2015 02 UK

FREE

THE CANNABIS NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985

Issue 2 - 2015

12 Critical 2.0

20 Frisian Duck

29 10 Years of Sweet Seeds

41 Nettle Tea

18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publisher BV Netherlands

AMSTERDAM

Are Mexican Drug Cartels Withdrawing From US Cannabis Market?

New data is suggesting that Mexican drug cartels, for decades among the top distributors of cannabis in the United States, may be exiting that once-profitable trade in lieu of smuggling more dangerous - and profitable - drugs like heroin and methamphetamine. According to the Washington Post, the total amount of cannabis seized at the U.S.-Mexico border by federal and local officials has dropped by an astounding 37 percent since 2011, while interdicted shipments of heroin have nearly tripled in the same period.

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The illegal smuggling of cannabis into the U.S. has long been a mainstay of the cartels’ revenue, accounting historically for up to 40 percent of all the money such organizations make. In light of such a traditionally lucrative market, the apparent drop in imports is especially telling.

It is possible that the cartels have merely changed tactics by eschewing border smuggling in favor of producing illegal cannabis within the U.S. border, and indeed it is widely believed that Mexican cartels and other drug trafficking organizations have made a practice out of setting up illegal cannabis farms in the national forests of Northern California. Yet such illegal grows were already well established before the present drop in cannabis smuggling at the border, making it unlikely that the cartels have cut off their cannabis smuggling operations in favor of cannabis cultivation operations. If they have, they have done so in a way that’s highly discreet: Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman, who has campaigned against grows in the Mendocino National Forest since 2010, told the county’s Board of Supervisors this summer that 2014 was the first year his team were unable to find any such “trespass grows” in the forest. “It doesn’t mean there weren’t any,” noted Allman. “We just didn’t locate any at that time.”

Drug war experts are instead explaining the drop in cannabis shipments on a more sophisticated consumer market in the U.S. “Legalization of marijuana for recreational use has given U.S. consumers access to high-quality marijuana, with genetically improved strains, grown in greenhouses,” Raul Benitez-Manaut, a drug war expert at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, told the Post. “That’s why the Mexican cartels are switching to heroin and meth.”

Benitez-Manaut could have added that since almost half of U.S. states have passed some kind of medical marijuana reform, many patients in those states now longer have to resort to illegal channels to obtain their medicine.

While it appears likely that the cartels are pivoting their strategy, it must be remembered that supply is only one side of the equation: demand is at least as important in determining the amount of drugs shipped across the border. This is apparently the reason why, although cartels are stepping up shipments of heroin and methamphetamine to compensate for lost cannabis sales, they have not done the same for another traditional mainstay of their business: cocaine. In the same period that cannabis smuggling interdiction dropped by 37 percent, in fact, cocaine interdictions dropped by over 50 percent - from 27,444 kilograms in 2011 to 11,917 kilograms in 2014. This drop in interdicted shipments follows close on the heels of an estimated 40 percent drop in U.S. demand for cocaine.

Taken together, these figures paint a telling picture of the complex world of global drug economics. While they reveal the promise of how drug policy reform and demand reduction can greatly reduce the power of violent trafficking organizations, they also show how quickly sophisticated traffickers can adjust their tactics. Like a many-headed hydra, these groups are quite capable of producing new income streams to replace any which have been cut off piecemeal.

Source: 420Magazine

3 EDITORIAL

#DRUGSLIVE

Joy. Happiness. Confusion. Anger. Frustration. Enlightenment.

Satisfaction. And a little bit of paranoia. No, I haven't just vaped a bag for the first time with John Snow. I've just finished watching Drugs Live: Cannabis On Trial on Channel 4 and, I have to say, I'm quite surprised at how good it was.

If, like me, you'd seen the viral video of the aforementioned veteran news presenter pulling an almighty whitey after vaping a bag of skunk and hopping into an MRI scanner, then you'd be forgiven for not having high hopes that the programme was going to paint our favourite plant in the best light.

For starters, the term 'On Trial' in the title doesn't carry the best implications and the sweeping generalisation of Cannabis as either hash or skunk that the programme employed is a gross over simplification. However, on the whole it was balanced and informative.

It was also nicely pitched at the casual viewer who arguably won't hold the amount of knowledge on the subject that our readers do and may now be tempted to research the subject further.

For those of you that missed it, the basic premise was a live TV show complete with studio audience presented by Snow and TV rent-a-doc Christian Whatshisname, who introduced various guests and pre recorded segments that debated the difference between good old fashioned 'hash' - with a balanced THC / CBD content - and the modern THC heavy 'skunk' that plagues our tabloid headlines. The airing of the programme was timed nicely (most likely deliberately) with the release of a long term academic study on the differences between hash and skunk and their effects on mental health.

Highlights included; Sir Richard Branson and Professor David Nutt talking an awful lot of sense, a great explanation on the differences between - and the effects of - THC and CBD, an interesting interview with a grower and dealer on the economics of supply and demand of low and high CBD content Cannabis, some genuinely interesting medical findings on the effects of the drug on short term memory functionality and, of course, John Snow throwing a white one, which was both amusing and frustrating in equal measures.

Research Scientist: "Say some words that reflect how you feel now."

John Snow: "Afraid. Jump. Knife."

Even he seemed embarrassed when they cut back to the live studio!

Excellent variety for indoor and closet rooms with limited height.

A powerful aroma, sweet with undertones reminding of fresh paint, developes during the flowering period.

The effect after smoking Motavation is an overwhelming body stonedness, nailing you to the couch while your mind is fueled with a lot of creative ideas.

This hot girl also has strong medicinal properties for pain-relief and relaxation.

Genetics: F1-hybrid, mostly Indica Recommended veg. time seedlings: 5 - 6 weeks Indoor flowering time: 50 - 60 days Indoor yield: 300 - 500 gr/m2 Seed bank: Serious Seeds

Motavation

This short/squad-growing Indica plant is the final creation of a long process of development by the former company Magus Genetics. The parental genetic lines combine old plants like Starwarz and Medizin Power into this ideal indoor plant. A very thick layer of resin glands on the flowers and sugar leaves, makes manucuring less necessary, and gives her a popular presence in every growroom.

Overall, it's one of the few times that the pros and cons of both the drug and the laws surrounding it have been openly debated with fair representation from both sides and it was very satisfying to see Branson and Nutt pushing for a change in the law that would remove the power from the black market and lead to a regulated, safer market with higher CBD content produce being made readily available. An argument that played very nicely into the general theme of the programme; that consuming higher CBD content Cannabis carries far less risk of harm than consuming THC heavy 'skunk' on a daily basis.

One sure fire beneficiary of the programme will be Storz & Bickel, whose Volcano vapouriser received the kind of prime time product placement that Coca Cola and Pepsi would pay thousands for!

So, it's finally happened; a prime time TV discussion of Cannabis that doesn't prompt a ranting editorial from me! If you didn't catch it, then it's well worth a watch.

Happy viewing.

READERS’ MAIL

5

Hey Soft Secrets, This is my completely Veganic Grow and everything is looking JRRG DW WKH PRPHQW -XVW JRLQJ LQWR ZHHN RI ȵRZHULQJ WKH\ DUH PRVWO\ landrace Sativa's so still three or four weeks to go I think. In this picture you can see three Sativa Seeds- Raspberry Cough's on the left, some of the girls leaves are going yellow and purple like autumn. A World of Seeds - Kilimanjaro on the right and a Holy Smoke - Thunderbud is kindly holding Soft Secrets for me. A World of Seeds - Wild Thailand is out of view but you can see a few of her long spiky leaves in the bottom right corner.

Attention Readers!

Fancy a FREE packet of FEMINISED seeds from DINAFEM? Then send us a picture of your grow room or best cannabis plant, including a visible copy of Soft Secrets, and we’ll send you 3 seeds. Should your photo happen to feature your beautiful

7KLV RQH KDG XV OLWHUDOO\ GURROLQJ LQ WKH RɝFH ZH love a good Sativa round these parts. NotoriRXVO\ ORQJ ȵRZHULQJ DQG VRPHWLPHV WHPSHUDPHQWDO D QLFH ELW RI 6DWLYD VPRNH FDQ EH GLɝFXOW WR FRPH E\ WKHVH GD\V <RX VLU DUH FOHDUO\ D FRQQRLVVHXU 9HU\ KHDOWK\ ORRNLQJ SODQWV 6HQG XV VRPH PRUH LQIR RQ \RXU 9HJDQLF IHHGLQJ VFKHGXOH VRXQGV LQWHUHVWLQJ

wife or girlfriend wearing a sexy microbikini or super hot lingerie, you will receive 6 seeds. Photo of the Month will even receive 9 prime quality feminised seeds.

With compliments of Soft Secrets and DINAFEM!

Hi guys, hope you enjoy the pic.

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E-mail your entries to SSUK@softsecrets. nl. NOTE: All entries are handled with the utmost discretion. We don’t publish out of focus pics, and we don’t like photos of plants in veg stage. It’s fat buds & sweet babes we want to see!

E-mail: SSUK@softsecrets.nl

These are Northern lights x Big Bud from World of Seeds. They were grown in a RDWC system using Advanced Nutrients Sensi Bloom & Grow, Bud Candy and Overdrive. Herself wouldn't stand in for the SKRWR VR Ζ WRRN WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ WR VKRZ R΍ my Ganjaman tattoo and costume.

Regards Dr G. Man )DQWDVWLF PDWH <RXȇYH VKRZQ VHULRXV GHGLFDWLRQ ZLWK WKH *DQMDPDQ FRVWXPH DQG WKH WDWWRR MXVW WDNHV WKLQJV WR WKH QH[W OHYHO 6XSHUE ORRNLQJ SODQWV WRR \RX QDLOHG LW 0D\EH WKH PLVVXV ZLOO MRLQ \RX LQ WKH QH[W JURZ SLFWXUH"

6 Two Special Queen #1's, my 3rd grow. I vegged these for 5 weeks under 250w, 18/6hr, and ȵRZHUHG ZHHNV XQGHU Z KU 'RQH LQ VRLO / SRWV ZLWK ZLFNV Ζ RQO\ XVHG 6HQVL Grow & Bloom nutes, and did all this in my wardrobe! Gotta start somewhere! The girls are GRZQ QRZ DQG SURGXFHG R] RI YHU\ UHVLQRXV IDW VWLFN\ EXGV +RSH \RX OLNH P\ SLFV Northern Grower 7KDQNV IRU WKH SLFV PDWH FRQJUDWV RQ SXOOLQJ R΍ VRPH YHU\ QLFH ORRNLQJ EXG -XVW D IHZ ELWV RI DGYLFH WR KHOS \RX RQ \RXU ZD\ $ ZDWW +36 LV D KXJH ODPS WR EH XVLQJ LQ VXFK D VPDOO ZDUGUREH DQG \RXU SODQWV ZLOO KDYH VX΍HUHG IURP WKH LQWHQVH KHDW JHQHUDWHG :KHQ WKH JURZ VSDFH LV VPDOO NHHS \RXU SODQWV VPDOO DQG YHJ WKHP IRU OHVV WLPH :KHQ \RXU SODQWV DUH VKRUWHU LQ KHLJKW \RX ZRQȇW QHHG WKH SHQHWUDWLRQ RI D Z ODPS 1H[W WLPH YHJ WKHP IRU ZHHNV DQG WKHQ ȵRZHU WKHP XQGHU D Z +36 7KH ODPS ZLOO SURGXFH IDU OHVV KHDW DQG \RX FDQ SODFH LW FORVHU WR WKH SODQWV <RX FRXOG HYHQ ȴW DQRWKHU FRXSOH RI SODQWV LQ WKHUH DV \RXȇOO EH NHHSLQJ WKHP VPDOO *RRG OXFN

7KRXJKW \RX PLJKW OLNH WR VHH P\ ȴUVW JURZ 7KLV LV ΖFH DQG ΖFH ERPE *URZQ XQGHU D 600w HPS and both fed Canna Aqua with Cannazym, Vitalink Buddy and PK 13/14. Grow method was NFT on the right and, after reading your article, a 15L hempy bucket on the left, which ended up taking the majority of space in my tent. The top bud was as tall as me! I've started another grow of Ice this time with two hempy buckets, another NFT and 'main-line' training to combat the height and damp conditions in England.

