Veerry Close Now...New toy helps a Lot

[TOKABIGONE]

Finally got the Skybasic 50x to 1000x digital microscope so I can view trichomes. I felt sure harvest was close but needed a better view to be sure. 50 to 1000 is BS but it's not bad to do a count. This is same as @MagicMike but a diff label as much china crap does. I'm thinking with approx 50% clear and 45% cloudy, 5% amber I am within 2 or 3 days. Buds aren't as fat as I expected but it is what it is. Tommorow inspection will tell me to flush which I may be late on but rookie here, no excuses! The trichomes don't lie. I'll get a few oz of decent smoke and good treats.

Below plant pic is from yesterday.
Micros are today 4/16/21.
I'll get better, this was first time I turned it on. Even with the stand on a bucket next to bud it is very difficult to get a focus as depth of field is so short. The phone app is simple and basic but has a remote shutter control which is helpful so to be perfectly still.

[MeEasy]

I use a microphone stand to hold my microscope steady it's much better than my shaky hands. Make sure you are looking at bud parts and not leaves because leaves are liars lol actually they ripen at a different rate than trichomes on the buds. My way is to follow the hairs/pistils to where they come from and that is bud 4sure. The percentage of amber cloudy clear is a preference thing but imo 50% clear would rob you of fat and would leave you a smoke with a short speedy high. I'm sure you have seen this or one like it but just in case

Edit =lol I haven't actually read the pic i loaded in a long time and it doesn't agree with me. I stick by my post though waiting for more cloudy trichomes is a better idea imo

[Farmbuck]

Bonsoir sir. I see a lot of cloudy ones. It could be me but I don't see much amber what are you aiming for ? 30+% ? Love your girls !!

[TOKABIGONE]

Haha, pick a number any number below 30. I only know good or bad from this site. Never had control over it before.

[DaGreenBlazer]

Yo dude, they're looking like really nice buds and i love how it's crowned out so well too with all those bud sites!

The only thing i thought I'd ask is how much longer you were thinking of giving them before chop, as you mention you may start flushing soon?

Reason i thought I'd ask is, from the looks of the 1st pic there's loads of new flower sites going on all over, and they still look like being the fresh, plump new pistils rather than the ones you often see at end of grow which just wither & go red/orange straight away. Plus it doesn't look like final swelling has completed yet, which may also be why you thinking they not as big as expected.

Also, you say 12/12 started 21/02, which if that was when the lights actually switched, the 8 week flowering period wouldn't start until 7 - 10 days after that, so my observations are that plant looks more like it's somewhere in week 6 rather than coming to end of week 8 and that would match the calendar too. If 21/02 was when flowers first appeared & lights did switch 7 - 10 days before, then yes this would be in week 8 but that probably just means it's a longer grower than 8 weeks.

If you were planning on chopping within 7 - 10 days then i just wanted to say I'd personally wait another 14 - 18 days, as i think they look like they're still packing on weight.

If your timetable means that you would be going another 14 - 18 days or more anyway, then please just totally ignore this lol!

Just wanted to make sure you not chopping asap, as I'd say that's only gonna get better and i wouldn't be surprised if it's still another week or 2 before you started seeing a noticeable rise in amber tric count anyway. (Congrats too on the new scope as they are awesome - i just got new one too and love it!)

Also, as a final point for why you think bud size is smaller than anticipated; I've never tried the gradual light reduction trick, though my readings on it is most growers who believe in it seemed to have found it only benefited in final couple weeks. So to my mind, you're reducing daylight hours far too soon if you're starting it 3 weeks after flip and continuing on 3 weekly increments - various grow reports I've read (the ones that believed in it anyway, as it is a classic argument, pretty much like flushing is lol!) said the same ripening effect can be achieved in final few weeks and the extra growth sacrificed by reducing any earlier than a few weeks left doesn't make it what extra ripening can be achieved be worth it. Most of them would reduce in increments too, but over the space of 4 to 5 days in final 2 week period, rather than over majority of flowering period.

That's just my take on it anyway dude so please don't think I'm ripping into your systems or anything, and apologies if I've not read anything correctly either - just hoped could help pack a few extra grams onto those babies if possible, as they look sweet now though i honestly think they'll push out the extra weight your eye's are expecting soon!

[TOKABIGONE]

Wow DaGreenBlazer. Thank You! That was the most clear, concise and to the point on every side of the issue answer I/ve ever seen, Great Job! Every point you made either concurred with my approach or detailed why not.

Aside: I like your handle too because I'm a UO Duck fan! Bred and born in Oreon until I retired and left to get out of that radical left environment.

[DaGreenBlazer]

Hehe! Thank you dude - i was hoping it didn't sound like too much of a criticism or anything, so really glad it was of some help!

And cheers too man - I'm English so it's not football related, though I've heard of the Ducks tho, and their kit is my 2 favourite colours as well!

[MagicMike66]

As others have mentioned, be sure to check the actual buds as the sugar leaves will show amber way earlier than the buds. You’ll get better with the scope after a few times using it! 👍🏻

[DeadlyFruit]

I very much liked DaGreenBlazer s response. The only thing I would add is it seems strange that there are that many ambers mixed with clears in the photos. Maybe a quirk of the strain. If it were me I would leave them until the pistils were mostly dark and the clears mostly cloudy. I think you will see more weight pack onto the nugs if you wait.

TOKABIGONE good luck!

[TOKABIGONE]

DaGreenBlazer , @MagicMike, DeadlyFruit, et all. So it's been another week, since last post on ripening. Now at 9 weeks since the switch. I've been looking close at the trichomes every day or two and not a lot of change. Little increase in amber with a few more cloudy now but not enough yet. Quite a bit more yellowing of the leaves as the nutes are being drawn from them including the sugar leaves. A bit more fattening but not quite as much frostiness as I expected by now so either an issue with my care or this batch of seeds isn't carrying much of that gene. I believe another week of pacing the floor will show mostly cloudy so it will be time to chop.

[MagicMike66]

Sounds like you’re doing all the right things my friend. Definitely close

[DeadlyFruit]

Sounds like you are getting closer! The lack of frosty is probably just genetic. The cbd plant I used to grow had very little sugar on the leaves no matter how long it grew.