So this is my second grow. I chopped the first ones from my first grow early, so I don’t want to make the same mistake. With my eyes now, hard for me to see the difference between clear and cloudy trichomes clearly, even with a jewelers loupe.
That being said, I do like the bud from the first harvest (heady with no lethargy), but it just doesn’t seem as strong as I’d like it. For that reason, I’d like to harvest as early as responsibly possible, since earlier bud seems to agree With me. She also has spider mites and is in quarantine, taking up one of my clone tents, so the sooner the better.
Here are the specs:
Strain: Girl Scout Cookies
Flowering time: 8th week
Medium: Soil
As long as you have those white pistils the buds are still growing and fattening up. When the plant matures it no longer grows those white pistils and the ones that are there shrivel up and turn dark. This is probably the earliest you should harvest. There is a 3-4 week window after maturation where the trichomes change from clear to cloudy to amber and there are slight differences in the buzz.
You will see the plant slow pistil production one or two times during flower. Peak potency is actually a bit before peak maturity for harvest (but is bulkier). The difference is minor and a lot of growers will go by the trichomes but also the shape and aspect of the flower and overall look of the plant.
I like a bit of amber but a nominal harvest will contain a few holdovers that are still actively flowering. Also; with gucci lights they tend to throw foxtails late in flower. You can see one on that cola I put up.
I would recommend you get ready for the end game. A lot of growers put plant into darkness after a prolonged flush to improve smoke quality. I am also an advocate for doing a bud wash. It’s entirely harmless to the flower but cleans it of atmospheric debris (think skin cells and hair) and produces a dried flower that stays fresh longer.
Best idea I’ve heard in a long time! Tri Tees! Ive made tees in the past and how many people you’d get compliments from would even know what they are? Priceless. I think I might actually do that if I can find the right equipment and get quality images!
I’ve read about bud washing, and it intimidates me, but I really need to do it this time as I had to use neem and other essential oil mixtures to combat the spider mites. That was much earlier in the flower cycle though. Haven’t sprayed since the buds really came out. So with the wash, no real way to screw it up? It looks easy in the videos, but then so do a lot of other things.
