2011 02 UK

FREE 18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publisher BV Netherlands

In this issue:

Issue 2 - 2011

An Interesting Conundrum?

Question: When is cannabis not cannabis?

Answer: When it’s a medicine and not a recreational drug. Or so it appears.

Or maybe that’s wrong as well.

Apologies, readers; I’m trying to get something straight in my own head here, and sort of thinking out loud as I write this.

Cannabis isn’t cannabis when a pharmaceutical company stands to make/lose a load of money from it. Or not.

Spring Planting ›› 12 DRIP IRRIGATION This issue we put the spotlight on a method that is simple to set up and produces results so good that it is utilised in commercial growing applications across the globe, from producing quality tomatoes for the biggest UK supermarkets to producing top quality smoke for the coffee shops of Amsterdam. Our quest for quicker crop cycles and heavier yields continues; this issue, we take a closer look at the drip irrigation... ››

Okay, here’s the thing. Semi regular readers of this column will at least be aware of an outfit called GW Pharmaceuticals, the leading exponents of cannabis-based medicine.

That’s to say, cannabis that doesn’t get one high, but does make the use feel better (all a bit vague, I know, but I don’t know what more I can tell you; we’re in the realm of the very vague.

And just wait! It gets better!).

basically cannabis, and cannabis is an illegal drug with (and this is the sucker punch) no medical benefits.

Yes, readers, this is the enormous elephant – mammoth is perhaps a better way of describing it – in the corner of the room. After all the time, after

AFTER ALL THE TIME, AFTER ALL THE EFFORT, AFTER ALL THE MONEY THAT GW PHARMACEUTICALS HAVE INVESTED 15 IN THIS PROJECT, WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY HAVE AT THE END OF IT? TINCTURE OF CANNABIS, THAT’S WHAT

Weed in Thailand: Law and Reality ›› 21

GW Pharmaceuticals have been fannying around genetically modifying this cannabis isomer (or whatever), chemically tweaking that cannabis polymer (or whatever: this isn’t really my area, you understand), for a good ten years now that I’m aware of, and in the process have poured tens of millions of shareholders pounds into this “wonder drug” (it’s called Sativex), and now all that blood, sweat and tears is coming to fruition.

Except that the fact of the matter is that, however it’s dressed up, Sativex is still

all the effort, after all the money that GW Pharmaceuticals have invested in this project, what exactly do they have at the end of it? Tincture of cannabis, that’s what. Basically active cannabis is extracted from the plant using alcohol, so what you’ve got – stripped right down to the basics – is something like dope oil with a bit of booze in there for added oomph.

Now, leaving aside the whole issue of the inclusion of alcohol in this mix, there are a load of other bits to chew over here.

So, what is Sativex, then? Um, it’s er, cannabis.

What? All the stuff I’ve been reading about this wonder drug for goodness knows how many years; you’re telling me it’s just cannabis?

Well, it’s not quite just cannabis...

Oh, okay. How’s it different?

Um, we’ve modified it a bit.

Right. Modified it how, exactly?

Well, it’s very complicated and you wouldn’t really understand...

Try me.

Oh, okay then. Blah blah changed the structure blah same effect as dope.

But if it has the same effect as dope and it comes from the cannabis plant, isn’t it just, effectively dope?

Er, I’m glad you raised that...

And don’t the Home Office, the minister for drugs and all the rest of them still have Continues on page 3

3 Continued from front page fancy packaging, rather than just buy half an ounce off the bloke in the pub? Or better still, grow it yourself?

Ah, look, while I’d love to chat to you, I really do have to be somewhere...

this cannabis has no medical value thing?

I’m sure you do. Well, nice talking to you; do please let me know how you get on. I really do want to know how the government plan to make a killing on this while putting Joe Public in jail for doing exactly the same thing. You will be sure to let me know, won’t you?

Er, um, yes they do, but...

So how are you planning to get this “wonder drug” licensed?

