Red Hairs?

some people will use the pistils as a sign of when to harvest, but it's not all that reliable as diff strains's hairs turn color at diff times. trichromes don't lie.

 

It's like apples, I guess. Red varieties start off green, then they get patches of red, then they go all red. Sorta. Lots of fruits are like that. It looks like Nature's way of letting us humans know when to pick 'em.

I'd be interested to hear a more technical explanation, though.

Hair colour used to be utilised as a method to measure cannabis "ripeness" untill it was realized that examining the trichomes was more accurate (at least until you know your strain). No doubt many people do still judge when to harvest by the colour of the hairs. "when 50% turn red" is common olde worlde grower's advise.

-mu

 

They overlap, yes. Every strain is different, I guess, but it's common to have some hairs turning red long before flower growth stops.

If you are using hair colour to determine ripeness, you're looking for a very definite pattern, not "the odd red hair" that you get before that.

Examining the trichomes is still a far better guide, though. Pull the lens from an old surveillance camera. Flip it round and you have a 20x microscope with zoom. I found one in a skip. Works great!

-mu

 

I've wondered what makes em turn too. The two bagseed plants I've grown so far were harvested with very different percentages. The first had almost all brown pistils, the second was harvested with about half. Their trichome colors were pretty much the same. I know that when a bud gets pollenated the pistils turn, maybe it's like that specific flower shutting down. It's not looking for pollen anymore.

 

When 3/4 of the plants hairs turn red,or orange that means its time 4 harvest

 

Growth should stop once it starts flowering.

 

I beg to differ but groth does not stop once flowering begins. Some plants can double or tripple in size once flowering has started. Usually expect plants to double in size once you go from veg to flower.

The best way to tell when harvest is ready is trichome development and color. Most experienced growers will wait for the trichomes to go from cloudy to amber. THC is at its peak at this point and and its time to cut.