judging off the number of posts you've both had, you know what you're talking about. but I've been taught to judge solely off of trich color. 15-50% amber. i read it in the bible too. I'm gonna wait a couple days and then leave her in 24 hours darkness. wish me luck, hope you're right
Number of posts, etc, doesn't really make a difference to me...it's all about the experience man and how you convey that if you choose to divulge it.
But I digress.
It is important to note here that while trichome coloring and development is important, it is not your sole indicating factor in determining the true "ripeness" of a plant. I feel as though trichome development gets almost too much attention in both books and here on forums such as this.
Clear, cloudy, amber...it will all get you high and provide wellness to your condition...and the varying degrees of each are often overrated. A lot of it is true-- clear/cloudy trichomes will produce an often "up", more racy stone, when compared to a more amber-toned profile. However, often times these results are negligible, and the placebo affect remains quite strong with stoners. In other words, if we know that it is supposed to give us couch lock, it often will.
When I determine a plant, I look at numerous factors. Some of these is upper leaf curl, lower bud development, general look of the plant from a few feet back(i.e., Fdd2blk's "looks done" method), trichome development by eye/loupe/magnifier/electron microscope(i own a lab grade celestron actually with a USB imager for the sole intention of looking at trichomes), pistillate degree and color, calyx size, pistillate recession, water uptake, positive growth, fan leaf color, fan leaf condition, humidity levels, growing room conditions, days in flowering, etc.
So, suffice to say, trichome development is just a piece of a much bigger picture puzzle.
At the core of it, the plant is done when the grower says so. Nothing else to it. However, the signs of senescence are quite beautiful in the cannabis plant, and it should be recognized and appreciated as such. Merely looking at trichome development will not only give you just one piece of a bigger puzzle, but it shuts you out of the beauty of one of the best times in the plant's cycle.
Just my two cents.