Strain: Genetic background: THC Level: Indoor yield: Outdoor yield: Photo: Pyramid Seeds

White Widow x AK-47 Indica 60% / Sativa 40% 16%-20% 53-63 days Late September

Er...

Best, Dr John

Why should it be okay to buy cannabis off a pharmaceutical company because it’s in

Comments to the usual address: dimethyltryptamine777@hotmail.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Osiris

This variety of Pyramid Seeds is the result of the cross between two of the recent years’ most valuable and appreciated varieties. White Widow is the most frequently used plant in the creation of new varieties, while Ak-47 – adored by the majority of cultivators – is no less appreciated or valuable. This clash of titans led to Osiris, a stable and productive variety, with a fruity scent and a strong, long-lasting effect.

These plants are large and sturdy with wide, dark-green leaves and large, thick, crystalline buds. This variety is easy to grow, and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor growing.

In the UK, we’ve an expression for this: hoisted by your own petard.

Osiris Readers Letters Products Springplanting with Lazystrain Hydro systems, part 3 Cannabis Pioneers RIP Smiley Weed in Thailand Dutch Passion The Prague Cup 2011 The root zone Spring planting with Grubbycup Sweet Seeds Jorge Cervantes Ice hash Ed Rosenthal Spannabis The mother room Atami King Shiloh Hot Wax Shops

3 5 11 12 15 18 19 21 25 28 30 33 35 39 43 45 50 52 54 57 58 60

PAGE 3 GIRL DEAR SOFT SECRETS PRODUCT FLASH CULTIVATE CULTIVATE BACKGROUND BACKGROUND TRAVEL PROFILE EVENTS CULTIVATE CULTIVATE PROFILE Q&A DIY ASK ED EVENTS CULTIVATE PROFILE MUSIC MUSIC REVIEWS

5 Readers Stuff

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 or send them to our PoBox. 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!

PoBox 17250, 1001 JG, Amsterdam, Holland E-mail: SSUK@softsecrets.nl

Hi, these are some beauties from France, both are good!

Jack Herrer Hydro and Samygirl.

Automated hydroponic pots can reduce the amount of work for a gardener.

Third attempt in a tent and by far the best. Each branch is like a whole plant! She is a Paradise Seeds Delahaze grown in a modified water farm in clay pebbles. GHE nutes and no boosters! 4 week veg 8 week flower + 1 week flush. 600w light in a 1x1x2m tent.

She smells sooooo good! Too bad u dont have smellOvision! Check out the close ups. Don’t she look tasty? I estimate well over 10oz dry on this one!

THANKS FOR ALL THE TIPS AND ADVICE IN YOUR GREAT PAPER. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! J. SOUTH EAST. Good use of a small space. Pretty specimens such as this could be grown as ornamentals in a just world. 8 weeks of flower and one of flush is in line with the Paradise Seed estimate of 9 weeks. Delahaze can get bushy if left in growth for too long, but it appears that you have a nice balance between the number of buds and the size of each

Hi guys, I am an avid reader of your great magazine and love looking at the various strains shown for personal reference. I just thought I would send this photo of a Big Devil from Sweet Seeds an automatic I grew towards the end of last year. I grew it in a Wilma 4-pot system under 1200w HPS using Canna Aqua Vega and Flora A&B, with Rhizotonic, Cannazym, Bud Blood, PK13/14 and double Canna boost, it was ready from seed to harvest in 9.5 weeks and yielded 192 grams dry!

ANONYMOUS Automatic cultivars flower without a changing the lighting to a long night period. Because the change from growth to flower is out of the gardener’s control, care must be taken to ensure vigorous and speedy vegitative growth. If an automatic cultivar is still small when it starts to flower, the harvest will be disappointing. However, with solid early growth, automatics can also produce plants like this one.

