Her name is Ashley......

I totally agree! Another good axiom that I like is, before you can really know something, you have to teach it.... I have decided to just pluck these off whenever I find them since there don’t seem to be very many. I have heard that these male flowers (on female plants) have a higher probability of appearing when: 1) There is some ambient light reaching the plants during their night sleep cycle...or 2) The plant has sustained an injury (like a broken branch, etc). My feeling is that they will just be a fact of life with growing weed.

Do you have plans to transplant them soon? They are getting pretty big for those cups. Also, have a small fan blowing by them to help strengthen the stalks up. Are they going outside? Thanks for showing them to us.

Pest: Fungus Gnats (Families Mycetophilidae (Order: Diptera), Sciaridae, Excechia, Diadocidiidae, Keroplatidae, and, Bolitophilidae) Special Species Notes: A common pest of plants grown indoors, especially where humidity and moisture are high. Fungus Gnats can be told apart from Whiteflies because they're dingy grey instead of pure white. Larvae are most damaging to seedlings, cuttings and young plants. Fungus Gnat larvae, small worms found in the top inch or two of your soil, feed mostly on organic debris. While doing this, they often nibble the roots of young seedlings. Some fungus gnats are exceptionally hardy, they able to tolerate cold conditions through their possession of antifreeze proteins. overwintering organisms can either avoid freezing or tolerate freezing, but Excechia nugatoria can do both. For E. nugatoria, the production of noncolligative antifreeze proteins which protect the head and thorax from freezing, but they do not protect the abdomen. By allowing the abdomen to freeze, evaporative water loss is reduced over the course of the winter, and is the only insect known to semi-freeze through the winter. First signs: They’re usually first noticed when the harmless adults are seen flying around house plants or gathered at a nearby window or light. They are attracted to light. Small, dingy grey, non-biting flies, flying around plants aimlessly. If these "flies" are also seen coming out of the soil around your plants, you probably have Fungus Gnats. But it’s the larval stage, feeding in the soil, that can damage tender plant roots. Plants may have sudden wilting, loss of vigor, poor growth, and yellowing. With severe infestations, a considerable portion of the plants may be lost. Larvae, however, when present in large numbers, can damage roots and stunt plant growth, particularly in seedlings and young plants. Significant root damage and even plant death have been observed in interior plants when high populations are associated with moist, organically-rich soil. plant that is wilting may not indicate a lack of water, but rather root damage by fungus gnat larvae or (more commonly) other causes of unhealthy roots. However, too much or too little water, root decay fungi, and improper soil conditions (e.g., poor drainage, or waterlogging) are much more common causes of wilted plants. IDENTIFICATION: Adults are delicate, grayish black, mosquito-like flies with long slender legs with segmented antennae that are longer than their head. Their long antennae distinguish them from the more robust shore flies, and one pair of clear wings. Fungus gnats (Orfelia and Bradysia species), also called darkwinged fungus gnats (Sciaridae), are dark, delicate-looking flies similar in appearance to mosquitoes. Although a few species are up to 1⁄2 inch long, fungus gnat adults commonly are about 1⁄16 to 1⁄8 inch long. Wings are light gray to clear, and the common Bradysia species have a Y -shaped wing vein. They are not strong fliers and emerge from potted plants, especially when watering. They usually don’t move around much indoors. Fungus gnats often remain near potted plants and run across (or rest on) growing media, foliage, compost, and wet mulch piles. Females lay tiny eggs in moist organic debris or potting soil. Larvae or maggots (1/4 inch) have a shiny black head and an elongated, whitish to transparent legless body. They are most abundant in damp, rich soils and feed on root hairs, fungi, debris, algae, and other organic materials. If conditions are especially moist and fungus gnats are abundant, larvae can leave slime trails on the surface of media that look like trails from small snails or slugs. Shiny trails on soil by fungus gnat larvea Serious fungus gnat damage is more common in greenhouses, nurseries, and sod farms. Although larvae also feed on plant roots outdoors, they don’t usually cause serious damage. Life cycle: Because of their proclivity and relative short gestation, potted plants can host each stage, — egg, larvae (four larval stages or instars), pupae, adult — in multiple generations at once. The entire life cycle from egg to adult may be completed in as little as 3-4 weeks depending on temperature. Adults live about one week and lay up to 300 eggs in rich, moist soils. Within 3-6 days tiny larvae emerge and begin feeding on plant roots during their two week period. At 75ºF, eggs hatch in about 3 days, The warmer it is, the faster they will develop and the more generations will be produced. The larvae take approximately 10 days to develop into pupae. The pupal stage lasts 3-4 days before young adults emerges from the soil and begin the next generation. Because of this remedies usually require repeated applications until there are no surviving eggs. What they eat: Moist and decomposing grass clippings, compost, leaf mold, organic fertilizers, root hairs, fungi, and organic mulches Controls: Yellow sticky traps Diatomaceous Earth: http://freemygreenpdx.com/topic/14332-diatomaceous-earth-de/ For presentation Inspect plants thoroughly prior to purchase or accepting donation for signs of insect pests. Turn up soil carefully near the base of the plant and look for the glossy, clear larvae. Either reject any plant sending up flying gnats or if you have a quarantine area, place them there and address the pests: http://freemygreenpdx.com/topic/14249-quarantine-what-is-it-and-why-do-i-need-to/ Fungus gnats do best in damp soils; be careful not to overwater, especially during winter months when plants use less. When potting, avoid water holding, organic material such as peat moss that may encourage egg laying. Clean up standing water, if they is water in the saucer, dump it. Improve the drainage of the potting mix. If pests are present, allow the soil to dry to a depth of one to two inches between watering. This not only kills larvae and inhibits the development of eggs, it also makes the soil less attractive to egg-laying females. Avoid fertilizing with excessive amounts of manure, blood meal, or similar organic materials. If you have infested plants, don’t move them to new areas where flies can emerge to infest other pots. Avoid using incompletely-composted organic matter in potting media unless it is pasteurized first, because it will often be infested with fungus gnats. The pasteurized process is also called, Soil Solarization. It is a nonchemical method for controlling soilborne pests using high temperatures produced by capturing radiant energy from the sun. When properly done, the top 6 inches of the soil will heat up to as high as 140°F, depending on the location. The plastic sheets allow the sun’s radiant energy to be trapped in the soil, heating the top 12 to 18 inches and killing a wide range of soilborne pests, such as weeds, pathogens, nematodes, and insects. greatest at the surface of the soil and decreases at deeper soil depths. The maximum temperature of soil solarized in the field is usually 108° to 131°F at a depth of 2 inches and 90° to 99°F at 18 inches. Control of soil pests is usually best for organisms found in the upper 6 inches of earth. Soil solarization also speeds up the breakdown of organic material in the soil, often resulting in the added benefit of release of soluble nutrients such as nitrogen (N03-, NH4+), calcium (Ca++), magnesium (Mg++), potassium (K+), and fulvic acid, making them more available to plants. To pasteurized potting soil, it is done with heat or steam before using it; this will kill flies and the algae and microorganisms they feed on. 1. Moisten it. 2. Place it in a bag of transparent plastic or black plastic. 3. Make the pile no deeper than about 8 inches. 4. Place the bagged soil on a slightly elevated surface, such as a pallet in a sunny location, for about 4 to 6 weeks. Raw potato chunks placed in the soil are very attractive to fungus gnat larvae. The cut side down facing soil. These may be used not only to check pots for larvae but also to trap them away from plant roots. After a few days in a pot, remove infested chunks, dispose of them, and replace with fresh ones. Insecticides: Pyrethrins or a pyrethroid insecticide may provide temporary, fast-acting control. Spray the surface of potting soil and plant parts where adults typically rest. Do not aerially fog indoors or attempt to spray adult gnats in flight. they often are more effective and persistent but are more toxic to beneficial insects. Beneficial insects: Predator Nematodes(long-term control, species Steinernema feltiae) http://freemygreenpdx.com/topic/14383-beneficial-predatory-nematodes/ Fungus Gnat Predators (Hypoaspis sp.) Biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti). Bti does not reproduce or persist indoors, so infestations in potting media might require repeated applications at about five-day intervals to provide control. Bti and nematodes can be mixed with water, can be applied as a soil drench, or spray onto media using a hand-pump spray bottle or other spray equipment, following label directions. Predatory hunter flies, Coenosia spp. These flies catch and consume adult fungus gnats in mid-air, and prey on fungus gnat larvae in soil while developing as larvae themselves. Mycorrhizae should help repair the damage/ grow roots faster: http://freemygreenpdx.com/topic/14315-mycorrhizae-and-the-roots/ The link below will take you to "An Intro to beneficial bugs and beneficial insect food" it has a list (been worked on) to pests and beneficial insects http://freemygreenpdx.com/topic/14334-an-intro-to-benefical-bugs-and-beneficial-insect-food/?p=124257

