I am growing Girl Scout Cookies Extreme auto and the plant is 44 days above soil. Flowering snuck up on me sooner than I expected and I don’t want to have the same thing happen when it comes time to harvest. I read the harvest guide from this website which says to watch for the color of the pistils to turn brown and when a certain number of them are brown it is time to harvest. Today I read an article that surprised me. It said you can have 2 to 3 rounds of the pistils turning brown and then new, white ones will start growing again. Has anyone experienced this?
I also know to watch for the trichomes to turn from clear to cloudy to amber. It sounds like watering with plain water to flush the plant for the last two weeks is a must. As a first time grower I am worried I will not know when to start that process. What exactly do you guys look for to say “I better start using plain water”? I know for some of you who grow the same strain repeatedly you might know from past grows. How does a first time grower know? Should I be going by the trichomes, pistil color or something else? Thanks guys and ladies.
That auto looks great.
Harvest timing is part science, part art, part experience.
I watch the pistols a little, but as you’re reading, they can throw out white ones even when ready to be harvested.
I watch the trichomes as they progress. I prefer all cloudy with very little amber, but I like an energetic high.
I look at the buds, and check their density. I watch the overall condition of the plant. Usually I go a week or two longer than I expect.
As for flushing. If you’re using synthetic nutes you’ll probably want to flush approx 2 weeks before harvest. If you’re in live soil or using organic nutes only, you might not even need to flush.
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@Drinkslinger I just harvested an Amnesia Haze auto and Sour Diesel and both had started growing new white pistols.
If I remember correctly, not harvesting yet will produce bigger buds.
How long on average does it take for the trichomes to go from cloudy to amber? Is it a good idea to start the plain water when they turn cloudy?
As a first time grower I have no idea how big to expect the buds to get. LOL.
I am in Fox Farm Ocean Forest and using the FF trio nutes.
You’re going to want to flush every four weeks while using fox farms nutes or the salts are going to build up on you. For final flush, I start when the trichs are mostly cloudy.
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Yes. You certainly don’t want to harvest early.
Once again, it can be weeks, or overnight. There’s no exactness. When I was using fox farms nutes I would flush as soon as I saw mostly cloudy. That typically gave me about 14 days before they were ready.
A lot depends on genetics, lighting, nutrient schedule, and health of the plant. But I typically give the cola(s) a gentle squeeze. They’ll grow to the diameter/length they grow. I just want to be sure they’re done. So, If they feel dense like a head of broccoli, I know I’m close. Not the size btw, just the density.
Yes, you should flush.
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Just to clarify I was referring to not harvesting when the first set of pistils turn brown. That article I read said if you wait until the second or third set of pistils turn brown the buds will be at maximum size. It sounds like trichome color takes precedence over pistil color though? For example if my trichomes are turning cloudy or especially amber I shouldn’t worry about new white pistils, is that correct?
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IMHO, correct. I’ll use trichome maturity over pistil maturity every time.
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@Drinkslinger One more question about trichomes, do they appear on leaves and buds? If so, do they progress in both locations at the same time or should I be looking at the trichomes specifically in one location? Thanks for all the great info.
You’ll see trichomes on the sugar leaves and buds. It’s the buds that you want to make your decision from. My sugar leaves look like someone painted them amber, yet my buds just turned mostly cloudy.
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Trichomes are mostly around the sugar leaves and buds. The ones on leaves mature quicker, but since it’s the buds you smoke, you look specifically at the bud trichomes.
