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Issue 5 - 2017
AMSTERDAM
10 Ways To Get The Most Of Your Plants
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How to recycle plant residues into compost
FAQ with Stoney Tark
18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publisher BV Netherlands
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Family of epileptic UK boy, 5, suffering hundreds of fits a day moving to Netherlands to treat him with cannabis The family of an epileptic boy who suffers hundreds of seizures a day are quitting the UK to move to the Netherlands so they can legally treat him with medical cannabis .
whole plant medical cannabis and have found many parents around the world who are using it effectively to either reduce or stop very aggressive seizures.” If Hannah were to give Alfie - who was diagnosed at eight months old - medical cannabis in the UK, she could be jailed for up to 14 years. Hannah said: “This is an absurd situation. We are having to move to a new country to get treatment which could transform Alfie’s life.” Alfie spent four months at Great Ormond Street Hospital when he
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The parents of five-year-old Alfie Dingley - who is believed to be one of only five boys in the world with his rare form of epilepsy - say the UK's drug laws are "absurd". Hannah Deacon and Drew Dingley want to treat the hard-to-control seizures with medical cannabis oil, but could be jailed if they do so in their Warwickshire home. Hannah, who previously worked in the travel industry but is now her son’s fulltime carer, said his life is very different to a healthy child of his age. Hannah said: “Alfie is deeply affected by the drugs he is given. "The IV steroids Alfie takes when he has a cluster of seizures have serious side effects. They are toxic and cause him to be very aggressive. “We have done a lot of research into
was younger and was diagnosed with PCDH19, an extremely rare genetic disorder, at the age of four. The condition usually only affects girls. Alfie misses out on the majority of his schooling because of his condition. He also has learning difficulties and rarely has the chance to socialise with other children in his hometown of Kenilworth. The couple will be moving to Den Haag with Alfie and their three-yearold daughter Annie next week. They are asking for donations to help fund their move and have so far raised almost £2,000 of their £15,000 target. Want to help out? https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/AlfiesHope1 Source: mirror.co.uk
Cream Caramel® (SWS04) Femi
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3 EDITORIAL
Prescription Drug Flood "One must not look too hard to see that we are losing the battle against addiction" Professor Edward Khantzian, Harvard Medical School In America, where the effects of the prescription opiate problem is regularly described as an “epidemic”, the proportion of people either in employment or actively looking for work had declined to 62.4% in September 2015. According to Professor Alan Krueger of Princeton University, the sharp increase in prescribed opioid drugs over the past ten to fifteen years may well be a factor in the declining number of people in the available labour force. It would appear that since the economic crash of 2008, levels of prescribed opiates have escalated alarmingly. Hardly surprising, in some respects: the prospect of long-term or even permanent unemployment will drive some people to drugs, and if it’s something to kill the pain and numb the brain, opiates certainly fit the bill. Some sources estimate that the health-care costs related to prescription opioid abuse in the US amount to 25 billion USD, to which number can be added a further 5.1 billion USD estimated costs to the criminal justice system (basically keeping people locked up), along with a further 25.6 billion USD in lost earnings. That’s a total of $55.7 billion. Other studies suggest figures as high as $78.5 billion. Neither figure is peanuts, nor are they good for the economy.
As if a staggering 25-28% of THC wouldn’t be crazily high enough, some of her phenos are said to have weighed in at an incredible 30% - THC levels which are not measured very often. Genetics: Harvest indoor: Harvest outdoor: Height: Flowering time: Harvest outdoor: THC: Effect:
Sour Dub x Chem Sis x Chocolate Diesel 500-550gr per m2 (dried) 550-600gr per plant (dried) 90-170 cm 8-9 weeks Mid-october >27% Cerebral and relaxing
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Royal Gorilla
Without a doubt, Royal Gorilla is one of the most talked about cannabis strains to come out of the US in a long time, quickly making a name for itself as a connoisseur favourite in the states. Her discovery, however, was entirely coincidental. Two breeders from the US, Joesy Whales and Lonie Watie, came upon this accidental threeway cross between Sour Dub, Chem Sis and Chocolate Diesel lines. We don’t know exactly what made Lonie keep some of the seeds when Joesy tossed the strain out, but what we know is that he later germinated them maybe just out of curiosity and what shot out from the soil was nothing less than the spectacular Royal Gorilla!
Here's the thing. In places where cannabis is legal, the concern of the misuse or abuse of prescription drugs isn't as much of a problem. That's not to say these places don't have a problem, because they do. However, it's considerably less than those places where people don't have full access to legal cannabis. It’s known that various strains can be effective as analgesics, and where the pain is mental as opposed to physical, there are strains for that as well. The UK government seem intent on pushing austerity to the absolute limit, meaning there are going to be a lot of (fiscally) very poor and consequently very unhappy people. Mirroring the experience of our friends across the ocean, opioid drugs – along with benzodiazepines – may become an attractive means (intentionally or unintentionally) of taking the edge off the bleakness of the situation. Being prescribed makes them more attractive still, as the drugs will be exactly what they’re supposed to be and as they’re “medicine” it’s unlikely that the user will fall foul of the law in the same way they would if they were using heroin. We’re already seeing similar patters occurring here as prescribing patterns in the UK appear to be following the general (upward) trend seen in America. And we’ve got the fatalities that always accompany these patterns; in the ten years between 2006 and 2016, fatal benzodiazepine overdoses shot up from 94 (still a lot) to 431. Fatal Tramadol overdoses have gone from 17 to 64 in the same period. Dihydrocodeine, Oxycodone, Sevredol and methadone: fatal overdose of all of these have increased over the past ten years and, to be frank, the trend shows no sign of changing. A change of law to make cannabis legally available in the UK may well be a solution to part of the problem (but not the whole or indeed only solution). Fatalities from prescribed synthetic drugs increase year on year, whereas there are no cannabis fatalities recorded at all, ever. While cannabis has got an impressive safety profile, it is possible to overdo it. But while a cannabis “overdose” is certainly not a pleasant experience – spinning walls and so on – compared to the prospect of respiratory failure or choking on one’s own vomit (both features of opiate and benzo overdoses) it seems a small price to pay. Dr John Dee
READERS@SOFTSECRETS.NL
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Attention Readers! Fancy a FREE packet of FEMINISED seeds from SWEET SEEDS? 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 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 SWEET SEEDS!
E-mail your entries to readers@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!
readers@softsecrets.nl softsecrets.com/readerswives
Here's my wife and our amnesia Plants. Femi
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Lovely wife mate and some potent buds to smoke too!
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THE ONLY ORIGINAL AND GUARANTEED SEEDS FROM SWEET SEEDS® ARE THOSE SOLD IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. Sale forbidden to people under 18 years old. Seeds for collection purposes exclusively. It is illegal to make them germinate. They are not for agriculture purposes. Consult laws about cannabis applied in your place of residence. Sweet Seeds® will not be accountable for illegal use of these seeds done by third parties. C/ Dr. Nicasio Benlloch nº36-38 · 46015 · Valencia · Spain · +34 963 890 403 / +34 628 593 887 · WHOLESALERS: +34 963 473 730 / +34 963 404 289 · Fax +34 961 939 618 · info@sweetseeds.es
QUIZ
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7) What characteristics should healthy roots have? A) B) C) D)
Hard to touch and dark colored Yellow with white tips Dark brown and slimy Bright white and fluffy looking
8) Adding too much oxygen does what to a nutrient solution? 1) Which of these is most required during the final flush
A) B) C) D)
pH adjusted water Molasses Heavy feeds of Nitrogen You do not need to flush
2) Which bacteria will be present when making aerated tea? A) B) C) D)
Anaerobic bacteria Bacteria cannot survive Fungus Aerobic bacteria
A) B) C) D)
Lowers the pH Removes all available nutrients Increases the pH It does absolutly nothing
9. It is a good idea to strip all lower growth below the top 2 nodes, before 12/12 because? A) B) C) D)
The plant will focus all energy on top growth This is a terrible idea No insects can eat the lower canopy Done for better air flow
10) Which of these purple strains is not an indica? 3) Bat guano is which of the following? A) B) C) D)
Bat poop Bat food Bone meal Fish meal
4) The strain Neville's Haze originated how? A) B) C) D)
It originated in a town called Neville in France It was made by a US breeder named Neville It comes from Jamaica It’s a cross between Amnesia and WW
5) Why does staking plants early in veg help in flower? A) B) C) D)
It will make the garden look pretty It adds much needed extra support Staking plants kills roots To create holes in the medium
A) B) C) D)
Purple Urkle Purple Haze Grandaddy Purps Purple Mist
11) Which of these Landraces originated in South America? A) B) C) D)
Lambs Bread Acapulco Gold Swazi Gold Alaskan Thunder
12) If you have yellowing leaves this means what? A) B) C) D)
You need to add more Phosphorus There is a Nitrogen deficiency The plants are ready to harvest A re-potting is needed
13) When curing buds you should do what? 6) Foliar feeding is what? A) B) C) D)
When you spray a solution onto the leaves The nutrient used for the flush When you starve the plant Feeding the plants by IV
A) B) C) D)
Keep out of direct sunlight Keep the lid open in the night Use fresh buds until they dry in the jar Curing buds is bad for your buds
14) Hashish is a pressed version of what? A) B) C) D)
Trichome heads Dry leaf matter Sticks and stems Pressed hemp seed
15) If a CBD oil states it is 10%, what is this in milligrams? A) B) C) D)
10mg 1mg 1000mg 100mg
16) If a strain has been back crossed, this means what? A) B) C) D)
It was an accidental pollination The same genetics were used A feminized seed was introduced It was clone only
17) The High Life Cup is held where each year? AA) B) C) D)
California Holland England Spain
18) Adding cold water and cold air will make plants do what? A) B) C) D)
Turn the plant purple Kill the plant Produce male flowers Stunt the plant for one week
19) The difference between B.H.O and Rosin is what? A) B) C) D)
Rosin uses Butane but needs no purge Rosin uses heat and needs no solvents Rosin is just a name given to good extracts Rosin is a coffeeshop in Amsterdam
20) When should a plant be harvested? A) B) C) D)
When the pistils are dark brown When the pistils are bright white Only when the seed packet says When the buds are hard to touch
That’s it! For answers see page 46
9
GROW WITH STONEY TARK
grown according to the nutrient feeding chart and allowed a 21 day period of root development. Upon reflection what can be grown by the roots in this time is debatable. Roots can grow very well if the roots are air pruned and there are certain nutrients and hormones that can be added at the correct times.
10 WAYS TO GET THE MOST OF YOUR PLANTS When growing cannabis there are many variables involved that a grower must follow. Depending on how well versed that grower is can determine the final product, from tasting like harsh damp weed that makes you lose breath every toke, or a fine cured crispy greasy nug that tastes as good as it looks. Here are 10 tips and things to consider when understanding all of the eleBy Stoney Tark / Photos courtesy of Dinafem ments in the equation of growing high grade cannabis buds. Genetics: This has to be the start point and the genetics you are growing are the difference between bronze and gold. When starting from seed or with a clone, working with well established genetics that has real industry hype behind it can start you off half way to producing terpene rich thick budded plants. Unfortunately with such an overwhelming development in the seed world has created opportunities for cheaper low grade genetics to flood the market. Of course if you take a trip to Amsterdam, then you can find the industry established seed banks with cup winning strains like Sensi Seeds, Royal Queen Seeds, Paradise Seeds, and many more who rely heavily on keeping up to date with the latest crosses and cup winning genetics. I spent time in Spain where I came across
some very low grade genetics, where the grower was none the wiser and it appeared the sellers of the seeds were the same. One thing that I always consider and especially if you come from a cloning culture, invest well in genetics and be prepared to break the bank and cash out on some heavyweight seeds. Try and spend around £50 or €60 euro on a 5 pack as for sure these will be keepers and ones you will hopefully enjoy as flowers and in clone form for a long time to come. The internet is a great way to buy seeds if you are not of the old school nature of everything cash, however it is best from my experience to walk into a seed shop and see which seed banks offer what and what advise the seed shops can give you. Researching online is recommended but beware of all of the internet forums who can seriously grow things out of proportion regarding strains so try and stick with
When a cannabis plant is triggered to flower with 12 hours of darkness, it will primarily focus the growth from that point on growing new flower sets, new leaves and shall slow down on root development. By this stage the cannabis plant you are growing will be well established with a sturdy tough root base, so the roots and plants can work together and produce food for the plant to grow and flower. It is very important to start checking your root zone as often as you check the new growing shoots and leaves, whilst checking to see closely how fast the roots are growing, how fluffy they have become and how white they grow. This will give you an indication of the various types of roots that growing within the root zone. These roots will consist of a tap root, elongated taproots, fibrous roots, tuberous roots and branch roots. The main nutrient that roots require very early on is the same nutrient plants require in flowering to produce thick branched heavy flower sets, which is Phosphorus ( P )
Nutrients: Feeding a plant is one way of increasing final size, potency, flavour, aroma and overall bag appeal. I have done many experiments where feeding with just tap water and worm hummus and coco, produced some excellent results with buds toppling over from weight. That being said there are so many ways that
reliable sources like Leafy and E.U Seed Finder and Soft Secrets.
