Humboldt Dream Auto

The last two weeks have been extremely challenging b/c of being under the weather. I ended up catching a cold and then as I was nearing recovery, I contracted Covid for the first time ever. Double-whammy! So, while I was expectedly a little neglectful to the girls, they continue to outperform expectations. In fact, outperforming expectations given, IMHO, my current (and humble) skill-level and experience in the garden. What do I mean by that? Well, the breeder (Humboldt Seed Co.) has a suggested seed to harvest recommendation of 95 to 100 days. The trichome pics taken above were sampled from lowest bud sites of each Pheno and as you can see, all heads are full and milky white. Additionally, trichome inspection using a handheld scope confirms a sea of milky white filled heads with some transitioning to amber. The girls are only approaching 80 days according to my calendar. They are not taking up much water and both are beginning to pull from leaves signaling, in my estimate, final stages of growth. I could probably harvest now and be quite content with end product, but I'm going to listen to my gut and let these girls go another week or two. I'd like to see whether the buds continue to bulk up, while monitoring trichomes to avoid too much amber. The timing of harvest (along with drying and curing) is one of the most challenging aspects for a grower like myself. I'm banking on "patience is a virtue" when it comes to the final stages of this grow. Until next week, Happy Holidays everyone.