The cannabis newspaper since 1985
FREE Issue 5 - 2015
9 Passive grow systems
12 How to choose and set up the right ventilation system
17 Top Tips on Vegging
25 Pre-germination: reasonable or not?
18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publisher BV Netherlands
Cannabis legalisation worth millions - government report AMSTERDAM
Legalising cannabis could generate hundreds of millions of pounds a year in tax and cut costs for the police and prisons, a government study has found. The internal Treasury report, obtained by BBC Newsnight, said regulating the market would "generate notable tax revenue" and "lead to overall savings to the criminal justice system". MPs debated the issue, after a petition calling for legalisation drew more than 220,000 white berry • sensi-star • delahaze • pandora • belladonna • wappa • allkush • atomical haze • ice cream • nebula signatures. Ministers do not plan to alter the law. The Home Office said it had "no plans" to change the law on cannabis, which is currently classified as a Class B illegal drug, adding that cannabis use was falling gradually. The Treasury study was undertaken earlier this year at the behest of the Liberal Democrats when they were in coalition, but was not published. Civil servants were asked to consider the "potential fiscal impacts of introducing a regulated cannabis market in the UK". The study notes that 2.2 million people aged 16 to 59 are thought to have used cannabis last year - smoking a total of 216 tonnes. Government analysts reviewed the work of the Institute for Social and Economic Research, which has estimated that licensing cannabis could help reduce the UK budget deficit by up to £1.25bn a year - from taxes raised and cost reductions.
The Treasury report argues that sum is probably an overestimate. But it agrees that regulating cannabis would raise significant amounts in tax, as well as saving the state up to £200m in court and police costs a year.
'Ludicrous criminalisation'
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said his party wanted to consider regulating and taxing cannabis, pointing to the example of changes in some US states. He said: "The whole debate has shifted dramatically now... as we see state after state starting this debate, with many states in the US deciding to establish legalised regulated markets. "And of course the basic principle it seems to me is, do you put a potentially dangerous product into the hands of criminals who have no interest in your welfare at all or do you seek to regulate it? "And I think in terms of public health protection
of individuals and avoiding the ludicrous criminalisation of so many young people, a legalised regulated market makes a lot of sense." But the Home Office said in a statement: "The government has no plans to legalise or decriminalise cannabis. "There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people's mental and physical health, and harms individuals and communities." Source: bbc.co.uk
3 Editorial
Legalisation in the UK? Don’t think so
Cream Mandarine Fast Version by Sweet Seeds is a feminized Indica-dominant cannabis seed that results from the cross between a Cream Mandarine Auto x Diesel. It is a great-quality hybrid that offers the lovers of this strain the possibility to grow plants bigger in size and with a higher yield. Cream Mandarine Fast Version is an outstanding, fastflowering, easy-to-grow, medium-sized marijuana plant that grows vigorously and yields long heavy compact buds covered in resin. This cannabis strain is suitable for growers of all levels, as it produces quality abundant crops in a fast and easy way. It gives off a very pleasant intense citrus fruit scent. Cream Mandarine Fast Version is a cannabis strain aimed at those who prioritize the taste and aromatic properties of plants without neglecting, however, their many other qualities. The flavour and aroma are pronounced and fruity, with notes of citrus fruits and oil. The long-lasting effect is powerful and rather physical. It is the perfect cannabis strain to unwind after a hard day. Genotype: 60% Indica / 40% Sativa Genetics: Cream Mandarine Auto x Diesel Indoor flowering period: 7 weeks Outdoor harvest time: early/mid-September Indoor yield : 450-600 g/m2 Outdoor yield: 400-600 g/plant THC: high Seed bank: Sweet Seeds
Cream Mandarine Fast Version
By the time you read this, the British parliament will have debated (and almost certainly have rejected) the issue of the legalisation of cannabis across the UK. The debate is due to take place on October 12th, and has come about as a result of the "democratizing" effect of the internet, with an e-petition receiving the support of over 200,000 signatories. One would think that this is a big shift - it's the first time in over a decade since the last debate and a lot has happened in the intervening years - and the fact that the matter is being debated at all is certainly to be welcomed. However, the government have already indicated that they've no intention of making any change to the law regarding the legal status of cannabis. To defend this - frankly absurd - position, they have trotted out the usual arguments about "protecting the young and the vulnerable", and how the "latest evidence" from their advisory council, the ACMD is that "the use of cannabis is a significant public health issue". This is a nonsense, and anyone with a modicum of knowledge about cannabis knows it. If anything is a public health issue, it's the stubborn stupidity of the law and those who continue to try to justify it. While it's still too early to say much about the longer term effects of legalisation, we know from events in America that these have been largely positive in terms of public health, criminal justice and economic outcomes: the Doomsday scenario that many expected (or hoped) to see played out just hasn't happened. The ACMD have seen a number of personnel changes over the years as they've increasingly been coming unstuck over cannabis, as the evidence for its benefits continues to pile up. This has now reached the point where even the most inflexible ACMD members can no longer just ignore it, and this in turn has led the government to adopt a quite extraordinary stance on the matter: just ignore scientific evidence (because it doesn't suit them) and go, instead, with anecdotal evidence (because it does). What all of this comes down to is that the views of the 200,000 plus people who signed the petition (and probably a considerable number of people who didn't sign it for whatever reason) are just going to be ignored. This is simply undemocratic. At this point, one has to wonder what exactly is going on? One thing our Tory government loves above anything else is money, and the Cannabis law reform group CLEAR have provided a carefully calculated estimate that the overall net benefit to the UK economy of legalisation could be £6.7 billion a year. Of course, this is really just a drop in the ocean in terms of the overall UK deficit, but one would have thought the adage "every little helps" applies. Denying evidence, wilful ignorance and burying their heads in the sand are now the best our politicos have to offer in opposition to legalisation: there is no rational argument here and they might as well put their fingers in their ears, shut their eyes and shout "NO" at the top of their voices. It may not happen this time, but a change is definitely coming. John Dee, readers@softsecrets.nl
readers@softsecrets.nl
Attention Readers! Fancy a FREE packet of FEMINISED seeds from DINAFEM? Then send us a picture of your grow room or best cannabis plant, including a visible copy of Soft Secrets, and we’ll send you 3 seeds. Should your photo happen to feature your beautiful wife or girlfriend wearing a sexy microbikini or super hot lingerie, you will receive 6 seeds. Photo of the Month will even receive 9 prime quality feminised seeds. With compliments of Soft Secrets and DINAFEM!
E-mail your entries to SSUK@softsecrets. nl. NOTE: All entries are handled with the utmost discretion. We don’t publish out of focus pics, and we don’t like photos of plants in veg stage. It’s fat buds & sweet babes we want to see!
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product / readers@softsecrets.nl
W/V becomes W/W For years, Atami BV measures it’s liquid product data in weight/volume (W/V). This means that volume of the product is dissolved in water by weight. Soon this will be changed to the product listing as it is used worldwide, ie Weight /Weight (W/W). This implies that instead of volume of product, the products weight is added to water in weight. In other words, millilitres become milligrams. The difference in values is therefore caused by the weight of the liquid product. Each liquid product has its own specific density which means that not every liter weighs 1 kg. What has changed for you? For u, there are no changes!!!! The familiar recipe is still the same as also the dosage is the same. The only thing that changed are the values on the label. So your trusted NPK values on the label will be lower. The product remains the same familiar product with an unchanged composition. For more information see: www.atami.eu If you should have any questions, please contact us at: sales@atami.com or call us during office hours: 0031 73 522 32 56.
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER: YOU MUST BE OVER 18 YEARS OLD TO ORDER CANNABIS SEEDS FROM BONZA SEEDBANK. IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO GERMINATE CANNABIS SEEDS IN MOST COUNTRIES AND ANYONE COMMITTED OF SUCH AN OFFENCE MAY BE IMPRISONED, FINED OR BOTH. BONZA SEEDBANK SELLS SEEDS STRICTLY AS SOUVENIRS OR FOR PRESERVATION IN THE EVENT OF A CHANGE IN THE LAW. IT IS THE CUSTOMER’S RESPONSIBILITY IN EVERY CASE TO CHECK THEIR LOCAL LAWS BEFORE ORDERING.
8
Strain report
Critical Cheese Soft Secrets could participate in the first tasting of one of the newest, particularly excellent auto-flowering plants from Dinafem, the J. Searcher Critical Cheese Auto.
Concept
Skunk is a legendary strain that left an indelible mark in the growing of marihuana. The name skunk, which calls to mind the homonymous animal, is associated with a type of highly scented marihuana, standing out for its psychoactivity, the simple type of cultivation it requires and its great robustness. Critical Mass and Cheese are two examples of the level of excellence that can be achieved by growers in the creation of Skunk. Critical Mass is Spain’s first-ranking awardwinner product, and is particularly popular and famous nationwide, with outstanding robustness and yield, an intense scent and a sweet taste. A comparable prodigy in the UK is Cheese, which is among the most appreciated strains, especially for its intense taste. Both of the above progenitor plants of the new strain are highly scented and their taste is full. With Critical Cheese Auto, Dinafem intended to obtain a product combining the characteristic of being auto-flowering with an intense taste. A crossbreed was therefore designed which captured this Skunk essence, with a very powerful taste and smell, appreciably resinous and with a strong effect.
Cannabinoids
Plants are grown with an average THC that may be above 12%, while CBD already starts to be appreciable with quantities of around 0.4%. As explained by Dr Kush, a few autoflowering lines are being developed by Dinafem in order to gradually increase their CBD level in view of medicinal uses. They are also considering the fact that most growers of auto-flowering plants are beginners, and therefore prefer balanced psychoactivity with CBD content.
Tasting and conclusions How the strain was created
Unlike other seed banks directly crossing two feminised auto plants, Dinafem uses its wide variety of genotypes to create a crossbreed starting from males and females having inherited the original genetics of Critical and Exodus Cheese. Following the selection and stabilisation of desired traits, a further step is the selection of parents for feminisation. In this process, preference is given to individuals showing the most intense scent, in order to achieve an auto plant where this aspect is particularly conspicuous.
Testing
Obviously, before putting the crossbreed on the market, intensive tests are being conducted by Dr Kush’s team. Plants have been grown in different conditions, with very satisfactory results. Structurally, plants grow rapidly and with thin leaves. Internodes are long and plants are tall. The full growth process from seed to harvest involves around 70 days. The plant requires good fertilisation with high EC levels which may exceed 2.0 at the height of fertilisation.
These plants have a smell and taste that will leave you very happy. A sweeter taste of Critical is also perceptible together with the lactic flavour of Cheese, with a slight predominance of the Cheese aspect. This is due to the fact that Dinafem started its process with the original Exodus Cheese clone, with a distinguishably strong smell. This distinctive character is reflected in Critical Cheese Auto which presents an unmistakable Cheese imprint, although smoothed out by Critical. It also inherits the good yield and robustness of Critical, which makes it a definitively complete, easy-to-grow, high-yielding crossbreed with a very attractive taste!