6

Hi Soft Secrets, First of all thank you for a great magazine. I try and pick up every copy but sometimes I have to go to 3-4 shops before I get my hands on one, and even then sometimes they have all gone, but it’s worth the effort for all the invaluable information you give us, especially the Dummies Growing Guide that I downloaded from you. Thought you might like to see my 3rd attempt at growing my own smoke, My mate gave me one Feminised Critical Jack seed from DinaFem that I grew into a mother plant and then took 10 clones from her, After I rooted them in Root Riot cubes under a 250W 6400K CFL I re-potted into 6.5litre pots with BioBizz Light Mix and put them straight into flower (due to time restraints) under a 600W Sunmaster Super High Output HPS, in a 1.2mx1.2mx2.0m Budbox. I used the complete BioBizz range of nutrients apart from the alg-amic (which I’ve never used). To tell you the truth I didn’t hold out much hope due to rushing them but they turned out to be really good, they grew to about 70-80cm high and put my carbon filter through its paces as they were very VERY stinky, I got 183grams of dry product from them. Take it easy and keep writing your brill mag.

KIDD Readers can download the Dummies Growing Guide for free at www.softsecrets. nl. A balance of theory and practical application is the key to a successful grower.

The day one stops learning is the day one stops getting better. Small boxes with large lights is becoming a popular choice, but care must be taken as they are prone to heat issues. Critical Jack is a very popular Critical+ x Jack Herer cross, and feminized seeds eliminates the need for sexing.

Here are some updated pics of my lady that I first sent you a few years ago (she is still number 8 in the UK and I believe up in your NL Headquarters) with some more lovely Bubblegum with three weeks to go.

KEVIN For fans of the smell of pink bubblegum, the Bubblegum aroma develops nicely during curing.

My plant is producing resin, literally dripping. I first noticed it was getting a bit sticky beside the pot.

After inspecting it, noticed a resin dripping of the leaves, and the stem. It’s my World of Seeds cross/ Domina Star x Yumbolt47.

It got a light pollution of the dark period at week 4/5,b ut other than that nothing eventful happened. I have grown this strain (Starbolt47) before and this never happened.

There is still about a week left to go, it is about half the size as it normally is but crystal production is increased. Have attached a few pics, can get better ones if need be.I’ve never seen this before and was wondering is this normal?

ANONYMOUS That’s not resin, and it’s not normal. It is difficult to tell from the photos, but it appears that you have an insect infestation. What is dripping may be sap from wounds inflicted by the bugs. Take a sheet of paper, and gently scrape some of those white dots onto the paper. Observe them, and see if they move when exposed to a hot light. If the plant is infested, left untreated it can infect the entire garden.

8

ANONYMOUS From the looks of the bud development, it looks like your lights are either underpowered or set too high. Trimming the lower growth can help encourage top development, and cut down on the number of popcorn buds at harvest.

These are my two babys one is my Dinafem Blue Hash grow under 400w sodium with Biocanna feed flores and boost, she’s covered in nice hard sticky buds not sure of yield cus its still got a week to go but enough about the plant... the other one is just happy posing for you lot.

DR GREEN THUMB Dinafem’s Blue Hash is a cross of Blueberry with a California Hash Plant. Very nice use of a 400 watt high pressure sodium.

This is a IWS 12 pot under 5 600w Cool Tubes got 55 dry, two strains Blue Cheese and Chronic Cheese.

Beautifully packaged, like holiday gifts. Looks like it would make for a very nice holiday.

Venting lights allows for them to be closer to the plants, and reduces waste heat released into the garden. It appears that you are a fan of Cheese crosses. It is a good idea to try several similar crosses once you find a cultivar you like to find the one that agrees with you best.

Foto : Soft Secrets archive

11

PRODUCTS BLOOMBASTIC

TML-THE MISSING LINK® THE ULTIMATE FLOWERBOOSTER

Bloombastic is a high-quality cocktail of biominerals and bio-stimulators that is suitable for the last flowering and ripening phase (4-6 weeks). Bloombastic increases the sugar content of your crop and therefore the weight and the smell. Through an explosion of sugar and flower production Bloombastic provides thick, dense, sweet-smelling flowers.

