When to Harvest?

Uncle Jack

Uncle Jack

Well-known member
So, when is the best time to harvest in your opinion?
Feel free to share pictures of your buds at the point of harvest and at any other point to help illustrate your meaning.
Do you use stigmas, trichomes, leaf fade etc as your guide?
You could include any other observations you might have made about harvesting times and the effects that it has on your bud.
How different strains respond to your method etc. Indica, Sativa, Hybrid.
In my own personal experience I used to find breeder stated harvesting times as too short but lately I have been following them, inadvertently with a new method, and getting good results.
The new method involves just looking at the stigmas.
When 50-60% of them have turned brown I harvest. Maybe a bit more in some cases.
Using a loupe actually kind of stopped me from looking at the progress of the plants as a whole because I was focusing so much on the trichomes.
The results so far are less sleep inducing weed and smoke that is more uplifting in it's effects.
Indoors there is a slight loss in weight but less time spent in flower as a trade off.
Outside same deal but less time for the plants to be exposed to risk/weather.
Recent studies which I cannot point to readily have also suggested that peak potency is actually reached before the majority of trichomes turn milky.
Because, I am guessing, waiting for the majority to turn opaque means more of the first trichomes will degrade into other substances. CBN etc.

UJ
 
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The capitate stalked trichomes are the only place on the plant that produces any Cannabinoid.
Checking the brown hairs is pointless to determine if resin is ripe.
One thing you did not mention is when do the resin heads actually have resin in them?
Well when they begin to turn amber thats when. Also different plants require different maturation times. Even in the same seed lot.
The loupe microscope is a great tool to determine when to harvest.
Stick to proven techniques and be wary of new opinions on an ancient plant.
imo,
✌️
 
axiom said:
The capitate stalked trichomes are the only place on the plant that produces any Cannabinoid.
Checking the brown hairs is pointless to determine if resin is ripe.
One thing you did not mention is when do the resin heads actually have resin in them?
Well when they begin to turn amber thats when. Also different plants require different maturation times. Even in the same seed lot.
The loupe microscope is a great tool to determine when to harvest.
Stick to proven techniques and be wary of new opinions on an ancient plant.
imo,
✌️
Click to expand...

Yes, sound advice no doubt.
However, I came to my method by following scientific data on a test done for peak potency.
They took clones of the same plant and harvested them at different times, all grown under the same conditions.
Then they measured the THC content of each plant.
This was done on several strains.
The plants with the highest THC levels/lowest CBN levels was found on the plant with the majority of the trichomes still clear to milky.
Quite a bit before most people would advise to harvest.
The stigmas on those plants that were the strongest were at roughly 50-60% brown.
My experience using this method with my outdoor harvest has been as I said more uplifting and potent weed.
No fog or sleepiness.
Quite the opposite of last years smoke.
I am not saying using stigmas as a guide is definitive but it is working very well as a guide for me personally.
Still interested to hear more on this as future tests come to light.
UJ
 
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Personally, i harvest upon seeing the first couple of amber trichomes, so mostly clear to milky.. Plant depending.
That said, it depends on your need, my widow cut for instance, i harvest it late @11-12 weeks because it works as a great sleep medicine. Sadly the smell and flavour have started to deteriorate by then but the effect is that of a heavy narcotic.. Which some people need.

I read many years ago that on the whole thc ramps up first and then the lesser cannabinoids cbd cbn cbg etc etc kick in. How true that is i do not know, it was just something i read lol. I'm from a time before the availability of all the science, my growers brain is mostly a hodgepodge of "Bro science" and hear say lol

Historically seed companies rather misleadingly gave a flowering time that would give the grower the fastest usable(Saleable)flowers..
 
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Ray said:
Personally, i harvest upon seeing the first couple of amber trichomes, so mostly clear to milky.. Plant depending.
That said, it depends on your need, my widow cut for instance, i harvest it late @11-12 weeks because it works as a great sleep medicine. Sadly the smell and flavour have started to deteriorate by then but the effect is that of a heavy narcotic.. Which some people need.

I read many years ago that on the whole thc ramps up first and then the lesser cannabinoids cbd cbn cbg etc etc kick in. How true that is i do not know, it was just something i read lol. I'm from a time before the availability of all the science, my growers brain is moslty "Bro science" and hear say lol

Historically seed companies rather misleadingly gave a flowering time that would give the grower the fastest usable(Saleable)flowers..
Click to expand...

Bro science it may be, but chock full of common sense as well.
I sometimes forget to keep some smoke around that has that narcotic effect.
It's nice to be able to get back to sleep straight away or in fact just get to sleep in some instances.

Thanks Ray
 
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I am also trying to get better at this UJ. My first indoor plant I remember pulling it as it was starting to Hermie, but it definitely needed an extra week or two.

I like smoke to help me sleep, but I am not a major fan of strains that will put me straight to sleep, so I feel that I would lean towards less amber.

