How much longer until harvest?

Impossible to say without more info, like lighting/strain, how far into flower. You definitely aren't close though, those use look at least a moth away from harvest.

Buy a pocket loupe or scope and read about trichomes, it's one of the best ways to judge when to harvest.

 

How old is it...looks like at least 10 wks away.

 

3+ more weeks and you'll be toking probably. Start flushing within a week and a half for a good tasting harvest.

 

since it's under low wattage it'll take longer to flower. you'll for sure have to have AT LEAST 3 weeks. my estimate is 4 to 5 more just cause you don't have that much light.

over-all just be patient and buy you a cheape 60-100x zoom microscope from radioshack to check the trichomes

 

loool

 

Yup.

It looks like an indica to me, which takes 8-ish weeks on average to finish.

I am growing under CFL's as well, and it REALLY helps to take a photo every day or two, then you can compare them and actually watch the calyx's swell and the pistils grow and eventually recede day by day.

If the pistils are all white and 'creamy' looking, it's way too early, although you must check the trichomes as well.

Generally speaking, you have 3-ish weeks left. DO NOT CHOP NOW.

Start taking pics every other day or so at the beginning of week 7 at the very least, and watch the plant ripen.

 

some plants do, indeed, still have white pistils when the prime time for chopping comes around. different varieties ripen sooner than other's, yes. but to be absolutely sure, look at resin glands in a microscope. i'm growing an "8 week" kush right now that is on it's ninth week and i think i'll let her go another because most of the trichomes are still clear.

anyway just my opinion and experience talking. don't take my word for it, do some research

 

What he said.

I should add, I've never had an 8-week strain finish in under 9 weeks. Could be that I'm using CFL's, or variations in the strain, I dunno.

I've heard that even Jorge Cervantes is rethinking his position about waiting for trichs to change, as he's seen many a perfectly ripe smoke that still had all clear trichs.

My first grow, I waited for a few amber trichs, and I waited till EVERY leaf yellowed, dried-up and disappeared. Just buds on stalks. Pistils had all receded and oranged-off weeks before, but no amber trichs. I waited 11 weeks. When I finally gave-up and harvested, the bud was a little dry, only losing 40% of it's weight when cured, but it got me high/stoned/baked/whatever we're calling it nowadays, and it did the job just fine.

I am now beginning to think that knowing when to harvest is more of an art than a science, and you have to pay attention to signs that tell you the bud is ripe: Calyx swelling, pistils receding and browning, 'coning' at the tops of the buds (I've noticed that up until the 6th or 7th week flowering on my plants, the buds are 'rounded-off' on top, instead of coming to a peak), and, of course, trichomes.

Keeping in mind what markjonesss said, (and my trichome fiasco) some of these changes might not happen at all.

I still say take a pic of the plant every day, and compare them from day-to day. I was amazed at how much the plant changes towards the end, and how looking back at pics from the time I first wanted to harvest, how much fuller, 'orangier', and just plain RIPER the plant looks.

Don't rush it, and Good Luck!

 

i think you made a good point, sir. like i said, just my opinion, and i'm glad you came back with in more detailed and explained what you meant. makes a lot of sense.

"I still say take a pic of the plant every day, and compare them from day-to day. I was amazed at how much the plant changes towards the end, and how looking back at pics from the time I first wanted to harvest, how much fuller, 'orangier', and just plain RIPER the plant looks."

^ do that. if anything, it'll be a lot of fun to see the life cycle of your plants. and like he said, pay a lot of attention to your calyxes n' such.

happy growing!

 

Well, keeping in mind what's been said above by myself and others, and pretending for a moment that these were MY plants, and pretending that I knew nothing about them other than what I can see in the pics, I'd say you have about a month or so, but I'd start paying close attention in 2-3 weeks or so to those pistils, yellowing leaves and calyx swelling as well as the trich color.

Here's the problem I've run into with this whole trich thing.

New trichs are always forming, eventually slowing and stopping as the plant dies, so you could look at them on the 1st day of week 7, for example, and think: "Excalibur! I see mostly cloudy trichs, with maybe 5-10% amber and a few clear ones, I'll chop her in 3 days!"

But then you come back in 3 days and look at the trichomes, and SHAZAAM!
NOW there are 50/50 clear/cloudy trichs, and hardly ANY amber.

The new trichs have 'diluted' the ratio of clear/cloudy/amber, and you start to wonder if your plant will ever be done.

That's why I say to pay close attention to all this other stuff, and take pics of the plant every day or two so you can watch it ripen.

Once the buds LOOK like they're getting ripe, dial it in by checking the trichomes. At least, that's what I've been doing since my early grows. (you can search for my first grow journal, "Ignatz451's first cfl grow", for an example of my trich issues).

All this stuff will eventually come to its inevitable end; The bud will ripen in whatever way the genetics and soil and light and PH and nutes and everything else have worked together to allow it to, and you just have to do your best to weigh all this stuff in your mind- How long it's flowered, pistil color/receding, calyx swelling, all that stuff, and make a judgement call.

I really wish that when I started growing, someone would have taught me how to tell if a bud looks ripe, instead of obsessing over these trichomes. Folks grew perfectly good weed long before hand-held microscopes, and they did it by looking at the plant.

What's really helped me on later grows was the realization about the new trichome thing; Just because they look almost ready one day doesn't mean things wont change in a few more days and throw your estimate off.

That's why they say: wait until it looks ready, then wait one more week.

I'm no weed wizard, I grow bagseed under CFL's, but if those pics were pics of MY plants, I would think that they have 3 or 4 weeks left.

Good luck! They look great!

 

It's certainly possible!.

And, that's another thing.. I've never received a straight answer from anyone about wether an 8-week flowering plant is supposed to finish 8 weeks from the first day of 12/12 lighting, OR the first day sex begin to show.

Since most of these plants don't show flowers till 7-14 days AFTER switching to 12/12, then that would add 7-14 days to your flowering time (IF the latter is true, and I don't know that it is).

All I know is that the seedbanks finish estimate is based on THEIR grow, which is presumably done under optimal conditions, with none of my noobish mistakes along the way, and certainly not in a rubbermaid with CFL's.

I've read on these forums that some say that CFL's can lengthen flowering by a week or 2, though I cannot confirm or deny this (though again, My 8-weekers NEVER finish in less than 9).

That's why I think that whatever harvest date I have estimated is more of a guideline to start paying close attention to all that stuff mentioned above, and then when the plant looks ripe, check the trichs to fine-tune your harvest date.

 

Has it been five weeks since you switched the light cycle or has it been five weeks since they actually began flowering?