HAZE in english

Ye a r1 0 N| 1

e x pe r i e nc e s&gr ows

i t e K e t a ma T h eV i u d a ’ s Wh u s s i a n s Dr e a ms B i t e R Ha r v e s t

b yE dR o s e n t h a l

Editorial

by Alberto Huergo

Our beloved plants, the only ones that can save our planet. They were sent from the heavens, queens of peace and beauty… They hide within them a thousand secrets, but at the same time, reveal a million.

They have always been there to guide us to happiness, like stars on a moonless night. Their translucent drops of honey hold the key that opens the door between the imaginable and reality, between the world of illusions and the land of the accomplished miracle.

As has happened with the great earthly messiahs, men and women of good and peace, she has been persecuted and deeply offended for centuries for trying desperately to help humanity.

The world is being dismantled and stripped by our species; the cannabis plant shows up in our hearts like a divine light that brings us pleasant feelings, besides the fact that it can also be employed to generate green fuel, long lasting resistant paper, feed entire populations with seeds, absorb the excess carbon dioxide and treat diseases with its healing power. Above all, enter our spirits and open our hearts to love, give us that sensation of happiness and pleasure; priceless when you consider life lasting less than a heartbeat.

Watching the first small leaves grow, providing it with food and water, changing its diapers are beautiful events. When they are young they are wild like the earth; as teenagers they learn to have fun, fall in love with the music and the wind. When they are adults we just want to kiss them and share everything with them.

On a special day, along with other individuals that love and know the cannabis plant, we decided to create a magazine that would be an agora to show the plant as it is, physically and spiritually.

In our country, the Supreme Court ruled that possession for personal use without harming third parties is guaranteed under the Argentine Constitution. To grow a cannabis plant for personal use should be contemplated in the future law. However, people that grow and love this plant are still being incarcerated and their plants destroyed as if they were drugs. This plant is our religion, our culture, our hope, part of our essence and existence.

We are going to cultivate its spirit, plant its hope, help minds turn green. The sick should not be deprived of their right to get well, any human being’s right guaranteed under the Argentine Constitution.

Like a psychedelic aura, an aurora borealis, a symbol of passionate cultivation HAZE appears in our lives. We shall share a surrealistic maze of photographs, articles full of passion and cultivation experiences. You should fasten your seatbelts because the ride has just begun. Let’s cultivate the essence of the maker itself, become one with the plants, share our home with them, and let them guide us through the horizon like a lighthouse, before we close our eyes to dream again…

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INDEX year 1 Number 1

Grow

Staff Director: Alberto Huergo Editorial Coordinator Marcos Gaiol Activist Consultant Mike Bifari

06 White Russians – By Rene Brown 14 Flowering. Cutting and seed plants - by Franco Loja 20 Variety Chart – Ketama Dreams – By Maxdrumm

Writers Ed Rosenthal , Alberto Huergo, Rene Brown , Mike Bifari , Franco Loja, Kaneh Bosem, Maxdrumm, Mr Haze , El Bosco, Mayor M. Mayor Collaborators Treating Yourself, Defe , Copa Caba , Cuca , Chris Conrad .

Proofreading Ana Balder Art director Maxi Muñoz arte@revistahaze .com.ar Photographic director Guillermo Romero Illustrations Maxi Muñoz Editorial Design Gabi Stern Creative Advisor Bombero Antonio Photographers Mariano Laguzzi , Pablo Rearte , Maxdrumm, El Bosco, Kaneh Bosem, Mr.Haze Executive Producer Cristiano Vader Legal Consultant Guillermo Stud Press and publicity Marcelo Violini Press/Media Diego Fabio IT Advisor Ariel Cohen IT Andrés Martínez Special thanks to: Kili , Christian , Thamish , Federico Wii , Mota, Salvia Pacha, Pulpa, Leandro, Gaby, Cultivaires, Laura, Carla, Tommy, Basta de Lobby, Proelec, Chechu, Max, Uri , Javier, Quique , Bruce , Johnny Kresko, Julito, Hernán , Marcelo, Pablo Gurzi , Jonathan Caceres Print Grupo Bs. As Distribución en C.A.B.A y Gran Buenos Aires Distriloberto.com.ar Distribución en el interior de Argentina DAP Distribuidora Americana de Publicaciones Revista Haze Casilla de Correo 74- Sucursal Abasto.

CABA Argentina contacto@revistahaze.com Cover photo : Mexican sativa

experience

26 The Forgotten Prince and his Fair Ladies – By Alberto Huergo

travel

39 Harvest . Problem solving coping with nature - By Ed Rosenthal

question

56 Bruce’s garden – By El Bosco 61 Planter of Stars – By Mayor M. Mayor prevent

66 Nitrogen. Growing Fuel - By Mr. Haze

heal

71 Medical Cannabis and Dosage –

By Cris Conrad inform

75 West Coast Mike – By Mike Blifari 82 Biodegradable Plastic made with Hemp Fibers –

By Marcelo Violini 86The Viuda’s bite – By Kaneh Bosem

Haze Magazine – monthly edition property of Big Plant SA All rights against the total or PARTIAL copying by any method or procedure unless given express written authorization of the publishing company are reserved. Intellectual property right N 833575. The goal is to provide real and objective information about the cultivation of traditional medical plants and is aimed at readers of legal age. Both the access to the information and the act of spreading said information constitute fundamental constitutional rights guaranteed by articles 14 and 75 (22) of the Argentine Constitution, articles of International Treaties incorporated in the Argentine Constitution by articles 27 and 31, treaties like the American Convention on Human Rights in articles 12.1 and 13.2, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in articles 19.1 and 19.2, American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Men in article 4 and article 19 of the Declaration of Human Rights. In accordance with the abovementioned laws and the judicial precedents in Argentina, these activities cannot be in any way considered criminal offenses. The signed articles express the opinion of their writers, HAZE is not responsible for the contents of the web pages mentioned in the articles and/or advertisements herein in spite of the web pages being available to the general public with no limitations. The magazine limits itself only to the publishing of the advertisements; their content is the sole responsibility of the advertisers.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE WILL WITHOUT UNLIMITED ACCESS TO INFORMATION THE USE OF ANY SUBSTANCE CAN BE DANGEROUS. IF YOU CHOOSE TO CONSUME, PLEASE GET INFORMED, IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

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She was always alone, wearing the same toque, and the Pomeranian always trotted at her side. Nobody knew who she was, and people referred to her simply as “the lady with the dog.”

“If she’s here without her husband, and without any friends,” thought Gurov, “it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make her acquaintance.” In Lady with lapdog by Anton Chekhov

Whitens

a i s s u R Growing plants is like recreating a loving bond. In their stories, writers hand us clues of those captivating relationships that take us as prisoners.

In good stories, we can be driven by the same emotions as when we are growing plants.

Article and pictures: René Brown

MORE TIME WITH HER

As in stories, women captivate us and our lives forever change… they become more passionate. Growing cannabis is a relationship filled with emotions, that much like Chekhov’s character, goes through times of sweetness, despair, uncertainties and revelations.

It is an intense, sensual and charming union that creates thousands of magical experiences and moments. We fall in love, we suffer and we laugh, as we do during a relationship. It’s possible that cultivating is in itself a love story between a man and a fairy that by using her magic wand casts a spell on us (“you spend more time with your plants than with me…” – is a common complaint we receive from our girlfriends, wives, lovers and mothers).

Family

The White Russian comes from a strong family line. It was created by the Serious Seeds Bank (Holland). Daughter of an AK 47 (Serious Colombian – Mexican – Thai – Afghanistan) that gives it robustness, solid performance and the strength to make jaws drop, and a White Widow (Brazilian – South Indian). This powerful genetic combination makes the White Russian a very special, short blooming blend of medium height with extra resin.

Its smoke is soft and sweet, although shortly after our first puffs we rapidly take off on a journey filled with ups and downs. A perfect plant for medicinal purposes, that holds a high percentage of THC: about 22%. At times, the mind journey seems to have no limits or limitations.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

It was chosen thanks to the natural selection of a band of trips that took over terraces and patios during the entire summer. It stood out from a group of 7 plants because of its resistance to plagues and due to having fewer leaves with regards to its heart. It is medium sized and has hard impenetrable leaves to protect itself from furious insects. As if it were a repellent, the White Russian beat off trips that attacked it non-stop without even breaking a sweat. An excellent producer of trichomes, like any White, and is an early harvest plant. It is an intense purple that can shift to an indigo with the help of the March sunbeams. When smoking with just 2 puffs you can feel its presence and smoked-sweet flavor. It is impossible to smoke it all at once; this could take an entire afternoon. It has a rapid effect on your mind at first; but then progressively decreases to leave you relaxed on your coach, overwhelmed by joyful sensations. I saved a clone during the summer because of its resistance and generous amount of resin. From that clone, 4 Russians were born and in only 12 weeks I was able to grow and harvest them in an indoor room.

HAPPINESS

The clones were planted in 60% black soil mixed with 40% perlite and each stem was covered with Clonex Rooting gel in an environment with a 90% humidity rate. After only 10 days, the roots had rapidly grown from the naked stems and were begging to be transplanted into a different container. It’s always a joyful occasion watching the clone’s roots cling to the walls of the container searching for nutrients. Quick for cuttings and with 100% effective rate, I removed them from the cups and transplanted them into 1 liter plant pots. For this first transplant, I prepared a basic growing medium that left the roots plenty of air so that they would not

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suffocate and could absorb the needed nutrients. I transplanted them to their new container with a growing medium containing 15% LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregate or Hydroton) on the bottom of the pot mixed with 10&% Vermiculite, 20% perlite, 30% homemade compost and 20% earthworm humus.

The White clones gladly accept the added nitrogen, a fundamental element for a firm and rapid growth. Using a 250w HQI MH lamp and placed in a room called indoor vegetation, they received 18 hours of continuous lighting: a total of 23,000 lumens in a stable and pleasant 78.8º F environment. I was able to maintain the humidity level over 60% in spite of the outdoor weather variations and by using a breezeway I was able to cool down the heat coming from the lamp and contribute high levels of CO2.

I achieved the correct temperature balance by using fans and air vents controlled and coordinated by several timers that turned them on and off, creating an ideal growth environment.

7 days after transplant, the plants had responded well to their new growing medium and it was time to offer them their first compost tea to add nitrogen and minerals to help them grow.