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Hi SS, 7KLV ZDV D R] SODQW 2%9Ζ286/< '5< <HV R] R΍ one plant! Please see the pictures (not trying to sound cocky, but don’t believe it still myself).

So here comes the details...

Sensi Seeds – Jack Herer from a clone; she was started in DQ OWU SRW ȴOOHG ZLWK FOD\ SHEEOHV WRS IHG IRU ZHHNV before putting her onto an NFT system and feeding from the bottom tray using Nanogen full nutrient range.

Vegged for 3 months and used to provide cuttings for this period hence the size. Veg was under a 250watt MH with CO2 enrichment. Flowered for 9 weeks, with 1 DGGLWLRQDO ZHHN IRU ȵXVK XQGHU [ ZDWW +36 DQG D Phillips D-Papillon 315w, plus CO2 enrichment. The NFT tray had become a massive 3inch thick slab of healthy roots after just a few weeks! I’m not a novice nor am I an expert grower, but what I will say is this... you get out what you put in. Spend the money, get the environment the best you can, spend the time and give plenty of ORYH \RX ZLOO VHH WKH EHQHȴWV Big shout to Julian and the guys for all their help... you know who you are! It’s taken me an hour to write all this and cost me £100 to get my Mrs in the pictures so please, please put in!

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HeMp & aLtErNaTiVe tRaDe sHoW, mUsIc fEsTiVaL aNd cAmPiNg @ PeTeRbOrOuGh ArEnA 27tH - 28tH JuNe 2015 wWw.pRoDuCtEaRtHeXpO.cOm

STRAIN REPORT Delicious seeds have produced some fine genetics over the years, I am particularly fond of their Northern Light Blue auto, but with the arrival of their La Diva, a cross of their rapid auto Il Diavolo and a Blueberry which produces a plant with a surprising new aroma and taste, whilst maintaining a quick flowering time of around 49 days, well I had to check this strain and see just how things turned out.

By Packed Nicely These seeds were no slouches when it came to germination and within a day of being introduced to water, warmth and darkness the two seeds were readily displaying their initial roots. It wasn't long until they were being transferred to Root Riot cubes and placed back into the propagator until they sprouted upward and threw out their cotyledon leaves. At this point they were both potted up into small 0.37L pots with lightmix soil, a good choice at this early stage of development.

Delicious Seeds recommend using light feeding for this strain and so when the time was right, these plants were re-potted into 11L square pots using Bio-Bizz Light Mix soil and then a feeding schedule was adopted that consisted of Growth Technology's Ionic Soil Grow and Bloom, with the addition of Essentials Bio Plus to encourage rooting and stave off any

9

La Diva A LITTLE BEAUTY

stress from re-potting.

The lighting regime was covered by a Maxibright Digilight 250w ballast and a compatible dual spectrum Sunmaster bulb set to provide 18.5 hours of light. The ventilation for this grow was provided by a Vents TT 100mm fan pulling air through a 100mm Rhino Hobby carbon filter. They were accommodated by a Hortilab 80 tent. One of the main letdowns of these smaller tents on the market is the drop in height that we often see associated with a shortening in length and width. This tent has a height constraint of 160cm and the addition of the extra 20cm as found in say; the Growlab 80 tent, can be gratefully utilised by most growers.

These plants grew relatively quickly and within 20 days they were teeming with leaves and pushing out a profusion of healthy, sturdy lateral branches. It was at this point that the plants began to grow in height in order to accommodate their future budding.

Also at this time in their development a difference in height became most evident between the two plants, with one reaching almost double the height of the other and also being a wider, less compact looking plant. It was only a few days from this point before there were the first perceivable signs of flower initiation. The temperature and humidity throughout the grow varied, with a period of around a week where temperatures were rising to around 28°c, a point where the additional CO2 supplied by and Exhale CO2 Bag would have come into its own. After this short period of time however, the temperature dropped and from then, remained within a more suitable level. I can't say I saw any sign of stress from either of the plants during this temperature rise and things still seemed to be head-

ing toward a positive result.

These La Diva beauties went into full swing, producing flowers with glorious white pistils, showing themselves at each bud site and they were increasing nicely in number. A process that was helped along by the addition of Dutch Pro Explode, utilised as a bloom booster. The advances that have been made with autoflowering genetics in

the last few years has been impressive.

Larger yields, tastier bud and faster flowering and La Diva plays its own small part in this story and continues to accentuate the fact. There appear to be at least two phenotypes of this quaint and quick strain, one taller than the other, with the smaller of the two being a very neat and compact plant, which in this particular grow produced a fraction more in yield. The buds on both plants had very healthy distributions of trichombs, giving a nice white frosting effect.

After harvesting the plants and looking at them hanging and drying, it was rather remarkable to consider the yields and to think that it had been achieved in just 56 days from seed to harvest. Okay, it was a little over the time of 49 days as stated on the package, but not enough to be of any concern and the resin-coated buds produced by these plants was

rather impressive, all things considered, especially the 250w lighting.

So once the harvest had been dried there was a return of 50.8g and 50.6g respectively, which was most pleasing indeed. These buds were dense and had a delightfully strong fruity/berry bouquet emanating from them, it really is a pleasant scent...but what of the smoke? Well, that in itself is a pleasure to behold, the aroma of this strain comes on though to the palate as a mouth-watering taste, with the high having a dual effect, fast and furious on the brain and also later as she has had more time to take effect, giving somewhat of a couch lock feeling. Oh and let us certainly not forget, it also seems to give a case of the munchies too, so snacks at the ready!

I had initially looked toward this plant as having a high potential as a bit of a quick-yielding filler, you know, one that would fill that occasional gap in the grow room, but following the grow, I realise that this strain should be credited with a much higher accolade. On the whole I was far more impressed with this Delicious Seeds strain than I had expected to be and should also say that everyone that was fortunate enough to have sampled her was very suitably impressed.

"What? Just 56 Days? From start to finish? Wow, what a beauty!"

10

GROW WITH GOLGI

GARDEN TOYS Successful gardeners spend as much time tending to their plants as they do hanging out with their best friends. So it’s no wonder we are always looking for cool new gadgets and devices that can not only improve grow room processes, but that are just plain cool! Visually, your grow room can be stunning, why not enhance your view with a few grow room toys!

Running the traditional full cycle lights means using a separate vegetative and flowering bulb.

With the MH (Metal Halide) vegetative bulb being blue in color and the HPS (High Pressure Sodium) flowering bulb being bright red/orange in color. The vegetative light is closer to daylight in spectrum, ranging from 4000-7000k, and gives you somewhat of a clear view of your room with only a faint blue hue. When you’re in full bloom under a bright red/orange bulb however, seeing the details of your plants can be difficult because the tint the light in the 2000-3000 Kelvin range gives off makes everything look yellow. We can alter our view with a pair of grow room sunglasses from Method Seven Optics.

Method Seven has developed HPS sunglasses that filter out and balance the hues of orange/red in HPS light. They have also developed lenses that provide color balancing for all different spectrums of light, not just HPS, as well as filter out the harmful UV A&B rays we are all subject to in our indoor gardens. Going one step further, they also remove UVC rays which normally are filtered out of sunlight by the upper atmosphere, but in our indoor gardens where we don’t have this natural filtration, so these rays still pose a hazard to us under grow lighting. A pair of these glasses will run you 70-150 Euros depending on what kind of added protection you want on top of the basic HPS filtering, and if you wear prescription glasses you can get a pair of clip-ons for around 52 Euros.

If you are an LED grower then your room can contain a rainbow of visible colors, dropping all spectrums of deep blue, blood red or a mixed purple hue onto your plants. For this Method Seven has developed the LED Optics glasses, which use nylon lenses to provide absorption of the broad LED spectrum.

If even the littlest of color change hinders your view, then you can get their MH (Metal Halide) optics glasses, these are silver coated to balance the colors under your blue hue of MH bulbs. Both the MH and LED versions of shades will run you about 70 Euros a pair.

While owning a pair or two of these garden sunglasses is a must in my book, the real buy from Method Seven are their new photo filters.

They utilize the same lens filtering technology found in their sunglasses but fitted into a camera lens attachment that fits onto most cameras.

These allow you to take clear pictures that aren’t tainted by the lights you happen to be using to grow under. Necessary for capturing the best eye catching views of your buds. Let’s face it we don’t want to let everyone into our grow room but we do want to show off how juicy our nuggets are.

By Golgi Apparatus

Method Seven has 2 camera filters available now for HPS lights and LED lights.

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Another cool garden visual aid gadget is the wireless IR camera. These are mountable or can be placed stationary and come in a few different shapes and sizes. These cameras hook into your internet connection wirelessly or with a direct Ethernet cable. Using a login and password to access it is not required but it is highly recommend it to keep access to the view safe and secure.

Some of the basic features; they can take still snapshots or record video, they have optional speaker and microphone ports, movement 340 degrees rotation side to side and 90 degrees rotation up and own. It even has night vision that uses an Infrared LED flash to illuminate the room, giving you viewability even at night during your dark cycle. Last but not least they have motion detection that can start recording or snap a photo anytime the motion sensor is activated.

Not only do they come with a manufacturer’s desktop program to control your cameras but they even have a smart phone app that lets you view and control them from anywhere you are in the world. Being able to check in on things gives you complete peace of mind even when you’re away.

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If you are an outdoor grower you can take a slightly different approach to keeping an eye on your grow spot, even when you plant way out in the middle of nowhere, by using a field or hunting camera. Similar to the IR camera it also has Infra red night vision and motion detection.

You won’t be finding any WIFI connections in most remote locations so instead it uses an SD card for memory that holds all the images it collects.

Then when you arrive to your spot you can pop it into your phone or tablet to view the contents.

The higher end models will have larger memory and sometimes even a small LCD viewing screen.

It’s a surefire way to see who (or what) else knows about your secret outdoor garden.

Everything on your plants is not always visible to the naked eye, that’s why the USB microscope is next on my list of visual aids. Everyone is probably familiar with the lighted microscopes (30x or 60x-100x magnification), they only average about 15 Euros and are battery operated, handheld and have a focus wheel to adjust your view. The USB microscope is an amped up version of that. The model that we would need costs about 40-65 Euros with a magnification range anywhere from 5-500x with just a touch of a button. It plugs directly into the USB port on your computer and has a snap button for capturing a picture of what you see in your view finder. These are super useful in all cycles of growth for seeking out spider mites or other small plant anomalies, but mostly at harvest time giving you the best view of your trichromes you will ever see!

Our ability to see every inch of our plants is crucial to learning everything you possible can about their health and care. That’s why sight is the sense that I end up buying gadgets to enhance the most.

STRAIN REPORT

12

CRITICAL 2.0

AN AUTO-FLOWERING, HIGH QUALITY STRAIN Critical Auto is among Dinafem’s flagships for the excellent quality of its genetics and its wide acceptance among consumers. As one of the first auto-flowering strains to be put on the market, it served as a base to introduce auto-flowering in other later varieties, such as J. Searcher Cheese Auto or Widow Auto.

After several successful seasons of Critical 1.0, Dinafem’s engineers devoted themselves to improving its genetics.

The secret base

For the first time and on an exclusive basis, Soft Secrets could visit the secret site of Dinafem where Critical Auto is produced.