Grow with Mr. José
9
Passive grow systems The bottom of a planter with a substance that gives the plants moisture
Passive grow systems are nothing new, but we are coming across them more and more frequently. These systems do not need any electricity to operate but water the plants exactly as they require and in addition they work silently. Are they as perfect as this list of positives makes them seem? Mr. José (info@mrjose.eu) Let’s have a closer look at passive systems. I first read about passive systems many years ago in a book on hydroponics. One end of a ribbon (wick) leads into the planter, and the other end is dipped in water. On the one hand, the wick takes in water, which on the other is
water than is needed. So the only prerequisite for a correctly functioning system would seem to be the correct choice of materials. The wick was invented a long time ago, so no problem there. However, if you try to replace the wick with an
Although passive grow systems existed long before cultivation under artificial lighting became widespread, you will search in vain for them in growers’ grow rooms. Among indoor cultivators the wick system is the exception, not the rule. Another type of passive irrigation system is gravityfed irrigation. A water tank is positioned above the irrigated plants and gravity pulls the water down through a narrow capillary. It must drip and not flow. It is necessary to be careful and keep
In recent years the ever greater desire among cultivators to save energy has become more obvious. soaked up by the soil from which the plant then absorbs the water it needs. How simple. The soil takes in only as much water as is needed and there is no danger of overwatering. The water tank is usually situated lower than the planters, or at most at the same level, and the distance between tank and planters is not great. If the tank was elevated above the planters, the wick would draw down more
ordinary piece of thin fabric, you must of course prepare yourself for difficulties which usually lead to the system not functioning. The wick system is still used, for all sorts of planters and plants. In any hobby market or garden centre you can buy an elongated planter, usually placed on windowsills in the home, for geraniums, pelargoniums and other plants, which are equipped with wick systems.
a close eye on this system, to ensure that the quantity of water dripping through the capillary is not too large. If you don’t have a container with a small air hole at the top, only some of the water will run out of the container and the dripping will then stop. In this way it is possible to set up a system which allows only some of the irrigation solution to flow out every day. Everything must be
carefully measured and tested. Not only the size of the air hole, but also the size of the container and the strength of its walls all have a role to play. If, for example, you used an ordinary 5-litre bottle made of PET, the plastic may deform as a result of the vacuum created by the water as it runs out. The result can only be that more water flows down to the plants than you wanted, and it will end up overflowing the planters or the trays beneath them. The disadvantage of a home-made passive gravity-fed system, as is probably obvious from the previous lines, is the difficulty in setting the dose of the irrigation solution. The wick system mentioned right at the beginning will also respond much more accurately to the needs of the plants. This means that the moisture levels in the growing medium will be constant, whether the plant needs less water, or more. If you are cultivating several plants and using the wick system, each plant will get only as much water as it needs. Thus two plants, which have different needs, will each get the amount they need, even if one needs 100ml per day and the second 500ml per day. An amateur gravity-fed irrigation system will not achieve this effect. You would have to make a valve connected to a float. Maybe some of you can do this, but I unfortunately could not. In recent years the ever greater desire among cultivators to save energy has become more obvious. Growers try to save money on power for lights, fans and of course irrigation. This trend has created the opportunity to polish up the old wick technology. If you have ever had a look around a horticultural trade fair, you will certainly have noticed modernlooking passive systems. However you don’t need to go anywhere. Online and in internet stores you will find relatively new sections with the name passive irrigation systems. I must now mention the name of one manufacturer, because I think he has awakened interest in passive irrigation not
10 Plants in 25-litre planters
just in people who did not have the first notion of it, but also in those who knew about it but considered it too complicated to install in their own growrooms. This man is Paul Cronk, but maybe you will better know the brand AutoPot, which is in many countries a synonym for passive
systems forever, we need to look at the other side of the coin and consider the disadvantages of these systems. The first, and considerable, disadvantage is the cost of passive systems. One planter with a valve will cost you no less than €30,
Detail of an automatic mechanical valve
systems. What was it that Paul did differently, which caused passive systems to increase in popularity so much? He added to wick and gravity-fed irrigation a simple valve with a float, thanks to which it is possible to connect the system for one or dozens of plants and happily go off on holiday, because you know that your plants will get exactly as much watering as they need. If passive systems have caught your interest, you can find many different types made by various manufacturers on the market. Mostly, however, they revolve round the above-mentioned wick system combined with gravity. This model is equipped with the valve described above, which ulti-
which is not a sum anyone would normally pay for a planter. In general you can say that those €30 are the sum one cultivation unit will cost you, if you intend to grow as many plants as you want. If we compare this outlay with, for example, the Atami Wilma system, where one planter will cost the equivalent of around €15, we can see that the difference is significant. Many of you will now be asking: how quickly will we see a return on such a high investment in a passive system? Of course, it all depends on how many plants you intend to grow. Nevertheless you cannot compare a passive system with an active one purely on the basis of acquisition costs. As already stated, a professional passive system has something
The second disadvantage of passive systems is stagnant water. Let me tell you how the valve in modern passive system works. The valve is placed in a small tank which supplies the irrigation for one or several planters via a wick. The tank is supplied with nutrient solution by a pipe leading from the source reservoir to the valve. The valve will open when the tank is full and will allow the pre-set amount of solution to flow in. The valve will open again when all the water in the small tank has been used. The water is in the tank from the moment the valve lets it in until it is all used up. The time this takes can vary. The tank will never dry out, which is a good thing. Nevertheless, I have already witnessed the occurrence of pests in the small tank. Humidity, warmth and darkness create ideal conditions for the proliferation of various organisms. Because the tank is shallow it is more attractive to parasites than the source reservoir of
Among indoor cultivators the wick system is the exception, not the rule mately you can see in the photos to this article. You will need to equip the system with a tank of nutrient solution of any size and you can use it to irrigate even a large number of plants – without electricity costs, of course. But so that we aren’t praising passive
which an active system cannot do for that price – it waters the plants when the plants need watering. The optimal result is bigger, healthier plants which give a more abundant harvest, which will soon compensate you for the higher outlay.
nutrient solution, which is too deep. This problem can be avoided by regular preventive checks on the tank. As soon as you see any unwelcome life-forms, dry out the tank and wipe it by hand, maybe with a little alcohol, which will quickly evaporate off. Instead
of alcohol you can use a suitable insecticide made of natural ingredients. However much we consider the advantages and disadvantages, we should never forget about passive systems. Personally I am an advocate of watering by hand, but given that I cannot always be with my plants, I prefer an active irrigation system and hydroponics. The passive wick system is, in my opinion, the closest equivalent to watering by hand, and in addition it gives me freedom of movement, so I am not tied to my plants. You will find passive systems in places other than indoor growrooms. The clever planter which irrigates itself is suitable for use in greenhouses, or outdoors, and you can grow quite large plants in it. If they are outside, and it rains, the irrigation of the planter will not change, because any excess water following a downpour will flow off through the valve and the plant will begin to take up water from the tank when it needs to. And what do you say to passive systems? Are you tempted to give them a try? You could start by making your own using a wick and share the results with us. Even if you haven’t tried this, it doesn’t matter, it is enough that you know about passive systems. Maybe you will find this useful in the future. That’s all for now. You can look forward to reading more next time in your favourite magazine Soft Secrets!
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12
Grow with Mr. José
How to choose and set up the right ventilation system The correct choice and set-up of an indoor grow room is one of the first rotate regularly from side to side. I recommend that choose an oscillating fan as it will work better steps on the road to a successful crop. The plants should be tended with you and the plants prefer it. a regular supply of the optimal mix of oxygen and CO2, and in addition it is necessary to ensure the ideal temperature and humidity. Quite simply, Duct ventilation fans For ventilation of, and air extraction from, the ventilation has a considerable influence on the climate of the nursery. growroom, duct ventilation fans connected Read on and learn how to achieve the required climactic conditions while to special air ducts are ideal. The fan can be connected to any point in the duct, which is a Mr. José ( info@pestovat.cz ) avoiding mistakes. great advantage, because you will be able to reduce noise by choosing a place in which the fan will not be in the way. When choosing the fan’s location you should also consider that you will make better use of the fan’s output if the fan is blowing onto the longer part of the duct and the
Choosing your fan – output
your 2m3-volume tent which is lit by a 400W bulb There are two sorts of nursery fans: circulatory you can just acquire a ventilator with an output of and ventilator. As the names imply, circulatory 400m3 per hour. A powerful fan does not always fans cause the air to circulate, whereas ventilator fans ensure a regular exchange of air in the nursery. Every growroom should have both. The first thing we should know when planning a ventilation system is the size of the nursery, or, to be precise, its volume in cubic metres. As you probably already know, the volume of a room is calculated by multiplying the width, length and height of the room. So if you are going to cultivate your plants in a tent measuring 1 x 1 metres by 2 metres in height, you know that the volume of the growroom is 2m3. A room with the dimensions 3 x 2 metres by 2.5 metres in height has a volume of 15m3. This simple mathematical calculation will primarily aid you in choosing the output of the ventilators which will ensure the exchange of air in the growroom. One An automated control unit for one or more ventilator fans principle of cultivation states that a ventilator with a minimum output of forty times the volume of the growroom itself is needed for the exhaust outlet. This means need to run at full power, which means it will be shorter part is behind it, because it is easier for that you will need a ventilator exhaust fan with a less noisy. A ventilator fan for air supply is not the ventilator fan to suck air in through the duct minimum output of 80m3 per hour for a nursery always necessary, but it is always useful. It should than expel it. The longer the duct and the more bends round which the air must pass on its way, run on half the power of the exhaust fan. of 2m3 and 360m3 per hour for a nursery of 9m3. the higher the output of the ventilator. Given the My personal opinion is that this calculation is I have never received any tips for using internal effect of the length of the duct and the number of suitable for growrooms with LED lighting or low- (indoor) fans to circulate air. It is essential that bends, it is worth tackling unevenness in the duct energy bulbs or for single-light growrooms. If a this fan can reliably mix the air in the growroom if it is longer than 4 – 5 metres. There are a great growroom is equipped with a greater number so that a uniform temperature and humidity is number of ventilator fans on the market – don’t
If you are growing your plants indoors and you wish to achieve very consistent results, you should devote great attention to ventilation of HID (sodium and halide) lights, it is better to regulate their power. You should reckon on a ventilator output of 1m3 per hour for each watt of installed power. So, for a growroom with 2 HID lamps of 400W you should use a ventilator with an output of 800m3 per hour. In general you will never go wrong with a more powerful ventilator, so for
maintained everywhere in the nursery. For a grow box with the dimensions 1 x 1 x 2 metres, an indoor ventilator fan with multiple speeds and a propeller diameter of up to 30cm will be enough. Bigger spaces will need more ventilator fans or larger propellers. Indoor ventilator fans are equipped with an oscillation function, allowing the propeller to
be afraid of asking for the optimal type for your needs in the shop. Tell the shop assistants what power output you need and what duct length you intend to use and they will be able to advise you. When choosing your power output you should also consider whether an odour filter will be necessary. A shell ventilator fan is best for larger
nurseries, even though it is more expensive and it must be incorporated into a special box with flanges. It has the enormous advantage of high power output and quiet operation. When choosing duct pipes for your ventilator fan, you will come across types which have power output control, whether continuously, from 0 to 100%, or graduated. Although you pay more for this equipment, it is very useful and will allow you to regulate the power output according to the actual climactic need in the growroom. If you intend to buy a complex climate regulation system for your growroom which includes regulation of ventilation, power output control on your ventilator fan is unnecessary (in which case you should make sure, when you buy the fan, that the driver is actually able to regulate its output).
Reducing noise
Any ventilator will make noise when it is running. Some of the noise is made by the air passing through the ducts, and some by the motor, but both sources of noise can be partially silenced. You can silence the ventilation fan itself by soundproofing it. This can be done by wrapping it with insulating wool, which is simple and effective but does not look good. You can achieve better and more aesthetic soundproofing by making a double casing from plastic, metal or wood and inserting polystyrene or insulating wool between the two layers. The bigger the layers, the better the soundproofing. The most elegant solution is to buy a soundproofed fan with professionally manufactured casing. The degree of soundproofing is really extremely high.
A surround fan with a clip suitable for small nurseries
So the ventilator itself has now been soundproofed. Now all you have to do is remove the noise made by the flowing sound in the ducts. We can do this by using soundproofed ducts and you will find
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three basic sorts of ventilation ducts in the shops. Flexible aluminium or plastic ducts are made from aluminium or plastic foil over wire twisted into a spiral; solid aluminium ducts are less flexible and hold their pre-set shape and soundproofed ducts (Sonoflex) are a flexible duct with a layer
from the space outside the growroom and back out again. A few lines earlier I said it was better to draw air in than push it; this is the exception that proves the rule! You must always position the fan of an active cooled reflector system in the direction of the flow towards the bulbs. If you put it behind them, the hot air from the bulbs could cause irreparable damage.
Ventilation and air conditioning
Reliable and powerful type TD (TT) duct fans
of insulating wool and an outer aluminium layer. This last duct will effectively reduce the noise of the airflow in the duct. For maximum noise reduction you can use special dampers, which are made from a solid aluminium duct with thick layers of insulating foam or wool.
Fans for air-cooled reflectors
The use of reflectors with an active cooling system helps to prevent excessive heating of the air in a
In many growrooms ventilation is used not just to ensure that the plants get enough fresh air, but also to ensure that the temperature does not rise too high. You can use an air conditioning unit for this purpose, either mobile or wall-mounted. If you choose to use effective air conditioning, this can be complemented by lower-power fans for a regular exchange of air, but this should never be done continuously. To calculate the necessary output, use the principle described at the beginning of this article in accordance with the volume of the room.
How often should the ventilation run?
If you don’t use air conditioning and/or a CO2 distributor, it is best to leave the ventilation running all the time on a low setting. Ventilator fans drawing in air should always be set to a lower air flow rate than the exhaust fan. If this creates a slight vacuum in the growroom, air will not be able to escape through any openings other than the
temperature, the necessary humidity and optimal levels of oxygen and CO2 are all very important for a successful crop. It is worth investing money in an automatic control unit. You will be able to set the desired temperature and the minimum fan speed with such a device. The ventilation will run continuously at the set minimum speed to ensure the necessary exchange of air. If the temperature rises above the specified limit, the ventilator speed will increase and the temperature in the growroom will fall. The better models are even able to ensure a slight vacuum in the growroom, but even the cheapest model will serve you very well. Believe me, you will see a very quick return on the relatively small amount of money you invest in such regulation.
ones you have selected. There are lots of gadgets available to go with your ventilation and air conditioning systems which will do a lot of the work for you. A stable
In conclusion…
If you are growing your plants indoors and you wish to achieve very consistent results, you should devote great attention to ventilation. Any grower who wants to minimise losses and obtain a highquality product will find that an automated climate control is an integral part of the growroom. I am sure that many of you will comment that an
Many growers also choose an economical setting for their fans using a timer switch. This approach is clearly the cheapest and will also save energy. However, it is necessary to be careful when setting the frequency and running time of the fans. You could start by running the fans once Sonoflex sound-insulated ventilation pipe an hour for fifteen minutes. It is important to always use a thermometer to measure the maximum and minimum temperatures automated control unit is not cheap and yes, this reached in the growroom when fine-tuning. If is true. On the other hand, its contribution will be apparent from the first crop on.
