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ISSN 2050-2141 (Print)
FREE
THE 27 CLUB
The romantic martyrs of this age
RUI PITÉ
Portuguese electronic dance
The Grind introduces…
HYDROPONICS SIMPLIFIED
Breeding your plants, carbon dioxide and harvesting W WW.TH EG R I N D M AG AZ I N E.C O .UK
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The experts in grow room safety Handy wall mounting bracket
Durable internal wiring provides ultimate grow room safety Individual switchable sockets. If one lamp needs changing just switch the one lamp off
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Electrical safety is critical in a grow room which is why Green Power makes no compromises with its relays.
which will isolate and withstand the powerful electrical surges caused when grow lights switch on.
Every unit is manufactured in the UK in steel with robust internal wiring,
Provides the peace-of-mind that other relays can’t.
To find out more visit:
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THE GRIND MAG TEAM
WELCOME I can’t believe it’s already May, time is flying! However, as it is May it can only mean 1 thing, The Home Grown Expo at The Ricoh Arena is almost upon us and what a show this promises to be! The Grind Magazine is proud to be a media partner of the show especially as ALL the largest manufacturers from the Industry will be there! Main sponsors for 2014 include; Gavita, Hesi, Maxi Bright and Dutch Pro. If you don’t already have your tickets, be sure to drop into your local Hydroponics shop or visit www.homegrownexpo.co.uk to purchase your tickets. Asides from the Home Grown Expo, The Grind has lots of great info this edition including an in depth look into Carbon Dioxide and its effect in your Grow Room, how to breed plants, the regular instalment from The Grind Guru answering your latest questions and the ever popular fishing instalment talking about Wrasse. We have some good product flashes this edition including the HomeBox® Evolution – The Worlds most advanced Grow Tent, The Neutralizer, Liquid Sand, The Black Widow Contactors and Omega lighting from Eden Horticulture. Not to forget our undercover music reporter providing us with the latest Music news and an interview with Rui Pite and our regular Fashion instalment courtesy of Other and THFKDLF. Be sure to keep up to date with all of your favourite grow and lifestyle content via our website www.thegrindmagazine.co.uk
THE GRINDTM
Editor: Laura Middlehurst Grow Editor: Jeffrey Winterborne Copy Editor: Pascale Winterborne Art Director: Nick Cordell Online Editor: Kevin Baird Sales Manager: James Walton Operations Manager: James Walton Advertising Sales: James Walton 0(+44) 7787 565 650 sales@thegrindmagazine.co.uk Copyright 2014 The Grind Magazine. ISSN 2050-2141 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the authors. The authors assert their moral rights. In recent years, it has come to our knowledge that some people use information and equipment related to the subject of hydroponics for illegal activities. The authors, producers and publishers do not advocate breaking the law, nor is this publication (and corresponding website) intended to encourage or promote the use of illegal substances or activities. We do not accept responsibility for any errors although we attempt to ensure all information is accurate at time of publishing. The views of our contributors do not necessarily reflect those of The Grind Magazine. Note: Every effort has been made to obtain permission of the copyright holders of articles and artwork used in this publication. We apologise for any instance where permission has not been obtained and invite the copyright holder to get in touch with us. Disclaimer: The articles in this magazine are for educational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, publisher or advertisers. Our sole aim is to stimulate rational debate and discussion of the important issues of our time. We do not endorse any treatments, medical or otherwise, and encourage our readers to continue with their own research and consult a health professional if they are ill. The Grind Magazine does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The Grind Magazine cannot be made liable for claims, actions, legal and/or court fees brought against oneself in connection with any use of this publication or products ordered from our websites, catalogues, cd roms, dvds, advertising or other media. WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 07
CONTENTS
CONTENTS 46 50 26
34
FEATURES
ARTICLES
PRODUCTS
34 Rui Pité – Music Interview 40 Home Grown Expo – Show Sponsors 42 Home Grown Expo – List of Exhibitors and Floor Plan 50 Weedhawks 56 Other 64 thfkdlf 74 The 27 Club
18 No.6 26 Fishing Guru 28 Grind Guru 46 Breeding Your Plants 60 Carbon Dioxide 72 Music News 76 Harvesting
10 Omega Lighting 12 Widow Contactors 14 Liquid Sand 16 TNB Naturals 24 New Gear! The Next Generation 30 The Enhancer 32 HOMEbox® Evolution 54 Terpinator 66 The Neutralizer
08 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
PRODUCT FLASH
Find us at stand B39
T C U D PRO ASH FL
Omega Lighting
Omega Lighting design and manufacture quality products with you, the grower, in mind. We have coupled together the latest industry technology and our own experience to provide you with the ideal development at each stage of your plants growth. The advanced Omega lighting lamp features two ceramic tubes which is designed specifically to optimise light output and aid with maximising plant yield. Additionally the dynamics of the tube allows for the reduction of the heat a lamp produces without impacting on the lifetime of the lamp. In addition to the above, Omega lamps provide the following: • Air purification chamber filters which improve the PAR output. • Omega lighting 600W Dual and HPS lamps will achieve 90,000 – 95,000 lumens. • All Omega Lighting bulbs carry CE Mark and a minimum of one year’s guarantee. For more information on Omega Lighting, visit Eden Horticulture at the Home Grown Expo Stand B39. 10 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
READY FOR
3x BIGGER
YIELDS? IT’S ALL IN THE ROOTS! Gro-Tanks provide roots with virtually unrestricted access to oxygen and nutrient solution. The result is a thick, healthy root mat with greater nutrient take-up and 3x bigger yields. That’s why growers have trusted Gro-Tanks for their most important crops since 1976. See how Gro-Tanks improve the size of your crop, visit www.nutriculture.co.uk/NFT
1976 Manufacturers and growers since
PRODUCT FLASH
CT U D O PR ASH FL
Find us at stand B39
WIDOW CONTACTORS
Widow Contactors offer a full range of professional heavy duty contactor units designed and manufactured to assist you in controlling your HID lighting. Widow Contactors were specifically designed for you, seeking powerful control, reassurance and reliability within your grow room. Widow contactors are available in 2, 4, 6 and 8 way versions and only use quality components in their manufacturing. Widow Contactors also have the following benefits: • Minimal heat Sync • Rubberised mould plugs • Professional agricultural grade timers • Handy hanging brackets • Switchable sockets • 2, 4, 6 and 8 way available For more information on Widow Contactors, visit Eden Horticulture at the Home Grown Expo Stand B39. 12 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
o m s! ro nd a ow r gr r b ur rio yo nfe st i ru to tt n n’ atio Do ntil ve
PRODUCT FLASH
Find us at stand F23
LIQUID SAND
Liquid Sand is a potassium silicate supplement for use with any feeding program, but for best results use as an additive with the Genesis Formula pure elemental fertiliser.
CT U D O PR ASH FL
Rhino quality filtration for the hobby grower Fully reversible neck – prolongs lifespan
30mm carbon bed makes it easy-to-handle
With a high silicon:potassium ratio and a lower pH than similar products on the market, this product is an excellent source of silicon for enhanced cell strength and plant growth. Liquid Sand is designed to: • Improve plant resistance to environmental stress such as heat and/or drought • Boost plant immune system • Provide resistance to salt build-up and mineral toxicities • Keep leaves erect for maximum light exposure resulting in increased photosynthesis and plant growth Prolong bloom and delay unwanted senescence (death). 14 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Australian-mined RC412 carbon: the purest activated carbon on the market
9-12
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Rhino Hobby: an ultra-effective, easy-to-handle way of removing grow room odour and pollutants To find out more on the Rhino range visit:
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HYDROPONICS
Within a few months Australia based Growhard picked up the Enhancer and started selling it across the island. With it being so hot over there, consumers loved the fact that the Enhancer doesn’t put off any additional heat said Travis.
TNB Naturals
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TNB Naturals Inc. was founded in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. The company started like many others, from the ground up and without much credibility. After a few years of hard work, some uncertain times and a couple lucky breaks, the young company has experienced some notable success and have their eyes set on a bright future in the industry. The philosophy behind TNB Naturals Inc. is to develop safe, all natural products that are highly effective and environmentally friendly. Co-owners Travis Rypkema and Josh Brazier tell us more about how the company started and their premier product, the Enhancer. “TNB set out like countless other start up companies, with a big dream and no financial backing to make these dreams a reality” said Travis, Co-owner of TNB Naturals. At first, they sold their premier product, the Enhancer, an all natural CO2 canister, to local stores and friends in the area. This soon turned to stores in BC and eventually stores across Canada. It wasn’t long until they broke into the American market, selling the product on their own in the 16 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
With things moving along well and the product now available on the other side of the world, the company switched their focus to the UK. We really wanted to get the product to growers in the UK. With so many personal gardens, we knew the Enhancer would take off and that’s exactly what has happened said Josh, Co-owner of TNB. Teaming up UK based Grotech has been a game changer for us said Travis. “They’ve played a huge roll in getting the product out there and continue to impress us”. Now the company has its sights set on a global presence. We proved time and time again that the Enhancer is the real deal. It’s unlike any other
CO2 product on the market and hits PPM levels comparable only to an expensive CO2 system. It’s user activated, so its always fresh and actually slows the release of CO2 at night. For those that don’t know, excess CO2 during the night cycle can be detrimental to final yield and should be avoided at all costs said Josh. The Enhancer requires no additional equipment and is activated by adding 1 litre of luke warm water and shaking. The company plans to release additional products in the near future but the overwhelming popularity of the product has them busier than ever and focused on keeping up with the demand. The Enhancer can be found at garden and hydroponic stores across the country and beyond. For more information on TNB Naturals and The Enhancer, please visit tnbnaturals.com
beginning but after about a year of pushing it, they landed their first big break, a deal with Vancouver, BC based Green Planet Wholesale. “Green Planet played a key role in expanding our products presence” said Josh, Co-owner of TNB. This propelled the company to the next level and increased interest in the new product. As the months went on, American distributors Great Lakes Garden Wholesale and Geopot (which has now evolved into Left Coast Garden Wholesale) also picked up the product which allowed for a much bigger presence in the United States. The Enhancer’s popularity quickly spread throughout North America, attracting the attention of Montreal, Canada based Hydrotek who also snapped the hot product. The Enhancer was gaining some serious attention and the as the demand for the product increased in North America, the young company set their sites on entering other foreign markets.
