When to harvest?

Get a jewler's loupe or magnifying glass of any sort that's 30-60x. Can be as cheap as $5-7 or you can get some fancy ones that take really nice pictures too. Read ed rosenthals run-down on trichomes. Amber is when things are breaking down, but you likely want some portion to be amber. One thing i would note is that after you cut a limb off, it is still alive for maybe a day or two.. possibly more on some low level that may not be relevant to this. Large limbs would live longer than cutting off individual buds to dry. My point is that trichomes continue to develop after you chop it from the plant. I'd observe the plants too as they dry. If you use clones or a similar strain or see somethign so common you can plan for it, you may find you cut the plant a day or two earlier and it will reach the development you actually intended to have. If you have too much light or heat, it may never seem to finish, if only looking at top canopy - as it throws new pisitls, foxtails and evaporates trichomes from heat and/or light. So, judge it all over, and it may alert you to a small problem you didn't know you had, too.

Hello.. Hope you are well.. 2 ways most ppl look for.. 1) 2/3rds of ur pistols wil b brown/red.. 2)use a jewellery loop/x60 magnifier to check her trichomes (the tiny crystals on buds-look like little round capped mushrooms).. These start out clear wen the tops swell then turn cloudy then turn amber.. Wen they all cloudy this is best time to harvest ur girls.. If u let 10-20% of these go amber u will get a more couch lock heavy stoned buzz.. Stay safe n gud look.. 👍🍀

By the trichomes. You need a very good magnifying glass or a jeweler's lens to see them well. I use a 40/60x dual lens jewelers light with LED light that I bought on Amazon for $20. You'll need photos so that you know what to look for. Trichomes become cloudy as weed gains potency, and eventually to amber as it converts to CBD. 40-60% cloudy are the beginning of the harvest window, but below maximum potency and yield which you hit at 60-80% though some harvest later for more CBD (at the cost of THC). There are other methods but this is the most precise method.

Look at the trichomes through a handheld microscope. Some people use a jewelers magnifying glass. For high potency you would want the trichomes to be cloudy. There are 3 stages and you’ll have to find your sweet spot depending on what you want out of your bud. Stage 1-Clear Stage 2- Clear/Cloudy Stage 3- Cloudy Stage 4-Cloudy/Ember Stage 5- Ember Hope this helps a little!