Root Development: Undeveloped roots are the main cause for any grower who is underperforming yield wise, growing with a H.I.D set up and is feeding nutrients and has good genetics. The roots are so often neglected as the main focus is on what the grower can see above the medium. The are lots of old sayings such as ‘ Small roots mean small fruits ‘ and ‘ Big roots equals big shoots ‘. There are many growers out there who run with a short vegging time of around 3 weeks and some who flower their plants even shorter than that. This can be due to logistical reasons and the best way to perform of growing a very large quantity of small plants in a sea of green set up. However, it could just be as a beginner grower you have always
an overzealous grower can over feed their plants and quickly cause nutrient lock out or deficiencies beginning to show at a quick rate. When growing with organics and the most natural way to grow, there is a 72 hour period where the medium acts as a buffering zone. This is what allows a grower to grow with ease and not make any mistakes that cannot be fixed with
11 a flush or top up of another nutrient. One mistake that growers make is feeding chemical nutrients into an organic buffer zone which has developed an ideal P.H and buffering zone. Especially in flowering, plants can be over fed the wrong nutrients at the wrong times, thinking the extra weight will benefit them in the end. Below is a list of a very safe organic mix that will ensure feeding with plain water or a molasses will deliver an excellent final product.
Organic Base Mix: š &R FR š 3HUOLWH š :RUP &DVWLQJ š %DW *XDQR š 'LDK\GUR 'LDWRPDFHRXV (DUWK KLJK LQ calcium and silicone ) š 0LFUREH 3DFN 7ULFKRGHUPD
Carbon Dioxide: Plants require carbon dioxide, water and light in order to photosynthesize, producers sugars and in response grow unaided or without hand fed nutrients that is. If you are growing plants that are performing very well then with increasing the amount of available carbon dioxide that the plants can use, will in return
CANNABIS PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN FED HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCE HEAVIER FINAL YIELDS THAN GARDENS WITHOUT CARBON DIOXIDE VSHHG XS WKH H[FKDQJH UDWH RI &2 XVHG and will absorb more nutrients, respond better to light uptake and metabolism. &DQQDELV SODQWV WKDW KDYH EHHQ IHG KLJK levels of carbon dioxide produce heavier final yields than gardens without carbon dioxide. To explain this in an easier way,
if you are growing with a 1000w grow lamp and you are feeding the adequate nutrients, the plants like a person when walking require certain levels of oxygen DYDLODEOH LQ 330 3DUWV 3HU 0LOOLRQ When oxygens levels are lowered, the human body must respond and energy levels , awareness and focus will all take a back seat until there is more oxygen for the blood stream and body to perform again. The same principle occurs with plants and considering the relationship the human and plants have is hand in hand, supplying the plants with carbon rich air is very beneficial.
re a ballast and can get extremely hot indeed. The heat that is given off is not only waste heat but the penetration of the bulbs is significantly lower when raised 36 inches above the plant tops. You will need a 600w light in order to promoWH VHULRXV VL]HG EXGV DQG Z ZLOO MXVW not produce anything substantial at all. š 0HWDO +DOLGH EXOEV SURGXFH D strong white light which has been in growing for a long time. These types of lights are used to light up car parks, highways and motorways and
expensive but the investment is well worth it if you have a few extra grand to throw around. The penetration on the well established L.E.D lights is brilliant and lights can be kept at the very top of the grow tent with very little heat output. No ballasts are required with these light and the option to select how many clusters you want on at a time is possible.
Vegging Time: The time a plant takes to grow from seedling until the plant is given 12 hours of darkness is called the vegging time.
Lighting: For sure the biggest factor when growing cannabis and the final weight can be down to how much light the plants were receiving. Not only how much light the plants have been receiving, you must understand the difference between lumens and photo active radiation ( P.A.R ). The different types of lighting used when growing cannabis will range from basic household fluorescents, H.I.D lighting and advanced L.E.D lights š & ) / RU FRPSDFW IOXRUHVFHQW DUH QRW classed as intense lighting but are ideal for small plants, rooting clones and the vegging stage. Used to veg plants can allow for soft healthy vibrant plants indeed, however when flowered a light from the list below should really be incorporated. The advantages and GLVDGYDQWDJHV RI XVLQJ & ) / LV WKDW WKH\ are cheap, easy to find, produce very low heat, use very little electric, produFH WKH EOXH VSHFWUXP RI N DQG WKH red spectrum is 2700K. Lights can be kept close to the tops of plants and even touch the bulbs without any serious tissue burn. š + 3 6 VWDQGV IRU KLJK SUHVVXUH VRGLXP and is classed as H.I.D lighting. This means it requires an electrical discharge to run which the ballast and produce a ‘ high intensity discharge ‘ to emit light from the bulb. These are the commercially most popular and used by growers as they are easy to set up and produce a good number of lumens. The advantages and disadvantages of using a H.P.S is that these lights requi-
IRRWEDOO VWDGLXPV *URZHUV ZKR KDYH used these prefer them over H.P.S as they produce a greater spectrum. The advantages and disadvantages of metal halide is these bulbs cost more than H.P.S bulbs as each takes longer to make due to the design of the halide bulb. Also these require a ballast and can create a great deal of wasted heat energy within the grow room. š / ( ' KDYH UHDOO\ WDNHQ WKH OLJKWLQJ world by storm and now produce lighting which meets P.A.R and the plant wavelength with clinical precision. By creating the ideal wavelength, the plant responds with faster growth and short internodal spacing. These lights are
Also called the growing period, this is the point where you will grow your cannabis plants into small seedlings then into large bushy plants big and strong enough to take clones off. If you are vegging plants that feel weak and have hollow stems when attempting to take a viable clone, then this plant needs more time to toughen up and become thick and hard wood. Vegging plants for around 56 days or more with relevant training can really enhance the toughness and durability of a cannabis plant. &RQVLGHULQJ WKDW \RX ZLOO EH IORZHULQJ your seed or clone for around the same amount of time it is good to get in a mindset of flowering mature plants. Plants
12 that have been flowered when the seedlings are still considered soft wood will perform well yet could perform so much better in terms of overall yield if given a month more of training and time to thicken up. For big plants veg them for a longer time and when flowered take the extra time to allow the buds to finish if the plants are very productive and yield large flower sets.
Growing Techniques: There are no two ways about it really that growing techniques incorporated at the right times, with the right genetics can be the difference between one ounce of dry buds to three or four. There are a number of different growing techniques that can be utilised and for a beginner grower the ones that may seem more friendly towards their skill level is topping and SLQFKLQJ VKRRWV DQG WKH ) , 0 WHFKQLTXH 0RUH DGYDQFHG JURZHUV ZKR KDYH
VEGGING PLANTS FOR AROUND 56 DAYS OR MORE WITH RELEVANT TRAINING CAN REALLY ENHANCE THE TOUGHNESS AND DURABILITY OF A CANNABIS PLANT experience with a certain strain or style of growing cannabis will use L.S.T and also a screen to perform a scrog. There are also techniques called H.S.T ( High Stress Technique ) which involve physically twisting and breaking stems to form new support growth around the stem, as well as induce hormones and growth auxins inside of the plant. This is called super cropping and is advised to do late on in the growth stage. The best way to really get the most out of a cannabis plant is to train the plants through a screen and allow the entire
screen to be filled with hard wood shoots. Personally I do not like to top or pinch out plants and prefer the plant to grow at a faster rate through the screen. This way the entire canopy can fill out evenly and all of the shoots that will be removed will only be around the bottom third of the plant. This technique is excellent for those with a small plant count or limited space.
Feeding Regimes: Following a grow chart form a nutrient company can be seen as a simple yet effective guide, to giving the plants the nutrients they need throughout the entire lifecycle of the plant. Knowing when your plants need feeding despite what the grow chart says is the best way to get the most out of your plant. Not all cannabis plants are the same and some heavy indicas can take a heavy feeding, whilst some sativa strains can be more sensitive to nutrients. A good practice is to wait for the plants to be totally drawn of water then when you see the leaves are beginning to wilt, you will know the amount of time and water that the plant needs before showing signs of wanting watering. Adding nutrients to water is how plants access the nutrients especially if they are not readily available in the required quantities the plants needs at the time. When there is more of a nutrient inside the plant than there is outside, then the plant will have issues and struggle to absorb more of the nutrient until it has used what was already available. Ensuring you have a balance of available nutrients inside the plant and available nutrients outside of the plant is key to plant osmosis and stopping nutrient lock ups. 2 really simple ways to determine if the plants need feeding are: š 3ODFH ILQJHU GRZQ WKH VLGH RI WKH SRW and feel the length of your finger down. If the top 3 inches seems dry then this is a good indication the lowest parts of the root zone need watering. š :HLJK WKH SODQW SRW XVLQJ ERWK KDQGV when the medium is totally dry and see how light the entire pot is when it has no water in. Every time you can lift the pots up like this, feed until their is drip through.
Humidity Levels: Being conscious of the humidity levels in your grow room is essential to not only replicating the outdoor seasonal environment,yet ensuring their are no danger zones you are creating mould or fungus wise. š +XPLGLW\ OHYHOV GXULQJ WKH HDUO\ VHHdling and late vegetative stage should UHPDLQ DW KXPLGLW\ DQG WHPSHUDWXUH RI GHJUHHV FHOVLXV ,I FDQQDbis plants do not receive high levels of water vapour with in the air, they can grow dry and look tired. š +XPLGLW\ OHYHOV GXULQJ WKH IORZHULQJ VWDJH VKRXOG UHPDLQ DW DQG WHPSHUDWXUHV RI GHJUHHV FHOVLXV ,I WKH KXPLGLW\ LV DERYH KHUH WKLV can allow powdery mildew and mould spores to grow and attach themselves to the leaves and buds of the plants. š +XPLGLW\ OHYHOV ZKHQ GU\LQJ EXGV VKRXOG EH KXPLGLW\ DQG D WHPSHUDWXUH of 20 degrees celsius. A gentle breeze should circulate the room but never directly at the buds. The buds should take around 7-10 days to correctly dry with a clear audible snap to the twigs.
Flushing This is the final part of the flowering cycle and the indication in 7 days or so
the plants will be chopped and trimmed. There is a great deal of confusion regarding flushing and there are many organic growers who will stop feeding and flush for the last week or ten days. When feeding with organics the pressures to flush the plants thoroughly is not as great or necessary as that of a hydroponics grower. The advantages of feeding all the way until the day of harvest can be the grower feels they have pushed the plants as much as possible even until the last day. Also ensuring the last stage of bud swelling, trichome production, terpene development and biomass has the best chance at this late stage. The disadvantage to this is the plants can actually take longer to dry out as the plant is still heavy with salt residue within the nutrient solution. It is the salt residue that creates an unpleasant harsh taste on the throat when smoking a dry flower. The best way to flush even if with organics is to use only plain water and gradually starve the plant of nutrients and water. If you are feeding organics then simply use plain water for the last 7 days and gradually increase the amount of water down. I like to personally keep the PHGLXP WRWDOO\ GU\ IRU WKH ODVW KRXUV and this helps when the buds are drying they seem to dry a bit quicker than the buds fed heavy nutrients until harvest.
COLUMN
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EDGING TOWARDS CANNABIS LEGALISATION IN SCOTLAND: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR Recently (7/9/17) there was a meeting held at The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, the purpose of which was to push, once again, for access to medical cannabis. There were supposed to be a number of "key people" representing the Scottish Government in attendance, but in the event none of them bothered to turn up. Not that this matters much, as the organisers of the event seem convinced that it’s only a matter of time before the politicians either do the right thing voluntarily (unlikely), or are forced to do so purely on the basis of overwhelming public support. It’s infuriating, though, that everyone seems to still be hung up on two points, both of which could potentially be problematic. Firstly, the general call appears to be for decriminalisation of cannabis, and secondly, they are focussed upon medical users only. Without wishing to rain on anyone’s parade here, this is a very short-sighted way of doing. Anyone familiar with my writing in
Soft Secrets over the years will be aware that I regard decriminalisation as a neitherone-thing-nor-the-other compromise: it’s not strictly illegal, but it’s not strictly legal either, and this just won’t do. Anything short of legalisation isn’t enough. Until there is an absolute change in the law, then “turning a blind eye to it” (which is what decriminalisation basically boils down to) is what we’re left with, and this will only continue to happen for as long as it suits the whims of whoever happens to be running The Lord Advocate’s Office or Police Scotland at any given time. We get a pragmatist, then fine. We get, say, a Christian fundamentalist or some other sort of morally driven busybody (not beyond the realms of possibility, let’s be honest) then the whole thing comes crashing down. The second point about medical users is a tricky one to talk about without appearing totally heartless. However, there are real concerns here as well, so let’s give this a good shake. I should say that I completely endorse the use of medical cannabis: it has proven efficacy with a number of con-
ditions, with more uses emerging almost on a weekly basis. So what’s the problem? Well, since you ask, there are a couple of problems. Firstly, aiming everything at a such a – frankly - narrow outcome as the medicalisation of cannabis will more than likely mean prescribed pharmaceutical grade cannabis extracts only (meaning that growing and cultivation of the cannabis plant for personal use will continue to be prohibited), basically throwing the door wide open to the full involvement of the pharmaceutical industry. This leads nicely into the second potential problem, which is to say… …where does this leave all the recreational cannabis users? The answer to this has to be “exactly where they currently are”, meaning criminals in the eyes of the law. It really does seem that the whole matter is being approached the wrong way round. Medical users should be regarded
as a subset of users per se. This would mean is that cannabis would be legal for everyone who wants it (with the usual age caveats etc), and if it so happens that it has beneficial health effects, then so much the better. Of course, a pretty good case could be made for all use being medical to some extent: a means of unwinding and relaxing; a social facilitator; a sleep aid; an appetite enhancer; an all-round (for most people) pleasurable thing to do, that’s safer than booze, pills or anything else one could mention. When the government are forced into seriously looking at the whole matter of cannabis, let's set the aims as wide as possible, as setting them too narrowly will set us up for a whole lot of problems. In the meantime, be careful what you wish for. This column is in memory of HDS (19262017) Dr John Dee
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SHOP REVIEW can choose to visit the Artis Zoo in the city centre. Rumour has it that even pink elephants can be spotted here, but that is an urban legend.
