nervous new parent

2 months into my first grow - started late in the season (mid-August) with some clones from a local shop. Both surprised me by taking off nicely with very little intervention (a little LST as the side branches took off but nothing else)! They're maybe 3 weeks into flowering (now mid-Oct) and I feel like they should be farther along by now - what do you all think? I often read that now is the time for harvest, but the buds are quite small and the trichomes are clear.

The bigger one is SFV OG and the smaller one is Blue Dream. Both planted in a coir mix and fed regularly with some really stinky stuff (kelp and fish emulsion fertilizer; switching to blooming nutrients this week though).

I'm in socal and have them on my patio. Sunlight is great, privacy is great, and the coir doesn't dry out too fast. One thing I can't control, though, is the ambient light (e.g. the neighbor's patio lights, motion sensor security lights, general city light pollution). I can't ask my housemates to crawl around in the dark outside, so the lights will go on from time to time. I have them in the darkest possible spot but it's still not perfect. Could this have affected the late start flowering? Also, would it affect the size of the buds in the end? I know they have another month go to flowering, but of course as a new cannabis parent, I'm nervous that I'm screwing it all up

Also started some autoflower seeds (in the large planter box) - 2 of 3 doing well though after a month, they're not huge or anything. I'm hopeful that any lighting issues I may (or may not? maybe it's not a significant issue) be having with my clones won't affect autos.

SFV OG


Blue Dream:


Autoflower White Widows:

 

Thanks! I feel better knowing those buds have time to bulk up. I'll look into green lights - housemates excited for a good harvest so I'm sure they won't mind. I don't suppose having green porch lights is a signal to the surrounding world that you're growing? I live in a pretty dense area with neighbors all around (they're cool but of course I can't say the same for random passers-by, who would otherwise not notice anything as nothing is visible from the street or surrounding yards). Maybe since it's halloween, I'd get a pass on having weird yard decor lol.

That planter box with the autos is 2x4 ft and 18" deep (so around 90 gallons) - I thought it would be ok as the autos won't get that big but I see what you're saying. Maybe next time I'll just go for 2 in that box instead of 3. And I guess when I harvest the clones, I will start round 2 with one auto seed in each 17 gallon bucket (I had been thinking of maybe squeezing 2 plants per bucket).

 

Found and ordered:


And apparently having a green light on your porch was a trend (3 years old and mentioned only on questionably fringey political sites) to indicate supporting troops.

 

Trouble with my SFV OG -- caterpillars! I found only a few problem areas but as it only has about 3-4 weeks to go, what do you think I should do? I could pull it early or I could start spraying it and hope that keeps them at bay. It's super dry here so I'm not too worried about mold or residual dampness from spraying. However, I'm also about to leave town for a week so can't be super vigilant. Photos attached, advice appreciated.

 

Ok, the BT worked wonders and I came back into town to find only a few dead caterpillars
Now the question is if they're ready for harvest. Both are 8 weeks into flowering, which I understand would be a little earlier than expected for harvesting. There are a few amber tris but for the majority, I can't tell if they're clear but blurry under the microscope, or cloudy. What do you think?

Blue dream:

SFV OG:

 

First ever grow, final report, a few months late -

SFV OG: 52g, was decent but not my favorite. A bit heavy and I didn't love the taste. But still not bad.

Blue Dream: 44g, totally amazing. Wish I'd left more to cure instead of smoking it all. Oh well haha. Super fruity and a touch of tootsie roll scent.

White widow autos: 70g from 2 plants, very lovely taste and good mellow high. The buds from this were the most beautiful looking though they were a bit fluffy when they dried. They dried a bit too quick (4 days of really freakishly low humidity).

The final ww auto (planted later than the others due to some seeds dying) is still going 4 months into its life - it's not looking very good but has some flowers on it. This one had a rough go of it from the start and was always smaller than its neighbors. I may just get a few grams of popcorn from it.

Attached is a photo of the first two white widows drying