This is a great piece of advice. I was told this by a great grower before my first harvest. If you wait until you have 10% amber how much amber do you think you'll have after 5-7 more days?
Hank, do you remember the ratios and how they changed? I've never bothered to check after it's all said and done.
I've never really come up with a ratio.. like what trichs to chop for what ratio of trichs..
I just remember that through the wet days of the dry the trichs progressed right along with the plants that i left to grow longer.
When the outter layer of the bud begins to dry it slows..
It's all preference.. I think if more people tried earlier though (and with an open mind) they would find that what they call an "earlier" harvest is higher potency.
I had a sativa hybrid (Killing Fields) that I would grow 1 week past peak potency because the smell and taste improved SO much, and was so good, that I found the trade off worth it.. At 9 wks, the potency was unreal.. no one smoked it without commenting on its power.. At 9 wks it tasted like a haze.. that bite that haze has..
At 10 wks though the fruity smell and thicker moist fruity flavor would come out.. I would often harvest for both. But I leaned towards the 10 wk as that flavor and smell was amazing.
That said.. those who ended up with most of that smoke preferred the 9wk, high potency buds over the 10 wk ruby red grapefruit buds (NYCD in the lineage)..
Sativas often have wider and even multiple harvest windows..
I found that 16 wk sativas had an opening around 12 wks.. close around 14 wks.. opens again around 15-16wks.. It might have even kept going, but, I never took it past 16 wks..
It's all preference.. but if you don't make an honest effort to try out what Dr Paul Mahlberg found.. you are missing out. I promise. Don't let an ego get in the way of better buds!
^(Not directed at anyone specifically)