Hello world! I am nearing the end of my very first grow. I have few a questions about time and THC levels: My four legal plants will produce a lot more weed than I anticipated so I am going to give some away to my friends at Christmas time. Some of them don't smoke much, but will have a puff here and there. I have one plant that is kind of messed up (I used it to experiment with trimming and topping etc.). Main question is can I harvest this ugly plant a few weeks early on purpose for my friends I smoke with to enjoy, will it still have the same taste - but a lower high (on purpose). I am into the last couple weeks now I think. I'd like to give them some of this AK 47 but not fry their brains. I will have my other three plants growing for a few more weeks at least. But I would like to harvest this little one as an AK47 'Lite' version and leave the other three to gain full strength. I also want to learn and practice the drying process and curing before I do my main big plants. Does that make sense? Or would it be best to just leave them all? Thanks for any advice!
I'm in a similar situation, I ended up growing more buds than I expected, but it was random stuff. I got a deep indica plant that's quickish to flower, I want to let it go a little on the long side and get the most out of it. Another one of my plants is kinda lanky and a heavy sativa strain, it will be slow to flower. The season might force me to harvest early, I'm expecting a pretty good head high from it. From what I understand, once you're in the window of harvest, harvesting a little early will yield more of a head high, and harvesting later will give the buds more of a sedative property, all strain dependant of course. Also an early harvest will be less potent, but not make the bud trash, just makes it not as strong. An early harvest during the window of opportunity will still give you good buds, they just won't be as strong or potent as a later harvest, which it sounds like is what you're after.
I would leave them all because it most likely will affect flavor. The taste of premature bud might make them not want to smoke it. Drying is simple just find a place that is dark, create air circulation but not directly on the plant. I like 65 degrees at 60% humidity. That will give you a 10-14 day dry. Slow is better! They look really good by the way. Do you have whole plant photos?
Yes mostly cloudy trichomes and some clear = heady less sedative high. Mostly amber and cloudy trichomes = sedative heavy high. Then anything in between would just be like a balancing act between the 2. Comes down to preference and strain.
Thanks!!! It's my first time and it's been a huge learning process. Here's a full view of my first big baby!
Thanks! This helps! I love the head high and don't really like the 'couch lock' inducing stuff. I think part of it is also that I want to learn the process with the smallest plant before I start chopping up and drying, curing everything else into jars. But maybe I'll wait an extra week or two.
You harvest that this early you won't be getting very high at all. That plant still has a lot of growing and maturing to do. It will also be loaded with chlorophyll at this stage and that will effect the taste. Chlorophyll is what makes the plant green and will leach out towards the end of the grow when the plant gets to the harvest window. You're way early buddy
Very nice for your first grow. I would let it go at least another week until 50% of trichomes are cloudy. That puts you in the real early harvest window but should still have fairly good terpene and cannabinoid development for a rounded high. It;'s my opinion that the high isn't just THC content but a nice combination of factors like terpene profile and cannabinoid content and other factors like dry time.
Thanks! My rough estimate when I planted in May was around Sept. 12 and that's two weeks away. I think I'll give it that extra time. Part of it is that I'm getting kind of tired of it. It's my first time and part of me is going to be happy to be finished regardless of quality. But after almost five full months of growing these puppies outdoors I am just gonna have to suck it up and get this last bit of the way!
I got mine outside in late may, and mine should finish mid-end september. I'm not sick of it at all. Probably about 10-15 minutes per plant every few days is all the attention I've been giving them. It's been super fun to learn, and the rewards will be awesome. Don't sell yourself short on quality, you could end up with some killer bud. Here's one of my gals, need to get some newer pics.
Outside grows finish mid to late Oct. All you'll get now is a headache and a very short lasting jittery high. Nasty stuff. Let your "friends" not smoke so much rather then trying to harvest it weak. <-- first grow 1976 BNW
Thanks for the encouragement! Your plants look terrific! It's nice to be able to compare plants at different times. I am most excited about the drying and curing phase ahead. I have all my glass mason jars and a dark room just waiting! Couple more weeks!!!!
Will this be your last grow since you're tired of it? Plants need very little input from us if you set your grow up right. My schedule is hectic and I'm hardly home. I can easily leave for a week or 2 and my plants dont even know I'm gone. I built my own organic living soil that only gets too dressed between grows. Therefore I'm not tied down to feeding schedules. My plants sit on top of sub irrigated planters which allows the plant to water itself as needed. I do scrog photoperiods which isn't necessary and does take a few minutes each week during veg. The autos I grow do not get any training unless I'm bored. I've been growing for 30+ years so the "romance" of growing is long gone. A few years back I set up my grow to pretty much be on autopilot. I've never been the type of person that wants to be tied down by anything, particularly my grow