HUNTER’S IS NOT FOR PUSSIES
Hunter's story started in the famous Warmoesstraat in 1985. Not with roses, but with a dog. At this famous spot in the Amsterdam Red Light District, amidst all the pussy cats, a dog called Hunter's marked its territory with a well-aimed wizz against a building. The owner of the dog decided that this was a good place and the first Hunter's Coffeeshop was born. Hunter's territory has now been expanded and the famous logo with the dog can be found throughout Amsterdam.
HUNT THEM ALL
NOT ONLY REALLY, REALLY, REALLY RELAXING NATURE The Netherlands is not only known for its beautiful tulips and impressive tulip fields, more beautiful things grow in and around Amsterdam. There is still plenty to discover in Amsterdam for anyone who takes the time and is interested in special flora. Take for example the relaxed courtyard of Hunter's Coffeeshop on Papaverweg 2 in Amsterdam. A real enthusiast can find more flower power here than can ever be found in the famous Keukenhof. GREEN WEEDS
If you pay attention to it, Amsterdam is one of the greenest, flowery cities in the world. It does not only have a range of beautiful parks, such as the Vondelpark, but there is greenery everywhere you go in the streets and on the sidewalks. For example near Hunter's Coffeeshop. The street is littered with weeds of all kinds. Take a deep breath and feel like you are back in nature while walking in the middle of a large metropolis. It is called Papaverweg for a reason....
RELAXING GARDENS
Not only the Amsterdam city streets look green. There is still plenty to discover in behind the façades for anyone taking the time and looking
further. Amsterdam is also the city of courtyards; small green paradises in the middle of the city. Places where you can get away from things and enjoy a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. The medieval Begijnhof is a special place like that. And of course the courtyard of Hunter's Coffeeshop. This is a true paradise for real enthusiasts; a courtyard where the weeds grow lush and the greenery provide the relaxed atmosphere. This is the Amsterdam garden where you go for flower power.
NATURE ON THE GO
Hunter's Coffeeshop offers everything you need to optimally enjoy the atmosphere and experience of the courtyard to make your experience an unforgettable
one and to completely absorb the nature. On offer are delicious natural juices, delicious drinks and anything you may need to take a visit to our courtyard to the next level. We even give you the option to take some of the Amsterdam nature with you so that you enjoy all the greenery we have to offer on the go.
LOVE, PEACE AND HAPPINESS
Besides flower power, Hunter's also offers love, peace and happiness. Our courtyard does not only house weeds, but also beautiful roses. The flower of love, a white version for peace, and a flower that makes loads of people very happy. It was Shakespeare who wrote the famous quote in Romeo and Juliet: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. This is still the case at Hunter's; you can find flowers and plants here that go by many different names.
PINK ELEPHANT
The nature lover is at home in Amsterdam. There is plenty of greenery to be discovered in the bustle of the city. Amsterdam is also for you when you are looking for animals. After a visit to Hunter's, you
You can see that it are not just the intoxicating nature and the relaxed atmosphere that make Hunter's Coffeeshop famous. Each Hunter's has its own ambience and speciality. You can find no less than eight locations in and around Amsterdam. From the famous Warmoesstraat in the city centre to easily accessible on the motorway in Amsterdam Noord. There is even a Hunter's Coffeeshop in Haarlem, allowing you to visit Hunter's on the way to the beach. You can even find a Hunter's Coffeeshop on Amsterdam Beach. Complete you visit to Amsterdam and visit all Hunter's, or as they put it themselves: Hunt them all. Do you want to learn more about Hunter's? Visit www.hunters-coffeeshop.com or follow Hunter's on Facebook.
Hunter’s Coffeeshop
Stationsstraat 9-11, Zandvoort Amsterdam Beach
Hunter’s Coffeeshop
Waterlandplein 7, Amsterdam
Hunter’s Coffeeshop Papaverweg 2, Amsterdam
Hunter’s The Bar
Utrechtsestraat 16, Amsterdam
Hunter’s Coffeeshop
Utrechtsestraat 14, Amsterdam
Hunter’s Bar
Warmoesstraat 24, Amsterdam
Hunter’s Coffeeshop Schoterweg 66, Haarlem
Hunter’s Coffeeshop
Orteliusstraat 193, Amsterdam
SENSI STAR ® Expect colas that are rock hard and coated with so much resin they literally glow in the dark with crystals (which explains its ‘White Strain’ nickname). The taste is part metal, part mint and all sweetness. However, it is the effect that has put Sensi Star in the history books as one of the most potent strains available in the world. This variety is and almost pure long lasting indica, with THC levels recorded at over 20% in many cases. Although mostly indica, she retains a complex high that warps both body and soul.
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90% Indica
18-22%
50º N mid Oct. 55-65 Days 50º S mid April
Fruity Berries
Super-Stoned Relaxing
75% Sativa
100 cm 500 g/m2
175 cm 800 g/plant
50º N end Oct. 56-63 Days 50º S end April
18-22%
Citrus Haze
Euphoric Up-High
60% Indica
150 cm 600 g/m2
300 cm 1500 g/plant
50º N early Oct. 50-55 Days 50º S early April
16-20%
Skunk Strawberries
Mentally stimulating
110 cm 700 g/m2
200 cm 1000 g/plant
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STRAIN REPORT
17
SOUR DIESEL
THE STRAIN THAT TURNED SOUR
Sour Diesel is easily the most famous household name and googled
Some growers complain that the real 1 < & ' LV QRW VWURQJ HQRXJK WR NHHS \RX LQ a sedentary mindset, whilst other growers can use this flower throughout the day with no down sides to production and motivation.
HYBRIDS WITH SOUR DIESEL Over the last 20 years the level of breeding has really been taken to new heights, so with many hybrids originating from the Sour Diesel lineage it is difficult to name them all. To name a few of the more famous Sour Diesel hybrids that are worthy of their recognition are Headband, &DVH\ -RQHV 6XSHU 6LOYHU 6RXU 'LHVHO
fuel, waiting up to 70 days or more in some cases is well worth it. Sour Diesel can handle a big feed and is not so sensitive to heavy feeding schedules as other hazes and sativas. This strain can handle cold weather and thrives off hot ZHDWKHU RXWGRRUV MXVW DV ZHOO *URZHUV LQ &DOLIRUQLD ZKR JURZ WKH RULJLQDO 6RXU Diesel lines, can grow enormous plants outdoors that require some serious trellising and harvest up to 5 kilo per plant dry. Training Sour Diesel from a clone or seedling will allow for huge yields as this plant enjoys to be super cropped, tied down, scrogged and any type of pruning
strain on the planet, making this particular strain well sought after. Since the origin of Sour Diesel many growers have discovered there are many phenotypes and much myth surrounding this strain, Here we will cover the origin, the breeder, genetic lineage and the connection to the New York City Diesel strain. HOW IT STARTED This is one of those stories that has quite a few twists and turns, however there is some truth to the version I am about to cover. In the early 1990’s, there was the &KHPGDZJ JHQHWLFV EHLQJ JURZQ WKDW was in circulation amongst a close knit group of growers. In an attempt to possess this strain that had an unbelievable street hype and bag appeal, a breeder named A.J acquired some of the flowers from the chemdawg 91 genetics . Fortunate enough to find bag seeds, these seeds were sprouted and what came from these is formally known today as Sour Diesel. &RQVLGHULQJ WKH EDJ VHHG ZHUH QRW D SXUH YHUVLRQ RI WKH RULJLQDO &KHPGDZJ 91 genetic, there is a collective understanding that a Super Skunk was used for pollination. This may well have EHHQ &KHPGDZJŖV LQWHQWLRQ DIWHU LW LV documented he discarded the male plants he had, so using a Super Skunk to branch out the sacred line well have been a realistic target. Otherwise the story that has surfaced also is that the plant turned hermaphrodite and this is the reason for the bag seeds.
By Stoney Tark
so moorish, friendships began to suffer and what was once the best thing to come into a close group of cannabis enthusiasts, was quickly dubbed as ‘ Sour ‘ and the named Sour Diesel stuck. Anyone lucky enough to smoke a well grown version can account that a pungent jet fuel taste can linger on the lips once smoked, yet there is no sour aspect to the actual flavour when smoked or smelt. A strain that has the appearance of a sativa dominant hybrid with the aroma of a Kush.
DIFFERENT PHENOTYPES There are different phenotypes that can be found in seed form or by clone and these phenos are quite different in terms of expression. The Sour Diesel which is IURP &DOLIRUQLD KDV D SRZHUIXO VNXQN\ gassy jet fuel taste and aroma and when smoked the mouth is filled with a creamy dank petroleum like after taste. When growing this phenotype, it will grow a darker green than most and yield heavy like a sativa, yet when smoked the effects can be overwhelming and similar to a narcotic indica.
7KH 1HZ <RUN &LW\ 'LHVHO ZKLFK KDV EHHQ N.Y.C.D AND THE SOUR PART made commercially famous by Soma, has This is also a world famous strain with a different flavour and effect altogether many cups to showcase the level of to her sister phenotype. Anyone who has popularity and worldwide status. Named grown or smoked this plant will testify as Diesel due to its petroleum pungent how it tastes of a grape and mandarin scent and musky aroma, growers from taste.When this strain grows it will express 1HZ <RUN &LW\ DQG &DOLIRUQLD ZHUH ERWK a multitude of seasonal colours ranging growing their version of the Diesel. from red, purple, orange, yellow and pink. How the different names came about A very expressive plant that needs 10 and caused confusion amongst modern weeks to fully ripen. GD\ JURZHUV LV WKH &DOLIRUQLDQ YHUVLRQ ZDV QDPHG (DVW &RDVW 'LHVHO DQG WKH The terpene is totally different with the RWKHU ZDV 1HZ <RUN &LW\ 'LHVHO 6LPSOH 1 < & ' DQG WKH HIIHFWV ZKHQ VPRNHG DUH enough to understand until the notoriety more focused and creative, showcasing of the dry flowers and clone because the sativa aspect to this phenotype more.
A multicoloured N.Y.C.D that expresses the original genetics
+D]H * 'LHVHO 2 * OHPRQ /DUU\ $OLHQ 'RJ 1RWRULRXV 2 * DQG 8QGHUGRJ 2 * 0DQ\ RI WKH VWURQJHVW VWUDLQV RQ (DUWK UDQJLQJ IURP 7+& KDYH EHHQ crossed with Sour Diesel.
When making extracts with Sour Diesel, cup winning terpenes and sky high levels RI 7+& KDYH PDGH WKLV VWUDLQ D FODVVLF amongst extractors who want high grade resin to work with.
GROWING SOUR DIESEL
LAB TESTED SOUR DIESEL FLOWER
From experience growing Sour Diesel can be a real turning point in one’s grow game, as you watch a true pedigree grow vigorously and yield what may even be your biggest harvest yet. You will find these buds stink and do not stop, so it is well advised to ensure your carbon filters and drying rooms are well ventilated and clean of that unmistakable jet fuel dank. Plant height will grow quite tall and when flowered Sour Diesel kicks out a flurry of bright white pistils, which mature into stacked calyx similar to that of any FRPPHUFLDO KD]H YDULHW\ *URZHUV FDQ expect sativa sized harvests over the space of 10 weeks. Despite Sour Diesel SRVVHVVLQJ WKDW FODVVLF 2 * .XVK OHPRQ
Total THC: THC: THCa: THCV: Total CBD: CBD: CBDa: CBN: CBG: CBGa: CBC:
20.71% 0.3 % 20.36% 0.04% 0.28% 0.01% 0.27% 0.03% 0.05% 0.72% 0.01%
Total Cannabinoids: 21.8 %
http://www.cblabstesting.com/test-results/ sour-diesel-41/
SEED BANKS
21
DEEP CHEESE LET IT BE CHEESE!
A wonderful medium-sized, highly resistant plant with a short flowering phase producing plentiful, top-quality yields. Buds are enormous, extremely dense and rich with trichomes. It stands out for its intense and penetrating aroma, not to mention its strong mental high and stoned effect on the body.
TricomaTeam (tricomateam@gmail.com)
Dinafem spent two years to select the best &KHHVH SODQWV WR DFKLHYH DQ LPSURYHG version, which was met with great appreciation. This backcross of Dinafem’s RULJLQDO &KHHVH PDGH D UHDO VSODVK Plants were larger, more productive and with remarkable organoleptic characteristics. It comes as no surprise that cannabis growers are now enthusiastic about these results. Plants are wide, with numerous branches and shoots, very easy to grow and UHFRPPHQGHG IRU 62* DQG 6&52* growing methods for their growth pattern and structure. They are indicated for both indoor and outdoor growing as bloom is achieved in eight weeks only. The plant is both fungi and disease resistant for its characteristic intense smell, which keeps pests away. Outdoors, it can easily be harvested in late September or early October. Yields exceed 500 g/m2 under lamps and, in RXWGRRU FURSV UHDFK J SODQW with specimens even rising to two and a half metres. Flowers grow all over the plant into really big and heavy buds, especially the central one. The resin quantity is appreciable by simply looking at it and the intense smell it releases requires the use of good antiodour filters. Its smell is so strong that you just need to grind a single bud to spread its aroma all over the room. Its full taste, ever since the first puff of smoke, will linger on in the palate for quite a while, with true cheese tones. The trip is powerful in all respects, you will feel your head grow heavy, and your body indulge in cheerfulness and relaxation.