If you don’t use air conditioning and/or a CO2 distributor, it is best to leave the ventilation running all the time on a low setting growroom which uses HID lights. Best suited for this purpose are closed reflectors, in which air flows round the bulb in a closed loop. This means that air is blown onto the bulbs through ducts
ventilation is running and when it isn’t. On the other hand it must be emphasised that the vast majority of domestic growers use this basic method.
the temperature falls outside the desired range, adjust according to the frequency and duration of ventilation. The disadvantage of this method is greater temperature fluctuations, both when
I must not forget to remind you of one very important thing, which many of you of course already know. The air supply to the growroom should come in at ground level, but the exhaust should be at ceiling level. You will mostly want to remove the heat, which rises and gathers just under the ceiling. My last piece of advice relates to the air intake ventilator fan. It is not always necessary to install one, but most small nurseries will need one. It is usually enough if you leave a hole somewhere near the floor, through which a current of air will be able to come in. The air will flow in when you connect the exhaust fan.
14
Growing expertise
Degrees Brix and their relation to cannabis “What are those Bricks you're talking about mate, are you pulling my leg or what?” was more or less my first reaction when a mate of mine a couple of years ago was trying to explain to me how Brix is important for cannabis. Demian Vrij Let's begin by clearing the fact that, we were obviously not talking about bricks, but about Brix, or Degrees Brix to be precise. Those degrees are used to measure the amount of sugar in any aqueous solution and took their name from Professor Brix, a nineteenth century German chemist whose drive behind his research was to discover a way to know which grapes would make the best wine. Since sugar is the proponent behind alcohol, measuring it's content in advance would give a good estimate on the strength of the specific wine without having to wait for years to mature, thus relieving the wine makers of any possible disappointments. All that is fine and well but what is the reason for having an article about alcohol content in wine on a cannabis publication? Well, as we've seen in many other areas regarding cannabis and it's cultivation, there's plenty to be learned by other industries. Despite that Professor Brix was anxious to find out which grapes would make the best wine, as that was the thing of the day in his time, the amount of the sugar level in a plant is quite important for the plant itself and of course its produce. That relation between plant sugar levels
How to measure Brix
Measuring Brix is simple and doesn't require expensive tools. The only dedicated tool that you'll need is a hand-refractometer that can measure Brix levels. So you have the refractometer, you have calibrated it according to the manufacturers instruction and now you want to take your first reading. One important note to make is to always take leaves from the same spot, and always on the same time, preferably a few hours after lights on.
I measured my Brix levels and they're very low, what can I do? Well, at least now you know where you stand and that you have to do something in order to prevent things going worse. The first thing to do is to increase the potassium to nitrate ratio, something that nutrient companies already know, if you have a look at the “Grow” bottle from the General Hydroponics triplet you will see that the ratio is 1 to 2 Nitrogen to Potassium, likewise in the similar product by Advanced Nutrients we see a ration 1 to 4. The reason why you need to decrease nitrates is because they are the ones that take the most energy out of the plant to
A hand-refractometer, not an expensive devise, bought mine new for 40 euros.
So you take a leaf and you roll it on itself to make it as small as you can without squeezing it. Then take some pliers (any type will do) and squeeze it in order to
metabolise thus they burn more carbohydrates and reduce Brix, so in fact the extra nitrogen is not beneficiary but detrimental. Also nitrogen is promoting the
It has been proven that plants that score well on the Brix scale not only have a much better production, they are also more healthy during their lifetime. and plant health was put together by Dr. Carey A. Reams, an agricultural engineer who in the 70s compiled a chart that was correlating Brix levels with plant quality. It has been proven that plants that score well on the Brix scale not only have a much better production, they are also more healthy during their lifetime.
So what do Brix show in my plants?
To make things clear let's say that a plant's Brix levels will show you that something is going to go wrong in the future. If you have suffered a deficiency in the past you will know that by the time that the plant shows any visual signs it is already suffering. By measuring Brix levels in advance you can make the necessary adjustments to prevent things going wrong before they do.
take a couple of drops out that will go into the reading area of the refractometer. Then just turn towards a light source and you will have your reading. For cannabis plants, any reading over 20 is excellent, over 16 is good overall.
upper growth and not the growth of the root system which means inferior growth underneath your substrate. Another way to improve your Brix levels is the use of Fulmic in combination with
You place the sample on the reading side
refractometer reading of Brix levels
Humic Acid. Those two humates act as chelators helping the plants break down nutrients and absorb more trace elements who in turn activate enzymes in the plant, thus performing more chemical reactions and thereby increasing Brix levels. Once again, nutrient companies have caught up with the knowledge and you will find Fulmic and Humic Acid in products by various companies. Likewise, amino-acids will help your plant improve on the Brix scale as they will allow more calcium intake by the plant which in turn means better efficiency in the water and mineral assimilation. Everything that helps the root system will also be beneficial for achieving a good reading. The better and larger root structure has a plant, the more water and minerals will absorb and the better the Brix levels. As we can see then, Brix levels provide an overall picture of the health of our plants. They show that something is about to go wrong before it actually does, a good prognosis over them. Some studies also suggest that plants with Brix levels above 14 will not appear as food on various insects. Also high Brix levels on plants protect it against frost, it has been measured that while pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, α 15 Brix watersugar mixture will freeze at minus 8. Brix measurements are something we should incorporate into our growing techniques as they do successfully reflect the health quality of our plants in a way that allows us to make adjustments without them showing any signs of suffering yet. On top of that, our production will be of a much better quality, maybe not so much in its potency, but surely in its taste and aroma.
16
Opinion
A Legal Low
“This is your brain on cannabis...” (the latest)
Dr John Dee
Among the more liberal drug educators of my acquaintance, there is a largely unspoken rule regarding when people should or shouldn't start to use weed, and of course this always has to be couched in the usual "the only really safe way to use weed is to not use it at all" spiel in order to circumvent any legal comeback from incensed parents and so forth. The generally accepted age is around 16 or 17 years of age, as by this point the brain has pretty much fully developed and therefore the chances of damage being caused by psychoactive substances - including alcohol - is drastically lessened. I say the age is 16 or 17, but again, there's a caveat; this time it's "but the longer you put off first initiation, the better". Now, there have been numerous studies conducted over the years suggesting that early onset cannabis use contributes to – among many other things – defective brain development, low IQ, amotivation and suchlike, and more specifically, schizophrenia (whatever that is) and psychotic illness. As recently as last year, the Journal of Neuroscience published results indicating that even a casual toke could result in all sorts of brain abnormalities. However, this year the same journal published another paper outlining findings contradicting the previous one. It seems as though the authors of the first paper didn’t take into account the effects of other drugs (specifically alcohol) on the development of the adolescent brain. Yes, readers: it looks as though booze is a particular culprit when it comes to brain development, and can indeed result in some abnormalities. Not so with cannabis, it would appear.
But what about schizophrenia? Well, the results of another study, published in JAMA Psychiatry in August of this year, found a high association among male tokers with a “high genetic predisposition” towards schizophrenia (that’s to say, if one or both birth parents have it), whereas this association disappears in male subjects who are “low risk” (i.e. neither parent has it. As a rule of thumb, the further back in the family tree such conditions are, the less likely they are to be an issue). Interestingly, women come out of this pretty well, with no association with schizophrenia apparently existing even in the high risk category. What does this mean then? Well, it seems to me to contradict the long held idea that starting a career in dope use too early causes schizophrenia in people pretty much at random: there are indeed people who should just keep away from the weed (for everyone’s sake), and if anyone is in any doubt whether they are or aren’t one of those people, I’d counsel them to just take a look at their nearest and dearest for a rough guide. For myself, I'd like to see the ad hoc 16-17 years of age rule kept. Okay, as it's turned out it's pretty arbitrary, but really, the idea of children flooding their brains with dope, booze and all the rest of it doesn't sit well with me. To me, it would be the worst example of "permissive parenting" to allow it, and it’s probably not doing anyone any favours; kids in their early teens should be occupying themselves with something other than getting stoned all day; let’s face it, there will be plenty of time for that later on. Besides which, we should always bear in mind the possibility that a few months or years down the line someone is going to publish the results of yet another study demonstrating that the original one was, after all, correct.
17
Grow with Stoney Tark
Vegging Welcome to my top tips page. Here you will find helpful and useful tips Build That Root Ball! Big roots equal big shoots. This is how Deep Water that will aid you, in future ventures. As commercial growers, we are Culture systems can produce giant white root balls hard wired to only veg our plants for as little as 3 weeks, yet we put so that can harvest 1-2 per plant. A plant will flower much expectation on our plants. However, when we do meet the target once it has developed a tap root and anchored itself somehow to the medium it shall be flowered yields, we do not think twice about the veg period. I will tell you how in. Usually 21 days before the plant will naturally to max your plants out to the fullest potential, also how to add an extra induce flowering. Root development slows down significantly during flowering, so the aim is to build By Stoney Tark / Photos courtesy of Dinafem 30% yield to your crop... one huge root base that will feed like an adult Vegging for Longer:
When I was younger I was always wanted to flower my plants at the earliest chance. As I got older and wiser, it became apparent to me that the longevity of the plant in question is key. I soon realized that 21 days of growing time was commercially suitable, if turning over many plants over shorter grow times is the aim of the game. However, if summer time is the natural growing period outdoor plants experience, how can 21 days compare? This brings me to point about vegging for longer. I personally would advise vegging plants from seed, for 56-70 days. I would recommend for clones vegging for 42-49 days. 10 weeks of vegging time allows you to really establish a shrub that is big, bushy and strong. Pre flowers will be evident and cloning should be very simple. Try vegging for 10 weeks and flowering for 10 weeks and see how much differently your plants grow. Another interesting factor to consider is the clones you would take will be 10 weeks old. The next time you veg again the clone will be 20 weeks old, then the third grow the clone will be 30 weeks old. Age plays a major role in the longevity of clones and mother plants. A clone kept
alive for a long period of time will always react better in any given scenario that a new seedling.
14 hours of light
In nature, you will find it goes through the following light cycles from the start of year... 12/12, 14/10/, 16/10, 14/10, 12/12, 10/14 and slowly reducing 9 hours of light. Again commercially we are taught to veg plants under 24 hours of light and 18/6. A lot of growers are pressured to shorted vegging times due to electric and heat issues. Vegging for 14 hours a days will allow 10 hours of darkness, as a result the plants will grow bigger and faster. Exhibiting pre-flowers much earlier than the 6 week anticipated date. Not only will this save 4 hours a day of light time (28 hours per week), the temps in the grow room should be easier to maintain. The other advantage is the eager grower who sleeps in the same room as the grow tent, can now treat themselves to 10 hours of sleep time, growing bigger plants in the process. This is also great for the old school growers working with regular seeds, as the pre flowers are more evident much earlier on. In fact, after the first wave of pre flowers, plenty more will appear until the plant is showing all the signs of wanting to flower.
plant. Adding microbes to the medium is also an excellent way to really improve the plants, allowing a symbiotic relationship to form in the medium. Microbes are the plants best friend and have the job of breaking down various requirements the plant needs and feeding it to the plant through the roots. As a result the microbe groups will happily feed off the available sugars and carbon, allowing a true life organic system to work together with the plant. There are now many microbe and fungi products available. Do your research and see which companies offer the specific ones your plants will really depend on. Once you lock in the symbiotic relationship, your root system will do everything in its power to make the plant as strong and healthy as possible. A root system that has been developing for 50 days plus will produce far greater than that of one only developed for 21 days. Despite the quicker turn around, I believe the advantages in vegging for 30 days more far exceed the necessity to harvest early.
Foliar Feed
During the growing phase the young plants are working hard top feeding and bottom feeding. This is a great time to spray your plants with a very fine mist. Always spray on to and the under sides of leaves. Avoid soaking the plants until the point of
dripping wilting plants. I personally enjoy spraying my vegging plants with a mix of the following: • Seaweed and water • Humic Acid and water • Guano and water • Co2 Tabs and water • 3% Hydrogen Peroxide For plant vitality I find a light mix of water and seaweed with guano is magical. Also a light mix of a good humic acid will keep plant health to a maximum. The 3% hydrogen peroxide will keep the canopy sterile and oxygen rich. The same applies with Co2 tabs, as they release ready available Carbon Dioxide to the plant stomata. I have learnt from experience that as long as your air flow is working well; the peroxide and guano are great preventatives for Powdery Mildew. Avoid spraying plants too late in the evenings before lights out and especially after the third week of flowering. This can lead to all sorts of problems that later on such as bud rot and mildew. Take care when spraying and always make sure your ventilation and humidity control are locked in.