On our mission, we had to spend several hours in the mountains and cross a border as an indispensible measure to safeguard the integrity and security of this enclave.

On arriving at the production site, nothing would give away its actual use. It was only when a backdoor lead us to a secret place that we discovered several growing rooms dedicated to the creation and selection of Critical 2.0, as well as tents for germination and early growth.

A distinctive feature of this site is its functionality.

Plants would get anything they need, without the typical attention to detail of more modest crops.

The selected growing medium is coconut shell watered with a hydroponic fertiliser in two parts.

Dr Kush in one of the growing rooms for auto-flowering plants

The indoor space is designed to host large square pots of the type normally used with earth substrates. The solution is quite simple, i.e. pots are filled with a coconut shell substrate only at the bottom, while the remaining space is left clear. Fertilisers are mixed with water in large tanks, used as fertiliser reservoirs, and pumped from here to the dropper lines positioned over pots, nutrients are also released as planned. Large exhaust fans fitted with carbon filters remove vitiated air from the room, there are also several floor and wall-mounted fans to remove indoor air.

The whole system is connected to an Intelligent Crop Controller, a special unit that the controls temperature, humidity and irrigation parameters.

Indeed, a simple but effective system.

A matter of statistics

The final result can only be obtained with a great deal of perseverance and courage, following a lengthy process of discarding individual plants in various phases. Statistics show there is just one way forward to achieve good-quality auto-flowering strains, i.e. working with large quantities of plants to increase the chance of obtaining a few outstanding individuals to be used as genetic base.

From a first-generation line, more than 1000 plants can normally germinate, one third of which are removed if they show signs of malformation or weakness in the early weeks of their life. Selection continues during growth and

13

the first part of flowering by discarding plants that are visibly problematic, including late growers or those not matching the phenotype sought. Out of the 500 remaining plants, half are removed as their gender becomes apparent; about 250 females will therefore be left after this first selection. Other reasons for the immediate discarding of plants are visible signs of hermaphroditism or intersexuality, as the genetic pool should exclude hermaphrodite individuals. As a result, generation after generation, the grower’s persistence and ability to select plants will bear fruit with the stabilisation of all desired characteristics.

8 generations of plants

This project started in the early days of auto-flowering plants with the inbreeding of Roadrunner – Dinafem’s first auto-flowering line – with the famous Critical Bilbo clone. Only a small percentage of auto-flowering individuals were obtained from this early inbred strain.

These individuals were in turn crossed with each other to create the second generation.

The second generation was open-pollinated and the best females were selected on a comparison basis. At this stage, auto-flowering features were more apparent and the best auto-flowering individuals were selected to source seeds for the third generation. On selecting the third generation, special care was taken to choose the desired features. In this phase as many as 75% of plants were auto-flowering, raising to 99% in the fourth generation. Among them, the best plants were selected to be in turn used to pollinate others and therefore create the first batch of Critical Auto 1.0 seeds to be put on the market, which were highly appreciated among growers.

The marketing of this strain was a great opportunity for the Dinafem team. Nevertheless, they did not rest on their laurels. Quite the opposite! They started the full process all over again. The first crossing they made was between Critical 1.0 and the elite Critical Bilbo clone to create the fifth generation, with almost no auto-flowering features. This plant was then further selected and crossed to obtain the sixth generation, g , where auto-flowering individuals rose up to 25% of the total. The seventh generation already presented a majority of autoflowering plants, or 75%, growin growing ng to 99% in the eighth generatio generation on first ultimately used for the firs rstt batch of Critical 2.00 seeds to be put on o the market.

Plant pots are watered by overhead irrigation lines

Conclusions

As one of the originators of this new line puts it, “Initially these plants were nothing but oregano, I would never be tempted to smoke them. Critical 1.0 already proved to be a better plant. I now see these buds growing and they look so good that I am craving for a joint made with them, flowers are big and highly resinous and their appearance is quite close to the original Critical.”

Indeed the outstanding feature of this strain is its great resemblance, in appearance and taste, to the original Critical, with which it shares several characteristics ranging from its large buds generating twice the number of branches to its scarce foliage similar to that of a Sativa, with compound leaves made up of elongated and narrow leaflets. Flowers are big and very sticky, with a sweet taste to be even perceived by smelling live plants. Stone is strong and quite physical but somewhat balanced. It will slightly relax you without leaving you numb.

Despite their close resemblance to the original Critical Bilbo phenotype, the first Critical 2.0 plants to be grown, harvested and tasted came as a real surprise with their incredible, very sweet taste and earthy notes. Another inherited characteristic is their overwhelming g g for several taste on the ppalate lingering minutes, leaving a slightly sticky feeling in the mouth, as if you have been sucking on candy.

Fo the first time ever, an auto-flowering For strain straain can boast the merit of presenting a st clea cl arly Critical taste. The typical Critical clearly ccharacteristics ch a acteristics can even be perceived ar eearlier arl r ier in its smell, but will be fully aappreciated ap preciated in its great taste, well w ell above that of Critica Critical c l

Auto 1.0, which makes the early auto-flowering strains pale into insignificance.

For experienced growers of auto-flowering plants, the progress made from the early Roadrunner to the current Critical 2.0 looks incredible for the continuous improvements made down the years. Life of growers is now made easier. All you need to do is buy a pack of Critical 2.0 and be astonished with its top quality!

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Type: Indica / Sativa Flowering time: 60-65 days indoors Outdoors: 10th of October (n.L.) Suitable environment: Indoors. Outdoors between 50º n.L. and 50º s.L. Yield up to: 500 g per m2 in SOG indoors 500-800 g per plant outdoors Effect: cerebral, trippy Flavour: fruity, sweet THC: *** CBD: *

Nebula® “starcloud” Bred in 1996, this variety received the name for its stellar qualities.

Nebula has an open structure that is excellent for indoor farming where the plants perform with optimal results in a sea-of-green set-up.

It does well in hydro, coco or soil indoors. Nebula stretches slightly, but produces obese buds when placed under lots of light. Like the name suggests, the “starcloud” twinkles with the coating of THC glands, which are bound to take you into the realms of space…

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16

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Ganja and Guns: a bad combination

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Recently, I was sent a news story by a colleague of mine. It involved a bodybuilder type, and a police investigation into the theft of gym equipment in the north of England that led them to the door of this guy. It transpired that he had indeed committed the theft, so the police busted him.

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What's this got to do with weed. you're probably wondering? Well, while searching his house, they found a cannabis farm capable of putting out £1.5 million worth of weed a year (police estimate), so they busted him for that as well.

The concerning part of this, however, is that they also found an unlicensed shotgun and over 800 rounds of ammunition for - get this - a Kalashnikov machine gun.

There was a similar story regarding a different case with police raiding a house and finding a "pipe bomb making factory". They also found a cannabis farm in the house.

Personally, I find this overlap between dope and (potentially extreme) violence somewhat worrying, while being simultaneously pleased that neither of the individuals arrested appear to have the brains they were born with.

Unless I'm totally out of the loop on this, one of the basic tenets of growing weed in a country where weed is a banned or controlled substance is "keep one's head down and don't draw undue attention to oneself", right?

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Back in the mists of time, when I still did a lot of "hands on" research into this kind of thing, I interviewed a pretty successful mid-level grower. During the course of our discussion, the issue of cannabis growers and links to organised crime came up. The guy told me that, while he was affiliated with a loose group of like-minded independent growers, and that this could probably be interpreted by the law as "organised" criminality, the reality of it was that they veered more towards "disorganised crime". None of them were involved in anything shady beyond their horticultural pursuits (which is why none of them to my knowledge were ever busted), and there was absolutely no question of weaponry of any sort being possessed or even required, such was the nature of the people they dealt with. If anyone was burned or ripped off, then the others simply closed ranks and refused to supply to the offender until the matter was resolved: no need for even the threat of violence.

In fact, I'd have to say that -horticultural activities aside - the majority of the growers (and dealers, come to that) were/are violence-averse law abiding citizens for whom the above sort of antics would be regarded as highly uncool.

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It's very rare for me to say what I'm about to say when it comes to seizures and arrests involving the herb, but good on the police for taking these two genius's out of circulation. Getting stoned is a nice, pleasant thing to do (for most people), distributed by (mostly) pleasant enough people looking to make a living; what's most definitely not needed in the marketplace are gun-toting/pipe bomb making psychopaths with an eye on a quick buck muscling in on the market.

I know that the illegality of weed combined with its considerable money making potential will inevitably attract the hoodlum element, and that - a lot of the time - they bring a big element of mayhem to the party. One of the problems here is that this kind of thing - guns and what have you - tends to beget more of the same, and suddenly everyone is tooled up; either that or all of the growers and dealers with no appetite for that kind of carry on retire, leaving the business in the hands of money grabbing gangsters.

And that's a thought I for one find intolerable.

Dr Dee http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-30922822

CLASSIC STRAINS

Skunk #1

17

Sativa Diva

Skunk #1, a true-bred variety that revolutionised Cannabis history, is more ubiquitous, successful and widespread than nearly any other commercial strain.

Strain Name: Breeder: Genetics: Origins: Flowering: Outdoor Harvest:

The Pure (original Skunk #1) Flying Dutchmen 75% sativa / 25% indica Colombian x Mexican x Afghan 8 weeks 56 days or mid- to late September

into the first true-bred, pure Dutch Cannabis hybrid around 1984.

From Sacred Seeds to Mar Mar to the Seed Bank and then the Flying Dutchmen, Eddy's breeding project had forever changed the weed growing game. The Skunk #1 had become the archetypal strain for specially-selected genetics that people could not only successfully grow, but also could predict the outcome, due to its stability.

Skunk #1 is one of the first-ever commercial Cannabis hybrids. This original super strain was selected from over twenty-thousand plants and its greenhouse origins mean that Skunk can be grown indoors or out-, in nearly all climates, as it can adjust to either synthetic or natural light cycles. The optimal blend of Colombian, Mexican and Afghani genetics, Skunk #1 is a pure, true-bred strain, combining all of the best attributes of these landrace varieties. This made such genetics more stable, accessible and far easier to grow and control, in addition to the grower being able to predict elements such as effect, flavour, yield and finishing time.

It is not uncommon to recognize Skunk phenotypes in gardens from thousands of different seed labels. In fact, the strain had such an impact on the early commercial hybrid scene that, to date, most decent indoor buds in the United Kingdom are referred to as “Skunk,” even if they are of no genetic relation. The name has become synonymous with potent indoor nuggets, rather than gentler outdoor buds or weak ditch weed.

History of the Origins of Skunk #1 Before everyone could buy weed seeds online and grow their own, the international Cannabis industry was very different. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, most of the home-grown pot was from bag seed tossed in personal gardens or open fields. Everything changed when certain skilled growers became breeders, collecting cultivars and landrace varieties from around the globe and bringing them home to grow out, stabilise and hybridise.

At around this time, several of the heaviest hitters in the scene came together to produce one of the most famous and influential strains of all time – Skunk #1. An American called Sam the Skunk Man had hand-collected seeds from many cultivars from around the world and took them to Holland in the mid-1970s, along with some new crosses, such as the Skunk #1. This sparked a union of Dutch and American efforts that revolutionised the industry and incited countless new breeding projects.

Once in the hands of a most prodigious and adept breeder called Skunk #1 Eddy, these carefullycollected bush seeds were grown out in various locations across the Netherlands, including massive greenhouses, allowing for the harnessing of nature's light cycles and a protected environment in which to select the most interesting genetics.

By selecting from literally thousands of plants, the Skunk #1 was stabilised

Skunk #1 Cultivation, Phenotypes and Effect

Skunk plants are easy for beginners to cultivate and are a favourite among those with limited space.

