I thought so but I'm such a rookie but thank you so much I'll black out the lights for a couple days and chop!! So excited!!Looks cloudy with just a few clear - prob good to chop for that haze sativa high
Don't chop!
I still see white hairs (pistols) and 12 weeks just doesn't seem long enough for such a sativa-dominant appearing strain.* If you chop now, I can guarantee the flavor will be hay-like and your buzz will be weak, short-lived and possibly anxiety inducing. Moreover, a sativa-dominant strain naturally gives off a very rushy high and so it's always nice to allow a bit of amber trichomes (CBN) to level that just a bit. My gut says to give that lady of yours another two weeks at bare minimum--you'll be glad you did.
I'm in week 11 of a 50/50 indica-sativa strain: All hairs are orange, calyxes are swollen and yet I still plan on giving it another week or so. This mentality is the result of a few early [and disappointing] harvests when I first started growing, some years ago; you live and you learn.
* Trichomes are indeed the best indicator, but in this case it seems ambiguous and so I base my opinion of your plant's maturity on the abovementioned.
Thank you so much for the feedback
What other signs should I be looking for? I'm in no rush as I'm trying to get the best out of my little girl on my first attempt ... Her smell has changed completely... At first she was really fruity smelling and now I think her true smells are coming in and all of her calyx seem swollen ... I also noticed the white pistols But read somewhere that new ones are always growing (could be confusing it with the trichomes or might be wrong all together haha) do you think the cbn will turn her into lazier high... I took a nug just over a week ago and I loved the effects I was getting of coarse the taste was off and the trichs were mostly clear at that point but I wasn't disappointed
The trichomes are by far the best indicator. Allowing that sativa to amber a bit, say 10-20%, will still give you an "up" high, it just won't be so racy. But just as important, more of those pistols will turn orange and the calyxes will swell further; I've seen the pics of your plant and while it looks lovely, it still has much potentinal to swell, pack on weight and become dense(r). Just give it a couple more weeks.
Here's what breeder TGA Subcool advocates in regard to harvesting (and I tend to agree):
"1. Fully formed but still clear will provide a cleaner ‘up’ high with less sedative effect; this is the best window for heavy Indicas.
2. Fully formed and turning slightly cloudy or milky; this is probably the best time to pick most hybrids available today.
3. Fully formed completely cloudy or milky with at least thirty percent of the heads turning amber; this is usually best window for the late maturing Sativa’s such as Haze. This is also a good window when using the plant primarily for Hash production.
With the Sativa dominant hybrids you want to make sure that all the trichome heads are fully formed and also about thirty percent amber. Letting a plant mature beyond this will risk flavor as well, the finished smoke may be harsh with very little “high”."
Bottom line: Give that plant just a little more time, aiming for at least 10% amber.
I'd love to but I was discovered by my parents so I gotta chop her downI'd give it another week imo.