LEARN TO GROW YOUR OWN MARIJUANA

GROWING PAINS, SHRINKING PAIN

CONTRIBUTOR ZACH STRONGE TAKES US ALONG HIS JOURNEY FROM GREEN THUMB TO GROWER

NICK STANLEY PHOTO

The fi rst puff was harsh, billowing and anxiety inducing. I was a “good” kid, a child who did not break rules or rebel against authority. But that day my friends and I smoked some joints in a car, drove to Taco Bell, pigged out, and then went to perform a school play. I realized at some point I had smoked too much when my teacher and stage assistant were mouthing my lines to me, while I stood frozen on stage. I awkwardly improvised my scene and scurried backstage to hide in embarrassment, without too much suspicion raised.

This was my fi rst brush with cannabis as an 18-year-old high school student.

This incident began what is now a lifelong passion; consuming, rolling, dabbing and now growing cannabis. At the time it was decriminalized by the Stephen Harper government, but I was a minor and had to buy from dealers and friends, so the risk to obtain it was high and the quality was questionable.

On Apr. 13, 2017, the Canadian government introduced a bill to legalize cannabis which passed the senate on June 19, 2018 with a legalization date of Oct. 17, 2018. Like a birthday present four days before my birthday and about 8 years since I had started smoking in the fi rst place, cannabis was fi nally legalized.

Legalization was and is one of the best moves made by the federal Liberal government. It is harm reduction by taking on the illegal market; where lack of regulation produces cheap products. Legalization also began the end of one aspect of the government’s persecutory treatment of people of colour, who were disproportionately affected by cannabis mandatory minimum sentences and fi nes, as well as for cultivation.

A reason to grow your own cannabis may stem from protest of legalization, to bring attention to the industry being run by police offi cers formerly opposed to legalization - such as Raf Souccar, Julian Fantino or Bill Blair, all of whom participated in the denigration of cannabis and its users - now profi ting off the legal market.

Cannabis growers may be born out of material necessity; the average price of legal cannabis is approximately $5/ gram, compared to $2-3/gram for home cultivated cannabis. Growers may also be born through simple curiosity, but whatever the reason, cannabis legalization has brought millions of Canadians a new pastime and point of pride, being the only country besides Uruguay to fully legalize cannabis.

One of the most important pathways legalization has opened has been in the fi eld of medical cannabis. Prior to legalization, research into cannabis was stagnant and underdeveloped. Recent gains in the research suggest specifi c Cannabinoids such as Delta THC-9 may play a role in psychosis developing in otherwise healthy adults. Research into Cannabinoids can help identify the harmful and the harmless forms of Tetrahydro Cannabinoids, as well as help companies develop more and effective medicinal effects for users.

Medical research will also lead to less insurance speculation of medical effi cacy, paving the way for medical cannabis to be covered under health insurance more broadly. Currently there are only a handful of insurance providers who offer coverage for medical cannabis.

Broadening access to patients who need relief from pain, or issues with eating, or terminally ill patients in need of specifi c strains, will be a net positive for Canadian. That’s a goal worth achieving.

With all that being said, before growing can even begin to think about growing, you will need the hardware. In the next columnw you will fi nd a non-exhaustive list of materials and tools that will help you get started. Keep in mind that cultivation includes drying the cannabis on racks and curing it in glass mason jars.

Additionally, these are the two best online resources I can recommend; Coco for Cannabis https://www. cocoforcannabis.com/ and Grow Weed Easy https://www.growweedeasy.com/.

They are both incredible resources for the fi rst time and the experienced grower. Looking to grow at home? Here’s what you’ll need: 1. Tent or mylar fi lm 2. Growing material 3. Nutrients 4. Fabric pots 5. Grow light 6. Water fi ltration system 7. pH Down 8. Watering can 9. Carbon fi lter and intake fan 10. Duct tubing 11. Durable tape 12. Paper towel 13. pH test strips 14. Combination Hygrometer thermometer

BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF GROWING YOUR OWN CANNABIS PLANTS IS DAUNTING, CONFUSING AND, UNFORTUNATELY, A LITTLE EXPENSIVE. THERE ARE SOME PROS, HOWEVER, LIKE GROWING YOUR OWN CANNABIS BEING CHEAPER THAN BUYING IT ON A REGULAR BASIS. YOU CAN ALSO CONTROL WTHE PROCESS AND PRODUCE THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY BUDS, IN THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS WAY.

A STEP-BY-STEP, BARE BONES SET OF INSTRUCTIONS ARE CONTAINED BELOW, AND SHOULD PROVIDE HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR THE BUDDING GROWER.

