Sativa trichs are generally smaller in size than Indica or Hybrid. 16wk flower period should typically be long enough. Most Sativa/Sativa dominant are around 11 - 16wk flower periods. If it's cold it will take longer. If the plant had issues during the grow then that will effect yield and bloom time.
Keep RH ~45%+ during bloom. I'm not certain, but I believe having lights too close can evaporate terps off. They protect the plant and I've had similar smell-less results before, and that was my conclusion, lights too close, and low RH.
The faster the dry the harsher the smoke, so shoot for 65% RH & 65F when you're drying, I normally can only get around ~55% RH & 68F, so it takes mine about 5 days hanging in those conditions to finally be able to jar up. The faster the dry the harsher the smoke. You can NOT rehydrate. Once it has dried you can't go back. You can add some moisture back but it's not going to cure again, it will just add tasteless weight. Break down the plant into branches for hanging, the bigger the branch the longer it takes to distribute the moisture, and the smaller the branch the faster, I found breaking down into the plants' individual branches was the optimal size for the rate of moisture loss I was looking for. The bigger the branch the bigger the cola, the proportionality seemed to maintain regardless the branch observed and why I think quantifying in branches provides consistent results. Some branches will look like a Jewish Menorah, I will break these branches down into individual branches, trying to create pieces of equal size throughout the entire plant.
After 4-6 days I snap the buds off the branch and jar (what it takes me). I use the "snap test" to get me in the moisture ball park before they are jarred. This means if the buds don't "snap off", rather bend, or bend/snap + a wet fibrous hang nail, then they need to hang longer, as long as needed till the buds can snap off. I hang them off of clothes hangers. If you snap at the node you'll almost always a get long stringy hang nail, so I try for a bit above, at least.
If effort is taken to slowly reduce moisture from the plant, then you'll have good smelling, less harsh herb. The longer you jar the lesser the "harsh" and the better the taste, also potency can increase the high and can sort of "mature" it as well, imo. I've had to find this out the long and hard way, with many crops and tons of crap harsh herb that smelled like hay. Genetics obviously plays a roll, but these techniques seemed to optimize whatever genetics I had.
I do a 7 day flush. I noticed on my outdoor crops where I planted straight into the ground that they always seemed harsher. I wasn't able to control for N near end of the bloom like an indoor hydro grow, and I noticed that the chorophyll content was always much greater in my outdoor grows than indoor grows. I think that this has a great deal to do with the "harshness" of the smoke and the "hay" or odorless smell.