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NO. 6
No.6 Look up to the skies by No.6 “I’m not a number…but a freeman”
When I was a whole lot younger than I am now, I used to regularly watch the skies. Going back even further, I remember trying to guess shapes out of the clouds. Then I’d see a jet plane flying across the sky leaving its trail behind. But this trail disappeared almost instantly. These days, all over the UK (and the whole world) people are regularly reporting seeing and photographing thick persistent Chemtrails crisscrossing our skies…they hang around, developing into cloud cover which blocks out the sun. When I was young, this never happened, so when I noticed these ‘contrails’ (or condensation trails) and mentioned it to other people, my concerns were dismissed, as apparently, planes always left contrails, they just didn’t disappear as fast as they used to. Was I the only one that thought this was odd? Apparently not, as a quick look at the Internet shows just how worried other people are, and what they are theorising what these trails could be. And it’s not just crackpots and conspiracy theorists, but ordinary members of the public. We are also experiencing more regular occurrences of extreme weather that has affected not only the 18 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
UK, but the world over in the last few decades. So what is going on?
conditions. Contrails dissipate very quickly, even in ideal conditions. However, chemtrails are trails left when planes spray chemical additives into the exhausts of their engines, resulting in trails that either linger, sometimes for many hours, or that dissipate quickly, but leave a haze of tiny particles in the air. Anecdotal evidence from thousands of people, along with photographs of the skies before the 1990s, show that planes never used to leave trails except on very rare occasions. Even if you were lucky enough to see one, it would very quickly disappear as the ice crystals from the frozen moisture spread in the atmosphere. Persistent lines across the sky never used to happen. We are often told by government sources i.e. websites, that the increase in air traffic is to blame. However, the planet’s atmosphere or jet fuel have not changed significantly since the 1980s, so this isn’t a good enough answer. The chemtrails have been analysed many times, and below is a list of some of the known chemicals found in a chemtrails. A Chemtrail Cocktail is one that contains the basic ingredients such as barium chloride, aluminium oxide, synthetic polymers, bio-nano particles, >
The chemtrails that we see on a daily basis that hang around in the sky for many hours, that do not dissipate but increase in size to finally merge with other trails which in turn become vast cloud cover that lingers for days, increasing the chance of rain. The lack of sunlight is of real concern to many people and people are aware that this is caused by the chemtrails we see day after day. These are known as Chemtrails, Geoengineering or S.R.M (Solar Radiation Management) among other things. Our weather/environment/health is being tampered with on a daily basis, has been for decades and we deserve to know the truth. So what are chemtrails? This is one of the most popular names given to the persistent vapour trails left by aircraft. It is a visible trail of crystallised moisture (ice) left by aircraft under very specific
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NO. 6
and ethylene dibromide. An independent analysis of chemtrail fallout has conclusively identified many of these toxic chemicals: Aluminium Oxide Particles, Arsenic, Bacilli and Moulds, Barium Salts, Barium Titanates, Cadmium, Calcium, Chromium, Desiccated Human Red Blood Cells, Ethylene Dibromide, Enterobacter Cloacal, Enterobacteriaceae, Human white Blood Cells-A (restrictor enzyme used in research labs to snip and combine DNA), Lead, Mercury, Methyl Aluminium, Mould Spores, Mycoplasma, Nano-Aluminium-Coated Fibreglass, Nitrogen Trifluoride (Known as CHAFF), Nickel, Polymer Fibres, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Pseudomonas Florescens, Radioactive Cesium, Radio Active Thorium, Selenium, Serratia Marcscens, Sharp Titanium Shards, Silver, Streptomyces, Stronthium, Sub-Micron Particles(Containing Live Biological Matter), Unidentified Bacteria, Uranium, Yellow Fungal Mycotoxins. This list kindly provided by StopSprayingCalifornia.com. These substances can cause all sorts of health problems in people, both physical and mental. So who is actually doing this and why. There are many theories that span from the CIA, the UN, military experiments and central banks cartel. It’s probably a bit of everything; to be sure, it is a global operation that involves most governments and many major national and budget airlines, as well as the military. Most people in governments and the airlines, including the pilots, do not know (officially). Chemtrailing is happening in all NATO countries, plus South America, China and India and Russia. Even more incredible is the fact that not just military aircraft are used, but commercial airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and several budget airlines too. To read more about this go to: www.look-up.org.uk/the-perpetrators. So you would think by now that someone would have come forward and spilt the beans. But it’s probably 20 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
not quite that straightforward. In all likelihood, most commercial pilots are probably not aware of what is going on as the systems that deliver the chemicals are automatic. Current thinking would suggest that they are either pressure release valves systems that activate automatically at a certain altitude or that they are triggered by satellite. There is no CHEMTRAIL button in the cockpit. That is not to say that some pilots don’t know or suspect, they probably do and the industry is awash with rumours, but pilots won’t speak up. And the reasons behind these chemtrails are many and varied. We can only theorise. The most obvious theory is to control the weather and I’m sure they will cite global warming as the reason. Weather warfare is another theory and this is very compelling. It is common knowledge that governments have wanted to control the weather for decades. Why would you want to do this? Who wouldn’t want to control the weather after all? It makes an excellent cover story, bring a country down to their knees through an act of weather warfare. No one would know they had been attacked, and the disaster would be put down to an act of nature!!! Check out this YouTube video: www.youtube/c34U0Pwz4_c GeoEngineeringWatch.org. Other theories include military and chemical experiments and population control. Another 2 good documentaries to watch are: www.youtube/jf0khstYDLA. - what in the world are they spraying us with? And www.youtube/mEfJO0cTis - why in the world are they spraying ? For more than 20 years, people all over the world have noticed strange persistent trails in the sky left by airplanes. In the meantime, people are becoming more and more ill (Alzheimer, cancer, autism, MS, etc.). What follows is a fairly exhaustive and anecdotal list of symptoms associated with chemtrail spraying. Each symptom has been identified by various individuals who have clocked their occurrence with the onset of chemtrails being
laid down over their homes or businesses. This list has been organised in descending order, with the most commonly experienced symptoms at the top. Headache, Brain fog, Fatigue, Low energy, Compromised immunity, Disorientation, Difficulty paying attention and concentrating, Sinusitis, Skin discomfort/irritation, Joint pain, Muscle pain, Asthmatic (Breathing difficulties), Dizziness, Insomnia, Memory loss, Eye problems (blurred or fuzzy vision), Nausea, Liver problems, Gallballder dysfunction, Tinnitus (distant ringing in ears or high pitched sound after spraying), Neck pain, Scratchy throat, Allergy symptoms, Hay fever out of season,Flu-like symptoms, Susceptibility to colds, General weakness, Anxiety, Lightheaded or faint, Depression, Coughing, Sneezing, Shortness of breath, Vertigo, Anger/Rage/Frustration issues and Morgellons disease.
system problems, Tooth loss, Sleep problems, Short-term memory loss. There is no known cure for Morgellons. A team of medical researchers at the Mayo Clinic also recommend that patients with these symptoms should undergo psychiatric evaluation!! I hope this article has given you food for thought. Don’t forget to look to the skies!! B c n u.
This section on symptoms alone warrants another article just on its own, but I thought I’d pick on the last symptom Morgellons as this is the strangest of them. Morgellons is a controversial and poorly understood condition in which unusual threadlike fibres appear under the skin. The patient may feel like something is crawling, biting, or stinging all over. Some medical experts say Morgellons is a physical illness. Others suggest it is a type of psychosis called “delusional parasitosis,” in which a person thinks parasites have infected their skin. These are some of the symptoms of Morgellons: unpleasant skin sensations are the main complaint but they also complain of: Feeling like bugs are crawling all over the skin, Burning or stinging sensations under the skin, Intense itching, Skin sores that appear suddenly and heal slowly, Sores that leave very red (hyperpigmented) scars. Some patients report thread-like fibers stuck in the skin. People with Morgellons sometimes complain of other symptoms which may include: Difficulty paying attention and concentrating, Extreme fatigue, Hair loss, Joint and muscle pain, Nervous
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st H a n d V is om s i t M ay e G C3 us 31 ro 3 & on st w D –J n 45 un Ex a e po t 1s t
1976 Manufacturers and growers since
Meet the family New Wilma range available now
Is there something lacking in your grows? Do you want stronger healthier roots? Imagine bountiful yields, grow, after grow, after grow! A member the Nutriculture grow systems family can help you improve the size of your crop. To see more visit: www.nutriculture.co.uk
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PRODUCT FLASH
Find us at stand J13
present. This eliminates Pythium and actually increases dissolved oxygen in the tank, as oxygen is produced as a by-product of the reaction. O’D-AIR have actually gone a little further and introduced an in-line version of this room unit. This device fits into any exhaust ducting system and as always carries the guarantee of zero odours.
T C U D PRO ASH FL
NEW GEAR! The Next Generation
It quite simply works a treat. Their inline units mix ozone into the grow room exhaust and thus completely wipe out odours and germs, giving the grower complete peace of mind! For more information on O’D-AIR units, please visit: www.ODAIR.co.uk Distributed by Erith Horticulture Ltd. They will be free to answer any questions at The Homegrown Expo in May at stand J13.
In this issue we are taking a look at a new brand that has taken the UK market by storm in the last two years. When it comes to complete odour eradication and cleaning your grow room, nothing comes close to the performance of O’D-AIR. O’D-AIR have developed a unit that guarantees zero odours! Not only does it produce an impressive 400mg of ozone per hour, it is the only generator to actually mix ozone with room air! This means that the process of cleaning the air is instantaneous. It is so efficient, that it can clean up to 6000 cubic feet of room air . By ‘clean’ we of course mean to purify and sterilize, not just masking odours. Ozone fully destroys all odours as it is essentially a very unstable active oxygen molecule. Ozone can be absolutely in-valuable for indoor horticulture. Keeping a clean growing space is essential, especially in hydroponic setups. No 24 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
grower wants to have garden odours escaping into the surrounding environment. O’D-AIR has an inbuilt timer mechanism which means it runs itself; the grower simply needs to activate it and leave it to do its job. It doesn’t end there. Using the O’D-AIR ozone generator, the grower can also keep Pythium infections at bay. This process is known commercially as ‘ozone filtration’. In the hydroponics industry it can wipe out ‘root-rot’ in systems such as NFT, Wilma, DWC and IWS. O’D-AIR ozone generators have a second function which injects ozone, O3, into any hydroponic feed tank. As the ozone passes through, it oxidises any pathogens or bacteria
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SPORT & LEISURE
G N I H FIS Light Tackle and Wrasse at Your Feet
Tactics Two of the most successful tactics for wrasse are lure and float fishing. Lures for wrasse are too big a topic to cover here, so I’ll come back to it in another article. Float fishing can be as productive if not more productive as lures. It adds an extra bit of excitement watching the float dance and dip before hopefully disappearing into the water. Although you are fairly stationary when float fishing, try to travel light as you have to potentially tackle many obstacles to get to your mark. You may also need to move to a different mark if conditions change. As most rods these days are made from carbon fibre, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the ideal 9ft rod. You should not need a heavier line than 15lb. However, if it is pure fishing and excitement you are after, I would recommend 8-10lb monofilament. This way you know you’re in for the fight of your life when you get a decent fish on.
There is nothing quite like those first five seconds after striking into a fighting fish on a light rod and line. It is what gets you hooked on fishing and what each and every angler strives for each time they set out on a fishing trip. What makes it more exciting is the fact that you have only a sport rod and thin line to bring your fish in. The fight with the fish becomes all the more fierce, intense and exciting. Knowing you have to use your skill to avoid snapping your line instead of just winching the fish up is in my belief the art of fishing. Early June sees the return of summer species to our shores, one of the most exciting being the Ballan wrasse! So for those with rocky shoreline within easy access it is soon time to dust off the light rods and fixed spool reels. The Ground With fishing for wrasse finding the right fishing ground is a fairly easy task. The three categories 26 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
By far and away the best bait to have beneath your float is a live ragworm. This is heroin for wrasse, they love it and it increases your chances of
landing one, ten-fold. You can try hermit crab as well; it has been known to produce great results. When you have found your spot and you are set up and ready to go, start off by fishing about 7 metres out from the edge. Move your float back in closer to you with every cast and you will find the fish. Even if the wrasse are hiding in their holes, they seldom resist a juicy ragworm. It is not yet known if they attack bait out of aggression or hunger. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that wrasse will strike a nearby bait just because it is too close to their hiding hole. Other times they are simply in a feeding frenzy. As with all types of sea angling, your mark is everything. Once you find it, you need to figure out the best time to fish it. That depends on two things, tide and day. Wrasse are a visual hunter so fishing in the day time, even the sun out you may be surprised at how good the fishing can be. A good tide run will also help. Once you have all these angles covered, you’re in for a good day’s fishing! Have a great summer.
it must meet are rugged, hostile and exposed. Generally speaking, most of these rock marks along the South-West coast of the UK are perfect for exploration. Deep water on the rock’s edge provides plenty of hunting ground for the wrasse and is a great indicator for good fishing! You really don’t have to cast very far when fishing for wrasse, they tend to stay very close to the rock ‘wall’ and also lurk in hiding holes provided by the rocks. It is well worth exploring the area at low tide. Wet rock conditions can be treacherous, so make sure you have the right footwear, it is an absolute must to have perfect grip. Once you get to your chosen mark the fishing can be quite comfortable with deep water just meters away!