GERMINATION AND GROWTH Similarly to all other Dinafem strains, WKH 'HHS &KHHVH VHHGV ORRN YHU\ QLFH even before germination. We placed five seeds of this plant into wet cloths. They germinated rapidly and, after OHVV WKDQ KRXUV ZH PRYHG WKHP with their radicle facing down, to onelitre pots of soil substrate. We watered the pots before planting the seeds, as doing the reverse would have flooded the substrate and deprived the plants of the energy they needed to grow out of the soil surface. After keeping WKHP GD\V XQGHU : ODPSV ZH WUDQVIHUUHG WKHP WR DQG OLWUH SRWV for the rest of their growth, which was literally explosive with plants showing their full potential at this stage. We noticed their stoutness and bushiness and their intense green colour. Stems and branches were big enough and inter-knot distance was rather short. In the first watering cycle, we added a root booster and small quantities of fertiliser on a regular basis. We advise against excessive irrigation and fertilisation, to avoid consuming excessive quantities of water and nutrients. In little more than Harvest day
one month, given their remarkable size, we changed the photoperiod and moved them to a flowering room with a 12-hour light cycle, under 600 W sodium lamps, to create optimal growing conditions.
FLOWERING 'HHS &KHHVH VWDUWV WR EORRP DOUHDG\ DW an advanced stage of its development, with leaves bending towards lamps to collect all the energy they need until nice well-formed buds shoot out. In the first week, we washed roots slightly and added a flower booster, for the first time, on an alternate basis with a bio-stimulator and irrigation with pure water up to roughly two weeks before harvest. Unlike other strains, which tend to turn yellow as blooming progresses, Deep &KHHVH UHPDLQV GDUN JUHHQ *URZWK explodes as they start blooming, but plants usually remain medium-sized. In our crop, pistils appeared after a few days and developed all over the plant. Distance between buds was minimum and tips had long stiff rows of buds that grew thick and chunky day after day. In the five specimens we grew, we observed two distinct phenotypes. Lower buds were equally big, extremely heavy and sticky and released the characteristic cheese smell from the early blooming period – which requires the use of a good DQWL RGRXU ILOWHU &U\VWDOV ZHUH DOVR present in high concentration. At around forty days, we washed the roots abundantly with pure water only and continued like this from this time onwards. At day 55, all specimens were ripe enough to be harvested. We cut two only and waited until day 60 to cut the others. In the end, all of them turned out to be sublime.
HARVEST Harvest was amazing. Each snip of the scissors released a pungent smell all over the place. And the buds, oh dear, so heavy! Even the smallest among them was as hard and smelly as hell. We harvested a nice flower quantity of around fifty grams per plant. The huge and heavy central bud was particularly notable. Each bud had a small quantity of leaflets making the plant very easy and quick to trim.
TASTING All those who tasted this strain remarked its unforgettably strong aroma. By putting our nose close to it, we perceived an overwhelming smell. A strong cheese taste then spread from lips to lungs and filled us up as we would never expect. It is well worth keeping it in a large box and tasting it after a long ripening period. As regards its effect, the plant gives you a relaxing, pleasant and cheerful high, indeed the best choice to watch a movie and share it with your friends.
22
STRAIN REPORT
BACK TO THE FUTURE:
ORTEGA INDICA - THE PERFECT SOPORIFIC
Text & Photos: Green Born Identity - G.B.I Ortega Indica is the first medical strain officially classified as such by Dutch Passion. Its pedigree dates back to original stock from breeder Neville’s legendary Seed Bank of the eighties, consisting of the original Ortega Indica and Northern Lights #1. Henk from Dutch passion reports about the breeding history of the strain: “In the ninetees we did experiments in Switserland with many varieties. Part of these varieties was old Neville stock, six or seven varieties if I remember well. One of them was the original Ortega Indica crossed with Northern Lights #1 done by Neville. In Switserland we did selective breeding on this strain which resulted in our Ortega Indica #3. After the Swiss experiments a different producer continued the work on this strain (for achieving a non-morningafter effect) in Holland which resulted in the current Ortega Indica. This producer does not harvest fast, but lets the plants mature well. Often flowering consists of two or three waves, the third wave taking another extra two weeks.” Like many other Dutch Passion strains, Ortega Indica is only available as a feminised seed strain. She can be cultivated with good results in both indoor and greenhouse environments. Under natural light, she reaches maturity in the third week of 2FWREHU )ORZHULQJ WLPH LV ZHHNV OHDving the plants with compact buds that provide a medium yield. Ortega Indica plants are expected to stay small (dwarf-like) and compact, being quite homogeneous. The high is medium strong. According to Dutch Passion, “Ortega Indica is a good variety to smoke before going to sleep, a feature present in all Indica’s, but more extreme in Ortega Indica. It works as an effective sleeping pill and tranquilizer.” It’s also expected to provide a good pain killing effect to the consumer. Dutch Passion further reports: “Specific for Ortega Indica in the second place, and not experienced by other Indicas is the fact that its high does not have a cloudy morning after effect. This term expresses that the morning after smoking Ortega Indica, almost no cannabis effects are experienced any more. Waking up with a clear mind is not that much experienced after takinig sleeping pills or tranquilizers (side effects).” Ortega Indica’s aroma is described as earthy, spicy and tobacco-like.
cultivated in the beginning under WZR : &)/ OLJKWV .HOYLQ Two weeks after germination, the plants measured about 15 cm and were extremely compact and also homogeneous, already featuring a lot of side branch development. The 'RF UHSODFHG WKH &)/ OLJKWV ZLWK two 600 W Planta Star HPS bulbs, so the plants were coddled with plenty of light. In the third week, the plants did not increase much in height, but their side branches began to spurt dynamically, making for a very bushy and compact growth model. After four weeks, the three Ortega Indica plants still were very homogeneous. The Doc induced flowering by reducing WKH GDLO\ OLJKW F\FOH IURP WR hours. The two Planta Star bulbs were replaced by two 600 W Osram Son-T bulbs specially suitable for the flowering period. The three plants had meanwhile reached a height of 50-60 cm and a diameter RI FP 7KH IXQ ZDV DERXW WR begin now. After the first week of flowering, it became evident that the plants would significantly stretch, a few days later they had already arrived DW D KHLJKW RI FP DQG DIWHU WZR DQG D KDOI ZHHNV HYHQ DW FP EXW WKH\ still were quite bushy and compact, due to the many side branches that were very thick and long. Now the first flower clusters became visible at the top of the branches, bud formation was about getting into full gear. After four weeks of flowering, the plants had already produced a lot of resin, spreading a sweet and spicy scent. In the sixth week of flowering, the plants had literally exploded, bud formation was getting more and more massive and the intense scent even more complex and penetrant. With regard to the indica nature of the strain, the calyx-to-leaf ratio of the buds was surprisingly high.
There meanwhile were certain differences in height between the plants, one of them clearly was the tallest, the second one about 15 cm lower and the third one another 20 cm lower, being the most bushy plant. In terms of aroma and resin production though, there were hardly any differences. Also during the seventh week of flowering, the buds kept putting on weight, *HUPDQ JURZHU 7KH 'RF FRQGXFWHG DQ almost looking like finished. But The Doc Ortega Indica test grow. Due to limited knew they’d need 1-2 weeks more until space (he also had some other strains their full potential was tapped. After the growing in his room) he only sowed three eighth week of flowering, countless fat feminised Ortega Indica seeds. The Doc’s sweet smelling top colas were protruding plants, however, are always blessed with from the plants, and The Doc was close quite a long vegetative growth period and to let the harvest scissors do their work, plenty of light, yielding good results in but he waited another four days until he terms of size and harvest in the end. The harvested the three main colas only, as three seeds germinated well and were he was a little bit worried they might fall
victim to bud mold, although he actually KDG D JRRG DLU KXPLGLW\ RI DERXW LQ KLV grow room. One week later, after nine and a half weeks, The Doc harvested the rest of the plants, too. All the three Ortega Indica
plants had reached maturity in time, within WKH WLPH IUDPH RI IORZHULQJ ZHHNV stated by Dutch Passion. Also, they had SURYHQ WR EH IHPDOH WKHUH ZDV QRW a single male flower on the plants. Ortega Indica is a stable, quite homogeneous strain, apart from certain differences in height, the three plants were pretty much of the same kind. After they had dried, the Ortega Indica buds were put on the scales. The Doc happily celebrated a fat KDUYHVW RI JUDPV SOXV D ORW RI resinous leaf material for the Ice-OLator. A big yield was to be expected though, in view of the far above average light intensity in The Doc’s garden – in the last four weeks of flowering, he had even added another : 2VUDP 6RQ 7 EXOE )RU WKH Ortega smoking test, The Doc had invited a couple of friends. The buds provided a quite unusal smoke, it was wonderfully mild and sweet, but nevertheless also a little bit spicy, slightly reminding of a fine cigar. Ortega Indica’s medium strong high fulfilled The Doc’s expectations as well, quickly causing a nice relaxation effect that at a certain point gave way to a sweet sleepiness. Some of The Doc’s friends are suffering from chronic pain, and they reported it was distinctly alleviated after having smoked Ortega Indica. I guess this strain will become particularly popular amongst medical marijuana patients. But for any kind of weed smoker, it can serve as a perfect soporific if needed. Green Born Identity - G.B.I
Cultivation data: Strain
Ortega Indica
Vegetative stage KHUH ZHHNV Flowering
KHUH ZHHNV ZHHNV LQ JHQHUDO
Medium
3ODJURQ 6WDQGDUG 0L[ OLWUH SRWV
pH
6-6.5
EC
:DFKVWXP P6 %OĞWH P6
Lights
9HJHWDWLYH ILUVW WZR ZHHNV [ : &)/ .HOYLQ
Vegetative (second two weeks): 2 x 600 W Planta Star HPS Flowering (week 1-5): 2 x 600 W Osram Son-T )ORZHULQJ ZHHN [ : 2VUDP 6RQ 7 DQG [ : 2VUDP 6RQ 7
Temperature
)ORZHULQJ Ɠ& )ORZHULQJ Ɠ&
Air humidity
)ORZHULQJ )ORZHULQJ
Watering
by hand
Fertiliser
+H6L %OĞKNRPSOH[ IURP WKH WK ZHHN DOVR +H6L 3KRVSKRU 3OXV
Additives
1LWUR]\PH DQG +H6L %RRVW &RPSOH[
Height
95-120 cm
Yield
JUDPV
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Contact: info@dutch-passion.com @dutch-passion.com
0031 43 321 58 48
lers list Find your local dealer on our official dealers or purchase seeds online: www.dutch-passion.com
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24
GROW WITH ROBERT B.
HOW TO RECYCLE PLANT RESIDUES INTO COMPOST
A 20-litre bucket, three 11-litre pots, silage film, repair tape
USING A WORM FARM TO PROCESS CROP WASTE Those who use earth substrates to grow marijuana are already familiar with vermi-compost, as it is often contained in the substrate. Worms utilise plant residues to produce compost. We would Text: Robert B. like to exploit this principle to our advantage. Actually, purchasing vermi-compost is much simpler than producing some in a worm farm. However, setting up your own worm farm could make sense, as organic residues to feed it would normally abound; i.e. in a worm farm, besides the usual organic ingredients, plant UHVLGXHV DUH HDVLO\ ŕGLJHVWHGŖ E\ ZRUPV 0DQ\ are not aware that they can dispose of all these residues with a minimum of risk. Worms eat anything, and there are worm farms that
Hold the pot, mark it, cut the intersection
coconut-fibre mats or even hemp-fibre mats WR EH XVHG DV FRYHU &RPSRVW ZRUPV DUH supplied with the kit, which makes the worm farm easy to set up and put into operation. In order to operate a worm farm, it is not enough to feed it with organic residues only, as this would cause the worms to suffer a deficiency of minerals at some point in time. For this reason, it is crucial to regularly supply
COMPOST WORMS CAN EVEN SURVIVE WITHOUT FOOD FOR ONE WEEK do not produce waste at all, whether in a living space or on a balcony. In the best worm farms, in addition to worm compost, worm juice is also produced. These farms have taps to extract worm juice. Worm juice contains many precious nutrients, which are not exclusively meant for marijuana plants.
