Really? I have only been growing since 1972 or 1973 and I hold a differing belief to yours. Clear trichomes = not mature plants, cloudy/milky trichomes = mature plants with more of a head high, amber trichomes = mature plants with more of a couch-lock stone, brown trichomes = compost.
　
But what does roughly 37 years of experience actually mean anyway? Not much I guess if your six grows has taught you something completely different, that given timeframes are more accurate ways of assessing when plants are ready to harvest than trichome color.
Trichomes
Trichomes are small appendages that look like hairs. They are produced by marijuana, and other plants. Female marijuana plants produce certain trichomes that are a rich source of THC. These trichomes can be found in their largest concentration on the buds. They start out clear, turn a milky color, then turn amber (light brown).
The trichomes in picture 1 are clear. After the plant has flowered for a few weeks, the trichomes start to turn a milky color (picture 2). After a few more weeks, they will be totally milky in color. In the later stages of flowering, trichomes will turn to a light brown color (picture 3). The amount of time required to get to this point depends on the marijuana strain and the growing conditions.
In picture 2 you can see the stems have started to turn from a clear color to a milky translucent color. For maximum THC content and a more cerebral and energetic high, harvest your plants when a majority of the trichomes on the plants in your garden are a fully milky translucent color.
You can wait until most of the trichomes have started to turn amber, but the resulting marijuana will produce more of a sleepy body stone than it would if plants were harvested earlier. The trichome in picture 3 is about 90% amber, with just a trace of the milky translucent color it previously possessed.
After the trichome is fully amber in color, the THC starts to degrade. This makes it very important to harvest marijuana at the time before a majority of the trichomes have attained a total amber color. If not, the marijuana will not be as potent as it could have been.
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. I choose to harvest my plants when they look ready. I'm guessing the trichs on these plants will be 30 - 40% amber, 50-60% cloudy, and, 10% clear when I harvest give or take. However, this will merely be incidental to harvest not the reason for harvest. My arguement could best be summed up like this: When a plant is ready the trichs will turn amber. However just because you have some amber trichs doesn't mean your plant is ready. I use this https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/28072-harvest-time-tutorial.html to help me out. I only pay attention to trichs once they are ready unless I'm looking for a pedantic exercise (which I am guilty of on occasion).
