I'm noticing some orange hairs on my flowering plant. I cant really tell if this means my plant is getting to be done or something else. From what I see with a jewelers loupe, my trichomes seem almost all cloudy and some clear. Buuut, I have no experience checking trichs and they could easily be mostly clear. If my plant has just a few red hairs, is it definitely not ready for harvest? BTW this is probly important.... The orange hairs are in the area of the plant that has a 42 watt cfl in a reflector pointed right at it(probly like 5 or six inches away from the side of the plant) In addition to the 360 watt hps above. Sorry i cant say how long its been flowering, i took it inside under 12 12 after i noticed it was definitely a hairy female. Thanks all. -Thumb
Keep checking your trichs. When you've got a mostly cloudy color on the trichs with some clear and some amber mixed in, it's usually ready to harvest. The darker the trichs get the more narcotic the high.
Yeah I know Trichs are the only way to really tell, im just not so good at judging the color of the heads( the first time i saw a trichome up close in person was yesterday so i couldnt really give an accurate reading). Ive scoured through pictures, but I'm only seeing pics that seem to be of a far higher magnification than I have. I remember when I researched stuff like 4 years ago there was stuff about judging ripeness from the hairs but i dunno if thats bogus or not. Is it true that trichs will be reaching a good balance at about the same time as say 70-80 percent of your hairs are orange? Or do some plants experience perfect trich maturity with very little or no orange hair? Is there anything to be said for judging by hairs?
Each strain has its own properties, and this means that while some strain may be ready to harvest (trich ready that is) at the same time that it is "hair ready" the only 100% surefire way for EVERY plant is the trichs, I've had plants that were cloudy/amber trichs and yet not a sinle orange/red/brown hair. Good Growing and Happy Toking!
Thanks! Yeah i just keep checking the trichs and i feel like im getting better at reading them. My cloudy forcast from before seems to have been wrong, as it seems theyre still mostly clear.