Best Time to harvest!-Exactly!

My Crop is just about reaching maturity,but this time I want to get the Harvesting exactly(!) right.I understand the time to crop is when the trichomes are turning translucent to opaque-any guidence on percentages?Is it really integral to get the timing exactly right and if not how much is the result diminished?
George Cervantes' 'bible',recomends cropping whem the trichomes are clear.This does not correspond with the advice I've been given.Any ideas?

 

I aim for 25-30% amber and most of the rest milky......leaving only a small amount of clear. But this is just my preference......alot of people like having a good bit more that are amber and then just some milky.

 

I like my trichs 1/2 amber 1/2 milky, but like maniac said it's all personal preference. Depends a lot on the strain too.

 

I vote for mostly cloudy/clear with a little amber. That's for the top colas the lower usually need more time ~ week or 2.

 

Thankyou All.Most helpful!

 

"The heads. You're looking at the heads. Sometimes he goes too far. He's the first one to admit it" Dennis Hopper as the Photojournalist.Apocalypse Now.
(apologizing for severed heads adorning Kurtz's headquarters)

 

Those would be decapitated stalks in the weed world.

 

....one more question,excuse me.When it comes to Harvest-can I just 'chop' the Plants in half-remove the top-half,that is half the main stem + cola, and then lower the lights to finish rather than removing the buds and leaving the main stalk.Or will this 'stress' the plant too much.

 

Yep. That is the prescribed method