There's a lot of information out there, with everyone giving different answers because they have different preferences and had a different experience. For a new grower, or at least me, it is so so difficult to understand the harvesting process with all these different answers going around
Here is THE WAY to determine your plants level of maturity and how to decide when its is actually ripe and done. Before even thinking about harvesting take a look at this and see if your plant is actually showing you all these signs.
The signs of ripeness are pretty standard.
First a few of the pistils begin turning color and start receding. Your plant is just starting to ripen. Depending on the strain you could still have two months to go. We're just starting this journey.
Two to four weeks later you'll notice that most of the pistils(>80%) have now changed color and curled back into the bud. It's frosty, way bigger than it was a few weeks ago, and smells dank! It's time, right? Not a chance killer. Patience is a virtue
Over the next 2-3 weeks it doesn't look much different, maybe a little more swelling in the calyxes, and the rest of the pistils change over, but the stems ars starting to bend under the weight of the buds. These ladies are putting on weight and now the buds are doing their final ripening.
Now you begin looking at trichomes, on the calyx not leaves, and harvest according to your preference. When looking at trichomes it’s essential to look at them from the side. The bulbous heads can magnify the opaque stalk under it. Looking from the side allows you to more accurately see the condition of the resin in the trichome head.
There is still no rush to harvest, the window just opened, and you have several weeks before you MIGHT start having to think about it possibly beginning to get too ripe. It takes WEEKS for plants to mature not days.
It is very easy to harvest a plant to early. It is very hard to harvest a plant to late. I’ve never seen someone accidentally wait too long.
Harvesting plants too early will significantly reduce yield, potency and overall quality.
With regards to flushing, it has ZERO scientific basis. You can not remove nutrients from a plant once it has consumed them. Flushing is an old hippie myth that got perpetuated through peoples confirmation bias, and companies selling products to make money off said people.
The keys to producing the best quality are to search for and grow good genetics. Provide the plants with the proper environment to encourage healthy growth. Feeding the plants just what they need to be healthy and happy(not a bunch of extras). Letting the plants finish maturing and ripening properly, and then SLOOOOW drying them.
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