you're proving yet again how i fucked up with six slabs in a 4x4 man. my lowers aren't anywhere near the tops in terms of ripeness, and the tops have created such a canopy now penetration isn't optimal for them to keep up. i literally have two layers of maturity. top half looks to be finishing, bottom half looks to be at what i expect at this stage. i hate telling anyone they're right, but you've called every step man...
Could you multiharvest and take the tops first to let the bottom ripen a week or 2 longer? It does sound to me like the early ripening up top is stress related from not just the strip but also a bit of nute excess and too much light on the upper canopy. With the bottoms a couple weeks behind the tops, that points pretty hard at the light source honestly. Maybe not on it's own, but in combination with other stressors.
I wouldn't feel too upset, even if it's not what you were hoping for, your grow looks pretty badss and I still think you'll do well. And this grow besides the weed has provided you with some decent lessons and insights to take forward. I make mistakes all the time, and almost everything I've ever learned about growing has been through trial and a lot of errors. I'd be full of shit if I said my adventures in rockwool or any medium have all gone smooth or yielded heavy.
What matters is firing up the next cycle and applying what you've learned from the previous cycles. We are both playing with fairly advanced growing techniques at this point, in amateur home grows no less that honestly aren't fully dialed in. There is a lot to consider and a lot of small things that can add up to bigger problems quickly. Just the way she goes..
Frankly I'm most proud that you had the fuckin balls to even go for it lol, Both of those strips are intimidating as hell and you went viking on it man! Nothing ventured nothing gained.