IS WEED STILL LEGAL IN THAILAND? HERE’S WHAT TOURISTS NEED TO KNOW AS GOVERNMENT U-TURNS
After months of uncertainty over the future of cannabis in Thailand, the government released a proposal to restrict it mainly to health and medical purposes.
Published in September, shortly after Thailand’s new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra took office, the draft legislation does not explicitly ban the recreational use of weed nor does it uphold previous plans to reclassify the substance as a narcotic.
But it does lay out fines and punishments for those selling or consuming cannabis for purposes not laid out in the bill.
Following the general election last year, Thailand came under new leadership in September 2023. The conservative coalition government is behind the calls for a crackdown on cannabis, which has been poorly regulated since its legalisation.
Pheu Thai campaigned on banning the recreational use of marijuana, saying it poses health risks and could cause substance abuse issues among young people.
Anutin Charnvirakul, the former Health Minister who oversaw the drug’s legalisation in the previous military-run government, rose the ranks to Deputy Prime Minister in the
2023 election. He is the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, part of the current government coalition.
When backing the legalisation of marijuana in 2022, he said it would ease overcrowding in Thailand’s prisons and help boost the rural economy.
On the day of legalisation, more than 3,000 inmates held on cannabis charges were released. Within the year, the country’s weed industry was worth 28 billion Thai baht (€728 million) and by 2030 it was projected to reach 336 billion baht (€8.7 billion).
could land you in prison for up to 15 years, with the infamous Bang Kwang Central Prisonironically nicknamed the Bangkok Hilton after an Australian TV series depicted its squalid, overcrowded conditions - acting as a major deterrent for tourists.
While Thailand waits on the outcome of the changes, weed shops are still open across Bangkok and beyond.
However, some rules are already in place to restrict the use of cannabis. Smoking or vaping in public places is not allowed. Causing a ‘public nuisance’ - including through the smell of weed - can lead to a 25,000 baht (€650) fine.
Anutin had promised that cannabis would be allowed only for medical use, but in practise the market was nearly unregulated.
Since cannabis was legalised, over 1.1 million Thai people have registered for licences to grow it and more than 6,000 weed dispensaries have popped up across the country, many with little quality control.
With Thailand being the first country in Asia to legalise cannabis, it has also sparked a thriving weed tourism industry that many fear will be difficult to put a lid on.
In the 2023 election campaign, all major parties - including Bhumjaithai - promised to limit cannabis to medical use.
Before weed was legalised in Thailand in June 2022, the country had some of the world’s harshest drug laws. Possession of cannabis
The details of what constitutes a ‘nuisance’ are murky and liable to exploitation by police. In Bangkok, officers have been known to blackmail and extort tourists caught on the wrong side of the law.
Extracts containing more than 0.2 per cent THC are still legally classed as narcotics but some shops sell stronger products regardless, which could land purchasers in trouble - unless they have obtained official permission for medical purposes.
Tourists have also been warned that cannabis is still illegal in neighbouring countries and must not be transported across borders.
Singapore, which has some of the world’s strictest drug policies, can arrest citizens for using drugs outside of the country as if they were consumed at home.
Top Tips for Germinating Cannabis Seeds
Ice Cream Cake A highly potent yummy treat Page 18
An Interview with a top breeder Soft Secrets sat down with James Loud
Papaya Zoap Auto® and Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® Page 24
Washing and Manicuring Your Crop with Jorge Cervantes
Perfect Grow is Back with Season 2
What’s the coolest place on the internet to learn how to grow your own cannabis medicine at home? It must be Soft Secrets’ Perfect Grow series. Season 2 of this special grow show is all set to premiere on November 1. Our readers and followers can expect eight brand new episodes with professional grower Max Majot from Royal Queen Seeds, who is also joined by first-time grower mystery man Thijn. Who of them gets to grow the biggest buds? You will have to watch all eight episodes until the end to find out.
The first season of Soft Secrets Perfect Grow series featured professional grower Drew Anger, and it aired January through February 2023. The season was filmed in Canada, and it covered the basics of growing cannabis. Drew shared valuable and practical knowledge for novice growers on how they can start a seedling and how to take care of the young plant through vegetation and later on through flowering. The season concluded with specials on how to harvest and cure high-grade cannabis buds.
Now, almost two years later, the show is back. This time around, the season was filmed in Thailand. A match made in heaven, between a noob and an expert, we are all dying to know who of the two grew the better buds. The expert grower in question is Max from Royal Queen Seeds, who made an appearance in the first season of Perfect Grow, but is now entirely invested in the new series. His mission is to pass around grow wisdom to fellow amateur grower Thijn, but also to audiences all around the world.
What is the pair doing in the first episode? They are setting up a small grow tent 1x1 in the amazing space of Royal Queen Seeds dispensary in Bangkok. Everything that is sold in that dispensary is basically grown inside it. Max is also going through the basic equipment needed for installing a tent. With different options presented, growers can get a sense of how their grow project might go depending on the type of equipment they choose, based on their budget.
As they are about to start their special grow journey in Thailand, Max and Thijn get the same grow tents in the first episode. For a budget of around $1000, it’s possible to pack a good grow tent that will contain the pungent smell of weed and enable you to grow a healthy and vigorous plant.
Setting up a tent takes between 30-60 minutes, until you figure out the scheme. There are a few more things that need to be added in it after that, so it’s fully functional, such as rollers, LED, ductings, collars, a little fan, carbon filter, etc. All of these items can be found for prices between $50 and $200, whereas a good grow tent can be found for between $500 and $1000.
Max goes on to share some of the first valuable tips that every grower might find handy, and especially those new to this recreational activity.
SELECTION OF 5 GROW TIPS FROM THE EPISODE 01, SEASON 02 OF PERFECT GROW
DON’T EVER TAKE THE CHEAPEST GROW TENT
Even when you have a limited budget for a grow tent, don’t ever go for the cheapest option available. The reason? Because you can easily get a piece with a lot of bad plastic. Bad plastic could be a problem when using lights that will send UV on it, which in turn might poison your plants. Therefore, it’s important to pick a grow tent with plastic elements that are of decent quality.
TRY IF THE EQUIPMENT WORKS BEFORE INSTALLING IT
Whatever equipment you have, it’s better to try if it works before hanging it or putting it somewhere in the tent, says Max at one point in the video. Because sometimes you receive stuff by post and there’s always the chance that something got broken or it just doesn’t work. As you don’t want to install anything that doesn’t work, very simple, you test it before that. Tests should include various equipment parts, such as LED lights, fans, carbon filters, and more.
MAKE SURE ALL EQUIPMENT HOLDS TIGHT IN THE GROW TENT
Once everything is connected in the grow tent, ensure that everything is well placed and tightly fixed. You don’t want to move around things from the equipment when you already have a plant in the tent. Connecting ducting can be a bit of a challenge when you do it for the first time, but it’s really important to do it correctly. Install the grow lights after you’re done with the ducting.
GO FOR HIGH-EFFICIENCY LED LIGHTS
It’s easy to find cheaper LEDs on sites like Amazon. For $100 on the low end, sometimes these lights produce more heat than light, but you can still grow a good plant with it. However, the whole process would be much easier with high-efficiency LED light. A brand like Lumatek might start at around EUR 700, but it comes with few extra benefits, such as full-spectrum light, dimmable, and 100 per-
cent controllable, and all of that makes it very convenient for grow operation. Well installed means that the grow light is 60 centimeters above the grow canopy.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF
CLIP FANS
If your plant is never moving, it might grow into a lazy one, which is not natural for cannabis. Therefore, it’s important to imitate some of the outdoor environment elements, and clip fans can come handy in here.
Clip fans are a great substitute for wind. Plants that are moving every day develop a strong stem that can grow a big fat bud on it and can actually hold that bud.
On the other hand, lazy plants with weak stems will lean on the side. Fans also mix the air. The top of the grow tent and the bottom of the grow tent will have different temperatures and humidity. With fans, it’s easier to regulate that difference and produce a better environment for cannabis plants.
Is that all you can find in the first episode of the new Perfect Grow season? Of course, not. You can definitely look for more useful advice on growing your own cannabis.
Go to the Soft Secrets’ YouTube channel where this episode already lives its best life on the internet.
What to expect throughout the rest of the series? Perfect Grow S2 features special episodes on how to avoid and control disease or contamination in the grow tent. Another video is about how to choose the perfect seed and soil for your homegrow operation.
Or, perhaps you would be more interested to get some fresh tips on how to trim cannabis plants and what mistakes to avoid during training. And much more!
THE ILMYO TEAM PRESENTS:
ADVENT CALENDAR 2024 - THE MYSTERY OF THE PHARAOH
The best way to make Christmas come faster, the Advent Calendar 2024The Mystery of the Pharaoh by iLMYO.
• 24 exclusive 420-themed gadgets, one for each day.
• Interactive online game with daily riddles, accessible only to calendar owners.
• Daily prizes for those who solve the riddles fastest.
• Daily and final ranking with super prizes for the best players www.ilmyo.it/calendario-avvento-2024/
Cannabis Vodka by Euphoria Spirits
Euphoria let its imagination run wild and spent entire weeks discovering a taste that doesn‘t bind, but that captivates and inspires. By combining a secret blend of carefully selected herbs, premium cannabis, and refined, time-tested processes, Euphoria crafted something truly unique.
The result is an original vodka for those who seek freedom in every sip, and who are not afraid to push the boundaries of their palate. It‘s not just a drink, it‘s an experience for the bold, the curious, and the adventurous. Do you dare to let loose and discover something extraordinary?
www.euphoriaspirits.eu
With Stoney Tark
10 TOP TIPS FOR GERMINATING CANNABIS SEEDS
Top tip #1 - Keep germinating seeds in darkness
This tip applies when germinating seeds inside a cup of water or using two dinner plates and wet tissue paper. The perfect place to put them would be a kitchen cupboard or desk draw and to make sure they stay clear of sunlight. Ideally, a cool and dark space where the temperature and humidity levels can stay consistent.
Top tip #2 - Change the water every 24 hours
For those who like the idea of dropping the seeds into a cup of water, and letting it sit for 48-72 hours undisturbed, a top tip is to change the water in the cup every 24 hours. However, you should be extra careful that the seeds do not pour over the edge when topping up or fall out when emptying the cup. Avoid letting seedlings sit in stagnant water for more than 48 hours, and aim to provide the seeds with fresh water.
Top tip #3 - Don’t over-saturate tissue paper
As a beginner grower, knowing how wet to keep the tissue paper that acts as a bed for the seeds can be difficult to guess. If the tissue paper is too dry, then the seeds will not have the necessary amount of moisture needed. Then again, if the tissue paper and plate are too wet, the seeds will not germinate and you may end up with bad bacteria in the tissue paper. My tip here is to use kitchen-grade tissue paper, as it is thicker and holds moisture better than toilet tissue paper.
Top tip #4 - Use bottled water
This tip is a great way for growers who do not have access to good quality tap water and do not want to use water with a high E.C level. Simply buy bottled drinking water from your local supermarket, and use it for the germination stage and to foliar spray the seedlings when they emerge from the soil.
Top tip #5 - Avoid cold temperatures
You will find that cannabis seeds will sprout with no problems at all when the temperature and humidity levels are balanced. If you are using a cup of water or plates and tissue paper, then avoid cold environments, and consider using a small reptile heat mat to raise the temperatures and keep the seeds cosy and warm. 22-25 degrees Celsius will typically be the optimal range.
Top tip #6 - Plant directly into the soil
If you have just received your cannabis seeds in the post and can’t wait to get them germinated, then this is the perfect article for you. Below are 10 top tips to consider to make sure that you get a 100% germination rate and give your plants the best possible start in life!
