how do you exactly know when to collect your plants and start drying them? i mean on the seed package it says 8 weeks? so just at 8 weeks do you...or when do you know haha
well depends on what type of grow it is, aka indoor or outdoor and weather its hydro or soil or whatnot. But i believe a good way to tell is when about half on the trichomes (Lil white hairs) start to turn a reddish brown. 8 weeks is just more of a guidline how fast you harvest depends entirely on how long the veg cycle and when you start the flowering process. Even small plants can start to grow buds if you change there light cycle, preatty much just how photo-period plants work.
good answer dschill, but trichomes are the resin glands, and the hairs are pistols. the trichomes can be viewed with a 30-50x microscope to see their color. if you have no access to a microscope you can judge by the pistols, but it's not as accurate.