OPERATING A WORM FARM Beginners, who need further experience, should first select a good worm farm kit. At a later date, with additional experience, they could set up a worm farm based on their personal taste and in a suitable size. In addition to housings for a worm farm, kits contain a starter feed, a mix of minerals and
special minerals for worms, which will also be beneficial for plants at a later date. When a worm farm is put into operation, it is also important for worms to acclimate, so that they can increase in number and possibly survive beyond winter. For this reason, they should be fed with the appropriate feed mix and treated with the utmost care. )RU D 1RUWKHUQ FOLPDWH OLNH *HUPDQ\ŖV WKH ‘hungriest’ and consequently best compost worms are Eisenia foetida. Other worm W\SHV WKDW DUH VROG LQ *HUPDQ\ VXUYLYH WHPSHUDWXUHV RI WR Ɠ& EXW SURVSHU most comfortably – and are, consequently, particularly active – at temperatures of 15
There is a spacer at the bottom of the bucket, on top two polystyrene disks made to measure and wedged into each other are fitted
WR Ɠ& %HORZ Ɠ &HOVLXV FRPSRVW ZRUPV would tend to eat less and be less active. When the temperature is either too low or too high, they will die. The cocoons, which are especially produced in the cooler autumn VHDVRQ WHQG WR VXUYLYH IURP PLQXV WR Ɠ& This means that you cannot set up a worm farm in a room or outdoor space that could UHDFK D WHPSHUDWXUH DERYH Ɠ& ,Q ZLQWHU your worm farm should be placed in a sheltered space. Hemp mats used as covers prevent the surface from drying out, worms
from escaping or even fruit flies from reaching the worm farm, while ensuring that the worm farm ‘breathes’ and remains insulated during winter. In summer, during hot days, hemp covers should be moistened to cool down the temperature and prevent evaporation. Hemp does not decompose directly, which makes hemp mats particularly suitable. In any case, newspapers could also be used as covers. A few kits also include hemp mats made to measure as covers. They can be laid over one another for cooling or insulation purposes. In
25 addition, during winter, coffee grounds can be mixed with lettuce leaves or similar organic matter and placed in the worm compost, in order to produce warmth through the decay of organic residues.
THE WORM FARM CONCEPT A typical worm farm consists of four elements, three of which are exactly similar. You start building a worm farm with a floor element, which is the same as the other three but is not pierced. A tap is embedded at the very bottom of it, in order to collect worm juice. It can be used to place mediumsized old clay pots on top it. A gap should be left with the next element. This latter element will be pierced at its bottom in VHYHUDO SRLQWV ZLWK DQ PP GULOO ELW IRU liquids to drip out and for worms to move to a higher level. In addition, in the upper part of side walls, small holes can be pierced to favour aeration. Since the action of worms is also aided by that of micro-bacteria, a sufficient quantity of oxygen needs to reach at least the upper layer, which hosts active life. Three pierced boxes are needed.
for it not to stagnate in the first pierced box. It can be diluted in a proportion of 1 to 10 and used for irrigation. The worm compost can be mixed with earth, equally in a proportion of 1 to 10. For indoor marijuana, a mixture containing earth, perlite and worm compost in a proportion of 2:1:2 or even 1:1:1 is recommended. When plants are left in place for a long time, this compost can be laid on the soil later. In addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the compost contains magnesium, calcium and other trace elements, as well as valuable microbes that are particularly good for plants. If not so many nutrients are left in the used soil after harvest, this soil can be enriched several times with worm compost and reused. For plant growing, however, an enzyme preparation is also needed, which will aid the decomposition of dead roots, in order to make the used soil suitable for the next plants.
A pot in the bucket with a drain opening on a wheeled board, drain holes stuffed with kitchen paper, feed and worms in the front
FEEDING Worms should be fed regularly. For this reason, you should consider using a method
THE WORM JUICE CAN BE DILUTED IN A PROPORTION OF 1 TO 10 AND USED FOR IRRIGATION The first pierced box is set up as a starter box in the lowest level. The next step is to form a ‘base’ with a layer of crushed cardboard, newspapers, autumn leaves and hay in the pierced starter box. The full surface is pre-moistened and regularly kept moist, and a few worms are added to the mix. A minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 compost worms will be placed on top. Above this base, after two to four days, suitable organic waste will be added. Each time the surface needs to be covered with newspapers or a hemp mat. When the worm farm is in operation, with daily or nearly daily feeding, the biomass layer VKRXOG PHDVXUH WR FP Every day Eisenia foetida worms eat the same quantity of organic residues as their body weight; other compost worms eat slightly smaller quantities. All worms need to be fed regularly. However, they can even survive without food for one week. Users who are away on trips of up to three weeks, can mix a weekly ration of moistened feed with newspaper clippings. After supplying feed, this needs to be covered with a newspaper. It will take two to three months for the worm farm to reach stable operation. Feed will have to be supplied regularly until the first pierced box is full, then a second box can be placed on top, in order to continue to supply feed. Through holes, worms will creep to upper levels. When the second layer is also full, then a third layer can be placed. When this is also full, the first pierced box can be removed, emptied and placed empty on top of the last box. The removed worm compost can be sieved and used or stocked.
WORM JUICE AND WORM COMPOST The worm juice should be removed regularly,
to shred newspapers, cardboard or even hay, leaves, garden waste and obviously hemp residues in the easiest way. The smaller shreds are cut the better, as worms will GLJHVW WKH RUJDQLF UHVLGXHV TXLFNHU &RIIHH or tea grounds or a coco substrate are easily eaten by worms. If you feed worms with coco fibres, all other nutrients should be flushed out in advance. All parts should be no bigger than a fingertip. No metal clips, glossy paper, shipping labels or adhesive tapes should be mixed to the paper or cardboard shreds used in a worm farm. 8S WR RI SDSHU DQG FDUGERDUG LV enough for worms and at least a part should be mixed with the feed, for the worms to benefit from a varied diet. In autumn, a quantity of foliage can be stocked. If you leave lawn cuttings to dry out in the sun, you can also use them in your worm farm. Eggshells –suitably washed and crushed with a rolling pin – are also good. Worms will easily eat fruit and vegetable leftovers or, occasionally, stale bread crumbs. Excessively dry feed should first be moistened. If the box is too wet, paper clippings can be mixed in it. If the box is too dry, the mix can be moistened with a pump sprayer. Obviously, you should avoid supplying citrus fruit, leek, glossy paper, nutshells, or any uncooked, salted or marinated food, chemicals, plastics, onions, garlic, meat, cheese, fat-rich food and any similar organic matter. If parts of the feed develop moulds, these parts can be simply removed superficially from the worm compost already produced. Alternatively, mouldy feed should be disposed of. Worms are even used in wastewater treatment plants for the decontamination of sludge. However, no patently toxic or inappropriate IHHG VKRXOG EH VXSSOLHG &RQVHTXHQWO\ FDW
Some forest soil with leaves, moistened feed and, in the front, worms
Not all garden worms are the right ones
Initial feed supply, worms are still vital
26 litter and dog excrements are not advisable. However, for larger worm farms, horse manure is frequently used.
PROPER OPERATION Over time, worm farms undergo acidification. These toothless worms are also able to grind feed that is mixed with pebbles and fine gravel in their stomach. For this reason, it is advisable to always supply, in addition to organic residues, small quantities of basal rock dust, aglime or an appropriate mineral mix. In a box with 2,000 compost worms, it suffices to add a full tablespoon of basal rock dust every three weeks (to be spread all over the box). Normally, if the worm farm is slightly scented, this means its active layer is probably not receiving sufficient air, or that too much feed has been supplied and anaerobic decomposition is taking place. To remedy this, the supply of feed should be reduced and the pH value should also be tested. The best way to do it is to collect soil samples from four different spots. A small glass should then be half filled with soil and half filled with distilled water, and then everything should be mixed up. Only then should the pH value be measured to check whether it is in the range of 5 to 7.
as 15 years, breathe through their skin, have five hearts and, as hermaphrodites, produce up to 200 cocoons in a year. In the breeding season, the ring around worms comes off, is fecundated and develops into a cocoon. At a cooler temperature, the cocoon production rises, which ensures the appearance of new worms in spring. When the space is narrower, or food is available in short supply, or when the temperature is too warm, worms’ reproduction will fall. Worms do not stand the light und are able to burrow themselves quickly, if you remove the cover, or the hemp mat, from the upper box.
If the pH value rises above 7.5, you should deliberately avoid adding fruit, and check that no fruit is contained in the feed. Since newspapers and cardboard packages are soaked by feeding, you should check that the water content is initially equal to a 5.5 pH value and that only small quantities of fruit residues are fed. If large quantities of fruit residues have been supplied, a little more mineral mix, basal rock dust or aglime should be added in order to adjust acidity. If you realise that the worm farm is too dry, then add water. To check if worm humus is sufficiently dry, take it by your hands and squeeze it a bit, no water should flow out. But it should also not be excessively dry.
GENERAL INFORMATION ON COMPOST WORMS Worms live in symbiosis with microorganisms. These microorganisms macerate the feed and are eaten by worms together with small SDUWV RI IHHG &RPSRVW ZRUPV OLYH DV ORQJ
ABOUT PICTURES IN THIS ARTICLE These pictures show an up-cycling process,
in which neither the bucket nor the pots were damaged and the worm juice was tipped out after the removal of pots. In this test, only a few garden worms were doing well after nearly two weeks. A few self-made worm farm constructions are inappropriate. Only time will tell if a selfmade construction is good.
OTHER ‘FELLOW OCCUPANTS’ If you fail to cover your worm farm with a hemp mat, when you supply fruit residues to it, your box will become infested with fruit flies. This is particularly annoying in indoor spaces, where you run the risk of infestation of both the worm compost and your grown plants with flies or gnats. In addition to covering the worm farm, you could obviate the problem by supplying less fruit residues, or wrap them up in newspaper and bury them under the surface. For preventive purposes, you can also make your own fruit fly trap by mixing one part apple juice, two parts of vinegar and two drops of dishwashing liquid and supplying it to the farm. Fruit flies will
OVER TIME, WORM FARMS UNDERGO ACIDIFICATION If the tested pH value is below 5, aglime should be supplied in order to raise it. After two to three weeks, it will be clear whether the addition of aglime has been effective. &DUH VKRXOG EH WDNHQ QRW WR UDLVH WKH S+ YDOXH too much. A low pH value with acrid smell indicates a build-up of ammonia, which in turn points to anaerobic decomposition in the worm farm. To remedy this, better aeration should be favoured, the worm compost should be broken up into tinier pieces and fed with egg-carton, cardboard or newspaper pieces until the problem is fixed. An air shortage is probably due to a high humidity level, in which case, dry cardboard, dry newspaper pieces or dry hay should be added to the mix.
The nitrogen concentration in the feed should be reduced. You will learn what the right environment for your worm farm is over time, as you normally do with your grow room, and you will no longer get it wrong.
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drown in this liquid. When flies proliferate, you can starve them out by only feeding cardboard and a small quantity of mineral powder. Worms will survive. Against gnats, you can use nematodes or predatory mites (Hypoaspis aculeifer). If you regularly supply fruit residues to a worm farm and it is too dry, it will also become infested by ants. These sweet residues can still be left in place. When the problem arises, you can wrap up the residues in a newspaper and bury them under the worm compost. 0DNH VXUH \RX PRLVWHQ WKH VXUIDFH UHJXODUO\ with a pump sprayer. White worms, measuring 5 to 30 mm in length, named enchytraeids will also grow in almost every worm farm. If they exceed the number of compost worms, this means that the pH value is too low and should be increased. Springtails, measuring 1 to 5 mm and with six feet, may also frequently DSSHDU 0XFK OHVV FRPPRQ JXHVWV DUH WKH VPDOOHU EODFN ZRRGOLFH ZLWK IHHW 7KHVH can easily be picked up by hand. These three types of guests contribute to the decomposition of organic feed.
In case of mould or when the user is away, with a coco fibre protection, garden worms are still quite vital after 5 days
IN CONCLUSION If a worm box has a sufficient quantity of worms, which however are not eating enough, this means that the temperature is probably too cold or too warm. When the number of worms falls, this means that there is a probable lack of trace elements. You should proceed with a pH test and supply aglime, basal rock dust or a mineral mix. There could be excessive dryness in the box for worms to proliferate or, in rare cases, there could be too much nitrogen. In a few parts, worms could be very thin and smelly.
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PUZZLE PAGE
GROW WITH JORGE CERVANTES
CaMg THE SECONDARY NUTRIENTS The secondary nutrients—calcium, magnesium, and sulfur—are often grouped with the macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) because plants use secondary nutrients in large amounts. Rapid-growing cannabis is able to process more of these nutrients than most general-purpose fertilizers are able to supply. A properly balanced organic or ionic salt hydroponic fertilizer supplies all necessary macro and micro (trace) elements in the proper formulations for maximum results. Calcium and magnesium are dissolved in all water sources, usually in large amounts. Lower levels of sulfur are also present in most water supplies. Always take into account the amount of preexisting calcium and magnesium ‘nutrients’ already available in the water supply when fertilizing, especially in hydroponic formulas. Excessive calcium causes “hard water,” a condition that limits nutrient uptake. If growing in an acidic potting soil or soilless mix, correct the pH of the growing medium to 5.8 with agricultural lime. Calcium is already incorporated into the peat part of the mix. The proper rate of all lime tends to be three to five kilograms per 1 m3. With a pH below 6.0, incorporating one cup of fine (flour) dolomite lime per gallon of growing medium ensures adequate supplies of calcium and magnesium. Forms of sulfur are found as compounds in most fertilizers.
