Professional Documents
Culture Documents
indoor
weckels
Weckels is a photographer and grow scene reporter for a number of Dutch magazines. He has achieved
world of a certain fame in the Netherlands for his coverage of (indoor and outdoor) weed production,
specialising in the documentation of outdoor plantations. Here, Weckels will discuss the growing of
marihuana indoors. Take advantage of it!
wonders
In this edition I’m going to be describing a grow system with which we can produce a continuous stream of plants - leaves,
branches and buds! That this system is often well-suited to people who like to keep a nice garden growing on the side of their
regular job or other activities will become clear. At least we don’t have to hide ourselves away like some sort of hermit when
the harvest comes upon us…
we would no longer be able to guarantee
the light levels and the plants risk not
wanting or being able to bloom, and can
even become stressed.
Of course, we could always choose to just
take the well developed plants to another
location. Much safer is to go ahead and
let the plants bloom in the same space or
perhaps in the room next door to the
growing room.
In this way we prevent having to go
struggling around in public with fully-
grown plants. In the first place, this brings
with it great risk, not just to the plants but
to the entire rolling production system,
when the goal is to set up a system that is
a self-contained as possible.
We can better try and put a fully
independent nursery into production, and
not have to rely on any third parties at all.
Clones
Such plantations are generally found
outside of Holland and in places where
it’s difficult to get hold of clones.
Here in Holland it is impossible to be
self-sufficient and raise healthy clones
without outside input (as in any other
indoor growing).
Furthermore, growers can sometimes
A rolling production system as shown here in the photo is the basis of every independent That a rolling production system can take away a
grower, who does not want to be dependent on any third parties for his or her clones. huge pile of stress is down to the fact that it
requires that you clone and harvest only in small
It’s a particular problem for the lone fact that it requires that you clone and numbers, and that makes the raising of marihuana
grower attempting to raise and look after
a whole plantation in a commercial
harvest only in small numbers, and that
makes the raising of marihuana for many a
for many a great deal more comfortable.
fashion that time, in every way, great deal more comfortable. Trimming for
eventually runs out. Frequently the plants days (sometimes even weeks) on end can can harvest, a selection of mother plants evade large punishments if caught, since
are just at the right moment for harvest, create in even the most fanatical grower a from which we can continuously take they are rarely in possession of seriously
when your normal work week begins degree of irritation. And let’s not get started clones from, and of course the clones that large amounts of marihuana (they can
once more. on the problems of a whole room full of have just developed their little roots. only harvest limited amounts). In this
Which means a whole world of stress and trimmers in a small, warm space trying to Of course we have to keep an eye on the case a plantation in which the plants are
anxiety for the grower, since he can keep cool while at the same time getting various growing stages , and if necessary in various stages of growth has the great
hardly call in sick without taking a risk. through a load of trimming in a reasonably help them along. advantage that this system will deliver
Many a grower has fallen victim to some short space of time. much earlier some smokable weed for
sickness ruse or other, only to have The greatest arguments break out in such When the plants have reached the desired their own use or hobby, since much less
someone call round – a colleague or situations over the tiniest of things, and height and shape, we take them to a has to be raised at the same time.
health worker – come to check on them. these high pressure situation can also be different room. The plants from now on
For the busy grower upstairs trimming, avoided by using a rolling production need a shorter light period than the Experimentation
there’s no escape, since to go downstairs system. standard 18 hours, thus we have to divide It is quite unusual for it to be hard to get
and open the front door would release a our growing space in two. hold of clones in our small country (with
gulf of dope stench from his clothes. But Various stages of growth This is not as easy as many people exceptions), but especially for the grower
not answering runs the risk of getting into The rolling production system is in sometimes think. We have to also split the who likes to experiment a little, the rolling
a heap of trouble at work. In short, an principle very simple. It works more or air inflow, the air outflow and such like in production system has a lot of possibilities
unwelcome drama. less exactly like any other system of two, given that both rooms have to be to offer. I myself know a number of
growing. Only that in this case we now split entirely in two. growers who, besides their regular garden,
Ease plant the marihuana plants in a variety of In doing so, we have to also make sure also keep a grow cupboard going “for
That a rolling production system can take different stages of growth. that absolutely no light in any way can pottering” in.
away a huge pile of stress is down to the In this way, we always have plants we leak from one space into the other, since Maybe this sounds a bit negative, but the
18 Soft Secrets
new breeds that are (and might be) advantages when compared with growing Because with this rolling production raising plants in this way from the most
coming out of such growing cupboards, in flower pots, since we can move a method of growing, when all is said and expensive top breeds, and get lovely
more than makes up for it. larger number of plants together when done, we can select the best mother plants harvests time after time.
Flower pots they’re in boxes than when we have to very precisely and use them to continue Be successful!
Given that we are going to have to move struggle to the other room with single
the pants around a bit if we’re going to plant pots. Also we can use the boxes
get them into flower, it goes without purely on their own to grow in water, and
saying that we have to grow them on a this is a bit harder with plant pots. In
substrate that allows the plants to be addition there are special grow boxes that
mobilised easily. Huge growing tables or are more than strong enough to house the
extensive feeding systems are simply too huge mother plants. Definitely when we
unwieldy for this system. Far better in want to wean the plants and encourage
contrast to raise the plants in flower pots, them to develop large side branches, by
or special boxes, for example. The great allowing a ventilator to blow regularly on
advantage of flower pots is that we can the plants, a fully toughened base for
immediately remove the poor growing growing is soon more important than an
plants and replace them with new clones unnecessarily luxurious one. When we
in their space (and we always have grow and raise the mother plant in too
column
Still Smokin’
tobacco? Getting off them isn’t too situation), or you eat too much and end
hard. I wouldn’t say it’s a piece of piss up whiteying (worse situation).
exactly, but it can be done. It’s the
staying off that’s a bitch. Pipes I can’t be bothered with cos
they’re not sociable. A joint is a good
I’ve given this whole thing a lot of thing because it can be passed around.
thought I reckon there are two big A pipe just isn’t the same.
obstacles between me and a nicotine
Joe Kane lives in Glasgow. Having been removed from higher education some free body. Proper vaporizers are too expensive,
years ago he’s managed to nothing much at all ever since. To the untrained eye
it looks like he sits around on his arse all day, but he is actually an adept of the To start with, there’s alcohol. There’s there’s too much farting around with
ancient discipline of Stoner Zen, and is working towards The Satori of the something that’s just wrong about temperatures, and it’s like smoking
White Widow. going to the pub for a skinful and not fresh air. I know that’s the point but I
smoking tobacco. It’s abnormal, man. don’t like it, man. I like to see a big
By Joe Kane Beer and fags were made to go cloud of smoke leaving my mouth.
together; or at least if you’re a smoker That way I know I’ve had a good toke.
they are. So I can’t try to quit smoking
Well, readers, for the past three months again. This has been an ongoing I tried some of those horrible fucking
now I’ve been trying to quit the filthy fucking battle for the past ten years. and still go to the pub. So stop going to ‘herbal smoking mixtures’ too, and I
weed. And I’ve got to tell you that it’s After the usual tantrums and bad the pub, as my girlfriend (a non- got to tell you, I think I’d rather take
been a fucking struggle. This is one temper I stop. smoker) says, and that’s fair enough I my chances against the Grim Reaper
bad, addictive bastard of a drug. I once managed it for nearly two years, suppose. I probably drink too much than put any of that shite into my
but usually I only last for a few months anyway and if I drink too much it lungs. It just doesn’t cut the mustard,
Yeah, I’m talking about tobacco. and then it’s back on that path to the means I’ll be smoking too much as people. Know what I’m saying? It
Nicotine. Fags, tabs, baccy, shag. Or to cancer unit. well. A bit of a fucking wrench, but not lacks that small but all-important
give it its Sunday name: Nicotiana the end of the world. nicotine hit.
tabacum. Fucking hell, the shit politicians spout
about drugs eh? In my life I’ve done as But the REAL problem for me is the I just looked at what I said already and
I°Øll tell you something. The Ottoman many legal and illegal (mainly illegal weed. Beer I can just about do without, maybe I was wrong about the two
Empire had it fucking right. Getting cos there’s more of them and I think but weed? No fucking way, man. And I things. Maybe there’s a REALLY
rumbled sparking up a ciggie back then they’re more of a buzz) substances as I know what you’re all thinking: why important third obstacle and that’s that
and you’d find your neck on the could lay my mitts on. don’t you eat it, Joe? Why don’t you maybe I don’t really want to stop
business end of an axe. Or hanged and \And I’ve had a few ups and downs smoke it in a pipe, Joe? Why not use a smoking the fags and all this is just
quartered. But all the same, even the with some of them. These days I don’t vaporizer? bullshit? I think I need to go and
threat of a horrible death didn°Øt stop do Class A drugs, and I can put my smoke a spliff and re-assess the
folk taking up the habit. hand on my heart and tell you stopping Well, eating it’s too unpredictable. situation. Where did I put my fags and
them was no bother at all. But see Either you don’t eat enough and you’re skins?
Anyway, I’m trying to kick the ciggies trying to stop fucking smoking left high, dry and straight (bad Later, Joe.
Soft Secrets 21
IN
TRD
AO
VO
ER
L
weckels
Weckels is a photographer and grow scene reporter for a number of Dutch magazines. He has achieved
world of a certain fame in the Netherlands for his coverage of (indoor and outdoor) weed production,
specialising in the documentation of outdoor plantations. Here, Weckels will discuss the growing of
marihuana indoors. Take advantage of it!
wonders
Text & photography: Weckels, the grow-specialist from Atami
IN
T AO
RD ER
VOL
pissed off with us, and it’s off back to the some nickel-and-dime cupboard with a less drastically.
growing cupboard. After some more few innocent plants in it, and if caught Rather than too high a temperature, the
detective work, we finally put the problem we’re most likely to get off with a caution. problem in the winter months can be that
to rest: the mains supply was inadequate As for the actual growing itself, a the temperature in the growing cupboard
for the needs of the system and once again cupboard does sometimes have the drops too far in the (dark) flowering
the fuses kept blowing. Only doubling the drawback that it can be very temperature- period. This can be very damaging to the
outlet sockets leading to the growing space sensitive. For example, when the vacuum developing flower clusters and for this
can solve it. But this is not as easy as it pump is not working at the right speed, the reason it is advisable to have the cupboard
looks, and not everyone is happy to deal temperature can quickly become raised inside a room kept around the 20-degree
with a spaghetti of electric cables snaking and we have to make sure that they do not mark. Only in this way can you maintain
their way into the cupboard. become wilted and/or even withered. This the optimal living environment needed to
For those in such a position, growing in is in contrast to the situation in a large fully realise the huge potential of cupboard
more cupboards can be the ideal solution, grow space, which changes temperature growing!
then we can split the
energy supply up
during the day and
night and thus spread
the load on the
house’s wiring.
On top of this, small
cupboards often have
the advantage of
producing
A nice yield for such a small space. The considerably less
buds do have a few yellow leaves, but for odour pollution and
the rest were of excellent quality. have even been
known to be
good result without using excessive overlooked during a
amounts of energy from the mains. raid! They also
But it will undoubtedly still have reduce the risk of us
happened to some of us: you’ve got a nice being caught growing
cubby hole full of lamps, and then because we can
suddenly everything goes out. Naturally empty the cupboard
you had a torch in the vicinity and the in an evening and/or
search for the cause could happily begin. move them if there
After a whole heap of trouble you manage are raids going down
to get it up and running, and once again, locally. Further more,
begin to relax and trust the system. Sadly, most local bobbies
the next day it goes off again. have much better
Now we’re starting to get pissed off with things to waste their
our housemates, who in turn are pretty time on than busting
Soft Secrets weckels
21
world of indoor
wonders
One of the most used irrigation The growing phase is the phase in
systems is the one which uses special which the plant, now well rooted, must
drippers to provide the plants with be seen to expand in size and
their feed water. This system works development. Here it is of great
fine, so long as we rinse the whole importance that the plant has access to
thing through regularly with enzymes The blue drippers are clearly visible, and these provide the plants with the correct (more than) sufficient feed water so
in order to prevent a build up of salt quantity of feed water, provided that the grower makes sure that the irrigation system is that it can develop optimally. We
residues. These drip feeders ensure a correctly programmed. programme the irrigation system in
meticulous portioning out of the feed such a way that only a tiny dribble of
water to the plants, and virtually never grow lamps. All in all then, there’s a their leaves, take a substantial amount surplus feed water flows from the
wash away the soil from around the considerable number of factors that, of water out of the atmosphere, in substrate. In this way the plant gets
roots. even though they are not closely contrast to the plants raised in the very (more than) enough feed water and we
connected with each other, will ‘dry’ room. prevent soil being washed away and
Climate conditions eventually co-determine our method of wasting feed water. The number of
irrigation. Differences times we irrigate the plants is
Before we launch into our primer on dependent on the depth and aeration of
plant irrigation, it is important to spare If, for example, when growing in soil It will be obvious to most growers that the substrate (in our case a layer of
a few moments to contemplate what we look at the thickness of the in the above example, the differences soil). When for example we grow on a
factors influence the total number of substrate, then it might happen that a will also result in considerable thin layer of well-aerated soil, it is
times a day we give plants water, and thin layer of soil holds more feed water differences in the amount of feed water very important that during a day we
the total quantity of water they will in it than an earth mix that may well be given the plants in their respective give the plants feed water in little-but-
require per day. Among other factors, twice as thick, but also much airier so grow spaces. That the temperature has often amounts. In this way we keep the
the thickness and aeration of the that the thicker layer of soil can an influence on water usage has to do roots sufficiently moist (so that they
substrate are of great importance. The actually carry a lot more feed water with the fact that it is this that don’t die), the plants get the right
stage of life the plants are in also plays without the plant being negatively ultimately determines the evaporation amount of feed water and the roots of
a large role, and with it the whole affected. Another example is two (or, strictly speaking, transpiration) the plant can easily take up as much
living conditions we have created in growing spaces the same size in which through the leaves. In brief: when the oxygen as they need, since the thin
temperature rises, then the rate of layer of soil dries out again quickly.
Among other factors, the thickness and aeration of evaporation goes up too and as This is where growing on just a thin
growers, this is something we need to layer of light, airy soil has a great
the substrate are of great importance be in control of. Anyway, I always advantage: we can hardly give the
maintain that in a case like this we are plants too much feed water, since the
our growing space. By ‘living the plants are all growing on the same best off keeping the temperature excess runs off so quickly. Problems of
conditions’ I mean the temperature in substrate, but in one space the air constant rather than continuing to a waterlogged undersoil tend to happen
the grow room and in the substrate, the moisture level is higher than in the endlessly increase the feed water now, in the critical phase in which
moisture content of the air, and the other. The plants raised in the high air given. It has long been known that clones are still developing their roots,
quantity of light we provide via the moisture space will, with the help of marihuana plants thrive best when kept or because we are growing on a
Soft Secrets 23
You should always make sure that one dripper’s worth of feed water is dribbled into a When we want to grow on a thin layer of soil, boxes or crates are ideal to use. Then we really
measuring beaker so as to know exactly how much feed water our plants are getting in reality. can irrigate the plants often and only for short periods.
column
Then of course, there’s the shit wages and the fact
One of the biggest things is that I’ve had to do that the proprietor treats you like something
something I never, ever thought would happen to they’ve stood on in the street.
me. Readers, I can hardly bring myself to say the
Straight Life words. Yes, I’ve had to get a job. It’s not that I But I think the worst of it is that I have to really
need the money or anything, far fucking from it. try not to talk about dope! Kitchen workers don’t
Well, since the upheavals recounted for your What I do need is a legit source of income to keep seem to have changed one fucking bit in nearly 10
amusement in the last column, a few things have the snoopers off my back. years! I suppose it’s the fact that it’s such a
happened. Despite having been named to the old fucking shit job that means everyone is into
bill nearly three months ago, nothing has Unfortunately, I’m not exactly brimming with something. More-or-less everyone smokes dope,
happened. I’ve taken some obvious precautions either the qualifications or the enthusiasm required but unfortunately they smoke really fucking shit,
like knocking the commercial ventures on the for most jobs these days. In fact, the only jobs I gangster dope. And it’s a tricky call, cos while I
head for the moment. And I’ve moved house, ever had were casual numbers working in the don’t want to pollute my lungs with it, you got to
which is always a hassle, but unfortunately was kitchens of cafes and restaurants. After a couple of be seen as friendly at the same time, otherwise a
totally fucking necessary. On the bright side, knockbacks (company directorships, etc) I kinda
moving has meant that I can start from scratch fell back into that niche. Despite all my attempts shitty job becomes unbearable.
again: only giving my new phone number to to be legit about all this, the first two jobs I went
particular people and giving the address to for said they’d pay me off the books! With the So now I find myself smoking horrible dope and
absolutely nobody (paranoid, Moi?). third one, I got what I was looking for: £5.00 an drinking cheap booze with my new found
hour and paying tax and insurance. “friends” at work. Talk about hoisted by your own
I’ve also decided to stop fucking around with all petard, eh? I’m really going to try to last at this,
the retail shit, and take a leaf out of my own So here I am back in the labour force, and it’s but sitting on my arse watching the money roll in
book. So no more punting 3.5 gram deals to reminded me really fucking quickly why I never is just too easy to really be bothered with all this
students, pikeys and doleys. Fuck that. The funny wanted to do it in the first place. For one thing, it work shit. I just wish the fucking government
thing is that I knew when I first went down that really cuts into your social life. Dealing may have would sort it out, legalise the fucking stuff and let
road that I was lining up a load of fucking grief a few risks attached, but at least you always have me pay tax on it. Yeah, dream on…
for myself, and how right I was. Anyhow, from time to fuck about, watch television, play tunes
here on in I’m strictly wholesale only, and I got to and just chill. Another thing is that no matter how Later, JK
tell you readers, I’m much happier now I’ve made many hours you put in, there’s always some fucker
the decision. calls in sick and you’ve got to cover their shift. horribly_stoned_boy@hotmail.com
Soft Secrets weckels 21
world of
Indoor
wonders
By Weckels, the grow specialist from Atami
Hunting season The grow space is nicely hidden. When we close the door and shove the wardrobe in front of As well as the problems mentioned
it, our mini-plantation will be a heck of job to discover.
above the winter months also often
Alas, that the winter months also all the electricity tappers by the collar. bit of luck, escape the net. And indeed, have the drawback that the warm air we
increase our chances of being busted Especially in the last months there why would an electricity company start have to expel from our grow spaces can
is less well known among growers. In appears to have been a veritable witch making a fuss when a marihuana grower be difficult to get rid of unobtrusively.
Holland, and it may well be the same hunt unleashed. In the West of Holland doubles his electricity consumption and When we’re growing in a shed and the
in the UK, drugs squads also know that in particular, there would appear to be a pays politely on time for it? Obviously, warm air is belching out in great rising
the number of (indoor) plantations is at regular ‘hunting season’ opened. Dozens as a grower you have to have your story clouds, then that is not a comfortable
its highest at this time of year, and so of plantations have been discovered straight if they come asking what you’re feeling for any grower. We need to
for them it well worth paying a bit more and the police have confiscated a lot of doing with all this extra juice. For if you minimise every risk, but the one noted
attention to these activities. Somewhat equipment and marihuana. Of course it suddenly start using two or three times above it remains a hassle to get rid of
less charmed by the weather in the is going to look pretty bloody obvious if the electricity you used to use in exactly warmed up air without it being seen.
winter months and the resulting increase at a particular moment particular districts the same house, bells are going to start
in indoor grow ops around this time or even particular parts of an industrial ringing in someone’s head and up goes Search warrant
are the big electricity companies, who estate the demand for electricity your chance of being busted. So decide
don’t welcome the increase in numbers suddenly peaks. whether you’ve bought a sun bed or What always remains of utmost
of people ripping off their power from a kiln for your new ceramic hobby or importance is that the grow space is
the grid. As well as the police, they Pay up for juice! something. well sealed, in short because whenever
also really want to see some growers we receive a visitor or a burglar is
busted. When they work together with What is really noticeable is that the Contemplating the above considerations wandering around your gaff, we want
the police, they can become a very growers who get busted are usually the has prompted many a grower to change to make it as hard as possible for him
strong threat going along the suspected ones tapping electricity illegally, whereas the way they operate and make changes, to discover your grow space. Also for
addresses one by one and thereby grab those paying for their current, with a given that they would rather spend a bit when the police turn up for a quick look
22 Soft Secrets
Column
No, there’s definitely something wrong with this picture. Okay, I know what
you’re probably thinking: giving the northern plants the same value as the
Weeding out the Bullshit By Joe Kane
southern-softy plants still works out at a total of 135K, which is a princely sum
in anyone’s book. And it’s true, so I really have to fucking wonder where the
bizzies pulled the million and a half number from.
Well, readers, this was going to be a column regaling you with more Iberian
antics but a couple of things happened back here in Blighty that caught my eye I suppose it might have something to do with the people that got busted. Maybe
and kinda seemed a bit more important. they’re more than folks who are a bit naughty and are your actual fully-fledged
pikey undesirables or something. So when it all comes to court they’re going to
I dunno if anyone caught the stories in the press lately, but there was a bust look like proper greedy bastards ready to swamp the whole of the north east of
in County Durham in the north of England where the Dibble seized 1500 England with their mind-rotting drugs. Picture the scene:
plants that apparently had a value of A MILLION AND A HALF POUNDS
STERLING! Defence: “The plants were for personal use, m’lud”
Now, while yours truly is definitely no mathematician, I can do basic arithmetic, M’lud: “What, a million and a half quid’s worth? You’re having a laugh and your
and that makes each plant worth something like a thousand fucking notes each! clients can fuck off to jail for fifteen years each”
That’s about 1,480 Euros, if I’m gonna be European about it. Are they made of
gold or something? Or maybe they’re like those giant Redwood trees you get in Yeah, the words “no fucking luck” spring to mind.
America? I know they grow big fuck off leeks in the north of England but that’s
just ridiculous. Jack and the Beanstalk, anyone? But there’s a serious point to be made here, and it comes back again to how the
dibble do things when it comes to drug busts and particularly how they place a
Jesus H Christ on a bike! If that was me I’d sell the fucking plants and move to monetary value on the gear they lift. I know fuck all will change cos growing
Spain. dope with the obvious intent to supply is illegal and this makes all of us who do
it criminal scum in the eyes of the law, but it’s just fucking unfair. And especially
Another story along the same lines from a week earlier says that 330 plants were when we all know that the polis aren’t above skimming the goods they nick for a
grabbed but this time the value was £30,000 (about 44,400 Euros), which makes bit of extra beer money. But fuck it, that’s another column.
them worth about 90 quid (about 133 Euros) each. This was in Surrey in the
Deep South, which is supposed to be the posh end of the country where every And it almost makes you think seriously about moving down the road to Surrey.
fucking thing you could think of costs, like, a zillion times more than anywhere
else. Until the next time.
And in the north of England they still have keep pets so they can put meat See ya.
on the table, send kids up chimneys and wear wooden shoes, for fucks’ sake!
(NOTE: I gots to apologise for the crude stereotyping here readers, but it’s JK
meant to be a laugh, right? And I mean, I’m Scottish, for fucks’ sake!) horribly_stoned_boy@hotmail.com
Camouflage but via another space (such as the cellar door. So bear this in mind. When we of a long life of growing are vastly
or an empty room). The air is thereby minimise the risks involved in growing improved!
The grow ops that I know of that have allowed to gradually come to a decent marihuana, then our chances
been around for ten years or more are temperature. Of course, you do need to
weckels
Weckels is a photographer and grow scene reporter for a number of Dutch magazines. He has achieved a
certain fame in the Netherlands for his coverage of (indoor and outdoor) weed production, specialising in world of
the documentation of outdoor plantations. Here, Weckels will discuss the growing of marihuana indoors.
Take advantage of it!
wonders
Text & photography: Weckels, the grow-specialist from Atami
When you put the trim waste in and turn it first churning is often very dark in colour
on, the sieve vibrates, agitating the trim and of the highest quality (Premier Quality,
waste. The result is that the THC crystals in fact).
fall by their own weight to the bottom of
the vibrating pile and through the sieve. You should not make the mistake of
You can just stick the Skuff Buzzer on a looking strangely at it when, after just 15
table and after leaving it running for while, minutes, you have only a small amount of
tilt it over to scrape off the hash powder. hash powder collect on your white plate.
Even more handy is if you place the Skuff The process does not proceed all that
Buzzer on a mirror (shiny side uppermost!) quickly, but the quality by contrast of this
laid on top of the table, so that the hash tiny amount of hash powder is terrific.
powder is easy to see. The smooth surface Moreover, small amounts put together soon
of the mirror also prevents the hash powder create a decent amount, especially once you
from sticking, and so makes scraping it remind yourself that it would all have been
together into one clump a lot easier. thrown away (as pure waste). We keep the
Scraping the hash powder together is best hash powder during the production process
done with something with a hard, sharp in another small plastic bag. At a later stage
edge - a credit card, for example. many people choose to store their hash
powder in linen bags, in order to let the
The biggest difference between the hashish “breathe” during the maturation
Pollinator and the Skuff Buzzer is that with process.
the Pollinator the trim waste is smashed up I myself always keep it in plastic bags (also
inside a similar box structure and during the ripening stage because in my
constantly turned around and around. In opinion it is better protected from damp
this way the trim waste is pounded from outside.
continually onto the sieve, which in turn
shakes loose the THC crystals. The crystals Once we have replaced the plastic bag with
are subsequently collected on a white plate the trim waste, having used it first, back in
which after a period of time (usually after Once you got your trim waste nice and dry, chop up the larger buds, so that the THC crystals the freezer, we pour the second bag of trim
letting it churn for 15-30 minutes) can be can be more easily shaken off the buds and small leaves, once the Pollinator starts to turn. waste into the Pollinator box. We let this
scraped together with a credit card-type batch also sieve for a quarter of an hour
implement. box compartment of, but such models are friends or colleague growers in order to and then repeat the above steps until all the
rarely for hire and more than that, are way split the costs. Sometimes growers will trim waste (in various plastic bags) has
Now that I have outlined the way both above the budget of the average (outdoor) save the trim waste from a number of been given one turn in the Pollinator. Next
machines work it is time to set to making grower. harvests in order to do it all in one go. This we start all over again with the trim waste
the actual hash powder. Having supplied a is a little cheaper (than hiring one every from bag number 1, only this time we give
decent amount of dried trim waste, we have Before we rush off to hire one of the two time you harvest), only you have to watch it a half hour turning.
to make sure that we treat it right. The machines, you should put the re-sealable out for Mr Plod, given that he has a You will notice that the hash powder is
small and slightly larger buds we cut up bags and the trim waste in the freezer; a tendency to view ‘trim waste’ in a far more somewhat lighter than the first batch, and I
finely, so that the THC crystals fall more day before is fine. This freezes the THC flattering light than we might. The courts put it in its own plastic bag (Secondary
easily from them, as well as the leaves, crystals and thereby makes them shake too do not differentiate between trim waste Quality). And so back into the freezer goes
once the Pollinator starts to turn. loose more easily from the under- and good bud, nor do they seem too keen bag number one. Again, once all the bags
developed buds and small leaves. Freezing to make that distinction. So you pays your have gone through the process again, you’ll
After this we check that there are no twigs the trim waste before placing it in the money and takes your choice when you find the bag of Secondary Quality hash
hidden in the trim waste. Even small twigs Pollinator to churn works a treat. An choose to start yourself a nice collection of soon mounts up.
(such as those that had once had buds on additional advantage of doing all this in the trim waste.
them) can cause a great deal of damage if winter months is that you have a lower air But we are not yet finished with the
they are left in the Pollinator. Any twigs moisture to deal with as well as a lower Once we’ve got a Pollinator or some such making of hash powder and can safely run
present can be rock hard, because they are temperature. Thanks to the cold outdoor apparatus in our possession, we can begin. the trim waste through one more time. This
so dry, and can cause severe damage to the temperature the trim waste stays cold Preferably put the Pollinator on a table, so time we let the trim waste churn for a good
sieve (also known as the screen), with longer than if you worked with the that we have it at the ideal height for hour because most of the THC crystals are
negative consequences for its effectiveness. Pollinator during the summer. That’s a working with (your back will thank you). already shaken loose and collected, and a
Sieves such as these are not exactly cheap reason why you should also refrain from We remove a plastic bag from the freezer, little less hash powder comes out. The hash
and once damaged are practically useless, putting the heating on when you are at empty it into the Pollinator’s box and start powder we get from this third churn of the
because the quality of the hash powder – if work with the Pollinator. There are even this turning (making sure first that the clip trim waste is really light in colour and of
you even bother to continue - declines some smart growers who place their on the box is well shut and the large catch lesser quality still. But it is still worth the
dramatically. Once you get small bits of Pollinator entirely in the freezer while it’s is placed downwards). Usually I let the effort of reclaiming this light coloured hash
leaf coming through the damaged sieve turning in an attempt to make the gadget Pollinator turn initially for a quarter of an powder, leaving us with three qualities of
instead of only THC crystals, the hash work even more effectively. Naturally, you hour before I first scrape the hash powder hash. There are many growers who simply
powder is no longer of a pure enough need to be in possession of such a from the white tray (see photo). Then I take mix all three grades together, in which case
quality (plus there are bits of leaf in it). capacious freezer, and of course check out the trim waste again and put it back in you end up with just one grade of hashish,
whether such a use is recommended (you the plastic bag, stick a number (like, er “1”) but this is concentrated enough and you’re
Once we’ve sorted the trim waste well and don’t want to void your warranty!). on it and pop it back in the freezer. The still left with a good quality hash.
finely chopped up any rough buds, I number I wrote on the plastic bag is to For the still inexperienced smoker it’s
generally split it up into plastic ziplock Just to return one more time to the freezing make sure I don’t go putting the same bag going to take no more than a couple of
bags (and close them as tight as possible). of the trim waste issue: it is very important through the Pollinator (it’s perhaps best to tokes to be guaranteed an interstellar trip. If
These bags are ideal because you can take to do this in advance, otherwise you can’t start keeping the plastic bags separate from in fact you find the Premier Quality really
the dried trim waste out easily, and just as get straight down to work, at the moment each other). The hash powder from this too strong, you can take the edges off it by
easily put it back again once it’s been you get the Pollinator or whatever machine
processed. We can use the trim waste more in your hands. Growers who prefer hire a
than once; a second or even occasionally a Pollinator or some such apparatus can often
third pass is possible (depending on the do best to get straight down their local
quality of the waste). grow shop. Always keep in mind that there
is often a considerable deposit to be paid,
I fill each re-sealable plastic bag with about because so many growers become so
80 grams of trim waste; in my opinion, this enthused by their first adventure into
is the ideal amount for the trim waste to hashish production that they omit to bring
turn freely in a standard size Pollinator - the thing back again. Such practices have
and therefore the handiest amount. What’s ensured that their rental is no longer as easy
more, you can empty the plastic bag of its as it used to be and many grow shop
contents directly (with no need to weigh it owners have become rather choosy who
again) into the box of the Pollinator. Of they hire them to.
course, there are also larger models, right
up to ones you could lie down inside the An alternative is to rent one with a group of The day before we set to work, with the Pollinator, we place the bags of trim waste in the freezer.
Soft Secrets 35
To ensure that we don’t keep getting the have enough on their plates just trimming
same plastic bags out of the freezer, we to worry about what happens to the trim
make sure that each one is given a number. waste. This is an opportunity for the
outdoor grower with time on his hands
who is able to spring immediately to work
for a colleague in return for a share of the
lucrative end product. Once you have
made your own Brithash, I promise you,
you will want nothing else. There is
nothing lovelier than a nice pile of hash
powder, made by your own fair hands, and
of a superior quality to boot!
I’ll end by wishing all readers, growers
and other interested parties a good New
Year and in all probability, I’ll be back
again next year with new reports from the
frontiers of my growing practices at
Weckels World of Wonders. The second time around we let the Pollinator turn for half an hour. A thick layer of hash
powder is our reward.
mixing it with secondary and tertiary
quality; even then you’re likely to be
stoned as an ape. Once you have finished
all the work and have amassed a nice
amount of hash powder, naturally you’ll
want to roll a good biftah from a ball of it
and get nicely trolleyed. And indeed you
can, and will if you do so.
But the quality will be even better -
supremely good - if you can just resist the
temptation to smoke or press it straight
away, but leave it a year so – longer if you
like – safely stored. In this way the hash
powder gets a chance to fully ripen
(provided you keep it in a cool, dark and
above all dry place) and the quality will
gradually rise to stratospheric heights. This
happens, among other reasons, because the
grains of green leaf (that made their way When you have made sure first that the clip on
through the sieve in small quantities) after a the box is removed and the large catch too, the A nice collection of hash powders from over the years. If you can quietly let it ripen,
period of time die off. This improves both bag with the trim waste can be put in the box you are guaranteed a great quality hash.
the taste and the quality of the hash powder
dramatically. The hash you buy from most
coffee shops or independent merchants has
usually had a good period of time to ripen,
only it is not noticeable, happening slowly,
during the production and storage (in the
country it was produced in). Even during
its smuggling, if the hashish has been
pressed, it was still able to ripen.
Of course, you can also use the trim waste
from indoor growing to make Nederhash
(or Brithash, I should say!) just as well.
The small leaves and buds from indoor
production tends to have more THC
crystals in it than that from outdoor
growing and it therefore goes without
saying that you will also get more hash
powder out of it. Because of this it is often
the case that the winter months can be a
golden time for the indoor grower:
frequent low air moisture and low outdoor
temperatures (allowing more lamps to be Next we fasten the clip back on the box and slide
hung up and used than during the summer the white tray underneath. Now we only have the Always write the production year, quality class and the breed of marihuana used (from
months). But it can be that indoor growers outer catch to fasten and we’re ready to roll! which the hash comes) on the label.
Some breeds of hemp produce so many
THC crystals that the hash powder is
already starting to accumulate in the bag of
trim waste.
Weckels is a photographer and grow scene reporter for a number of Dutch magazines.
weckels
He has achieved a certain fame in the Netherlands for his coverage of (indoor and
world of outdoor) weed production, specialising in the documentation of outdoor plantations.
In this series, Weckels will discuss the growing of marihuana indoors.
wonders
IN
T AO
RD ER
VOL
we will rarely be able to select the mother cutting powder. You must make sure not to bye-bye to a whole generation of growing shoots sticking out of them, we
that fulfils all our expectations. But get cutting powder on the slanted, cut marihuana plants. can place the whole thing under growing
learning how to make you own clones surface of the stem, as the sap flow of the lamps. These lights are ideal for letting
remains a must-have skill, and as a grower young clone might get clogged up and the clones bed in and root successfully
you can do yourself a number of favours thereby die an early death. since they do not cause the clones to
by acquiring it. When you make your own Light cycle evaporate too much moisture and yet
clones you can always be sure of young To give the clones a little extra help in still provide enough light. Keep the light
plants, that you know how best they can Air moisture levels weaning we can place a warming system cycle on 18 hours and the growing
be raised to become superb adults, and When the base of the growing shoot has in the base of the germination tray. The shoots should rapidly begin to develop
save yourself a pile of cash outflow along had cutting powder correctly applied, I
the way. let the growing shoots root in small
blocks of stone wool. These blocks are
ideal because they hold enough water,
Fibres and enough oxygen for the young stems
The best clones come from young growth when the blocks dry out a little. Oxygen
shoots of between five and fifteen plays a crucial role in successful rooting
centimetres in length. It is vital that the in growing shoots, and therefore we
shoots have complete and well-developed need to ensure that the conditions for
leaves in order to develop into a clone. this are made as optimal as possible. So
Once we have removed a few shoots from let the stone wool blocks dry out a little
the mother plant, we cut the base of the once in a while.
stem off with a slanting cut from a razor
blade (these are ideal because they are so When all this has been accomplished,
sharp). By cutting the stem at a slant, the we can best place the yet-to-develop
stem has a greater surface area with which growing shoots in a special germinating
to take up moisture, and that increases our tray. Here we can keep the air moisture
chances of success. Often, I remove a strip content high, by sprinkling the clones
of fibres, so that the cutting powder with water and closing the germinating
world of
Indoors
wonders
Skunk X
Thanks to popular demand, this time around I will be looking at a plant that
guarantees success even for the beginner level grower: Skunk, the coffee shop
classic with the incomparably sweet high. As a grower you have to make a right
royal mess of things in order to avoid scoring a decent yield with a variety like
the Skunk X.
For most growers just starting out, it of growing has not for a long time been
is often the skunk varieties they first as lucrative as many people assume.
come into contact with, thanks to the The big disadvantage of raising many
fact that they do not place as high plants in a small space is also that the
demands on the grower as the other, plants can end up competing with each
often much harder to grow, ‘true’ white other for the limited available light
varieties. Skunk X is a plant that can and nutrients. There is, after all, only a
stand up to the most frequently made limited amount of space for each plant,
beginners’ mistakes. Giving too much and in the skunk varieties in particular,
or too cold feed water, for example, which love to develop wide and tall,
is one of the beginners’ mistakes that there is nothing so frustrating as not
skunk can usually shrug off. But for having the room they want.
even the most experienced indoor
grower the Skunk X can deliver a good The fact that the well-known skunk
result, certainly when the size of your sorts such as the Skunk X have
harvest serves to sharpen your growers’ managed to establish themselves as big Even on the under-most branches you will find beautifully developed buds. We really need
instinct. However, it’s true that most yielders is thanks to the fact that these therefore to make sure that the plants are getting a generous dose of light.
indoor growers over the course of their green ladies have an amazingly fat
careers move on to more demanding stem and develop heavy side branches, Should you decide to ‘top’ your plants, at the moment that the top shoot has
varieties (such as the Cytral plant that provided they are given the chance to do make sure that you do actually give reached the height we want it to have.
was discussed here in last December’s do so. Whenever we as growers are in a the plants the chance to develop in This may all sound quite logical, but
issue), in order to broaden and extend position to give the Skunk X the chance width by making sure they have enough there are still plenty of growers who
their experience. (i.e. the space), then we have already space on either side. Furthermore, we quite happily clip the wings of their
conquered the first beginner’s mistake have to make sure to top the plants plants a half metre short in the hope that
This takes nothing away from the fact
that skunk still for a huge number of
growers remains one of their favourites,
and thanks partly to that it will be under Feed
the spotlight in this issue. As for filling the pots with earth mix, I
recommend going for lightly fertilised
soil, so that we can remain in control
of giving the plant sufficient nutrient
Bushes mixed in with its feed water. You might
Plants like the Skunk X are excellent say that a plant like the Skunk X, one
for growing in soil; they grow fast, that’s almost bursting with its desire
develop quickly and often bloom like a to develop to its huge size potential, is
– well, like a very well blooming thing. not going to turn its nose up at a bit of
Beginner-level growers generally plant nutrition in its soil. But in fact a lightly
their first couple of crops in soil as a fertilised soil will be plenty rich enough
way of getting the general arts of the for its first two to three weeks, or pretty
grower into their fingers, so to speak. much the whole growth period in other
However, I will point out immediately words.
here that growing on coco substrate
can also yield excellent results when That this growth period lies a little on
you’re using a top-yielder like Skunk the long side is down to the fact that
X, and if you feel like there might be a we will have left the skunk variety to
bit of a coco grower inside you, then it get rather large, and so have given it
is certainly worth the effort to give this a little more time in (pre-) growth. Do
plant a whirl sometime. make sure that you make allowance
for the fact that a plant such as Skunk
For growing in earth we start with a X will continue to grow considerably
pot of 25 litres or so. Precisely because more in height even once it has gone
these pots have so much room, the into bloom. If you are working in
Skunk X plants can then develop into a low-ceiling space then it is worth
real bushes, and that translates into stimulating lateral growth by simply
fewer clones needed and so lower costs. snipping off the top of the plant
Why bother ourselves with a whole (obviously, before it has developed
growing space full of small Skunk X buds of its own). In this way all the
plants and run unnecessary risks, when nutrients are diverted via the sap stream
with half that number we can match in the main stem of the plant to the side
and even beat the yield? The often branches, which will in turn reward the
small and therefore greater number of attention by increasing considerably in
plants that growers frequently raise side, which will later (during the bloom
indoors in the hope of getting large phase) translate into a much heavier
harvests frequently means in reality weight of buds being able to be carried.
high expenses. Thanks to this, this way
they will still reach the desired height. Here we can see once more the top of the
This often occurs when the grower has Skunk X from close up. The weed smells
allowed the plants to keep growing in not only nice and strong (the typical skunk
height a little too long, which makes a odour), but the high is also superb.
drastic pruning a necessity. Alas for the
plant, in reality this trimming back of its of the better known skunk varieties I
height by a half meter now represents also tend to let them grow and blossom
a severe wound, one which it will find under relatively high intensities of light.
difficult to heal. Excessive sap loss and A lamp of 600 watts is pretty much the
a subsequent greater chance of mould minimum with which we should get
infection in this critical, constantly down to business with, given the fact
moist spot (the wound) is the end result. that their many leaves will serve to
So be sensible, and make sure that you shield much of the light. Nonetheless,
only have to remove only the very top- we cannot remove all the leaves (that
most section of the main shoot. In doing would have disastrous consequences for
so, the plant has sufficient resources the light uptake), and because we have
with which to heal the wound and they given the plants a very generous period
will begin to produce scar tissue, which of pre-growth, it will not be long before
will keep sap loss to a minimum. the buds on the lowest side branches
can also get enough light.
Light
To come back once more to the Enzymes
subject of earth mixes. During the Moving on to the liquid nutrients we
growth period we give the plants only will be giving the plants during their
a booster, as a little extra nutritional bloom phase, it’s best to go for the
support. We do this by simply mixing well-known bloom feed, and also
the booster with the water we give the add every two weeks some enzymes
plants. Although the Skunk X will not to the feed water to keep the salt
immediately hit the roof with small accumulation down. As regards the
swings in the amount of booster of bloom feed, we need a nutrient with
liquid feed added to its water (which an NPK level (as we call it in Holland)
we add at a later stage of its life), it is of 7:30:20. This golden formula is not
still advisable to use a small syringe well known to all growers, but the
from the chemist to determine the exact Skunk X in particular has an enormous
amount added. After a week or two or thirst for phosphorus (P) and potassium
even three we pull the daily number (K) during its bloom period. When we
of light hours we are giving the plants as growers make sure our Skunk X
back to 12 and the plants will begin plants have the above mentioned dose
to bloom. During the bloom period of bloom feed (mixed with water), then
it’s a good idea to remove as many we will be spared yellow leaves and
as possible of the large leaves. Skunk instead can look forward to a massive
plants are well-known for the volume harvest. This also happens to be one
of leaves they produce, and that can act of the biggest secrets surrounding
as a further drawback should they lead the prize-winning Skunk X harvests,
column
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Soft Secrets 21
indoor
weckels
Weckels is a photographer and grow scene reporter for a number of Dutch magazines. He has achieved
world of a certain fame in the Netherlands for his coverage of (indoor and outdoor) weed production,
specialising in the documentation of outdoor plantations. Here, Weckels will discuss the growing of
marihuana indoors. Take advantage of it!
wonders
Text & photography: Weckels, the grow-specialist from Atami
The Harvest
In this article we are going to be looking at the harvesting of marihuana plants, and in particular what we need to do in the conditions can also stress the plant
last two weeks of growth by way of preparation, and any extra attention the plants might benefit from. That the weed harvest terribly, given the huge swings that
brings with it important points of attention is something that many growers will endorse. After all, it’s not for nothing that we result between the air moisture levels of
have been slaving away in the pursuit of the best possible care of our plants, and we want to see a good return on our dark and light periods.
investment! In this episode of the Wonderful World of Weckels, some tips for the finish.
The best solution to this problem is to
get yourself a professional air de-
humidifier. These pieces of kit have
transformed many a swampy grow space
into a veritable paradise for the
blossoming plants. Air moisture levels
are brought under such precise control
that there is barely a difference any
more between light and dark periods of
the cycle. The results are one relaxed
grower and a well-protected (future)
harvest.
in the European Community have become almost seed companies. The Dutch section concludes with
hemp guide Until the nineties of the previous century, there was
a thriving hemp industry in the Netherlands, but
that has seen changes recently too. Countries such
consists of an overview of cannabis related
companies active in other countries. Separate
chapters contain information about Germany, Spain,
Absolutely as Spain, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland Switzerland and the UK. The addresses of the
indispensable suddenly list thousands of companies active in the different cannabis companies have been
within a border cannabis sector. And with the progressive economic alphabetically arranged and listed under the cities
free Europe – unification of Europe, this trend can only increase. and villages of the various countries. There are two
the first The hemp industry has shown a consistent rise in categories, one for retail shops and one for
International growth over the past few years. To state it in ‘green wholesalers.
Highlife Guide jargon’, “We have not let the grass grow under us”. As mentioned before, such a complete and
is nothing less Discover Publisher recognised the growing expansive reference work listing so many hemp
than an internationalisation of the cannabis sector and enterprises has never been published previously.
international decided the time was ripe for a standardised work This full colour guide is certainly indispensable to
‘who’s who’ listing all European companies engaged in the anyone who wants to stay abreast of business
within the cannabis trade. opportunities within Europe.
European hemp After intensive preparation and thorough research With the International Highlife Guide, the growing
industry. whereby a huge mass of information was European hemp industry now finally has the
Nowhere else assembled, the publisher of Highlife, Soft Secrets international business listing reference book it
will you find a and La Maria now presents the International deserves. Make sure that you get yourself a copy.
guide so comprehensive and so complete that Highlife Guide, condensed to fill 338 pages. Never Ask for it at the place of business where you do
covers all companies doing business within the before has there been a comparable guide that lists your shopping and find your way about in
cannabis sector. From Amsterdam to Barcelona, so much accurate information about the interna- cannabis-loving Europe.
Berlin to London, Zurich to Madrid, ‘you name it’; tional hemp industry. And believe it or not - you
this guide will provide you with thousands of can get your own copy, completely free of charge! International Highlife Guide
addresses, in villages and cities, where The International Highlife Guide has been ‘Guide to the Hemp Industry’
professionals are actively working with cannabis published in two parts and is simplicity itself to Discover Publisher Ltd.
products. This standard work contains 338 pages use. The first part contains information relating to
and is an absolute must for your bookshelf. And the the Dutch cannabis industry and is arranged Freely available at the better grow/head/smart- and
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Soft Secrets weckels 21
world of
Indoor
wonders
By Weckels, the grow specialist from Atami
weckels
Weckels is a photographer and grow scene reporter for a number of Dutch magazines. He has achieved
world of a certain fame in the Netherlands for his coverage of (indoor and outdoor) weed production,
specialising in the documentation of outdoor plantations. Here, Weckels will discuss the growing of
marihuana indoors. Take advantage of it!
wonders
Text & photography: Weckels, the grow-specialist from Atami
Top 44
Top 44 is perhaps one of the most-grown indoor varieties of marihuana. This commercial plant is loved above all for its plants with any ease. That is reason
combination of a short time taken to bloom coupled with a high yield. Although most growers know this plant as a real enough for some growers to grow their
indoor variety, there are also very good yields to be had growing it outside. plants in flower pots. In this way they can
This time in the Wonderful World of Weckels: Top 44. move the plants around as often as they
like, and it is often a bit easier to ensure
that the plants are all growing at the same
height. When the earth really is airy
enough, it can also pay off to move the
plants to grow in a layer of earth -
provided that you proceed with a degree
of carefulness. A trick here is to not just
stick a number of clones into the earth,
but to set the stone wool blocks (in which
they stand) on a layer of perlite.
If we let these young clones simply grow
alongside, then we can always use them
to replace the poor growing plants. I
usually remove the poor growers
immediately. During every crop there are
always a few problem growers among the
plants, and these often provide nothing
but frustration and/or unnecessary
problems. Furthermore, poorly developed
plants rarely provide any decent buds, so
all-in-all we are better off replacing them
with good growing plants. A poorly
performing plant will rapidly be overrun
by their more enthusiastically growing
sisters and will often die anyway as a
result before they even get into flower.
What’s more, dead plants will attract a
veritable plague of moulds and or pests,
and before we know it they will become
We support the young plants with bamboo stakes. the source of a failed crop.
In this way the plants get full support and they will (at a later stage) produce much heavier flower heads.
Top 44 produces an endless quantity of play a critical role and demands that the grow the (Top 44) plants, most growers Mother plant
leaves and thereby makes the light grower does whatever he can to get this plump for earth mixes. These mixtures Sometimes it is not just a few plants that
absorption considerably more efficient down to as low a level as possible and (frequently with various fertilisers mixed grow differently from the rest, but it
than varieties less well covered. Thanks keep it there. Make sure in any case that in) are very well suited for use as a sub- seems as though two entirely different
partly to this, the Top 44 variety is well- you have adequate air expulsion and soil. If you do this too, make sure that varieties are being grown together in the
suited to outdoor growing, since the plant remove the larger leaves, which will often you first allow the clones to root in 'poor' same growing space. You regularly hear
also has a very short blooming period and provide a substantial improvement. earth mix, also called ‘cutting earth'. of growers who have a space packed with
can therefore absorb enough light, even These soils contain no added fertiliser at plants out of which half are almost ready
when the sun in our latitude fails to turn all, which allows the small roots to to be switched to the flowering stage,
up once again. Furthermore, Top 44 has Bamboo stakes develop far better. Make sure that this while the other half are considerably less
very little susceptibility to mould Precisely because the clones grown layer of earth is still airy enough by well-developed. Many growers then begin
infections, which cause barely any trouble indoors under ideal circumstances shoot mixing a good dose of perlite in with it. immediately to re-build the whole
even when it is grown outside. up so fast, it’s a sensible idea to support By doing so the plants can develop their growing space and/or hang more lamps
the young plants with bamboo stakes. In root systems many times faster than if we above the less well performing plants.
Air moisture this way the plants get full support and just shove them in the soil haphazardly. Frequently, despite all the effort spent, the
The biggest problem with growing Top they will (at a later stage) produce much Top 44 is so great to grow in an earth mix cause lies in the simple fact that the
44 indoors is that it is a variety that gives heavier flower heads. During the growth that we can, for example, put it on a table clones are not all from the same mother
off enormous quantities of moisture via stage the bamboo stakes can best be for growing. The big advantage of this is plant. It is no wonder then that one half
her large leaves and closely-packed leaf placed between the plants, given that they that there’s almost never any damp grows several times faster than the other.
coverage. Top 44 needs plenty of air are not yet fully-grown and we must be patches left behind, because the plants If you cannot get both groups of plants to
moisture meters installed in the room it is able to move around freely throughout the always manage to slurp up all traces of grow at the same height, then the next
being grown in. During the growth period growing space.Furthermore, it is also feed water. Furthermore, you can use a problem will start to mount up
this on its own has nothing but a positive wise to allow the plant to grow above the drip system to easily spread the feed immediately: When the plants are not all
effect (provided it doesn’t get too top of the bamboo stake, so that the tips water as evenly as possible over the layer from the same original mother plant, there
swampy in there with all that air have plenty of room and so can get their of earth. will not only be problems with different
moisture); the young clones grow like full dose of light. This last point is growth patterns, but also the bloom
maniacs and develop much better when especially important, since it can result in Trick period may be totally different too.
they are raised in an environment rich in a marked improvement in eventual yield. The only drawback of growing only on a Furthermore, the flower heads will also
moist air. Later, during the blooming When it comes to choosing the most layer of earth is that it is almost always differ in appearance and this can have
period, this high air moisture can really suitable growing medium in which to impossible to remove any poor-growing negative consequences when it comes to
Soft Secrets 23
After a period of time the tips grow up above the top of the bamboo stakes. Now the buds This patch has grown reasonably at the same height. We must make sure to keep a close eye
will be able to develop really well. on the air moisture during this period.
flogging the whole crop (once trimmed batch of clones, to put them all into the this, since it uses little energy and allow the selected plants a little time to
and dried). Most dealers get a bit growth stage and later the flowering stage furthermore, the plants will not receive keep growing under a TL-lamp. Anyway,
suspicious when they get the feeling that together. You should consider taking a too much light. The lamps that we use in these lamps are also ideal to let the
they are being offered a batch of mixed couple of well developed plants out before the grow space are not really suited to clones develop their roots under.
up weed buds. the flowering period and put them under a this task, since they will make the plants It is precisely with the short-blooming
Often you can find it hard to retrieve the TL-lamp to keep growing. We can then grow much too quickly. By using TL- varieties such as Top 44 that this way of
batch from the gutter into which it has select the best looking plants with loads of lamps, we easily straddle the time period growing works outstandingly well,
been slung (literally or metaphorically), branching, since these will also yield the during which the other plants (those we because we have the clones ready to
and your motivation for the next crop most clones, to be mothers. allowed to go into the flowering stage) hand to plant as soon as the other plants
sinks to zero. If we let these plants (the ones we are further developing their flower heads. (the ones that have been put into the
removed before the flowering period) If we take clones directly from the plants flowering stage) are harvested.
TL-lamp have a little more time to keep growing put aside for this purpose, then after a
To prevent this situation, a good initial under a TL-lamp, they will increase to a week or two these will be itching to be What’s also great is that we now know
buying decision (making sure all your good, sturdy girth and within the shortest planted. But we will have absolutely no precisely under what conditions we can
clones are from the same mother plant) is possible time we can take complete room (since the grow space is already best raise this new batch of clones, since
half the work. That is also why it is a clones off them (for the first subsequent jam-packed with flowering plants). In we have just grown their predecessors
shame, when we have got hold of a nice crop). The TL-lamp is very well suited to order to avoid this situation we first successfully!
Clones
But before things have got to this
point we first need to make sure
Top 44 produces an endless amount of In each tray we place a bubble stone. With This oxygen pump ensures an optimal that we can get our hands on a good
leaves and by doing so makes the uptake the help of an oxygen pump now there will aeration of the layer of feed water in four supply of lovely Top 44 clones. In
of light much simpler for herself than be a continuous supply of oxygen bubbled grow trays. The roots of the marihuana contrast to outdoor growing, when
into the water. plants just love it!
for the less well-covered varieties. This growing marihuana indoors it is far
is partly the reason why Top 44 is also increased, and that’s why we decided exposed. The roots would die off if they more common to use clones (than
well-suited to growing outdoors, since to use as well-aerated pots as we could were not well covered, and so the layer seeds). This is especially true when
even though the plant spends a very find, so that the permeability of oxygen of perlite prevents this from happening. the grower wants to raise a more
short period in bloom it can still take up to the roots is as great as possible. There As the plants become larger, so the commercial variety like the Top 44,
a good amount of light - even once the is an additional trick we can use to bottom of the grow trays will become and getting hold of such clones is
sun in this country starts to lose intensity optimise the health of the root system darker, since the Top 44 plants with usually not a big problem (in Holland
towards the end of the year. What is (by ensuring sufficient oxygen). With their thick leaf coverage shade the base at least). The advantage of this is that
more, Top 44 is relatively untroubled the aid of an oxygen pump we keep the quite a lot. This is all to the good, since as a grower you know in advance
by mould, and this is rarely a problem water continuously in motion. In this the root systems of our ladies are also that you are going to have a good
even when growing outside. In short, way, oxygen is constantly being blown increasing considerably in size, and this supply of females (something that
it’s a variety that can perhaps be very into the water, which makes the feed shade protects them from the strong light is not the case when you’re growing
interesting to outdoor growers too! water softly bubble. The roots absolutely from the lamps. from normal seeds). What’s more, it
34 Soft Secrets
What that also means for us as growers very little soil. This is smart growing, 44 plants upright would be achieved. that within no time they will be almost
in trays is that we have the great given that humping heavy sacks of earth You would also have to make sure you scraping their heads against the ceiling.
advantage that we can still move the up flights of stairs to your grow room is did not let the plants grow too large. And then your chances of a good
plants around during their growth phase. guaranteed to give you a whole bunch This is easily achieved by cutting back harvest start falling apart, since there
In this way, we can move the plants out of frustration. The savings also work the number of hours’ light a day the is no longer the space in which to hang
of each other’s way if we need to. If in the opposite direction too: you will plants receive to 12, which will prompt your lamps!
you do this, make sure you take great not need to haul the depleted soil back the plants to start pumping out bloom
care, because usually the plants let their down and dispose of it conspicuously in hormones and slam the breaks on the My Top 44 plants continue to
roots grow in all directions and these your garden during the winter months. explosive growth. Make sure that you develop nicely, and as a grower I will
roots can get wound up around all kinds It is often little tasks like these that can take account of the fact that marihuana always do my very best to create the
of things. lead to a grower getting caught by our plants still manage to increase in size conditions in which they can thrive. In
courageous forces of justice and order / height quite a bit even now. That is the next issue I will be concentrating
To try and move the plant now without in blue. why it is perhaps better to set the ladies on the end phase of the grow cycle of
taking great care is just asking for into bloom a little earlier, before they this variety. Here’s hoping already that
problems. The roots run a large risk To return again to this insignificant have reached their ideal height. If you there’ll be a good supply of flower
of being damaged and/or even being amount of soil issue. The usage of don’t do this, then the chances are high heads to report on!
completely broken off. The result is one soil with this method of growing is so
very stressed plant, who is not exactly miniscule because the layer of water
happy about having been moved and in the bottom of our grow trays keeps
will probably show retarded growth the soil mixture in the flower pots
for the rest of the cycle. So always continuously moist, thanks to which the
being ultra-cautious in attempting such weight of the flower pots with their soil
interventions. is reduced considerably. This also has
the great advantage that the underside
Grow trays of Top 44 plants have a kind of natural
ballast so the chance of them toppling
Nevertheless, growing in grow trays over is zero.
does have a number of advantages
when compared, for example, with If we were to try and raise the plants to
growing in simply a layer of soil. For maturity only in flower pots (without
one, the problem of giving too much grow trays and a layer of water),
or too little water (whether by hand or things would be quite different, with
with an automatic irrigation system) persistently falling over plants being
is scarcely a factor. There is always a the result. A possible solution to this
layer of feed water in the grow trays, so might have been growing in larger pots,
that the chances of the system drying but of course logically that would mean
out becomes pretty negligible. On top a proportionate increase in the volume
of this is the fact that schlepping large of soil that would to be needed. But Once more, a look at the grow space. The The ladies have things exactly to their
volumes of soil around is no longer the large pots would have damp soil in Top 44 plants are now beginning to produce wishes!
necessary, since proportionately we use them so the object of keeping the Top lovely, compact flower heads.
Soft Secrets weckels Grow with W 33
world of eckels
wonders
By Weckels, the grow specialist from Atami
Differences
To come back briefly to the differences
in EC value of mains water in the
Netherlands. In general you can say that
the growers in areas with low EC mains
water have something of an advantage
over the growers who are operating in
Top 44 plants often have in the beginning a The plants grow as compact bushes. This areas where the EC is somewhat higher.
flower head with many white THC threads. is just how we want to keep them, so we do Air de-humidifier Put briefly, it is the case that the lower
The bud itself is often a bit ball-shaped and not let them get too tall. the EC value the more liquid nutrients
round in dimensions. Later, during the blooming phase we can add to our (mains) feed water
the (high) air humidity will really without raising the EC value too high.
In the first part of this feature on The biggest problem we face when play a critical role and we need to do
Top 44 we saw how we could get the growing Top 44 indoors is that this everything in our power to keep it down The Top 44 plants that we have raised
young clones to take root and how we variety gives off an amazing amount of as low as possible. Make sure in any were provided with feed water with
partly brought them to maturity. I also moisture thanks to her large leaves and case that there is sufficient air ventilation an EC of about 1.3. The ladies grew
explained which growing method we thick leaf coverage. Top 44 has brought and remove the largest leaves from outstandingly well on it. There are also
used for this and what advantages these many a humidity meter metaphorically the plants. This often has a substantial growers who strive to keep the EC
grow tactics brought with them. In this to its knees. During the growth period impact. I am also a supporter of using around the 1.1 point, but with a not so
article we will be able to see how the they find this rather agreeable (provided in addition to the above mentioned sensitive variety like Top 44 that is not
Top 44 ladies have further developed that it doesn’t get too swampy from the methods an air de-humidifier. This piece really necessary. Even with an EC of 1.6
and what setbacks they are liable to have high air moisture content). The young of equipment is well worth the money or 1.7, Top 44 can deliver good results.
demonstrated. At the same time it forms clones grow like mad and develop far it would set you back at twice the price, Even so, it is important that when you
the last part of the series about Top 44, better when they are started out in an and they have spared many a harvest are growing you also measure the EC
given that these short blooming plants environment that has a high air humidity. from a good deal of trouble. value of the water that runs out of the
will be harvested when this issue comes This is because the ladies have to pots. Of course, when you are growing
out. After all, a Top 44 plant blooms, evaporate less moisture through their Even though Top 44 is generally not in a water medium (as we are in this
as her name suggests, after just 44 days leaves (given that the air moisture level particularly susceptible to fungal infection, article) this is not applicable, since the
(about six weeks) and so by the time is already pretty high), thanks to which the use of a de-humidifier such as a plants are stood in it continuously. After
this is up, the ladies will be positively they can use the energy they save for Carrier is still advisable. You will be all, the feed water is tipped directly into
exploding to go under the scissors. growing. astonished at just how much moisture the growing tubs.
Soft Secrets 35
The roots that are still healthy will be badly course, growing in trays has a drawback
affected by this, to the extend that any too. For example, you can imagine how
thoughts of a successful harvest go out of quickly a root disease can spread in water.
the window. It also needs to be mentioned Should this trouble raise its ugly head,
here that the stage at which this tragedy there is really very little to be done to stop
takes place has consequences for the steps it affecting the root systems of the other
Lamps plants a little extra attention (in the the business regarding the high. What’s who raise the long-blooming varieties
form of light), so that the ladies will be more, the weed is relaiably a good, nice on soil find that even though there did
During this grow cycle we have been put back on track with their sisters as tasting, mid-range performer. What’s not appear to be anything amiss in the
mainly using 400 Watt lamps. These quickly as possible. So it’s best to hang not to like? One further plus point first eight weeks, after this, by the last
lamps give enough light to bring the the 250 Watt lamps continuously in one is that Top 44 is often considerably two weeks of the blooming period,
Top 44 plants to full size and then spot or another. cheaper than the long-blooming something seems to go wrong. The soil
bloom nicely. Although 600 Watt lamps marihuana varieties, and that makes up has been all this time given feed water
are in my opinion better at producing Flower heads for a lot! with a liquid nutrient mixed in to it,
the right amount of light in comparison and with the passage of time it appears
with the amount of energy they use, Once we have done our best for it, it I hope you have got an idea from this that the soil has accumulated dangerous
we have chosen this time to use 400- really cannot turn out any other way two-part article about the possibilities levels of nutrient salts. The damage
watters. In itself this is not such a with a plant like Top 44 other than of this growing method and the is by then already done and what are
crazy idea, since in the grow space that we will be richly rewarded. That successes that can be achieved with perhaps the most important two weeks
we are using there is a limited in the is what a commercial plant like the it. Although this time around I have of the whole growing cycle are lost.
amount of electricity we can supply. Top 44 is well known for after all. been using a short-blooming variety, it Precisely to avoid such tragedies,
The power groups in the house also The flower heads of Top 44 begin is a growing method that is very well growing on a thin layer of feed water
have their limits after all and as growers quite innocently to bloom and just get suited to growing the longer-blooming can give you some great surprises!
we need to take such considerations bigger and bigger. The bud produces varieties too. Exactly because the often
into account. It is not possible in all many white THC threads and often has white varieties (that also frequently are
locations to increase the amount of a somewhat round, ball-shaped form. longer blooming) are more sensitive to The following issue I will be taking a
energy deliverable by huge amounts, As for appearance, the flower heads a high dose of nutrients, this method of look at how we make Space Cake, so
without spending a great deal of effort do look good, even if they are not growing offers results. Many growers you better stay tuned!
The majority of the flower heads become reddish coloured, signalling the end of the
blooming phase.
and expense beforehand. What’s more, something that will keep the lover of
there is another aspect to bear in mind. exclusive varieties lying awake at night.
We are deliberately keeping the Top 44 Thanks to its short bloom period you
plants a little bit smaller in dimension, can also not expect from a variety like
and in that case the 400 Watt lamps can Top 44 bone-white buds or particularly
give us more than enough light. unusual looking flower heads. Given
that the average Dutch smoker is
Sometimes in situations like this it increasingly on the lookout for new
can be better to spread the availability discoveries of good looking weed, and
of light over a number of lamps. In thanks to that is prepared to spend a
addition to the 400 Watt lamps, we little bit more for an exclusive variety
also use another two 250 Watt lamps. with a good taste, the production of the
We hang these mostly in the corners of majority of commercial varieties such
the grow room or in those spots where as Top 44 has shifted abroad. Even so,
the ladies are falling behind a bit in Top 44 is still smoked regularly in the
their growth. In this way we can give a Netherlands. And credit where it’s due;
couple of underperforming individual a good blooming Top 44 will always do
Soft Secrets weckels Grow with W 21
world of eckels
wonders
By Weckels
Growing in water
Because we have been talking in recent issues of Soft Secrets about some fine
combinations for indoor growing, we are going to take it a little further this
time around. But I won’t be letting you go all winter without a nice growing
story. So this article will be about what for most growers is still a new form of
growing, namely growing on (only) water (with an elevated oxygen content)
and liquid nutrients.
The era of time after time hauling heavy in different sacks of soil, is that pests
sacks of soil and nutrients, replacing and insects among your plants become a
them each time, and getting rid of the problem much more slowly, because in
old soil and endlessly mixing perlite and the previous situation (growing on soil)
earth, to get the base nice and airy, may they still manage to get into your grow
safely be declared over. Though this space in the form of eggs and larvae
new form of growing does have a bit of hidden in your soil. The result is that you
development to undergo before it could can end up with a veritable rain forest of
be called a real trend. Bear in mind that creeping, nibbling beasts that you have
no grower is as suspicious as the weed to go to great lengths to remove from
grower, if only because of the fact that among your plants. But because now
there are large amounts of money to be with our mains water we are guaranteed
made or lost. It may be that the battle- that we will have no uninvited guests,
hardened hydro grower is in a better your grow space in the future will,
situation to make the leap and may be provided that you bring ‘clean’ clones
the most easily interested. into the environment, will stand a good
chance of remaining an insect-free zone.
The biggest advantage of this growing
method is that you not longer have to be The new growing system actually works
a kind of pack mule running stuff in and pretty simply; the cylindrical grow tubs
out of your grow space, thanks to the are filled with water, the clones are
fact that you just fill the special cylinder- placed in small, granule-filled flower
shaped grow tubs with water, rather than pots and then these pots are hung or
soil. And that means that not only do you placed in the lid of the grow tubs. The
save a lot of time; for the grower with flower pots in which the clones grow are
the ever-present and nosey neighbours, filled with hydro-granules because were
it means they can finally stop all this you put soil in them, the whole nutrient
carting of sacks of soil back and forth cylinder would become filled with
through the winter months, an activity muddy water. The roots (in the flower
that is a sure sign of a large scale hemp pots) would then be exposed and would
set up. die as a result, as roots cannot light on
them.
But even for growers with the friendliest
of neighbours, growing on water has The plants receive liquid nutrient 12
another advantage over growing in soil. times a day during the whole growth
Growers are often bitching about the soil and bloom cycle, the great advantage of
in which they are growing is not of pure doing which is that the plants can take up
enough quality, about the amount they the liquid fertiliser mixed in with water The cylindrical grow tubs are ideal for a good root system to develop in, mainly because
have to pay for decent quality soil, the only even faster. Soil has the property ever more oxygen can be pumped through the water in the tubs.
cost of the perlite and the additives they of ‘sieving’ the added feed water, so that
sometimes use. You also hear frequent the plant does not get all, or gets a less
complaints about soil out of exactly the strong concentration of nutrients than
same brand of bags having different desired. The problem of over-feeding
nutrient values and thus different pH will occur sooner when growing in soil
values from bag to bag. Fortunately I than when growing in water. As you
have never been afflicted with the last can well imagine, when more and more
problem, but I personally nearly always small concentrations of nutrients are
choose to use the somewhat more left behind in the soil (the feed base),
expensive brands, and with these too the after a few waters / irrigations a lethal
rule is: “he who checks the pH value of concentration of salts can accumulate
the soil every time, also before you stick in it. That is why most growers nearly
your plants or clones in, will not get any always replace their soil after it has been
unexpected surprises.” grown in just once, as the soil contains
too high concentrations of nutrient salts,
Should you, after having been to work to the point where it is unusable. Mixing
with your pH meter (NB: leave the meter one part old soil with two parts of fresh
in the soil for at least two minutes), are is also a good option, though a small risk
still discovering variations in your pH of over-fertilisation always remains.
values in the soil, then there is always
a way of getting the value down (a The number of times that you give
problem pH value is nearly always too nutrient to your plants ultimately
high, i.e. higher than 7.5, and very rarely determines the total number of weeks
too low – lower than 5.8). One method (or months) that you can use the soil.
I use myself a lot for lowering the pH By this I mean to say that with varieties
value of the nutrient base and giving the that are ready to harvest in seven or eight
base a pretty neutral pH value (around weeks, you generally don’t have any
7), is by using chalk. problem with the soil getting ever more
toxic throughout the grow cycle. But you
To come back to the advantages of would not be the first grower raising a
growing in water, besides the above- long-blooming variety (in the hope of Especially the varieties that usually become large, tall plants are good for growing in this
mentioned problem of varying pH values getting a good price for it) to have no new form (in water) of growing.
22 Soft Secrets
Column
self-appointed “elder statesmen” of the dope scene never actually seem to have
Not A Leg To Stand On By Joe Kane
any of their own? Such was the case here, and so old Gerry is getting totally
fucked on some pretty mighty home grown.
Readers, I have been so fucking ill these past weeks, I was starting to think One of the residents of the house, Little Jim, is not only a gardener
I had the fucking Bird Flu. Lying in bed hallucinating all day! I know some extraordinaire, but he also keeps two white rats and a ferret called Fifi. The love
people would pay good money for that, but trust me you really, REALLY don’t of vermin on Little Jim’s part goes hand-in-hand with some good sense as the
want to get this nasty little fucker. Oh, woe is me! smell of the animals does have a toning down effect on the smell of the grass.
Well, the result of my indisposition means that the column this time would be a Little Jim and company are politely listening to the same stories for the zillionth
pretty fucking sparse affair. I can’t think straight for too long even now, so I’m time and trying not to scream. After what seems like days of the boring old fart
gonna take the time to tell you a pretty funny story that someone told me when I droning on, he decides that he’s too fucked to go home so takes off the leg and
was on my death bed a couple of days ago. promptly passes out on the sofa. Everyone else thinks “Thank fuck” and retire.
Okay. There’s this bloke called Spanish Gerry who is one of those aging stoners In the middle of the night they’re woken by a wail followed by banging and
you find in every city in the world. He must be knocking on for 60 if he’s a day, then a loud crash. Little Jim’s first thought is that the house is being busted and
and he’s the kind of guy who can relate stories about how groovy dope and acid everyone runs through to see what’s going down. Spanish Gerry’s what’s gone
were in the 1960’s for hours and hours (“Yeah, man. So there I am on the bus down. Little Jim had been so stoned when he went to bed that he forgot to lock
with Leary and he’s hogging the fucking joint” etc). And they’re very funny the Fifi the ferret’s cage up.
first couple of times you hear them but then they start to wear a bit.
So Fifi had got out and eventually had bolted up Gerry’s (empty) trouser leg and
Anyhow, at some time back in the 1970’s Gerry was in some kind of accident, sunk her teeth into his stump. The pain of course had woken Gerry up but rather
possibly involving a car, or a motorcycle or maybe a piece of heavy machinery. than think “there’s a fucking ferret up my trouser leg”, the stoned twat got the
The specifics aren’t really very specific. But as a result, he’s had one of his legs idea that his leg had grown back and had tried to stand up. He fell right on his
amputated at the knee. Sometimes he wears an artificial limb (“Did I ever tell face knocking out four of his front teeth in the process.
you about the time I smuggled a load of Temple Balls back through customs
inside my fucking leg?” etc) and sometimes he doesn’t bother. Well it made me laugh, readers. And now I’m going back to bed to wait for the
painkillers to kick in.
All of this incidental detail is important for reasons that’ll become clear in a
minute.
See ya.
So a week or two back Gerry has invited himself round to the abode of several
people of my acquaintance and is guzzling their Tequila and smoking their dope JK
like it’s going to be banned or something. Ever notice how so many of these horribly_stoned_boy@hotmail.com
trouble at all for the first seven weeks Of course, attached to any new form water, rock wool or soil, before they rig quite heavy, which in turn makes them
only to discover increasing numbers of of growing there will also be some up the grow space. But especially when hard to tip over – provided you continue
yellow leaves among your plants in the drawbacks (most of the advantages you grow in water then building a pool is to keep enough water in them!
eighth week and just one week later see have already been mentioned). Should an absolute must-do. Now should a leak
your whole harvest lost. The plants have a sickness break out in the roots (such spring in any part of your set up or any One more side advantage is that should
obviously fallen victim in the last two or as root rot), then the chance is pretty grow tub, then the spillage will remain you get any sick or poorly growing
three weeks to the ever-increasing levels high that the infected plant will also in our pool and not drown the downstairs plants, they are easy to remove and a
of salts that have been accumulating infect others. The roots grow like crazy neighbour and get you busted. It’s a new, healthy plant put in its place. If
throughout the growth and bloom cycle. in and out of each other and you will definite case of where a bit of extra work you’re growing in soil or rock wool
soon see that sicknesses will pass very can potentially save you a whole heap and you want to remove a plant, this is
Problems like this hardly come into play easily among them. Fortunately there of pain. very hard to do without causing severe
at all when you’re growing in water, are more and more products coming out damage to the roots of the other plants,
because a couple of times a day all the that can help prevent such diseases in the To finish, it still remains to be said that so replacing under-performers is really
water (with the products of the remaining first place, and as growers we have the this method of growing is suitable for all out of the question.
nutrients in it) in each of the cylinder- greatest confidence in them. varieties and hybrids. Even for the long-
shaped tubs is completely refreshed. In blooming varieties, as was explained So that’s the end of this article; I hope
doing so, all the nutrient that has not On top of that it is also the case that the earlier in this article, this is a very you’ve found this an amusing grow
been taken up by the plants never has the plant do need to have a very close eye suitable grow method. Neither does the story to lighten up the winter days with
chance to build up to what would be a kept on them, with special care made to size of the plants play a role, precisely and that you will not underestimate the
poisonous level for the plants. make sure that there is always sufficient because the tubs in which the plants are advantages of growing in water in the
water in the grow tubs, take note the grown are filled with enough water to be future!
Because a good feed base must have a lazy growers among us. When growing
high level of oxygenation, we pump air in soil the odd day here and there when
through the water in the grow tubs with they get no water is not so serious, as
great regularity. By doing so we raise the the soil always holds some amount of
oxygen levels in the water considerably, moisture in it and so your plants will
and this is much to the advancement not die immediately. This is not the case
of the root development and so to the when growing in water; no water in the
eventual growth of the plant. I personally grow tubs almost always means the end
am convinced that with no other grow of your plantation. The plants dry out
technique can you supply your growing with this grow method (if they do not get
roots with such a high concentration of enough water) quite a bit quicker (the
oxygen. If you have ever been plagued roots after all have no soil around them
with the problem that the roots of your where ‘emergency back-up’ moisture can
plants kept suffocating because the earth be wrung from) and so you have to make
was not well enough aerated (thanks to sure the grow tubs are filled every day.
which too little oxygen gets to the roots),
with this growing method irritation will When growing in water you also have
be banished for good. to keep a close watch for leaks. A lot
of grow rooms are still discovered
Thanks to the high oxygen content because the downstairs neighbours end
and our ability to maintain an ideal up drenched in water. So be forewarned
concentration of nutrients (there will no and build a with strong pool liner plastic
longer be any residue left over either) the a sort of artificial lake around and
plants we are growing were sufficiently under the grow set up. This is actually
well develop to put into bloom after just something every grower should do, With this special pump you can keep pumping oxygen into the grow tubs, the water is
five days of pre-growth. whether or not they are growing on refreshed a couple of times per day and 12 times a day liquid nutrient is added to the water.
Soft Secrets weckels 21
world of
Indoor
wonders
By Weckels
Finnegan’s Wake days gone by who is working on his masterpiece but who croaks it half way
through. What’s this got to do with Dobbo some people are thinking? Holy Guy
continues…and it seems that the apprentice to the composer decides to perform
By Joe Kane
the thing his boss was working on when he checks out. So there’s an orchestra
Well readers, I was at a funeral in Edinburgh recently, so freezing cold and and there’s the apprentice conducting. They play the thing up to where the
pissing rain. What a fucking barrel of laughs that was. The deceased was a guy composer kicks the bucket and they stop. The apprentice says “This is where the
called Dobbo Finnegan, and I got to tell you that I never really like the guy, Maestro finished, but this is where we begin” and the orchestra kicks off again
but we were kind of in the same line of business so I go along to basically and they play the new ending.
rubberneck and to see who else turns up.