Canada is now the second country to legalize recreational cannabis nationwide. Congrats neighbors! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-legalized-marijuana-senate-bill-passes-today-2018-06-19/

Thankz for adding some extra info kak any lil piece of help Is appreciated and hopefully we can help out some people with this information

I don't.use the brown bag method I have in the past but now I.just do it as I mentioned goes from hanging into jars and from jars into my pipe lol but its not a bad idea for people to try both methods maybe try one plant the brown bag way one plant just the jar way and see wat method works for you the best thankz for the info about under 70% humidity didn't think about that but that's definitely high humidity likes to create mold and if you do use a fan make sure the fan isn't blowing on the buds directly this will make them dry unevenly and a lil faster then u want them to be drying

Very good info grasshopper, lol, BUT there are a few things you left out that are VERY important. When hanging the fresh trimmed buds, make sure your humidity is under 70% and put a small fan blowing in the area. Dosen't have to be directly on the buds, but air circulation is very important to keep mold spores from forming. If you can dial it in to hang for 10 days, you will love the smootheness. Your are at this point trying to break down the Chlorophyl and starches within the plant and letting it turn into sugars. Drying too fast causes a very harsh smoke. When they are dry I like to go straight into large paper bags. About 6-8 inches deep. This will bring out some of the moisture from the larger buds and reconstitute the buds. The paper from the bags will also wick out some moisture. I like to gently fluff up the buds for complete drying. In the bag they will compact your buds which some people like. But if you do not fluff them a little, the centers can stay moist. After 3-5 days in the paper bag, I then go to either large mason jars with airtight lids, or 5 gallon buckets depending on the size of the harvest ;). Check on them every day for the first couple days to make sure they are not too moist. If they are, do as Popeye mentioned and lay them out somewhere for a couple hours then put them back in. After this, I check on em maybe once a week or so. If they are good after a week, I dont mess with them. Some people claim that the buds give off a type of gas and reccomend burping the jars daily. IMHO putting them in the bag takes care of the need to do this. A good cure process should take ya about 3 weeks. If your in a hurry, lol, then set some meds aside to dry and do your thing with the rest. I have tried meds sealed in jars, vaccume sealed and burried underground, sealed in quality airtight plasic containers, etc, and IMHO they start to degrade in about 6 months. We like them fresh. lol.