RE: Maturity and the beast...

I am on the verge of another harvest...just weeks out I believe...hence my maturity issues...

I remember a month or two ago here at GK...there was a thread concerning a different approach to harvesting...and that was to leave plant intact and in the medium in which it grew...but stop watering it...and just letting it basically die(dry) standing...herein my question lies...

If one uses the approach I just mentioned...would this not take the approach of harvesting when pistils have withered in the 6-7(approx) week of flowering and basically throw it out the window...cuz' going by the FAQ page...it states on the maturation guide that if you wait til that final stage of pistil withering...you have waited to long to harvest at peak THC levels...so I think you all would agree ...if thats too long to wait...for the best bud possible than this idea of letting the plant die naturally standing would mean that THC levels would be compromised...Yes?? D<

 

One other ...

Can the pistils go from the 5th week all lookin white as can be to 50-60% of them in the 6th week already having the ripe mode color...amber I think the color is...bear in mind the strain of the plant I am discussin here' is a true indica...D<

 

Daze,

The reason I found the 'die and dry' method appealing was to allow the plant to experience stress at the end of flowering. When a plant senses death it does everything it can to reproduce, and this means pushing out bigger buds. I don't know how to make that method work, as I've never tried it. I have starved plants of nutrients in the last 2 weeks of flowering with positive results, however.

In regards to your second question: anything is possible, and I've seen pistils change rapidly on both Indicas and Sativas. I've also seen it take seemingly forever for them to mature. Genetics and environment determine those things, and the best way to harvest is to pay close attention to changes in late flowering.

 

Exactly",..lllndithe plants guna a die anyway! so why not take advantage of it Bud3

 

Indy, a plants 'senses' it's dying when the dark period reaches 12 hrs.
Keeping buds on the plants past the time when they're ripe does not make them bigger, anymore than keeping apples on a tree past when they're ripe makes them bigger.

 

.."Eggzactly" ranger'. When it is ripe..it is ripe. Any further prolonged maturation only serves to degrade the "fruit"....which I suppose is OK,.... if you're makeing cider..hee heee

 

"LOL" i didnt mean bigger buds just more resinous buds,i will continue this method scence i have seen and smoked the results it was not harsh and didnt taste like shwagg.....once the plants roots are dry the buds start too feed off the fan leafs till it consumes all the moisture from the plant,i'm not argueing the point though...OK" too each his own right' Bud3

 

could this method be employed after flushing? so rather than let the plant continue after the optimal harvest time you would just stop watering for 2 weeks after the flush. you would still harvest when it's ripe.

 

You hit the nail on the head mellow finally someone understands me Bud3

 

Yep, that's the ticket Mellow.
ranger: 12 hours of darkness is the signal for plants to start flowering. Whether or not this translates into sensing death is subject to interpretation. I was not suggesting keeping buds on the plant after they were ripe, rather inducing drought stress before trichome maturation.

 

Well call me stupid, I didn't get it til you put it that way Indi. Sounds ez enuff to try, just shut off 1 table. One concern though, this would be in lieu of flushing? or you'd have to start the flush sooner to give it time to dehygrate right? Then wouldn't you be starving them prematurely? and if the answer is no, that you start the flush as normal just dehydrate for 1-2 weeks afterwards, then we're right back to square one, they've been left an EXTRA 1-2 weeks to die on the vine... I'd assume that time would be a dark period to not degrade the THC. Right? Huh, it's a little confusing.

 

My experiment will be with June Bug:

I will flush her 2 weeks before I expect the trichomes to reach my desired maturity. I will then stop watering completely for the following 2 weeks. Her lighting schedule will remain the same at 12/12, and I will check her every day for sagging branches and flowers. She is a 3rd level clone, and I do not want to stretch this DNA any further, so I will not be attempting to re-veg her after harvest. This process will suck all the life from her and we'll see what happens.

 

Since I read Bud3's original thread (about drying on the stalk), I was no longer watering after I flushed to make the plant as dry as possible come harvest time (15-23 days later)and still fall in the 58-68 day harvest range..... The plants dry faster once cut & allows me to move to the curing process 4-6 days earlier. However, I'm now starting to see multiple male flowers popping up around day 57 or so (12 days with no water). I wasn't harvesting until day 65 or so & my last 4 plants (clones-I'm perpetual) have hermied on me. I suspect it may be the lack of water triggering the male flowers to drop pollen in hopes of regeneration.....The weed will also start to turn brown in your jars around week 4..... If I can just solve the hermieing problem, I'd say it's a great idea. But, after 15 weeks of NO SEEDS, I am kinda bummed that I wasn't able to see those male flowers. I plan to harvest the next 2 (in 12 days) a few days earlier (maybe day 60 or so)in hopes of harvesting before the seed development stage. I'll be checking back to see other's opinions on this topic... folks, no pics to post (nobody liked my poloroids annyway) & too many troublestarters here to chance it. Good luck with your experiments & watch out for those male flowers.....