Everyone’s still wondering what the fuck this has to do with Dobbo, when Holy
A bit of background; this Dobbo, he’s in his mid-thirties, and he’s a total fucking Guy in all innocence says that Dobbo’s life was kind of his masterpiece (Jesus, if
speed and pill monster. He’s getting out of the bath when he either slips or has only he knew) but that he was only half way through it when he died and that the
a heart attack and falls…whatever, the result’s the same. He hits the side of his rest of us should pick up where he left off. Amen to that!
head off the crapper and it’s goodnight Vienna. Live fast, die young, but spending
your last seconds of life lying on a bog floor thinking “Fuck, I’m going to die I fucking swear you could hear the sound of ten pound notes being rolled up in
and my bare arse is sticking up in the air” is hardly James Dean, is it? anticipation. Man, oh, man.
So the day arrives and there’s a fair crowd congregating at the church. It’s weird We Celts are supposed to have a reputation for giving our dead “a good send
cos there are a number of women there bawling their eyes out even though it’s an off”. I think the truth of it is that we like getting blitzed out our faces and will
unspoken thing that Dobbo was a bit of a pest and that he probably never got laid take any fucking opportunity that’s handed to us on a plate. This plate had the
in his entire life. added bonus of being absolutely laden with illicit substances.
Other than this, it’s like a fucking dealer’s convention and personally I think The idea of getting totally wrecked in memory of someone I couldn’t really be
that the last time the threads saw the light of day was for their owners’ last court bothered with didn’t ring my bell, readers, so I made my excuses. I heard later
appearance. I run into a lot of people I haven’t seen for a good number of years, that everyone else partied long and hard for a couple of days. Dobbo would’ve
in fact more than one person greets me with the words “Joe Kane! Fuck me, approved.
I thought you were dead”. The fact that at this point in time a lot of attendees
actually look like they’ve been dead for a number of years is neither here-nor- Later,
there.
So we’re all in the church, and it’s standing room only. The Holy Guy gets Joe K
up and starts on about what a sound guy Dobbo was (I’m wondering if I’m
at the right funeral) and then launches into a story about some musician from horribly_stoned_boy@hotmail.com
absorb feed water until the blocks are To keep the souring of the feed water
full and so have enough weight. With the well in check I recommend that you use
grow system in which the plants hang in an EC meter and a pH meter regularly,
their tubs, you are best off using flower so that you are less likely to wake up
pots filled with hydro granules. These to an unwelcome surprise. But don’t go
granules increase the weight of the flower and panic as soon as you get a small
pots quite a bit, thanks to which the plants variation; most growers make the mistake
don’t just dangle all over the place. If of acting too prematurely to rectify
you use this technique, I also advise you small wobbles. The plant, after all, has
These new grow systems are used a lot in the horticulture industry for growing tomatoes, but With this system the plants sort of hang in the lid of the grow tub. Note particularly the
are also excellent for growing marihuana in. explosive growth of the root system.
more grip in the constantly circulating Granules not to use the same granules for more throughout its lifecycle ever changing
feed water. The tubs themselves are than one or two harvests, because the nutritional needs, so it can happen that
made of plastic and so offer the plants Once the young plants in the form of hydro granules often have accumulated certain nutrients are left behind in the
little opportunity to anchor themselves. clones have been put in their tubs, it is considerable concentrations of salts. grow tub, with the consequence that you
Particularly when you plan to grow in important that they are secured in small get a difference in for example the acidity
the larger proportioned grow tubs, the blocks (the size of a small flower pot) of Since we are now talking about nutrition, level in the grow tub. Furthermore, you
opportunities for the roots to anchor are rock wool and / or coco. This is because for these grow systems in water you are are best off just replacing the feed water
very important, because otherwise they by doing so the young clones are given best off using the liquid hydro nutrients completely every 10 days or so, and in
will be constantly drifting here and there the necessary stability, thanks to the (the ones you would use growing on rock doing so make sure that you always have
in their tubs. ability of the rock wool and / or coco to wool). This is mainly because these feeds a healthy feed substrate in your water.
Soft Secrets weckels 21
world of
Indoor
wonders
By Weckels
In each article we will only be dealing with one of the two cupboard set-ups at a time, so that the big picture remains clear and you can appreciate the overview.
Are you curious as to the differences between the grow cupboards? Then save this issue until the next one!
It turns out that they were on holiday but the plan had changed and now they were
Junior League taking some LSD back to Blighty as this was something nobody had seen for years
so it’s deffo a money-making opportunity.
Joe Kane
Spider had met a couple of “East Europeans” who were involved in an acid lab
I’m back in sunny Spain, and the plan is to recuperate and just mind my own somewhere. At this point yours truly says “If I can just stop you there, you mentioned
business. I’m here for my health and the “dry air” is good for the lungs or East Europeans so this is going to involve guns and all sorts of unpleasantness and
something. Whatever, it’s a break away from all the wheeling, dealing, ducking, I’ll thank you to not tell me another word about it”.
diving and general fucking about that’s occupying everyone back in Bonnie
Scotland. This is a break, rest, convalescence and no hassle. Gary boy understands and says no more other than to ask me if I want in on the deal.
I thank him for the kind offer but decline on the grounds that my business interests
That’s the plan at any rate, and it’s working pretty fucking well until two only extend to the weed. Spider looks at me and snorts “Nah, he’s strictly fucking
mornings into my holiday, I’m sitting sipping a cold one outside a bar when out small time, Gary boy: junior league”. I can’t be arsed saying anything so I let it pass.
of the blue: “Joe fucking Kane! No fucking way!”
Some days later I run into Gary boy. The master plan went totally tits up. It seems
Now straight off I’m thinking about adopting a pidgin English accent and that Spider got the acid sorted and everything’s absolutely fucking cool. Back to
pretending to be Spanish. Not quite quick enough and next thing is I’ve got two Scotland, sell the shit on and Bob’s your Uncle. To celebrate, the genius goes out,
fucking wide-boys from Glasgow sitting (uninvited) at my table. Fucking great. gets pissed and gets another tattoo. He also gets his first piercing…
I’m smiling while inside my head I’m screaming and saying “Gary boy, how’s it Maybe you’ll see what’s coming, readers. He’s at the airport with sheets of acid
going?” Gary I know kind of casually, and as far as I hear he’s okay, but the guy stuck up his arse and more just rolled up and secreted around his genitals. He walks
he’s with, Spider, is a different matter. My good friend Little Jim refers to this through the metal detectors and they immediately start wailing cos of the new bit of
Spider guy as “that tattooed cunt” and I bow to Jim’s judgment on such matters. metal in Spider’s dick. He gets stopped, he gets searched, he gets busted. Oh dear.
Spider is so-called because of the tattoo on the back of his head. He’s got a lot
of them all over. He’s the kinda person who thinks that a lot of tattoos will make Gary boy’s taking his lot back separately but has to find Spider a lawyer before he
him seem an interesting person rather than the deeply unpleasant one he actually goes. “I’ll see him later, do you have any message for him?” he says. “Yeah, tell him
is. Space prevents me from elaborating so you’ll have to take my word that this I may be ‘junior league’ but at least I’m not in jail”.
Spider is not a good egg. And he’s fucking stupid with it.
Har-de-har-har.
So they’re over “on business” and a few cervezas soon get the tongues loosened
and the story flowing. I should tell you readers that I really don’t want to be joe
hearing any of this shit, but there’s no stopping Gary boy once he’s started.
Spider’s sitting eyeballing the women and getting more pissed. horribly_stoned_boy@hotmail.com
differences (each mother plant of course since they can become a source of pests
brings her own specific descendents and can even become infected with
forth, as regards size and thickness of mould and other diseases. The bigger
the leaf cover, colour, branching, and leaves are best off being chucked on
so on). As our plants I’ve decided to the compost heap, since the plant does
go for the K2, a lovely growing variety store a lot of important nutrients in
that produces snow white buds, which its good looking (!) leaves. Once the
leaves have been well and truly mixed
in with the soil of your compost heap
The rougher chunks of with a shovel, they will very soon
coco also promote good start to decompose. Once they have
water drainage decomposed then we are left with a
richly fertile soil that we can use as a
base for future successful adventures in
have brought many a grower to the our grow cupboard!
heights of ecstasy! Smokers too have
a lot of positive opinions of this tasty K2 yield
weed. The buds positively bulge with
crystals and furthermore, the smell and Despite the excessive production of
taste are just superb! The high too is leaves, in terms of yield K2 is not
really something to write home about! a massive producer compared with
the real commercial varieties. This is
Leaves something that growers in this game Take note of the (clearly visible) differences between the substrates. The plants are being
mainly for the grams should take raised in pots with an 11 litre volume.
On the downside, this variety does account of. But those growers out there
produce an enormous amount of leaf who are primarily in it for the quality
cover, a phenomenon that sometimes of the smoke, to them I can heartily
prompts us as growers to wonder if that recommend K2! The advantages I
is all they are going to produce; are we mentioned earlier, such as the superb
going to harvesting nothing but leaves, aroma and taste and the outstanding
or will we eventually get to see some high that comes with it more than make
flower heads emerging? Because K2 up for the somewhat reduced yields!
plants sometimes can indeed produce
so many leaves that their production
of flowers is impeded (the buds can The leaves that we
sometimes receive so little light through
the ‘green forest’ of leaves around remove must under no
them), we give them a helping hand to account be just left
prevent this. We do this by regularly
removing leaves that may be destined lying around in the
to obstruct our buds. When doing this grow space
I go first for the poorly growing and/or
miss-shaped leaves. It is also an idea
to remove the leaves that are receiving In the next article we will be taking a
little or no light, since they’re a waste look in the other grow cupboard. This
of energy and space. The leaves that one will be a bit more professionally
we remove must under no account be equipped and has considerably more We have plumped for the K2 variety. This lovely weed will eventually give us snow white
just left lying around in the grow space, space in it. buds that have been known to reduce many a hardened grower to tears of joy!
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Mental preparation
So it should be clear already that the
very first thing we need to do is measure
everything well before we start actually
building the hoods. We also need to think
about the time of day when we plan to
begin building them. For example, should
we decide to start putting them together
early in the morning (in order to avoid the
hot summer afternoon temperatures), then
there is a good chance that we will cause
some irritation to our neighbours. What’s
more, many people will become suspicious
if we start taking up DIY at the most
ridiculous times of the day. So the evenings
or even the hours of darkness can be a bit
dicey, because there’s a good chance you
will be mistaken for a burglar, what with
all your tools and sneaking around. During
the Summer months especially, people
leave en masse their accommodation for
Get together as much of the wood you will As well as the electrical staple gun, in this We fix the planks with screws to the
the warm South, and then the extra police
in advance, so that the construction of the photo we can see all the tools that we need piles, and in doing so make sure that the
hoods runs as smoothly as possible. for building the hoods. construction will be able to withstand even surveillance laid on makes it a precarious
the heaviest of storms. adventure for the outdoor grower who’s
planning to build himself more than five
In this article we are going to be hoods during the hours of darkness. In
looking at how to build special hoods addition to the police you’ll also have to
around the (female) plants, which will
We should aim to build the hoods between the worry about attracting the attention of
better protect them against stormy and middle and end of July, since by then the plants weed thieves with your special hoods. It
wet Autumn weather. As growers, we will have put their main growth spurt behind them. is too often the little snot-nosed teens with
obviously would prefer to harvest the
many lovely flower clusters that the
plants produce during the Autumn in
as good condition as possible. For this
reason, the hoods we are going to build
offer a real tangible result. What’s
more, these hoods make it possible even
to grow the long-blooming varieties in
our climate. Naturally we also need a
little bit of luck with the temperature (it
mustn’t freeze too hard), with that bit
of luck and a strong hood as protection
(around and above the plant) we can be
harvesting our plants right up to the end
of November!
going to lose it all in the first gusts of I advise you to use rustproof steel staples
Autumn. If you live in a densely-populated for attaching the agricultural plastic. The
district or if your growing patch is well heavy rain and wind that will assault your
surrounded by trees and / or fencing, then hoods in Autumn will make short work of
it is better to go for the thinnest thickness the cheaper (usually galvanised) staples,
of plastic. so that within a short space of time the
agricultural plastic will start springing
Stapling the plastic loose all over the place (the staples soon
break as they rust).
With the four piles driven firmly into the
ground, the wooden planks onto which Mind the gap
the plastic will be attached in place, and
the sharp corners well padded with old We do not staple the plastic all the way
cloth, we can stretch the agricultural down to the ground; the first meter up
plastic over the whole construction. from the ground we leave free of plastic
Next we staple the plastic securely to so that the wind can still blow under the
the slats and the piles. This goes much hoods. This is very important for good air
easier when we use an electric staple ventilation and circulation, which prevents
gun, given that a hand stapler often has in turn the air moisture level under the
too little power to drive the staples fully hood getting too high and increasing
Because here we have pushed the plastic roof up with a pole the rain water can easily run off.
into the wood. An electric staple gun that the risk of mould infection. Finally, not
or snapping. That’s why I generally use Bear in mind too that it may sometimes be better
Power of the wind screws (preferably rustproof steel) for
to not build any hoods at all, given that these
fixing the planks to the piles, because
Assuming you have decided to go these hold the plank more firmly in place. mysterious-looking constructions risk attracting the
ahead, let’s turn first to the cutting of the Nails also have the drawback of splitting attention of the curious, maybe including potential
agricultural plastic: I’d advise you wait the plank while they are being hammered weed thieves, or ‘rippers’.
with this stage and cut it to length once in. Once we have firmly attached most
the hood construction is all but complete. of the slats/planks to the piles, we screw has decent power (so it works quickly bringing the plastic all the way down to
You would not be the first handyman to a few thinner wooden joists between the and easily) is not exactly cheap, thanks the ground also has the advantage that
stumble across a substantial tree root or planks. These make sure that the pressure partly to which I always hire one instead we can still easily get at the plants and so
even a pipe or cable (always watch out for exerted on the plastic by the weather of buying myself one. You can hire them the flower heads too, in order to keep the
these) and be forced to suddenly revise is evenly spread across the piles and from a special tool rental shop or from flower heads under a watchful eye.
the size of their hood to larger than they connecting slats/planks. the better DIY shops. Remember that
had originally in mind. If this happens it’s such things usually need a deposit paying Another trick that we can apply to making
a shame to have to throw away carefully Padding the corners and some sort of proof of ID might be sure the plants do not become subjected
cut plastic that is suddenly too small, requested. to too high an air moisture level is to
which you will because sticking two bits To make sure that the agricultural
of plastic together rarely works. The wind plastic does not rip on the sharp (and
and the rain will soon be ripping through therefore dangerous) corners of the hood
any chinks that appear, battering your construction, we round the corners off with
fragile flower heads. scraps of cloth or old towel or something,
which we can secure with small nails to
Once we have measured out the correct the corners. Rounding off these sharp
size and have dug (without encountering corners is very important because although
any major problems) four deep holes the agricultural plastic sits fine as it is
around the plant(s) - leave plenty of room being attached even if we don’t pad the
around them; really big hoods will need corners out with cloth, heavy storms can
six holes - we can stick the piles straight rip the entire sheet to shreds if even a tiny
too, make sure you pad the end of the learn as a grower, but I can say I have not
pole that is coming into contact with the regretted adding a padding to the stick
plastic with a thick layer of cloth so that it keeping up the roof of my plants hoods
does not push through the sheet. With the ever since.
help of the pole stuck into the middle of
the plastic sheet, we create a tent effect so Don’t pack your ground
that the sloping roof now lets rain water
run off it. If we don’t do this, then the The plants I grew under hoods for the
hoods after a rain fall would be covered in accompanying photos were all grown in
The climate under the hoods creates a puddles of rain water which when taken the ground. This works absolutely fine, Here too, the plants are well protected by
paradise for the blooming plants; the together add up to a considerable strain so long as we make sure that the earth their hoods. The round holes serve as exits
temperature is nice and raised and the on the roof of the hood construction. around the plants does not get too firmly for the condensation, and we leave the
flower heads are protected against the wind This is very dangerous not just for the compacted. Certainly this can happen a lot bottom-most meter (more or less) open
and the rain. construction, but for the plants too, as more quickly than we would wish while and free of plastic, with an eye to good
we’re constructing the hoods. The roots of ventilation and air circulation.
the plants can easily become suffocated,
with your plants dying as a result and your quality of our weed, the hoods can
whole grow year being wasted. To avoid be broken down again. So long as we
this we can carefully turn over the soil do this carefully and completely, we
a bit (also under the outer edges of the might be able to use the materials for
hood) and/or prick holes in the soil (with next year’s crop. The smart (outdoor)
a bamboo stick, for example), so that the growers among us sometimes leave
roots can still get enough oxygen. Naturally the hoods up so as get a new set of
we do all this with the greatest of care! seedlings in under them into pre-
After the hoods have been built, it will growth in the following spring. Then
soon begin to dawn on us that the weeds the frequently cold Spring weather
are also finding this ideal climate just as can still be taken advantage off as the
to their liking as our plants. The weed young seedlings can be raised under
population, that usually consists of nettles the protection of the (existing) hoods.
and grasses, can often take a large part of If you think you might want to do this,
the available nutrient in the away from the I would advise you to for the most part
marihuana plant, while what’s more the replace the soil that you have just raised
low-lying weeds can hold a lot of dew and a harvest in (to prevent poisoning the
thereby increase the threat of mould to following generation of plant) with
our plants. Thorough weeding and weed new soil and then mix in the necessary
The flower heads will quickly begin to develop. There are excellent yields to be had under removal will prevent a lot of trouble and soil mixes. The soil life, including the
hood constructions, even if they do need a bit of extra effort putting into them. should be a part of our efforts to pamper bacteria, will then have plenty of time
our marihuana plants as best we can. to make the nutrients in the soil nice
cut some round holes in the corners of the puddles of rain water will over time and available when the next generation
the agricultural plastic. These holes will become heavier and the plastic will start Hood for all seasons of marihuana plant is placed in the
let condensation that comes from the to stretch and begin to tear or in the worst ground…
warm air rising out, rather than forming case bring the whole thing down. Once we have harvested the plants
a layer on the plastic roof and walls and and have been suitably stunned by the Good luck!
dripping back onto the plants (and thereby In either case, the result will be
drenching the buds with water). These destruction of your plants by the huge Such beautiful and high quality marihuana is (more easily) achievable with hoods. This
round holes are therefore vitally import amount of water suddenly released surely makes building them more than worth the time and effort!
for the plants, since without them the over them through the roof, or by the
hoods would turn their environment into a collapsing planks, slats and wooden poles.
damp, sweltering mould incubator rather It has happened once to me and I would
than a protection against the high moisture not wish it upon anyone: a beautiful
of the outside air. We cut the holes round Top44 plant that just needed two more
deliberately so that the wind gusts cannot weeks’ flowering to be ready for harvest
tear the plastic; if we cut them square, this was crushed in a single blow when the
would happen much more easily. plastic sheet ripped thanks to the amount
of water that had collected on top in just
Roof like a tent one night. The force of the rain water
broke off all the branches, leaving all the
Once this small task is done, we do the buds mashed into a thick layer of mud.
last but by no means least important What had been shaping up to be a great
step. We have to place poles under the (future) harvest was turned in just one
agricultural plastic so that the roof is night into the biggest disaster I’d ever
pushed up to a point, tent-fashion. Here had. From such experiences you can only
Soft Secrets weckels
33
world of
OUTDOOR
wonders
OUTDOOR
still has a limited shelf life and its
quality drops quite quickly. If you keep
the pollen cool and dry you can expect
to be able to use it for about a month.
Thanks to this short life span it is far
from easy to cross fertilize all varieties,
given that a late-blooming female
variety for example can not be crossed
with the pollen from a late-blooming
male variety. You can freeze the pollen,
which will extend its usability to three
months.
This cross is a descendant of a variety Stress, as has obviously been experienced If you decide to keep the pollen a little
with a short bloom period, the offspring This male too has had a few problems, longer and so freeze it, it is best to
by this curled up leaf, can easily trigger and begun already in June to produce
of which furthermore very rapidly the male plant to bloom, irrespective of male flowers. separate the anthers and any small
developed a large size. the hours of sunlight it is receiving. leaves from the pollen. When I decide to
indoor growers some peace of mind that By taking cuttings from male plants and Preferably put the males indoors, in ] It is all well and good that these males
they can protect their ladies to some putting these indoors under a lamp to front of a window. In this way they are are already safe behind glass, since a
extent. come into bloom (by setting a 12 hour safely removed from the vicinity of the number of anthers have already burst
light period), we can collect all the pollen female plants. open (and are lying on the sofa), and
To return again to the issue of we need early in the year. could have led to a disaster outside!
pollination and thereby fertilization of
the mother plant. When we know how to in the bag. If this is the case I snip the use the pollen myself within a couple of
collect the pollen ourselves, then we can Once the male anthers are nearly ripe side branch off below the plastic bag (or days of gathering it to fertilize some
pollinate the female at a time we choose and stand on the verge of bursting open, the main stem if the flowers are at the females, I spare myself the bother and
that's best for us. In place of giving I place plastic bags over the male top of the plant) and take the branch and just save the pollen, anthers and all.
nature free reign, we catch the pollen in flowers and fasten these tight with an bag indoors (left in a spot where it won't Never forget to number your bags and
plastic bags. There are growers who elastic band. We need to position the get shaken). We need to get the pollen note which varieties their contents come
swear by paper bags, as these let the plastic bags like this so that the pollen out of the plastic bag as soon as we can from. This is especially important when
plant breathe. I prefer the plastic ones falls directly out of the anthers and is so that we get our hands on it while it's you have collected pollen from a range
myself, given that in our moist climate caught (without it being able to get out still as dry as possible. If the pollen gets of varieties. If you forget to do this, for a
paper bags can quickly become soggy. of its plastic bag). We also need to bear damp then the chance that it will start you know nothing about the
Should there have been any pollen in in mind that the plastic bags may remain become a victim to fungal attack is characteristics of any new hybrid you
these bags, then it is stuck for good on over the flowers for at most a day. Were increased. make, and that does not make our life as
the wet paper. What's more, it is very we to leave it on for, say, a week, then Even when the pollen is good and dry it an outdoor grower any easier. What's
important that the pollen remain as dry we'd have condensation all over the
as possible when gathered and that's inside, because the male flowers also
going to be a problem if the bag is even give off water vapour (just like all other
a little damp. plants).
We let the male plants grow just as the That's also why it's a good idea to check
female ones at first. During the growing your bags regularly or let them breathe a
phase of the male plants we need to little, as long as no pollen is actually
make sure that only the best-developed falling off the anthers. In this way we
branches are allowed to remain. Only can prevent ourselves a load of
once the plants have started to bloom aggravation and we still keep the male
and the male anthers (in which the flowers in good a condition as possible.
pollen is made and stored) are more
visible, do I begin to keep an especially The plastic bags themselves need to be
keen eye on them. I then remove as transparent so that the male flower heads
many of the leaves as possible, as this can continue to quietly ripen with the
will reduce any problems of light they get from the sun. In addition,
condensation later when we put the we can better see what's going on,
Well developed, male flower heads can pump out a phenomenal amount of pollen.A very
plastic bags over the male flower heads. whether any pollen has yet accumulated small amount of pollen is often more than enough to fertilize a number of females.
Soft Secrets 35
OUTDOOR
shame, because a well-developed male
plant to some growers (especially the
real fanatics) is a treasure to be
cherished. Male plants, especially well-
developed ones, are much more rare
than most growers think. Whenever I
hear from fellow growers that they are
about to destroy all their male plants, I
usually try and beg a clone or two from
them first, so that I am assured of
getting my hands on yet another new
variety. The nice thing about this
growing practice is that we can make
cross fertilizations that are normally
nowhere to be had. That's one thing that
makes cross breeding hemp varieties so
special, as you never know in advance
what sort of flower heads your new
variety of females are going to deliver at
the end. It was in such a way that I once
The anthers are beginning to develop When we choose to let the male plants This is how the plant looks when we have crossed a number of breeds to create an
more and more. It will not be long mature outside, we can best capture the covered all the male plants with plastic outdoor variety the female plant of
before the males will be spreading their pollen with a plastic bag. Cover up the bags. Prevent condensation in the bags by which needed hardly any time to in
pollen around. male flowers one by one. airing them (or replacing them) regularly. bloom to create really good flower
heads. What's more, this variety was
more, it would be horrific to have put working can we reduce the number of example. Doing this will bring the male already in bloom in the third week of
together a really top class variety, and crossing that go wrong and increase our clones into bloom much earlier (for August and that meant that eventually
then never be able to recollect what chances of success! example, in July). The big advantage of the flower heads were literally bulging
combination of varieties you had used to this is that the male plants can pollinate with THC threads!
create it. A male plant absolutely does not have to as much as they want, the surrounding
be huge in dimensions. A small male females (that are getting the normal I personally save pollen from male
It is also important that we always save plant, as it happens, can produce enough amount of light) still show no sign of plants mainly for experimenting with.
enough pollen from a good male plant. pollen to fertilize a good number of blooming and carry on growing with no What could be more satisfying than
If our new hybrid is for some reason a females. When you have a limited space danger. This is why I would firmly putting together the ideal outdoor variety
disappointment, then it is always handy to work with, you can also choose to recommend this method for the beginner that fulfils all your desires in a weed?
to be to take a step back as a grower and take cuttings from a male plant. These outdoor grower, since small mistakes in I'm a big fan of short blooming plants
use the original pollen to fertilize a cuttings are then placed in a small box which small amounts of pollen are that produce qualitatively good buds and
different female marihuana variety. Only and set to bloom by covering them each released are not immediately and preferably reach a pretty good size. I
with such a well-organised way of evening with opaque plastic, for mercilessly punished (by way of a have also once or twice grown plants on
trashed harvest). my balcony, in which case I prefer to
choose a small, compact plant that
We can adapt the above techniques and grows with a strong stem and side
choose the best developed female plants branches. In this way the plant can better
to take cuttings from and put these under withstand strong gusts of wind,
lamps (with a 12-hour cycle) with the something that you can be troubled with
male cuttings. When we get female and much earlier in the year when growing
male clones flowering, they can fertilize on a balcony.
each other and give us more than enough
seeds. I should add here that making cross
fertilized hybrids yourself can also lead
To come back once more to the male to disappointment. It has happened to
clones. The biggest advantage of male me too: you think that finally you have
clones is that you can set them to bloom created some sort of super variety for
nice and early. It goes without saying outdoor growing and then she goes and
that the male clones, since they take up needs ten weeks in bloom. A small
so little room, can easily be planted with calculation will quickly show that if the
other male clones of other varieties in a plants only come into bloom in early
single, small space. It is of course much September then at the very earliest it is
easier to, for example, put five varieties going to be mid-November before
of male clones into bloom than it would they're ready to harvest. If you are not in
be to put five large, fully grown male a position to use a warmed greenhouse
In this photo we can clearly see that the anthers have burst open. The pollen is already plants. In addition there is the advantage then we can best forget all about raising
on the leaves. when raising five males clones each of a such a long-blooming variety.
different strain that the creation of new
hybrids proceeds much more easily. Of One other reason why growers sometimes
course you have to take care not to mix want to save pollen is to make a cross
the pollen from the different males. breed that grows well in the wild, with no
Usually this is not a problem since each overly-high expectations of it and that can
variety has its own specific bloom just be left behind to grow unobtrusively.
period. In short, the male plants are In addition, for me there is the important
unlikely to bloom at the same time and motive of pure curiosity. It is of course
so the chance of the pollens becoming every time a surprise to see what the new
mixed up is small. cross-breed is going to give us next
season. A little bit of experimentation can
Once we have taken enough clones from never do any harm, and who knows what
the large male plants we can in principle kind of super-cross we might come up
get rid of them, since the clones will with!
give us more than enough pollen.
In the next article I'll be paying all my
Most outdoor growers are not exactly attention to a method with which we can
champing at the bit to raise male plants, raise the rather longer blooming varieties,
in fact most would be happy to see them even in our sometimes dreary climate.
consigned to the deepest pits of hell with What we have to do and how we can
Sometimes I pinch off the anthers when they are nearly ripe and put them in a plastic bag. If
you do this, make sure everything is good and dry and the pollen will work wonders. no hope of parole. Which is actually a make it work, I'll reveal in the next issue.
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weckels
Weckels is a photographer and grow scene reporter for a number of Dutch magazines. He has achieved a
certain fame in the Netherlands for his coverage of (indoor and outdoor) weed production, specialising in world of
the documentation of outdoor plantations. Here, Weckels will discuss the growing of marihuana indoors.
Take advantage of it!
wonders
Text & photography: Weckels, the grow-specialist from Atami
The first resin glands (also called THC-threads) are visible and therefore the flowering
period has broken out
brown, it’s time to start harvesting. To wait the small leaves left sticking out, so that
any longer is pointless; the large buds will the buds eventually are nice and round in
start to separate from each other if we appearance. When we have done this, the
leave the harvest any longer. buds are ready for being hung up in the
The harvest drying cupboard.
I always choose to trim the buds ‘wet’. The small leaves are still packed with resin
The Durban is stripped completely bare. In such a way we stress the plant into devoting the Doing so gives them a much lovelier glands and so remain of value to us, so we
rest of her energy into making the flower heads structure and they just look better than if toss them in the sieve too to dry out.
you let them dry out before you trim them. These small buds and leaves – also known
if nothing really wants to hurry itself; small Despite the beneficial influence of Finally I’ll tell you something about the as trim waste – we can use to later make
buds pop out all over, but these will flowering supplement on the size and order and manner in which you should set hash with. Though still small, the buds and
develop achingly slowly. But have strength of the buds it is still advisable to about harvesting. If you have not yet leaves soon make a large heap.
patience: they will eventually form closely stop adding it in the last couple of weeks trimmed off the big leaves and taken them Toss and mix the pile of trim waste
packed-together blooms. The marihuana before the harvest. We do this to ensure away (as per the ‘stress’ technique), first do regularly so that mould does not form on
plant likes to be given plenty of time to that the marihuana has no strange this. Ensure in any case - because of their it.
develop itself, and indulging it will pay aftertaste. In other words, we give the plant effect on the air moisture level - that these Further more, it is very important during
dividends. no more fertiliser so that the flower heads are no longer in the drying space. Take the drying period to control the
Obviously you’ll be anxious for it to ripen are ‘pure’ and untainted. them out, throw them on a pile or throw temperature and moisture levels. Intervene
as quickly as possible, but now is the time This is in fact the week in which we give them back in the cement tub from which if needs be, in order to make sure you get a
to be very patient. Harvesting too soon the aforementioned sugar water. This last they came to fertilise the soil for next year. primo quality marihuana.
lowers the yield considerably and the week is also the one in which we try and After having removed the big leaves, first I hope to have helped you round things off
resulting flower heads will be less potent. stress the plants. Once the flower heads we pluck the buds too small to warrant with this article, and to achieve a great
After all these months of hard work it have had a period of time (usually after trimming off their stems and set them to harvest. In my next piece I’ll give you a
really is worth going the extra mile and six-to-eight weeks, depending on the dry out on a sieve. This sieve we place on report on how to make a very good
waiting another couple of weeks. This is variety) in which to begin to develop their the very bottom of the drying space. After ‘Nederhasj’, as we call it – home made
because these last weeks of the flowering bulk, it is time to keep a careful eye on the the small buds have been removed, we can hashish - out of the trim waste that you’ve
process is when most of the volume and buds. When the first resin glands (on the begin to clean up what’s left – the beautiful saved during the harvesting process, using
the potency are added. well-developed buds) begin to turn light buds. We trim round the buds, removing all a so-called Pollinator.
By covering the surface of the cement tub with agricultural plastic you can make sure that The small buds and the trim waste we leave to dry in a sieve, which we place in the bottom
rainwater does not get in. Now the plant can only get feed water from us. of the drying cabinet
Soft Secrets 43
Outdoor
We first let the seedlings start their pre- One of the seedlings came under attack at The same seedling a month later As you can We drill extra holes in the base of the flower
growth in small flower pots (minimum 18 an early stage from slugs. Fortunately, only see the plant was forced to develop a double pot. In this way we ensure an optimal water
to 20 cm high). Make sure that the seedlings the uppermost growth shoot was munched. headed stem. Plants like this can later, once drainage and there will also be sufficient
are stood in a sunny spot right from the The seedling developed into a double- they have been brought inside for blooming, oxygen on the underside where the roots are
start. This promotes a good development headed plant. produce top harvests! going to be.
and a compact growth in the plants.
Many growers will be asking themselves greater weight of flower heads than they By giving our marihuana plants all But before we actually go as far as to
why we don’t just let the plants do their as an indoor variety had originally been the advantages of a pre-growth in bring the plants indoors, it is a good idea
pre-growth indoors, since this is where bred for. When people grow indoors the fresh, sunny outdoors, once these to make sure that we actually have a
we’ll be bringing them into bloom they often use an air fan blowing on same plants are moved inside for their suitable place indoors to which we can
anyway, right? The answer to this is their plants to achieve something of blossoming they are bound to provide a bring them. And this is far from being
easy. The climate outdoors, where the the same effect, namely a strengthened few surprises. What is more, allowing as easy as many might sometimes think.
living conditions are determined by the stem and side branches. Even with these the plants to pre-grow outside will When we are also active in growing
strong sunlight and also the wind, is by aids though, it is impossible to create save you a huge amount of electricity indoors under artificial light, of course
far the superior climate for selecting the same conditions as you would get compared with having done it all it is not a problem. Then the only thing
the strongest and best indoor varieties. outdoors. indoors. Also, this method is less risky, we need to pay good attention to is the
In terms of levels of light, no lamp can because four or five well-developed height of the ceiling in which the plants
match the power of the sun. And thanks To come back to my earlier point about and fully-grown plants will often yield will be brought (that determines the
too to the wind, the stem of the plant and the ideal amount of light we get from just as much end product as a small eventual maximum height of the plants),
its attendant side branches can develop sunlight; the great quantity of light that field of less well developed individuals the dimensions of the grow space and the
themselves into amazing dimensions. comes from all sides is ideal for the indoors. Furthermore, the outdoor timing schedule. The indoor space also
Thanks to the strong gusts of wind growing of a thick cover of leaves. What conditions will provide the ideal needs to actually be empty at the time
outdoors the main stem and the branches is more, the powerful sun rays create selection mechanism to ensure that only you need it and for the whole period that
are forced in all directions to develop many times more energy reserves in the strongest and fittest will survive to the plants will be indoors.
strength. these leaves, which the plant can draw make it indoors and the reward of being
on later when it blooms to ensure the allowed to bloom. If you really have no possibility of
These are the moments at which the optimum development of its buds. bringing them indoors and you are
outdoor grower can only look on with As for the choice of which variety dependent on fellow growers, then it is
apprehension. Thanks to the strength The sun’s rays create an effect whereby to raise, there are now boundless a really good idea to have everything
of some wind gusts there may well be the leaves are provided with an ever- opportunities, given that we no longer discussed and agreed upon in advance.
small rips in the tissue of the plants increasing quantity of sunlight. Put in have to worry about the early blooming Your fellow grower is running a certain
(especially where the side branches an other way, the leaves keep being marihuana types. After all, we can now risk at the moment that the plants are
meet the main stem), which in turn given energy boosts, since every take our pick of the very popular indoor being hauled inside his gaff, given that
stimulate the plant to make new tissue few minutes the sun’s rays strongly varieties, the ones that since they often the whole neighbourhood can enjoy the
in order to repair the small wounds. illuminate the leaves (as the sun bloom for eleven weeks produce lovely spectacle. Of course there are always
This process actually takes place emerges from behind a cloud, for white buds, These varieties would never alternatives and the risks can be kept to a
throughout the life cycle of the plant instance) only to then fall off again be growable as pure outdoor varieties, minimum; I will not be going in to them
(although during the bloom period the (as the sun goes back behind a cloud). because they would not be ready to here, but I will (in a later article) come
plants will be indoors), and thanks to Indoor growers also try and imitate this harvest before the end of November. back to the issue (once we really are
this process the plant that is grown effect by fitting lamps on a special rail, Because of the fact that we are ready to bring the plants indoors). Make
outdoors can achieve an incredible along which the lamp(s) can move back whipping them indoors in good time, sure in any case that you do have access
strong main stem and strong side and forth. In this way the indoor plants before the plants start to produce their to an indoor space before then. If we fail
branches. also get given a strong dose of light bloom hormones, we no longer have to take care of this and it starts to look as
followed by a fall in light level, as the to worry about the cold, wet Autumn. if the plants are not going to be able to
These attributes are just what the plant lamp moves along the rail and its light In short, the plants can enjoy a nice go indoors in time, then you can already
needs if she is going to produce a high directly illuminates first one plant then long growth period and then bask in book front row seats to your first drama.
yield of bud too. The main stem and the next plant. Despite this ingenious the best indoor environments that we Real indoor varieties left outdoors almost
the side branches of the plants, the and above all expensive mechanism, can provide for them. The plants will never produce any decent results since
ones we’ve brought indoors to bloom, it can still in no way compete with the not only be grateful for this; they will the outdoor growing season is way too
must after all be able to support a much sun! amply reward us too! short for the bloom time they need.
Soft Secrets 35
If we then choose to remove the male Once we have placed the pots in a nice, that indoor marihuana growers use
plants, then we will not be able to fill sunny spot, the seedlings begin to grow. professional air humidifiers in order to let
their spaces with fresh plants. This is At this stage we give them very little the plants to grow as fast as possible.
because the seed has to be germinated water in order to stimulate them to set
and will have too great a time penalty off themselves to find it. This little bit of I hope I have given you a bit of a
to be able to catch up with the ones gentle plant abuse works a treat, provided picture in this article of the advantages
already in pots. Of course, we could take that you keep a close eye on things. If of growing outdoors and bringing the
clones from the remaining females. The it happens that April is especially warm plants in to bloom. In the coming articles
drawback here is that these clones too (it happens) and the sun is beating down I will be looking at the experiment step
still have too great a distance to make up on your little seedlings, then we do by step. In the very next article I will be
In order to re-pot the young plants, just to catch the existing mothers that were need to give them enough water. Often giving a lot of attention to how we get
prior to the operation we give them a good raised from seed. the weather at this time of year is still our mother pants to grow to roughly the
dash of water. Then we hold the pot upside wet and damp – something that will be same height. How we can do this and
down and tap softly against the sides. The What’s more, it is far more interesting to the benefit of our leaf cover growth why it is a good thing you can find out in
whole sod comes free easily. to raise a number of mothers from and development. It is not for nothing the next edition of Soft Secrets!
different varieties of seed and then let
them bloom, so that you can observe
the differences during the blooming
period in the appearance of their buds
and use this as your selection criteria. A
plant that looks great in terms of size,
leaf coverage and suchlike is not always
guaranteed to also follow through and
produce loads of lovely, white buds.
Sometimes it is the case that you have
two mother plants that both produce
In this photo, nearly all the plants have been near enough the same weed in terms
re-potted into their final destination, namely of appearance and taste, but where one
a flower pot with a volume of about 20 litres.
produces a heck of a lot more of it than
We care for them well, thanks to which they
the other does. Especially since it the
will develop into lovely, compact plants.
combination of appearance, the smell,
the high and the taste as well as the total
yield and the price you can get (if selling
it) that make it all worth while for the
grower, then growing and letting bloom
a number of different mother plants is
a great way for any grower to work out
some of these mysteries of nature. It is
by experiments such as this that we can
find and use our favourite mother plants
to get the golden results we want.
The plants are beginning to
Since we do not need any giant plants,
develop rapidly.
as these would not be best suited
to blooming indoors, then it is not
necessary to go starting our grow in
February or March. We can better wait
until the beginning of April to germinate
our seeds, so that they can be started
off in their pots in mid-April. Should it
still be too cold by mid-April, then we
can best just put the young seedlings
into smaller pots to start with and keep
them on the windowsill. As long as the
The same plants a couple of weeks later. plants get their three months in the open
I shift the pots around (with the plants in air and as long as the sun has had a
them) during the day. In this way they can reasonable chance to do its job, then the The well-fertilised soil mixture and the abundant sunlight soon make sure that the plants
get full sunlight all day long. plants can not fail to develop sufficiently develop into lovely, compact adults.
and reach the required size (not higher
undertake pre-growth outside. Between than 1.80 metres and nicely developed
the plants that we have raised from in girth).
seed there are bound to be differences,
variations that make them more or less Once we have allowed the seeds to
well suited to taking the trip indoors. germinate and we have put them to start
So perhaps one plant will grow much with into small pots, the young seedlings
quicker than the other, while another can start to develop. These small pots
plant will develop much more in girth should have a minimum height of 18 to
than the others. We should also pay 20 cm, so that the tap root (main root) is
attention in advance to the fact that not hindered in its growth.
there will be a number of males among
the plants we raise. It is usually safe to It is of course important that the plants
assume that half of the plants you raise are stood in a sunny spot. In doing
from seed will be males. In stating this so they will develop much quicker.
of course I am ignoring the case of the What’s more, a shadow-filled spot is
100% female seeds. But the vagaries not suitable because in one, we are not
of genetic fate may even see you end giving the plants that extra something,
up with perhaps eight out of ten plants that something they are going to need
turning out to be male. Bearing all this once they are indoors if they are going
in mind I usually go for a good ten to to produce that great harvest. The young
fifteen plants. By having as many as seedlings will just shoot up likes rockets
this, we can be absolutely sure that we if they are put in a shadowy spot (in
will get sufficient female plants, and we search of more light), and thanks to that Here are all the plants once more, in a row. There are obvious differences between them,
will be able to make a selection of the will never develop into well-developed in size, in compactness and circumference. This is because these White Shark plant did not
best developed ones to boot. plants. come into the world as clones, but were raised from different seeds.
Soft Secrets weckels 33
world of
Outdoor
wonders
By Weckels
Once we have tensioned the side The buds of the plants be much greater. If we are more timely of. The plants for the outdoor growing –
branches downwards with the aid of in our removal we can just pinch the indoor blooming experiment I had raised
string and tied the ends of these strings As well as encouraging the plants to top-most growth shoot carefully off the from seeds, and that is why we need to
to the bottom of the stem, then we develop in breadth it is also important to crown of the plant, so that we also pinch separate the males from the females,
need to keep a close eye on the plants. keep them growing at the same height the stem shut and so prevent the sap when the seedlings begin to develop into
If the tension on the side branches is (in order to make sure that the lamps streaming from the wound. The plant can plants. I have outlined the principle in the
too great then they risk tearing at the still have a reasonable amount of room now more easily repair the damage it has past. And it is really easy anyway. From
knots. The knot of the plant is the point at later stages of their development). incurred. each plant we take a growth shoot (for
where the branch meets the main stem. Since one plant will tend to grow faster example one of the poorly-growing side
If even small tears develop at the knots than the other, there is nothing else Should the plant then still continue to branches that we have removed) that we
on the main stem it can be fatal for the for us as growers but to nip off the top lose excessive sap, which is what is first allow to take root (make a good note
whole plant. A small tear often quickly growing shoot (the one in the crown of happening if we see the leak continue of which shoot comes from which plant,
becomes a bigger one (all it takes is a the plant) of each plant as it reaches the to stream, then we can stop the leakage for which it helps to number the pots!).
sudden gust of wind), thanks to which predetermined ideal height. In growers’ by staunching the wound by sticking a Once the growth shoot has rooted and
it can spread and several branches can jargon this procedure is known as topping clothes peg on it. This maybe sounds therefore has transformed into a clone, we
be torn off in one go. Once this has a plant. Topping our plants is not actually a bit weird, but it works a treat. What place it under a lamp. The lamp of course
happened then the damage for this plant very difficult, provided that we do it with is more the clothes peg makes it easier must be the only light source, so make
that was destined to have bloomed inside a little care and attention. for the plant to repair the wound, since sure that the space where the clones are
is no longer recoverable and the plant is the tissues can be more closely pressed stood is only illuminated by this. Once
removed from the experiment. Some growers simply cut the uppermost together. The plant will now quickly the clones are under the lamp, then set
growth shoots off, but I prefer to gently make new tissue again and plant will be the number of hours’ light they receive
Happily, marihuana plants are one the pinch or snap the single grow shoot at stronger than ever before! to 12 and the clones will have begun to
most mysterious of all plants and they the very top with two fingers. By doing bloom within two weeks. Now it is a
possess all kinds of qualities that have this you limit the wound inflicted on the As well as the above mentioned methods simple matter of looking which clones
left many growers scratching their heads main stem considerably and avoid the to help the plants develop well, we are male and which are female. Then
in amazement. Believe it or not, but as plant losing an unnecessary amount of can also give them a helping hand by we simply remove the male clones (they
soon as small tears develop in her bark, feed sap. There are various sap streams regularly turning the pots. In this way usually bloom earlier) and then based on
the marihuana plant automatically begins that flow through the stems (and main the plants will be given direct light from the numbers on their pots we can then
to manufacture thickening tissue, with stem) of the plant that provide the whole all sides and that will be to the benefit of remove the father plants (they’re male,
which she attempts to repair her damage. plant with nutrients. Were we to just their growth. When we do not turn them remember) from the main grow site.
What is remarkable about this process snip off the growth shoot with some then we will very soon have problems The father plant can best be destroyed
is that very often the struggle has made scissors then very often this will leave with wonky growing plants and / or immediately, unless we are planning to
the plant even stronger and sturdier than a sharp (trimmed) tip and the plant will plants which have a great looking front use him for fertilising a mother plant.
she was before she was damaged (by have some difficulty healing the whole (where the light falls), but at the back This pollination of the female plants has
the small tears in the bark). The spot wound. An unnecessarily large (nutrient) (where the light has rarely shone) there the advantage that we can create new,
where the small tears were, thanks to the sap loss for the plant is the result. What’s has been very little development. These strong varieties ourselves, because we
formation of new tissues, is a good two more the healing of the wound is also are important aspects to bear in mind all can cross them with each other. It can
times as thick as it had been. extremely important as this is always a the time, because before we get to take be an idea when we are halfway through
critical spot for attack by moulds and our plants indoors for blooming we have the summer, when the plants are on their
In short, the plants strengthen suchlike. Should the wound not heal and to make sure that we have marihuana way indoors, to take a number of cuttings
themselves where they need to, so sap continues to flow out of it, this forms plants that have developed more or from each mother plant before she is
that similar problems will not occur an ideal source of food for fungi and / or less perfectly. So all around the plant brought into bloom, from which we can
there again as easily. But I would still pests. there should have developed strong side make a nice selection and therefore we
recommend that growers do not let it get branches, on which later robust flower have no need of male plants.
that far. The difference between one or To prevent this from happening, for a heads will (can) grow. For this reason,
more broken off side branches or a knot start we can try and remove the growing thin and / or poorly developed side In the next article the plants will have
that repairs itself in time is minimal and tip as early as possible. If it turns out that branches are best removed as soon as matured into real bushes and we will
thanks to that it remains a precarious we have not kept a close enough eye on they are diagnosed. What’s more the plant be looking at bringing them indoors for
adventure. That is why it is much better the height of the plant and we find that also needs some time to heal the wounds their blooming. The indoor space where
to put some tension on the side branches we have to trim off the top (for example) of their removal with binding tissue, so the White Shark plants will be doing
(by all means), but not so great that it 20 centimetres (in order to get it back that it will automatically have a new bark their blooming happens to not be in the
puts the plant at risk of losing her side down to the required height), this will layer. same neighbourhood as the outdoor spot
branches. A little experience and a bit of have dire consequences, given that the where they are being raised. So we’ll be
sensitivity to what kind of tension the wounds inflicted when trimming back The poorly growing side branches and looking at how to pack up the plants, how
side branches can withstand are skills by 20 centimetres to the side branches / or other growth shoots that we have to transport them, and how we will be
that are needed here. (taking that much off will require some removed during the growth process we making preparations for them making the
side branches being removed too) will can nicely recycle to make clones out big trip indoors.
As well as the knots on the plant we also
need to keep a good eye on the bottom
of the stem. The strings that are tied to
it can easily cut into the bark. Another
problem here is that the plant also begins
to increase the width of her stem quite
considerably just at the time when we
are trying to tie down the side branches
to encourage them to spread wider. In
short, if we do not keep a good eye on
the strings and the growth of the stem,
severe damage can be done by them
cutting in to the bark.
Outdoor growing –
indoor blooming (part 3)
Preparation and transport
In the previous article we were able to move. Because the plants, which we have
see how the plants had begun to develop allowed to do their pre-growth outdoors,
into ever more compact bushes. Thanks are going to bloom indoors, it is of course
to the fact that we had provided the plants quite likely that they are going to be
with a richly fertilized soil base and seen being moved to the indoor space.
had allowed the plants to do their (pre) Now some growers will have raised the
growth in a nice sunny spot, our bushes plants a short distance from where they
had reached an ideal size and shape. The are to be taken indoors. For the grower
leaf cover has developed optimally too; who has not managed to set up his grow
each leaf numbers at least five fingers space around the corner, there is no other A few days before we actually bring the plants into the indoor grow space, it is of huge
and the bushes have a strong stem with choice but to transport the plants to the importance that we treat the for a few days in a row with an organic pest control. In this way
well-developed side branching. All these where the indoor space has been set up. we can prevent an indoor insect plague from breaking out.
points combine to ensure that the plants, Given that the plants will by now have
once they are indoors and under artificial reached a considerable size, then moving
light, will not disappoint us. Quite the them in an ordinary car is actually not
contrary in fact; thanks to their having possible. We could perhaps try by lying
the ideal environment indoors, we can the plants on their sides, but this method
count on some top results and/or be sure is anything but pleasant for the plants.
to harvest some fantastic looking flower Furthermore the moving car, with all
heads that will be dripping with a thick its movement to and fro, can do some
crystal covering. considerable damage to the plants and/or
leave a powerful hemp aroma hanging
Before things get that far however, we about the car interior. As well as this not
are now at the stage where we need to being something you really want, you
make the preparations for the plants to are also increasing your chances of being
make their big move indoors. In this busted quite a bit. Especially when you
article I will try to explain what the most remember that things can seem better than
important points to be aware of , as well they really are, because as time passes
as what we should and should not do. you will tend to grow accustomed to the
smell of the hemp, but others who have
Of course as growers, we can also not been so exposed will find the smell
decide to just give the plants two months far stronger. So try to make sure that for Here once more the beautifully developed mother plants next to each other. On their last day
of pre-growth outdoors, and then let the whole duration of the move you need we give them no more water, which will make the plants a bit easier to carry.
them continue to grow nice and hard to open the windows or doors of your car
indoors. Should these two months turn or hired transportation as little as possible
out weather-wise to have plenty of sun, (and preferably not at all). In short, make
then by the end of these two months the sure that the car’s gas tank is well filled
plants will end up just as large as their so that at least you don’t need to visit a
precursors that had been given a month service station, and so on.
before that to grow in addition, if that
first month had not been especially good The drawback with transporting the
weather. In order to minimise the risks plants by car is that for a start it is very
associated with the outdoor weather unlikely that you will be able to move
conditions, I generally opt for allowing all the plants in one trip. Also, it is pretty
the seeds to germinate from the beginning noticeable and somewhat suspicious to be
of April. Should the weather turn against seen with ‘something big’ wrapped up in
us (lots of rain and heavy clouds), then black plastic lying in your car. Passers-
the plants will still be the end of July by or other road users will, curious as
sufficiently well developed to be brought they are, do everything they can to try to
indoors. If the weather turned out to discover what it is exactly what’s going
be good (lots of sun and an average on with the bags. And a pair of prying
temperature between 22 and 27 °C) then eyes is definitely the last thing you want
the plants could even be ready for the to deal with as a marihuana grower. All budding shoots have reached more or less the same height. This will greatly
move by the end of June. Do bear in mind
that should the plants not be ready to So it is transportation of the plants in a
move indoors until August, we will only large delivery van that gets the nod as
be able to put the plants into a 12 hour our preferred method, given that with it
light cycle. The bloom hormones in the we can move all the plants in a single
plants will by the beginning of August trip (provided we do not have too many).
will already be cranking out at full speed Also, now the plants are standing in
and it will not do the plants any good at a separate space, namely the freight
all if this process is interrupted by putting compartment, thanks to which the hemp
them into an 18 hour light cycle. The aroma does not spread throughout the
plants will only become unnecessarily delivery van. On top of this the delivery
stressed, which will be to the detriment van has the advantage that the plants
of the eventual harvest. Furthermore the can be stood up during transport, as long
plants will use up an unnecessarily large as when we are hiring the delivery van
amount of their stored energy to cope we take account of the size of the cargo
with this stress. compartment. Because standing plants are
kept in their natural position, the chances
Before we can actually bring the plants of damage is reduced considerably. As
inside it is very important that we do a a final point, transportation of goods
number of things to prepare them for the (in our case, plants) in a delivery van is Here we see the plants from above. You can clearly see how well they have developed. They
have become lovely, compact bushes.
Soft Secrets 35
any damage, we do not give the plants Before we finally put the plants in to they’ve been hauled over to the van, just
any water for their last day. The branches their cement tubs (one plant per tub), we lift them up into the cargo section. Only
and various and various stalks of the first wrap them in their black container here do we do the trick with the cement
plant will be doing this become quite a bags. Every grower can well appreciate, tubs and the bricks I mentioned earlier.
bit tougher, because the plant will not I’m sure, that the last thing they want is
have been able to take up any water, to arrive at their indoor grow space and Once the plants are all packed up, and
and thanks to this it will less easily snap have to lug uncovered marihuana plants we have got them into the cargo hold
or break. Broken branches are mostly about. Since we are going to lugging and and the flower pots are nicely anchored
something that happens to plants that securing one plant at a time, and taking in their cement tubs with stones or
have just had a big uptake of water. into account the size of the plants, they bricks, we shove the cement tubs (in
Thanks to the sap stream (the veins should be individually wrapped. Take each cement tub a flower pot, with a
through the stem and side branches of your time over this; rushing it will only marihuana plant in each) up against each
the plant) contain considerably more create more problems for yourself, such other. Now it is just a question of tying
water and when they are subject to as broken branches and whatnot. the tubs down securely with rope so that
force, such as from the wind or from they do now slide against each other
our rough handling, the chances of As for the actual wrapping, there are a during the trip. This is really important,
them being damaged and/or snapped are number of possibilities. I usually opt to otherwise there is a good chance there
substantially increased. The majority of tie the sticking out ranches back with will not be much left of our plants by the
Once the plants have been wrapped, we can branches on plants break or snap during string to the stem so that they do not time we arrive, if the bushes are hurled
haul them over to the delivery van. In the storms, when it has rained a lot. This protrude to much. against each other.
cargo hold we place the plant in a cement tub. makes the plants much more vulnerable.
Thee bricks are laid in the cement tub around In short, as long as we do not give the The main goal is to make the plant as In the cargo hold there are usually
the flower pot, and these act as ballast. plants any water for the last day, the compact as possible, before we start special attachment points, to which we
chances of them being damage in their putting the black plastic container bags can tie the ropes securely. Make sure
move are reduced. around them. that the rope is carefully placed around
the outside of the black bags so that the
Another side benefit of cutting out Once we have all the sticking out plants do not slide into each other. Use
the water for us as growers is that we branches neatly bound, first unfold the a thicker rope so that it does not cut into
reduce the chances of giving ourselves large black bag and put the flower pot the bags during the ride.
a hernia, because the pot with dry soil into it. Then we carefully take a second
in it is quite a bit lighter than if we black container bag and pull it down Now, finally, everything is ready for the
had drenched it with feed water. The over the plant. Once the top-most bag transport to begin!
technique allows the plants to suck up has been drawn down fully over the
All the plants are now stood in the cement and lose by transpiration the remains plant, we take hold of the bottom bag Once the transport is done and the plants
tubs and the bricks have been arranged. of the moisture from down in the base (partly under the pot) and pull that have arrived safely at their destination,
The plants can no longer shift around and
of the flower pot, which again will carefully upwards over the plant. make sure you give them a good dose
so they can be safely transported.
make the pot quite a bit lighter. A well- of feed water, so that they can refresh
developed root system can take up and At the point where the ends of the two themselves after all that jerking and
hold an enormous quantity of water container bags come together, we stick hauling around.
to the extent that a well-watered plant them together with strong gaffer tape.
in its pot can easily weigh double the The plant is now nicely wrapped up. It In the next article we will be taking a
weight of a plant that has not been is a good idea to do the plant wrapping look at how things are looking for the
given water for its last day. close to the delivery van, so that we do White Shark plants now that they are in
not have to haul them vary far. Once their carefully set up indoor grow space.
But making the flower pots lighter does
have a drawback in that the plants will
more easily tip over and so again run
the risk of being damaged. To reduce
this happening during transport as much
as possible, we can put each (relatively
small) pot with a plant in it into a larger
cement tub and then lay bricks around
the pot. In this way we make sure that
there is no movement between the outer
side of the flower pot and the inside of
the cement tub.
In this photo you can clearly see how with once they have safely arrived, we give the The plants are so large that with the steeply
the aid of ropes the plants are held together. plants a good., big does of feed water (water sloping roof it looks as if it will be quite
The cement tubs have also been secured. By doing this the plants, thanks to with liquid nutrient mixed in to it). This is hard to set the lamps at a reasonable height
In the cardboard box there is some of the the weight of the bricks, are now well something the ladies have earned! above them.
liquid nutrients that will be mixed with anchored and are not likely to slide
water on arrival and given to the plants.. around and/or tip over. The cement tub
full of stones holds the plant in balance
(it acts a bit like the keel under a boat).
But just before we go sticking the plant
into the cement tub, it is important that
we have first put the cement tub in the
delivery van. So we put the flower pot
with the plant in it into the delivery van,
put this into the cement tub and only
then start laying bricks in the cement
tub around the flower pot. If we don’t
do it all in this order then we just end
up with pots too heavy to lift into the
van thanks to the weight of the bricks.
/UTDOOR GROWING n
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Soft Secrets weckels Grow with W 21
world of eckels
wonders
By Weckels should be about 75 cms in height. This
might sound a bit on the low side, but it
The ideal cross and the best can not be much higher because then the
tops of your plants are at some stage going
to get dangerously close to the ceiling.
Top 44 comes originally from the town Another big advantage of growing on
of Arnhem in the East of Holland, and tables is that you can make the set up
the area around there. The growers there slant a little, so that overflowing excess
have had good results with it and these irrigation water can be easily controlled.
days it is a variety that has found its way In this way the plant only takes up what
into many a grow space. she needs from the water, and she does
not end up with too muddy an undersoil
Skunk Special was especially well liked as the excess water flows away. We can
in Amsterdam and the surroundings area, catch this excess water with a drainpipe
but even today you still come across the leading to a collection vat (preferably a
name a lot. Even so, most growers chose large one), which we equip with a float.
(and still do) for Top 44, mainly because A float is essentially nothing more than
it gives considerably earlier harvests. a sensor that (in this case) activates a
With Skunk Special a good rule of thumb pump if it comes into contact with water.
is that it is ready for processing with the So the float is positioned just under the
shears around the 9-10 week mark, while lip of the collection vat (on the inside)
the Top 44 is already quivering to be and prevents the overflow water (in the
harvested within seven weeks (44 days). collection vat) from overflowing, because
Time savings such as this are all to the it will trigger the pump in time to remove
good for the commercial grower, since water from the vat. A float like this is
more harvests can be fitted in per year essential, certainly when you want to
and that in turn ensures nice full wallets. This new cross produces not only a very strong odour; even on the large leaves THC glands rinse out the irrigation tubes and water
So this has historically been the main start to develop during the bloom phase. dripper nozzles with enzymes to clean
reason why Skunk Special has had to them, thereby keeping them clean and free
play second fiddle to Top 44. of salt accumulations. Back in the day
(when no floats or sensors were used) you
Combination had to sit and watch the whole cleaning
process, because the collection vat would
Fortunately there are enough growers now and again overflow (with all the dire
who get their biggest kicks from consequences attached). A simple but good
developing a new strain or creating the sensor (i.e. a float) can therefore save you
perfect cross fertilisation. So it was not a whole lot of sitting around waiting.
long before the combination of the two
plants was thought of and that resulted in Lime
an ideal plant. This new cross, going by
the name of Top 44 x Skunk Special, The table top is lined with a layer of
produced a weed that completely blew polystyrene, with a sheet of pond liner
away many a smoker. The weed has on top of that. On top of this we spread a
a very sweet taste, and is incredibly layer about 10 cm thick of medium mix
poptent; just a couple of drags for the (so below the soil is a layer of pond liner,
inexperienced smoker is enough to then polystyrene, then the table top). So
guarantee a trip around the world – an the medium mix serves as the base of our
effect dubbed in Dutch the ‘hamertje soil layer. Next we enrich the soil mix with
(little hammer) effect’. For many a Dutch lime, worm castings and seaweed-based
coffee shop owner, the potent cross had fertiliser and dry humus (in powder form).
the effect of drawing whole swarms of I always add some lime to my mixtures as
tourists inside, who were overwhelmed it ensures a good uptake by the plants of
merely on opening the weed baggie. This the fertilisers and also helps create a nice,
new plant (Top 44 x Skunk Special) also neutral pH value for the whole mixture.
produces such a strong odour that just We can safely use quite a large amount
a tiny amount of it is almost equivalent of the worm manure. It contains precisely
in smell to a whole plantation without the right concentration of the important
carbon filters. fertilisers; the concentrations are so right
in fact that you could safely grow your
Filters plants on a base of worm castings alone.
However, I would not quickly advise you
Staying with the topic of filters, to begin to do so, as with the mixture that I have
with these must be not only very thick described you will get way better results.
when you grow Top 44 x Skunk Special,
there must also be more than enough of Roots
them in your grow space. For a space of
12 metres we can easily use eight filters, To return for a moment to the layer of
placed a metre apart, which will give you polystyrene (on the table top), this serves
an air scrubbing power of 8000 cubic as an insulating layer. Were we to bring
metres per hour. Maybe this sounds like Just one of the very many lovely buds. The weed is well known for her sweet taste, along its
cold fresh air (in Winter especially) from
a lot, but bear in mind that you will need the so-called Hammer Effect. outside, sucked in under the table, then the
a lot of capacity in order to suck a really roots (without any insulating layer) would
strong odour through thick filters and As for the lamps, I reckon 12 of them, Irrigation be cooled down too severely. In this way
expel it outside. On top of that, you will each of 600 Watts, is a good investment the cold air can do considerable damage.
also need to replace the carbon granules for a grow space of 12 metres. Fewer The plants themselves are placed on a A marihuana plant has a real thing against
in the filters at least two times per year, lamps will lower the eventual harvest table, thereby creating for ourselves a a cold undersoil, and when it is exposed to
if you can want to continue to enjoy an considerably, and that is a shame, even for convenient working height – something this, it will create an enormous retarding
unpunished life as a grower. the non-commercial grower. your back will thank you for. The table effect on growth, the consequences of
22 Soft Secrets
Column
Medical cannabis: yeah, right and then. Ah, Mr Death, nice of you to come and visit. Don’t take a seat though,
cos hopefully you’ll not be hanging around. After all, it’s only cannabis I’ve been
smoking and everyone tells me that, one, it’s harmless, and two, it really hits the spot
By Joe Kane
when you’re ill. That’s why I’m having a near-death fucking experience right now
So here’s the story: I’m lying here in my bed with a fucking chest drain in place, and feel like some fat bastard is standing on my chest.
horrible yellow fucking gunk that looks like piss trickling out a hole in my ribs and
into a plastic bottle. At least it’s not the weed that put me in this state to begin with. Sorry, what’s that
you’re saying Doc? The weed certainly didn’t help matters much cos the smoke
Somehow, I’ve ended up with a load of bad health shit coming down on my has irritated the lining of my already pretty fucked-up lungs? No shit. Wait ‘til I tell
handsome head. I dunno, maybe it’s Karma, eh? The doctors have told me it’s this or the medical marijuana boys about this. That’ll rain on their fucking parade and no
it’s that: pleurisy or pneumonia with “complications”, whatever that means. I’ve had mistake.
a collapsed lung and I feel like a collapsed lung.
To be honest I’ve always had a fucking problem with all the “cannabis is good for
And they keep bitching at me to go into hospital so they can take care of me you” stuff that zillions of people I’ve run into over the years have spouted. Absolute
properly. Yeah, right. The way these places are these days I’d come out in a fucking bollocks. It’s like booze: say what you like, delude yourself as much as you like, but
box. I’d have less chance of croaking it if I hung out on a leper colony. the bottom line is this: IT’S NOT FUCKING GOOD FOR YOU!
Anyhow, they’ve been giving me these big, fuck off intravenous shots of super If you’re gonna use the stuff, then just do it, but don’t, and I mean DO NOT try and
antibiotics, and man alive, these boys show you what a bad trip really is. It starts off tell me you’re doing it for health reasons.
okay; I’m drowsy, seeing some after-images and trailers, hearing voices like they’re
far away. A bit like getting a buzz on with Benylin cough mixture when you’re a kid So now I’m back on the evil modern Babylon medicine, the shitty hallucinations
and you’ve got no dope left. have passed, I’m getting better and probably won’t have to lose half of one of my
lungs.
Then it’s the total hab-dabs with disembodied heads, bleeding walls, screaming and
all that kind of shit. Ever taken ketamine and it’s all gone a bit pear-shaped? Then Sorry for all the bad vibes negativity, readers, but you’ll have got the idea by
you’ll know what I’m talking about. now that I’m not in a happy place at the moment. Think of all the above as the
medicinally induced ravings of a man who is terminally sorry for himself. Hopefully
Conventional medicine? Conventional poison, more like. Let’s try some traditional I’ll be back with the funny stories next time
herbal remedy.
Maybe see you later.
So I thought that smoking a goodly amount of Amsterdam Spinach might be a good
thing, but readers, I got to tell you it wasn’t one of my better ideas. Whoever came JK
up with the idea that weed is medicine clearly never had a collapsed fucking lung
in mind. Two draws and I thought I was going to shuffle off the mortal coil there horribly_stoned_boy@hotmail.com
Trim waste
Before we actually get down to making
the space cake, the first important thing
we have to do is gather together sufficient
trim waste. This is actually the most
important part of the cake, given how
space cake differs from ordinary cake. In
contrast to what is stated in many recipes,
I almost never use the large leaves of a
plant for making a cake from. I prefer to
use only the richly THC crystal-covered
We first carefully small leaves. These contain considerably
weigh the trim waste, more THC and so we do not need as much
before we start out. to make a good space cake. Were we to
set to work using only the large leaves, we
Next we fill a large soup Make sure that the would need (a hell of a) large volume with
pan with water and toss trim waste is good and which to achieve the same effect. Having
the trim waste in. drenched in the water. said that, here is an exception to the rule.
The trim waste is most
Some varieties of weed, particlularly
indoor grown, make so much THC that
easily dunked with the
even the larger leaves are richly sprinkled
aid of a wooden spoon.
with it. It is plain for anyone to imagine
in this case that the large leaves can be
treated the same as the smaller ones
regarding THC concentrations.
Weed butter
Once the whole process is good and
finished, we will have from 400 grams of
butter and 100 grams of trim waste ended
up with about 300 grams of weed butter.
This butter is in fact all we need and forms
the base for all kinds of space cakes,
bonbons, cookies, bread or pancakes, all of
which are intended for getting high on, or
indeed getting nicely spaced. In this article
I will only deal with baking space cake.
The other possibillities of the wonderful
weed butter I will certainly return to at
a future date. The weed butter will keep
fresh for years and this is of course ideal,
given that storing a tub of weed butter
takes up so little room compared with
freezing a whole batch of space cakes.
After cooking, pour the mixture through The liquid that is left over is coloured a By cooling down the water and butter Naturally there is no real need to prepare
a colander or sieve so that only the liquid dark brown/black. It is clear that the trim the THC crystals will attach themselves the weed butter in a complicated recipe for
is saved. waste was of good quality. to the butter and separate out with it, as consumption there are even real diehards
this begins to re-solidify. The sollidifying who just spread their weed butter straight
Now add a lump of butter to the water outside on a gas stove, the kind you might butter therefore effectively sieves out on a piece of toast or a slice of bread, as
and the trim waste. If you’re using 100 take camping. By doing this we have no the THC crystals from the eater for you. they find baking a space cake too much of
grams of trim waste, add about 400 grams smell problems indoors and the strongly- Once the butter has return to a solid, in a hassle and / or because they find it nice
of butter. The butter will slowly melt from smelling odour will rapidly disperse in terms of colour it no looks like butter and tasty to eat simply. I personally prefer
the heat and the trim waste, the butter the breeze. If you do this, make sure you at all. It is basically a green to brown to make the effort of making a good space
and the water will quickly form a green are not too conspicuous and prefereably colour. The trick now is to get the butter cake, and so I’ll now get on with telling
sludge. At this point it important to keep cook your trim waste in a sheltered as carefully as possible out of the water. you how you can make one.
stirring the pan continuously, so that spot, free from wind, rain and/or curious This is most easily done by using a sharp
everything mixes together smoothly. neighbours. After all, it would look a little knife to scrape the butter of the sides of Keeping butter and weed butter
suspicious if you were to be seen in the the pan. Once we have scraped the butter
While you are cooking the trim waste middle of winter cooking over a gas stove off the side, it can be carefully ladled For making and baking a space cake I
there will be quite a bit of odour given off, in your garden, and pretty hard to keep out of the water with a large spoon. You always use about 50 grams of weed butter
something like a cross between spinach and your secret recipe to yourself! have to take a bit of care when doing this per cake. In my opinion this is the ideal
weed. It is not an especially pleasant smell, task, given that we don’t want the butter quantity, as long as we have used a decent
so you do have to do something about it. Cooking the trim waste, the butter and to sink or worse, fall on the floor. quality of trim waste for the butter in the
Bear the neighbour situation in mind; in the water does take quite a bit of time. In
some cases it might be worth not switching total, you should set aside a good 2.5 to 3
on the cooker’s ventilator hood, when this hours for the sludge to cook. By doing this
vents it air for example just outside the you make sure all the THC crystals have
wall or near the front door. Otherwise we broken free of the vegetation. Once the
run the risk of the whole street knowing in green sludge has cooked for this long, pour
the shortest possible time that something the mixture of butter, water and trim waste
cannabis-esque is a-brewing round at through a sieve. It is important that you
your place, from the distinctly hemp-y sieve all the trim waste out of the sludge, so
smell exiting. For the same reason, be a that all we’re left with is a mixture of water
bit sensitive and only cook up your trim and butter. With a wooden spoon press the
waste in an area where you do not suspect remaining moisture out of the trim waste
someone else (or even you) has their own that is left behind in the colander or sieve.
cannabis garden growing. It is in any case
always good to minimise all risks. It does Cooling off
not bear thinking about – that you might
have your plantation busted just because Now we let the pan with the water and
you were cooking up a bit of space cake, the water melted butter quietly cool down.
however nice. This happens easiest when you place the
pan in a cool place, such as in the cellar,
Gaspitje the garden shed or in the fridge. Of course, To speed up the setting of the weed butter, Once the weed butter has solidified, scrape
we put the lid on the pan no contaminants we place the soup pan in the fridge. The it off the sides of the pan with a sharp
We can of course also choose to just do can get in. The butter will take the best solidification process can easily take the knife.
it all in peace and cook up the trim waste part of the whole night to cool down fully. whole night.
36 Soft Secrets
previous preparation process. Naturally the can assure you that that is anything but
size of the actual cake is also important, but pleasant, given that one time you will
for a normal cake tin (one that will make get nothing off a slice while the next
of about 15 slices) I use about 50 grams of slice will make you totally shit-faced.
weed butter. Adding more butter than this To prevent this it is therefore really
to the cake is not something I recommend. important to mix your cake very well.
If you’re nicely used to the experience by
all means have two slices; this is better than Once you have set up the food mixer, toss
making a really strong cake. What’s more, the normal butter and the weed butter,
it will also be easier for others (who are sugar and vanilla sugar in. Fort a slightly
maybe not as experienced with hash and With a large spoon we ladle the weed butter Here is what we have been after: a good extra taste to your space cake you can add
weed) to try a slice of the cake, without out of the water. quality weed butter! the grated zest of an orange or a lemon to
them immediately feeling as if they’ve just the mix. This gives the space cake a much
been shipped off to another planet. fresher flavour. Once we have done this,
mix all the ingredients to a light-coloured,
Also keep in mind that you should be creamy paste. Then add to the mix the
careful where you store the space cake eggs, one by one. Once the last egg has
and especially the weed butter (since been added, let the mixer run at full speed
this is more powerful). I’m thinking here for a good five minutes. Now it is time
of small children and / or other people to add the cake mix and the milk to the
who might be tempted to innocently take mixture. Once we have added these, we
a couple of slices of cake, as this can keep mixing until the mixture is really
have severe consequences, if we’re not smooth. The cake mixture is now ready
completely meticulous about it. Also be We put the cake mix, 100 grams of weed to be split into the cake tin(s). Once this
careful if you let a slice of cake fall on the butter (for two space cakes) and the rest of is done, smooth out the surface of the
floor that you don’t the dog go wolfing the ingredients in the food processor. mixture with a knife or spatula. In this way
it down. Should a dog eat a couple of we spread the cake mix as evenly (through
slices this can be quite dangerous for the cake tin) and the cake will have a
the animal, even fatal. If you let weed lovely, even shape when it’s baked.
butter fall on the floor, this can be even
more serious given how much stronger We leave the cake in the oven for an
the concentration of THC is compared to hour and 15 minutes (= 75 minutes) until
space cake. In short, take good care! it has baked a lovely golden brown. The
space cake is done when if you prick the
Before we actually make the space cake centre with a saté stick or a skewer this
it is important that we first of all make comes out clean with no mixture sticking
sure that all ingredients are at room to it. If the cake is done, take it out of the
Now that the weed butter is ready we can For a fresh taste we grate the zest of an
temperature. Also, get the oven on, set get to work. We first get all the necessary orange into the cake mixture. A lemon will oven and leave it to cool for five minutes
at about 160°C and place the grill shelf tools ready. also do fine. before removing it from the tin.
one notch under the middle of the oven.
Just to give you the temperatures of other For making a chocolate space cake, my
kinds of oven, set a hot air oven at 140°C favourite, we also add cocoa powder to
and a gas oven at mark 2-3. the cake mixture and mix this thoroughly
in. If I do this I usually leave out the
Next we can grease the inside of the cake citrus zest. As for how much cocoa, this
tin with butter and then sprinkle some flour depends on your own preference. I tend
on the fat. We do this so that the space to just go by the colour: the more powder
cake with fall easily out of the tin once it you add, the darker the mixture and the
has been baked. Once we have completed more chocolatey the cake.
these short preparations we can begin.
Once the cake mix is well and truly mixed, Once we have taken the space cake out of
For baking the space cake we use the same pour it into the cake tin. Then smooth the the tin, you will see that space cake looks
pack of cake mix that we would use for any surface down nice and level. exactly the same as any other cake. This
normal cake. A 500 gram pack is enough raises the immediate danger of leaving the
to make two cakes from. We then add three cake around the place for anyone to take
eggs, 0.5 dl of milk (= four tablespoons) and an innocent fancy to without knowing
add butter. Because we are also adding 100 its true nature. There are a lot of people
grams of weed butter (for two space cakes) who have tried this just for a joke, by for
to the mixture, we reduce the quantity of example allowing an unsuspecting teacher
normal butter added by 100 grams. If we or a bunch of tedious work colleagues to
did not do this, then the whole mix would tuck in to a slice of space cake. The result
be too sloppy and would be tricky to make a is frequently a totally disoriented teacher,
decent space cake from as a result. In short, colleague or other selected victim who
we add to the mix 300 grams of normal thinks they are going to die – for several
butter (instead of 400 grams) and 100 grams Once the mixer is turning, grease the inside Then we bake the space cakes in the oven. hours. Make no mistake, for people with
of the cake tin. Doing this will help the space
of weed butter, so that eventually we are no experience of marihuana, space cake
cake slip out of the tin when it is done baking.
using 200 grams of combined butter in each or whatever form of being stoned, it can
cake (as we’re making two cakes from one be an extremely frightening experience
500 gram bag of mix). when you do not know what has happened.
What’s more it is strongly punishable by
For preparing the mix we use an electric law and so a great way of allowing a little
food mixer, as I reckon this is many joke to escalate way out of hand. Being
times quicker than beating everything by fired from your work and / or being kicked
hand. What’s more, using a mixer gives out of school are mild consequences by
us more certainty that the weed butter comparison. Going before a judge will
is being well distributed throughout the cost you money, reputation and even your
cake mix. By making sure of this we also liberty, and that is the last thing any of us
ensure that each slice of baked cake has want. So take my severe warning against
the same potency. When we fail to mix the messing about with this tuff seriously!
mixture properly and go ahead and bake
the space cake, there is a large chance The cold winter months offer a great
that for example, the first part of the cake opportunity to bake space cake. Once you
has absolutely no weed butter in it and Here is the end result, a lovely chocolate and a normal space cake. Cake have its making down, there is nothing quite
the second part a double concentration. I enough for getting spaced for hours! so good as your own baked space cakes!
