To harvest or not to harvest...

[Baron164]

My first grow and it's outdoors, it's starting to get cold outside and I'm pretty sure my plant is still not ready to be harvested. I'm concerned that it's going to die before it's ready to be harvested. The leaves are still green except for the leaves growing out from the flower areas. Those have mostly all died, shriveled up and turned brown. Is this kind of behavior normal? I'm just not sure if I should let it keep going or just call it a day and harvest what I have now.

[NebulaHaze]

It looks like you may have a little bit of bud rot where those dying leaves on the buds are located. I'm glad you caught it now before it got worse! If it were me, I would harvest the buds now, make sure to trim them (don't let the buds sit around with wet leaves or the bud rot might get worse), carefully remove any brown or discolored bits, and start the drying process.

[Baron164]

Ok, I've been removing the brown bits as I find them, I only have 2 or 3 clusters that have browned like that, the rest of the plant still looks fine, should I harvest the entire plant? The pistils are still mostly white so I didn't think they were ready to be harvested yet.

[NebulaHaze]

Great, it sounds like you've been on top of it. It's a judgment call when it comes whether to harvest early. On the on hand you want to wait until the buds are as ripe as possible, on the other hand you need to avoid mold. Mold grows best from 60-70°F and when it's dewy, humid or rainy. You need to be very watchful in conditions like that. Our bud rot page has more information, I hope it helps!

[Baron164]

Yeah, at this point the temp is in the 60's during the day but its been dipping into the 40's at night.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Morning 164 , I would definitely listen to Nebula advice on your plant , She's good. I also grow outside and MJ can stand light frosts for several days as long as it gets up in the 50s an 60s during the day. Cooler weather even helps with mellowing out the taste of your bud and other things too. Don't let a little frost scare you to harvest early. Good Luck 164

[Baron164]

Thanks all, I'm gonna harvest tonight and get everything hung up and drying.

[Flexy123]

The bud rot could be from cold/wet temps if you live in the UK or something.....but it could also be from caterpillars! Last year I had a caterpillar infestation, they eat small holes into the buds which you can spot and then parts of the buds start to rot. If you have caterpillars, check out "bacillus thuringiensis" to get rid of them.)