1. I just leave them.
2. Yes, a sign of maturity. You can also look for them along the branches where they will be evident first. Starting a bit early is fine if you want or need to. The longer you wait the bigger the plant and bigger the yeild.
3. From what I understand, it's never too late to LST. What you are doing sounds fine. Just try to ease the plant into it as much as possible - LST stands for 'low stress' afterall.
4. I just rotated my plant every once in a while. I've not heard of any type of rule on this... I just used my own judgment.
That's my take on your questions. Good luck!
CBW