Soft Secrets Grow with J 29
orge Cervant
es
Basic Growing
The first column in Soft Secrets! Recently HIGH TIMES magazine and I
renegotiated my contract and now I can write for European magazines. I am
very happy to write for Soft Secrets because they reach more growers than
any other magazines in Europe. This column is all about growing!
Last year I bought a Nikon D100 digital camera and have been building a
digital library. You will see many of these new digital photos on the pages of
Soft Secrets . So far I have shot many publication quality digital images and
A second-generation (F2) bud of Jack Herer is packed with resin in this Spanish grow Strings 40 centimeters long hang from reflectors to measure distance between garden canopy
room. Beautiful buds like this are also possible during hot weather providing the grow and 600w lamps. Do you keep your grow room this clean? This crop produced one gram
room stays reasonably cool, around 25 degrees C. per watt of electricity during 8 weeks of flowering. The expert Spanish growers harvested
the heavy crop last year when temperatures topped 35 degrees C.
they slow down for a day or two, there is
a good reason. Usually it is because they
are too hot. The ambient air temperature
could be too hot, above 30 degrees C., or
the soil temperature could be too hot,
above 20 degrees C. Soil temperature is
rarely a problem when growing in Mother
Earth, but containers exposed to direct
sunlight cook roots.
necessary to maintain fast growth. The winning prizes and marijuana competitions (with 200 ALL
The Indoor Bible
Leach plants with at least three liters of easiest way to promote fast growth is to in Europe. NEW color photos), Marijuana
water for every liter of soil. Leach plants cool the growing area with shade. Indoors: Five Easy Gardens,
every month. Flushing containers with neighbor or friend is going to do it, make Marijuana Outdoors: Guerilla
lots of fresh water will ensure there is no Summer Indoors sure to have their telephone number so Growing and hundreds of articles.
buildup of excess fertilizer salts. Salt you can check on them. Also leave them For more info:
buildup is one of the biggest problems Vacations are the biggest impediment to a detailed daily list of what to do. If any www.marijuanagrowing.com.
affecting container-grown plants. Take growing this month and next. Everybody nutrients need to be mixed, try to have His works are published in Dutch,
this simple precaution and you will avoid is going on vacations. Who do you have them premixed so your helper has as English, French, German and
many problems and grow healthier plants. take care of your garden? If your little to think about as possible. Spanish.
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46
with Jorge Cervantes Soft Secrets
Grow
Hydro-Organic
Hydro-organic, rolls off the tongue like a processes. If you are growing in a sterile
fatty ready for fire. But hydro-organic? soilless mix containing no nutrients and
Isn’t that an oxymoron? How can you fertilizing with soluble organic fertilizer,
merge hydroponic gardening, known you are growing hydro-organically.
for high yields using exacting amounts
of chemical fertilizers, with organic Why grow hydro-organic? Fertilizer
fertilizer? control and the sweet, sweet taste of
organic bud are enough reasons to
The term hydro-organic combines convince discriminating growers. Since
two words: hydroponic and organic. most crops are grown indoors in less
Hydroponic gardening is growing plants than 90 days, there is little time for
without soil and feeding them with a non-soluble organic nutrients to interact You can fill grow bags with soilless mix and irrigate with an organic nutrient solution and
grow sweeter tasting buds.
liquid nutrient solution. An organic and become available to plants. Indoor
substance contains a carbon molecule, or growers induce flowering by changing
is or was once living. Organic fertilizers the light from 18-hour days to 12-hour be very bulky and mix with water poorly.
are any fertilizer that contains a carbon days. Six to ten weeks later juicy Yet when mixed and applied properly,
molecule or a natural substance that has female buds are harvested. That’s a soluble organic fertilizers are readily
not been altered from its natural state. short time for lots of biological organic available and grow great dope.
Hydro-organic gardening is growing activity. During the life cycle of the plant,
plants without soil and feeding them with their nutrient needs change. Seedlings To deliver the exact balance of organic
an organic nutrient solution. need higher levels of phosphorus and nutrient solution to plants automatically,
potassium. Vegetative plants use more the hydro-organic system is more
Most hydroponic systems use a growing nitrogen and flowering buds require more complex. Unless you choose a ready-
medium to support the plant and roots. phosphorus. Organic fertilizers release made soluble organic fertilizer from
The growing medium is similar to soil nutrients at different rates and it is very one of the following companies: Canna, This Canadian grow room uses
except it contains no nutrients that are difficult to calculate how much is being Bio Biz, Atami, etc., you will have to Supernatural Grow Bags in an organic soil
released biologically or via chemical released. Organic fertilizers also tend to experiment to find the exact combination and nutrients. Although not technically
of nutrients to grow the fattest bud. hydroponic, it uses an overhead hydroponic
irrigation system.
Measuring exactly how much soluble
organic nutrient is diluted in a reservoir leaves, brittle leaves, and super dark
is difficult. Chemical fertilizer green leaves. If you see any of these
manufacturers easily mix exact amounts signs of over-fertilization, flush soilless
of each chemical into specific formulas hydroponic mix with at least two gallons
tailored to different stages of growth: of plain water for each gallon of nutrient
seedling, vegetative and flowering. For solution. Flushing excess nutrients out
example, the compound, calcium nitrate, of a system is very important to have
contains both calcium and nitrogen. In great-tasting dope. Many North American
pure chemical form, this compound is growers flush their entire crop with plain
easy to analyze and know exactly how water for the last two or three weeks
much nitrogen and calcium per weight of flowering to expel any accumulated
and how much to add to a nutrient fertilizer, which affects taste, from the
solution to achieve the desired level. bud.
Organic nutrients are much more complex
in structure and very difficult to measure A good base mix to start seedlings and
exact nutrient content. They are also cuttings is a balanced seaweed mix that
difficult to retain consistent. For example, contains all macro nutrients (nitrogen,
the nutrient content of the organic “super potassium and phosphorus), secondary
bloom”, soluble bat guano varies greatly nutrients (calcium and magnesium) and
and it contains many different nutrients. trace elements. The nitrogen, potassium
The diet and health of the bats, the age of and phosphorus (NPK) percentages
the guano, weather conditions and climate are printed on the front of fertilizer
all contribute to the nutrient content. containers. Look for a fertilizer starter
mix that contains 1-2 percent N, 2-4
How do you overcome this minor percent P, and 3+ percent K. This mix
technical difficulty? Buy a premixed will supply all the nutrients necessary
soluble organic fertilizer or buy several for the first 3-4 weeks of growth. Many
organic fertilizers and mix them to make growers add growth enhancers (additives)
your own blend. Either way, you will now such as Rhizotonic or Cannazym
have to experiment to get the perfect mix biocatalyst. Check with your local grow
for your system and strain of cannabis. store for recommendations.
Any grower that has experimented with
fertilizer mixes knows that adding too Nitrogen keeps vegetative growth green
much can either lock nutrients up, making and is used heavily during vegetative
them unavailable or burn plants. The growth. Good sources of nitrogen include
result is the same, slow growth and less worm castings seabird guano, alfalfa meal
smoke. and fish emulsion.
Like chemical soluble fertilizers, soluble Flowering fertilizer has higher levels of
organic fertilizers can be flushed out phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Bat
of the system if overdone. Organic guano, the organic super bloom, has
fertilizers can build up to toxic levels just sufficient levels of nitrogen to keep plants
like chemical fertilizers. Signs of toxic green, but most importantly, high levels
Growing buds like this resin squirting beauty organically in hydroponics is easiest when fertilizer buildup or over-fertilization of potassium and phosphorus to stimulate
using tried and true professional organic fertilizers. include burned leaf tips, curled down flower bud growth.
Soft Secrets 47
in greenhouses. Removing roots will not of the copper hydroxide, then stop and
make plants grow faster; in fact, it will turn! Roots will not touch the unpleasant
slow growth for about two weeks. Once compound. The result is similar to what
new roots start to grow, growth rebounds. happens aboveground when new, lower
About mid-summer, root-prune plants that growth is stimulated as branch tips
must stay in the same size container. Root are pruned. When pruned with copper
pruning will keep plants manageable and hydroxide paint, more roots develop
much easier to maintain. overall, and they grow in the entire root
ball, especially in the center. Plants with
a dense root system dispersed evenly
throughout the root ball are easier to
maintain, and they grow bigger in smaller
containers.
Did you know that after being grassed up, the most common Did you know at
reason why growers get busted is due to water- or odour- purple buds wth Purple Power plants
nuisance? Both problems are in actual fact very easy to he n produce
prevent, provided that the grower goes about his work with heads are turned grown outdoors? The flower
proper attention. Always build a ‘pond’ (out of synthetics autumn air. What’spurple by the usually colder
material or plastic) around your entire grow room, so that this variety under funny is that when you grow
any water released during even the worst disaster cannot out looking totally artificial light, the buds turn
flow away, and always make sure that you have good filters doesn’t send them different (because this light
purple).
fitted and sufficient air extraction capacity.
46
with Jorge Cervantes Soft Secrets
Grow
Identify: The spider mite is the most
common pest found on indoor plants and
Spider Mites
cause the most problems. Spider mites
have eight legs and are classified as spiders
rather than insects, which have six legs.
Find microscopic spider mites on leaf Remove leaves with 50 percent or more
undersides sucking away life-giving fluids. damage.
To an untrained naked eye, they are hard
to spot. Spider mites appear as tiny specks Remove leaves with more than 50
on leaf undersides; however, their telltale percent damage and throw away, making
signs of feeding – yellowish-white spots, sure insects and eggs do not reenter the
stippling – on the tops of leaves are easy to garden. If mites have attacked only one
see. Careful inspection reveals tiny spider or two plants, isolate the infected plants
webs – easily seen when misted with water and treat them separately. Take care
– on stems and under leaves as infestations when removing foliage not to spread
progress. A magnifying glass or low-power mites to other plants. Severely damaged
microscope (10-30X) helps to identify the plants should be carefully removed from
yellow-white, two spotted brown or red the garden and destroyed.
mites and their translucent eggs. Indoors,
the most common is the two-spotted spider Smear a layer of Tanglefoot™ around
mite. After a single mating, females are the lips of containers and at the base
fertilized for life and reproduce about 75 of stems to create barriers spider mites
percent female and 25 percent male eggs. cannot cross. This will help isolate them
Females lay about 100 eggs. to specific plants. Note: smear a layer of
Young spider mites, adults, and eggs are Spider mites cause stippling, small Tanglefoot™ at each end of drying lines
visible in this photo. spots, on the top of leaves. Damage: Mites suck life-giving sap when hanging buds to contain spider
from plants, causing overall vigor loss mites. Once foliage is dead, mites try to
and stunting. Leaves are pocked with migrate down drying lines to find live
suck-hole marks and yellow from failure foliage with fresh, flowing sap.
to produce chlorophyll. They lose partial
to full function, and leaves turn yellow Biological: Neoseiulus (Amblyseius)
and drop. Once a plant is overrun with californicus and Mesoseiulus
spider mites, the infestation progresses (phytoseiulus) longipes, are the two
rapidly. Severe cases cause plant death. most common and effective predators.
Phytoseiulus persimilis, Neoseiulus
Control: Cleanliness! This is the most (Amblyseius) fallacius, Galendromus
important first step to spider mite control. (Metaseiulus) occidentalis, Galendromus
Keep the grow room and tools spotless (Typhlodromus) pyri predators are also
and disinfected. Mother plants often have available commercially.
spider mites. Spray mothers regularly with
miticides, including once three days before When properly applied and reared,
taking cuttings. Once mite infestations get predatory spider mites work very well.
out of control and miticides work poorly, There are many things to consider when
the entire grow room will have to be using the predators. First, predators can
cleaned out and disinfected with a pesticide eat only a limited number of mites a day;
and 5 percent bleach solution. Steam the average predator can eat 20 eggs or
disinfection is also possible but too difficult 5 adults daily. As soon as the predators’
in most situations. source of food is gone, some mites die of
starvation while others survive on other
insects or pollen. Check with suppliers
for release instructions of specific
species. A general dosage of 20 predators
per plant is a good place to start.
Cultural and physical: Spider mites thrive Did you know that
in a dry, 21-26 °C climate, and reproduce
Purple Power (PP) is
one of the best-known
every five days in temperatures above
26 °C. Create a hostile environment by
lowering the temperature to 15 °C. and and most-cultivated
spray foliage, especially under leaves,
with a jet of cold water. Spraying literally outdoor varieties?
blasts them off the leaves as well as Sadly, in recent years
increases humidity. Their reproductive
it has been so heavily
grown that the price it
cycle will be slowed, and you will have a
chance to kill them before they do much
damage. Manual removal works for small
can command has fallen
into the cellar! The weed
populations. Smash all mites in sight
between the thumb and index finger, or
wash leaves individually in between two is easily recognised by
This is the worst spider mite infestion I have seen!
sponges. Make sure to not infect other
plants with contaminated hands or sponges. its purple colour.
Soft Secrets 47
Create hostile environment: Humidity, temperature, water spray abamectin Avid® Produced by soil fungi, Streptomyces species
Create barriers: Smear Tanglefoot™ around pot lips, stems, drying lines dienochlor Pentac® Slow-acting but selective against mites
Dip cuttings and vegetative plants: Dip small plants in pyrethrum, horticultural aldicarb Temik® Systemic miticide DO NOT USE
oil, neem oil
methomyl Subdue® Systemic insecticide DO NOT USE
Remove damaged foliage: Remove foliage more than 50 percent damaged
dicofol Kelthane® Selective miticide, DDT relative, DO NOT USE
Introduce Predatory mites: Release predators before infestations grow out of
hand acephate Orthene® Systemic miticide/insecticide, DO NOT USE
Spray: Apply pyrethrum, neem oil, use stronger miticides only if necessary. *All trade names are not included. Check insecticides and miticides for chemical name.
Rotate sprays so mites do not develop immunity.
are only a few spider mites. Introduce strength to kill infestations but work as Horticultural oil smothers eggs and can If using any chemical miticide, be sure it
predators as soon as spider mites are a deterrent by repelling mites. Popular be mixed with pyrethrum and homemade is a contact poison and not systemic. Use
seen on vegetative growth, and release homemade sprays include Dr. Bonner’s sprays to improve extermination. StirrupM®, described below, to improve
them every month thereafter. This gives Soap, garlic, hot pepper, citrus oil, and the spider mite kill rate. Cinnamaldehyde
predators a chance to keep up with liquid seaweed combinations. If these Pyrethrum (aerosol) is the best natural extracted from Cinnamonum zeylanicum
mites. Before releasing predators, rinse sprays do not deter spider mites after 4-5 miticide! Apply 2-3 applications at 5-10 kills mites. The synthetic hormone
all plants thoroughly to ensure all toxic- applications, switch to a stronger spray: day intervals. Pyrethrum is the best control – sold under the brand name StirrupM®
spray residues from insecticides and neem oil, pyrethrum, horticultural oil, or for spider mite extermination. Spider mites – attracts spider mites, and is used very
fungicides are gone. nicotine sulfate, cinnamaldehyde. should be gone after 2 or 3 applications successfully to enhance miticides.
at 5-10 day intervals, providing sanitary-
The fungus, Hirsutella thompsonii, trade Insecticidal soap does a fair job of preventative conditions are maintained. Jorge Cervantes is the author of
name Mycar®, kills spider mites. controlling mites. Usually two or three Eggs hatch in 5-10 days. The second the ALL NEW Indoor Marijuana
applications at 5-10 day intervals will do spraying will kill the newly hatched eggs Horticulture: The Indoor Bible,
Sprays: Homemade sprays often lack the the trick. and the remaining adults. The third and with 200 ALL NEW color photos,
subsequent applications will kill any new Marijuana Indoors: Five Easy
Product Fla
sh
Atami stone wool
mixed-fibre technology Adjust-a-wing
Stone wool blocks are available all over the place, This reflector has been brought over from
to anyone that wants them, in any size they want. Australia, where it is pretty popular. The reflector
They’re handy for letting your clones root in or can illuminate an area of 1.2 m to 1.8 m. This
for germinating seeds in. Thanks to the airiness offers many possibilities for the grower. With just
of the stone wool medium seeds germinate very one lamp you can light a larger growing surface
quickly in them and within a few days of planting area with no loss of yield and sometimes even an
you will already be seeing them pop up. I choose increase. This sounds fantastic in theory; fewer lamps needed and so less heat produced
this medium over the traditional germination methods because the seeds stay nice and so the environment stays under control better. The Adjust-a-wing reflector is
and moist but never too wet. Keeping the seeds too wet will retard the germination delivered with a heat shield, and you should never use this reflector without this heat
process and the roots will not shoot off in search of water since there’s plenty shield. In order to get the same yield with this reflector from a larger growing area, the
of it around already. 30 small stone wool blocks also take up less space than 30 lamp and its reflector need to hung lower than normal. This can be as close as 20 cm
pots full of soil for seed germinating (out of which many will not actually ever from your growing plants, which is pretty low, and that it could get quite hot for the
sprout). The seeds that do come out in the stone wool blocks can be nice and neatly buds is something that many growers will be aware of. That is why you need the heat
planted in your soil or hydro set up. And of course growers on stone wool slabs shield – it makes sure that the light is reflected away and the heat is reduced. The heat
can get to work immediately. Atami has apparently succeeded in improving on shield blocks a portion of the direct light thanks to which the heat directly under the
and optimising regular stone wool. Using mixed fibre technology the fibres of the lamp is strongly reduced while the blocked light is scattered to the sides of the reflector,
stone wool orient themselves in all possible directions thanks to which the roots so the plants can still make optimal use of it for growth and blooming. In short, without
can more easily and more quickly develop. The stone wool fibres in the block or the heat shield you would never hope to achieve the optimised yields; only by having
slab are oriented vertically as well as horizontally which allows the plant to find the reflector as low above the vegetation is this possible. You will also achieve a more
a more natural route on its way to growing and blooming. These new stone wool even vegetative cover, which is to say that the plants will all be about the same height,
blocks also contain more air, and as every growers knows, getting sufficient oxygen because the light has been so optimally spread and the plants right under the lamp
to the roots makes for a more powerful root growth. An optimal medium then in are not getting the full force of the light, something that is not the case with common
which seeds and clones will be able to shoot out their roots even more rapidly. lamps. Whether this reflector is not only good in theory but also in practice actually
Thanks to this powerful early root growth you will have stronger and eventually delivers the goods is something we will leave up to you to test for yourselves.
more productive plants. If we can take Atami at their word, then this mixed fibre
technology heralds a revolution in stone wool land. Info: www.elementshydroponics.com/
www.eastcoasthydroponics.co.uk
Available from all good grow shops www.greenleafsystems.co.uk
Info: Atami, The Netherlands www.hydroponic-shop.com
Tel (+31) (0) 73-5223256 / Fax: (+31) (0) 73-5213259 www.indooruk.co.uk
E-mail: info@atami.com / Website: www.atami.com www.growshop-highfive.com
46
rge Cervantes Soft Secrets
o
Grow with J
bottom of the plant. After two to six
Early male flowers are easy to spot with Male flowers develop quickly on the tip of Males continue flowering and shedding
the naked eye. They are located at branch this male plant. Keep an eye out for male yellowish, dust-like pollen from bell-
internodes. plants, and separate them from females as shaped pollen sacks well into the
soon as they are spotted. females’ flowering stage, which ensures
pollination. If you are making seeds,
A word of caution from bc-trichome-farmer pollinating females too early, before the
(www.overgrow.com): “Do not try to sex a girls have developed many receptive
seedling based on the very first pre-flower. female pistils, will result in a small
Wait and make sure. The time between seed crop. See Chapter Seventeen,
using a 25X (loupe) to spot the very first “Breeding,” for more information.
pre-flower and the plant dropping pollen is
at least 10+ days away, so it’s safe.” Male flowers are about one quarter-
inch (6 mm) long and pastel green
to yellowish in color. Flowers first
Male pollen sacks hang like little balls. Male Flowering develop near the top of the plant. Pollen
Each pollen sac has enough pollen to sacks develop on a short spike and
pollinate all the females in the average When given a 12/12 day/night hang in clusters at the base of branches. The red arrow shows where pre-flowers
grow room. photoperiod, male cannabis reaches Gradually, flowers develop towards the develop on both male and female flowers.
Soft Secrets 47
Did you know that
ma kin g clo ne s is
develop pre-flowers. This is when nowhere near as hard
female calyx formation initiates, and it as it looks? With just
is not contingent upon photoperiod. It a little bit of effort,
occurs when a plant is old enough to
show signs of sexual maturity, about such as removing the
the fourth week of vegetative growth, growing shoots on the
or six to eight weeks from germination. lower-most branches
The pre-flowers emerge behind the
stipule at the fourth to fifth branch by just slicing them off,
internodes. keeping them moist
and then dipping the
A pre-flower looks like a regular
female flower; most have a pair of ends in rooting powder
white fuzzy pistils. Pistils normally The green calyx and popping them in a
form after the light green seed bract supports two very block of stone wool,
part of the pre-flower has formed. Wait small pistils on
until pistils have formed to ensure the this pre-flowering we are already well on
plant is a female and not a male. The ‘Flo’ from DJ the way. A humid seed
preflowering stage lasts from one to Short. tray and a small lamp
two weeks. A little patience is in order
now! completes the picture.
ories of
the Indoor/Outdoor Medical
Grower’s Bible are credible st
s per
by Jorge Cervantes, 512
up to 500 gram
anaged.
plant being m
pages 1120 full color photos
e plants
Of course, thes
and drawings,
wed to
ISBN1-878823-23-X.
The book is available in have been allo
longer
grow for much
English and will be available
d have
than normal an
in Spanish, German and
ed with
Italian in the fall of 2006.
For More information see: been illuminat
lamp.
www.marijuanagrowing.com
more than one
46
rge Cervantes Soft Secrets
o
Grow with J
The most productive setups utilize two window, and build a box around the
rooms. The first room is for vegetative things so a natural scene is visible from
Basement
Super productivity is achieved with a
The best location for a grow room is in perpetual crop. Several clones are taken
an obscure corner of a basement, where every day or every week. Every day a
the temperature is easy to keep constant few plants are harvested. For every plant
year round. Basements are well insulated harvested, a new cutting takes its place.
by concrete walls and soil. A basement
room can be enclosed and camouflaged
with junk, a double wall, workbench, or Take a little time to set up your grow room
shelving. so all the space is used efficiently.
Step Four: See “Setting Up the Vent Step Five: The larger your garden
Fan” in Chapter Thirteen. Constant air becomes, the more water it will need.
circulation and a supply of fresh air are A 10 _ 10-foot (3 x 3 m) garden could
essential but often inadequate. There use more than 50 gallons (190 L) per
should be at least one fresh-air vent in week. Carrying water is hard, regular
every grow room. Vents can be an open work. One gallon (3.8 L) of water
door, window, or duct vented to the weighs eight pounds (3.6 kg); 50 _ 8 =
outside. An exhaust fan vented outdoors 400 pounds (180 kg) of water a week!
or pulling new air through an open It is much easier to run in a hose with
door usually creates an adequate flow an on/off valve or install a hose bib in
of air. An oscillating fan works well to the room than to schlep water. A three- A vent fan and an oscillating circulation
circulate air. When installing such a fan, foot (90 cm) watering wand attached to fan are essential to maintain a healthy
make sure it is not set in a fixed position the hose on/off valve makes watering environment.
and blowing too hard on tender plants. easier and saves branches from being
It could cause windburn and dry out broken when watering in dense foliage.
plants, especially seedlings and clones. Hook up the hose to a hot and cold
If the room contains a heat vent, it may water source so the temperature is easy
be opened to supply extra heat or air to regulate.
circulation.
Step Six: Ideally, the floor should be
concrete or a smooth surface that can
be swept and washed down. A floor
drain is very handy. In grow rooms with
carpet or wood floors, a large, white This drawing shows how to install a vent
painter’s drop cloth or thick, white These plants are growing in 3-gallon (11 fan. Adding rubber feet or padding around
Visqueen plastic, will protect floors L) pots and spaced on 6-inch (15 cm) the fan will dampen noise.
from moisture. Trays placed beneath centers. The 5-foot (2 m) high walls are
each container add protection and covered with white Visqueen plastic. This is an excerpt from
convenience. Marijuana Horticulture: the
Indoor/Outdoor Medical
This attic grow room is insulated with Step Seven: Mount a hook strong Grower’s Bible by Jorge
Styrofoam and reflection/anti-detection enough to support 30 pounds (14 kg) Cervantes, 512 pages
barrier foil available at www.hysupply.nl, for each lamp. Attach an adjustable 1120 full color photos
which keeps the heat signature from chain or cord and pulley between the and drawings, ISBN1-
showing. ceiling hook and the lamp fixture. The 878823-23-X. The book
adjustable connection makes it easy to is available in English and
keep the lamp at the proper distance will be available in Spanish,
from plants and up out of the way German and Italian in the
during maintenance. fall of 2006. For More
information see:
Step Eight: There are some tools www.marijuanagrowing.com.
an indoor gardener must have and Keeping heat inside the room is as
a few extra tools that make indoor important as keeping it out! Insulation
horticulture much more precise and cost will keep heat out, and the heat generated
effective. The extra tools help make inside the room will be easy to control. Did you know that garlic
the garden so efficient that they pay is an exceptionally good
for themselves in a few weeks. Procure Step Nine: Read and complete: “Setting basic insect repellent? If
all the tools before bringing plants Up the HID Lamp” at the end of
into the room. If the tools are there Chapter Two. we boil up some garlic
when needed, chances are they will and then press it well
be put to use. A hygrometer is a good Step Ten: Move seedlings and rooted and then let the liquid
example. If plants show signs of slow, clones into the room. Huddle them
sickly growth due to high humidity, closely together under the lamp. Make
cool down and sieve
most growers will not identify the sure the HID is not so close to small it, we can fill a plant
exact cause right away. They will wait plants that it burns their leaves. Position sprayer with it. It is a
and guess, wait and guess, and maybe 400-watt lamps 18 inches (45 cm) 100% organic substance
figure it out before a fungus attacks and above seedlings and clones. Place a
In this simple Sea of Green layout, there the plant dies. When a hygrometer is 600-watt lamp 24 inches (60 cm) away that works really well
are ten plants in each tray (80 total installed before plants are brought into and a 1000-watt lamp 30 inches (75 cm) against all kinds of
plants) illuminated by a single 1000-watt the grow room, the horticulturist will away. Check the distance daily. Hang a gnawing beasties.
HID. Each week one tray of ten plants is know from the start when the humidity precut string from the hood to measure
harvested, and ten new plants are started. is too high and causing sickly growth. distance.
46
rge Cervantes Soft Secrets
o
Grow with J
I made these trips carrying conspicuous strains. The strains are grouped in five
supplies at four in the morning. The hard different categories distinguished by their
1. ‘Hash Plant’, ‘Afghani’, ‘Hindu plants with a short, squat growth habit.
Kush’, etc., are great varieties that finish Rain followed by hot sunny days can foster
mid- to late-August. The yield and potency mold, which could decimate the crop in a
are quite high, but the fragrance is high, short time. Leaf has seen dried, cured buds
too! These strains are for experienced the size of softballs that were packed with
growers. They need lots of intense sunlight mold. They were thrown away. To avoid
and must be watered from below, not from mold problems, he suggests harvesting
above with rain. These varieties start to bud when about 10 percent of the pistils have
when the days are long and the sunlight died back. Even heavy dew can cause a
is intense. The buds fatten up quickly on moldy disaster! Leaf loves ‘Hash Plant’.
‘White Russian’ and others from the ‘Northern Lights #5 x Haze’ is one of the
“White” family are ready to harvest from most potent and tasty strains. This cross is
mid- to late-October. ready to harvest from late-October through
early-November.
2. ‘Early Pearl’, ‘Early Queen’, ‘Early 5. ‘Skunk #1’, ‘Northern Lights #5’,
Riser’, etc., ‘Manitoba Poison’, and ‘Big Bud’, and pure or nearly pure
similar strains finish from late-August sativas finish from late-October to
to early-September at latitude 49° north. early-November. Sometimes sativas
They are potent and yield a little better do not finish if the weather cools too
than the plants listed above. They grow much and snow comes. One year, on
from six to nine feet (1.8-2.7 m) tall and November 15th, the first snowfall had
are quite bushy. Most of these strains to be shaken off at harvest! About 50
are mold resistant and easy to grow– percent of the pistils had died back.
excellent choices for novices or growers ‘Skunk #1’ is extremely smelly; the
with little time to look after their plants. wind can literally carry the skunk scent
for a mile. All of the plants in this group
3. ‘Mighty Mite’, ‘Durban Poison’, have a large to huge yield capable of
‘Jack Herer’, etc., finish mid- to late- producing several pounds each. ‘Big
September. The yield and potency Bud’ yields an enormous amount; the
are very good, and the odor is not too bottom branches must be tied or staked
intense. All the plants grow a huge, to avoid breaking from bud weight.
dominant main cola with several large Potency is superb in all plants in this
terminal buds on main branches. They category except for ‘Big Bud.’
may need trellising to avoid broken
branches. Topping appears to increase All plants grow tall. ‘Big Bud’ and
‘Jack Herer’ finishes from mid- to
late-September.
yield. These strains are fairly low- ‘Skunk #1’ grow 10-14 feet (3-4 m) tall.
maintenance, but the more love you give, ‘Northern Lights’ are often taller! A few
the more they return. These plants grow sativas can grow to 20 feet (6 m)!
well if left alone until mid-September
‘Early Riser’, true to and have a good harvest as long as they Fungus can become a problem with
its name, is ready to do not dry out or fall over. ‘Mighty Mite’ these late-flowering plants. They
harvest from late August is another favorite. withstand rain and light frost well;
to mid-September. many can take a few light snowfalls.
4. ‘Blueberry’, ‘White Widow’, ‘White After all, they grow like weeds!
Rhino’, ‘Super Silver Haze’, ‘Pure
Power Plant’, etc., tend to finish mid-
This is an excerpt from
to late-October. Yields and potency are
Marijuana Horticulture: the
very high! They do not smell a lot while
Indoor/Outdoor Medical
growing, but that changes when they are
Grower’s Bible by Jorge
cut! They grow seven- to ten-feet (2-3 Cervantes, 512 pages
m) tall and yield heavily. They require 1120 full color photos
some attention to get the best crop. and drawings, ISBN1-
‘Super Silver Haze’ and ‘Pure Power 878823-23-X. The book
Plant’ can be a bitch to grow because is available in English and
they often develop mold near harvest will be available in Spanish,
when the weather is damp. However, German and Italian in the
a mild to moderate frost tends to bring fall of 2006. For More
out some nice (purple) colors. They all information see:
do well outdoors but grow even better www.marijuanagrowing.com.
indoors.
46
rge Cervantes Soft Secrets
o
Grow with J
Identify: infecting an entire grow room in less
Control:
to many grow rooms. Botrytis damage Minimize Botrytis attack incidence with
a.k.a. Bud Mold is compounded by humid (above 50
percent) climates. It starts within the
low humidity (50 percent or less), ample
air circulation, and ventilation. Grow
bud and is difficult to see at the onset varieties that do not produce heavy,
– grayish-whitish to bluish-green in tightly packed buds that provide a perfect
color – Botrytis appears hair-like and place for this fungus to flourish. Cool
similar to laundry lint in moist climates. (below 21 degrees C.), moist climates
As the disease progresses, the foliage with humidity above 50 percent are
turns somewhat slimy. Damage can perfect for rampant gray mold growth.
also appear as dark, brownish spots on Remove dead leaf stems, petioles, from
buds in less humid environments. Dry stalks when removing damaged leaves
to the touch, Botrytis affected area often to avoid Botrytis outbreaks, which often
crumbles if rubbed. Gray mold attacks harbors on dead-rotting foliage. Increase
countless other crops, and airborne ventilation and keep humidity below 60
spores are present virtually everywhere. percent, and keep the grow room clean!
While most commonly found attacking Use fresh, sterile growing medium for
dense and swelling flower buds, it also each crop.
attacks stems, leaves, seeds and causes
damping-off and decomposes dry, stored Cultural and physical:
bud. It is also transmitted via seeds. As soon as Botrytis symptoms appear,
use alcohol-sterilized pruners to remove
Damage: Botrytis infected buds at least one inch
Watch for single leaves on the buds below the infected area. Some growers
that mysteriously dry out. They could amputate 2-4 inches below damage to
be the telltale signs of a Botrytis attack ensure removal. Do not let the bud or
inside the bud. Constant observation, anything that touchs it contaminate other
especially during the last two weeks buds and foliage. Remove from the
before harvest, is necessary to keep garden and destroy. Wash your hands
this disease out of the garden. Flower and tools after removing. Increase
buds are quickly reduced to slime in temperature to 26 C. degrees and lower
cool, humid conditions or un-smokable humidity to below 50 percent. Excessive
powder in warm, dry rooms. Botrytis nitrogen and phosphorus levels make
can destroy an entire crop in 7-10 foliage tender, so Botrytis can get a
days if left unchecked. Stem damage foothold. Make sure pH is around 6
– Botrytis starts on stems and not buds to facilitate calcium uptake. Low light
– is less common indoors. First, stems levels also encourage weak growth and
turn yellow and cankerous growths gray mold attack. Avoid heavy crowding
develop. The damage causes growth of plants and keep the light levels bright.
Botrytis, also known as above the wound to wilt and can cause Botrytis needs UV light to complete its
bud mold, attacks both stems to fold over. Transported by air, life cycle; without UV light it cannot
buds and stems of plants. contaminated hands, and tools, gray live. Some varieties seldom fall victim
mold spreads very quickly indoors, to gray mold. Many crosses are more
resistant to gray mold than pure indica
varieties. Harvest when resin glands
are still translucent. Once glands turn
amber, threat of gray mold increases
substantially.
Biological:
Spray plants with Gliocladium roseum
and Trichoderma species. Prevent
damping-off with a soil application of
Gliocladium and Trichoderma species.
Hemp Diseases and Pests suggests
to experiment with the yeasts Pichia
guilliermondii and Candida oleophila or
the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae.
Sprays:
This bud is covered with Botrytis. It was Bordeaux mixture keeps early stages
removed from the garden and destroyed. of Botrytis in check as long as it is
present on the foliage. Preventative
spraying is advised if in a high-risk area,
but spraying buds near harvesttime is
not advised. Seeds are protected from
Botrytis with a coating of Captan. Check
with your local nursery for product
recommendations.
Damping-off
Identify:
This fungal condition, sometimes called
Pythium wilt, is often found in soil and
growing mediums. It prevents newly
sprouted seeds from emerging, attacks
seedlings causing them to rot at the
Botrytis on this plant Evaporated sulfur in a grow room soil line, yellows foliage and rots older
progressed from the bud or greenhouse stops Botrytis from plants at soil line, and occasionally
down the stem. contaminating plants. attacks rooting cuttings at the soil
Soft Secrets 47
line. It is caused by different fungal The disease can be avoided by outward. It is often fatal, spreads
species, including Botrytis, Pythium, and controlling soil moisture. Overwatering quickly, and can wipeout a crop. Avoid For growing outdoors,
Fusarium. Once initiated, damping-off is the biggest cause of damping-off promoting this disease by not crowding the Durban variety is
is fatal. At the onset of damping-off, and the key to prevention. Careful plants. Keep temperatures above 26 perhaps one of the
the stem looses girth at the soil line, daily scrutiny of soil will ensure the degrees C and the humidity below 50
weakens, then grows dark, and finally proper amount of moisture is available percent. most successful you can
fluid circulation is cut, killing the to seeds or cuttings. Start seeds and choose. This variety,
seedling or cutting. root cuttings in a fast draining, sterile, Control:
coarse sand, rockwool, OasisTM or Cleanliness! Use sterile growing
originally from South
Control: Jiffy™ cubes, which are difficult to medium. Remove and destroy affected Africa, also does very
Damping-off is caused by a combination overwater. Do not place a humidity tent plants not just foliage. well in the European
of the following: over sprouted seedlings – a tent can lead
to excessive humidity and damping- Biological: climate. Although this
1) Fungi is already present in an off. Cuttings are less susceptible to Apply Serenade®. Bordeaux mixture is lady does need a little
unsterile rooting medium damping-off and love a humidity tent also somewhat effective.
longer to complete her
2) Overwatering and maintaining a to promote rooting. Keep germination
soggy growing medium temperatures between 21-29 C. degrees. Powdery Mildew bloom, so you will need
3) Excessive humidity. Damping-off is inhibited by bright a bit of luck with the
light; grow seedlings under the HID Identify:
rather than fluorescent bulbs. Keep First indication of infection is small autumn weather, she is
fertilization to a minimum during spots, on the top of leaves. At this point a great-looking weed
the first couple of weeks of growth. the disease has been inside the plant with a terrific high!
Germinate seeds between clean, fresh a week or more. Spots progress to a
paper towels and move seeds to soil fine, pale gray-white powdery coating
once sprouted. Do not plant seeds on growing shoots, leaves, and stems.
too deep, cover with soil the depth of Powdery mildew is not always limited What many growers do
the seed. Use fresh, sterile growing to the upper surface of foliage. Growth not know is that the
Damping-off attacked this stem at the soil medium and clean pots to guard against slows, leaves yellow, and plants die
line, rotting the buried end of the stem. harmful fungus in the soil. as the disease advances. Occasionally Santa Maria strain was
fatal indoors, this disease is at its worst originally a proper
Biological: when roots dry out and foliage is moist.
Apply Polygangron® (Pythium Plants are infected for weeks before they
outdoor variety, and
oligandrum) granules to soil and seed. show the first symptoms. that is why it often
Bak Pak®, Intercept® are applied to the looks like she has
soil and Deny® or Dagger® – forms Control:
of the bacterium Burkholderia cepacia Cleanliness! Prevent this mildew by the luxuriance and
– are put on the seeds. Epic®, Kodiac®, avoiding cool, damp, humid, dim grow power to grow like a
Quantum 4000®, Rhizo-Plus®, System rooms and fluctuating temperatures and weed. There are even
3®, and Seranade® also suppress many humidity. Low light levels and stale
causes of damping-off. air mitigate this disease. Increase air growers who swear
Chemical: Dust the seeds with Captan®. circulation-ventilation and make sure that Santa Maria is one
Avoid benomyl fungicide soil drench light intensity is high. Space containers
because it kills beneficial organisms. far enough apart so air freely flows in
of the fastest growing
between plants. Allow foliage to dry marihuana varieties
Downy Mildew before turning off lights. Remove and ever developed!
destroy foliage more than 50 percent
Identify: infected. Avoid excess nitrogen.
A small, white spot and the beginning of rot Sometimes called false mildew, downy Copper and sulfur-lime sprays are a
at the soil line are the first visual signs of This is an excerpt from
mildew affects vegetative and flowering good prophylactic.
damping-off. Marijuana Horticulture: the
plants. Young, succulent foliage is a
Indoor/Outdoor Medical
favorite starting place. Powdery mildew Biological Control:
Grower’s Bible by Jorge
develops in temperatures below 25 Apply Serenade® (Bacillus subtilis) or Cervantes, 512 pages
degrees C. spray with a saturation mix of baking 1120 full color photos
soda and water. and drawings, ISBN1-
It appears as whitish-yellow spots on 878823-23-X. The book
top of leaves creating pale patches. Sprays: is available in English and
Grayish mycelium spawn is on leaf Bordeaux mixture may keep this mold will be available in Spanish,
undersides, opposite the pale patches. in check. A saturation of baking soda German and Italian in the
Lack of oxygen caused by overwatering Downy mildew can spread very quickly, spray dries to a fine powder on the leaf; fall of 2006. For More
impairs root development along the stem causing a lack of vigor and slow growth; the baking soda changes the surface pH information see:
and helps cause damping-off. leaves yellow, die back, and drop. The of the leaf to 7, and powdery mildew www.marijuanagrowing.com.
disease is in the plant system and grows cannot grow.
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38
art B. Soft Secrets
Grow with B
lightly yellow. This is a good thing and
Frosty nights with Jack Herer nothing to get concerned about. What
they are trying to say is that the clones
are doing well and have begun their
growth. They need nutrients in order
to achieve a good growth and for that
Experimenting with cold temperatures By Bart B. reason they are sucking the nutrients out
of their own leaves. Simply giving them
a light feed with liquid nutrients for their
Icy cold nights are no longer the exception, since for some time now it has been winter. The temperature during the hours of growing will solve this problem in no
darkness has fallen. Gardens are being upgraded with extra lamps and heaters are being hauled out of storage so as to make time. The plants develop further very
sure the tropical climate in grow spaces can be maintained. Because the green herb, as many of us know, is primally powerful nicely and after a week of growth will
and grows and blooms without any problem and without any major intervention from humans, even when the cooler nights have grown into lovely young ladies that
begin to penetrate deep into the grow space. are just bursting to bloom…
You can clearly see the difference after The plants that are right under the lamps An overview of the garden full of Jack After four weeks of blooming lovely
just a week. The plants on the drier coco are still the biggest, despite the presence Herer after 3.5 weeks in bloom.. buds start to form, despite the cooler
are much further in their development. of the heat shield. temperatures.
So this time I’m not going to heat my Root stimulator So the plants are watered once and Adjust-a-wings
grow room during the winter months. I am after this you wait as long as you can
curious as to how the plants will perform. The plants were planted in a coco before giving them any more water. With all the new products that are coming
That they will produce something is medium and each given a dash of water The medium can now dry out nice onto the market it is not getting any easier
certain, but the question remains whether with root stimulator added. Prior to that and slowly, and at the same time the for the grower to make choices. This is
this will result in a massive difference or they had been dunked in Nova-Star-T, a root system of the plants will develop why I am going to do my best to take a
not. How is the THC production of the beneficial mould that comes in powder wonderfully well. With the medium closer look at some of these products and
plant at such temperatures? In any case, form from Bio Nova that you mix with drying out more and more the roots have compare theories with practice in order to
I’ll get the chance to learn something new, water. Better a good mould in your to grow deeper and deeper in search of ascertain with my own eyes what might
and if seeing is believing, then it’s by medium introduced by yourself than moisture. So it is well worth leaving be beneficially used for future harvests.
doing that you learn. wait until a bad mould decides for itself them to dry out for four or five days. It is Since everyone wants to maximise their
to pay an unwelcome visit to your grow not very logical to give another watering harvest I thought I’d start by giving the
Prior to the bloom period, the plants were space. I mention this because it is still a after just a few days, because the plants ‘Adjust-a-Wings’ a twirl, given that I like
given a week of pre-growth. The outside big problem that many growers pay so at this stage cannot take up very much the sound of the whole concept. A better
temperatures was swinging between 14 little attention to prevention. Critters can water anyway, and neither do they need reflector is a simple way of stimulating
and 18 degrees. The pre-growth serves always rear their ugly heads, and even very much either. As the size of the the bud production, I reckon. So it was off
as the basis of a successful harvest, by an over-confident grower who has never plants increases and their development to the local grow shop...
taking the tiny clone with its minimal root had any trouble with them will one day progresses, so too will their need for
system or the new-born seedling and in find unwelcome visitors to his patch. You water increase. Before then, remember The ‘Adjust-a-Wings’ are very light in
a minimum of time turning them into a never check your plants for visitors, and that too wet a medium can be damaging weight and simple to install. On each
strong plant that is ready for blooming. when they do eventually show up you’re to the growth of the roots. side of the wing there are four holes
By giving your plants such a period, you already a good way into your bloom with which you can determine the span
get to know them better, because you get and there are shimmering buds on your Lovely ladies position of the wing yourself, from very
to follow the development of their growth plants. In the worst case scenario you wide to concentrated. In this way you
pattern better. By giving them too short a begin straight away spraying all kinds Because cold conditions during the can determine the strength of the light
growth period you cannot tell immediately of noxious products that do not exactly growth is certainly disastrous for the by letting the wing reflect onto a large
whether it is the tendency of the plant promote good health. plants’ development, the lamps were surface area or to rig it so that it shines on
to be by nature wide, more branchy or programmed on a 24 / 7 regime. In just a single square metre. I opted to set
determined to grow as high as it can. Or you could approach the problem layman’s terms this means we have my wing’s span at the third hole, because
So too is the growing force of the many another way, by preventative spraying the lamps on continuously. In this the plants would then get the full does of
plants harder to distinguish. You must trim during the growth period or at the way we ensure that there is a constant
your growing style to fit the properties of beginning of the bloom period with an temperature in the space without us Too wet a medium
the plant in question. Otherwise you will organic pesticide. If you did have critters having to use extra heating. By switching
be growing the same whether you have already then they would be here already, from a 24 / 7 to a 12 / 12 as we switch hinders the growth of
a slow-growing or fast-growing variety. only you would not know. Preventative over to the bloom period, you get a the roots.
In any event, I would advise you before spraying is the best option to make strong and sudden drop in the number of
getting down to business for the first time sure that no plague breaks out to force light-hours, which serves to strengthen light. Because it does indeed seem that
with a new variety to give it a minimum you into breaking out the heavy duty the bloom of the plants. the wing can be allowed to hang much
of a week of pre-growth. The knowledge chemicals. And why would you do that? lower than a regular reflector. It should be
that you will gather will pay dividends in Because your yield will be much higher, When you work with clones and grow mentioned here that I also used the heat
terms of yield in any future crop of the because the plants have never had any them on a nutrient-poor medium, then shield that could be mounted beneath the
same variety. bug trouble. you can see signs of the leaves turning lamp.
Soft Secrets 39
The wing in any case covers a much Of course it is also important that there At first sight the plants seemed to you now start following the ec values as
larger area than a regular reflector. is good air circulation in your grow blooming quite powerfully. The THC laid out for bio-mineral nutrient, then within
The heat shield makes sure that there space. This determines to a large degree production was running flat out, so it a short time you will be dealing with a
is almost no strong, dry heat produced how low you may hang the wing. With seems that not only does a plant protect nutrient deficiency. So if you have an ec of
itself by making loads of THC on hot 2.0, make up the bio-nutrients at half the
days, but also during colder days too. recommended strength. That is why you
They need nutrients to achieve a good growth and so The result did not disappoint either, as should never blindly follow certain grow
suck the necessary nutrients out of their own leaves. there was an abundance of sticky THC plans and stick to the stated values. A plan
on the small and on the large leaves. So is a good guide, but no more. Also when it
under the lamp, which in turn would good ventilation and air circulation you there’s no need to fret about the quality comes to growing styles and techniques
force the lamp to be hung higher. Just automatically ensure that there is less of your plant. Whiter than white. you are best off listening to as many
stick your hand under a lamp and you heat that has to be dissipated by the It was noticeable that the plants were growers as possible and getting your hands
can feel the heat beating against it. The wing. It is most likely that it is thanks a little smaller than usual thanks to the on as much information as you can. All
lower you move your hand, the less heat to the heat shield and the shape of the lower temperature. As you already know, this disparate information you can then use
A ripened plant with buds crammed with THC. There’s nothing wrong with this baby! A collection of dried buds, ready for After eight weeks of bloom the time is
Thanks to the ventilator a few strands of coco being graded. ripe for some trim work.
have been blown on to the lower-most bud.
it can feel. So there is an optimum height wing that the heat that is produced does the plants grow strongly during the first to find your own path through the growing
at which to hang your lamp so that the not get reflected down towards the plants three weeks of the bloom, after which maze. Listen well, and work on the points
highest buds of your plant do not come but upwards. If the wing has been placed the bud development takes precedence that you think are worth incorporating
into contact with the really hot, dry at an ideal height of between 20 and 25 over size increase. This also depends to into your system. In this way you will be
heat, otherwise you will burn them, and cms, then with just a small Honeywell a large extent on which variety you are able to find out in practice what works for
this is not something that advances the ventilator you can blow breeze between using. One variety develops very quickly you. There are nowadays so many grow
development of your buds. Strangely but the buds and the wing, to lessen the in those first few weeks, while another methods, techniques and products on
true, a heat shield does really reduce the stress for your plants even more. variety only starts to put most of her the market, and there are more and more
impact of this heat considerably. weight on in the last weeks. Generally coming out. Furthermore, the technology
But I still cannot say for definite
Good air circulation whether the adjust-a-wing will deliver
The plants develop at a rapid tempo during their
a clear improvement in yield. This is
A 600 Watt system can be hung as low as thanks to the fact that I have not been bloom; the Jack Herer is already covered with
20 cms above the top buds without any
problems. I have tried to hang one as low
using any heating during the cool
nights, thanks to which the temperature
white hairs.
as 15 cms, just to see how far I could push fell below what is considered suitable. speaking, it is the fourth, fifth and sixth of growing never stands still, so it is not
things. Even at this height I did not get any So no perfect climate, and so it would weeks that are the most important weeks possible to try everything out for yourself
burning of the buds, but even so this height be dishonest to have an opinion for of the bloom. During these crucial weeks in any short space of time. So start off
is too low because there were signs of heat definite. But I will come back to the the buds really explode and you can with a simple basic growing set-up and
stress. You could see that the buds were wing in future editions. Either way, I already see what the eventual harvest is a few products – a system that you feel
producing fewer white hairs and that they am in a position to state that a wing going to look like. happy with and will enjoy. Once you have
were being distressed by the heat. With does deliver at least as good a yield as The eventual yield was pretty good, but this under your belt then you can start to
a regular reflector at this height the buds with a regular reflector, and so it does of course it was no record breaker. But introduce new ideas and products in your
would have been completely dried out, represent an outstanding purchase for I did still get more than 0.5 grams per grow space. The best and only way that
crinkled up and burnt. So it is true that a any growers who are having trouble Watt. The nutrients were eased right off works to really experience the effects of a
wing can be hung much lower. The closer with heat stress. A wing with a heat in the last weeks and the plants drew product is with a side-by-side comparison
you can hang a reflector to your plants, the shield produces much less heat – and everything they needed from the leaves, grow. This is to say that a only certain area
stronger the intensity of the light will be. that is a certainty. which were turned yellow as a result. or half of your plants is given the new
product, while the other plants stick to the
What’s strange is that the heat shield Experimenting with cold Organic feed good old tried and trusted method. All of
means that the plants directly under the course in the same space with the same
lamp get less light and that the light is The plants developed at a rapid pace The Jack Herer was grown in coco and was climate. This is all too infrequently / rarely
scattered more to the plants around the during the bloom, and the Jack Herer fed with organic nutrients. With organic done. At least this way you know whether
edges, which ensures that you get a more displayed plenty of white hairs. Once the nutrients you cannot stick to regular grow your money was well spent and whether
even garden with more plants of the fourth week was well and truly underway plans as regards the ec levels. Ec is the the product is worth using in the future or
same height and size. True, the plants there were reasonably big buds sitting measured contamination of the water and not. The most important thing of all is that
just under the heat shield appeared to on it. Certainly not bad and at the same the strength of your feed that you’re giving you share any useful information with your
still be the biggest, but that could have time promising. During the nights the to your plants. Most pH and ec values stated fellow growers in order to help save them
been coincidence; only the future will temperature fell to around 8 degrees, in plans are formulated for bio-mineral the waste of money on useless products.
tell. But in short, the fear that the plants which is not what you’d call perfect, but nutrients. Bio-nutrition contaminates the Or alert them to something that really
under the heat shield would develop I did still want to see the difference in water quite a lot more, which means you does offer advantages. Either way, let you
worse seems to be unfounded. yield this would produce. immediately start off with a higher ec. If comrades know the results of your tests…
Soft Secrets
62
with Bart B.
Grow
to germinate so that the rootlet can burst you know, tropical plants shoot up like
Grapefruit from Female Seeds through the seed husk, begin to develop
and set off in search of more moisture.
Sufficient oxygen ensures a decent root
lightning. In other words, you will save
a lot of time and ensure healthier and
stronger seedlings if you use a cloning
Bart B’s test grow By Bart B development, so oxygen-rich media will tray. You do not necessarily need one for
therefore create more rapid development. germinating your seed, because this will
It’s the time of the year in which seeds are more popular than clones.
Many outside growing sites are planted with exotic varieties, because of the
long outdoor growing season it has become more of an advantage than a
To much moisture will limit the growth of the
disadvantage to grow from seed plants. Because an indoor garden has to be roots, because why would the roots want to
productive and every plant preferably a female in order to achieve really wander off in search of moisture when there’s
explosive yields, this time around I’m going to take a look at female seed, and
wonder: is it a dream come true or just a nightmare? plenty right here where it is now?
At the same time it is important that there occur just as well without. But the quality
is not an excess of moisture. An excess of of the seedlings that sprout will be much
moisture will limit the growth of the root, higher. And a good germination is half
since why should it go wandering off in your work done for you.
search of water when there’s plenty of the
stuff right where it is? Keeping things too Stronger development
wet can severely retard the growth of your
root system, or in the worst possible case, So what you have at this stage is small
even lead to root rot. seedlings with a limited root system,
but when these are compared with
Different methods clones, their development is stronger.
So seedlings can stand up better to the
There are different methods for high power HPS lamp than a clone
germinating seed which all work well, but that has just been planted. A seedling
of course one method is better than the is still fragile, and does not need many
other. Especially for beginners I advise nutrients. In fact too strong a dose of
against the kitchen paper method. This nutrient will be more likely to retard
is simply because it is really easy to give the growth of the plant than have any
the seed too much water, and if you then positive influence. So stay your hand
compensate and give it too little water, and use a very weak solution if you are
the seed easily dries out. The majority of growing on a nutrient-poor medium, to
growers manage around 80% germination which you do have to add additional
with this method, but it is certainly not nutrients..
foolproof, which means that many people
will fritter away quite a bit of seed using Variety
this method.
Every seed is unique, which means
Temperature that every plant you raise will and its
harvested smokable end-product will
Do not forget either than one of the most be different. It is just one variety, but
important factors in germination of seed with different tastes, heights, yields,
is the temperature. A constant temperature appearance, and so forth. The more
of 22 to 25 degrees C. gets the seeds uniform the strain, the less variety there
bursting forth, higher temperatures of will be, but you will always find different
27 or 28 degrees C. can create a more phenotypes within a particular variety.
rapid development. Some seed varieties Every smoker will have his or her own
need an even higher temperature to preference for a phenotype within a
germinate properly. A simple plastic tray, particular variety. Many growers have
also called a clone box, is a must-have if never grown from seed, especially the
you’re going to work with seeds. A clone more commercially-oriented ones. This
After the seeds have spent a few days in stone wool in a warm, dark place, you will get tray serves to help seeds take root by ensures that they are missing a huge
lovely seedlings like these. promoting root development. Thanks to chunk of knowledge. Because if you have
the high air moisture content and suitable never grown from seed, then you will
Choice is luxury, and given that the coming onto the market all the time. It is temperatures found in such a tray, they not be able to properly recognize and
clone market is mostly dominated by quite clear that there simply is not enough create a mini-tropical climate. And as appreciate the quality of a good clone.
a limited range, there’s little else for time in one lifetime to raise and test every
it but to roll up the sleeves and get to variety yourself. Shame. Unless you are
work with some seeds. Because if you totally hardcore and have an enormous
like variety and enjoy a new taste every space at your disposal in which to grow
couple of months, then growing from many varieties at the same time, and this
seed is strongly recommended. Of course, is a situation few people can claim to be
as with everything else in life, there are blessed with.
advantages and disadvantages attached.
Seeds remain viable for a very long time A delicate process
and can be safely stored in a dark, cool
place. Stored in a fridge, for example, There is a great deal of difference between
they can be germinated after several growing from seed and growing with
years. Compared with clones, seeds are clones. The knowledge is so limited that
also much easier to transport, of course, many growers do not see the difference
making them easy to take across borders. between a plant grown from seed and a
plant raised from a cutting. Just as a clone
It remains a source of fascination to me has to struggle for survival in the first
that packed into such a tiny seed there few days it is transplanted outside to your
is such enormous life force. The whole growing patch, something that happens
trajectory of that life, from seed to the more successfully with one grower
final smokeable end-product, is a thing than the other, so too the germination
of wonder to the eyes. In any case, as of the seed remains a delicate, touch-
a cannabis lover you are spoilt with at and-go process, one which with a bit of
least several hundred varieties of top experience can go a bit more smoothly.
class genetics to choose from, with more A seed needs sufficient moisture in order The seedlings undergo a smooth development, shown here after one week of growth.
Soft Secrets 63
A clone is a copy of the mother plant and then all you have to do is seek out
from which the clone is taken from. the hermaphrodites and weed them out.
The clone will have more or less the You do the same with regular seeds
same properties during its growth to weed out the male plants, but then
and blossoming, and so grow and you are not always guaranteed a high
bloom more uniformly. The choice of number of female at the end. Planting
the mother plant is therefore of great female seeds and walking away without
importance. Because anyone can learn taking a closer look at them is asking
how to make a clone, but learning to for trouble. You have to always check
select a good clone takes a bit more up on them to make sure you have not
experience. And this is something that been the unlucky one who has ended up
is absent in many growers. If you then with an hermaphrodite in his garden. So
would take the time to try and raise a my grow patch is currently filled with
few seed plants then it would be much female plants of the Grapefruit variety
clearer to many growers what is most from Female Seeds which should
worth looking for in a good mother therefore be 100% female.
plant. Because which clone would you
rather have in your garden: one that Of the 20 seeds I had, 17 germinated.
yields 20 grams or its better selected I could see that the others were also
sister who in the same circumstances germinated but that they were evidently
yields 40 grams? not going to develop much further. So
not a bad start then; a score of 100%
Raising yields is of course always nicer, but you are
After a week and a half of growing the seedlings really start to pick up speed. They are
working with living seed and so you are
already real plants.
If you want to strongly improve your never guaranteed total success.
yields then you do it not by hanging
extra lamps or planting extra plants, From stone wool to coco
but make sure you are starting with a In any case, the seeds were germinated
good clone as your basis. Growing with in stone wool blocks. A few days
inferior plants leads to inferior yields. A after they had germinated they were
commercial grower can also achieve top transplanted into a coco medium. The
harvests growing from seed by changing well-aerated coco ensures a good root
his growing methods drastically. Rather development in the plants. Once they
than working with a large number of were planted they were doused once
tiny plants you can do just as well to only in water with Hesi Supervit root
grow a few mamoth plants with a longer stimulator mixed in, along with a double
growth period that can take advantage dose of enzymes and no nutrients. The
of higher levels of light. Then you have reason why I add a double dose of
plants 1 metre x 1 metre x 1 metre, enzymes is that the coco had been re-
which will produce enormous quantities used from a previous grow.
of smokeable material – certainly
enough to warrant the longer growing The seed plants developed very well
period. These plants will also be and according to the growing plan. In
healthier and stronger thanks to their this respect they appeared very positive,
better development. Thanks to these and they showed signs of very good
qualities they will be better able to growth development. Whether the final
withstand and flourish in the great heat experience will be positive depends
that many grow rooms generate. eventually on degree of femaleness
A close up of a plant after a week and a half of growth. of the plants themselves. In any case
Female seed the Grapefruit is a sweet weed with
these new female varieties a twirl. Not a bad start a strong, pleasant odour of grapes.
100% female seed: a utopia or something Because I too have bought female seeds Wonderful. I know this because other
that is realistically achievable? The from which eight female plants appeared I always assume that when working growers have been here before me.
‘Female Seeds’ seed company produces and two hermaphrodites, plants of two with female or feminised seed there will
female seed, among them varieties such sexes in other words, otherwise known as be some hermaphrodites among them. Before I can produce an objective report
as Grapefruit, Easy Bud, White Widow, the hidden evil that tries to fertilise your The difference from regular seed is that on these seeds I need a bit more time.
and so on. Since around the world a lot female garden. This is not something you you can assume that you will always A golden start has been made. I look
of these seeds have already passed over want to have to deal with. get a high percentage of female plants, forward to telling you how it all turns
the counter, with very good results and out with my Grapefruit in the next
the seeds have also in actuality been Do not forget that one of the most important edition.
females, it seemed to me at a certain factors in germination is the temperature
moment that I would also like to give Stay tuned!
62
B’s Test Grow Soft Secrets
Bart
Grapefruits that contain more indica in other words are comparatively stress
Sativa
The Grapefruit plants have had about
a week and a half of growth and are
showing reasonably clear signals of
their phenotype. Given that Grapefruit
is a sativa, around 70 percent of the
plants show sativa, while 15 percent
lean more towards the indica, and the
remaining 15 percent are somewhere
in the middle. But this can vary from
grower to grower. So it is quite possible An overview of a Grapefruit. A topped Grapefruit.
Soft Secrets 63
Easy Bud
Female Seeds’Grapefruit
visible crystals on them we end up with
only the better quality leaf trim and
spare ourselves some hassle. Because
By Bart B
200 grams of leaf with no crystals on it
will yield precisely nothing useful. And
Explosive bloom leads to huge buds Part 3 - Final you will spare yourself the false hope
of gathering a large pile of leaves only
to find very little coming out of it.
plants or the clones you took bloom
A Grapefruit plant fully so that you know what you can It is very important to make sure that
in its full glory. expect. The differences between them the leaf material is really dry by the
can be so great; one plant can give you time want to separate the crystals from
a considerable amount of weight more the leaf material. It doesn’t matter if
than another plant. you’re making water hash or making
As I wrote earlier, you could easily skuff (dry removal of crystals from the
choose to raise Grapefruit simply leaf by using a drum sieve). The drier
because of its lovely smell. After the the leaf material, the easier the crystals
harvest too, when you are crumbling will be broken loose. The wetter or
up the cannabis, there rises a delicious, fresher the leaf is, the lower will be
sweety-fruity smell. Simply glorious, your eventual yield, plus the quality
and a welcome variation to the regular will be much higher using fully dried
cannabis buffet. For me, the Indica leaf.
pheno was the best plant in the garden.
It was finished with blooming after Powder dry
eight weeks and made rock hard Indica
buds. And all this while still managing When you are making skuff it is
to retain the Sativa qualities. It was this extremely important that the selected
one too that managed to spread around leaf material is powder dry. Just ‘dry’
the strongest typically Grapefruit smell. is not enough, otherwise you’ll get
Grapefruit has the inclination to make nothing out of it and this would be a
a single huge crown bud, with this great shame. The leaf material must
then ringed by a load of medium-sized not only feel dry to the touch, but
buds. I therefore reckon this would must also crumble easily between the
make a good candidate for a SOG (See fingers. It can take some time before
good quality leaf. With outdoor weed suitable food mixer. What’s more, it is with the leaf material in it out before do this a week later at the end of your
it very much depends on the sun levels a safer way of working, given that the all the water is drained off, so that the harvest, but then the coco remains wet.
how many percent you get from your chances of something bad happening crystals are not left stuck to it (though By doing the rinsing a bit earlier the
leaf material. Logically you should get with the mixer unit are no longer if this does happen it is a simple task to plants have enough time to suck all the
more crystals in a better summer than applicable. Thanks to the typical way wash them off). As you probably know moisture out, so that when you actually
in a rainy summer or autumn. But if the Bubbleator manages to separate already, the first sieve in the Ice-bags harvest, your coco will already be
you manage to get ten percent from the crystals from the leaves - in a
outdoor weed you can count yourself more gentle manner - the quality and By the typical way the Bubbleator works the
lucky. therefore the purity of the water hash is
increased. The Bubbleator can also be
crystals are separated from the leaves in a more
Bubbleator pre-programmed to churn for about 20 gentle manner, thanks to which the quality and
Making water hash is a real experience
minutes per go, and the device can be
fitted with a lid so that everything stays
therefore the purity of the water hash is increased.
and is recommended for all the nice and tidy. Extras for the Bubbleator holds back the larger leaf material and nice and dry. This will make its re-use
experienced and less-experienced hash include a sieve and a thermometer. only lets the crystals through. The first a lot easier. After the harvesting and
lovers among us. It is a real palaver sieve will still trap small amounts leaf trimming of the plants then just shaking
and does take a lot more time than Up to 500 grams material that have escaped the rough the coco is enough to break it free from
the ‘traditional’ hash tumbler, but you bag. The second sieve bag is the one around the roots. This is a bit harder
will be rewarded with a uniquely high How the mixing of the leaf material that traps the crystals and from which to do if the coco is still wet. Also the
quality piece of hash. In particular, actually works is hardly any different we can harvest our hash. We remove plant’s early growth will proceed more
the setting up of the mixing system from the traditional method using a the bag from the bucket and press any quickly if we make sure that the next
(so that it can churn safely without mixer - we fill the Bubbleator with ice excess moisture out through the sieve’s load of plants are planted into dry coco.
you having to watch over it the whole cold water and ice cubes. What is new mesh with some kitchen paper or a
time) and finding a suitable bucket can is that we are given an extra sieve, in small towel. Then we just scrape the A nice smoke
pose a lot of problems. These days the to which we can put up to 500 grams crystals together into a pile.
Pollinator Company has brought on of dried leaf material. This sieve is To finish up; there are good results to
to the market the Bubbleator system, then placed in the machine. After that Coco be had with female seed, but you do
which means we can get our hands on there is just the simple task of setting need to keep in mind that the quality
our water hash end product more easily how many minutes the machine is The Grapefruit plants were raised on will differ from seed bank to seed bank,
and quickly. Before this came along it to churn. The leaf material is now coco. And since this medium can be and that you will also have to deal with
often happened that the hash maker was churned and the crystals will break safely re-used if you like, you can step possible hermaphroditism. Keeping
starting out with the wrong mixer. They free as a result. After one or more runs up the dosage of enzymes being used these points in mind will help prevent
mixed the leaf material with a beater we can tilt the Bubbleator so that we towards the end of the grow cycle. disappointments and prompt you to keep
with sharp edges, thanks to which the can see the crystals. On the side of Enzymes are good for dealing with a close eye on your plants. Whether you
leaves were mashed to a pulp, and that the Bubbleator there is a small plastic excess salts and dead plant remains. set out to work with regular or female
was not the intention. tube. By lowering this we can siphon There are various enzyme products on seed, the principle remains the same:
By using ice-cold temperatures and a off the water in to a bucket in which the market, some better than others. In check your plants well and remove
light beating, the crystals are separated there are Ice-o-lator bags (or something order to be able to do a second grow on male or dual-sexed plant as they are
from the leaf material more easily. similar). Once the Bubbleator has been the same coco it is a good idea to give identified. This is a good reason why you
The advantages of the Bubbleator drained it is a good idea to pour in the coco a good rinse through a week should always plant more female plants
are that it replaces the mixer and is another bottle’s worth of water to rinse before the current grow. The plants when working with female seed. In the
actually a mix system more like a it, since there are likely to be plenty of are now ripening and might well have meantime, I would really advise anyone
washing machine. Very handy, because crystals left on the bottom of it. Also turned yellow and excess nutrient needs and everyone to give Grapefruit a try
now you don’t have to search for a do not forget to take out the sieve bag to be rinsed out. You can just as well sometime. It’s a damn good smoke...
30
with Bart B. Soft Secrets
Grow
Outdoor growing
An indoor grow space in For those of you who have a garden in
than the many little ones that are grown
together crammed into an indoor grow
space. In fact, it is something completely
under the shining of the spring sun, By mid August it absolutely sure then just put some of the
which created temperatures above 20 was time to harvest plants (those you see as having the best
degrees. If you are planning to keep the the Power Plants potential) in your built space. In this
plants outdoors for the whole grow and that had been way you will not end up with a sudden
blossom then we need relatively large brought inside for disaster if the weather does turn bad on
pots for them – at least 30 to 70 and even blooming you – because after months of patient
up to 90 litres. The plants grown from waiting, that is guaranteed to bum your
seed and the plants grown from clones whole summer. Now at least you have
do have a bit of difference between a definite smoke at the end of things
them in this respect. The seed plants in while you wait for the remaining outdoor
my experience need larger pots than the plants to do their blossoming.
clone plants, especially during the first
few weeks of growth.
The frequently raised
If we are going to raise a few beauties ugly head of spint, that
outside then we are going to need
relatively good quality soil that has been
flourish during the hot
enriched with the essential feedstuffs. A summer months because
cheap and effective method of achieving they can multiple so
this is to get your hands on a bag of
premix. You can get a five kilo bag of incredibly quick in
this for about 7.50 euros a bag, and you climates with warm, dry
can get 100 litres of cheap soil from a
garden centre and turn this into decent The stems of the plants raised in the air, did not come and
soil by adding and mixing powdered open air can hold a massive weight pay us a visit.
nutrients to it. It is not recommended that of bud on them
you immediately stick your seed plants in
this mix and start raising them, because What can also be a big shame is when
high concentrations of nitrogen can cause the sun during the early Autumn does not
more male plants to develop (seed plants shine quite as strongly as you had hoped,
use the first few weeks to decide whether because then your enormous plants will
they are male or female). High nitrogen never realise their full potential when
concentrations would possibly result in they come to blossom. Buds such as
males making up the majority of your those produced by Spanish growers,
seed plants, when of course we would they will remain something you can only
much prefer a majority of females. You dream of, which is a shame. That is why
do not get this problem with cloned this is an extra prompt to move some of
plants, since they are already female your plants raised outdoors indoors to
because they were snipped off the side bloom sometime; just to experience the
branch of a female plant. A seed plant rich, heavy blooms that are possible.
has not yet made its choice of gender
and is influenced by its environment. So There was just a single whopper placed
keep this in mind and use only lightly- in my grow space, simply because the
fertilized soils in their first few weeks second one would not fit in. Given that
when growing plants from seed. the indoor space was outside, there
were no problems (e.g. with pests)
encountered by moving the outdoor-
The seed plants have in raised Power Plant in to the space,
because the natural enemies of the pests
my experience a need also had free access to the plant. The
for larger pots than frequently-raised ugly head of spint, that
clone plants, especially flourishes during the hot summer months
because they can multiple so incredibly
during the first few quick in climates with warm, dry air,
weeks of growth. did not come and pay us a visit. Thanks
to good ventilation there was constant
fresh CO2-rich outside air passing
Power Plant through the space. Cannabis plants have
no trouble at all with the heat so long as
In any case the Power Plants were topped there is enough CO2 around. Insufficient
when they had reached 30 cms in height, ventilation or inadequate introduction of
so that they would grow more compactly CO2-rich air is therefore one of the chief
and wider, rather than increasing in things you have to keep an eye on during
height. This was done to prevent the the summer months.
plants from becoming colossal and
during their bloom period outgrowing the Harvest time
growing space. The headroom is limited
after all, and it is more productive to By mid August it was time to harvest
encourage the plants to expand outwards, the Power Plants that had been brought
than upwards. The strength of light from inside for blooming. It was a wrench to
a sodium lamp will only penetrate to a take the scissors to such a strapping lady.
certain depth of the leaf cover. Lower It seemed like it would never end. The
lying buds develop less well the further strong, woody stems (strengthened by
removed they are from the lamp light. the outdoor winds) can definitely support
Gigantic tall plants are therefore not heavier buds than the smaller ones on
making the optimum use of this light. indoor plants. And this is something that
makes the plant a pleasure to trim - and
Around mid June, the Power Plants had to be seeing one rock hard super bud
had enough growth with one and half after another, trimmed nice and short and
months and had achieved a good enough laying side by side. Because the autumn
size to be moved into the bloom space. months also have reasonable weather,
You can also decide to take your chances The result could with a bit of sun here and there, the buds
with the weather and leave them where well be rock hard of the purely outdoor plant also reached
they are, but if you would rather make super buds a pretty decent size.
38
with Bart B. Soft Secrets
Grow
What the farmer don’t know, he won’t grow By Bart B
Because every seed is unique and NYC Diesel is a variety that is dominated
therefore every plant grown from a seed by sativa and was created from cross Bubblegum - T.H. Seeds
will be different, we are going to have to between Mexican sativa and Afghani. The
be selective. One variety is more uniform Diesel possesses an enormous growing Bubblegum is a predominantly
than another, from which one can assume power and develops thanks to this at indica variety and one of the sweeter,
that there will be fewer big differences a very rapid pace during the growth fruitier types of weed. Bubblegum has
between the individual seed plants. This period, during which she also gives off American roots and was brought once
is why it is recommended that you take a very pleasant odour. After germination upon a time to Amsterdam. Bubblegum
a clone from every seed plant you raise you can reckon on a high number of is a very uniform variety, which means
before it comes in to bloom. You might female plants; the majority of its growers that there is little variation among
just find yourself so flabbergasted at the get around 80% female plants. Diesel the individual plants. All plants will
exceptional qualities of a particular plant blooms for a period of 10-11 weeks, therefore to a large extent reach very
that you immediately want to grow it because all good things need some time similar sizes and give similar yields.
again and again. By giving the clones you to mature. The buds that Diesel produces Bubblegum grows in a ‘Christmas tree’
take clear labels, so that can be sure of are enormous and it is advisable that shape; short and with sturdy stems, and
knowing from which plant they came, you you provide some sort of support to the it produces rock hard buds - even when
can retrospectively use them as a mother branches so that they do not break under it has had restricted light. So even the
plant. their weight. Diesel gives off a special, lower-situated side branches develop
not exactly pleasant and very strong strong, hard buds. Also regarding yield
The best period in which to set to work odour during its bloom. On the other she’s no slouch, and makes enormous,
with seeds is when Spring arrives. The hand the quality of the end product is The Hog - T.H. Seeds elongated buds. And she shines like
reason for this is that that from then first class – just one of the strong points a pearl with her rich covering of
until about mid-August there is a long, of this variety. Dried Diesel smells divine For lovers of indica varieties with a crystal white. You can count on lots
natural growing period outdoors, thanks and the taste when it is being smoked is marvellous yield and from which you can of flowers and little leafage with
to which we can have the clones of our really unique. The buds are fully laden get heavily stoned, the Hog is strongly this lady. Bubblegum is well known
super plants raised for free and use them with crystals and look fantastic. The high recommended. The legendary Hogsbreath for her specific odour that smells of
as mother plants. We can now quietly is intense, strong and Diesel has become is a phenotype (the sum of the outwardly white chewing gum, and this odour
raise our clones, secure in the knowledge one of the great favourites of many expressed characteristics of a plant) changes towards the end of her bloom,
that when our garden is empty after the smokers. It is also a source for making derived from Hog which originated in becoming even sweeter. Bubblegum’s
harvest, you have a load of top quality outstanding hash out of. Tennessee, USA. It is a Hindukush x potency is fairly high and as a variety
clones from your selected plant that you Afghani cross and was the winner of the she definitely has great commercial
can let bloom. Growing from seed is High Times Cannabis Cup for best indica potential. So if you’re sold on the idea
hugely educational, pleasurable and full in 2002. Hog has an enormous yield and of a marvellous weed with a unique,
of surprises. You learn to spot the mutual is extremely well suited to commercial sweet taste then you cannot go far
differences between the many plants growers who want to combine a large wrong with Bubblegum.
much better. Oh, and don’t forget to share
your good fortune with a fellow grower
when you do eventually come across that You might just find yourself so flabbergasted at
special plant…! the exceptional qualities of a particular plant that
New York City Diesel - you immediately want to grow it again and again.
Soma Seeds number of plants with as short a growth
period as possible. The bloom period Mothers Finest - Sensi Seeds
lies between 55-60 days. Furthermore,
The Hog is one of the best-yielding Mothers Finest is an indica-sativa cross
indicas on the market, plus we have and won the High Times Cannabis Cup
not yet mentioned the potency of this for best sativa in 2002. It is a cross
variety. This surpasses that of many other
varieties, is ideal for ending off the day
with, and rather less suitable for starting
the day with. A heavily narcotic high. Its
only major drawback is that there is still
quite a bit of variation between individual
plants. Since every seed that you plant
is unique, you will be faced with a wide
variety of plants; the one being somewhat
more leaning to the indica whilst the other
shows more sativa traits. It is important
that you select the Hogsbreath phenotype
that really is a beauty, and it will be
well worth the effort in seeking her out.
The other phenotypes are less worth it
in comparison. In any case, this is a top
variety that absolutely deserves a place in
anyone’s grow space.
Soft Secrets 39
between Haze, Jack Herer and a secret recommended for beginners since it is Growing from seed is
variety that is a relative of Juicy Fruit. almost indestructible and needs very hugely educational,
Mothers Finest is one of the best Haze little intervention in order to grow and
hybrids on today’s cannabis market. bloom successfully. The odour she gives pleasurable and full
When compared, Mothers Finest off is fruity but causes very little stench of surprises. You learn
surpasses many other super varieties nuisance and does not give off any to spot the mutual
such as Super Silverhaze thanks to her overwhelming smell during bloom. And
fantastic, super-divine sativa high that in terms of yield, Bogglegum is certainly differences between
manages to just keep taking you higher no slacker, and as you might expect the many plants much
and higher. With the creation of Mothers from an indica, produces loads of hard, better.