 

Hey all,

Thanks for answering my questions somewhat...I do believe that this subject is so highly debatable that there is no one way...

I really am still out to lunch though on my ?? regarding the dry on the plant subject...it just seems to me that if the majority of growers tell you that harvesting buds at their peak levels of THC is done by monitoring the bud ripeness and the pistils are a gauging factor...then to leave a bud on the dying plant would only serve to degrade the amount of THC available...it also seems to me that I have also heard or read that if a plant (hermie or straight female) becomes poliinated and begins producing seeds that THC production is slowed down considerably to replace the energy to producing seeds...

With all this in mind it would seem to me that one would want to harvest the buds from the plant at optimum peak THC levels....rather than to take a chance of allowing the THC to degrade through overripening...just me though...others obviouslly think other wise...and perhaps it is different from soil growers to hydroponic growers...who knows...I think I will stick with what has alwaze worked for me...however...one thing I have learned here is that maturity shows itself in many ways...and is alwaze variable to the strain being grown.

Also Danger or N, I know I have asked this before...but for the last time I promise I will ask once again...do fan leaves have to be yellow or nutrient sucked looking before a plant is truly mature...or can a ripe and mature budded plant that is ready to harvest still have healthy green looking leaves??? for askin this all the time in advance...lol...D<

 

No worries Daze.
A plant doesn't HAVE to have yellowing leaves, rather it is a result of lowering Nitrogen levels. A plant stores nutrients in its leaves, and when it needs them it uses them causing discoloration.

 

I've been growing pot for a long time, and I've seen what happens to plants that get no water for weeks.
They die.
They fall over and die.
Racer, it's likely that your plants herm-ed on you due to the stress of having their water supply cut off.

 

That's what I'm thinking Ranger.... That's why I am just adjusting my schedule to harvest a few days earlier to avoid the mass pollination. One strain is Romeo & the other unknown... I've harvested a countless number of clones from the unknown strain and the harvest date (initially done with a magnifying glass-RS.100x loupe) has always been between day 63 & 68. I decided that day 68 was optimum for my taste (hey-what do I know?? I desire the smooth citrus taste that I get with this strain around that time). Judging by the development of the seeds on these last few girls... I'd say 5 days sooner & I would have achieved the taste I desire without so many seeds. The only reason I tried it in the first place was to see for myself whether or not less watering would lead to more trichrome production (An old HerbS/CG thread, I believe). I am seeing more trikes, but I am also making other changes as I evolve, so it's hard to tell how much difference it makes. I'm not as scientific as some of the fine folks here, but I no longer keep notes at the grow space & have too many girls going to treat each one as an experiment.
Ranger is also correct that eventually the plant will wilt, lean and die. The pic that Indi shows looks similar to my girls after 10-15 days with no water. Next it will begin to lean dramatically as though it were going to fall over. I use dried bamboo shoots (I get them on my walks through the park)to keep them as upright as possible. I haven't gone much further than that (25 days)because I'd hate to lose a girl in the rotation over tweaking something already tastiliscous. I guess it will boil down to the preferences of each individual to decide how long to starve them....

Daze, if you're growing a strain that you're familiar with, you will learn (after a few harvests) the date range that is within your taste/buzz preference... Just flush 15 days before that date & leave her be.... the plant will begin to dry out (while on the stalk) & you'll still reach the your trike date to boot.
As stated previously, I am not a scientist, nor professional.... just a good ass growing fool. If you wanna see for yourself..... the wife & I spark up @ 7:45 pm EACH and EVERY evening**... You're all welcome to join us...FYI-I will be checking age cards @ the door Minors need not apply. Good Luck.... looking forward to reading everyone else's results.

**-no purchase necesary. Taxes,title,destination not included in offer. Munchies ARE NOT part of the offer(byom). Offer valid for today only...All times are EST.

 

This is to rangerdanger, send me a PM back plz. I sent you one earlier. Thanks

 

I time my flush so that the soil is just dry at harvest. Al depends on the medium realy. Some soils can hold moisture a lot longer. To each their own I say. Whatever works for you is what is best. That's the joy of growing our own...we get it 'our way'

 

Aye, I would suggest supporting up the branches while giving a final drought as well. No need to cause that last bit of stress if you already have a method you prefer.

Racer: That plant is named June Bug and is a cross between Alaskan TF and Mexican Sativa. The leaves were always a little droopy, and the pistils look droopy too...regardless of whether the soil is moist or arid. I like the way she looks, and I'm cultivating my buds for medical users. My goal is for a smooth, organic taste, but I also want users to only need small amounts to relieve their pain. This is why I am experimenting with various techniques to maximize potency while maintaining a completely organic grow. My thumbs have gone green, and now I enjoy cultivation more than smoking.