Harvesting

BobNarley · 05-31-2008, 09:22 AM

Harvesting
Female marijuana goes through several stages of flowering.
First a few flowers appear. Then new flowers develop around the
first ones. Flowers also form at each leaf node along the branches
and main stem. The buds start to fill out so that the cluster becomes
thick with pistils (the little antennae) reaching out for pollen. The
pistils are white, or sometimes shaded pink or lavender. They look
fresh and moist.
Some of the pistils begin to wither and turn red, purple, or
even a light brown. Just as the cluster looks like it's finished, a new
wave of flower growth appears, usually concentrated in a relatively
bare spot. Successive waves of flowers may appear for weeks.
The flowers close, and the calyxes start to swell. This is a false
seed pod; the flowers have not been fertilized and no seed can
develop. These pods are totally covered with resin glands. At
maturity the glands should sparkle like individual jewels in bright
light. The individual glands should appear clear under magnifica-
tion. When the glands turn amber, the buds should be harvested.
No bud should be picked before its time. Plants and varieties
differ as to maturation pattern. Some plants mature all at once, so
that the whole plant can be picked. Other varieties mature from the
top down. One respected researcher claimed ""Most plants I've had
mature bottom to top. The main bud was the last to finish." Under
lights, however, the top buds mature first most of the time. Next,
the buds nearest the top and so on. The buds on the outside of the
branch are likely to mature faster than inner buds. It may take a
month before the plant is totally picked. Picking the plant a little at
a time allows previously shaded portions of the plant to receive light
and grow.
A HARVEST PROBLEM

Some equatorial varieties need so much light to mature proper-
ly that it is virtually impossible to supply the intensity using ar-
tificial light as the only source. These plants grow flowers but the
growth is loose and the flowers take months to ripen. Sometimes
the flowers "run". They grow very sparsely along the stem instead
of forming tight clusters. Increasing the amount of light helps. One
grower said that lowering the temperature in the grow room en-
courages the plants to develop more compact growth.
Although these equatorial buds may not look great, and have
less commercial value, they may still be extremely potent and be
genetically coded for the soaring sativa high.
Usually, indoor flowers are not as compact as outdoor grown
flowers. They are every bit as potent though, perhaps more potent.
Outdoors, plants are subject to a harsh environment. Wind, rain,

animals passing through, plant and animal droppings all take their
toll on THC glands. They are punctured, rubbed off or even wash-
ed away. Indoors, plants are living in a friendlier environment and
almost all of the glands produced remain on the plant. The more
glands present, the stronger the grass.
MOLD

Dense buds are sometimes attacked by molds. These fast-
growing, non-green plants grow from spores which float in the air.
They start to grow when they come in contact with a conducive en-
vironment: high humidity, low light and temperatures in the 60's.
These conditions are most likely to occur outdoors or in a
greenhouse during harvest season, when the temperatures are lower
than during the summer and when there is less light and higher
humidity from the dense foliage. Any moisture or wetness is easily
trapped in the buds and the molds grow quickly, turning a beautiful
bud into mush or slime overnight.
Indoors, molds also occur during harvest season, usually due
to low light conditions and too high a humidity.
There are several things that can be done to prevent molds, and
to limit the damage that they do. Molds are much less likely to grow
when the temperature is above their ideal conditions. By keeping
the space in the high 70's, their growth may be prevented. Since the
spores float in the air, they can be precipitated using a negative ion
generator. This means that there are fewer agents to create infec-
tions. Lowering the humidity by using a dehumidifier or air vent
stops the growth.
Once mold occurs in the space, the farmer should take action
immediately. The mold's growth can be stopped by raising
temperature and lowering humidity. Increasing light intensity helps.
All buds which show signs of mold damage should be harvested.
Some growers cut the infected material out of buds instead of
removing the entire piece. The site of the infection can be sprayed
with a 5% bleach solution to kill the remaining mold. This need not
be rinsed.
Some growers use commercial fungicides available for various
molds, but many of these are not recommended for food plants and
others have long residual life.