One of my favourite way to germinate cannabis seeds is to simply place them into the soil. This method saves time, using cups, plates, or tissue paper. As long as the soil has good aeration and drainage, then there is no reason the seeds won’t sprout 4-5 days from planting. My tip here is to make an entry point using a match stick and insert the seed 1 cm from the surface level. Make sure the seed is firmly fit into the soil and always insert the pointy tip downwards.
Top tip #7 - Old seeds take longer
One thing I have learnt over the last 15 years of growing, is that old seeds can take much more encouragement and time to sprout than new seeds. There are ways to push stubborn older seeds to germinate and one of those is to scratch the outside of the shell using sandpaper. Once you do manage to get the seeds to start opening. Then be patient and remember old seeds may take almost twice as long to germinate and sprout.
Top tip #8 - Mycorrhizae
fungi
There is one easy and highly effective way to increase the root mass and support of your germinating seeds and that is to use a mycorrhi-
zae inoculant. The reason why these beneficial fungi are so helpful is down to the fact they form a harmonious symbiotic relationship with the roots and the soil. Think of them as Nature’s little helpers and give your precious seedlings all the help and support they need.
Top tip #9 - Label your pots
This tip is only for growers who prefer growing multiple feminized seeds at once. My tip here is to buy some sticky labels write the names of the strains you are growing, and put them on the pots. You would be surprised how many times I have heard a grower mix up their seedlings and clones because they did not label them. Keeping your plants labelled will also make life easy later on when taking clones and allow you to be more organized.
Top tip #10 - Propagation
An easy way to create a secure area that will be temperature controlled will be to use a plastic propagator and a low-powered LED or compact fluorescent strip light. You can simply spray inside to increase humidity levels if needs be, and my top tip here is to use a digital hygrometer that can be placed inside the propagator and clearly seen at any time. Once the seeds have sprouted, you can keep them growing under low lighting and lightly water them.
This grower finds that this temperature and humidity are ideal for germination.
A bag of feminized seeds ready to be germinated.
ROICAN: ITALIAN CBD QUALITY EXCELLENCE
Roican is an Italian company founded in 2019 with the aim of becoming a leader in the European CBD market. Since the beginning, Roican has stood out for its reliability and professionalism and for the incredible quality of its products tested and certified in compliance with European regulations. Its strength? A young and dynamic team, composed entirely of under 35 staff, who vertically manage every phase of the supply chain, from sowing to final sale... Today we speak with Lorenzo, the deus ex machina of Roican. Enjoy the read!
LORENZO,
CAN YOU GIVE
US AN IDEA OF YOUR NUMBERS?
We count on a team of over 30 professionals specialized in sales, who serve more than 800 customers distributed throughout Europe. Every month we export over a ton of products, grown and packaged entirely in Italy, which we distribute to companies, distributors and shops.
Our offer includes over 150 products and, for any information, our internal network has 60 employees who guarantee efficient operations, competitive prices and solutions for every need. We are proud to boast a high loyalty rate, with many of our customers who, every day, continue to choose Roican.
WHAT ARE THE MOST REQUESTED ROICAN PRODUCTS?
Our indoor and glasshouse flowers together with resins are the most appreciated products available in various categories and price ranges. We use different cultivation techniques to ensure a continuous and very high quality offer.
Furthermore, our cutting-edge laboratory allows us to produce and experiment with different types of resins and extracts, using both traditional methods and modern technologies.
For those looking for 360° assistance, we also offer a customization and Private Label service, which allows customers to receive a product already packaged and ready for sale, including support in our Graphic Design Department.
WHICH COUNTRIES DO YOU WORK WITH THE MOST?
We work mainly with Italy, Portugal, France, Germany and Spain where we have a well-established presence. We are currently focusing our efforts to establish ourselves in strategic markets such as the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe, where we see great growth opportunities.
HOW DOES YOUR SHIPPING POLICY WORK?
Our shipping policy is designed to ensure efficiency and transparency. We offer fast and reliable delivery times throughout Europe thanks to a well-structured logistics network, with the possibility of tracking shipments in real time.
We work with international logistics partners such as GLS or UPS to ensure that the products arrive at their destination in perfect condition and on time, offering our customers different options based on their needs and most importantly, but not least, we guarantee each of our shipments.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
Looking to the future, we intend to continue investing in new technologies and expanding our presence in emerging markets.
Among our future plans are the opening of new operational and logistics offices, as well as a growing commitment to sustainability, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact throughout the entire supply chain. www.roican.eu
Barney’s Farm strain story
Words & Pics: Green Born Identity – G.B.I.
ICE CREAM CAKE A HIGHLY POTENT YUMMY TREAT
The Barney’s Farm strain confectionery offers a wide selection of exquisite West Coast “dessert” genetics. One of the latest sweet coups created by the Barney’s breeders is Ice Cream Cake, a 70% indica dominant variety that pretty damn frostily emerged from a hot liaison between Wedding Cake and Gelato 33.
In addition to its hefty trichome layers, this elite offspring boasts a couple of other outstanding characteristics: The medium tall (90-110 cm) growing plants are heavily laden with buds at the end of cultivation which results in bountiful indoors yields of usually up to 550 (potentially even over 600) grams per square metre. And as a matter of course, a strain with such a mouth-watering name hits high notes in terms of aroma as well – thanks to a rich terpene profile with a high limonene, myrcene and caryophyllene content, Ice Cream Cake flowers exude a smooth sweet scent the creamy vanillary note of which is underlaid with an earthy piney tone.
A THC count of 20-25% brings forth an intense buzz that is all about relaxation, calming and mood elevation. That’s why Ice Cream Cake is popular due to its therapeutic properties also, with the high share of caryophyllene being responsible for a particularly analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Finishing comfortably early under natural light – plants will be ripe in the third to fourth week of September outside – this Barney’s Farm variety is a very attractive choice for outdoor and greenhouse cultivators as well. But it gets even better, fantastic yields of up to 1.5 kilo a plant, with moderate heights of 1.5-2 metres, are accomplishable per plant in such environments.
An irresistible temptation
To The Doc, this Barney’s Farm strain once again sounding that auspicious meant an irresistible temptation when he spotted it, and he didn’t hesitate a second to order a pack of seeds and, upon receipt, sow two feminised seeds. Same story as always with Barney’s Farm – both seeds performed an immaculate fast germination, with the seedlings bathing in LED light after about 2.5 days already. They rapidly grew into well-branched bushy plants standing 29 and 31 tall when The Doc ended the veg stage after three weeks by switching the light cycle to flowering mode.
The flowering stage: As if trichome-filled buckets had been emptied over the buds
A mere six days after the light switch, The Doc detected female preflowering on both plants. They carried on at that speed, and, while forcefully stretching upwards, formed substantial flower heads during the first four weeks that heralded both the emergence of large-sized buds and a glorious resin richness - that distinctly developed was the crystalline trichome coating
on the young calyxes and sugar leaves early in flowering. Reported The Doc after another four weeks, “the Barney’s strain simply have it! They’re all extremely productive trichome factories. Ice Cream Cake easily joins the ranks here, with the voluminous buds of my two plants looking as if trichome-filled buckets have been emptied over them – as early as now that it’s still approxi-
mately one and half week to go on the road to full maturity. Also, they’re fulfilling the promise of a particularly creamy sweet scent with a spicy undertone, stunningly delicious to my nose!” After some timely nine and half weeks (66 and 68 days of flowering), The Doc attested the two plants complete ripeness.
Having arrived at final heights of 90 and 91 cm, they showed a great deal of uniformity in terms of height growth, too. The Doc rhapsodically continued his report, “also my expectation that the plants would develop real hunks of bud came true – not only both head buds, but also numerous side tops have become splendorously big and fat, these are super dense and hard picture-book indica dominant buds, lavishly covered in frosty trichome layers. Both my Ice Cream Cake plants are visual stunners, really amazing!”
A grandiose final result
Weighing the dried harvest some weeks later, it unsurprisingly turned out that both Ice Cream Cake plants had made it beyond the 100 grams mark – one of them tipped the scales at 115, the other at 124 grams. “Rock-solid nuggets, wrapped in a thick luxury silvery-white trichome fur, smelling so alluringly sweet and slightly spicy that I’ve been longingly craving for the first sampling session since harvest day”, The Doc raved about the grandiose final result.
The Doc falls under a veil…
Straight after the curing stage had ended, he proceeded to action, placing half a gram of Ice Cream Cake into his Venty vaporizer. As he had taken a first deep puff off it, he got overwhelmed by a dazzling taste experience: “Ice Cream Cake truly provides a kind of creamy soft gustatory sensation to your mouth, like some vaporous sweet and a bit piquant cream, absolutely intriguing!” The effect announced itself in The Doc’s head already after the second puff, fully unfolding after the third, it felt as though a calming veil was casted over him, shielding him from the burdens of this world, his view on certain difficult things was much more laid-back now.
That soothing relaxation effect was quickly spreading from his head down his entire body. The Doc also sensed some pleasant deceleration, time seemed to expand, to go more slowly. The spherical electronic album “Wunderbar” by Riechmann from the year of 1978 was a perfect
match to that state of mind. For more than two hours, The Doc enjoyed that kind of wellness trip to the fullest.
Whatever the Barney’s breeders are laying their hands on…
“Once again a Barney’s Farm variety has totally wowed me! Whatever the Barney’s breeder are laying their hands on, it leads to an ace
result. Ice Cream Cake has proven to be a highly potent creamy sweet treat and revealed superb cultivation properties. I’d instantly grow this strain again… if there weren’t so many other new Barney’s varieties I badly want to test”, said a slobbering Dockie in conclusion.
Genetics Ice Cream Cake (Gelato #33 x Wedding Cake)
Vegetative stage 21 days (after germination)
Flowering stage 66 + 68 days / 63-70 days in general
Medium Bionova Bio Soilmix, 11 litre pots
pH 6.3-6.7
EC 1.2–1.6 mS
Light up to 4 x SANlight EVO 5-100, switched to level 2 out of 3
Temperature 19-27°C
Cultivation data :
Air humidity 40-60%
Watering manually
Fertilisation Bionova Soil Supermix, plus PK 13-14 in the flowering stage
Additives/stimulants Bionova Silution, The Missing Link, Vitasol and X-cel
Tools CleanLight Pro for mould prevention
Height 90 + 91 cm
Yield 124 + 115 g
Green Born Identity - G.B.I.
Text & photography: Derrick Bergman / Gonzo Media
THE NETHERLANDS: FEWER AND FEWER CANNABIS FARMS, MORE AND MORE FOREIGN CANNABIS
The number of illegal cannabis grow operations that were seized by Dutch police has fallen dramatically in recent years. In 2014, 5294 plantations were closed down, in 2023 it was only 1230, a drop of 76%. How can this be explained? And what are the consequences for the famous Dutch coffee shops?
“No one wants Dutch weed anymore,” was the cynical headline of a Dutch media outlet next to a piece about a police report on drug crime in the Netherlands. “There has been an increase in the import and transit of foreign cannabis in the Netherlands,” stated the report. ‚Organized cannabis cultivation has declined in the Netherlands and foreign markets need less Dutch cannabis. Dutch cannabis cultivation appears to have lost it‘s importance in Europe.‘
The report also states that it is difficult to explain what causes the decline in
demand. Main cause seems to be increased imports of cannabis from abroad. First of all from Spain. In 2022, 81% of all cannabis intercepted in Europe was seized in Spain. “There are signals,” the report said, “that Dutch cannabis cannot compete with the prices of cannabis grown in Spain. This also says something about the quality of weed from Spain. In addition to Spanish
the supply of Canadian and Californian weed increase. ‚Yes totally. The quality varies from poor to excellent. A lot comes from Canada, and I suspect that a fair share of the so-called USA products actually come from Canada too.‘
The laws of Supply and Demand however, doesn‘t really seem to apply to Californian
weed, weed from the US, Canada and Thailand is also imported - illegally - into the Netherlands, via airports, the port of Rotterdam and by mail.
