Okay, I told my friend to get a good magnifier at least 30x. He got a ratshack 60x-100x pocket microscope and called me over. We both looked and looked, and what we see are not any regular trichomes, but they are wide at the base and pointy on top, like rose thorns. They are all clear, even on the very very oldest flowers at the main nodes (The primordia, I guess). So, will we be unable to tell when it's ready except by look and smell?