ME Ch 21 Calcium Calcium (Ca)—immobile (essential) About: Calcium is fundamental to cell manufacturing and growth. Calcium is necessary to preserve membrane permeability and cell integrity, which ensure proper flow of nitrogen and sugars. Calcium stimulates enzymes that help build strong cell and root walls. Cannabis must have some calcium at the growing tip of each root. Since calcium has little mobility within the plant, it must be available in the root zone for uptake in order to avoid shortages. Tap water “hardness” is determined
by the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts. High levels of calcium help protect plant tissue from pest and disease attacks. But hard water scale contains a considerable amount of calcium carbonate, CaCO3, which is almost insoluble in water. Deficiency: Calcium is most often deficient in hydroponic gardens, but this deficiency is rather uncommon in greenhouses and indoors. Calcium is abundant in virtually all soils but occasionally lacking outdoors in cool wet climates and acidic soil. Calcium is sometimes deficient in soilless rooting mediums. Early deficiency causes lower leaves to contort and curl. As the
deficiency progresses, symptoms appear relatively quickly, first in lower leaves that develop yellowish-brown irregular spots with a dark brown border that enlarges over time. Often spots are at or near the edge of leaves. Older affected leaves develop yellowish hazy zones and spots around larger necrotic irregular spots. Flower bud development is inhibited, and root tips often die back. The plants are stunted and harvest is diminished. Cause: An imbalanced fertilizer with unavailable calcium causes a deficiency. Calcium can be bound or fixed in (acidic) soil and unavailable for uptake. Excess ammonium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium in the root zone impair calcium uptake. Often, calcium is available in solution and growing medium but unavailable within the plant due to a transport problem (within the plant) caused by environmental conditions. Humidity that is too high or too low impairs transpiration. An EC that is too high, or improper irrigation that causes internal movement of water,
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will affect calcium uptake and is demonstrated in lower leaves. Excess phosphorus could also be the cause. Confused with: Root disease, excess nitrogen (ammonium), magnesium, potassium and sodium or deficiencies of iron, potassium and zinc Solution: Leach soil and soilless mix with plain or low-EC water to wash out any built-up fertilizer salts that impair calcium uptake. Avert deficiencies in the soil and in most soilless mixes by adding fine dolomite lime (Ca and Mg) or gypsum (calcium sulfate hydrate [CaSO4·2(H2O)]) to the planting mix. Acidic soils often contain low levels of calcium. Use properly formulated soluble hydroponic fertilizer that contains adequate available calcium, preferably calcium nitrate. Dissolve one-half teaspoon (2.5 cc) of hydrated lime per gallon of water. Water the deficient plants with calcium-dosed water as long as new deficiency symptoms persist. Remember, damaged tissue will not go away. Or use a complete
30
hydroponic nutrient that contains adequate available calcium. Keep the pH of the growing medium stable. Reverse osmosis filtered water must have calcium added. Excess: Leaves wilt, but very little. Excessive amounts of soluble calcium applied early in life can stunt growth. Too much calcium blocks potassium, iron, magnesium, and manganese uptake. If growing hydroponically, an excess of calcium will combine with sulfur in the solution, which causes the nutrient solution to suspend in the water and to aggregate into clumps, which then causes the water to become cloudy (flocculate). Once calcium and sulfur combine, they form a residue [gypsum CaSO4·2(H2O)] that settles to the bottom of the reservoir. Cause: Too much available calcium in water or nutrient solution Confused with: Deficiency of potassium, magnesium, manganese, or iron Solution: Change nutrient solution, attempt to wash excess from soil with heavy leaching.
ME Ch 21 Magnesium Magnesium (Mg)—mobile (essential) About: Cannabis uses a lot of magnesium. It is the central atom in every chlorophyll molecule, and it is essential to the absorption of light energy and photosynthesis. It aids in the utilization of nutrients. Magnesium helps enzymes make carbohydrates and sugars that are later transformed into flowers. It also neutralizes the soil acids and toxic compounds produced by the plant. Deficiency: Deficiencies are common indoors and occasionally outdoors, especially in acidic soils. No deficiency symptoms are visible during the first 3 to 4 weeks. In the fourth to sixth week of growth, the first signs of deficiency appear. Interveinal yellowing and irregular rust-brown spots appear on older and middle-aged leaves and younger leaves remain healthy. Size of rust-brown spots between green veins increases and migrates to lower and finally newer leaves as the deficiency progresses. The entire plant looks sick. Rusty-brown spots appear on the leaf margins, tips, and between the veins. Leaves start dying
and dropping, possibly curling before falling off. A minor deficiency will cause few problems with growth. However, minor deficiencies can quickly escalate during flowering and cause a diminished harvest as flowering progresses. Cause: Magnesium is bound in the soil if there is an excess of potassium, ammonia (nitrogen), and calcium (carbonate). Most often, magnesium is in the soil but unavailable to the plant because the root environment is too acidic, wet and cold. Clay soils rich in calcium also tend to be magnesium poor. Small root systems are also unable to take in enough magnesium to supply heavy demand. A high EC slows water evaporation and diminishes magnesium availability. Confused with: An excess of potassium, ammoniacal nitrogen, and calcium carbonate Spray with a 2 percent solution of Epsom salts every 4 to 5 days. Solution: Add superfine dolomite lime to acidic potting soils before
planting; it will stabilize the pH and add magnesium and calcium to the growing medium. Add 10 cc of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) per 3.8 L of water with each watering to correct magnesium deficiencies if no dolomite was added when planting. Or dilute Kieserite (magnesium sulfate monohydrate, MgSO4·H2O) in water. For fast results spray the foliage with a 2 percent solution of Epsom salts every 4 to 5 days. If the deficiency progresses to the top of the plant, it will turn green there first. In 4 to 6 days, the green-up will start moving down the plant, turning lower leaves progressively greener. Continue a regular watering schedule with Epsom salts until the symptoms totally disappear. Use Epsom salts designed specifically for plants rather than the supermarket type. Another option is to apply Kieserite, found packaged as Ca-Mg fertilizer/ supplement. Composted cow and turkey manure is also rich in magnesium. Control room and root-zone temperatures, humidity, pH, and EC of the nutrient solution. Keep root zone and nutrient solution at 21.1°C–23.9°C. Keep
ambient air temperature at 21.1°C day and 18.3°C night. Use a complete fertilizer with an adequate amount of magnesium. Keep the soil pH above 6.5, the hydroponic pH above 5.5, and reduce high EC for a week. Reduce EC by leaching with plain water. Excess: Excess magnesium is rare and does not appear quickly. Extra magnesium in the soil is in itself generally not harmful, but it inhibits calcium uptake. Symptoms appear as an overall salt toxicity accompanied by stunted growth and dark-green foliage. Cause: Magnesium toxicity is rare and difficult to discern with the naked eye. If extremely toxic, the magnesium develops a conflict with other fertilizer ions, usually calcium, especially in hydroponic nutrient solutions. Toxic buildup of magnesium is uncommon in soil that is able to grow cannabis. Confused with: Calcium deficiency Solution: Leach soil heavily to wash out excess.
This is an excerpt from chapter 21 “Nutrients” from the Cannabis Encyclopedia (596 pages, 2,000+ color images, large A4 format) by Jorge Cervantes that is available everywhere in English. Spanish edition will be available January 2017. For more information please see Jorge´s website, www.marijuanagrowing.com.
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32
FAQ WITH STONEY TARK
Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Cannabis
By Stoney Tark, Photos: courtesy of Dinafem
In this article, I shall answer many questions often associated with the different stages of growing cannabis. Many of the topics covered may be very relevant to you as a grower, whilst some of the questions may have been the same one you were asking yourself last night.
CANNABIS SEEDS: What is the difference between feminized, regular and autoflowering seeds and what is best for me? The real difference is the customer and what type of grower they are. Regular seeds were the old school originals and many growers nowadays still choose to pheno find from regular seeds and work from there. Feminized seeds are for superb convenience in your grow room, meaning there is no need to sex between males and females resulting in an all female garden. Auto flowering cannabis are popular worldwide and can be grown under any light regime as long as there is at least 6 hours of lighting and the temperatures are not too cold. Otherwise these miracle seeds allow growers indoors and outdoors to grow a miniature version of an existing strain in around 12 weeks, from seed to harvest.
Why do the seeds I have bought not germinate? There could a number of variables as to why the seeds you have paid good money for have not germinated. To ensure that you are not at fault, simply drop the seeds in a small glass of
sonable conditions, there is no reason you cannot achieve a small bumper harvest even during the most challenging of months. Of course, if you live in Southern Europe, you have a better result than those in Northern Europe.
CLONES: Why are tops of my freshly rooted clones crisping up and becoming dry? The reason why your freshly rooted clones are crisping and turning brown, is because the plant did not have chance to harden off properly. Often the clone if struggling to adapt to life outside of the propagator can turn all of the new growth to a dry crisp. The way to void this is to ensure that your clones have a good set of roots jamming out of the sides, before even considering to remove from the warm wet environment they have just climatised to.
My clones have not rooted after 10 days, why not?
water and allow them to sink to the bottom within a 24 hour time frame. If the seeds show signs of opening slightly in the water, it means the seed is now opening. If on the other hand the seeds are duds, then do not get angry and think the seed company are ripping growers off. In many cases you can often contact the company and express your concerns over the quality of the seeds. Good seed banks will take time to respond and find a solution.
If my seeds look undeveloped and a yellow color, should I be concerned? This is not really a good sign as you often expect seeds to be quite chunky with a detailed pattern printed all over. As a breeder myself, I have produced seeds that have finished a pale yellow color with no patterns or coloring and were smaller than all the other seeds I have ever produced. Again if you are in doubt simply pop the seeds into the glass of water and keep an eye on them.
Can I plant autoflowering seeds when it is not Spring time? The answer is that you can plant automatic strains anytime of the year, granted you have rea-
Clones can usually take between 7 to 14 days before showing any tell tale signs of rooting. Cloning cannabis is all about patience and learning what sized clones root quickest and what methods of cloning work best. For example when I take clones, I use a double dip method which means dipping the cut branch into powdered hormone and then covering with a layer of liquid gel hormone. This will guarantee roots every single time, however too much hormone can cause a delay on forming roots, as I have learnt through many experiments of my own. If you are really skeptical and want to check, simply loosen the jiffy and check to see if there is an white bumps forming as the stem becomes a yellow white and grows thick. If your clones are taking a long time, then dipping again into hormone root solution can speed up the process.
Is it a good idea to let the jiffys dry out when the clones are trying to root? You must ensure that the grow medium the jiffys are in are kept warm and wet. A clone must form root cells and needs darkness and a moist environment to do so.
33 Some propagators come with an added heat mat below to keep the clones warm. These are great especially if the surface the propagator is sat on is cold, however be careful not to dry out the jiffys.
Why do my clones keep on growing mould around the stem and turning to mush? This can happen when there is too much humidity in the dome and no fresh air has entered or managed to circulate inside. Growers can attend their clone room after leaving them alone to find the stems have grown fluffy white mould and have spread to all parts of the plant, reducing it to a slimy dying plant. Make sure that you check for mould as often as you can if it has happened once. It can be an environmental issue but it could also be a case of human error.
GROWING PHASE: Why is it a good idea to remove all the lower growth below the top nodes? The main reason is to promote as much growth energy into the parts of the plant, which will be closest to the light once flowering has commenced. in fact the Jungle Boys in America have made this technique famous and is practiced by growers world wide. By removing all growth below the top 2 nodes, then leaving to flower under 12/12 the upper growth is all top bud with no lower waste.
How much Nitrogen do the plants really need? During the growing phase, cannabis plants need Nitrogen as well as
many other nutritional elements, yet they need Nitrogen to promote healthy leaf sets. Too much Nitrogen can cause Nitrogen toxicity, which will only stunt your growth and become counter productive. I personally use worm castings and seaweed to ensure safe amounts of nitrogen is available in different forms.
Why have my plants turned to a sick yellow and brown colour after a chemical fertiliser was used? When growing cannabis organically, there is a natural buffering system that occurs within the soil. This can dictate which nutrients are available over a 3-5 day buffering period, which is where the phrase ' Don't Panic It Is Organic ' originates from. If you have become impatient and added a heavy chemical fertiliser, that natural buffering zone will not function and the plant will immediately attempt to balance out the smaller chelated salts. If this happens then a total flush of the medium is required until your root zone is able to buffer and utilise the slow breaking down nutrients again.
How beneficial is it to train and prune plants during veg? All of the plant training techniques you have heard of, will help strengthen plants, increase flowering sites, produce bigger buds, support buds and increase light uptake efficiency. As Long as you understand how your plant will grow will allow you to decide which technique will work best for you in your grow room.
FLOWERING:
remove it of all remaining salts. The way to look at flushing is to assume there are built up salts and to allow them to breakdown and totally dissolve, whilst the plant carefully absorbs the last available nutrients. The plants will make a final push and recognise that the end of season is close. This explains why using iced water and ice cubes will shock the plant into turning purple and fully ripen.
everyone else can be very frustrating and your confidence in your growing game is so low, all you do is hunt for alleged big yielding strains. You need to feed carbohydrates to your plants which will in turn feed the microbial colony. Adding high doses of P and K will increase flower production but adding a mix of unsulphured molasses will add that thickness hard to touch quality you have always been working towards.
How do I get my buds to become dense with good bio mass?
Good luck with taking your grow game to the next level.
Not having dense hard buds like
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What is transition feeding and should I completely stop all Nitrogen to the plant? Transition feeding simply means the point of the light cycle changing to 12/12 and the time frame before switching to blooming nutrients. Many nutrient companies promote low Nitrogen and high Phosphorus and Potassium feeds, yet during the flowering cycle, cannabis plants use
more Nitrogen than any other element. So supplying plenty of available Nitrogen is always a good thing in my opinion.