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GRIND GURU
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ask the grind guru
Welcome back to our third edition of questions and answers with our resident Grow Guru. This is your chance to get involved with just some of the most frequently asked grow queries! Send us your questions and we will be sure to answer them. Dear Grind Mag, I would like to try some of the new foliar feeds available on the market today, but I don’t know which one to choose. Do they really work? I have tried several before with little to no effect on my plants’ performance. Cheers, Dave Barrington, Radcliffe Hi Dave, I’m glad you are diversifying from just feeding via the roots, foliar feeding is one of the best ways to boost your plants as leaves can take up nutrients and additives so quickly. Firstly, let’s look at why your plants did not react to your foliar application. You have to ask yourself two things, were your plants in the best of health and when did you apply the feed? To put it very simply, if the 28 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
plants are struggling as it is, they will not be taking up many nutrients, foliar or otherwise. So it is a bit of a waste of time if the plants are not thriving and in need of that something extra. The question of when the application was made is a very important one. Again, simplifying, the ‘pores’ on the leaf epidermal surface are mostly ‘shut’ during daylight hours of the plants’ life. Foliar feeding becomes much more effective during night time, when these pores are open. One of the best foliar additives on the market today is the Plant Magic Foliar spray solution. Also, try using one of the microbial boosts as a foliar application. Although this method is not widely recognised, it
gives tremendous results and visibly increases yield, quickly. Hope this helps. GG
at the same stage. Please help me for next time! Gary - Barcelona, Spain.
Hi Grow Guru, I am looking to plant a garden outdoors this year as I hear taste can be improved with natural sunlight and I also want to save on my electricity bills in the summer. Do you have any tips for me? Thanks, Jono, Preston
Hi Gary, Scientifically speaking, if you have a true test situation, meaning everything is exactly the same as last time and each element is controlled, then it can be one of only a few things. My educated guess would be that if you are growing in coco, then you may be slightly under-watering your plants. During a slight drought, there is an increase of Calcium ions in the cytosol of the root, which in turn stops any further uptake of Potassium ions into the plant cells. Potassium is one of the most important elements for the plants during full bloom. With coco media it is important to keep it regularly fed, but not over fed, with a regular flush of pH regulated water. GG
Jono, Planting outdoors can be a satisfying experience and in many ways can be rewarding if we have a warm summer. Also, it may also be very hot indoors this time of year. So there are many upsides. If you are planting in your own garden then spend a bit of time following the sun’s path during the day. Find out which side or corner of your garden gets the most sun. It is also a good idea to check the soil before you plant. A lot of professional gardeners go as far as checking the pH of the soil by making a suspension solution in water. If it is outside of the desired range, you can add things like lime to balance out the pH. With regard to nutrition, don’t waste your time using nutrient solutions that we would normally use indoors. These will simply be washed away by rainwater. Instead opt for solids, such as manure, bat guano or worm castings. These remain in the soil and are released slowly, they are much more effective. If you plan on planting outdoors every summer, it may also help to have two patches of the garden and to cycle them each summer. For example if you plant legumes, such as peas or beans, they enrich the soil. This is because they have nitrogen fixing bacteria and enzymes in the root system. So you can plant on that patch the next summer and expect great results! GG Hi Guys, I am in the last few weeks of flower on a coco medium. I am hand feeding my plants every couple of days and everything looks healthy. However, I was expecting much better ‘gains’ when I added a PK product. Normally the plant goes into overdrive, but this time not much has happened
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Dear Guru, I have been growing the Habanero pepper for two years and now I am looking to have a good rest and stock up on my peppers. I only have space for a couple of plants so I am looking to break my own record and get as much as possible per plant. Please help! Robert Phelps, Blackley Dear Riaz, there are a number of things you can do to maximise your fresh produce. Most importantly, get more lights over your plants if you are growing indoors. The more light energy is available to your plants, the energy will go into fruit production. That is the key. You have to do this of course without increasing temperature in your room to unbearable levels. If this happens you have a good chance of damaging your plants permanently. Factors to consider apart from temperature are humidity, soil moisture and pH. If you do not have an EC truncheon, then make sure that you follow a slow and steady nutrient program, to give your fruit bearing plants exactly what they need at the right times. Send us photos when you have applied these things and let us know how you get on. GG
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PRODUCT FLASH
CT U D O PR ASH FL
The Enhancer by TNB Naturals
Perfect for your personal garden. Quickly becoming one of the most talked about products to hit the hydro scene, this highly effective, user activated CO2 canister, delivers a high rate of CO2 comparable to a costly CO2 system The Enhancer’s unique features include its ability to slow the release of CO2 during the night cycle, improving overall plant health and final yield. Store owners love its three year shelf life and growers are amazed how the Enhancer generates one of the highest PPM’s in the all natural category of CO2 products.
The Enhancer’s ease of use (simply add 1 litre of luke warm water and shake) and the fact that it emits no heat and requires no additional equipment makes it a top choice for knowledgeable growers. For more information on the Enhancer, visit your local garden store.
N A T U R A L S 30 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
PRODUCT FLASH
PRODU Spotl CT HOMEbox® Evolution – ight
The World’s Most Advanced Grow Tent
Berlin, Germany: The new “Evolution” range of professional grow tents from HOMEbox® is finally here! Growers expecting big innovations and botanical benefits from the Berlin-based designers of the original, portable grow tent will not be disappointed. Here’s a quick snapshot: PAR Optimised Reflectivity, Less Heat 91.8% vs. 69.4%, it’s a huge difference! We’re talking about the percentage of your growing area that receives optimal growth light levels (80 PAR watts/M2+) in a HOMEbox® Evolution compared with a competitor’s silver-lined tent using exactly the same lamp, ballast and reflector. How is this possible? It’s called PAR+ — a superreflective ‘smart material’ exclusive to HOMEbox®. Growers know—reflectivity is a crucial factor in tent design and, as it’s name suggests, PAR+ reflects more plant-usable light (400 – 700 nm) and less heat (infrared) at your plants. PARoptimised growing environments have been demonstrated to deliver more growth, bigger blooms and markedly improved essential oil production—higher crop quality—thanks to reducing the heat build-up that plagues so many lesser grow tents.
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Enhanced Environmental Control OmniFlow passive air vents are actually anything but passive! Growers can adjust the 200mm (8”) vents so incoming air can be directed where it’s needed most—usually upwards towards the area between the lights and the plant canopy. OmniFlow air vents are exclusive to HOMEbox® Evolution.
No-Trip Access The front of HOMEbox® Evolution grow tents roll up to completely reveal their interior. No more tripping over raised lips or breaking your back moving heavy equipment in and out through small ‘portal’ style entrances. Sturdier Zips HOMEbox® Evolution incorporate unique TotalBlackout Zippers in order to provide lightproofing without the fuss of fixing additional Velcro flaps. Metal zippers open doors without the need for zip threading. Stronger Poles and Connectors Larger models now boast 22mm metal poles with push-lock technology giving growers all the strength they need while retaining the portability that was pioneered by HOMEbox®. More Sizes Several new tent models have been introduced as part of the HOMEbox® Evolution range including the Q200, Q240 and Q300 – three awesomely productive square-based grow tents offering 4m2, 5.76m2 and 9m2 of growing space respectively. There’s also the R120, designed to be the perfect fit for a single 600-watt grow light housed in a rectangular (e.g. Adjust-a-Wing) reflector. Test Specifications: PAR Watts measured at 49 points at 60cm distance
Better Bug Protection HOMEbox® Evolution grow tents boast incredibly fine 700-micron bug screens helping growers to ventilate their cultivation environment while protecting their plants from unwanted insect sightseers! Additional Air Ports Remove up to fifty percent of heat by tackling it at source! Air-cooled reflectors can easily be accommodated within a HOMEbox® Evolution thanks to the addition of 200mm (8”) parallel side air-ports.
from light source using AvaSpec-3648 Fiber optic Spectrometer. Light source: Adjust-A-Wing Avenger & Super Spreader with Osram Plantastar 400W lamp and Lumatek 600W electronic ballast on Superlumens mode. Test conducted in HOMEbox® 1.2m2 PAR+ grow tent and competitor 1.2m2 “silver” lined grow tent.
UK Wholesale Enquiries: HID (Hydro Industry Direct) +44 1788 833171 Netherlands Wholesale Enquiries: BTT + 31 70-3614412
Use this QR code or search “PAR+” on YouTube. to watch the video of the PAR grow tent lab test.
More information: www.homebox.net
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MUSIC
ic s u m view r e t n i
RUI PITé
In this issue of The Grind, Mikal spoke with producer and member of Portuguese electronic dance super group Buraka Som Sistema, Rui Pité aka Riot. The band (Branko, Conductor, Riot, Kalaf and Blaya) are famous for pioneering a new music genre by fusing techno with African Kuduro, Kizomba and Zouk rhythms to create their self-titled Zouk Bass. Revered by other producers, feared by DJ’s who play after them and loved by their audiences internationally for their explosive and frenzied shows. Here he talks in detail about the band’s beginnings, their plans for 2014 and his own solo projects. How long have you been producing music for? As a producer I’ve been working since 2001, experimenting since 1999. How did you get started? Branko and I played in bands together all of our lives, we played in Rock and Punk bands from high school. We always had trouble finding bass players. They’d keep missing rehearsals or forgetting the songs. So we tried to make music ourselves, just two guys recording drums and guitar and adding synthesized bass. This was around the time that The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers exploded with their big beat sound. Drum and Bass in the beginning of 1998 and 1999 was the big thing in Portugal, it changed the scene and the electronic sound. Metal guys went for 34 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Bad Company sounds and of course The Prodigy seemed to hit Portugal like a wave from the UK. It was a big influence for us. After we fired our bass players we experimented with break beats and that was the beginning. What music influenced your productions? Was there any music that stands out as influencing your work now? Buraka is an electronic band with two drummers, MC’s, computers and keyboards. As a band The Prodigy was a big influence in the beginning because it was so fresh. There are lots of different influences as a band growing up in Lisbon we have a lot of Angolans and Mozambiquans. There’s a lot of Africa in Portugal; so we grew up listening to Soundgarden and Kizomba from Angola, Zouk and Metallica, it was crazy. When Buraka started we felt the need to show people that this is a really valid rhythm that nobody knows about. It’s called Kuduro from in the ghettos of Angola, really raw like techno but African techno and we mixed it with our own influences; like Dubstep, Drum and Bass, everything that came out of the UK really. We don’t like to be influenced by one act, we try to drink influences in from entire scenes, you can always transfer that into a Buraka sound.
What type of music do you like to make personally outside of Buraka Som Sistema? Drum and Bass, it’s the most versatile style of dance music that can steal influences from the entire dance music scene. As a former rock band member it was something that changed my perception of dance music, so it is always close to my heart. When did you become a part of Buraka Som Sistema? Branko and I have been together forever as I said before, and then we met Kalaf, (one of the MC’s) and started working on ideas in different fields. We even had a little project called the ‘one week project’ where we made an album in a week. It was really different, really arty and spoken word. While working on it we kept saying, we need to go to the fair and buy some Kuduro music and do that stuff we are always talking about mixing with different styles of music. Then in 2006 we had a little slot in the biggest club in Lisbon called the Luxe. We had two bands from our label Enchufada with a 45 min set in between to fill so we decided to play Kuduro. It was crazy back then because it was really ghetto music and Luxe was the opposite of that. Everyone knew about Kuduro in Lisbon but people didn’t listen to it. So to play it was a major shock for everyone. It worked so well that people were calling other people and it went off and Buraka started this crazy journey of people getting naked and fainting in clubs and releasing themselves and it’s been going on since then! Are you from Lisbon? I was born here, my father is from Mozambique and my mother is from the North of Portugal. I live outside Lisbon in a town called Amadora, in London you would call this the Greater London area. One of the boroughs is called Buraca and it’s the sound system from Buraca. I’m a product of Portugal and Mozambique, one of the MC’s is from Cuba and Angola, Kalaf is from Angola, Karla aka Blaya is from Brazil and Branko from Portugal. So
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it’s a mad mixture of culture and we all met in Lisbon but that’s Lisbon for you, it’s Brazil, Portugal and Africa, it’s a crazy mix. How has the scene changed in Portugal? Now in 2014 it’s amazing because you have loads of kids doing Kuduro in their own special individual way, which is great. It is difficult for people, they don’t want to imitate you so for a couple of years it was only us. There was no scene it wasn’t like London it was just us. It is really driving here now and we have strong names in Portugal and it’s getting out there. Are there more producers out there making similar music to Buraka Som Sistema now? Influenced by the same root but it’s not the same music but it’s great we can actually play more music from Portugal in our set and people love it and are going crazy and you know it’s from our country. > WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 35
MUSIC
What are the plans for Buraka this year? The plan is to release the next album due in June/ July. Then from May to the end of the summer play out as much as possible over the festivals, overseas and then maybe Australia. We have dates in Portugal, Ireland in June then France, Amsterdam, Norway, Australia, and then back to Portugal and Belgium for Pukkelpop and Outlook in Croatia. Have you got a tour in Australia? We have a tour every year but this tour is going to be a big one. We have not been in Australia since 2008. So we are pretty excited to go on the road with the new album it’s kind of Buraka flavoured but it’s really fresh. What is your role in the band? Do you have a job you do more than any other? In the studio we do everything, the beats and the bass. We don’t limit ourselves like you are the bass guy and I am the drum guy. I’m more inclined to do the drums; I’m a bit geeky and will spend a lot of time tweaking a snare or sound. I think it comes from Drum and Bass, everything has to be right.