05-31-2008, 09:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
BobNarley My Mood: Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mojove Desert-Southern California Posts: 530 gRamz: 8,065 Danks: 28 Danked 17 Times in 14 Posts	Harvesting Harvesting Female marijuana goes through several stages of flowering. First a few flowers appear. Then new flowers develop around the first ones. Flowers also form at each leaf node along the branches and main stem. The buds start to fill out so that the cluster becomes thick with pistils (the little antennae) reaching out for pollen. The pistils are white, or sometimes shaded pink or lavender. They look fresh and moist. Some of the pistils begin to wither and turn red, purple, or even a light brown. Just as the cluster looks like it's finished, a new wave of flower growth appears, usually concentrated in a relatively bare spot. Successive waves of flowers may appear for weeks. The flowers close, and the calyxes start to swell. This is a false seed pod; the flowers have not been fertilized and no seed can develop. These pods are totally covered with resin glands. At maturity the glands should sparkle like individual jewels in bright light. The individual glands should appear clear under magnifica- tion. When the glands turn amber, the buds should be harvested. No bud should be picked before its time. Plants and varieties differ as to maturation pattern. Some plants mature all at once, so that the whole plant can be picked. Other varieties mature from the top down. One respected researcher claimed ""Most plants I've had mature bottom to top. The main bud was the last to finish." Under lights, however, the top buds mature first most of the time. Next, the buds nearest the top and so on. The buds on the outside of the branch are likely to mature faster than inner buds. It may take a month before the plant is totally picked. Picking the plant a little at a time allows previously shaded portions of the plant to receive light and grow. A HARVEST PROBLEM Some equatorial varieties need so much light to mature proper- ly that it is virtually impossible to supply the intensity using ar- tificial light as the only source. These plants grow flowers but the growth is loose and the flowers take months to ripen. Sometimes the flowers "run". They grow very sparsely along the stem instead of forming tight clusters. Increasing the amount of light helps. One grower said that lowering the temperature in the grow room en- courages the plants to develop more compact growth. Although these equatorial buds may not look great, and have less commercial value, they may still be extremely potent and be genetically coded for the soaring sativa high. Usually, indoor flowers are not as compact as outdoor grown flowers. They are every bit as potent though, perhaps more potent. Outdoors, plants are subject to a harsh environment. Wind, rain, animals passing through, plant and animal droppings all take their toll on THC glands. They are punctured, rubbed off or even wash- ed away. Indoors, plants are living in a friendlier environment and almost all of the glands produced remain on the plant. The more glands present, the stronger the grass. MOLD Dense buds are sometimes attacked by molds. These fast- growing, non-green plants grow from spores which float in the air. They start to grow when they come in contact with a conducive en- vironment: high humidity, low light and temperatures in the 60's. These conditions are most likely to occur outdoors or in a greenhouse during harvest season, when the temperatures are lower than during the summer and when there is less light and higher humidity from the dense foliage. Any moisture or wetness is easily trapped in the buds and the molds grow quickly, turning a beautiful bud into mush or slime overnight. Indoors, molds also occur during harvest season, usually due to low light conditions and too high a humidity. There are several things that can be done to prevent molds, and to limit the damage that they do. Molds are much less likely to grow when the temperature is above their ideal conditions. By keeping the space in the high 70's, their growth may be prevented. Since the spores float in the air, they can be precipitated using a negative ion generator. This means that there are fewer agents to create infec- tions. Lowering the humidity by using a dehumidifier or air vent stops the growth. Once mold occurs in the space, the farmer should take action immediately. The mold's growth can be stopped by raising temperature and lowering humidity. Increasing light intensity helps. All buds which show signs of mold damage should be harvested. Some growers cut the infected material out of buds instead of removing the entire piece. The site of the infection can be sprayed with a 5% bleach solution to kill the remaining mold. This need not be rinsed. Some growers use commercial fungicides available for various molds, but many of these are not recommended for food plants and others have long residual life.

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