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Some people say the amber trich issue is a myth? What am I to believe?

gonejah17

Member
Im curious about this too, my sadhu isnt showing me any amber but its only day 61. My MK gave me over 50% amber before day 60 and I chopped her.

Lots of good info on this thread.
 
G

Guest

A little bit OT

A little bit OT

Closet Hack said:
Some plants just will not have many amber trichs. I've waited for amber trichs experimenting with a few strains. Some will get amber and some will not. It really depends on the genetics or atmosphere IMO. I honestly believe that once my plants get to about 80% cloudy trichs I have 2 weeks to chop it or it will start losing potency. It will start to degrade after that

I've never actually harvested due to condition of trich coloration but I will in future. I generally waited for 50% hairs to redden.

From the sounds of what CH just said, once I see 50-80% of trichs at smoky, then I would run my nute flush (of say 10 days), then I would be maximising my HEAD smoke.

Does this sound right? Or would I be looking at further trich development and the risk of couchlock if I left it that late?

Ideal time to BEGIN a 10 day FLUSH, in preparation for harvest, for best HEAD smoke...

- 25% cloudy : 75% clear
- 50% cloudy : 50% clear
- 75% cloudy : 25% clear

Thanks =)
 
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More clear/cloudy trichs = headhigh

More cloudy/amber = more couchlock.

Where you start your flush depends on where you want to be when you are done. I started my flush at 50/50 clear/cloudy, I like a headhigh rather than couchlock.


Good luck!
 
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G

Guest

Thanks for sharing your method SlowCalaToker.

Would anyone else like to share their's?
 
Very interesting topic. As far as the actual evidence I've seen in the few years since I got a 30x magnifier, I'd have to be agnostic about the existence of amber trichomes on a *live* plant, although I've seen a total of 2, count 'em, 2 amber trichs on post-harvest bud, and was quite surprised to see them. It was like, holy sh*t, they really DO exist!

Previously the longest I've gone is taking Mazar to 80 days, nothing. Currently I'm at 82 days with some DSD and Blue Heaven, nothing. About 50% cloudy. For this current batch I figure I'll keep going as an experiment, I'm just worried about screwing up the weed. Have not been impressed with the tests on this batch so far, am hoping for more potency, not less.

I would tend to agree that the presence of amber trichomes must be at least partially a genetic effect, but what environmental factors are at play? Currently wondering about cutting the the light down to 11 hours or something to speed things up.
 

ChaosCatalunya

5.2 club is now 8.1 club...
Veteran
As a lot of people have said, I think there are some fundamental differences between Indicas and Sativas here. All varieties are a bit different anyway and IMO there is also a difference between indoors and outdoors where it gets more UV, but more "battered".

I have noticed over the years that anything mainly Indica is very weak when taken early, whereas some Sativas have a longer range of potency. For years I grew Swazi, usually harvesting from 45 to 55 days, once as long as 78, always real cup entry quality... till one day a pump failed [NFT, an hour till death...] and had a "crop" of 33 day old Swazi that turned out to be a really fantastic smoke... not quite as heavy as normal, but a world apart from the rubbish a 33 day skunky/indica indoor plant would have been.

A mate who could not be persuaded for ages to harvest a little later, was eventually convinced with a little cunning plan.... I got him to harvest a few middle of the pack "average buds"....photograph at time of chop, label, dry, store, likewise on normal crop date, then 5 and 10 days after... in fact he was enjoying watching his "lovely buds" turn into "amazing buds" so left some to 15 over..... and loved the result so much he never harvested early again and had a set of piccies to look at and compare so he could harvest at the optimal time
 

crowley

New member
Since I have been growing I have found that there are 2 types of amber trichs, opaque ones and clear ones.when people say wait for amber trichs to appear they mean the clear ones, strains that have this characteristic (mainly sats.) start off clear then go a transparent milky and then go to a clear or transparent amber. When this type starts to produce clear amber trichs this is a sign of peak thc production and depending on the high you want you can start to flush.
The other, more common type imo, start off clear then they go an opaque or solid milky colour and then they go an opaque or solid amber.I have usually found with this type when they produce solid amber trichs this means the plant is passed or is rapidly passing peak thc production, so with this type it is usually the ratio of clear to solid milky that determines the type of high not milky to amber as on the first type.
This is only my personal experience but I hope this is of use.
 