1. First, you will need to choose a space to grow in your home. If you share the domicile, it is best to gain consent to grow from roommates/housemates. This is unless you have personal space that is sequestered, such as a closet in your room, which would insulate others from the smell, which will be distinct during the fl ower stage. 2. Next, once a space is determined, an appropriate tent; or even a cardboard box with refl ective mylar fi lm roll should be set up with a grow light. Grow lights come in three different professional varieties: high pressure sodium, fl uorescent (CFL) and LED bulbs. All three types have advantages and disadvantages, but for the price and effi ciency, LED lights are by far the best of the three. I recommended LED lights, specifi cally the brands; Mars Hydro, Spider Farmer or VivoSun. 3. The next choice is what material, or medium, to grow in. Soil is the cheapest, most universally used medium. For soil, Fox Farms soil is above and beyond the best, hands down. Coco coir, which is shredded coconut hands down. Coco coir, which is shredded coconut fi bers buffered with calcium and magnesium, is an inexpensive, recyclable, and inert option. It is also resistant to pests and root rot. For everything coco coir, I recommend Coco Canna for both nutrients and the physical medium. Hydroponics uses water and nutrients, constantly pumped over the roots, to produce the highest yields and the fastest growth times. In terms of diffi culty, soil is easiest to use, while coco coir and hydroponics are for intermediate and advanced growers. For hydroponics I recommend using the brand General Hydroponics. 4. If smell is a concern, an intake fan with a carbon fi lter is recommended� it will take the dank smells of fl owering buds and make your operation scentless. Intake fans and carbon fi lters correspond to growing space size, so buying space appropriate intake fans is necessary, but the brand isn’t important to be picky. Some hardware stores carry intake fans, as will the local hydroponics store. 5. Now that equipment is mostly taken care of, it is time to germinate seeds. Seeds can be purchased legally through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS); or through other online retailers, but the product grown from seeds not bought from the OCS is considered illegal. First time growers should use auto-fl owering, feminized seeds, as they will switch between vegetative stage to fl owering stage automatically and have no chance to be male. Male plants are undesirable, as cannabis grows only in the absence of male pollen. Soak your seeds in reverse osmosis or distilled water for 24 hours, place seeds on a paper towel and spray with reverse osmosis water to keep the paper towel moist. Cover seed with a paper towel and continue to soak and monitor them for an emerging taproot. 6. Once the tap root has emerged from the seed shell, place it in the growing medium approximately 1.3 cm (0.5”) deep, with the taproot facing down. Growers must take care to handle the seedlings carefully as the taproot is easily damaged. You can amend soil and coco coir with perlite to prevent compaction but it is not necessary. 7. The grow light should be 30 to 45 cm from the seedling or maturing plant, this is to ensure both maximum light utilization and to prevent foliage burn. 8. Water for soil should be pH 5.8-6.2 and 6.0-6.5 for coco coir for maximum nutrient absorption at the root, with as little work on the part of the plant as possible. Add nutrients to a container, following the manufacturer’s feed directions, then test the solution for pH levels. To manage pH, it is recommended to buy pH down (more acidic) or pH up (less acidic, more basic). Adding nutrients to your water will change the pH, so adding nutrients fi rst , then the PH amendments is the best way to prepare nutrient mixes. 9. After about 8-12 weeks, the plant will be most likely ready to switch from vegetative stage, to fl owering stage. Auto-fl owering seeds will begin to show tear-drop shaped budding sites at the crevice between the plant’s limbs and the main stem. When starting seedlings, a light cycle of 16 hours on, and 8 off is advisable. When switching to the fl owering stage, the light cycle will be 12 hours on and 12 hours off. 10. About 6-8 weeks after fl owering has started, your buds should be almost fully developed, if your plant is an auto-fl owering cultivar, then it will begin to show signs of the plant signalling harvest time. Regular feminized seeds allow the grower to control when the fl owering stage is initiated and can therefore allow the plant to develop further past these general timelines. These signs will include; fan leaves browning and dying, lack of rapid growth in the buds and eventually, if left too long, bud rot and complete plant death. 11. Once the plant is ready to harvest, it should be fl ushed of nutrients excess nutrients in the plant will cause the bud to taste bad and the smoke harsh. Flush the plant for two to three days before harvest. I recommend General Hydroponics Flora Kleen, one or two fl ushes with fl ora clean will leave your bud tasting and smoking cleanly. 12. For harvesting, a grower will need a drying rack, trimmers, and gloves. Bud should be dried for 5-7 days or until the stems attached to buds snap with a satisfying, stick like sound. Once dried and trimmed, buds should be cured, but this is not a necessary step and changes the buds’ taste as well as the kind of high one can experience. 13. After about a month, the fi rst changes to cured bud can be observed and felt, the crystal structures visible on the buds will change color from clear, to amber, which is THC breaking down to another cannabinoid, cannabinol or CBN. CBN produces pronounced body effects compared to more cerebral effects produced by THC. The taste of cannabis changes over time as well as terpenes, the molecules responsible for cannabis’ fl avor break down. It is possible to cure buds for the long term, but for the smoker who grows it for daily consumption, a month is the most ideal compromise.