shuggy4105 said:
can someone post in what order the trichomes develop clear to cloudy, then ...?
When Trichomes first develop, the THC that fills them is perfectly clear. THC is clear in it's most pure, most psychoactive form.
As the production of THC in EACH Trichome stops, it immediately starts to degrade. The first step of degradation is turning cloudy.
As the degradation continues, the THC in EACH Trichome goes from clear, to cloudy to very light amber, to darker amber, to brown, to black.
As I've said above, it's at it's most psychoactive when it's clear. It's at it's most worthless with no high at all when it's black.
Each of the colors between are stages from one condition to the other in very predicable steps.
SO WHY in the world do people wait for the trichomes to turn amber, you ask? If this is when it has already lost some of it's most potent psychoactive properties?
BECAUSE the plant also keeps creating more and more NEW THC as the older THC starts its progress into aging and degradation.
ALSO because when it ages, it's properties change and the high turns into a more couch lock version of a high. This is when it's in the light amber to medium amber color stage.
IF you let the plant keep creating more THC that is clear, while some of the other THC turns amber, then you have THE MOST THC on that plant.
This makes the plant have the most THC possible. It will however affect the type of high.
If you are after a pure THC, most psychoactive high, then you should harvest at the very first sign of the very first amber that shows it's ugly little head. That will give you the most potent psychoactive high you can get from that plant.
If you're after a light body buzz AND the most psychoactive high, then you should harvest when the very first dark amber THC is observed. This will give you a harvest of that type of high.
If you're looking for a downtown, heavy duty, locked to the couch type high that makes you go bye bye to dream land, then harvest when all the Trichomes are light amber to dark amber with only a tiny few remaining clear. Smoke some of this and you ain't moving off the floor if a wild tiger comes in to eat you.
REMEMBER, it's the color of the Trichomes on the ENTIRE plant, not just a few here and there.
I hope this makes Trichome color better understood.