Tricky Trichs (another d-Jawz LONG post 😩 )

[d-Jawz]

Hey y’all! How’s it growing? (I know, cliche ) So I’ve been trying to master my ability to identify the right time for me to harvest my girls and after my 4+ years now, I’ve determined these trichomes are tricky, to say the least. I’m a sativa guy in the daytime and like my indicas when my day is over.

It may be just me but it seems to me that sometimes these trichs tend to revert back to clearish after being cloudy. The reason I say this is because, up until lately, I’ve thought they are new trichs I’m seeing. But more and more, I’m not so sure. Now, when I have some foxtailing going on, I expect some new trichomes and I try to ignore them and look to the older trichs and pistil (stigma) conditions.

All strains I’ve grown so far seem different in their own way, but I’ll be looking at almost all cloudy one day and the next time I’m seeing a combination of cloudy mixed with clear and clearish/amberish. Like this Bruce Banner auto I’ve currently got drying. Checking it about every two days, it was a blanket of evenly colored milky trichs for the longest time with no clear to be seen. Then one day (seemed like suddenly), a bunch of clear show up with some light amber, all mixed throughout. Now, if the recent clear were new trichs, I would have thought I would have seen a few here or there mixed into the blanket of cloudy in the preceding days. They could still be new trichs, I don’t know.

But another curious thing, when they get to this point and while looking through a loupe, if I manually blur my eye(s), some trichs that normally look clear take on an amber tone. I’ve always thought that was from close proximity to amber pistils (stigmas) and it very well could be, just not so sure now that they aren’t clear/amberish and they won’t get anymore amber. Like some of y’all have mentioned, the sativas tend to not develop as many amber as the indicas.

I also think I’ve been looking at them a bit wrong maybe. Looking at the pics of trich stages, in the middle one for cloudy, notice the bulbs have a little clearish with the cloudy? (Not my Bruce Banner, they were solid milky white). Then if you look at the next pic for half/half, you’ll notice the clear around the amber inside the bulb. This is where blurring my eyes reveals an amberness in the clear bulbs I’ve been thinking was reflection of surrounding pistils (stigmas) in new trichomes where it may actually be a trich that has lost it’s cloudiness but hasn’t and my not ever turn amber until well past it’s maturity.

This may also be supported (to me) by something I read within the last week by one of you knowledgeable growers out there (I’m sorry, I am so bad with names - but I remember it was one of the many names in this forum of whom I respect their opinions) where said growmie advised the poster to look at the trichs under natural light. The bright LEDs may change how the trichomes appear. (I’m not sure what natural light is anymore )

I do know one thing, I’ve let quite a few of my ladies go too long. Plus, I find the whole thing fascinating. I think I’ll come back here after further research and post my findings. Maybe all my babbling here will help a new grower along the way.

What are your thoughts, growmies? Anyone else heard of cloudy going back to clear or experienced anything similar? Or have I just been partaking in this fine herb too long? I’m very interested in your points of view.

[kaptain3d]

Interesting conversation…
I’m curious to see what the community has to say about this

[d-Jawz]

Me too, as well as being interested in your thoughts kap.

[kaptain3d]

I like to think I know what I’m doing… But mainly I go by feel…

@Cannabian had an interesting take on the shape of trichomes and the ripeness of the plant. Here’s what Google’s IA says about this:

"Cannabis trichomes are microscopic, hair-like resin glands that appear as clear, stalked, mushroom-shaped, or bulbous structures, coating buds and leaves to give a frosty, glistening, or sticky appearance. These glands, primarily found on female flowers, are categorized by shape: capitate-stalked (mushroom-shaped, high-potency), capitate-sessile (flat-headed, no stalk), and bulbous (small, bulb-like).

Key Trichome Shapes and Structures

• Capitate-Stalked Trichomes: The most prominent type, resembling miniature mushrooms with a distinct slender stalk and a large, spherical resin-filled head. These are 50–100 microns wide and up to 300 microns tall, making them visible to the naked eye, and they contain the highest concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes.
• Capitate-Sessile Trichomes: Similar to capitate-stalked but lack a stalk, appearing as a flattened, mushroom-shaped, or dome-like head sitting directly on the plant surface.
• Bulbous Trichomes: The smallest type, appearing as tiny, simple, bulb-like structures. They are not visible to the naked eye and are distributed across the plant surface.
• Non-Glandular (Cystolith) Trichomes: These are not resin-producing but are hair-like, often appearing as “bear claws” with a cystolith base on the top of leaves, acting as a physical defense.

Development and Color Changes
The shape of the trichome changes with maturity, particularly as the head expands.

• Clear: Immature, low-potency, early-stage trichomes.
• Milky/Cloudy White: Peak maturation, indicating the highest levels of THC.
• Amber/Brown: Overripe, where THC begins to degrade into CBN, often associated with a more sedative effect.

Function of Shape
The mushroom-like shape of capitate-stalked trichomes allows for the maximum accumulation of essential oils (resins) and protects the compound-filled head. These structures act as a defense mechanism against insects and UV light while producing the plant’s characteristic aroma and potency.

[Jaysittinback]

The lighting of where you take the pic, windowsill/daylight, grow room, kitchen etc… I noticed changes tric pics. Some strains are wierd too the way they finish or dont, or maybe something I do or dont do hurts the process I dunno.

[Growdoc]

I’ve had them go from clear, to milky, then to a translucent milky, but never back to clear. I’m sure lighting hours and ppfd has some effects on them too.

[d-Jawz]

I think lighting does effect the appearance, and surroundings makes a difference too. I remember seeing someone’s BOM entry (I think it was) where I noticed a bunch of green trichomes. There was something day-go-green in the background causing the effect, looked cool.

[d-Jawz]

@Growdoc

never back to clear

I guess I don’t mean “back to clear” but where they loose their cloudiness and never really go to amber. Maybe I’m not seeing them clear enough to tell the difference between clear and the translucent. I don’t watch trichomes real close anymore, I don’t even look at them until the stigmas have pretty much all turned brown. Sometimes it seems like I miss the all cloudy stage altogether.

[Growdoc]

I don’t check them until pistols have been brown a couple weeks, then I start scoping.

[dbrn32]

@Growdoc

don’t check them until pistols have been brown

Right. Checking them prematurely opens door to seeing newer trichomes.