Reading trichomes in bad light

A cheap 60x loupe and direct sun beat an expensive digital microscope used in a shadow. Check the same three or four cola areas every time so you're comparing like to like.

What you're looking for

Clear trichomes mean not yet ready. Cloudy trichomes are the bulk of the ripening window. Amber trichomes mean the compounds inside have started to degrade. Most people are aiming for mostly cloudy with a small percentage of amber.

Where to check

The mid-to-lower colas ripen later than the top of the plant. Checking only the top cola will make you think you're further along than the plant actually is.

The bad-light problem

Digital trichome scopes are genuinely hard to use accurately in shifting outdoor light. A simple jeweler's loupe held up to direct sun, checked at the same time of day each time, gives more consistent results than fighting glare and shadow with a screen.

What we do

Daily checks starting once pistils are 60 to 70 percent darkened, always mid-morning, always the same handful of cola locations, logged with a date so we can see the trend instead of one noisy reading.