What is the difference between feeding plain water and flushing? There is no difference as the whole purpose of flushing your plant is to
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AUTO BUBBLE GUM Auto Bubble Gum is an easy-to-cultivate, rapidly-growing, medium-sized and medium-yielding plant. It also has a rich concentration of trichomes on its flowers and its taste is awesome. It is undoubtedly among the
had grown, as well as on the quantity and quality of our harvested autos. During this experiment, we added Bactomatik to the water to be supplied to these 6 Auto Bubble *XPV XQWLO ZH VDZ WKDW WKH WLSV RI their early leaves started to bend at the beginning of the blooming phase. The effect of this powerful organic booster was visible to the naked eye. Plants were stronger and more vigorous after each watering cycle. When their gender was discernible and the early flowering signs were visible, we started to use Bactobloom, another powerful organic bacteria booster specifically designed for the flowering phase. These bacteria have a totally explosive effect during the last stage of plant growth. The aerial parts of the plants were big, with a strong concentration of trichomes and we saw that our harvest was richer by a few grams.
best sweet-tasting plants, with a taste that lingers into a fruit candy finish. It has a balanced effect that hits HARVEST your body with a moderate stone and your mind with euphoria. Just imagine that you can obtain the power and particularly pleasant DURPD RI %XEEOH *XP LQ OHVV WKDQ weeks. Now stop daydreaming. 00 Seeds has launched a new auto verVLRQ WKDW FRPELQHV DOO %XEEOH *XP fragrances together and can be harvested after 60 days only! This feminised auto-flowering version FDQ UDLVH XS WR FP LQGRRUV and 130 cm outdoors during the warmer season. <LHOG LV KLJK ZLWK J P XQGHU lamps. The plant develops into thick oval-shaped hairy and sticky bunFKHV 7KH 7+& UDWH LV DURXQG Although it is obtained from crossing mainly Indica strains, its Sativa characteristics are easily perceivable when you taste it. And when you do, it will keep you awake and full of energy while driving you into a state of great peace. Its peculiar aroma and its taste that lingers on the palate are this strain’s pluses. In short, this plant is awesome with very marked sweet, wild berry notes.
CULTIVATION We grew the very first autos produced by 00 Seeds, and they will definitely not be the last given the excellent results we obtained. We germinated two bags containing
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ILYH VHHGV HDFK $IWHU KRXUV the early roots appeared and were big enough for the plants to be transplanted. We placed seedlings directly into round pots of little less WKDQ OLWUHV XQGHU : ODPSV This strain grows appreciably in height and perhaps even more markedly in width. Branches were full of shoots which would soon develop into flowers. After two weeks of JHUPLQDWLRQ ZH UHSODFHG WKH : lamps with more powerful 600W lamps. At the end of the growth cycle, when the plants had started to bloom, a few specimens had achieved a height of one metre. Their leaves remained light green for the full cycle. During the blooming phase, bunches of flowers covered WKH SODQW OLNH EDOOV RQ D &KULVWPDV tree. They were fully developed, covered with shiny resin all over and gave off a sharp and attractive smell. This strain does not require much care and grows easily. If you feed it correctly and place it into suitable pots, you will be more than rewarded with remarkably huge plants loaded with flowers.
FERTILISATION During the growth phase, we used a root booster for the first two weeks.
%HWZHHQ GD\ DQG GD\ ZH JUDdually introduced a growth booster until we saw the early pistils. Since these plants easily shift to the blooming phase, we only applied the booster two or three times. We
We trimmed the majority of the plants on day 65 to 70. The flowers were perfect, hard and extremely gluey. This plant can be easily trimmed. The production of a few specimens was more than acceptable, ZLWK PRUH WKDQ JUDPV $V IRU LWV effect, you will feel able to respond to all stimuli. If you taste a good MRLQW RI %XEEOH *XP LQ JRRG FRP-
A close-up on trichomes
used a specific fertiliser from the IUXLWLQJ SKDVH WR GD\ ZKHQ we trimmed the plants. Between the plants’ growth and their flowering, we washed the roots a little bit, and repeated the process with a little more quantity of water a little less than fifteen days before harvest. We studied the effects of Agrobacterias products on the size and vigour of the 6 specimens we
pany, when an intense puff of smoke fills your nose, the general reaction of your friends will be to look at you like curious monkeys longing for bananas and say “It smells so good, right? Pass it to me!” The truth is its aroma is delicious. Its strawberry and wild berry taste will charm anyone, with a very pleasant physical and cerebral effect of tranquillity and happiness.
37
GROW WITH MR. JOSÉ
DIFFERENCES IN LED LIGHTING
COB LED module cooled by water
The LED technology has spread among a number of both amateur LED Cooling Even though LED modules produce and professional growers in recent years. That has caused lots less heat that sodium or halide lamps, of new producers to turn up. Unfortunately, differences in the it is necessary to cool them, because every electronic device produces some quality of individual LED modules are huge. I am going to give heat. The performance decreases with you a few tips and advices that should help you choose reliable increasing temperature, which also lowand effective LED lighting for your plants. The light diodes have entered all branches of the lighting industry; you can see them in streets, shopping malls, offices, houses and cars. This type of lighting has many benefits when compared to ordinary lamps. Here are some advantages that are of great importance: lower power consumption, lower heat emission, longer service life and wide possible applications in the light spectrum. These reasons made the LED modules a commonly used technology for growing. The biggest issue for many growers is the fact they are still pretty costly compared to classical sodium and halogenide discharge lamps.
Together with an increasing demand for LED, the supply is also growing incredibly fast. However, the competition is often focused on low prices instead of quality. I have personally tried a couple of LED modules and I have found out that there are huge differences between them, so I decided to ask a lighting expert Pascal Evers what makes the modules different. After our conversation, I realized that the issues concerning the LED would need to be dealt with in a whole book. Nevertheless, I will try to squeeze the most important things into a couple of paragraphs and share the essentials with you.
the biggest advantages of this technology). The LED modules for growing are cooled either actively or passively. Ventilators, similar to computer cooling, are the most widespread type of active cooling. This method of cooling is easier to construct and does not weigh too much, so it is suitable for a whole range of lighting systems. Effectivity and reliability of this cooling depends on two things: what ventilator does the grower choose, and whether they also add a passive cooler to it. More expensive ventilators are quieter, have longer lifespan and better dust and humidity resistance, which is very desirable in the grow room environment. A lot of cheap amateur-made LED modules must be cooled with ventilators, because the design and production of other types of cooling would be challenging not only in terms of knowledge, but in terms of technical equipment. Imagine you decide to manufacture LED lighting for growing without having experience with the production of similar devices. If you know the specter your light source should have, it should not be too hard to get hold of diodes with required light properties. Most likely, you do want to make money off this LED lighting, so you are going to look for diodes, power supplies, control units, coolers and chassis that are not very expensive. As soon as you start searching, you realize that there are lots of those goods on the internet and that it is quite easy to receive anything basically in no time. As you do not have any experience with the production of lighting sources, you are not going to puzzle over the question whether those components create a composition that is going to be cooled enough, distribute the light equally and have long lifespan. What you are going to care about is that the components fit dimensionally. You are going to find descriptions of products saying that they are the best on the market and promising you a five-year warranty. However, the company you
THE OPTIMAL WAY TO COOL DOWN LED LIGHTING IS TO USE A PASSIVE COOLING SYSTEM
ers the amount of emitted light. The optimal temperature would be about 25 °C around LED diodes. The higher the temperature, the lower actual performance of the light source becomes – along with shorter service life. 50 °C marks the temperature with a significant loss of power. When you do not cool the diodes sufficiently, the temperatures can get up to 80 °C, which reduces the power by tens of percents and distinctively shortens the lifespan of your LED (with lifespan being one of
are going to buy those products from will be probably renamed three times before those five years pass and there would not be a place to lodge a claim. Sadly, many producers of LED components act just like that. It is enough to have a screwdriver, soldering iron and internet connection and you can be the best LED producer out there – or at least feel like one. However, with this approach and equipment, you are not probably going to
38 produce reliable cooling systems and be able to properly measure the temperature of chips when the lights are on in different environments and for different amounts of time. Not to mention the designing of passive or water cooling, or expensive measurement of the spectral curve depending on the distance of the plants from the source. Your ventilator cooling system might just as well turn out to be a dust vacuum cleaner that can cool the diodes enough to make them work, but at the same time covers the chips with dust until they get broken. What tells you something about the quality of particular LED lighting is the value of IP rating, which should be at least IP54. The higher the better. If the manufacturer does not know the IP rating of their product, you’d better look somewhere else. LED modules can be very reliably cooled by water. There are various growing devices available that can be connected to a water-cooler and do a great job preventing overheating of the device. However, the water-cooler needs some additional electricity to operate, which reduces the savings of LED technology. The aforementioned ventilators obviously also consume some electricity, but the water-coolers are more demanding. The disadvantage of any active cooling is the risk of a breakdown, which may lead to the overheating of LED module – and it can eventually stop working.
Passively cooled single-chip LED lighting
diodes inside of the lighting source. The main disadvantage is that these systems are pretty heavy. You need to use quite a lot of fine material, so the final price is higher. They are expensive also because you have to carry out lots of tests and calculations in order to be able to make a functional passive cooling.
Various LED Installations There are two different ways of diode installation used for growing – a COB and a single-chip. The COB (Chip On Board) technology has more diodes placed on one chip, while the singlechip technology needs a separate chip
If you want to put diodes that emit light with different wavelengths on one chip, you may hit a snag. Diodes with different colors can require different voltage. However, you can only send one voltage to a chip with more diodes. In that case you have a couple of options. 1) You adjust the voltage to diodes that need the lowest voltage. 2) You adjust the voltage to the diodes with the highest voltage. 3) You choose a voltage somewhere between the lowest and the highest needed voltage. In the first case, you do not exploit the whole potential of all the diodes that are on the chip, but you are not overloading any diodes. In the second and the third case, you just overload some of the diodes causing them to wear out faster (and you are also increasing the risk of damage). As soon as one diode on the chip gets damaged, it keeps functioning as resistor and keeps getting warmer. You already know the effects of heat on diodes. Many producers that use the COB technology overload the diodes in order to show the biggest light power. It looks great on the first sight, and when measured, the results are impressive, but you can imagine how long such thing can work. The COB technology is cheaper than the single-chip and makes it possible to squeeze more diodes on the same space. These are the two main properties that appeal to manufactures. But the technology of a separate chip for a separate diode has lots of advantages, too. For example, it allows the colored diodes to be spread out on the whole
Chip on board
The more “breakable” parts your device consists of, the bigger the chance some part eventually gets broken. Thus, the optimal way of LED cooling is a passive cooling system. It does not consume any additional electricity, nor produce noise – and when installed properly, it keeps the electronics safe, even the
for each diode. You are able to put more diodes on the same space when using the COB and therefore acquire more light intensity. This technology is successfully used for both home and industrial lighting of residential, public and working spaces. In these installations, the diodes with identical light spectrum and voltage are installed on the chip.
it does not affect other diodes. Using a separate chip for each diode is a more reliable solution with bigger variability. However, this solution costs the manufacturer a bit more money.
Variable Power One of the advantages of LED modules is the possibility to fluently regulate their performance. Every professional growing module has this option. You make use of the regulation during every growing stage. Little plants do not need a full intensity of light right from the start, whereas during the intensive blooming, they need as much as possible. Choose LED with fluent regulation of performance.
DiodesProtection The lightning parts of diodes should be protected, otherwise they can be damaged or get dirty, which could lead to worse performance. Still, there are many light sources without any diode protection on the market. Any coverage absorbs part of the light and thus reduces the effectively usable power of the lighting system. Even when brand new, the plastic or silicone protection takes away from 6 to 8 percent of the performance. On top of that, it is not very mechanically resistant. It is important to wipe the protection every now and then in the grow room – but the soft material gets scratched easily and it is difficult to clean. Scratches and smudges also reduce the amount of light. Glass seems to be the best
WITH GROWING TEMPERATURE THE PERFORMANCE OF LED LIGHTING SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASES, LEADING TO THE REDUCTION OF EMITTED LIGHT light source in a more even manner. At the same time, there is no risk that some of the diodes might face overvoltage or undervoltage. Another big advantage: When one diode gives out,
solution, as it does not reflect light. It is quite expensive, but on the other hand, it is easy to clean, it resists all the common detergents and stuff that is commonly used for growing.
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FXOWLYDWLRQ RI IUXLW ñRZHUV YHJHWDEOHV DQG KRXVH SODQWV &RFROLWHV KDYH D KLJK FDSDFLW\ IRU DLU WR HQVXUH ODUJH R[\JHQ VXSSO\ DW WKH URRWV DQG DQ LGHDO ZDWHU distribution to promote water absorption by the roots. The Cocolite-11 is perfect for manual watering and the Cocolite-22 is perfect for automatic breeding methods.
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40
SEED BANKS
F1 FAST VERSION GENETICS Discovery, breeding and advantages. Manolo of Sweet Seeds told us about F1 Fast Version strains, how they were discovered and what their advantages are. H. Madera / Pictures: Jaypp
Green Poison F1 Fast Version
&DQQDELV KDV WZR IORZHULQJ SDWWHUQV &ODVVLFDO VWUDLQV DUH SKRWR GHSHQGHQW meaning that they start to flower as KRXUV RI OLJKW GLPLQLVK &RQYHUVHO\ DXWRV do so depending on their age, without being influenced by the photoperiod. F1 Fast Version strains are photo-dependent with a part of auto-flowering plant genes in their genetics which do not appear in the offspring, but contribute to bring the harvest date forward.