For the preparation, I added 3 liters of water and 4 cups of homemade compost in a bucket. After mixing properly, I left it in the shade for a few days. I stirred the mix a couple of times per day and after the 3rd day; I added 3 more liters of water.

FIRST STAGES

The clones grew rapidly and irregularly, some more twisted than others, with little arms bursting all over. The White Russian has a very potent aroma, quality that it inherits from the AK47 and which makes you notice its presence from the early stages of its life. “Do you have a joint lit” – said a friend that visited the indoor and saw them grow –. “No, just the Russians, they’re like that, full of fragrances” – I proudly replied –.

Their smell is like a new perfume that every time you use it smells differently. I used 3 teas during the vegetation stage, 1 every 7 days.

Very slowly, by small sips, they drank it all up. They grew healthy and their leaves became a strong green color in just hours. It seemed like a celebration, a birthday party, a snack complete with a sugar high, on a sunny afternoon.

EVER SO CAREFULLY

The second transplant was completed during the 3rd week of vegetation moving the plants to a 6 liter pot and adding a growing medium rich in phosphorus and potassium. They were about to enter the blooming stage and needed a change of scenery… first the transplant and then they would start to bloom.

Tal vez el cultivo no sea otra cosa que la historia de amor entre un hombre y un hada que con su varita nos hechiza.

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The indoor blooming stage begins right after the vegetation stage and the plants become wider and taller. They will begin growing their beloved flowers. The White Russians, on average, after blooming increase the width and height 40%. We advise on keeping this growth in mind so that the blooming room chosen is big enough. Every grower must also take into consideration that each transplant is a magical moment for them and their plants, a moment in which careful consideration to detail will avoid stressful situations for both growers and plants alike.

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Having all the materials ready, transplanting moments before the lights are turned off, (making recovery during the dark phase possible), being extremely careful so as not to damage the roots, using humid soil in both growing mediums, not fertilizing, and watering properly when finished with the transplant are all very important details when trying to transplant successfully.

In this last transplant, 15% of LECA balls were used at the bottom of the pot mixed with 40% homemade compost for blooming [compost made out of used soil, banana peels, beets, leaves of yerba mate (south American infused drink made of brewed herbs), paper, ashes, carrots, broccoli, bone flour (made by grinding dried bones) etc.], 10% vermiculite, 20% perlite, 5% rabbit humus and 2 spoons of bat guano. At the beginning of the 4th week, all the plants were placed in their final pot with still a few days of receiving 18 hours of light and only 6 hours of darkness ahead of them.

DESCENDANTS

The heart of the flower was hard and compact, covered in melted caramel, like a caramel popcorn covered apple

At the end of the week, they entered a new blooming room with equal periods of light and total darkness (12 hours each).

This was an excellent time to prune the lower branches and take cuttings for the next adventure (this way we can conserve the genetics of the clone). By pruning the areas in which the plant does not receive that much light, the plant can focus its energy on the “higher areas which are more productive”. During their 5th day in the dark phase, the female plants began to show their preflowers becoming very sensitive to the Photoperiod. One of the characteristics of the White Russians is the speed with which they bloom. From that point, 58 days remained until they were good enough to “eat” In the indoor blooming, the plants were placed under a 400w sodium lamp at about 40 cm. The lamp radiates 50,000 initial lumens. With the help of this electric sun, the leaves grew with what we recognize as joy and enthusiasm. Watering in generous amounts (in this stage above all) with rain water kept the growing medium stable and full of nutrients during the entire cultivation.

During the 3rd week of the blooming stage, the Russians began to produce resin and take their place in the indoor like one of Botero’s portraits. These chubby yet happy women took their place in the world, growing wider in the base and gaining weight in the main stem, while small leaves and calyxes appeared full of shiny trichomes.

JUST A SCARE

One night the outdoor temperature rose, and the thermostat with the sodium lamp on reached 107º F with a very low humidity level.

The leaves began to wither not being able to stand the heat. When I realized, I became very scared.

The first thing I did was increase the speed of the principal air vent and turn on all the others. I also maximized the speed of the largest fan, increased the sodium lamp by 25 cm, added more water to the containers to increase humidity, added more water containers under the fans and added all the ice cubes I could find in the fridge.

After a while, the temperature went down to 84ºF and I was able to catch my breath and fall back to sleep.

HOME SWEET HOME

The time had come to prepare an organic soup to use as a blooming fertilizer, so I headed to the kitchen. My fridge was almost empty, but hope must not be lost… I poured 3 liters of water in a cooking pot (time to get creative) and added 2

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By pruning the areas in which the plant does not receive that much light, the plant can concentrate its energy in the higher areas which are more productive

unpeeled bananas in slices. Then I added 1 cup of brown rice, 5 tablespoons of light brown sugar and a handful of yerba mate.

To that mix I added 3 beets processed with a medium sized carrot. After stirring and letting the soup boil for 2 minutes, it’s ready to be strained.

I also served the plants cold teas of bat guano, bone flour, bananas, etc. These homemade fertilizers are made with any and all ingredients that can add phosphorus, potassium y sugars to improve and increase the blooming stage.

SPELLS

One night, while I was cleaning the indoor blooming room, I removed all the plants in order to organize them and clean the area. I placed the larger ones on the sides (so as to share the light better) and then, in the center, I placed the shorter ones.

It was getting pretty late, near midnight, the only light I had came from the sodium lamp. It was a silent night. When I turned around, I saw the 4 Russians behind me, almost surrounding me like midgets with a strong white light, each one standing straight shinning their great halo towards me. I was paralyzed, enchanted by them, almost without breathing. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t. I was surrounded and for a minute I was scared of all the energy in the room. My eyes filled with tears and, slowly, I started breathing again, started recovering, but did not say another word for the rest of the night.

1- Vegetation growing medium: 15% LECA at the bottom of the pot mixed with 10% vermiculite, 20% perlite, 30% homemade compost and 20% earthworm humus.

2-Blooming growing medium: 15% LECA balls at the bottom of the pot, 40% homemade compost for blooming (compost made out of used soil, banana peels, beets, leaves of yerba mate, paper, ashes, carrots, broccoli, bone flour, etc.), 10% vermiculite, 20% perlite, 5% rabbit humus and 2 spoons of bat guano.

3- Characteristics: easy to clone, high resistance to plagues, excellent resin, very productive. Harvest: 54 days, high psychoactivity.

4- Metal Halides (MH) Lamps: these lamps, HPI-T/HPI-T Plus, with a special mix of added metal components in the vapor discharge constitute an excellent light source with chromatic characteristics because of their high performance in color and the high light efficiency.

5- High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Lamps: these are high pressure lamps for blooming stage use. They are tubes that release aluminium oxide sintered and covered in an exterior transparent tube of hard glass. They are known for emitting a warm, pleasant glow with a high luminescent quality.

6- Compost tea: add 3 liters of water and 4 cups of homemade compost in a bucket. After mixing properly, leave the mix in the shade for a few days. Stir it a couple of times per day and after the 3rd day; strain it and add 3 more liters of water.

7- Organic soup: 3 liters of water in a cooking pot, add unpeeled bananas, 1 cup of brown rice, 5 tablespoons of light brown sugar, a handful of yerba mate, 3 beets processed with a medium sized carrot. After stirring and letting the soup boil for 2 minutes, it’s ready to be strained.

FOREVER IN LOVE

In the 58 days, they had tea for breakfast 6 times. I would serve them breakfast in bed in the morning so they could have the rest of the day to themselves.

Until the last day we shared and celebrated every moment. When they were close to the cutting, many leaves turned yellow and had to be removed. The same happened to the leaves that covered the light opening for the hearts of the flowers. I watered the plants regularly so as to eliminate any salts, specially the nitrogen that the growing medium left behind, and also in order to improve the taste and burning point of the plant. Many times, the color of the leaves is a very intense green which means that there is too much nitrogen in the plant and this can change its taste. This must be avoided.

On day 52, the Russians were about ready to be harvested. I kept an eye on them every day and saw that it was almost time. The glandular trichomes were swollen, standing tall and almost the right size. They were no longer transparent and were now a milky white.

The swollen calyxes were about to burst. Thousands of little stems changed colors, became more rigid, twisted and transformed into something new. The plants fragrance grew as the minutes went by.

The Russian has both a sweet and bitter caramel, sometimes a bit more citric, others more spicy or even more fruitful. It’s as if they were different pieces of toast spread with homemade jams of different flavors. It was time. When I turned the sodium light on, I felt that that was the time to harvest. It was morning and they looked splendid. They were bright and shiny, full of an intense aroma and more beautiful than ever. The heart of the flower was hard and compact, covered in melted caramel, like a caramel popcorn covered apple. After 58 days of blooming they were ready for the final cut: they needed to be dried. Their clones had grown in the vegetation room and they were ready to enter the blooming stage.

The love story begins, all over again.

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cuttings and seed plants

This article is part of a series that evaluates the stages of a successful indoor crop, and the different techniques available to the grower. Each of the articles is specific to a subject or a situation, and this month I will illustrate a very broad subject: flowering cuttings and seed plants.

by Franco Loja www.myspace.com/francogreenhouse

Flowering is the most important stage in the production of high quality indoor cannabis, and one of the most delicate as well. When plants begin to flower, the whole of their metabolic functions changes; there are very important considerations to be made on feeding, environmental temperature, relative humidity, and many other critical factors.

Once the desired stage of growth has been reached with the 18 hours period, the flowering is induced by reducing the number of hours of light to 12 every 24. Shorter days and longer nights induce a very fast hormonal change in the plants, and flowers start forming.

The feeding needs of flowering plants are of course very different than those of growing plants. The main substances that plants use to produce healthy and resinous flowers are Potassium and Phosphor, complemented by a range of micro-elements like magnesium (Mg); iron (Fe); manganese (Mn); zinc (Zn); copper (Cu); Boron (B); and molybdenum (Mo).

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Magnesium is by far the most important of the micro-elements, being involved in most of the resin and bud formation processes. Each of the micro-elements has an ideal intake pH, but they will all be assimilated if the pH values are between 5.5 and 7.0.

Potassium and Phosphor are assimilated at 5.8-7.0 pH range, and the exact ideal assimilation point depends on temperature of the medium, quantity of air in proximity of the root system, and many more factors.

Nitrogen is still needed to maintain a healthy foliage and structure, but in much smaller quantities compared to the 18 hours period.

