honestly, I wasn't even sure if it was time to harvest. I did everything off the naked eye and I definitely wasn't able to look at trichomes to determine so i went based off the ratio of brown to clear/white. i harvested only the top cola and left the bottom bud sights on to see if they would grow anymore lol anyways, time to cure and dry. cant wait to taste my first full grow!
Congratulations on your first harvest, it's certainly a bit premature, I think they would have needed 2 more weeks for an optimal ripening cut. Looking just pistils is not a good option since sometimes the pistils turn brown regardless of maturation (pollinated, stress, friction, and especially nuts) especially those that look so stiff, personally, I prefer to review several parameters made up of: ( added here my personal preferences)
trichomes: milky with + 10% amber
pistils: brown but not stiff, they should be nestled in the bud
looking bud: calyxes should look fully formed, with no stiff pistils, and less shiny trichomes but more "creamy" color
Bud hardness: when they are very hard when pinched.
smell: normally you can notice an evolution in the smell, reaching its maximum exponent at the end of maturation.
Anyway, no worry, it just time and runs when you find your best (for you) optimal cut. Enjoy your fruits!! 🙏
@Seedsman, thank you so much! honestly, i really need to get a magnifier with a light so i can look at those trichomes. i look forward to doing a second run of this one as i really did learn a lot off this!