Coffee shop entrepreneur Edwin confirms that there is less supply of locally grown cannabis. ‚Dutch cannabis is becoming increasingly scarce, especially when it comes to large-scale cultivation. This has largely been moved to Spain, among other places. There are still a few small growers active, but they focus on exclusive varieties. Their number is not large.‘ Edwin has also seen
weed. There is a lot of choice, but the prices in the coffee shops are very high, up to €30 per gram. Edwin has an explanation for this: ‚This cannabis comes to the Netherlands in large quantities, but is often intercepted in significant quantities too.
The lost income is passed on to the parties that do pass the checks, which drives up the price. And I have the feeling that with some brands you also pay a lot of “marketing costs”. Something that is trendy simply has a higher price. Just like with designer clothes.‘ About half of the weed on his coffee shop‘s
menu is foreign, Edwin estimates, and 40% is Dutch. ‚But I‘m certainly happy with that, because there are many particularly beautiful varieties coming from abroad these days. Think of South Africa, Thailand and of course Spain. If you can select based on quality, you can really put the gems on your menu.‘
It has been clear for some time now that the Netherlands has lost its position as the international cannabis pioneer. Due to the infamous “Growshop Law” of 2016, very few grow shops still exist. The business has moved online. Police report state that a total of 29 grow shops were closed between 2020 and 2023, mainly in The Hague. Several Dutch seed companies moved to Spain and the Dutch edition of Soft Secrets closed in 2014, due to a lack of advertisers.
Roger Willemsen, owner of grow shop Organic Earth in Maastricht, summarizes the situation as follows: ‚Almost all grow shops in Limburg have disappeared. Wholesalers complain and well-known key players on the market have been replaced by Spanish and Canadian producers. Many Dutch people have moved to Spain, and in recent years the quality from there has improved enormously. In the last two years, a lot of the cannabis available in Europe has come from Canada.‘
The time when Nederwiet dominated the Western European market is behind us. “Dutch weed appears to have become a less popular product in our neighboring countries,” the police report said. ‚Experts at the German Federal Criminal Office indicate that Dutch weed is not an important export product to their country.
The German cannabis market is supplied through its own hemp cultivation, through the import of cannabis from Spain and North America, among others, and hashish from North Africa. A similar picture applies to Belgium.‘
Grow Report
With Stoney Tark
DUTCH PASSION’S MELONADE RUNTZ
Seedbank: Dutch Passion
Strain: Melonade Runtz
Pot size: 10-liter pot
Medium: Coco + Worm Delight
Lighting: 2 x SANlight Gen 2
Nutrients: Atami NRG line + Bloombastic
Veg time (18/6): 4 weeks
Veg Temp: 24.5 degrees Celsius
Veg humidity: 76%
Flowering time (12/12): 9 weeks
Flowering Temp: 23.0 degrees Celsius
Flowering humidity: 43% humidity
I received a pack of feminized Melonade Runtz from Dutch Passion. The genetics are Melonade (Lemon Z x Lemon Tree) x Runtz and is one of the most sought-after strains in Europe and the U.S. As usual, I planted one seed directly into a 10-liter pot with coco coir and Worm Delight, with a planned vegetative time of 4 weeks and a flowering time of 9 weeks.
Vegetative stage - 28 days
The 1.2 grow tent reads a temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius and 76% humidity with the lights on. The light-off temperature is 20 degrees Celsius, with a humidity level of 61%. The Melonade Runtz seedling has popped out of the coco coir and worm castings mix after 48 hours.
I increased the nutrients on day 14 from 2 ml per liter to 5 ml per liter and noticed the roots were already growing out of the bottom of the pot. The pot is watered with a mixture of Root-C, Growth-C, Alga-C, Cal-Mag and ATAzyme.
After 21 days, I measured the Melonade Runtz, and she is 44 cm tall, with short space between the internodes and growing with small-sized leaves. On day 28 of the vegetative stage, nutrient strength remains the same at 5 ml per liter, and the timer is now switched to 12/12.
Flowering stage - 63 days
Now I am flowering, the temperature is 23 degrees Celsius, and 50% humidity with the lights on. For the first 2 weeks, I feed Growth-C, Alga-C, Cal-Mag, ATAzyme, Flower-C, and Bloom-C at a rate of 3 ml per liter.
I also take this opportunity to top-dress the pot with a 1 cm high layer of Worm Delight. This keeps the microbiology happy and makes sure my plants stay healthy and full of nutrients.
Day 28 and the Melonade Runtz is covered in pre-flowered and already heavy amounts of trichomes on the leaves, coating the edges like resin tacos, which is always a good sign. I measure, and the height is 102 cm tall and 42 cm wide, so close to 60 cm stretch since flowering. The pistils are closely packed together and seem bright white.
On day 35, I top-dress the pot with a 1 cm high layer of Worm Delight and so far she looks incredible with frosty leaves and buds. The humidity is lowered to 43% humidity so make sure the buds do not become moldy, and there is an oscillating fan blowing at the top and bottom of the canopy.
Now, I feed with Growth-C, Alga-C, Cal-Mag, ATAzyme, Flower-C, and Bloom-C at a rate of 5 ml per liter. I also used Bloombastic at 2ml per liter twice in that week. When inspecting and smelling the buds, the aroma is a mix of candy, sour, gassy with a tropical punch funk. The buds have a bright green, pink, and purple hue coated in trichomes.
By day 49 of 12/12 and now it is time to flush with ATAzyme and water at a rate of 20ml per liter. The flush will last 14 days, and allow the plants to make a final push and also fade with rainbow-colored leaves. I harvest on day 64, and one final measure shows a height of 105 cm tall and 42 cm wide. She has a bushy structure and heavy buds, and fan leaves with resin rails growing on.
I will let the plant hang for 14 days inside a grow tent with a carbon filter set to 15 degrees Celsius and 60% relative humidity. The resin profile of this
lady is something impressive and really stands out in my tent amongst the other plants I have growing.
Smoke report
Once the plant had dried over 2 weeks in a tent, the Melonade Runtz buds were ready to smoke and put into their curing jars. The buds are compact, greasy, and very pungent. The aroma is a mix of sour, gas, and tropical fruit and is very complex.
When smoking, the flavour is very bold and tropical sour tasting, with an effect that hits you almost immediately and keeps you high for hours. Every joint had a big ring of oil running down the paper and the flavour was intense and lasted to the final pull.
My final thoughts on Melonade Runtz
Overall, I was extremely impressed with this strain and can see all the hype about the USA hybrids. She was a solid performer with a great growth structure that did not need any type of training or support.
A serious resin machine, so there was nothing that went to waste once I harvested the Melonade Runtz, meaning every leaf was coated in trichomes and worthy of keeping to make full melt bubble hash later.
If you want to try something new and exotic that has amazing flavour and packs a punch, then I strongly recommend you give this one a go!
The buds are dense and resinous during the flush.
Exceptionally resinous leaves and buds make for great hash.
With Stoney Tark
THE BENEFITS OF A PERPETUAL HARVEST INDOORS
We would all love an endless supply of home-grown cannabis, and with the right knowledge that is easily achievable. If you are new to growing indoors, then you may not be familiar with the term perpetual harvests and all the advantages associated. In this article, I break down what a perpetual harvests entails, what you need to get set up, the different options, the benefits associated, my top tips and all the reasons why you should consider perpetual crop cycles in the future.
What does a perpetual harvest mean?
Most growers will vegetate their plants under 18/6 for 4-6 weeks, flower for 8-9 weeks and repeat the process all over. This can add to a total of 15 weeks and with a long flowering strain, it could go much longer. Unfortunately, waiting 4-5 months between crops is not practical for many smokers and is an inefficient way to grow indoors.
A perpetual harvest solves this problem by allowing you to grow the next round of clones or seedlings whilst your current crop is flowering. As soon as the flower tent is harvested, then you will put the vegetating plants in the tent, and allow those to flower.
Whilst that is happening, you already have the second round of clones or seeds ready to vegetate for the next 7-10 weeks, depending on the flowering time associated with the strain. To make life as easy as possible, working with plants that share the same flowering time will make planning much easier.
What will I need to set up?
• Grow tent / converted wardrobe.
• Light that is optimal spectrum for growth (blue 6400k)
• Timer set to 18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark.
• 22-25 degrees Celsius and 75-80% humidity. 4-9 pots and soil depending on plant count.
• Nutrients for the growth period. Clones or feminized cannabis seeds.
The different options for the vegetative room
If you are already excited by the idea of having back to back harvests and are wondering what do you need to get started, then below are the 3 options you have. Two of these options can achieved on a low cost budget using small amounts of electricity, nutrients and maintianice, making them ideal for home growers who are conscious of high energy bills every month.
Option 1
This option allows you to grow small sized plants that can be comfortably kept alive inside a small grow space / tent. The goal is using only small sized pots and to provide low lighting and feed a mild nutrient solution. By the time the flowering tent is harvested, the plants will be around 30-45 cm tall.
• Low powered LED / CFL strip light (50-100w) 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm tent / space
• Small sized pots (3L)
• 30-45 cm tall plants
• Feeding low nutrient solution
Option 2
The goal with option 2 is to grow big sized plants
that once flowering, will become massive producers. Growing plants this way requires HID lighting that is between 600-1000w and should be inside a tent that is 1.2 meter squared. You will feed the plants with a high E.C and aim to fill a 1520 liter pot and grow plants as tall as 75-100cm.
High powered MH / HPS / LED grow light (400-1000w)
• 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 meter tent / space
• Large sized pots (15L-20L)
• 75-100 cm tall plants
• Feeding high nutrient solution
Option 3
This option combines the option 1 and 2 together, and is ideal for growers who want to keep the clones / seedlings relatively small but using a 1.2-meter tent or large grow space. The pots to use will be 7.5 liter which will keep the plants between 45-60 cm by the time they are ready to be repotted and flowered. Nutrient E.C will be mild and using 2ml per liter each feeding.
• Low powered LED / CFL grow light (50w-100w)
• 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 meter tent / space
• Small sized pots (7.5L) 45-60 cm tall plants
• Feeding low nutrient solution
My top tips for a perpetual harvest
Before you get started planning your indoor perpetual harvest, below are a few tips to consider, allowing you to be as efficient as possible, and never run out of high grade buds.
TOP TIP #1 - INVEST IN A DRYING TENT
If you can afford it, my top tip is to buy a carbon filtered tent just to dry your crops out. The reason why is that having a third tent, will make sure the flowering tent is free to use immediately, and you do not have to wait an extra 14 days drying time between rotations.
TOP TIP #2 - FEED LIGHTLY OR ONLY WATER
When the goal is keep plants low and growing slowly, using plain water with soil will work a treat. You plants will still grow healthy and vibrant, with a good root base and you do not need to worry about the plants become too tall or out growing the pots.
TOP TIP #3 - TAKE CLONES BEFORE FLOWERING
Taking clones is an excellent way to produce a genetic replica or your best plant, but it also allow you to produce livestock each round. Using feminized cannabis seeds will also work well, however many growers prefer using clones that are well established and mature.
An example of Option 1 that uses 20w of LED light.
The plants inside this tent will be immediately replaced once harvested.
The other plant of the month
By Hortizan
DISCOVERING THE MYSTICAL SAN PEDRO
The rich Amerindian pharmacopoeia includes a very special plant that has been growing all along the west coast of South America since the dawn of time, San Pedro. This plant is still widely used today in millennia-old rituals.
Scientifically known as Echinopsis pachanoi (formerly Trichocereus pachanoi), this species belongs to the Cactaceae family. It is native to the Andean regions of Ecuador and Peru, and extends as far as Bolivia and Argentina.
It is a cactus (from the Greek ‘káktos’, meaning ‘thistle’) and, more precisely, a ‘columnar’ or ‘candelabra’ cactus since it develops into a column or branch-candlestick shape. It is also known under a variety of names such as ‘abuelo’ (‘grandfather’), ‘Cactus of the Four Winds’, ‘Huachuma’ or ‘Achuma’.
