This being my first harvest, I ask the following. ...

Congrats on the cool new kit ! Yeah trichomes are the only thing that matters, after all pistills will turn Amber once you chop , and how quickly or even if they turn Amber is strain dependent . So you want to check out the trichomes at minimum 40x or more, 60x is more comfortable and 100x looks like an alien planet. You're at something like 60% cloudy right now, So keep checking daily because the trichomes can turn overnight . So for maximum thc as you know you want all cloudy no clear, and for that it's better to wait until you see the first Amber trichomes. A lot of the time a plant will ripen faster on the main cola rather than all over at the same time, if that's your case harvest the main first then the rest a couple weeks later. The dark period is basically so that there are less photosynthesis chemicals present at the chop which really helps with the cure, 12-24hrs is all you need, more than that you're likely to mess with the trychomes but boost terpene production. Remember though - thc production happens mostly during the cure ! The cure is very important ! The cure starts the moment you chop until the bud s humidity reaches 50%, light is a no go, try to chop in the dark and jar in the dark to preserve the very sensitive terpenes. Chop, then hang the plant whole, drying period is done when the little popcorn buds snap off the stem audibly . Manicure and jar the buds, inspecting them daily for one to two weeks (remove them completely from the jar then back into the jar again) , then weekly for the next four weeks. You can add boveda packs after the first week or two I be used the 62% ones but I'll be trying the 58% ones next. A bit more than what you asked for, but I hope this helps ! Good luck crossing the finish line ! 🚀