Finest it was the idea to get a cross that crystal-packed buds. Bogglegum is pretty
combined the Haze high and taste with damn potent; in fact it’s one to keep your with thin sativa leaves. The buds of the
at the same time a shorter bloom period, eye on if you’re trying a lung or two full AK-47 produce one of the loveliest smells
a mission that can definitely be called a for the first time. It has a real creeper you will ever experience, and they smell
success. When you raise some Mothers stone; the first couple of tokes you don’t just as strongly on the plant as when they
Finest you will come across three really notice anything, and then it hits are dried. AK-47 is, proportion-wise, very
different phenotypes. The Indica pheno you…The stonedness just keeps getting uniform, thanks to which all plants raised
that needs a bloom time of 50 days, the stronger and stronger… will have roughly the same properties, so
Jack Herer pheno that takes around 56- with no enormous differences either. AK-
65 days to bloom, and the Haze pheno 47 is a potent weed that comes on hard
that demands a whopping 70 days. So and can be quite strong for inexperienced
the bloom time lies between 50-70 days, Valley, located somewhere in the vastness smokers. It is extremely fruity in taste.
which is certainly not bad for a Haze of Alaska, and is an indica variety. The Just a few tokes are enough to bring about
hybrid. So your best bet is to find a Manatuska is a real all-round variety a pleasant, social high, but keep puffing
mother plant that is ready for harvest at that scores well on all the characteristics away and you will very quickly disappear
around the Day 60 time period; with that, you look for in a good cannabis. During into your own thoughts…
Mothers Finest is a firm recommendation her growth phase she gives off a skunky
for all Haze-lovers who will be rewarded aroma, while during her bloom this
for their choice with a shorter bloom switches in to a more flowery-fruity
time. Equally in the realms of taste, smell. The Manatuska grows like no
potency, yield and appearance of the other, and continues to grow once she is
dried buds, this is a variety that score put in to bloom, so she’s definitely one
highly. As a commercial grower you are for growers who have a good headroom at
on a sure-fire hit with this baby. their disposal.
1
Soft Secrets begins a new series, aimed at beginner level growers with absolutely
no previous experience. As you start out, we’ll be there with a step by to explain
not just the terms and sayings of the growing world, but to lend a hand as you
strive towards constructing a simple growing space in your home. A series ‘for
Dummies’ then, who after they have read all of it and have successfully trimmed
their first harvest, will be able to call themselves Soft Secrets-certified growers!
By Bart B.
So you want to grow at home, but don’t But why make things hard for yourself
know where you should begin? Begin by when they can be easy? Thanks to the
reading! If you’re starting out for the first many grow shops in the UK you can
time you are already way down the path simply buy earth that was designed for
by having discovered Soft Secrets, even if growing cannabis in from the outset.
at the moment you don’t quite ‘get’ These high-quality soil mixes contain
everything that’s being talked about here – enough of the right nutrients for the whole
especially some of the technical terms that grow cycle once you have done a two
are used. As with all other forms of week pre-grow. The soil is airy too, since
business you have first to get yourself a many have perlite mixed in. It will cost
theoretical foundation. you a bit more but the added value these
soils offer makes them worthwhile. Earth
So go find yourself some books on indoor is very important. Your plant sinks its
growing, check out all the cannabis media, roots into it after all, so why skimp on it?
videos and talk to other growers in the If you want to save money, do that
many cannabis forums available on the everywhere else but on your soil. Better
Net. The Net forums especially are a you buy cheaper seeds than to try and
perfect place to get your knowledge up to raise plants from expensive seeds sown in
scratch. You’ll find all levels of grower cheap soil. One more disadvantage of
willing to share their experience, from using cheap soil is that it soon gets hard
rookies to pros and commercial growers. and dries out. If you really, absolutely do Exhaust + filter
They’ll do this with pleasure, and answer not have room in your budget to get the
your questions really fast. This is the great good stuff, then it’s best you buy cutting
advantage of a forum over reading a book, compost. This is the best quality of the
which can often leave you with cheaper soil mixes and at once the most
unanswered questions. These can be asked expensive too.
straight away online, and this speeds up
the whole learning process. Above all do not buy compost used for
raising flowers or suchlike. These
But you do still need to have read a basic composts are made for growing specific
book on the indoor growing process. This sorts of flowers and plants and are usually
will answer 80% of your questions about more acidic because that is how these
growing your own cannabis in this way. plants like it. Our cannabis plants,
You must read this book as much as however, really do not like this.
possible, at least three times all the way Now it has to be said that cannabis plants
from back to front and front to back. will pretty much grow on anything; after
Everything you don’t understand you can all it is and remains a weed. But try and
keep in mind and then ask in a forum. indulge the plant as much as possible and
You can also come here for additional she will indulge you in return come
information. After several months cruising harvest time with a large yield. So make
the forum, looking at lovely pictures of your way over to the local grow shop if
buds, reading others’ experiences of you can. The biggest advantage of using
growing, and answering that remaining good quality earth such as that from
20% of your many questions, you’ll be Plagron is that you have nothing or very
qualified to call yourself – in theory – a little to do. So you do not need to add
fully fledged grower. But as you all well extra nutrients, for example.
know, putting theory into practice is rarely
as smooth as you anticipate. Seed
We have filled out pots with earth, so
Earth what do we need now? Well obviously, Maxlight Lamp
The next step is to gather your growing raising marihuana without the cannabis
things. What do we all need if we’re going plants themselves can be a little difficult. speed with which orders are processed is fewer than the seed company which sells
to grow cannabis? Pots to put soil in, The easiest way to get hold of some is outstanding, not to mention that their its wares for cheaper prices. Also, the
which should not pose any major from seeds. These can be sold in most delivery is secure and safe. amount of work put into a seed’s
problems. By soil I mean an earth mix, of countries and you can order them without I can hear the next question on your lips: development, and that of new varieties
course, and in this you have a huge range any problems. Where can you order what sort should I raise? And why are (basically, R&D), adds to the price.
to choose from. Cheap bags of earth as cannabis seeds, I hear you ask? some seeds so expensive and others Through many years’ experience the
sold in many gardening centres will work, cheap? The simplest way to explain this is quality of the seed is kept high, as with
but can pose many problems for the For a start we can go back to the Net. that it is similar to the difference between big companies such as Sensi Seeds, and
beginner. The earth contains little nutrient Many sites offer cannabis seeds but not all branded clothes and unbranded. Branded the asking price is high as a consequence.
and is not airy enough. Well aerated soil is of them are, shall we say, sincere. Buy a clothing costs much more but is not
important for good development of the few from several well-known seed necessarily better. The major part of the But the eventual price depends on many,
roots of our cannabis plant. merchants is my advice. My personal price you pay is going on the brand itself, many factors and my own experience is
By ensuring you have a well aerated soil favourite is Gypsy Nirvana in the UK, and the same goes in the seed world, that price is not necessarily an indicator of
the plant will grow more vigorously, be which you can visit physically or order where the well-known names command quality. You can have good and bad
stronger, more healthy – just better all from the Net at www.seedsdirect.to. You the highest prices. It also has to do with experiences with expensive and cheap
round. You can achieve this by adding will find a large selection of seeds from the image; ‘expensive’ is associated with seeds. Even seeds picked out of your
small, white, light stones called perlite to nearly all the seed breeders from around being ‘better’. One company sells its weed can be raised into decent plants.
your earth, which make it airier. the world for good prices. Above all the seeds for more expensive prices but sells But we still haven’t got our seed, so which
18 Soft Secrets
will we plump for? There is way too much might hope for 300 grams from a 400w
choice, I must say. Each variety has its and 400 grams from a 600w light. Both
own qualities and foibles in growing. So these power lamps can illuminate one
the good news is you can’t really make a square meter very well and give off a
wrong choice. So don’t work yourself up reasonable amount of heat. Bear this in
into a lather choosing. But to make it mind.
easier for you: go for an Indica variety. Via this insight we arrive at our next
Why an Indica? You have two basic sorts purchase: a suction pump with an active
of cannabis plant: Indicas and Sativas. carbon filter. Cannabis plants need carbon
Indicas don’t grow too large and have a dioxide (CO2) in order to grow, which
short bloom period, with strong, broad they take out of the air around them. If
stems and wide leaves. you do not allow fresh supplies of air to
the room they are growing in, then sooner
The Sativas are the opposite, with a strong or later they are going to use it all up.
growth leading to large plants with thin Once that happens the plant growth is
leaves, and especially during flowering, retarded and it will be less healthy. To
are much bigger than the Indicas. You also prevent this happening we make sure that
have hybrids of the two that are primarily fresh air enters the grow room by putting General crecimiento
Indica with a little Sativa, or they can be in an air extractor. This sucks the CO2-
mostly Sativa with a dash of Indica in depleted air and expels it outside, causing
them. Both sorts are outstanding but for a fresh, CO2-laden air to automatically flow
beginner there is a greater chance of into the space. In other words, you do not
success with an Indica. Sativas can be necessarily need a pump to blow fresh air
unpredictable and during flowering can back into you grow space. You can if you
triple in size. Indica varieties will double wish, but it is not essential.
their size at most during flowering, which
is way less (especially when space is The added advantage of having an air
limited). Indicas are therefore easier to extractor is that we can also remove the
deal with and do not hold as many typical smell of the cannabis plants during
surprises in store, as well as having greater blooming, and to make sure that this does
resistance to stress (with less for the not attract attention outside we use a
grower in turn). carbon filter on the extractor to remove
the smell. Every extractor has a carbon
Definitely for the grower with just a few filter that fits it precisely. A carbon filter is
plants in a cupboard I recommend the a great big tube filled with carbon. So-
Indicas. Now I don’t want to give the called active carbon has the quality of Leganes
impression that a Sativa is hard to raise, absorbing the chemicals that cause odours
but if you want to maximise you chances and neutralising them. That a carbon filter
of a successful harvest you have got to go will not last an age should be obvious.
for an Indica. You will notice that there Once full, they allow the odours to roam
are a lot of these to choose from. free once more. A carbon filter generally
Everyone has a personal opinion as to does about five harvests, so lasts about a
what variety you should go for, so choose year before needing replacement.
for yourself, as it is ultimately down to
personal preference. So finally, after much A good extractor with decent carbon
um-ing and ah-ing, you’ve made a choice. filters is something you really cannot
Nice one! afford to be without if you want to grow
cannabis. It will be one of the more
Light expensive purchases if you’re just starting
Our plants will not grow without light and out, but just try without one and see what
so we have to get a grow-bloom lamp (a kind of problems you get. If you survive
lamp that can be used for both stages of being found out by the smell from your
the bud-raising process). The lamp will plantation, your yield from the plants will
determine your eventual harvest: the more still remain low thanks to the low CO2 in
light, the more weight. So more light the air. To ensure the fresh air that is Small grow operation A ventilator is a definite must to keep the
means more weed and a larger yield. Even sucked in is evenly dispersed through your air circulating
with a light bulb you can grow cannabis, growing space we will also need one or For growing indoors we only need bloom
but you’re better off growing with what more ventilators to provide good air feed. Because even the cheapest soil has
are known in the trade as ‘TL-lamps’ – circulation. By keeping the air in enough nutrient in it to complete the
you probably know them as fluorescent circulation and constantly mixing with growth stage, as long as we do not spend
lights. In order to get a reasonable yield of itself, the ventilator ensures that too long on the pre-growth. Every plant
very good quality, then a 400w-600w temperature and air moisture as well as food is different, but all are based on
sodium lamp is needed. These lamps are CO2 are evenly spread throughout the nitrogen, phosphorous and potash
of average strength as there are also space. Without a ventilator, one side of (potassium). Nitrogen and potash are the
1000w and 2000w types, as well as 150w your space may be 25 degrees, and the most useful for growth, and a phosphorous
and 250w. other side 20 degrees. The heat that comes and potash mix is the most useful during
from the lamps, thanks to the ventilator, is blooming. A good bloom feed therefore
The 400w-600w lamp is perfect for us as spread throughout the space creating an contains plenty of phosphorus and potash,
it uses relatively little energy for the even temperature. An additional benefit of and a small amount of nitrogen.
amount of cannabis it can produce. It is a ventilator that’s left to blow across your Essential: food for the plants
certainly in a different league than just plants is that they will develop thicker and Once again, choose the special cannabis
switching on a regular light bulb. There stronger stems, which will in turn produce feeds since every plant food is different much and not very hard. The only drawback
are many types of light and don’t let a better crop later on. and it is best in the beginning to stick to is the capital outlay for your equipment –
yourself get fobbed-off with anything using only one feed supplement. By an investment of about 500 euros. Not so
other than a sodium light. Take the Nutrition working straight away with cannabis plant expensive, but not exactly cheap either
cheapest and simplest design to begin That our plants do not grow themselves is food you will get a better feel for plant The lamp in particular and the vacuum
with. Air-cooled or water-cooled varieties a fact, which means we also have to give nutrition - and better future crops - than by extractor account for the main part of it.
can better be left for trying on future them food. Liquid organic nutrient gets starting out with domestic plant food or Still want to grow your own cannabis?
crops. A 400w bulb can deliver 200 grams my seal approval just as Plagron did. As I suchlike, and then switching to cannabis Stay tuned.
of bud and a 600w one up to 300 grams. said earlier, a good soil will have enough plant food later. So now we have covered
This is an estimated yield you might hope nutrients in it to last the whole grow. Only the most important issues: good soil, light, To be continued
for as a beginner. If you get more, then in the last weeks is it an idea to give some seed, ventilation and air circulation. This
count yourself lucky. If you’re good, supplemental feeding, and we do this with is all we need, or all that we have to worry This series is made in co-operation with
usually after a several crops, then you liquid foodstuffs. about, to grow good cannabis. It is not so Plagron, visit them at www.plagron.nl
Soft Secrets 17
grow your o
wn
The growth of a cannabis plant depends in the ‘armpits’ of the plant, where two of
on the number of hours of light it gets them spring from one pistil. The pistil is
each day. The more hours light, the the place on the plant where the leaf is
stronger the plant will grow. The most- attached to the main stem and from where
used light period in cannabis growing a side branch sprouts.
is 18 hours light per day and 6 hours
night. This corresponds to the 21st The male plant, by contrast, makes no
June, the longest day of the year, and a white hairs and is therefore easy to tell
sunny one at that. We kid the plant that from the female plant. The male plant has
it is the always the most lovely and little balls that always appear in groups
longest day of the year. that hang off the plant by a thread. When
these balls pop open after a lengthy period
But you can just as well give your of blooming, then banana-shaped pieces
plants 19 hours, 20 hours - right up to become visible. Out of these comes pollen
24 hours light per day. With a 24-hour that can fertilise your female plants.
light period your lamps are burning
continuously, of course. But if you give At the very beginning of blooming, the
the plants less than 18 hours light you male balls and the female pistils look
increase the chance that the plant will similar because they are only a millimetre >>
start to bloom. Some varieties bloom or so big, but by looking carefully you This is how you can see
when given 15-16 hours light. will be able to see that a male ball grows
them, using a magnifier.
away from the main stem, hangs on a
The more glistering the
Whenever we talk about “putting the thread and multiplies itself to form several
bud, the better the quality.
plant into bloom” we are referring to balls. A female pistil stays firmly close to
the practice of putting the lamps on a the main stem until, at a particular tiny budlet, and the more advanced the weed. Hashish on the other hand is the
timer set for 12 hours light and 12 moment once it is large enough, the two blooming proceeds the more these buds collected crystals that are found on the
hours night. This is the optimal period white hairs emerge. So if you see in one will swell up and become bigger. buds, leaves and stem of the plant. Since a
for blooming. If you give her more pistil two balls growing then the chance is photo says more than a thousand difficult
hours dark, then the plant will come in already large that you are looking at a In many cases the buds will eventually words, you can probably better see for
to bloom more quickly, but the yield male specimen. grow into each other, making it look as if yourself how many crystals there are to be
will be less, because you have there is just one enormous bud. Eventually found on a bud of cannabis. The
convinced her that winter is just around In this way you can determine at quite an the buds will stop growing in size – at the transparent little balls you see under
the corner. This is sometimes worth early stage of blooming which are the end of the blooming process – and these magnification are the crystals I mean, and
doing at the end of your bloom period males and remove them to leave more white hairs will take on a colour. When you can find them on small stalks.
to tip the plants into a ‘harvest-ready’ room and resources for the females to this has happened for 80% of the plant’s
state a little earlier. develop. Hermaphrodites are double-sexed buds then it is time to harvest the plant. When the cannabis plant is ripe these
plants, having both male and female crystals take on an amber-to-gold
Why just 12 hours? Because the plant characteristics. Within this sort we have The only bits of the cannabis plant that are coloration. By drying out the buds and
needs light in order to develop its buds various types. Some hermaphrodites are smokeable are the buds. The cultivated leaves of the plant the crystals easily come
and make its THC. The more light, the 90% male and 10% female, others are buds are dried out in a dark, cool (15-20 loose from the vegetation, especially once
more bud growth and THC production. 90% female and 10% male, or 50% male- degrees Celsius) space where they can we stick this leafage in a pollinator. This is
The perfect boundary therefore is 12 female. In the case of those that are 90% quietly and slowly undergo the drying a square box with a drum inside it – like a
hours, so that the plant can bloom well, female hermaphrodites, we can still process, and at the same time the washing machine, only with a round sieve.
while developing a good, THC-rich bud simply remove the male flowers and in ‘conversion’ process that produces the The drum turns round and the crystals are
with a decent yield as it does so. this way still develop harvestable, substances that give a ‘high’. There is shaken loose as a result of the churning.
unfertilised - and therefore seedless - little point in fast-drying your buds, since They fall through the sieve whereupon we
Now I can hear you thinking: ‘then I’ll buds. The pollen these hermaphrodites the real high you get from smoking can scrape them together into one pile,
just give the plant even more light!’ produce will for the most part produce cannabis needs some time to mature which we call skuff, or unpressed hashish.
But this will simply prolong the female seeds. during the drying process. The leafage We can press this hash powder into a lo-
blooming period without adding trimmed off from around the bud is vely block, as you may have seen for sale.
anything to the size or potency of your How are buds created and smokeable, but does not taste as nice as
crop. The length of the blooming what are the smokeable parts the buds themselves. You’re better off Hashish is thus the collection of the THC
period is dependent on the plant variety of the plant? making hashish out of this, but there’ll be crystals that are found on the cannabis
and can be anywhere between 5-16 more about this in future editions plant and that are not visible to the naked
weeks. The most common varieties In order to understand how a bud is eye. It is a pure concentration and
though all bloom after 8-10 weeks. produced on the plant, from flower to therefore gives a more energetic, clearer
smokeable product, you really need to see Difference between hash and high. If you roll a joint with a bud you
Difference between male and it with your own eyes. A mere description weed will notice that your fingers become
female cannabis plants and of how a female plant manufactures a bud covered with a gold-coloured powder
hermaphrodites will make many people none the wiser. As As you should know by now, weed is the from breaking open the bud and
you can see, the female plant produces dried buds of the female cannabis plant. crumbling it – this powder is the crystals
The female cannabis plant is very easy to many little white hairs that emerge from a Only the females can produce potent I’ve been talking about.
18 Soft Secrets
Indoor or outdoor growing? the climatic factors you can continuously had planned,
be working towards a maximum yield of just to give you
There’s a huge amount to be said on this top quality weed. You can control the dummies a
topic and it should be stated that both have temperature by letting the air pumps good chance to
their qualities. Outdoors, you can squeeze operate at a certain level, the optimum air practice.
three harvests in between spring and moisture content can be reached by
winter. Except that you are dependent on installing an air humidifier, and a good air Any related
the weather gods, and so there are very flow by putting one or more ventilators in questions?
few certainties to rely on when growing your grow room. Contact me at
outdoors. A lot can go wrong, and after Bartb@reef.net
months of slog you can be left with a few Indoor as well as outdoor growing can
measly buds to harvest. Most unwelcome. deliver excellent quality weed in And remember:
outstanding quantities. Depending on your there’s no such
The advantage of growing outdoors is that own possibilities and desires you should thing as a
it costs you next to nothing. You just need make the choice that suits you best. stupid question!
a good patch of soil or a nice big pot in
which to put a seed or clone, which will <<
grow into a female tree that will give you pH and EC Male plant
several hundred grams of bud. Weather
permitting… The pH-value is the number that indicates
the acidity of the soil. The pH-scale runs <<
A clone is a sliced-off piece of branch that from 1 to 14. A solution with a pH The white hairs of the
has been stimulated to produce roots. between 1 and 7 is called ‘acid’, a pH of 7 female plant are turning
Outdoor growing is a great way for the is known as 'neutral', and between 7 and brownish. Harvest time is
beginner to get to know the cannabis plant 14 we talk of ‘alkali’. The lower the pH, around the corner!
and her feeding wishes. The growing the more acidic the solution is. When the
period outside begins in early April and pH is too high or too low the plants cannot
goes on ‘til mid-August, so if you screw take up some of their essential foodstuffs.
up a plant you can simply germinate That will lead to deficiency sicknesses. A
another one. good pH lies between 5.6 and 6.6. With a
pH in this range, the cannabis plants can
By starting with growing outdoors you best extract nutrients from the growing
will build up a wealth of knowledge that medium.
will serve you later if and when you start
to grow indoors. The great outdoors is in The pH also influences the (bacterial) soil
short the ideal grow room for beginners, life, and an active soil life increases the
who will be enjoy the many surprises they fertility of the soil, which makes for
will encounter as they help their plants to healthier, stronger plants. By measuring
thrive. Especially if you plant your babies the feed water with a pH meter we can
in solid earth, when you will have little acidify it down to the correct value. Most
else to except sit around on your lazy butt tap water has a pH of around 7.0, so we
and wait for them to ripen for harvest have to add a little pH-acid to it to lower
the pH to, say, 6.3.
With indoor growing, you are Mother
Nature herself and you must therefore take We either do this for the whole grow or
control of all aspects of growth, from not at all. Once you have begun to
ensuring air throughput and ventilation, air regulate the pH you must continue to do
^ Female flowers
moisture levels, and so on. so. Even without a pH meter you can get
excellent yields, but when you want to << Some mothers do have
Growing indoors is a little safer than achieve that bit extra, the right pH will ‘m: this plant’s a Crystal
growing outdoors, given that the plants are ensure a better growth and bloom. The pH Galore
safely hidden away inside. Curious is more important than the EC, so if you
neighbours can easily spot your plants have to choose, plump for a pH meter
growing outdoors and cause some major first. The pH of soil lies around 6.3
hassle. because the bacterial life can fully
develop, and be advised that the pH of
Indoors, you can get up to four, five or coconut fibre is around 6.0.
even six harvests per year, realised
dependent on the length of the growing EC is the measure of conductivity of a
period of the particular variety you’re solution. The conductivity increases the
growing. You are not confined by the more salts are present in a solution.
seasons and can therefore choose yourself Fertilisers are nothing more than salts. The
when you want to start a crop. You have more fertiliser you add to your water, the
complete freedom with indoor growing. higher the EC it will read. EC is therefore
You can grow any variety at any time. a measure of the total concentration of
fertilisers in the water that is given to the
On the other hand, you have to pay much plant.
more attention to your plants with indoor
growing. It is a bit more work – though Through the entire growing process, the
pleasant work of course. Also you need to EC lies between 1.2 and 2.8. One begins
make a starting investment in order to with a low concentration of feedstuffs
acquire all the essentials. You have to around 1.2 – and this is raised during the
check your plantation every day and give growing period to a maximum of 2.8. If
feed water whenever the plants need it. If you should venture into higher
you choose to grow indoors you are also concentrations, then the chances of
choosing to spend a portion of your free burning the roots from too high a dose is
time on the activity. If you think you can large. So just stick your EC meter in your
just bung some plants in just like that and water vat, add nutrients until the desired
when you feel like it pop your head round EC reading, and Bob’s your uncle.
the corner and take a quick shufty at them,
you’re going to quickly find that you’re In the next edition we’ll be looking at the
deluding yourself. pro’s and cons of organic versus
hydroponic growing, and making clones
^
But since you can simply control most of on demand. This is a little bit earlier than I
The balls of the male plant
are clearly visible.
Soft Secrets 17
grow your o
wn
Hydro or hydroponic growing is growing A frequently asked question is whether It’s important that you
in a water medium with nutrients added one should start out with clones or seeds. don’t go cloning just any
to it, or with an automatic irrigation Both have their advantages and old plant too. First
system. Thanks to the greater quantities disadvantages. Growing from seed takes you’ve got to find a good
of oxygen that are brought to the roots as a bit longer than if you grow with clones. mother plant candidate. A
a result, the plant grows at a very fast The seeds must be germinated, which plant with the special
rate. Much quicker than in soil. takes from a few days to a week, and combination of
some seeds will fail to germinate or only characteristics you
But you do have to invest more in your sprout once they have been planted. personally want to see,
kit if you want to grow hydroponically: Thanks to this there is a chance that you such as taste, potency,
special pipes, connectors and suchlike will lose significant numbers of plants growth pattern or
need to be bought. Also you have to fully over the course of a growing career blooming period. The
control the pH and EC yourself, so there unless you master the art of seed best plant in your garden,
is less room for mistakes than there is germination well. in other words. The great
growing in soil. You can rapidly fix advantage of clones is the
things that have gone wrong with your After this we have to let the seedlings uniformity with which
plants, but things can go wrong quickly grow for up to two weeks, but mostly they grow. The plants
enough to lose them all too. plants from seeds are given up to a will reach about the same
month or even more of ‘pre-growing’. height, which in turn
An experienced hydro grower can This long growing period makes for a ensures that they can all
achieve huge harvests. An automatic significantly more expensive electricity make the best use of the
irrigation system ensures that at pre-set bill because the growing stage needs light from the lamps
times the plants receive feed water and more energy than the blooming period. In you’re using. Also, they
everything is pumped through the the blooming period we can let the lamps will produce buds with
system. Plants love regularity and given burn for a good part of their 12-hours a the same taste and high.
18 Soft Secrets
wn
grow your o
How buds are produced, from start to finish (Variety: Nlx)
In the next edition we are finally going to build our first growing room This series was made in co-operation with
so get ready for the real hard work! Plagron; visit them at www.plagron.nl
Soft Secrets 17
Grow your o
wn
We make sure the walls are reflecting white and make a collection tray to catch any excess After having fixed black-white foil on the walls, we also attach the same black-white foil to
water. We make a wooden construction that is placed about 15-20 cm off the ground. our construction. In doing this we've made a simple collection tray. Watch out for any sharp
objects that might create holes in it.
that can happen is the creation of male important if you want to get the very best
flowers on the female plants thanks to the from your plants. So make sure when you In order to regulate the air moisture grow space, so first you have to calculate
stress they have been exposed to. In no are setting up your space that unwanted content we will need an air humidifier. the volume of that space. Casting your
time at all just a few male flowers can smells can neither get out nor drafts find They are not too expensive and well minds back to school, we know that
fertilise the whole female planting, with their way in. A third important point is worth the investment. The nice thing multiplying length x width x height will
the result that you end up with buds full that any undesirable creatures and vermin about them is that they usually come with give you the volume of your space.
of seeds. A good grower always checks cannot find their way in to your space. A a built-in hygrostat so that you only have Always take a pump with a slightly larger
his plants so that he can remove any male good grow space is in effect a kind of to punch in the required air moisture and capacity than the actual volume of your
flowers in good time. It takes a few quarantine cell in which nothing gets in the humidifier takes care of keeping it space. During the hot summer months
weeks before a male flower can disperse or out without your say so. there. Especially during the growth this can make a big difference in keeping
active pollen. It also happens frequently period this works wonders. A plant can your growing space at a reasonable
that the plants find it difficult to come Climate double its rate of growth in humid air, temperature. Consequently, choose a
into bloom when beams of light are Once we have the previously described and this will help reduce the time spent in larger capacity - for example, for a 500
allowed to get in and they will as a result points firmly sorted out then we have the growing phase. Warming a large room m3 space we might choose a ventilator
produce a very meagre crop. Above all arrived at our eventual goal of setting up or a small growing space will make a suitable for a 750 -1000 m3 space. The
watch out that any electrical appliances the grow space, creating an ideal climate world of difference. Letting the air great advantage of this is that during the
18 Soft Secrets
Collection rack
A grow space should be easy to keep
tidy, and that's why I choose to build in a
sort of 'collection rack' into which the
plant pots will be placed. To do this we
build a frame 1.10 m wide, with a length
of your choice, and a height of 15 cm.
This is lined with the same black-white
plastic (ensuring there are no holes in it
now or later on). The advantage of such
a rack is that it just makes for cleaner
growing and this gives diseases less of a
chance of gaining a foothold. All rubbish
such as soil, dead leaves and splashed
water end up straight in this rack. Once
the harvest is over it is very simple to
just sweep all this together and clear it
away and in no time everything is spick
and span for the next planting. If you
To get the most out of our square meter, we Once all the walls have been attached to It is important to have entry holes for fresh don't use a collection rack then, as many
build a reflecting screen around it. In this each other I choose to create an additional air to get in. Preferably down at the bottom. growers do not, then in no time at all
way we can better control the climate and collection tray in order to keep the whole The fresh air then circulates over all the your space will be transformed into a
create a completely light-proof enclosure. thing clean and tidy and thereby lessen the plants inside. From the growth period space or room with a bit of dirt
chances of disease. through the blooming and beyond. everywhere you look.
cooler winter months we can let it run What we are going to build is a screen piece the two bits that need fixing Also, if you have to flush your crop such
gently and using little energy, the during around the growing space. Let's suppose together, drilling a hole and screwing a collection rack will prove its worth.
the hot summer months we can let the you do use a single meter of a large them together. Once we have our 'Flushing' is the removal of excess
throttle out and comfortably keep the room, then it is handy to partition off the wooden frame securely put together we nutrient or fertilizer from out of the
temperature below 30 degrees. A large grow space from the rest of the room so can stretch the black-white plastic tightly medium (plant pot). By giving the plants
ventilator running at half speed makes a this can be used for something else. If over it. This is done most smoothly way too much pure water the nutrient
lot less noise than a smaller ventilator you don't do this then the whole room using a stapler to staple the plastic in residues are washed out, as are the salts
running flat out. Also, should you wish to will stink later when the plants are place. Excess plastic can be trimmed that accumulate from over-fertilizing
increase the size of your grow space in blooming. The big advantage of building away once it's attached. (salts are found in fertilizer). Some
the future then there is no need to buy a a screen is that the light from your lamp growers choose simply to flush as a
new ventilator. You can never buy a will be utilised to the full. Light is So now we have our first reflecting matter of course every two weeks in
ventilator that's too large, only one that is weight - that is to say, the amount of screen. Onto this we need to attach one order to keep their medium as healthy as
too small. It makes little sense to keep a light a plant gets will to a large extent more screen in the same way as we just possible. With a collection rack you can
ventilator running flat out if it can keep determine the eventual yield. By did the previous two, only using one flush the plants without any problem and
the space replenished with new air at half building a screen around the square piece of the 1.70 m wooden struts less. without leaving a wet mess behind in
speed just as well. By placing the air meter that is then covered in white We just use the 1.70 m plank on the your space. Another advantage is that
input holes at the bottom of the space and reflective plastic, you keep the light screen we've just made and attach to that when growing in soil you can let the
the exhaust at the top we create an air inside the growing space and on your two pieces of 1.20 m and one of 1.70 m. whole rack fill with feed water and leave
stream that will carry the new, enriched plants. If you don't do this then the light Stretch and staple plastic over it and the plants to take what nutrients they
air from below, right up to the top on the will scatter itself all over the room and again, trim off the excess. . Now we need from it. This is the same effect as a
other side of the space, flowing over the so you will lose a good proportion of it. have two pieces of screen attached to plant pot standing in a tray. You have in
plants as it goes. This is great for the Making sure that the sides around your each other. In this way we don't make effect made an enormous tray, in fact.
plants, which can enjoy the fresh air to plants are of reflective white is the separate loose hanging screens. On the The good thing about this is that the
the max before it is depleted of CO2, cheapest way of raising your yield. It other side we do the same and make a plants will be more difficult to over-
sucked away and removed from the don't get any cheaper or easier. Mylar is screen there too, attaching it to the fertilize because the plants themselves
space. the best stuff currently on the market for already existing wooden strut of the first decide how much they are going to take
reflecting light back on your plants. It is screen. The result is that we now have up. If you need to be away for 3-4 days
In order to keep pests outside we can use a little more expensive than black-white three screens firmly attached to each then you can just leave the collection rack
a Nylon stocking or special socks placed plastic but reflects some 99% of the light other and with reflecting surfaces. This topped up and the plants have enough
over the air input holes so nothing can fly that your lamp gives off back at your construction you now place in the food for those few days. The rack then
or creep in, which will help you avoid an plants. Mylar needs to be hung as chosen square meter that's your grow serves as an automatic watering system.
infestation later. Certainly do not forget straight as possible to be best made use space. Later you can easily switch up to an ebb
either that no light must be allowed to get of. It's very important for the set up of and flood hydro system.
in through these holes to reach the space. your growing space to make sure it has As we've already noticed, the screens are
PVC tubes with a bend in them work reflective walls, whether these are white a little bigger than the growing space. So to recap: our aim is to make a light-
well to let air in but keep light out. walls or hung plastic makes no This is so that we still have room for the proof, airtight grow space in which the
difference. ventilator and suchlike to fit in. To finish fresh, CO2-rich air comes in at the
There are thousands of ways of making off, we once more make a single bottom of one side of the space,
sure there is a good air supply to your The construction of a screen is a half- independent screen with two pieces of circulates up and out the other side. A
space; they're all great, but there are two hour's work once you've got the the 1.20 m wood and two of the 1.70 m sufficiently large suction pump ensures
main rules to bear in mind: by preference, necessary materials mentioned to hand. I planks. The individual, loose hanging the air circulates and ventilators mix the
air in at the bottom, and keep it light- cut eight pieces of wood about 1.2 m screen is the entrance door to the fresh, incoming air with the air warmed
proof. In a situation where you simply long, and six pieces of about 1.70 m. I growing space. We put this against the by the lamp so that the temperature is the
cannot make a hole for the pump arrive at this length (1.70 m) as a result open side of the three screen box, and same throughout the space. Just add
anywhere then the best solution is to buy of my cellar ceiling being so high. The our grow space is fully sealed off. Now reflecting walls to maximise the effect of
a cheap door and make a hole in that for length you choose is best when a little all you have to do is move the screen the light and a collection rack for keeping
air extraction. This is a frequently used shorter than the height of the room or door to inspect and care for your plants. everything tidy, and Bob's your uncle.
method by professional growers. space in which the growing space is to The grow space is now ready for
be situated. If your room is 2 metres Now the light from the lamp stays in this planting!
Square metre high, then cut eight lengths of about way in the growing space and you will
That's enough wittering on; the real work 1.97cm. In other words, subtract a few notice the difference this makes later In the next instalment we'll be looking at
is about to start: the actual building of the centimetres from the actual height of the when you come to harvest your plants. making our grow space operational.
grow space. You do not need much for it: room. The smell of the plants is also kept
just a single square meter, and everyone inside and can be easily removed by
has that somewhere, whether in the attic, Step 1 is pretty simple: we make a filtered pump, so the rest of the space in
cellar or a spare room. What we need is: a wooden frame by attaching two pieces of the room you can put to some other use.
staple gun for use on wood, a saw, black- 1.2 m wide to two pieces (in my case) of Really creative growers of course can
white plastic, a drill, screws, scissors, a 1.70 m in height. This is done real fast make a real jewel of a grow space for This series was made in co-operation with
few wooden planks - and a square metre. with a machine drill on which we place a themselves. Plagron; visit them at www.plagron.nl
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Soft Secrets 25
Grow your o
wn
The production begins to gather pace nicely Young buds in full-on development mode This Orange Bud will just get fatter and White plastic ensures a good reflection of
(3.5 weeks’ blossoming) fatter light for the plants placed outdoors
The problem that presents itself when large volumes of nitrogen. Particularly is simple but effective. Having too little
Feeding the leaves you get a large deficiency to deal during heat waves it is handy to spray ventilation produces weaker growth and
with is that when you give the plants your plants with a nitrogen solution, blooming, the plants can not develop
The plants bloom enthusiastically a nutrient solution (via the medium) or simply increase the percentage of well, and yellowing of the leaves can
and are fed with Algal Bloom. Every you have to wait until the plants are nitrogen in your general feed water. occur.
week they are sprayed with Phytamin thirsty again. There is no point in giving Obviously, the same process can be
Leaf Feed, and as a bloom stimulator, them a feed solution every day if the used for phosphorus and calcium A rotating fan is another important
Plagron’s Repro Forte is applied, which plants can’t actually take up what they deficiencies. piece of grow space equipment. This
serves to ensure that more sugars need. You’re forced to wait a while, does not only ensure that you have
are transported from the leaves to certainly longer than you would wish, Ventilation good air circulation in your space which
the buds. Every two weeks enzymes before you can adjust the deficiency mixes the warm and cool layers of air
are also given. These enzymes clean properly. By combining watering with In order to achieve a good bloom there together, but your plants also like a nice
your medium by removing dead roots the application of leaf nutrient, then the must be sufficient carbon dioxide breeze. Thanks to the breeze your plants
and reduce the salt accumulation that plant gets what it needs immediately via for the plants. They need CO2 for a will develop nice thick stems, and they
has occurred from the application of the leaves. Generally, you will notice vigorous growth and bloom during the will mature into slightly smaller and
nutrients. the improvement the very next day. You daylight hours. The more CO2 in the more compact adults – and as you know
will observe that the yellow spots on the air the faster your plants can develop by now, a thick stem determines to a
Seed plants have the tendency to grow leaves will have regained some of their and the greater their tolerance for high large extent the eventual yield your
in height earlier than clones. So by now colour again. By continuing to give feed temperatures. How you have your grow plant will be able to produce. By and
they will be considerably larger and water and leaf nutrients, the plants will space set up is very important. An large, the plants with the thickest stems
for that reason I strongly recommend soon once again be a ravishing shade of optimal space is one in which all along will also be the biggest yielders.
if you have limited head room in your green. one side, at the very bottom, holes have
grow space that you ‘top’ or bend your been bored to allow air in, while on the Bud formation
plants. You bend a plant by pulling Another advantage of leaf feeding is other side there is a vacuum extractor
down the crown bud with string fixing that you can safely experiment to find – placed as high up as possible. This set The most important weeks of the
it bent under slight tension. By doing out what kind of deficiency your plants up offers an optimal air circulation from blossoming period are from the third
this you get the same effect as topping have. Many growers are stricken by one side of the space to the other side. to the fifth week of bloom for the
(removing the top of the plant) but with doubts as to whether they are dealing The CO2-rich air that enters flows over majority of plants. Given that now most
the advantage of you getting to keep with an under-fertilisation or an excess. the plants, is used by them, then the plants will be devoting most of their
the crown bud. The lowest-situated By simply spraying the leaves with CO2-depleted air is sucked out, drawing energy to developing their buds, during
side branches will develop better and a feed solution you can very quickly fresh air back in via the bottom-most these coming weeks they are going to
the plant will develop more buds, on a observe if there is a positive or negative holes. increase very rapidly in size. So now
wider girth. Grow spaces that are lower reaction from the plant and from that is the time when you really have to
than 1.5 metres in height will need deduce what the problem is. If growing in larger spaces and you make sure everything runs as smoothly
their plants topping or bending earlier, are using a fan or air blower of some as possible. The beginning of the third
or else given a much shorter growth Something that is always handy to have sort, this can be placed at the top of the week is also the last chance you have
period. around is a set of bottles filled with space if you are also using an air-sock. to spray your plants with an organic
individual nutrients such as nitrogen, The air blower works in exactly the pesticide. The buds are not yet hard
Better too little food than too much, phosphorus and calcium. With these you opposite way to a vacuum pump: rather and compact. It can be a good idea to
but if you should experience a severe will be more easily able to experiment than sucking air out, it blows air in. spray them now preventatively, rather
nutrient deficiency that you cannot with your nutrient problem. Suppose This is unnecessary when growing in than wait until the fifth week and find
solve by recommencing with the bloom you have a nitrogen deficiency and small spaces, which have sufficient air that your buds are now crawling with
feed, then the quickest way of solving are forced to use a general nutrient renewal with a pump. An Air-Sock is a bugs, by which stage it is not advisable
the problem is by applying leaf feed. solution to correct it; you are also long sock made from textile, between 3- to spray.
You make up some nutrient mix as giving the plant the elements that it 5 metres in length. If you just use an air
you normally would and spray your does not need too. Adopt the simple blower then you are usually getting cold There’s not much more to do than
plants with the solution. Plants can also expedient of keeping a separate bottle air pumped into one side of your space simply giving nutrients during this
take up nutrients via their leaves, and with only nitrogen in it. Adding this , which means the climate on this side stage – besides of course enjoying the
the advantage of doing it this way is will raise your plants nitrogen levels is not at its optimal temperature. Nor is sight of these gorgeous buds gradually
that you do not change the pH of your without influencing the other fertiliser the CO2 spread evenly over the plants. appearing. More and more white hairs
medium. Spraying your plants is best components. This bottle system is The Sock works as follows: you fasten are being produced and slowly but
done just before you turn off the lamps especially useful for outdoor growers it on top of your air blower and fasten surely separate small buds grow into
and / or just before you switch them who are in the process of raising large this to the ceiling. Once the blower is each other to create one huge bud.
on. plants in pots and needing to apply switched on then the Air-Sock is filled
with incoming air, which then enters In the next issue I will be telling you
the space 3 to 5 metres into your space. more about the blossoming phase of the
Better too little food than too much, but if you After that the CO2-rich air is evenly cannabis plant.
should experience a severe nutrient deficiency that spread throughout the space, and the
effect of this is that all your plants can This series was
you cannot solve by recommencing with the bloom better enjoy the fresh air, plus the cold made in co-
feed, then the quickest way of solving the problem outside air is given time to warm up, so operation with
is by applying leaf feed. the climate remains nearer to optimal. It Plagron; visit them
at www.plagron.nl
Soft Secrets 53
Grow your o
wn
uniformity there will be larger differences inside the bud structure, which continues There are various ways of reducing the more of a ‘head high’. So you can make
between the plants in their blooming to grow around it, trapping the moisture. noise. First and foremost you have the your mind up according to your own
period as grown up plants. This is also This trapped moisture can incubate aforementioned dimmer, since a ventilator personal preference. Since we usually aim
an important factor you should take into moulds. Varieties of weed that develop that is not running at full speed makes less for some sort of golden ‘middle way,’ we
account when choosing a particular variety. especially hard buds have a greater chance noise. So try and run yours at about 75- will go for harvest when 80% of the hairs
are brown. Do not forget that sometimes
Ventilation If you are growing hydroponically then don’t white hairs can turned brown by
influencing the climate or messing with the
All the nutrients and water that you
cease feeding until the last five days, as the humidity. It does not automatically mean
give your plants during their blooming yellowing process will happen very quickly if you that the plant is sure to ripen once you get
period have to go somewhere. The water are growing in water only a few brown hairs. A bud that has died off
is evaporated from the leaves of your or that has been infected by mould will
plants and then floats freely in your of developing mould than buds with a 80%. That is why it is always best to go also develop brown hairs. Harvesting is not
growing room. Since at the beginning more airy structure, thanks to the latter for a ventilator with too great a capacity an exact science but in short, if you have a
of the blooming the plants still had little not trapping moisture in them so easily. rather than too little. A large ventilator mostly brown hairs and a few of the lowest
vegetation and were rather small, then little Once you have discovered mould in a bud running at half speed makes less noise than buds still have white hairs, you can safely
moisture was released into the air by the then it is as good as lost, since the mould a small ventilator running flat out. If this go ahead and start chopping. You have
plants. Thanks to this, the air moisture has been active inside before it became does not help sufficiently, then you can to look at the plant as a whole when you
was if anything too low rather than too visible on the outside of the bud. When have the ventilator built into an insulated are doing your 80% calculations. In order
high. Because our green plants grow more you have a lovely-developed bud and then box. Just attaching a length of hose to to experience the varieties of high you
rapidly in a moister climate than in the dry a strange yellow-coloured leaf sticks out the ventilator already reduces the sound can achieve, you might want to harvest at
heat produced by the HPS lamps, you can the middle of it - even though you have considerably because the sound is not staged intervals, and once they are dried
ensure a faster development and growth definitely been giving her enough nutrients immediately dispersed but runs first along take each sample for a test smoke.
in the first week(s) by allowing the air - then you are best off pulling it softly out. the hose, by which it is reduced in volume.
moisture to rise. The easiest way to achieve If the leaf comes free easily, then the bud Should these efforts still not give you the As the end approaches nearer you will find
that one variety holds on to its nutrients
more than the other. So for example a
K2 will hold on to its nutrients longer ,
which means you have to stop feeding it
in the last week and a half. The plants will
remain a crisp green despite doing this,
the hairs will continue to darken in colour,
and the buds will slowly ripen, taking
on a marvellous appearance with their
wonderful layer of THC sprinkled all over
them. Since there is still a lot of nutrition
left over in the medium (exactly how much
depends on the medium you are using)
and the leaves also contain considerable
nutrients within them, we stop feeding
them for the last 1.5-2 weeks of bloom.
If you are growing hydroponically then
don’t cease feeding until the last five days,
as the yellowing process will happen very
quickly if you are growing in water only.
In soil-filled pots, or on coco and suchlike
there is still quite a lot of nutrient left in
that needs to be used up. What happens
This Orange Bud is obviously ripe, as is Sometimes you will also encounter freaks with abnormalities among your plants, such as when you stop feeding your plants is that
clearly visible from the coloured hairs. this bud that is blossoming away on a large leaf they will take up and use all remaining
available nutrients from the pots or
this without buying an air humidifier is to is infected. So make sure that you have a results you wish, then you can fit a sound medium, and once this has been done
attach a dimmer switch to your ventilator. good ventilator in action during the last muffler to your ventilator. This looks they will suck their leaves dry to get the
With a dimmer you can vary the speed of weeks. It is an investment when you are something like a carbon filter; a metal tube nutrients out of these too. In other word,
the air extraction. Connecting a dimmer just starting out, but is a ‘must’ if you that you fix to your ventilator so that the even after stopping with feeding the plant
is handy because with it you can better want to make sure that your harvest comes sound produced must first pass through the still has more than enough nutrients. You
influence the climate. What’s more, off without a hitch. Not only does the tube, where it is reduced. Then simply fit a can still apply bloom stimulator given that
a ventilator without a dimmer always ventilator ensure that the warm, damp air is normal hose to the muffler and you’ll find this is not a nutrient substance. The leaves
operates at full speed and this is not always removed, but it also makes sure that fresh, the noise has largely been filtered out. will slowly turn yellow and this is a sign
needed, and not only wastes electricity CO2-rich air is sucked into the space in that there is very little nutrient remaining
but also creates more noise than is strictly which your plants are hard at work. They The last weeks of blooming in your buds by harvest time. In this way
necessary. It is not actually the ventilator will need this fresh air to keep growing you also save a few weeks or days of
itself that creates the noise but the stream and blooming at an optimum rate. Try and The majority of the bud development will nutrient expenses. Yellowing is therefore a
of air that comes out of it. So you are make sure that during the last few weeks have happened by the 6th week if we are good thing because having excess nutrients
better off having a dimmer during the first of blooming the air moisture is kept below growing a medium long-blooming variety. in them will add nothing to your buds.
weeks; it will allow the pump to not only 50%. In the last two weeks the buds will be Eventually you will be able to remove
operate more softly, it will suck away less mostly ripening and not growing further in some of the larger leaves from your
moist air, thereby keeping the air moisture Of course, you can grow in a cupboard size to any great extent. The buds that were plants in the last week or few days before
content higher and allowing your seedlings without a ventilator by keeping the door chock full of bone-white hairs will now the harvest, which will save you some
to develop more quickly. ajar, but then will not get optimal results. begin to turn slowly brown. Depending trimming and will also allow more light
If you are going to do something, you are on which variety you are using and the down to the lowest buds and give them a
As soon as the plants become bigger better off making sure you do it well. The climate of the space, this ripening can take better chance of adding some last minute
you can afford to let the pump do a bit dimmer in combination with the ventilator a variable amount of time to finish. Once weight before coming under the shears.
more work, as the plants are producing will enable you to master the environment some 80% of the little hairs have turned This done, it leaves little else to do in the
ever greater quantities of moisture, and better, and an outstanding climate increases brown then it is time for digging those last few weeks but to savour the results of
you need to make sure that the humidity your yield and the quality of your eventual clippers out the cupboard and preparing for the source of your excitement...
does not start to creep up too high once harvest. harvest.
the formation of the buds is well and Next time, more about the harvest - leaving
truly underway, around the fourth week Keeping the noise down Of course you can also influence the you time to get your shears sharpened!
of blossoming. Too high a humidity can sort of high you get from your cannabis
lead to the rock hard buds beginning to For those of you who have your growing by harvesting your buds a little earlier This series was
develop mould during their last few weeks space set up in the vicinity of a bedroom, or later. The longer you wait to harvest, made in co-
of growth. When the humidity is too high then there can be a problem of complaints the ‘stonier’ the cannabis will be; if you operation with
there is a greater chance of damp getting about the noise made by the ventilator. harvest it a little earlier then you will get Plagron; visit them
at www.plagron.nl
Soft Secrets 53
Grow your o
wn
Harvest time!
The end is approaching, and hopefully I Which one you use depends largely
By Bart B.
in the air, but only when you create the on from the harvest. Thanks to the
poor conditions they like do they get ripening process the buds will taste
a foothold on your buds. Insufficient better, and the high will be better. As
ventilation thanks to putting the I said, cannabis needs time. After this
harvested buds in too small or to month the taste will be fairly well
closed off a space, or by leaving them developed, although some varieties
to dry on a hard surface rather than on do need a little more time than others
an aerated surface is one of the most in order to become a top smoke.
common causes of mould. The fear of Naturally, the buds will be good, but
mould is pretty unwarranted so long as they can still be just a tad better...
you bear these factors in mind.
So all’s well that ends well, now we’re
Ripening left with a large volume of leaf trim
over, dripping with THC, with which
There is a big difference between we have plans to make something
ripening and drying cannabis. After wonderful out of. So not only do
just one week the small buds are we have a good supply of smoking
usually dry, while the medium to large material but we can yet make a good
buds will need two weeks. If you have water hash or hash oil, try out cannabis
some really huge buggers in your recipes when we cook, and more...
garden, they could use a few more
Some of the Plagron fertilizers I used for this series days than that even. You can always
choose whether to dry any enormous But more about that in the next issue,
When you lay out your buds to dry in buds as a whole or to break them up in the very last edition of Growing for
Drying room their room make sure that they have a first, because the structure of huge Dummies...
good circulation of air under and over buds is made up of smaller ones that
It is also important to bring the harvest them. Laying them down on newspaper have grown together. Smaller buds dry
to a good conclusion because after so or something else that is not aerated is out quicker so if time is an important
many months of work it would be a not advisable. There are special drying factor you’re better off breaking them
crying shame to watch your buds turn racks you can buy and I recommend up.
mouldy. The ideal place in which to them highly for drying your cannabis on.
leave your buds to dry is in a cool and These are racks with tensioned threads The trick to telling whether your
dark room kept somewhere between across them thanks to which the buds cannabis is indeed good and dry is to
15-22 degrees. It is not important to get plenty of air from underneath. When take a large bud and try to break its
ensure that the room is very warm you just stick your buds on a piece of twig. When the twig snaps easily the
because the active ingredients need cardboard then the side of the bud that bud is good and dry. Don’t try and
a bit of time to mature properly so comes into contact with the cardboard convince yourself they’re ready by
that you get a decent effect when you loses its moisture with more difficulty, taking a small bud twig and breaking
smoke the cannabis. It is better to dry which increases the chances of it that. All your buds need to be properly
the buds slowly over two weeks then developing mould considerably. You are dry before you can ripen them. The
stick them in a warm room to get them better off laying harvested buds next to dried buds will be nicely smokeable
into a smokeable condition as soon each other rather than piling them on after two weeks. They are not yet at
as possible. This certainly does not top of each other. If mould does take their absolute peak, but they will do
improve the quality. Trying to quickly hold it will spread less easily from bud the business. Finally it is time to test
dry out your buds by sticking them in to bud. A good 75% of the harvested them out, in the knowledge that they
the microwave or in an oven because bud is made up of water that has to be will only get better in the future.
you happen to be temporarily out of removed. When this moisture has trouble
smoke makes no sense at all. Not being removed is when we get the risk Once your buds are well and truly
only will it taste very sharp and bad, of mould. If you start with 500 grams of dry we can take care of the storage.
you only get a weak high that’s not wet buds then you will end up about 125 In order to keep the quality of your
particularly enjoyable. Cannabis needs grams of dry smokeables. cannabis high you will need to store it
in a cool, dark space. So just put it in
a light-proof plastic container or glass
The leafage contains a lot of THC and so we keep beaker in a dark place. Light destroys
this to one side so that later we can make water THC. If a few of your buds aren’t dry
enough and you store them with others, Plagron’s Green Sensation, Top Activator
hash or ‘skuff’ out of it then they will all end up damp again,
even the ones that were actually dry. This series was
time to come to its full strength, shall we Too low a temperature can also mean made in co-
say. It is not just because it is dry that it that the buds spend too long damp, and Now you have to leave the buds operation with
is ready for consumption. again this increases your mould risk. where they are for another two weeks Plagron; visit them
at www.plagron.nl
There are always mould spores floating to ripen, which will put us a month
Soft Secrets 53
Grow your o
wn
a small amount of leaf material. It is not is an experience in itself, and that moment
necessary to polinate your buds given the when you first haul the final bag out of
quality of the leaf material, but of course the bucket remains a magical one, as you
if you are a real hash aficionado and don’t shake it back and forth before opening
fancy smoking your buds then go ahead it and there are the yellow crystals lying
and polinate your whole crop. Make sure there in a pile. It is also true when making
than you first break up the buds though, water hash that the drier the leaf material
so that the crystals from every corner the better the harvest of crystals you can
of them can be shook loose. This will hope for. On the other hand, the quality
dramatically increase your hash yield. will be slightly lower. The advantage of
Also ensure that no twigs (or as few as making water hash is that you can get
possible) are left in your buds because to work even with fresh, un-dried leaf
these can damage the sieve. A piece of material. The yield when you use fresh
sieve does cost quite a bit of money, so it leaf trim is quite a bit lower, but what you
is more than an annoyance to wreck it. get is of very good quality because you
get less leaf contamination than if you use
Although a polinator machine or suchlike dried leaf.
does cost about 300-500 euros, it is an
investment that will immediately pay Bubbleator
itself off in the first harvest and hash
production. It will also work well for Man is essentially a creature of leisure,
many years without problem. The only If the water is of dark brown colour, we can be assured of lots of crystals in the sieving bag and one of the drawbacks of the whole
pre-requisite should you be thinking of ‘working with ice’ routine, if I can call it
equipping yourself with such a gizmo that, is the difficulty of securing the mixer
is that you need a nice amount of leaf safely. So you can’t just suddenly decide
material every few months with which ‘oh, I think I want to make some water
to work with. There is very little sense hash’, but must always first find yourself
in getting your own polinator if you only a suitable mixer that will operate safely
have a very small amount of leaf waste in this context. This can discourage some
and the polinator spends more time in the growers meanwhile from even trying make
cupboard than in action. this excellent variety of hash.
So the bags are placed in the bucket; it, and perfect for making a quality water Since you use water extraction to make the I hope that you have been able to check
lower-most is the bag that will catch hash with. Watch out that you don’t leave hash there is far less contamination in your out all the episodes of Growing for
the crystals and only let water through. them in the freezer too long otherwise their final product, which boosts the quality of Dummies (check our website,
Above that come all the sieve bags that contents will freeze, which is no good to the hash and its purity is increased. Water www.softsecrets.nl for PDF files of any
will hold onto some leaf material and a you. Or I suppose you can cut open the hash is also very different in its effect you missed), and to understand them. If
certain size of crystal. (PET) bottles and use the frozen contents and power than ordinary hash. It’s just this is the case and you have followed the
instead. something that you have to try for yourself simple basic instructions from the series,
We first fill the bucket with ice-cold in order to appreciate. Water hash can then by now you must be in the position of
water (in effect, around 3 degrees). The The simplest way to make water hash even be too powerful for inexperienced gathering in your own decent harvest.
colder the better since then the crystals without too much hassle is to set your smokers.
will break loose more easily. By putting mixer on a timer so that it will run for 20 Congratulations! You are no longer a
a (food) mixer in the bucket the leaf minutes, then switch itself off for 5 minutes Not all cannabis varieties are equally Dummie, but a Soft Secrets-certified
material is beaten and this action loosens before doing another 20 minute cycle. suitable for making water hash from; some home grower!
the crystals. Do not use the mixer at full Do this for about an hour and a half. It is varieties lose some of their taste. That is
speed because the idea is not to reduce important to make sure that your mixer why it is better to act in the same way as The end
the leaf material to a pulp. This will only is well and truly fixed in place so that it a wine connoisseur, so to speak, and use
succeed in creating a poorer quality end cannot break free and wreck the whole both methods when you are trying a new This series was
product. I’ll advise you once again to let operation (and bags). If you’re happy this variety so that you can determine which made in co-
operation with
your leaf material spend a night in the is OK, then there’s no need to stand and the best method is to make hash from with
Plagron; visit them
freezer before you begin. watch the mixer, switching it on and off. this particular variety. Making water hash at www.plagron.nl
49
Soft Secrets
grow REPORT
Blueberry
From seed to flower By Bart B.
Grower: Aja (from the US)
Requirement details:
Partitioned closet 3'(92cm)
wide x 2'(60cm) deep x 7' (2.14m)high
600 watt HPS w/Hortilux bulb air-cooled hood
70 watt HPS (Regent Security light that I converted to remote ballast)
5 x 45 watt Compact Fluoros (vegetative phase)
5 x three gallon tubs with airstones (19 liter) (vegetative phase)
2 x 465cfm fans for ventilation
4 x Dual Outlet Air pumps /1"(2.54cm) air stones
4 x five gallon bubbling buckets with controller bucket
I will be explaining the process from germinating Dutch Passion Blueberry seeds
through to harvesting as I go along. I wanted to share the experience in this way Seeds:
so that those new to indoor cultivating can get a feel for growing hydro and learn Dutch Passion Original Blueberry, feminised
about what is required to grow healthy, happy plants. Nutrients: General Hydroponics Flora Series
Week 3 Seedlings
Week 4 – vegging
Flowering, day 31
Hydro supplies
Flowering, day 31
Blueberry
From
By Bart B.
seed to flower, part 2
Grower: Aja
Week 3 Flowering out at 7:00. Depending on the readings, I
This is my favourite part, hey-hey. The may feed the plants or adjust the pH. I
girls are starting to look like ladies... I record the start and end readings in a
took these pictures today, right after lights journal. This helps to identify trends and
off. The tallest plant is playing chicken prepares me for future crops with this
with the HPS, so I had to raise the lamp a strain. Any unusual tendencies, such as
bit. I took some close ups of some of the nutrient sensitivity, deficiencies, etc. are
buds. I can't wait to watch these girls recorded as well. In theory you could
develop. probably grow without all of this effort,
but you might not learn as much as
I noticed that they were cruising through quickly. I rotate the plants bucket's during
the nutrients pretty fast so I mixed up these checks as well. This is a delicate
some lunch for them and they seem to be process that requires patience and care.
enjoying it. Unlike my last crop these Each plant is gently rotated 90 degrees,
plants really thrive on higher doses of three times a day. This allows all of the
nutrients during flowering. I have noticed plant to eventually be exposed to the
two separate phenos so far. Two of the sweet spot of the HPS. Be sure to gently
plants are very compact and bushy with re-position leaves and entangled branches up... Two of the girls are starting to turn
tight buds forming while the other two during this process. Once the plants have purple, and it is fun to watch the colour
are taller with more pronounced colas and been rotated, I tuck in any fan leaves that spread throughout the leaves. These
stalk-like flower sites, but the buds are are covering up bud sites. This is a Blueberries are very pretty plants. Can't
hairier and seem less dense. My lighting frustrating and thankless job. Marihuana wait to see them in about 4 weeks... The
and growing conditions are pretty plants are light junkies, they will selfishly buds are frosting up nicely. I looked at a
uniform, so I have to assume that the hog any light that comes by, even at the piece of leaf under a microscope earlier clones and running a continuous cycle is
differences are genetic. expense of sister branches and nodes. and the trachoma’s are plentiful and clear the only solution for me. New life
I took clones from all four so I will keep Combat this by diligently arranging as a bell. I use the condition of the replaces the old. I really think that this
an eye on these different characteristics leaves to form compromises. I never pick trichomes to determine harvest time. strain is capable of going as high as 1400-
and select the best clone, based on leaves off of my plants unless they are Some strains mature with white hairs, so I 1500 ppm. These girls are little piglets.
performance and it’s buzz, for a mother. ready to come off naturally. I figure that don't feel colour is an accurate indicator My pH seems to be much more stable
Clones have many advantages, a huge this plant knows best how to manage it's of readiness. Although it's too early to with the higher nutrients. I still am not
one is that they grow more uniformly. own resources. It is a weed after all. tell, my gut tells me they will be ready in experiencing any deficiencies other than
This is important because it allows you to Finally, check the temperature. Move 25 - 30 days. I'm losing fan leaves rapidly N, which is expected at this point. I will
keep the light as close to the plants as your thermometer's probe around your on one of the plants. This is my fault. I definitely be harvesting colas first and
possible. This crop from seeds plant's canopy to locate any hot spots. misted some of them early on in then continuing down the plant while the
demonstrates this problem; the plant The temperature is only accurate if it flowering and the intensity of my HPS lower buds fatten up. Most of the lower
closest to the light is only 6"(15cm) away, reflects the true reading of your plant's burned them. When you mist too close, buds are lagging behind quite a bit. The
while the farthest is almost 18"(46cm). I highest point. I check my reservoir’s the light intensity is magnified by the only true Indica pheno is surprisingly, the
suppose I could tie it down, but the others temperature and I try to keep it in the water drops on the leaves. I maintained slowest to mature. I really like this plant
are catching up and at this point the plants upper 11 – 16 C. This temperature range the temperature in the mid 16 C range. and am looking forward to grading the
are still stretching. seems to work best for transferring Lower temperatures allow this water to smoke. It is the plant with the dark purple
oxygen and maintaining healthy roots. I stand on the leaves longer before leaves and ultra compact buds. Looks
Flowering Day 31 check for good air bubble action and evaporation/absorption. Beware... scary up close.
Okay so we have made it to day 31 of make sure the pumps are operating Everything seems to be on track.
12/12! I figure we're just a bit under half correctly. These cheap pumps will last a Hopefully the extra nutrients will kick- Flowering Day 52
way there. The more Sativa-like pheno long time but they do occasionally bite it start the buds a little.
buds are still lagging behind the Indica, due to poor workmanship... While it
so I probably will be harvesting these seems like a lot, all of these tasks can be Flowering Day 45
girls in sections... The girls seem to be combined into a session that takes less
ravenous and have been gobbling up their than 30 minutes per day. Not too bad for
food at a record pace. I have had to mix 0.63 lb (284 gr) – 0.75 lb (340 gr) of
nutrients up twice this week in order to kind...
supplement. I think I will go to a higher
concentration next water change. Flowering Day 38
Plant heights are as follows:
50 Sativa/ 50 Indica phenos - 38"(97 cm),
36"(92cm) and 44" (112cm)
20 Sativa/ 80 Indica pheno 32"
(82cm)(and about as wide...)
Kinda frustrating to have this much Busy week! All right, we are in the home
variation. All four plants seem to be stretch. Lots of frosty stuff going on, buds
maturing at different rates. Another are still not there yet but I see the end in
reason to use clones. The buds are getting very frosty and sight. My purple Indica pheno is way
dense. The cooler temperature and extra behind the others.
Maintenance: nutrients seem to be plumping up the girls It stretched quite a lot when I boosted the
Maintaining a well planned DWC crop is nicely. The last few weeks will really be nutrients. Hopefully I can harvest the tops
about as easy as it gets. Here is a list of the most interesting, as the buds will of the other plants and lower my light
daily tasks that I perform to maintain really go nuts while sensing their down. The 'popcorn' buds on the lower
healthy growth. impending demise. I have mixed feelings branches are still a long way off. I'm not
PH and TDS/EC are checked three times Changed my water today. Bumped up the about flowering. I love to watch the going to cut these girls until they are
a day. In the morning when lights go on nutrients to 1200. The buds are not flowers 'bloom' and develop, but a part of completely finished.
at 7:00am. At noon I check during lunch developing as quickly as I'd like. me is sad that my plants are in effect, Too much time and expense to settle for
and then again at 6:00pm before lights Hopefully this will help fatten those buds dying right in front of my eyes. Making premature nuggets. Normally, I would do
62 Soft Secrets
MJ = Marijuana
DWC = Deepwater culture, the name
of the hydro system used
PPM = Part Per Milli
MG = Magnesium
and the one with a bright purple stalk and N = Nitrogen
branches, is free of purple on the leaves continuing to fill out and mature. Two of GH = General Hydroponics
as well. I think I will make my cloning the colas will be cut this weekend and the Phenos or phenotypes = The
decisions based purely on flavour and other two early next week. The 80/20 different traits that occur in the same
buzz. I grow strictly for my own supply, pheno is almost done, which makes sense strains are called phenos. You can
so eye appeal doesn't matter that much to being that it is more Indica. have sativa or indicaphenos in a
me. The fragrance is beginning to smell The others are all pretty close behind. I strain. The best a plant is breeded the
fruitier, but I still can't say that they smell will post harvest photos as I cut them, less phenos will occur.
like Blueberries. including wet weight, dry weight, drying SCROG = This is just a way of
temperature is extending the info, cure, etc. This will probably be an growing where the plants is topped
flowering/maturing period by a week or Flowering Day 66 extended harvest, maybe another two and the branches are spread out to
so. I think it is well worth it though weeks total, perhaps… increase yield. Used when one has
because the buds are getting very dense Overall, I am satisfied that I provided the only a couple of plants.
and thick. One indicator of too much heat 'optimum conditions', referenced by HQS SOG= This is the opposite of
is light fluffy buds. Blacklabel for good yields, but I will be SCROG, this is just letting the plants
They look great on the plant but shrink lucky to grab 0.50 lb (227 gr.) from these grow untopped in a large numbers
into very airy, crumbly buds that burn and phenos, which is poor in my book. On the with very little veg.
smoke very poorly. plus side, all of the mature buds are very FIM = This is an advanced topping
Harvesting too soon is probably the worst dense and compact and should smoke method where one pinces 40% away
thing you can do with Marihuana. Wait very well. The good news is that I have from the headshoot. Still leaving 60%
the extra week or two and enjoy your grown out a mother from clone of my of the shoot on the plants that will
harvest the way it was meant to be favourite plant. This pheno will have the become forming between 2-12 extra
enjoyed. Please be patient and wait until highest yield by far of the group and has a branches instead of the normal 2
your buds are ready. branch structure that should work well for when one normally tops a plant. This
a SCROG grow. Hopefully the high will doesn’t always work and it takes
Flowering Day 59 match the plants appearance. some practice to do it right. Mostly
I am on day 5 of a straight RO water you only get 3-5. With some
flush. The plants definitely need to go Continued next issue… experience 8 can be achieved.
another week. I'm disappointed by the POTW =picture of the week
lack of accurate harvest information for Any grow related question? Email me
this strain. What little info there is gives Not much to report, plant wise. Buds are at bartb@ganja.com
38 Soft Secrets
Grow Report
Blueberry
From seed to flower, final
By Bart B. Grower: Aja
on two of the plants. In future I will use a Ease of Grow: 8 Under conscientious eyes,
more aggressive feeding schedule, maybe Yield: Shitty – 50 g. this is a trouble free strain
start at 1100 and move to 1500 after week Smoke Report - This one was by far my that will reward you with a
6. pH remained rock steady at higher first choice to try. The taste is amazing! high quality product at
levels and I was confident enough to lower Very berry-like, almost BB but not quite. harvest. The plants
it to 5.2 for all plants in the final weeks. Very smooth and easy on the throat and greedily lapped up any
mind-numbingly potent. This is my happy quantity of nutrients I
Phenotypes pot - it just makes everything about the threw at them without any
There were only two phenos by the present seem better. Nice uplifting high serious nutrient burn
strictest definition, but overall I felt that with built in body numbing as a bonus. during flower. Fan leaves
there were three types that shared more The real killer is that this herb is so good remained green on three of
than just colour differences, bud structure that I feel like I would have to do a the plants all the way
and leaf shape. serious SOG crop to keep me supplied. through to the flush.
Potency: 9 Vegetation is another
Pheno #1 Taste: 8 story. Watch your nutrients
This type resembled the advertisement, an Smell: 9 closely during week four
80/20 Indica Dominant - shrub. This plant High: 8 Up w/body tingling side effects. and five prior to flower.
was very short and very wide. The leaves Desirability: 0, yield not worth the effort Yield was below average
turned purple around week 5 and the cola unless SOG/SCROG from any standpoint,
was purple with purple calyxes. Finished Social Liability: 0 however tweaking and
height was I believe, 32 inches(82 cm). I Paranoia: 0 training should bring it up
found there to be way too many leaves on Friend Maker: 10+ Friends will come to average. In theory
this plant! Interior buds ended up out of the woodwork. clones should add yield
underdeveloped due to light penetration through genetic
issues. I really never liked this plant. It Pheno #3 maturation. I strongly urge
was much shorter than the others This is my favourite pheno and was anyone growing this strain
throughout the entire grow, and despite its fortunately also the best producer. This to use clones. The plants
beautiful appearance, it yielded only 1.5 pheno exhibits a tallish cola and long all grew in different stages
ounces (42grams). The lower foot of this heavily budding branches. High calyx to and an even canopy is
pheno yielded only hash fixings. leaf ratio with good sized fat and dense hard to achieve without
buds. These were more Sativa in topping/FIM. The large
Colour: Dark Purple leaves and calyxes appearance and as a result grew taller amount of leaf material is
at 5 weeks flower. than the others with more numerous bud overwhelming on the
Ease of Grow: 8 sites and better exposure to the light. One Indica phenos, severely
Beauty: 10 of the three that shared this type had dark limiting light penetration.
Yield: Shitty - 42g. purple leaves the other two were green. Pruning is a must with this
Smoke Report - Okay, so I like the plant a The growth was uniform among these strain. Colour appeared on
little more after smoking its buds. three and the two that I flowered the two seedlings that
No Blueberry taste, instead it is a cross produced the best yield of the four matured as purple and
between lemon and skunk, if you can flowered plants. even 11 C night
imagine that. Smooth, even smoke that I believe that if I had been aggressive temperatures failed to
will alert any nose within a mile. with pruning and FIM, yield would have encourage purple on the
Very strong body high that hits you been considerably higher (on all of these remaining two. Clones
immediately. This is Medicinal quality all plants). I have a clone from one of this rooted within 10 days and
the way. Your face goes numb and the rest types mother's that is pushing 4 looked pretty shaky for a
of your body follows. Snoozer pot if you feet(1.22m) already in the vegetative bit but came around and
let it. High lasts about 4 hours. No phase and is soon to be featured in my grow very well under
headache or other 'down' trauma in my future Mega- Plant: Friend or Foe, thread. initial high humidity. Due to the variety
experience. No munchies or cotton Colour: Green leaves and calyxes except of plants my seeds produced, I would
mouth, although it leaves a mild for one that was completely purple. recommend growing out as many seeds as
aftertaste, which may come out in the Ease of Grow: 8 you can to get a true idea of this plant's
cure. Very potent stuff that will sit ya Yield: Average (from seed) - 75g. potential, take clones and grow the ones
down quick. Mild paranoia, this should Smoke Report - I was pleasantly that fit your personal preference.
go away with a longer cure. Great TV surprised to find a true Couch Lock in the Flowering time seemed just right at 70+
pot, or just right for staying in for the group. Two hits will park you for a good days, although outward appearances
evening. long time. The taste is truly amazing. suggested that they could go on for
Potency: 8 Blueberry, with a hint of spice. another month. I kept waiting for a surge
Taste: 6 Fortunately, the potency will prevent you in bud size that never came. Get a
High: 7 Kind of couch lock, does from being able to smoke too much, magnifying glass to call the harvest date
numbers for my insomnia. 'cause the taste is addictive. I challenge on this strain Happy growing from Aja &
Desirability: 5 anyone to finish counting to 100 after Bart B.!
Social Liability: 0 some of this stuff. I found even
Paranoia: 5 navigating around a DVD menu a little The end
Friend Maker: 10+ (it's still way better challenging. I certainly won't be writing
than the commercial available in my Java on this weed. MJ = Marijuana
area.) Potency: 10 DWC = Deepwater culture, the name of the hydro system used
Taste: 10+ Promises to cure into the best PPM = Part Per Milli
Pheno #2 I have ever had. MG = Magnesium
This type had the POTW winner for a Smell: 9, Do NOT open the window. N = Nitrogen
cola. The cola turned purple but this was High: 9 Couch lock; cancel your plans GH = General Hydroponics
the only area of the plant to show colour. for the day. Phenos or phenotypes = The different traits that occur in the same strains are
The stems were dark red, but the leaves Desirability: 10, I want more already and called phenos. You can have sativa or indicaphenos in a strain. The best a plant
stayed green. If it weren’t for the beauty I have over 5 ounces(142gr) stashed. is bred the less phenos will occur.
of this plant, and the fabulous high, it Social Liability: 0, you won't be going out SCROG = This is just a way of growing where the plants is topped and the
would have been a total loss. This plant tonight. branches are spread out to increase yield. Used when one has only a couple of
had a nice fat cola surrounded by really Paranoia: 0 plants.
puny bud sites that never really got any Friend Maker: 0 - Only my best friends SOG= This is the opposite of SCROG, this is just letting the plants grow
bigger. Yield was lousy as a result. I will will know about this one. untopped in a large numbers with very little veg.
never grow those clones, that is a given. FIM = This is an advanced topping method where one pinces 40% away from
Most of the lower plant was processed for Summary the headshoot. Still leaving 60% of the shoot on the plants that will become
hash. I have wanted to do a Blueberry crop for forming between 2-12 extra branches instead of the normal 2 when one
Colour: Green leaves and calyxes except many years and I am glad that I finally normally tops a plant. This doesn’t always work and it takes some practice to
for the main cola. have one under my belt. Many of the do it right. Mostly you only get 3-5. With some experience 8 can be achieved.
Beauty: 10, Fantastic cola. 'facts' about this strain are misleading. POTW =picture of the week
Soft Secrets 41
Grow with S
oma
In the many years that I am growing within the pH range of 6.2 to 6.6, the plant
Cannabis plants, I have come to know how gets a chance to acquire what it needs at
to recognize the signs of happiness. Happy the different levels.Good ventilation and
plants are a sight to see...Deep GREEN air movement are essential in having
leaves holding themselves up and open to happy plants. I have a big exhaust fan
the light with strong stalks. attached to a charcoal filter that creates
suction on the door when I open it. About
When you walk into your grow room, half the size of my exhaust fan is my fresh
what you see is what you get. I always air fan bringing in fresh air, rich with
take a deep look at the plants in my room. carbon dioxide. I also have 2 circulating
I look at the color of the leaves to see if fans to move the air around so that there
they are the right color green. I don’t want are no stale air pockets.
them to be pale and dull looking. When a You can’t let your room get too hot or you
marijuana leaf is healthy it has a shine to will not have happy plants. I try to keep it
it, when it is sick it looks dull. between 22 and 27 degrees centigrade. It Amethyst Bud A
Just like humans, cannabis plants have can take temps higher than 35 for very
body language. A healthy pot plant holds short periods, but I would try and avoid it.
its leaves in a slightly upright manner People who smoke my weed tell me it
without bending its tips. It does not have tastes so good. I tell them its because I use
discoloration in any area of the leaves. Guano. The Guano I use has an NPK of 2-
When a leaf is taken off and the underside 15-2; I mix it in the soil and also add it as
examined, no spider mites or eggs are a tea. Guano is the food of choice for great
seen. My best friend in accomplishing an tasting cannabis. (www.guanokalong.nl)
insect free garden is Neem oil. When I am always repeating this, because it is the
sprayed on your plants every 3 days until most common problem with cannabis
the 4th week of flowering, you will have growers. Don’t pick it early, when it looks
no bug problems. Neem oil is safe, organic like it’s ready wait a week. That is one of
and will not harm beneficial insects. the most important things I can tell you.
