When to chop? The hardest part for me

My first 2 plants ever are getting close to harvest time (maybe even ready) This part has for sure become the hardest part of my grow so far. I just spent 30 minutes in the tent looking through a jeweler’s loupe and counting pistils. haha I guess after all my time and effort I just dont want to screw it up near the end. I for sure want as much thc as possible without couch lock. I have zero doubt that im over thinking it. This is my first grow and this step has been tough

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Pictures in white light of the plant and one representative cola would help to give you a timeframe.

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I hope the leaves dieing is normal. i figured that just happens when they near the end

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my plan was to chop it next friday. im pretty sure my other girl needs another week at least

Ive worried myself sick over this part of the process. I really probably just need to chill. Im sure i cant screw it up as badly as I imagine. lol I have generalized anxiety and growing has actually really been a help and a blessing for it. Until this stage lol

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Looks to me like she is still pushing new calyxes and pistils. The trichomes are still pretty blurry in that pic but what I can discern is a majority of clear trichomes. IMO you are still 3-4 weeks out from harvest. The leaves look like a ph issue. @OGIncognito ph issue with these plants? please and a very much thank you!

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I had the same issue for several grows untill i got a wifi microscope, now i dont sweat it anymore.

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i just checked the soil ph its right at 7 but all i have is this cheap 3 way meter. I water with crystal geyser because I had read it is good ph for plants. I have ph up and down solution so may need to use it I guess. im just starting out and hope to get better test equipment for that stuff soon

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I would continue to feed you still have a few weeks for plant to finish. Good luck :+1::v:

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Leaves dying is normal. They have lived their life. You have a few weeks based on the appearance of the hairs. And i lost my glasses, but the trichomes appear to have a glassy look. Cloudy will look like pearl colored plastic somewhat. And way to go getting that far with that meter! I’d feed 2ish more weeks, then go to water only.

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@Meloco1980 it looks like you have a solid 2-3 weeks left and would strongly recommend tossing that PH/moisture meter. These work great for the avid house plant person but super unreliable for PH. Seeing as you’re so close I would feed this week to liberal run off at 800-1000 PPMs then start a water feed for the last 2 weeks and pick yourself up a reliable PH and TDS meter. Growing mediums have a specific PH range with soil range at 6.2-6.8 and 6.5 the sweet spot. Coco at 5.6-6.2 with 5.8-6.0 being the sweet spot. These ranges are needed for nutrient absorption and often the culprit with issues and deficiencies :love_you_gesture: appreciate the tag Brother

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Thank you for advice. I like to challenge myself by using less than ideal equipment lmao but for real even I can tell its not very accurate. Ive already got about 1200 dollars in these 2 plants so I gotta show the wife some product before I can expand the budget lmao.

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Ya it took me a few grows before it started really paying for itself. But every grow gets better. I went ham at first and bought all kinds of nutes and amendments and things i haven’t touched. For me, I’m finding less is more. Only growing about a year and a half.

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I plan to grow exclusively in soil and can say i dont even really know if i should be testing my soil, my water before, or run off after. Anyone know of any decent budget friendly meters for what I need. And thanks for all the hepl and advice it really is appreciated

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Thank you Brother. Just trying to find growbuddies that seem most willing to help all. The knowledge here is astounding!!

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VIVOSUN pH and TDS Meter Combo, 0.05ph High Accuracy Pen Type pH Meter ± 2% Readout Accuracy 3-in-1 TDS EC Temperature Meter for Hydroponics, Household Drinking, and Aquarium, UL Certified https://a.co/d/j5L7itG
Would something like this work? I just typed in ph and tds meter. sorry I really am that lacking in knowledge and have for sure bought several pretty worthless items like my handy dandy 3 way meter lmao. Thanks

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The Vivosun tds meter will work for testing ppm but for PH you want something like an Apera PH20 or PH60

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Apera 20 is a great inexpensive PH pen and Blue Lab makes an excellent TDS pen. Both will be needed for mixing nutrients to the proper PPMS and PH and testing the run off. The run off will let you know what each of these are in the root zone and a good target point would be 1000-1200/6.5 for soil. Feeding or watering to run off are critical to keep a healthy root zone when the plant is old enough to do so :love_you_gesture:

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thank you both. I will look at the ph20 meters. Even though im on budget I have learned its easy to get something that dont even work and is a total waste of money. I learned that the hard way when buying lights. I even tried to educate myself with google searchs but seems some conpanies are really good at getting total junk unto recommended list lol

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I bought the Vivosun pH meter and it was such garbage. The Apera PH20 is legit, has a carrying case, calibration liquids etc it’s professional as hell :joy:

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