Most cannabis strains rely on a slight increase of pH in the fertilizing solution in order for the minerals to be completely absorbed. Most indica strains prefer pH between 6.0 and 6.5 during flowering, while with some sativas it is good to

go even higher, up to a value of 7. If organic feeding is applied, enzymes have the vital function of transforming and the feeding molecules into ready-available food for the plants. If synthetic feeding is applied, the molecules are ready for intake and enzymes do not need to perform their task. When applying enzymes to the medium it is very important to make sure that the source is a trusted one. Most enzyme-solutions on the market have a very short shelf-life, and once the content of the package is exposed to light and air the life shortens even more. So make sure you buy freshly produced and properly stored enzymes, or they will be useless.

The temperature of the growroom is a very important factor during flowering: resin production is directly influenced by temperature, as it is also a natural defence of the plant against heat and cold. The difference between night and

day temperatures also plays a big role.

The gap between night and day temperatures should not exceed 10 degrees Celsius. The ideal day temperature during flowering depends once again on the strain, but most indicas thrive at 25-28 degrees, while sativas prefer somewhat lower values, ideally 23-26 degrees. Night temperature should ideally be 7-8 degrees lower than the day temperature, and never below 15 degrees Celsius. If the temperature drops below this value, the flowering will slow down a little, and the bud formation could be less compact and overall lighter in weight. The resin will not suffer much from low night temperature, and it will actually increase if the gap between day and night temperatures is at least 7 degrees Celsius.

When the night has similar temperature to the day (very rare in nature) the resin production will suffer.

Relative humidity in the air is a dramatically important factor during flowering: too much humidity can lead to very problematic situations (mostly fungus contamination in the form of botrytis and mildew). Also too little water in

the air can cause problems (the most common is windburn, a leaf disease that causes necrotic formations and tissue death). Ideally the flowering room should have a RH of 40-50% during daytime, and 50-60% during night-time.

The danger-zone for botrytis and mildew starts around 65% RH, while windburn can affect plants if the RH is below 30%.

A number of other factors influence plants during flowering, including pests, thieves, undesired visitors, and many more.

Pests are most likely to attack crops during the flowering phase, when the smell increase and the buds get mass. Against bugs prevention is always better than cure: keep your room clean, wash hands before handling plants, and use filters for the air-intake (99% of bugs get into your growroom through the air-intake, the remaining 1% are brought in by growers on their shoes and clothing). If the growroom size justifies it, using biological pest control is always a good option (ladybugs and other predator insects can protect the plants better than pesticides and chemicals).

It is quite an expensive pest-control option,

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but large rooms that generate large crops can definitely benefit from it.

Thieves and other undesired visitors represent a real threat once the plants start flowering, because they smell a lot more and because they gain commercial value every day until the harvest. In this case, prevention is the only option. It is very important to make sure that the room is well camouflaged and properly locked, and that no smell leaks from the air-filter system.

Replacing the active filter should be done before the crop, never during it. Drastic odour-control measures include using ionizers and other aircleaning equipment. Often this is the only way in apartment-block setups.

Finally, there have been many curious growers in the last 30 years. They have developed thousands of new techniques to improve, speedup or boost flowering. Some of them are just pointless, but some others are quite interesting and should be evaluated.

Some growers like to lower the light cycle to 10 hours of light in the last few days before harvest.

This stimulates faster resin production and more terpenes in the resin. It does not always work, but it can be worth trying. Another useful trick is to use lateral light on the plants to maximize lower-bud development.

One of the many tricks developed by Green House Seed Company for flowering tall plants indoors is to shut down the light completely for 2-4 days between the 18 and 12 hours periods.

This helps to speed-up the hormonal changes that initiate the flowering process, and at the same time it helps reducing the internodes stretch of long-internodes sativas.

Whatever the growroom or the genetics, the important is to keep all factors under control by mean of continuous monitoring and lots of TLC! Peace, Love & THC

cultiva

cultiva

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Breeder: Seeds

of the world

Grower: Maxdrumm Lineage: Morroco

What you see » 9

The Indica flowers are compact and covered with resin. They have a very good percentage of calyxes when compared to the number of leaves.

Visible trichomes » 9

Se observa mucha cantidad alrededor de los cálices y hojas pequeñas, tricomas bien grandes.

Trichome’s color (using a magnifying glass) Light 10%, Creamy 80%, Amber 10%

Aromas » 8

50% sandalwood, 30% smoked spices, 20% humid soil

Taste – 10

50% smoked, 30% citric, 20% vanilla The first sensation you feel is fresh, with a heavy smoked taste.

Afterwards a sweet, somewhat citric, bouquet takes over your mouth. It’s a dry and delicate taste.

Influence

20% Sativa - 80% Indica

Potency – 7

This variety is great for relaxing the entire body. It has both a physical and relaxing effect.

Effect -8 After the first puffs, you become trapped by its spicy and smoky taste. It grows stronger and stronger, very subtly, until you reach the ultimate full body relaxation which leaves you with a smile on your face. It carries great medicinal value for those patients whose treatments involve stimulating appetite and suppressing insomnia.

PHYSICAL EXAM Anxiety suppressor Pain suppressor Hearing perception Motor function Sight Good mood booster Appetite stimulator Sex drive stimulator Imagination/Creativity Physical relaxation

9 10 6 6 6 8 10 6 8 10

– AK47

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and his Fair Ladies

experience

T

here are many reasons why eliminating male plants is a bad idea. The cannabis seed inherits, in equal proportions, the genetic characteristics of each of its parents.

Usually, we receive the seeds from a friend or an international company. Sometimes, they might come from one of our female plants, as a result of the pollen of an anonymous father, or of a father of our choosing. This means that we actually nurtured the plant and chose it specifically to get descendants of desirable characteristics; this should always be the chosen method.

The grower that personally gets the seed fully knows the mother. When this is also true for the father, getting desirable characteristics from both parents is often the result. This grower is much better off than the one that only knows the mother. Also, this is the only way to continue producing a pure variety, without the need of manipulating hormones or stressing the plants to get flowers of the opposite sex in which only the genetic characteristics of one of the parents are transmitted. If we obtain an exceptional female from a cutting, and there is no male, we have no choice but to keep cloning the plant indefinitely until Prince Charming finally appears. If there were no other option, inducing the plant to produce a male flower in the quest for feminized seeds would be like postponing the expiration date, but not at all the solution.

Good genes are created by the union and love that two plants of well distinctive and different sexes can share. The more resistance that exists from each parent on creating hermaphrodite flowers, the better the chances that our seeds will develop perfectly with distinctive sexes and be completely stable in stressful scenarios.

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They are many ways in which we can analyze and choose a male with amazing characteristics. Even though this depends on the personal taste of each grower, there are some general guidelines that usually determine the genetic traits with great precision. Generally, plants that show their sex early off in life are not used to procreate. A male that grows rapidly and vigorously without a single hermaphrodite flower on it, great height, full of aromas and branches and huge colonies or clusters of male flowers, is a great candidate for transmitting those genetic traits to its successors.

The only way to be able to observe these different characteristics is by giving our male plants the same care we provide our spoiled little girls.

By rubbing the stem with your fingers, it is possible to perceive, in a greater or lesser scale, aromatic terpenes. With so many flowers to choose from, it does not seem like a good idea to test the potency of a male plant by smoking it. A grower who makes sacrifices for his plants may go through with this idea, but it does not make much sense. Using a microscope or a 30x/50x magnifying glass, we can see glandular trichomes with or without peduncles, surrounding the flowers and small leaves, in male plants that produce a great amount of resin.

All these visual and aromatic clues that a male plant provides us with while shedding pollen will surely be transmitted as genetic traits.

Nevertheless, potency and taste, two fundamental elements for any plant lover, are not guaranteed by these simple observations. A chromatographic test should be implemented to make sure this important characteristic will be present. This is not accessible to the ordinary man and is almost imperceptible when

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analyzing resin in male plants.

It is important to bear in mind that the male must be homozygous as regards that specific gene. They are generally heterozygous, or hybrid males, and would only contribute that important feature to some of their descendants.

Since it is easier to test the potency and taste of females, the grower usually tests the potency of the male by testing its female descendants.

A good way to test potency in males consists of choosing male candidates among those available and crossing them with female clones that come from the same mother. The resulting seeds will show us to a great extent, when the females grow, the genetic value of each chosen male. After trying many of the females created from each cross-pollination, we will be able to reach different conclusions regarding the true potency of each male donor. Since we know the exact potency of the mother that we used in the cross-pollination, we can compare them through their daughters, considering they all have the same mother.

Once we determine which one is the strongest male by using our instincts, we should keep the pollen and use it going forward. Good males can also be used to make cuttings and be kept as essential genetic material.

Growing strongly, excessive clusters, rigid stem, big, healthy leaves, in good health.

No production of female flowers even under great stress

Height has always been reason for competition among males, who fight to be the one to impregnate females. The more flower clusters produced, in the shortest time possible once it has begun the 12hour/12hour cycle until it begins shedding pollen, the better.

By rubbing the stem with our fingers we can perceive its aroma. Aromatic males also release their fragrance through their leaves and we can pick it up even when we slightly touch them while watering. The aromatic terpenes combined with Even though it depends on the personal taste cannabinoids are responsible not only for the of each grower, the following characteristics taste, but also some of the effects and different should be taken into consideration when choos- journeys taken with cannabis. Aromatic plants ing a valuable stud: always create multiple sensations.

After beginning to grow these marvelous indicas from seeds of the Kaiki Bank, male and female plants showed me their sex and I selected the father-to-be and separated him from the group. As a young child, he grew better than the females, with a mane similar to that of a green lion. The aroma that was released when you slightly touched his branches was extremely impressive, impossible not to notice. He became an Emperor among the rest of the plants thanks to his impressive branches that seemed neverending. He grew vigorously and achieved great height, completely stable and with hundreds of clusters of flowers as he matured.

So he could enjoy a great threesome, two sisters of healthy vegetative growth were chosen, making sure their phenotypes were different so as to open the door to the highest number of possibilities in the quest for different characteristics. Both females had a leafy growth with big, dark leaves. The difference between them was the color of their flowers, one had blue-violet flowers and the other had flowers that mirrored red roses. The other characteristics were pretty much the same for both. One of the gene traits expected was a higher number of lateral branches, seeing that both were indica and very tubular, with few branches, feature that the male plant did carry. Both were extremely resinous, with glandular trichomes even on the petioles of the leaves. The redder pheno closed

its calyxes in little circles as if it were a cabbage rose, while the bluish phenol had pointy calyxes, more like a cactus.