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Branko is more of the creative one with the synths and the melodies. Buraka live I play the electronic drums and we have this amazing drummer called Fred who plays the regular drums. I play the electronic drums because there are a lot of percussive sounds in Kuduro influenced music, which you can’t do with regular percussion. So I bought Roland V drums and loaded different sounds of cans and broken glass and play that live. Even the regular drum kit on it sounds different from the live kit and I enjoy working with that in the studio. Do you have any solo projects coming up outside of Buraka? I’m working on an EP to be released on Enchufada in September. I worked with Strategy on it. It’s surprising because it’s not maybe what you would expect from him, which is really cool. I’m looking forward to its release because I have put up a couple of clips on soundcloud and people are really digging it. I‘m also working on a Drum and Bass project for Metalheadz with you ha ha.
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Dutchpro is one of the pioneers (‘old school of Amsterdam’) and still the sole company & supplier from nutrients founded and based in Amsterdam. More than 30 years ago we started to develop our first nutrients. We designed a complete line of nutrients that met all demands and could fulfil all wishes of the modern grower. Our award winning products are available nationwide in most European countries, USA & Canada. We are convinced that you will appreciate getting a better end result with a much lower investment and the use of fewer bottles. The production, marketing and sales are operated directly out of Amsterdam. We dispatch our products straight from our warehouses in The Netherlands (Amsterdam), Spain, UK, USA & Canada.
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Maxigrow Ltd is a wholesale supplier of specialist horticultural products to trade customers. Maxigrow has been manufacturing the Maxibright brand of horticultural products since 1996. Through hard work, commitment and passion we have earned a reputation for quality and being specialists in our field. All Maxibright products are rigorously tested during manufacture for quality, performance and to ensure they meet CE, British Standards and are RoHs compliant. Our customer’s receive quality products at the right price, the latest product information and outstanding, informative customer service. Our business is constantly evolving through the development of new and existing products to satisfy our customers and deliver products that add value to our product range. Our dedication to supply and manufacture superior products backed by exceptional customer service ensures we are competitive in the market, with quality products that are second to none.
Gavita Holland builds on more than 30 years of horticultural expertise and innovation. Our double ended fixtures have created a revolution in the industry where Gavita sets the standard for efficiency, reliability and product innovation. Being the first true professional horticultural lighting manufacturer in the consumer market you can rely on Gavita Holland for professional products, optimal results and reliable support and service. Copied, but never surpassed in efficiency and quality, Gavita Holland is the market leader in professional grow lighting.
HESI: high quality for a fair price! Since 18 years, HESI Plantenvoeding has been a blossoming international company, originating from a hobby/passion for plants and flowers. Production takes place in the HESI factory located in Landgraaf (NL). A range of liquid fertilizers and boosters have been specially designed by HESI for each phase of the plant and for each medium (Soil, Hydro & Coco) and also a special fertilizer for Orchids: HESI OrchiVit. The newest magical recipe is HESI Boost; a bloom activator which already is very popular on the market. HESI products only contain ingredients and additives of the highest quality and no fillers/residue. The HESI product range is also very easy to use. Plants would choose HESI! Please visit the HESI websites www.hesi.nl and www.orchidsfertilizer.com for more information.
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FLOOR PLAN 31 May - 1 June 2014 Growtech Distribution
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Bimex
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42 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
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Come and find us…
Growth Technology is the UK’s premier nutrient, propagation and hydroponic product manufacturer. The cutting edge innovation that has delivered Clonex and Ionic is still the corner stone of our business as we continue to deliver new products. Making growing easy and successful are our main objectives. Utilising our years as growers and innovators we strive to create a comprehensive range so that everyone can grow stunning plants with bumper crops. We offer our retail customers next day delivery on a wide range of products from carefully selected and evaluated partner companies. Buy Growth Technology, buy the best – often copied…never bettered. Check out our website full of hints and growing tips and follow us on Facebook for regular information posts, competitions and updates www.growthtechnology.com
patent pending Plant Magic Plus is committed to bring the very best quality nutrients with performance being key! Plant Magic Plus are on the cutting edge of both technology and agronomy bringing a great combination to enhance yields but most importantly ‘Healthy Plant Growth’. All of the Plant Magic nutrient range has been developed and made specifically for the UK market. This ensures that your fruiting crops receive the correct amount of major and macro nutrients as well as ample of required trace elements that may otherwise be non-existent in other conventional nutrients. The key benefit is that having a nutrient specifically for the UK water supply requires minimal ph adjustment.
Lumatek are proud to be the World leaders in Electronic Ballast Technology having introduced the Electronic Ballast to the UK nearly 10 years ago and in this time we have continued to innovate the indoor lighting market. We now offer the full range of Lumatek lighting products; our bestselling Lumatek dimmable ballasts, Lumatek 240v Dual Spectrum lamps, Lumatek Professional 400v Ballasts, Lumatek Professional 400v Lamps and Lumatek reflectors for 240v and 400v. We are also very excited about the new products we will bring to the market this year. Come check us out www.lumatek.co.uk
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nutrient solution 10% cooler than standard black pipe!
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benefits reduced root stress reduced risk of disease more stable ph more stable e.c.
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HYDROPONICS
cs
ni o p o dr
hy
Breeding Your Plants
Since mankind took up agriculture and became horticulturally aware, we have been breeding plants, sometimes purposefully, other times not. On the other side of the coin, great Mother Nature has been breeding plants since the beginning of time, and we are the exponential outcome of this experimentation that she naturally performs. The first original farmers realised that taking seeds from only the best and healthiest or heaviest yielding plants, and not from their opposites, gave better results; this process carried forth over time and many, many generations differentiated plants into separate varieties. These new varieties then took on differing characteristics which then had different uses and could thrive under differing environmental conditions. This is basically how breeding started untold years ago. In recent more modern times, true scientific breeding began with Gregor Mendels’ experiments on plants’ inherited characteristics. Gregor Mendels’ experiments crossed peas with different characteristics and discovered that the offspring inherited definitive traits from their parentage in a logical, statistical and predictable way. 46 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
DNA Modern science now tells us that each cell contains a set of chemical blueprints referring to every type of aspect of its existence. These blueprints or chemical codes are called chromosomes and consist of long double strands of sugar, based on one of four amino acids. Sets of three of these amino acids form genes which are read by structures in their cell, which in turn directs it in its life processes. These chromosomes are typically found in pairs in most cells. In most flowers and seed producing plants, half of each pair of chromosomes is contributed by the male through pollen and the other half via the female through the flowers. Flowering plants in general have 10 pairs, which are 20 chromosomes. These chromosome genes are queued in a
specific order. Corresponding to this, the other members of the pair has a gene mirrored in the same location. In some cases, a single gene can be responsible for a particular characteristic, and in other cases, several genes are the perpetrators of particular characteristics, typically in a complete series of reactions.
bred true has most of the corresponding genes on each pair of chromosomes of the 10 pairs, so they have the same information in balance. But plants with parentage from differing varieties which are crossed represent hybrids, and much of the corresponding gene sets of chromosomes have conflicting information.
Characteristics Approximately 2% of the time, genes migrate from one member of the pair of chromosomes to the other. This is an important fact, as it gives individual chromosomes the mechanism for changing the information relating to the characteristics for how they are coded, and should be noted if you are going to undertake breeding. There are many factors when considering plants for breeding, and this would be a greatly simplified task if only one trait or characteristic was involved. However, this is not the case, and characters like yield, potency, maturation time, colour, taste, height, aroma, resistance to disease or pests and vigour, as well as others, go into the mix.
As an example, a first generation cross which is also known as a F1 hybrid can contain genes from a parent which may have characteristics of being tall and slim, and this same F1 hybrid may also contain genes from another parent programmed for stocky and short growth. In this case, the offspring should have an equal balance of both characteristics given by either parent. So, if this plant was bred from these two opposites from true breed plants, than you will get offspring with uniformity reflecting an equal mix of both parents, meaning all the offspring will be neither tall and slim nor short and stocky but an equal combination of both. Consequently, you would end up with all very similar plants that are medium in height and stature. Now shit hits the fan when two F1 hybrids are crossed and it does not matter if they are the same F1 hybrids or completely >
The most important characteristic when breeding is called partial dominance. Now, a plant that is
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HYDROPONICS
different F1 hybrids. The end result is completely different looking offspring as the seeds that are produced when breeding in this way have a complete imbalance of partial dominance, and the end result is some plants are tall and slim, others are short and stocky, others are neither but a mixture of both, while some are tall and stocky and some are short and skinny. You basically get a complete mishmash of all the parentage thrown in together for good measure. This can represent a nightmare in an indoor grow room, as some plants bolt and others do nothing at all, making it very hard to raise and lower lights as well as maintaining correct nutrient and pH levels. Flavour, aroma, potency and yield also fall into this category of partial dominance. So, when more than one gene is involved, there are exponential numbers of possible combinations which affect the outcome of your breeding efforts. To this
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effect, characteristics are coded on genes which are either recessive or dominant and thousands of plants must therefore be grown over many generations to find a specimen which meets the criteria set by the breeder. Most growers do not have the space or patience for such an undertaking, however, it must be said that when breeding F1s together, some of the offspring show exceptional qualities of the parents that went into it but this is very much a lucky dip. If you are intending to breed your own plants, then the first step is to grow both male and female plants together. If you only intend to breed one or two of your plants, then you need to grow the male in isolated conditions. Pollination Once the male has matured, you can harvest the
pollen from the pollen sacks and store this in an airtight container. Then, with a small children’s paintbrush either straight from the male plant or from the stored container, dip the brush to gather pollen on it, and without any violent movements, simply paint it on the receptive female flowers. You can even fertilise parts or even individual flowers this way, leaving some of the plants to produce seed and other parts to produce unfertilised resin filled flowers. It is important to remember that millions of these pollen particles are airborne when harvesting them from the male. They can contaminate the entire grow room, and for that matter can also contaminate yourself in fertile pollen. If you do not change your clothes and wash your hands, or make sure that one room cannot possibly contaminate another, then you could accidentally
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pollinate your entire crop of virgin females. So, be careful and be warned, even sneezing if you are holding a brush which is heavily laden with pollen could seed the entire environment. Procreate With all the above said, true breeding in the confines of an indoor grow room is actually impossible to manage unless you have thousands of plants and many years to dedicate to it. However, breeding mutants can be great fun and sometimes very rewarding but also more importantly, it creates new life with new possibilities and new characteristics, albeit unstable. These offspring will be unstable but over time, one day in the future, all mutants will find balance and hey presto, true breed plants emerge once again to carry on the never-ending cycle of evolution.
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MUSIC
ic s u m view r e t n i
WEEDHAWKS
You hear people say all the time, “It ain’t easy being a musician”, “You’re gonna need something to fall back on.” When you start out in bands, you hear sh*t from your friends like, “Oh, you’ll never make it”, “What, do you think you’re gonna be a rock star?” The best advice I got was from a high school music teacher, Mr Macaluso, he said to me, “Bobby, you have the talent to be a professional, and if you decide to be a musician, I got one thing to tell you, DON’T F*CKING LISTEN TO ANYBODY.” That was the best advice anyone ever gave me, relative to being a musician. Twenty two years later, in 2001, after twenty years of playing in bands, I was living over a bar in Morgantown, West Virginia, playing shows as a solo artist and making and selling my own CDs.