Pot Your Plants Up
Pot size is very important and quite often over looked. The average grower will look at a large pot and assume, the plants roots will fill the pot accordingly. However, there is a great importance to re potting, new growth and overall ability to feed at a constant rate. For example rather than feed 4ml per liter, you would feed 2ml per half liter twice as often. In my opinion, this way of feeding during the young plant life cycle really promotes faster growth. Once you know your plant is totally root bound, yet shows signs of total root health and hairy thick roots over lapping one another, you
18
can now transplant to a bigger pot and repeat the process. Until of course you are ready to place the plant in the final pot for harvest. I personally like to grow my plants for the first 2 weeks in the smallest pots possible. The root ball of the plant is always productive and vibrant, then when they are transplanted again, I can see they really thrive and push for new nutrients.
Keeping Clones Alive For Longer
This method of mine basically involves me keeping clones alive for 6 to 8 weeks before the growing phase begins. I do not have to fit to a strict growing schedule, so prefer to keep my clones alive under a soft light for a long time. During this time, my other projects are finishing but rather than plant new seedlings or freshly rooted first generation clones, I will have clones that have been alive for 8 weeks under a small fluorescent. I am not after size but want to have older plants to work with. Then from this stage they will go through their normal vegging routine and then finally flowered. On the basis that your lighting regime is correct, you can achieve mature clones that are growing slowly ready to transplant straight to the grow room. Having mature clones makes everything work better in my opinion. The clone will be very tough and sturdy and worst case will survive without water and maintain a good plant health for a good period of time.
Sulphur smell) but you can now take full advantage of introducing microbial life. If you are interested in working with microbes and beneficial bacteria, then a rich oxygen source is essential. If you are of a culture that adds nutrients to a bottle and top feeds, then the water you are using will technically become ‘ stagnant ’ after a few minutes. Even
Home-made Teas
Making organic compost tea is one of the most rewarding things you can do your plant. Not only will it super charge your medium, it will promote plant vitality and plant resistance. There are several teas you can make. I would recommend a worm hummus tea, guano tea and nettle tea dur-
Making an extract is beneficial but again if you can add an air stone in, you are able to turn the current microbial life form from millions to billions Oxygen Is Key!
One of the best tools a grower can have is a good quality water pump. Adding dissolved oxygen to your nutrient supply keeps the water oxygen rich and in return, lush hairy white roots. You can literally leave an air stone or two, bubbling away constantly. Not only will this ensure you prevent aerobic bacteria forming (bad bacteria with a
if you have taken the water from the tap and it seems oxygen rich, the water will lose the dissolved oxygen very quickly. Keep a reliable fish tank pump in your nutrient mix and always keep the nutrients moving and bubbling. It is a good idea to purchase two, in case one stops working but get in the habit of keeping oxygen rich nutrients around and you will never look back.
ing the growing phase. Perhaps until you know the strength of each tea, keep them separate and store in a dry cool place away from sun light. Making an extract is beneficial but again if you can add an air stone in, you are able to turn the current microbial life form from millions to billions. You know the tea is alive when there is a foaming on the surface of the bubbling water. It
actually looks like the head off a pint of beer. If you feed your plants teas throughout the growing phase, you will really see the difference. The plants will respond in kind and you will see how they intake the teas and respond instantly. The most advantageous thing about compost teas, apart from the fact they are homemade and super rich in microbes, is the flavour they add to the end product. Use the teas throughout flowering also and experiment with different variations. Recently I have made a tea from wood ash and guano for flowering and must say delivered a very deep tangy taste indeed. Remember making a cold water extract is one thing yet aerating the extract is what really pays off! Take on these tips and I ensure you will have huge happy plants that will fill out your rooms like you have never seen before. Show them this much love and see how you are rewarded cash cropping yields! Re pot and plenty of oxygen. Add microbes and super charged teas and try to focus on the age of the clones your working. Push for a huge plant will yield like a small tree and you will not be disappointed! Peace Out!
20
ASK ED
POOR ROOTS AND SMALL HARVESTS
MITEY BUDS
I have been growing in coco for several years now. The quality has been good but the yields have been small. The roots are small and poorly developed.
After harvest I noticed a very small amount of webbing where the buds attach to the main stem and tiny mites inside the buds. Will smoking these dried mites hurt me? I’m not selling it to anyone and I can’t afford to buy the medicine. Chris
BY ED ROSENTHAL
Wondering if you'd post that photo? I've told so many people about that photo and would love to show them how drastic the effects can really be. Spec
The coco coir you are using contains excess salts that have not been rinsed out. Very often coir picks up salts, especially common table salt, sodium chloride, during the manufacturing/packaging process. This inhibits plant growth. Before using coco, thoroughly rinse it out using a bath and then spray rinse. Some brands are pre-rinsed and don’t need rinsing.
Another way to use the cannabis would be to convert it to water hash. The mite residue will be removed in the wash.
Inadvertently, this was a perfect controlled experiment. This was a single gigantic plant. The entire plant was exposed to the same amount of sunlight, water and nutrients. The water heater exhausted heated air on the left side of the plant, which was much more robust than the right side. Every time the hot water was turned on the plant got a surge of CO2 laden air. This photo documents that even intermittent doses of CO2 during the lighted period were enough to cause this difference in growth.
CO2 OUTDOORS
LED DISTANCE FROM CANOPY TOP
The intake water has over 400 ppm of dissolved minerals. This is probably mostly calcium. This will throw off the water’s pH and alkalinity and tie up other minerals, which just exacerbates the problem with the medium.
I attended a Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) conference that you keynoted in Toronto, Canada about a year ago. Part way through your presentation you showed a picture of a plant grown outdoors in the Australian outback, behind a house next to the CO2 output of their natural gas water heater.
I recently purchased two 300-watt LED lamps in 9-band spectrum to replace my two HPS energy guzzlers.
The garden has CO2. The room stays 22° to 23° C when the lights are on and I don’t overwater. I keep the nutrient solution at 1600 ppm including the 450-ppm naturally occurring in my tap water. Wild Landsman
Get an analysis of the water from the water company. You will probably do well to clean the water using reverse osmosis. Rinse the medium or change brands to a pre-rinsed. Lower the ppm of the fertilizer to 800-1000 or less.
PESTICIDES NEAR HARVEST Can I use your mite product (Ed Rosenthal’s Zero Tolerance) at full strength at week four of an eight-week strain without burning hairs? If not is there a recipe that you could recommend? Jubilee Many pesticides, including ERZT, sometimes damage stigmas when used at full strength. This effect is eliminated by diluting by about 25 percent with water, or about 250ml/liter. Before using any fungicide or pesticide, crop test it on several branches to make sure that it doesn’t burn the leaves. MAKE SURE TO USE ONLY PESTICIDES THAT ARE RECOMMENDED FOR EDIBLES. If the label only mentions ornamentals it is not made for ingestion don’t use it on marijuana.
Dried mites are slightly annoying to smoke as they sometimes pop when ignited. Infected marijuana is not considered commercial quality. However, mites are not harmful to smoke.
The CO2 side is stunningly massive, while the side that didn't get CO2 is half the size.
The lights emit no heat, which was the main factor for keeping those HPS and MH lamps 18 inches 45cm above the plants using air-cooled lights or 90cm without the bottom glass plate. What distance from the plants should the lights be placed? Eric Charles
21
Place the lights about 30cm above the top of the canopy. Since most LED fixtures contain multiple spectrums of bulbs, the distance allows the spectrums to spread more evenly over the canopy
BUNK POT I normally grow my own marijuana but lately have purchased it from a number of different local (London, UK) sources. The buds look healthy and have THC, but mostly they smell lightly of nice weed, and the taste is nothing, nada, zilch. Why is this? I don't think it’s a drying/curing problem. Is there an environmental cause or just a bunch of amateur growers in my area? Mark I have had the same experience in some coffee shops in Amsterdam. I don’t think this tasteless, odorless bud is the result of either the varieties, growing conditions or curing. It is instead the result of harvesting before the bud is ripe. During the last 10-15 days of flowering the trichomes fill fully with cannabinoids as well as terpenes, the odor molecules that give marijuana its personality. Many professional growers in Europe harvest the buds a week or two early. By clipping 10 days off each harvest they figure they can have an additional turnaround a year. You might say why would they do this? Wouldn’t they get a premium price for premium weed? You would think so. However, the market has determined that fast turnarounds are more profitable. There is one other factor to consider. A high percentage of European resident marijuana users roll it with tobacco, often adding only crumbs of cannabis. Using it like this, or even with a higher percentage of bud, the tobacco smoke dominates the airstream. Even if a person inhaled the best there is, s/he would hardly notice it. So there is no ego incentive either. If you grow great herb and nobody notices you aren’t being stroked.
PLANTS WON’T FLOWER I started some seeds from mixed Indian/Bangladeshi growing outdoors at latitude of 290 North, in mid-November. They are mostly landrace sativa dominant strains. The idea was to have the plants go straight into flowering with the shortest possible veg time since I have no idea how long flowering may take. Since planting two and a half months ago, the plants have remained in vegetative and have yet to flower or even show sex for that matter. The entire time they've been outdoors the plants have had around 13+ hours of darkness. I am confused. Isn’t this long dark period enough to force them to flower? Why aren’t they flowering? Do some strains of cannabis have a required veg. time before they begin to flower? Currently, outdoors, they are receiving a total of 10:46 hours of daylight, which corresponds to 13:14 hours of darkness. Is there any way to force them to flower? Walid This winter I also grew some plants outdoors at latitude 37.7. I placed the plants in containers in late January and harvested them in early April, leaving some immature buds on the plants. Eighteen days later I pulled a second harvest. (See Photo #5) One of the plants was mostly sativa. For this reason and experiences I have had with other winter harvests, I’ve found that short days (really long nights) are enough to force sativa
varieties to flower. The reason your plants didn’t flower are that in some way the dark period was interrupted by light. Even a few seconds of light from headlights or other stray beams is enough to restart the plants’ time count. The plants stayed in vegetative because of light pollution.
MITEY BUDS Don’t let mite infections fester. Treat them a soon as possible using biological controls or organic pesticides or your plants will soon experience conditions shown here.
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WILD ROOTS My plants are in the flowering stage but the roots are coming out of the bottom of their pots. What do I do? Can I put a sponge in the tray to help keep them moist? Alicia Using a moist, almost wet sponge is a great way to support the plants’ roots. Sponges hold water but also have air spaces so the roots come in contact with Oxygen, which they require to stay healthy. A couple of tips: Support the container on some sort of solid blocks so the sponge isn’t squeezed. Make sure to keep the sponge moist at all times so the roots don’t dry out.
HOW MUCH PLANTING MEDIUM
• As the mite population increases the creatures spin webs to facilitate commuting.
Page 205 of Marijuana Growers Handbook reads 11-22 liters of soil for every 0.1 sq. m of canopy space". If a grow tent has 0.7 sq. m of copy space, that means about 80 to 130 liters of soil. That seems high. What is the correct amount? I’m using a 600-watt HPS lamp. How many plants should I grow in the tent? John The figures about the soil are correct. The more room the roots have to grow, the bigger the plants and the higher the yield. The more plants in a space the faster they fill the canopy. Grow the maximum number of plants that you are allowed. If there is no plant limit grow the plants on 25 to 30cm centers so your tent would hold 6-9 containers. Once the plants cover about two thirds of the space, it’s time to turn the lights back to 12 hours to force the plants to flower.
• Red mites sometimes congregate near the top of plants..
YOUR HEART’S DESIRE I have worked in the marijuana industry for four years. I have an opportunity to grow cannabis for a pharmaceutical company. It is tearing me apart. I love to grow. It consumes me on a daily basis. As an activist I want to say no, but as an unemployed cannabis grower I want to sell out, which is what I feel that I will be doing if I get onboard with these folks. My question isshould I help big pharma? J. Corey Miller Follow your heart. If you take a job that you don’t feel good about, you won’t be happy doing your work. This is your life. You only live once and you can only sell your time. You can’t buy it back. How do you want to spend it? • Mites and eggs on the underside of a leaf, where they hang out.
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23 PLANTS WON’T FLOWER I grew plants of several varieties outdoors this winter. The buds were small and potency way moderate. Had I used a cold frame or an unheated greenhouse my crop would have been better.
• Clones were placed outdoors around Feb. 3.
• The Pineapple Kush, seen sitting on a table, had the best flower development. Shown here before harvest in April..
• The plants grew between two and three feet tall by early March but were induced to flower by the long uninterrupted nights.
• Developing flower a month before harvest.