In Indica varieties it is convenient to impregnate around the 21st day into the blooming stage.

In sativas we can extend this timeframe by a couple of weeks. As long as the pistils are white and viable, and the seed has enough time to develop and mature before the plant completes the blooming stage, we always have enough time to create a new being.

The chosen females were removed from the blooming room, and with an artist paint brush in hand, they were pollinated, 3 weeks into the blooming stage.

The high phosphorous diet continued organically and the plants used almost all their energy to produce hundreds of descendants with the fury of a sandstorm.

When the females were ready to be harvested on week 9, their seeds were fully grown, dark brown with lighter lines going across, resembling a tiger’s skin and clinging to the resinous calyxes.

From each 1.30m plant, around 500 seeds were obtained. They were in perfect health conditions and properly matured.

During the last weeks their green leaves turned such a dark blue that for moments they looked black. The plant is like a raspberry flavored candy with a tart aroma that sedates you like the best of the indicas. Thanks to growing this male with lots of love, I was able to cultivate

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experience

experience

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experience

a family of sandstorms that are just waiting to bloom with the help of a little sunshine. It has a genetic potential that we cannot even imagine until it goes directly into our spirit. The only thing left was to cultivate the first young ones and watch the results.

When plants are cross-pollinated with each other or between direct family members, the genes of their descendants become more and more homogeneous. That means that each pair of genes has higher odds of becoming uniform or having identical alleles. The homogeneous plants have less vigor than heterogeneous plants and different alleles. The result is the phenomenon known as hybrid vigor. When two different varieties are crossed, the descendants have more vigor than either of their parents.

To reestablish vigor to the inbred descendants, it’s useful to develop two different family lines with similar characteristics. Since each family line has been inbred, both lines will have different alleles. Afterwards, two lines are crossed to produce seeds. The descendants will recover the vigor lost as of a result of inbreeding.

In this case, the seeds of the bluish pheno and the redder pheno cross-pollinated with the same male, their father, resulted in another generation of phenos with bluish and pointy flowers just like their mothers. This means: uniformity.

With the redder phenol, we obtained a bushy plant, with a combination of reds and blues, leaves both violet and gold just like a lavender, and resinous like its father.

In all cases, the maturity blooming period was 60 days. The next step is to take another great male plant and create another family line, as well as, combining this male’s pollen with future generations.

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CULTIVO

SATIVA

El manual del cultivo argentino librosativa@gmail.com

INTERIOR

640 páginas

226 imágenes a color En todos los kioskos de revistas y grow shops Envios a todo el país

Harvest b y E D ROSENTHAL Problem solving coping with nature

A successful outdoor Harvest depends on planning the garden so that the weather and plants conspire to produce completely mature buds.

Outdoors, bud growth is subjet to the vagaries of the weather. The bud’s size, development and ripening time are all dependent on the enviroment. Warm weather with full sun hastents growth and ripening.

Cool, cloudy weather slows growth because the plant is receiving less light , which fuels growth. Moist, cloudy or rainy weather is a threat to the developing bud because it encourages the growth of fungi and molds. A season’s effort can be spoiled in hours if mold dvelops ----white or gray molds can turn beautiful buds to mush or cause them to become brown and crumble when touched. This is one reason why all farmers are trowing the dice each time plant. Of course, tomato farmers don’t have the additional worries about thieves or the boys in blue.

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N

o matter how big the plants are, the initiationof flowering and the date of maturity are both determined by the critical dark period, the number of darkness that triggers and sustains flowering. Any interruption of the dark period results in delayed flowering and may affect the buds’ growth patterns, making them lanky. Plants use red light to measure day lenght. This is mostly relevant to people in urban areas who might consider growing near a street lamp or patio light will never fully enter the flowering phase.

While buds requiere a completely dark period to trigger flowering, the other portion of the daily cycle, the light period, trigger growth. Buds exposed to the most light grow larger and mature faster. Under an intense sun, marijuana buds grow fat and jicy. How ironic that they flower just as sun’s strenght wanes in the fall. Buds grown in the shade don’t reach their full potential. In very shady locations they may never fully mature. Every sunny day speeds the plant to maturity. Overcast days do nothing. The plant just sits there , in suspended animation, waiting for some ripening energy.

Plants in the southern U.S., which experience shorter days troughout the summer and fall than the northem U.S., mature earlier. Plants grown at high altitudes mature seven to ten days faster than those in the valley.

Different varieties of marijuana also range in how long they requiere to mature.Equatorial sativas have been bred in climates that have a longer day and a more intense sun with less seasonal variation. The indicas or hybrids from temperate regions have thrived or been select beacause they can mature before winter frost halts their progress. As a result, sativas tend to have a longer flowering time and indicas a shorter time. Many varieties are hybrids, and they may range in maturation time based on the genetics they’ve inherited from their parents.

The drama of ripening On june 22, the first full day of summer, the sun turns course to shorten each day, and increase each night’s lenght. As the nights grow longer each plant’s critical dark period is reached, and the plants being to flower.

Flowering progresses with the coming of fall.

Anticipation of harvest starts about three weeks before the plants ripen.Stigmas have appeared along the ndes where the leaves meet the branches and the branches meet the stem. The pistils have grown enough to outline the future bud. The buds have entered the home strech.

Every day they are a little closer to ripeness, but are not quite there. Although a few more flowers will appear, the bud has finished most of its growth. The major change will now be in appearance, from a young bud with thousands of tender stigmas vainly searching the air for pollen grains, to a mature bud.

The key change is in the stigmas and ovaries. At the start, the stigmas vainly searching the air for pollen grains, to a mature bud.

The key change is in the stigmas and ovaries. At the

Left: the stigmas have dried and are receding into the calyxes. These are enlarging as if the plants were pollinated and were forming seed.

Meanwhile, the glands are filling whith THC. Bottom: This bud is ripening but still has weeks to go before it has reached full potency. The glands are visible but not filled with the seductively intoxicating resin.

start, the stigmas are a pale translucent color ---white or cream, wich is sometimes tinged pink or cream, wich is sommetings tinged pink or purple. They glow when they catch the light. As the bud continues to ripen,

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the top of the gland.

The glands start to fill out within weeks, turning into mushroom-shaped organs littering the leaves and stem, but especially the flowers. Then the bulb at the end inflates like a balloon ., stretching more each day. The clear, intoxicating oil inside each glands glistens. In the noon sun, the glands become luminescent. They have a halo when the sun is behind them at the end of the day.

They radicate electricity. Just looking at them, you get a shiver of energy going up your spine.

Guerrilla grower drumps his load of buds.

The plants are still putting out a few new flowers, but the colas are ripe and another generation of marijuana has grown to complete its life cycle. It is hard to be-

these structures begin to dry out. They will turn orange,

lieve that a few months ago these plants were just a few

red or purple by the time the bud is ripe. Then the ova-

seeds in a bottle.

ries begin to swell. Soon the stigmas will recede partly

The plant’s essence is captured in its exented colas---the

inside as the ovaries take a bulbous shape.

long, resin-covered buds that shine like jewels against

Plants should be given to ripen. When buds are first

the floral background of autumn foliage. Twinkling in the

forming, resin glands that hold THC cover the surface,

breeze, the buds look like holy spirits dancing to the wan-

but they dont’t swell until the buds ripen. They grow

ing sun. Just as resin glands begin to change from clear

taller structures and stand erect from the tissue in an-

to a slightly cloudy tan or brown, the magic moment has

ticipation. Chemicals and anzymes are converted into

arrived, and the plants are ready to be harvested.

THC on the inner surface of the membrane, which forms

First the big fan leaves are removed. Once the fan leaves and large secondary leaves are removed, other excess leaves should be removed, leaving only the small bud leaves, which are also covered with glands.

The bud should be covered but not hidden. If the bud is alone on a stick it should be removed, but there is no rason to separate large buds. After trimming, the buds should be placed back into the curing room. After ten days the temperature of the room should be raised into the high 80’s and air circulation continued so that the buds dry.

A wisconsing bud being trimmed.

In garden of mixed varieties plants ripen at different times. This makes it easier for a small crew to harvest the plants. They can do it over 4 to 6 weeks rather all at once.

Using a photographer’s loupe, you can get a better look

or possibly in your car. Therefore, it is best to make sure

at the bud and its glands. If the gland head membrane

before going to the garden for harvesting that it won’t

looks like it could be strched, the bud still has a way to

yield an invitation to court. Police use motion or heat

go before ripening. If the gland head membrane looks

detectors, video cameras and stakeouts to trap garden-

taut, like an overfilled balloon, the bud is probably ready.

ers. Motion detectors work day or night, but are inef-

When the gland heads look clear, the THC is still ac-

fective in windy weather and rain. Heat detectors are

cumulating. When they start to turn cloudy, the THC is

not effective during the day. Video cameras records cul-

deteriorating to cannabinol, which is only one-thent as

tivators in the act so that they may be picked up later.

psychoactive as THC.

They are inefective after dark. A stakeout is the most dangerous because it consist of a bunch of gung-ho’s

Guerrilla Safety

playing cops and robbers. Police in this situation can be

The most important consideration when you are ready-

Before going to the garden, check the surrounding pe-

ing for harvest is safety. Guerrila gardens are often un-

rimeter to see if everything’s okay. Take a walk during

der police surveillance, and harvest is the most vulner-

the day with your plant, rock or naturalist guide and a

able phase of growing. The plants are at their largest

bag of newly collected stones or mosses. Since there is

size and their strongest fragance. It is easier to suffer

no connection between you and the garden, police will

from reckless impatience or paranoia when the reward

have no cause to detain you should you be stopped. On

for your work is right around the corner. Once harvest

your walk around the perimeter, look for signs of cops,

begins you are carrying budded plants on your person

cameras or electronic equipment.

very dangerous.

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Getting to the harvest According to university of mississippi studies, the best time to harvest is very early in the morning, just before dawn, when the plants are at their most potent. Serendipitously, very few police are on-duty, and the

These buds were brought indoors for manicuring and drying on a rack. It took ten days for them to reach perfection.

world is asleep.

Harvesting techniques must fit the circumstances. Ideally the plant can be progress to maturity. Most of the time, a plant’s bottom buds ripen first, with the top buds reaching maturity as long as ten days later. In order to allow each bud to reach an absolutely perfect ripeness, the home gardener can pick the branches one as they finish. Oudoor gardeners rarely have ideal circumstances, and often face hard choice. The buds are a few sunny days from harvest, but the weather predications are for rain and overcast days for the next week. Is it worth waiting out the rain until the next sunny morning?

