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How much of a factor in potency does harvesting, dying, trimming and curing have?
On my first grow I totally messed up the drying/trimming/curing part pretty badly, and the potency, was terrible. Even though the buds were covered in tricomes, smelled amazing, and looked great.
Harvest time is important for potency (Too early causes low potency). But you can't do much wrong with drying, trimming and curing. My first guess is that you harvested too early.
Don't dry in full light (Sun or HPS), high humidity and high temperatures. These can decrease potency, but you don't have to worry about that in normal situations. If you let it, for example, dry in your grow space with the lights off, it will not significantly decrease potency.
It's very important. It can decrease potency and can also affect the high you get from the buds. Dark amber trich's gives you a more body stone, while harvesting them just as they start to turn give you a nice uplifting high. Is the difference that great in the two scenarios I just described...To some yes and to other no.
Use a small pocked microscope (v. cheap) or a similar high magnification lens to look at your trichomes.
Harvest when most are milky white for optimal THC content or when many are ambar for high CBD content (body high), never when they are still transparent.
This is the only real way to judge when a plant is ready for harvest.