HELP! (Important!!!) Root aphid infestation harvest

[Caliweed420]

First off hello everyone.
When I properly noticed the root aphids it had already been too late as the plant was already flowering (and I kind of put it off…). Both my plants were always kept in a glass house with a missing wall but therefore had proper ventilation. Now days before harvest the flowers seem to be ripe (fist rule of most pistils being brown), but the buds aren‘t firm and don‘t smell a lot, and rather unpleasant. The strain is a power plant so it may be normal, but I don‘t know when to harvest, or even if to harvest or if the aphids destroyed the roots to the point where the buds go bad? Leaves have now also started to yellow, which is normal I guess but discoloration has also appeared on a few.
The infestation has gone pretty bad to the point where adults are hanging out on the top of the soil and winged aphids are flying around. So the question is are the buds save to harvest/smoke? Why do they not smell like normal buds?
Also my 1.90m plant snapped in half on the way to the dry room…For shits and giggles I let it grow as high as possible, hence the bent top, I know it‘s not the most efficient way.
Thanks for the answers!

[SoOrbudgal]

Was there a question here??? Not enough stronge light fluffy buds or could be strain?? Next time be proactive an spread diamascus earth on the top of soil.

[Caliweed420]

Was there a question here??? Not enough stronge light fluffy buds or could be strain?? Next time be proactive an spread diamascus earth on the top of soil.

Yes, are the buds ready to harvest? Is there a problem with them? Why do they not smell? Why are they not firm? Are they safe to consume? (Everything before the question mark). Thx

[AGH]

Lots of good questions!

1) Are they ready to harvest? Looking at the pics, you have a couple weeks to go. However you don't mention how long they've been flowering so that would be good for a general rule of thumb. Being a sativa, they can flower for up to 12 weeks depending on the strain, but usually 8-10 weeks is normal. The best way to tell is to look at the trichomes under a magnifying glass and once about 10% start to turn amber, you've entered the harvest window.

2) Is there a problem with them? Well, you have a large number of pests and pests poop and they love to poop in buds. That's a problem to me but if you're only consuming it yourself, you can decide what's best for you. You seem close to harvest, so you might just let it run, dry, cure, and then test to see how they taste.

3) Why do they not smell? Maybe their nose is plugged? Just kidding :-p Some strains have a strong smell and others don't. Generally if they don't have any smell, they're probably not ready to harvest. Did you get your seeds from a reputable seed bank or were they bag seeds/given to you by a friend? Genetics play a huge role in how plants grow and develop and if they're not good genetics, you might end up with not good bud.

4) Why are they not firm? Likely because either they're not ready to harvest and will be doing some fattening up or the genetics just don't grow dense buds. Some are dense and fat, others are a little lighter. But again, if you didn't start from strong genetics, bag seeds and seeds saved from plants don't always grow as good/in the same way as their parent plant.

5) Are they safe to consume? Depends on how many aphids have been getting into the flower part of your plant. If they're mainly in the soil then sure, probably fine. If there's a lot of them on the buds you have to consider that even after harvest, drying, and curing they may remain stuck to the sticky buds and any excrement would be there as well.

For your next grow:
- Ventilation is good, but it has to be paired with good airflow.
- Pay close attention to your watering habits. You may have taken the photos right after watering, but the soil looks to be very wet. Pests love moist soil that stays that way for too long.
- Manage not only your ventilation/air circulation, but also your temps and humidity. Managing these and watering regimens will prevent/control pretty much any pest.
- It seems like you understand that you let the problem go on for too long and get a bit out of control. On your next grow, keep a close eye on things and take action at the first sight of pests. Diatomaceous Earth is great to have in your pest-control arsenal as is insecticidal soap and Neem Oil. It's always best to prevent pests, but timely mitigation is a close second since aphids, fungus gnats, thrips, etc. multiply exponentially and it takes a lot to crash the population once they're established. During mitigation, keep on it for a couple of weeks after you see the last pest.
- Clean your tent/equipment very thoroughly before your next grow. Pests can hide everywhere as can their eggs. Do two cleanings a day apart, one with a bleach solution and one with a hydrogen peroxide solution to make sure that you get everything so that you're not in the same situation on your next grow.

Now that it's been a couple of weeks since your first post, is there any follow up? What ended up happening with your plant/pests/potential harvest?