Ryu

Member
Right with you there Crowley.

Both Kali Mist and a long flowering White Widow I have, definatley have 2 distinct stages of trics. One that lets light pass through and one that is deep, almost black/opaque.

If the WW gets about 20% (11 -12weeks) of these 2nd stage amber trics it does nothing but make me sleep(15-17weeks. No 2nd stage amber at all and I can smoke it all day. About 4-5 weeks between the two for me

Subtle difference in shading but really different high. Let one last bud go ridiculously long, sample and work back from there, seemed easier to get a hang on the sliding scale if you know where it ends.

Great thread!
 

gladysvjubb

Active member
Veteran
I chop when I see forests of cloudy trichs, just before amber and the begining of degradation. I certainly have no problem getting to another conciousness.


 

TGT

Tom 'Green' Thumb
Veteran
I have noticed on most of the strains I have grown in the past I have always harvested when I see half cloudy. Never have I seen amber ones even though I have left quite a few past harvest date just to see if they would form. Not long past harvest mind you, but a week at least. I think the best way to harvest is to wait until you have half to three quarters cloudy, and don't wait for amber. Personally if you wait until amber there is a chance you harvested too late, but then again to late to me would be different to someone who likes a couch lock high. I like more heady buzz, so thatcould be why I choose to do it this way. Like someone stated above, just harvest in sections and let some go longer than others and see how your particular strain response.

TGT
 
G

Guest

Ryu - that's a good street fighter (old school nintendo was the jam!) and great idea! i'm going to have to let one of my girls go to the end of the road and see the whole lifecycle first hand. that should put things in persepctive for me. 18-20 week max, im guessing? longer?
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
I've got amber on my Thunk right now, supposedly 1 month short of harvest. My problem is, I'm not seeing cloudy. Not much anyway. I don't know if my eyes are too old, the cloudy period's too short, or I'm too new to the whole scope/Trich thing.

If color is an accurate gauge of high type, I'd be more interested in clear/cloudy than amber but, the plant doesn't look or feel ready yet. Trich production still seems low, The plant is just starting to feel sticky.
 

Ryu

Member
No Worries, i think 20 weeks is the max you need to try for

Hey FreezerBoy, are you looking at the trics under hps or daylight bulbs?

Even with a decent loupe, the hps is poo for looking at trics that are not clear.
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
Light source for trich inspection is the bulb included with my 60x-100x RadioShack scope.

Trichs showed up on the leaves 18 days ago and I had to go looking to find them. The sensation of stickiness from handling the plants started 3 days ago. These say to me that resin production is just starting yet, the scope shows 1-3 amber trichs on every leaf I inspect.

My first DWC and my first "Havest by Trich Color" I've been doing this as my Waffle run (because you get to throw the first waffle away as a test) I'm starting to think I should do a 3 wave harvest. 1/3 now, 1/3 in 2-3 weeks and the last at the 120 day mark and see which I like better.
 
G

Guest

i know its way too long, that's what I'm going for. I want to see the entire lifecycle of the plant. I'll make a thread or something. just one plant, though.... i need some smoke too :joint:
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
dj digigrow said:
20 weeks... dam that's 2 harvest's man.....
way too long....
Depends on what you're growing. If I'd harvested at 10 weeks, I'd be smoking leaves.
 

FreezerBoy

Was blind but now IC Puckbunny in Training
Veteran
Thunk aka T*Haze x Skunk#1. I'm at week 13 of 12/12. 17 weeks was the recommendation though some have reported going 20 and still not being "done". The plant looks (to the naked eye) and feels like resin production has just started. I'm still getting new growth.

This is my first "harvest by scope". Maybe there are always some early amber trichs. Or I just haven't learned to differentiate between clear and cloudy. Does cloudy mean anything less than perfectly crystal clear or having the opaque white appearance of a cloud?
 

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