This most recent product from the Bio Nova laboratory, protects plants from damaging external influences, it stimulates the plant’s natural defence system, and demonstrably increases the yield.

Compared with other liquid flowering products Bloombastic contains over 50% more biominerals (phosphorus and potassium) for which absolutely no ballast substances have been used (sodium and chlorine). Bloombastic also has an enzymatic influence in several areas and therefore exercises a stress-preventing and recovering influence on the plant.

Nowadays people cultivate all sorts of crops in our overcultivated environment.

They disregard the needs of crops, and often disrespect the laws of nature. These facts lead to deficiencies, which result into a great number of plagues and diseases among, not only animals and plants, but also human beings. Moreover, as a result of deficiencies of these essential nutrients, organisms are no longer able to fully develop themselves.

The Missing Link consists of a great number of special trace elements that have become essential for the growth and flowering of any living creature on this planet as a result of a process of millions of years of absorption and release by plants and animals, composting, re-absorption, microbic activities etc.,

The administration of these indispensable nutrients leads to an unprecedented positive effect on both the quality and the yield of treated crops. This product fills the hole in the foodchain which had not been discovered before. Rightfully, this product can be called The Missing Link…

Available in 100ml, 250 ml, 325 ml, 1,25 L and 5,5 L.

The Missing Link could be used in combination with BN X-ceL. This forms an ideal combination during the growing and flowering period.

COCO / HYDRO / SOIL BOOSTERS The booster has a favourable impact on important micro-organisms and bacteria that give soil live a proper boost and thus help to improve the condition of the plant.

This way the Booster ensures extra stability and a biological balance in the substrate, which will increase the development of the root system.

In addition to aquatic bacteria this booster also contains essential chelated micronutrients. Micro-nutrients are nutrition components that the plant absolutely needs to develop well, but cannot produce by itself. This booster therefore ensures that shortages during the growing cycle will not occur quickly. The Booster also helps to set the citric acid cycle in motion, so that all important nutrients are converted directly into energy for the plant.

DOSAGE: Its usage is easy: TML in a 1:2000 dosage (50 ml. per 100 liters) continuously or weekly in a 1:500 dosage in a single feed.

As a spray: 1:1000 (1 ml. per liter) solution. Overdosage is impossible.

TML should be applied from the first week of growth until the final week of flowering. TML is mixable with all fertilizers. » www.bionova.nl

The Coco, Hydro and Soil Boosters are available for T44, S.A. and I.D. » www.atami.com

More

green BioNova does the research. They have the high-tech environment and the skill to develop top quality fertilizers and growth enhancers.

And… they have a mission.

Each Bio Nova product is produced using ingredients of the highest quality possible which are then blended in ways that insure maximum HIÀFDF\ <28 LPPHGLDWHO\ JDLQ D IDU EHWWHU UHVXOW with far less effort. Everybody wins!

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W W W. B I O N O VA . N L

Bio Nova’s professionals, based on years of practical experience, know which products perform best. Because we are always looking for ways to make our formulas better and your work easier, our assortment of products is constantly being reviewed, UHÀQHG DQG HQKDQFHG LQ RXU modern laboratories. The result is cutting edge formulas that deliver maximum yield with minimal effort.

rogrow SCOTLAND

12

OUTDOOR

by Lazystrain Nature works in cycles throughout the seasons. Not long after Jack Frosts and Winter pack their bags for another year, then Spring appears and injects Mother Nature with a new sense of direction.

Nature provides many signs that Springtime has arrived; from the Mad March Hare in the field to the birds and the bees in the trees. For many cultures Springtime is a season that represents energy, renewal, and a sense of belonging. This is especially the case with Gardeners and outdoor Cannabis Growers who are most active at this time of year.

in growing herbs, fruits, and vegetables at home. In places (and sad-cases) this has reduced certain aspects of horticulture down into almost bite-size pieces – without ever explaining the main ingredients behind the knowledge.