I think my shark are pretty ready now, but I will highlight my personal finding that a Microscope is super important. There are several trichomes that I thought were cloudy but they have hints of amber in that I couldn't see with a jewelers loupe.

Repeating what other forum members have said that I will follow till I work out my own method:

Sativas 10-20%, amber 80-90% cloudy. Indicas, 30-40% amber, 60-70% cloudy.



However I am still a young grasshopper in this world, but just wanted to chime in with the microscope comment 🙂
 

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It is personal preference after all. Each person's chemical makeup responds differently to varying amounts of THC, CBD, CBN. And it depends on what you are looking for in the particular strain. "Breeder stated harvesting times as too short but lately I have been following them..." is usually based on commercial grows, harvesting early for monetary reasons.

R.C. Clarke states:
"With this dynamic picture of the biosynthesis and degradation of THC acids as a frame of reference, the logic behind harvesting at a specific time is easier to understand. The usual aim of timing the moment of harvest is to ensure high THC levels modified by just the proper amounts of CBC, CBD and CBN, along with their propyl homologs, to approximate the desired psychoactive effect. Since THC acids are being broken down into CBN acid at the same time they are being made from CBD acid, it is important to harvest at a time when the production of THC acids is higher than the degradation of THC acids. Every experienced cultivator inspects a number of indicating factors and knows when to harvest the desired type of floral clusters. Some like to harvest early when most of the pistils are still viable and at the height of reproductive potential. At this time the resins are very aromatic and light; the psychoactive effect is characterized as a light cerebral high (possibly low CBC and CBD, high THC, low CBN). Others harvest as late as possible, desiring a stronger, more resinous marijuana characterized by a more intense body effect and an inhibited cerebral effect (high CBC and CBD), high THC, high CBN). Harvesting and testing several floral clusters every few days over a period of several weeks gives the cultivator a set of samples at all stages of maturation and creates a basis for deciding when to harvest in future seasons..."

@shantibaba states:
"In my opinion when you think it is ready ….then wait another week to 10 days....and hang for as long as possible as a full plant....only manicure it when you want to smoke it and leave it hanging....."

"The harvest time depends mostly on marijuana strains and phenotypes..."

Some look at stigmas, some look at trichomes, others look at calyx swell. Some harvest when they are most aromatic. But the best indicator is what RC Clarke said, "...testing several floral clusters every few days over a period of several weeks gives the cultivator a set of samples at all stages of maturation..."

IME, sativas are usually harvested earlier (milky) for the THC benefit, whereas indicas are harvested later (amber) for the body effects that come from more CBD and CBN. If sativas are harvested too early, all clear, they tend to be racier but the high is of a shorter duration. Many sativas will continue to put out new pistil/stigma if under direct light and some plants have trichs that never seem to amber. Depending on how you are feeding your plants, you may not experience fade. Lots of different variables. So, I agree with Mr. Clarke, "Every experienced cultivator inspects a number of indicating factors and knows when to harvest the desired type of floral clusters." Harvesting from different parts of the plant during the maturation process will give a good idea of preference and what is best for your chemotype. During the second grow, one has developed familiarity with the plant and has a better idea of when the plant is ready for harvest according to personal taste. I agree with @Ray, I prefer my sativas mostly milky and at the first sign of amber I cut them down.
My opinion and preference of course.

mu
 
Thankyou Mu, loazac123.

That was a great reply Mu.
Thanks for putting that down for the rest of us.
Lots of common sense and experience shining through in your answer.

Just to clarify lozac123 I have not thrown my loupes out.
I still check trichomes before harvesting.
I may be going a tad early it seems but the trichomes have been mostly milky at harvest.
It was a shame I couldn't let the Critical Mass go longer now that Mu has given me a better game plan for indies.

If trichome coverage is one of the keys to potency your pictures seem to suggest you are on the right track.

UJ
 
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I go by trichomes.Mostly cloudy and sometimes there will be scattered ambers while waiting.
A scope has been the most reliable for me.
I use a Carson MicroBrite Plus 60x-120x led pocket microscope.Model MM-300.
It uses a AA battery and has adjustable power from 30-120x.



I have used Carson MM-200 and was disappointed.Battery kept going dead and light was dim.
 
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CBDcure said:
I go by trichomes.Mostly cloudy and sometimes there will be scattered ambers while waiting.
A scope has been the most reliable for me.
I use a Carson MicroBrite Plus 60x-120x led pocket microscope.Model MM-300.
It uses a AA battery and has adjustable power from 30-120x.



I have used Carson MM-200 and was disappointed.Battery kept going dead and light was dim.
Click to expand...
The microbrite is good.
 
I go by tricomes mostly all milky and and maybe 5 to 10 % amber but I like to run the same plant for a few grows and fine tune it, usually by the 3rd round you can tell just by looking at the plants over all look and know it's ready ✌🏼
 
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