The bright yellow pistils that protrude from the stigma, turn brown/red/orange over time, as the plant develops through flowers, new cycles will produce fresh white pistils, and with each cycle the plant will produce fewer and fewer new ones each time until gradually you will notice hardly any, all will be brown red-orange, this is generally what I use to let me know when the plant is ready to have its trichomes checked.
Using this it's pretty hard to miss the cue.