Quote Originally Posted by puntacometa
Because it takes a good eye and experience to know the opimal time to cut and the waiting can add an extra 10 days to the flowering cycle. ....plus you've got to watch them carefully. I prefer to cut when the trichomes are cloudy with just a beginning tinge of amber. It's tricky......amber means that the trichomes are a bit past full maturity and are starting to degrade. As far as potency is concerned, this is also dependent on a proper curing environment and taking the time to do it instead of rushing it out the door. A two month + curing process can make a huge (and positive) difference relative to potency.
I also watch the pistils to turn color. As they die and dry out, the pistils coming up out of the calyx-ovaries turn color. Some go red, others go orange. This is truely a beautiful thing. As they die off, they are no longer viable to get that plant pregnant and to me that means that that flower bud is definately ready to be harvested. As the Pistils die out, the trichomes do too.