Curious about the growth cycle. So if a plant starts producing trichs early in flower, say week 2, how long for those trichs to starting filling up? Is this based on the life of the trichome or a certain time that the plant starts filling them up? Will trichome that are produced in the last few days leading up to harvest have enough time to fill up or do they have to also wait multiple weeks to be filled?
1 Like
This is the only one im semi qualified to answer. Typically foxtails equals new buds equals bewer trichs. Ive found most foxtailed buds to be immature and airey. Not as good quality smoke period. And I can only chalk that up to not enough time maturing.
The rest, Id love to hear about.
1 Like
First: use silica. It’s necessary for trichome production. (the stalks are mainly silica). Trichomes produced early in flower along with sugar leaves will age and degrade ahead of main trichome production on flower. Potency actually goes down during final bulking up of the plant. Certain conditions can increase trichome production like heat and low humidity but often at the expense of terpenes. It’s kind of a balancing act.
I don’t usually even look at them any more and go more by the aspect of the plant, it’s age and the condition of the mature flower.
6 Likes
Old school like before everything got so detailed. How did we even manage to get high before the scientists got involved?
7 Likes
Yes, I thought DRYING was cut a bud and place on lamp for drying before smoke.
Trying to learn differnt, now (cure/sweat). How long will trichomes stay white?
1 Like
Like everything else about this plant, that can vary widely from plant to plant. Most suggest checking daily from the time all the pistils darken and recede.
2 Likes
I just now cut a bud off a plant that probably has a few weeks to go. I will just leave it exposed to room air for a couple of days until it is dry enough to smoke. Drying with heat does adversely affect the potency and taste. Just put in a paper bag is the old school way I remember.
2 Likes
That is very interesting to not get fixated just on trichomes
I’m with you there!
I get very widely varying trichome colors based on which branch, how high up in the cola it is…etc. It is maddening!
I cut my last one (below) based on trichome color instead of pistil die off. which may have been a minor mistake. But it smokes beautifully and is a great high. It may be splitting hairs and maybe the best thing to do is look at both then make a decision
3 Likes
I am harvesting a branch from somewhere in the garden, almost daily.
They don’t look nearly as good as yours, but they survived my mistakes, until being selected, now.
Curing is the goal required to graduate.
2 Likes
Yay! You’ve got this!!
1 Like