Wednesday gig in the Sunnyside section of Morgantown, at a place called, ‘Doctor John’s’. Other venues soon followed. Players came and went for the next year or so before everyone involved had either quit or moved on with their lives, with the exception of Ruby Jean. At which time, not wanting to be Bobby Lane and the WEEDHAWK, it simply became, WEEDHAWKS.
Outside my apartment, people would take a break from the bar and smoke. Around this time, just after 9/11, I had started jamming with some friends and decided to add them as my band for an upcoming show I had booked at the bar downstairs.
This was 2002, during one of the most paranoid, politically conservative times in American history. Bars were actually frightened to book us because of our bands’ name. Many were scared to even be seen at our shows for fear of losing their jobs. This is NO EXAGGERATION.
While rehearsing in my kitchen I heard a few people outside my apartment door laughing and carrying on, I asked my friend, Donna, who was at the kitchen table, “Who is that out there?” “Oh, just a bunch of WEEDHAWKS!” Wow, that’s it. Weedhawks. On that day, I decided to call my group, ‘Bobby Lane & the Weedhawks’. The players were Lee Clendenin, Duff McIntosh, Doug Rabel, and a fiddler that I had just met named Ruby Jean. Our first show was a mild success and onward we went to a regular
People over and over were telling us that we should change the name, bar owners, fans, friends, family, were all saying, “Change the name”, “Why are you making it so hard on yourselves?” Never did Ruby Jean and I even consider it. Alcohol has caused me nothing but trouble my whole life. Personally, I find its abuse to be one of the most destructive forces within our culture. So, with Mr Macaluso’s words ringing in my ears, I DIDN’T F*CKING LISTEN TO ANYBODY.
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DON’T F*CKING LISTEN TO ANYBODY.
“WEEDHAWKS 4 LIFE”, as my good friend, Viking Jim, says. Booking a guy and girl act into a bar can be very difficult. Weekends are traditionally ‘band nights’ in most good sized venues. Drums, electric guitar, etc. When I’d tell them we were a duo, the common quote would be, “Y’all can play open mic on Tuesday.” Or, “We only book REAL bands around here.” That kind of talk can be more than frustrating when you know that you’re really good at what you do, and all you want is an opportunity. Add the scary, scary name of the band, and you’ve got a potentially
THE GRINDTM
impossible situation. When we finally did get a chance to play, it was more than a gig, it was a WAR. War against everybody who says, “YOU CAN’T”. Now, the process of musicians getting paid can work a number of different ways: 1. Guarantee: club promises an amount ahead of time, and (hopefully) pays at the end of the night. 2. Work for the door: door person collects stated cover charge, gives it to bar manager, bar manager pays band moneys collected from the door at end of night (very easy to get ripped off in this situation). 3. Tips and beer OR...NOTHING (better known as, ‘for exposure’). Ruby and I had a #1 deal with a bar in Preston County. The guarantee was huge for us, $400! > WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 51
MUSIC
and down) they would scream. Fun in Morgantown. A pretty good life for Ruby Jean and myself. This lasted for years, during a period between 20032010, the WEEDHAWKS were arguably Morgantown’s best known band. The name was recognized and respected by young and old. To quote a musician friend from Cumberland, Maryland, who I spoke with on the phone yesterday, “Man, everybody knew about the WEEDHAWKS”. The long shows were taking their toll though. The pounding on the cement floors, moving heavy equipment up stairs, the constant battle to get paid... You may have a deal or guarantee, but if that person doesn’t want to pay you, things can get ugly. Eyeball to eyeball with a club owner in his own parking lot, after playing five hours straight can be a b*tch of a way to end a day.
A chance to make almost a months rent in one night. Well, let’s just say, “the turn out, just didn’t turn out.” Near the end of the first set there were five people and one dog watching us. I knew that the minute we left the stage, the bar owner would tell us to shut it down early and he’d try to get away with paying us a fraction of the guarantee. I whispered to Ruby Jean during a song, “Don’t stop, if we take a break they’ll shut us down”. So on we went 1 hour, 2 hours, (owner getting uneasy talking into wife’s ear, waving arms). 3 hours, bar owner leaves in disgust, dog goes to sleep. 4 hours, 4 hours straight we played. No break, not even a pause between songs, bam-bam-bam-bam. After ending with a Johnny Cash medley (which the dog woke up for) we said goodnight to our audience of four, and I walked over to the bar in an attempt to get paid. The woman tending bar handed us an envelope with four hundred dollars inside, saying, ”Y’all sure earned it.” From then on we became 52 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
known as the band that doesn’t take breaks. Three, four, even five hours straight we were known to play. One night we even played SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS STRAIGHT. This put us in league with ‘real bands’ in the eyes of the clubs, and people seemed to respect our work ethic and would offer to help us any way they could. We were also doing this by playing mostly original music. This was unheard of around here at that time. Life was finally pretty good. Ruby Jean and I earned enough to rent half of a duplex on University Avenue, we were eating good food, joined a gym. Selling homemade CD’s as fast as we could make them, and building a reputation. We played for Bikers, Judges, Students, Doctors, Lawyers, Criminals... We played at the Senior Centres in the area, and for kids (Wee’hawks) in the head start program, and at the Black Bear restaurant downtown. At times four generations of the same family would be enjoying the WEEDHAWKS. WEEDHAWKS! (Kids jumping up
Constant pain, numbness, nerve damage in my hands, fingers, arms and feet were making playing shows very painful. I needed to rest and not pick up a guitar for one to three days in between gigs. I had played every day since 1978, and now I couldn’t touch it. The fear that I may be all done was driving me fucking crazy. We had to trim our schedule down to two or three shows a week. We were making a lot less money, and rents in Morgantown were skyrocketing. WEEDHAWKS were in trouble. Our landlord of seven years informed me that he was selling the house that we were living in, and the new landlord raised our rent so high we had to leave. With the pain in my hands getting too great to play often enough, we were broke, sleeping in the van at Walmart during the night, sneaking into continental breakfasts for food, showering at the Coliseum, sneaking into the Creative arts centre to stay warm and use our computers. The once mighty WEEDHAWKS were homeless in their hometown. We kept moving and tried to pick up gigs for tips along the way. Sleeping at our storage unit, rest stops, parking lots, wherever we were was
THE GRINDTM
our home. With the donated help of Morgantown’s Carol Kisner, a hand therapist and local surgeon David O’Malley I was able to get enough treatment to continue playing the guitar. For the kind help of these two generous, thoughtful people, I will always be grateful. Still homeless, but on with the show! In December 2009, we woke up in a Walmart parking lot just outside of Rockville, Maryland. The Elvis magnet thermometer over my head read 6 degrees. Ice on the ceiling and walls of the van. “AHHHHHH!!! This ain’t f*cking living.” After using the store’s bathrooms we drove, non-stop, thirteen hours to Palm Coast, Florida. We stopped at a diner and were served breakfast by a waitress who told us that she was the niece of the late mob boss, Sam Giancana. She told us incredible stories of New York City in the 60’s, and how hard it was to find a date back then that wasn’t scared sh*tless to take her out. It was the day before New Years Eve and we were broke, but warm. I asked Ruby Jean to look on the iPhone and try to find a bar were we could play for tips or food. She looked and found a place in West Palm Beach called Papa Bear’s, I said “Oh, a biker bar.” Ruby asked how I knew it was a biker bar, I said, ”trust me.” Sure enough we were a big hit with the bikers at Papa Bears, where we met Robin the party clown, who invited us to stay with her and play a party (go figure) at her house the next night on New Years Eve. It was warm; we blew up our airbed in the screened-in porch and slept like the dead. The next night we entertained the guests, who instead of watching the ball drop from Times Square, stood together, confused, and coked out, as we all rang in the New Year to a VHS tape playing a Nascar race on the huge TV. The next day, January 1, 2010, at the urging of Robin, the party clown, WEEDHAWKS drove five more hours south to KEY WEST. -Bobby Lane/Morgantown,WV. March 6, 2014 WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 53
PRODUCT FLASH
T C U D PRO ASH FL
Terpinator The one and only product of its kind, Terpinator was created from years of researching naturally occurring plant compounds. Terpinator is formulated to increase the concentration of terpinoids in aromatic plant oils and glands; the unique composition of Terpinator provides the basic building blocks that plants require to produce flavourful oils. By using naturally occurring plant and biological compounds, unique enzymatic pathways within a plant’s body are utilized to enhance the production of terpinoids and plant oils. These glands are brought to their maximum output potential and size using Terpinator along with any nutrient schedule. Terpinator also catalyzes steps in a plants normal metabolism process that will protect and prolong the fragrance of your plant’s dried fruits and flowers for much longer. You can use Terpinator during the entire life cycle of the plant and it is compatible with any brand of fertilizer product. Vegetative phase – 1-2ml per litre Flowering phase – 3-6ml per litre 54 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
NEVER BUY ANOTHER FILTER If you are like many, tired of wasting money replacing filter after filter, time and time again, a long term better solution for odour control is available, one that wont need replacing, one that controls more odour, more germs, one that can work in 100% humidity and condensation.
How it works: Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive molecule and is very quick to chemically react with particles that it comes into contact with in the air and on surfaces. The extra oxygen atom in the ozone attaches itself to other molecules, chemically changing their structure to create non-offensive molecules ‒ eliminating the smell. This latest device produces more ozone, destroying more smell, eliminating more bacteria and mould than ever before possible. Unlike any other known device or filter the AromOzone is able to operate at 100% humidity and includes a condensation control system, it won’t slow a fan down nor need replacing or refilling after several months of use like a filter, saving money long term. An AromOzone doesn’t mask, an AromOzone destroys molecules, bacteria and spores that cause unpleasant smells, safely, inline, keeping ozone away from you and those you care about.
“If you need a device that long term destroys odour and smell, operates in hot humid climates, won’t slow fans down, comes with a condensation control system, UK designed and manufactured then finally the answer is here.” - Julian - Garden of Eden Barnsley
AromOzone.co.uk ONE TIME PURCHASE, NEVER BUY A FILTER AGAIN
Produced in the UK by BM TEK LTD - Distributer Erith Horticulture 0208 83116111
FASHION
N O I H FAS
Other
Other is an Independent street wear and lifestyle brand. Mixing trends and innovative designs with the highest quality apparel. Part Three – A/W Collection. This is their biggest collection to date with the focus more about the cut and shape of each garment whilst keeping high quality and detail a priority. The brand stayed true to their aesthetic of a monochromatic colour pallet with the exception of gold. The collection includes lots of black on black, elongated silhouettes and the addition of white on white and as always there is a heavy focus on Luxury Sports apparel and the use of leather.
We are the Rule Breakers & Thought Provokers, Outcasts & Innovators, We are The Original & the Unorthodox, We are The Box on the form for the answer that wasn’t anticipated, We are those that Refuse to stand in line & that don’t fit the mould, We Defy Stereotypes & Push Boundaries, We are the Unexpected, We are the Others
For more information and to buy Other products visit www.otheruk.com.
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Be Original Be Other THE GRINDTM
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Carbon Dioxide It is not widely known that the dry matter in a plant is 90% carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The majority content, which is carbon, is taken into the plant through carbon dioxide available from the air.
s
nic o p o r
hyd
CO2
LIGHT
Science has shown that high energy plants have the ability to consume PPM levels of 1200-1500 and in some cases even as high as 1750 parts per million; the average air we breath contains 300 parts per million. So, as you can see, high energy plants in the right conditions can consume much more than nature is currently providing. The consumption levels of CO2 that the plants’ needs is directly correlated to lumens that they are subjected to i.e. the greater the intensity of light, the greater levels of CO2 that the plants can 60 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
LIGHT
OXYGEN CO2
CO2 CO2
H20
CO2
CHLOROPLAST
CO2 CO2
CO2
CO2
CO2
or H+CO2 = Hydrocardon Carbohydrate
LIGHT CO2 H H O
H H O H H O
WATER MOLECULE
H H O
H H O H H H H O O
CO2
CO2 CO2
CO2
CO2 H H O
H H O
An average high energy plant in an average lit grow room with no in or output fans will consume the available CO2 within that grow room in a few hours. So any growth after all the CO2 has been utilised will slow completely down to a snail’s pace. This uptake of CO2 is only necessary during the lighting cycle; plants do not require CO2 during the night cycle when the lights are off. Plants, like humans, do breathe out CO2, however, during their daylight cycle, the plants utilise the CO2, manufacturing sugars to feed the plants and so during the day cycle appear to only breathe out oxygen.
