So everything on the plant faded that doesn’t mean its ready right i dont have a jewelers loupe so i cant check the trichomes
An also do you stop feeding nuets at the point of fading.
Stopping nutes is your call, but most people do stop 2 weeks before planned chop date…I do if I’m using bottled nutes.
Many folks seem to stop feeding waaaaay before that too…not sure why honestly…a starved and deficient yellow plant at 4 weeks into flower just ain’t gonna get people what they are likely imagining…but i digress.
You really need something (binocular lens, magnifying glass) to get a good look at the trichomes but if thats impossible there are a few other things to consider…
1 - the breeders suggested flower time and the number of days in true flower your plants are. Strains almost always go longer than their advertized flower time imho…hmm wonder why lol!
2 - combine the above with a deep visual inspection of the flowers…top to bottom. You’ll want most of the pistils (hairs) to darken (usually red or brown) and recede back into the brach (aka calyx). Flowers at the bottom will never be as big/mature/ripe as the flowers at the top no matter how long you leave the plant.
3 - you can usually see how milky the trichomes are at a macro level even without a magnifier…you want the resin on the flowers to look white.
This is when i chop…hairs dark and receded. Trichomes all milky white with a few amber visible under magnification…the plant is most potent when the trichs are majority milky white. The more amber the more sedative the effect.
An old timer once told me “wait till you think she’s really done…then give her another week”. Not sure i agree with that explicit advise but the point is don’t rush your hard work at the end…
Jewelers loop is $10 on amazon. But really a decent phone camera should let you zoom in. Maybe you could even use a hand held magnifying glass if your eyes are young enough… not like mine… lol
Hey Folks, I am in Argentina. Low altitude desert altitude and we just got an early cold snap. Not quite down to freezing and I think it will warm up with some sun next week. My question is, if it will remain cold and rainy but not go below freezing is it OK to let my plant continue on. Half of the Trichomes are milky, none are amber. Thanks
Looks like you have some white hairs left, they should be all red and receded, like the pic above. Rainy is not good at this point, you may want to shield them from rain if you can but they need to breathe so they don’t mold / rot.
My last harvest I had to chop early due to weather… it sucks. But if I didn’t I could have lost everything.
Read @StickyFrostyBuds post above, very good write up.
Then, it’s up to you:
It takes 8 to 10 weeks from 1st sign of pistils if you remember when it started.
Like others said, white hairs almost gone.
Colored hairs recede back into the bud.
If you have no way of checking, go til you think they are done, then wait another week or so.
Do you have a pic?
Pictures would help, but here’s a couple recent examples if it helps, but the “overall look” calls are based on experience with trichomes up close, fwiw:
90 day auto:

105 day auto:
You want nearly all those white hairs to turn brown and recede back into the calyx’s then start checking trichomes. A digital microscope is like $20 on Amazon. You want to focus deep into the bud not the tiny leaves. Tricome on sugar leaves can be deceiving and go amber weeks before the plant is actually ready.
If that is one of your grow that’s some beautiful big buds.
Thank you …simple organic growing to medicate.
Very nice in that case i have a few more weeks im actually about to feed today
Nice pics! Yeah, 3-4 weeks+ based on just the pistils.
I hope we get a south american version of Indian Summer.
USB Microscope on a stand, AMazingdelivery.com $22.00
With connecting adapters may connect phone.
I use laptop for
x1000 or (1500) better than my eyes, for sure.
Yep, I have one thats wifi, I could use my hot spot on my phone when doing outdoor stealth grows. I never use it anymore since I picked up a newer phone. I was just replying to the OP comment of not having a jewelers loop.
Either one would work though, and that’s pretty dang reasonable on price.
I was innocent, I thought. until I saw bugs, with the new microscope.
Green Grow Learning Syllabus required adjusting.
But, I do love the bud porn.
Now I look before washing, before harvest, even.
Bugs get the cook routine, after the drowning.
De-carbed Kief mining, I hope.
Hello, I can never figure out where to ask questions and just go to a topic close to mine and recently active. I am in Argentina and it’s winter. I planted some seeds that I thought were auto’s in February, they would have had plenty of time to flower etc but it turns out they were not auto and I now have plants that still have 2 months of winter left but are flowering a bit. My question is should I just let them do whatever they are doing in my makeshift greenhouse until it’s warm enough to put them outside or should I trim off the flowers as the days are not getting longer. thanks