first I would check how long the strain you are growing is supposed to flower so you have an estimated time of harvest (if its a purple I generally give it the full 10 weeks or you wont see much color even if you have the temp dropped and are using color boosters). As that time approaches examine your bud with a 20-40x magnifying glass. Most of the bulbs on the tips of the trichomes should be a milky white color (rather than clear which is what they are through most of the flowering cycle) when some of them are turning an amber color you are verging on a late harvest. Hope that helps