Harvest time indicators

Okay, I can't tell if I have an odd situation or not. My girls are finishing week 8, looking good, but the tops are still 100% white hairs..none are yet red or brown and retracting. The weird thing is that the buds lower down are nearly 25% red hairs..that's why I'm confused...I'd always heard that the tops will mature faster than the lower branches, but that's not what I'm seeing.

The next question I have is whether it is ever the case that the trichs will get cloudy before the pistils turn red? I've been watching the trichs and mine are still mostly clear, maybe 10% cloudy, so I know I've got some time left, but the lack of any red hairs on the topmost colas is freaking me out. Do I have anything to worry about, or will the last week or so see all the pistils start to redden? I know it's the trichs that count, so that's what I'm watching for, but I'm just curious what other folks experience as far as cloudy trichs and red hairs...

Thanks

I follow several factors including the breeder's timing info aong with receding hairs, swollen calyx, tric color......orange/brown hairs on lowers first is not an issue when you take the other things into consideration....upper fresher growth is more likely to look newer...I personally watch calyx swell and tric color mostly......

I am in the exact same spot someone please help

"The next question I have is whether it is ever the case that the trichs will get cloudy before the pistils turn red?"

Absolutely!!! The strain I focus on regularly shows few to no red hairs until a few days before I cut. The trichomes will be 30% to 60% amber, but the pistils are still white. Now the last few days before I chop (usually at 9 weeks) the pistils will RAPIDLY turn red. Plus consider that if you are flowering under a HPS lamp, the hairs will look white under it --- but put the plant in normal light and they are often indeed red.

pick the budds as they ripen..the ones that are left will keep maturing...

Thanks all, that's good info. Heartening to hear that some strains keep white pistils until the very end. I think I will harvest the ripe buds as I go instead of waiting for the whole plant to be done...I might have some overripe small colas from the middle if I wait. I also have one plant that still doesn't smell at all, even when touched, after 8 weeks! Weird...it has trichs on it, some cloudy too, but virtually no odor at all. I'm hoping it's a stealth variety and not an indicator of a weak smoke.