So I'm hoping to harvest a Buddha Syrup on Sunday. I ended up getting a USB microscope to get a better look at the trichs than my jewelers loop gives me. Overall she is about 30% clear, 70% cloudy, with slight amber starting to show up in quite a few of the heads. As I was looking I noticed these long icicle looking trichs. You can sort of see it in the first picture but the more zoomed in ones are better. Are these just mutant or is it maybe a sign they were damaged somehow and lost the head? . .
Those are young trichomes, they haven't yet developed the head. I'd wait a bit longer for sure. Read this for a more scientific approach: http://www.mjguide.com/tutorials/Harvesting and Curing/1529.htm
Nice writeup.... I had not seen that before. Thanks! The trichs in the picture are from a popcorn bud on the bottom of the plant that is not as far along as the rest of the buds. It's almost all Capitate-Sessile on the main buds. I think I will take another look Sunday morning at the main buds and and decide from there. As of now I'm guessing I will let her go another 3 days to a week after Sunday. Unfortunately she has been root bound for around three weeks and I'm having trouble keeping her going.
With regards to your plant being root bound try a deep drip tray and put some ph balanced water in that for your extra week. That's what a friend does, and they come out great every time. Good luck.