Colombian genetics usually produce tall, thin, graceful plants with wide internodal spacing and grassy, haze-style buds; Mexican genes temper this tendency to stretch while maintaining the clear, spacey high indicative of landrace sativas. The long Colombian flowering period is also reduced when combined with Mexican sativa, but the Afghani father is primarily responsible for the short and stocky stature, eightweek flowering time and high-yielding attributes of the Skunk #1.

Skunk plants are generally very sturdy, forgiving and vigorous, tending to resist stress. Central stocks are thick and strong, allowing for an impressive yield. Skunk plants can be easily grown in all types of set-ups with absolute ease and respond extremely well to removing the central cola to promote lateral branching and increased flower production. Super-cropping and topping or FIMming yield excellent results; all of this reliability and durability is due to the true-bred or pure nature of the original Skunk #1 and explains its ubiquity and longevity throughout the international Cannabis scene.

Most Skunk #1 crops can be kept

short and bushy. For such a sativadominant strain, Skunk grows like an indica. Nodal spacing is relatively compact but allows for good air flow.

Leaves are medium-sized to large yet minimal and appear golden- to medium green. Colas are bulbous, thick, heavy and super-dense, showcasing reddish to orange pistils, limited top leaves and abundant calyxes attached by myriad tiny lateral branches, one hallmark of the strain.

Another clue that Skunk genetics are in hand is that one small bud of this strain “expands” after a pass through a grinder, puffing out into a full load of pungent smoke.

The citrusy, floral flavour is offset by a spicy, heady, recognisable scent, neither of which resemble typical Afghani tones. The effect is powerful, as the body and mind are both stimulated by the seventy-five percent sativa content, which is balanced and tempered by the twentyPot of Gold five percent indica content. Not a creeper, the powerful effect of the original Skunk #1 maintains a comfortable plateau throughout its lengthy duration.

Hybrids Related to Skunk #1

Until around eight to ten years ago, it would be a conservative estimate to suggest that as much as sixty percent of commercial Cannabis hybrids contained at least a little bit of Skunk #1. Some of these are combinations of Skunk #1 and Afghani, such as Super Skunk from Sensi Seed Bank, or Big Buddha's Cheese, which offers a more pungent version of the traditional smell, with heavier citrus notes and an almost acrid undertone, a result of its higher Afghani content.

Others reveal their Skunk heritage through their flavour, appearance, scent and effect. Orange Bud is an early variety that offers a similar bud structure, taste and effect to Skunk #1, while old-school classic Warlock from Magus Genetics also has a strong Skunk heritage.

Since an original pure Skunk was used in all original Flying Dutchmen crosses, helping to tame difficult genetics, those seeking the ease of Skunk #1 cultivation will experience similar success with Pot of Gold (Hindu Kush x Skunk #1), Dutchmen’s Royal Orange (California Orange x Skunk #1) or Aurora B. (Northern Lights x Skunk #1) from the legendary label.

20

STRAIN REPORT

Frisian Duck Name: Frisian Duck Breeder: Dutch Passion Origins: Frisian Dew x Genebank Ducksfoot Flowering: Around 8 weeks Outdoor Harvest: Late September (Northern hemisphere). phere) Late March (Southern Hemisphere)

Frisian Duck is one of the strangest looking cannabis varieties ever developed by Dutch Passion, it’s a stealth variety with webbed leaves which make it difficult to identify as cannabis. Our customers have been asking for a hardy incognito variety for decades, now the outdoor and greenhouse growers have something that looks more like a nettle.

It’s a cross of our outdoor number-one best seller Frisian Dew with a carefully selected gene bank ‘Ducksfoot’ cultivar.

By Tony, Dutch Passion

The Ducksfoot hybridisation with Frisian Dew, and the selective breeding over many generations has produced Frisian Duck. Its a variety which shows the best of both parents; tough enough for outdoor growing in Northern Europe or extreme southern-hemisphere latitudes together with webbed leaves to provide the unique ability to make it look like any other wild plant which you might walk straight past and never notice. The breeding to create Frisian Duck took several years but the result was worth it and shows the remarkable talents of some real ‘Masters at Work’. Most of the leaves are webbed and stay that way often into the end stages of flowering. The webbing on the leaves is a strange genetic anomaly which gives the leaves a similar appearance to the shape of a ducks foot.

Whilst most people would recognise the distinctive shape and iconic outline of a normal cannabis leaf they would fail to recognise Frisian Duck as a cannabis plant. Even experienced growers initially found

THE CANNABIS VARIETY THAT YOU COULD WALK STRAIGHT PAST AND NOT RECOGNISE it hard to believe that this was actually cannabis. This makes Frisian Duck the perfect choice for people that grow in an urban back garden, patio, balcony or greenhouse and want the added camouflage provided by the webbed leaf which resembles the squashed shape of a ducks foot.

Outdoor growers will find that the Frisian Duck plants are easy to hide

21

and that is the real beauty of this variety, whether you are growing in n the countryside, riverbanks, your garden or the greenhouse.

The cannabis buds on Frisian Duck grow in the normal way; they look, smell and taste just like normal cannabis. The effects are the same, this is a good quality smoke. Often the buds may show some beautiful blue colours. Outdoors she is ready around the end of September in the northern hemisphere or the end of March in the southern hemisphere. In Europe she can survive the Dutch outdoor climate and will also do very well in a greenhouse or polytunnel, growing ng into a christmas-tree shaped plant. In good conditions she can reach h 2-3 metres high. Yields are average or slightly above average, but quality of the cannabis is good - a strong sativa high with a spicy taste ste and hints of pine/citrus. Yields can be heavy, and obviously once the he plant has reached harvest point the blooms will look and smell famil-iar, but by this point the plant is almost ready to harvest.

Frisian Duck can also be grown indoors like a normal feminized photoperiod variety. Flowering begins when the lights are switched to 12/12, just like normal. Indoors the leaves also have the webbed ‘ducks foot’ shape. Because the strong cannabis aroma is the same as traditional cannabis this variety will still need carbon filters for indoor grows.

Frisian Duck has been one of Dutch Passions most unusual, and most difficult, breeding challenges. Since Dutch Passion began in the 1980’s one of the most common customer requests has been for a cannabis variety which people could grow without the traditional cannabis leaf shape. These requests for an easy-to-hide cannabis variety have come from outdoor/greenhouse growers wanting a cannabis variety that you could walk straight past and simply fail to recognise. And thats the real beauty of this variety - the natural camouflage given by the unusual leaf shape reduces the chance of discovery and therefor maximises the chance of a harvest. People that were reluctant to grow a cannabis plant in the corner of their garden, or the countryside, will feel that the odds have now been tipped significantly in their favour.

A Frisian Duck will look great among the tomato plants in the greenhouse. And with her beautiful purple colours a Frisian Duck would be perfect in the flower bed next to your flowering shrubs. In the countryside, hills, river banks and fields this is a variety which will naturally blend into the background. Frisian Duck does not mind being trained (tied down) to keep her short, she can also be topped and will respond with a bushier and shorter structure.

Even experienced cannabis growers found it hard to believe the appearance of the plants. Without the distinctive cannabis leaf shape the whole plant is simply unrecognisable and melts into the background vegetation. Frisian Duck offers something special and unique for the self sufficient urban cannabis grower. Its a typical Dutch Passion style project, creating something that is new and offering the home grower even more convenient ways to grow their own cannabis. We hope you find somewhere to grow one this summer.

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ED ROSENTHAL

From Water HashHow It All Works READY-MADE BAGS

Purple Emergency bubble.

Photo: Nadim Sabella Photography

HOW WATER HASH WORKS The water hash method uses a combination of water, ice, and agitation to separate glands from the plant material. Ice, water, and plant material are placed in a bucket that has been lined with bags. These filtration bags are similar to the screens used in making kief. They filter the glands by micron size, separating the trash from the hash. A micron is one-millionth of a meter, or .001 millimeters. The material is stirred to knock the trichomes free. Plant material is trapped and floats in the top bag, while the glands, which are heavy and sink, are collected in the lower bag.

:DWHU KDVK ; PDJQLȴFDWLRQ

:DWHU KDVK ; PDJQLȴFDWLRQ Photos: Steep Hill Halent

Ready-made systems use multiple bags that sort the glands into grades.

Unlike kief making, the material is separated in one step rather than through repeated sieving. Usually the material is processed once. Some commercial hash makers process it a second time to capture more of the THC. The ice serves a dual purpose, as an agitator against which the material is rubbed, and to make the material very cold, so the glands and the plant material remain brittle. After the material is agitated in ice water, it is allowed to settle. Then the bags are separated, and the glands are removed from each one. After the water hash is dried, it is ready to smoke. (See the “Ask Ed Grow Tip: Hash Making” video on YouTube.)

Bubble Hash (water).

Photo: Ed Rosenthal

The Ice-O-Lator Mila Jansen’s first invention was the Pollinator. Her interest in improving hash-making methods also led her to develop the ready-made water extraction system called the Ice-O-Lator.

According to Mila, experiments with a water process did not yield much, literally, until a product called the ([WUDFWRU ZDV UHOHDVHG LQ $IWHU WU\LQJ LW RXW 0LOD FDUULHG WKH ([WUDFWRU for a short time in her sales line. While this machine was a conceptual breakthrough in water hash processing, the Extractors that were sold had mechanical difficulties and left Mila dealing with unhappy customers who had broken-down systems within a year.

This led Mila to experiment with her own design, using the principles by which the Extractor worked. She created a simpler, manual system The Ice-O-Lator agitates the that is called the Ice-O-Lator. This vegetation in ice bag system first became available water to remove in 1998. It has since been refined glands. and expanded to include three standard sizes that can process 200 Photo: Pollinator to 1200 grams of material at a time, plus a travel Ice-O-Lator and a large system that can be used in the washing machine. Pollinator also makes its own washing machines in ILYH JDOORQ OLWHU DQG WZHQW\ JDOORQ OLWHU VL]HV The Ice-O-Lator bag system consists of two bags, which line a sealable bucket of the appropriate size. Ice and water are added and then the dried material is placed in the bucket. A standard kitchen mixer affixed through the bucket’s lid agitates the material. The top bag holds all of the vegetative matter. Glands filter through the silk screen of the first bag and collect in the finer screen of the second bag. The remaining water in the bucket will have particulate vegetative matter, including some nutrients that make it good for watering houseplants or vegetable gardens.

Bubble Bags Bubble Bags are the design of Fresh Headies in Canada. Bubbleman, the head hash master of Fresh Headies, has traveled extensively, spreading the good word on water hash. He can also be found moderating in online forums on this topic.

Bubble Bags are available in onegallon (0.38-liter), five-gallon (19-liter), DQG WZHQW\ JDOORQ OLWHU VL]HV 7KH two larger sizes can be bought as a three-bag or eight-bag filtration system. The eight-bag system separates hash into finer categories. The size difference between just-ripe THC glands and overly mature or prema- %XEEOH %DJV FUHDWH GL΍HUHQW JUDGHV RI ture ones allows them to be sepa- ZDWHU KDVK WKURXJK D VHULHV RI ȴQHU DQG ȴQHU VFUHHQV IURP WR PLFURQV rated into grades.

Photo: Fresh Headies Bubble Bags work in a similar but slightly modified way from the Ice-OLator system. First, the coarse filter bag is secured in a bucket, and the water, ice, and plant material are added. The material is agitated using a kitchen mixer or a drill with a paint-mixing attachment. After the material settles, the starter

24 bag is pulled out and squeezed. The bulk of the plant material now held in this bag is set aside. This material can be processed again. The resulting product will be lower grade, suitable for cooking. Line the empty bucket with the additional bags. The finest bag goes in first, so it will be on the bottom. The green water is poured into the bucket, lined with the filtering bags. Pull the bags out one by one, and collect the material in the bottom of each one. Allow the kief to dry. Toss the water out or use it for watering plants.

