knowing when to chop...

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by wxyz123, Aug 25, 2009.

  1. Ok so, I've got an outdoor grow, northern lights, about a monthish into flower (give or take a few days), and since it'll be time to harvest in a few more weeks, I want to ask you guys a question.

    Now, I've read all about usin the little pocket microscopes and such, but I doubt I'm gonna get that sophisticated. Right now, I figure I'm just gonna eyeball it every so often, and chop em when they look ready to me. The reason I'm not worried about the microscope deal is because I don't really know if I want a predominantly clear, or amber, or whatever- what I'm sayin is I don't really think I'd know what I was lookin at even if I had one.

    So, my question is, is it worth takin the time to figure out about how to use the scope and everything, or am I fine just goin with the "when it looks ready chop it" approach?

    The pic isn't the greatest, but it's the best one I took. I suck at pics I guess.
     

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  2. it has plenty of time left... check agin in a few weeks...;)
     
  3. Yeah i always go with the 'it looks ready to chop approach'

    She has a while yet tho, as you know.
     
  4. works for me. I'm tryin to do everything I can to make this process as stress free as possible. I did an indoor grow over the first part of the summer that wrapped up about a month or so ago. Probably won't go that route again. Too much headache. I guess it was my fault for not havin a grow room all set up when I started. I had no idea how big six plants would get. Then you add in lights and buckets and fans and whatever and yeah I probably won't do it again.

    Much better when you can just set em in the ground and let god or mother nature or whatever do it's thing. It's gone pretty well too. Had something eat a couple plants when they were still little, but that's to be expected I suppose. Haven't had any great trouble with bugs or anything. Used some ferts, but not anything fancy. And I think they all look pretty good.

    So anyways, thanks for the input. If I think of it, along about the third week of september (ish) I'll be back to post some better pics. I'm not stingy with the bud porn, just not much of a photographer, and these beauties need a little more time to ripen anyways.
     
  5. I think it's worth getting a scope or jeweler's loupe. You can get a pocket microscope at Radio Shack for about $12, and jeweler's loupes sell on eBay for $3-$5 before shipping.

    Even if you don't have a target color mix in the trichs, you probably don't want to harvest when they are all clear, that would be too early. Use magnification to at least tell you that you are inside the "sweet spot" for harvest, even if you don't know where in that sweet spot you want to be.
     

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