My favorite part of growing happy plants
Knowing when to water your plants is an is when people smoke the weed that has
essential part of being a cannabis farmer. had a happy life. They notice how great it
Cannabis does not like too much water; it tastes and smells, and the high is clear and
needs soil with air in it. Good aeration and clean, with no pesticide residues, and no
drainage that’s what cannabis roots are chemical taste.In the cannabis world there
looking for. It all depends what kind of are so many chemical formulas, pesticides,
growing system you are using to get the super plant foods etc. Read the ingredients Amethyst Bud B
feel of when and how much water to use. and think about whether you want to ingest
With my growing beds it is once every 3 them or not. Even though we don’t eat the
days, as it takes about 3 days for the soil to weed, we still consume it, and I for one
get on the dry side. When I use pots it don’t want to consume any chemical
usually takes only 2 days to get dry. poisons in order to have a bigger bud.
pH is all-important. Having a good pH
meter at your side in the grow room is They say a picture is worth a thousand
essential. When I first started growing I words. I am including some choice photos
thought that pH 7 was the best range for of some very happy plants, bursting with
cannabis. I have since found that cannabis energy, getting ready to give me back all
likes 6.2 to 6.6 in the soil. When I pH the the love I have shown them.
water I am going to use, I bring it down When growing indoors, the farmer
with citric acid. In Amsterdam it starts becomes even more important to the
from the tap at pH 8.3, so I add enough to plants. It is the farmer who controls the
bring it down to pH 6.0. The pH only gets water, light, fertilizer, timing, and most of
lowered for a brief period of time and all, the loving care.
starts to go up again within about 8 hours. Happy plants make happy people.
Starting out at 6.0 when you add it, the pH
goes up slowly. As it goes up to different Keep it GREEN and Loving
levels the plants get access to different
nutrients. As the intake of nutrients varies Soma Buddha's Sister A
Germination
It seems to me that many new growers week 2
the first week. I went out of town for a
day and all but one of the babies had
fallen completely over when I returned.
The toothpick solution works great for
me. Make sure that the twist-tie or string
is not too tight.
After a week I removed the splints and
the plants supported themselves without Vegging
assistance. Initially these girls have very
soft and flexible stalks, stems and leaves,
so keep a fan on them early and watch for week 3
stretching. Keep a fluorescent light close
by to prevent unnecessary stretch and you
Germination will be fine.
Grow Report
Spot the not because of this. There always seems to be be pinching grow shoots to double my
a runt. This plant will be put to service as colas. My grow room works best with
a mother or maybe become a subject in Sativa’s, so hopefully I can prune in such
some freaky grow experiment. After the a way as to optimize my space without
cubes are in the bubbler, I pour nutrient tying down.
solution over the Hydroton only. Once
again, I am forcing the rapid development Vegetative Period
of roots by encouraging the plant to
expend energy on water exploration After two weeks of 400w MH, I have
rather than vertical growth. Using this seen an amazing increase in growth. The Week 3 in flower
method you will experience rapid root fan leaves on these plants are massive. I
development that allows your plant to had to prune every few days just to keep seemed good to go. So far the pH has
experience the benefits of a hydro the plant open to light. Compared to the been rock solid (once I got it down there)
environment faster. Nutrient strength is HPS, there is definitely thicker growth and I will keep an eye on it. The plants
around 500 PPM. I will watch for which makes sense, I was just unprepared seem indifferent to the change in water,
nutrient burn and adjust as necessary. My for the huge difference. I am glad that I thus far. All of the plants have numerous
pH is still at 6.0 and will stay there until purchased a switchable ballast, I think the budding sites showing and I am
the move to buckets. added grow rate was well worth it. As I encouraged by the sheer speed at which
said, these girls are growing very fast. the plants are developing. They have
medium. I soak the Hydroton Grow Seedlings: Weeks 3-4 seemed to average an inch or more of
Rocks in a tub full of pH adjusted and I usually see a major growth spurt in the I decided to pinch the branches on this vertical growth per day during this last
nutrient rich solution. I use distilled water 3rd and 4th week; these girls really are crop. What this means is that I roll the week. All three remaining plants are
at this stage, as it is easier to lower the growing strong. I have been fairly branches between my fingertips lightly similar in type and fairly uniform in size
pH and initial fluctuations and to monitor aggressive with the nutrients and thus far crushing the interior lining of the branch. and development. Compared to previous
how much the plants are consuming. To have only had a slight amount of lower Afterwards, the branch will heal, crops, these plants seem to reflect the
determine the amount I need, I use one of leaf burn; this was on only one plant, effectively doubling, (in theory), its description much more closely. I hope I
the net pots and fill it four times. I put capacity to deliver nutrients in that area. planned the start of the flowering period
one inch(2.5cm) of Hydroton at the Week 3 While the branches are flaccid, you can correctly or I may end up with some very
bottom of the pot and carefully place the position them or tie them while they heal. tall plants.
plant/cube in the center. Next I add Another name for this is: Super
pellets to the top of the cube. Make sure Cropping. I pinched the growth shoots by Week 4 - 5 Flowering
you are happy with the plants’ simply grasping the shoot between my
orientation, as adjustments will be thumb and finger and pushing it back Well, the girly-girls are doing nicely. I
harmful after root development takes between the secondary shoots that are on have noticed two phenotypes thus far.
place. either side. I did this on all of the shoots The big difference seems to be the shape
that were of size. The advantage here as of the leaves and the formation of the
Each pot is placed in my Rubbermaid opposed to topping or FIM, is that the buds. The more Sativa type has very long
SWC nursery. Two air stones supply plant continues growing rather than narrow leaves and a bushy bud. The more
bubbles to the solution; the water level expending energy on repairing/regrowing Indica type has fat, broad leaves and tight
should be around 1/2 an inch (1.27cm) the damaged stem. I usually only do this reddish-tinted bud sites. All of the plants
from the pot bottoms. Bubbles should be on the main growth shoots, but on this are about the same height, although they
able to splash the underside of the net however. At 900 PPM I feel like they crop I want to encourage lateral growth differ by about a week in bud
pots. The temperature should be at room love it. After an hour or so of watching as much as possible to avoid tying development. I have noticed significant
temperature. It is a good idea to prepare the droopy plants I decided to capitalize branches, which is a pain in the a**. If I stretch so far and I will not be surprised if
the nutrient solution the night before to on their shocked state by moving them do it right, I should get a very even these finish around twice as tall as they
allow it to acclimatize. I provide 1 - 45 into the buckets. Might as well get it all canopy with maximum light coverage. were in late vegetation.
watts of fluorescent light for each plant. out, eh..? There will be an initial slowdown due to I waited one month to do a water change,
These are very effective and the clamps Two of the plants had very long root shock, but if the environment is good the as these girls do better with lighter
allow me to adjust the lights to the needs systems that tangled with the others. I plants will recover very quickly. nutrients. I have this crop going at week
of the growing plants. Because they are very carefully removed these tangles and 4 without a complete water change. I am
Compactflouro's, they run a bit hotter so moved the girls to the buckets one at a Can you spot the not? going to go the duration if possible. I
care must be taken to avoid burning time. I made an extra effort to match the truly believe that it is feasible to go a
leaves/ household items. water temperatures and PPM - pH of both I started having doubts about this plant a
As you can see, only four plants are solutions (nursery/buckets). Plants react few weeks ago, so I isolated it in the
developed enough for the bubbler at this to change poorly at times, so I try to bathroom just to be sure. Sure enough, it
point. I always grow one extra plant avoid hitting them with too many has balls. Price you pay sometimes for
surprises at once. Note how quickly the using feminized seeds. Separate any
roots have developed on these little suspicious plants immediately. I let this
monsters. one grow a little more so the 'parts' would
It is easy to get complacent and let your be easier for you to see.
plants go too far in the pre-bucket stage.
On the other hand, it is important to make Flowering: Week Three
sure your plants are strong enough to
survive the rigors of DWC before I skipped ahead a little. Now that I am
committing them to this environment. down to three plants, I have been training
Keeping the water quality the same for my girls to fill the gap left behind. I'm
Spot the not both environments will allow your plants hoping that the extra space will bode well
to acclimatize in their new homes much for the remaining girls. My tap water
easier. comes out at 400 PPM, with a pH of 7.5.
The first round of buckets will feature I decided to try GH FloraMicro for
distilled water and my veg mixture. I will Hardwater this crop to see if there is any Week 7
Plants become stressed as I stated earlier. One of the tricks to achieving rapid development
from two external Overall, these plants have been trouble- involves water deprivation
free up to this point, (except for the lone
irritants: Sudden sexual deviant, that I blame more on me weight, so far it doesn't seem be any less #2.
than the strain). The smell at this point, is effective than the 600 (in my 6 sq ft. - I want this to be my daytime herb, so I'm
changes in environment surprisingly, worse than the Blueberry at 0.56m2- situation), and without all of the leaning toward the conservative side of
this stage. Simply put, these ladies smell heat. cloudiness on this grow. I'm trying to get
or otherwise poor pretty good. Hard to describe, a little like more of a head high with less of the
Skunk, but sweeter. I think they smell stupefaction thing. My nutrients are around
conditions and
Week Eight Flowering
lovely, personally, but I am certainly not 400 PPM as I head into a straight water
eager to share it with the rest of the In the final weeks now, at least I hope we flush on Monday. I am going to use
improper/unbalanced neighborhood. Odor control is a must. I are. Everything seems to be going distilled water for the last two weeks,
hope it doesn't get any stinkier or I might smoothly with the reduced nutrients. These mostly because I still have a bunch left
nutrients need to implement more serious girls are not nearly as motivated to fill out from the last crop. Starting to get a few
measures. yellow fan leaves here and there, but
Week 3, flowering overall, the plants are still bright green. I
I believe that these girls require much am starting to see more white powder on
less nutrients than the Blueberry's, but the the leaves (not mold, thank god..), but
jury is still out. I will monitor the EC to nothing to match the legendary WW tales I
make sure I am giving them what they have heard on this. We will still have to
need for the next few weeks and raise it if see if I get that White carpeting effect on
necessary. There is a difference in bud these gals, I sure hope so.
maturity with all three plants. The most
developed appears to be on track for a 10 Harvest: Part 1
week harvest, but the other two are
lagging behind a little. Well after a little over ten weeks, I gave up
Stretch has been consistent and not really waiting for the fabled 'white carpet' and
mind-blowing at this point. I expect chopped my biggest girl after 48 hours of
another push in the next week before they blackness. Don't get me wrong, this girl is
settle down. Bud sites are plentiful and it very sticky, just no powdered donut look.
looks like the buds are going to be pretty Weight and density seem pretty good,
dense. Crystals are already coating the although there is quite a bit of leaf
fan leaves on the plant that is furthest material. Trimming is a great time for me
along, I hope this occurs on all of them. as much as the other strains I have grown so I don't mind. I have the buds hanging
Still have no idea what kind of yield I previously. The buds seem very thick and and all of the plants are finishing and
will get, but looks promising thus far. If dense. I will wait to pass judgment on the drying. Gorgeous plant! The colors are
Week 7 the smoke is as good as I think it will be, 400 versus 600 question, until harvest really bright and vivid. The buds are very
I might keep this strain around for a time. The two phenotypes are pretty thick and heavy. Should get 3 - 3.5 oz
while. distinct at this point, not sure which is the (85gr-100gr) if I lose 80% to water. Very
complete Flowering period without doing best though, they both look pretty sexy. slick and trouble-free crop. I hope it
a single water change, provided you The reddish-hued phenotype seems much smokes as good as it looks.
monitor your nutrients and make
adjustments where necessary. Week 8 Week 3, flowering Harvest: Part 2
The Hard water formula seems to be
working well. Here are some numbers I Well, I finally cut the other two-thirds of
recorded while mixing my nutrients the my crop down last weekend. Overall I am
last time. Note that the formula is 0/8/16 pretty impressed with this strain. The plants
and I mixed up 20 gallons (75.7 l.). pictured are the second phenotype and are
not as red or thick as phenotype #1,
Starting PPM of tap water: 400 perhaps. Lots and lots of leaves on these
Initial pH of tap water: 7.2 plants. These girls will take over your
whole house if you don't watch out. I still
After adding Micro: 730 PPM haven't tried any of the bud yet. I managed
After adding Bloom: 1260 PPM to prolong the drying time by raising the
After adding 25 ml Epsom salts: 1370 humidity initially when I first started, and
later putting the plants into paper grocery
Total PPM - starting measurement: 970 Week Seven Flowering further along than the others and will finish bags to finish, prior to jar curing. The buds
pH after adding nutrients: 6.4 up a bit sooner. I think the yield will be a are still a little too 'green' to smoke. Total
Business as usual. I am not blown away bit higher for this plant as well. The other yield from 3 plants was 10.50 oz (297gr).
I had to add 30 ml of pH to take the by the speed at which these girls are type is smaller, but has more even coloring
mixture down to 5.5. I think that the progressing, but for a 10 week flowering and more numerous buds. I checked the
nutrients are just right at this point. I will strain they seem to be on track (?) The trichomes and they are about 80% clear on In the next issue:
continue to monitor the health, but I am buds are really frosting up and I love the phenotype #1 and 90% clear on phenotype Final Grow/Smoke Report
convinced that these girls thrive on less way the leaves are shaped, can't wait to
nutrients overall. get some more weight on these skinny
little things. My nutrients are down to
Week 6 Flowering 600 PPM and the pH has been very solid.
I think I am going to wait to do a final
Past the halfway point and all is well. I water change until I do my flush in week
burned the plants a bit with my 9 or 10. It seems to be a waste of time
aggressive nutrient regimen (Dumb Ass!), and nutrients to change every 2 weeks, as
so I backed them off to about 700 PPM I have noticed absolutely no difference in
and the slight damage seems to be in plant health between the two methods
check. I don't flip-out when I toast the thus far. The plants are all about
outside edges a little, but I certainly don't 36"(91cm) tall presently, and are filling
want it to spread any further. I really love my 2'(60cm) x 3'(90cm) space nicely. I
these WW's so far. They are very haven't had to tie any down yet, but I
responsive and quickly adjust their leaves may do so in the future to open up the
to the light. At times the fan leaves will inner areas of the canopy to the light. I
point almost straight up to catch the HPS have my light about 13" (33cm) from the
rays as it warms up. Nutrient burn tops currently and the temps are still only
appeared during a weekend that I was out 75F (24C). Got to love that 400w lamp.
of town, but I was able to stop it easily, Hope it doesn't cost me too much bud Week 3, flowering
54 Soft Secrets
Grow report
From seed to harvest, final minor edge and tip burning on two of the
plants. After taking it down progressively
to 700, I think the plants were much
Okay, so now that I have looked over my scribbling and dried all of the bud, I will happier. I’m not convinced that higher
offer up some observations on this strain. As usual I would like to say that a nutrients are beneficial in this case and I
handful of plants hardly constitutes a fair and scientific investigation and more will certainly be less aggressive the next
thorough growing is needed to make anything more than general conclusions. On a time around. I maintained 600–800
good note, I found this strain to be very stable and all plants were fairly uniform through week 8 and then diluted the
and similar in requirements and appearance barring the obvious color and leaf mixture to 0 gradually for flushing in the
variation. With that in mind, here are some of my findings: following weeks. Bud sites appeared
By Aja roughly two weeks in and sex was evident
at around 10 days for my one
Shared physical traits: based on their quick development in hermaphrodite, and at two weeks for the
vegetation. Instead these girls behaved like remaining three females. The
White Widow absolutely loves hydro. I typical Indica’s and sported a short, but hermaphrodite wannabe had shown
have never watched a plant grow so husky, appearance all the way to the end. obvious stress during transplant and as a
quickly in the vegetative stage than these Stretch lasted until the 7th week of result warranted my suspicion. Sure
girls. It was an amazing rate of growth. flowering. Plant heights were similar enough, it turned to the dark side and was
After two weeks in the buckets, all of the throughout and finished around 40”(102 quickly destroyed.
plants had stems as thick as the cm). I have a feeling that there is a more
circumference of a pound coin. The root Sativa dominant phenotype within this Phenotypes
systems developed very quickly and nearly release that I have yet to discover.
reached the capacity of the buckets by the There were two phenotypes in this crop
end of their cycle. The speedy growth Nutrient needs -Deficiencies and they looked nothing alike.
compelled me to prune these plants very
aggressively. I literally trimmed a full Germination/Vegetation Pheno #1
sized garbage bag. Pinching was a mistake
with this crop. The plants went sideways All five seeds germinated in five days or This type was more Sativa dominant in
in a hurry, forcing me to quickly tie down less and growth rates were uniform. The appearance and featured bright reddish-
certain branches to achieve decent light stems were not rigid enough initially to purple calyxes and long very thick buds. It
penetration. The WW’s will definitely get support the weight of the plants. Adding matured a full two weeks ahead of the
bushier and thicker when topped or splints for support quickly solved the others and yielded the most of the three.
pinched. problem and by week two they were able This plant finished at 44” (112cm) tall and
My cramped space unfortunately, was not to go unsupported. Keep a close eye on was theoretically ready to cut at week 8; I
well suited to this condition and I paid for light-to-plant distance, as they will stretch let it go longer hoping for more resin and
crystal production. Although the plant
To be a successful grower you must be a bit of a finished very sticky, I doubt that the extra
time was worth it. Because of the quick
nurturer, but at the same time you need to use maturity and decent yield, this was the
better of the two phenotypes and I would
common sense and avoid tinkering with your recommend keeping it if you come across
it, as the finished smoke is pretty good
plants except when necessary stuff. Calyx to leaf ratio was average, but
there seemed to be quite a lot of trimming
it with poor bud development on the very quickly if the light intensity is too and hash fixings at the end.
lowermost branches. Due to this issue I low. The cloning solution seemed more
have re-designed my grow room to allow than adequate for the first weeks. No Color: Bright green with dark red calyxes
more spacing between my plants. I am other food or supplement was used until that turned purple in week 4 of 12/12.
convinced as ever that there is no week three. As I said earlier, the plants Beauty: 10, Sweet looking colas and
substitute for balanced light coverage. I’m grow very quickly and will surprise you leaves.
undecided if yield increased with all my each morning with their nightly progress. Ease of Grow: 10, great strain for a first
tweaking, but without pruning, these girls time grower.
will overrun your house. I encountered no significant nutrient Smell: 8+, Don’t grow this plant if you
Training is very easy with this strain, as related issues during vegetation. Possibly can’t remove a great deal of odour.
the branches are very pliable and easy to the most trouble-free crop that I have Yield: decent - 120g.
position. The fan leaves are gigantic and ever had. The plants all stressed a little
numerous, making it a constant struggle to during the first transplant and reacted Smoke Report
maintain light to all of the areas of the poorly to the HID initially. The plants
plant. For this reason I see the WW as a also reacted unfavorably to temperature I have heard many conflicting reports on
great SCROG/SOG candidate. Super changes, so try to keep any changes to a WW and I wonder if that has to do with all
Cropping was effective with this strain and minimum in the early days of life. The of the crossbreeding and different seed
it recovered quickly with minimal stress. roots grow very quickly on this plant in banks. Regardless, here are my thoughts.
Care must be exercised when handling the optimal conditions, so be prepared to To be objective I cured the bud for a
branches and leaf stems, as they are very move them to individual containers soon minimum of two weeks in glass Mason
soft in the vegetative stage and easy to if that is your intent. I would recommend jars after a two week dry and smoked it in
damage if you are careless. I split more going easy on the nutrients until you feel a clean glass pipe, which really is the best
than a few branches but they healed that they are lagging and then bump it up way. The buds burn very well leaving only
quickly with very little lag time in growth. a bit. Unlike my previous crop, these a fine white ash behind. They are very
seem to perform better with a less is tight and one good-sized nugget will get 4
During the 12/12 stretch, the plants more attitude concerning food. The plants people very high. The taste is unique and
surprised me with their relative short really didn’t smell much until the 4th hard to describe. Some skunkiness yet too
stretch. Although they more than doubled week. At that time I started to notice a sweet to be Afghan. A very slight citrus
in length during flowering, I had expected very strong odour. The odour is very after taste that isn’t unappealing but
much more. Some of this may be due to skunky and will carry for miles if you let doesn’t make you crave it like the berry or
the excessive vegetation time. These plants it. You will not be able to eliminate this haze strains do. This is sleeper herb, and
were all fairly mature before I went to a smell without using some form of odor sneaky at that. The tendency is to smoke
12/12 light period. control; dryer sheets are not going to cut more than you need only to find yourself
I guess I was envisioning a vicious stretch it. impossibly stoned. My eyes got a little
Soft Secrets 55
The plants were happy with lighter fresh water periodically to keep salt levels
nutrients in vegetation and flowering and down. The main difference I found with
will reward you with fantastic rates of the hard water versus distilled was the
growth if given the right balance. These amount of pH up or down that was needed
are very responsive plants that quickly tell to adjust the water. Hard water requires
you if there is a problem. I managed to around three times the amount that
shock one into Hermieville, but that was distilled water does to affect the same
my fault and I don’t associate the event change. I did flush with distilled water at
with the strain, rather, the stress coupled the end, due to the stockpile I had on hand.
with feminized seeds was the culprit. In the future I will probably continue with
Yield was above average from phenotype my tap water and just hoard the pH down.
#1 and average for phenotype #2.
I believe that pinching increased the yield I have come across a bunch of tasty strains
on phenotype #1 but might have been in the last month and will be growing
harmful to #2. A SCROG would optimize multiple varieties this time around. Hope
this strain and pull out a higher yield. to fill my closet up.
Like I mentioned before, this is a very
quick growing plant that requires Take care
maintenance throughout the vegetative Aja
period. Left to its own devices, it could
easily overgrow the world. Colour
appeared on the one phenotype but the
bright red hairs at harvest. others remained dark green with a heavy
Beauty: 10, Very pretty leaves and bud coating of resin. It is impossible to come
formations. away from these plants during flowering
Ease of Grow: 10, no problem. without a strong odour of dank. Even
Smell: 8+, Skanky.. brushing your bare skin against the buds
Yield: Average, 80-90g. produces slight tingling and numbness to
the affected area. From that perspective,
Smoke Report these are the most resinous and naughty
plants I have grown.
These buds took a long time to dry, even The clones I took rooted very quickly and
now as they cured, they are still damp with seemed to grow well after the initial shock
resin and very sticky to the touch. The period was over. Care must be taken to
puffy and cottonmouth set in shortly after nuggets are not as dense as phenotype #1 properly support them early on, as they are
the first hit. After two hits from my and mash together very easily when very pliable and easily bent. All six rooted
SteamRoller, I am ready to sit out for a handled. The smell is wonderful and I look within ten days and were ready for
while. Not trippy, but very tingly and forward to opening the jars up each day transplanting. A harvest time of 8 weeks
cerebral. I have come up with several cool for that initial blast of MJ goodness. was probably optimal for phenotype #1
ideas while under its influence, now if I The nuggets burn very evenly and reflect and 10 weeks turned the others into couch
can only get motivated to act on them. the thoroughness of my flush. The stone lock. I would think 8 weeks max for the
The taste is average, but should get better hits you immediately and the taste is quite types I grew; the additional two weeks had
with a longer cure. The high is very pleasant. A tasty mixture of spice and pine, little benefit other than a slight increase in
reflective and can fuel some very with a hint of fruit. The high is body in Resin/CBN’s. The trichomes are easily
interesting late night conversations. No nature and quickly extends to your face, visible and can be observed without
munchies or other side effects were legs and arms. Your joints quickly go magnification, even in the early stages. I
encountered other than the eyes and numb and the rest of your body follows would still advise using a magnifying lens
cottonmouth mentioned earlier. rapidly. It’s like being immobile but your to be accurate.
mind is clear as a bell. Unusual in that you
Potency: 8, coming from me, that is pretty think you are okay until you take a step 600 watt HPS versus 400 watt
high. and think better of it. Not a true couch- MH/HPS
Taste: 5, not too good, not too bad. lock, but close. No nasty side effects, but
High: 7, above average, good daytime there is a mildly unpleasant aftertaste that I can say without a doubt that the 600
buzz, not a sleep aid. may or not disappear with more curing. produced much tighter and larger buds
Desirability: 6, way too much out there Overall a nice smoke, with muscle than the 400. Although the lower temps
that is better and finishes quicker. relaxing and face numbing tendencies. were nice, the longer flowering time and
Social Liability: 0, A good up high with poor light penetration of the 400 in
minimal physical impairment. Potency: 8 comparison, made me decide to use the
Paranoia: 0, No paranoia at all. Taste: 7, may get higher rating in future. 600 for flowering in the future. The 400
Friend Maker: 9, Very social weed that Smell: 9, very pungent and strong. Prepare MH was awesome in vegetation and
offers a good time for all. to smell like weed. contributed to the overall speed of the
High: 7, body high with clear head. crop. I found a remarkable increase in both
Pheno #2 Desirability: 5, poor yield, too many quantity and speed of vegetative growth
leaves. while using the lamp and this made me
The last two plants I flowered and the one Social Liability: Not good for social wonder whether I really want that much
straggler that I kept in vegetation, fall into smoking, motivational vacuum. leaf material? Jury is still out on this one; I
this category. They all lagged about two Paranoia: 0 will have to do more than one crop with
weeks behind phenotype #1 and yielded Friend Maker: 10+, Great gift for friends the MH to make any definitive
less at the end. The calyx to leaf ratio was in need of medicine. conclusions.
poor. Bud sites were small and surrounded
by legions of fan and shade leaves. Just Summary General Hydroponics Hard
keeping even light exposure became a Water Micro
nightmare requiring numerous pruning White Widow is another one of those
sessions and creative uses of string. Not a famous strains that I had wanted to grow I used the Hard Water nutrients this time
spectacular yield by my standard and they for some time. The lack of clear in an effort to reduce my dependence on
matured much too slowly in flowering for information on WW was frustrating, but distilled water. I found no difference in
my tastes. Both flowered plants were overall I feel it is an excellent plant that performance at all. I maintained water
nearly identical in yield and final size. In requires a good deal of growing to find quality with daily fresh water and adjusted
a bigger grow this phenotype wouldn’t that elusive ‘killer phenotype’. The the pH and PPM levels as required.
have made the cut, not enough buds for stability of the strain and the relative ease I also elected to go through flowering
the amount of leaf material, and they just of the crop encouraged me. First time while doing only one water change. This
didn’t keep up with the others. growers should definitely give this one a seemed to have no effect on the plants
shot. Expect a few lemons in the group, whatsoever. I added nutrients manually to
Color: Dark green leaves and calyxes, with but even the lemonade isn’t too bad. all three buckets when needed and added
Soft Secrets 61
Grow report
NLX on coco
Better and better; it just keeps getting a whole lot better each time, and that’s
as it should be. Whether it is down to experience, luck or just plain coincidence,
who knows. Do what you like to do and do it well, then you will get good results.
What had threatened to be a screwed up grow turned out with the passage of
time to be a top harvest. This time it was the supersonic NLX (Northern Lights
Cross) that turned out to be a real winner under the lights. This is a story about
what an amateur can achieve if he comes through a heat wave having started
with too long a pre-growth.
NLX, just before she goes into bloom. A few weeks in to the bloom. Lovely, elongated buds.
The story begins in the Spring of 2003. and ventilator working flat out. But that summer months, when it is advisable just turning over at half speed, which will
The temperature had become nice and is a situation that cannot be compared to take especially good care. Watch out considerably reduce the noise created. The
warm. Now and then it was actually very with the bigger growers who have 10, particularly for clones infested with spint alternative is to have a smaller ventilation
hot. After a poor start early in the year the 20 or more lamps hung in their spaces. or other pests. capacity and have it run flat out, and that
spring sun was beginning to get to work To these people I have only one word to will make much more of a racket. Are you
and the temperature barely fell below 20 say: airco. This because time and again I planted 17 NLX clones in four-litre pots also going to have to spend on hefty noise
degrees. This was then an outstandingly I hear from growers that if it’s cold you filled with coco substrate. I have already insulation as a result?
good period in which to stick some more can warm things up but there’s nothing mentioned how happy I was with them.
clones inside, because you don’t even you can do against the heat. But with a For a healthy, vigorous start I added root Pre-growth: indoors or outdoors?
need to keep them warm. small (or large) investment in an airco stimulator and enzymes to the feed water.
installation, even with the most roasting The pre-growth was started under a 400- Normally I would let the clones go through
Many might have problems with the hot of Summers you can safely continue watt lamp that was switched over to a their pre-growth outside, but because the
heat, but as long as you provide sufficient to grow in a nice fresh indoor space. This 600-watter after a few days. Once they sun was not yet up to scratch I had no
ventilation this should not necessarily is obviously not something for everybody, had burst into bloom, I added another choice but to do this indoors. Nonetheless,
lead to a failed crop. Hang a few fewer but it is an investment that quickly repays 600-watt lamp to the set up. Apparently I remain a firm supporter of letting
lamps, use a heavier-duty ventilator, or itself in bud yield. The technology what’s the heat suited them well, despite the fact everything simply complete its pre-growth
hang water-cooled or air-cooled lamps more never stands still. Also available that everyone complains about the heat outside. But anyway, this time I let the
- these are simple solutions for bringing in the growing scene at the moment is given off by a 600-watt lamp. It was not clones have a week and a half of growth.
the temperature in your space down a a piece of equipment on sale that can actually that different, but this does come This was a little too long, it later turned
down to the same point I made earlier: out, because the NLX is a very powerful
ensure good ventilation. Had mine not plant and a great grower. That extra half
With a small (or large) investment in an airco been powerful enough, then I could still week of growth came about thanks to a
installation even during a scorching hot summer have bought a stronger one. That is why problem when a timer burnt out, thanks to
you can grow in nice fresh circumstances indoors. you will frequently hear how important which they continued to grow. Fortunately
it is to buy a unit with a more powerful I discovered the problem quite quickly and
few degrees. I personally set my lamps to cool off the inside temperature of the suction than you actually need (at the was able to sort it out.
burn at night, like most people probably, your space before you enter. At the same moment). Suppose that you start your first
as so long as no heat wave comes along time, the same piece of kit can keep the grow with a few plants during the Winter This incident prompted me to ponder
to nudge your night time temperatures air warm in winter, so that your growing months, and you calculate the capacity of how important it is to always check your
above 30 degrees, everything runs pretty space can be continuously kept at an ideal your grow space and the ventilation you lamps regularly and make sure they really
smoothly. The ventilation does need to be temperature. will need for it. If you buy your ventilation are turning on and off at the right time.
on continuously though, which will make perfectly tailored to this then you will In the growth period this can not do too
sure the cool evening air is drawn fully Reliable clones certainly be fine during the crisp Autumn much damage, but what if I had been at
through the grow space. and Winter months. But what happens the flowering stage? Just imagine, you
I went in search of decent, reliable when the temperature begins to rise in the don’t keep a good watch out and after a
By the way, I have replaced my old 400 clones, and boy did I find them. This Spring and Summer? Then it will become week you see your plants going back into
watt lamp with two 600 watt lamps, a time around I got hold of some NLX. apparent to many that they have bought growth instead of continuing to develop
question of looking ahead rather than Just how good they really were only too feeble a ventilation capacity, and their blooms. This is not a nice thing to
looking back. And the temperature is kept became fully apparent in retrospect. after a few months they will either have witness. So make sure your equipment is
nicely under control, even in a reasonably Evidently I have to-date had good luck to buy another one or stop with growing in a reasonable state, and don’t spare the
small grow space. It stays under the 30 on the clone market. But many growers altogether. One other advantage of buying pennies when you’re buying your timers.
degree ceiling and there is sufficient have less luck. The quality is not always a larger capacity than you need at the Using cheap gear will sooner or later lead
ventilation thanks to a vacuum pump satisfactory, certainly in the spring and moment is that the ventilation will be fine to problems.
62 Soft Secrets
buds on my NLX were also coming The coco I used I have had now for
way too close to the lamps, which were more than a year, during which time
giving off an immense amount of heat. I have used it three times. There are
I’m used to growing K2, which in week always nutrient residues left in it, and
four already has such huge buds on maybe the coco is all the better for
them they look as if they are practically this rather than worse. Who knows?
ready for harvest. In the case of these If you ever decide to start a grow on
NLX, this was quite clearly not the coco yourself it is advisable to start
case, and that takes a bit of getting used good and early with feeding. In its
to. I even stopped giving the plants raw state coco contains no nutrient at
Supervit and B’Cuzz bloom stimulator all, which is why you need to begin
yet again struck by their sheer size. were a pleasure to trim. I paid a trip to
They looked totally different out in Aliën grow shop in IJzendijke for a few The NLX lets her best
broad daylight, don’t you think? There white screens on which the buds could side show in the last two
were more buds on a single plant than dry, and I found them outstanding! You weeks.
I had expected, and all of them - from can stick a whole lot of buds on them
small to large - were well covered with and you can stack as many screens on was as usual kept behind safely and
crystals. After just trimming one plant top of each other as you want. After a dried out. I plan to make a good water
I had so much resin on my fingers two week drying period I could finally hash out of this, but I’ll tell you more
that I could already roll a ball of hash measure the dry weight: a harvest of about that next time around.
from it. After a bit of time there was 530 grams per 600 watts. Not bad, and
so much on my fingers, layer upon totally unexpected. The leaf material Stay tuned!
NLX has enormous crown buds.
layer, that thanks to the sweat on my
fingertips it was falling off in lumps.
Lovely, fresh hash with a few weed
trimmings and the little hearts of the
buds mixed in! The NLX really is a
snow white. Having seen this variety I
now get the full meaning of the saying:
‘The plant looks as if a snow storm has
blown over it, it’s so full of crystals’
(something you’ll read a lot in seed
catalogues).
Handy, eh?, these drying racks... Just stack They literally shot up
them as high as you want. like green rockets; the
your face that would put The Joker launch of the space
from Batman to shame (whose smile shuttle had nothing on
evidently comes from a fall into a vat these babies.
of buds, and if you don’t believe me re-
hire the movie). The yield per plant was between 25
to 40 gram, with the majority of the
The next few days were really nice plants somewhere around the 30 gram
and busy. Trimming, trimming and yet mark. One significant exception was an
more trimming. After I had removed 80-gram beauty. All in all, I was very
the plants from their grow space I was happy with the NLX, and the plants A dried NLX bud, ready to be crumbled and consumed. Now there’s tasty.
By Kristie Szalanski
Game reviews
Trip Stoner Fluxx
The Funky New GAME for Smokers! A Game About Weed, Freedom, and the
Imagine yourself Pursuit of Happiness
backpacking through
India. Smoke a bit of You like to play games? While you’re wasting time indoors
hash, enjoy the sights, getting paler and developing your Barry White voice, why
and relax. You could not spend some of your stoned sessions playing a card game? If you’re on holiday in Amsterdam you can’t
also be sitting on the play normal card games in many coffeeshops due to the link with gambling, so you can whip out a pack of
beach and playing a Stoner Fluxx cards instead. Chill out in the Vondel Park or along a sunny canal, and smoke yourselves into
new card game from a frenzy. Think drinking games with instructions, and ganja instead of alcohol. The deck card game was
Matt & Ash, called released in 2003 by Looney Labs, a husband and wife team in America who are responsible for loads of
Trip, which was addictive games: Aquarius, Chrononauts, Icehouse, Cosmic Coasters and Nanofictionary, plus many others.
actually conceptualised during visits to India. A cult favourite
among travellers, the card game is a loosely organized deck of Andrew Looney, the founder of the company, is a bit of a mad scientist who prefers to create captivating
interesting directions. The categories for cards are: Get High, games for a living. He previously used his big brain to work developing software for NASA, and now
Ride the Vibes, Eat the Stash, Comedown, and Flashback. You confuses, frustrates, and entertains people of all ages with his popular games. Stoner Fluxx is a themed
can pretty much imagine the sort of theme of the game, although release based on one of their most talked about games, the 3.0 version of Fluxx. The crux of Fluxx revolves
the emphasis is on smoking, and wonder if it’s a bit easier to around a principle of constantly changing rules, an idea still central in the green version. Two to six players
play after dropping some acid. The Goa trance scene could can deal themselves in at any time, beginning with three cards. Each pack has 84+ cards, and once you’re
perhaps support a relaxed afternoon spending hours learning this let in on the craze you’ll understand that random cards and rules can pop up anywhere on the planet!) The
game, and it’s easy to assume that once learned it goes quickly. main categories are Actions, Goals, New Rules, and Keepers. Actions relate to the turn at hand and range
However, the system of stealing points and halting people’s turns from “Toke!” where the game is paused so everyone can smoke one, to “What were we doing again?”
can easily be ignored (after all, you are allowed to make your where you reshuffle ALL the cards, including everyone’s hand, and re-deal. A particularly annoying card is
own rules, and this is suggested) in favour of skinning up. Two “Busted!” which leads to the “confiscation” of everyone’s ganja-related cards. Goals refer to accumulating
to six players are dealt cards, and then expected to decipher the Keepers (there’s a ‘weed’ card, a bong, pipe, munchies, etc., but also sneaky hemp facts on the cards
instructions on each card in order to act on them. Red cards representing paper and the flag) and when someone completes a Goal, they win instantly.
earn you points, and “Bad Trip” cards can take these away, Cards like this mean the game can last anywhere from two minutes to as long as you can sit up, and because
green cards let you steal cards from other players, and things like of all the New Rule cards (each player draws four on a turn, smoke on each turn, make someone skip their turn
“Mystic Insight” allow you to take someone’s hand and return to roll you a joint, etc.) the dimensions are always changing. While the idea is to have fun and hang out with
it minus the ones you want. Really, the concept makes sense; friends, the game’s creator is an “outspoken activist for the legalisation of marijuana,” and this is evident from
it’s just a matter of spending some time with friends and plenty even the packaging of the game. Drug war facts and prohibition details are prominent features, and the opening
of weed, and preparing to laugh at yourselves. Time better card urges children to outdo Andrew’s record of waiting until the age of 30 to try Cannabis for the first time.
spent than avoiding the sunshine! Two friends who like to travel By the way, the Action cards relating to consumption are all printed with an amusing warning: “Doing what
developed the game between 2001 and 2005, and they received this card says is illegal. Set it aside until after marijuana prohibition ends.” The Looneys even donate one
a great response with like-minded individuals. Handmade dollar per pack sold to a variety of activist groups, including NORML, the Marijuana Policy Project, Media
in India, the packs come in unique bags with an instruction Awareness Project, and Drug Policy Alliance.
sheet and die. Packs can be ordered individually (on eBay!), You might think that playing a card game with lots of words printed on them would be difficult when
purchased at Conscious Dreams (Kokopelli), Warmoesstraat stoned, but the setup is extremely to understand. Remember, the game was made for stoners! Cannabis
Amsterdam, or bought in bulk for retail sale. might not be addictive, but Stoner Fluxx certainly is. Shuffle the deck, pack the bong, and contribute to
some worthy causes while giggling your face off.
Website: www.trippygames.com
E-mail: info@trippygames.com Website: www.looneylabs.com More info? Call +1 (301) 441-1019
30 Soft Secrets
Grow report
e) The subject of using a root stimulant
was also raised a few times but it
seemed debatable; some people
claimed there is no need to use one
unless your using cuttings, other
people thought it would help to
build root mass in plants cultivated
from cuttings and seeds.
So the larger plants went to the flowering scattered on a road in winter, or having a meet somewhere in the middle. They
area, and for the first time the AD’s got drive way re-gravelled – forget repotting resembled 75% Indica genetics. While
the freedom to roam the growth area and silently at 3 am with clay pebbles! readjusting the branches I noticed the
have all its direct light to bathe in. Within first resin glands were developing, and
a day or two, they stopped growing so Over the first week the plants took well realised so far the plants had little aroma
rapidly in height and started to broaden. to the flowering room, and to their new unless you touched the buds, were still
Around the 17th day I noticed some larger pots. They began to grow quickly only a very light herbal scent could be
roots coming out of the bottoms of the in height, and their stalks thickened found.
pots, so I repotted the plants from the further. Their leaves stayed green and
3.5’’ round pots into 3 litre round pots. healthy, and were reasonably thick in The 5th week was an unusual week;
When I repotted them, I noticed they Flowering 37 days- good resin already! texture. It appeared as if they had largely as for the first time I located insects in
had very fat spaghetti like roots; the root recovered from the poor start in life; our garden. For a few days, I manually
masses were not generally larger then except for the fact they were smaller than and laboriously checked the plants
usual, but individually were thicker than they would have been, they generally repeatedly, removing these black and
usual. At this stage I remembered back looked vigorous. green little critters. I did this until no
to when the seeds went into the 3.5’’ more could be found, and I’m grateful
pots originally and how they looked a bit By the start of the second week, they had to say they have not returned since. In
chubby, and figured this strain may have all roughly doubled in height and their this week the buds really transformed
unusually thick individual roots. side branches were filling out further. and looked potentially very good quality.
A nice layer of pistils (white hairs) was Large amounts of resin had developed
For the first 14 days they were given developing on the buds, where a light almost overnight, and the odd pistil
only water, then from the 15th day scent could be found. I trimmed off most started withering, (turning orange). The
onwards throughout growth and Flowering 42 days of the lower buds to maximise the energy overall aroma level had risen slightly but
flowering periods we generally followed given to the top buds. Also in this week it was still very subtle.
the nutrient schedule for Bio Bizz a set back occurred; some of the fan
All Mix. I misted them sporadically (larger) leafs from the lower and even At the start of the 6th week, the buds
throughout the growth period with plain middle sections started turning a lighter were formed and covered in resin, but
water to increase humidity. I hadn’t had shade of green. I had recently read still very immature. Considering their
used the Fish Mix for a long time, so somewhere that Bio Grow can be used as rate of development over the week, at
I had forgotten its potential value as a a flowering ‘tonic’, so I decided to raise this point they changed pace. From the
foliar feed. Toward the end of the growth the (50/50%) Grow and Fish Mix part of 35th day onwards the plants slowly
period a couple of the very lower leafs the nutrient solution, from 1 ml per litre matured; their calyxes grew larger and
turned yellow, but the rest of the plants to 1.25 ml per litre. more of their pistils gradually withered
exhibited a medium shade of green. away. The layer of resin also increased,
54 days in flower As the plants had grown fairly uniformly, along with a pleasant but quite unusual
From around the 26th day, from what we you could now tell the 4 plants were in scent. I tested a bud at 42 days, it was
could see they were all looking female; an area that would of held 9 plants of very immature but I did feel the effects,
as we knew we should initiate flowering a similar size. It’s always best to have which were gentile and calming.
soon our anticipation grew –would the more plants then required and throw the
flowering room have enough plants? least healthy ones away, so we had timed It was at the end of the 9th week (63
or once again, would the males win the this crop very poorly indeed. days) when I harvested them, trimmed
day?. Well a few days later something them, then and hung them to dry. So far
unfortunate happened; 4 of the 8 ADs Around the middle of the third week, the there had only been a low level of scent
developed male pollen sacks. Also, plants were still fairly rapidly turning to unless you disturb/ touch the plants,
too make things worse; the gap in the a lighter shade of green, so it appeared however at this point this smell went up
flowering room had got even bigger. The the increased level of nutrients they had a fair amount. Within 3 days the first
males were discarded, and the 4 AD’s received over the last week had produced buds were ready to test, they had shrunk
30 days in flower
were moved into the flowering room little effect. So much so, that I decided in size considerably indicating the plant
after 34 days growth. Considering the 34 that it was severe enough to raise the holds a lot of water. Once they were dry
days consisted of 2 days to germinate, Grow and Fish Mix again, from 1.25ml I noticed they could have easily flowered
then for a further12 days they were sat per litre to 1.5ml per litre. I Also in this for a week or two longer.
outside being heavily shaded, they only week, I tied the side branches down to
had 22 days real growth. They were open the plants up to more light, in effort The yield was very modest, which
small around 6 internodes or 9 inches to increase the yields. It was a little late represents our mistakes a lot more then
tall, but above all, they seemed green and this time to bend the central stems down the strain; had we not given them such
healthy. (as they had already hardened), but the a poor start and had there been 9 plants
side branches were still very pliable. I like there was the space for, the yield
Flowering checked on roots, and it was nice to see would have been much larger.
again, very thick almost spaghetti like
(The flowering area was made from a 2m 8 days in drying roots had heavily grown through the clay Buds
x 1m, x 2m grow tent, covered in Mylar. pebbles in the bottom of the pots; but
It housed 2 x 600 Watt lamps, again this also indicated 15 litre pots would The AD buds are chunky and dense,
with the ballasts placed on breezeblocks have been a better final pot size. Toward yet fairly light. They have a medium
on the floor, out of the tent, out of the the end of this week some of the leaves to high calyx to leaf ratio, and a good
way. There was a 6’’ RVK150 A1 fan were developing burnt, curled tips, and layer of resin. The scent is complicated
extracting the hot air out of the top of the plants were still rapidly losing their to describe; it’s like cleaning agent or
the tent, and an oscillating fan, which colour. To our inexperienced eyes this fuel, with a mixture of earthy or woody
together created a reasonable passive air was very confusing, as the plants looked undertones. The taste is similar the scent,
intake). both under fed and over fed at the same but not unpleasant! Above all, the buds
time. I guessed we must have over fed have the high quality factor, could be
As the 4 remaining plants looked female, them at some stage and under fed them compared with the better strains we’ve
they were repotted into their final (10 30 days in drying at another. So I watered with plain water grown.
litre) pots on the 1st day of flowering. a couple of times, and resumed feeding
In the bottom of the pots, I put a layer them with Grow and Fish mix at the rate I found an unusual mix of both physical
of clay pebbles. A guy from Bio Bizz of 1.25 ml per litre. and cerebral effects with this strain.
recommended this method to me, as a Physically it was calming but not at
way to get more air to the roots. We tried By the 4th week their stem structure all sedating or lethargic, and it never
this method on a few crops the last time was set, they had all roughly tripled in gave me a hangover the next morning.
being this crop. We stopped for two main height and had developed medium side Mentally I found the strain to leave me
reasons, firstly it makes it more difficult branching. The plants were still uniform, curious and alert, but always realistically
to let the roots go though a wet/dry but each ones individual traits (features) focused. I often smoked it all day,
cycle, and secondly the noise of shifting were now becoming clearer; there was without any change in my levels of
and/or washing them literally is two one a little taller and thinner, one a little motivation or energy, or boredom from
loud, just think of the sound of grit being After 30 days of drying, cured shorter and fatter, and the other two repeated use.
70 Soft Secrets
Grow Report
Blueberry &
we didn’t raise this component further On the 14th day we bent the tops of most
then 2 ml per litre in the later stages. of the plants down and tied them to the
pots with string. The plan was to roughly
FLOWERING overlap the tops of the main stems (the
colas), exposing more bud sites on the
On day 43 we harvested the plants (from The last three Master Kush plants began each joint takes you higher. This
the previous crop) in the other half of the to fall over due to excessive weight means throughout a smoking session
tent, quicker then could be en expected. around day 70 onwards. We supported the effects build on one another
This meant we had created a gap, as for their central stems with string tied to the significantly, this also means it’s
the next few weeks we had no plants grow tent, but there was little we could harder to explain its effects as they are
vegetated large enough to fill the space. do for the lower branches. In the end we greatly different depending on how
So now we had the full 2 square metres harvested these last 3 plants on the 84th much you consume in a given period.
to utilize for this crop only designed day. We could have easily taken them
to fill half that space. To make plants earlier but we prefer our herbs to be fairly In moderate amounts we had cheerful,
the most uniform they could be while mature. The buds had a high flower to realistic mental outlooks and a nice
exposing them to the extra light, we leaf ratio so they only took around 5 - 10 smooth bodily feeling. It has elements
moved the 7 Blueberries under one lamp minutes per plant. of euphoria, but at such levels such
and the 4 Master Kush under the other. feeling / thoughts are generally
We don’t normally weigh our herbs, controllable.
It was around 49 days into flowering but we figured as were writing a report
when the bud structures of 3 larger we should give you the facts. The 7 In greater amounts in shorter
Master Kush plants really came alive. Blueberries weighed 206 g, and the frequencies, we have had the giggles
Until this point we could not even Master Kush 233g (37g of which was (uncontrolled hysterical laughter),
slightly predict how these plants would the shorter / Indica plant). For many this and “shut eye perma grins” (blatant
finally develop, as we have not grown yields would be moderate for us it was intoxication shown via a permanent
this strain before. We noticed the shorter way above average. Allowing the plants “blissed out” / uncontrollable facial
Master Kush plant was looking amazing; spread out with twice and space and expression). Also we have felt
it was very dense and literally drenched light from day 43 onwards we believe physically relaxed to the point of
with resin. This was one of the plants must have contributed to our success, sedation, making it a nice strain
that we had to repair after splitting its other than this would put it down to great to smoke before you intend to fall
central stem. The repair job had worked quality genetics. asleep.
but the string now was suffocating the
Master Kush dried
central stem. We didn’t know whether to BLUEBERRIES BUDS MASTER KUSH BUDS
remove the binding or not, but choose
to, as it now seemed unnatural and cruel.
The plant had not seemed not to suffer
up until this point and stayed healthy
after we had removed it, so it would
appear little harm was done. Some of
the branches on both varieties began to
bend downwards due to their excessive
weight!
On the 70th day we harvested the rest The Blueberries were made up of Both variations of the Master Kush had much quicker then with the strains
of the Blueberries, their buds had really medium sized calyxes, with a high small sized calyxes and medium resin physical effects. This made it nice
developed so we were glad that we left resin content. There was some content. Their scents and tastes were a to smoke a little in the morning, as a
them to flower for the additional week. variation in this strain, so the way mix of sweet, spicy and skunk blended strong physical base to more mentally
The plants consisted of lots of branches the buds from each plant looked, felt, together. The effect from both the inspiring highs throughout the day. In
and medium sized buds. They looked smelt, and tasted was slightly different. varieties was very similar; it’s a fairly contrast to Blueberries to smoke this
beautiful with purple tints coming though They were some of the tastiest buds powerful stoney effect, that’s felt both though out a whole day we were less
on the most of the plants. The one we’ve smoked in years, sometimes throughout the body and the mind. . content, often reaching for the skins to
plant that was totally purple throughout actually leaving a sweet taste in our try to achieve a different or new effect
flowering was bright pink when you mouths for a while after we exhaled. In regular amounts the body feels relaxed without success. However every time
prized open a fresh bud. Some smelt The general taste was a very sweet mix but active. It was slightly stimulating for we had little Master Kush circulating
more fruity or sweet then others, 4 / 5 of fruits, the purple/pink plant and a the mind, but not through taking you on in our systems and then smoked a joint
out of the 7 smelt exceptionally rich. couple of the shorter plants stood out a psychoactive journey, rather through we found the effects to be positive and
The trimming took much longer then in this respect. speeding your thoughts up, similar to profound.
expected, roughly around 30 minutes per coffee. But what goes up quickly often
plant. The resin barely hit the fan leaves There was not a great deal of comes down in the same manner, so The Indica variation had a very dense
but all the shade and bud leaves were difference in their effects. For us compared with many strains we found bud structure, and a scent and taste
well coated. So we were able to make it generally fell in to the category the mental effects to be fairly short-lived which was slightly spicier than the
a nice few joints of scissor hash and a of happy effects, pleasing for both and easily reached a plateau. others. Its effects were similar to the
gram or two of great bubble hash. We the body and mind. This strain has other 3 varieties; it took you a little
also harvested the small Master Kush great potential for repeated use, as In our case the effects also wore off higher a little quicker, and was in our
plant on the 70th day. the effects are fairly long-lived and and tolerance developed to them opinion the best of the Master Kush.
3OFT 3ECRETS
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44 Soft Secrets
REPORT
Bilbo’s Mega-Buds
Bodybuilding with Cannabis
By Bart B
Some grow weed for their own pleasure while others grow it to make money.
Whatever the motivation, the most important thing is the same for all, and that is
producing the largest and most potent heads. Also to learn from each crop so as
to improve the next and increase the grams. Everyone thinks that their own crop
is the best but occasionally you come across someone with a crop to die for. Heads
bigger than your forearm, thick as your head and solid as stone. These are
extreme cultivation successes and Bilbo takes full responsibility. Bilbo likes to let
his plants flourish under extreme light intensity using the logic of light = weight!
steroids, but they have simply been grown
in earth. Bilbo points out that you do not
necessarily have to use hydroponics to
achieve extreme buds. Bilbo has used
hydroponics before, but never with these
results. Good old earth is still full of
surprises!
Horticultural Practice
soil substrates during the winter. For this flowers and resins into their ingredients. (!) Finally the infused seeds were said about an existing flower garden. Many
reason, sheep/goat (archaeologists can’t In fact, the peoples of upland Nepal seek to ‘relieve the after pains of the mother’ species of wild herb such as dandelion,
tell the difference) were kept close to hand hempen seed as a source of protein during and was prescribed as a remedy against nettle and dog rose can be grown alongside
(often beside churches and monastery) as winter. Likewise, bird feed and animal respiratory illnesses in children, including cultivated herbs such as, basil, rocket
a cheap source of manure. Composting is fodder may be supplemented with hemp colic and dry-cough. and marijuana. Many herbs love the
however a serious affair. The facilities to seed during the winter months. Then there In my opinion, it is a shame that the idea of companion planting, and so little
house and feed a large working compost are those fish…I suppose all round, hemp everyday use of these tinctures, tonics botanical knowledge is required, in order
heap would therefore involve a good deal is a tasty dish. and potions have been lost. Someplace, to achieve success. Medicinal strains of
of pre-planning and management. between the doctor’s table and the cannabis (which naturally flower early)
Then there is the issue of the fish. Besides Aromatherapy: 24hour chemist, the medicinal properties may however hold longevity over many
being master herbalists, it is widely known Potpourris and Nosegays of cannabis have been misplaced and annual species. For this reason, it is often a
that medieval monks dabbled in aqueous downtrodden (I hope not forgotten!) Today, good idea to include some evergreen herbs
pastimes. They kept fish! Now, those that Aromatherapy uses essential oils that perhaps it is the reader’s role to promote into the herb garden. These may include
fish (for fish) will understand that many have been extracted from herbal sources. a renaissance of cannabis knowledge, and lavender, rosemary and bay. These plants
fish-species including tench, bream and These oils hold beneficial and therapeutic help spread some light over one of the will not only seclude your plants from
carp (those species introduced into the properties. As poisons, essential oils darkest periods in cannabis history. prevailing conditions, but will also provide
British Isles by Augustan Monks) thrive should not be consumed in their neat form you with a source of herbs throughout
upon the taste of pre-boiled hemp seed. or during pregnancy. Essential oils are Conclusions… winter.
More importantly once dead, the heads administered with the aid of digestion, Whilst formal gardens look nice, the best
and tails of fish make excellent plant food. massage, and inhalation. Alternatively, Like I said at the begging of this article, herb gardens are often those that consist
Many organic fertilizers today carry fish many herbs may be cut, then dried, then the history of cannabis during the medieval of a few flowerpots; placed in a sunny
extract for this same reason. It would added to potpourris and nosegays. Before period is extremely sketchy. Splitting position about the garden. This way each
appear that those medieval monks had the homophobes rip-up this issue of Soft fact from fiction, and then allegory from herb is treated as an individual and may
perfected the ‘art of organics’ by growing Secrets, a ‘nosegay’ is the old fashioned myth, is within the realms of anthropology. be pest-controlled, managed and harvested
hemp to catch fish and catching fish to name for a small bunch of flowers, which Conclusions are therefor the subject of with relative ease. I know of many people
grow hemp. In doing so they had entered ladies used to pin to their dresses (just opinion… but I like to view things like that grow herbs for culinary pleasure, and
themselves into an unsigned agreement. in case they came across a funny smell). this: At some point during the early as many again that grow herbs outdoors
As skilled botanists they became knotted More recently, in Switzerland cannabis medieval period herbology became the because they can! This is the sort of
to the land. The medieval monk’s ability seeds have been cultivated with the pastime of some European monks. As freedom that herb gardening allows. It is
to potentially cultivate cannabis should intention of producing potpourri (it is master herbalists, they took care over also worth remembering that many herbs
therefore never be doubted. claimed). The resulting waste material their crops and their crops took care of provide a ‘cut and come again’ option,
(trim waste) being marketed as potpourri them. The ideology of ‘the herb garden’ allowing growers to harvest particular
Culinary Cannabis Use pillows to medicinal cannabis users. was planted beneath the cloisters of flowering shoots as and when required.
religion, and from therein propagated into Perhaps the real beauty of the herb garden
The culinary use of cannabis often Medicinal Cannabis Use mainstream society. Gradually, through is that it is one of those areas in life that
runs alongside its medicinal properties. trial and error; trade and knowledge; war tends for itself. Herb gardens are neither
Ingestion provides the most effective When questioning the medicinal benefits and pestilence; the properties of herbal expensive nor time consuming, since at
way of consuming tetrahydrocannabinol of cannabis, the Medieval Herb garden is cannabis became a feature of medieval the end of the day, they rely upon good
(THC) and other complex cannabinoids. often a good place to start. Medicinally, life, particularly within medicine. Whilst old soil and the sun. If you haven’t tried it,
The eating of cannabis, is by all accounts, cannabis holds many uses; properties that the political and economic implications but are thinking about it, why not give it a
an eastern tradition, (as are the origins the skilled medieval herbalist sought to of cannabis use within medieval Europe go? You never know you may be surprised
of cannabis cultivation itself). For learn. The following is extrapolated from remain clouded, the social and cultural with the results.
example, Nasha (little cakes) made from ‘A History of Herbal Plants’ and other advantages of cultivating cannabis within Whilst I cannot condone the planting
a hallucinogenic variety of hashish were invaluable sources: herb gardens remains clear. of Cannabaceae within herb gardens,
once infamous throughout central Asia. Starting at the root of things, dried hemp I can suggest that the addition of ANY
In India, Bhang is ‘mixed with milk or root (it is claimed) was prescribed for gout Herb Gardening medicinal herb, into ANY garden, can
alcohol and made into a greenish paste… and ‘to ally inflammations of the head’. only serve to shed light unto plants,
and baked into cakes or added to butter’. Fresh hemp root, upon the other hand, Starting your own herb garden is simple about which ignorance is thick and
Within Medieval Europe tastes were much was mixed with butter and given to those and fun. Many plants hold culinary and knowledge thin! The addition of
blander; the addition of hempen flower suffering from fire burns and gunpowder medicinal properties. So why not grasp cannabis into the herb garden therefore
and seed to potages and stews, no doubt wounds. Tinctures of hemp root (both dry nature by the stalks and plant your own adds another medicinal quality to the
however figured on the cooks menu, from and fresh) also help to prevent cystitis and herb garden? Herb gardens can be planted herbologists basket, whilst providing
time to time. Hemp seed oil may also be urinary infections, while also easing the anywhere; in specially designed gardens, people with a direct link to their
used for cooking, and within medieval pains of childbirth. The stems, which hold in containers, window boxes, pots, and/or medieval past.
Russia hemp seed was used for making little medicinal value, have traditionally simply dotted
Did you know that your pa ckaged weed turns out for
candles and soap. always been used as a source of fiber. The
Organic matter
The organic matter in soil derives from
plant material and animal material
(including manure) that is fresh,
rotting, or decayed. Humus is also
found in organic matter, although its
indistinguishable (almost jelly-like)
Microclimate has a direct influence over the plant-life that a soil site may potentially support species and fungi. All things considered, character means that it is often difficult
it is not surprising that the climate plays to identify. Organic matter provides
Geology in the East (which are sheltered from a major role in determining local soil soil with a source of nutrients, which
the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean). In conditions. are later made available to plants.
The transitory nature of the British Isles general winter temperatures are milder These nutrients are gradually released
means that the visible landscape is ever in the southwest, whereas summer Soil profile and formation when organic matter breaks down.
changing. Dynamical geology concerns temperatures are higher in the southeast. The bacterial activity within soil is
the nature of these changes. Structural The ‘North Atlantic Drift’ maintains this Soil profile depends upon four major dramatically improved with increased
geology studies the result of these fluctuation in climate by creating a gulf factors: parent rock type, climate, levels of organic matter because bacteria
changes upon the Earth’s structure. Both of warm air in winter. Ground frosts may vegetation/ fauna, and soil age. When live in and eat upon organic debris.
disciplines are of paramount importance however occur in southern Britain as late combined these factors constitute a Likewise, in frequently cultivated soil,
to the soil scientist, since she/he studies as the end of April, and it isn’t unheard- soils overall formation or makeup. Soil organic matter decomposes quicker due
the relationships that occur between the of for it to snow in May and June. formation is governed by a number of to increased levels of oxygen. This is
nebula and the atomic. As the symbiotic extra components including; available because oxygen directly aids the aerobic
link between bedrock and vegetation, Winter frosts play an important role in minerals, organic matter, living bacteria within soil. In this way there is a
soil acts as the fabric within which, breaking down organic matter within organisms, water and air. Soil structure is close relationship between organic matter
mineral deposits and living organisms cultivated soils. Likewise they help to further determined by the constitutional and soil life activity itself.
coexist. Geomorphic stratification control harmful soil organism and pests, components of sand, silt and clay, in
within the British Isles did not happen including bacteria. Spring showers varying parts. To measure the organic matter level of
overnight. Geological processes were a soil, a soil sample is first weighed.
some 25 million years in the making; Then burnt in a muffle furnace. The
a gradual process fashioned by the The organic matter in soil derives from plant weight lost equates to the amount of
climate to create the rawest features material and animal material (including manure) organic matter present. The typical
within the visible landscape. To quickly range of organic matter content in soils
generalize there are three major rock
that is fresh, rotting, or decayed. Humus is also in the British Isles varies dramatically
types in the British Isles. These are found in organic matter, although it’s often depending upon landscape. This
igneous rock (magma), metamorphic
rock (deformation), and sedimentary
difficult to identify. difference may be between 5% (normal
soil) and 40% (peat bog). In general
rock (accumulation). Soil type is directly bring soils to ‘full capacity’; when all however, soil structure can always
related to the underlying bedrock of a gravitational water has been removed and Sandy soils contain large mineral be improved via the introduction of
particular landscape. water-drainage has stopped. Soils are at particles and do not absorb water. For increased amounts of organic matter (in
this stage holding the maximum amount this reason sandy soils are drought prone, the form of compost). As a rough guide
Climate of water possible. Summer conditions free draining and cold in winter. These the darker the coloration of a soil, the
reverse this process by drying soil, soils are easily cultivated, but have a greater its ability to hold plant foods.
The British climate is extremely cracking its surface, and allowing air to poor structure, poor nutrient holding These darker soils also warm quicker in
temperamental. Where it is raining one penetrate the soil structure itself. Autumn abilities and are naturally infertile due spring.
day, it will be sunny the next. Average winds blow leafs and other organic to an absence of organic matter and
annual rainfall across the British Isles debris back into the soil, therefore available nutrients. Soil acidity and crop tolerance
is 41inch, although periods of drought, adding to the constant cycle of decay Theoretically, silt is the sediment
exceeding 14 days without rainfall, are and renewal. The mild climate of autumn deposited by rivers and seas. In The tolerance of crops to particular
not uncommon. Areas in the West of also gives rise to a host of anaerobic soil horticultural terms however, silty soils pH’s depends upon the soil type and
the isles are generally wetter than areas activity, including those of primitive alga sit partway between sand and clay. the relative availability of plant foods.
56 Soft Secrets
In other words, soil condition is the is well rotted. If possible avoid adding shells, some kitchen waste, and so on. In important that people keep peace with
most important factor in determining a lots of straw alongside the manure, since about a year’s time the compost will have nature; which includes minimizing any
plant’s ‘ability’ to either fail or succeed this often has a negative effect upon the a rich texture and will be ready for use. interference with local flora and fauna.
within any given environ. Successive soil structure and takes several years to Extensive systems of cultivation often
generations of plants may however decompose. Manures should be applied A note on weeds and rhizobia have a negative effect upon the ecology of
adapt to the specific acidity or alkalinity at least six months prior to planting. The everything, including soil. For this reason,
of a particular location. But generally only exception to this rule is the use of A weed is a plant that grows in the wrong less is often more in the long term. The
speaking most plants prefer a pH that powdered guano and guano tea. Guano place or where it is not wanted. Weeds smart horticulturalist therefore balances
is relatively neutral. However the may be applied to soil sites as and when take nutrients from soil in large quantities the availability of materials against
availability of ALL major nutrients is required. The use of rabbit manure (which and may suffocate surrounding plants the pace of nature itself. They do not
increased when an acid soil is limed. is available anyplace there are rabbits) with their extensive root systems. They challenge nature. Rather they challenge
This alone, accounts for the biggest can also be extremely beneficial early on compete for light and underground water. their own ability to adapt to the prevailing
benefit derived from liming soil. during the growing season. Both manure Several weed species play alternative host conditions, and succeed, because nature
and guano applications, are however, in to a plethora of local pests and diseases. always wins.
the long term, short lived. Whilst manure The presence of weed seed in soil may
and guano do add some structure and also lower the quality of a crop. On the The best way to obtain a detailed analysis
nutrient content to outdoor soils, their plus side however, many weed species report of a particular soil site is to contact
major disadvantage is that amendments such as singing nettles, gooch grass an agricultural college or specializing
are only ever temporary, and available and clover, encourage beneficial soil university. If you provide a soil sample,
nutrients are easily leached. bacteria, most notably rhizobia. Rhizobia alongside an accurate account of the
particularly invade the root nodules of samples’ origin, most soil scientists will
Green manures, on the other hand, are legume plants; directly fixing nitrogen happily conduct analysis for free, since
rich in available nitrates and hold for compounds into soils in exchange for this adds depth to their personal study.
a long time in soil substrates. Legume plant sugars. These beneficial soil bacteria Remember to be polite (and discerning) if
crops are often cultivated with the express convert ammonia into nitrate and require you expect results.
An intensive commitment to the earth reaps purpose of being worked back into the the following conditions: air, warmth,
its own rewards soil. This does two things. Firstly, it organic matter and moisture. Interestingly, Final thoughts
many nitrogen-based fertilizers contain
ammonia, which is in turn converted into At first glance the subject of soil science
Until you’ve really got your hands dirty, nitrate and made available to plants. is a dull one. But until you’ve really got
conducted your own soil experiments, smelt your your hands dirty, conducted your own soil
own compost, and generally had fun with muck, Choosing a site experiments, smelt your own compost,
and generally had fun with muck, you
you haven’t lived. When choosing a planting site, there are haven’t lived. If you see a child playing
several issues that need to be considered. with soil, one thing is immediately
Plants requiring medium pH (5.5 to enriches the soil structure. Secondly, once Firstly, What are the local soil conditions? apparent. The fact that they are happy
6.5) such as wild carrots, raspberry and decomposed legume crops encourage How easy will the land be to cultivate and getting messy. I suppose it is during these
rose indicate a preference for having symbiotic organisms (rhizobia). Wild manage? Is the site situated in a suitable early years that some people develop a
originated in habitats of this particular cultigens that directly fix nitrates back location? Secondly, What are the local fascination about soil; the way it breathes,
soil pH. Soils with a lower pH (4.0 to into the soil include nettles (dead/hemp/ microclimatic conditions? Microclimate drinks, swells and then contracts. For
5.5) may often support Calcicoles (lime stinging) and clover. It is also worth has a direct influence over the plant-life some people it is the ‘magic’ of soil-life
loving plants) that require a higher pH noting that non-legumes (those with high that a soil site may potentially support. For itself, the cosmology of invertebrate and
(6.0- 7.5), whereas in contrast, soils with amounts of carbon) consume nitrogen in this reason it is always advisable to avoid bacteria that keep everything in flow with
a high pH are never suited to Calcifuges large amounts. As companion plants such areas that are exposed to prevailing winds, nature. For others, it is simply a medium
(lime hating plants). species should be avoided! hydromorphic (wet) soils, and areas that in which plants grow.
are prone to drought. Thirdly, we should
The pH preferences of common native Soil sterilization or ‘pasteurization’ consider the local flora that surrounds Once we begin to understand the
species may be used as a rough guide is another option, although the use of a site. Is the surrounding vegetation complex geophysical relationships that
to identifying the pH of a particular chemicals such as Basamid and Methyl evergreen or deciduous? Are nearby crops occur between bedrock and soil structure,
soil. Acid loving Calcifuges include; Bromide, must be seriously balanced annual, if so when are they harvested? between soil structure and plant life,
Birch, Bog myrtle, Wild cherry, Heather, against the natural ecology of a given Which noticeable features within the we begin to understand the function of
Rowan and Scots pine. Alkaline loving environ (not to mention their effect landscape are seasonal and which are not? soil ecology itself. As horticulturalist,
Calcicoles, on the other hand, include upon the ozone!). Another method of All of these questions must be addressed an intensive commitment to the earth
Alder, Crab apple, Elder, Hawthorn, sterilization involves steam heating soil prior to planting. reaps its own rewards: broadening
Whitebeam and Yew. When several of to 65c, but for obvious reasons this is our botanical knowledge, crafting our
these species are found in one location, impractical on a large scale. Interestingly Finally, we must reflect upon the impact culture, fueling our imagination. In the
there is a strong likelihood that the soil a release of nitrates takes place in the of our own activity upon the immediate long term, this adds an immeasurable
pH is similar to that preferred by these period following sterilization. Beneficial landscape. As conscious ecologists it is sense of depth to our outdoor horizons.
same plants. Thus an area containing soil organisms are also given the chance
Crab apple, Dogwood, Elder and Yew to compete with (and take over from)
will have a soil pH around 7.5. A quick
observation of the local landscape will
harmful organisms during this time. The
disadvantages of soil sterilization are
Soft Secrets’ Sedimentation Test
therefore give you an approximate idea however plain to see. Sterilization results
about the surrounding soil pH. in a major loss of beneficial bacteria, fungi A simple ‘Sedimentation Test’ can provide very accurate measurements of soil
and insects, all of which contribute to the particle size by calculating the time taken for particles to settle through a given depth
Soil alterations and amendments individual morphology of a particular of water. Thereafter an ‘approximate’ measurement of the constitutional components
soil. Root toxins are also released which of sand silt and clay present in a specific soil sample may be judged.
Every now and then you will be required without aeration is damaging to plant life.
to make alterations and amendments to To conduct a ‘Sedimentation Test’, take a jam jar and measure 5cm from the base
soil sites. Basically, reasonable quantities Perhaps the best way to aid both the upward, marking the jar at every 1cm with a pen. Then fill the jar with 5cm of local
of organic matter are needed in order structure and the nutrient content soil (you may need to sieve the soil a little first). Fill the rest of the jar with water and
to keep most soils well maintained and of a pre-existing soil site is to add stand it on the side for 10 minutes. Place a lid on the jar and shake vigorously for 2-3
healthy. Under sandy soil conditions, for compost. Composting is free and non- minutes. Stand again and watch what happens.
example, large amounts of organic matter time consuming (not to mention an
can help prevent erosion by binding environmentally friendly and ecological Remember sand particles are largest so they will settle first. Silt particles, which are
sand particles together. In contrast, under way of revitalizing old soil). Suitable marble shaped, will settle later just above the finest layer of sand. Clay particles will
hydromorphic conditions the addition of composts may be purchased from the be held in suspension. Organic material floats to the water surface. After 20 minutes
sand to clay soil will aid drainage and local garden center, but the dedicated or so, you can then measure the relative parts of sand and silt (1cm = 20% approx.)
make cultivation easier. horticulturist prefers to make his or her Clay particles and organic matter represent the remaining percentage between them.
own. The secret to composting is to ‘layer’
One of the most valuable sources of the ingredients evenly. A little bit of This is a low-tech test, but it is surprising how many reputable horticulturists apply
organic matter available is manure. kitchen waste one day, some grass cuttings this method to their ‘high-science’. The major benefit of the ‘Sedimentation Test’ is
When adding manure to a soil site it is the next. Then some shedded-paper, some that it can provide the outdoor horticulturist (and the backwoods-person) with the
always advisable to use old manure that old indoor soil, hedge-clippings, pistachio opportunity to conduct quick ‘field-tests’ over many different soil sites.
56 Soft Secrets
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Safety
Building growing rooms and installing all the proper equipment can be a time
consuming matter. People not always think about safety. As a result, accidents
happen, varying from a little current surge to a visit from the local fire brigade.
That is why you have to pay major attention to the aspects of safety!
Accidents shoes with rubber soles, working with
Every year serious accidents with electricity. The serious grower has to
electricity happen at growing-rooms. take the habit to check the growing
Globally these accidents can be divided room and its surrounds regularly for
into: loose switches and wall plugs and repair
• accidents by flying sparks it immediately, after first putting out the
• accidents by exploding technical electricity. An earth leakage circuit
equipment breaker takes care of the disconnection
• accidents by electrocution of the electricity in case of short circuit. and the switches outside the growing- must be kept as much as possible around
Often flying sparks are seen at unjust room, as much as possible choose water- the wire. That means that the copper
use of technical equipment, short-circuit Regulations resistant wiring and lead them over the wires within may not lay nakedly in any
or a loose contact. The regulations of the installation are ceiling or the walls. case. Sounds logic but unfortunately
The exploding of technical equipment very important, because they concern If you want to drill into the walls, think (too) many accidents happen because of
appear if the technical equipment is not the electric parts that the grower works about the fact that there can be wiring this. Another advise against is the fitting
used properly. The electricity develops on, namely: within them. These wires are hard to be of an ordinary plug to a socket with
such high temperatures, that a part of • the grid found, without special equipment. If you earth connection. Better is to change an
the equipment or the explosive matters • the low-voltage apparatus do not have this, always look for little ordinary plug to a plug with earth
in its neighbourhood catch fire. The • the meter cupboard irregularities in the walls, or try by connection.
explosion often happens when the • the wires knocking on the walls to hear where the
sparks are confronted with an explosive • the sockets and light-points wires are. Lamps and relays
gas mixture. Electrocution is the result Always think about the general safety Always choose for a set of lamps with a
of the contact with electricity. The regulations when you are installing Wires fuse or a safe starter. In case of short
seriousness of the accident depends on technical equipment. Because many of Like in an earlier article is reported, circuit it can save you for a lot of
the current intensity, and the duration of the technical equipment are from choice of the wires if of great troubles. When you start a lot of lamps
the surge. Since in growing rooms the overseas, the instructions differ a lot. importance for the safety. Many growers with a time switch it is important to put
current intensity is very high, the Ask always for a good and still use improvised extension cords, by, on the lamps step-by-step. On the
accidents are rather serious. The body, understandable instructions for use. for instance, fitting a plug to both sides moment you switch on the light a lamp
particularly the heart, doesn’t really like of a wire to connect two extension cords uses much more current than that is
alternating current. Humidity together. This is very amateurish and indicated on the lamps (till 10 times as
This information is important because Because of the fact that humidity plays gives a great risk to short-circuit. So much!). The contact in the time switch
with this knowledge severe accidents an important role at the growing-room it again the tip is to ask for advice at the can burn with the effect that the lamps
can often be prevented. The serious is highly important that all equipment, better growshop at the buy of wires if will not turn off again, or in the most
grower can limit the dangers of wiring and sockets are connected with you are not sure about what you exactly unfavourable case a blaze occurs. This
electrocution by carpeting his growing an earth leakage circuit breaker. Also it need. Besides it is of big importance can be overcome with a relay that
room wall-to-wall and always wear is recommendable to install the sockets that when you apply wires, the isolation replaces the contacts of the time switch
and takes care of the fact that the
contacts of a time switch are not
overloaded by the switching on of the
lamps. In another why it is not really
safe to screw a relay against the wall of
the growing room because the relays
often make a lot of noise at switching
and may walls conduct sound very well.
It is advisable to hang a relay at an
rubber elastic. May growshops
nowadays sell pre-assembled equipment.