Homemade Bags It is possible to make your own bags, or to make a smaller amount of water hash without using bags at all. To make bags, acquire silk screen in the appropriate mesh size. Standard silk-screen material is available in several size increments between the desired 100 to 150 strands per 25.4 mm.

The screen must be attached to a tightly woven, water-resistant material (nylon works well) so that the silk screen forms the bottom of the bag. Multiple bags can be made with different screening levels in the 50- to 150-micron range for separating the water hash by quality.

The finest screen produces the purest hash. Multiple bags should be designed to fit inside one another, with the finest mesh bag being the largest, and the coarsest mesh bag being the smallest. A separate bag made for coarse filtering (200–250-micron-sized gaps) is also good for separating out the bulk of the vegetation in the first phase. This bag should line the bucket. It does not get layered with the other bags, so it should be as large as the bucket allows.

2.27 kg of frozen grass is cut using a very sharp knife The grass is placed in a 114-liter bucket

7KH EXFNHW LV ȴOOHG WR DERXW FP DERYH WKH grass with cold water.

Then add 6.8 kg of ice.

THE BUCKET METHOD The essentials of the water hash method are the same, whether using a ready-made system or working from your own homemade bags.

Equipment ȏ Ice ȏ Cold water ȏ Hydrogen peroxide ȏ 2 buckets with at least one lid ȏ Dried trim/bud/leaf material ȏ Handheld mixer or drill with paint-mixing attachment ȏ Ready-made bag system or homemade bags ȏ Long rubber gloves ȏ Large towel ȏ Roll of paper towels ȏ Spoon or plastic card

Platinum Diesel Water Hash.

Photo: Nadim Sabella Photography

Method First, the buckets and equipment should be cleaned and sterilized. Mix 295 mL of 3% hydrogen peroxide per liter of water to make a rinse.

If you are using a bag in the first round, place this bag in the bucket. Add equal amounts of ice and water until the bucket is two-thirds full. Add the prepared plant material. Wearing the long rubber gloves, use your hands to submerse it evenly in the ice water. Up to 100 g of plant material can be used in a 19-liter bucket. If a kitchen mixer is being used, holes are punched in a bucket lid to accommodate the mixing attachments. This keeps the material from sloshing out while it is being agitated. It also allows the mixer to run hands-free.

Using the tool of choice (kitchen mixer or drill with paint-mixing attachment), agitate the material for 15 minutes, and then allow the mixture to settle. If using a ready-made system, the speed recommended in the instructions should be used. As a general rule of thumb, lower speeds work well when mixing amounts under 19 liters. Medium to high speeds are better when using a system that is 19 liters or larger. As it is mixed, the material becomes frothy. You may want to remove the suds before recommencing. Blend the material up to four times for 15 minutes at a time. Mixing the material more times produces higher yields, but also results in more particulate vegetative matter. Longer times produce less pure results, especially if multiple bags aren’t separating the hash into grades.

When using a single collection mechanism, a shorter time should be used on the first round. After this hash is collected, the plant material can be reprocessed using a longer mixing time. Multiple bags allow the material to be processed all at once without sacrificing a high-grade collection.

The grass/water/ice combo is thoroughly agitated using a drill with D SDLQW PL[HU DWWDFKPHQW :DLW minutes. Using a colander, scoop up all of the vegetative material that is ȵRDWLQJ RQ WRS QRW VKRZQ

This specially sewn silk screen bag is placed over another container

Using a convenient container (such as a cooking pot or a pail) pour the remaining water through a screen into the second bucket

The water and vegetative particles ȵRZ WKURXJK OHDYLQJ WKH JODQGV LQ the silk screen sleeve

HOW TO MAKE WATER HASH (BUBBLE) Once the last mixing round is completed, let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes.

This allows the glands time to sink into the collection filters. If all of the ice has melted, more can be added. In cold weather, the bucket can be set outside to keep the mixture cold. Once the material has settled, it is time to separate out the glands.

If the agitation has been done inside a bag, pull out this bag, removing the bulk of the plant material. The bucket now contains green water with silt in the bottom.

This silt is the water hash and a small amount of particulate vegetative matter.

The glands form a ball at the bottom of the sleeve

The glands are gathered from the sleeve and squeezed dry using a cloth. The hash needs to dry, but is usable immediately.

Photos: Ed Rosenthal Continued on page 26

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26 Line the second bucket with the collection bag or bags. The finest mesh bag goes on the bottom, so it is added to the bucket first. The coarsest bag is the last bag added, so it is the top layer. The first bag has separated out everything over the 200–250-micron size, depending on its mesh size. Now the successive layers of the bag will do the grading for you. Pour the water into the bucket that is lined with the filter bags. Slowly lift out each bag, allowing time for the water to drain. Be patient. If the entire bottom of the bag seems to be clogged, it may be necessary to reach in and gently push some material to the side. Stir up the material as little as possible. After each bag is removed, lay it on the towel and pat off excess water.

More water can be removed by wrapping it with towels and squeezing it. The inside of each bag contains some tan to brown silt-like material. Carefully arrange the bag so that the material is accessible. Blot the material off with a paper towel.

Remove it from the bag using a credit card or a spoon. If multiple bags were used, keep the grades separated. Place the material in a flat-bottomed bowl, or on a plate or other surface where it can be left to dry, then put it in a cool, dark place where it will get some airflow, but won’t blow away once dry. The material will dry in about 12 hours, but allow a full week to dry and cure fully. Even if some material is used sooner, allow the moisture to evaporate from the remaining material so it is not susceptible to mold.

THE COFFEE FILTER METHOD

This method works well for small-scale water hash production and uses common kitchen Wet water hash drying Photo: A-Bear Concentrates equipment. Chop the plant material to a coarsely ground consistency. Cone-type coffee makers look like a pointier version of a standard coffeemaker basket. They are inexpensive and are available in stores or on the web. The #4 size or larger is recommended. Both reusable and disposable filters for these cones are available at the same shops where the cone was purchased.

This method yields nice hash, but the process is not controlled by precise micron-sized filters. There is also no final filtration of small vegetative matter, so the product is not as pure as the hash made in a bag system. Still, the water hash produced using this method equals the quality of dry-screened kief.

Collect the material using a spoon or plastic or paper card. Allow the material to fully dry before pressing or storing, which takes a day or two depending on the environmental conditions and the amount being dried.

Some Tips Use a siphon rather than a pour to remove one-half to two-thirds of the water from the container. This gives you more control and creates less turbulence, so the silt at the container bottom is not disturbed.

Use a propagation mat used to sprout seedlings—it will maintain a 23°C temperature—or a heating pad set on low.

Food dehydrators set on low are another effective controlled heat source.

THE JAR SHAKER METHOD

Bubba Kush water hash.

PHoto: Nadim Sabella Photography

The simplest method for making water hash is using a homemade shaker. This method is the easiest in terms of time and equipment, but it also produces the least amount of hash, and the product won’t be as pure as with methods using microngauged filtering bags. Manual agitation is more labor intensive, but it requires no electricity and can be accomplished anywhere that the materials can be gathered.

Equipment ȏ Up to 28 grams of brittle, dry trim, bud bits, or shake ȏ Water ȏ Ice ȏ Sealable glass jar ȏ Colander or wire mesh strainer ȏ Slotted spoon or tea strainer ȏ Coffee cone (#4) ȏ Paper coffee filters ȏ Dish towel ȏ Paper towels ȏ Scraping tool (spoon, credit card, or business card)

Method Reduce the marijuana material to a coarse powder, similar to dried cooking herbs like oregano or basil, using a marijuana or coffee grinder or blender for a very short time.

Place the material in the jar, up to one-quarter full. Half-liter, liter, and twoliter jars all work. Add equal amounts of ice and very cold water until the Equipment jar is almost full. Leave about 25.44 mm of space at the top of the jar, then ȏ Ice ȏ Cold water ȏ Dried plant material (coarsely ground) ȏ Blender seal it and shake for 10 minutes. ȏ Mixing bowl ȏ Colander or wire mesh strainer ȏ Cone-type single cup cof- Pour the water/material mix into a bowl and put in the refrigerator to allow fee maker ȏ Reusable metal cone coffee filter, or silk screen ȏ Coffee filters it to settle for an hour. Most of the ice may melt in this time. ȏ 2–3 large glass jars with tight-sealing lids ȏ Dish towel ȏ Paper towels Remove the floating plant material with a tea strainer or slotted spoon. The plant material can be saved and reprocessed. Manual shaking does not ȏ Scraping tool (spoon, credit card, or business card) remove all trichomes on the first round.

Method Once the plant material has been removed, allow the silt to resettle at the Place enough plant material in the blender to fill it halfway. Add ice and cold bottom of the bowl for 15–20 minutes. Drain off one-half to two-thirds of water in equal amounts until the blender is full. Turn the blender on at full speed the water slowly, with an eye to saving all of the silt-like water hash material for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Let the mixture settle. Repeat three or four times. in the bottom of the jar.

The more times the blender is run, the higher the yield; however, more vegeta- Set up the cone lined with a paper coffee filter. Pour the remaining contive material will also become particulate and lower the purity of the results. tents of the bowl through the cone. As the water hash collects in the botPour the mixture from the blender through a colander or strainer into a mixing tom of the filter, the water will drain more slowly. Allow all of the water to bowl. Bowls designed to pour, such as a pancake batter bowl or a 2-liter measur- drain from the filter. Then remove the filter from the cone, allowing it to ing cup work best. This step separates out the bulk of the plant material. flatten with the wet hash inside. Set it on a dish towel and carefully remove Now pour this water through the reusable coffee filter into the glass jars, until as much water as possible by pressing with the towel or paper towels. they are about two-thirds full. Liter-sized sealable glass canning jars work well. Split the coffee filter along the seam and open it like a butterfly spreads its Material will collect in the coffee filter. This is the smaller vegetative matter. The wings. Collect the material inside using a spoon or card to scrape it loose glands are too small to stay in the reusable coffee filter and have passed with the from the paper. The material is easier to separate from the coffee filter ZDWHU LQWR WKH JODVV MDUV 3RXU DQRWKHU Ȃ P/ RI ZDWHU WKURXJK WKH ILOWHU when it is either dry or only slightly damp. into the glass jars to wash out any remaining glands.

Seal the jars and place them in the refrigerator for an hour. The glands settle and The material can dry either before or after it is removed from the filform silt at the bottom of the jar. Tapping the jar lightly a few times on a tabletop ter. Even if some of the material is collected for use before the drying helps settle some of the floating material. completes, the water hash should be allowed to air dry over a day or Gently remove the jars from the refrigerator without stirring up the material two to reduce the chance of mold. After the water hash is dry, it can that has collected at the bottom and pour off the top one-half to two-thirds of be used, stored, or pressed. the water. The goal is to retain the glands that are gathered in the bottom, while removing as much water content as possible. ȏ 7KLV LV DQ H[FHUSW IURP (G 5RVHQWKDOȇV QHZ ERRN %H\RQG Set up the cone on top of a suitable container such as a liter jar. Drain the Buds—the first to cover the shift from smoking buds to remaining water and silt through the coffee filter with a disposable filter paper. vaping and dabbing concentrates such as shatter, wax, The flow of water through the filter slows as the material collects, but allow it to budder, and oil. A DIY guide to making butane and CO2 drain completely. extracts, as well as kief, hash, tinctures, topicals, and Carefully remove the paper coffee filter from the cone. Flatten it with the mateedibles, Beyond Buds features full-color photos of awardrial inside by patting it with a towel. winning concentrates and highlights the best products to Material can be dried either before or after it is collected from the coffee use, from basic to professional. filter. Drying it inside the coffee filter takes a little longer, but the hash is ȏ %H\RQG %XGV LV DYDLODEOH ȃ RUGHU \RXU FRS\ RQOLQH QRZ protected from blowing away and is easier to remove from the paper when at http://quicktrading.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/. both are dry. To dry in the coffee filter, place it atop a layer of paper or cloth towels. Once it is dry split the filter along a seam.

