Clear trichomes on sativa leaning plants will have the most “head” high, if that’s what she is then she is ready, cloudy to amber starts the mellowing out and the thc question, well it’s highest at amber, so you have to make the choice

Sativas can be tricky since they can take so long to flower, up to 12 weeks or more. During that time, you will usually have a wide variety of clear, cloudy, and amber trichomes simply because it grows so long and some parts will be months older and more mature. Letting them finish fully will provide the best taste and potency, but the tradeoff is a small amount o the THC is converted to CBD. I have never been able to tell the difference between the small difference in the THC/CBD ratio, but there are differences. The natural range of the THC/CBD ratio varies greatly between strains and Indica/Sativa, and this variation is usually what people look for when searching for specific purposes.
Pure THC with no CBD/CBNin it at all is not too pleasurable. 20 mg of Marinol provides a pretty strong effect, but it isn't much fun, more like paranoia and the feeling of motion. The earlier you pick a Sativa, the less CBD you usually get, but the variation between strains can make it difficult to isolate the highest THC and lowest CBD levels, which is what I think you are seeking. Keep up the good work.

this is an RQS auto-flower strain, I was planning on leaving them much longer and letting them fill out, I was just worried if i was leaving them on to long could i lose much of the THC to a noticeable point. I guessing its not that much of a noticeable difference. Some one said as soon as they start fox-tailing they are done, is this a good metric to judge if the project is finished?

Jimster said:

Sativas can be tricky since they can take so long to flower, up to 12 weeks or more. During that time, you will usually have a wide variety of clear, cloudy, and amber trichomes simply because it grows so long and some parts will be months older and more mature. Letting them finish fully will provide the best taste and potency, but the tradeoff is a small amount o the THC is converted to CBD. I have never been able to tell the difference between the small difference in the THC/CBD ratio, but there are differences. The natural range of the THC/CBD ratio varies greatly between strains and Indica/Sativa, and this variation is usually what people look for when searching for specific purposes.
Pure THC with no CBD/CBNin it at all is not too pleasurable. 20 mg of Marinol provides a pretty strong effect, but it isn't much fun, more like paranoia and the feeling of motion. The earlier you pick a Sativa, the less CBD you usually get, but the variation between strains can make it difficult to isolate the highest THC and lowest CBD levels, which is what I think you are seeking. Keep up the good work.

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I had all intentions of letting them grow much longer, I wanted to leave them because i have done about 7 harvests already and always felt i should have left them longer

Jack og said:

Clear trichomes on sativa leaning plants will have the most “head” high, if that’s what she is then she is ready, cloudy to amber starts the mellowing out and the thc question, well it’s highest at amber, so you have to make the choice

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the main reason i have been holding off is the amount of fresh hairs and pistols continuing to grow

MikeySeko said:

the main reason i have been holding off is the amount of fresh hairs and pistols continuing to grow

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Some strains will produce pistils up to the end... I had a Grandaddy purple that had pistils on it from seed sprouting to harvest for some unknown reason. It turned out OK, so I wouldn't worry about seeing the pistils stopping. I've never grown auto, but I don't usually look at the Trichomes myself, instead I look at the overall growth of the plants and buds. Often, larger fan leaves will yellow and fall off... Sativa is usually more pronounced with this happening. Sometimes I won't have any leaves left, just buds. I look for strange, single bladed leaves growing out of the ends of the buds and sometimes see a little green "horn" that appears. I use these signs to judge when it is finished. Foxtailing can also happen at the end of flowering when it is ready. The green horn might be part of foxtailing, I'm not sure but once I see either, I take them down. The buds also get notably stickier, stinkier, and feel greasy when ready... and of course, you should notice an overall slowdown of growth.
It's always a matter of choice, but it isn't terribly imperative that you cut them at the absolute correct moment... drying, curing, and aging will all change your THC/CBD ratios slightly, so the best bet is to grow the strains that have the profiles that you desire. Enjoy the grow and make it fun... it doesn't need to be hard or complicated!