San Pedro’s height can exceed six metres. It typically has dark green stems, sometimes with bluish hues, segmented by four to ten ribs. Small yellow to brown thorns appear on the areoles (small outgrowths of the plant) from which thorns, woolly hairs, leaves, meristems, etc. grow. These areas control transpiration, deter herbivores and regulate temperature by capturing ambient air.
This cactus can bloom after nearly ten years. Its large, white, scented flowers, around twenty centimetres long, usually open up at night and are often pollinated by bats and nocturnal insects. San Pedro is closely related to another species, its wild variant Echinopsis peruviana (known in Spanish as San Pedro cimarron, meaning ‘wild’), which shares its characteristics and an equally ancient history of use.
Once used in numerous rituals for divinatory purposes, large iconographic evidence from various ancient Andean cultures highlights the cultural importance of the San Pedro cactus in their millennia-old rites and customs.
Numerous images on pottery and lithic sculptures from multiple pre-Columbian cultures (Salinar, Nazca, Moche, Lambayeque, Inca, etc.) show that the use of San Pedro has been perpetuated down the millennia. Represen-
tations from the Cupisnique culture, between 1200 and 400 BC, often show this cactus associated with felines or snakes (see Pic.1). At the time, the site of Chavín de Huantar (in the Peruvian Andes) was run by priests who preached mainly for the upper classes, while the majority of worshippers were pilgrims seeking oracles.
Using observations of the stars and the seasons, the priests organised shows in underground galleries ranging from shadow plays, through music performances to celebrations where they drank cocktails of hallucinogenic plants to establish their control over the believing populations.
The oldest traces of the use of these cacti show that they were among the first hallucinogens used by the cultures of this continent. Plant fragments and concentrations of pollen from the cousin species Echinopsis peruviana have been discovered in the Cueva del Guitarrero, in the department of Ancash, Peru. These types of discoveries bear witness to the use of this plant in ritual practices since 8600 BC (El Cactus San Pedro, Feldman Gracia, 2006).
The San Pedro cactus is still widely used in the rituals the Andean shaman masters, which have been handed down to the present times, such as the ‘mesas’ (complex healing ceremonies) performed in the early hours of Tuesdays and Fridays, which begin with ‘levantar’, a phase when tobacco mixed with alcohol is inhaled, followed by the ingestion of San Pedro.
This consumption enables the shaman to diagnose the ailments of sufferers, purify the evil around them and ‘florecer’ (reinvigorate) them.
Modern healers, while remaining faithful to ancient methodologies, adapt their rituals to the needs of their communities, sometimes
incorporating plants such as the Banisteriopsis caapi liana (a base of ayahuasca containing DMT), or the misha (Brugmansia sp.), a cousin species of the more famous datura (Datura stramonium from the Solanaceae family), which contains scopolamine. These adaptations of age-old rites reaffirm the intimate and evolving connection between Andean shamanic traditions and their natural environment.
The San Pedro cactus is renowned for its rich content of psychoactive alkaloids, dominated by mescaline, but also including other compounds such as dimethoxyphenethylamine (a dopamine analogue), and hordenine (an adrenergic, which causes the body to release adrenaline and noradrenaline).
Mescaline is a powerful entheogen, i.e., a substance that causes trance or ‘mystical or ecstatic’ states and lies at the heart of the spiritual and healing experiences of traditional Andean ceremonies, characterised by visions and a profound sense of connection with nature and the divine. The concentration of mescali-
ne varies from cactus to cactus, but is mainly found under its skin, and can be influenced by environmental factors and specific preparation techniques.
All these variables demonstrate the importance of a ritual approach to the use of San Pedro, where mastery of and respect for ancestral practices are essential for an all-round experience.
The other active ingredients that can be found in this cactus act synergically, offering neuroprotective, antimicrobial and potentially healing properties for a range of diseases. Modern science is only just beginning to understand the full spectrum of San Pedro’s potential effects.
These discoveries reaffirm the historical and ethnobotanical importance of this cactus and call for a reassessment of its medicinal potential for contemporary applications.
Indeed, this ‘grandfather’ could conceal therapeutic benefits that are still unknown.
Flowering of a San Pedro Echinopsis pachanoi specimen (photo by Natasha G.)
CAN A BUDGET CONTINUE TO GROW EVEN AFTER IT HAS BEEN CUT?
It would be really nice to leave our buds in the jar in the evening and reopen it the next morning to find that they have gotten bigger and heavier. Unfortunately, the top stops growing even before being cut, in fact, when the plant approaches the end of its life, it blocks any process of vegetal and floral development. It is therefore impossible for a flower to continue to grow after being cut, but what is possible is to intervene at the end of the plant’s life cycle. But let’s start from the beginning!
A plant, like any other living being, is made up of small bricks called cells, the latter, always remaining united to each other and continuously reproducing, allow the entire organism to develop, grow and regenerate. But how do cells know the structure and functioning of the organism of which they are part? How does a newborn cell know its place and function in this giant puzzle? The answer is simple and is contained in DNA! Each cell within its nucleus contains the entire genetic heritage of the plant, which includes a complete map of its structure in the different stages of development and a “manual” that explains its functioning. Plant cells reproduce through mitosis, during this process the nucleus
duplicates and, subsequently, the cell literally divides in two, maintaining one nucleus in one half and the other nucleus in the other. These two new cells will be exactly identical to the original and both will retain the entire genetic heritage of the plant within their nucleus. This “modular” composition (if we can define it that way) is what allows the plant to continue to grow and develop even if part of it is cut.
The genetic code of the plant, in addition to including its structural characteristics and its methods of development and reproduction, already has the process through which it will die written within it. Cannabis is an annual plant, which means that it completes its entire life cycle in less than a year, generally being born in spring and dying in autumn. Every single cell is aware of this and, in turn, it too has an “expiration date”, and at a certain point in its life it will enter a degenerative process called senescence. This process in young plants serves to replace old cells with new cells, for example by causing the leaves to turn yellow and then fall and be replaced by new ones, or by renewing damaged tissue. When the plant ages, however, this process takes on another form,
since cellular reproduction slows down considerably and the plant’s energies are already not concentrated on growing or renewing cells, but rather on conserving existing ones and producing as many seeds as possible. . In this phase, specific genes are activated which, based on internal and external stimuli, begin the aging process of the plant, i.e. a programmed senescence of its cells.
Thanks to the rapid process of cellular reproduction, a young plant can grow very quickly and, when induced to flower, its flower production will be faster and more abundant. When the plant begins to approach the end of its life cycle, on the contrary, no new flowers will already be forming and the swelling of those already present will begin to slow down until it stops completely in the last days of flowering.
The programmed senescence of cells cannot be stopped, just as the death of an organism cannot be stopped. However, it is possible to slow down this degenerative process by allowing the flower to gain weight until the last day, making the most of all the nourishment and light it can still receive. Using a product like More Grams in the last two weeks before flushing allows the buds to reach the end of their maturation without stopping growing and gaining weight. By applying this product, the programmed senescence of cells can be slowed down, stimulating reproduction until the last days of the plant’s life. Thanks to its natural ingredients More Grams keeps the inside
of the bud well hydrated and nourished until the last day, thus delaying the awakening of the genes that produce programmed senescence and the slowing down of cellular reproduction. Therefore, precisely that water that usually accumulates in the plant and which evaporates during drying will continue to work incessantly to ensure that the entire organism can continue to nourish itself and grow until the last day. Once the buds have dried the result will be an increase in weight of 10/20%, all this without altering the flavour, quality and potency of the final product. It is recommended to use More Grams in the last two weeks before washing the roots at a dose of 2ml per litre, it is a natural product, without hormones and 92% organic. More Grams does not alter the flavor or the concentration of cannabinoids and can be used in combination with any other product or line (always keeping the EC under control).
More Grams is now also available within the new “Potion Box”, the complete kit of “La poción del Brujo” (manufactured by Cannaboom SLU) which includes 7 products for 12 plants. With this potion box you have the opportunity to experience the magic of professional cultivation, but with the simplicity of a kit for beginners, all without giving up the best enhancers in the Cannaboom range.
Bottom line: since the buds cannot grow after being cut, we do everything we can to make them grow sooner!
Stoney Tark
AN INTERVIEW WITH A TOP BREEDER SOFT SECRETS
SAT
DOWN WITH JAMES LOUD
We sat down with James Loud from the states to find out all about his breeding work, podcast, new book release and his passion for all things cannabis. Enjoy as we get to know more from one of the most knowledgeable and biggest names in the cannabis industry!
Hi James, can you tell our readers how long you got started in the cannabis industry?
I started smoking in 1991, when the industry was much different in California. There wasn’t a legal industry, everything was underground. I started growing around 1994 in a closet with one light, and over time that transitioned into 8 lights in a garage, then multiple garages with friends, and eventually in the 2010s we had 50 lights in a warehouse.
As far as breeding, I started in the early 2000s and wasn’t very successful, but I always saw the value in it. I wasn’t a great grower or breeder in the beginning, but I never gave up and always constantly worked on getting better.
What was life like growing up in America, and how did that impact you as a grower?
I grew up in Northern California in the Bay Area, which was progressive and shaped the person that I am today. The Grateful Dead and music culture had a heavy impact on the local communities. In my opinion, we had access to the best cannabis on the planet because the Bay Area is a hub, and we had it coming in from as far north as Oregon and far south as San Diego.
The diversity was amazing. We had the strongest stimulating equatorial cultivars (Sativa) and hybrids, the most narcotic wide leaf drug varieties (Indica), and everything in between. We also had an amazing flower that had a great effect and flavour but looked ugly, kind of like Dr. Grinspoon in Europe.
Stuff that wouldn’t pass in most of today’s recreational markets because of its looks. In the mid-90s, we had something called cat
piss, and it was the worst-looking flower in the bag, basically bracts and stems with a bad bud structure. Not only was it one of the strongest effects, but it had the strongest, most pungent nose that even translated to the smell of the smoke and would leave a room smelling of skunk and ammonia.
Can you tell us about the US genetics and talk us through the more classic, famous ones?
A lot of the heavy lifting was done in the 1960s and 1970s, so a lot of the data and the record of lineages and breeding details are not well known. On top of that, bag seeds unintentionally bred played a crucial role in the genetic direction of the US market.
For example, in 1991, Chemdog, one of the most celebrated cultivars of all time, came out of a bag of flower that was meant to be smoked. The impact of that serendipitous moment can still be observed today though popular crosses like Stardawg, GMO, Donny Burger. Without Sour Diesel, an offspring of Chemdog I wouldn’t be here today.
The first real breeding and seed production I did was based and influenced by Chemdog and Sour Diesel. Besides myself, other breeders such as Skunk VA from Lucky Dog, JJ from Top Dawg, Karma from Karma Genetics all have Chemdog partially to thank for where we are today. The funny thing is we don’t really know exactly what Chemdog is. I’ve heard people think Oaxacan x Thai x Af-
ghani and so many other similar versions but, we may never know the true lineage. Sometimes the mystery adds to the legacy and that works for the past but, with today’s technology, we as breeders have an obligation as stewards of this sacred plant to do everything, we can to preserve its history and ensure transparency for future generations.
It’s incredible to think how far we’ve come, from accidental discoveries to now using advanced genetic tools. The diversity of cultivars we see today, built on the shoulders of these classics, reflects not only the creativity of breeders but also the resilience of the plant itself. The future of cannabis genetics is bright, and with continued passion and dedication, we can ensure that the plant’s potential is fully realized and appreciated by all.
Could you tell us more about your seed bank and some of the genetics you have made?
