Is this normal?

I am very close to Harvest on my first grow. It has taken longer than expected…longer than was advertised. I checked my trichomes yesterday, and just the first hint of Amber was visible, so I’m giving them another week or so, give them a chance to go about 25% Amber, which is what I want.

Yesterday. I scratched off two different formations which look like the “little balls” in the photo above. I suspect that plant may be trying to Herm-Out on me. Would you recommend harvesting at once? - or should I just scratch them off as they appear, and press on toward harvest? I am totally unsure of how to handle plants that Herm-Out late in the game like this. I have a little more than 15 weeks invested in this Grow.

As things are, I expect my pistils and trichomes will be ready in one week, two weeks tops. Recommendations?

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@Corey, think your plants are looking good so far! Make sure they are pollen sacks and not just the what I call ‘node nugs’ that develop at each branch on your main stem.


here is a small one after stripping the stem of main nugs after hanging…I like just saving these nugs and smoking them all in one bowl. Anyone know the term for these nugs? Above pics good, below bad/male.

this is what the male pistil looks like as it’s starting to form and then what @Daddy1971 showed above.

Just wanting to make sure you aren’t pulling the plant over the nugs that grow off the stem! The pics you posted to me still just looked female so keep on, and maybe post a pic of a pollen sack if one pops.

Edit: oh dang I for some reason thought @Bulbous52 had posted about the pics Corey showed. Richard, if you have those little balls like Reed had showed then if you are confident in your spotting ability then you might just remove the balls quickly as they arise. Though if there are too many/it looks too bad; wouldn’t be bad to harvest now if you see some amber, just might not give you as heavy cbd effects as you want.

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If you think it went hermie, I’d harvest it fairly quickly as it could pollinate the other plants in your grow space. At this point, it might be more of a head high than couchlock high.

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Thank you both for the input. I will keep my Weather Eye on them. If one or two more appear, I’ll scratch them off & give my plants the week or so that (I think) they need, to be Optimum. If a whole bunch begin to appear, I’ll pull everything down at that time.

My trichomes are about 90% Cloudy, with very little Amber. If I’m forced to harvest in the next few days, I do not think all will be lost.

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OK Today’s the Day. I harvested 1/2 my buds and will do the rest this afternoon. 100% of the White pistils have turned orange/brown and shriveled inward. My trichomes are still white/cloudy, with nearly NO Amber coloring. Not exactly what I wanted or was expecting, but my plants have reached the end of the road. Leaves yellowing & falling off, all branches sagging, like they’re near death. I don’t want bugs to take over, and want to get started on my 2nd grow…this time, doing it RIGHT, with Fox Farm soil and a mix of natural/organic and Big Bloom/Cultivation Nation Bloom fertilizer.

Does anyone here know if the buds I’ve harvested will be Mature enough? I wanted to wait for 20%-25% Amber tricomes, but what I have, will have to do. Is there such a thing as a plant whose trichomes NEVER turn Amber? I seem to have read that somewhere. Plants were Sugar Black Rose Feminized and Banana Kush Auto, length of time since germination: Approx. 105 days.

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@Bulbous52 by your description you’re right on time :v: Happy Harvest

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Autos flower when they feel like it, if you went to an unreputal breeder they may never flower, allso if you are giving bloom nutrients to help them along throw them in the trash, you leave autos in veg till they top ie stop growing vertical and are in full flower around 50 days average strain dependent, then u flush veg nutrients check ph flip your switch to bloom and start aclimateing them to your flower agent.

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@CoolBubs those node nugs as you call them are the first calyxes that form to show the sex of the plant. They’re what the white hairs in the nodes pop out of when your ladies are ready to flower.

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@Bulbous52 trichomes will always turn amber with age. Sagging branches is normal when you get a lot of buds on certain strains because the weight of the colas pulls them down. You just need to support them. As far as the leaves it’s natural for them to start to yellow and die off. As long as the top growth around the buds is healthy you’re fine. The lower leaves always yellow and fall off close to harvest. It’s a sign that your plant is close and all of the energy and nutrients are going to the flowers.

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Thank You to all. It is done. This was my first Grow, and I admit I did everything wrong in it. I geared up and planted before coming to these forums for advice, and along the way I made some crucial errors: Miracle-Gro soil being one of them. I didn’t use any nutrients whatsoever, until my flowering was 1/2 way done…I “sample harvested” several clumps of buds plus the strains I picked outgrew my little tent badly. I had to pinch & bend them severely. I am hoping that what I got out of it will Cure well in the Ball jars. Won’t know, for another month or so.

I’ve learned: If I’m going to invest 100 + days of my time in a Grow, to LISTEN FIRST, to people who know what they’re doing. So now I go forth with my 2nd effort in a couple of days (maybe tomorrow). Thank you all, again :slight_smile:

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we all learned along the way, fact is you picked up some tidbits and second grow should be grand!!

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OK 2nd Grow is now underway. I have one Main plant and a Companion plant in a 6" pot next to it - insurance, in case “something” happens. Both are Purple Kush Autoflower, and they seem to be robust growers! Seeds popped on November 10th, they got put in pots on the 12th and here they are. I will create a new Thread for this grow, but just for the Record:

I used Fox Farm Happy Frog soil, amended with about 1/4 cup of Dr, Earth’s Flower Girl bloom & bud stuff…pretty much all Natural so far…in 3 gal bag and 6" pot. There’s someone else in the tent, but pay her no mind. I plan to Bend (LST) them as necessary, to keep them short. I also plan to introduce them to Fox Farm Cultivation Nation Bloom nutrient at about the 4-week mark, 1/2 strength.

17 days and here they are:



My Backup Plant

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Wow thats inspirational 17 days wow.

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And here we are, December 8th. Four weeks tomorrow. My main plant is “all over the place”, but looking good :smiley: Got her tied down without too much difficulty. I did not Top this plant.

It has entered the Flowering stage. Still no fertilizer of any kind. Going to begin a bit of Tiger Bloom (Fox Farm), a weak mix of 1/4 the recommended strength.

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You goit it going on with those plants there. If my girls ever look so happy I will consider myself super successful.

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At the point ur autoflowers have stopped growing vertical ie topped off average arond 50 days u flush out food check ph and add bloom nutrients, i use Atami Bloombastic 1 and a half ml per US gal pour a small splash from jug into 16oz cup of water and feed after you water and drain but go light or you will burn them last grow ghost haze and 3 bears og.

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