High THC strains 20% and up.

[Dorje113]

It's the percentage of thc in the trichome, supposedly.

I think it has some merit as tool in comparing different phenos that are all prepped the same and tested at the same time... but I also think there is likely a wide range of accuracy and precision of the testing from lab to lab so the extent of it's usefulness is questionable.

I also think a good digital vape can be very revealing, the amount and quality of vapor does seem to track with thc percentage, so if you get used to using a vape it can be a pretty good indicator of potency. Smoking is much poorer indicator because all weed smokes no matter how potent it is.

But in the end the quality of the high an exceptional strain gives you is what you're after anyway, so in that sense testing is just a curiosity and not that useful at all... most og kush varieties are mid teens but a good og has a great high even though it's not the most potent weed on the shelf...

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

There's absolutely no way that's possible. Methinks Krusher was right.

i think its by volume and yes hash will be 40-50%thc at dispensaries which is why i say its by volume..... but who knows other guys may be right...

 

[CalcioErba2004]

Ok the THC percentages that seed banks give are a general potential for the genetics, at least what the original genetics potential is. In the end it all depends on the grower. Genetics can only get a plant but so far. High THC strains are going to be most of your sativas(not indicas, don't know who said that).

White Widow still tops the list IMO, there have been buds tested at close to 30%. This is also from growers that know what they are doing and have their set ups dialed in. If you give an experience gardener and a beginner gardener the same cut and test the end product, most likely the vet garderner's bud is going to test higher because he knows what he is doing.

 

[Baba Ku]

A graph of a reading will show little spikes at different frequencies. Each substance of the total sample will provide a spike of a certain frequency and can be identified.
The spike that accounts for the THC would be 20% of the total sample, and the only way this can be done is by sample volume. They are not extracting the resin from the veg material for analysis. They whole sample is used. The percentage is of the total sample.
Basically, depending on method, the sample is turned into gas and that is where the readings come from.
Same with a piece of hash. The sample is turned to gas and readings of the spikes are taken then identified.
I really don't know this shit, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night...

*Cal, I agree with you for the most part...but if a grower does not have the genes to work with, and specifically the proper pheno, then I don't care how good he grows, he can only achieve so much. Genetics has a greater value than we sometimes give credit.

 

[CalcioErba2004]

Oh I totally agree that without genetics you are wasting your time. The grower brings out the potential in the genetics. One can have the good genetics and still mess it all up if they don't know what they are doing.

I personally don't go by what the seed companies tell us. No matter what, not every seed is going to be whatever % THC they claim that their strain has. I do believe the best of the best will reach that potential and only if grown right.

 

[Dorje113]

A graph of a reading will show little spikes at different frequencies. Each substance of the total sample will provide a spike of a certain frequency and can be identified.
The spike that accounts for the THC would be 20% of the total sample, and the only way this can be done is by sample volume. They are not extracting the resin from the veg material for analysis. They whole sample is used. The percentage is of the total sample.
Basically, depending on method, the sample is turned into gas and that is where the readings come from.
Same with a piece of hash. The sample is turned to gas and readings of the spikes are taken then identified.
I really don't know this shit, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night...

*Cal, I agree with you for the most part...but if a grower does not have the genes to work with, and specifically the proper pheno, then I don't care how good he grows, he can only achieve so much. Genetics has a greater value than we sometimes give credit.

The tests I've seen the sample is heated to vaporize the trichomes, and this gas is what is analyzed. The whole rest of the sample is left behind, which by weight or volume is a majority of the sample.

Also, it is true genetics are key. Jesus couldn't get potent weed out of genetics that won't allow it. The grower can only allow the genetics to fully express themselves.

 

[Captain Ginyu]

Geez, some people really need to read more books on the plant! THC is a hereditary trait. You cannot change a plant's genetic makeup, by use of nutrients, or growing methods. If a plant has 12.5% THC; then, that's what your'e stuck with, despite how how much you spend on light, nutrients.

 

[simos]

Geez, some people really need to read more books on the plant! THC is a hereditary trait. You cannot change a plant's genetic makeup, by use of nutrients, or growing methods. If a plant has 12.5% THC; then, that's what your'e stuck with, despite how how much you spend on light, nutrients.

That is the strain's maximum potential if grown to perfection. That doesn't mean that everyone who grows it out is going to produce bud that comes in at 12.5% Tetrahydrocannabinol by volume, or even close for that matter. You seem to have missed the point of what was being said.

@ the people who don't understand how GC/MS testing works but are nevertheless spewing conjecture in this thread - yes, it is by volume of the entire sample, not just that of the trichomes. If you don't believe me, email the people at Steep Hill or CW Analytical Labs and ask for yourselves.

 

[simos]

Here's an image of potency test results taken from Steep Hill's website:



Take note of the words "by dry weight"

 

[Tafari]

Indicas are typically more potent then sativas.

