I'm Purpleplexed

[Prospector]

I have been gone since 2012 and have a few questions. I cross pollinated some seed-bank stock and am seeing more purple than I have ever seen.

(1) when to harvest it, when all the green has turned purple? I waited a couple days longer then much of the purple disappeared leaving dead or dieing leaf. I do not have a good microscope to look at the crystals. The plant can not do much more without chlorophyll, can it? I added more nitrogen to another purple plant and started growing more green leaves hoping for more THC production.

Please advise,
Prospector

 

[Locked]

Brosef get a handheld microscope....3 dollars US and Free Shipping>>>http://www.amazon.com/SE-MW10087L-Brass-Microscope-Illuminator/dp/B002E0MU70/ref=pd_sim_sbs_indust_6

You really need one if you are going to do it right bro. Seriously, this and a good ph meter are must haves. Just the fact that how you fed her changed her leaf color says you can't go by that. Knowing how mature your trichomes are is the only true way. Sure if you grow the same pheno over and over you could probably eyeball it, but for the most part a cheap scope can help you hit the sweet spot on any strain, any pheno.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Hamster is right--there is no way to check trichs without a microscope.

I am not surprised that giving more N cause the plant to grow more green leaves.....but this can cause problems. Flowering plants are given very little nitrogen, which is one reason the leaves yellow. However the reason for this is because nitrogen retards flowering. So giving more N has probably retarded the production of more THC than it has helped.

Purpling can be caused by more than strain. If you are ending up with a lot of purpling in the winter, it is often related to the cold. So your purple strain could just be reacting to temps and actually have some nutrient deficiency causing the purple.

You might also want to read up on the biology of the plant. How long has it been flowering? They will only flower for so long and then the trichs start to die. In other words, you cannot just flower a plant until the bud is as big or it has as much THC production as you want. The trichs do have a finite life. Get a microscope and harvest when the trichs are ready.

 

[4u2sm0ke]

Trichs Tell the truth..and is only way to detirmine Harvest

 

[Prospector]

Hamster is right--there is no way to check trichs without a microscope.

I am not surprised that giving more N cause the plant to grow more green leaves.....but this can cause problems. Flowering plants are given very little nitrogen, which is one reason the leaves yellow. However the reason for this is because nitrogen retards flowering. So giving more N has probably retarded the production of more THC than it has helped.

Purpling can be caused by more than strain. If you are ending up with a lot of purpling in the winter, it is often related to the cold. So your purple strain could just be reacting to temps and actually have some nutrient deficiency causing the purple.

You might also want to read up on the biology of the plant. How long has it been flowering? They will only flower for so long and then the trichs start to die. In other words, you cannot just flower a plant until the bud is as big or it has as much THC production as you want. The trichs do have a finite life. Get a microscope and harvest when the trichs are ready.

Thank you all for responding. I must have forgot to check a box for responding post notifications. I decided to come back and check for responses.

These plants have been kept no lower than 62 degrees at night and in the low 70's daytime. Is that too cold? I must admit that my keeping track of the details has been less than perfect lately due to health issues.

I read in a growing guide, I think, that when 80% of the hairs have changed color, then it is time to harvest. This is one of the main guidelines that I have used. The purple is from a specific seed strain that I produced through cross pollination. I grew along side these, a lighter green strain that had no purple at all. It must be something about this specific seed stock that I produced. I will get a new microscope.

I have to stop growing (legally) in March because a dispensary opened within 25 miles of my town by line of sight or as the crow flies, even though a mountain range is between my town and the other with the dispensary. They are getting from $400 to nearly $500/ounce for 20% THC content! Isn't that a little High?

 

[WeedHopper]

A little high,,,ya think. Its called Taxing freedom.
As for the readings(BOOK) telling you to go by hair color,,I would suggest you throw that ,,,,,Book,,,,,which is using the term loosely, away, and spend more time here, or over at our new home, Marijuana-Culture.com,,because that(Hair Color Crap) is total bunk and BAD INFO.

 

[Prospector]

Thanks weedhopper, I believe that this technique came from someone from this site in 2012!

I will do better with the current grow, and hopefully have enough stored-up for as long as possible before March!

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Thanks weedhopper, I believe that this technique came from someone from this site in 2012!

I will do better with the current grow, and hopefully have enough stored-up for as long as possible before March!

LOL--anyone recommending harvesting by the colors of the hairs here would have been shot down in no time at all. I highly doubt that you got that from here.

The reason that this is bad advise is because there are a lot of things that can make the hairs turn color before the plant is mature. Pollination, excessive heat, low humidity and other things can cause the hairs to turn brown or red or purple or whatever color they turn prematurely. This is why harvesting without checking the trichs is a poor idea. The only true way to tell if a plant is ready is to check the trichs with a microscope or loupe.

And temps running 62 to 70 will certainly cause more purpling than temps that run say 65 to 80.

I hate to advocate breaking the law, but even if I lived in a mmj state, if I lived over a mountain pass and the cost was $400-500 an ounce, I would continue to grow. That is not what I would call "a little high"--it really is outrageous.

 

[Prospector]

Thanks THG for the additional input. I did not hop around the internet in 2012 but stayed on this site 99% of the time concerning MMJ. My memory is not what it was in the past, but that is now history concerning hair color.

The wait time from Amazon for that scope puts the delivery as late as the third week of Feb. so I just harvested and put some more plants in the flowering enclosure. I will use the scope on the next batch.