As far as genetics goes, we create around 300 outcrosses every year, and we release a small
James inside a room full of plants doing what he loves most.
percentage of those outcrosses to the public that are sold on our website. Currently, I am working on mostly candy and dessert THCA photoperiods with an emphasis on colour. Although 20% of what we work on is long-flowering varieties, rare cannabinoids, CBD, CBG, and other varieties that are only used for breeding have no retail value.
Banana Z is Original Z x (Banana OG and Banana Punch). This is one of my all-time favourite things I’ve created. When I was in St Vincent working with the government in 2018 with Marlon Asher, we made a promise to the Minister of Agriculture that we would be back to the island with genetics we would gift to the people. It’s five years later, and we are going back to fulfil our promise.
We created over 80 Banana Z crosses and have some really great crosses that we think will do extremely well on the island. Our plan is to give the genetics to the people. Their economy once thrived thanks to producing some of the best bananas in the world, and we are hoping that our banana crosses can contribute to the people’s well-being and prosperity.
What inspired you to release your book named Cannabis Breeding?
The book is my life’s work, my resume, my legacy, and something that the world needed. The last real breeding book was written in 2000 by Greg Green, and the world needed an update.
I have spent the last 5 years writing and trying to gather as much information as possible to help educate people who are interested in learning more about breeding.
It’s the contribution of over 20 people’s efforts, some of whom I hold in the highest regard such as Reggie Gaudino, Mojave Richmond, Dale Hunt, Angela Bacca and so many others. The book has everything you need to know about breeding from beginning to advanced techniques and concepts with some of the newest technology that has come into play in the last 5 years.
What are your top tips for someone who is interested in breeding?
Learn how to grow first. Breeding should be a natural transition from cultivation. If you can’t grow well enough to make the plant express properly to differentiate between phenotypes, you can’t do the most important part, which is selecting quality plants for growing, breeding, and offering to the world.
Are there any mistakes that should be avoided when crossing two plants together?
Breeding should be intentional, there should be a game plan going into it. If you’re not collecting data on the genetics, you’re working with, you are missing a huge part of the process. The biggest mistake is people selling untested seeds.
So many traits are recessive unless you know your breeding lines really well, you don’t actually know what your end results are going to be. If you have two things that appear to be sexually stable, they could still have recessive intersex traits that express when both parents have them.
How important is finding the right male when making regular seeds, in your opinion?
Finding the right male is everything. In many ways, feminized breeding is a lot easier because you understand a lot of what is being contributed by the donor.
The best thing to do is test the seeds you make from a few males from the same progeny on
one or more cultivars to see what the male contributes. That is the absolute best way to select a male for breeding. A lot of this can be done on a small-scale by pollinating one branch using pollen bags.
What is the best way to store pollen when breeding at home?
The most important thing is to dry the pollen as quickly as possible and keep it dry. Humidity and water are the enemy, the drier, the better. Cold temps are also more ideal than dry. Desiccants are important, and stable conditions will give you a longer shelf life.
Honestly, the best thing to do is to use the pollen as soon as possible.
What are your top tips for growing the best indoor flowers?
Find someone who knows how to grow amazing flowers and learn from them. There is always the internet and podcasts. Also take notes and record everything you do.
That way, you can go back and evaluate progress or look at mistakes so that you can do better next time!
A temperature-controlled fridge full of seeds!
The book Cannabis Breeding that is available online.
Sweet Seeds Strain Report
Words: Tommy L. Gomez / Photos: Tommy L. Gomez and Sweet Seeds®
The Guerrilla of Cannabis Delights
Papaya Zoap Auto® and Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto®
Growing cannabis is a rewarding hobby, bringing the grower closer to Mother Nature. When done outside in a natural environment, cannabis cultivation reaches its peak. After many years of indoor growing, I decided to return to outdoor cultivation. Finding a great spot for my guerrilla growing, I knew that choosing the right strains was crucial for success. The strains had to be autoflowering, as I planned to start in March and finish in May-June, and they needed to be resistant to adverse climate conditions and insect attacks. The timing coincided with the release of new 2024 strains from Sweet Seeds®, so I confidently chose Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® (SWS109) and Papaya Zoap Auto® (SWS107), two all-terrain strains that grow quickly and yield abundant sweet flowers.
Since the peak summer heat where I live makes guerrilla growing in July and August almost impossible, I started on March 1st with one seed of each strain. The seeds sprouted within 48 hours and were then placed in small 300 ml pots for their first two weeks. The quality of Sweet Seeds®’ breeding was apparent, as the plants exhibited great hybrid vigor from the seedling stage. By March 15th, both Papaya Zoap Auto® and Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® were ready for transplanting into their final pots and later into nature. For the first 15 days, they were grown indoors with an 18w CFL lamp and received a few hours of sunlight on the balcony on sunny days. At 15 days old, they had 2 nodes beyond the first pair of leaves and were transplanted into 4-litre pots, small enough to fit into my backpack discreetly.
I took them to the chosen spot, dug two holes to fit the pots, and left them alone for 26 days. Since I live close to the spot, I decided to only visit if we had several days of sun. However, it rained a lot during that time, and we even had a few storms, so I wasn’t very optimistic about what I would find.
On April 11th, after 4 days of clear skies and plenty of sunlight, with temperatures ranging from 21°C to 25°C, I decided to check on them. With low expectations, I arrived and was delighted by what I saw from a distance: two very healthy and strong plants. They had grown significantly despite the adverse weather. They were already starting to flower, especially Papaya Zoap Auto®, which had an impressive structure and some beautiful initial calyxes, even showing a few purple tones already.
Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto®, on the other hand, had the same size and structure but
was a few days behind. One remarkable observation was the size of the first calyxes: they were almost unbelievably large, making me think the plant might be a mutant. Later, I understood it was a reaction to the field conditions. Both plants measured about 40 cm in height and had a few side branches capable of holding substantial flowers. I knew it was just a matter of time, and if the climate cooperated, I could look forward to harvesting some nice flowers for relaxation and enjoyment during the summer.
I used a mix of Canna Professional Plus soil, 5% worm humus, a 200 ml cup of perlite per plant, and a full spoon of powdered bat guano in the lower layer of the substrate. The local soil was very poor (hard and red) so I placed the pots inside the holes.
Despite the low quality of the native soil, the guerrilla spot was perfect; I was 100% sure no one would ever pass through there. A dense bush barrier protected the area, and no one would force their way through it without a good reason. And no one had a good reason to go through it (as you even had to crawl), except me.
I had a great reason to go through it every 4 days or so: my Papaya Zoap Auto® and Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® were getting bigger day by day, as were their flowers. By April 18th, the plants had stopped growing. They were about 55 cm tall with numerous flower sites.
The aromas were already marvelous, with Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® featuring delicious citrus notes and Papaya Zoap Auto® offering a unique mix of tropical fruit aromas with a hint of pine that would later turn into something magnificent. Both plants were ready to harvest by May 4th. They were manicured on-site, releasing the most delicious aromas into the air, blending with the scents of the surrounding wild plants.
After bringing the flowers home, they were dried for about 12 days and then placed in glass jars for curing. Each plant filled a 1-liter jar with delicious, well-formed flowers and a great calyx-to-leaf ratio. By late May, they were ready for the first smoke test.
Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® had sweet citrus aromas, a blend of mandarins and mango, with earthy undertones, while Papaya Zoap Auto®, with its beautiful purple hues, offered a sensory delight. It combined sweet aromas of mango, papaya, and citrus with an exquisite backdrop reminiscent of cypress or pine, simi-
lar to the gourmet-like scent of pine nuts. Papaya Zoap Auto® is a polyhybrid created from crossing four high-quality US genetics: [Bruce Banner Auto® (SWS91) x Papaya] x (Zkittlez x Zoap).
It offers a very relaxing effect that enhances creativity and focus on specific tasks. Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® results from crossing an excellent Jet Fuel clone with a hybrid of two
cultivation experience, these strains offer a perfect blend of performance and pleasure.
For growers looking to elevate their harvest, these outstanding strains are worth every consideration.
Embrace the excellence of Sweet Seeds® and experience for yourself the magic these cultivars can bring to your garden.
highly aromatic autoflowering strains from Sweet Seeds®: Cream Mandarine XL Auto® (SWS55) and Orange Apricot Glue XL Auto® (SWS103). Its effect lifts the mind while relaxing the body.
In conclusion, both Jet Fuel Mandarine XL Auto® and Papaya Zoap Auto® from Sweet Seeds® stand out for their exceptional quality and remarkable effects.
Whether you’re seeking potent relaxation, enhanced creativity, or simply a rewarding
Home Grow
Ed Rosenthal
20
KOREAN NATURAL FARMING
Sunnabis Farms in Humboldt County, California, produces all of its cannabis outdoors under natural sunlight using Korean Natural Farming (KNF) methods. Although widely practiced in Asian countries for hundreds of years, KNF methods are starting to be used in Western countries as well. It is notable that most of the world simply calls this methodology Natural Farming.
At the heart of this style of farming is the practice of learning how to make all the nutrients, or inputs, that one needs for a successful crop. Most of the ingredients for these inputs can even be found around the garden.
The reason this is important is threefold: (1)The cultivator can control what goes on the crop and knows exactly where everything came from, so there are no surprise pesticides, poisons, or test failures; (2) the environmental impact is extremely low when sourcing and making one’s own nutrient line; and (3) the cost to make a year’s supply of KNF nutrients is pennies on the dollar compared with traditional fertilizers that are purchased at a grow store.
KNF improves the fungal diversity and density in soils. Cannabis loves a 30+:1 fungal to bacterial ratio, and with natural farming this is achievable. Properly balanced living soil produces a very high quality product, as plants with symbiotic root relationships are able to thrive in environments with greater nutrient density, and thus express the full range of the biochemicals that the cultivar is capable of expressing. This full expression of biochemicals provides the best experience possible to the consumer, as opposed to a narrow expression of one or two biochemicals in high percentage.
KNF uses the micronization achieved through fermentation to provide a full suite of highly available plant nutrients. The method is, in part, a bringing together of enzymatic theory from Japan, long-used traditional agriculture, and methods developed by Master Cho HanKyu in the last 60 years.
One of the greatest strengths of KNF is in the cultivation and application of indigenous microorganisms to condition soil and add indigenous microbial diversity. Soil that has high density and diversity of indigenous microorganisms helps plants to be resistant to disease. At the same time, the nutrient cycling that occurs in these systems gives plants access to nutrients through symbiotic exchanges in the root zone.
One of Master Cho’s first teachings is “the farmer must first farm himself.” This means if farmers are not taking care of themselves, then
the farm will eventually suffer; it isn’t sustainable. Another core philosophy of Master Cho is, “A farmer should have parental love towards their crop and livestock. This is the heart of a true farmer.” This links to the psychology of animals and has a direct connection to the yield/profitability and health of a livestock farm, with some implications for plants, that is, a happy chicken produces more with the same inputs than an unhappy chicken.
A third core philosophy of Master Cho’s is the concept of nutrient application/fertilizing and the three rights of natural farming: right nutrient, right time, right dose. With the high availability of homemade nutrients, farmers are able to increase yields while using far less total amounts than other agricultural systems.
THERE ARE FIVE CORE PRINCIPLES OF KNF
Follow the laws of nature.
What you need is what’s around you.
Enjoy the process.
Start with an empty mind.
A farmer is to foster a healthy relationship between all beings.
Practitioners agree that learning from experienced natural farmers is the most effective way to acquire proper technique that leads to success; the system works, but there can be a learning curve, as it is a skill-based system.
Natural farming has a pesticide suite in an iteration called JADAM, a natural farming offshoot developed by Cho Youngsang. In large-scale production an effective liquid indigenous microorganisms (IMO) application was developed in Hawai‘i (where natural farming first landed in the United States) that reduces costs while remaining highly effective, and this solution has proved highly beneficial in creating a strong plant that can better withstand attack from pests and pathogens.
OVERVIEW OF BASIC INPUTS
Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO)
Natural farming is all about IMO collections. They are used to make true living soil by inoculating the ground with diverse microbes, including fungi. The microlife is collected for propagating.
