I have a few pistals just starting to turn amber, just a few....
I know I still have some time, and I have to look at the tricomes, but when you start to see some some color change ...about how far are you in to the grow?
Its a first time bagseed grow,I have no idea of the strain or how long its flowering period is.
Just wondering if this is a indication that im looking at a few weeks now or not.
Trichome color rules the decision, but there is some loose correlation of pistil color to readiness as expressed in trich color.
I also have a bagseed strain going, first-timer also. I'm 8 weeks into actual flowering and over the majority of the plants, the trichs are about 60/40 cloudy to clear. I had amber pistils show about 3 weeks ago.. just here and there; trich's all clear at that point. This pretty much stayed status quo until just the last couple days, when I had a sudden flush of pistils going amber on some branches (not all). I checked their trich's and sure enough, had amber trichs popping thru, but just on those branches. Those branches came down last night.. the rest is still up. I prefer a zippy buzz, so a few amber trichs are my signal to chop.
So, point being.. these changes seem to come in waves or surges. Nothing happens for awhile then.. boom! The next stage appears in a matter of a couple days. So keep watching.. I'm sure you will.
Your estimate of a few weeks is probably right.. could be anywhere from 3-6 depending on your strain.
Also, just a suggestion.. check out fddblk's tutorial at the top of the Harvesting Forum if you haven't already. He also talks about harvesting by branch or sets of branches rather than by whole plant.. I found it helpful, esp. if you have a lot "on the stalk" so to speak. Trimming is time-consuming work and, generally, there's a quality difference between your lower-tier bud and higher-tier / top colas (so, you might want to think up a plan to keep these separate during / after harvest).