General tips
Mayby many of the risks I described are
not applicable on you, but fact is that
almost everyone has had an electrical
shock and there are still too many
accidents in the growing-rooms that are
connected with electricity. That is why I
give you the following tips:
BB 5 weeks old
chance of females, as does a raised choice is nice, and the tasting at the end
nitrogen content in the soil, a lower even better. Also great to see of course
temperature and several more… was the difference in growth patterns and
how each plant blooms in a different way
To my amazement I turned up with 17 to the others and how each bud looks
females out of 20. This was very good different to the others.
and most unexpected, maybe also a bit of Jack Herer
bad luck because I had expected more The Bubblegum bloomed with these
males and can never find it in my heart to enormous oblong buds I had never seen rather than giving extra co2 from bottles. a choice is a luxury. Just laying them all
throw away females. The excess of before, even the lowermost buds had a Now you’re not going to hear me say that out and sorting though them by shape and
females I simply put outside and left them huge size. The Blueberry had lovely, the automatic, controlled addition of co2 appearance is fun. The most stoned I have
to grow in peace. hard, round buds, gorgeous in shape. from bottles in to your space is no good, ever been was when we once made a
Because it had become a real jungle I had but the cheapest option is still to make cocktail of seven different varieties rolled
In order to ensure that the clones became to take out a few plants to give the others good use of the higher co2 values of the into one fat joint.
as big as the seed plants, which normally more space in which to develop. The polluted city air. Good ventilation is one After half an hour we were so languid we
are a little higher, I had planted the clones were almost asleep, so it’s definitely not
in coconut fibre. On this, they shoot up a
little higher into the air than when grown
I did notice a great deal of difference between the an experiment I would recommend if
you’re hoping to go out, because you
in earth, and so they can catch up the seed ordinary earth you get from a normal garden won’t be moving at all!
plants. It is very hard to raise the various centre and that from a grow shop
varieties all at the same time and still This time of course I also had some
make sure that they end up the same thing I learned here is that a plant really of the most important and cheapest ways outdoor plants; the few seed plants from
height. Especially if you’ve got Sativas does need sufficient room to grow and of scoring yourself a good harvest. indoors I had left over and had stuck
and Indicas growing together you can be bloom. If you limit a plant’s space by However many wonder potions you use, outside to give those left inside more
handed some nerve-wracking putting too many other plants around it if you don’t ensure good ventilation you room, and the four K2 clones that didn’t
developments. too tightly in your growing cupboard then will never get the maximum out of your work out. With some time these too
you will end up getting less out of that plants. began to shoot up like rockets under the
Whenever I made a Sativa a head shorter, plant because it can not develop intense sunlight.
the Jack Herer for example, then it still sufficiently. I certainly felt this with my Harvesting, trying and enjoying They were stood in seven litre pots of
ended up shooting up again sometime harvests. I had still left too many standing coconut fibre that looked marvellous
later. With the Leda Uno I had the same and in place of them developing their Because I now have everything I need to tome, but more of those next time.
problem – it just wouldn’t stay small. It width, they simply grew too high, which raise and harvest a crop, I have no need to
was hideous trying during the growth ensured that I had more long, skinny go to a grow shop. Apart from the
phase to keep everything nicely bowed plants. struggle to keep the plants growing at the Get Cultivated!
and tied up. Every day coming back to same height, things went pretty smoothly.
see if there were more branches needing By the time I realised this, the damage No phosphate deficiency, no lamp came WHY did my plant die? WHAT’s
bending and whether the already bent was already done and I had no choice crashing down or other such accident. making my plant yellow? GET
branches needed bending a little more and than to go with what I’d got; I’ll do better Thanks to the variety of weed, the harvest YOUR CULTIVATION
if so, in which direction. next time, I always say. You could clearly was spread out and not all bunched up at QUESTIONS ANSWERED NOW!
see the difference between them and the the same time, since each had its specific When should I start feeding my
Bending is simply guiding a branch to plants that did get enough space. These blooming period. plants? How do I take clones?
grow down by holding the tip of the plants had the loveliest buds of all and This had its advantages in that I could Soft Secrets' continuing mission to
branch down with string. By doing this were much more broadly spaced out than trim away with no pressure with no need blossom your gardening skills and
you put a brake on the growth and allow the others. to do a huge pile in one go. At the end of weed out your growing headaches
the lower branches to develop a little it all, I collected up all the trim waste and goes to the next step!
better. You can of course just decapitate Thanks to the continuous input of fresh made a superb water hash. This was a Just ask our highly skilled expert
the plant, but then you lose the head bud; air and co2, very attractive buds particularly delicious hashish since it had Bart B. ANY cultivation question
in this way you get to keep it and still developed on the branches of my plant. such a mixture of varieties mixed in. and our new section Get Cultivated!
allow the under-most branches to develop There is an advantage you have as a will provide the ANSWER!
better. Of course it is more work, but you grower when you live in or near a city. After having dried out all the varieties WHERE & HOW do I set up an
will be rewarded in the end. I don’t think Thanks to the many cars, factories, and came the best bit of all, the tasting. Each aquaponic hydroponic system?
in retrospect I will try and grow so many industrial sites there is more co2 in the weed has its own character and it was a HOW do I maximise my yield in the
varieties together at the same time again. atmosphere than if you lived out in the real party to smoke them all at the same shortest possible time?
Each to its own square meter is the best sticks. Thanks to this your plants will time. In no time you'll be trouble-free and
way. grow significantly better and develop running your garden as a truly
larger buds. So actually if you ventilate Although I did not achieve a huge harvest cultivated expert!
Despite the drawbacks, you also have the well and get plenty of air and fresh co2 from any single weed, I did have a
positive side of the mix of wonderful flowing through your cupboard you will reasonable harvest from all of them. It is SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:
sweet aromas from the various varieties. get a top harvest. Some growers in nice to have a choice and not have to bartb@ganja.com
It was a real mini-Paradise. So much industrial areas simply ventilate well smoke the same stuff every time. Having
Soft Secrets Special 61
Being in need of high quality strains of the feedings to each individual There is no difference
for his work, Joop started working plant guaranteed that the trychomes
with Arjan, the owner and founder of developed at their maximum potential. in the way glandular
the Green House Seed Company and trychomes develop
Coffeeshops of Amsterdam. During Regular flushing with a light pH
a period of 10 months, between and EC solution guaranteed that no on indica and sativa
September 2004 and June 2005, salt residues would accumulate in plants.
the Green House Seed Company the medium, ensuring the maximum
has conquered a new milestone in resin production. Every week
cannabis photography. Together with samples of the flowers were taken, The study also gave the opportunity
Joop Dumay, one of the world leading freshly cut from the branches of each to test the smoke from the different
experts in microphotography, Arjan selected plant, and then transported strain samples harvested at different
completed the first micro-photography to the photo-lab facilities of Joop stages of maturation; it was found
study on resin development on a Dumay for the photo session. Here that a difference of just one week
complete range of sativa and indica Joop photographed the trychomes in the harvest time can change
plants. For the first time ever, the and glandular trychomes, using a both the flavor and the high in a
significant way. The growers that
have the possibility to experiment
It was found that a difference of just one week in can try to harvest at different stages
the harvest time can change both the flavor and to determine the “peak moment” of a
particular strain. If a strong indica is
the high in a significant way. harvested one week earlier, the effect
will be slightly more mental and less
microscopic world of trychomes professional camera mounted on an heavy on the body. On the contrary,
and THC glands is visible in its optical microscope. The images are harvesting the plant one week past the
shiny brightness of mushroom-like magnified 1200 times. By adding optimal maturation stage will give a
shapes; a multitude of different and different pigments to the Petra dishes really sweet and heavy smoke, with a
colors reflected and magnified by the (small glass trays used to hold the more narcotic and stoned effect.
trychomes of the amazing cannabis samples), Joop the Crystalman
plant, as never seen before. enhances the clearness or opaqueness Different conclusions were drawn
of the THC glands, revealing all their from this study; between them the
The photo-study includes all 11 beauty. The colors used to enhance the facts that there is no difference in the
strains on the 2005 Green House Seed visibility of the THC glands produce way glandular trychomes develop on
Company catalog, with each strain no alteration in the clarity of the indica and sativa plants. Both look
being photographed weekly, starting picture, while rendering the details in the same and develop in the same
from the fourth week of flowering all their complexity. manner. Another conclusion was the
down to the harvest. Thanks to a confirmation that THC is just one of
close cooperation between the Green The result is an amazing overview at the many elements acting in synergy
House Seed Company and Joop the spectacular world of glands and with many other cannabinoids. The
Dumay, also known as the Crystalman, trychomes forming the cannabis resin, interaction between the different
for the first time a seed bank can the physical representation of a jungle cannabinoids is the key to further
document the THC development on of forms and shapes that remind of investigate the effect of the cannabis
all its strains. The study has been surreal landscapes. Besides being resin.
realized in a completely controlled wonderful pictures to look at, these
environment, growing all the plants in shots give the grower the chance to The work of art of Joop the
the ideal conditions for each particular really understand the development Crystalman and the great genetics of
strain. The plants were grown in big and decay of cannabinoids, offering a Arjan’s collection made this unique
containers using rockwool flakes unique tool to get the right moment to photographic study possible. The rest is
as medium. A strict monitoring harvest. the magic of nature.
Soft Secrets 29
Report
Trimming weed: By Jan Sennema
this is an unnecessary precaution, since
trimmers, despite the large profits that are
being made, are often not paid too well, the
absolutely nothing about how to trim. And Bonsai Hero: dotting i’s from Canada by the Pollinator Company.
some trimmers take grateful advantage and crossing t’s Switzerland made a play for the market
of that knowledge. “The man who we with the Stripper and the Hanf Turbo
worked for once brought a trim machine Cleaner. All these machines made use
in with him,” says Henri. “He had hired of a vacuum cleaner that served to draw
it from a grow shop. ‘Give this a try’ he the leaf material towards the blade and
says. Well, of course we did not like the then remove the trimmed waste and trap
look of this, but fair enough, if the boss it somehow for eventual making into
we’ve got to do it, then we were willing to hashish. In the meantime there have been
give it a whirl. Naturally, we raked away a number of alternatives made available,
with the thing. The buds we ended up and these have often elaborated on the
with of course looked like shit and when principles used in these first trimming
the boss saw this, he had immediately had machines. Glawill produces the Kermit
his fill with trimming machines.” Another trim machine, that’s available in two
retarding factor in the mass switch over to versions, the first with a single cutting
mechanical trimming has been the clients head, the second equipped with two.
themselves. As every grow shop can ‘Kermit keeps on trimming, he doesn’t
testify, growers are often quite conservative smoke, moan or chatter!’, says the
company in its promotional material.
Housed in a robust metal casing is a
shaft inside of which is a rotating drill.
Via the opening in the shaft the bud is
drawn along the drill, on which the rough
covering leaves are snipped off and the
connected vacuum cleaner sucks away
the leaf waste. This can be used later for
making skuff or water hash. By varying
the suction power, even the smallest
buds can be processed. For anyone not
producing on an industrial scale but who
Making the same monotonous movements with has lost a brother to the soul-destroying
No bolshiness, no gossiping: Kermit at work the same hand, hour after hour, not infrequently hand trimming, there is the chance to
produces pains – and these can lead to the rent a Kermit (or another trim machine)
and do not find it easy to switch over from their grow shop. Not infrequently
to new methods of doing things. That eventual burnout of the trimmer. this is turned into a purchase after the
applies to the tried and trusted growing positive experience. The gizmo functions
techniques, but also for the manner in best, according to the makers, with fresh
which the end product is trimmed. Despite – therefore wet - material. Hans from
the mechanical revolution it is still widely Glawill says: “In Switzerland they leave
the case that growers get themselves a pair the plants to hang for two or three days
of friendly ladies and set them down at before they set to work with the trim
the trimming table. It is also increasingly machine, but you shouldn’t leave them
popular (in Holland at least) to make up a to dry for any longer than that. Working
trimming gang from foreigners working with dried plants, you tend to suck away
here illegally. Poles especially are popular, too many resin glands, and you therefore
even if they do need to have a sharp eye lose some of the potency of your weed.”
kept on them thanks to the huge temptation The eye-catching design of the Canna
that they are exposed to in the presence of Cutter has further advantages: the three-
the green gold. The advantage is the low legged apparatus makes less noise than
wages that such workers are content with. the machines that are connected up to a
When the decision has been taken to step vacuum cleaner. What’s more, it can more
over to mechanical trimming, then the or less be used independently without it
client is generally sneakily aiming to avoid being necessary for a trimmer to be stood
paying the same rate per trimmed weight behind it the whole time. He can then
as he did with the old-fashioned hand be busy with the rough trim work and
trimming, or to pay by the kilo rather than throwing the prepared buds into the drum,
by the hour. At least he also gets to enjoy whereupon the Canna Cutter quickly and
the significant shortening of the time it automatically does its trimming job. The
takes for him to get the trimming phase apparatus is fitted with a rotating knife
done and behind him. that is under a grid. The distance between
the grid and the knife is precisely the
Ergonomics same as the distance the leaves stick
Many growers prefer to use people as We just can’t make it any more fun than
trimmers who personally do not smoke, so this: The Aardvark at the worktop
as to minimise the temptation to them to
slip a few buds into their bags. A drawback frequently that growing activities are client) is the heavy strain on the muscles
to this practice is that non-smoking discovered at the very last stage thanks to and tendons of the hand. Making the same
trimmers react badly to the sometimes the smell. Other aids found in the trimming monotonous movements with the same
overwhelming powerful aroma of fresh room include rubber gloves, which prevent hand, hour after hour, not infrequently
buds. You can even get stoned from it, trimmers’ fingers becoming all gooey with produces pains – and these can lead to the
according to the stories. This is bollocks, sticky hairs in just a few minutes, trimming eventual burnout of the trimmer. Thanks
according to the earlier quoted Frank. “You overalls and various cleaning fluids for the to the variety of movements that using
simply cannot get stoned from the aroma removal of said sticky stuff. trim machines make possible, this risk is
of the weed; you have to have THC in As well as the economic aspect of reduced with their use.
your blood supply, otherwise you will not mechanical trimming there is also a
notice any effect. And this just doesn’t strong argument in favour of trimming Alternatives
happen through your nose.” Nevertheless, machines: the ergonomics. Trimming with
there is frequently a (portable) carbon the traditional scissors is still generally Already by the beginning of the 1990s
filter-fitted air extractor installed in the considered to be the most accurate the first trim machines had appeared
trimming room – though not primarily trimming technique, but has the drawback on the market. The Canadian Power
for the benefit of the trimmers. The most that it takes longer and trimmers need Clipper was in all probability the first, a
important reason for this is to keep the regular breaks from it. More importantly by present standards rather primitive and
location secret, because it happens quite for the trimmer (and eventually for the rather dangerous tool that was imported The top model from Canna Cutter
Soft Secrets 31
Sorted for ease: Canna Cutter in action at Hand-trimmed bud with trim waste Ladies’ hands trim the finest Bonsai Hero and Testarossa
the Highlife Fair
To trim or not to trim? of the trimming work, the quality of the shaped, ‘beefy’ buds.
end product and the usability of the trim “I advise people always to go to a grow
Trimming is not always necessary straight after the harvest. For those growers who waste that is produced. Or of course shop and hire every model of trimmer
just raise small quantities for their own consumption, it is perhaps even better to not a combination of these. An important they stock for a whole weekend and
do so. Instead, hand the whole plant upside down in a drying space and just clean up question to ask can be whether the do a comparative test on them,” says
buds as and when you want them. Do make sure that the plants are not touching each existing trimming team can be convinced Napoleon. Look at the quality of the
other and that there is enough ventilation, otherwise mould can easily take hold. In this that it can get on with working with a trimmed buds, smoke some end product
way you can store your buds for longer because the leaves have not been damaged and trim machine, or whether they will be so and see that not too much foliage sits in
the resinous bits actually improve due to their exposure to light and oxygen, which against it you need to find yourself a new your trim waste, and also don’t forget
according to connoisseurs improves the flavour of the weed. team. Even the plant being grown can to check how much pollen is left on the
be factored in to your eventual choice: buds after they have been trimmed. If you
out from the bud. Around the grid is an precision motor is manufactured to Haze varieties, with their often capricious use the same variety of plant, then it will
open drum with a Plexiglas lid. Since the indestructible, industrial-quality. The buds are a bit more difficult to trim than very quickly become clear which choice
whole thing vibrates, the pre-trimmed most important advantages of electric commercial varieties with more regularly- is best for you.”
buds bobble around over each other, so trimming shears are their cheaper price,
that all the buds get a turn having their the greater precision with which they
rough leaves removed. The waste is left can be wielded (comparable to that of Wet or dry trimming?
behind in a tub under the machine. The hand scissors) and the care with which
Canna Cutter is available in two models. the delicate, pollen-rich material can be If you do use a trim machine, you are best off using it on wet weed. Using simple
The Aardvark is also a machine that processed. Users praise the moderate electrical shears you can trim wet or dry, though most growers do prefer to trim wet
makes use of a vacuum cleaner. With this decibel production, thanks to which if with these too. The advantage of trimming dry is that the buds keep their shape better
apparatus, with which according to the necessary they can even be used in the if they have been thoroughly dried out. The drawback is that the resin glands are
distributor ‘trimming is once again FUN,’ evenings in a domestic home. What is more easily shaken free from dry material than from wet plants.
liveliness is the key word. The cutting noticeable is the flexibility of Napoleon’s Before starting to trim you should remove the large finger leaves, and trim the buds
head with a built-in motor is housed in a products: they can be use a whole as neatly as you can. You can safely leave bits of the small shoot leaves (partly)
separate handle that can be fixed directly range of energy sources, including a set intact, since these are usually covered in resin.
to the vacuum cleaner hose. The current of penlight batteries for when you’re
is supplied via an adaptor. Thanks to the engaged in a little guerrilla trimming out
loose cutting head there is no fixed place in the woods. Starting with something Info on The Aardvark:
where the buds have to be inserted, and new is always difficult, and that goes Hydroponic Wholesale, Unit 16, Derby Trading Estate, Stores Road, Derby DE21
this gives the trimmer a greater degree of for trim machines too. No-one should 4BE, Tel. +44 (0) 133 220 8090, Fax. +44 (0) 133 285 1640
freedom of movement and allows more expect to be working at his best after Web site: www.toppensneller.com
flexible movements to be used for the just five minutes if he has just made
manicuring. Here again, the trimmer can acquaintance with the trimming machine. Info on the Canna Cutter:
vary the suction power in order to be able But the phenomenal speed with which Indoor Garden Trading, Rietbaan 11, 2908 LP Capelle a/d IJssel
to carefully trim even the smallest buds. an experienced (!) machine trimmer can Tel: +31 (0) 10 209 96 65, Fax: +31 (0) 10 209 73 09
The trim waste is sucked away and finish the harvest off does mean they Web site: www.indoorgardentradingbv.com
caught in the vacuum cleaner’s bag. stand head and shoulders above the
Napoleon stays closer to the old- old methods. Exactly which trimming Info on the Kermit:
fashioned scissors with its two models of machine should earn your preference Glawill Commerce, Postbus 6116, 5700 EV Helmond, The Netherlands.
electric trimming shears: the Testarossa, really depends on a number of factors. Tel: +31 (0) 492 592 058, Fax: +31 (0) 492 592 055
designed for small-scale hobby growers, Besides the price sticker and the noise Web site: www.glawill.com
and the Bonsai Hero, that with its Swiss volume, other factors include the speed Info on Napoleon: www.bonsaihero.com
26 Soft Secrets
Report
day. The freshness of the products is
Variation
Have you been ‘shroomed’? Just as with cannabis growing and
wine production, in the shroom world
several varieties are grown. The
amazing assortment grown by Procare is
The small but oh-so-powerful Hawaiian. sufficiently wide to keep even the most
accomplished shroomer interested. “At
the moment we grow Amazonian XTC,
As recently as ten years ago, if you wanted to enjoy magic mushrooms your best Ecuadorian, Mexican, Thai, Colombian
bet was to take a trip to some hippie resort or other in Thailand or Mexico and and Hawaiian Copelandia, and on top
order yourself a omelette of shrooms. A few brave individuals might venture out of that we also make two varieties of
into the countryside to scrabble around looking for the native liberty caps – and truffle,” says Murat.
as often as not came home with the wrong sort of mushroom. This situation has
changed dramatically with the arrival of the smart shop. Thanks to this branch Five of this range belong to the Psilocybe
of the head business and its suppliers the unique ‘holiday in your own head’ that cubensis family, a real cosmopolitan
is possible with shrooms is now available for anyone who wants it. Probably that turns up in tropical areas all over
the biggest producer of magic mushrooms in the world is Procare based in the the globe. But that does not mean
Dutch town of Hazerswoude. Soft Secrets visited Procare for a revealing report that every cubensis is the same as any
on the ins and outs of this business. other; depending on the place of origin
each sub-variety has its own distinct
Procare was set up in 1987 by Ali an absolute prerequisite if they are to be characteristics, just as cannabis from
Küçüksen. In its early years the company grown in a controlled environment. Thailand and Afghanistan are very
was mainly busy with establishing different from each other. The size and the
mushroom cultivating projects in among International orders colours vary, and the chemical profile of
other places, Belgium, Poland, Turkey, Murat and Ali have built Procare each is unique to each sub-variety, thanks
Romania and China. In 1993 Ali was with much ambition and drive into a to which the trip with each variety has its
joined by his brother Murat at the business hyper-modern company where shroom The corridor with the 16 grow cells. won character.
and from that moment they threw growing is taken extremely seriously.
themselves into expanding into growing “Procare is one of the biggest producers The strongest is the Hawaiian Copelandia,
psychedelic shrooms. With around ten of hallucinogenic fungi in the world, “ a tiny little shroom and an extremely high
years of pioneering work behind it, Procare points out . Murat. “And with this comes concentration of active substances. Which
now has a production capacity of around a great deal of responsibility. We make variety is most suitable depends on what
35,000 kilos per year, which makes it one sure that there is open, clear information you want, says Murat: “If you are looking
of the world’s market leaders in this field. for all parties involved, whether they be for a heavy trip with hallucinations then
consumers, shops, or the authorities. In you are best off doing a somewhat larger
For the harvesting of this impressive this way we make sure that we always dose of the Colombians, say 30 to 40
mountain of shrooms Procare makes use have a responsible association with the grams, or 12-15 grams of the Copelandia.
of some state-of-the-art technology. The hallucinatory effects of our products.” The latter I would not recommend to
beginners, because they can be pretty
dramatic. If you’re looking for a milder
“The sale of our products is entirely driven by our Rye honey-combed with fungal mycelia,
ready for re-location to the grow cell. trip that feels more like a nice dose of
strenuous efforts towards quality.” XTC, then you’re better off maybe going
for a small dose of about 5-10 grams of
growing facility is divided up into various Integrity is also high on the list of truffles or Amazonian XTC.”
extremely clean spaces for all steps priorities at Procare. “The sale of our
that are needed in the complex growing products is entirely driven by our Home growing
process. There are sterile laboratories into strenuous efforts towards quality, not by From our own experience many of us
which no-one is allowed without first marketing tricks,” says Murat. “If we bring know how exciting it is to grow shrooms
donning sterile overalls and operation a new shroom onto the market, you can be ourselves at home. The problem is only
room mask, and along a long corridor absolutely certain that we have analysed that it can be such a hassle: the process
there are 16 growing cells, equipped with and tested it exhaustively. We do not has to be followed, especially for the first
advanced computer-controlled climate just stick a new, exotic label on existing steps, under sterile conditions. Something
control. The rooms in the laboratory mushrooms. In short, we do not engage in that is hard to achieve without your
complex are connected with each other any misleading practices. First develop a A glimpse into the a grow cell filled with own expensive laboratory apparatus.
via an ingenious system of airlocks. This perfect product. Only once we are sure of Ecuadorian. Fortunately you can leapfrog these
is thanks to the fact that although in the the high quality and a technically-feasible annoying early stages, because Procare
wild mushrooms grow on dung and other growing volume do we put our new The production process as well as the end also delivers very user-friendly grow kits.
rotting substances, absolute sterility is variety in the stores.” product meet the strictest (ecological) All you have to do is open the kit and
quality standards. Procare does not work keep it moist and at room temperature,
with middlemen, but delivers with its own and a few weeks later you can start
dedicated transport department directly harvesting. Growing these wonders of
to the retail outlets. Super fast and fresh nature yourself is not only great – and
daily, every day. Shroom fans who do not educational – fun, it also allows you to
live near a smart shop (especially those make huge savings per portion compared
outside Holland) can get their supplies with freshly bought shrooms. With the
directly from Procare. Via the web shop EZ-Grow® Pro grow kit for example you
at www.procare.nl you can arrange in can get up to 2 kilos of fresh shrooms.
just a few clicks of a mouse to have the
magical universe of the shroom delivered If you find a kit like this a little too easy
directly to your home. Payment is via and are looking for a real challenge,
Paypal, Money Bookers, by cheque or then Procare is still the place to go for
even with ready cash. And as soon as the all professional materials you need for
payment has been received the delivery the establishment of your own magic
is dispatched out the door. Because use mushroom lab. From spore to mushroom.
is made of an external courier company, Because pettily secretive about their
orders made from within the EU can be professional secrets is something you can
delivered within 3 work days, and to never accuse Procare of ever being...
A bed of Ecuadorians larger international cities it is not unusual
nearly ripe for the harvest. to receive the package within just one Info and orders: www.procare.nl
Soft Secrets 23
Report
These growers believe that providing plants rely on enzymes to act as “anti-
Enzymes
only fertilizers with nitrogen, oxidants” that neutralize free radical
potassium, phosphorus and a few damage.
micronutrients is all they have to do.
By Steve Davis And it is all they have to do- if they The root zone is neglected by many
want mediocre or toxic plants that growers, even though roots are a
that enzymes and other digestive produce mediocre and toxic flowers. plant’s “mouth.” In fertile, rich soil
processes are unable to metabolize. environments unspoiled by industrial
If they want strong, fast-growing plants fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides,
Many modern foods have been created that produce huge amounts of potent the root zone contains “beneficial
or prepared in such as way as to floral growth, they need to understand microbes” and enzymes that colonize
make their vital nutrients chemically the crucial necessity of providing the roots and help the roots absorb
inaccessible to our natural digestive properly-formulated nutrients, enzymes nutrients. Microbes and enzymes
processes. The inability of our digestive and other components. work together to scour the root zone
system to elicit and assimilate nutrients for debris, which helps prevent root
from food causes many types of chronic Even when growers seek to provide a disease. They break down materials so
disease. range of nutrients and other materials that the materials become bioavailable
to their plants, they often use as carbohydrates and nutrients for root
Plants use enzymes to facilitate fertilizers and additives that are poorly uptake, and so that the root zone does
nutrient absorption and other important formulated, which makes it difficult not become “rotten.”
functions. Yes, plants are a source of if not impossible for plants to uptake
enzymes; when I take my enzyme pill, anything useful from those products. In naturally-alive root environments,
Ribbon diagram of the catalytically the enzymes in the pill came from enzymes increase the number and
perfect enzyme plants. But plants themselves need In many agricultural situations, but function of beneficial microbes.
enzymes in order to thrive, and it is especially in indoor grow environments, Together, enzymes and microbes
Whenever I eat a meal, especially if often difficult for plants to maintain enzyme deficiencies harm crop health. clear root zone debris, minimize
it contains animal flesh, starches, or adequate enzyme levels because they Enzymes are necessary for important soil diseases, expedite nutrient
junk food, I take a pill that contains are grown in environments that do agricultural processes. Enzymes support bioavailability, and assist root growth
plant enzymes. This pill greatly aids not provide the proper substrate for metabolism, infrastructure, root zone and function.
digestion. enzymatic formation and activity. health, maturation, nutrient absorption,
floral production and immune systems. When crops have insufficient amounts
An enzyme is a protein (or a molecule As with human food, the food that They are essential to cellular function, of fresh enzymes, they grow more
made of proteins) that facilitates many growers feed to their plants is but become depleted as crops mature, slowly and all plant functions are
chemical reactions necessary for improperly configured, so that plants just as in humans, when aging makes impeded. Yields and potency are lower.
metabolism in living organisms. Maturation is delayed. In extreme
In fertile, rich soil environments unspoiled by circumstances, enzyme problems kill
Proteins are made of amino acids. plants.
Deficiencies in amino acids can lead to industrial fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides,
protein deficiencies which can lead to the root zone contains “beneficial microbes” and Growers who experience crop
enzyme deficiencies. This process can difficulties often respond by dumping
also function sideways and in reverse: enzymes that colonize the roots and help the roots more nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus
shortages of any individual component absorb nutrients. and micronutrients on their crops,
can lead to shortages of all. or by adjusting pH or environmental
cannot utilize it. Nutrients in inferior it harder for our bodies to produce conditions.
Enzymes are catalysts that help fertilizers are “locked up” in the root sufficient quantities of quality enzymes.
transform carbohydrates into simple zone and plant roots cannot intake In my indoor marijuana gardens, I’ve
sugars used for energy. Enzymes them. The root zone substrate, be it As plants enter floral phase and direct found that dosing my crops from start
break down proteins into amino acids. soil, rockwool or aeroponics, becomes their energy towards floral production, to finish with a product like Advanced
Enzymes also have an integral role a toxic mass of chemically-unavailable they deplete enzyme reserves at the Nutrients’ SensiZym has produced
in assimilating vitamins and minerals nutrients that eventually overburden, same time that their production of noticeable beneficial results.
from food inputs; they then help rather than feed, the plant. enzymes is also decreasing. If you
transport minerals and vitamins in the examine the range of enzymes in plants In years past, what I would have
bloodstream. In many agricultural environments, and how they affect plant growth and perceived as a nitrogen deficiency, or a
plants do not receive all substances metabolism, you’ll see why you should genetic defect that caused slow growth
In humans, enzymes begin working to necessary to produce and maintain add enzymes to your plant feeding and small flowers, I now have learned
derive nutrition and energy from food healthy levels of intact enzymes. regimens. to remedy by using SensiZym. The
as soon food enters the mouth. The Industrial crops grown in soil often product’s manufacturers say it has 80 or
body manufactures and sends different suffer because overused, chemically- The enzyme glutathione s-transferase, more different types of enzymes useful
enzymes into the saliva, depending on fertilized, depleted soil does not contain for example, removes toxic substances for plants, and that these enzymes are
what type of food is being eaten. enough nutrients and is biologically from plant cells and assists immune biologically active and potent for a very
dead. In many industrial settings, soil system function when plants are long time after being packaged.
The enzyme amylase, for example, is so biologically dead that plants are attacked by pathogens.
works on starchy foods. Enzymes in unable to utilize any nutrients present The digestive plant enzyme pill that
the mouth, stomach, and intestines in it. When plants want to convert nitrogen, I take with my meals only has 12
are responsible for gathering vital phosphorus and potassium into useable enzymes in it, but I feel how the
components from different types of In indoor agriculture using sterile root forms, they rely on dozens of different enzymes help me more easily digest
food and beverages, and for making zone media such as rockwool, the grower enzymes. foods that used to cause digestive
those components available to fuel cell must provide a vast range of inputs to problems.
metabolism. take the place of what would be available Photosynthesis is dependent on enzyme
naturally if plants were grown in fertile, function. The health of the root The digestive enzymes help me more
Enzyme deficiencies are a serious organic soil outdoors. Many growers zone, the ability of roots to grow, the easily derive and absorb nutrients from
problem for humans and plants, because do not fail to provide plants with the root’s ability to uptake nutrients, the my food, which means I have more
enzymes are key catalysts that convert full spectrum of properly-formulated bioavailability of nutrients in the root energy and nutrition.
raw materials into substances that form compounds necessary for maximum zone, the transfer of water from the root
the building blocks of an organism’s growth and yield. zone into the plant, and the transfer of I believe that if my plants could talk,
physical structure and metabolism. water inside the plant- all are dependent they would thank me for augmenting
As with humans in affluent countries on enzymatic activity. their diet with digestive enzymes that
As humans age, their bodies become who suffer malnutrition, obesity and help their internal processes and roots.
less able to produce and maintain diabetes because they eat artificial, Perhaps you’ve heard of the damage What’s good for the grower is good for
adequate levels of intact enzymes, toxic foods that their bodies cannot that renegade “free radical” oxygen his plants is my motto!
amino acids and proteins. Another digest, many marijuana plants are molecules can do to your body’s cells.
problem happens because people eat starving, even though their growers are They cause mutations and interfere with
food that has been manufactured or dumping large amounts of fertilizer into cellular metabolism. The same thing For more info check
prepared using processes or materials their root zone. happens in plants, and when it does, www.an-europe.com
Soft Secrets 61
Report
The smell of the Doctor is intense, downloadable for free on
The Doctor
sweet but very berry-like; a complex www.greenhouseseeds.nl, will reveal
bouquet and a very mouth-filling taste. some of the soft secrets behind all
Many smokers noticed a prevalence the strains of the Green House Seed
By Franco Lojacono of the Great White Shark flavour. Company, week by week from clone to
The THC content is up to 18%, with harvest and beyond.
The story of a world champion very high CBD as well. The CBD
allows a smooth body-feeling that hits
after the first 10-15 minutes, giving The high CBD content
the Doctor an edge on the regular
The latest creation of the Green House fully before harvest. At the Green indicas. At the Green House Seed makes the Doctor a
Seed Company, The Doctor, is about
to enter the international markets.
House Seed Company we often like Company we like to grow the Doctor great medicinal plant
to give it an extra week to achieve in different ways, but the best results
Arjan took extra care in selecting this better sweeter taste and more physical are achieved in hydroponic systems, for both pain relief
amazingly high-yielder, a sweet strong CBD effect, heavy stoned. The flower using 20 liters container and rockwool
indica with an incredible production formations are massive and round, flakes as medium. The plants are and MS.
and a strong character. compact and very dense, with big pear- given 2 weeks of 18 hrs, then they are
The Doctor is a true indica with very shaped calyxes. The high calyx-to-leaf flowered, finishing at around 120 cm After the great feedback given by
peculiar characteristics. Short, bushy ratio guarantees low chlorophyll and a at harvest. The Doctor can take high the medical patients in Holland and
plant, it develops with a typical round sweet taste. concentrations of feeding, up to 2.2 EC by many judges of the High Times
shape; the strong branches can easily during the peak of flowering in week Cannabis Cup, in 2006 this great plant
support the heavy-weight buds. The 3-4 of the 12 hrs period. will be available to all growers. Come
lower branches tend to stretch out of visit our stand at the next Spannabis
the profile to reach the light and the Red eyes and heavy legs Outdoor the plant will be a dream for expo in Barcelona on 24, 25 and 26
internodes stay short, around 6-7 cm. are guaranteed. all growers. It finishes at the beginning February 2006 to learn more about this
of October, with amazing yields up to amazing champion directly from Arjan
It is a very easy-to-grow plant, one 1000 grams per plant. It is resistent to and the Green House crew of creators
with a very strong stem structure. It Already in the 5th week of flowering pests and it tolerates cold temperatures of champions!
is good for low-ceiling indoor grow the glandular trychomes will start at night.
rooms as well as for outdoor. The turning mat, but new trychomes will
leaves are thick, with short and bulky appear well into the 8th week, creating The Green House Seed Company
overlapping fingers. A leaf structure a strong high followed by an extra- “Grow DVD”, available in January
that reveals the true indica pedigree strong stoned effect on the body. Red 2006, shows the Doctor followed week
of this strain. The flowering time is 8 eyes and heavy legs are guaranteed. by week, with detailed information on
weeks, with great resin development The high CBD content makes the all environmental factors necessary
during the last 2 weeks. For this reason Doctor a great medicinal plant for both for a perfect development and great
it is advised to let the plants mature pain relief and MS. results. This double DVD, soon
38 Soft Secrets
Report
Spot the differences: an unprocessed bud from the samples we received... ... and a bud that has been processed.
As long as there has been trade in grow shop owner who tipped us off about weed to be sold abroad for ready cash. It about the trick was that the swindled
commodities, products have been cut the adulterated weed says: “A customer concerns low-value and already pollinated finder naturally for no moment felt like
and adulterated. The scarcer the product, came in one time with marvellous, weed that has then been processed in some he’d been had, but on the contrary that he
the sooner somewhere in the distribution beautiful Nederpolm. At first we thought way. The odour is very weak and ‘green’. was a lucky so-and-so. So hey, if you can
chain someone is tempted to bump up ‘oh, what a wonderful colour’, until we When it is smoked at first you do not swindle someone and make them feel like
their profit margin by diluting said product stuck it under a microscope. Then it was notice anything unusual, and the ash too that, you’re almost an artist. And for the
with a neutral substance. This form of clear that were ground fibres from an looks normal, but the stuff has virtually no consumer there was of course no specks of
consumer deceit is really not the exclusive ordinary pair of stone-washed khaki jeans effect. If you inspect it more closely you crap in the air.
domain of ‘criminals’, because even in mixed throughout it.” see within a few minutes a crazy mass of
the supermarket you can find countless powder that looks absolutely nothing like Flim-flam
examples of (sometimes legal) fraud, for Blind as bats cannabis glands. We suspect that it may
example with water and cheap ‘chicken be talcum powder. Thanks to this, at first This sort of fraud, with a dose of good
pieces’ - protein-sprayed chicken meat Hashish is a perfect candidate for having sight it looks like a super weed; logical will, can still almost be described as a kind
that in many supermarkets are sold with weird substances mixed with it thanks then that it is a bit more expensive. A pure of innocent flim-flam that fits in with age-
complete legality but misleadingly as to its easily-kneaded texture. With weed, swindle. In the first place this weed is old Dutch trading traditions. But with the
‘chicken product’. Mmm, tasty. this is a bit harder. In spite of this, there pollinated and so has already brought in adulterated weed that is now being offered
have always been smart Alecs who money. Secondly you gain some weight, at various places in the Netherlands, there
Honesty have dreamed up ways of boosting the and thirdly in this way you can also flog is possibly something more serious going
weight (and therefore profit margin) of the most worthless weed.” on. Among prominent cannabis pioneers,
If honesty in the legal world can no longer weed. For years now within the cannabis Herman is not exactly unknown. He’s
be relied on, then in the underworld of trade, it has been known that weed is not Fraudsters been running a wholesaling business as a
course there is absolutely nothing to hold always the purely natural product that we spin off from his grow shop for a good 15
them back. Naturally, one illegal substance think it is. And this is not a reference to Over the years fraudsters have tried in years. One of his many contacts knows
lends itself better to being cut than another. the pesticide residues or other chemical many ways to ratchet up even further the people who are active in processing
What also counts is that selling adulterated crap that is regularly used in the nation’s already not-to-be-sniffed-at profits made weed, and he managed to put two
dope in certain circles is really not a good commercial green fields. “Dude, that is on Dutch weed. A random selection of samples Herman’s way. Of these one was,
idea. Hard drugs in particular are well as old as the road to Rome”, says coffee some of the substances that have been according to the contact, and the other was
known to be cut on a large scale with shop owner Erwin from the Randstad used to add more weight to the scales: not treated with an unknown substance.
strange substances. With caffeine, manitol, laconically when I ask him if he’s ever had iron filings (extra weight), starch, flour Herman: “In all the time that I have been
inositol, fructose, dextrose, vitamin E and any contact with processed weed. “I have and baking powder, especially popular involved in this business I have often
these days even atropine-cut coke and often been offered weed with starch on it, since the rise of the ‘white’ varieties (add come across weed that had been meddled
speed are more the rule than the exception. but you’d have to be totally blind not to weight and a tasty-looking white frosting), with,” says Herman, “but if I tapped this
Hashish too was and still is regularly see that immediately.” If that is true, any cola, sugar water and even cement. This bud then white powder fell out from it.
adulterated, both in the land of production savvy businessman would pick out such last substance was spread over the plants What’s worrying about this scam is that it
as well as by dealers in the country it is an adulteration immediately. And it looks with a ventilator in order to pop a few is not possible with the naked eye to spot
distributed. The list of substances that unlikely that a lot of weed treated in this more grams on them before harvest. A it. Only with a strong magnifying glass
have been used for this is long: as well way has been turning up in coffee shops, real cannabis veteran told me how way are the small differences visible; the stuff
as the addition of low-value leaf material since according to those in the know it was back when, the inside of the stalk of the used can then be seen again as little flakes.
from the hemp plant itself, they include mainly weed destined for export. cannabis plant, which consists of white I think. According to someone I know, it
animal fats, soap, henna, shoe polish, pulp, was dried out and in ground form might be wallpaper paste, but it could just
paraffin, sand and camel shit. Although Export strewn over the buds. In that case at least as well be some kind of polymer or other
it is perfectly possible that the latter is no the additive was still a cannabis product. that has been tinkered with.”
more than an anecdote from the rich dope- And that is still the order of the day, or The nicest and cleanest way of bumping
folklore. Opium has also over the years so it seemed according to an article in up profit margins is without doubt the trick In itself, wallpaper paste is not an
been one of the usual suspects, especially the September issue of the German hemp that was apparently used regularly a few illogical conclusion, because the stuff,
regarding hash coming out of India and newspaper Hanfjournal, in which readers years back. The supplier hid a couple of that primarily consists of cellulose
Nepal – even though opium here is more were warned about a certain shipment of the old five guilder coins in the middle of a (which is present in wood), binds with
expensive than hash and so it would weed that came out of the Netherlands. kilo bag, and because these coins weighed moisture and dries out transparent. Sadly,
actually be a bonus for the consumer, you In the article it was stated that: “At the around 20 grams apiece, this was weight it is hard to pin down with analysis
might say. Nederhash has also been found moment in Holland, it is established he did not have to make up with weed. because the cannabis plant also contains
cut with foreign substances. Herman, the practice for huge quantities of worthless What was so psychologically compelling cellulose.
44 Soft Secrets
Scarcity Variants agents that exist at random to discover the discovered. A couple of thousand euros-
identity of a single unknown substance. worth of dope is a lot to flush down the
According to Herman the appearance of Comparable reports coming out of the That would take years. But that something loo purely because there are some vague
this new generation of adulterated weed provinces of Brabant, Utrecht, Limburg, was done to the suspicious sample, was reports of weed being messed about with,
is a direct consequence of the scarcity Gelderland and Zeeland largely reinforce fairly quickly found out by the smart and this is not the reaction we can expect
on the market that has existed ever since the thrust of Herman’s story, and there boffins at CannaResearch. More reliable from everyone. And to add to all that
the increasingly hard crackdown against are now newer (and grimmer) variants sources had also reported examples of vagueness there also comes the possibility
growers in the ‘Golden Triangle’ of coming to light, for example in the processed weed to CannaResearch, thanks that we are not talking about one but
Limburg (southern province of NL – ed.). province of Zeeland. In a South-Holland to which something that had once seemed perhaps many methods of cutting weed.
“We are well used to a certain level, but grow shop I heard the story of a shop to be just the latest urban myth was Even so, most coffee shop owners
in recent times it has become considerably owner who had been told of a ‘very becoming more and more likely to have that I have spoken to believe that the
more than a trickle. We even hear stories reliable acquaintance’. He had got a some truth to it. phenomenon of processed weed will work
of buyers walking around with magnets couple of kilos of ‘lovely white weed’ to itself out, even if only because it is pretty
in order to check that there are no iron split up. When he stuck one of his arms “There is something up” noticeable when the much-used kilo bags
filings in the weed. If you sprinkle these in the bag, it came back out with burn suddenly start having the same weight but
over wet weed then you will not be able blisters on it. According to this informant “The research into the sample is far from with smaller volumes of weed in them.
to notice them once it has dried out.” The it was caused by a pigment for powder over,” said Ron from CannaResearch. According to others, this is a rubbish
alarm bell started ringing when suddenly coating, a heavy chemical substance. “But from what we have learned so far, it argument, since weed is far from always
all over the Netherlands wet weed was But whoever I spoke to about processed seems that we have established that there delivered in such a package.
being bought up on a large scale. “It weed, almost all of them would only do is something up. Because it is impractical
began in the South and is spreading out so on the condition that they could be to go looking for particular contaminants Microscope
like an oil spill over the rest of the whole quoted anonymously, and that speaks out of the blue, we have developed a test
Netherlands,” says Herman. “For ten kilos volumes in itself. Arne, who runs a grow with which in any case you can exclude In spite of the invisibility of the threat from
of wet weed they are paying the price that shop in Limburg, was a short while ago the presence of certain substances, in this processed weed, coffee shop bosses are
you would normally pay for two kilos of thanks to a customer also confronted instance primarily heavy metals. From not forced to just sit around and take it.
dried, or 20% of the wet weight. Then the with adulterated weed. Having listened this test it was established that there was One rule of thumb to help prevent buying
weed is already dried and had its leaves to his story it looks likely that there is no indication of metals in these samples, suspect weed is to insist that the weed is
removed. I reckon they are making the also another processing method being but with this we have only ruled out 1% delivered in the well-known kilo bags.
weed even wetter and then rolling some used. “A friend came over with two small of all chemical agents, and so this result Another is to build up and maintain their
kind of powder or other through it. Then samples and asked me which one I found in no way says that there is no risk to the own network of growers and thereby build
it is dried out in a day or two (normally the best looking. Apparently, I picked consumer. We are going to conduct some up a relationship of trust, which can save a
commercial weed is dried for about a out the one that had been processed! other tests to see if the THC concentration lot of uncertainty, just as can maintaining
week – ed.), thanks to which the little You just cannot see anything wrong, and varies significantly between the two a critical attitude towards new suppliers.
leaves contract very quickly. According the smell too is exactly the same as the samples, so that we can determine what And finally there is the tip to invest in a
to the guy who gave me the samples, the non-processed one. At first I completely percentage of the weight consists of microscope, which under the circumstances
weed weighs about 10-25% more after it could not believe that there was anything additives. What we have also determined is is no longer an unnecessary luxury.
has been processed.” dodgy, but the person who brought it to that the product was dried out very quickly.
me was absolutely trustworthy. Only once The THC levels are barely influenced Kite mark
Enormous amounts you looked at it under a microscope could by this, but certain flavourings and
you see that there were weird rectangular psychoactive substances, such as terpenes, ‘Whistle blower’ Herman thinks that
With wholesale prices hovering around blocks on it.” Arne too has an extensive were broken down, thanks to which the it is high time that coffee shops take
the three euro per gram mark, it is clear knowledge of weed, but unlike Herman, taste and smell were clearly reduced. A real responsibility themselves and take some
that we are talking about enormous who in principle will not smoke anything professional smoker will be prompted to structural steps – which in the same effort
amounts. The appearance and smell of he does not trust, Arne wanted to know ask “what the fuh-?”, but a young German another hot potato, pesticides, would be
the processed product are no different the truth for himself and rolled a joint kid will probably not notice anything tackled. “I think that coffee shop owners
to that of unprocessed weed, thanks to with the suspected sample. “One drag was amiss, and just think “whoah – I’ve got have to make sure that the weed that is
which it is extremely hard for buyers to already enough. It tasted chemical, sharp. nice and stoned from it.” For some time handed over the counter has had some sort
tell the difference between a kosher and a I had heard that the stuff with which the now, CannaResearch has had the facilities of ‘kite mark’ establishing that it has been
potentially dangerous product. weed had been adulterated was a chemical to do a chemical analysis of possible tested for poisonous substances. Think of
“If I can not or barely see that it has been product from DSM (large Dutch chemical pesticides in cannabis products. A ground- the way that in Germany wine is checked.
processed, then neither can 99% of the company – ed.) that is sold in kilo bags. breaking service with which coffee shops Every wine grower has to have a sample
shop owners tell the difference,” says The stuff was sprinkled all over wet weed can cultivate their sense of self-regulation of each wine he produces tested at a
Herman, “so I know for sure that it is which was then freeze dried.” and responsibility. Without a doubt coffee laboratory. It costs them a couple of euros,
being sold in the Netherlands on a huge shops will soon be banging on the door of and they get back a test report. By using
scale in shops. Let’s assume that 70% of White coats CannaResearch hoping for a test for as yet spot checks it can be checked whether the
weed at the moment is being sold wet,” unknown weed adulterants. wine does indeed come from that party. It
he continues. “Of that, maybe 80% is But enough of all these vague suspicions. is not hard to imagine that an institution
being sent abroad, but the rest is landing We want some hard facts. Analyses, Critical such as the Trimbos (Dutch drugs research
up in coffee shops.” Herman is seriously graphics, men in white coats. So it’s off unit – ed.) develops such a test. But that
worried about the phenomenon, for a to CannaResearch. When we turned up In anticipation of the results from the something has to happen is clear, because
start because the health of innocent dope at CannaResearch with our samples, the CannaResearch investigation, the question if we let this slumber then sooner rather
smokers is being toyed with, but above all world famous lab was more than happy remains whether the processed weed than later we’re going to once again see
because the government is always ready to research what substance had been used. represents a hazard to the consumer. And total hysteria in the government.”
to pounce on any argument for even more Not so strange, because the investigation although there are enough suspicions, and
repression. If there really is something actually fits seamlessly with the research in any case two informants testifying to With thanks to CannaResearch and
going on, then ‘the demon weed has into pesticide residues in weed that the fact that processed weed is making its Hanfjournal
done it again’ and those who are against CannaResearch has long been busy with. way in to certain shops, it is still absolutely
cannabis will have yet another argument But I was warned directly that it would not unclear on how big a scale this is Names of people mentioned or quoted
to justify an even tougher approach, he be an easy task to sort without any clues happening and whether the processed weed in this article have been changed to
argues. through the tens of thousands of chemical is remaining in circulation after being protect their privacy.
Buds aus Holland probably cut with Shocking: what shows up after a Weed visibly cut with an unknown Dutch gold: 40 kilos of Nederweed sits
talcum powder. minute’s pollination... powder. waiting for its journey to begin...
62
abis Genealogy Soft Secrets
Cann
Family Names
Some breeders came up with some ‘cultivar’, the Botanist prefers to attach
really inventive (and groovy sounding) the prefix ‘Cannabis sativa’ to all varieties
cultivar names for their new strains of regardless of their specific contextual
By Lazystrain
cannabis, like say ‘Haze’ and ‘Skunk’. origin. Here we shall also ignore species
A few breeders preferred to keep a of cannabis, concentrating purely upon
Genealogy is the study of family history. ‘Family Names’ that in recent times have sense of heritage amid their lines by the cultivar name/ strain. The examples
The genealogy of cultivated cannabis, dominated the cannabis world. using geographical places in the naming given below are a rough guide to some
as with people, can often be traced back of their genetics, like say ‘Kush’ or popular family groups of cultivar. The
several generations. Some cannabis plants In the past breeders worked closely with ‘Colombian’. Many breeders opted term “family” is here used in a loose
descend from a long line of close-knit landrace species of cannabis to make fresh for an in-between approach by mixing horticultural sense, whereas in botany
ancestors, each of which shares distinct seed. In time they started to play around geographical names with patterns evident the term “family” represents the genus
history with other family members. Other and develop their own varieties from the in growth, like say ‘Acapulco Gold’ and Cannabis overall. Those groups with
cannabis plants have derived from inter- stock they’d acquired. These cultivated ‘Maui Wowie’. Later, others simply used looser affiliations or fewer members are
family (or even perhaps polygamous) varieties (or cultivar) were engineered names that sounded nice, like ‘Northern here termed “tribes”.
relationships; with the most vigorous through programs of selective, haphazard Lights’. Today, many of these names are
family members being procreated alone. and sometimes accidental breeding. taken for granted. N.B. [The following information was
These go on to form new families in Following the Linneaus system of plant extrapolated from various sources
the process. Nominally, the labelling categorisation these cannabis breeders Before continuing it is worth noting that including ‘Nivarna B.V.’ (2006), ‘The
of cultivar may take on genealogical (mainly based in the USA) where free to where Horticulturists sub-divide the TR Genetic Cookbook’ by Tropical
pattern or a stereotype of vogue. Here name their own cultivar of cannabis as genus Cannabis according to its species Rainforest (2005), and ‘Green House
we shall discuss some of the popular and when they became known. (indica, sativa, ruderalis, chinensis), then Seed Co.’ (2006).]
Male NYCD with Ladybug G-13 Haze Male Male about to explode
In the breeding of cannabis, a gardener with 3 males, each one showing a slightly
can come up with an endless amount of different phenotype.
combinations. I then read where using more than one
Every once in a while, everyone who type of male from the same genetic pool
smokes weed, gets a certain kind that they can give more genetic depth to a species.
really like. If we were able to get a live
plant of that same kind, we would have With this new information, I set out to try
the start of a mother garden. Using this a genetic experiment. I placed 15 different
method continually, we would end up types of female plants in my grow room
with several female plants that we know and crossed them to 2 of the male NYC
we like. It would be a room full of mother Diesel’s. Each of the males was showing
plants without any rejects. their slightly different phenotypes. One
had the internodes closer together with
Cloning these mothers and growing the wider leaves, and the other had more
plants to maturity will bring you tastes stretch to the internodes with thinner
and smells that cannot be bought. I have leaves.What I did was put both males in
been doing this technique for a decade the room with the females, and as the
and now have over 35 different mothers. pollen flew, the two of them pollinated all
I breed seeds and I wanted some even the plants.I put the females into a 12-hour
newer combo’s. I have a strain I’m cycle one week before I put the males in. Male throwing pollen
working with called the NYC Diesel. It is This gives the female plants a head start,
a blend of a Mexican sativa and Afghani. allowing them to put on a little resin
It tastes like ripe red grapefruits. before getting pollinated. This way at the It takes the male cannabis plant about 3 strong growing strength. Making mothers
Everyone I smoke it with loves it, so I end when all the seeds are taken out, the weeks to start throwing pollen. When it from seeds like this can give you plants
thought it would be a great male to use. I material left over will make excellent does give off the pollen, it does so for with an almost super strength.
planted several of my seeds and came up water hash. about 3 weeks. Female calyx’s that are
the first to get hit make the first seeds. In my quest for the best medicinal genetics,
White Light with seed popping out The females continue to make new I am constantly trying new techniques and
calyxes, and as they become ripe, the genetics, constantly learning about this
male pollen touches them and seeds start sacred plant and all the gifts she holds.
to form there as well. The calyx’s that get Spreading seeds around the world of this
hit last don’t get a chance to finish the quality has brought me many new friends
seeds and they come out white. and adventures, and I truly think that it
changes not only the topography of planet
The first time you cross two different kinds Earth, but her soul as well.For so many
of cannabis together, you get a years, I grew only seedless ganja, because
phenomenon that’s called “ hybrid vigor “. it smokes the best, but sometimes I have
This makes the new cross’s have an extra daydreams about what would happen if
every ganja smoker grew one seed crop
Buddha’s Sister and spread them around….
SEEDS By Lazystrain
Photos: DJS & Nas
Seeds sit at the roots of cultivation and propagation. At the base of every plant,
and the beginning of every clone, sits a seed. In Nature mechanisms of seed
dispersal, seed dormancy and seed development are a habitual affair, governed
by the seasons and individual microclimates. As horticulturalist the scenario
isn’t always so simple. Cultivated seeds tend to come in paper packets, the origin
and treatment of which often remains unknown by the grower. These seeds are,
after-all, procreated by hand. A basic understanding about seed physiology and
morphology therefore sits at the foundations of gardening success. In this issue
we shall take a brief look at mechanisms of Seed Dispersal, Seed Dormancy,
and Seed Development.
Seed Mechanisms not disturbed by beast, bird or human normal. The “over-wintering” of seed is The best way to test levels of ‘seed
return to the earth from whence their then a naturally occurring phenomenon. dormancy’ against levels of ‘seed
Many of the mechanisms behind the origins began. That is, when under dormancy (even viability’ is to play with seeds. Try
sowing of seed are often taken for where perfect germination conditions keeping collectives of seeds under
granted by horticulturists. It is normally As an inherited mechanism of seed exist) a seed will NOT germinate! different conditions (dry, wet, hot,
accepted that seeds are seeds (much and dispersal, animals play an extremely cold…). Then sow each seed group into
much the same); that one seed-line can/ functional role in the dispersal of seed Under “artificial conditions” cultivated separate trays of soil. Place each tray
should be treated as another seed-line, for several reasons. Firstly via digestion plants tend to display lower levels of into a contrasting environment (dry, wet,
under the same controlled conditions, animals transport seed into new locations. dormancy. The seed of cultivated plants, hot, cold…) make note and record the
to the same result. That failure in the Whole seed are passed into smelly pre- especially those used for food, have an results.
garden is the result of a “poor breeder”, fertilised piles of guano/manure. This give unnaturally shallow dormancy period.
a “bad seed packet”, and/or an “infertile seeds a nice home to over-winter in (a The ‘survival factor’ has quite literally Seed Development
seed-line”. Here we hope to highlight the place where seed aren’t likely to get eaten been bred out of popular cultivar in order
fact that: individual seed-lines, and in by birds). In this way a population of seed to ensure a homogeneous crop/harvest. Seed development is a funny old
some cases individual seed, seek slightly can easily find way uphill or across river. There are three different types of seed thing… it never ceases to amaze. The
different methods of treatment in order to This also provides the ideal conditions dormancy - Exogenous Dormancy smaller the seed, the more amazing the
trigger the best patterns of growth. for dormancy. Secondly, large herbivore (external), Endogenous Dormancy transformation from genetic time capsule
(yak, deer, bison) churn-up the ground (internal), and Combined Dormancy into seedling. Let’s face it, this is where
Seeds are unique. Upon sowing, each surrounding the plants upon which they (external and/or internal): the ingrained magic of growing anything
seed, no matter how closely related to browse. This creates a perfectly ‘tilled’ begins. What the people in white coats
its siblings, becomes an individual in environment, upon which new seed can Exogenous Dormancy is governed by like to call “plant science” is in fact just
its own right. Let’s not forget that from compete with establish weed species. the external covering of the seed itself Mother Nature doing her own thing.
seed, seedlings grow into adult plants Thirdly, seed-feeding bird hold no-bounds (the seed coat). With Cannabis the seed
(each of which has slight if not major and may carry seed hundreds, if not coat is relatively thick. The seed is slowly Now people may call on the
differences from the next plant). During thousands of miles on the wing. Finally, permeable to water via a fissure line in traditionalists, but seeds like things best
the earliest stages of seed development humans transport seeds for both food and the shell. This mechanical resistance in soil. There is just no escaping this.
and germination even the smallest cultivation. inhibits dormancy. A period of warmth, With ‘paper towel’ and ‘glass of water’
alteration in microclimate can manipulate followed by a period of cold usually methods people can look, touch, and
the physiology of a seeds potential. In In wild populations, microclimate plays encourages germination. prod the seed as it germinates (and we’d
this way, under artificial conditions, the most important role in seed dispersal like to think this is one of the best ways
individual seed (and collectives) alter by governing the rate of soil morphology Endogenous Dormancy involves the to learn about the habit of seeds). Seed
their metabolism in accordance with itself (the way a soil moves). This dictates internal development of the seed embryo development is however an extremely
their climatic surroundings (the condition the location of seed populations across (both morphological and physiological). delicate process. For this reason seed
beneath which they are kept and sown). landscapes and encourages the uptake of Whilst internal seed morphology is aided development is often perhaps best left
To understand these processes we shall natural selection. Seed that descend from by ‘warm stratification’, both small and untouched by hand.
consider seed mechanisms against the higher ground will naturally be washed immature embryos are always found
order that they occur in Nature. into lower-ground. Some seed float while in combination with another type of The germination and viability of seed
others tend to sink (ever wondered why dormancy (mostly physiological). is foremost governed by patterns of
Seed Dispersal this was?). Seed that readily float will be seed dormancy. Only once the natural
washed the furthest away from the source Physiological endogenous dormancy cycle of embryo development is
As an annual plant, and as a means of of the parent plant by heavy rainfall/snow. is the most common type of dormancy complete will the germination of seed
propagation, Cannabis sets-to-seed from Likewise, strong winds aid seed dispersal found in nature. An inhibitor inside the successfully begin! Fresh seed are
female flowers once a year. As the nights by literally blowing seed from calyx embryo and/or an incomplete chain of usually far less viable than those that
get longer, the pollinated (seeded) flowers and stem. Floods, storms, landslides, chemical reactions imposes dormancy. have been subjected to dry conditions
ripen. At this point seed dormancy earthquakes, de-forestation, periods of Annual species such Cannabis experiences (warm stratification) followed by
begins! The swollen sepals, which are at drought and/or urban development may a relatively ‘shallow dormancy’ period. cool conditions (cold stratification)
this stage seed laden, begin to split and all contribute towards the process of seed Shallow dormancy can be overcome by prior to sowing. Only following a
the seed are aired. Some seed are cast dispersal across any population, within “after ripening” (drying seed). A period period of dormancy can then true seed
from their shell-pods onto the ground, any environment. There are quite literally of ‘cold stratification’ is then required in germination and accurate measurements
whilst some seeds remain hidden far deep thousands if not millions of variables order for physiological dormancy to be of seed viability begin. Before this
within the flowers themselves. involved. complete. Growers use cold-rooms and seedlings tend to be weak.
refrigerators for this reason.
Whilst related to plant size, the number Where/when wild populations are subject
of seed per plant is often relative to to human intervention and/or unnatural Combination Dormancy is displayed After thoughts…
subspecies and microclimate. For methods of procreation, the natural ebb when several types of dormancy (often
example, with lowland species of sativa and flow of Nature, and natural seed internal and external) are displayed in the Always remember that mechanisms of
the number of seed per plant often dispersal, is dramatically damaged. Those same seed. This may involve exogenous seed dispersal, seed dormancy, and seed
exceeds the number of seed per plant warning signs that read - “Please do NOT dormancy (a seed coat), coupled development hold a direct influence over
found in highland species of indica. pick the wild flowers” are there for good alongside endogenous morphological the seeds that grow and the seeds that
During winter and spring, thawing ice reason. And must be perpetuated if wild resistance (embryo development), don’t. Seed may have travelled a long
and snow aid the dispersal of highland populations are to remain. alongside physiological dormancy way from the hands of the breeder to
species over distances, whereas under (a shallow inhibitor), all within the the hands of the gardener. Any number
equatorial climates, monsoon rains aid Seed Dormancy same seed structure. Cannabis seed of climatic and/or environmental factors
the dispersal of lowland species over display ‘combination dormancy’. The may then have already inhibited and/or
local landscapes. This reflects a need Seed dormancy is a naturally occurring underdeveloped embryos MUST first aided the initial stages of seed dormancy
for competition in certain subspecies ‘survival factor’ found within many develop into their full size during a period and seed development. It all depends
and/or an inherited mechanism of seed species of plant. Under ‘natural conditions’ of ‘warm stratification’ before a period of upon the condition(s) beneath which the
dispersal in others. Those seed that are the dormancy of cannabis seed is quite ‘cold stratification’ can be effective. seed have previously been kept.
Soft Secrets
Strain repo 23
rt
Super Silver Haze Seeds from tops with lille branching after i had
topped them once. One was a better
yeilder with a more indica high, the
all stretch for about 3 weeks but
are not that branchy and grow nice
long dagger like top buds. The taste
Green House Seeds other had a much nicer high but was
not a great yeilder.
and smell of these 3 were out of
this world. Super fruit spice with a
By Hashstar mountain air freshness to it.
I had one super stretchy bitch. she
ended up at like 2m tall. Loads of One had a bit of a body stone coming
side branches and a very poor yeilder. hrough in the high after about 2 hours
Finnished in 12 weeks. Very nice high, of smoking but before that was all in
all in the head no body stone. Super the head. Very clear and up.
racey, u can feel your heart pumping,
it also made me very paranoid. Quite The other 2 were pretty similar in
a headfuck really. It had a really nice high. All in the head no body stone
smell/taste after drying and curing like at all. Very motivational. Gets me
sherbert and spice. I would of kept this hyped up and i cant sit still, after
one if it wasnt for the poor yeild and smoking it i just have to get up and
super stretchyness. do something.
I had one trifolite which i had to Out of all of the my keeper was one
harvest at 12 weeks but would from the last 3 it had the best high/
have gone to 14+ weeks this pheno taste /smell of the lot.
stretched the least and grew nice top
buds with little branching. It had the Technical details: 2 x 1000w air
most amazing clear sativa high. Tasted cooled hps lights in 2m x 1m. 8”
I got a pack of 13 seeds and out of weeks, they were similar in taste/ like sweet spices and it yeilded ok. extractor fan with carbon filter, 6”
that I got 7 females. The phenotypes smell, spicey/piney. They were not The other 3 were all quite similar intake fan. Organicly fed using guano
varried quite a lot. 2 Finnished in 10 that stretchy and grew as four main in looks and taste and smell. They and bio-bizz allmix soil.
My favorite strain for the moment. with a typical Dutch smell and taste
The genetic of these cross is 75% (grapefruity and shitty at the same
Cinderella 99. All the seeds popped time). Big harvest.
well and they were 100% female. Look
carefully on the seller website, these One perfect pheno quite sativa with
seeds (Grapefruit) are female and no a perfect grapefruit smell and taste.
feminised. Easy to grow, but need more The one I finally kept . Not the best big buds (like C99 F2 from the GN Garden information:
attention than an indica! Of course. producer but quality & taste and high collection). The trichome level is Lamps:
are everything! amazing on all these plants! The high 410w – 1000w. Style SOG.
I had 4 pheno on this batch, one is hot and warm and takes you far, Nutrients:
short and squat at the beginning more One super fruity than can turn purple, and can be trippy like haze. My best Mix of chemical and organic
indica than the others (4 a sativa), and another one more spicy with smoke since a while!
from the Sensi Seed Bank With semi-hard wooded stems she
can take lots of abuse when cloning
and usually produces a healthy
From 4-8 weeks the plant takes its
structure producing many bud sites.
At 8 weeks Jack Herer blooms for
by Mr. Muddle/ Photo DJS & Nas
vigorous stock of cuttings. 3-4 weeks more, finishing between
In her vegetative cycle, Jack 70 – 85 days depending upon
Environment: Indoor, under hps
Herer grows quickly. So for the phenotype. The extra couple of
Method: Clones from Seed
in-experienced grower Jack Herer weeks really make the difference
Medium: Soil (Bio Biz All-Mix) could be a bit of a hand full! when it comes to harvest. Rather
Nutrient: Bio Biz Grow, Typically she’s a large plant that than producing fat heavy colas,
Bio Biz Bloom likes little food, medium amounts Jack Herer’s elegance is in her long
Grow time: 21-35 days of water and lots of light during branches of flowers. If left to fully
Flower time: 70-85 days her early stages of growth. Cuttings mature each individual sepal swells
Plant structure: Tall with good branching can be flowered when rooted. But to create a series of elongated calyx
Bud structure: flowers of for maximum yields they should (each looking like an ear of corn).
corn-like calyx be grown on for 2-3 weeks before This makes trimming an easy job.
Scent: spicy smell, placing them into 12/12. Seedlings The leaf to sepal ration is quite
metallic musky taste may take a week or two more to even, but since most of the trim-leaf
Effect: cerebral and trippy establish themselves before being contains THC, this isn’t a bad thing.
put into flower. Brilliant for making scuff, bubble
Yield: 40-100g per plant
In flower Jack Herer comes into and kif.
her own. Pre-flowers are visible As a party starter (or party finisher)
Jack Herer comes with a big Seeds are usually all viable. Small after 2-3 weeks 12/12. During this Jack Herer has it all. Beware of
reputation. A special plant with lots seedlings mature into large plants time the plants grow dramatically in imitations that don’t quite live up to
of vigour. very quickly, which makes mother height (2/3 in height by harvest) and the original standard.
small pots of Canna coco. They were big, long, and wide, with pronounced
Blueberries fed Dr Hornby Iguana Juice Grow.
When the roots were visible they were
saw-blade edges. All the flowers had a
heavy coating of resin, which extended
Black Label potted-on into 15litre pots of the same
medium. All x3 plants were super-
onto the smaller leaves as the plants
finished. At 40 days, feeds of Top Max
By Mr. Topsy Turvy/ Photo by DJS & Nas cropped at the 5th node by removing were introduced, followed by a 7day
some tops (to clone) and twisting the flush before harvest.
Environment: 600 watts main stems. The Iguana Juice was
Method: Super cropped
changed from ‘Grow’ to ‘Bloom’ as At harvest time the flowers were long
the plants were placed into flower after and compact on the blue/grey plants,
Medium: Canna Coco
28days growing. like grey carrots when trimmed. These
Nutrients: Iguana Juice and Top Max
were fruity to smoke. The ‘purple
Grow time: 28days All the plants grew healthy in bloom pheno’, while still dense, was not as
Flower time: 65-70 days shooting up to reaching about 4ft tall. close in structure. The buds were also
Plant structure: tall and compact The plants were big and the sativa slightly smaller. The taste/scent of
Bud structure: long flowers influence was noticeable when grown the ‘purple plant’ had a musky-sweet
Scent: musky fruits besides skunk plants. One of the 3 twang, like chutney or jam. The yield
Effect: stoney Blueberries grew completely purple was above average at 50g plus per
Yield: 50g + per plant calyxes from the off-set in bloom. plant. After a good 6month cure the
This plant continued to remain purple colourful calyx retain the grey/blue/
until harvest. The other x2 plants were purple tones. To smoke Blueberries,
The Blueberries were donated by x3 healthy plants. The seedlings were a blue/grey tone, with the odd purple varies depending upon the flower
Soft Secrets UK. x3 seed produced rooted in Jiffy7s and transplanted into part now and then. The fans were sampled- sometimes
Soft Secrets
Strain Guid 23
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Soft Secrets 25
home growers
UK
Veg time is strain dependent, In short, if you keep a plant healthy and
have the optimum environment, it will
but an average of 6 weeks is grow to it’s full potential.
I don’t like using chemicals I have two grow sites; one at home, which when the plant is 4 ft in height, but if I
willy-nilly and I know a lot is the 1000w grow, and another, remember correctly 2-3 days.
of people who would say somewhere else that is, shall we say,
that every five days is bigger. My clones come from the ‘bigger’ How do you control the smell?
overdoing it, but this is the set-up when they are fully rooted and Trusty old carbon filters.
only method that has kept transferred into 10 litre pots. The 400w
things under control for me. goes on for the first couple of weeks and How are the laws in your area and what
I would recommend that you then I switch to the 600w. When it’s do you think about them?
use two different types of harvest time, the old plants are taken out The laws here in the UK are due to change
pesticide because spider and replaced with fresh rooted cuttings and but only slightly. Possession is to become a
mites tend to build up the cycle starts again. non-arrestable offence with the re-
resistance easily. Just classification of cannabis to a Class C
alternate each time you mist. The budded plants are then moved into the drug. It will still be illegal to cultivate or
house for trimming and hung in the loft for even smoke in a public place, but you
57 days before the chop While we are on the subject drying with plenty of warm, moving air. would be OK to smoke it in your home
of misting, make sure you Once dried, the buds are removed from the without fear of arrest.
spray the underside of all the branches and placed in airtight containers This new policy has plenty of holes in it,
leaves because that's where for a minimum of one week for curing. but it is a step in the right direction. With
the mites like to lay eggs, this in mind, I feel a small amount of
and then munch your How long does it take to harvest a optimism for the future. But we will see...
precious plants. complete crop and hang it to dry?
Well, trimming is an absolute nightmare Thanks for talking to Soft Secrets, mate.
You also need to ensure that
the temperature of your bug
spray is the same as your Column
grow room. You don't want
to shock the girls more than Joe Kane
they already will be.
I want the plant to be a good bushy 3-4 feet (90- My space is nearly up, so I’ll leave you with this one. I once knew a guy who had
four or five plants in the window of his flat. Across the street from his place there
120cm) so I can achieve maximum yield per plant was a new building being put up; it was a pretty big building, like eight or nine floors
high. Anyhow, it turns out to be the new police station, and this dickwad never knew
every time, given the amount of light I have. a thing about it! Can you believe it? When the boys in blue came knocking on the
door he used the line that never fails: he told them he thought they were tomato
plants. Did it work? What do you think?
mites’ incubation period is every five days. What tips would you give to growers?
Another way of looking at it: when a Know you’re strain and check your grow All I think is that morons shouldn’t deal dope.
spider mite lays an egg, five days later, the area daily but don’t over analyze.
larva will hatch. Later.
Therefore, you should treat your plants How many rooms have you got and
every five days with pesticide. how do you organize the harvest? Joe horribly_stoned_boy@hotmail.com
Soft Secrets 67
Column
individual code of conduct? Beyond the question of bag-limits, we mean who
For starters, will trading within “tolerated” coffeeshops be conducted over or This is a long list of questions to which we at Soft Secrets do not hold any
under the counter? Through the front door, or the backdoor? Will “the powers definitive answers. Likewise, we cannot presume that the carpet sweepers in White
that be” enforce closing times? (or worst still opening times?) What age limits or Hall do either. Hence the present enigma…
other obligatory social constructs, such as dress code and wallet weight, will be
enforced? What about the geographical and spatial location of coffeeshop outlets? We do however recognise that such questions exist, and that any forthcoming
Will decriminalisation extend across every section of the UK? Or will coffeeshops answers cannot easily be brushed away! Reflective although often ignored,
be restricted to areas deemed “culturally affluent” or “socially viable”? Will local cannabis laws are what people make of them. At present, in 2005, cannabis laws
councils grant planning permission to coffeeshops as readily as they do, to say, within the UK are clearly wrong (some may argue negligent). Isn’t it time we did
fast-food outlets and public houses? Then there will be some major economic something about changing them, in 2006?
concerns, things like advertising, productivity, and taxation (?)
Next there will be questions about the proprietor’s discretion and the coffeeshops’
Internationa
l Growers
Finnish Grower
Kaappikapina
Hydroponic growing in
a grow cupboard
The Finnish grower Kaappikapina tells more about his experiences in the
growing world. Kaappikapina is a non-commercial grower and only has a very
small growing space, but this does not prevent him from achieving huge yields
with his new system, after having switched over from growing in soil.
By Bart B
Kaappikapina: “The first grow I ever this can lead to problems. So I decided A few Chronic plants grown from seed, now 15 days in growth.
attempted was about eight years ago. to be independent, so that I could
I have never been one for continuous choose who I wanted to hang around a hobby with no limits. Watching Chronic
growing, I just do the odd crop now with.” the plants develop and reacting, and
then eventually harvesting them “I only know a few names of varieties
– that is a wonderful experience. By that I have raised so far. I mostly set to
By growing you learn to have patience, and growing you learn to have patience, work with seeds I had got from friends.
you also learn a lot about nature itself. Now and you also learn a lot about nature And these have been by no means
itself. Now my parents ask me why bad seeds. But for the last two grows
my parents ask me why my house plants are so my house plants are so extremely I’ve done I have got hold of more
extremely healthy healthy. After all, you can apply commercial seeds, and these were the
your experience with growing to White Widow from White Label, and
and again when my supply of smoking other plants too. And of course, more recently Serious Seeds’ Chronic.
material is getting a bit low. Like most Hobby without limits smoking your own cannabis is always It’s hard for me to choose which variety
growers, I started out by growing in something special.” is my favourite, since all the seeds I
soil, with seeds that came out of some “The first crop went very smoothly
cannabis buds I had bought. I started and I enjoyed it a lot. There is so
er of fingers on a marihuahena
Do you know that the numb
with growing because at a certain time much to do when you’re growing,
Once the buds are dried and bagged up A grow on soil begins in four litre pots use a few sprinklers. After this has been
they are given time to ripen. In doing this for the duration of the growth phase, after done my friend can use the soil in his
they take up moisture again. So after this which they are re-potted into 12 litre pots own outdoor garden..”
they are given a second drying out, then to give them enough rooting space for
they are bagged up again. All this takes them to achieve a nice bloom. A good rule What tips do you have for other
about a week and these buds are destined of thumb is one litre of soil for every 25 growers?
for commercial sale. cms of plant height. I pre-grow the plants “K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid! Wise
on soil for a maximum of one month. words. Don’t make the business any more
For personal use the buds are laid out for In some cases, if we’re talking about a difficult than it has to be.”
drying for two weeks, and then all the compact plant variety, a little longer. On
buds go into glass jars where they are average a plant yields about 22 grams per What is your opinion of the laws that
The buds of the plants grown in soil. left to ripen. Well-ripened buds always litre of soil, but can sometimes be a little operate in your region?
taste the best. more or a little less. “For a commercial grower the punishments
are higher than for a regular grower. I have
In the house there are two enormous Depending on the number of plant that the feeling that some people do what I do
carbon filters that are connected to are used, I tend to give them water by to make money which they use to finance
extractor fans in each grow room that hand. That takes longer than with an criminal activities. In doing so they create
keeps the air fresh. These also do a good automatic watering system, but you hassle for their own people, through the
job of keeping the odour down. They are can better determine the needs of the violence that goes hand in hand with the
worth their weight in gold.” exceptional plants. If I’m growing on activities they choose to finance.”
soil then I do use an automatic watering
To finish, I asked Kootenay a few system for supplying the plants with A last comment for other growers?
more questions. nutrients. “I hope that the majority of people
consciously grow safely and make sure
There are 12.000 watts hanging in this grow You grow on soil; do you notice After the harvest, the left-over soil they know what they are doing. Electricity
room. much difference to growing on needs to be processed. First I put it all and water do not go well together, but
hydro? in garbage bags, then I take these to the if you set things up safely it all works
Thanks to the huge quantity of cannabis “My grows on soil tend to yield smaller farm of a friend. There the soil is spread perfectly. Further, I have plans in the future
on the Canadian market, the weed just than when I use the hydro-buckets, but out so that the accumulated salts in it can to grow in a large greenhouse. I’ll keep
has to look really good, otherwise you the quality with both media is pretty be washed out by the rain. Sometimes we you posted!”
can have trouble selling it. That is why I much the same. The biggest difference
chose to go back to hand trimming, so that between growing on hydro and on soil
After much heavy duty
trimming, this is what is
In a separate room is a rack for the clones with left. The bitter end.
lams hung above it. One rack has room for 660
clones, but I only put 200 clones each time in
one rack
I could get a better price for the buds I’d is the size of the buds. Plants raised
harvested. If there are not enough crystals on hydro seem to have the inclination
noticeable on the buds you are going to to produce fewer leaves. So they are
have some trouble with it. The colour quicker and easier to trim. The time for
and the shape of the buds is also very blooming they take is about the same,
important. The more red varieties are less with just a few days difference between
welcome, because they don’t look so good the two growing methods. The hardness
in a plastic baggie. The Chemo variety of the buds has more to do with the
that I grow has an unusual large amount variety than the grow method that is
of crystals on its buds. It is an enormous used. Some varieties are a bit too hard
yielder and the demand for this variety is when they are grown with the hydro
very healthy. method.
Extra
No more dirty hands and yet get rid of
unwanted visitors in your hobby room?
It looks lake a fairytale but it can be done! Whit
the introduction of the new and very affective KS
King Shine pesticide you will certainly get rid of the
uninvited guests.