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REPORT

10 YEARS WITH SWEET SEEDS

29

In the 2015 season, we celebrate our tenth Anniversary. A decade has passed since the foundation of Sweet Seeds and we have seen many changes in the cannabic scene during these ten years. We take this opportunity to look back in time and commemorate with you Sweet Seeds, Manolo all these ten years of Sweet Seeds life.

We publicly presented ourselves as Sweet Seeds to the cannabic scene in the 1ª Expocannabis at La Cubierta de Leganés in 2005. We attended this cannabic fair, which was the first held in Madrid, with 1200 feminized seeds of our first three strains and a presentation letter introducing our project. The seeds were handed out to users from Cannabiscafe, associations and companies from the sector.

hundreds of specimens and tested the seeds with the help of a wide range of collectors and friends who grow cannabis. We produce our commercial photoperiod-dependent plants (non-autoflowering) using always the same parental (selected elite

and aroma traits along with high cannabinoid levels, high yield and other desirable traits.

2nd genetic Revolution, the autoflowering seeds

In late 2007 at Sweet Seeds we started our first experiments with some curious genetics that started flowering regardless of the hours of light per day that they were subjected to. These genetics start flowering automatically when they reach sexual maturity. Their first flowers become visible after the 21th day from germination and appearance of the first round leaves (cotyledons).

1st genetic Revolution, the feminized seeds

In 2005, the cannabis seed market was monopolized by the Dutch banks that emerged in the mid to late 80’s. At that time, the seeds sold were mainly regular seeds that produced males, females and hermaphrodites. Without underestimating the work performed by the Dutch pioneers with regular seeds, which at Sweet Seeds we definitely recognize and admire, by that time the Dutch feminized seeds didn’t have a good reputation among cannabis growers around the world. The main reason for this bad reputation was the high percentage of hermaphrodite plants that appeared. A few Dutch pioneers decided to bet for this type of genetics that produce no males and started putting them up for sale since 2000. In those first Dutch feminized seeds, many plants turned out to show both male and female flowers.

The arrival of premium feminized genetics, extremely resinous and aromatic, free from males and hermaphrodites, would be the beginning of a genetic revolution that is still a reality today, profoundly changing the cannabis seed market.

These type of genetics had a bad reputation in 2007, as it happened when feminized seeds first reached the market. Most cannabis growers and breeders despised them, mainly due to the primitive genetics

Cream Mandarine

Taste and Aroma

Bloody Skunk Auto

clones from the Sweet Seeds bank of mothers). By doing this we can ensure high standards for quality and stability that are known beforehand.

At Sweet Seeds, we feel very proud for our contribution, together with other pioneer feminized Spanish seedbanks, to a present time when feminized seeds are the favorite of cannabis growers worldwide.

The first Dutch seedbanks and the first North American (USA and Canada) cannabis breeders focused their efforts on producing seeds that are easy to grow, with high cannabinoid levels, massive resin production and dense buds. They were also focused in the selection of traits that might better suit the requirements of growing indoors with artificial lights. At Sweet Seeds, from our first days as genetic collectors, we are focused in the selection of genetics with exceptional organoleptic qualities (taste and aroma). For us, the flavor and the aroma are as important as the cannabinoid levels, the amount of resin or any other desirable traits. In the same way that when choosing a wine we tend to look Cream Caramel

Ten years ago, feminized seeds also had to overcome a lot of hoaxes and urban legends without any scientific support. Time and the experience of thousands of cannabis growers managed to expose all these myths.

of Cannabis Ruderalis, from which the autoflowering traits proceed. These plants produced very little resin, with extremely low levels of cannabinoids. The taste and aroma were also quite unpleasant.

More accessible and affordable feminized seeds

Big Devil Auto

The percentage of hermaphroditism in Sweet Seeds feminized seeds is incidental. It is inferior to 0,1% (1/1000) and always a consequence of environmental stress.

Regaining public trust

When we presented our first three feminized strains in 2005 – Black Jack® (SWS01), S.A.D. Sweet Afgani Delicious S1® (SWS02) and Sweet Tai® (SWS03) – we previously performed tests to the offspring with

Before Sweet Seeds started as a seedbank, cannabis seeds were sold in packages of at least 10 or 15 seeds. Besides that, the few feminized seeds that could be found in the market were extremely expensive. To get a feminized version of a regular seed, the grower had to pay twice the price or even more. In 2005 the cheaper feminized seed available in Europe was in the market at €110 for a pack of 10 seeds (11€ per seed). To facilitate the access of our potential clients to different feminized varieties we decided to package the seeds in packs of 3 seeds, which considerably reduced the access price for our varieties. Besides that, our first three varieties hit the market with a price per seed that was 50% cheaper than the cheapest feminized seed that could be found by then. The great quality-price ratio of our seeds has been one of our main identifying marks since we started as a seedbank.

At Sweet Seeds we quickly realized how useful these autoflowering genes could be if properly introduced in the excellent elite clones of our bank of mothers. From the primitive autoflowering genetics, we were only interested in the traits responsible for the automatic flowering.

Killer Kush

not only at the alcoholic contents but also and even more at its organoleptic qualities, when we choose a cannabis genetic we also pay attention to its taste

One of the main advantages of autoflowering genetics is that they make it possible to flower cannabis plants outdoors all year long, in all seasons (as long as minimum temperatures allow for it). Another important advantage is the very fast flowering. These genetics produce perfectly formed buds that are filled with aromatic resin, just two months after germination. The small stature of these genetics, together with the capacity of flowering out of season and its rapid life cycle also make them very discreet.

In 2009 we presented the first three Sweet Seeds feminized and autoflowering strains: Speed

30 strains of this type: Cream Mandarine XL Auto® (SWS55), a tall sized version of our Cream Mandarine Auto® (SWS29); and Killer Kush Auto (SWS56), an autoflowering version of our Killer Kush F1 Fast Version (SWS52).

Anniversary Devil Auto® (SWS11), Big Devil Auto® (SWS15) and Fast Bud Auto® (SWS16). Cannabis growing hobbyists immediately found out how to take advantage of the particular characteristics offered by these new autoflowering strains.

We used these first autoflowering strains as starting material for the introduction of autoflowering genes in new strains, hybridizing them with elite clones from the Sweet Seeds bank of mothers. New unprecedented aromas appeared in autoflowering strains. Each hybridization with elite clones from our

new autoflowering genetic, the first generation of this cross is genetically known as F1 Hybrid. It is 100% photoperiod dependent, which means that no autoflowering specimens will appear. This occurs because the autoflowering gene is recessive. Two additional generations of selection and crossbreeding will be necessary to set the autoflowering trait in 100% of the population. In our work procedures to create new autoflowering strains we observed that this F1 photoperiod-dependent hybrid presented a flowering cycle faster than expected, reducing the flowering and maturation time in 1 or 2 weeks. The elite clone contributes to the F1 hybrid with the photoperioddependent trait in 100% of the population, while the autoflowering genetic contributes to the F1 hybrid with the fast flowering characteristic in 100% of the population. Taking advantage of this fast flowering trait in photoperiod-dependent strains, in 2013 we presented a new seed line that we named as “F1 Fast Version”, in which we presented fast flowering versions of some of the Sweet Seeds classics, such as Cream Caramel F1 Fast Version® (SWS40), Green Poison F1 Fast Version® (SWS41), etc…

Also in the 2013 season, we presented a new exotic and visually attractive family of autoflowering genetics. Because of their red flowered trait, we named it “The Red Family”. The red flowered trait found in these varieties was extracted from red flowered genetics native from the Chitral region in the Pakistani Hindu Kush mountains.

bank of mothers had a positive impact, improving resin production, flower appearance, cannabinoid levels and all the other desirable traits.

At Sweet Seeds we have struggled to gradually increase the size of all our autoflowering genetics, developing a group of autoflowering strains distinguished for their tall size, such as Big Devil #2® (SWS20), Big Devil XL Auto® (SWS28) and Cream Mandarine XL Auto (SWS55).

F1 Fast Version, Red Family and XL autoflowering strains

News for our 10th Anniversary

Green Poison

When hybridizing an autoflowering genetic with a photoperiod-dependent elite clone to create a

In the 2015 season, we continue with our autoflowering re-evolution presenting two new

In the last season of 2014, we presented our “Sweet Mix Auto” package, in order to offer high quality autoflowering seeds at an economic price that is adapted to the present financial crisis circumstances.

To improve our offer of high quality economic seeds in the present 2015 season we also introduce a new “Sweet Mix Feminized” package, with a mix of 10 seeds randomly selected among all the photoperioddependent strains (non-autoflowering) from the Sweet Seeds collection. These “Mix” packages are available at a retail price of 35€. Each seed will cost 3,5€ making it probably the cheapest high quality seeds in the market today.

With collective bulk purchasing and cannabis users associations in mind, this season we also present new packaging formats of 25 and 100 seeds of some of the most appreciated Sweet Seeds strains. The strains that will be available in these packaging formats are: Cream Caramel® (SWS04), Cream Caramel Auto® (SWS22), Big Devil XL Auto® (SWS28) and Green Poison® (SWS14).

10th Anniversary promotion 3+1 5+2

To celebrate this anniversary with all of you, we have a special offer that is available for all the Sweet Seeds strains. In the course of this 10th Anniversary special offer, all our 3 seed packages will have 1 free seed and all our 5 seed packages will have 2 free seeds. You can check about the duration of this offer at WWW.SWEETSEEDS.ES. Thanks to everyone for your support all along these 10 years.

Sweet Afgani Delicious

33

GROW WITH JORGE CERVANTES

CASE STUDY TONI AIR

The device measures temperature and humi-

Air Quality Quality

Day

Night

Temperature

|) |&

68ºF (20ºC)

Humidity

40%

50%

Ventilation

238 cfm (405 m3/h) inline fan

195 cfm (330 m3/h) inline fan

Circulation

14-inch (35 cm) oscillating fan

14-inch (35 cm) oscillating fan

CO2

800-1000 ppm

Does no use

Sulfur Burner

Does not use

Use after lights out every GD\V

Fragrance

&DUERQ ȴOWHU DFWLYDWHG ozone generator

&DUERQ ȴOWHU DFWLYDWHG ozone generator

dity and logs it so you can download the data via a USB connection.

Internal memory holds 32,000 records, internal sensors

(Part Two) The horizontal bars in the grow tent add structure so the walls do not bow in from negative pressure created by the extractor fan. This is a room full of Kalashnikova under a 600-watt HPS ȵRZHULQJ GD\V

There are four thermometers in the room, one above, one at the plant canopy, one in the plants and the other at the ȵRRU PHDVXUH WHPSHUDWXUH DW GL΍HUHQW OHYHOV

600-watt HPS + 300-watt LEDs – is optimized with a CO2 generator and

analyzer from Ecotechnics. He has found that adding CO2 during vegetative growth increases growth10-20%. At the same time Toni advises that CO2 is the last thing to add to optimize garden production.

SULFUR BURNER

He turns on the sulfur burner as a preventative measure against diseases and pests with a weekly application during vegetative growth only. Vaporized sulfur lands on foliage killing diseases and pests – botrytis, spider mites and thrips. Remember that sulfur burners have a small cover-age area; the sulfur tends to fall closely to where it was vaporized. Sulfur sublimes (changes from a solid to a gas) between 291-311ºF (144-155ºC). At 320ºF (160ºC) toxic sulfuric acid forms. This is why it is super important to maintain and use quality equipment.

