This is my first time growing and it is outdoors. I've got 3 girls goin 1 is not very good but other 2 are gorgeous i've researched and been spraying periodically with nicotine and water mist for pest, moth balls for wildlife miracle grow the whole 9. They smell from 10 feet away pistols have turned red which i've heard is a good sign. I am a female my fiance is outa town working for sometimes 2 weeks at a time so there basically my babies. He has grown one here and there maybe 3 times. We are about to go to war on perfect time to harvest how to cure etc etc. I would like to know from you guys with experience is it best to harvest when trichomes become amberish, which is what i wanna do or he just says after 1st frost. Also on curing I want to hang for 1 day trim and mason jar buds, and of course remainder of plants make a lil hash. Can you guys give me any advice like when to stop miracle grow and flush, how to tell peak harvest time and all the opinions i can get to make this the kill and prevent any disease and problems. I'm pretty attatched to the gals now and would die if something happened this far in. Thank you so much
Imho, the best way to find the ideal harvest time is to sample a bud. Clip off a small bud from around halfway up the plant. The lowest popcorn buds aren't the best example of the rest of the plant, but a little bud from the bottom of a cola is. Don't worry about harming the plant. Under healthy growing conditions, entire colas can be removed without detrimental effects to the rest of the plant. Quick-dry it in the microwave and smoke it. A speedier, more heart-racing high, or little to no high whatsoever will usually mean they need more time. Buds that quickly make you sleepy are often too ripe. Once you've tried a bud or two and note how the plant looks at those maturity levels, you'll know how the trichomes, stigmas & whole plants in general look when they're ready or almost ready, as far as your particular strain/phenotype of plants are concerned. Always expect at least a few days of further ripening during drying. Quick-drying c&p: Fold a paper towel twice into a square and place it in the microwave. Set the bud on top. Zap it for a second; just enough to cause it to create a tiny puff of steam. Going longer causes smoke from little black burn spots forming on the stems, which start burning before the actual bud. Pull the warm bud out and hold in front of a fan for a minute or two. The fan above the stove is usually convenient. Once cool, put it back in the microwave and zap it again. Repeat, stopping the microwave & holding the bud in front of the fan as soon as it gets warm. After it dries some from doing this awhile, the bud will be able to handle longer zaps in the microwave before getting warm. You don't need to hold it in front of the fan until it is warm. Once the stem snaps cleanly, give it another two rounds or so and you're done. As it approaches dryness, there won't be enough moisture left for the microwaves to burn the stems and you won't have to worry about zapping for too long anymore.
You'll need alot more than a day to properly dry the buds before curing. The buds should be smokable with most of the stems snapping when broken before you begin curing. Miracle Gro is not a good fertilizer for pot plants. When to stop using it? ASAP I like to flush about 1.5x the length of the standard watering cycle before harvest. This way, the soil and the plants will already be on the dry side when you start drying. Flushing is for indoor plants. If yours are indoor, then you can't use the time of the first outdoor frost to determine when to harvest.