The average air that we inhale contains 0.0030.004% of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is an odourless, non-flammable, colourless gas. It is believed that the prehistoric plants that developed aeons ago had environmental conditions with very high levels of carbon dioxide in it. In today’s plants, due to their evolution, these more modern incarnations have maintained their capacity to harness more CO2 than the current environment now has.
consume, the greater the plants become. Again it is not widely known that a plant saturated in light will only grow to be as big as the CO2 levels in that particular environment. In other words, you might have all the light a plant could ever want, however, if the plant is only receiving a little CO2 then most of the light available to the plant is simply going to waste and is not available for consumption via the plant, as it cannot utilise the CO2 to photosynthesise the light.
H H O H H O
CO2 CO2
Science has shown that the more light a high energy plant is subjected to, the more CO2 the plant requires for photosynthesis. During this photosynthesis, it takes approximately 10 photons to generate enough electrons to create sufficient energy to split one carbon dioxide molecule into carbon and oxygen atoms to form sugar. Typically, trillions of these photons are hitting a plant’s leaves, which means if the grower is not providing enough CO2, then most photons will simply bounce off the leaves without being consumed. CO2-Enrichment Carbon dioxide enrichment has been in wide use in commercial greenhouses for more than 25 years. Delivering more CO2 to a grow room with high energy plants in it, will stimulate growth. High energy plants in good lighting conditions
THE GRINDTM
consume 1200 to 1500 parts per million. However, science has shown that if you overdo it with CO2 then it’s like overdoing anything in hydroponics and can have a detrimental effect. If you get all the environmental conditions right and are injecting CO2 at the right levels you can get to a situation where you are doubling the plant’s growth. So, as you can imagine, this is why CO2 is so widely used in an indoor grow room. High energy plants in full sunlight, which equates to approximately 5000 lumens per square foot, can process 1500-2000 parts per million of CO2. However, indoor gardens with the light levels of approximately 3000 lumens per square foot need approximately 1000-1500 parts per million of CO2, compared to normal air which is typically 300 parts per million, so you can see that CO2 – enrichment is worthy of investment and use. Carbon dioxide enriched high energy plants, due to their enhanced growth patterns, require higher maintenance than non CO2-enriched plants. CO2enriched plants use more water, nutrients, and for that matter, more space. They can consume the aforementioned up to twice as fast as non CO2-enriched plants. The temperature can also be slightly increased in a CO2-enriched grow room. >
CO2 1,500 p.p.m at 300C RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
HYDROPONICS
CO2 in air 300 p.p.m at 300C
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
LIGHT INTENSITY IN FOOT CANDLES
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People, for some reason, get somewhat confused about CO2, believing that the roots need to uptake it. This is simply not the case. It is true that the roots benefit from the leaves uptaking CO2, however, injecting CO2 to the root system will have nothing but detrimental effects. Roots require oxygen; CO2 will suffocate them. CO2 Release Systems There are two main methods of generating CO2. Burning propane gas or injecting compressed bottled CO2 via an emitter system. They both have their pros and their cons. Propane Gas Burner Let’s start off with the propane gas burner. These are designed primarily for generating carbon dioxide formed as a by-product of burning the propane gas. These little beauties can generate a lot or a little usable CO2 for your plants. They are very similar in design to a gas burner with a pilot light which is connected to a solenoid, and via a timer the solenoid is switched on and the propane gas burner ignites fully thereby burning propane to generate a lot of CO2. These burners have been specifically tweaked to produce a maximum amount of CO2 from the burning gases and although they have been modified, they obviously produce another byproduct, which in rare cases is a blessing and in most cases a curse, and that is heat. Another blessing or curse with this type of CO2-enrichment system is that another by-product caused by burning propane is water. Water created by burning propane will automatically raise the levels of humidity in the grow room. In short, you will have raised the temperature, and raised the humidity in your grow room through using a propane gas burner. This can, as stated earlier, be a benefit to some growers and a hindrance to others, depending on the environment of the grow room. However, this 62 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
method allows you to generate a massive amount of CO2. The reasons that these devices are so popular with indoor gardeners is that they are relatively inexpensive to buy but more importantly very inexpensive to run. The reason for this is that propane gas has been widely used in a domestic and commercial capacity for years for many applications apart from horticulture. So the availability of the propane gas bottle is huge and the cost minimal. In some grow rooms, these little beauties really do help crank it out. However, in other grow rooms, due to temperatures rising and humidity increasing, they are not suitable. One more drawback that is easy to overcome is that due to the fact they have a pilot light, they can generate too much light during the night cycle of your plant’s life. This can confuse the plant and stop it from inducing fruit or flowers during a 12 hour cycle. Most growers, when using a propane gas burner, get around this by building a partial box around the burner to obscure any light output the pilot light might generate. One other drawback of excessive use is the by-product of nitrous oxide that can get to toxic levels if you overdo it with these machines. However, this can be avoided through proper use. These burners typically come with a table of room dimensions to burning times required to generate 1200-1400 parts per million. In order to get the correct CO2 levels, you would simply apply this calculation. CO2 Bottled Gas Release System The other option for generating controlled carbon dioxide injection is an emitter system, which works from compressed bottles of pure CO2. These systems are almost risk free and produce no toxic gases, no heat and no water. But you guessed it; they are neither cheap to buy nor cheap to run. These units also allow very precise, metered delivery of exact amounts of CO2 directly where you want it. They are available as two types – a manual continuous flow option or an automatic short
bursts option. Bottles of CO2 gas can be obtained from all good hydroponics stores, or direct from an industrial manufacturer of these bottles and gas. You normally have to pay a deposit and rental on the bottle, then after this payment you simply pay the refill costs. Typically, the bottle you have purchased is swapped in for a full bottle every time you need it to be refilled.
the actual room size. It is also advised to split the amount of CO2 released, into smaller increments i.e. instead of one big burst, divide this into four so you have four short bursts per hour and this will maintain a more steady level of CO2 in your grow room. If the pressure changes on your bottle, you have to recalculate and change the times to compensate for the loss of pressure.
The manual flow system works by way of a solenoid valve controlled with a short range timer that regulates the flow of CO2 into the grow room. The solenoid valve is operated electronically via the timer and is used to start and stop the flow of gas from the regulator. This short range timer opens the solenoid valve for brief periods of times in the light cycle. Normal timers are not suited for this application and their on and off times are generally too long, injecting far more CO2 than the plants require. The manual methods mean you have to work out the flow rate and the injection duration of CO2 to obtain optimum conditions. You have to work this out with a complicated formula. Divide the number of cubic feet required by the flow rate. The cubic feet measurement is obtained by measuring the length, width and breadth of the grow room and times them together. For example, if the flow rate is set at 10 cubic feet per hour then the valve will need to open for 0.1 hours which is 1 divided by 10, or in English – 6 minutes, as this equates to 0.1 hour x 60 minutes. This will bring the room up to 1500 PPM.
The other option of an automated CO2 release system works by having an already calculated injection rate by means of a controller that is linked to a regulator via a solenoid valve. With this system, you simply work out the square volume of the area you want to inject, dial this measurement into the controller and this gadget does the rest, preset at a level of 12000 parts per million. The very latest one even comes with a built-in light cell so that the CO2 regulator even switches itself off during the night cycle. These systems, although obviously more costly, simply take the grief out of CO2 injection. They do all the calculations for you and once set, will inject CO2 almost every other minute in very short and measured bursts directly to your high energy plants.
As CO2 is heavier than air it is likely to leak out from the grow room. On average, the CO2 levels will deplete to 300 parts per million in approximately 3 hours due to leakage and plant’s usage. When calculating the room size, do not calculate the entire room size because, as stated before, CO2 is heavy therefore falls to the ground then fills the room up like a swimming pool. Therefore, you only need to measure the room size at the finishing height of the plants which is typically half
THE GRINDTM
The way the CO2 is delivered to the plants is typically done via a small perforated delivery tube. You would suspend the tube, making sure it is looped in a ring from your CO2 regulator, to ensure even delivery through the whole pipe system above your plants. This tubing carries CO2 from the supply tank to the centre of your grow room above your plants. It has to be above your plants because, as mentioned previously, CO2 is heavier and cooler than air, so it actually acts more like water than a gas. As soon as it is released, it falls on top of the plants. This method of releasing compressed CO2 gas is virtually risk free and very precise, however, is expensive to buy and expensive to run, so larger growers tend to steer clear of it. However, when you compare the increase in yield, CO2 is quickly becoming a must for a supercharged garden.