The English grower Sticky Buds is a big fan of hydro cultivation, especially the NFT
system. Every new system needs a bit of getting used to, and despite set-backs you
can still get very good results while getting to grips with it. Sticky Buds tells us more
about his way of growing and is more than happy to share his ‘Blockhead scrog’
grow technique with SSUK.
“I started growing in March 2002, so I ten varieties sitting around that I have
have been growing for a good four years not yet tried to grow. My favourite at the
now. The stimulus to begin with it was moment is the Spice of Life Blockhead.
seeing the grow op of a friend of mine. The other three varieties also have their
Prior to that, back in the ‘80’s, I had qualities, but the Blockhead does it for me
grown a few cannabis plants, but looking every time. And it is also the variety that
back at that period I can now say that I my friends tend to turn down because it is
knew practically nothing about growing a little too strong for them.
cannabis. I even think I did not know
what a bud was back then. My friends I love to grow it from clones on stone wool
and I just tore the big leaves off the plants in an NFT system. Once the clones are With ‘scrogging’ we try to keep all the buds at the same height and fill the entire square
and smoked them when we had run out well rooted in their stone wool blocks, I metre. We spread out and tie the branches over the whole surface area.
of Moroccan hash once again. I can not start giving them quarter-strength nutrient
say that we ever actually got really stoned (700-900 ppm, Canna Flores) until they
from them, but it seemed to us better to are fully settled in the system and I can
smoke ‘something’ than just stay straight observe sufficient growth in the plant and
the whole time. But yes, of course it was in the roots. Once this point is reached I
not very nice to smoke, dried under the raise the dosage of the nutrient to 1400
grill as it was. Plus it was really irritating ppm, which is around half strength. I stick
on the lungs.” to this throughout the whole grow cycle. In
the reservoir I just let the quantity of water
Super grow fall until I need another 30 litre batch.
Then I add enough nutrient for 30 litres
“So as soon as I saw that super grow at half strength to the reservoir and top it These pearls of Blockhead have been After 27 days we have a sweet
of one of my mates, I was immediately up. The more time that elapses, the greater blooming for three weeks. little garden.
smitten, and just knew that I had to start the chance of salt accumulation, but this
up something similar myself. My mate
was busy growing some Bubblegum in a
usually does not occur until the end of
the grow cycle. Then it is a good time to
“But whatever variety I am growing, I always stop
hydroponic system, and the plants were rinse the whole set up, and I do not need to giving all feed additives at least ten days before
about four weeks into their bloom, so spend too much time and attention on it.” I plan to harvest the plants. The plants then have
about half way. It was a gorgeous grow
room, filled with little buds that were Nutrient Film Technique sufficient time to use up the remaining nutrients.”
developing rapidly. After I had asked
him a few questions I felt I had all the “I now have so much growing experience watt lamp). My last grow was one of the straight in to the system. This means that
information that I needed to be able to that I can see when there is over- very best to date, with a yield of 1.2 kilos. there is a period of twelve weeks between
set up my own grow op, and I spent the fertilizing going on. If I notice it then each crop. I don’t really have an average
whole trip back home with my head full I make sure to the whole set up a good Step one is to make some clones. Step yield per plant, because one plant in an
of ideas. The only thing I needed for my rinse through with a whole reservoir of two: the clones are ready to go in to the NFT system can yield three times that of
first grow was the initial investment to be water. I have only had to do this once, system three to four weeks later. Step 3: another. Why this is so I have no idea.
able to equip myself with the necessary with a variety that apparently preferred once they are in the system they are given Sometimes I might get one single bud that
materials. Living on the dole in England a lower dose of nutrient than the regular ten days’ of pre-growth, after which they increases to an amazing size and all the
this seemed impossible, but I managed it varieties I tend to grow, namely Lifesaver. are put into a 12/12 lighting regime and other plants in the space are just looking
by splitting the costs with a good friend. On top of the normal bloom feed, in the they begin to bloom. The time it takes for at it. The only plants that I can give an
The plan was to split the first harvest in fifth week of blooming and for two to the clones to be ready and the harvests accurate average yield for are the plants
two and share it, and hopefully with that three weeks (depending on the variety), are coincidental, so once one harvest has I have growing in soil. I reckon that they
I would have earned enough to pay my I add pk 13-14 to my feed mix. But been gathered then new clones can be put each give about 85 grams.”
mate back his half of the investment.” whatever variety I am growing, I always
stop giving all feed additives at least ten
No pesticides days before I plan to harvest the plants.
The plants then have sufficient time to use
“No sooner said than done. I absolutely up the remaining nutrients. The system
love cannabis; it’s just something that that that I use is called NFT, or Nutrient Film
feels right. It is really something for me. Technique. To explain it in simple terms,
The chances are great that if you get hold your plants stand on a gently sloping
of decent weed to smoke in England you surface just above a reservoir. A pump
have probably been smoking hash only sucks feed water out of the reservoir and
for years. The fact that I can now grow it then flows in a very thin layer over the
the very best quality cannabis possible, surface and over the roots, after which it
and that I know for sure that what I smoke flows back in to the reservoir. This is kept
is free of pesticides and other undesirable up continuously.”
additives, makes it all more than worth
the effort. As well as that, it is of course a Coning
huge plus that the stuff I get to smoke is
practically free, once you have taken off “These days I try to meet all my personal
the nutrient and electricity costs.” needs by using two NFT systems (scrog)
and a few plants grown in soil. When
Grow system my clones get going without any trouble,
which is what happens 99.9% of the time,
“To date I have only raised four varieties. then I can always reckon on about a kilo
These are White Widow, Blueberry, dry weight of bud for every 1000 watts I
Blockhead and Lifesaver. I have another use (in the form of a 400 watt plus a 600 After 47 days of blooming there’s nothing but cracking good buds.
54 Soft Secrets
the whole crop and hang it up to dry What tips do you have for your fellow
keeps me occupied for about eight growers?
hours flat. That is why I try and spread
it out a bit, doing a few hours a day “Find a good web site and read, read and
for a couple of days. As for problems read until you’re sick of it. Much of the
stench problems, I have never really information you take up will at first not
had any – as far as I know, anyway. mean much to you, but once you have
Just smoking a joint creates more actually got down to growing then all
nuisance than trimming the whole crop. this basic information will mean you
If I have to combat the smell, I use the have a good chance of raising something
circulating air fresheners. The extractor pretty decent at your first attempt.”
sucks the air straight out of my grow
room and away. The only time that I What do you think about the laws in
smell anything is when I turn off the England?
lamps, but even then it just smells like
the grass has just been mowed.” “Well, in England cannabis has been
downgraded from a Class A drug to a Class
Is your growing method different C, so the punishments and what not have
After 63 days of blooming it is harvest time. The plants look fantastic. from that of other growers, do you become less severe. That is a good step
reckon? in the right direction. But to be honest it
Deep Water Culture makes little difference to me. We will all
“Good question. I can only compare just continue to smoke cannabis quietly
“The only problem that I have ever had my growing with that of friends who at home without worrying too much....
was during my first grow. I’ve got a tip: grow the same varieties as I do. And to but what about growing? That is more
growing on an NFT system only works be honest my plants look a damn sight important to me. Hopefully it will not be
with clones. My first grow came straight better. The big difference between us much longer now before a limit is set out as
out of seeds. The plants were given two is that I have built a dedicated grow to how many plants we can grow without
months pre-growth and the mass of roots room, with ventilation and so on. While being branded as a dealer or a criminal.
was so huge that the plants all began to they have more, erm, sort of thrown Until that day comes I will continue to
strangle each other. Half way through the something together in their attic.” have no trust in or respect for the law...”
bloom period they all began to die off, to
the extent that I was happy in the end to
get anything to smoke at all. I had 170 Day 63: A top-down view of the right hand
grams off ten feminized White Widow side of the Blockhead plants. Mmm.
seeds!
been up and running for two years now
and I can not imagine growing my
“A tip: only grow with weed any other way. At least, as long
clones when you’re as the system continues to work so well
using the NFT system.” for me. There are many systems for
growing hydroponically, but personally
I find that that this one makes for more
So the first system that I used was oxygen in the water than others.”
NFT, but I have also grown on a DWC
system (Deep Water Culture). After Harvest time
the first disastrous grow, the one I was
just talking about, I was keen to step “At the moment I have just a single
over to DWC. But I thought I’d just main growing room, and a small
give the NFT another go first, this time cupboard where I have a few lamps
a test with clones, and the end result hanging for keeping my mother plants
was completely different. This second in and for keeping clones I’ve taken.
attempt gave me nearly a kilo and the When the time comes for harvesting
plants stayed healthy throughout the I roll a few joints, make something to
whole grow. That convinced me to drink, set off in the direction of the The eventual yield of smokables from all
carry on with NFT. The system has bloom room and just set to it. To trim the hard work: 672 grams from 600 watts.
Strain Guid
e
was super-cropped by twisting the The smell of WP when growing
White Pearl (99% female) – branches, and removing the tops to
control height. The removed tops
is quite strong (especially when
rubbing against the plants). The
High Quality Seeds were cloned. WP is feminised, so
plants were placed into large pots
flowers fill out well and there are
few gaps in the structure. The buds
by Mr. Topsy-Turvy early on - giving them a good start. form long carrot-like colas covered
WP developed a nice healthy root in THC. The hairs turn deep red
system. As cuttings WP works really at harvest. Seeded plants yielded
Environment: Indoor 600-1,200 watts well using Sea Of Green method. around 50-60g on average. Cloned
Method: Super-cropping The result is single cola plants that plants slightly less.
Medium: Bio-Biz All Mix soil need little trimming.
Nutrient: Bio-Biz Grow, Bloom, Drying and curing, WP gives off an
TopMax In bloom WP is very slow to start, unpleasant ammonia smell (typical
Grow time: 30 days
with little difference in bud growth of the “White” strains). The indica
between 21 – 28 days. At 30-40 days types smelt sweeter than the sativa
Flower time: 65-70 days
12/12 WP starts to flower-up and types. All improved bouquet after
Plant structure: Tall and wide grows fast buds. Two plant types curing in mason jars (giving a
Bud structure: Carrot-like colas were noticeable. A sativa type with musky honey/orange scent). WP has
Scent: Mild honeycomb thinner leaf-blades and an indica type a medium to high resin content with
Effect: Stoned with wider fan-leaf (our favourite). average size trichomes.
Yield: 45-65g per plant All the seeded plants were about the
same height (4ft tall). Each plant took To smoke White Pearl has a musky
up lots of water. Some of the sativa flavour with sour undertones. The
White Pearl is a hardy feminised showed longer nodes than others. type WP didn’t like too much heat buzz is quite heavy - ideal for
strain that geminates well indoors. The overall structure of White Pearl and started to “fox-tail”. To combat hangovers, vaporising and generally
All 10 seeds hatched. The seedlings (in veg) was tall and slim for a this a 600w lamp was removed from getting stoned.
raced in height from the start. Some “White” strain. As WP matured she the garden to reduce temps.
Soft Secrets Internationa 53
l Growers
Favourite varieties
“To date I have already raised 35
different cannabis varieties, and I have
even made some cross-fertilisations
between seed plants and clones. I did
this by spreading the male pollen from
the seed plants onto the flowers that
developed on the clones. My all-round An Alpine Rocket. Gorgeous! A lovely bud from the Alpine Rocket. A few Swiss Miss clones also provided a
favourite is an Amstel Gold (Passion1) decent supply of smokeables.
54 Soft Secrets
October. Periods of mist, rain, wind a feeling that I could trim the rest of
combined with mild temperatures are a the buds without even looking at them,
disaster, especially for the larger buds since I have already trimmed several
because these soak up moisture from hundred and the shape is pretty much
the air, and get rid of this moisture the same. Most of the work I do myself,
more slowly than the smaller buds. I but my brothers also help out from time
have noticed that it can be worthwhile to time. I usually start by removing all
treating your plants so that they the large leaves, quickly after this I run
develop lots of very small buds rather my scissors over the smaller leaves.
than fewer, larger ones. During this The buds are hung up on fishing line
dangerous period I check the buds and given a good four to six weeks to
every day for the presence of mould, dry out, before I finally trim off the
by carefuly inspecting the leaves on smallest leaves around the buds and
the hanging buds for discolouration. If remove them from their branches. The
any is discovered the infected buds are buds are then put in a dark cupboard
immediately removed completely. laid on newspaper, which I check every
day. Because even after the harvest
there can still be some problems and
In order to be able to your well-earned buds can be snatched
away from you at this final hurdle.
raise the plants well it This Durban Poison had a good life behind it, and that shows.
is important that you The plants showed quite a bit of
variety among them. From the small
use nutrient-rich soil Black Domina clone that gave ten
that drains well, so that grams (thanks to letting it bloom too
the soil does not remain early), to the autumn harvest in which
a Jackfizz after a full season in a 110
wet and has enough air litre pot gave up to 400 grams a plant.
in it for a rapid root Most plants yielded between 75 and
300 grams of excellent potency. Sweet
development. outdoor ganja; classy smoke too. The
biggest yield I ever had was around the
I did have a few problems during 700 to 800 grams mark, and that could
growing some Jackfizz variety that had have been even more had not some of
been started off in a relatively small the buds been stolen. It was my first
pot. I had to transplant her from a 50 and biggest harvest from a plant grown
litre to a 200 litre pot, because the 110 in full earth. She reached a height of
litre pot was too small. But this was not four metres. This was in 1996 when
the biggest problem by any means. Half the weather had been outstanding with
way through the bloom period I decided lots of sun right into mid-October. The
to stick the plant in the middle of my plants had a lot of pleasure that year,
garden, and so give her the opportunity as did I, and in retrospect even more
to enjoy an abundance of sunlight. during the harvest. 2002 was also a
Thanks to a bit of inattention, I had not good year, maybe even the best I’ve
taken any notice of the weather forecast had to date. Then I grew two Durban
that had predicted a chance of heavy Poison plants that I had bought as
gusts of wind in the late afternoon. clones. In a 50 to 65 litre pot they
When I came home it was already too eventually yielded a combined 700
late, because the Jackfizz was broken grams. In the same year two Amstel
in two. And I had used several bamboo Gold clones gave me a little short of
poles for support, but these were all 600 grams. The taste and high were
snapped by the storm. I tried to save excellent and got given very good
this Jackfizz, but she could not be reviews from my mates.
repaired and I could not do anything
except get what early harvest I could To end, I’d like to say that if you ever
off half of it. get the chance, grow your own to
guarantee your supply of smokables!
The summer heat waves also led to all A Jackfizz at the end of August. Presently she will be hard at it making little white hairs,
Everyone can grow this plant. Buy or
my male plants, that I had raised to do and it looks like there will be plenty of buds. download a good growing guide and
a few crosses with, drying out. It was just go for it, with clones or seeds!
difficult for my brother to keep these Go one: just grow it if you’ve got the
plants moist, because the top later of time…And greetings from Foppeland.”
soil had become really hard after a full
day of beaming sun and gusting wind,
thanks to which the water ran off too
quickly through the cracks in the pot Did you know that many
and was not given enough time to be growers make the
taken up by the plants. I should have mistake when they’re
pointed out to him to give them water
more slowly. So the plants actually had raising a K2 variety of
been getting very little or no water, harvesting it too early?
and were total write-offs. So keep your
soil good and moist and water them in
Especially in the last
the mornings so that they have enough weeks, this variety
water for the whole day.” forces the blossoming
Trimming on a conveyor belt enormously and the
lady begins to make
“When after several months the harvest her buds develop
finally comes around, then I’m usually
busy for at least a month gathering explosively. These buds
it off all my plants, and I spend two will be bone-white and
to four hours a day trimming. After a
certain length of time trimming I get This plant of about four metres in height (in full earth) delivered an outstanding harvest in 1996.
good and fat!
Soft Secrets Internationa 53
l Growers
‘Scrog’: growing with chicken wire get the clones quickly rooted so that
I can begin again with a new planting
immediately after the harvest. My last
average yield per plant growing with a
British grower Trichomes By Bart B
‘scrog’ was 155 grams.
I have a single grow space and harvest someone with just a few plants in a consignment of clones to the grow room internode. The plants will become wider
all the plants at the same time. If I were small cupboard who was not using a for the next round. and bushier, which is a must when you
to have more spaces then this would filter, and he didn’t take my advice. One are growing with a ‘scrog’.
definitely delay the harvest, since as of the neighbours grassed him up to the What tips do you have for other
everyone is well aware, the trimming of police, and as a result, as you might growers? 4 Always use a carbon filter or some
the many plants would be a nightmare expect, he is no longer growing. other form of odour busting.
1 Make sure first and foremost that you
Make sure first and foremost that you have a good have a good digital pH- and ec-meter. What are the laws like in your
Your plants will not be happy if they region and what do you think of
digital pH- and ec-meter. Your plants will not be have to cope with too many swings in them?
happy I they have to cope with too many swings. the levels of nutrients they are given, so
try and keep these values as stable as Cannabis is illegal in Great Britain,
possible. just as in the rest of the world. How
thanks to all the work involved. The As the harvest time approaches and can something like alcohol be legal
harvest comes around every three the plants begin the last days of their 2 Prevention works, so always spray and cannabis not? Everyone knows that
months. In actual fact I would like to lives, then I stop giving them water for your plants with an insecticide, alcohol is the real poison in society. I
see this cycle happen a bit quicker, but the duration of these last few days. I preferably an organic one - even if you like to smoke because I am a relaxed
I am not prepared to go potting up more allow the pots to dry out a bit before do not see any insects. I always spray person, not because I am a criminal or
plants and so squeeze more grow cycles I harvest. As soon as the plants have my plants twice during their life cycle. a fighter. I just want to be happy and
in. I’m attempting to grow a minimal been trimmed, they are hung up to dry. Once when they are still clones, and content. Why do we have to break the
number of plants and to get as much It takes around seven days before they then later before they go into bloom law to do something that we enjoy and
yield out of them as I can, and so far it’s become reasonably dry. After this what they are sprayed again. I have never had that does absolutely no-one any harm?
going nicely. I do is pack the buds into a huge, 125 any trouble from insects in my grow
litre airtight tub to ripen for another space, with the exception of the odd fly Any observations you would like
Beating the aroma week – actually, the longer the better. now and again. to share with the readers?
This really benefits the taste. Freshly
One other point is combating smells. In harvested buds must always be given 3 Do not be afraid to experiment. I would like to thank everyone who has
order to keep the odour problems down enough time to become cannabis. Cannabis is a weed and very resistant been prepared to risk their own security
I have a large carbon filter attached to Thanks to a shortage of space I have to to the stress we might give it. I do not in order to help others. The growing
my ventilator. It is the most important use the grow room as the drying room advise you to stress the plant, but at community is the first one I have ever
piece of material in the space. Without too. This is a bit of shame as the grow the same time, do not be afraid to ‘top’ come across that was so ready to help,
a filter, there’d be no grow. It is pretty space can not be used for a further your plants so that they grow more and sp prepared to share the knowledge
simple: without a carbon filter it would week as a result. Once the buds are in width. Normally I remove the top they had spent years accumulating.
be just too risky. This year I warned well and truly dried, then in goes a new when the plants have reached their sixth Don’t be afraid: ‘overgrow the world’.
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Soft Secrets Internationa 53
l Growers
‘Scrog’: growing with chicken wire get the clones quickly rooted so that
I can begin again with a new planting
immediately after the harvest. My last
average yield per plant growing with a
British grower Trichomes By Bart B
‘scrog’ was 155 grams.
I have a single grow space and harvest someone with just a few plants in a consignment of clones to the grow room internode. The plants will become wider
all the plants at the same time. If I were small cupboard who was not using a for the next round. and bushier, which is a must when you
to have more spaces then this would filter, and he didn’t take my advice. One are growing with a ‘scrog’.
definitely delay the harvest, since as of the neighbours grassed him up to the What tips do you have for other
everyone is well aware, the trimming of police, and as a result, as you might growers? 4 Always use a carbon filter or some
the many plants would be a nightmare expect, he is no longer growing. other form of odour busting.
1 Make sure first and foremost that you
Make sure first and foremost that you have a good have a good digital pH- and ec-meter. What are the laws like in your
Your plants will not be happy if they region and what do you think of
digital pH- and ec-meter. Your plants will not be have to cope with too many swings in them?
happy I they have to cope with too many swings. the levels of nutrients they are given, so
try and keep these values as stable as Cannabis is illegal in Great Britain,
possible. just as in the rest of the world. How
thanks to all the work involved. The As the harvest time approaches and can something like alcohol be legal
harvest comes around every three the plants begin the last days of their 2 Prevention works, so always spray and cannabis not? Everyone knows that
months. In actual fact I would like to lives, then I stop giving them water for your plants with an insecticide, alcohol is the real poison in society. I
see this cycle happen a bit quicker, but the duration of these last few days. I preferably an organic one - even if you like to smoke because I am a relaxed
I am not prepared to go potting up more allow the pots to dry out a bit before do not see any insects. I always spray person, not because I am a criminal or
plants and so squeeze more grow cycles I harvest. As soon as the plants have my plants twice during their life cycle. a fighter. I just want to be happy and
in. I’m attempting to grow a minimal been trimmed, they are hung up to dry. Once when they are still clones, and content. Why do we have to break the
number of plants and to get as much It takes around seven days before they then later before they go into bloom law to do something that we enjoy and
yield out of them as I can, and so far it’s become reasonably dry. After this what they are sprayed again. I have never had that does absolutely no-one any harm?
going nicely. I do is pack the buds into a huge, 125 any trouble from insects in my grow
litre airtight tub to ripen for another space, with the exception of the odd fly Any observations you would like
Beating the aroma week – actually, the longer the better. now and again. to share with the readers?
This really benefits the taste. Freshly
One other point is combating smells. In harvested buds must always be given 3 Do not be afraid to experiment. I would like to thank everyone who has
order to keep the odour problems down enough time to become cannabis. Cannabis is a weed and very resistant been prepared to risk their own security
I have a large carbon filter attached to Thanks to a shortage of space I have to to the stress we might give it. I do not in order to help others. The growing
my ventilator. It is the most important use the grow room as the drying room advise you to stress the plant, but at community is the first one I have ever
piece of material in the space. Without too. This is a bit of shame as the grow the same time, do not be afraid to ‘top’ come across that was so ready to help,
a filter, there’d be no grow. It is pretty space can not be used for a further your plants so that they grow more and sp prepared to share the knowledge
simple: without a carbon filter it would week as a result. Once the buds are in width. Normally I remove the top they had spent years accumulating.
be just too risky. This year I warned well and truly dried, then in goes a new when the plants have reached their sixth Don’t be afraid: ‘overgrow the world’.
Strawberry Haze
The 2006 “sweet sativa” experience
After the 2005 High Times Cannabis Cup time is in the 12 weeks range. The
many started asking themselves what productivity of the Strawberry Haze is
would be the new sativa flavour of the somehow limited by its long sativa bud-
coming year. Many V.I.S. (Very Important shape and by the long internodes, but the
Smokers) that were invited to take part high quality of the strain guarantees high
in the first edition of the famous Green market prices and very satisfied growers.
House Smoking Panel, back in June 2005, The THC content is very high (around
expressed a clear preference: sweet sativas 20%) and the CBD and CBN are very
with fruity backgrounds and a clear high. low, allowing the effect a more cerebral
Amazingly enough, all who took part in side.
the Green House Smoking Panel voted
the same winner: Arjan’s Strawberry At the Green House Seed Company
Haze. The video of this incredible event is we like to keep experimenting with our
available in the extras of the new “King of strains: we have tested the Strawberry
Cannabis” Part 3 DVD. Haze in soil and hydro system, with very
good results in both situations. But the
Arjan’s Strawberry Haze is a very unique real question is: will our indoor results
sativa, with a particularly sweet smell still hold against the outdoor trees that the
and flavour, one that really reminds of Spanish growers will challenge us with?
sweet strawberries and summer fruits. The outdoor season is about to begin
The high is clear, very uplifting, with a in Spain, and after seeing the amazing
very powerful mental effect followed by buds presented at the Champions Cup
a laugh phase, a true “positive energiser” last December in Madrid, we cannot wait The feeding solution for this sativa Arjan created this new plant to give
that leaves you with a sweet, fruity to see what the results will be with this should not exceed the 1.8 EC, and the all sativa lovers the chance to grow a
flavour in your mouth. The aftertaste amazing new strain. pH should be maintained at a 5-6_6.2 relatively fast sativa crop with a really
reminds of the more complex sativa level, with a 6.0-6.2 range in the last new flavour. After the great feedback
flavours, like the rest of the Arjan’s Arjan’s Strawberry Haze has long non- 2-3 weeks of flowering. This will given by the V.I.S. in Holland it is time
Haze family. It is a type of weed that overlapping leaflets typical of a real sativa, maximise potassium intake and the for the Spanish growers to try this great
complements social moments and lets and long internodes that give the plant a smoke will be sweeter and smoother. champion. The seeds are available in
everybody flow into a contagious happy stretchy attitude (it can get really tall if Also very important for the taste is the 10 and 5 unit packs, 100% guaranteed
mood. not pruned or bent). The plant grows long flushing of the feedings during the last feminized and hermaphrodite-free! Visit
The plant is not a very easy-to-grow one, branches that tend to stretch out of the 10 days of flowering, when just clean www.greenhouseseeds.nl for a list of
but it does not require more attention than plant profile reaching for the light, creating water should be applied to improve the official Green House Seed Company
your average sativa, and the flowering a very pine-like shaped plant. taste of the final product. dealers in your area.
Soft Secrets The Greenho 61
use Report
flowering we raise the air temperature of plants start flowering, it is important to
a few degrees to increase resin production let the medium dry to a certain extent
and speed up the metabolism of the (50-60% water content) at least once
plants. The air humidity is also monitored a week before giving feeding solution.
and kept between 40% during daytime This increases the feeding intake and
and 65% during nighttime for the entire maximizes the flower production.
duration of the flowering cycle. Also the
temperature of the medium is strictly kept During the last 14 days of the flowering
between 18 and 24 degrees to ensure the cycle we stop all feedings and wash the
ideal conditions for feeding intake and no medium with a light flushing solution at
stress to the root system. pH 6.0, to eliminate the feeding residues
from the plant, improving taste and effect.
During the flowering cycle we start
flushing the medium once every 10 days Sativas have to flower for a longer time
using a light solution at pH 5.5 and EC than indicas, therefore they need a helty
1.1-1.1. This process removes dangerous medium for a longer period of time. It is
salts from the medium, preventing plant important to make sure the grow system
intoxication and allowing maximum is well maintained and well monitired, to
growth and bud formation. Besides, we give the plants the conditions they need to
Growing sativas in
use a fungus controlling agent to avoid give 100% of their potential.
dangerous bacterias and moulds to attack
the root system. This should be limited For more details on specific sativa strains
to 3 to 4 applications through the entire of the Green House seed Company we
At the Green House Seed Company we Sativas like to start their growth cycle
love sativas. The sativa strains of our with a lower EC compared to indicas
seed bank are incredibly beautiful plants, (1.2-1.4 maximum). Normally we grow
tall and mighty, strong and well balanced on 18 hours for 7 to 14 days, depending
in taste and effect. But as most growers on the strain and the target size of the
know, sativas are more difficult plants to plants. Plants like the Neville’s Haze or
grow compared to indicas. They require the Arjan’s Haze #2 are very tall and do
more precision in the measurement and not need much growth on 18 hours. Other
balancing of different elements, from the strains, like the Arjan’s Ultra Haze #2 or
feedings to the air temperature and many the Arjan’s Strawberry Haze are naturally
others. For this reason growers who are less stretchy and should be given some
accustomed to hydroponic systems are more growth time to achieve optimal
more likely to perform good at growing development. The 18 hours feeding
sativas; they are used to a very precise solution contains a higher N percentage
system, with strict control over all growth than the P and K. We keep the pH at 5.5
factors. during the whole 18 hours period.
The Green House Seed Company uses The temperature of the air is kept between
many methods for growing hydroponics, 23 and 25 degrees Celsius during daytime
but the most effective one up to now has and around 18-20 degrees at night, a little
been the simple open flush system with lower than with indicas. Also the lamps
big 65 liters containers. We use rockwool are kept a bit more distant from the plants,
flakes as a medium, the type that contains at an average 70-80 cm. using 600 Watt
more air. This way we guarantee a well systems.
developed root system in a short time,
as the roots can grow strong through As the 12 hours period begins we raise
the medium with extreme rapidity. the pH of the feeding solution to 6.0, and
Before using the rockwool to fill up the then gradually up to 6.5 during the whole
containers we soak it in a light solution at flowering process. This allows the plants
pH 5.5 and EC 1.0. This way the young to absorb better the P and K necessary to
plants will have no shock at the first their flower development, and lowers the
contact with the medium. chlorophil level inside the buds. During
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Soft Secrets 17
background
By Joe Kane
Quantity
Quantity
Quantity Quantity Quantity
Quantity
If you’re ever lucky enough to come across some of these sticky beauties you’ll These lucky luxuries have most probably found
know somebody’s gone to a lot of hassle to assure you get some really top quality.
They’re known as ‘Caramelos,’ from the Spanish word for ‘sweets,’ and sometimes their way in here through some hash aficionado
also called ‘Huevos’ – ‘eggs’.
(literally) who has turned small-time smuggler
with the emphasis being on small-time
people doing it are bastards! The one’s life or else you could just say it’s a
government’s even more responsible. real fresh hit of THC that you’ve never
Which brings us back to the old argument experienced before.
of decriminalisation vs. coffee shops, and
the fact that coffee shops can only survive Unlike quality pollen, which contains
on quality based ethics. In other words, almost pure, rich ripe THC glands, many
The unmistakeable shine of high-grade A slab of mass-produced inferior quality the crap soap bar will no longer be able to mass-produced pressed pollen blocks
hashish. hashish, known to us in the UK as pollen hold its place in the free market, and high contain Nescafe, candle wax, crushed up
grades of hash and charas as well as skuff pills for mental health problems, and the
will be allowed to take their place. most magical binder – tree sap. Let’s not
Before one buys it, the resin is totally unpressed, a even start on the soap bars and car tyres.
The common view on hash in the UK is
golden glistening powder, which can immediately that it’s thoroughly dirty, and there’s little I hope this article is perceived in the right
to say that will change people’s minds. light. By no means am I suggesting that
be tested and graded by the customer. You can’t expect someone to believe in you should go and fetch some back for
something they’ve never seen before. yourself, quite the opposite!
The loose powder is very sticky and easily pressed More pollen is currently available, but DON’T do it, even though it might look
quality is unstable. Just because someone very tempting. When you’re leaving a
together in the palm of a hand. says its pollen doesn’t mean it’s pollen! foreign country that has top quality hash,
It can still be full of nasty adulterants. they usually have strict rules and severe
Typically, they’re 5 grams of finest sieved The pieces of Caramelo are pressed Compared to a Caramelo, a pressed slab penalties. Never leave such a country in
Moroccan hashish. It’s impossible to find further by muscles and the heat inside the of commercial grade pollen hardly possession of even a small bit, no matter
inferior quality Caramelos for the simple body as they fellow-travel along! Perhaps bubbles or stays alight. This is evidence how good it is! If you’re not convinced,
reason that whoever creates these eggs is this body press is what gives them this of minimal oils, along with a slight brown re-read Willem’s underworld-story, in
a true Cannabis Lover/Believer and has amazing shine? Certainly, if slabs of high colour (adulterants) in the smoke. The Soft Secrets nr. 3.
travelled round-trip from the UK to grade pollen are pressed under a five ton smoke should be a lovely misty blue
Morocco on a quest. jack press for six months, they’ll also colour. There isn’t a lot of difference in All we can do is put our collective
eventually shine like Caramelos! the price, but the quality will make you support in the right places and try to push
Before you purchase, the pure resin is feel like you’ve just had the best orgasm the boundaries further until it’s possible
totally unpressed, a golden glistening So how does it work? I suppose profit ever and leave a satisfied smirk on your for a cannabis free-market to exist. Until
powder which can instantly be tested and margins explain a lot of the motivation, face. then the ever-changing ruling political
graded by the purchaser. The loose but quality remains of paramount parties are happy for their law-abiding
powder is very sticky and easily pressed importance. High-grade cannabis resins In a place like the Rif Mountains of citizens to smoke unhealthy cannabis
together in the palm of a hand. As a are extremely rare in the UK, especially Morocco, people are proud of their resins whilst retaining archaic legislation.
further test, you can put a flame to it and since the Nederweed influx of indoor product. Once again it’s about going to
immediately press your thumb on it. As cultivation. the source. This trip has to be a must for Hash smokers are a hazard only to
the delicate ripe resin glands burst from every serious hash smoker. Although you themselves, and we don’t want to hurt
the pressure, the gold dust will darken, Shit Commercial Hash can get extremely stoned at home, you anyone. We should also be allowed the
and you should be able to see your thumb Of course it’s a healthier option than the cannot fully appreciate the higher states right to make our own informed
print on it. As a final test, put a flame to it dirty soap bars and adulterated pollens of high even from smoking a piece of decisions. A change in the law might just
again and notice if it starts bubbling – that keep coming into this country on a Caramelo in your front room. Imagine, mean that we could get better quality and
that’s high grade. mass scale. Lucky potheads out there instead, being on a kif farm somewhere in it might also stop naive potheads from
might stumble across amazing grades of the high regions of the Rif. Imagine ending up in jails all over the world.
Once the customer’s satisfied himself as resins, only to find their availability very sieving your own hash by hand, pressing
to quality, and agreed a price, it’s limited. These lucky luxuries have most it and then smoking it. Fantastic or what?
wrapped into egg shapes according to the probably arrived here through some hash These are either spiritual moments in Love from Baba
size the customer wants. These eggs are aficionado (literally) who‘s turned small-
pressed by hand and wrapped with cling time smuggler, with the emphasis being
film, three, five or even ten grams like on small-time. The amounts rarely exceed
these pictured here. a thousand grams, and most is usually
kept for personal consumption - tiny
They’re then swallowed - hidden! The when compared to the lorry and boat
magician must still pass through all loads continually bringing in tons of
customs and international borders like a dodgy hash.
cool summers’ breeze. For small-time
smugglers, this remains a safer Shit-hash being brought into the UK is a
transportation method than suitcase or car. very distressing fact, and quite simply the
UK Cannabis Breeder
Anyone that keeps a close eye over developments in cannabis cultivation will have noticed a sharp increase in the number
dirt weed. Since then, I have worked
for a wholesale seed bank producing
feminized seeds and for a small seed
bank that breeds out seed strains for
medical users. All round I have about 5
of seed breeders and seed dealers now operating in the UK. The vast selection of commercial strains now available runs years experience breeding out cannabis
into the thousands, with each individual breeder aiming to produce his or her own unique strains of cannabis. People breed and 15 years growing experience. I
cannabis for many different reasons. Some people breed cannabis for fun. Others to enhance botanical knowledge. Certain have used most of my growing life to
people breed cannabis for medicinal purposes. Whilst other people breed cannabis for profit. Many people breed cannabis study and learn about cannabis plants
for several of the reasons above- such is their prerogative. and their macro/micro environment.
This background knowledge helps me
By Lazystrain to understand what is really going on
with the plant.
In wanting to know a little bit more
about becoming a cannabis breeder, we What asset(s) is most important to
thought we’d interview the owner of a you as a breeder?
relatively new seed company. So SSUK
decided to arrange a Question & Answer Several things: 1) Seeds. Having
session with a breeder called Growdoc. access to good fresh seed stocks is
From the Matanuska Valley Alaska to the most important asset for any
present day Holland, Growdoc conducts breeder. I’ve always worked with clean
his research across the Four Corners of strains (I mean straight genetics, no
the Earth. Growdoc Seeds is a young hermaphrodites). I have been ripped
company with wholesome ambitions. off for all my seeds before now… it’s
As the breeder of both recreational and like someone chopped my nuts off.
medicinal strains of cannabis, Growdoc You may talk all you like, but if you
was happy to provide the readers of have no seeds you’re not a breeder! So
SSUK with some inside advice about seeds are most important. 2) Travel.
becoming a cannabis breeder. Being able to travel around the world
and see local indoor strains and land
Basic breeding race strains being grown in their natural
environment really helps. I will travel
In simple terms, breeding cannabis over an ocean to get some good seed
involves the transferal of male pollen stock. For me this is the only way I
grains onto female flowers. Following know I can continue in the future. 3)
pollination seeds take several weeks Info. The honest and proper recording
to mature. Cannabis plants may be of all information is very important to
in-bred or out-bred to create separate me. So much is lost when all the lies
varieties. Once in-bred over successive researching cannabis when I was 15 In the early days did you ever think and bullshit take over the facts, so I
generations, varieties of cannabis may (started growing at 13), but by the time you’d open your own seed company? like to keep records of everything. This
become homogenized (uniformed/ I was 18 it was the only thing I really is most important as a breeder.
stable). Out-bred varieties, upon the wanted to do, so I moved into Europe I never thought that I would become a
other hand, often display vigor and from Alaska. I did this to be closer to breeder let alone open a seed company. Do you research other seed
instability as hybrids. Holland and find out as much as I could When I first entered into the breeding companies?
about the cannabis breeding industry. scene I was very fast to open my
Growdoc suggests that: I would save up any money I had and mouth. The challenge was thrown right I always research as much information
“Breeding from seed or clone is a about other seed companies as possible
contributing factor in the determining of - from gossip to factual activity. It’s
traits and characteristics represented by
In-breeding is perhaps one of the most frustrating hard to keep up with all the new
a single species. Good seed stock should problems we face as cannabis breeders because too seedbanks opening, but I do my best
be made from good seed, not a bunch of many breeders out there are using in-breeding as a to meet and greet them all whenever I
clones. In-breeding should only be used in can. Working for 3 years with one of
extreme situations to isolate a trait, and even
way to create seed for sale the largest seed wholesalers in Holland
then it takes at least 7 generations to bring it then go to Amsterdam and take in as back at me. People where asking me if (making feminized seed) and co-
back around. Unfortunately in-bred strains much info I could… and hopefully I could do any better? So, I started to owning a small seed bank in Flevoland
are showing up more and more on the make a contact in the grow world. make my own strains based upon the (selling seeds to local and international
commercial market, often being passed on knowledge that I had collected over growers) has helped. These projects
as ‘good seed stock’. Feminized seed have What was the motivation behind the years. Once people started hearing involved lots and lots of research.
this very problem; the strains just do not your first breeding project? that I had seed stocks, the offers started These days, at Growdoc Seeds we like
have the genetic backing they should, and coming in, and Growdoc Seeds was to keep in close contact with many
this causes many weaknesses in the plant.” After all the research and years of picking born. other breeders. Chatting and having
out good strains to clone and smoke, I sit-down talks about old and new things
Q&A with Growdoc wanted to give breeding a try. Cannabis Why breed cannabis seeds? Why not can be very important. It really helps to
is a huge part of my life, so breeding strawberries or tulips? keep things updated and well informed.
When did Growdoc first start became a natural stage of development
breeding cannabis? for me. During my first breeding project Funny you ask, because I do breed Is the cannabis industry easy or
I created Bubble Dust (a.k.a. Brain strawberries also. I have a very nice difficult to get into?
I did not actually start breeding my own Damage). I did this for one simple reason- breed that I have made myself, its
strains of cannabis until 5 years ago to create a medicinal strain that can help half Dutch and half Norwegian; I call I started off in south central Alaska,
when I made my first cross. I started to ease the pain of a sick family member. it ‘Sweety’. Nowadays I have pulled but moved to Europe when I turned
most of my strawberries and just kept 18 so as to get closer to the cannabis
three plants growing, (so I don’t lose scene. We would travel to Holland 5
Did you know that Jack Herer is the lt of man
and intensive years of breeding? Thisresu y long
the strain). I also make room for my times a year from Norway. During these
roses, which I have been breeding for trips I’d visit whatever seedbanks or
mul tiple-cro
combines three of the world’s strongest varietie ssing
some years now. I also breed cats- growshops I could, trying to learn about
covered in it! Some knowledgeable types compar s are Where did you pick up all the that used to be legal in my hometown
Kasjmir Pollem Malana Cream We can then suggest that, in certain places
hashish consumption still remains as
popular as it ever has been. In other places
we can definitely suggest that hashish
consumption has dwindled. In some areas
new hashish smokers (for better or for
worse) are always learning about “the
art of hashish”. For example, if we look
beyond the UK into Eastern Europe towards
the post-Soviet Block, we notice that the
downfall of the Soviet Union dropped many
a hot rock onto a whole new generation
of hashish smokers. Hashish naturally
followed capitalism into Poland, Hungary,
the Czech Republic and Russia (much
in the same way as Soviet kalashnikovs
find route into Asia). Eurasia sits upon
the fringes of Asia and the worlds’ finest
hashish producing countries. Perhaps then
we need look no further than our neighbors
The colour of the seal (clear, green, blue, kif is then compressed into blocks (soap pastime, yet recently outlawed (either in Eastern Europe to understand the who’s,
gold, or red) may further indicate the quality bars) for transportation. The appearance by religious or political ideology), the the what’s, the why’s, the where’s and the
of the resin, its maker, and/or the name and quality of the hashish further dictates production of heroin steadily increases. We when’s of hashish demography. The present
beneath which it is sold. the name beneath which it is marketed. For are thinking primarily about countries like lack of Asian resin within the UK perhaps
example, in the UK high-grade Moroccan Iran, Turkmenistan, and Turkey, whom no indicates a decline in the trade of hashish
Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan resin is no hashish is often called “blonde”, “polm” or longer manufacture hashish in quantity, between Western Europe and Asia. Put
longer as popular as it was a couple of “double zero”, while low-grade Moroccan rather grow poppies to produce opiates for simply, transporting hashish half way round
decades ago in the UK. This type of resin is called “rocky” or “soapbar”. sale in Russia and Europe. As worryingly, the globe is perhaps no longer as lucrative
is dark and soft much like resins from the remaining hashish producing countries, as once was…there being new competition
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Telling Hashish Politics such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and much closer to home.
Turkmenistan resin from Afghan resin is Morocco are following suit by planting
best left to serious hashish connoisseurs. Hashish is all about little people farming poppies not cannabis. Whether through The truth is that the demography of
large crops, making a product, and selling cultural, political or military pressure, the hashish smokers within the UK is ever
Nepal: Nepalese resin is rare in the it for profit. Politics is all about little global fashion for producing hashish it changing. It is impossible to keep tabs
UK. Nepalese is often dark in colour people in large coats, dividing an even would appear is waning… on hashish smokers, much like it is
(sometimes with a whitish mold). Nepalese larger world into neat little shapes- again impossible to guess how many people are
resin isn’t as pliable as Afghan or Pakistani for profit. Where and when the neat little Hashish Demography (?) growing their own. Its all about unknown
resin. This type of resin is produced ‘live’ shapes loose pattern and the farmer begins figures across unknown audiences, so
when ripe flowers are rubbed by hand to to make headway, hashish and politics Producing a demographic of hashish at the end of the day there is no way of
create a mass of plant resins (the most converge. The most fertile breeding smokers has never been easy. In places as telling what type of hashish the person
labour intensive method). Balls, lumps ground for the marriage between hashish culturally diverse as the UK, it never will down the road is smoking…
or slabs of the resin are then left to dry. and politics are sadly the lands most be. Demographics are all about populations;
Nepalese resin has been made infamous in ravaged by war. An example and case the who’s, the what’s, the where’s, the The future:
the UK by ‘temple ball’ (cannabis-incense). study would be present day Afghanistan. why’s, and the when’s- the haves and the
have-nots. Population statistics are thus the Within the UK, the numbers of puritan
India: Indian resin is often brown in colour Smokable evidence (or the lack of it) subject of Statisticians (people that like to hashish smokers (besides those that follow
and textured in consistency. This type of suggests that, following the political and count)- those that like to base general facts the Goldie Lookin Chain) are gradually
resin is produced ‘live’ when fresh sativa military invasion of Afghanistan in October upon general assumptions. To talk about fading. Those that out-rightly refuse to
flowers are worked in the hands; bashed 2001, the availability of Afghan hashish hashish demography therefore involves smoke anything other than top-quality
against sheeting; or against people to within the UK began to decline. It was assumption, stereotyping and ethnocentrism. hashish import, those that carry a stash-
collect plant resins. The collected resin is believed that the wholesale production tin in one hand and a hooker-pipe in the
then worked together, like putty, to form a of hashish by Afghan Warlords directly For example, we could easily assume that: other, are now thin on the ground. Even the
piece of charas (the name given to Indian funded terrorism. So a focus of the people in Cardiff only smoke “Soapbar” word on the straat in Amsterdam indicates
resin). Indian charas is very regional in original ‘War Against Terror’ was aimed (you knowz it), or that the Scottish only that connoisseur smokers are making the
character. For example, Manali charas is a at the demise of the Afghan farmer. As a smoke Afghan in “half-quarters” (eighths). most of the imported hashish scene before
firm type of resin that is rubbed into fingers result, the farmer started to plant poppies That Londoners don’t smoke hashish, only supplies become clouded and run dry.
or sticks, (each weighing approximately producing opium instead of hashish. Sales £50 sacs of “ses” (sinsemilla). Or that
10g). Since, Manali fingers are exclusively of Afghan heroin within the UK during people in Liverpool only smoke dock-land Besides the actual decline of hashish
rubbed by hand they carry a high 2002-3 climbed- to the point that the UK polm in “flins” (sticks). That Cyber-punks importation, the popularity of home
percentage of the plant material as well as growing has itself over-simplified many
the resin itself. This type of cannabis resin It was believed that the wholesale production of of the processes (and mysteries) behind
is often soft to firm and requires very little hashish by Afghan Warlords directly funded terrorism. hashish production and consumption within
heating. It’s scent and taste are unique. the UK. In years gone-by hashish was
So a focus of the original ‘War Against Terror’ was considered a magical substance, full of
Lebanon/Turkey: Lebanese and Turkish aimed at the demise of the Afghan farmer essence, harmony and fragrant flavor (and
hashish is now rare in the UK. This type the odd piece of plastic)! These-days people
of hashish is lighter in texture and brighter ‘heroin market’ became saturated- a gram in Hampshire only toke upon “new-age” grow their own ganja and make their own
in colour than Asian types of resin since of Afghan hashish costing more than a bubble (ice-hash), or that the hippies in types of hashish from the trim waste. There
it is normally made exclusively from kif wrap of Afghan heroin! To combat the Glastonbury only smoke natures harvest is such an advanced range of DIY hash
(or a kif/resin mix). Lebanese and Turkish sudden insurgence of opium growers (organic charas). Such would and could making equipment available- trimmers/
hashish is produced much in the same within Afghanistan, the “Coalition” agreed ignorance draw us to believe… clippers for harvesting scissor-hash; screens/
way as Moroccan (see below). Usually, that Afghan Farmers could once again spinners/tumblers for collecting kif; buckets/
yellow, red or gold in colour, this type of grow cannabis to produce hashish… under If and when we look towards the facts bags/sacs for ice/water extraction- that there
hashish fluffs-up when heated, and carries one (age-old) condition… that the hashish surrounding hashish demography within just isn’t the call for imported hashish like
a very subtle scent. Beware of Moroccan wasn’t to be sold beyond Afghanistan (?). the UK, one fact is often overlooked. That there used to be.
imitations! is that ‘junkies’ also smoke hashish in
Without going into a global debate about conjunction with heroin. They do this so The idea that the next generation of
Morocco: Moroccan is a hard type of the socio-political and cultural-economic as to increase appetite and prevent nausea. smokers might never smell the subtle
hashish that comes in many different grades ramifications of hashish and heroin Demographically speaking, you can scent of Lebanese Kif, the spicy perfume
of quality. This popular type of hashish is production, it doesn’t take a genus to therefore be sure to find sources of hashish of hand-rubbed Indian charas and/or
made when dried flowers (male and female) figure out a pattern of continuity across alongside sources of heroin (and visa versa). the heavy aroma of Afghan Black is
are bashed against a fine grade screen or all the major hashish/heroin producing Irreparably, hashish and heroin often sit at somewhat disheartening. Perhaps, it’s
sieve to produce a substance of powdery countries of the world. In the countries the same underground juncture, the crossroad just another one of those things that we’ll
trichomes called kif. The sandy coloured where hashish production is a traditional whereby soft and hard drugs converge. have to learn to live with….
Soft Secrets 43
Background
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Soft Secrets 53
DIY
You can use either a computer generated ventilation fan or a regular one. On the first
photo you can see all the things you require for this project so let’s make a start. For
practical purposes I use a large bucket but you can use either a smaller or larger one
with no problem. Cut a hole in the lid large enough to fit your ventilation fan and
then secure it to the lid. There are many ways to achieve this so choose one that is
suitable for your lid and your fan. If you look at the photos you will clearly see how I
mounted my fan. Once that is done, you need to cut large holes into the sides of the
plastic bucket. That is all the heavy work done and now you can fill up the bucket
with the other ingredients. To nine cups of water, you add one cup of smell
neutraliser product such as Febreeze or Ona and add a half-cup of polymer crystals.
Place the lid on, turn on the ventilator and within 5 minutes the whole place should
be smelling good and clean and fresh…..
The workings of this method are simplicity itself. The foul air is sucked into the
bucket where it comes into contact with the air freshener and so becomes clean as it
is once more blown through. The neutralised product absorbs all the bad smells and
the polymer crystals serve to suck up the moisture which ensures that the air
freshener lasts longer so that you only need to add a little more occasionally. The
crystals themselves work well for many years and can swell up to fifty times their
original size.
The only maintenance necessary for this odour neutraliser is to top up the water and
air freshener now and then. Normally it needs no extra attention for about four weeks
at a time. There are about five different kinds of smell neutraliser that you can use, be
aware that other similar products will not work. Other smell absorbers will also work,
even the soluble variety and these come in different colours and perfumes. So dare to
change your Cannabis fumes into a vanilla flavoured fragrance.
All in all this is a very efficient and inexpensive alternative to carbon filtered
exhausts. A combination of the two is the best way to be absolutely sure that you are
not pervading the atmosphere with a bad pong. A smaller version of this odour
neutraliser can be used in the bathroom or living room where it can efficiently
eradicate even cigarette stink. Its a good idea to keep one in your communal space
just in case any whiffs from your grow space invade while you have visitors. Often
one does not notice the smell of one’s own hole and in this way you can be sure that
you stay sweet. Prevention is always better than the cure and you’ll be amazed at
how much the smell in your grow room can be changed.
The only problem here is that you might end up with such a nice smelling place, that
all your friends would want to be there all the time.
bartb@ganja.com
Soft Secrets 71
diy
the tarp so that you can anchor it against
How to take and use pollen the wall securely. You do not want it to
come down! Use the thinnest plastic you
can find to avoid excess moisture and
By Aja (from the USA) damage to the plants. Because it is thin, be
very careful to avoid damaging it.
This is a simple method of collecting and administering pollen to your female plants
in a shared environment. Step 3
After arranging your divider by draping
Collection Also, it is a good idea to isolate your pets it loosely between the plants, (do not
during this time. I had a cat run in once anchor it yet), mist the floor, net pots and
when I was collecting pollen and after I buckets with distilled water. This will
chased it out, it promptly ran downstairs neutralize any errant pollen that drifts
and into my Flowering room. A month later by or lands on the floor. Thoroughly
I had some very unusually crossed beans! mist the other plants that you do not
This is a real easy and practical method for want to pollinate, being careful to avoid
harvesting a small amount. blowback on the plants to be fertilized.
Step 7
When you are satisfied with the coverage,
seal up the inner bag, remove your gloves
carefully and place them in the larger zip
lock before sealing it as well. Now place
the bag into the clean garbage bag that was
previously secured in your pocket. You may
wish to remove your shirt slowly and place
it in the bag as well. Keep a wet washcloth
nearby to wipe off your face, arms, legs and
As the picture shows, this male plant other pollen magnet areas. Doing this will
is raring to go. (My totally simple Step 4 reduce the spread of pollen as you leave the
pollen collection technique in action.) I prefer to wear tight-fitting clothes during area. Remove the pollen bag from the room
I recommend doing this only after you this procedure to reduce pollen transfer. and return after washing up.
have closed the ladies up for the night. Carefully retrieve the pollen container,
Shut off any fans in the vicinity, as put the brush inside (a Q-tip will work
pollen is an airborne ‘agent’ and will for smaller amounts.) and place it into a
travel for quite some distance if allowed. larger, clean, storage bag. After sealing it
shut, wipe the outside with a damp cloth to
Also be considerate of household Pollination disclaimer: This method is remove any pollen. This is important, you
members that are sensitive to pollen. not recommended for everybody. Cross- do not want any pollen to escape during the
pollination is often a result of pollinating trip to the selected plants.
plants in the presence of other females.
Proceed at your own risk! Step 5
Due to weak branches, space and size Select the branches that you intend to Step 8
considerations, etc., it may be necessary fertilize and label them with computer Secure the far end of the plastic barrier
to pollinate your plants without removing labels. This will aid in identification to the wall. Be careful to do this slowly
them from the others. If possible, I later. Avoid going overboard here. A to avoid stirring up the air/pollen. Secure
would advise removing the female to single MJ plant is capable of producing the end closest to the door using squares
be fertilized prior, but when that isn’t several thousand beans; only pollinate a of stiff cardboard and tacks. These are
possible, this is a good alternative. few depending on your needs. Make sure essentially homemade roofing felt nails and
that the branches to be pollinated are in will prevent the plastic from tearing. Now
Step 1 an area that will get good light coverage. shut them in for the night, making sure
Wait till the grow lights go off as Avoid pollinating the extreme lower that the fan(s) are still disabled. You may
scheduled, and shut down all of the branches, as they will likely not mature need to raise the lights during the lights on
fans. Adjust your timers to eliminate into viable seeds. period to compensate for the lack of fans.
‘surprises’. Eliminate any drafts in the This continues for 48 hours. On the third
outer and adjoining room and shut off day’s lights off time, mist the fertilized
your furnaceAC. The room must have plants thoroughly to take out any viable
zero air movement before you begin. pollen that remains behind, in the morning
Place a small garbage bag in a pocket turn on the fans and adjust the light(s) as
at this time, later you can put all of the normal. Remove the plastic divider after
pollen ‘tools’ inside it when finished. one week when you are certain that there is
1) Place a dry, sterile, open bag/container no contamination threat. Remember at the
under the opening male flowers. end of the grow to thoroughly clean your
grow room with a damp cloth to remove all
2) Gently tap the stem with a finger. traces of pollen.
The pollen will slowly settle into the
container. (If you are careful, only a few Step 6
flowers will fall into the mix. While wearing gloves, position the bags
nearby and below the branch and lightly
3) Remove any flower/plant parts that coat the paintbrush with pollen. While
land in your container with the pollen. holding the brush a short distance (3-
Tap them off gently before removing, to 6”) above the target bud, lightly tap the
recover the pollen. (Moisture = BAD) brush, releasing pollen onto the fertile
flower(s) below. Do not contact the
4) Dilute pollen with sterilized flour at flowers directly with the brush. The ‘tap’
a four-to-one ratio. This will allow more is similar to tapping off the ash on a joint,
coverage if required (Optional) Step 2 be careful, a little pollen goes a long way.
Strategically locate the female(s) to seed For interior buds, simply tap the end of
5) Refrigerate until use. (Viable for next to each other and against a wall the brush lightly against the stems. Try to
around 3-5 days) earlier in the grow. Now prepare a clear select branches that are nearest to a wall, Four to five weeks later, you should have
plastic drop cloth to isolate these plants to avoid direct contact with other non- a bunch of viable beans to grow or share
6) Immediately change your clothing and from the rest of the garden. The plastic pollinated branches. Cross-pollination with your friends and nature.
clean up before going near your female featured here is 4’ high and 7’ long. will occur anyway, but usually only a few
plants. Tape a straight edge against the far side of extra seeds are a result. Good luck!
Soft Secrets 65
DIY
Requirements
• Dried, frozen leaf material
• 1 bucket
(+/- 30cm diameter)
• Kitchen paper (absorbing)
• 2 kilo ice cubes, enough to
3) Fill the pyramid bag with up to 500 grams of frozen leaf material and place it in the Bubbleator. Then close the keep the temperature
Bubbleator’s lid and set the timer to between 3-8 minutes. It will now start to agitate the leaves. down to 4ºC (41ºF)
(+/- 2 to 4 kilo)
• Thermometer (Included)
• Kitchen sieve (Included)
• Pyramid bag 220mc
(Included)
• Drainhose bag 220mc
(Included)
4) When the timer has reached 0, you can open the Bubleator’s lid and squeeze all the water out of the leaf material
in the pyramid bag. Then put the smallest screen bag around the hose, while holding the hose up. Hang the hose in • Crystal catching bag 70mc
the bucket and let the Bubbleator drain. (Included)
(Optional 90mc and 38mc
bags for extra qualities are
available)
5) Remove the screen bag from the hose and place the hose back onto the Bubbleator. Remove the first bag (if you
are using multiple bags) from the bucket, dunk it in the water 2 or 3 times, so all the crystals gather in the middle.
Squeeze all the water out with your hand first, then with a piece of kitchen paper.
6) Put the crystals in the kitchen sieve and push them through (e.g. with a spoon) onto a piece of paper. This is necessary
to dry the crystals loosely and avoid molding. This takes about 48 hours, after which your crystals are ready for use or
pressing. You can repeat steps 5 and 6 for the other screen bags, if you used them. You should rinse all of the screen
bags with cold water immediately after use. Any dried up crystals can be removed every 2 months using alcohol (96%).
For info:
Pollinator Company, Amsterdam,
[t] +31-20-4708889,
[f] +31-20- 4715242
[e] info@pollinator.nl
Soft Secrets 41
Grow with S
oma
Free Tibet with extra bud-shoot makes an Overall, the hallmark of selection lies in
excellent genetic contribution human ability to chose the best from a
cluster of many.
In his quest to find more variability,
man started experimenting with
hybridization of plants so as to achieve
the perfect plant type. This process was
actually the beginning of expedited
evolution since it led to the formation of
new plant types artificially or due to
human intervention at a much faster
pace than it would have happened in
nature. For example the bread wheat
G-13 male ready to mate that we eat today has taken about 500
years to evolve to its present form
through human intervention. This form
of wheat would have taken thousands of
Citralah When looking at different years to evolve had it been left to the
As a breeder of cannabis genetics, characteristics of cannabis plants, there natural evolution process.
making hybrids is part of my life's are a few main things to look for. How
work. I specialize in medicinal cannabis much stem is in-between nodes, what In our modern world many things have
genetics. A hybrid is caused by the cross the aroma is like, how much THC accelerated. Today an item found on the
between two plants of different species, trichomes are present, how long the other side of the planet can arrive at
varieties or cultivars, or on occasions a finishing time is, and last but not least your door tomorrow. So it is with my
different genera. Hybrids today are the effect. Once several valuable species seeds, they travel the globe. In this way
often more resistant than their parents. are acquired the crossing can begin. You many people besides me get to plant
need males and females. One male can Lavender them and pick through different
When an atom hybridizes...This process be sufficient to impregnate hundreds of phenotypes, all of us looking for the
of restructuring is known as females. One of my newest crossings best. For one person to do this would
hybridization. What I do is take two was to mix a G-13 Haze male to 11 of take many years, but with many people
plants and genetically cross them to my favorite strains. doing it and staying in touch via the
produce a new plant that has some of When I take seeds from these plants and internet the knowledge comes fast and
the characteristics of the original plants sprout them I basically get 3 dominant with it new strains.
but also creates additional phenotypes and 1 recessive phenotype.
characteristics that are unique to it. The One will be like the father, one like the In my newest crossings between the G-
fact that new combinations can be mother, one a combination of both and 13 Haze male (wanted to bring more of
formed shows the continuous nature of one a recessive phenotype that can bring the sativa genetics into the mix) and
the process of speciation. earlier genetics back out to be seen. Buddha’s Sister, Somango, Somativa,
Ripe Somango White Willow, Lavender, Citralah,
When working with cannabis you may Choosing which types of plants to use White Light, New York City Diesel,
have to produce hundreds of plants takes really knowing your plants well. Rockbud, Reclining Buddha, and Free
before you discover the winner you Different strains have different traits. Tibet, I am finding some of the finest
have been looking for, so patience is a Once you have decided which traits you plants ever.
virtue. Through the years I have had an want to add to your new hybrid, you use
amazing kind of inspiration to find the one for the donor parent and one for the I love plants, plants of all kinds, they
finest medicinal cannabis genetics this recipient parent. The male sending the are my favorite life form, they are
planet has to offer. It has been my new characteristics to the female. For teachers, I surround myself with plants
health. Since 1984 I have had cancer of this the two plants are mated or crossed in my home, at least 100 different kinds,
the tongue and cannabis has been my and the progeny is screened for the and cactuses.
medicine of choice. Having it as my desired trait. The progeny plants
medicine is a powerful driving force. possessing the desired trait are then White Willow With Love and Light…
Soft Secrets 43
DIY
Putting together
your own feeding tub
For those of you who do not yet have, or who plan to use a feeding tub in the 7.5. Adding the nutrients lowered the pH
future, in this article I will be showing you how simple and effective making of the water, but not enough. To get the pH
(and using) one can be. to the desired level we need to add pH-
growth or pH-bloom, which are acidic and
By Bart B. will therefore bring down the pH.
Just as with the nutrient, this works best by
With the use of a feeding tub you can syringe with millimetre gradations (or a
make up a huge amount of feed water in droplet syringe). And a tub, of cose.
one go and adjust it to the pH and EC
that is optimal for the medium you are
using to grow on. If you have to choose
between a pH meter and an EC meter,
then you’re best off buying the pH
meter, since pH is far more important to
get right. The EC only shows the
strength of the nutrient solution you plan Take a measuring beaker and follow the
to give your plants, whereas the correct instructions that are on the bottle label. Fill
pH will ensure an optimal nutrient the beaker with the right dose - 400 ml to
uptake by the plant. The ideal pH-value 200 litres of water, for example. By using
lies between 5.6 and 6.4. The EC only a measuring beaker we will get to more or
helps you give the correct dosage to give less the correct EC - far closer than
your plants, but by following the haphazardly sloshing your nutrients in to using a measuring beaker to add the pH-
instructions on the nutrient bottle the tub. Any other supplements such as acid. The first time always involves a bit of
carefully, you will not end up not too far A feeding tub can be large or small, but root stimulator are added now too. We guess work, so be careful when you do it.
from the ideal EC. the size you use will depend on the want to reach a starting EC of between 1.2 Give the acid time to mix well in before
number of plants you have to feed and – 1.3. While slowly pouring the nutrient adding a bit more, until you are in the
If you do decide to regulate the pH, you the number of days you want between into the water keep checking your EC vicinity of your required reading. If you’re
have to keep it up for the whole growing re-fills of the tub. Thus a feeding tub can value on the meter. Towards the end, wait only a couple of points off it, then now is
cycle. If you don’t, then the pH contain enough food for your plants for a minute or so and stir the solution well so when the millimetre syringe comes in
difference between the soil and your 1-4 days. If your tub is too small you’ll that it’s nicely mixed at the right EC value. handy for carefully adding it drop by drop.
feed water may be too great, causing get fewer days between tubs. Also to Every feeding tub needs a circulation This care will prevent a load of hassle by
considerable shock to the plants. Do this bear in mind is whether you plan to pump or suchlike so that the EC value is giving too much pH-.
often enough and your plants will start to expand your operation in the future and the same throughout.
display strange ailments. expect more plants than you have now. If
so, it’s an idea to buy a bigger tub now
Anyway, we were making a feeding tub, and avoid having to buy a new one.
for use with growing a crop in earth. Once you’ve got your chosen tub, fill it
with water.
Hand pressed method: Carefully open the press and remove the As you can see, an almost full garlic press
paper/hash chunk. Carefully open paper cup of KIF can be pressed into a wafer
Cut a piece of parchment paper and dislodge the hash wafer from it, being a little bigger than a quarter. The wafer
approximately 6” square. Place your careful in case it didn’t press perfectly. shown is about a gram of hash.
dry KIF in the center of the paper and
Did you know that you can protect your outdoor plants
carefully fold the paper around the KIF,
creating as small of a compartment as
possible for the KIF within the folded against slugs with small pots of beer? Slugs are very
paper.
partial to a drop of the old brown stuff! When we hollow
Place the folded KIF/paper on a heat out a small depression in the soil around the plants
source, with the most folded side facing
up towards you.
Slowly close the press together,
allowing the paper to be gently pulled and then stick a small glass pot into this with beer in
in with the plunger part of the press. it, the slugs will make their way in the evening hours
Using your fingers or thumb (if you can
towards it, fall in and drown (they can’t get out again).
This method works fantastically, and has already seen
handle the heat) or another object, press The trick here is to be patient and
the folded KIF/paper firmly against avoid any tearing. The first time I tried
the heat source. Hold the KIF against it, I got it the first time; the next time I many thousands of slugs dispatched, never to hassle the
the heat source for a half of a minute
to a minute, or when the heat transfers
tried it, it took 3 tries to get it right.
outdoor grower again.
through to your fingers through the Basically you are trying to form a
folded paper. You do not want to over paper cup!
heat the KIF, you just want to soften it
Did you know that Afghan varietie s are often very
often decked out
and gel it a little - you may feel the KIF Once you form a nice cup ready for
“give way” or otherwise move a little the pressing, drop a few small drops
easy to recognise? Afghan plants aregive off an equally
with very deep green leaves which
as the heat and pressure work on it. of water in the cup and place your
KIF in the paper lined garlic press (I
Remove the KIF/paper from the heat,
unfold carefully and carefully remove
use a business card to kind of funnel
it in).
recognisable heavy odour.
Soft Secrets 25
GrEEN FINGER
S
It’s some months later and my fingers are beginning to itch again. If you remember from the previous issue of Soft Secrets, I had not had a successful crop because
most of my plants died off of an excess of nitrogen or had proved to be male. As everyone knows, only the ladies can provide a good yield.
Rain, rain and more rain is a good summary of the month of September 2001.
As I mentioned in the previous Soft Secrets, I had raised four lovely K2s outside
with much love through spring and summer. Although the K2 is not an outdoor
variety they had done marvellously in that far from poor weather. They had grown
like crazy and towards the end of the summer I had myself four plants of a meter
high and the same across. Real beauties with a strong stem and dark green leaf
cover. They were given several litres of feed water each day, and once every so
often given a splash of phytomin to help promote extra chlorophyll production.
They had developed many side branches make water hash out of all those outdoor
on which I hoped a large number of fat plants because I had no desire to go
buds would soon develop. Nothing could trimming them all. That would be a soul
be further from the truth. This had been destroying task. The buds in the meantime
shaping up to be my first outdoor planting were not very large, but they did have
that had gone without problems, thanks to plenty of THC hairs on them. A week after
my previous experience with indoor I had placed my order, the bags arrived.
growing. Halfway through August the K2s So handy, that Internet.
began to bloom and everything appeared
rosy-tinted and promising, because it was Water hash
still a warm and sunny Summer. But by The harvest in close-up
the beginning of September the weather Water hash.....I harvested all my outdoor
gods had other ideas. The floodgates were plants and let everything dry. Trimming is
opened and it began to rain stair rods. At not necessary, though you can do it.
first I thought it was just a short bad spell, Normally we use only the better trim
because we usually enjoy a pretty soft end waste full with hairs to make water hash.
of the summer. But given that I had no intention of
But when no end was in sight two weeks trimming all those little buds I simply let
later, I began to fear the worst. For many them dry thoroughly and then pulled them
outdoor growers, September 2001 was a apart so that the hairs were fully exposed.
black month. Many lost their crop to This is necessary so that they can be more
mould or had to harvest too early. easily removed and thereby produce a
Personally, I did my best to keep the plants better yield. What's nice about water hash
out of the rain and thereby reduce the risk is that when you have a disappointing
of moulds. After it had rained for nearly a (outdoor) harvest you have a huge amount
month, fate finally dealt me the hand I'd of leaf material from which to make a
been expecting. Mould ripped through my superior quality hash.
crop and there was nothing left to harvest Another method is to sieve the dried
but some piddly little buds that had material and make skuff out of it, but the
managed to develop under the dark, rainy machine you need to do this is far too
heavens. I can say I was amazed and expensive if you're not going to use it a
happy that even they had managed that lot. In my opinion it is far nicer, cheaper The pouring in
and had survived even this long. A top and easier to make water hash. You only
harvest this was not going to be, but also need the ice-o-lator bags, ice cubes and a
not a disaster. From something good, came big (20-25 litre) bucket and a mixer. The
something good. ice-o-lator is simply two bags with a sieve
between them. One bag hold the leaves in
Problem it but lets the crystals through it. The
American version of this is the bubble
The thing about growing is you're always bag, but the principle is the same; it just
learning on the job, with much falling uses more sieves, so you get various
down and getting back on the horse. The qualities of hash. So I let the buds and
best growers, I reckon, are those who had leaves dry out for a few days so that they
made plenty of mistakes and had the were not damp but not powder dry either
chance to learn from them - better at any and then I stuffed them in a bag and stuck
rate than growers who by luck or green this in the freezer for a night.
fingers have never put a foot wrong. You
have to be able to solve problems as and Leaf material
when they arise. So I had a problem: the
sickly, under-developed little buds had to About the leaf material, trim waste or
be cut, then trimmed and that was going to buds. Personally I generally let the leaf
long, tedious and fiddly work - and I didn't material dry out for a couple of days to
much fancy it. Everyone who has had a make sure it ends up dry but not bone dry.
harvest knows that it is no fun at all You can make water hash from fresh (wet) Trim waste
gathering and preparing loads of all-but- leaves or dry leaves, like one used to make
weightless buds. But thanks to what I had skuff. If you use fresh leaves the water while your buds are drying you can get a good yield and a good quality
read and my previous experience indoors I hash is of very high quality because there already be enjoying your own shit. if you smoke.
had found a neat solution to my problem. is very little impurity in it but then the let the leaves dry right out then you'll end
Via the Internet I had bought myself some yield is not very high. What's nice about up with more, but of a lesser quality. I DIY
ice-o-lator bags from an online grow shop. using fresh leaves is that within a few choose the golden middle line. Let the
With these bags I could make water hash, hours of harvesting, a good or a bad crop leaves dry for a few days so that they're The next day I took my 20-25 litre bucket
the problem would be solved: I'd just you've got a good, smokable hash, and half way dry - not too dry - and then you and filled it with iced water. This is very
26 Soft Secrets
important - the water must be really cold What you see once all the water is out is
because the temperature issue is crucial. It pure gold; top quality hash that's
must be kept as near to zero degrees as somewhere between a light blonde-to-
possible, as it is the cold that will make white and dark brown-black colour. It is a
the sticky crystals fall off more easily. I lovely feeling to know you've made this
set several bottles filled with water in the yourself and it's good. It's a bit like being
deep freeze for a few hours before I a gold prospector with a sieve who
begin, just to make sure it is really cold. suddenly sees gold nuggets. Then take
Then I take the frozen leaf material some kitchen roll and press the rest of the
prepared the day before and put it in the moisture out of the mass. The result is
iced water, then cover this with ice cubes. then a reasonably dry lump of hash. You
Put a lid on the bucket, punch a hole can knead this ball of hash more to make
through this to let the mixer through, and it into the shape you want, or you can
start to mix. Mix for 15 minutes, then let leave it in the freezer until all the water
it all stand for five minutes for the left in it has risen to the top and can be
crystals to gently settle, then mix for just wiped off. This water hash is now
another 15 minutes, wait five ready for use, and only a few hours after
minutes...Thanks to the friction the harvesting. Like I said, pure gold!
crystals come loose and fall through the
first bag to be caught by the second bag. Quality Mixing
Each time in this series for the organic grower, a different weed farmer from the Netherlands is put under the spotlight. In In the grow tray I restrict the fresh air
this issue we get to take a stroll around the kitchen of Victor, an antique dealer from the South of the country and a great for the first two days. The air moisture
plant lover. Victor really does love his plants and pampers them from beginning to end, when they thank him by producing inside rises to near enough 100%. On
nearly three pounds (1.5 kg) of smoke-ready buds. How does Victor do it? the third and fourth days, I open the air
vents, and on the fifth day I remove the
“First of all, I give them all the space they is almost no-one in the Netherlands who for a reasonable price - so it all works out tray’s lid completely. Not a clone has
need by using pretty big pots. My pots could tell me how best to go about it. good for both of us. I find in the grow failed! I never keep them longer than
have a diameter of around 40 centimetres I have 16 years’ experience, because I scene you usually get sold clones with this in such a humid regime; I want my
and a volume of nearly 25 litres. With a started growing outdoors back when I spint... clones to stay healthy. In the worst case,
bigger pot volume I get bigger plants and still lived with my mother. If I’m going you get a mould or infection in your
a better yield. And I am less vulnerable to work with something, then first I want A good mother plant is very important. plants, and you lose up to half of them!
to the law because I have fewer plants to figure it out for myself. I did have the I have three of them, of which two are That is the only thing you have to watch
at home: 18 pots with 28 plants, in place advantage that a friend was working with really big – at least two metres tall. Not out very carefully for when using oasis:
of 60 or more, al packed in to about two the same pots, and sometimes with the like they mostly do these days – those the clones have to have a nice tight fit. If
square metres. I generally get about the same plant. But we had very different little bonsai shrubs, but adult mothers. air gets in around them, you get mould.
same or more off them, and they take a spaces, ventilation, lamps and light and They give grown up clones: lovely, strong
lot less work. Large pots like this are just then you might as well be talking about and woody. How do most clones get screwed up?
easier to work with. a different plant. But you do learn a hell You take a tray with rock wool clones
of a lot. As for nutrients, with the mothers we use and by accident when watering it you
Over the years I have re-built my attic a very simple feed. A basic Terra Vega give it a small shock. They come a bit
eight times already; each time I try As well as this I had a special diary, my or a bottle of cheap nutrient from the loose and so air can get in to them. In
something a bit different. I had always memory support. Everything that I did, ‘Boerenbond’ (Farmers’ Union – ed.), with principle, 25% of the clones are already
been busy with smaller pots, as well as I wrote up in this. The longer I grow, an NPK of 7-7-14. Terra Vega is for a screwed. With this stuff: you prick a
7.5 litre ones. This was until one time the more I can build up this external grow medium a really good feed. There’s small hole with a cocktail stick, you
I came across a couple of these large memory. Thanks to this, I know that if everything in it. It’s shite for blooming, pop the clone in and its wedged in there
pots. They had been sitting in my shed things are going to go wrong, it will be but for growth it’s good stuff. firm as anything is. Just to be sure, I
for years and decided to finally give take a pen and give a small push next to
them a try out. I tried all kinds of mixes; the clone’s base and then the cutting is
everything just chucked in together. Blood
I’m an organic grower; I just don’t get the point 100% sealed off from the outside air.
meal, fish meal – you name it. I came to of hydro. A plant belongs in a nice tub filled with
the conclusion that if I was going to work soil. To me, that’s what a plant is all about. Re-potting
with such big pots, I was best off using a
simple organic compost with an NPK of on or around the 50th day. The block The mother plants are just stood under The clones never take root uniformly of
7-7-5, from which I reckoned I could get that I have at the moment is the best ordinary ‘blue’ Osram Agro glow burners. course; the one always eats and drinks
a harvest of at least 30 grams per plant. I have ever played with. And that is For the rest, I only have one task and that better than the other. I do re-pot them
Plus I would only have to add water! always what I’m striving for, after all. is discipline. With a plant like this, just when I have to, but only when it’s
Once or twice a week, no more. as if you had a baby, you have to change necessary to minimise the stress caused
Mothers it in good time and look after it when it them. That’s why I keep a close eye on
And at that moment I went further with needs it. If you just stick a plant in a pot them. It is handy to let them germinate
my experimentation. I chucked all kinds My mother plants are also raised in big and never pay it any attention, nothing’s on a glass plate. Then you only have to
of fertilizers and food supplements pots, in really big pots. I have them stood going to come of it. Even a dog is let out lift them up to see if the roots are visible
in and came up with better and better in 60-litre pots, round at a friend of mine’s when it wants to go, right? yet or not. The roots will just as easily
results. This was partly down to articles place. He’s not active in the weed world shoot into other blocks if you don’t keep
in Highlife and Soft Secrets. in any other way, so he remains the right Oasis an eye on them.
side of the law and I can be sure of always
All my knowledge about growing in 24- having access to good mothers. I help with Often I put the newly rooted clones in a As soon as they’ve got roots, I pot them
lire pots I had to gather for myself. There their maintenance, he gets his smokeables pot of earth on a windowsill for the first into soil. To me, that’s a hundred times
Soft Secrets 59
better than putting the clone directly into dry out from the bottom. Once I see roots nutrients. I have a test plant, a lab rat, and behaviour. Keep the fuck off my plants! If
soil. With little Jiffy pots it takes about poking out from there then I have an idea if this fails, then I know for sure that I’m someone’s invited in to my grow room, it’s
three weeks before they start to bloom. how things are going. That’s 35 bloody doing something wrong. I try to compare just the same. I’m always looking out for
With my method, they sometimes do that centimetres that they’ve got to travel! If everything. What are the similarities my plants; I’m just very careful and even
within 10 days! I can already see them down below after between my house plants and the hemp touch the leaves as little as possible.