F1 FAST VERSION AND MENDEL’S LAWS An F1 hybrid, also called “a commercial seed” is made by crossing two different pure lines. The main characteristics of this hybrid are the uniformity of traits and the typical hybrid strength. According to 0HQGHOŖV ILUVW ODZ RI LQKHULWDQFH WKH ILUVW filial generation (F1) is homogeneous and similar to the parent carrying the dominant allele. The second law says that the second filial generation (F2), which is obtained IURP FURVVLQJ WKH ILUVW JHQHUDWLRQ LV similar to the first generation genotype, VLPLODU WR WKH GRPLQDQW JHQRW\SH DQG VLPLODU WR WKH UHFHVVLYH JHQRW\SH 7KH third law pertains to the independence in the transmission of hereditary traits, in other words the inheritance of a specific genetic trait does not affect the inheritance of another genetic trait. In the F1 Fast Version line, the three
Sweet Cheese F1 Fast Version
laws apply, i.e. this is a typical form of 0HQGHOLDQ LQKHULWDQFH DV D VLQJOH JHQH determines the type of flowering. Autoflowering lines contain two alleles of the recessive auto-flowering trait, this means that this trait manifests itself when two alleles transmitting it combine together. Photo-dependent lines contain two alleles of a dominant photo-dependent flowering trait. The only exception are F1 Fast Version lines, where a dominant allele transmits photo-dependence to the full offspring and another recessive allele transmits auto-flowering but does not manifest itself. This is due to the fact that F1 Fast Version strains result from the combination of a photo-dependent parent and an auto-flowering parent. Again, LQ DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK WKH ILUVW 0HQGHOŖV law, the full offspring is homogeneous and resembles the dominant parent, which is why they all present the photodependence trait but contain both traits. The presence of the auto-flowering trait does not manifest itself in the phenotype but is however influential as it makes flowering and ripening quicker. When two F1 Fast Version plants are crossed, WKHLU RIIVSULQJ DUH VSOLW LQWR ) )DVW 9HUVLRQV DXWRV DQG FRQventional photo-dependent individuals.
That is why, in order to achieve an F1 Fast Version, a photo-dependent parent always has to be combined with another auto-flowering parent and plants of this type only appear in the first generation resulting from this cross. There are many types of auto-flowering strains. A few have a long-lasting flowering period but are uninteresting for end users as the cultivation period of this type is as long as that of photodependent strains. The most popular auto-flowering strains start flowering DW GD\ WR IURP JHUPLQDWLRQ DQG complete flowering after 5 weeks or so, meaning they are ready for harvest DW ZHHN RU ,Q ) )DVW 9HUVLRQ WKLV rapidity is inherited by the offspring. Flowering in this offspring is slower compared to autos, but quicker compared to photo-dependent plants.
AUTO-FLOWERING BREEDING EXPERIENCE In 2007 Sweet Seeds started to work with auto-flowering genetics and in 2009 presented the first auto-flowering strains to the public. In addition to the classical Lowryder of the Joint Doctor’s seed bank, they used other genetic lines, chiefly the first lines produced by Lowlife Seeds, or various lines from northern
&DQDGD RU WKH QRUWKHUQ 86$ PRVW SUREDEO\ FURVVHV RI (UQHVW 6PDOO RU 0LJKW\ 0LWH IURP %ULWLVK &ROXPELD In scientific literature, the phenomenon of auto-flowering is unexplained but, after analysing the inheritance of this trait and various experiments, scientists came to the conclusion that the auto-flowering trait is transmitted by a single gene, possibly a mutant photo-dependent flowering gene that has since ancient times remained in the cannabis genetic pool. This mutation is beneficial in particularly cold places, where it is appropriate for wild cannabis to complete flowering and produce useful seeds before the arrival of autumn. In places such as QRUWKHUQ &DQDGD RU WKH QRUWKHUQ 86$ characterised by a harsh climate, large quantities of hemp were grown in the past and these crops were abandoned for various reasons. As these formerly domesticated strains were left free to grow wild, this gene is likely to appear again. When it does, it implies an adaptive advantage for plants with this autoflowering trait in cold places. After a short amount of time, Sweet Seeds realised that these genotypes, which consumers did not like for their unattractive
41 taste or size, had a great potential if they underwent genetic improvement. So they started to select these primitive autoflowering strains by crossing them with their favourite elite clones. When auto genotypes were crossed with photo-dependent elite clones, no autoflowering specimens appeared in the first generation, in strict accordance with 0HQGHOŖV ODZ DQG WKH HQWLUH RIIVSULQJ was homogeneous and resembled the dominant photo-dependent parent. They had to wait until the next generation to observe a segregation of genotypes and, consequently, the appearance of DXWRV :KHQ WKH VHFRQG JHQHUDWLRQ autos were crossed with each other, the auto trait manifested itself in the entire RIIVSULQJ 7KH WKLUG 0HQGHOŖV ODZ GHILQHV the independence of hereditary traits. So, although the auto-flowering trait stabilises in the third-generation, the offspring may occasionally present tastes and psychoactive characteristics inherited from photo-dependent parents. In this way, strains of increasingly better quality can be obtained while retaining the auto-flowering trait.
F1 FAST VERSION DISCOVERY AND BREEDING EXPERIENCE In the first tests made with autos, while WKH &UHDP &DUDPHO $XWR LPSURYHPHQW
SURJUDPPH ZDV EHLQJ FRQGXFWHG 0DQROR observed that the first generation had no auto trait, but its flowering was shorter. Initially he double-checked the notes he had written on his timetable for a possible error and made a second attempt - but results were unchanged, i.e. the flowering time was shorter. He acknowledged, therefore, this characteristic in the first-generation cross between a photo-dependent and an auto-flowering individual. After FUHDWLQJ &UHDP &DUDPHO $XWR WKH VHHG bank started to work towards the same direction with other strains and the same results appeared. So Sweet Seeds decided to add F1 Fast Version ® strains to their catalogue and register the trademark. F1 Fast Version strains are F1 hybrids, i.e. they are invariably the first generation created by crossing a photo-dependent with an auto genotype. As no auto parents can be kept in the form of clones, this means that the quality of plants can only improve. Indeed, if the breeding and selection process is correctly carried out with the best parents in each generation, the strain will evolve depending on which parents are selected. To sum up, F1 Fast Version plants are continuously evolving and their development is linked to the progress of the auto parent. When an auto line is correctly selected, the F1 Fast Version line will also be improved.
Sweet Skunk F1 Fast Version
In actual fact, the F1 Fast Version is a rapid form of improved and selected elite clones, which makes it possible to have a clone version that flowers in advance, has the typical hybrid strength
and makes the selection of other interesting traits possible. $SDUW IURP WKHLU EUHHGLQJ ZRUN 0DQROR DOVR WROG XV DERXW WKHLU \HDU FROODERUD-
42
Big Devil F1 Fast Version
tion with an official plant biotechnology centre, and the significant sums invested in this partnership. In any case, they are convinced that research also implies a risk element and investments are made without knowing whether the expected outcome will be achieved.
ADVANTAGES OF F1 FAST VERSION The short flowering trait strengthens with each generation obtained from auto parents, as the very best specimens of each family are chosen as parents at the time of the selection, with emphasis put on the individuals with a rapid flowering trait to be transmitted to the next generation. A quick harvest means that the inconvenience of fungi caused by the wet and rainy autumn weather can be avoided.
Cream Mandarine F1 Fast Version
In addition to a shorter flowering period, F1 Fast Version plants have the classical strength of F1 hybrids, which can be REVHUYHG H J LQ *UHHQ 3RLVRQ ) )DVW Version, a strain with a higher yield and strength than that of the classical photodependent version, and with the further opportunity to harvest it in late August to HDUO\ 6HSWHPEHU RXWGRRUV *UHHQ 3RLVRQ F1 Fast Version is a very rapid Skunk and flowers at week 6 or 7. What is more, it yields large quantities of sticky buds, with an intense smell, and it is easy to grow. Another advantage of F1 Fast Version plants resides in their photo-dependent trait. For this very reason, they can be kept as mothers in the form of cuttings of the best plants, whereas the production process has to always start from seeds
in autos. These strains allow growers to plan their plant size and yield. So, if they wish to obtain tall plants, they only need to plant them in advance for them to have a longer growing period or, in indoor crops, to continue the growth photoperiod until the plants have reached the desired size.
CONCLUSIONS $V 0DQROR SXWV LW WKH ODXQFK RI WKH ) Fast Version line was an astounding success. “When I first discovered this line, I thought about the advantages it implied for growers, as it could make a real difference, but was not sure about how it would be received. Although there was no explosion in demand, as we saw when we first introduced autos, consumers are more and more attracted year after year. As the saying goes, time
LV JROG *URZHUV ZKR ILUVW WU\ LW DUH VDWisfied and tend to replant it. Other seed banks are starting to offer rapid lines of this type. In our catalogue, we have expanded the F1 Fast Version family to 10 strains, and there are more to come this year. This introduction period is very positive, we have diversified our offer and consumers are now appreciating products with a shorter flowering period and replant them in the next season. These strains are particularly useful for growers living in cold or wet regions. In any case, results are excellent in all FOLPDWHV *URZHUV LQ ZDUP DUHDV DOVR use F1 Fast Version to harvest and exploit plants earlier. Another appreciated advantage is the typical vigour of these plants making them suitable for both indoor and outdoor crops.”
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45
F1 FAST VERSION GENETICS: GENETIC EXPLANATION In 2014, Manolo of Sweet Seeds sent us an article on F1 Fast Version strains; we excerpted a fragment of this article, where he explains his breeding work in detail. Manolo of Sweet Seeds
On the other hand, all photo-dependent genotypes (elite clones) of the Sweet Seeds group of mothers that we used in the production of F1 Fast Version are homozygote for the dominant trait expressed by their photo-dependent flowering; this means they are (FF), as they have inherited an (F) gene from their father and mother respectively, as could be inferred from the tests performed on the offspring of these clones. The first generation produced by crossing these two genotypes (FF) and DXWRV DD LQ DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK 0HQGHOŖV first law of uniformity of first-generation K\EULGV DUH K\EULG LQGLYLGXDOV (Fa), and, as (a) is recessive and (F) is GRPLQDQW RI WKH SRSXODWLRQ LV photo-dependent, and no auto appears. This first hybrid generation between homozygotes for one or multiple genetic traits is known as hybrid F1. Since
Sweet Cheese F1 Fast Version
F1 Fast Version strains are F1 hybrids resulting from a cross between a photo-dependent and an autoflowering genotype, the result is a photo-dependent hybrid with very rapid flowering. The photo-dependent parent gives the F1 hybrid its photodependent trait in the entire offspring, while the auto-flowering parent gives the F1 hybrid a very rapid flowering and ripening time for buds, again, in the entire offspring.
from both parents (homozygosity) for this type of flowering to manifest itself; as a result, all auto-flowering
plants are (aa), and have received an (a) gene from their father and mother respectively.
Killer Kush F1 Fast Version
the seed is an F1, if these (Fa) seeds are crossed with each other to obtain multiple seeds, the following generation ) ş LQ DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK 0HQGHOŖV second law of trait segregation in the second filial generation – will QRW SURGXFH RI )DVW 9HUVLRQ individuals (Fa), but rather a mixture of LQGLYLGXDOV L H RI DXWRV DD of photo-dependent individuals (FF), DQG RI )DVW 9HUVLRQ LQGLYLGXDOV )D 7KH RQO\ JHQHUDWLRQ WKDW LV Fast Version (Fa) is F1 Fast Version.
The trait that determines automatic or photo-dependent flowering depends on a single gene. This gene presents two possible alleles, a dominant one (F) that codifies the photo-dependent flowering trait (in Spanish “Fotodependiente”) and a recessive one (a) that codifies the automatic flowering trait. As the allele that codifies the auto-flowering trait is a recessive one, it must be inherited Big Devil F1 Fast Version
46 TRUE OR FALSE?
4.
5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
that form on female plants are called stamens. A plant that has been super cropped means it has been snapped and will grow stronger. Indica cannabis plants grow with short internodal spacing. White Widow was named this as the plant was so white and frosty. Beneficial bacteria attaches itself to the roots and begins a symbiotic relationship. Durban Poison originated in India. H.P.S stands for High Pressure Sodium. Tying plants down to promote more tops is called fimming. Clones in a high humidity warm propagator will show signs of rooting with in 10 days. New York City Diesel was the original Chemdog 93 taken to New York City.
17. Aeroponics is when a fine mist is used to spray roots in a dark chamber. 18. Purple buds mean the plant must have been Purple Haze. 19. Auto flowering strains need 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of light to flower. 20. The strain Tangerine Dream was grown originally with orange peel in the medium.
False True False False True False True False False False
3.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
2.
14. Making isolator is when you use butane to flush the buds with gas. 15. Haze varieties of cannabis will take 70 days and upwards to flower. 16. The name of the resin glands on the buds are called terpenes.
True True False False True True True True False True
O.G Kush stands for ‘Ocean Grown Kush‘. When roots come in contact with air they are pruned and split in 2. Autoflowering strains are low in THC. The names of the white hairs
By Stoney Tark
ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ AT PAGE 8 : 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10)
A D A B B A D C A B
11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20)
B B A A D B B A B A
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Colofon Soft Secrets is published by Discover Publisher BV P.O.Box 362, 5460 AJ, Veghel, Netherlands Telephone: +31-(0)73-5498112 E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl Web: www.softsecrets.com Editor: Cliff Cremer Contributors: Ed Rosenthal, Jorge Cervantes, Dr. John Dee, Stoney Tark, Mr. Jose, Hugo Madera, Mr. Jose, Robert B., cccp and others. Comics: Jim Stewart Editorial adress: readers@softsecrets.nl Advertisements: E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl A word from the publisher: Soft Secrets is published in: The Netherlands (Highlife), Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Poland, Czech Republic, Chile and Argentina. 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.
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