Or maybe neighbors’ kids have already clipped a few immature buds from the plants. Wh will harvest, the kids or you? Perhaps helicopters are in the net valley. Should you harvest before the sightseers arrive? Thease are some hard questions with no clear answersexcept in hindsight. The stress of allowing near-perfect bud to remain bulnerable to weather, mold, thieves and the law may just not be worth it. A gardener may opt to harvest the entire plant at once. In this case, gardeners usually chop down the whole plant and clip the branches from the stem in the privacy of home.

If you have a lot of large plants to harvest and noise is not a problem, use a hedge trimmer. Starting at the top, clip all the branches in a straight cut to the bottom of the plant. The branches will fall into a very neat pile. Move on to the next line of branches and repeat the cut

from top to bottom. Each plant has four lines of branches.

Afther the branches are cut, line them up by the bud tips.

You will find that the colas are about the same lenght. You can the bare part of the branches off right at the site. Plants can also be cut this way by a stronger person with a sharp machete and a firm grip. For moderately sized plants, a high quality hand clipper is usually adequate.

Post-Harvest Tips on Curing and Storing After the plants are harvested, they may be trimmed of large leaves and hung to dry in a cool, dark, drafty room for a few days to let the chlorophyll decompose and some of the starches turn to sugar. The draft, using both external ventilation and internal circulation fans, keeps mold from forming. The buds turn from a bright green to a dull green with tints of orange, red or purple in a few days. The temperature should be raised to 85ยบF, and airflow maintained until the buds are dry, but not crisp.

Then they are ready to be stored. The best storage method is in darkened glass or hard plastic (tupperwaretype) containers that can be sealed.

These should be kept in a cool place, including the refrigerator or freezer.

A cool, dark environment sealed from air exposure reduces the degrading effects of light and oxidation. Glass or hard plastic containers are better than ziplocktype plastic bags. This is because plastic bags develop a static cling-like electric

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attraction. Glands get stuck by this attraction to the inside of the bag and are unrecoverable.

These buds were hung on a line outdoors. They were manicured as they were drying. Some had already been clipped, while others were waiting patiently on line for their haircut.

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TIPS FOR SUCCES

1- Once the colas are removed from the plant, they are quite compact, and quite a few will fit in a flower box, even when they are two feet long.

2- Whether you are harvesting from a garden, a field or a unique grow site, keep your exposure limited by spending as little time as possible harvesting and on the road with unprocessed plants.

3- If the weather is turning nasty, remember that the plant is feeling it too. That is all the more reason for going out and harvesting rather than hanging out by the warm hearth or electric heater.

4- Don’t indulge while driving. Obey speed limits, lights and road signs. Drive cautiously.

5- Make sure there are no ambiguous parts to the plan and that it is worked out in detail before you start traveling. If someone else is involved, make sureyou agree on the plans and have the watches as well as time responsibilities synchronized.

After manicuring for an hour, hands were sticky with resin. The resin was removed by rubing the hands togheter. As it peeled from the hands it rolled up to form little cylinders. These were rolled up to make balls of finger hash.

Fuente: Marijuana Successe Volume 2, Ed Rosenthal http://quickamerican.com/

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garden

by El Bosco

Bruce recalls that el Tano collected the money to get flowers from the South during the Guarani dry period.

After the first smoke, he remembers 3 consecutive moments, “after 5 minutes I could not stop laughing, more air was coming out than was getting in, and it was electrifying. After about 30 minutes, when we thought the effect had just about worn out, BUM! I was on top of the world again! But this time the effect was stronger… after another extensive period of time (or so we thought) and already on our way down, it came back for more and this time it was a total psychedelic experience, another period of nonstop laughter while I was strolling down the street… all eyes were on me. It hit 3 times 3 ways”.

Even though he could not find the right words to express his feelings, the smile on his face was more than enough to show us what he felt was real.

And that is why he began a different journey, one in which his goal was to find that variety of cannabis.

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He describes in detail the genetic plants he created as an inexperienced grower, and today knows that many of them were good, and that he achieved a renowned BubbleGum. Through this forgotten and much enjoyed plant, he discovered many of the characteristics he would look for in future creations.

He still has a Silver Haze from those days, plant that either indoor or outdoor shows its natural qualities: a great taste and energizing sativa effect with a hint of incense as it burns out.

What resulted from the genetic seeds provided by Serious Bank was its mother Kalimist, a jewel that has standed the test of time due to having a happy-pleasant effect.

He likes this variety because of the trip it takes you on, something that he clarifies because he also keeps a Nyd x G13 and Buddha’s Sister from Soma, two bombshells that stuns its smokers and to those that do not know the correct dosage the effect can even lead to paranoia.

He did his research and applied modern cultivation techniques with elements specific for fertilizing, disinfecting and cloning.

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He kept a part of these experiments in the cloning stage, using pellets to increase the effectiveness when humidity was at 100%. *Pellets are units of compressed peat in a soft and biodegradable starch net, which after adding water, expand vertically.

Another concept in which he is interested in is “tissue culture” which refers to a technique of growing plant cells, tissues, organs, seeds or other plant parts in a sterile environment to create clones and preserve genetic characteristics.

The plant pot size varies according to the type of plant and the soil used in each one also depends on the feeding program needed. He uses foliar feeding and a watering system with extracts of Ascophyllum Nodosum seaweed, a Canadian organic fertilizer. He adds mycorrhiza, trichodermas and other beneficial bacteria that also help with nitrogen fixation like azospirillum and some chelated nutrients to generate tissue and stimulate growth.

“When watering in the blooming stage, I add, on occasion, one spoonful of blackstrap molasses, which in that form is easier for the plant to absorb. It provides the plant with carbohydrates and sugars, most of all for the mycorrhizas, which translates into stronger roots and an overall better plant”, says Bruce.

He also advices not to let the growing medium get too dry, seeing that the bacterial lifeforms and fungus do not survive without a wet environment.

He arranges most of the plants indoors, inside two Home Box grow boxes, one used for the blooming period with sodium lamps and the other for the vegetative growth stage with compact fluorescent lights (CFL).

If the weather permits it, he takes the mother plants outdoors so they can get some natural light and then completes the cycle with indoor lighting, achieving as a result a more leafy plant for future pruning.

The characteristics of the sativa plants got him in contact with the flowers and reminded him of the preference he had for this variety. He studied and contacted the work of the landrace growers.

He was able to obtain seeds of African genetics on which he worked for years with the goal of preserving and selecting them. This genetic value is a great motivation for his next cultivations. He believes he will have a different experience. It comes with great responsibility and this comes with great a desire as well: visualizing what remains invisible in these landrace seeds and getting what hides in the inside out in the open. If one listens carefully it is possible to find key features of his personality in his wording. He considers dedication to be an essential factor for the plants to develop magnificently in the garden.

Growing is a learning experience, trial and error.

Plants teach us how to better ourselves and adapt, our own characteristics reflected in them.

There was no goodbye, just a “see you later�.

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by Mayor M. Mayor

A thrilling visit to Jonnhy Kresko’s garden: a place able to transmit as much comfort and well-being as the plants that inhabit it.

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A

lAs we followed the path marked by the grass, we walked through a colorful garden and under a pine tree. We came up to a cane wall, and on the other side we could see a couple of leafy plants of medium height waiting for us. They had a sweet aroma and were well into the blooming stage. We cautiously surrounded them and Johnny pulled a pair of scissors from his pocket and started trimming away the leaves that shadowed the well grown flowers. He quickly collected them and we kept on going. The plants we had seen and the word “pine” would not leave my head.

We crossed another lonely bush on the side of the path. Johnny just kept walking, without even a quick glance.

We came up to what I thought were two, but actually only one sativa plant. She was lying very close to the ground, lower branches growing into leafy plants, with no flowers in sight, but sexually mature. As I stood before her, not only could I appreciate her greatness, but also Kresko’s work in shaping and bending her in all the right places, harmony and beauty extended upon her completely. He placed the leaves he had gathered on the chair in front of the sativa and took a break.

“I sit down and watch them… at was enough for Kresko to start night they shine under the moonlight like telling me about his amateur days, he rolled one slowly as he said: “I learned stars, it is a beautiful thing.”

I guess my face

about plants in general, they thought me how to take care of them, they’re teachers… they show us the essence of time, shapes and memory.”

He lit it up and continued: “the first plants are from seeds that were given to be as a gift, they are harvested first while I wait for the sativa.

I do not know their origin; I found them in a pressed brick, not that pressed, a while back. I cross-pollinated them and still cultivate them from seeds.”

He discovered the potential of his garden by planting in different spots, that’s how he found the perfect place for these sativas. He laughs about the fact that there are many pets buried there that since September have been coming to the exterior. His harem receives a good amount of sunlight throughout the day; this favors the plant growing in a circular and leafy form.

During our smoky chat, he told me that he works on the ground himself, planting

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holes, putting compost, preparing the soil, mixing it with perlite.

He recommends using organic fertilizers, classics like banana tea or scattering humus around the stem. The way he places the plants at the bottom of his growing pot once the holes are ready is pretty peculiar. Once they grow too tall for the pot, he transplants them into the planting holes permanently.

He did not give much detail as to when he starts manipulating the plant. He leans it opposite the first rays of sunlight, with thread and counterweights, opening up the branches so they all get the same amount of light.

As the evening fell upon us and we started our way back, I reminded him we had forgotten the chair. He just waved his hand carelessly and said: “I sit down and watch them‌ at night they shine under the moonlight like stars, it is a beautiful thing.â€?

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I cross-pol still cultivate them inated them and from seeds.

prevent

The cannabis plant adores Nitrogen (N) and needs high levels of it during the vegetative stage and moderated levels during the blooming stage.

Nitrogen deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the cannabis plant. Nitrogen is absorbed in high quantities by the plant, so it disappears quickly if we do not properly administer its supplement.

The lower leaves start turning a pale green. Then they turn yellow and die due to the fact that Nitrogen travels through the plant and helps new leaves and sprouts during growth.

Gradually, the deficiency travels to the higher levels of the plant and only new vegetative growth is green, leaving the lower leaves yellows and whitish. The lower leaves die from the tip inward.

Other symptoms include smaller leaves and stoppage of growth. The stems and petioles turn reddish and purplish.

