Hello to my new community! I've been lurking on this site for my entire first grow (hooray for legalization), and have found a TON of helpful info from all of you seasoned folks, but it's come to the point that I really need some help and so I've made an account in hopes that you can provide some helpful insight. I've attached some pics of my Shark Shock flowers in hopes you can help me determine if she is done growing. I really fucked up in not writing down the date that she started flowering, but I'd say that it was about 40 days or so ago, possibly more, possibly less. Next grow I'll be sure to write the date (as well as do a LOT of things differently, I've learned a ton this first grow). As you can probably guess from the pics, she is growing outdoors. I've looked at the trichomes through a microscope and a 40x loupe, and most look cloudy, with many amber and a few clear, but as I've read on here many times, that isn't always the best indicator for ripeness. The calyxes look pretty swelled up, and it doesn't seem to be putting off many new pistils anymore, and they are starting to turn red. I feel like I should harvest her tonight, but I really don't want to cut her down too early since I've been cultivating her with so much love since April. Another pressing matter is that I noticed about a week ago that she had budworms I wasn't sure how close to harvest she was, so I haven't wanted to spray anything and have instead spent about 2 hours each day picking the caterpillars out of each bud with tweezers. It has been the most fucked up an upsetting game of "Where's Waldo?" that I have ever played. Still, I believe that I have gotten most of them and none of the buds have suffered too much damage (although it has definitely decreased my yield a bit). There are all sorts of caterpillar poop bits in the buds, however, so I plan on water curing this lady after drying and possibly using the buds to make tincture and butter (I don't really like hash) since I doubt smoking caterpillar poop is very good for you. Anyway, I know the sooner I harvest and start drying, the sooner the remaining caterpillars will leave, so I am feeling a little pressed to move forward with harvesting. What do you all think?
For most normal strains, 60+ days after you see obvious good bud production on your plant is enough. And you tell how mature your plant is by the percentage of amber in the trichomes. If you have a 40x loupe, it ought to be pretty clear to you where you stand. But I suggest you let them go at least 60 days past when you see buds forming...usually a week or so after the light flip or, if they're outdoor, you just have to watch your plant. But it's certainly not going to hurt the whole situation to let them go longer. The longer they go, the more mature they become and the stronger product you have in the end after harvest and cure. I know I'm not getting pics of your whole plant, but when you grow again, you need to keep in mind that the more direct sunlight they get during a day, the larger plant you're going to grow. It's all about the light...and of course, being able to tend them and keep them happy with what they need. But light is THE important element to growing a MJ plant regardless of whether it's inside or out. But you've done a good job for a first timer. Put in the proper place, the right conditions and given the sunlight that it needs, your plants can be 15 - 20 ft. tall with buds as big around as your leg. But you've got to first learn how to grow the plant and get the most out of it. That is a process and just takes time and effort on your part to learn as much as you can about how to do this the best way possible. Outside is optimal because you have the sun as your light source. But during the last month or so of the flower cycle, your plants really load up with resin and it seems like this makes your plants magnets for bugs and such. So really pay attention to your plants the last few weeks they're outside. The white butterflies that you see flying around everywhere this time of year in our part of the world, lay eggs on the buds which hatch out into caterpillars and bud rot to follow...or that's how it happened with us. There is something called Seven Dust that you can buy and sprinkle all over the plants until harvest. This stuff kills anything "caterpillar" related and if any are on the plant alive, they'll fall off dead as soon as the stuff touches them. Neem oil is something else growers use a lot for various bugs, pests, etc., but if you ever use it dilute it down good with water before you spray it on the plant and it's photosensitive so it's best to use it right before dark. But you've done a good job for your first time. The more you grow, the better you get at it and it just takes time. TWW
Thanks, Widow White. I appreciate the support! For your viewing pleasure, I have attached a photo of the whole plant. Please note that it's super bright outside right now, so the color in the image appears a bit blown out. She is about 4.5 feet tall, but pretty wide as I tried my hand at topping and fimming (mostly topping). I have a Sweet and Sour Tsunami growing alongside her as well, but she is obviously a while away from harvest as she is still shooting out nothing but white pistils and the calyxes are still plumping up. So you think I should wait a bit longer, eh? Is there a way that one can know that one has waited too long and needs to harvest right away? I am feeling a bit anxious around harvesting, tbh... I checked out seven dust, and that shit looks scary, but I will consider it, especially if I have to let my lady grow more before harvesting.
I am also wondering about the 60 day thing... a lot of strain info on Shark Shock states that it is meant to be cultivated around the 40-50 day mark? Do you always wait 60 days regardless of the strain? I may be thinking too much about this, but am hoping to learn here. Everything I've read (granted, this is my first grow so all I have to go from is stuff I've read) says to watch the pistil colors, the calyx swell, and the trichome color, so I was thinking that this lady would be done due to those factors. I can post some more up-close pics if that would be helpful.