• Purple Kush bud.
24 CO2 OUTDOORS
PLANT OF THE MONTH
This single plant was a perfect controlled experiment. All conditions were the same for both sides of the plant except that one side, the left, received periodic CO2 blasts from a hot water heater placed outside. The left side of the plant is noticeably more robust than the right. It has more growth and deeper color.
This adapted hybrid is common in Southern Oregon. It’s been in evolution for the last 30 years and new lines are continually added to the breeding program. It tastes of like sour berries, and has a stimulating high.
BUD OF THE MONTH
GARDEN OF THE MONTH
This Kush hybrid shows beautiful fall colors.
These plants had scaffolds to protect them from wind damage. Shown here in late July, the plants will grow out to the perimeter within a few weeks. This garden contained the legal limit in the county, 24 plants. Each yielded between 7-12 lbs.
25
Grow with Robert B.
Pre-germination: is it reasonable or not? Wrong sowing or incorrect pre-germination may cause total damage
Many growers are in favour of the pre-germination of seeds, as this allows them to forecast if they are germinable or not. Pregerminated seeds are placed in pots after 4 to 5 days with some potting compost, when seed leaves (cotyledons) open and need light. In this respect, you should also be aware that, if seeds are wrongly sowed, pre-germination will also go wrong.
Text: Robert B.
It seems illogical to hear growers say they could simply throw their seeds in a glass of water and that would be just fine. Unless it is just a matter of marsh plants and aquatic plants, roots should take air and much more nutrients than can be found in water. In the past, pre-germination in damp kitchen paper towels kept between two dishes seemed unnecessary, and therefore the common practice was always sowing. To understand whether pre-germination is better, or how to make it, you can try it both in a glass of water and on kitchen paper kept between two dishes in a dark environment with both normal running water and distilled water. First of all, it is worth clarifying if results strongly depend on the type of running water used and if special additives could also be used. Possibly this test is representative not only for each type of running water, but also for distilled water without additives. We used a type of running water that is normal for German growing environments, in addition there was a temperature of above 20° Celsius in the room, although the critical temperature threshold of above 24 degrees was not exceeded. Had it been colder, the process would have lasted longer. In our experiment, the first seeds were planted after about three days. We also used
Do not expect a germination rate of above 90% industrial hemp. There was no intention to grow hemp, but just to take pictures of it. All germinated seeds were destroyed. This information is important as in edible hemp seeds, no germination rate of above 90% is expected, and it could be even below 40%. The key rationale of tests of this type is to only identify seeds that are good to do something rather than using all seeds together, if you cannot do absolutely anything with all of them, which however was not the case in our test.
The actual tests:
Three tests were conducted: with running water, with distilled water and finally again with running water but in this case the first two days in a glass and, next, 50% of the seeds were placed in a damp kitchen paper towel. All of the three tests produced the same results: In the glass of water it is no use to change water every day. The turbidity that appears after two
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days, attributable to bacteria, disappears later, but seeds in water stopped developing, whereas on damp kitchen paper their development was already advanced. This prompted me to take away seeds from the glass of water after two days and place them in the damp kitchen paper between two dishes. In all three tests the intact part of the seeds developed in the damp kitchen paper between the two dishes with the same results: After three to five days, the germinated seedlings need to be planted, as the opened cotyledons need light, but the roots should not be exposed to it. A first group of seeds were dropped in a glass of water while others in a china cup with water, obviously in a dark room. It was found that water gets burred and milky after two days and that even a daily change of water does not impact on the further development of the seeds. Furthermore the putrid smell, which perhaps brings to mind a sewer, is stronger in the china cup. The smell increases if you remove water and smell seeds. In water bacteria are found while seeds will have nutrients. They will begin to germinate, und an exchange of water takes place. At the beginning one would tend to be sceptical as the roots projecting from hemp seeds necessarily need oxygen. If this is not available in sufficient concentration, then things would go really bad. The seeds would naturally break after a few days, with a daily water exchange perhaps this lasts two days longer. The only apparent possibility to pre-germinate in water is the use of water additives. Anyway, the problem arose also with distilled water so that, after the first two days of pre-germination, there was no growth of seeds. The highest possible number of additives, which aid germination and deliver oxygen, may turn the test result into positive, this is the assumption. If you wish you could procure the special 3-level germination tower “Schnitzer Sprossenturm – 3 Etagen” from Amazon or elsewhere: the seed is damped, but for a good reason not kept for days in water. On damp kitchen paper, germinable seeds develop very well. Those who intend to opt for pre-germination should place the seeds on damp kitchen paper between two dishes in a dark environment, control temperature for it not to go neither too high nor too low and dry out the kitchen paper during the germination period.
Minor details about pre-germination:
However, if seeds are simply placed in the soil in dry air conditions and germinate, they can present the following problem: with dry air, the grain of seed does not shred off its coat, and cotyledons cannot open up. There is a cuticle in this coat around the grain of seed and therefore, after germination, around cotyledons. In dry air conditions, cotyledons do not slip off. If you put a drop of water with a pipette on the cuticle or the coat and wait 15 minutes,
26 seeds of hemp grown for fibre - on the left, grown on kitchen paper; on the right, grown in water
you can then remove everything with tweezers (but you should be careful). Air humidity of above 60% or pouring a drop on the cotyledon every two hours should also suffice. In nature, this operation is done by morning dews. With pre-germination, before the planting process starts, you should make sure that the coat and, more importantly, the cuticles below are removed. If the cotyledons cannot open, the young shoot will most probably shrink or remain behind. Otherwise said, the shoot can simply roll back on the cotyledons that will stick together, if these are not completely protected from the light.
Try before:
Many growers want to pre-germinate, in order to see if seeds are germinable. If not, they will complain. Replacement could be granted more at the company’s discretion rather than being based on a real right of the customer, as probably there was something wrong in what was done. In order to be sure not to do something wrong, everything should be tested on other seeds, such as industrial hemp seeds or corn seeds. However it is possible for industrial hemp to be processed by the factory in such a way as not to germinate, while this is impossible with corn. If you can, you should always let test seeds pre-germinate separately together with the good seeds, in order to gain evidence that everything was done correctly and that, consequently, a failure is really attributable to the purchased seeds (for which you paid a good deal of money). Another strategy is not to let seeds pregerminate on a single occasion or to sow only a part of them. If sowing is made correctly, many seeds will soon develop into a plant, as it happens with the correct pre-germination.
a grain of seed is not the only living organism in a glass of water
Sowing or planting after pre-germination:
A person who starts from scratch and has absolutely no basic knowledge of plant growing, necessarily needs to make a lot of errors and learn from them. A beginner could also receive tips that will only cause more damage than be useful, as, e.g., in the case of pre-germination made in a glass of water. Using, for instance, too much fertiliser for the planting of a grain of seed or an offshoot is very counterproductive, as it prevents the achievement of a higher EC value in the roots. From a given quantity
Much can still be remedied of nutrients above, the root stimulator will no longer help. An exception could be a long-release fertiliser, as it is released little by little, but does not directly affect the EC value on the whole. And still then, for the first three weeks, a high-quality type of non-pre-fertilised potting soil should be used. It is recommended to use pots of 0.25 to 0.5 litres, in order to minimise the use of space in the grow-room initially. In addition, less soil will normally dry out more rapidly, when someone irrigates excessively. If plants grow bigger they can simply be re-potted; here they need even more nutrients. It is reasonable to do so with potting soil only, in order to ensure that high-quality pre-fertilised soil is used. However, also a non-pre-fertilised type of soil can be used, so that it will be possible to directly pour nutrient solutions. Many say that hemp can be grown with little water and little fertilisers or pesticides in a field. Hemp needs little fertiliser quantities as a few other plants; however, those who want to harvest seeds, marijuana or a lot of biomass, should also feed at least a bit of nutrients to the plant. Otherwise results will be poor.
cuticles on the seedling on the left, no more on the right
danger in the planting process
So, in conclusion, pre-germination or not?
This test is necessary, as formerly people tended to sow rather than pre-germinate. With pre-germination growers can see earlier if a grain of seed “works” or not, but there is not much difference if the sowing process is correctly carried out. It is therefore unimportant that the grain of seed correctly lies in the soil, as the root always grows downwards and pushes the cotyledons upwards. What is rather important is that soil and water are suited and that temperature conditions are favourable. In sowing as in pre-germination the same is true: roots need not only humidity, but also air. You can irrigate the potting soil excessively, wait long, but nothing will probably happen. Without the necessary air, a grain of corn will rest and, if you later empty the pot onto compost you will see that the grain will sprout. So why not pre-germinate, if it works equally well? Because when roots start to grow perhaps the development of the cotyledons is somewhat interrupted. Pots still not need to be large but, after about four days, they are needed in any case. The fact of needing less space, therefore, should not be a leading argument. Of course, a seed can also undergo damage, if it has to germinate and grow in the pot. From a temperature of 26° C, no result will be obtained with both techniques, everything can be doused with water, or the pot can tip over and damage will appear.
first two days in water, then on kitchen paper
Breathing mask, gloves and sterilisation
Many city people, who perhaps are used to only water their mother’s pot plants, think that everything is complicated and difficult. This also applies to more and more people from rural areas who grow with their playstations in their hands as a usual habit. The pre-germination or sowing of hemp seeds is not complex, if you do it right. Hemp seeds have protection mechanisms to avoid being destroyed when coming into contact with the first bacteria during germination. These bacteria could be in the air, on the grower’s hands, on surfaces, in water and also on sowed soil. Ordinary people, who grow hemp in normal situations will barely obtain something with breathing masks, gloves or similar protective equipment. Of course one should not use soil from his garden, in which many ‘stowaways’ can be found. High-quality soil needs to be purchased, unless growers are wise enough and have the opportunity to produce some of this type on their own. In addition, a plant that is kept outdoors should not be brought inside where other plants are kept. The issue is then not to let in cats and dogs wandering about outside, and certain plants placed in front of the window for air supply should be taken away, if the incoming air cannot be sufficiently filtered. A problem to be absolutely avoided is the introduction of pests from the soil, outdoor plants, shoes or pets. However, for pregermination and sowing in normal conditions, it is sufficient for a grower to operate accurately in a clean environment, as he may not and should not protect everything hermetically. On the other hand, in case of greenhouses, where plants worth millions are grown, the problem can be viewed from a different angle and costly air control systems can be installed so that, once inside, one should not have to wear disposable gloves to grab seeds. Even after elaborating on the topic of “pre-germination” in theory, in practice you will always have to work with living organisms. Everything will normally work out smoothly, if you operate in very similar general conditions and according to plan. However any surfacing impediments cannot be ruled out and even in “normal” conditions everything may not perfectly work to plan, but much can still be remedied.
pre-germination with distilled water
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28
Grow with Stoney Tark
Acid
Paradise Seeds gifted me a 3 pack of their Acid strain. It is my understanding that this is Luc's spin on the famous New York City Diesel. I personally enjoy any Diesel variety, including Soma's, Crocket's and soon to enjoy this one. I will be growing with an autopot self feeding system. The nutrients I will be using By Stoney Tark are hydroponic and are very soft. Week 1
Germinating the seeds is the first thing I do. My way of doing this is to place two saucers over each other, whilst I have warm wet tissue inside. I keep the saucer on a radiator on a very low heat. When I look again in 24 hours, I expect to see all 3 seeds pop. The seeds are popping white tails and it is a sight to see. Now I will prepare my autopot and soak the medium. Until the plants are big enough to hit the bottom of the pots, they will need to be hand fed from above. My 3 auto-pots are ready to go and now I shall transplant the seeds into the medium. My res tank is perfect and after I add a small air stone in there, pH and oxygen levels will be ideal. The lighting system I am using is a 600w HPS with 2 x 125w fluorescents. The fluorescents will provide a warm white light, 6400k. Placement of the supplemental lights will be either side of the HPS, allowing me to more of a full spectrum the entire grow. The temps are 24 degrees and humidity is 72 percent. My fans are blowing but not directly onto the plants. I face the fans so they blow onto the walls next to the plants, also considering I am running my lights at night time. I should have no heat or security issues.
Week 2
The seedlings are now small healthy plants. I drip feed and foliar spray till they are able to bottom feed for themselves. Ensuring I always spray on the tops and undersides of the leaves. Fans blow very lightly on the plants, creating a more rigid stem each day. By the end of week 2, the plants are now on looking rigid and strong. Around 9 inches in height with thin bladed sativa leaves, whilst rubbing the stem, a rich aroma of deep diesel spice. I am also recognizing an orange fragrance in the background somewhere.
Week 3
It has been 14 days of growth and the plants look great. I add the required feed and add 7ml per litre to the reservoir. The roots of each plant have clearly hit the bottom of the autopots, so now they can bottom feed when they want. The smart valve in the auto-pot allows the each to bottom feeds as it chooses. Now all I have to do is make sure the nutrients stay oxygen rich and fresh, and then the plants should grow very well. Plant height is now just over 30cm, yet the fan leaves are growing wider each day. Continuing to foliar feed, I make sure to spray both sides of the fan leaves and any new growth.