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FASHION
N O I H FAS
thfkdlf
Despite the brand only being established at the beginning of 2013, 2014 has seen thfkdlf go into full garment production in their hometown of Oswestry, Shropshire. With a team of 5 workers the S/S 14 release will be the first where all items have been made in England. Being able to cut materials to custom shapes and sizes and having 100% control of all stages of the production S/S 14 promises to be the most eagerly anticipated and exciting collection to date. Having full control of garments has allowed thfkdlf to branch out into leg wear for the first time producing a range of leggings, sweat pants and shorts. The April release will see a range of collections all hit the store at once with designs and influences ranging from a new basics range to American sports with a series of basketball styled vests and ice hockey styled jerseys. Having shot the first part of the S/S 14 look book out in LA whilst attending Agenda Long Beach and the second part in Torreveija, Spain, 2014 should see thfkdlf become widely known across the world as one of the most hard working brands and also becoming available in select stores in every continent. Visit www.thfkdlf.com 64 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
THE GRINDTM
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PRODUCT FLASH
Find us at stand C33 and D45
T C U D PRO ASH FL
The Neutralizer
Have you wondered whether The Neutralizer actually works, and how it works? James grills our friends at Nutriculture to find out more… What exactly is The Neutralizer? Does it mask odours or remove them? Hi James. The Neutralizer, as the name suggests is a neutralizing agent. Our product is made up of 2 main components, the Electronic Molecule Evaporator (EME), and The Neutralizer Essential Oil Cartridge. Our secret blend of essential oils is what really does the main job of neutralizing unwanted smells, but can only do it with 100% efficiency with use of our EME which is our delivery mechanism. Our technology is really advanced, but operates in simple terms. I know this may sound confusing, but what we do is use the very best nature has to offer, replicate plant evaporation through advanced technology and effectively neutralize odours. There are plenty of masking agents available in the market, we wanted to be different and offer a turnkey solution for removing unwanted smells. How did The Neutralizer start? The idea behind The Neutralizer started a very long time ago actually. It was coming up with formula that took what seemed like an eternity. A very close friend of ours, Jorge Fantoba, is the owner of one of the most prominent fresh fish restaurants in Alicante, Spain. He kept on asking us 66 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
if we would be able to help him get rid of the potent aroma from within the dining area of his restaurant as it put many of his customers off. I am sure you have often felt the same way. Jorge was tired of using plug in air fresheners and sprays. There was never a 100% efficient neutralizing agent. We researched the market a lot, and came to the same conclusions that Jorge had. There was nothing on the market that could help. We then visited an old supplier of ours from the days when I used to live in Spain. Antonio Llorca and Francisco (Paco) Gomis used to supply my father’s business with essential oils that could be evaporated into large areas when used in conjunction with a heat transmission device (EME). We mentioned the problem our friend Jorge was having, and asked Antonio and Paco if we could come up with something to permanently neutralize unwanted odours. After some initial research, it was decided that to effectively remove malodours, we would have to specify the smell that needed to be eliminated. A target focused neutralizer became our objective. After years of research and development, we came up with a myriad of target focused Neutralizers. Today we are able to successfully remove the smell of Tobacco, sewage waste as well as body waste,
and grow room odours. Fish remains a mystery but we are working on it!! How does it work? We love this question James. It’s very simple and requires only a few steps. 1. Find a plug 2. Plug it in 3. Turn it on 4. Et voila – it works!! I guess however what you are trying to find out is a little more of the technical aspect. The truth is we have taken a very old naturally occurring methodology and replicated it with the help of science. The best way to understand this is to firstly accept that essential oils are the only way to combat odours. It has been this way for centuries. We evaporate essential oils into the air, which in turn now have a job to do. Once airborne, our Neutralizer molecules seek out odour generating molecules, encapsulate them, and change the DNA structure of the offending molecule. We leave behind a clean air particle in our process. Our greatest achievement is the fact that we only neutralize airborne offending molecules, with our airborne molecules. Graphically, this would look like an army of Neutralizer molecules in the air, fighting off offending molecules. How long does it take to set up the product? One of the biggest advantages of our product is the fact that it takes about 50 seconds to setup. Simply open the cartridge cap like you would a bottle of water. Insert the wick all the way to the bottom making sure it is flush with the bottom surface of the container. Then insert the assembled cartridge into the EME. Find a plug, turn it on, and let it do the rest. How does it Neutralize specifically? At this stage, for our readers to really understand the nature of our product, the best way to describe how it specifically neutralizes is by way of analogies. We
THE GRINDTM
feel this method of explanations sits better with our target audience as they will be able to relate better to a real world situation. If you were to grow roses at home, in a controlled environment, after a few weeks these plants would flower and start emitting their own aroma which is recognised all over the world. It is very distinguished and women love it. Yes, the room would smell of roses. Once you have your flowering rose bush in your grow room, if you were then to put growing Jasmine in the same room, within a few hours at most, the aroma of Jasmine would then naturally emit from the plant. The million dollar question here is, what does the room smell of now? To save you all the trouble of a lengthy test, the answer is the room smells only of Jasmine. It so happens to be that the naturally occurring scent of Jasmine has properties that naturally NEUTRALIZE the scent of roses. Get up close and personal with the rose however, and this plant has not lost its properties. Aromas from both of the previously mentioned plants occur due to their own essential oils being evaporated. Now to put this into the context of our product, we are the “Jasmine” for our readers. Our in-house designed and patented evaporator emulates plant evaporation, and therefore we replicate nature. What material is being used? We get asked this a lot. I will break this down into the components of our products so we can cover all the materials we use. The Electronic Molecule Evaporator or EME is fully manufactured in Spain, using extremely high quality plastics. We then use a special coating over the plastic to give the product its white colour. The reason behind the use of high quality plastics and our special coating is to prevent fading of the colour over time, but more importantly to stop the plastics from melting. You have to remember that our product was designed to be plugged in and left on for the duration of 6 weeks. We operate at high temperatures with the use of our world class built-in thermostat; however you > WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 67
PRODUCT FLASH
would never be able to burn yourself by touching our unit. The high temperatures are within the body of the plastics, keeping the exterior warm to the touch. The Wick is made of cotton, which we purchase from Germany. It is German consistency which is what we are after for our wick, as the wick ensures constant and more importantly consistent evaporation. The Neutralizer formula is purely essential oils. There is nothing in there except oils which have been derived from other plants, fruits, flowers and herbs, making it a completely natural product. Essential Oils: Synthetic or Organic? Well I am glad you asked James. There has been a lot of confusion about this in the past and hopefully we can educate everyone on this now. The answer is none of the above and is complex. Let me explain. Essential oils are the fragrant soul of a plant. They are the characteristic scent or odour of a plant. Many chemical constituents make up this volatile oil. Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita), for example is made up of menthol, menthyl acetate, menthone, cineole, pulegone, limonene, phellandrene, pinene, beta-bisabolene & betacaryophyllene. It is these chemicals, in a combination determined by NATURE, which produce the scent of Peppermint. The hard to pronounce names are chemical designations of natural ingredients. There are various types of essential oils that are in use today: Natural, Standardized, Synthetic and Organic. Organic essential oils are derived from plants which have not been subject to any form of pesticides, or even air pollutants that can be found in cities. This means that Organic essential oils come from the “wild” to make the understanding of this concept easier. 68 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Synthetic Oils or “reconstructions / reconstitutions” as they are known in our oil industry, combine specific chemical constituents in an attempt to reconstruct a natural oil. These oils would lack the natural synergy found in natural oils. Synthetic oils also use synthetically reproduced chemicals, which are usually petroleum derived, to recreate some of the properties found in nature. Using even 1 synthetic chemical in an otherwise natural oil renders the oil synthetic as a whole. Standardized Oils are those which have been altered from their naturally balanced state. They can be altered by natural constituents too, which make the oil standardized rather than purely natural. This practice is like cross breeding of oils in order to better understand it. A mixture of natural oils in order to create another natural oil, but not naturally occurring. Natural oils are what we prefer to use in order to make our Neutralizer Oil. We use the whole, naturally balanced, pure, natural oil. These contain trace constituents which may have not yet been identified or detected but make up the whole of the oil. These traces would not be present in a reconstructed or synthetically produced oil. We think it’s best to trust that nature will provide the correct balance. We are, after all, dealing with the soul of a plant, and who among us can reconstruct such a thing? So, we use natural oils, and organic oils too mix them up and have come up with our very own standardized oil if you have to put a classification to it. Is it harmful to Humans? No James. Our oils are completely hypoallergenic, meaning it is not harmful to humans or any other living organism whilst it’s being evaporated. We do strongly recommend however that you don’t drink it, or wash your eyes with it. In that case, you may find it is harmful.
What area will it cover? Our answer to that question always used to be 375 cubic metres, until we came up with our newer and smaller model. So, the large unit with reference TNK120 will cover up to 375 cubic metres and the new The Neutralizer Compact Kit (TNCK220) will cover up to 20 cubic metres. That being said, a lot depends on the density of offending molecules within the confines of space it is being used in. We operate in a similar fashion to air conditioning units. Please excuse the analogy again, but it is best understood this way. If you bought an AC for a room intended to be used by 8 people, and then put 30 people in the same room, you would feel hot with the AC on full blast. The AC never stopped working; it’s just that the heat density is too much to be combated by that single unit. So, in the context of our product, if you had too many smell making offenders in a room of 375 cubic metres, you may need to use 2 unit.
Are there any “optimal settings” to increase effectiveness? Positioning of our product is key to efficiency. Even this is simple and requires only common sense. Position it the furthest away from where air is leaving the room, and not in direct contact with air coming into the room. This will allow our molecules to work on their way out of the room. Done! – Oh keep it low, floor level or 1 foot above floor level is ideal. Remember we are heating oil, and hot air rises. You can always see our diagram on the website. New products in the pipeline? Yes, always!! We are currently working on 2 new products. However, until they are fully developed I am not at liberty to disclose the information. I can only say, watch this space or keep visiting our website. Both are going to be jaw droppers!!!
Will humidity restrict operation? No, humidity will not restrict the operation of our product. Luckily for us, our product was designed to be used indoors, and in cases of extreme humidity the user tends to fight humidity as it’s simply uncomfortable. Even if humidity was not controlled, our product would work fine. Will temperature restrict operation? Ambient temperature will not restrict operation James. This is because we control the temperature at which our oils evaporate with use of our EME. However, if you were to forcefully have extremely cool or extremely hot air blowing directly on our EME, then the answer would be yes. If our device is cooled or heated, the evaporation of our oils will be affected and we would lose efficiency. The best place to position your unit is to avoid direct contact from external air as that cannot be controlled.
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music news Nas brought his former rival Jay Z on stage at this year’s Coachella to perform on the hip-hop classic ‘Dead Presidents’. Not to be outdone, Beyoncé joined her sister Solange for a rendition of ‘Losing You’. The fans, after being teased by the couple with cameos on each others tours, may be pleased to hear the latest Jayonce/Bey-Z rumour; the couple plan to unite together on a twenty-date stadium super tour starting late June. Just two months after De La Soul gave away their entire discography for free, the group have created an Easter gift in the shape of a musical egg hunt. They’ve hidden 100 vinyl copies of their instrumental mixes from ‘Smell the D.A.I.S.Y.’ in record stores
72 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
Reconciliations, collaborations, cameos, love and free downloads are the theme for this Spring 2014.
around the USA, UK and Canada as a tribute to producer J Dilla. The Wu Tang are set to release just one copy of their next album ‘The Wu — Once Upon a Time In Shaolin’ housed in a silver and nickel box created by artist Yahya and designed to be a collectors item for one lucky buyer. The group has already been offered a bid for five million dollars from one fan. There are many anniversaries this year; it’s been twenty years since the release of Blur’s eradefining album ‘Parklife’ and the 20th anniversary of Soundgarden’s ‘Superunknown’ album. To celebrate, Soundgarden are streaming the original demo for the classic track, ‘Black Hole Sun’. The
album will be re-released in two deluxe formats in June. Fans of The Who may be overjoyed to hear that Pete Townshend has been looking back at the bands 20,000 hours of unreleased material to see if they can compile a new album. Example’s new solo album is due for release later this year along with the Klaxons who will release their hotly anticipated and quite hyped third album ‘Love Frequency’ on June 2. The album took three years to make, with the band collaborating with producers James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Tom Rowlands (Chemical Brothers), Erol Alkan and Gorgon City. Prince has re-signed a deal to Warner Brothers
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after spectacularly falling out seventeen years ago. Parting ways with the label because he felt like a slave criticising the major label music system. The deal will see him regain control of his back catalogue and re-release a re-mastered edition of ‘Purple Rain’ to mark thirty years since its first release. Prince released a statement to confirm a new album amongst other projects. Finally spreading the message of love and unity. Happy Mondays dancer Bez wants to create his own “Bez Broadcasting Corporation spreading peace and love!” Preaching his message of evolution not revolution. He also plans to stand as an independent candidate in the 2015 general election for the Labour seat Salford & Eccles.
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COMMENT
THE
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The 27 Club
Every age and culture finds its romantic ‘martyrs’, trailblazing figures whose passing is seen as sudden and tragic. The 27 Club is an oddly specific group of these; rock musicians who met an often violent, sometimes self-inflicted death in their 27th year. The term is thought to have originated in the hedonistic decade between 1968 and ‘78 when around twenty prominent young musicians died in unusual and dramatic circumstances but it was not until international rockstar Kurt Cobain’s heroin-shotgun suicide in 1994 that the Club became the potent 20th Century concept we recognize now.
seems to be at this point that the idea caught the public imagination or, at least, gave us some kind of definition for our unhealthy obsession with the romance of Death and the death of Promise.
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Rolling Stone founder Brian Jones (drowned in swimming pool in suspicious circumstances)
Cobain’s suicide sealed his own mythology as the hopeless artist – a doomed soul bridging the gap between despairing urban nihilism and something not unlike the consumptive Romantic poets of the late 18th Century. Addiction, a lyrical flair for melancholy and wan good looks, helped create the backdrop, but it was part of his distraught mother’s statement quoted in a local newspaper that completed Cobain’s inauguration: “I told him not to join that stupid club.” Whether or not she was referring to the 27 Club is unknown but it
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The Doors’ vocalist Jim Morrison (supposedly heroin-induced heart failure in the bath)
27
As well as Cobain the following musicians are regarded as the central figures in the Club:
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Electric guitar hero Jimi Hendrix (choked on vomit after drink/drug binge)
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Rock singer Janis Joplin (heroin overdose) and, most recently,
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British soul singer Amy Winehouse (alcohol poisoning)
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com
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Conspiracy theorists also draw attention to autopsy reports for Morrison, Hendrix, Joplin and Cobain that state white lighters were found on or around their person. This apparently has lead to a stigma regarding this colour of lighter amongst marijuana smokers. These may be the group’s core six ‘official’ members but many more are included in ‘unofficial’ lists i.e. those included before 1969 or whose musical careers were not deemed successful enough. Amongst the many here are included: •
Blues legend Robert Johnson (allegedly poisoned by a jealous love rival)
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Graffiti artist, musician and one-time Warhol protégé Jean-Michel Basquiat (drug overdose)
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Rapper Freaky Tah (murder by gunshot)
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Manic Street Preachers’ lyricist Richey Edwards (missing, presumed dead by drowning)
Further lists still exist to include those who are considered worthy of the strange status attributed to the Club but fall outside the age remit. Rock Music’s most tragic figures are often honourarily included such as Joy Division’s 23-year old Ian Curtis (suicide by hanging) or Jeff Buckley (30) who, on returning from recording drafts for his second album, wadedout into the Mississippi River and was dragged below by the current. Perhaps it is the poignancy of the age that makes the idea of this phenomena so romantic ¬– nearperfect creative beings taken out of the reach of youth but before the cynicism and sag of middle age. Or perhaps it is the outright curiosity of their ends, many bizarre or unexplained and feeding conspiracies decades on. Whatever the reason the 27 Club’s place in our cultural psyche appears stronger with every addition, a self-perpetuating mythos we have a longing to believe in. WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 75
HYDROPONICS
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ensuring that the humidity does not exceed 55%. It is also important to keep this room in darkness, as the light can damage some of the delicateness of the plant’s taste, flavour and potency. When employing this method, the whole drying process will take quite some time as the whole plant has to dry out, however, as with wine, the longer the drying process, the better the end product will be.