Excess of Nitrogen causes exuberant growth and turns the plant dark green. It also makes the plant more susceptible to insects and diseases. The stems become fragile and break due to lack of flexibility. The

leaves turn into silk, shaping into claws and copper stains appear. The roots develop in slow motion and become darker and darker, prone to fungus. The flowers are very much apart and very small. In soils were acid components prevail, ammonium is the leading toxin; while in alkaline soil nitrate is the head toxin.

Leaves begin to dry up and fall, turning into dust with just a touch. Too much Nitrogen is much more harmful than its absence. In cases of overfertilization, the roots should be watered excessively and the first centimeters of the pot should be removed due to

overfed

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high levels of toxicity. Never use fertilizer crystals such as urea for indoor plants. They take too long to be absorbed and have a high level of salt concentration.

The excess of soluble nitrogen changes the osmotic properties of the plant. Instead of water getting into the plant, it is ejected and the leaves lose their shape as they try to keep the water in, almost completely dehydrated. Excess Nitrogen also blocks other fundamental elements such as Magnesium.

In soils were the pH level is

lower that 5,5 or higher than element. Without it, growth 7,5, Nitrogen CANNOT be stops. It is fully responsible for absorbed by the plant. the growth of the stem and leaves, as well as the vigor and size of the plant.

Nitrogen can move freely within the plant. Usually, ADD deficiency begins at the bottom Any type of water-soluble because Nitrogen is absorbed nitrogen (especially nitrates, mainly by the new vegetative NO3) is easily available to growths. roots. Insoluble nitrogen (like urea) needs to be deteriorated by microorganisms found in the ground before the roots Nitrogen is directly responsible can absorb it. for the production of chlorophyll and amino acids, and it is essential during photosynthesis.

The plant tissue must have this

prevent

After adding Nitrogen, plants with deficiency absorb it quickly and rapidly turn from pale green to a healthy apple green. It usually takes a week for the plants to recover, but the leaves that were worst off do not.

Nitrogen is the first element of three found in most fertilizer formulas listed in their labels as: Nitrogen (N)Phosphorus(P)-Potassium(K), always in that order. Any soluble fertilizer than contains a higher concentration of (N) than of (P) or (K) may be used to quickly solve Nitrogen deficiencies. Must hydro formulas fall into this category.

Calcium nitrate (CaNO3) is water soluble and acts fast. It can be utilized in foliar feeding and in nutrient solutions.

Human urine, fish emulsion

(5-1-1), bat guano high in (N) o seabird guano, also act rapidly when dissolved properly in water. Soils with high amounts of nitrogen fertilizers like alfalfa, cotton seeds, manure, feathers, all supplement Nitrogen, but are released during the entire growth stage of the plant.

Without high levels of Nitrogen, especially during the vegetative stage, the plants performance is considerably reduced. Water ingestion stops due to the vascular failure of the plant. Plants should never have to deal with Nitrogen deficiency during the vegetation. Nonetheless, excess of Nitrogen also brings various problems.

Gradually decreasing Nitrogen levels, when commencing

the blooming stage, increases flower growth rather than vegetative growth. Even so, a small amount of Nitrogen is still necessary for the plant to be able to manufacture amino acids during its lifetime. This increase flower growth and usage of (P) and (K).

Some blooming boosters have an N-P-K composition of 0-50-30. While this numbers sound impressive, using these fertilizers too early decreases the size of the flowers, making them smaller than they could have been. If there is not enough residual Nitrogen available, plants cannot take advantage of the fertilizer entirely.

During the middle of the blooming stage, plants go through a Nitrogen deficiency until the end. They use the nutrients that were stored in

their leaves. The older leaves, that no longer have nutrients, begin to fall. To prevent extreme deficiency, the change to blooming nutrients must be done gradually, unless the formula contains some amount of Nitrogen.

Plants move to the blooming stage in a week.

They then need high levels of (P) and (K), but they still need Nitrogen. For this reason, during the first week of the blooming stage, using a mixed fertilizer formula (1 part blooming, 1 part vegetative) has its advantages. During the second week, it is best to use 2 parts blooming, 1 part vegetative. During the third week, 3 parts blooming, 1 part vegetative. Afterwards, just blooming formula will do the trick. Anyway, the plants still need Nitrogen, but not anywhere close to the levels needed during the vegetative stage. Gradually, the residual Nitrogen moves freely through the plant during the last weeks of the blooming stage, coinciding with the end of this stage.

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MEDICAL CANNABIS AND DOSAGE * Por Chris Conrad

Chris Conrad bases his dosages on scientific studies and quantities approved by regulating organizations for that purpose.

The journey for approval may be tedious, but it’s worth the wild.

M

arijuana (cannabis sativa) offers treatments for various illnesses and also for pain. Its medical usage began over 5,000 years ago.

Cannabis can stop the development of certain symptoms or ailments. US government scientists proved it to be an effective and safe medicinal drug. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) prescribes a standard dosage of smoked cannabis to patients enrolled in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) .* The permitted amount is: 2 oz (56 grams per week), or a ¼ kilo per month, delivered in containers of 300 pre-rolled joints, on an average of 10 per day.

This long term dosage has proven to be safe and effective, without any unacceptable side effects. In the JOURNAL OF CANNABIS THERAPEUTIC, the approved average for patients with glaucoma, Nail Patella Syndrome, Multiple Congenital Cartilaginous Exostoses and Multiple Sclerosis is about 8.24 grams per day, a little more than 3 kilos a year. Judge Francis Young, former Chief Administrative Law Judge of the DEA stated: “Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.”

Currently, scientists from all over the globe hold annual conferences to discuss new findings and study a natural human condition: Endocannabinoids(2).

Thousands of patients in dozens of stated in the US use cannabis as an approved medical treatment and are protected by law.

Modern uses of cannabis include joint treatments for both physical and mental disorders. Symptoms of various diseases can be controlled providing * http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000257#answer-id-005765

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improvement, relief and an overall better quality of life to patients.

Cannabis is a great stress reducer, expectorant and external antibiotic. It can be used as a safe substitute for drugs like Demerol, Valium or Morphine.

Its herbs, flowers and by-products can be eaten, smoked, used as dye, as external treatments or as herbal packages, depending on the medical condition. The seeds are filled with nutrients and act as natural laxatives. For certain people, cannabis is a sort of miracle drug, for other, it may not be even relevant.

Not all varieties work equally for specifics issues.

For example, an effective variety to treat nausea or lack of appetite may not be effective as a pain killer or to treat insomnia. Only certain varieties produce enough percentage of THC to be used

medicinally. The Hemp seed or Ca単amo (industrial hemp) has no effect as a drug.

It is like a small walnut with 8 essential proteins in perfect nutritional balance, plus essential fatty acids that reinforce the immune system and reduce cholesterol.

Daily Therapeutic Use Since the marijuana plant is harvested annually, it is only logical to measure it dosage annually. Many patients need at least 1 kilo and half or more per year, but some cases in which the pain is unbearable may need up to 5 kilos a year. It all depends on the condition and illness in question. Usually, the higher dosages are aligned with chronic pain, no terminal patients. Glaucoma and multiple sclerosis patients need continuous treatment to

*(1) Chris Conrad has been studying cannabis since 1988.

He wrote Cannabis Yields and Dosage, 2 books on cannabis and has contributed in the creation of many others. He is an official consultant for US agencies and medical professional, an expert in the cultivation of cannabis, cloning, drying, genetics, aromas, medical uses, personal use, dosage and consumption. He took part in the raising and the cannabis process in Holland and Switzerland. He analyzed private gardens in Spain, industrial hemp in Germany and investigated over 800 criminal cases testifying in hundreds of them.

prevent seizures. The way it is consumed affects the patient’s dosage also. Smoked marijuana produces a rapid and efficient effect. Some prefer to avoid the fumes and vaporize it, so they need a higher dosage. Ingesting marijuana requires 3 to 5 times more quantity, according to the official estimates of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

This means that the patient that needs 1 kilo and half per year of smoked marijuana will need 5 kilos if he were to ingest it. When eaten, marijuana takes more time to produce an effect, but it lasts longer, and it has proven to be more effective for insomnia and other situations in which the patient has no way of smoking it.

(2) Our organism generates chemical substances that have a similar chemical structure to the natural cannabinoids of the plant: endocannibinoids. The endogenous endocannibinoid system is key for the pharmacological use of the plant’s cannabinoids. Man generates its own cannabinoids and these act through specific receptors.

When we incorporate the plants cannabinoids in our body, these act on the same specific receptors than the endogenous, producing the same effects. From the chemical structures of these cannabinoid receptors in our own organism, new drugs can be created to stimulate or inhibit them.

Source: Chris Conrad, Cannabis Yields and Dosage, Creative Xpressions, www.chrisconrad.com

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“Then there is only one known annually renewable natural resource that is capable of providing the overall majority of the world’s paper and textiles; meeting all of the world’s transportation, industrial and home energy needs; simultaneously reducing pollution, rebuilding the soil, and cleaning the atmosphere all at the same time…And that substance is Cannabis Hemp…Marijuana!”

Jack Herer (1939-2010) Cannabis activist, founder of the Modern Day Hemp Movement, author of “The Emperor wears no clothes”. In the book, Herer documents the multiple uses for industrial hemp and the various ecological solutions it provides and reports the hidden story behind the prohibition in the 30s’.

rney Tales Of A FantasticbyJou Mike Bifari

Venice Beach, California

It’s impossible not to feel like you’re part of a pleasant and educational movie when you are embedded in a plantlovers surroundings. I have been covering conference Nº39 of the National Organization for the Marijuana Law Reform (N.O.R.M.L) with a huge degree of excitement and enthusiasm. This organization has been fighting for the marijuana legalization in every role for years. It’s in charge of organizing the various activist groups in the USA.

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it h cl on es Sh el ve s fi lle d w

I arrived

in Oa ks te rd am

Un iv er si ty

in San Francisco, and since I was coming from New York, there was no need to go through customs and I was out of the airport pretty quickly. I took the bus straight to where the conference was being held. I could not have been more pleasantly surprised when I got there. With my luggage in hand, standing on the sidewalk in front of the conference building, legends passed before my eyes. Chris and Miki Conrad were leaving the building in costumes and laughing hard, as if they were leaving a comedy play.