Week 4
The plants are looking bushy now and I think I will tie down, to create a more open canopy. This is important not only for airflow and pest control, but to create new bud sites through L.S.T (Low Stress Technique). To handle the stems, I smell sweet orange but with a musky body. Excited to say the least to see this one growing out. After I bend the main heads down and allow for new shoots to proceed through, the canopy height is more even. The stems are becoming thick and woody. This is the part where I like to 'super crop' my plants. I snap 3 stems on each plant. Only a mild bend and break. Enough for the stem to form a big wooden knuckle. Unfortunately I overdo one of the breaks and need to tape this one up with a splint. Wrapping the break to a small stick holds things in place. I will keep an eye on this break but I know it will heal twice as strong as before, also the vitamin B6 supplement will aid in recovery.
Week 5
Day 28 and now I would like to start flowering. After the LST, the canopy looks even and bushy. Perfect timing to flower. As much as I would love to veg my plants for much longer, I need to keep this one short. I flip my plants and change the lighting cycle from 18/6 to 12/12. The plants stretch significantly in the first week, plant height is now 2.5 ft tall and rather bushy. I feed the Bloom A + B and continue with the B6 supplement. Out of the 3 feminized plants, there are 2 that look similar and one taller. The taller one is in the middle so will keep an eye on it. There are now big wooden knuckles forming over the broken stems, especially the one I had to carefully tape.
Week 6 MEDIUM
Autopot system - 70% co co 30% perlite mix 15L pots
LIGHTING
600w H.P.S + Supplemental CFL lighting
TEN
1.2 mtr sq
NUTRIENT
G.E.T Let's Grow A + Lets Grow B, G.E.T Let's Bloom A + Let's Bloom B, Umph Power, Vitamin B6 supplement
YIELD
933g dry
After 2 weeks of flower, these girls really shot up a lot. They are now 80cm high whilst the middle is 87cm high. Very bushy tall long side branches reach up to the light, so big yields are expected. I decided to strip off the lowest growth off the plant. I clear the bottom 9 inches of the plant. So remove new shoots or stems. The key is to focus the energy on already existing formed branches. Over the next 8 weeks this variety should bloom head to toe with highly prized Diesel nuggets. I mix new feed based on the feed chart and ensure the air stone and air pump are working perfectly still. The plants are really growing wild at a hydroponic rate. The wick style system works a treat and for only 3 plants, I am gaining excellent results. The plants finally stop to stretch on day 28 of blooming, to an average height of 110cm. The largest being 119cm.
29
Week 8
Now it is day 35 of Blooming and there are loads of shoots. The plants look great and show true plant vitality. I add the relevant Bloom A + Bloom B, yet do not foliar feed anymore. This will cause more problems in the long term by creating environments prone to mildew or mould. My temps were lowered to 22 degrees and my humidity is perfect. The canopy is just how I like it and sufficient airflow throughout the tent. I have an area of 30cm clear at the stem so have no concerns over air flow or unwanted growth. The main stem has a good thickness to it and the girls are heavy feeders. I need to replace 15 litres of water every 3 days.
Week 9
After 36 days of blooming, these plants are packing on weight. The buds are tight and pointy and I have some big bud sets forming. The scent is very musky but menthol with an orange zest. Over the next 5 weeks, I expect some serious weight to form. Continuing to feed according and still adding 7ml per litre of B6 vitamin. I can smell the diesel musk coming through when I rub the stems, yet the orange fragrance is underlined.
Week 10
After 42 days in flower and a big difference in plant vigour. New leaves are coated in sugar and the pistils look lighter orange. This plant is a real beauty in flower, as she shows purples and dark reds. The lower branches are as healthy and productive as they top branches. There is a Christmas tree shape occurring and all buds are receiving plenty of light from the HPS and the fluorescents. The temps in the room have now dropped slightly to 21 degrees but everything else is working perfectly.
Week 11
Day 49 and week 7 of bloom. The buds are swelling up and the whole plant is now full of trichomes and flowers. My canopy is 2.5 foot of long branched buds. For the last 3 weeks of flowers, I shall switch my lighting to 10 hours of light and 14 hours of darkness. The reason I do this is because the plants will ripen and finish as nature intended. The plants will also recognize this light cycle and as a result produce Ethylene as a natural way to ripen.
Week 12
The timer is switched over and now the plants know the days are getting shorter. The time for them to push is now, as they sense the end of their life cycle. I will also now flush for the last 3 weeks; therefore replace the reservoir with R/O water. From my experience this is a great time to flush plants during the short light time. I can immediately see the plants react and swell. The trichomes are milky with a bronze glow to them, so I think in 2-3 more weeks they will be golden trichomes. As a medical user with Multiple Scoliosis, I prefer a strong sedative effect.
Week 13
The whole plant is covered in trichomes and saving sugar leaf, will be enjoyable. The pistils begin to fall and turn to a gold brown. After one week of 14 hours darkness, the plants are showing seasonal colours. A lot of pinks and red and purples. Now it has been 64 days of blooming. There will be one last week of R/O water and 14 hours of darkness. The plant height now on the 2 smaller is 116 cm and 119 cm, whilst the tallest being 131 cm. As far as uniform goes these are very consistent. Not the biggest yielders in the world, however the buds are pure beauty.
Week 14
The girls have been working hard now, budding for 69 days. Today I will chop them down once the darkness period has ended. From the looks of things there is a lot to harvest. All of it thick sticky buds with a musky orange Diesel aroma. Taking these to harvest will be a long task as I have my eye on all of the sugar leaf. After trimming for 2 days I hang up a lot of bud! I will return to the drying room in 1 week and see how things are. I return back eager to see my total yield. In total I managed to yield 933g of big dry hydro buds. The yield is good in my eyes and the flowers are wonderful. The 3 week R/O flush made it taste elite. The high is very clear but fuzzy after a while. The taste is musky orange with a sweeter smell when it being smoked. Definite head stash and one I would say is a solid strain, a reliable producer and great genetics. After a total of 14 weeks and plenty of tender loving care, I am rewarded with oozing acid buds. The high is quick. The taste is softer now and more fragrant within a room. I will keep these buds in a jar for as long as possible. This strain is perfect for morning times or times of production and creativity. An interesting stone that is not too severe and enough to keep smoking throughout the day. If you like your hazes then this is right up your street, with a skunk edge to it. I would like to take a clone next time and really see what is possible if I veg for a longer period and maybe flower for 75 days. Overall I am very impressed!
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33
GROW WITH Jorge Cervantes
Identify and Control Anthracnose, Blight, Canker and Damping-off Anthracnose is somewhat common
Use new soil, and avoid underwatering or overwatering. Avoid planting in clay soils, or amend clay soils to improve drainage. Do not wet foliage and stems when watering. Control: Trichoderma harzianum (Trichodex) controls anthracnose. Sulfur or copper powders or sprays applied weekly as soon as the disease is identified will keep spores from spreading, but they will not kill the disease. Look for contact fungicides that contain chlorothalonil. There are many systemic fungicides that kill anthracnose.
Anthracnose Fungus
Common names: anthracnose, leaf blight, leaf shoot, brown blight Specific diseases that cause anthracnose include: anthracnose (Colletotrichum coccodes = C. atramentarium Taubenhaus = C. dematium) Threat to garden: low to medium Identify: Leaves show first symptoms when they turn light green. Soon, sunken water-soaked spots that grow into irregular shapes develop grayish centers with dark borders. Stems develop white wounds that turn black. Little black and white dots soon develop in wounds. Stems may develop cankers. This disease is worst during cool, damp weather—
blight include: bacterial blight (Pseudomonas syringae pv. cannabina) Cylindrosporium blight (Cylindrosporium spp., C. cannabinum Ibrahimov) Leptosphaeria blight (Leptosphaeria cannabina, L. woroninii, L. acuta) brown blight (Alterneria alternata = A. tenuis) southern blight (Sclerotium olfsii), Sclerotium root and stem rot (Athelia rolfsii [teleomorph]) twig blight (Dendrophoma marconii, Botryosphaeria marconii [teleomorph]) Threat to garden: low to medium Identify: Blight is a general term that
especially in clay and bog soils—and when plants are stressed, especially in hydroponic systems. Anthracnose is not transmitted in seeds but can be found on seed surfaces. Damage: Anthracnose slows growth and diminishes harvest. It is occasionally fatal. Cause: Anthracnose is caused in cannabis by three species of Colletotrichum fungi. Colletotrichum atramentarium also causes anthracnose. Brown blight (anthracnose) is caused by Alternaria and Stemphylium. Fungi overwinter in plant debris or soil, and start to grow in the spring. Prevention: Sanitation is the best prevention. Remove plant residues. When pruning, make clean cuts with sharp, sterile tools to keep wounds clean.
Blight
Blights Fungal disease
Common names: brown blight, southern blight, twig blight Specific
diseases
that
cause
describes many plant diseases that are caused by fungus, most often a few weeks before harvest. Signs of blight include discolored leaf tips; dark, blotchy spots on foliage; slow growth; sudden yellowing; wilting; and plant
34 death. Most blights spread quickly through large areas of plants.
Damping-off hit seedling before it developed true leaves. (MF)
Damage: kills leaves, slows growth, and kills plants Cause: unsanitary garden room conditions; infected soil, air or plant tissue is introduced into the garden Prevention: Cleanliness! Use fresh, sterile growing medium. Avoid excess nitrogen fertilization. Avoid blights by keeping plants healthy with the proper nutrient balance and good drainage to prevent nutrient buildup. Biological: Use Serenade (Bacillus subtilis) against brown blight. Use Binab, Bio- Fungus, RootShield, Supresivit, Trichopel, (Trichoderma harzianum) or SoilGuard (Trichoderma southvirens). Use a Bordeaux mixture to stop fungal blights. Stopping blights in advanced stages is difficult; the best solution is to remove diseased plants and destroy them.
Cause: present in soil or unsterile, tainted soil
Control: Once blight takes over plant tissue, little can be done. Remove plants from the garden and sterilize the area to avoid contamination.
Prevention: Use fresh soil or growing medium for each crop. Keep garden and garden area clean. Remove all plant residues from soil surface.
Canker
Canker Fungal disease
Common names: stem canker, hemp canker Specific diseases that cause canker include: Cladosporium stem canker (Cladosporium cladosporioides, C. herbarum, Mycosphaerella tassiana [teleomorph])hemp canker (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum)Ophiobolus stem canker (Ophiobolus cannabinus, O. anguillidus) Phoma stem canker (Phoma herbarum, P. exigua) Phomopsis stem canker (Phomopsis cannabina, P. achilleae, Diaporthe arctii var. achilleae [teleomorph]) Threat to garden: low Identify: The first water-soaked wounds appear on maturing stems and branches. They develop into dark cankers that continue to deepen, and fungus invades the plant. Finally, the black-hearted disease continues to grow on dead stems. Damage: Hemp canker, mainly a fiber hemp disease, occasionally affects medicinal cannabis.
Compost by using a big pile and high temperatures. Control: Best to prevent hemp canker. All chemical controls are systemic. Once disease takes over, it is often too late. Contans WG contains Coniothyrium minitans bacteria, a parasite to S. sclerotiorum.
Damping-Off
Fungus: kills seeds, seedlings, and clones Common names: damping-off, stem rot, moldy germination, young plant disease Specific diseases that cause damping-off include: (Botrytis cinerea, Botryotinia fuckeliana [teleomorph], Fusarium oxysporum, F. solani, Nectria haematococca [teleomorph], Macrophomina phaseolina, Pythium aphanidermatum, P. debaryanum auct., P. ultimum, Rhizoctonia solani, Thanatophorus cucumeris [teleomorph] = Pellicularia filamentosa). Threat to garden: High threat to seedlings! See “Gray Mold (Botrytis cinerea,
aka Bud Mold): Stems, Flower Buds.” About: Damping-off is a catchall term; the disease has many causes. Identify: There are two kinds of damping-off: one kills seeds when they germinate and before they break through the soil; the second type, post/ emergence damping-off, is the rotting or wilting of seedlings soon after they emerge from the soil. Succulent stems have become watersoaked and then necrotic and develop a sunken, zone at ground level. The little herbaceous plants fall over on the ground. Root decay follows. Damage: Damping-off attacks rooting cuttings at the soil line if present in growing medium. As the fungi invade stem tissue, the stem loses girth at the soil line, weakens, and then discolors with a brown, watery soft rot. Finally, fluid circulation is cut, killing the seedling or cutting. Damping-off prevents newly sprouted seeds from emerging and attacks seedlings, causing them to rot at the soil line; it yellows foliage and rots older plants at the soil line. Cause: Various fungal species, including Botrytis, Pythium, and Fusarium, are present in the air, growing medium, plant, or seed. This disease breeds in humid conditions and in poorly aerated, overwatered growing mediums. It attacks weak plants. Prevention: Control soil moisture. Overwatering is the main precursor to damping-off. Careful daily scrutiny of soil will ensure that the proper amount of moisture is available to seeds or cuttings. Germinate seeds between clean, fresh, moistened paper towels and move seeds to soil once sprouted. Do not plant seeds too deeply; cover
with soil one and a half times the width of the seed. Use fresh, sterile growing medium and clean pots to guard against harmful fungus in the soil. Start seeds and root cuttings in a fast-draining, sterile coarse sand, rockwool, Oasis, or Jiffy cubes, which are difficult to overwater. Set them on a grate or surface that readily drains. Do not place a humidity tent over sprouted seedlings—a tent can lead to excessive humidity and damping-off. Damping-off is inhibited by bright light; grow seedlings under the HID rather than fluorescent bulbs. Keep fertilization to a minimum during the first couple of weeks of growth. Seeds: Coating the seed with protective dust is a form of insurance. Seed disinfection is used to kill organisms of anthracnose and other diseases carried on seed. Damping-off organisms are in the soil, not on the seed. The coating is intended to kill or inhibit fungi in the soil immediately surrounding the seed and so provide temporary protection during germination. Cuttings: Cuttings are less susceptible to damping-off and love a humidity tent to promote rooting. Keep germination temperatures between 70ºF and 85ºF (21.1ºC–29.4ºC).
