The first photo shows a "Special Kush" that I sent into flower at about three weeks. Many plants suffered some heat stress causing many flowers to pop male flowers and self-seed. Others simply stopped growing visibly but like many, this plant's flowers just got denser and denser as the time went on. They are extremely hard and calyxes are very swollen for such little flowers. The second photo is of an Afghani #1 [back] and two much shorter Special Kush (a variety of Hindu Kush some say). Photo three shows some very dense and sticky and aromatic White Widow buds some of who are really starting to open up at the top while calyxes swell though only on perhaps a quarter of the colas' bud are swollen. Photos four and five are of the same plant. Number six is a close-up of some of the bud and leaf that adorns the tops of some of my OTHER Afghans. THESE two plants both shot up a wide array of slender stalks that are adorned with plenty of very sticky, very dense, and very stinky bud though there are more gaps than I would like. My buds are coming out really dense in most cases. This is probably due to 15-20 degree temperature swings (fahrenheit) which is also leading some of the Special Kush to show heavy purple in the leaves. Hopefully the Afghans will show some soon. I know that this is really a judgement call and while some are examining hairs others are examining calyxes and still others tell me to look at trichs. I am merely interested in opinions so if you would harvest any of these buds soon then please speak! PEACE!
Looks like they can use another week. I have the white widow strain also and she usually goes for 11-12 weeks flowering. And even then I harvest the tops and some side branches but then leave some of the lower branches for another 2 weeks to finish. The best way I think is to invest in a cheap microscope and check the trichs daily and cut when the trichs are cloudy with a FEW amber. Too much amber means the degradation process has begun and potency is lost daily.