SupremelySatisfied
Member
I was watching a Troy and Jerry Think Dank stream where they were discussing looking at ABV with a USB microscope and it reminded me of my own experiences comparing fresh nug and ABV through a pocket microscope. Troy said the vaped material had been stripped of trichome heads but he felt there was still vape-able material left behind in the remaining trichome stalks. I had the same thought when I first saw vaped ABV through a microscope. There was not a trich head in site but it looked like a vast desert of spiky, decapitated tan trichome stalks. When I watched the think dank stream it got me thinking “what exactly are those left over stalks composed of and can I vape them?” I started looking into the anatomy of a trichome and came across this illuminating high times article with an excellent diagram of a capitate stalked trichome, the most numerous on buds.
hightimes.com
The cannabinoids and terpenes we blast with hot air to vaporize are manufactured in the secretory cells located at the base of the trichome head where it meets the stalk. The cannabinoids are deposited at the surface where they build up forming the trichome head. There is also a thin layer deposited on the surface of the trichome stalk. I think the terpenes are mostly found in secretory vesicles within the trichome head, closer to the secretory cells. The purpose of the trichome stalk is to hold up the trichome head and to transport nutrients through phloem (like the blood of the plant) to be manufactured into cannabinoids and terpenes by the secretory cells. The trichome stalk seems to made of mostly of the plant’s epidermis which covers the entire surface of the plant similar to our own epidermis. Inside of the trichome stalk are hypodermal cells which transport the phloem up the stalk to the secretory cells. I think the epidermal and hypodermal cells do not contain the active components we are trying to vaporize which would explain why there are all these little spikes left behind when we look at ABV under a microscope. This checks out with my observations since there is a homogeneous appearance to the surface of the ABV. It appears the flat surfaces of the bract/ plant material are contiguous with the spikes and everything seems to be the same color and type of cell. It appears to me that the whole surface of the plant is coated in epidermal cells which rises up to form the spiky bases of the trichome stalks. When I compare un-vaped bud to ABV it looks like the fresh trichome stalks are longer and thicker than the shorter spikes that are left on the ABV so some active components may be deposited around the epidermal cells of the trichome stalk. An un-vaped trichome head and stalk look more crystalline than the green plant material of the bract whereas the ABV has a homogenous tan spiky appearance indicating all that’s left is plant cells.
I only have a pocket microscope so it was hard for me to get magnified pictures of nugs and ABV. If anyone has a USB microscope and would like to post some photos of ABV that we could compare with the numerous photos of un-vaped trichomes online that would be awesome! Also my understanding of plant biology is limited so anyone more versed in the subject may be able to help figure out if we’re leaving anything behind in those little ABV spikes.
Comparing ABV that has been vaped at different temperatures may be interesting as well to see if there are differences in the appearance of the trichome remnants when some of the higher temp cannabinoids like CBE or THCV remain.
I’m looking forward to the prospect of the upcoming Troy and Jerry Think Dank usb microscope special! I’d love to see Troy and @stickstones put their extensive vaporizer collections to the test and compare the results under a scope. Every time Troy breaks open a nug under the scope it gets my mouth watering!
The Anatomy of a Trichome: What is a Trichome?
Trichomes, those little tiny crystal-like hairs that cover the buds, hold all the good stuff. The different methods of hashmaking focus on isolating these sticky little parts of the cannabis plant because they house the majority of its resin. Every part of the cannabis plant has at least a...
hightimes.com
The cannabinoids and terpenes we blast with hot air to vaporize are manufactured in the secretory cells located at the base of the trichome head where it meets the stalk. The cannabinoids are deposited at the surface where they build up forming the trichome head. There is also a thin layer deposited on the surface of the trichome stalk. I think the terpenes are mostly found in secretory vesicles within the trichome head, closer to the secretory cells. The purpose of the trichome stalk is to hold up the trichome head and to transport nutrients through phloem (like the blood of the plant) to be manufactured into cannabinoids and terpenes by the secretory cells. The trichome stalk seems to made of mostly of the plant’s epidermis which covers the entire surface of the plant similar to our own epidermis. Inside of the trichome stalk are hypodermal cells which transport the phloem up the stalk to the secretory cells. I think the epidermal and hypodermal cells do not contain the active components we are trying to vaporize which would explain why there are all these little spikes left behind when we look at ABV under a microscope. This checks out with my observations since there is a homogeneous appearance to the surface of the ABV. It appears the flat surfaces of the bract/ plant material are contiguous with the spikes and everything seems to be the same color and type of cell. It appears to me that the whole surface of the plant is coated in epidermal cells which rises up to form the spiky bases of the trichome stalks. When I compare un-vaped bud to ABV it looks like the fresh trichome stalks are longer and thicker than the shorter spikes that are left on the ABV so some active components may be deposited around the epidermal cells of the trichome stalk. An un-vaped trichome head and stalk look more crystalline than the green plant material of the bract whereas the ABV has a homogenous tan spiky appearance indicating all that’s left is plant cells.
I only have a pocket microscope so it was hard for me to get magnified pictures of nugs and ABV. If anyone has a USB microscope and would like to post some photos of ABV that we could compare with the numerous photos of un-vaped trichomes online that would be awesome! Also my understanding of plant biology is limited so anyone more versed in the subject may be able to help figure out if we’re leaving anything behind in those little ABV spikes.
Comparing ABV that has been vaped at different temperatures may be interesting as well to see if there are differences in the appearance of the trichome remnants when some of the higher temp cannabinoids like CBE or THCV remain.
I’m looking forward to the prospect of the upcoming Troy and Jerry Think Dank usb microscope special! I’d love to see Troy and @stickstones put their extensive vaporizer collections to the test and compare the results under a scope. Every time Troy breaks open a nug under the scope it gets my mouth watering!
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