What should I do?

**TheGreenMachine** · 20-10-09, 05:06 PM

The weather forcast for the rest of the week is not very favorable for me.
Already had one lot of rain, more is trying to fall as I write this and the rest of the week is forcast for it where I am.

I'm seriously thinking about chopping the Indica tonigt.
I've got no Loupe to check the trichs as it hasn't turned up (from sodding hong kong).
All I've got to go on is this:

Still looks maybe a week early but better that than a rotten plant if you ask me.

Oppinions please!

and the main cola

You can also see the water running out of the buds in some of those shots and with more or less 4 or so days of rain due, I'm thinking best get what I can while I can before it's too late.

Sorry the pics aren't better but not that easy taking close ups with the wind blowing your subject all over the place lol

**dj #** · 20-10-09, 05:10 PM

right for the sake of the situation today forget the state of the trichlomes, whats the pistles doing? is there 70-80% brown/withered ?
if so then chop mate, its the best indication you can go by with out magnifying loupes etc for judging trichs

**TheGreenMachine** · 20-10-09, 05:14 PM

On some of the lower small buds some are still opaque with the tips going brown but for the outer main dense buds, I would say about 50 - 60% are brown and the rest opaque with say 40% of the length of the pistil tips going brown.

Think it might be worth chopping the buds that are most ready and leaving the rest for as long as I can?

Or would that cause stress at this late stage?

**dj #** · 20-10-09, 05:21 PM

sounds like there's stress happening anyway on your behalf GM

she obviously has a couple of weeks to go till finished, so its really up to you
dont worry about stressing the plant mate do what you want to do if you think it will save your crop and stop you stressing

**TheGreenMachine** · 20-10-09, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by dj #

sounds like there's stress happening anyway on your behalf GM

she obviously has a couple of weeks to go till finished, so its really up to you
dont worry about stressing the plant mate do what you want to do if you think it will save your crop and stop you stressing

PMSL...
I am a panic pants aren't I lol...

Yeah, I think I'll crop off the most ready buds and leave the immature buds for a few more weeks.
At least if it all goes pear shaped, I've got some smoke out of her.

I'm not too bothered about the Sativa which definately has months to go and I don't think she'll survive.

Cheers again DJ...
I'll report back after I've done. Best get on now before the light fades too much to see anything lol.

**TheGreenMachine** · 20-10-09, 10:49 PM

Well, after much serious deliberation, I'm affraid to say the Indica got the chop in the end.

After my conversation with DJ I went out to re-assess.
It took me over an hour to finally bring myself to chop her down.
So many things racing through my mind for and against the idea, but I finally gave in and did it.

I've just finished trimming and hanging my goodies in my drying cabinet which is now full to max capacity.

I'm glad I decided to chop her in the end because on closer inspection I found no end of decent buds which had become tainted with bud worm.

All in all, the buds aren't very compact, and I think this is due in most part to the weaker sun they get during outdoor flowering but I'm gonna get a fair bit of smoke out of her.

I can say this for nothing, my hands were so sticky after trimming that I couldn't touch a thing. I couldnt even rub my fingers together to make any finger hash properly because of the friction the stickyness caused.

In the end, I selected the biggest and fattest buds for drying and curing and the smaller pop corn type straglers, I put into an open container with the trim for hash making.
Got a massive mixing bowl full of small buds and trim so should get a good bit of hash or honey oil depending on what I attempt lol.

I've got a bit of a problem though and that's how to dry these small buds and trim.
I've no room in my cabinet what so ever.. I barely got all the buds in without them all touching.
Would I be okay to sprinkle small amounts into many cardboard boxes (so that they are spread out thinly) and then put them in the attic?

Shame she had to go so early, but I think in the long run, I've got plenty of buds which were near enough harvest ready which will give me a decent amount of smoke plus plenty of trims to make a bit of hash or oil.
I'm fairly certain the bugs and weather would have won if I hadn't plucked up the courage to chop her now.

I didn't half feel like a canibal as I hacked my way though her poor limbs

Still, she went to a good cause... Me

A semi successful harvest is beter than no harvest imo and I'm happy which is the main thing.
And if she ends up a poor or harsh smoke then I know all that sticky will make some nice oil

PS took a couple of pics, nothing majorly exciting but I did make sure to get a couple of the bud worm.
Will post them later or tomoz. Just enjoying the tiny bit of finger and scissor hash I managed to get.
Bored to sodding death trimming and sorting lol...

**TheGreenMachine** · 21-10-09, 10:12 AM

Right, as promised the pics of yesterdays chopathon.

My poor girl right after the chop:

One of many "Bud Worm" creatures:

And finally, the end result:

I had to line the floor with cardboard and sprinkle some trim in there.
Got so much trim and small nuggets that I had no where to dry them.
Got some in the cabinet on the floor and some spread out on a sheet of cardboard in the attic.
It's like a pantry in my attic, very chilly (not freezing but about just right) so they should be okay I hope. Will keep checking and turning trim every day or so.

The main crop is pretty airy and leafy as I said, but it certainly doesn't lack crystals that's for sure! Sticky wicky lol

All in all a pretty decent result for my first grow which was outdoors and cost me virtually nothing except some cutting compost and some nutes

Peace!