I did harvest the tops first on one table and let the bottoms go tell I was done trimming. It's not worth it. pretty much I feel that if the buds do not get a strong start which is the first 4 weeks then any larf will pretty much stay larf. allthough it did look a little better.
It really depends on your growing style and your needs/goals. If you grow in well manicured scrog with everything below the net trimmed out, it wouldn't make much sense. But if you grow taller more naturally shaped plants, then it might make sense. If you grow for profit and have dozens of plants, I doubt it would pay off. If you are a smaller grower with fewer plants, and you are trying to maximize the potential of each plant, your net result will be a fuller harvest. I've found that the lower buds hairs will turn from white/yellow to gold/brown, and in general the buds will "finish" after I've taken off the top colas and lowered the light. The lower buds won't magically become huge colas, but they should go amber and fully mature if you give them time (an additional 7-10 days can make a big difference).
At this point I've found I can't really do indoor grows in the summer, so if I'm only going to do two winter runs per year I want to get the most out of each plant (I grow 3 plants per cycle, 6 per year indoor). I'm only growing for one patient though, so my overall needs are not as quantity oriented or time sensitive as some others.
