Non-Semetrical Bud ripening.

My ladies are about ready to graduate and I must say,...I'm a damn proud poppa. Just as children mature, some will be slower than others, what is the proceedure when some buds look "more done" than others. I'm in the 5th week of 12/12 and there's already a couple that look close. The orange hairs are getting close to a 50/50 ratio while other buds remain almost completely clear (I'm talking about the hairs not the trichs ). Is it normal harvesting protocal to cut some buds off earlier than others or is it normal to just leave everything together and cut the whole stock when everything looks done? I understand there's a window of about 5-7 days for optimum THC and I'd hate to have half the buds be on the down slope when I should have picked them earlier.

yes its fine to harvest some before others. ive heard of peeps that take like a month to harvest their whole plant because they just cut the ready stuff litttle by little. also, u dont want to look at what color the hairs are, its the trichs that tell u.

Can you explain more about what I'll be looking for when you say, "the trichs will tell me"?. Most info I've read tells me to harvest when resin glands turn 1/2 white or amber (vs clear) and small hairs turning orange. So is this telling me that "hairs" and "glands" are two seperate things? Forgive my ignorance but I'm a newbe, even though my crop looks like nothing any pro could beat. It's simply covered in crystals that shine like snow flakes. I just don't want to miss the peak....if there is one for these plants.

Here's a picture of buds. It's hard to capture what it "really" looks like with the camera I've got but you can still easily see the white edges of the bud-leaves. Are these crystals what are called "trichs"?

yes grab a pocket scope or magnifying glass and look at the trichs not the pistols when the trichs are 50/50 or so then ur good to chop her but she looks good

Sounds good. I'll get me a scope. Too bad I can't capture the image better with my camera. What's really cool is when I go in the dark room and shine a pure white LED flash light on them. It's the kind of light you'll see from solar yard lights. Very "white". I sware the reflection of the massive amounts of trichs make the room glow. Sparkling and twinkling and...thick. It's gonna be a good summer. Thanks again for the info and advice.