Not actually true Mr. Blue2.

 

[vaped]

I am again calling bullshit on THC percentages. THC is only found in the resin glands. Some of my strains are 100% covered in trichomes. If I was to disolve a 100grams of 20% THC weed in Iso and extract oil, I wouldn't come near 20 grams, maybe 8-9 grams on a good run. This tells me there is NO WAY 20% of the bud is THC. Now, if we are counting the amount of THC in a trichome how does that weigh in on the fluxuation of different strains and there trichome saturation? Either way I disagree with THC percentages and think they are just a tool for marketing hype with breeders/dispensaries. The only true test is the smoke test!

 

[DiiZZii3]

to make this simpler whats tested is a bud... lets say that bud weighs 1.0 grams. After running the test the results come back at 20% thc... this means that .2 of that gram is thc. right?

 

[P. Dondrub]

to make this simpler whats tested is a bud... lets say that bud weighs 1.0 grams. After running the test the results come back at 20% thc... this means that .2 of that gram is thc. right?

Yes. Anyone in this thread that tells you different is wrong.

 

[amannamedtruth]

I think they mean out of the total resin content, there was 20% THC? Not sure though cause that would be 1600 mg per 100 g of oil...

 

[vaped]

Yes. Anyone in this thread that tells you different is wrong.

I have to disagree there is no way .2 grams of a 1 gram bud is resin. This would also mean denser buds would score lower on the thc test. If it gets you ripped score it a ten if youre not high after a few joints give it a 1 this is the only true test that means anything.

 

[simos]

I have to disagree there is no way .2 grams of a 1 gram bud is resin. This would also mean denser buds would score lower on the thc test. If it gets you ripped score it a ten if youre not high after a few joints give it a 1 this is the only true test that means anything.

This is just your ill-informed opinion. Repeating it over and over is doing nothing but bringing down the level of intelligent discourse that makes this site so special.

Look at the attachment I provided in post #29. It's from a reputable testing facility.

There is only one legitimate argument you could make if you don't think a strain that GC/MS tests at ~20% actually contains that much THC by weight, and that would be to contest the standards used to calibrate the testing equipment.

I'll spell it out for you so there's no more confusion:

To be able to measure the percentage of THC in a sample, you need to first have a sample of pure THC for comparison. Currently, the best standards are available through the US government, and measure somewhere in the 99.9% THC range. More than sufficient for accuracy, if you ask me. Assuming we're talking about people who really want to obtain the most precise empirical data possible, it just wouldn't be in researchers' best interest to overstate the purity of their calibration standards.

In relation to the available standards, Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy/Spectrometry are very, very accurate testing procedures so long as they are carried out by well-trained technicians. Why you continue to argue with well-established scientific methods is beyond me...

 

[vaped]

Well established scientific methods??? I am not a scientist but I do spend allday everyday around weed in the grow room and well just smoking it. No way 20 percent of a buds mass is resin. Even the dankest. And even if 20 percent of a bud was resin not 100% of that resin is THC. Because I have a different opinion than you Im bringing down the level of intelligent discourse WTF!!! You know 500 some years ago they thought the world was flat they probly all thought ol Columbus was doing the same thing when he said the world was round. 20 years ago growers used to cut plants whole and hang them upside down so the "thc could flow back down into the plant". Then we found out that plant material didnt contain thc it was all in the resin glands. Now If anybody can get 20 grams of oil out of 100 grams of weed I would be alright with the notion that maybe the plant is 10 to 12 percent THC . I have never seen that before so im not thinking so Im sure if it has been done somebody will correct me.

 

[legalizeDK]

I am again calling bullshit on THC percentages. THC is only found in the resin glands. Some of my strains are 100% covered in trichomes. If I was to disolve a 100grams of 20% THC weed in Iso and extract oil, I wouldn't come near 20 grams, maybe 8-9 grams on a good run. This tells me there is NO WAY 20% of the bud is THC. Now, if we are counting the amount of THC in a trichome how does that weigh in on the fluxuation of different strains and there trichome saturation? Either way I disagree with THC percentages and think they are just a tool for marketing hype with breeders/dispensaries. The only true test is the smoke test!

couldn´t agree more

 

[legalizeDK]

100gram off weed do not give out 20 gram of hash no F... way

 

[simos]

100gram off weed do not give out 20 gram of hash no F... way

That's because extraction is not 100% efficient. Not even close.

I don't feel like beating a dead horse, so I'm going to bow out of this discussion. Authoritative information is readily available, should you choose to actually seek it out.

There are many aspects of growing that have not been sufficiently evaluated by the scientific community. Opinions are valid in the discussion of those subjects. Chemical potency measurements of the major cannabinoids, on the other hand, have been thoroughly researched and the processes are accurate.

Cheers