I have had to chop plants a little early that still had white hairs and the smoke got me plenty high and was still very medicinal. Your not going to ruin your harvest if your plants have some white pistils. I actually prefer a less sleepy buzz and I noticed when I let the buds turn an orange hue and really ripen for 10-11 weeks in flower the smoke has a benadryl sleepy effect and I get more side effects like dry mouth, dry eyes etc.
This makes sense, because as THC ages and oxidizes (exposed to air/light) it turns into CBN.
The trichomes on the plants were still scattered amber with all white heads with there still being some white pistils. Some strains if you wait until ALL the hairs are orange you will be overripe and the smoke will not have the same effects.
