With a 5x magnifying glass you can see the trichomes on the leaves of the buds. (not the hairs, those are called pistils) If blind like me, perhaps a 100x pocket microscope from Radio Shack. $20 last I saw.
The trichomes look like a clear stick with a round ball sitting on top. Like a Tootsie Pop, but clear.

Anyway, as the plant matures, the ball on the trichome will start to turn cloudy or milky. You'll likely want most of the trichomes milky before harvest. Milky is usually a stronger sedative effect and smoother flavors.
I let mine go till fully milky. Suits my needs just fine. :thumbsup:

I'd ditch the foil. Promotes heat retention. White closet walls do a better job anyway. (flat white paint)
Rusty Trichome Reviewed by Rusty Trichome on . 2nd grow - need advice please high folks....this is only my second grow and im a little stuck at the moment...i have been growing 2 plants cheaply for amount 3 months now,they are in multipurpose compost/get watered (which contains miracle grow) every 2 to 3 days and were sitting under 7 household cfl bulbs (20 watts each similar to a 100 watt conventional bulb/1150 lumens)which i find are brill for vegging but due to them being in the wrong light spectrum they are a bit slow encouraging bud growth.i have just changed the 7 Rating: 5