HARVESTING AT THE RIGHT TIME
For the best yields, it’s crucial that you know how to identify when it’s time to harvest by the colour of the trichomes. This is something you should start doing in the last couple weeks of the flowering stage.
Since trichomes cannot be seen by the naked eye, they must be looked at with a magnifying glass or jewelers loupe. If the trichomes are still translucent, they are not ready. At this point, they’re still producing cannabinoids, something you don’t want to interrupt. Buds will grow exponentially in the last 2 weeks, so be patient. When trichomes start turning milky white, it’s an indication they’re close. The buds still won’t be ready, but this is the time to be most attentive. Around half of the pistils should’ve darkened to an amber-brown colour by now.
The trichomes will transition from a milky white to a cloudy white tonality. Harvesting during this stage will give the most psychedelic/mental effects, but it will yield less hash than if you wait. It all depends on the grower’s preference. When trichomes finally start to turn amber, there’s no more time to waste. Harvesting during this stage will create more of a body high associated with indica strains.
There is a short, yet manageable window to achieve a good mental and physical high combination. When the trichomes still display a cloudy white colour, but are already turning slightly amber, harvesting will result in a nice mix of effects. A good time to chop is when ¼ of the trichomes have turned amber, while the others remain cloudy.