Most crops prefer a soil that is mostly colo-
nized by fungi rather than bacteria, with the possible exception of the brassica family. The relationships that the plants build with the microorganisms in the soil are complicated, but as a group they work together synergistically to provide the needs of all the organisms.
A simplified view of this is that the plants send out signals to the microbes when a specific nutrient is in need, and the microbes go and gather it for the plant. In exchange the plant feeds the microbes sugars and carbohydrates created through photosynthesis.
Cannabis prefers a highly fungal-dominant soil with ratios above 30:1 fungi to bacteria. To achieve this balance, the soil is inoculated with a diversity of fungal propagules, or spores that capture the diversity of undisturbed nature and bring it into grow spaces.
The best places for an IMO collection are the places that are undisturbed by human interactions. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to own such land, but sometimes one has to get creative and go for a drive to a pristine forest or wild open space. These areas are ideal to place an IMO box to capture the diversity that
is there. This must be done more than once a year. The ideal IMO collections will include at least three different habitats taken during at least three seasons.
This ensures that IMO2 to IMO3 will have incredible diversity of fungi that will sporulate into the substrate. As this is broadcast into the garden or grow space, all those fungal species will be spread out over the soil. Because of the diversity, several fungal species will thrive in their new environment regardless of the heat, humidity, or light.
Traditionally a wooden IMO collection box or basket is filled to two thirds with short-grain undercooked white rice, covered with a cloth or paper, and placed in the pristine area for five days.
Then the box is collected. If properly inoculated, it will be full of fluffy white fungal bodies. This is mixed 1:1 by weight with raw or brown sugar to create a shelf-stable product, called IMO2, that can be used to propagate out into IMO3–IMO5.
The ideal IMO3 pile is made up of a few small IMO2 samples and a balance of carbon and carbohydrates such as whole or milled rice, wheat, oats, or barley, and hardwood wood chips. The fungi will sporulate and inoculate the entire pile when kept below 120°F (50°C), which is generally achieved by consistent turning, much like a compost pile. IMO4 takes the process one step farther by utilizing IMO3 and the garden soil, and IMO5 brings it to the final step by incorporating a high nitrogen source, such as an animal manure.
Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ)
FPJ is used throughout the plants’ life cycle. This is one of the staples of natural farming inputs. It’s made from the fresh, young, growing tips of different plants. While it can be made from almost any nontoxic plant material, FPJs are full of growth hormones, nutrients, and microbial life, which are found predominantly in the fresh growing tips of plants before sunlight hits them.
The microbial life that is present on the leaf surface of the plant then breaks down and ferments the nutrients, making them bio available.
FPJ is generally used at a 1:500 ratio, and it’s shelf stable for up to six months when properly stored. This is one of the inputs that should be made fresh, stored with a breathable lid to protect microbial life, and utilized on the farm where it was made. Fermented plant juice should never be used alone, but always in conjunction with brown rice vinegar and oriental herbal nutrient (OHN). All KNF recipes start with these three inputs as a base.
Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN)
OHN is a tincture composed of five herbs: angelica, cinnamon, licorice, ginger, and garlic. OHN is one of the staples of natural farming and is used in every recipe. The blend is based in Chinese medicine. The five herbs were chosen because of their warming properties as well as how they work synergistically.
If one of the herbs is unavailable it can be left out, but the addition of any other herb creates a tincture that is not considered OHN.
This input is an immunity booster and has antipathogenic properties that support and increase the health of the soil, plants, and animals. It is generally used at a 1:1000 ratio. However, the older the tincture, the more diluted it can be while still maintaining efficacy.
Fish Amino Acid (FAA)
FAA is the natural farming solution to provide nitrogen that plants need during vegetative growth. It is made from fish waste, including heads, fins, guts, and other refuse. It becomes a high-quality fish fertilizer that is used at a ratio of 1:1000 to 1:500.
FAA takes time to create. The fish refuse is mixed with an equal weight of brown sugar, and ideally a skosh of OHN and a sprinkle of IMO4. After mixing thoroughly, it is left to ferment for six months to a year.
Because cannabis is a heavy feeder, FAA can be used at higher ratios, but first it should be tested for phytotoxicity using a plant or as a foliar spray on a single branch.
Water Soluble Potassium (WSK)
WSK is made by charring plants that are potassium accumulators. Sunflowers are an excellent example. Traditionally, it’s been made from tobacco stalks, but any plants that make a good biochar and are high in potassium will work well.
This input is very simple to make: biochar from the plant material is added to water at a 1:10 ratio and left to sit for a couple of weeks before it is strained and diluted at approxima-
tely 1:1000 ratio before use. As with all other inputs, this should not be used alone but in conjunction with FPJ, OHN, and BRV.
Water Soluble Calcium (WCA)
WCA is a solution made from charred eggshells and vinegar. The charring of the eggshells efficiently breaks down the calcium, and when added to an acid such as vinegar, the resulting solution is an easily absorbed form of calcium. This input is usually used during blooming, but can be added whenever the plants need a calcium boost. It is generally used at a 1:1000 ratio in conjunction with FPJ, BRV, and OHN.
Water Soluble Calcium Phosphate (WCAP)
WCAP is created using charred bones and vinegar. Much like WCA, WCAP utilizes acidic vinegar to break down bones into bioavailable calcium phosphate. Once large animal bones have been charred to charcoal that is blackened all the way through, they are added at a 1:10 ratio to vinegar and soaked for a week to 10 days. The calcium phosphate is dissolved by the vinegar. This solution is used as a foliar spray at a 1:1000 ratio. The spray should also include FPJ and OHN. It is primarily applied during the transition period, one week before the light cycle changes and one week after.
Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ)
FFJ is one of the least-used inputs by cannabis farmers. It consists of one to three types of ripe fruit fresh from the farm, mixed with an equal weight of brown sugar, and left to ferment in a dark location for 7 to 10 days. The ferment retains high levels of enzymes and is used for enhancing fruit ripening. Because cannabis is sinsemilla, or without seeds, the jury is still out whether FFJ actually enhances the cannabinoid or terpene profile of cannabis.
Seawater
Seawater is an important part of natural farming. It’s the source of micro nutrients and minerals. It can be collected from the ocean and stored in a reservoir tank. This can be added to the other inputs on a 1:30 ratio and included in any or all foliar or soil drench applications. If one does not live near the ocean, then sea salt can be substituted. Sea salt is added to the final solution at the rate of 1 g/L.
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)
This input has probiotic qualities and is helpful in creating healthy human and animal intestinal tracts. It is also beneficial when added to soil or leaves. It is made by collecting the LAB that is naturally occurring in water that has been used to rinse rice. The rice water wash is left in a container loosely covered with paper or cloth to collect the initial LAB and then added to milk, which provides a source of food for the bacteria. After 3–5 days the milk solution will separate into curds and the LAB serum. The solids are separated off. They can be seasoned and eaten or fed to animals. The serum is used in conjunction with the other supplements at a 1:1000 ratio.
Grow with Mr. José
Mr. José info@mrjose.eu
Modern Nutrition and Growing Tips for LED Cultivation
Almost every year during summer at Cannafair, I meet up with Jorg from Plagron. We both share the same passion – cannabis cultivation. Since Jorg is a plant nutrition specialist at Plagron and has experience with both small and large grow operations, I decided to interview him. We talked about the modern approach to cannabis nutrition, growing under LED lighting, and other useful topics. Now, you can read the most interesting parts of our conversation exclusively in Soft Secrets
Jorg, could you explain why some fertilizers consist of just one component for the growth phase and another for the flowering phase, while in other cases, you need more components, essentially more bottles of fertilizer? For example, what is the difference between the Plagron Coco and Plagron Terra lines?
The main difference is that with the Terra line, we account for certain elements already present in the substrate. Most substrates contain peat, which is very acidic, so limestone is used to balance the pH. As a result, there’s already sufficient calcium in the substrate, and a single-component fertilizer like Terra is enough. Terra has one component for growth and one for flowering. The issue with calcium is that it’s very reactive and interacts with most other nutrients. This is why, for growing media that don’t contain calcium, you need twocomponent fertilizers. In the case of Plagron’s coconut-based fertilizers, this would be Coco A and Coco B. One of these components contains calcium along with elements it doesn’t react with. There is no calcium in pure coconut fiber. So, compared to Terra, Coco A and B contain a wider spectrum of nutrients.
Both the Terra and Coco lines are essentially mineral fertilizers. The Terra line is simpler to use and contains fewer nutrients, making it primarily suitable for soil-based substrates. There’s a significant difference between coconut fiber and peat-based substrates, so they logically require different fertilizers. Coconut contains no nutrients, while peat-based substrates already contain some. Another point is that in soil-based substrates, calcium binds more firmly to the soil, making it harder for plants to absorb. Even if we add extra calcium, it’s still more difficult for the plant to extract it from the soil compared to coconut fiber, which doesn’t bind it as tightly.
It’s also becoming apparent that as growing techniques improve, the typical calcium content is no longer sufficient. In the past,
the combination of calcium in the substrate, supplemented by the calcium found in regular tap water, was enough. However, today it seems that this is no longer adequate, which is why products like CalMag, specifically designed for calcium supplementation, exist. The increased
demand for calcium is also linked to the use of LED lighting.
I‘m glad you brought up the specifics of growing with LED lighting. It’s a hot topic, and I think a lot of people are still unsure
about how to approach it. This is especially true for those who have been accustomed to using conventional sodium, metal halide, or plasma lamps for many years. On the other hand, even beginners often get their information from sources that mostly focus on growing under sodium lamps. Initially, LED lighting was praised for offering higher yields with lower energy consumption. But now we’ve reached a point where the conversation is about how to maximize the harvest in the same space by using higher light intensity. What are your recommendations for fertilization when using high-performance LED lights? As for nutrition, people used to be afraid of over-fertilizing for fear of burning the plants. Plant burn, that well-known browning of the leaf tips, is also related to the form of nitrogen used in fertilizers. In the past, ammonium nitrogen was commonly used, which caused that browning. Compared to the past, at Plagron we now use only about one-tenth or at most half as much ammonium nitrogen, instead relying more on nitrate nitrogen, which is more easily available and absorbed by the plants. So, plant burn from high fertilizer concentrations isn’t as easy to trigger as it used to be. When it comes to lighting, the main difference
Meeting with Jorg at Cannafair.
concentration of nutrients to provide the same amount of nutrients with a smaller volume of water?
We’re still talking about calcium. Since the majority of calcium moves into the plant through the xylem, which runs from the roots to the tops of the plants, nutrients travel through
Home growers are becoming more and more knowledgeable about cultivation, and they’re starting to manage VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit), though in many cases it’s more of an attempt than actual control. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges for growers? Let’s start with
between LED and HPS is that LEDs emit a broader photosynthetically active spectrum. This means that LEDs provide plants with more light energy for photosynthesis, which is great. However, for photosynthesis to occur faster, the plant needs more sugars. To produce more sugars, the plant obviously needs more nutrients and also more CO2. Many growers still think that CO2 is some sort of add-on, something extra. But the carbon inside CO2 is the primary energy source plants need for photosynthesis because CO2, along with water and light, creates oxygen and sugars in the form of ATP.
In recent times, lighting technology has advanced rapidly, and people are purchasing high-powered LEDs, turning them on full blast, but not increasing other growing parameters. They’re still afraid to raise the EC, fearing they’ll burn the plants, as could happen in the past. They worry about salt buildup, nutrient lockout, and all the associated problems—nutrient imbalances, yellowing leaves, necrotic spots, slow growth, and so on. Everything has to be balanced, so for example, if you’re adding Green Sensation, which contains a lot of phosphorus and potassium, you should reduce calcium supplementation. This is because nutrients with a positive charge, such as calcium, potassium, ammonium, and magnesium, compete with each other, and if you add too much of one, it decreases the uptake of another. So the best approach, when you want to increase EC, is to add all the components evenly, rather than just increasing phosphorus and potassium or calcium and magnesium as many people tend to do.