Control
Biological: Apply Polygangron (Pythium oligandrum) granules to soil and seed. Bak Pak or Intercept is applied to the soil and Deny or Dagger—forms of the bacterium Burkholderia cepacia—is put on the seeds. Epic, Kodiac, Quantum 4000, Rhizo-Plus, System 3, and Serenade also suppress many causes of damping-off Chemical: Dust the seeds with Captan. Avoid benomyl fungicide soil drench because it kills beneficial organisms.
This is an excerpt from chapter 14, “Preserving the Sanctuary” from the Cannabis Encyclopedia (594 pages, 2,000+ color images, large A4 format) by Jorge Cervantes that will be available April 2015. For more information please see Jorge´s website, www.marijuanagrowing.com.
DUTCH PASSION Presents AutoBlackberry Kush®
Auto BlackberryKush is an automatic cross between Dutch Passion original Blueberry and a dark coloured resinous Kush hash-plant selected from our gene bank. AutoBlackberry Kush has been introduced to offer a top quality indica with a heavy hitting stone together with a fresh fruity Kush taste. The Blueberry may slightly, but not always, dominate the Kush characteristics giving a sweeter and fruity influence together with the strong earthy indica contribution from the Kush. Auto BlackberryKush grows vigorously with a strong main bloom and numerous side branches typical of an indica autofem. The majority of plants will show colour in the leaves/buds at harvest, occasionally the hard and compact buds may develop particularly dark colours. AutoBlackberry Kush typically reaches around 0.75 - 1 metre and is ready to harvest about 10 weeks after germination when grown on a 20/4 light cycle. AutoBlackberry Kush will appeal to growers wanting premium quality genetics capable of delivering extra sticky XL harvests with a really strong body stone. A visually beautiful automatic Kush which produces top quality effects together with great taste and aroma. A superb new auto which has it all, highly recommended.
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36
Auto-flowering strains
Advanced auto-flowering plant growing Soft Secrets took advantage of the hospitality of Dr. Kush and his team to follow a typical pollination day in Dinafem’s auto-flowering J. Searcher plant growing rooms. Testing of cannabinoids
We started our day with a chat with one of the chief experts of Dinafem’s team who joined in 2012, Dr. Ananda, a lab technician specialised in plant breeding with a long-standing experience in the growing of cannabis dating back to his adolescence. Through his help, Dinafem’s breeders benefit from rich background information when it comes to deciding on crossbreeds. It is again worth noting that these growing rooms are never open to the public or visitors and The test lab
500 µL of the solution with cannabinoids deprived of organic matter is then taken, placed in a glass vial and heated in a heating chamber at 120º C. This decarboxylation process changes acid form (THCA) into active form (THC) by taking away the acid carboxylic group ( COOH) from the THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) molecule (hence causing an effect similar to that produced by the combustion or vaporisation of cannabis). After the evaporation of the solution, a resin residue will remain on the vial walls, which is then dissolved into 1.5 ml of pure ethanol. This solution is then dispensed onto the gas chromatograph, the first peak corresponds to the control solution, the machine will then measure the remaining areas by comparing their surface with that of the various cannabinoid peaks subsequently plotted. Although chromatograph plotting is automatic, small errors are possible, which is why the identification of peaks is done manuMale ally. With rigorous work consisting flowers in the prior introduction of standard ready to samples of cannabinoids, Dinafem’s be tested team of engineers are able to accurately identify all cannabinoids contained in a sample.
Selection of males
that only Soft Secrets were allowed to visit them for the trust that the Dinafem’s team places on us. As a proof of this, although Dr. Ananda had never received previous visitors at his lab, he received us with the results of tests conducted on males and went on to describe his working method step by step.
With the results of these tests, we then moved to the room where male plants are kept in growing tents. It is worth describing all the precautions that are taken to avoid any crosspollination. The personnel wear fullbody white overalls to prevent pollen from being trapped in their clothes. In addition, air in the room is extracted by a powerful filtering system so that, when a door is opened in the room, air will always flow in through the door and then out through the exhauster fan, and the exit of pollen is virtually impossible. The room has separate tents for each type of males. As if it were not enough, water is sprayed in the environment throughout the full process in order to raise the humidity level and remove any volatile grains of pollen. Inside tents, all factors are weighed in to start to discard a few males; a poor plant structure, visible signs of hermaphroditism and a low cannabinoid content are the main factors considered in this sorting process.
With auto-flowering strains, keeping only the mothers of selected individuals is impossible. As a result, a suitable selection is the key to correct plant breeding In this case, the test was designed for the selection of males to be used for plant breeding. The test process starts with the cutting of samples, which are dried at a minimum 50º temperature for twelve hours. Only flower bunches are collected while leaving out stems and leaves, with a further attempt to remove filaments supporting pollen sacs (anthers). They are then weighed with high-precision scales measuring up to 4 decimals. Solvent is placed into a vial with an internal standard (i.e. control) sample to be used as reference by the chromatograph that will analyse the cannabinoid content. 20 ml of this solution is mixed with 0.2 grams of dried homogenised sample; next, the solution is first exposed to ultrasounds – to separate and dilute the few trichomes growing inside the anthers of male flowers – and then centrifuged so as to separate the organic matter that remains on the bottom of the eppendorf tube, which could otherwise damage the chromatograph column.
With respect to structure, optimum conditions are assumed to be obtained when plants are kept indoors, with generous fertilisation, abundant light and the correct temperature, which normally results in plants growing luxuriantly and with long internodes. Nevertheless, a few plants with a proportionate aspect in these indoor conditions would appear stunted in an ordinary outdoor environment. Most seeds would germinate in any case in much worse outdoor conditions, and therefore those that grow abundantly indoors may assume correct proportions outdoors. Different plant structures are also taken into account when samples are taken for lab tests and, among all plants, individuals with average proportions are selected for comparisons to be as objective as possible. In addition, all males with even small female flowers are discarded in an attempt to remove all signs of hermaphroditism from the genetic pool. As the personnel we talked to put it, the presence of hermaphrodites is rare among the females of auto-flowering strains, but indeed more common among males.
37 The quantity of pollen released by male auto-flowering plants is incredibly high, which requires much caution. Whenever a male is cut and discarded, it is placed in a plastic bag, and water is sprayed copiously in the environment to stop the release of pollen.
Test results are read for the selection of males
At the end, only three males will be left in each tent, all having a well branched structure and presenting no risk of intersexuality. The very final step is selecting the only male to be left. To do so, it will be checked for a high THC and a low CBD content, after which it will be accurately inspected for total absence of hermaphrodite traits.
Pollination and conclusions
With the utmost precaution, the selected male is introduced into the cor-
responding tent of females, which is in turn placed in another room in the vicinity to avoid random pollination. The male is then shaken over females and left inside the tent for a few days. When its sacs produce more pollen, it will again be used for further pollination.
Working in tents of male plants
With auto-flowering strains, keeping only the mothers of selected individuals is impossible. As a result, a suitable selection is the key to correct plant breeding. In this article we illustrated a few major factors considered by Dinafem in its breeding processes; correct structure, pure sexuality, high THC and low CBD obtained through a very accurate selection of males, all contribute to this seed bank retaining its leading edge, season after season. This experience is valued highly by the public at large and other breeders alike to achieve first-rate auto-flowering plants.
38
Grow with Stoney Tark
Pandora (auto)
By Stoney Tark
Medium:
Bio Bizz All Mix Soil
Nutrients:
Hesi Root Complex, Hesi TNT, Hesi Bloom, Hesi Phosphorus Plus, Power Zyme, Hesi Boost and Super Vit
Grow Period: 68 Days Outdoor Yield:
454g dry off 6 fem plants
I have always wanted to grow out this autoflowering strain from Paradise Seeds. It is 70% Indica, 20% Sativa and 10% Ruderalis. People who have grown this variety speak of the powerful stone she possesses, earning this strain the name. Paradise Seeds are well known for having great genetics. So I was eager to test this one. The THC stated is 15-19% so there is a good chance of this being another potent variety to come out from Luc at Paradise Seeds. The grow will be an outdoor project, where I shall start the seedlings off indoors. To ensure the best start possible I will keep them under a Budmaster 450 XD for one week. The plants respond so much better to LED and allow the best possible start (in my opinion) and ensure the healthiest seedlings. I have a very nice area where I have dug out the old earth, then replaced with 5 of the 50 liter Bio Bizz All Mix. The ground now has just over 250 liters of very good soil and a soft airy consistency. By now my 6 feminized seeds are germinating in small plastic drink cups. When I see the plant roots hit the bottom of the transparent cup, then I shall transplant to the medium outside. I feed the seedlings Super Vit and Root Complex, mixed with a small amount of Powerzyme. The nutrients that I am using are very soft and the Bio Bizz soil is heavy with all the ready to access nutrients my plants will need.
an area of 2.5 sq ft and allow room for staking if necessary. Now the girls are in the sun and in the ground, I am excited to see how they grow. After 14 days and adding Super Vit and Root Complex, the plants are small and skinny. The smell of the leaves is kind of sweet but spicy, similar to the old school White Rhino. For a slender plant, she produced lots of smaller shoots which start to look a bit busy and wire like. The plant height is already 10 inches or so and by day 21, things are looking good and fast new growth forming. I feed the 6 girls a mix of Hesi TNT Complex, Root Complex and Hesi Bloom Complex. Each at 3 ml per Litre and my pH is measuring 5.5-5.6 from the color chart. The plants take to the additional food and shoot up in height to just over 14 inches. The girls have been growing for exactly 4 weeks, the colors are very beautiful. Thinner Sativa leaves grow and the slender thin plant continues to grow taller every day. I add Hesi Bloom Complex at 5ml per liter in addition to Power Zyme and Hesi Boost. I will only feed them this last time until later in the blooming cycle. I want to reserve the organic soil taste as much as I can, after all this is the main reason I personally smoke, to enjoy the soft wet tasting flowers. The smell of the plants is fruity like White Rhino, with an edge of spice in there. The flowers are forming well and look dense.
of side branching and what started as skinny shoots, are now forming into sturdy branches. By day 40, I add one feed of Hesi Phosporus Plus and Hesi Boost. Adding 5ml per liter and maintaining a pH of 5.5 - 5.7. I do the same again at day 49 and the plants are in excellent condition. The width is impressive and the height has shot over 30 inches. The plants are very uniform and stable, also as productive as each other. I start flushing the 6 plants by adding 5 liters of water to each. The buds are forming pointy buds that have very tall calyx indeed. They stack up on each other and glisten white with trichomes. A very sweet smell, combined with a spicy hash plant hidden somewhere in there. The buds are super sticky to touch
The buds are forming pointy buds that have very tall calyx indeed. They stack up on each other and glisten white with trichomes After the first week of having the small cups indoors, I am happy to transplant them outside to the new home. When transplanting the small plants, I make sure they all have plenty of space apart. The last thing I want is for the plants to be too close together. I give each plant
This variety will yield all the way up the stem, with pointy hard nugs. Now the plant height is 25.5 inches on day 35, and from now I will only feed with water I buy from the shop. After 5 weeks in, these girls are blooming fast and already producing hard dense nugs. There is plenty
and leave a black resin of my fingers after a squeeze of a dense nug. Day 56 and I expect to take this strain to 60-75 days according to the seed packet. The pistils are still white in many parts of the lower branches. If I can, I
personally wait until the lower branches are hard and ripe looking, before chopping the top buds. During this last stage of flush, I will feed water and then nothing. The plan is to let the whole plant dry out and know that end of season is here! Day 65 comes and I decide that harvest is very close indeed. The girls after 68 days have worked hard and grown large compact frosty buds. I harvest all the lower branches first and then all of the top parts. I am impressed by this yield I must say, yet is no sign of any undeveloped buds. Everything is dense and worthy of harvest. The flowers are trimmed and placed on a large drying net. After 11 days, I check on the buds and can tell they are ready for a cure. When I break a nug open, I am greeted with a spicy scent with a soft fruit background. The bud meets the grinder, as I prepare to roll my first joint. The bud crunches as I eagerly twist the grinder. The smells are very earthy and spicy, yet with a fragrant fruit. When I light my joint up, the aroma is musky and strong, whilst the taste is very earthy yet pleasant. When exhaling you get a wet sour fruity taste that coats the lips. The stone is pretty immediate. Very relaxing and settling and I can only wonder how it will develop during the curing process. In total I got an average of 75g of dry buds off each plant. This strain has a real stone to it, that can be a motivational killer. So perhaps for medical patients or night time smoking is best.
