Though no one has asked, whenever I run a new strain I try it many many times, and the weight of total harvest is usually halved the first time I run a new seed. 3 days before harvest at 90% Cloudy/ 7% Clear/3%Amber I run my first test, herb is heated in oven on 140-170 for about 15 minutes. This gives me a good idea of what the raw thc power will be, don't count on it having the same effect beyond intoxication level, usually the terpenoid profile will change how our brains perceive the high. I personally think that it's because our olfactory abilities are so highly tied with longterm memories, cannabis being a plant that alters our hippocampus abilities could strongly correlate, although I hold no degree in plant biology and have only apprized myself of the raw data.
At harvest of 90-95% cloudy/10-5% amber I usually harvest. Although I have found that certain sativa dominant hybrids benefit from a 85% cloudy/ 15% amber; such as Caramel Ice. It gives a better "lost in thought/relaxed/anti-anxiety" effect rather than the "hunger alteration/euphoria/paranoia" that many sativa dominant varieties seem to dominate with THC and THCV. It can be a bit boring having the same old strains for a month or two at a time, and it's nice to have variety. As my mother lovingly used to say "Paranoia will destroy ya!", although she has since discontinued the use of this phrase. I find that with a higher amber content, the time of day effects the high. In the morning Caramel Ice can't put me back to bed, I feel just as alert and even energetic, but in the evening it will knock me out especially if I'm in a comfortable position.
Beyond that I check the cure once a week after semi-optimum humidity has been established in the drying room, humidity should be lowered extremely slowly once below fungal threshold. I like the buds to not quite roll when smoked before the initial cure. After a week the ember should roll by the third ignition, two weeks the second ignition, and three weeks it should roll from the first hit and should only be lit once. I dry in open glass jars that have an inch between the wall and the mouth of the jar, I find that this makes the buds cure/dry rather than just dry out in a few days. I used to grow in a place that had several lakes and streams running through town and it would take almost 8 day for the buds to dry in my hanging room, at first I though it was a disadvantage, but the buds had a sweeter smell/taste than any of my friends had before. It was a revelation, drying out wasn't just about removing the water from the plant, it was about slowly doing it so that the living branches had to slowly react to this loss of hydration.
I guess I treasure every stage of the grow. Popping seeds, nurturing the young teens, and pressuring them as they turn towards adulthood, and comforting them in their final days. I'm a frequent humanizer of all things. They are the gentlest things on the planet, and they do nothing to hurt you.
I suppose that's why,
ILovePlants