That really is quite an interesting way to end up where you are now. I would think the time in the field was probably very educational (I would have loved to have done some biology field work, but alas - fate has taken me elsewhere). Of course along with work in the field comes inevitable frustrations. Anywho... You are right about the incomplete way in which I presented my information. I assumed (rashly) that the correct interpretation could be extrapolated. As for the sugars, I took the opposite angle, and didn't assume that everyone knows the difference between sugars. I haven't heard of anyone feeding plants lactose, but you never know - I've heard of people attempting stranger things (someone once asked if they could use a dead animal burried in their soil as fertilizer). My apologies for taking aim at your position on the board. I am an assistant admin at a couple of boards (unrelated to this) where I've had a few bad experiences with mods turning into berserks after holding a mod position for awhile. You really do know what you're doing though, and always have great info, so I certainly applaud all you do in spreading the wealth of information. Thank you for your diplomacy and grace.

Not to stray from the topic, I have a question about what qualities you are looking for in your potency Chandler - are you looking for a cerebral or stoned effect? When it comes to harvesting (and identifying prime potency), the inevitable topic of heady/cerebral vs. stoney/body high comes up. As mentioned earlier, the timing of the harvest has a great impact (along with drying and curing) on the quality you get. I don't remember it being mentioned specifically, so I'll briefly discuss: Once trichomes begin to form, their clarity (or lack thereof) plays a crucial role in potency. Trichomes will develope clear, and begin to turn cloudy, milky, and fade to an amber and even brown if allowed to (the darkening indicates the deterioration of THC into other cannabinoids like CBN). A higher percentage of clear/cloudy trichomes gives a much more up/heady feeling than allowing many of them to turn amber, which causes more of the body stone (couchlock) and is used more commonly medicinally.

See Stinky's Guide (in her signature) for concise and well written info. I think that aside from some direct action to improve potency, caring well for a plant throughout it's entire life cycle is one of the best ways to improve overall quality.

Stinky - do you have any words on drying and curing? Post-harvest is really what I don't have much experience with. Allowing a long drying period (while preventing mold) and then curing properly usually incerases the quality, if not the potency directly. Exact methods of curing I am unsure of, although I know many people like to cure in sealed glass jars, burping them once a day (allowing fresh air in). I'm hesitant to elaborate any more though until I have seen for myself exactly what seems to work the best.

Chemistry stub: CBN is very similar in structure to THC (moreso than any other cannabinoid), in that it shares the parent structure of THC, but has 4 fewer hydrogens and a resulting two additional double bonds in one of the 6 carbon rings, making it aromatic. This similarity is due to the fact that CBN is actually an oxidation product of THC (which is the process by which THC "degrades" into CBN, which was once thought to be innert and non-psychoactive). It is now known that CBN is in fact psychoactive and has shown effectiveness as an anxiolytic (anti anxiety), and to a lesser extent (compared to Cannabidiol, aka CBD) as an analgesic (pain killer). As an anecdote, the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) name (nomenclature) for delta-9-THC (THC) is the ungodly:

"(−)-(6aR,10aR)-6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-1-ol"