When I’m re-potting, I just leave the a week, then I start to influence them. Of plants? I’d also like to take clones from
oasis blocks around them. Such a small course, you should not let them poke out my conifers, on a small scale. You just Floor heating
block can hold a good 30 millilitres of of the pot. Otherwise, when you come to have to have green fingers. It’s a feeling.
water, which is a heck of a lot. That turn the pot, you’ll pinch the roots and I also use a heated floor, but that that
is why for the first three or four days then you’ve got damage. That will cost the I’m an organic grower; I just don’t get comes in the next phase. Only my clones
there is no need to water them. The plant energy to fix its wounds. the point of hydro. A plant belongs are warmed where they stand. I just crank
clone has enough power to keep going. Only once they start to bloom do I let in a nice tub filled with soil. To me, it up to 25 degrees where my plants
When you’re re-potting from rock the lowest roots die off. For this I use a that’s what a plant is all about. No rock are, and I have a hugely thick layer of
wool to soil, the rock wool sucks the catalyst and BN-enzyme, which closes wool, even though the whole of the insulating material under them. After there
clone completely dry. Then you can be the roots off nicely. This allows a section Netherlands is filled with it. Tomato had been a raid on my place, the same
dripping water on it ten times a day. of root to die off and yet not lead to green houses, cucumber cloches – that’s evening I had the thought: shall I put
an increased risk of fungal infection. just selling balls filled with water. You things back as they were? I thought, you
From below Once the whole growing cycle has been have to enjoy handling it. Just so long know what: I sat for ages getting pissed
completed, I simply rake through the as you give them water regularly, then off at the floor, the eight centimetre-
I only ever take off the lowest two clay granules, clean them off and start to you’ve got half your harvest already. thick doors. I’d set up a complete safari
internodes (the growth that comes out of use them again straight away. park! Now there’s just a thick layer of
the point where the leaf meets the stem); Love too insulation and a layer of plastic. I don’t
the rest I leave alone. And I don’t top After a minimum of two and a maximum think a better insulated floor than mine
them, because then you get a better yield. of three weeks, I start the plants off with The other week I met this young guy even exists. The thickest factor that there
Once I can see that the clones have strong their blooming. That’s pushing things a bit. who had just started out growing and I is, that’s underneath. I’ve sent away for
roots, they are all switched over to soil. I But by then, they are well-rooted clones gave him three of my plants. If it’s only documentation on all the floor heating
mean, you have to keep the plant natural. I and they do not need any more getting a couple or three I’m happy to help out. systems. I’ve got all the folders and books
prefer to stand in a good pair of shoes, and used to lamps. Within a day they’ve When it gets to be more than that, then I at home. I have here a folder from a
it is just the same for a plant. They also caught on. And then you have to keep can’t really be bothered. Anyway, he has Chinese company: do you need to drive
prefer to be stood in a pot of good soil. them gorging. If it gets dried out, then it a little smart shop, and I came in and he a buggy between your plants? The grow
That’s how you have to look at things, you won’t be able to eat. That’s why I always just tosses the box with the plants in over world is doing absolutely nothing, I’ll tell
have to put yourself in the place of the make sure that it is never too dry, but at into a corner. So I totally lost my rag! I go you! You have to search far and wide for
plant. The better they feel, the less they the same time, never too wet. You also to all the trouble to make sure he gets a the cool stuff, not just in the Netherlands.
still have to get used to warmth and cold. have to take care not to make it addicted. few great condition plants and the geezer There can’t be more than the odd hemp
That is also really important. You have to Hemp plants have an inclination to fall breaks their bloody necks without so much farmer who really needs to be able to drive
cause as little stress to young plants as you into a pattern. If you, for example, give as a thought! I just can’t stand that sort of a buggy. Is it really necessary?”
can. You just have to try and do what’s them water every two days, then that’s
good for the plant, and that takes a lot of what they come to crave. That’s why from
discipline. time to time I give them water only every
three days, or even every four days. And
I choose to let my plants bloom fully. I’m why one time I’ll give them 700 millilitres,
a bloomer, and then you can not have and another time 800 millilitres or maybe
too much fuss around. It’s a real factory even a` litre and a half. I keep track of all
having and maintaining a grow space like this on my calendar.
this; you have to rebuild, get new raw
materials; sometimes you have to do this, Love of the green
you suddenly have to that ... meanwhile
I have a whole day’s work, but my wife Once in a while I’ll move them. Then I
knows the score. think: ‘things are going too well for you,
matey!’ Then he’s shifted over to the other
Most people forget one thing: that plants side. The plants not doing quite so well,
reach a massive peak in root growth I move in to the middle, and in this way
activity, which starts to tail off again two I’m constantly moving them around. The
weeks after blooming begins. This is really big ones, the whoppers, I mostly
something you want to try and influence. keep on the outer edge. They have just
That’s why I water mine during this got to keep drinking. If I feel they’re not
extended growth spurt both from above drinking enough, then there is something
and from below. From above I give them wrong with the housekeeping. Then I give
neutral water and from beneath, in the dish her a bit of BN-enzyme from Bionova. I They have just got to keep drinking. If I feel
under the pot, water with a little splash of have tried everything in my growing life,
Roots (from Bionova). In this way I give so all my kitchen cupboards are filled up. they’re not drinking enough, then there is
plants an optimal stimulation. I do this Sometimes I get a good harvest, yet I still something wrong with the housekeeping. Then I
until two weeks after the bloom begins. feel there could have been more. If I call
After that I let all the roots that have Bionova, I get good information straight give her a bit of BN-enzyme from Bionova.
grown into the dish die off again. away, I don’t need to go in person. They
give out their information totally freely.
From underneath I also sometimes mix For example, when I wanted to know
in a little potash, and that also stimulates something about NPK. With others, you
the root growth a bit. Pure potash - you have to physically drop by, to calculate
only need to put two millilitres into the conversion formula. Bionova gives me
ten litres of water. I give it with a plant everything I need to know. If outsiders can
syringe. The plant already has so much substantiate for me how things are going,
phosphorus, nitrogen and calcium in the then the going is probably good.
pot that I have no need to give them any
more. But pure potash and Roots make It all begins with a good base, then you’ve
the roots go off and try to find more. And already got half your harvest. The more
the more roots, the more nutrient they light, the more air, and how much more
can then pump back upwards, and the nutrients you can give them, the higher
more buds you end up with. your yield is going to be. These are just
laws of nature. I do the same for my
Blooming house plants. They had never flowered,
but now they are flowering! You can
At the bottom of my pots I always toss in just imagine what kind of a soil that is!
a layer of clay granules, so that they can’t They get all the left-overs from all my
58
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bloom period. That is certainly the case for
The genetics of Paradise Seeds Part 3 varieties that lean more towards the Sativa
such as Nebula and Swiss Bliss, which are
both very potent and have high yields, as
In each edition of this series for the organic grower, a different Dutch cannabis farmer is put under the spotlight. In this well as tasting remarkably good.
third part we are offered a glimpse into the kitchen of Luc from Paradise Seeds, a 40-year-old cannabis plant breeder and
seed trader. As long as they have been well cultivated, his varieties easily achieve THC percentages of 20% and more, and More than 20% THC…
henceforth they have won many international cannabis cups. What makes Luc’s seeds so special?
Paradise Seeds varieties can contain high
Text: Smiley Grass percentages of THC. Certainly our Sensi
Photos: Smiley Grass and Paradise Seeds Star, Sheherazade and Swiss Bliss are very
potent plants with more than 20% THC,
Luc: As a plant breeder, I think it would providing they have been well grown,
be interesting if Dutch growers would obviously, because that is where it all
grow more frequently from seed. Then stands or falls. I personally prefer to grow
you’d get a bit more variety in the coffee organically, as this yields - in my opinion
shops and the end consumer would be - the best weed. This is something best
astonished at the tasty varieties that have achieved on soil, If you have created a
escaped his notice. The market is, certainly good mix, then every nutrient the plant
at a local level, often saturated with one needs is there in abundance, and it will
and the same product in the Netherlands. also give your weed the fullest, most
In one province it is the White Widows, natural taste. A good soil can be mixed up
in another the whole K2-family, in this yourself mixing blood meal, bone meal,
town Santa Maria and in another Power fish meal, guano etc. in the soil before
Plant or Skunk. Thanks to this the quality you plant your seedlings. These are rich
of the plants slowly but surely slides away in the right nutrients. These days I am not
towards disappointment, because nearly so busy with growing, but more oriented
everyone uses clones. Of course, it does towards the development of wonderful
save time using clones for growing, but it new varieties, and I do my best to make
is a pity that a wider range of varieties is these available to people as seed.
not available. Just as with wine and beer
there is much variety among the weeds You should not expect that after doing a
and this is very rarely represented into couple of crosses you have created your
the run-of-the-mill coffee shop. Here you own new variety. Doing this will produce
tend to get three or four similar varieties, something similar to “Four Way”, a nice
the same ones as at the neighbour’s coffee plant that can go in four directions, but
shop over the road. I do not wish to which you as a grower do not have much
suggest that they are poor varieties, but a to latch on to. You have to be selective in
couple of them always end up dominating your crossings, and it can take a whole
the market and the choice available to the load of generations before you can talk
customer is limited as a result. Of course, of a new variety.
there are many other decent varieties, ones
that are very tasty and unique, but just After a few generations your weed will be
not as well known to the general weed more stable, you pick out the best seeds,
public, such as Sensi Star and Nebula, or the most potent, those that taste the best…
Sheherazade and Belladonna. It would be Then you back-cross these and the more
a positive development if these varieties Luc at work in one of times you do this the more stable and the
were also available in the coffee shops. I his storage rooms more the characteristics that you want to
can recommend to everyone that once in keep become more noticeable. Those that
a while they choose something new from ourselves. We are managing to bring Star and the more Sativa-ish Nebula, to are not welcome, you try and select out.
the huge variety that are available as seeds. reliable, female seed of a very good win the 2004 and 2005 Highlife Cannabis Selection on top of selection. In doing this,
See our website for example: quality onto the market. How exactly Cups in their respective categories. the plant will lose some of its power thanks
www.paradise-seeds.com the process works is too complicated, to the problem of inbreeding – something
and for most people / readers also too As a developer you really have to remain you may well have heard of. This is no
The majority of the seed on the market uninteresting, to be gone into here. What’s aware that growers want plants that do not real biggie in the world of seed breeding,
yields both male and female plants. You most important is that it works! What I can take too long to bloom. For a really pure because it does not happen so very quickly.
can allow your favourite plant to develop say is that we don’t do it with hormones Haze that takes 15, sometimes 16 weeks There is power in an F1! These are varieties
seeds that you can then sow the following or with acids, and we also don’t use stress. and sometimes even longer than that. I that you develop from stable sorts. By
year. It’s a fun thing to experiment with. The weed plant has two sexes, male and have searched far and wide for a shorter- combining these together, the ‘fresh blood’
female. A female plant put under stress blooming type that manages to maintain can be used to inject some favourite genetic
A good alternative to using clones is to use that remains female is 100 % female, with the characteristics of Haze and yet takes material to create powerful new varieties!
female seed. The development of female our method the female plants also produce on the bloom time of an Indica, together in
seeds has not turned out as well as was male flowers and male pollen, which is one plant. This dream cannot be perfectly You can for example combine native
once anticipated, but I have managed to used for fertilising the other female plants. realised, but it can be approached to some varieties, these are no so well represented
develop a method that gives good female these days. If you combine these together
seeds. Sadly, there are also so-called you come up with something new, and
female seeds on the market that really also The majority of the seed on the market yields perhaps something lovely. Natives
have a part male bloom to them. This is
obviously not something any grower sits
both male and female plants. You can allow your are the original varieties from nature
growing in Nepal, in the valleys of India,
around dreaming of. Some people swear favourite plant to develop seeds that you can Colombia, Pakistan and Mexico. This is
that it is female seed they are selling, but then sow the following year. It’s a fun thing to where the ‘natural’ adults have evolved
all too often it turns out that they were and where they have developed for
actually hermaphrodites. It is just not very experiment with. generations and so they are well suited
easy to get hold of real female only seeds. therefore to the environment and climate
Many people are experimenting on it; they In this method we’re talking about female- extent, and then the bloom period last a in their respective homes.
create stress, play around with light and made seed. A female fertilises a female mere 10 – 12 weeks. The Indica variety
nutrients. All tricks that will not yield any and so produces female-made seed that can be harvested around the 50 day mark, In the ‘60s and ‘70s people began to
good results. generates 100% female plants. and it is this that most growers will choose smuggle the original seed out on a small
by preference. They choose the shorter scale. Hippies and weed smugglers
A female fertilises a female… I am happy that consumers are discovering blooming time, certainly if there is money brought these genetically pure natives
and valuing the difference between the is being made and maybe they are trying home with them and then began to
You can also set about the problem in Indica and the Sativa varieties. Thanks to get two harvests in one year. As a rule experiment and further develop them.
a different way. There are a number to the positive change in tastes, it was of thumb, a Sativa-dominant variety will In the beginning this was mostly in the
op companies busy with it, including possible for us with our Indica-ish Sensi yield more as a compensation for the longer United States, especially in California.
Soft Secrets 59
In each edition of this series for the organic grower, a different grower from Holland is put under the spotlight. This time BioBizz had in the meantime also begun
around it is Bio Henkie, one of the very first growing pioneers from the early days. This dyed-in-the-wool weed-lover based to make organic compost for, among
in North Holland really has growing in the blood. His father was a market gardener, and Bio Henkie is not averse to turning others, Positronics. Of course, they
his hand to growing tomatoes and green peppers, something he reckons makes a good skills base for also getting good results delivered other stuff too, but that was
from the cannabis plant. also supplied by Theo Grendt, the only
guy who was importing the stuff at the
time. I was kind of inclined back then to
do things a bit cheaper, since I thought I
could get hold the stuff for less. And by
doing so loads of people started coming
to my shop and these customers also
bought other things, lamps and so on.
absorbable by plants. Just as bone meal is pond liner have had their edges raised a You might be lucky and live near because the genetic material weakens
also a slow acting phosphate. And bone good 30 centimetres. Nine plants per square Heathrow airport or in the middle of over time. Secondly, because it is almost
meal, by the way, does not actually come metre is optimal, and by topping the plants a large city with lots of traffic; then always from incoming clones that you
from meat rendering plants, so you do not one or two times during their growth I get you have lots of CO2 in the air, but get insects in your space. Now of course
have to worry about Mad Cow disease / lovely, full plants with more “candles”. elsewhere of course there is much less. you can always return the clones, which
BSE; in addition the BSE-causing agents So mostly you will need to draw in more is very laborious and boring, or you can
are too large to be absorbable by plants. Each time after I have harvested I then air to your space if you want more CO2, dip the clones in some substance, which
That is why everything we use is now take a small top layer of earth along with but remember if you suck in too much is not very organic, to rid the clones of
certified by the EKO Skal system. the root remains out of the soil, fertilize a you can lower the temperature too much, their unwelcome six-legged beasties.
little and replace a fresh layer of soil mix certainly in the winter. But I prefer just to make my own clones
In addition, our soil is going to get on top and ta-da: the same raised bed is from my own mother plants that I know
potassium containing substances such as ready to grow in once again. And the soil The problem is that if you do attempt have been raised in a reasonably sterile
vinasse (sugar beet remains) and worm will just keep getting better and better. to draw in more CO2 you will not only space into healthy adult plants. And raised
castings, compost, bacterial strains and a The peat is airy enough, so if you just need control computers, but also that the preferably a long way from my grow- and
bunch of other things. And this is the soil rake it through it a couple of times it is relative air moisture content also becomes bloom-space, but that is more for legal
mix that you go ahead and make up 5 % loose enough and not become compacted. too high as well. So this becomes a bit reasons to protect my genetic material.
with old soil, which of course you should of a palaver and getting a petrol heater
first put through a sieve. You only need to add that 5 % old soil I to warm your incoming air is a lot easier. The challenge is to stay on top of all the
mentioned earlier the first time you use Or, if you are technically minded and can latest developments and apply them in
Never acidify your water the soil bed in order to inoculate it with safely do electrical work, you can fit a good time. Having been out of the picture
its new beneficial life forms. And when heating spiral into the inlet pipe so that for a while with a serious illness, I decided
Soil that has just been mixed up needs to be it comes to watering I try not too let the during the cold season you can heat the to throw myself back into the fray with my
allowed to ferment; the bacteria are setting ground get too wet, or else the soil can air before it enters your grow space.. own compost. Even more improved, of
to work, the fertilizers only slowly become become too sticky. If you are worried course and even better attuned to what the
free in the mix and there is biological life that you soil might become compacted, Above 25 degrees and you will have plant really takes out of the soil. Because
that needs to start flourishing. If you leave you can introduce more aeration into it to start blowing the air back out again, after all, I don’t want to just throw away
the soil alone for a bit to stand, it will only by setting some worms free in it. but that is simple to sort out with a all my experience and there is nothing
get better from it. And if you are working thermostat. The most important thing is nicer than watching plants thrive.
purely organically with soil you have made Aeration and CO2 fertilizer that you keep the temperature constant,
up yourself, then the soil needs at least without loads of peaks and troughs, and What amazed me most in all my 20 years
three months to mature before you use CO2 is also an important nutrient for it does not matter so much whether this of experimenting with weed plants is
it. The longer the better; through this the plants and comes from the fresh air that is a constant 23 or 26 degrees. that the things that to us are really quite
ground will become more balanced. your grow space takes in. The technique ordinary are only just breaking through
of CO2 fertilization is too expensive and Insects arrive via clones into the regular horticulture scene. Stuff
Just-fertilised soil is often too strong, too complicated to do in small spaces, like seaweed, fish emulsion and hummus
and this can burn your plants, make the so you have to make do with the air you The last time I grew was from mother acids for example, and that organic
leaves grow bent, and so on. You do suck in. If you want more CO2, you are plants raised from seed. There are a growing is now really organic. This is
need a fair bit of room for this process of best off working with paraffin burners number of reasons for this. First of all, you something you do not need a kite mark
maturation, such as a shed. My own soil which also give off plenty off CO2. can not just keep going on and on cloning certification for.”
has always had at least three months to
ripen before it is ready for planting in.
So I was always looking for genes that Everyone who plants my seeds gets the cross between a plant from Lebanon only use fresh soil for the young plants.
would accelerate the ripening of plants female plants. It does not matter whether and one from Afghanistan, to which I Once I have got them into bloom, they
indoors. From every good weed I had, it is outdoors or indoors under lamps. In later added a cross with a Haze. One are put into a mix of fresh and used
I saved the seeds. Whether it had an Switzerland, Poland, the US and in the of the good properties of this plant was soil, with a bit of coco peat added, some
Afghan origin or was descended from Netherlands; everywhere there is a lovely displayed by a friend of mine. His lower fertilisers and a bit of extra Perlite. This
a Haze or Northern Lights, I save consistency to the plants. Most growers body is paralysed. By smoking this plant last ingredient is added because air is
everything. Preferably a minimum of ten prefer not to work with hermaphrodites, the uncontrollable spastic movement very important for the plant, especially
seeds per variety. So at one point I had a but I do – a lot. I love the taste, the result; of his feet relax. He is also one of the for the roots.
couple of rooms filled with weed, with everything about these plants is just reasons why I have devoted so much
between them a good 10 or 15 different brilliant. Seed lines such as these can be effort to developing medicinal weed. For fertilising I always use Guano,
characteristics that I could compare with very valuable. You know for sure that if either dried (to which in recent grows I
each other, under the same conditions in you plant them, you are not going to end With these mother plants I have have been adding some trace elements,
the same grow conditions. Which ones up with half of them being useless males. developed most of the varieties I now because otherwise thanks to the high use
grew faster, which more slowly; which They will all be females, from which you use. My skunks are really fantastic; of phosphorus I would end up with a
ones had a better yield, which had a will get a couple of seeds without having White Willow, named after my daughter, deficiency), or in liquid form. I have also
better taste, which were the loveliest and to bother with raising any males. White Light, Free Tibet, Afghani Delight, been using Organic Iguana Juice from
produced the best seeds and which ones Somawi and Kahuna are outstanding Advanced Nutrients, with outstanding
had the best resistance to infestations White Widow weeds with the highlights being results. I give the Guano and water bit
of insects. I selected from them over a Buddha’s Sister (two 2nd prizes) and by bit. In the last two weeks I do not
series of harvests, by among other things I was one of the first growers who got Reclyning Buddha (one 3rd prize). But give any more nutrients, because I do
crossing full brothers and sisters with each to work with the White Widow varieties, it is my Hazes that have really made it not especially want to be able to taste
other several times. though I did not actually work on the and are now world famous: Hash Heaven seagull shit. I let the pots become pretty
development of the plant. The plant was of course, Haze Heaven, New York City dry before I give the plants water again,
One of the new types that I created in not at the time fully developed. At a Diesel (a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize) and my in order to get an optimal root system. In
this way I called ‘Big Skunk Korean’. certain moment I must have had around absolute champ, the Amnesia Haze with the last week I give them no more water
(Note: you can only talk of a new variety 30 different White Widows. It was pretty three 1st prizes. at all.
after having made more than 20 cross- confusing in the beginning. Everyone
fertilisations between full bothers and called it ‘White Widow’, but no-one knew Dutch compost I always keep a good eye on the pH.
sisters, just as for example the King what it was. By being busy with it, I back- The water from the tap sometimes has
Edward is a variety of the potato family selected out four different varieties from I now use Canna Terra Organic, in which a pH of 8.3. That’s why the water goes
and one can only be called King Edward the ‘original’ 30 varieties. But it is not there’s a little coco and no Perlite, for first into a bath tub, where I bring the
when it has no other characteristics of, say, really my favourite skunk to grow. You my compost. I do often add some Perlite pH back towards 7.0 with a few drops
the Maris Piper present in the new spud have to wait at least 10 weeks for a not myself. In the Netherlands I always use of phosphoric acid, before I put any of it
- SG.). It was a mix of Big Bud, Skunk #1 exactly huge harvest, despite the fact that the ready to use premix soils, that have on my plants. The leaves are greener as
and a Korean weed variety. It was a really it does yield a good amount of crystals. been specially developed for growing a result. For combating pests I only use
exquisite plant, one that tasted as good as Given the same amount of space I prefer hemp in. There is no finer soil in the Preventief, an enzyme preparation based
the high it gave you. And above all it had to raise a Soma Skunk in eight to nine world than here. And I have tried them on lactic acid. It is the only substance
a great yield. They were more or less all weeks, with a better yield and better taste. all, including AllMix, LightMix and the that does not kill my ladybirds, but that
female plants that developed just a few Batmix. I re-use some of my soil and does still kill small pests.”
seeds, because here and there were a few You need a good number of harvests to do
small male flowers among them. In other a good selection; to discover what all the
words, they were mildly hermaphrodite (= characteristic properties of the different
two sexes - SG). plants do. So I know that “Somango”
has a heap of Super Skunk in it, but it
Jack Herer has also been influenced by crossing-in
some self-fertilising White Widow. This
In the meantime I had got to know Jack is how I came up with “RockBudd”. It is
Herer in 1990. In the week that I hung as if the White Widow genes have added
around with him, I not only managed something to the properties that I had
to borrow a whole pile of books, but he already collected together in this plant.
talked constantly all day about weed. For That is in my opinion one of the reasons
my part, I tried to become like a sponge that this plant makes really tight, compact
around him, to just soak up as much of buds with not too many twigs and above
his knowledge as I could. I was given a all is smothered in crystals.
couple of seeds by him, which of course
I planted immediately. Together with my Soma Skunks
new planting of original Superskunk, the
Big Skunk Korea I had developed myself, My seeds have become more and more
and an Afghan-Hawaiian variety. As usual, perfect. I select more strongly and keep
my Korean females made a few male ever fewer numbers of varieties. If for
flowers. I had a ventilator in the room that example I have the good characteristics
spread the small amounts of pollen over of a the Haze varieties in one of my Soma checks the blooming in his plantation of Diesel Sister, a new variety that he has just
all the females, thanks to which every plants, I don’t go mucking about with developed.
plant was fertilised by those Koreans’ other Haze-like types. Because I already
pollen. So every plant gave me yet more have the good characteristics, the ones There’s nothing quite like
new seed, that I went ahead and planted I was looking for, already in my stock. your own stuff to smoke
again. By selecting from the offspring Just like those in my own hash plant, the
I had now developed eight varieties; all White Widow, and my Tibetan variety.
different Soma Skunks, that did not need
males in order to make seed. These self- Soma Skunk Sativa for example has
fertilising plants do less poorly than most genes from Super Skunk, Big Skunk
hermaphrodites. The whole plant did not Korean (BSK) and Haze and is a really
become filled with seed, but things were high, active weed. “Kilimanjaro” also
a little bit more subtle with them. After has a few genes from the BSK, Product
the females had bloomed more or less 19 (once popular) and my Sativa. The
completely, only then did a couple of male “Somango” has BSK, Super Skunk
flowers develop which in turn made only and Jack Herer in it. The one I call
a few seeds. From these seeds a female “Somanna” has only Super Skunk and
plant always developed; I just could not Jack Herer in her blood, while the
get a pure male no matter how hard I tried. “Lavender” has in addition to these two
I only get genuine hermaphrodites under also some characteristics of the BSK and
poor conditions, when the plants are under my Afghan-Hawaii varieties united in it.
stress (thanks to flickering lamps or too Finally, my Hash plant #13, which I call
little water). “HashHeavens”, is a pure offspring of
58
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five weeks. Then they build up a nice
natural base. And the older the clones are
before they go under the lamps the better.
It doesn’t cost you a dime to put them on a
windowsill. First I let them become a little
bit mature. Do as little as possible to your
clones; just let them be.
Each time in this series for the organic grower, a different weed farmer from the Netherlands is put under the spotlight. In In the grow tray I restrict the fresh air
this issue we get to take a stroll around the kitchen of Victor, an antique dealer from the South of the country and a great for the first two days. The air moisture
plant lover. Victor really does love his plants and pampers them from beginning to end, when they thank him by producing inside rises to near enough 100%. On
nearly three pounds (1.5 kg) of smoke-ready buds. How does Victor do it? the third and fourth days, I open the air
vents, and on the fifth day I remove the
“First of all, I give them all the space they is almost no-one in the Netherlands who for a reasonable price - so it all works out tray’s lid completely. Not a clone has
need by using pretty big pots. My pots could tell me how best to go about it. good for both of us. I find in the grow failed! I never keep them longer than
have a diameter of around 40 centimetres I have 16 years’ experience, because I scene you usually get sold clones with this in such a humid regime; I want my
and a volume of nearly 25 litres. With a started growing outdoors back when I spint... clones to stay healthy. In the worst case,
bigger pot volume I get bigger plants and still lived with my mother. If I’m going you get a mould or infection in your
a better yield. And I am less vulnerable to work with something, then first I want A good mother plant is very important. plants, and you lose up to half of them!
to the law because I have fewer plants to figure it out for myself. I did have the I have three of them, of which two are That is the only thing you have to watch
at home: 18 pots with 28 plants, in place advantage that a friend was working with really big – at least two metres tall. Not out very carefully for when using oasis:
of 60 or more, al packed in to about two the same pots, and sometimes with the like they mostly do these days – those the clones have to have a nice tight fit. If
square metres. I generally get about the same plant. But we had very different little bonsai shrubs, but adult mothers. air gets in around them, you get mould.
same or more off them, and they take a spaces, ventilation, lamps and light and They give grown up clones: lovely, strong
lot less work. Large pots like this are just then you might as well be talking about and woody. How do most clones get screwed up?
easier to work with. a different plant. But you do learn a hell You take a tray with rock wool clones
of a lot. As for nutrients, with the mothers we use and by accident when watering it you
Over the years I have re-built my attic a very simple feed. A basic Terra Vega give it a small shock. They come a bit
eight times already; each time I try As well as this I had a special diary, my or a bottle of cheap nutrient from the loose and so air can get in to them. In
something a bit different. I had always memory support. Everything that I did, ‘Boerenbond’ (Farmers’ Union – ed.), with principle, 25% of the clones are already
been busy with smaller pots, as well as I wrote up in this. The longer I grow, an NPK of 7-7-14. Terra Vega is for a screwed. With this stuff: you prick a
7.5 litre ones. This was until one time the more I can build up this external grow medium a really good feed. There’s small hole with a cocktail stick, you
I came across a couple of these large memory. Thanks to this, I know that if everything in it. It’s shite for blooming, pop the clone in and its wedged in there
pots. They had been sitting in my shed things are going to go wrong, it will be but for growth it’s good stuff. firm as anything is. Just to be sure, I
for years and decided to finally give take a pen and give a small push next to
them a try out. I tried all kinds of mixes; the clone’s base and then the cutting is
everything just chucked in together. Blood
I’m an organic grower; I just don’t get the point 100% sealed off from the outside air.
meal, fish meal – you name it. I came to of hydro. A plant belongs in a nice tub filled with
the conclusion that if I was going to work soil. To me, that’s what a plant is all about. Re-potting
with such big pots, I was best off using a
simple organic compost with an NPK of on or around the 50th day. The block The mother plants are just stood under The clones never take root uniformly of
7-7-5, from which I reckoned I could get that I have at the moment is the best ordinary ‘blue’ Osram Agro glow burners. course; the one always eats and drinks
a harvest of at least 30 grams per plant. I have ever played with. And that is For the rest, I only have one task and that better than the other. I do re-pot them
Plus I would only have to add water! always what I’m striving for, after all. is discipline. With a plant like this, just when I have to, but only when it’s
Once or twice a week, no more. as if you had a baby, you have to change necessary to minimise the stress caused
Mothers it in good time and look after it when it them. That’s why I keep a close eye on
And at that moment I went further with needs it. If you just stick a plant in a pot them. It is handy to let them germinate
my experimentation. I chucked all kinds My mother plants are also raised in big and never pay it any attention, nothing’s on a glass plate. Then you only have to
of fertilizers and food supplements pots, in really big pots. I have them stood going to come of it. Even a dog is let out lift them up to see if the roots are visible
in and came up with better and better in 60-litre pots, round at a friend of mine’s when it wants to go, right? yet or not. The roots will just as easily
results. This was partly down to articles place. He’s not active in the weed world shoot into other blocks if you don’t keep
in Highlife and Soft Secrets. in any other way, so he remains the right Oasis an eye on them.
side of the law and I can be sure of always
All my knowledge about growing in 24- having access to good mothers. I help with Often I put the newly rooted clones in a As soon as they’ve got roots, I pot them
lire pots I had to gather for myself. There their maintenance, he gets his smokeables pot of earth on a windowsill for the first into soil. To me, that’s a hundred times
Soft Secrets 59
better than putting the clone directly into dry out from the bottom. Once I see roots nutrients. I have a test plant, a lab rat, and behaviour. Keep the fuck off my plants! If
soil. With little Jiffy pots it takes about poking out from there then I have an idea if this fails, then I know for sure that I’m someone’s invited in to my grow room, it’s
three weeks before they start to bloom. how things are going. That’s 35 bloody doing something wrong. I try to compare just the same. I’m always looking out for
With my method, they sometimes do that centimetres that they’ve got to travel! If everything. What are the similarities my plants; I’m just very careful and even
within 10 days! I can already see them down below after between my house plants and the hemp touch the leaves as little as possible.
When I’m re-potting, I just leave the a week, then I start to influence them. Of plants? I’d also like to take clones from
oasis blocks around them. Such a small course, you should not let them poke out my conifers, on a small scale. You just Floor heating
block can hold a good 30 millilitres of of the pot. Otherwise, when you come to have to have green fingers. It’s a feeling.
water, which is a heck of a lot. That turn the pot, you’ll pinch the roots and I also use a heated floor, but that that
is why for the first three or four days then you’ve got damage. That will cost the I’m an organic grower; I just don’t get comes in the next phase. Only my clones
there is no need to water them. The plant energy to fix its wounds. the point of hydro. A plant belongs are warmed where they stand. I just crank
clone has enough power to keep going. Only once they start to bloom do I let in a nice tub filled with soil. To me, it up to 25 degrees where my plants
When you’re re-potting from rock the lowest roots die off. For this I use a that’s what a plant is all about. No rock are, and I have a hugely thick layer of
wool to soil, the rock wool sucks the catalyst and BN-enzyme, which closes wool, even though the whole of the insulating material under them. After there
clone completely dry. Then you can be the roots off nicely. This allows a section Netherlands is filled with it. Tomato had been a raid on my place, the same
dripping water on it ten times a day. of root to die off and yet not lead to green houses, cucumber cloches – that’s evening I had the thought: shall I put
an increased risk of fungal infection. just selling balls filled with water. You things back as they were? I thought, you
From below Once the whole growing cycle has been have to enjoy handling it. Just so long know what: I sat for ages getting pissed
completed, I simply rake through the as you give them water regularly, then off at the floor, the eight centimetre-
I only ever take off the lowest two clay granules, clean them off and start to you’ve got half your harvest already. thick doors. I’d set up a complete safari
internodes (the growth that comes out of use them again straight away. park! Now there’s just a thick layer of
the point where the leaf meets the stem); Love too insulation and a layer of plastic. I don’t
the rest I leave alone. And I don’t top After a minimum of two and a maximum think a better insulated floor than mine
them, because then you get a better yield. of three weeks, I start the plants off with The other week I met this young guy even exists. The thickest factor that there
Once I can see that the clones have strong their blooming. That’s pushing things a bit. who had just started out growing and I is, that’s underneath. I’ve sent away for
roots, they are all switched over to soil. I But by then, they are well-rooted clones gave him three of my plants. If it’s only documentation on all the floor heating
mean, you have to keep the plant natural. I and they do not need any more getting a couple or three I’m happy to help out. systems. I’ve got all the folders and books
prefer to stand in a good pair of shoes, and used to lamps. Within a day they’ve When it gets to be more than that, then I at home. I have here a folder from a
it is just the same for a plant. They also caught on. And then you have to keep can’t really be bothered. Anyway, he has Chinese company: do you need to drive
prefer to be stood in a pot of good soil. them gorging. If it gets dried out, then it a little smart shop, and I came in and he a buggy between your plants? The grow
That’s how you have to look at things, you won’t be able to eat. That’s why I always just tosses the box with the plants in over world is doing absolutely nothing, I’ll tell
have to put yourself in the place of the make sure that it is never too dry, but at into a corner. So I totally lost my rag! I go you! You have to search far and wide for
plant. The better they feel, the less they the same time, never too wet. You also to all the trouble to make sure he gets a the cool stuff, not just in the Netherlands.
still have to get used to warmth and cold. have to take care not to make it addicted. few great condition plants and the geezer There can’t be more than the odd hemp
That is also really important. You have to Hemp plants have an inclination to fall breaks their bloody necks without so much farmer who really needs to be able to drive
cause as little stress to young plants as you into a pattern. If you, for example, give as a thought! I just can’t stand that sort of a buggy. Is it really necessary?”
can. You just have to try and do what’s them water every two days, then that’s
good for the plant, and that takes a lot of what they come to crave. That’s why from
discipline. time to time I give them water only every
three days, or even every four days. And
I choose to let my plants bloom fully. I’m why one time I’ll give them 700 millilitres,
a bloomer, and then you can not have and another time 800 millilitres or maybe
too much fuss around. It’s a real factory even a` litre and a half. I keep track of all
having and maintaining a grow space like this on my calendar.
this; you have to rebuild, get new raw
materials; sometimes you have to do this, Love of the green
you suddenly have to that ... meanwhile
I have a whole day’s work, but my wife Once in a while I’ll move them. Then I
knows the score. think: ‘things are going too well for you,
matey!’ Then he’s shifted over to the other
Most people forget one thing: that plants side. The plants not doing quite so well,
reach a massive peak in root growth I move in to the middle, and in this way
activity, which starts to tail off again two I’m constantly moving them around. The
weeks after blooming begins. This is really big ones, the whoppers, I mostly
something you want to try and influence. keep on the outer edge. They have just
That’s why I water mine during this got to keep drinking. If I feel they’re not
extended growth spurt both from above drinking enough, then there is something
and from below. From above I give them wrong with the housekeeping. Then I give
neutral water and from beneath, in the dish her a bit of BN-enzyme from Bionova. I They have just got to keep drinking. If I feel
under the pot, water with a little splash of have tried everything in my growing life,
Roots (from Bionova). In this way I give so all my kitchen cupboards are filled up. they’re not drinking enough, then there is
plants an optimal stimulation. I do this Sometimes I get a good harvest, yet I still something wrong with the housekeeping. Then I
until two weeks after the bloom begins. feel there could have been more. If I call
After that I let all the roots that have Bionova, I get good information straight give her a bit of BN-enzyme from Bionova.
grown into the dish die off again. away, I don’t need to go in person. They
give out their information totally freely.
From underneath I also sometimes mix For example, when I wanted to know
in a little potash, and that also stimulates something about NPK. With others, you
the root growth a bit. Pure potash - you have to physically drop by, to calculate
only need to put two millilitres into the conversion formula. Bionova gives me
ten litres of water. I give it with a plant everything I need to know. If outsiders can
syringe. The plant already has so much substantiate for me how things are going,
phosphorus, nitrogen and calcium in the then the going is probably good.
pot that I have no need to give them any
more. But pure potash and Roots make It all begins with a good base, then you’ve
the roots go off and try to find more. And already got half your harvest. The more
the more roots, the more nutrient they light, the more air, and how much more
can then pump back upwards, and the nutrients you can give them, the higher
more buds you end up with. your yield is going to be. These are just
laws of nature. I do the same for my
Blooming house plants. They had never flowered,
but now they are flowering! You can
At the bottom of my pots I always toss in just imagine what kind of a soil that is!
a layer of clay granules, so that they can’t They get all the left-overs from all my
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Soft Secrets 27
product fla
sh
leaves no sticky residue on the plants leaves and can be used right up until the last
Spider Mite problems? week of flower. It will also kill the eggs. This really is the fastest and most effective
spray of its kind. Use undiluted.
Spray Safe from Canadian Xpress Real dead real fast!
At last a truly effective 100% organic spray that will
kill Spider Mite on contact. It works by dissolving the
spider mites hard outer coating and will kill them in Also kills, Whitefly larvae and Aphids.
less than five seconds flat! This is up to 30x faster than Available from www.progrow.co.uk and all good grow shops!
chemical pesticides. It has no withholding period, Tel.: 0044-1392-276998.
Date: 20/07/2006 // Source: Barbados Advocate Date: 21/07/2006 // Source: Drug War Chronicles
Taounate province authorities also made efforts to find alternatives to the plant in raising awareness Police found two packs of cannabis wrapped in newspaper in the motorcycle
of the dangers of the banned substance and in incepting socio-economic substitution projects. basket and detained him.
The authorities handed over some 600 000 saplings of carob, olive, almond, pomegranate, After Mohd Rakif pleaded guilty, counsel Daud Asmoni asked the court for
fig and plum trees to replace cannabis. a lenient sentence, saying his client, who was 19 years old then, was a first
offender.
The province is planning another campaign in early August and is to focus on irrigated
land of the Oued Aoudour, Tafrant and Rhafsaî regions. It carried out other eradication However, deputy public prosecutor Haslinda Abu Bakar pressed for a
campaigns in 2004 and 2005 that helped cut down the surface grown by 43%. deterrent sentence, saying the crime committed involved a dangerous drug.
More than 2 940 hectares of cannabis were destroyed during the past season, including 2 590 She said Mohd Rakif was very lucky that the prosecution decided to drop a more-
ha in Rafsai region and 352 ha in Taounate region. The province benefits from the Millennium serious charge of drug trafficking as he was arrested while transporting the drug.
Challenge Account support for tree planting, animal husbandry and irrigation.
Date: 21/07/2006 // Source: African News Dimension Date: 21/07/2006 // Source: Malaysia Star
52
from the UKCIA Soft Secrets
News
Ipswich, said most of his clients attributed their drug addictions to the use of cannabis in
UK: Depressed pupils turning to drugs their teens.
MORE than 70 per cent of depressed and demotivated schoolchildren in Ipswich are using To make matters worse, today’s society is also blighted by a stronger strain of cannabis
cannabis, new figures revealed today. than in the past.
The revelation comes on the same day that it was revealed that cannabis crime has soared Mr Tobin said: “Cannabis is firmly entrenched in our society. The difference between 20
in the UK since laws on the drug were downgraded. years ago and now is the strength. Most of it is cultivated as home-grown. That produces
greater strength than herbal cannabis or cannabis resin. It is around twice as potent as it
Nationally drugs offences recorded by police have risen by 23 per cent to 178,500 in one was.
year, mainly due to an explosion in official warnings for carrying cannabis - up from
88,000 to 120,000. “The scientific evidence that is coming out now indicates if you do smoke cannabis
regularly you are likely to exhibit mental health problems.”
Before the drug was downgraded in 2004, those who were given official warnings would
have faced arrest and possibly jail. Demotivation, paranoia and depression are often seen to be a mainstay of users’ lives.
In Ipswich, the scale of the problem was discovered in a survey of those excluded from Mr Tobin said: “We have seen a lot of youngsters who lose their educations and
school, attending pupil referral units or being helped by youth workers. livelihoods because they can’t be bothered to go to school. They are smoking it day in and
day out. People become dependent on it because it makes them feel normal and gets them
In excess of 130 children were questioned over a six-month period about the use of through the hurly-burly of life.
cannabis.
“We have got to get out of this thing where people say it’s harmless because it’s not.”
Following the findings Ipswich has now organised its first-ever Health Jam event to in a
bid to deter teenagers from using the drug. THE poll in Ipswich echoes national concerns about the association between cannabis use,
mental health, and other cognitive and motivational impairments.
The event, which is to be held on the Cornhill from 10am to 2pm next Wednesday, will
strive to get the hard hitting message about its dangers across in light-hearted way. Among the symptoms are impaired work performance, lower self-esteem, depression, and
social withdrawal.
A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said: “Between September and December
2005, there were 13 calls to the ambulance service in Ipswich for ‘overdose’ relating to The Health Jam event will be a high-profile multi-agency one. Its aim is to help provide
cannabis use. This was more than for any other illicit drug during this period. healthy alternatives to a user’s lifestyle.
“The survey targeted 132 of Ipswich’s most vulnerable young people, and the data Tibbs Pinter, Ipswich Borough Council’s substance misuse officer and the event’s
suggested that the majority were using large amounts of cannabis, on a frequent basis, and organiser said “It’s time to take responsibility and rally members of the community to
smoking the stronger strains, which contain more of the active ingredient THC. support one another in developing a safer and healthier Ipswich.
“Many of these young people reported feelings of anxiety, boredom and depression, which “A key focus of this first Ipswich Health Jam is to encourage and celebrate principles of
appeared to be symptomatic of a completely de-motivated lifestyle. healthy living in order to promote alternative choices to smoking cannabis.”
“Other features of this lifestyle included a poor diet and a lack of participation in At least 14 different groups and anti-drugs agencies will be taking part in Health Jam. It
sports, and complaints from close acquaintances and partners about the users’ constant has been designed as a celebration of youth encapsulating a range of activities including
intoxication.” sports, music, information, advice, and healthy eating.
Brian Tobin, project manager for the Iceni Project, which helps rehabilitate drug addicts in Date: 20/07/2006 // Source: Evening Star, Ipswich
--Another study of 212 users showed those who received CBT or social support had a
Australia: Marijuana Abuse Responds reduction in marijuana use throughout the post-treatment follow-up period and at 12
months; about 14 percent reported abstinence from marijuana use and 19 percent reported
to Psychotherapy, Overall Is use at 50 percent or less of their pretreatment levels.
Marijuana Abuse Responds to Psychotherapy, Overall Is Hard to Treat --A smaller CBT-MET study rewarded users for staying clean. Some of the 60 participants
received vouchers exchangeable for retail items contingent on them submitting negative
Newswise — Marijuana dependence and abuse can be moderately improved by various urine specimens. However, results showed no clear benefit with either treatment, although
psychotherapy treatments — but reduced use rather than abstinence may be the best participants who received vouchers were more abstinent than those who did not.
clinicians can hope for at this time, a new review finds.
CBT emphasizes the role of how people think, rather than external influences, in causing
One-on-one cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is most effective, but other counseling negative feelings and behavior, and encourage patients to make positive changes.
approaches also help users to cut down or improve social problems associated with their MET seeks to enhance motivation for behavior change by working with and resolving
marijuana use. ambivalence, while family therapy focuses on changing the interaction patterns within a
patient’s entire family.
Dr. Marc Auriacombe of the Addiction Research Group at the Université Victor Segalen
in Bordeaux, France, and colleagues analyzed results from studies of 1,267 people who New drug therapies may be needed to help abusers who don’t respond to psychotherapy,
received no or delayed intervention, motivational enhancement therapy (MET), family according Auriacombe.
therapy, CBT or combinations of these for marijuana abuse or dependence.
“The high relapse rate and number of cannabis dependent individuals suggests the
The researchers measured outcomes such as abstinence from marijuana (cannabis) use, importance of developing pharmacotherapies for patients who may be less responsive to
improvements in family and social problems, other drug abuse and continuing treatment to other treatments,” Auriacombe said. “In general, the problem in treating cannabis-dependent
assess the various approaches. individuals has been less that of treating and more of preventing relapse.”
“The six studies included in this review show that cannabis dependence is not easily treated In terms of the improving low abstinence rates, Auriacombe said, “Alcohol research has
by psychotherapies in outpatient settings,” the authors write. “Cognitive-behavioral therapy suggested that the therapeutic effects of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy may be
both in individual or group sessions and motivational enhancement in individual sessions synergetic, with the greatest treatment efficacy seen when medications are combined with
has been demonstrated to be effective to reduce cannabis use.” psychotherapy.” He said that similar combinations “may prove optimal in
the treatment of cannabis dependence.”
The review appears in the current issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The
Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. People often fail to notice that a friend or neighbor has a marijuana problem because the
Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after consequences of cannabis use are less striking than those associated with other drugs,
considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic. according to Dr. Alan J. Budney of the University of Vermont’s Treatment Research Center.
“You don’t see the severe acute consequences you get with alcohol or cocaine,” Budney
Because the researchers compared studies with varied interventions and timelines, they didn’t said.
perform a meta-analysis that measured the overall results, and so did not provide overall
comparisons across studies. But they found improvements in different measures of patients According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, marijuana is the most widely
who received some type of psychotherapeutic interventions, especially CBT. Among these: abused drug in the world.
--In the study of 450 users that showed the greatest benefit of CBT, marijuana use was Denis C, et al. Psychotherapeutic interventions for cannabis abuse and/or dependence in
lower for those who received sessions of CBT or MET, and at four months, 22.4 percent outpatient settings (Review).The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 3.
of those in one-on-one CBT intervention had been abstinent for the previous 90 days
compared with 8.6 percent of those treated with MET. Date: 21/07/2006 // Source: newswise
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54 Soft Secrets
e
Dope Cultur
Pressing Hashish
grainy rather than black and sticky. As (you may want to put the parcel inside
we have said, bonding requires pressure a baggy to stop unpleasant foot odours).
and heat. Keep checking the hash. The warmth
from the foot coupled with the pressure
…and Heat gently squashes the resin glands and
Fortunate smokers will remember the time, before the influx of low-grade bonding takes place.
adulterated hash, when it was fairly common to smoke fine hashish from all One bonding method that was commonly
around the world. Some of these became legendary and can still be found today. used in Afghanistan was to fill a Steam Bonding
cellophane bag with powder, wrap it
Names like Red Leb, Gold Seal, with the air whereas a piece pressed as in a cloth or similar and then beat it For lower grades again make a parcel
Nepalese Temple Ball, Afghani Black a slab or brick will have only exposed with a bat. The repeated blows agitate and fill with resin. Wrap this parcel in
and Moroccan Double Zero all conjure the outer layer of THC to the oxidisation the resin glands, heating them with newspaper a few times and quickly dip
up memories of rich and exotic flavours effect. friction and a well-bonded smooth black into boiling water. Next wrap the wet
and transcendental highs that were patty is formed. Alternatively, gently parcel in tin foil and heat over a flame
unique to each distinct and diverse piece. Pressing by Hand warming the resin before pressing makes or on a hot surface being careful to
So what is it that makes a Temple Ball it possible to get a nice even bonding regularly turn the package so that the
black and soft but Double Zero paler and Hand pressing can be done with dry resin
sandy? Naturally the plants themselves glands extracted from a Bubblesac or One bonding method that was commonly used
and the conditions of the region play a Hand Screen but to be done successfully
part, but it is actually in the preparation should be reserved for the highest grades in Afghanistan was to fill a cellophane bag with
of the THC glands for smoking where and done in small amounts at a time, in powder, wrap it in a cloth or similar and then
the magic takes place. With a few simple the tradition of the Temple Ball. This beat it with a bat
methods learnt and adapted from hash method requires patience and involves
producing regions around the world it is a technique that can only be learnt with throughout the piece. This process is heat is evenly spread. After a short while
possible to recreate the great hashes of practice and will involve trial and error. not very precise as each piece of hash is the parcel will expand due to the water
the world in your own home and create However, hand-pressing high-grade is slightly different and the amount of heat soaked in the newspaper boiling and
a myriad of different high quality hashes something any enthusiast will appreciate required varies. In some cases the vice releasing steam. At the moment when the
that any head would be proud of. as it puts the maker into direct tactile is heated prior to pressing but usually, package begins to deflate place it on a
contact with the hash. As Hashish author and more successfully, the resin itself hard surface and press either with your
Why Press? Robert Connell Clarke says: “Hand is warmed either with steam or on hot foot or a heavy object. The amount of
pressing fresh resin and experiencing rocks from the fire. force depends on the size of the parcel
Extracted resin glands are not Hashish. its transformation from a pile of golden and quality of the hash. Allow to cool,
Only once the gland has been processed dust into a fragrant, dense, earthy mass, Pressing Hash at Home and smoke.
and prepared in some way does it produces great satisfaction.” Smoking it
become a piece of hashish. Molecular produces even greater satisfaction. Here are a few simple and effective Boil in the Bag
changes occur when pressure, heat and bonding methods that you can do in the
oxygen are applied to THC. We refer to Applying Pressure… comfort of your own home: This time the cellophane parcel is placed
this transformation as Bonding, although in side a zip-lock plastic bag and placed
it is tempting to call it Alchemy. In Afghanistan and Morocco, where the Note: Most of these processes require in a pan of very hot / boiling water for
Pressing with heat and pressure bursts majority of imported hash in England Natural Cellophane to work properly. a couple of minutes. The exact amount
resin glands, which oxidise in the air and originates from, the demand for large Unlike normal cling-film, Natural of time will depend on the hash and the
bond together. This process can increase quantities for export resulted in various Cellophane allows moisture to pass plastic bag etc and should be watched
the potency of the hash by activating solutions. Often slabs of resin known through it, which makes it ideal for carefully to make sure it is not over-
psychoactive compounds and dissipating as, amongst other things, pollen would bonding with steam heat. Another done. A small amount of pressure can be
advantage is that even the stickiest high- applied once it is taken out. You can tell
Extracted resin glands are not Hashish. Only grade hash and oil will not get stuck to the piece is perfectly bonded when both
it, making it about the only way to store surfaces are glassy and reflective.
once the gland has been processed and prepared in your pieces; Essential stuff for any hash
some way does it become a piece of hashish. maker. Vice Pressing
Here are two processes that originate
volatile terpenoids. Different hashes find their way to England that had been in Turkey and are simple and highly As we mentioned earlier, hydraulic jacks
require different methods of pressing to mechanically pressed into a bar shape effective at bonding Bubblehash at home: can be used to apply lots of pressure to
realise their full potential. Whereas the cold. This meant that less of the resin is the hash. All sorts of vices can be used
finest grades will adequately bond with bonded leaving the hash dry and sand- Shoe Bonding from hydraulic car jacks to G-clamps or
the heat of the body and the relatively like rather than black and sticky. Local screw clamps.
light pressure of the thumbs and palms, producers would sell un-bonded resin For the higher grades make a parcel
lower grades that contain more plant at a lower price due to the relative ease from the Natural Cellophane and fill
debris require much greater heat and of cold pressing compared with real with dry resin gland. If the gland has * This article has been brought to you
pressure to activate the resin and bond bonding. When the process is done cold been extracted using ice and water, make by www.Bubblesac.co.uk Hit the site
the hash. or with minimal heat the resin glands are sure it is properly dry (NB proper drying for all your hash making needs. We
simply very tightly compacted together should take 5 to 10 days in a warm dark hope you enjoy the article as much as
Bonding rather than bonding properly. This is place). Simply place the parcel in your you will enjoy making the purest hash
why hash of this sort looks sandy and shoe and walk on it for a good few hours known to man!
Perfectly bonding a piece of hash
requires just the right amount of heat and
a lot of pressure. If not enough heat is
applied the outside of the piece may look
black and bonded but the inside will be
pale and un-bonded (hash smokers will
be familiar with pieces of this type as the
majority of low-grade Moroccan hash
is pressed this way), however, apply too
much heat and much of the flavour and
some of the potency will be lost. A piece
is perfect when it is homogenised, that
is when it is equally bonded throughout.
A good quality piece of hash becomes
darker as it is prepared not due to heat
but rather to the oxidisation of the THC
as it bursts out of the glands. As the
THC comes into contact with the air it
turns black. A piece of hash that has
been worked in the hand will be black all
over because all of it has come in contact Boiled pressing Dry water hash
Soft Secrets 55
Hash bag boiled for 2-3 minutes, until soft Hand made hash from India Hash wrapped in natural cellophane
Part bonded by hand Pressed water hash Same hash pressed in different ways
The Cat that got the Cream Part 18 me because they know I’ve got some rare
hash that you just don’t find these days.
Even in the days when lots of charas was
down three plants before giving up. That
was the last time they bothered coming up
there.
exported it was almost always the lower
grade stuff. That stuff is still unadulterated At this point Harry begins to load his
hashish but like all things when it goes chillum again and tells me this is how they
commercial quality is lost and after the smoke in India and so it’s how it should
first rub or two the hash becomes full of be done. SSUK won’t complain. The clay
fibre and green matter. At least it’s still pipe is filled half with little sausages of
part of the plant but it takes away from the Cream and half tobacco from an Indian
enjoyment of smoking it. Gold Flake cigarette that has been gently
roasted over a flame. A small piece of
And what about the plants it’s made cloth (Saffy) is put over the end and the
from? chillum is lit and passed around until
everyone has had a good hit.
The plants grow all the way up the south
facing side of the valley. In the area As a hash connoisseur what do you
cannabis plants can be seen growing wild think of modern hash making, such as
all over the place. The plants used in the ice extraction?
hash are cultivated in fields and tended to
by the local villagers. Generally the stuff I first smoked bubblehash here in
grown at higher altitudes, say 9000ft England a few years ago and was very
plus is the best. That stuff is harvested in impressed at the strength and purity
winter while the plants from the lower of it. It’s true that there is a flavour
valleys are harvested in summer so the and spiciness that comes out in Indian
time of year can affect the hashish. hash that is missed in hash made from
Harry (*not his real name) is an Englishman in his mid-thirties who has spent the homegrown plants. Also the varieties
better part of the last decade living in a remote hashish-producing village in India. What is the deal with farming grown here indoors are such a mixture
Having settled in India Harry started to bring back a small amount of some of the cannabis on a big scale? Do the of genetics that the flavours become
finest Himalayan Cream on his regular trips back to the UK. Here he talks about authorities try and stop it? more complex and overlapping. With
his exceptional hash and the trials of smuggling with Soft Secrets UK. our charas the plants have been grown in
It’s a complicated issue and depends on the ground in full Indian sunshine and at
By Chris Marchand the region you are in. Like I said, we are high altitudes. That’s always going to be
way off the beaten track and we don’t hard to beat.
SSUK: So, Harry how did you get hash has brought attention on the region get the tourists so we get less unwanted Having said that I did take a set of
involved with bringing hash to the UK as a major hash exporter. I heard recently attention. There are allegations that Bubblesacs out with me to India to give
from India? that the authorities had recently started some villagers are encouraged to grow them a go. They asked me what they
checking national Indian mail as well as cannabis by the exporters and that the were at customs so I told them they were
I’ve always been into smoking hash courier parcels for hash being sent and in same exporters are major fundraisers for a cheap method of washing your clothes
and to me; there is no better hash than the first week they found nearly 50kgs in the politicians representing the region. I in the river and they bought it.
the top grades produced at high altitude separate parcels. think it’s all really pressure from outside
in Northern India. I got to know some This is why I only bring small amounts of India. How did the hash come out?
farmers in the region and settled in a back. For me up to a kilo is sufficient
village renting a house from a farmer. and I only bring the highest grades back A couple of years ago the government did Pretty well. The bags worked great. The
Smoking a chillum together is one of so I can charge a reasonable price for it send the army up to our village. I was sat only problem was that the guy making
the great pleasures of living in India. It and will never have trouble shifting it. at home when one of the villagers came the stuff firstly blended all the grades
is a very sociable and ritualised affair. I If you are only going to bring a small and told me the army were on their way. from the sacs into one kind of hash
began bringing very small bits back to amount back you want to make sure it’s You might think panic would break out and secondly he pressed it with a little
smoke while I visit England because I as good as you can get. but being in the valley means that you moisture still in it, which tainted the
knew I wouldn’t find anything as nice can see the one road from miles and miles flavour slightly. Using water to extract
here (no offence). My friends who were Tell us about the hash – or Cream as away so we all casually watched them is a good method, you just need to make
really into their hash were blown away it’s known locally. making their way up into the valley. As a sure there’s no water left in it when it
by it. After a little while it made sense Westerner I would have been conspicuous is pressed which is completely different
financially to bring some of this stuff This hash is proper Indian Cream, the and I didn’t want to be around when from hand-rubbing buds so he can’t be
back to people I knew back in England highest-grade charas. I usually bring they arrived, as my presence would draw blamed for it.
who would appreciate it and to help back two grades so that I can offer one particular attention to the village, so I took
support my life there. at a slightly cheaper price but both are some things and trekked a little further up Was the Bubblehash method new to
exceptional (after a couple of chillums the valley. people out there?
Where about in India does the hash SSUK can agree – ed.). It’s all hand I got a bit further up and came across a
come from? rubbed by the farmer’s family and worker clearing where there was a family having To a lot of people yes, but actually water-
villagers who have been doing this all their a picnic which they invited me to join. So extraction is not unheard of – especially
It comes from the north, above Delhi in lives. They know how to properly rub the I sat there eating beautiful food, smoking since the Ice Cream Man.
the valleys leading up to the Himalayas. buds to get the best hash. There’s a real my chillum and watching the army going
That area has always been well known technique to it that takes a while to perfect, about its business for a few hours until Tell us more…
for the quality of its hash and as a result otherwise the hash becomes tainted or I saw the little train of ants march back
it is often seen as a centre of smuggling else the process takes forever. This way off down the valley. When I came back it The Ice Cream Man was a European guy,
just the same as Morocco or Afghanistan. the cream is jet black and really soft and turned out that the army had intended to German I think who devised a method
Coffee Shops in Amsterdam and things pliable. The stuff I bring back is rarely destroy all the fields and fields of cannabis for extracting glands off a fields worth of
like the Cannabis Cup have made names ever exported and usually reserved only plants and to do this they had brought ganja in one go. Like making bubblehash
like Manali synonymous with high-grade. for the farmer and close friends. I’m lucky with them: one saw! At this point the on a massive scale.
Also, the constant influx of tourists, in to be close enough to get some to bring plants were huge, each about eight or nine What he had done, basically, was go a
particular young Israeli travellers, coming back, especially as a westerner. People feet tall with stems about six inches in long way up the mountain to a totally
to the region to score large amounts of here (in the UK) are always pleased to see diameter. I think they managed to chop remote spot where there was a river of
Soft Secrets 39
pure melted snow running down from the So, anyway, I had swallowed all my
peaks. At one point the river had created parcels and took my connecting flight to
a series of pools one above the other. Delhi but there was a problem with the
What the Ice Cream Man did was build rickety little plane we were in and we
a crane overhanging the top pool with a got delayed getting to Delhi. As a result
net big enough, like I said, to hold about I missed my flight to the UK and had to
a fields-worth of plants. Further down in wait twenty-four hours before the next
the next pool he could dam the regular one. This obviously posed a problem for
flow of the river and divert it through me, as it fucked up the timescale and I
these giant pipes with screens inside couldn’t risk it passing through me on the
for catching the gland. It was a perfect plane or in the airport. You have to get
natural ice-water extraction system your timing right and the delay screwed
and for a while he was producing big things up for me.
amounts of unbelievable pure bubbling So, I’m holed up in this hotel room in
hash that everybody knew as Ice Cream. Delhi and, to cut a long story short, I had
And on a ridiculously large scale too, to throw up all the hash in my stomach,
considering the quality of the stuff. wash it off and re-swallow it the next
morning. Thing was, I couldn’t face going
So, what happened to the Ice Cream through it all again and so I ended up
and the Ice Cream Man? leaving a fair amount behind, which cost
I’d bring back any other type of hash me. But then, that’s how it goes.
Well, eventually his operation got this way. To be honest, some people might not
noticed and he was grassed up to the And as you know, hash is completely like the idea of the hash going through
authorities by some locals. Unless you non-toxic and so there’s no real serious somebody’s system but when it’s all done
are very well accepted local people can danger as there is when people smuggle properly and sealed there’s really no better
be a liability as there are plenty who are cocaine or heroin that way. Having said way.
happy to sell out a westerner for some that you want to be as certain as possible I have brought bits back in my shoes etc
personal gain or to get themselves out of that all bits are wrapped and sealed but these days, since 911 and all that, that
trouble with the authorities. completely. If you started to digest the has become less of appealing option. Best
hash it would make things a lot harder. take it through internally.
Did he get caught? All my pieces are hermetically sealed I had a friend in Morocco many years ago
Can’t that be dangerous? - don’t worry about that. The hash does who was sending back fair amounts of this
No, he was saved by the fact that his not come into contact with anything but really nice hash, proper bubbling Sputnik.
operation was so remote. Same as I Not if you know what you are doing the wrapper it’s in. They always used to arrive in single lumps
mentioned earlier, he saw them coming and take the right amount in the right of around 700 or 800g that resembled
and had plenty of time to get away but size. It can be a pretty arduous task Have you ever had any bad giant ostrich eggs or something. Turns out
they did clear out his house and seized swallowing down that many large pills experiences with this method? that he was employing some local women
all his stuff. And they destroyed the Ice of solid hash. It sits pretty heavy inside who were…how shall I put it?...on the
Cream set up, which was a real shame. of you. You know you’re going to have There was one time when I had swallowed very large side and they were bringing
to crap them out at the other end so you a fair amount of hash to bring back. I them back as only a woman could…if you
Have you ever been caught bringing have to bare that in mind. High-grade don’t know if you’ve ever tried it but catch my drift. The largest one was just
hash back? charas is soft and easy to mould so you swallowing down lumps of hash isn’t easy shy of 1kg, that’s almost a bag of sugar. I
can put them into appropriate smooth and carrying that much around inside you don’t know how they could walk but it’s
Touch wood – No. With smaller amounts shapes. Put it this way, there’s no way can be pretty tough. pretty impressive, all the same.
carried on your person the risk is not so
high. It’s all about confidence. I seem “The first time I smoked Indian was one of those true memorable plant. As I watched her soft green
to be one of those people who can drift Cream also coincided with growing hash-smoking experiences where, stems and lush bright leaves they
by virtually unnoticed. It does take its my first cannabis plant. It was a despite having smoked ganja seemed to be basking in the light
toll sometimes, though. classic cupboard set up in a student everyday for the past year, it feels when all of a sudden I could have
bedroom: 400w HID over 1m_ with like you are getting high again for sworn that she gave an audible
How exactly to you get it all through a single Afghani/Thai plant in a the first time. little stretch and grew an extra
customs? hydro bucket set up. She had been inch all over! Now I know this
growing for a few weeks when I The high was overpowering, soaring, is an illusion (either that or I had
Sometimes on my person, perhaps in the scored a small piece of this highest- relaxing, meditative and thoughtful. sat for so long and my perception
soles of my shoes but most of the time grade Indian hand-rubbed charas, All the while I was looking at my of time was so impaired it had, in
the hash is divided into small pieces sold as Royal Cream. vigorous little plant with the pride fact, grown) but it gave me immense
and I swallow them down and carry of a new parent. As I watched, the satisfaction and I knew then that
them back in my system. It may not I had just changed the nutrient in reflective sheeting covering the walls this plant was special because she
be the easiest way to carry hash but it the bucket and had sat down to of the cupboard gave the illusion of was to be the first of many and the
is certainly the safest and probably the eagerly tuck into a few bongs of this an endless white void and there at beginning of a life-long obsession.”
reason I have been doing this for so long soft black blu-tac. What followed the edge of the void was my little Leon, UK Grower
with out any trouble.
Soft Secrets 19
shopreview
Still, real lovers and connoisseurs of Fresh
BioBizz : top-class cannabis products know that
superior quality marihuana can only be Despite BioBizz’ leap forward into
grown organically. You tell immediately modern times, the family feeling of the
Ultramodern
touch with their roots. This also applies
to technical manager Jetze, who can
usually be found behind the scenes in
the company lab. Commercial director
For almost 15 years, BioBizz has been a name everyone in the growers’ world is Luis is originally from Portugal but he
familiar with. From the very earliest days of home growing in the Netherlands, Although the farm was replaced two speaks better Dutch than many a local.
the products of this company in Groningen have been the standard by which years ago by a streamlined professional Thanks to this dynamic, internationally
the competition is measured. Which grower is not familiar with the durable operation on an industrial estate in trained professional, marketing has
reputation of All Mix or the penetrating odour of the Fish-Mix? In a line town, BioBizz has lost none of its become a serious business and the
of business where hypes come and go, BioBizz has over the years remained quality. On the contrary: the high-tech name BioBizz has become even better
faithful to its principle: producing an organic quality of great purity. You can production line guarantees an even known.
call it idealism, if you like. But the kind of idealism mixed with a good deal of better quality inspection than ever
Groningen common sense and a healthy dose of international ambition. Power before. And of course, the prestigious All BioBizz food products are made in
through simplicity: an impression of a strong brand that sets great store by marks of quality the company has house, which is not as obvious in this
service and proven quality. been awarded underline that BioBizz line of business as you might think.
Since the measuring and mixing of
the raw materials takes place just a
couple of yards from the office, it is
possible for production and logistics
to be geared to demand. As a user, you
are assured that BioBizz products are
always ‘fresh’ from the shelves.
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74 Soft Secrets
Travel
Into the Heart of Darkness began between Thailand, Cambodia
and the US with the six Thai prisoners/
drug squad officers being extradited to
than prosecuted and it was only when
he turned up in Viet Nam that he was
imprisoned for child sex offences). In
Cambodia
Bangkok four days later. No arrests a place where anything goes and the
“There are practically no laws left
were made and the matter ended with a law represents only a small threat to
in Cambodia” - United States Drug
“memorandum of understanding” which ones liberty it becomes the individuals
Enforcement Agency Officer.
stated that no party had broken the law moral responsibility to act appropriately.
and so the matter was closed. Needless to say there are plenty who
Cambodia has suffered from a terrible political history over the last century. don’t pass the test.
From its involvement in the Viet Nam War with America in the 1960’s to In the case of cannabis it is hardly
genocide carried out by President Pol Pot’s regime and civil war with the surprising that the peoples attitude is If you so choose you can pay a small
Khymer Rouge the Cambodian people have suffered great adversity and still relaxed. Cannabis grows wild all over sum and be taken to some remote part
come out as one of the friendliest, most welcoming society a traveller could be the place, at the side of the road, outside of the jungle to let off rounds of a
lucky enough to encounter. police stations and in the ancient ruins. whole arsenal of weaponry from small
Farmers need only scatter the seeds and hand held to shoulder mounted rocket
By Chris Marchand and Cambodia to be the worlds second reap the harvest with very little hard launchers and assault rifles. And yes,
largest exporter of cannabis after work. Ganja plants can even be seen you can also purchase a live chicken,
Today Cambodia has opened its doors Colombia. growing amongst the trees of the Ankor cow or goat to use as target practice.
to the world and is being discovered by Wat temples, remains of a lost society This practice may prove more morally
a new generation of travellers. It is only Many of the countries most prolific to rival the Pyramids in Egypt as well as divisive; some would find it grossly
in the last twenty or so years that the traffickers enjoy diplomatic immunity Machu Picchu in Peru. As with much unacceptable whilst others would no
country has become a safe destination for or protection, which has led to some of Asia, in Cambodian society smoking doubt relish the opportunity.
travellers and it still retains some of that truly bizarre cases. A few years ago cannabis is seen as an old man’s pastime
edgy, off-the-beaten-track appeal. For the French Press Agency reported a and far less popular with the young It is hardly surprising that, in an age
years neighbouring Thailand has been the story with the Headline: “Naval Police generation. Young Cambodians looking when travelling all over the globe gets
top destination for backpackers looking Arrest Six Drug Squad Officials by for a high are more likely to drink easier and easier and Western society
for white sand beaches, parties and jungle Mistake”. What had happened was a alcohol or take imported amphetamine becomes more and more restrictive on
but word is rapidly spreading about all sting operation headed by an American than smoke buds. the individuals personal freedom, those
that Cambodia has to offer, and with only DEA official stationed in Bangkok who who feel constrained by the laws of
a fraction of the tourist who have flooded led an undercover operation to arrest Along with its stunning wildlife, jungle their own country would flock to places
other parts of South East Asia. One some Cambodian drug traffickers. The and beaches it is undeniable that it where they are allowed to experience
particular draw is Cambodia’s massively parties had arranged to meet on boats is Cambodia’s seemingly “lawless” those forbidden fruits. Cambodia is
relaxed attitude to cannabis. Buds are off the harbour at Koh Kong, known as society that attracts many foreign one such place. Keen to emulate their
placed on the tables in bars and restaurants Cambodia’s main cannabis producing visitors. Cambodia has always had neighbouring Thailand’s massively
and 100-gram bags of low-grade can be region, to exchange a large quantity a reputation for being the “Heart of lucrative tourist industry Cambodia has
bought off a market stall for as little as $5. of cannabis for export to the US via Darkness”. Anyone who has watched opened itself up to the rest of the world
Smoking in public accepted as nothing Thailand. After a two-hour wait two Apocalypse Now will testify to the to be either enjoyed or exploited. All too
out of the ordinary. Indeed cannabis in boats came out to meet the undercover image of Cambodia accepted by the often the case is the latter, with natural
Cambodia was only criminalized at the officers and make the deal. To their West at the time of the Viet Nam rainforest being destroyed to make
end of 1996 after heavy pressure from the surprise when the boats arrived the war. Depending on the view you take way for the tourist influx, a booming
US. Cambodia had no choice but to bow delivery men were Cambodian Naval Cambodia is now being both enjoyed child sex industry, and drug trafficking
to the pressure since the US supplies aid to Officers who inspected the boat before and exploited by visitors to the “lawless” trade supplying much of the worlds
the tune of roughly 40% of the countries taking it and the officers to a deserted society. At best, these visitors simply heroin. Sadly, the tolerance and industry
budget and could cause chaos with a island where the DEA officers was want to enjoy the natural country whilst surrounding cannabis is also seen as
sudden aid cut off. ordered to phone his “bosses” and pay freely smoking cannabis in a tolerant part of the problem and one can’t help
$40,000 owed for a previous shipment atmosphere. At worst the countries lack but wonder how long Cambodia will
Corruption in Cambodia is said to run and to secure the release of the men of law enforcement attracts sex offenders be allowed to remain a pot paradise.
deep and drug trafficking is where it is on board. The DEA officer called the who can readily exploit children and Cannabis has been part of Cambodian
most rife. At the end of the last century Intelligence Agency in Bangkok who adults in the sex trade. (Ex-Pop Star society and culture for thousands of
the UN estimated the Cambodian had no trouble pinpointing the boat with turned Paedophile Gary Glitter was years; it has only been a problem since
cannabis trade to be worth $1 Billion satellites. Frantic three-way negations extradited out of Cambodia rather we in the west decided that it was.
Next problem was the mixer. As Billy’s Happy or Very Happy. I think we went
apartment didn’t have electricity even if for just plain Happy but when it arrived
we had had a mixer we would have to we could see that it had a good thick
use a bamboo pole. layer of ganja covering it. Unperturbed
we all tucked in. On top of all the grass
After picking out the best buds from we had smoked it wouldn’t make much
our kilo we set about putting the rest difference now anyhow. And there was
through the Bubblesacs. I knew that still the hash try…
with a bamboo pole for a mixer we
weren’t likely to get a huge amount but It’s hard to say exactly how much
when the kilo only cost around £30 who bubble we made but there was plenty
cares? We’d have a piece of pure local for us to smoke and share for the rest of
bubble hash to enjoy on the beach and our stay and a good-sized ball to leave
that’s what counts. As a hash maker behind as a gift. Of the three grades
and cannabis lover you want to enjoy (we also used the Catching Sac) of hash
the best of the local weed. Making the we made there was slightly more in
hash allows you to experience the pure Sac 5 than Sac 4, which has the smaller
resin from the plant without having to micron screen. Usually on indoor crops
A typical Cambodian self-made bong It takes some effort….
Along with its stunning wildlife, jungle and
beaches it is undeniable that it is Cambodia’s
seemingly “lawless” society that attracts many
foreign visitors.
smoke your way through all that green and particularly indica-dominant strains
matter. If the bud is dried quickly and you would expect this to be the other
outdoors in the sun lots of the plants way around. Since these were full
natural chlorophyll is locked in and THC sativas we were using and they were
degrades. Again, reasons why this full grown in the sun it is not surprising that
sativa will get you real stoned. The hash the smaller screen collected the highest
turned out to have a much more pleasant amount of mature glands. What’s more:
and full stone. Still strong but not so the Catching Sac (with the smallest
debilitating. sized screen) collected a larger amount
of high-grade hash than I’ve seen when
Because the process would take a while using any other type of weed. The high
and since we had smoked countless pure from the hash was full-bodied and long
spliffs we decided to call out for pizza. lasting but not at all sleepy. Perfect for
Billy suggested we get a Happy Herb a bit of site seeing on the scooter or just
Pizza delivered and called one up. He lying on any of the numerous deserted
Bubblin’ the night away
asked us if we wanted Happy, Mildly beaches. Paradise.”
the weed had a full-bodied stone that was telling jokes and stories. It turned
was not what you might expect from out his weed was pretty good and the
a sativa. This could well be down to conversation quickly got onto how the
the way the herb is treated after it is Word of Bubble should be spread. It had
harvested. There is a massive lack of gone down well.
education in Cambodia and this includes
techniques we almost take for granted After a short ferry ride from Koh Kong
here in Europe. For example very little of we arrived in Sianoukville where we had
the local Cambodian weed has been dried arranged to meet a Canadian guy, Billy,
properly let alone cured. Most of it is left who was a friend of a friend back home
in the sun which degrades the THC and and had been living here for a couple
possibly converts much more of it into of years with his wife. I had packed a
CBN and CBD, which would account for 6-bag set of Next Level Bubblesacs and
the heavier stone. was keen to try them out on some of the
local herb, especially as the ball I had
That evening at dinner we met a brought with me had shrunk considerably.
German guy named Otto who owned In no time at all I had chatted to some
a restaurant and guesthouse. Otto had kitchen staff at a restaurant and was now
lived in Cambodia since the seventies purchasing a kilo of bud for $50US. I
when he had been imprisoned in Sweden don’t know anywhere in the world where Typical Cambodian grass, low quality Cambodian hash
for having literally a spliff’s worth of a kilo has come to hand quite so easily.
Moroccan hash. After that he thought This is the beauty of Cambodia for the
‘fuck Europe’ upped sticks, moved to cannabis enthusiast. Mix spliff
Cambodia, married a local woman and
opened a bar. Otto told us he could get Billy was keen to try out the Bubblesacs
some nice herb if we hang about for a so we set about making some high-
while in which time I had begun to tell grade in the kitchen of his apartment.
him about the bubble hash I had brought In England when we make bubble,
from England. He seemed interested so everything we need is at hand or easily
I borrowed one of his bikes and headed purchased. In Cambodia we needed to
back to the hotel to get it. improvise a little but this gave the process
a unique local feel. To begin with we
A little while later I had returned with the needed lots of ice. Unlike here or even
bubble and found Otto with a Cambodian Thailand where ice comes in cubes,
dealer who had the nicer grass. This guy Cambodia still uses massive whole slabs
seemed pretty charged, sat forward with of ice. This is apparently left over from
an intense expression, drawing hard on a French colonial times and you can often
cigarette and talking quickly. I only point see a local woman dragging a huge block
this out because after a couple of pipes of ice down the street with a hook in it.
he had completely transformed and was We set about chipping away at our block
sat back with a big grin on his face and and made plenty of shards for bubbling.
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