When growing with LEDs, we often don’t reach the same temperatures as with highpressure lamps due to the lack of infrared radiation. As a result, transpiration is slower. How can we compensate for this? Does it make sense to increase the
this pathway due to the transpiration stream. When plants grow slowly, it can be related to slower calcium uptake. Calcium is crucial for proper cell function and growth. If calcium isn’t available in sufficient amounts, the cells can’t grow or divide as quickly, which can slow down the overall growth of the plant. So, if you want to boost plant growth, you need to speed up transpiration. This can be achieved by raising the temperature, but also by increasing air circulation around the leaves. By moving humid air away from the leaves, you slightly increase evaporation and accelerate the transpiration stream. This can even be done at night. Many growers might say, „Wait, at night the stomata are closed,“ but they’re not completely closed, so transpiration can still occur, albeit slowly. Additionally, faster air circulation reduces the risk of mold by affecting the microclimate inside the flowers.
Several times, I’ve encountered the issue of precipitates forming when mixing fertilizers in water. A lot of people have asked me about this, as they’ve experienced the same problem. How can we prevent reactions between additives and the basic line of fertilizers? When the components react with each other, they form a sediment that the plants cannot absorb, and then, of course, the plants lack those specific nutrients. This happens quite often with the now-popular silicon products. Always use silicon-based products first and allow them to dissolve completely before adding other components. Don’t add the next ingredients too quickly; wait until the solution is thoroughly mixed.
commercial operations, as home growers often draw on the practices of large-scale producers. The biggest challenge, in my opinion, is IPM, or Integrated Pest Management, because it’s really demanding in a commercial setting. Another major challenge is standardization in cultivation. Maintaining consistent light intensity, uniform plant height, and setting the correct irrigation schedule. For example, if you have a grow space of 10 square meters and then suddenly expand to 50,000 square meters, it’s a completely different game. The same goes for having success with small-scale organic cultivation. You might think it’ll work on a larger scale, but the shift to a large commercial operation is exceptionally challenging.
How do you see the future of home growing?
I think it might decline a bit, but I still believe there will always be people who want to do it their own way, breed their own strains, find their own methods, and grow their own cannabis. We’ll also see how individual governments approach this. Industrially produced cannabis will likely take center stage, but home growing will certainly remain.
Do you have any message for the readers? Growing should primarily be fun, and even if others might have different opinions about your growing methods, what matters most is how you feel about it and how satisfied you are with your grow. It’s not about becoming the best grower, but rather about having the motivation to grow, and then you’ll likely enjoy growing for a long time.
Calcium deficiency most commonly manifests as necrotic spots on the leaves.
Grow with Jorge Cervantes
Jorge Cervantes jorge@marijuanagrowing.com
WASHING AND MANICURING YOUR CROP
After harvesting, separate stems, leaves and flowers before or after drying. Roots are separated from the main stems at harvest. Washing the harvest helps remove contaminants including dust, mold, insects and their eggs and feces. Large and small leaves are dried for later use and stems are made into compost or discarded. The remaining flowers are manicured, dried and cured. Manicuring removes small leaves and stems that contain low levels of cannabinoids. The remaining flowers are air-dried and later cured to ensure unsavory pigments and other residuals have dissipated.
Regular, feminized, auto-flowering, cannabinoid-rich cannabis flowers all follow the same guidelines for harvest, drying and curing. Drying facilities are often too small. Plant, harvest and dry early-maturing cannabis varieties so that they are out of the way before using the same space to later-maturing varieties.
Cannabis, regardless of the amounts of cannabinoids – CBD, CBG, THC, etc. – is the same plant with the same requirements for growth and the same range of harvest windows. There is a full range of CBD-rich cultivars that have the same range of harvest dates as do THC-rich cultivars. And all new CBG-rich varieties are ready to harvest in
early September. Breeders are continually producing new early maturing varieties.
Note: Selling CBD and CBG hemp legally in the USA requires a third-party laboratory test that shows it is below the legal limit for THC (0.3 percent). The legal CBD crop harvested about two weeks early so that the THC level does not surpass 0.3 percent. The arbitrary 0.3 percent of THC was decided upon by politicians rather than botanists or agriculturists. Make sure to study the current laws in the state, province, or country where you plan to grow cannabis before planting your crop. And keep abreast of any changes in local laws and legal requirements for growing all types of cannabis.
WASH THE HARVEST
Wash flowers in a dilute solution of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to kill and remove mold, caterpillar, insect and mite feces and other contaminants found on the surface. Residuals from sprays, dust, insect feces and mold spores are usually present in low levels on all fresh cannabis. Cannabis in enclosed gardens usually accumulate as many or more contaminates than outdoor gardens because no natural forces are available to wash contaminants away. Do not worry about wetting harvested plants. You wash vegetables
To prepare a large container of dilute hydrogen peroxide,
Harvesting cannabis is a big job. It requires space, ventilation and planning. Some growers prefer to manicure flowers immediately after harvest and dry afterward. Other growers like to dry their plants first before manicuring. Either way, everything in this chapter will give you the tools to make a plan for post-harvest.
Cut recently harvested branches into 12-24-inch (30-60 cm) lengths that easily fit in the container filled with hydrogen peroxide. Dip branches in the solution and swirl around for 5-10 seconds, long enough for the dilute H2O2 solution to act upon the contaminants.
Remove branches and rinse thoroughly with a spray of fresh water to remove any residual contaminants that may be sticking to foliage. Gently shake off excess water from foliage.
Remove branches and rinse thoroughly with a spray of fresh water to remove any residual contaminants that may be sticking to foliage. Gently shake off excess water from foliage.
before consuming. Cannabis is no different. Drying is essential. Skim off the oily film of contaminants that forms on the surface of the H2O2 solution with a sponge to prolong the life of the solution. Rinse the sponge between skimming. Manicure immediately after flowers are dry. Remove and leaves from around flowers. Remove flowers from branches to manicure.
To see this process from beginning to end, see the video I shot in Humboldt county on my YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/ user/jorgecervantesmj.
CANNABIS MANICURING TECHNIQUES
Resin falls easily from dry foliage during drying and manicuring. Trimming dry brittle foliage is tedious and time-consuming. Drying more foliage takes longer. Equalizing the moisture in stems and foliage takes extra time.
Defoliate growing plants up to seven days before harvest to spread out the intensive labor needed at harvest. Remove large shade leaves when plants are still in the ground. Labor is a major concern when growing
Once harvested, carefully manicure flowers by cutting large leaves where they attach to the stem. Leaving the petiole (leaf stem) can cause mold to grow. Snip off smaller, lowpotency leaves around flowers that show little resin, so a beautiful cannabinoid-potent flower remains.
Leaves are supple and easy to manicure shortly after harvest. Less resin falls from leaves. Resin sticks to pliable leaves better than it adheres to dry leaves. Shorten drying time by manicuring immediately after harvest. Remove large stems and dry only flowers. Stems contain more moisture and dry at a much slower rate than leaves and flowers.
Plants with outer „fan“ leaves intact take longer to dry and require much more time to manicure. The outer leaves form a sheath that helps protect delicate trichomes when drying.
more than a few plants. Use scissors with small blades to reach inside buds to snip off leaves and their stems. Purchase scissors with padded or soft handles that fit in your hand comfortably. You will be using them for long periods of time and comfortable handles will make manicuring more enjoyable.
Wear tight-fitting surgical gloves that you can buy at most pharmacies to avoid sticky fingers during manicuring. Scrape the resin directly from the gloves.
This article is supported by the Cannabis Encyclopedia, ¡¡FREE!! in Eleven (11) lanuages – Czech, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Japanese, German, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian at, www.marijuanagrowing.com.
Hanging complete plants on a drying line is a good option if you need to harvest the garden quickly because of inclimate weater. Branches are easily removed for processing.
Hand-trimming cannabis flowers may be a fun social event, but it is time-consuming. The average trimmer can complete one pound in 6-8 hours. A fast trimmer can do twice that much. Machinetrimmed flowers are more common today because of the volume of cannabis.
It is a toss up as to who prefers spring-loaded trimmers. Both types have their advantages.
Manicuring by hand is rewarding but also time-consuming. An experienced manuricurist spends from about six hours to manicure one pound (454 gm) of cannabis flowers.
Manicuring machines work much faster than hand trimming. But, the rough edges left by machine-trimmed flowers are typically cleaned up by hand. Industrial type manicuring devices can process up to 10 pounds (4.5 kg) per day. Machine-manicured flowers usually must be “cleaned up” manually.
Award-Winning cannabis cultivation author Jorge Cervantes teams up with Seedsman for a FREE, comprehensive digital book on home growing.
100-page digital book
270+ color images
Interactive – Searchable
Comprehensive guide to cannabis cultivation
FREEBOOK
Beginner and advanced growers
Easy-to-follow cultivation examples
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Discover the magic of cannabis!
www.marijuanagrowing.com/grow-cannabis-book
Co-Authors
Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Gary Yates
Stefan Meyer
Table of Contents
• Cannabis Botany
• Life Cycle of Cannabis
• Cannabis Seeds & Seedlings
• Plan Your Garden
• Grow Room Setup
• Twelve-week Garden
• Harvest, Manicuring, Drying, Curing & Storage
• Diseases, Pests & Problems
JORGE CERVANTES
Author Marijuana Horticulture.
Legendary Jorge Cervantes, published in eight languages sold over a million copies worldwide.
Text & Photography: Derrick Bergman/ Gonzo Media
MEET LUKE ‘MING’ FLANAGAN, HOME GROWING MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Ask somebody to name a Member of the European Parliament and chances are they can’t come up with a single name. But there’s one MEP that every cannabis consumer should know: Luke Ming Flanagan.
‘The biggest negative reaction has been my growing methods and not that I’m actually breaking the law!’
The European Parliament is composed of 720 members, MEPs for short. Irish national Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (52) has been an independent MEP since 2014. He started smoking cannabis while studying in Galway, where his political career started in 1997. He ran as an independent candidate on a ticket urging cannabis legalization. Two years later he campaigned to become an independent MEP for the first time. Flanagan attracted a lot of media attention, but was hardly taken serious. Journalists focused on his beard and hairstyle; his nickname Ming relates to Ming the Merciless from the cartoon Flash Gordon.
In 2001 Flanagan made headlines when he sent over 200 joints to all the members of the Irish parliament. Legalization of cannabis has remained one of his main themes to this day. When he was elected as a member of the Dáil, the Irish House of representatives, in 2011, Flanagan started donating half of his salary to local projects. He continued to do so as Member of the European Parliament. The Irishman is very active on social media. He regularly tweets photos of the cannabis plants he grows in his Brussels apartment.
You started smoking cannabis in college; did you instantly like it? Was it weed or hash?
Flanagan: ‘Yes, I found it very calming. Hash was by far the most commonly available cannabis in Ireland during the early 1990s.’
Do you consider your use to be medical, recreational, spiritual or a combination of these purposes?
‘A combination. I was diagnosed autistic at the beginning of this year. It helps me with emotional regulation.’
You‘ve been advocating for legalization since you started in politics. Why is this so important to you? Weren‘t you afraid of „reputation damage“?
‘I didn‘t feel comfortable with the idea that someone could police what one did with one‘s own body. Most of my colleagues were cannabis users so it didn‘t damage my reputation with anyone who was close to me. It did however lead to years of invasive searches by the drug squad.’
You sent joints to all members of the Irish parliament; were you ever prosecuted for that?
‘I sent them in order to put a focus on the issue, self-titling the day as National Legalize Cannabis Day. A file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecution but no charges were taken.
I wrote to them asking why not, given that it was clear that I had both cultivated and supplied an illegal substance under the misuse of drugs act. I was looking for my day in court.