(Chris is the lead advisor for the Supreme Court of California and the US about cannabis. He has been involved in hundreds of cases as an expert witness and Miki, his wife, is the director of Cannabis Consumers Campaign and coordinator of Human Rights and the Drug War.) By their side, the great Captain Ed Rosenthal, dressed up as a sailor, also made his appearance under the wonderful effects of the plant that we all love. Chris immediately placed my bags in his car and we all left for the hotel where Dennis Peron, another well-known activist,

was waiting for us. As a defender of individual rights, he used to give out medical marijuana to hundreds of HIV patients in the 90s, reason for which he was unjustly incarcerated many times. At the same hotel, old Ed invited me to an unforgettable lecture at Oaksterdam University.

I had gotten off the plane just a few hours before and had already been with people that to me were like war heroes, masters of human rights and of the plants.

Chris and Miki took me to their home, a beautiful house by the woods. They welcomed me as their guest with love and affection until the last second I spent with them. They both fight non-stop for hundreds of people that have been convicted to prison for cultivating a noble plant. West Coast Leaf, their paper, is distributed to over 100,000 people on the West coast, and is extremely important for the cause.

The next day I went to visit a great lady that has years of experience in growing plants.

Ruby Pearl still dresses like she was a 60’s hippie and acts like one too. She is a well-know grower and famous

sculptress. She invited me to a place that left me speechless. In the basement of her house there were 4 rooms: one filled with shelves equipped with fluorescent tube lights and a sea of clones, next to six mother plants that looked splendorous. They were all in the vegetative stage. In the other 3 rooms she had plants in the blooming stage, the aroma was overwhelming. While I was still speechless, she offered me some Bubba Kush flowers that blew by brains out. As I was still under a spacewalk state, I was left with two beautiful girls and we spruced up some flowers in a room that was used for cooking and smoking. They invited me to participate in a great harvest in a medical farm in Mendocino. They gave me yet another colossal joint that left me happier and more relaxed than before.

At Chris’s house the fun continued as I was given Californian sativas and Mexican varieties to keep me happy. Afterwards, I headed to a tasting event that was

organized as a fund raiser to free Mark Emery, the prince of Vancouver (he is the most well-known Canadian cannabis activist). With the entrance fee you could taste 5 varieties that were provided by famous competitors in order to help the cause. Dino Campia, a vaporizer expert, offered to help me with my vaporizer stand.

Ed Rosenthal was there and he invited me to his place the next day. My hands were shaking when he took the Verdamper vaporizer and inhaled as if it were just any other vaporizer. I also had the chance to talk and vaporize with Steve Kubby, legendary cannabis activist. At the end of the day, all the present people had passed through my humble vape stand.

The Vulcano, Sapir, Tower, Vapir and Genie vaporizers were also extremely busy. When the event was ending, Ed asked for a round of applause for me and I got goosebumps all over.

The next day, I witnessed the amazing lectures by Ed and Chris at Oaksterdam University. It was a sunny Sunday morning, I arrived at 10.45am and the class did not start until 11am.

I had a cup of coffee and a donut. I took the pole position to listen to the lecture and saw that Ed signalled me to join him. He was with Richard Lee, creator and director of Oaksterdam University. Richard is in a wheelchair and loves to help people. He is an exceptional human being. I followed them and we crossed Broadway Av as we headed to the Bull Dog Coffee Shop across the street. We went straight to the back and Ed took out a pipe and some flowers that has a strong aroma.

Chris Conrad y Mi

ke.

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Homemade humidifier in the cloning room He told us about a trip he took to the Golden State Park a week before. In that park, there was a huge tent were a meeting in which different herbs were tasted was held. It was called the tent of love and it was a sort of neighbourhood tasting. We each smoked from the pipe a bit and set off for the University, were Ed had to give his class. It would be so great if all teachers smoked before teaching students.

I taped his lecture; students came from all over the world to listen to him. I talked to a German student that had come only to take Ed’s classes.

Before beginning the lecture, each student pinned their place of origin on a map than hung from the blackboard and I realized that cannabis had no borders.

Ed started the class and he was followed around by a camera (closed circuit television) from which you could see everything he did with the plants. At the same time, Chris was giving another class on the history of cannabis in a different classroom. I imagined how happy I would have been to have studied at a school with these characteristics. Maybe someday I will be able to help young people from my homeland see the light with this type of educational project or even build a cannabis museum.

The University has a patio, where Jane kindly took me for lunch and to smoke. The cannabis family meets there to tell fabulous stories and life experiences. In another part of the establishment I saw a huge storage room

where dozens of people were cloning all at the same time.

They had some interesting humidifiers so as to give these little elves the best possible habitat. It was fascinating to see so many people completely in love with my plant at the same time.

The old Mercedes was waiting for as if it were a luxury ride.

Inside Ed and Jane, his lovely wife, were both waiting for me. She was in the driver’s seat and the maximum legendary cannabis guru let me ride shotgun so that I would feel more comfortable. We went to their house and had an excellent conversation while sharing nothing less than their own weed.

The first thing Jane did was ask me if I needed any medicine and then showed me a little orange bottle, like the kind used for prescription medication. The bottle had Purple Kush flowers, and we proceeded to fill Ed’s pipe. The rest was like a magical dream that became reality. Sharing a smoke with the icon of cultivation education was like starring in my own movie.

Steve Kubby, Mike y

Ed Rosenthal

I arrived at my cousin’s house in South Bay Torrence, LA. I took advantage of my family-time and translated into Spanish an excellent video about one of the greatest medical dispensaries in the entire continent, Harborside Health Center.

Being in that clinic is like being in medication paradise. Founder and Executive Director, Steve DeAngelo, went above and beyond to make sure patients from the whole state could enjoy a 5 star service. There are 30,000 inscribed members, THC level testers, holistic massages, over 60 varieties for sale; and as far as education is concerned, a patient may purchase a clone, cultivate it and then take the fruit of his efforts to the establishment so the flowers can be used among the therapeutic community.

This way the patient not only receives its medication in

the form of flowers, but also experiences the most important part, raising a plant from the time it’s a baby until the end of its cycle. It’s like adding sentimental seasoning to an already significant experience, improving the spiritual health of the person who is ill.

Liberty Bell II is another medical dispensary that rocks, full of graffiti and peaceful spirits. In Oakland, I also had the chance of giving a lecture at Oakland Berkeley Patient Group. These dispensaries are no longer seen as a business operation, but like a social club or a high rated spa. This has to do with what the plant transmits.

All NORML members have been very kind to me, I have no complaints whatsoever regarding the previous meeting I attended, Ed Rosenthal was very hospitable and Madelaine Martinez’s family also took me in as one of their own when I was in Oregon. I medicated myself with various homemade flowers, quite sweet, thanks to them. Just incredible.

Madelaine is part of the NORML executive committee, and it was an honour spending time with them and watching all the great work they do for medical cannabis.

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Liberty Bell !!

Michael Phelps was a hot topic. He is considered one of the greatest professional swimmers of all time.

The American cannabis community went after the cereal company that was sponsoring the swimmer very hard after said company cancelled Phelp’s contract because a picture of the star smoking marijuana from a bong was publically released through the media. The company’s sales decreased significantly because of this. Subway, on the other hand, released a commercial of the Olympic medal winning swimmer eating an extra juicy sandwich, referencing the appetite booster of marijuana. Subway’s sales increased incredibly after this advertisement.

There were many exciting moments during the NORML conference. A high note was when Chris Conrad went on stage and stated that only a few days ago while he was in Oregon visiting his great friend Jack Herer, Jack suffered a heart attack that left him in a coma. Chris asked all of us to shout from the top of our lungs: “Wake up Jack”, and so we did. It was extremely moving to see how we could transmit such positive energy through our plants.

After 2 months of participating in intense activities, all related to cannabis, I decided to go the meeting held by the Drug Policy Alliance, to which I was invited by an old vaporizer taster acquaintance who happens to be the current DPA president, Ethan Nadelman. He put me up in a 5 star hotel and gave me everything I needed to be able to attend and feel comfortable. It was in Alburquerque, New Mexico (southeast). Since I was in LA, my cannabis loving friends put me in contact with Donald Wirtshafte, lawyer of famous hero Jack Herer, one the of the most experienced investigators when it comes to industrial hemp in the US. He was driving to New Mexico for the meeting, so we went together and enjoyed crossing the Mojave Desert, parallel to famous route 66. That’s how we passed through an important part of this great country that has so many contradictions when it comes to drugs and public rights.

We stopped in Williams, Arizona, a small town inhabited

by Indians. They were familiar with the peace pipe.

During 2 full days we smoked delicious flowers from northern California, while strange lights in the moonlit desert connected us with the plants.

The trip was coming to an end, but the spirits just waved, waiting for the next adventure.

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Non-psychoactive industrial hemp

A BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC COMPOUND USING HEMP FIBERS WAS DEVELOPED IN ARGENTINA by

Marcelo Violini

The department of plastics of the national Biodegradable plastics are an environmental technology institute (centro de plásticos del alternative: in carefully controlled composting instituto nacional de tecnología industrial conditions (composting) they break down in (inti)), the university of san martin (univer- water, carbon dioxide, humus, components that sidad nacional de san martin) and the natio- do not harm the environment. nal committee on atomic energy (comisión Three polyester fibers were used in this project: nacional de energía atómica (cnea)) worked Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polyhydroxybutogether to develop a biodegradable plastic tyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV) and a mix material compound from natural, renewable of commercial PHB and a polycaprolactone resources and hemp fibers, with the intention biodegradable synthetic (PHB-PCL). of replacing petroleum-based plastics These are polyester components synthesized by certain bacteria that in limited growing condiUnlike conventional plastic, biodegradable plastic tions (high amounts of carbon and no other escan be generated from renewable resources, such sential nutrients, such as nitrogen) accumulate as carbohydrates. Agricultural waste of sugar and these components in Intracytoplasmic pellets as food industries seems to be the most promising a source of carbon and energy. PHB is the best source because it is affordable and also due to known member of this family, thermoplastic, the fact that using it is eco-friendly (turning was- highly crystalline (60-70%), fragile, water and te into useful and valuable materials). solvent resistant.

Most synthetic plastics are obtained from pe- The elevated cost of these plastics is a setback; troleum (nonrenewable resource), they are not it triples the cost of petroleum-based plastics biodegradable and present a recycling problem: like polyethylene and polypropylene. A possithey do not decompose quickly and large quan- ble solution might be mixing plastics with more tities of plastic accumulate hitting the environment hard.