WATER AND FERTILIZER Fertilizer and Additive Schedule Grow Stage

Fertilizer/Additive

Seedling

Root Juice

Vegetative

BioGrow + Root Juice

Flowering

BioBloom + BioGrow

Fert/Addiv. pH

Dose - ml/L

To Start

Weekly

6SHFLȴF 7LPH

0

Max EC 0.4

0

ΖUULJDWHV DW ȴUVW light

5,6

0

Max EC 0.8

Max EC 0.8

ΖUULJDWHV DW ȴUVW light

6,2

Follows instructions on label

EC 0.8-1.0

Increases from 200 mS each week to max of 1800 mS

Irrigates each plant by hand as needed at ȴUVW OLJKW

This is Toni´s base fertilizer and additive schedule. He also adds for experiments with other BioBiz fertilizers at the time of my visits to his garden.

Water comes out of the tap with 1,100 ppm of dissolved solids (salts).

A reverse osmosis filter is used to purify raw water before adding fertilizer.

Soil mix = Coco-Mix BioBizz + one finger deep of arlita and leave a space at top of container BioBizz AllMix and Light-Mix Continued on page 34

34 KVETENÍ

Eight feminized Jack and 8 feminized Jack 47 in 3-gallon (11 L) containers are packed into the 48 x 48-inch square (1.2 x 1.2 m) grow WHQW 7KLV LV WKH PRVW HɝFLHQW FRQȴguration Toni has found for growing medicinal cannabis.

Here is the garden under a 600-watt +36 DW GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ

Note the white female stigmas at the seventh internode from the top of this feminized Kalashnikova at 37 days of growth.

1RWH WKH PDOH LQWHUVH[ ȵRZHU RQ D feminized female plant after 14 days RI ȵRZHULQJ

Some of the plants in this experiment are trellised garden using a “Plant Cage” with six stakes. Plants grow so densely they cover the entire cultivation area and you cannot see the ȵRRU

$W GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ leaves next to this feminized Kalashnikova bud are packed with resin along the edges and form a small spiral.

Look closely at the glandular trichomes from this feminized Kalashnikova at 44 GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ DQG \RX FDQ VHH WKH ȴUVW amber trichomes and a few broken resin heads.

Bud of feminized Kalashnikova at 49 days RI ȵRZHULQJ

This terminal bud of a Lavender female (Soma Seeds) on harYHVW GD\ DIWHU GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ LV SDFNHG with resin.

Macro close-up of a /DYHQGHU EXG DW GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ DQG you see about 10% of the resin glands have turned amber.

This photo of a feminized Kalashnikova SKHQRW\SH DW GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ ZDV VQDSped on harvest day.

7KLV LV D GL΍HUHQW EXG (phenotype) of feminized Kalashnikova at GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ DW harvest. Note the subtOH GL΍HUHQFHV EHWZHHQ this phenotype and the phenotype above.

This is a terminal bud of a Somango female (Soma Seeds) at 68 GD\V RI ȵRZHULQJ WZR days before harvest.

This close-up shows the tip of a bud of Pakistan Chitral Kush (Cannabiogen). The “blood” red color is seldom seen.

This Somango in an 3-gallon (11-liter) container is ready to harvest after 70 days of ȵRZHULQJ /DUJH ROGHU leaves demonstrate chlorosis caused by washing nitrogen from the soil.

This Somango was pruned to leave just two main branches. The result is a single plant that grows as if it were two individual plants. Toni harvests four plants at a time in a perpetual-harvest rotation. Depending upon the variety and growth conditions, each plant weighs in between 2-2.3 RXQFHV JP RI GULHG medicinal flower buds.

This is part two of a two-part case study that will be published in the Cannabis Encyclopedia (594 pages, 2,000+ color images, large A4 format)

by Jorge Cervantes that will be available April 2015. For more information please see Jorge´s website, www.marijuanagrowing.com.

NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES Indian hemp was brought to Eastern Europe by Scythian tribes from Siberia, circa 2,500 years ago.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the popularity of hemp smoke rituals among the Scythians. Cannabis has always been important for Ukrainian culture and industry, and was especially so between the 15th and mid-20th centuries.

In the 15th century, the local people of today’s Moldova and Ukraine were able to have their taxes paid in cannabis. After World War II, Ukraine became a major food supplier of the Soviet Union.

It is believed that with its rich fields, the country is able to feed the whole of Europe. Also the fuel and energy industry as well as heavy industry, especially weapons, were very strong branches. The Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev dreamed of transforming the Crimean Odessa, known as the Pearl of the Black Sea, into a world center of the hemp-hashish industry and of legalizing marijuana throughout the entire USSR. Unfortunately, he could not fulfill his plans. He was ousted from power by fans of vodka drinking. Russian influence continued to be huge after the break-up of the USSR; as a result of the recent conflict with Russia, exporting goods to the east has become even more unprofitable and difficult. Ukraine needs a chance to open its famous barns to western markets.

In current times, when fuel resources are becoming depleted, the hemp industry can bring great relief to the world system, if not a solution to many problems. Importantly, growing hemp can restore land contaminated as a result of man-made

37

Ukraine Goes Green WILL HEMP HEAL THE BROKEN COUNTRY?

There was a time when cannabis produced most of the clothes or food in Ukraine, but the real contemporary use of this plant on a very large scale involves the energy market and biofuels. Both Ukraine and Putin’s Russia are looking in that direction.

Sebastian Daniel

How come “controversial” hemp gets mentioned in the main-stream media mostly in times of war, famine, or other disasters?

U.S. was looking into acquiring Ukrainian hemp seed as a form of aid. "We are now involved in trying to figure out ways in which we might be able to use the industrial hemp seeds that are created in the Ukraine in the U.S." Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told Bloomberg. Ukraine is the world's fourth largest provider of hemp seed.

Hemp activists welcomed the news, as this action would kill two birds with one stone: help Ukraine by exporting hemp seeds, while boosting the U.S. economy by giving farmers and industry a new crop and resource.

Take the famous “Hemp for Victory” propaganda movie duringWW2–whose mere existence the U.S.government would later deny! In 2014 Bloomberg reported that the

There must be something of great importance about this plant… No wonder former CIA Director Jim Woolsey, who served under both presidents Clinton

disasters, because hemp can "suck" from the ground almost all harmful substances. After the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe in 1986, the government funded experiments with soil decontamination using cannabis in the exclusion zone. After the outbreak of radiation after Fukushima, within just two weeks Japanese scientists came to Ukraine and tried to use these technologies to clean up the affected area says Alexander Ignatuk, president of the Association For The Ukrainian Industrial Hemp.

The Green Economy and Dollars

and Bush, later made a seemingly odd career move and served on the board of the North American Industrial Hemp Council. Woolsey says that hemp, if allowed in the U.S., could become a low-waterconsuming, easy-to-grow source of biofuels.

Already in 2009 researchers from the Ukrainian Council of Agricultural Sciences had created a variety of cannabis without any THC content at all. This greatly simplified the legal conditions for growing the plant. In 2012 the government significantly clarified and reformed the laws on the cultivation and processing of hemp. It seems that Ukraine is facing a great opportunity to become a leader in hemp production in Europe which will result in the improvement of the living conditions of the people (diet, work etc.). Now, hemp products are not cheap by local standards as the price depends on the number of permits. As a result of the recent abolition of senseless, restrictive laws regarding industrial hemp, as well as the war costs the price of hemp products is destined to fall soon. Now a pair of nice hemp shoes goes for about 30 euros; a hemp shirt or a large bottle of hemp oil can be found for a couple of euros.

These are very reasonable prices for foreigners.

Ukrainian entrepreneurs know that they can succeed in western markets, even with the customs and transportation costs.

38

COMIC

HY-GROWTH HY-QUALITY HY-CONVENIENCE

SIMPLE NUTRITION...

MAXIMUM YIELD! SINCE 1990

www.hy-pro.nl

40

NEWS

The Drug Factory that is Cannabis This recent discovery enlightened the scientific community, as Cannabis has taken “a rare fatty acid with a simple, six-carbon chain and use[d] it as a building block to make something chemically complex and pharmacologically active,” according to Jon Page, adjunct professor of biology at the university. Page, along with Ph.D. student Steve Gagne and post-doctoral researcher Jake Stout, revealed that the pathway involves a rare enzyme, known as hexanoyl-CoA synthetase, discovered by Stout himself. Gagne is credited with identifying olivetolic acid cyclase (OAC), the other necessary component. Genomic analysis was applied to catalogue the genes in certain 'trichome' cells.

These days, scientists – and many ganja enthusiasts – are aware that differing drug action results from consumption of different cannabinoids in various ratios and combinations, produced in the trichomes of female plants.

This is why you feel 'high' and happy from the sativa and haze strains, and 'stoned' and sleepy from the indicas. The trichomes, oily resin glands shaped like tiny mushrooms on tall stalks, are generally what make your fingers sticky, and a collection of these with little vegetable matter is known as hash, skuff, kief or polm. The trichomes protect weed plants against winged predators and other infestations, and their viscous nature aids in wind polli-

The summer of 2012 marked a revolutionary discovery in the field of medical Cannabis: scientists at the University of Saskatchewan discovered the exact pathway used by the plant to produce its plant drugs, known

as 'cannabinoids'. These findings were published in July in the online version of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). As the chemical pathway established by Cannabis is an unusual one, it is no surprise that scientists still have much research to attempt in order to understand the exact botanical processes required to create these helpful plant drugs.

Sativa Div

nation, hence their abundance on female Cannabis flowers.

In addition to the myriad medical and recreational applications that Cannabis offers, it may now be possible to synthesize or breed these helpful cannabinoids in order to produce drug-specific strains of weed, allowing doctors and patients to focus upon one or a set of cannabinoids that will tailor the therapy into a specific treatment for that patient's ailments. Additionally, scientists have already successfully attempted to stimulate other organisms and plants to also produce cannabinoids, especially those that do not do so naturally – such as yeast.

According to Page, “Now that we know the pathway, we could develop ways to produce cannabinoids with yeast or other micro-organisms, which could be a valuable alternative to chemical synthesis for producing cannabinoids for the pharmaceutical industry.”

On the other end of the spectrum, industrial hemp stock may be more easily selected and less likely to genetically slide towards the higher THC content of smoke-able weed, thereby stimulating the industrial hemp industry in countries such as Canada, while keeping the farmers safe from prosecution.

For more information, check out Cannabis 'Pharma Factory' Discovered (July 16, 2012) at www.sciencedaily.com.

GROW WITH STONEY TARK

The Nettle plant growing wild.

HOME MADE NUTRIENTS

Nettle Tea

41

ouring agent ( E140 ) and is widely used through out the world for many different reasons. One of the greatest things is when you feed this to a plant!

A Nettle foilar feed works wonders.

Most Nettle tea extracts will read an N-P-K of 8-3-20. This means that it is 8 part Nitrogen, 3 part Phosphorus and 20 part Potassium. Plants require high levels of Potassium to promote large blooming during flowering, so this is an excellent feed for flowering but as you will read, it is also very beneficial through out the entire grow.

Nettle extract is very high in Calcium and Magnesium as well as Vitamin C. When applied to soil or any medium, Iron will be slowly released and become available to the plant through the soil. Beneficial bacteria and microbes are present and since I have been using on my small plants, I now have roots that are on par with aero cloning. As well as many vitamins and hormones available, Nettle extract is a proven prevention for fungus that grows on plants and is noted to make plants grow hairy and sturdy not long after foliar application. It is quite well known that Neem is an anti fungal agent but also Cinnamon, Clove, Chamomile and Nettle are most effective too. Nettle extract is used in ' Bio A 200 litre supply made at a 1:10 ratio.

" Fed up of spending on nutrients each and every time you start a new grow?

Soft Secrets will help enlighten you on how to make your own home made nutrient..that is just as effective as any leading organic brands. It is simple and effective and will help you save those pennies over 2015.