The plan was to nail a copy of an amendment to the misuse of drugs act to the door of the court. Like Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the door of the church in Wittenburg in 1517. Not to be though. I received a letter from the DPP six months after the event saying that no charges would be taken. Having been searched on numerous occasions previous to this, I have never been searched or prosecuted since.’
What did you learn about European politics in your ten years as MEP?
‘From a cannabis policy perspective it’s very helpful at home to be able to point to developments in Germany, Malta Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Spain and Czechia as evidence that the issue of legalization has become mainstream. Ultimately the EU won‘t decide on legalization within its members.
However it does have a role when it comes to the Schengen agreement and the freedom to travel with your cannabis. I’m currently looking to again set up the Legalize Cannabis group in the Parliament. Unfortunately none of the original members have returned for this mandate except for myself, so I am currently looking around for new allies.’
When and why did you start posting photos of the cannabis you grow in your Brussels apartment on social media?
‘I started in 2023. I’ve been growing in Brussels since 2018, so I thought why not?
It has normalized somewhat the idea that an elected official would do such a thing. It has also been instructive in that the biggest negative reaction has been my growing methods and not that I’m actually breaking the law! It shows that at this stage the public have moved well ahead of the law makers.’
Which of the strains you’ve grown came out best?
‘Pineapple Kush has been by far the best strain. Better than anything I have ever purchased. Growing two at the moment.’
How hard it is it to advocate for legalization of cannabis in the European Parliament?
‘It‘s become mainstream as an issue. One would have to be heartened by recent developments in various EU states.
We can now include Ireland in that too; a Parliament report has just recommended cannabis clubs as the way forward. Supported by a broad coalition of political parties and independents.’
Do you think the EU will legalize as a whole or member states will legalize on their own?
‘It‘ll happen state by state. Schengen and the freedom of movement is the tricky one, but I think there‘s a momentum in favour of legalization that will grow and grow until we see EU wide change.’
Interview
Olivier F
The Grand History of Cannabis: Mossy Giant’s cannabis murals
In 2023, the Dutch artist Mossy Giant and the French president of Barcelona’s cannabis social club La Crème Gràcia, Stefan Van Swieten, launched a major art project. Each year, these cannabis enthusiasts organise a new exhibition featuring large murals and paintings on the history of the plant. The first mural was on the history of cannabis in general. The second, which was unveiled during Spannabis week 2024, entitled ‘The Grand History of Cannabis; The Dutch’, traces the history of cannabis in the Netherlands. The mural features the Soft Secrets newspaper and its founder. A book on the subject has also been published. Each year, a new mural on a particular country or theme and a number of paintings will be exhibited in the club. Read our interview with Stefan Van Swieten below.
SSFR: What did you do before heading this cannabis club in Barcelona?
Stefan Van Swieten: I worked in the music industry. I was specialised in the distribution and export of physical media, vinyl records and CDs. I was export manager of an independent record company that distributed French Touch artists such as Daft Punk, Bob Sinclar, Gotan Project, and the two labels Roulé and Versatile, which were very successful at the time. I lived in England 6 years, where I set up an office for this record company. Then illegal downloading started in the early 2000s, and I had to change my job to cope with the crisis. That’s how I got interested in cannabis, thinking that things would evolve in the right direction and that legalisation would come, which was not the case in France.
How did you become president of the cannabis social club La Crème Gràcia?
This CSC was set up in 2014 and I took over as president 7 or 8 years ago. Formerly I had been a member of the club, then secretary and finally president. It’s been a great adventure. I didn’t want to take any risks and I tried to stay as close as possible to the line that had to be followed. It’s very difficult to set up a club.
What sort of problems have you encountered?
There are a lot of problems to deal with. We had Molotov cocktails thrown at the club. Some people wanted to contribute to its recovery. Initially, they presented themselves in a very tactful way and told me that the club could earn 10 times as much. They offered to supply me with the clientele and the products, and I was to pay them 30% on earnings. But I wasn’t interested. It’s lack of legality that causes problems like this. Today, I have no regrets about venturing in this business.
Have you ever had any problems with the authorities?
No, because we have always behaved. We’ve already had police inspections, but they knew we were behaving. Normally, before each inspection, they stand outside the door several days with a people counter to find out how many people come to the club. And then they turn up.
Are cannabis clubs really nonprofit-making?
We’ve never made much money. You still have to earn a bit to pay the people who work in the club. You also have to pay for the premises, an accountant, the internet, insurance... We’re forced into a somewhat commercial dynamic. I know other clubs are more into profit-making as
if they were in California, but we prefer to remain a neighbourhood club. What is more, we have cultural projects. This is not a club for tourists. The important thing is not to disturb the neighbours and regulars.
There are members who come every day and sit in the same place. They are mainly locals. Our membership fee is 10 euros a year. You need a residence permit to be a member of the club, but you can come and see the exhibition and meet Mossy without being a member. After all, it’s not the same people that come to buy grass or see the exhibition.
How many members do you have?
Around 500. But only 350 come every week or more often.
Do club members grow cannabis?
Yes, they grow cannabis both indoors and outdoors.
Which are their preferred strains?
Our club is located in the Gràcia district, in the centre of Barcelona. It’s a popular, bohemian area with lots of artists. Most of our members are looking for classic strains that aren’t that expen-
sive for regular consumption, and not just trendy plants like Gelato. They rather like plants like Amnesia or Critical. We also have slightly more expensive strains as well as hash and extracts.
How many employees does your club have?
A total of 5 employees. I’m one of them because I look after the club at weekends. The artist Mossy Giant is also a member of our staff. The Grand History of Cannabis is a project that’s due to last at least 10 years, so we wanted to give it some stability.
Part of the mural ‘The Grand History of Cannabis; The Dutch’ by Mossy Giant.
How did you come up with the idea of creating historical murals about cannabis?
We were just recovering from Covid and there were police inspections! We were looking for a new concept. Mossy and I have known each other for a long time and we get on well together. We also click together artistically and started working on the Grand History of Cannabis. We thought it was a theme that interested us. Mossy was interested in it as an artist. And I love history and, of course, cannabis. We thought there was something we could do. We came up with this idea together. I wanted to do something different from selling grass, even though I love it. And we both needed to work.
Your first mural was painted in 2023… The purpose of our first mural was to reveal our intentions. The mural covered a period from the big bang to the present day: 4 billion years over a length of 8 metres. Our enthusiasm was rewarded with success. We quickly attracted attention. You have to do exhibitions to communicate in a positive manner.
So, this is a long-term project, is it?
We decided that each year we would build, little by little, a collection of art on the global history of cannabis - all times, all places, all cultures –starting from prehistoric times and going right up to the present day, and with themes developed continent by continent.
The second mural exhibited this year and its accompanying book are about the history of cannabis in Holland. Next year it will be on the Americas. We have years of work ahead of us.
We want to create an art collection that stands on its own feet. The works cover all aspects of the history of cannabis. That’s what we’ve focused on.
I think it’s a totally fascinating story, and one that’s little known even to consumers themselves.
Are you involved in designing the murals yourself?
Absolutely. We work together. My role is to feed Mossy intellectually and he draws. I prepare lists of interesting events and characters. I look for fascinating or little-known aspects of history. We also need to find interesting subjects
Opinion article
Max Majot
to draw. That’s the graphic side. Once I’ve finished my research, Mossy starts drawing and I start writing the book that accompanies the mural.
Does this mean there’ll be a book accompanying each mural?
Yes, I wrote the book on cannabis in Holland and it was revised by the Dutch cannabis journalist Derrick Bergman. He has skills that I don’t have and he put a lot of effort into the project. The book and posters of the mural are on sale in the Mossy Giant online shop and the exhibition at the CSC is always open to visitors.
Can you name some of the personalities depicted in the Soft Secrets mural on Holland?
Mila, Wernard Bruining (editor’s note: founder of Soft Secrets), Ed Rosenthal, Ben Dronkers, Sam The Skunkman, Karel Schelfhout, Nevil Schoenmakers, Henk de Vries from The Bulldog coffeeshop.
The two people shown below are the former ministers of health and justice who were behind
the reform of the opium law in 1976. They wanted legalisation and obtained tolerance.
The first coffeeshop, Wernard Bruining’s Mellow Yellow, is also depicted.
How about the enemies of cannabis, are they depicted too?
Yes, there are a few enemies. The first mural features Harry J. Anslinger, Presidents Reagan, Nixon, Hoover...
On the Dutch mural, there’s even Jacques Chirac, who opposed the Dutch on the issue of coffeeshops.
Do you already know which themes will be covered next?
Each year, we’re going to do several paintings, including a main mural which will be accompanied by a book and which we’ll unveil during the Spannabis fair. The next one for 2025 will be on the Americas.
Then there will be Eurasia, which I see as a single continent, Spain, religions, prohibition...
BACK TO BASICS: THE CASE FOR CLASSIC WEED STRAINS
In an era dominated by potent hybrids and cutting-edge F1 varieties, there’s a growing appreciation for the timeless appeal of classic cannabis strains. These legendary varieties have stood the test of time, offer unique chemical profiles rarely found in contemporary varieties, and have developed a devout and dedicated following over the decades.
It’s easy to get swept up in the ongoing innovations in the cannabis industry. While many new strains offer bigger harvests, quicker growing times, and sugary-sweet flavours, older varieties have maintained a certain magic and offer a taste of nostalgia. Despite having an unlimited array of new strains to choose from, many growers are electing to look back to the classics in search of long-lost flavour profiles and more subtle and manageable effects.
Opting for classics like Royal Queen Seeds’ Sour Diesel has several advantages in today’s cannabis landscape. First of all, these genetics have proven reliable over the decades, consistently delivering specific effects and predictable growth patterns. They’ve survived countless breeding cycles, demonstrating genetic stability and resilience.
Moreover, they originate from tried and tested parent strains that span even further back into weed history. In the case of Sour Diesel, parents Original Diesel, Northern Light, and Shiva passed down manageable levels of THC and tasty terpenes, whereas a Hawaiian landrace contributed good disease resistance and rewarding yields.
lassic cannabis strains are generally lower in THC than their contemporary counterparts—but that’s part of their allure. With many modern strains containing upwards of 30% THC, many consumers have come to respect the milder effects offered by classic varieties. While Sour Diesel possesses a comparatively moderate THC
content of 19%, her unique terpenes and other phytochemicals produce a wholesome effect that relaxes the body but keeps the mind clear and functional.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned stoner, there’s something to be said about strains with moderate potency levels.
Above all else, many cultivators are turning back to the classics in search of old-school aromas that have all but disappeared. High levels of sulphur compounds and cheesy fatty acids in Sour Diesel and other cannabis classics culminate in notes of sourness, skunk, and gas seldom present in the saccharine hybrids of today.
Soft Secrets is published by Discover Publisher BV
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E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl
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Editor: Cliff Cremer
Contributors: Stoney Tark, Jorge Cervantes, Ed Rosenthal, Mr. José, Green Born Identity (G.B.I.), TricomaTeam, Tommy L. Gomez, Fabrizio Dentini, Olivier F., Hortizan, Derrick Bergman/Gonzo Media and others.
Photography: iStock, Unsplash
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A word from the publisher: World wide there is a process going on of relative liberalisation towards the use of cannabis, be it for medicinal or recreational purposes. Several countries legalised cannabis as a way of separating soft and hard drugs, as it has proven to do in Holland. Other countries legalised the use of medicinal cannabis, including the right to grow cannabis plants for one’s own use. The publisher wants to highlight the process of normalisation of cannabis use. 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 and/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 editor takes no responsibility for unsollicited submissions.
The publisher has endeavored to reach all copyright holders of photos and/or images. Those who still believe they are entitled to these rights may contact the publisher.
Next issue out
SEASON 2
CANNABIS EXPERT VS BEGINNER IN EIGHT EPISODES
