Trichs without a magnifying glass

No, you can´t. I bought a pocket microscope for a few Euros on line. If you want to grow get the proper gear, for goodness sake.

 

^^^^^ HAHAHAHA! nice man.

Nice plant tho bro.

 

So buy it, you naughty boy !!!!!!

Seriously, I have a X 9 watchmakers eyeglass for looking at preflowers, and a X 100 pocket microscope for observing trichomes. Not at all expensive, and you only have to buy them once - essential growing equipment, IMHO.

 

Cantharis you are too funny.!!!! hahaha

 

^^^^ Gangin up on you? what? i had your back earlier.....

 

You can EASILY see trichs without a magnifying glass. I hate it when people declare that marijuana can NOT be properly grown/harvested without modern equipment to compensate for every single little aspect of the grow.



Here's how you do it... take the plant out from under the HPS, and move it under a more natural light... sunlight works best, a MH or flouro is almost as good. Stand back from the plant a foot or two, and look at it. If the trichomes on the bud look like sand rather than sugar, it's ready... it's that easy.

That said, I DO own a microscope and would recommend getting one.

For me, the 60x-100x microscope is WAY too powerful for something like observing trichomes. You need the breath and hand control of a military sniper to get a steady picture with that thing... but a lot of folks seem to like it, so maybe my eyes are just sensitive.

Trichomes can be seen individually at 5x... 10x-15x is more than powerful enough to check for amber. You can buy the 5x-15x loupe @ Radio Shack for about 10 bucks... the 60x-100x model is around $15 IIRC.

 

I totally disagree, but my eyesight may not be as acute as yours. And getting the right gear really is a TRIVIAL amount of money.

 

Thank God for that, I would not want to be without one.

 

Hey, we all have deep seated feelings about our methods... but cantharis and I are mature enough to disagree without getting childish, so it's all good. Maybe I just have excellent vision.

Glad to see you got the microscope... they definitely make things easier, and it IS a trivial amount of money, after all.

Let us know how she smokes!

 

ok this may seem like a really retarded question but the trichs are the vine like things comin off the plant like whats in growyerowns 1st and 2nd pic right?

 

Trichs = trichomes..

They're the little sugar-like crystals on the plant that contain all the good stuff.

The vine-lookin' things are called "pistils". They catch pollen to produce seeds... in my closet, that's a no no.

So hey, growyerown... where ya at on the amber?! I know you said you don't want a couchlock smoke, but I recommend you let it go to an even 50/50. I used to pick my bud at 20/80 and 30/70... but there's really nothin quite like a good 50/50 IMO.

 

Here ya go.

 

Nice pic of trichs dr dro, clear in this case. As you can see they are mushroom shaped structures that contain THC, they are neither crystalline nor sugar-like. And you do need a microscope to see them in detail, IMHO.

I pull off a budleaf and put it on a table where it is held steady and get my microscope over it.

I chop mine when they are about one third amber. From the first appearance of clear trichomes to this stage must be 3 or 4 weeks.

 

I won't debate the appearance of trichomes - we all know what they look like with the naked eye, or to the new smoker/grower who might not know proper terminology. How many times have you heard someone on the street describe some good bud as "covered in translucent mushroom-like structures"?

To answer your question, growyerown:

1st, you take good pictures. I'd agree with your assesment of trichome color, but more on that later.

I'm glad to help. I'll be first to admit that I've got more opinion than experience. I've only completed a few grows, but I'm always learning and improving. My strains are all 8 week strains. By week 3 of flower trichomes start to develop. By week 6, they're almost all cloudy, some going amber - but they still have a growth explosion coming in the last 2 weeks. By 56 days, they're done... they're at 50% amber with the remaining trichomes a combination of cloudy and clear, and they're done fattening up.

I check buds (calyxes)... not leaves. You wanna check what you'll be smoking, and save the trim leaves for making hash. Leaves tend to amber up much quicker than buds, and are not a good indication of the plants ripeness IMO.

Strains are different, and individual plants are different. Breeders/companies will sometimes list different flowering times for the same strain. You may get two or more phenotypes from the same pack of seeds. You have to get to know your plants on an individual level. Start checking for amber in the final week of flowering recommended by the breeder. They should be at, or close to, 50% amber by then. Some strains won't be ready at the listed time. It mostly depends on the breeder.

I've been there, where you think it looks ready and you want to pick it NOW... trust me, let it go 'til it's done (50%). The high is so much more complete. You don't get into couchlock territory until you're at about 80% IMO. Something I heard around here:

"When it looks done, wait a week."

That's great advice for new growers IMO. To me, cutting before 50% is sort of like not curing... it may get you high, but it won't reach perfection. Why spend the time, money, and energy (or assume the legal risk if that applies to you) for anything less than perfection?