Can the trichomes be seen with the naked eye well enough to tell how amber they are? Where can I buy a jewelers loop?
Depends how good your eyes are I can pretty much detect the color, shade and the cloudiness of individual trichomes, but I apparently have very good vision, in spite of some eye irritation issues related to my condition. If your eyes are average, vision-wise, a simple dollar store magnifying glass can do the trick, but if you want that nice, clean, closeup or zoomed-in image, and decent lighting, then check out RadioShack.... they have a decent $10 - $12 lighted 60x - 100x microscope. I had one maybe ten years ago, and loved it! They also carry a few more expensive, and a few cheaper options... like pricey loupes, and five dollar 3-lense magnifiers.
I would just purchase a 30x or 60x magnifier. Once you get the hang of it, you may be able to just tell when your ready to harvest. But to be safe I would purchase a magnifier. Here's one on Amazon for cheap:SE 30X Illuminated Jewelers Loupe : Toys & Games : Amazon.com Most growers chop when 90% of the trichs are cloudy, and 10% amber.
my vision is excellent but I think I will go with the radio shack microscope. just ripped out a male today. i've got one plant left. if it is worth making hash out of a male should i cure it first? thank guys.