17 replies to this topic

[migreen]

Hey all...I am waiting for my trichomes to get milky in color....is it best looking at them (using a loope) under other lighting besides your halide?

[rockinlespaul]

I try to look at my trichs under normal lighting. I think the lighting used in the grow room can be deceiving.

[JohnB RPh]

I like my 60 - 100x magnifier with a built in light. Amazing detail. Only cost around $13.00

[JohnB RPh]

But that raises another question. I've always waited until I saw a few amber trichomes as well. Am I waiting too long?

[Northern Lab]

But that raises another question. I've always waited until I saw a few amber trichomes as well. Am I waiting too long?

That's more a matter of opinion than anything. It also depends on what effect you're looking for.

[Timmahh]

the more white (CMH BULBS) the light the better representation of the color.
i run with CMH lights so i just pull up the loop

[migreen]

I am thinking the amber flowering light i am using will give me a false reading or at least not as accurate one...I guess i will take them out of the box to look at them or when light goes off then use loupe and flashlight....Thanx to all who responded and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

[wingnut]

the more white (CMH BULBS) the light the better representation of the color.
i run with CMH lights so i just pull up the loop

CMH bulb.


Benefits:
There are many benefits to these lamps. The main reason for even considering these lamps is the fantastic spectrum of light they produce. Check out the chart below to compare to output of a CMH to a HPS lamp.



As you can see there is a great deal of light energy available in the blue spectrum as well as the red. HPS lamps produce lots of light but its not the "right" light. It is true that plants can adapt and grow well under HPS but they will do better under CMH. Think of it this way, the sun, the light we are trying to reproduce inside, is full spectrum not just a lot of yellow / red. So why just give them yellow / orange? Basically HPS has become the standard for growing in supplied lighting conditions. This is mostly historical (now) because that was the best we had…now we have alternatives.

Other benefits include they "throw" less heat, they have very little color shift (less than 200K over their life time), your plants will have less stretch (tighter internodes).

[GanjaWarrior]

http://www.amazon.co...24015575&sr=8-2


My wife got me this for xmas....wow. Looking through the loop i was no where near ready....looking through this. oh man...two more weeks would have made this whole crop sleepy time meds. I have pretty good eyesight, trying to judge the color with those lil hand helds is a joke.

[The Digital Nomad]

NFO on bulbs and ballast.

http://www.gelightin...ation_Guide.pdf

I view my trichromes under the HPS with no problems, the 30X scope has its own light bulb.

You harvest plants at various stages - some times clear, some times cloudy, or amber color. The earlier the harvest, the speedier the high. You chose the harvest point that fits your medical need.


DN

[Camnibus]

I use the flash from my camera at lights out, then I can zoom the hell out of the pics.( I am old and refuse to wear glasses,lol))I usually chop when they're all milky and just starting to show amber tones. This is a couple days before chop, I got excited and deleted the last set of pics.

[SparklyBuds]

http://www.amazon.co...24015575&sr=8-2


My wife got me this for xmas....wow. Looking through the loop i was no where near ready....looking through this. oh man...two more weeks would have made this whole crop sleepy time meds. I have pretty good eyesight, trying to judge the color with those lil hand helds is a joke.

Thanks for that link GW - and a good idea for my hubby's birthday present

[amish4ganja]

These things are awesome. Easy to use and perfect magnification for viewing.

http://www.google.co...ed=0CKkBEPMCMAk

[rockinlespaul]

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Deluxe-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B004QF0A1Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324015575&sr=8-2


My wife got me this for xmas....wow. Looking through the loop i was no where near ready....looking through this. oh man...two more weeks would have made this whole crop sleepy time meds. I have pretty good eyesight, trying to judge the color with those lil hand helds is a joke.

Those are nice but I don't like clipping bud off to look at it. I like to look at the whole plant, in different bud site area's.

[The Digital Nomad]

I grab a hold of a leaf on a cola, it helps to steady the bud and viewer.

You can cut off a part of sugar leaf and take it to a table - if you can't stand or hold still. While trichromes change all over the plant, usually the oldest colas will show the oldest trichromes - amber - while the plant is still growing and popping new trichromes clear. You sample different parts of the plant to 'average' the trichromes you want - clear, cloudy, or amber.

I used to advocate to wait til at least cloudy, but some are showing that chemistry is active and different in clear state too. Amber of course is a different chemistry state too - THC is degrading to CBDs, so less 'speedy or heady, and more sedating and body'.

DN

[GanjaWarrior]

Those are nice but I don't like clipping bud off to look at it. I like to look at the whole plant, in different bud site area's.

no clipping needed. granted u might not have a computer close to ur grow, but i hold it in my hand just like any other loop i look over my whole entire plant with it, takes pictures too. no need to cut off anything to look at it. Ive only ever needed to do that with hand held scopes n the such, then its been helpful to cut chunks off. this model insures i never need to do that

[CaffeineForAll]

Anything less that 60 power will result in refraction off of the trichome glands themselves resulting in a white washed image. Therefore use a microscope, and if you want to check various sites, snip the finger leaves for viewing. If shoving your eye into a tiny eye piece sounds annoying get one of the usb microscopes.

Also THC only "degrades" into CBN.

CBD is produced from CBG, which coincidentally is also what THC is produced from. The change to milky color is generally contributed to terpene production, and amber is CBN. Size and shape of the Capitate Stalked, and Capitate Sesille glands are better indicators of harvest time.

Remember THC percentage is based on weight. The difference between 10% thc and 20% thc directly relates to yields. Meaning the 20% bud actually weighs more dry, than an equally sized 10% bud. Poor mans THC test, grind up 10grams dry herb, extract through butane, weigh the resulting BHO. 1 gram BHO = 10% total Cannabinoid content 2 grams BHO = 20% total cannabinoid content. Inbetween just move the decimal!

Happy growing!

[Cannab Rx]

I have used a usb Microscope with good results to check the Trichomes:

Here are a few pics of Red Diesel at 8 weeks.



Small leaf removed from top bud



Paper clip for scale

I found the usb microscope for around $40.00 on Amazon

Search for "USB Digital Microscope with 400x Magnification" just plug it into your usb port and go.

I have a hand held scope also but this works the best for me as my hands shake and it is difficult to get a good look

This is also handy for documenting the various Trichome states and the effects produced when consumed.