Harvesting
This subject is not widely covered by growers or authors and like the storing of wine or whisky, many techniques are praised and practised. The most simple and also the most effective method is a quick manicure of the excess leaf matter, then hang what’s left upside down in a dry, dark room. It is widely believed that once harvested, there is no other process or esoteric method, which will increase the flavour, potency or aroma of the plants. This is again a simple myth that is easily dispelled. Although some risk is involved in the very esoteric methods being currently employed and true, you could in fact do more harm than good, I believe that the risk being undertaken, compared with the possible heavenly end result, is a worthy gamble. A gamble, however, only for those that know what they are up to. So, if you are going to experiment, use only a proportion of your crop for this undertaking. Crazy Ideas Do not get me wrong here, many crazy American ideas are not worth even contemplating as they 76 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
represent no benefit to your plants! Absurd ideas like boiling the root of a plant, or exposing the plant to UV light during the curing process, or spraying your plants with a strong sugar spray while they dry. These ideas are quite frankly stupid, and in most cases, extremely detrimental to the curing process. Some popular methods are also used, like using microwave ovens, herb drying boxes in ovens and even freeze-drying. It is not recommended that you employ any of these mad, but inventive techniques. The simple methods typically are the best as with the whole process of growing your plants to full maturity – less is best and represents more. Again, if something is not broken then why try to fix it. To start with, you can either cut the entire plant at the base and give the whole plant a quick trim removing only the excessive fan leaf foliage, then hang upside down in a room kept at a temperature of not less that 65ºF and not more than 75ºF, making sure that it has a regular air exchange once or twice a day, and
It is very important not to rush the drying process, as a quick dry normally represents a very harsh and tasteless end product. This way your plant, depending on the size and yield, could be ready in 7 to 21 days from the original hanging. Another quick way of drying is to strip down individual branches and stems, cutting them completely off from the plant. Then, give them a quick trim to remove excessive amounts of foliage and after doing this, the branches and stems are hung upside down in a dark room and kept in conditions as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Typically again, depending on the size of the harvest, this technique will ensure that your harvest will be ready in around 4 to 7 days. Although this is a much quicker way of drying your plants, you will lose a little flavour and sweetness. This is currently the most widely used and most popular method of drying plants. Now some growers completely strip the plants down, harvesting the fruit or flowers, then individually manicure the flowers and place what’s left onto drying racks made out of screens which are similar to what you would dry your wool jumpers on. If the flowers are big enough, hang them upside down using clothes pegs. Using this method, the end product will be ready in double quick time, however, as the time it takes to dry the fruits or flowers is not long, the end result is a harvest that is definitely lacking in flavour, odour, potency and sweetness. Some growers that do it this way even employ a dehumidifier which any herbalist will tell you will quite literally suck out most of the delicate goodness from your much loved harvest.
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So do not for any reason employ a dehumidifier to dry your crops as what you will be left with will not be so pukka. The very same applies if you use air conditioning in your drying room; again do not do it but be patient and the reward will be well worth it. If you use the aforementioned racks and small flower method, then your harvest will be ready in about 2 days, however, much of the goodness that you worked so hard to produce will be forever ruined. Patience The best drying process is the longest, and dried flowers should retain some moisture and have a pliable and supple nature to them. They should not be brittle, or crumble to the touch. To be sure, take a sample of your harvest during the drying process and experiment with it to see if it is ready or not. A properly dried flower will retain up to 10% moisture which is necessary to maintain the flowers fresh pliable nature but also to ensure good aroma, potency and taste. Dry flowers weigh approximately 15-20% of that of the original harvested wet weight. Flowers that are dried in a hurry i.e. 2-4 days or less, are being dried in conditions that are too hot or too dry or both, and will produce a third rate end product. A flower that is dried too quickly will be brittle and crumble to the touch when handled and if the drying room is too hot or the humidity too low, the outside of the flower becomes crisp while the inside remains moist. Not a good combination to have as the outer shell of the flower will not allow for the inner moisture to dry out and the end result could get messy over time, with the possibility of bud rot. Manicure Before the drying procedure, one has to manicure the plants. This process increases the flavour, aroma and potency of the end product. It is very easy to do and the ideal way is to remove unwanted excessive foliage so as not to dilute the potency of the flowers that have matured. On freshly chopped plants that are hung upside down so as to expose the leaf stalks, remove by cutting away the larger fan leaves at > WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 77
HYDROPONICS
the base of their stalks, then progressively cut back smaller leaves. It is advised to only give these a light trim as during drying, these will curl back into the flower and retain the shape and density of the buds. So do not overdo the trimming as much flavour, taste, aroma and potency are on these smaller leaves. Do not remove any leaves that are part of the flower for the same reasons as above. These smaller leaves that are actually a part of the flower will be sucked back into the bud during the drying process and will maintain the shape and structure of the flower. Some growers, after completing the drying process, give the flowers a final trim to ensure that the end product looks its best. This also maximizes its flavour, taste, aroma and potency. Most growers use scissors or spring loaded scissors to perform the manicuring of the flowers. These are very effective and very popular but over time can become tiresome. The Dutch have invented motorised scissors that are very easily operated and you can even perform the most delicate manicuring using these electric power scissors or shears. The Dutch have also invented a machine called a clipper which works like a lathe or lawnmower with a blade that rotates at a very high speed where you simply turn the flower near the cutting edge to remove excess foliage. Although these machines for commercial applications are a great time saver, they are very hard to use and you can lose a lot of good flower to them as they really do strip the plant in no time at all. Flowering Most flowering plants go through a few stages of the flowering process. Flowers appear at first, and then over time, new flowers develop close to and around the original first wave of flowers. At each leaf node, flowers also form along the main stem and branches. The buds then start to fill out so flowers upon flowers create clusters that are thick with pistils looking for pollen to fertilise them. These pistils are 78 | WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
white and translucent and over time begin to change colour, wither and turn from white to red or brown. Now it is very important to be patient as just as a cluster of flowers looks like they have finished and three quarters have changed colour, it is very common for a new wave of flowers to appear and more growth is undertaken by the plant. These new clusters typically concentrate in many of the bare spots that the plant may have. Then, successive waves of flowers can appear and this process can last for weeks after the original finished flowers are formed. As the flowers and clusters of flowers begin to close, then the calyxes start to swell. The calyxes are false seed pods as the flowers have not been fertilised, therefore, no seed can form, however, these calyxes become completely covered with resin glands. When mature, these glands sparkle in bright light like millions of diamonds. If you were to examine these individual glands under a microscope, they would appear clear, then over time as the glands turn amber, this is the time the buds should be harvested. If you are not employing the use of a microscope then wait until two thirds to three quarters of the flower has changed colour from white and green to red and brown. It is of the utmost importance that no bud should be harvested before it is ready. It is almost worthy of noting that plants and varieties of plants mature differently and the same applies to the pattern of maturity. To illustrate, some species of plants mature as a complete whole, so you can harvest the entire plant in one fell swoop. Other plants mature, especially under lights, from the top downwards, so in this case you should only harvest the parts that are ready. In so doing, this then allows light to reach parts of the plants it could not reach before, therefore, allowing for more expansion of the undeveloped existing buds. If you get a plant species
like this, then you can end up in a situation where you could be harvesting your plants over the course of an entire month. Esoteric Now for the more adventurous and esoteric growers that have more flowers than their requirements, I will share a technique that possibly only a handful of growers in the world are willing to undertake and exploit. In fact, this technique is so rare I only know of one person that does it and from first hand experience, this is the most specialised drying and curing procedure I have come across, and to the best of my knowledge, this one grower pioneered it. This drying and curing technique starts off in the usual fashion where either the entire plants are hung upside down with the excessive foliage removed, or the plants are stripped to stems and branches, with excessive foliage removed. Kept in a room maintained around a temperature of 70ºF and humidity kept around 50%, air exchange is bi-hourly and the plants are hung in a fashion allowing plenty of space for them to breathe. They are kept in complete darkness so they have dried sufficiently that they have still retained moisture, are supple to the touch and would be hard to break apart using your hands alone. So, in effect, they are possibly 80-90% ready or 80-90% dried compared to the conventional methods as explained above. These flowers are then cut from the branches and stems and are placed loosely in an airtight glass jar. These are the same jars that are employed to make preserves and jam; the large jars that have a wide neck with a rubber seal that clips down tight similar to a bottle of Grolsch beer. The buds are placed inside the jar but not packed tight, but also not loose enough to shake about or rattle. So if you can imagine the flowers used to fill the jar would take up approximately 70-80% of the volume of the space available in the jar, in effect, the
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jar would be completely full but with at least 20% of air left in it available for the flowers to utilise. This grower also breathes out deeply into the jar before he seals it so the jar has a mixture of air and CO2 in it. Now here comes the crazy part. However, it is not that crazy, as whisky and wine enthusiasts have been doing something similar for years. This grower goes out into the woods and finds a suitable spot near a large tree or other similar landmark, then digs down with a little hand held spade and literally buries his jar full of flowers approximately 3-4 foot underground. It has to go this far down to ensure it is stored at a very constant temperature similar to wine in a wine cellar. This far underground, no matter if you have a frost or it is sunny, the temperature remains constant. This grower then leaves the jar underground for as long as he can manage. I can tell you from first hand knowledge that he dug some up that had been kept underground for more than 4 years and the end product had metamorphosised into something almost unearthly. It had retained, compared to other flowers, an exceptionally strong aroma, taste, potency and flavour that was off the Richter scale. To this day, no flowers can compare to what was witnessed that beautiful day. This grower has flowers kept in the same fashion underground, from 3 months old, all the way up to 6 years old; he even has that same bud that I was privileged to see which is now 2 years older. Only time will tell what this might become. Let’s face it, wine and whisky both benefit from this practice – slightly less crude I agree, but nonetheless the principle is the same. So your plants also would greatly benefit – that is if you have the excess and the time to spare! It is my hope now through sharing this technique with you, that many growers will also follow suit, and before long, vintage flowers, like wine and whisky, will be of great value and worth one day in the future. WWW.THEGRINDMAGAZINE.CO.UK | 79
GUARANTEED 100% ELIMINATION OF ODOUR AND BACTERIA! The Ozone Story
Have you ever noticed that fresh and clean smell after a thunderstorm? Well, that is not your imagination, it is in fact ozone! It is a scientific fact that when ozone is present, odours are not. Ozone is an active oxygen molecule which readily oxidises bacteria and odour to break them apart. Active oxygen is created naturally in our environment by sunlight or lighting, technology allows us to create ozone indoors with ozone generators...
This technology is currently used in hospitals to wipe out odours and life-threatening bacteria. Companies such as Hotpoint are already using ozone in their fridges and washing machines to ensure longer lasting fruit and fresher-smelling clothes! guarantees this, naturally. So don’t take chances, be confident there are no smells or mildew around your grow room, with O’D-AIR!
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