40
Travel An aircraft hangar full of bud...
Albania,
the new weed barn of Europe?
While the prevailing price per kilo in 2013 was € 200 (bought by Greek middlemen) in 2015 the kilo price had gone up to € 2,000 per kilo!
41
This summer a serious incident took place in the infamous marijuana village, Lazarat, in southern Albania. In a confrontation between weed farmers and special 'incorruptible' police forces from Tirana, one policeman was fatally injured. Since the Albanian authorities began in 2014 to attempt to put an end to the large-scale cultivation of cannabis plants in Lazarat, things have been tumultuous in the former North Korea of Europe. Per kilo prices have skyrocketed and more and more Albanians are hoping to supplement their meagre wages and pensions with the cultivation of cannabis outdoors. Soft Secrets’ own Charlie Stone was a guest in Lazarat a number of times in recent years and reports on a new War on Drugs, which has been Text and photos: Charlie Stone forced on Albania by the EU. Summer 2013, southern Albania. On the way to the picturesque town of Gjirokaster, home of one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, there is exactly one side road from the main road leading to the notorious weed village of Lazarat. There are no signposts, no road signs and no maps that even recognise the existence of the village. If you didn’t know better you’d assume this unremarkable road leaded to a dead end high in the mountains. But then it happens. At 150 metres altitude, I am literally hit by a cloud of powerful smelling weed air, despite the closed windows and air conditioning in our Land Rover. The smell is potent and comprehensive and there is no escape. It almost
The fields of Lazarat in 2013 seemed as if a pungent weed cloud had suddenly enveloped the whole mountain. At that moment I suddenly perceived the first small houses: we had reached the edge of Lazarat. Immediately noticeable are the huge marijuana plants that populate literally every centimetre of the roofs, balconies and gardens of the small houses. People were growing weed like there was no tomorrow. Then, after having driven roughly 100 metres over ugly concrete paths (asphalt has never been laid here by the govern-
ment, the makeshift mountain roads of concrete were constructed by the villagers themselves), we reached something of a checkpoint: a young boy who is perhaps 18 years old with a large Kalashnikov over his shoulder. The boy is a villager and it’s his job to hold back strangers attempting to travel to Lazarat. Tourists, journalists, travellers or even officials: no stranger enters Lazarat without an invitation from one of the residents. Because of my cultivation experience and thorough knowledge of cannabis
42 genetics I was fortunately a welcome guest, and also travelling together with a few inhabitants of the village. The smiling sentry beckoned us to enter. The concrete slabs that we had to climb became rougher and the slope steeper. We lurched suddenly with strange manoeuvres and surprising turns past rows of small houses. Here, too, everywhere we looked were giant marijuana plants baking in the sun. A large pool of blood loomed before us on the road, trickling slowly down the mountain... Fortunately no one was killed here; my driver explained that a sheep had just been slaughtered to mark the completion of a new house, a local ritual.
the purpose of growing marijuana. Cultivation was a huge success and of course the other villagers immediately jumped at the chance of a new source of income. A few years later Lazarat was Europe’s best kept secret: the weed barn that provided Greece and Italy with good quality outdoor weed. However, the first hic-
Back in the days of the insane communist dictator Enver Hoxha (who ruled the country between 1944 to 1985 as a kind of Stalinist Gulag which could only be compared with North Korea), Lazarat had a fearsome reputation as a 'rebellious' village. Many men and women from Lazarat were deported to camps from which they never returned. As an additional punishment, the dictator decided to have Lazarat cut off from all normal amenities such as water and electricity. Since Hoxha died and Albania slowly crawled out of the deep
have to be entirely eradicated. The Albanians were even offered help; because the country does not have helicopters Italy promptly put its own at their disposal. And so it happened that the people of Lazarat increasingly had to shoot at Italian helicopters to keep them at a distance. In vain, of course. Summer of 2014 brought Self dug wells help with irrigation
Who will get me going, folks?
A garden full of Skunk XL!
valley of Stalinism, not much has improved. The villagers still have to rely on themselves for everything to do with public works: the government in Tirana still does hardly anything for the village. It is therefore not surprising that approximately 10 years ago someone in Lazarat came up with the bright idea to cultivate cannabis for export. Albania's climate is perhaps the most weedfriendly climate in Europe; with an average summer temperature of 28 degrees and a pleasant humidity the country almost seems to have been created for
cup came when two Dutch tourists on mopeds accidentally ended up in Lazarat. The boys uploaded videos they took to YouTube and the 'secret' of Lazarat was no longer a secret. It did however take a few years for the government to get actively involved. Local agents and police were only too willingly bribed, making the weed industry in Lazarat a billion-Euro business, accounting for almost a third of the GNP. This was the reason for the sudden appearance of Lamborghinis and Maseratis driving through the unsightly village, and new houses being built everywhere. There was no real hurry to do anything against the 'bandits' from Lazarat as everyone partook in the profits. Unfortunately all of this changed when Albania began talks with Brussels about becoming a member of the EU in the distant future. One of the first things it was told was that the marijuana trade in and around Lazarat would
the long awaited police and army operation, during which the whole of Lazarat was temporarily evacuated and hundreds of thousands of marijuana plants in the prime of their lives were destroyed. This didn’t take place without a struggle, as the operation was preceded by three days of fierce firefights with the people of Lazarat, who refused to have their livelihoods taken away without putting up a struggle. When the smoke had cleared the entire male population of Lazarat appeared to have fled into the mountains. The police, special forces from Tirana who were not familiar with the local population, were able to start their work of destruction. We drove further up the mountain and then stopped at the house of one of my companions. As one of the few weed farmers in Lazarat this man was at least making some effort for his plants by supporting them with
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44 bamboo sticks, something otherwise hardly seen. And that's a shame, because the plants had all grown into monsters, with buds like milk bottles covered with a layer of THC crystals. The excellent climate makes for a perfect harvest, and by far most plants would yield at least a kilo. A conservative estimate of the number of plants in Lazarat in 2013: 1.1 million! Count your profits. Those profits have only increased in 2015. The prices have skyrocketed as a result of government repression While the prevailing price per kilo in 2013 was € 200
Mouth-watering buds...
Nicely packaged, ready for export.
It’s difficult to say what will happen to Lazarat in the future. The summer of 2015 didn’t bring very much good news. Although some residents gently tried to get things going
tion in the village. The cultivation of cannabis has consequently moved to the rest of Albania, no longer concentrated but rather spread throughout the country, which will
For a moment it feels like you are in Afghanistan
(bought by Greek middlemen) in 2015 the kilo price had gone up to € 2,000 per kilo! A tenfold increase. Albanians from across the country have jumped into the hole Lazarat was forced to leave. From Tropoje in the mountainous north to Flores on the coast, everywhere people have begun growing. For € 2,000 per kilo quite a large number of Albanians are willing to take risks; for most people in this otherwise poor country, € 2,000 is almost a year's salary! For a few days I examined the plants in Lazarat and gave tips and advice for a better harvest. But what can you say about plants that almost break in half due to the weight of their fat buds? The only real problem is the caterpillars, millions of which had attached themselves to the plants. The earth is also surprisingly fertile though large amounts of water need to be brought up on a daily basis with a water truck. Most growers have begun digging wells on the mountain themselves in which water can be stored for irrigation of their plants. The plants are grown on every spare centimetre of the soil and are therefore close together, which does not appear to harm them. The harvest that is extracted is mouth-watering and unthinkable in the Netherlands. The only thing the weed farmers of Lazarat get wrong is the drying process. After crews of cutters strip the plants of their leaves, the buds are hung out to dry ... in direct sunlight! Few bother to dry their peaks in the dark, often there is simply no space available. I later encounter a shed the size of an airplane hangar that is literally full of dried buds from floor to ceiling! We are no longer talking about kilos but tonnes of dried weed!
A field full of Special Queen
again, police officers quickly put an end to it. One could say that Lazarat is currently the most guarded village of Albania, because the agents from Tirana have already moved there permanently with a large police sta-
likely give the EU ministers significant new worries. And yet again we see the pointless and wasteful War on Drugs in full swing ...
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The online cannabis encyclopedia
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vision seeds www.visionseeds.nl
46
NEWS
Scotland Yard plans to monitor power surges to track cannabis farms Scotland Yard is examining plans to monitor the electricity power supply network in an effort to identify the location of industrial cannabis farms. Police hope that spikes in electricity usage could lead them to addresses being used by organised crime gangs to run skunk farms.
Index of ads
Name Page 00 Seeds Bank
39
Indica Head Shop
25
8 Ball Hydroponics
1
Jorge Cervantes
32
Advanced Seeds
15
LED Ventures
4
Amsterdam Seed Center
29
Mycologics
33
Atami
48
Paradise Seeds
1
Bonza Seeds
7
Paradise Seeds
11
Budmaster LED
43
Procare
33
Dinafem Seeds
19
SANlight
8
Dr. Blooms Hydroponics
1
Senua Hydroponics
41
Dr. Chronic
27
Smokin Vinyl
13
Dutch Passion
35
Sonic Hydroponics
13
Ed Rosenthal
22
Southern Hydro Centre
33
E-Nail
16
Stanford Hydroponics
1
Exotic Seed
37
Sweet Seeds
47
Genofarm
45
UK GroWorks
25
Green Shop
1
UK Skunkworks
25
Hesi
2
Vapour Evolution
1
Humboldt Seed Organization
31
Vision Seeds
45
Hy-pro
43
Zamnesia
45
Colofon More than 650 cannabis farms - which use high powered growing lamps are raided by police in England and Wales every month. Last month police in Kingston-upon-Thames found a cannabis “forest” larger than a football pitch that was hidden in suburban wasteland.
Soft Secrets is published by Discover Publisher BV P.O.Box 362, 5460 AJ, Veghel, Netherlands Telephone: +31-(0)73-5498112 Fax: +31-(0)73-5479732 E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl Editor: Cliff Cremer Contributors: Ed Rosenthal, Jorge Cervantes, Dr. John Dee, The Professor, Sativa Diva, Tony, Stoney Tark, Kali Mist, Robert B., Mr. Jose, Golgi Apparatus and others Comics: Jim Stewart Editorial adress: readers@softsecrets.nl Advertisements: E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl A word from the publisher: Soft Secrets is published in: The Netherlands (Highlife), Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Poland, Czech Republic, Chile and Argentina.
The Met had hoped to put forward a scheme to monitor the electricity network last year but the project failed to get Home Office funding. Now an anti-theft database is being launched by energy suppliers which could also be used by police forces to gather information about electricity usage Source: standard.co.uk Photos courtesy of Grass-o-Matic
The UK government has embarked on a process of relative liberalisation towards the use of cannabis, and cannabis activists are engaged in broadening this engagement. Several local councils and police chiefs now actively support a Dutch-style coffeeshop system
as a way of separating soft and hard drugs, as it has proven to do in Holland. Whether they are finding their way to new coffeeshops or growing for their personal supply, cannabis users are a menace to no one, and are causing no discernable social problem. Some politicians and commentators are calling for the outright legalisation of marihuana. Let’s wait and see how the debate develops during a period of relative peace between all sides of the argument. In the meantime, the publisher hopes Soft Secrets will show the public a positive side to the normalisation of cannabis use, and is anxious to offer a forum to both pro- and anti-legalisation advocates. This assumes that the publisher does not necessarily agree with everything that appears in articles and advertisements. The publisher therefore distances himself explicitly from published statements or images that might give the impression that an endorsement is being made for the use or production of cannabis. Nothing from this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format without prior permission from the publisher and other copyright holders. The publisher is not responsible for the content and/or point of view of advertisements. The editors take no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. The publisher has endeavored to reach all copyright holders of photos and/or images. Those who still believe they are entitled to these rights may contact the publisher.
Next issue out: December 24, 2015
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