Anybody who has ever lived anywhere in the UK that has had rich soil and close to a river source, can tell you about the stinging Nettle ( Urtiga Dioica ). A member of the Herbaceous Perennial family, these plants have

sharp looking leaf blades and a leaf width of around 5 -10cm. They are identified by the entire plant being covered in tiny hollow silica trichomes.

Trichomes you say? These tiny hollow hairs contain drops of a Formic Acid.

So to keep it simple.. Formic Acid is the simplest Carboxylic Acid. It is also Ant venom. It is a colourless liquid and if you have ever had these small hairs break off into the skin upon contact, you know that irritation and burning sensation that follows after and can last quite a long time. Many people will remember those bumpy read stings

around the ankles and around the fingers, whilst looking for a Dot Leaf to try to kill the sting with some form of an old wives' tale solution! Now we see why this plant remains so well protected and we will show you how to make your own Nettle tea extract, from that same Nettle patch that has been growing for years down the road or in that field near your house.

The stinging Nettle has many well known medical benefits to those that choose it as part of a balanced diet.

It is also used as a natural green col-

42 Dynamic ' farming. This is a method of soil science. According to these farmers, this process ensures much bigger, stronger and resistant plants, that

1. When picking Nettles, always wear a pair of gloves and cover up any exposed legs and arms. It won't take long before those stings discourage

THE LEAVES WILL BECOME THICK AND LUMPY AND YOU WILL NOTICE QUITE A POTENT ODOUR would ultimately yield a more potent product in terms of cannabis. These outcomes are achieved by giving the soil its own intelligence, which allows it to better increase sensitivity and interacting with the surroundings and environment better than those untreated. There is only one way to find out for yourself and that is by following the step by step guide and putting it to the test!

STEP BY STEP GUIDE :

· What you will need: · Access to fresh Nettle plants · Large bucket and rain water · Pair of gloves · Pair of stockings to filter · Bottle to store away.

you and you eventually forget why your doing it in the first place. Pick Nettles that are around 1-2 metres tall with a nice healthy glow. You will struggle to actually find a Nettle plant that is ill or have any spider or bug issues, so finding a good source will be very easy. Pick the leaves off and throw away the stems. You only want to extract from the leaves. Get as many leaves as possible as the process involves soaking all the leaf matter.

2. Put all the leaves into the bucket of rain water or tap water that has been left out for any chlorine to evaporate. The chlorine will kill any beneficial microbes and bacteria within which defeats the purpose of the symbiotic relationship between

microbes and the plant. After 14 days we can remove the liquid extract.

Keep stirring on a daily basis to obtain best results. The leaves will become thick and lumpy and you will notice quite a potent odour.

3. After 14 days, strain the dark looking liquid. Use a sieve or piece of cloth but to produce the clearest. I use cloth and allow the extract to drip through into my bottle to store in. When you have removed the liquid, simply dump the old soggy remains on a compost pile. Store the final cleaned up extract in a cool dark place and

also. Use from start to finish or anytime you choose but it is a very fast acting organic supplement so don't be shy and don't be put off by any smells also. It is well worth it.

Summary:

Many growers who have used their own Nettle tea have enjoyed explosive roots, bigger harvests and deep organic lip licking flavours that lack any salty nutrient build up. Buds smell a lot more and plants really stand strong and shine. The plant's immune system really strengthens and pests do

MOST NETTLE TEA EXTRACTS WILL READ AN N-P-K OF 8-3-20 try to avoid sunlight and leaving outdoors. When you are ready then mix at a ratio of 1:10 to ensure you have a diluted long term supply.

4. Apply to the soil as normal and also foliar feed with a mild solution.

Spray on the undersides of leaves

not seem to like the smell that the tea produces, so acts as a good deterrent to indoor and outdoor pests.

Good luck on making your own super organic Nettle tea and saving money on nutrients at the same time! "

Roots exploding when fed with Nettle tea.

Bacteria and Fungus work together with the plant

This clear yellow is how the final liquid should appear.

This will be added to a ratio of water at 1:10

THE ONLINE CANNABIS ENCYCLOPEDIA /softsecretsuk @cannabisinfo_uk

44

EXTREME GROWING

Weed Stings CRIMINALS ON THE

RISE: ATTACK OF THE CANNABEES Many people know documentary not just the more like

Forget recent wild stories about dangerous animals protecting illegal marijuana grow-ops: alligators in Florida or big cats in Africa. From Russia with love, here comes the newest addition to the Guardians of the Garden - Animal Blackwater Team: angry Sebastian Daniel & violent canna bees!

The bees were located in hives in the middle of a cannabis field. The now famous ‘sting operation’ took place not far from the city of Kostroma, some 350km northwest of Moscow.

In August 2014 five hundred cannabis plants were discovered there and Russian police attempted to clear a plantation. Unexpectedly, they met a very effective form of resistance, after being attacked and sent fleeing from the scene by hordes of angry bees. Officers had to return later wearing protective gear.

They were stung repeatedly, but nobody died or suffered any allergic reactions – except for a few warrior bees.

from the series of hilarious short movies on YouTube that Russia is biggest place on earth - Russia is a certain state of mind. As the Russians say themselves: things can be both scary and funny at the same time. In the current state of the Russian military mind, we can soon expect more news from the Wild East about highly trained war insects, ready to attack and kill poor people like the intoxicated and hungry cops (this is not a joke: alcoholism, brutality and corruption among police is a huge and officially recognized problem in Russia) or anyone else attempting to rob local cannabis plantations. The largest country in the world has the potential to become again a land flowing with milk, honey and cannabis.

Don’t steal my weed, honey!

It’s worth remembering here a similar story about cannabis & honey-loving bears from Canada. In late 2010, BBC News and other major media organizations Angry Russian bees reported that police raiding a marijuana farm in Canada refuse to deliver were astonished to find black bears guarding the crops. cannabis honey for The police issued a statement that “a pair of marijuana the government growers used a team of wild animals including black bears, raccoons, and pigs to guard their illegal drugs operation near the US-Canadian border.” This strange tale has gotten even stranger after someone stole the confiscated pot from the police locker and tried to protect it with sticks of stolen dynamite, rigged with homemade fuses. The officers also found a grenade, a 12-gauge shotgun, and two rifles. The marijuana stash had been seized again.

As part of the operation, the police arrived at the scene to see whether rumors that a large amount of cannabis was growing were true. Law enforcement officer Valery Vekhov tells his side of the story: “When we got to the place where cannabis was growing, there were a number of beehives. When we tried to remove the cannabis plants, the bees started to attack us aggressively.

We had to leave in order to get protective gear from the owner.” To make the defeat worse, the owner explained that the cannabis plants had grown wildly. They were growing in the vicinity, up to a height of 2 meters; however, the owner was unaware he was doing anything illegal. When asked why he had not destroyed them, the owner said that he did not have enough time as he was busy attending to the bees. The plantation was eventually destroyed and the cannabis taken away. Police are now trying to determine whether the bees were specifically put within the cannabis field in order to guard it, in the event that someone would try and destroy it. It is illegal to grow cannabis in Russia and if it is proved that the owner willingly grew the plant, he could face up to eight years in jail.

The owners of the Happy Farm have been arrested on charges of production and possession of a controlled substance. They are also facing animal cruelty charges. In Canada, feeding bears is illegal as it increases the likelihood of bears coming into towns and cities to look for food.

Police commonly find dogs, armed human guards, or booby-traps around marijuana growing operations. Gangs often use dangerous creatures to protect their turf: pumas, hyenas, crocodiles or gorillas.

Many big and small animals (incl. micro-organisms and insects) can be employed to protect cannabis plants. Share your natural solutions with others!

Free en try

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THE ONLINE CANNABIS ENCYCLOPEDIA

46

SHOP REVIEW

HOO FARM HYDRO, KIDDERMINSTER Hoo Farm Hydro, Kidderminster, is a friendly, family run growing business. It’s nicely tucked away on Hoo Farm Industrial Estate, and whilst it can be a little difficult to find (when following a Sat Nav you’ll be taken to the other side of the industrial estate) if you keep following Edwin Avenue round and look out for the big Dutch Pro sign, you’ll find it!

Hoo Farm Hydro stocks a nice range of products across all of the recognised brands, and if you can’t find something that you need they’ll be happy to order in for you, normally for the next day. There’s also plenty of off road parking, and a cafe nearby if you’re hungry!

Their website is currently in the works and will be live soon. In the meantime you can visit google.com and enter ‘Hoo Farm Hydro’ then click ‘see inside’ (on the right) for a cool virtual tour of the shop!

They’re open from 10am to 6pm Mon to Fri, 10am to 2pm on Sat and Closed on Sundays.

Unit 14 You can contact Hoo Farm Hydro John Samuels Buildings on to speak to a Hoo Farm Industrial Estate knowledgeable member of staff.

Kidderminster

Hoo Farm Hydro, Kidderminster

DY11 7RA

Index of ads Name

Page

00 Seeds Bank

27

Humboldt Seed Organization

28

8 Ball Hydroponics

1

Hy-pro

39

Advanced Seeds

31

Indica Head Shop

45

Amsterdam Seed Center

43

Jorge Cervantes

32

Atami

48

Money Tree Hydroponics

33

Bright Green UK

45

Mycologics

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Bristol Genuine Seedbank

12

NPK Technology

44

Brit Crops

9

Paradise Seeds

1

Buddha Seeds

36

Paradise Seeds

14-15

Cannabis Bevrijdingsdag

45

Procare

43

Dinafem Seeds

35

Product Earth

8

Dr. Blooms Hydroponics

1

Royal Queen Seeds

16

Dr. Underground

39

Senua Hydroponics

37

Dutch Passion

7

Smokin Vinyl

42

Dutch Passion

18-19

Southern Hydro Centre

43

Ed Rosenthal

22

Stanford Hydroponics

1

Emerald Imports

4

Sweet Seeds

25

Emporium Hydroponics

41

Sweet Seeds

47

Genofarm

11

UK GroWorks

42

Green Shop

1

UK Skunkworks

42

Head 2 Head

44

Vapour Evolution

1

Hedzup

45

Vision Seeds

45

Hesi

2

Wheatley Hydroponics

13

Hoo Farm Hydro

45

Zamnesia

41

Colofon Soft Secrets is published by Discover Publisher BV P.O.Box 362, 5460 AJ, Veghel, Netherlands Telephone: +31-(0)73-5498112 Fax: +31-(0)73-5479732 E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl Editor: Cliff Cremer Contributors: Little Lebowski, Ed Rosenthal, Jorge Cervantes, Dr. John Dee, The Professor, Sativa Diva, Tony, Stoney Tark, and others Comics: Jim Stewart Editorial adress: ssuk@softsecrets.nl Advertisements: E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl A word from the publisher: The UK government has embarked on a process of relative liberalisation towards the use of cannabis, and cannabis activists are engaged in broadening this engagement. Several local councils and police chiefs now actively support a Dutch-style coffeeshop system as a way of separating soft and hard drugs, as it has proven to do in Holland. Whether they are finding their way to new coffeeshops or growing for their personal supply, cannabis users are a menace to no one, and are causing no discernable social problem. Some politicians and commentators are calling for the outright legalisation of marihuana.

Let’s wait and see how the debate develops during a period of relative peace between all sides of the argument. In the meantime, the publisher hopes Soft Secrets will show the public a positive side to the normalisation of cannabis use, and is anxious to offer a forum to both pro- and anti-legalisation advocates. This assumes that the publisher does not necessarily agree with everything that appears in articles and advertisements. The publisher therefore distances himself explicitly from published statements or images that might give the impression that an endorsement is being made for the use or production of cannabis.

Nothing from this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format without prior permission from the publisher and other copyright holders. The publisher is not responsible for the content and/or point of view of advertisements. The editors take no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

The publisher has endeavored to reach all copyright holders of photos and/or images. Those who still believe they are entitled to these rights may contact the publisher.

Next issue out: June 26 2015

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