Should I harvest a bit early?

If you leave them much longer, they will be completely dead, not just the leaves! There is ripe, and then there is over ripe and these flowers definitely fit into the latter category. Do not ever base your harvest on what is written on the packet, they are a guide and not hard and fast instructions. What is written on the packets are based on very broad assumptions and does not take into account all the variables involved with growing and the huge array of growing techniques and grow set ups. Leaving the flowers until the bitter end will produce flowers with degraded THC and higher levels of CBD and CBN, resulting in a heavy somatic stone, with very little high. Harvesting when there are still approx 5% of the pistils which are still whitish will give you flowers with the highest cannabinoid quality, by the time all the pistils have browned/died, the plants' metabolism has almost completely ceased, resulting in THC degrading into CBN and CBD due to the lack of metabolic activity being able to prevent the THC breakdown. Some people prefer the heavy "couch locking" and stupefying effect of high CBD and CBN pot, but harvesting a bit earlier will give you a more uplifting and cheerful high. Judging flower maturity by trichome colour alone does not take into account overall health of the plant, something that is more clearly identifiable by watching the pistils, as this shows the health of the plant and it is plant health that affects cannabinoid quality, rather than trichome colour. Some strains never develop amber trichomes, whereas some strains will have 50% amber trichomes at 4 weeks flowering age. Obviously harvesting at 4 weeks is not going to give you a well developed high, nor will waiting for amber trichomes on plants that will never achieve this, meaning waiting far too long before harvesting, however by that time, the cannabinoid quality has dropped off considerably and the plants are near death with very poor health. A plant with very poor health can not support cannabinoid quality, especially THC. Congratulations on your harvest and the best of luck for your next grow! Hope this helps,...... Organoman.