Grow Shop - Microcentro Esmeralda 561 loc.13 Abierto de Lunes a Viernes 10 a 20hs pipas1422@hotmail.com www.pipas1422.com.ar

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affordable materials, like Acetylated hemp fiber vegetable fibers that gene- PCL rally come from agricultural waste. These are called compound materials. In order for the properties of the plastic and the fibers to mix, the materials must actually join together, they must interact properly.

Otherwise, the general characteristics of said material are not up to par. This Acetylated hemp fiber Project actually developed PCL a compound material by combining PHB/PCL with hemp fibers. During the first stage, they tried mixing PHB/PCL and hemp fibers without any modification to the latter. The interaction between the two components was studied using SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and the results showed that the plastic was adhering properly to the hemp fibers.

The reason behind this is that fibers are charged (like water) and the polymer is not (like oil). Based on their opposite characteristics, there is no

with adhered PHB/ interaction between them.

To solve this issue, the hemp fibers were chemically altered. The goal was to reduce the fibers charge (making it more similar to the polymer) and it was achieved through acetylation. The process consists of attaching uncharged groups to the fiber to reduce its charge. With this last treatment, they were able with adhered PHB/ to improve the interaction between the fiber and plastic (this can be observed looking at the micrographs in the article).

The outcome of the project was the successful chemical modification of the hemp fiber improving its interaction with plastic and in this way contributing to the development of a biodegradable compound material that can replace petroleum-based plastics in some areas, such as, organic product packaging and plastic used for agricultural purposes (plasticulture).

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The Viuda’s Bite

A clone or a seed of the plant that has forever enchanted us is a priceless treasure for the grower who searches to fall in love again. The reigning champion of the C.A.B.A cup (City of Buenos Aires) awaits a worthy successor.

por Kaneh Bosem

H

er name was even funny, trying to imitate the fabulous and widely known White Widow. However, behind the shy sign, there was a supremely cured and dried white diamond, like caramel of the best custard. In Cups names matter, but they are not enough to win. What’s being judged is the product, not the brand. The day before, I had mentioned to Defe that I had liked a hidro Nebula and a Blue Moonshine that reminded me of a certain creepy Miamian. The first thing he asked me was whether I had tried a “viuda blanca”, and then added: - “I think it’s number 14; it blew my hat off, and has good taste.” - “Ok I’ll try it tomorrow morning” – I answered.

The next day I slept in, and after a late breakfast, I went for a run in the woods to talk to the trees. When I returned and was relaxed, I knew it was time to retrieve from the bottom crisper drawer of the fridge, the “sacred cup” chest and taste some of the participants.

As the weekend began, I decided to look at the gorgeous contestants and choose one of the beauties by just using my senses. As I went through them, as if they were the photos of the main characters of Mission Impossible, I came across a little bag that held 2 small, but white glandular sugar lumps. The little sign said “Viuda Blanca”, I observed it in detail, and after opening the bag, I had no other choice than to surrender to its aromatic and visual blow.

It was about time for lunch and as I took the little flower hearts from the bag, their perfume,

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tart yet fruity, coming from their aroused terpenes took over my nasal cavity. Immediately, I grabbed the first 8x magnifying glass I could find and my hair just stood on end like Moe. Without any wasting time, I turned on a 100x lens light and looked at one of the groups of trichomes the way I like best: walking along the luminous being, caressing every millimeter of paradise.

She was splendorous, the glands, stem and head made up endless lines full of blessed holy oil, a patina with the colors of the sunset. It seemed like a sin to shred it up with my fingers or use the Pikachu (used to grind cannabis).

Maybe a small portion inside the bong would be enough before lunch. The first sensation I got from inhaling its spirit was of softness and good flavor, strawberry sweet, a fruity taste that takes you from sweet to acid caramel, unlike any whites I had grown or tasted in the past. The White descends genetically from a Brazilian sativa and a Hindu indica, but can have different characteristics depending on the producer. This leads to different phenotypes, sometimes extremely interesting. It was not an original White, but it was a White Widow to be reckoned with.

The principal and essential characteristic that actually gave the “White” varieties their name is their incredible ability to produce resin and become practically “snowed” with a white frosting on the top of the flowers and perimeters, including lower leaves. This plant was not the exception, and it seemed to beat other traditional whites appearance wise. Nonetheless, one of the major characteristics was yet to be proved, the blow.

As I robotically ate, somebody was talking to me, but it was like I had been taken from this world and was submerged in a different one.

I was up to my neck; I realized instantly that I was not going to be able to conceal this journey. So I let it take over my soul and lead me wherever it wanted to. I was on a roller coaster, and it took all I had to go back to the steady waters of the calm lagoon.

let it take over my soul and lead me wherever it wanted to.

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After finishing the first tasting round and separating the dozen samples that were more in tone with my taste, it was time to go back to one of the plants that had surprised me the most, the White Widow; but this time I was going to use a larger sample so I could it enjoy more than just taste it, since I already knew it was great.

I took photographs of the second flower. I was trying to focus the lens when I thought I saw something similar to a seed. I tried to touch it and to my pleasant surprise it was not a mirage, but actually a lucky seed that reached my hands. I kept searching, but that one seed was the only survivor. Happy about my finding, something I always consider a blessing, I rolled a joint that practically rolled itself, without much human effort, thanks to the great amount of resin the plant had.

In its dry form it was something similar to a blackberry, a tart flavor in itself, but with a simi-

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CONSULTAS Y EXPERIENCIAS Mostranos tus cultivos y contanos tu experiencia

correo@revistahaze.com.ar

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lar skill to that of an oenologist, the grower can transform it into a sweet and soft blackberry, like an uncommon delicacy. Among the cup participants there were many delicacies, and always before naming a winner one must savour each many times to know which one produces the most vibrant orgasm.

It was night time, the dose was 3 times bigger than the latter, and the effect did not take its time. The last puff was longer than usual, resounding in the nerve cell receptors like the pneumatic hammer at Italpark (Argentinean amusement park). As the smoke was being released through my nasal cavities, I felt an internal short circuit that detected unusual percentages of THC systematically and quickly interacting inside the various cavities of my brain. What you feel in a second is very similar to being bitten by a tarantula, and what I had with me was precisely a sister of the dreaded Black Widow, Bosco’s White Widow.

I went to walk the dog, but I was reminded that I had already done so, not thirty minutes ago. So then, I gazed at the TV for about half an hour. The remote control stopped changing channels and was left abandoned by my side. My eyes were looking at the TV, but not watching what was on it. In my head a very different movie was playing. Time had been stopped, indefinitely. 20 minutes or 2 hours were exactly the same to me. Both times that I had been tangled with this white pearl named like

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a cabaret star, it had created very strong sensations in me going in opposite directions.

Euphoria and calm on the same journey during the high peaks, with the extra bonus of transforming into a natural aphrodisiac at the end. I knew that if I had given this blessed Mary Jane to a person that was not as familiarized with smoking flowers of such magnitude, he would feel it all the same.

One of my brothers was the first victim.

I had three joints, each of different varieties of weed and just a pinch of this widow. I gave him healthy advice because I know he only smokes once a week and he was on his way to a business meeting.

- “Do not smoke this weed now because it will hit you hard; smoke it when you get home.” – I stressed before I left.

The phone rang in less than a half an hour and when I heard the muttering of a man than seemed drunk, I immediately thought of the widow. He was useless, and afterward he told me that he had laughed through the entire meeting.

The last time I smoked it, it was 15 minutes before going into the subway during rush hour. I couldn’t stay seated for more than one station. Taking advantage of the fact that a pregnant women got on, I stood up and went to stand straight under the ventilator. While I felt an avalanche in my head, I enjoyed the poisonous side of it with each strong heartbeat, inhaling strongly through my nose the air that came from the propellers and exhaling through my mouth.

I closed my eyes and turned up the volume

from my mp3 player to the maximum, and before reaching the next station, from the cliff I had climbed up to, I began to descend soaring with Floyd and all the magic released by this powerful variety that lets us travel to the true reality, dream reality.

I got off and started walking randomly without even knowing where I was going, but it didn’t matter because I was filled with peace and muscle relaxation. The arthritis had magically eased, I could once again feel my hands pain free and my calves had reached a truce with the cramps. The widow had shown me the medical benefits I was looking for, I no longer needed a medical prescription and I realized that it was nearly impossible for its title to be displaced. On the day of the tournament, the tasting tables ratified the fact that it was a true chosen one, of the kind that leaves its mark for all eternity...

I just needed to plant that seed, so I could continue its magic, at least partially. When I told Bosco, grower of this champion, that I had found the seed, he said that it was impossible since he had cultivated it inside an old Siam fridge, there was no chance of any pollen touching it, unless...

Plants are too intelligent and perfect, it doesn’t matter how, but each seed has the potential of changing a sad heart into a happy one. It might be by fertilizing itself, or by receiving by chance a grain that was stuck on a hand accidentally. A seed of a plant that has captivated us is a treasure that any grower wants. For such reason, I decided to germinate it. Two weeks had passed and I had almost forgotten it existed, but seeing that it was not going to germinate at all, I decided to remove it from the soil and try plan B. After getting it out of the soil, I put it under the microscope and from one of the ends there was some kind of alien life form trying to get out. This made my heart jump,

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hope was not lost. I set it aside, but after a sudden smoke it was only logical that I lose sight of the seed. After 10 minutes, I was lost in my head, vacuuming and then I saw it as it disappeared through the long tube straight to the internal bag. I was not willing to tolerate loosing the seed for a second. I emptied the vacuum bag and searched through the dust until, miraculously and with my last breath, I grabbed it. With the open end downward facing, after watering it and disinfecting it, I tried again. Finally, this only daughter of the widow began to grow its first leaves, and the only thing left was to pamper it for the rest of its life.

Her leaves are sativa like but a bit wider and with a gothic finish. In a 20 litre pot it grow indoors with sturdy branches like a pine tree with heavy flowers. Outdoors, it has no limits, and can grow 5 times bigger than indoors if the roots have enough space. The flowers, on the other hand, are more indica.

In the blooming stage, the flowers turn purplish and during the 4th week they are covered with resin. Characteristic that sets it aside from other varieties. The flowers sometimes grow around the stem, surrounding it like a corkscrew, producing the terrifying effect of a snake coiling up ready to inject its venom. It does not like to be fed too much, just a moderate amount.

When it seems almost ready, it widens a lot closing it calyxes, and hardening like a precious stone.

Few specimens reveal so many secrets about the creation of the Universe like this plant. To explore it is to begin to understand that we are not alone, and that they have come from afar to help us...

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