As a Horticulturalist and Amateur Botanist it is slightly disturbing to think that the wonders of Nature have been watered down so readily into the latest ‘fad’ or ‘fashion’. Whereby those adults that are not currently “growing their own” at home, are now considered not “cool” or worst still “bad parents”. In fact the Chelsea-Tractor (Land Rover) drivers whizzing their kids to school are all forgiven for any ecological damage they do, so long as they are growing a few rows of carrots at home!

The main reproach to the cynicism displayed above is of course the culturalwealth in rediscovering food and the joys of gardening for ourselves. More importantly perhaps teaching the next generation of children how Nature works and where the food they are eating comes from. In this sense, the trend of glamoris-

As the days draw longer and the air feels warmer, the harmonious rhythm of seeds falling from seed packets begins.

Seed sowing is a means of mimicking Nature. By saving, storing, and sowing seeds Gardeners have learnt how to increase the survival rate of many plant species. In the Northern Hemisphere the majority (not all) of the Annual plants (those that only live for one year) require a spring sowing. Today the majority of the Annual seeds in the UK are cultivated for aesthetic purposes only. Traditionally however the purpose of cultivating Annual seeds was in the aim of producing food, fibre, and/or medicine.

Luckily, a great number of Gardeners still cultivate plants exclusively for the purpose of producing their own food, fibre, and medicine at home. From inner-city allotments to yuppie-owned cottages the ‘Grow Your Own’ bug has spread like thrips on the wind in recent summers. Aided by governmentbacked television initiatives employing gourmet chefs to promote a new ‘trend’

ing Nature and the every day aspects of gardening (in High Definition) is perhaps a positively good thing, propagating cultural-value way into the future (?)

General consensus and the mainstream media however still alienates one plant specifically above all others. When it does discuss the role of this plant within society it projects it with such a negative and downtrodden image, that if we slipped into anthropomorphism for just one second, it would appear to be racist. So abundant, mistreated, forlorn and unwanted, the mainstream media simply called it a “weed” for ages. This plant, which social-scientists are aiming to eradicate from the botanical record, and the minds of society, is as naturally as it occur Cannabis.

The champion plant of all food, fibre, and medicine is Cannabis sativa / indi-

ca. The nutritional value, fibre content, and medicinal qualities are proven to out grow any other plant species on the planet, meter by meter, pound for pound, hector by hector. The number one cash-crop in California today is not as imagined Grapefruit, Orange, or even Watermelon. It is Cannabis sativa / indica! The fine balance between the longer flowers and taste of Cannabis sativa combined with the shorter flowering period and higher CBD content of Cannabis indica was discovered years ago in California (and later in Holland).

Since then every season gardeners all over the world have followed this tradition of sowing seeds in Spring.

There are several reasons why Springtime sowing is advantageous - even when working indoors! Firstly the general air temperature is warmer and relatively stable. This in turn encourages warmer soil temperatures which promotes healthy root growth. Secondly the outdoor photoperiod, solar and lunar alignments arguably helps seedlings to grow stronger and healthier. This is also the case when cultivated at night-time under lamps! Much of which is relative to the barometric pressure surrounding the seed and later the seedling itself. Thirdly, humans are naturally more active and inquisitive in the Spring months – both physically and mentally. This is especially the case with outdoor Gardeners who are busy plotting and planning the year.

Most outdoor / greenhouse growers will already have their benches cleaned and plant pots filled with soil ready of the season ahead. If not they will have already started sowing seeds indoors, ready to plant outdoors as soon as the last threat of frost passes over. The cannabis sowing season outdoors lasts from May to July in the Northern Hemisphere leaving outdoor growers with plenty of room to expand. Unlike other crops which require a sett period of growth, Cannabis can

be flowered at any time after 14 days of growth, simply by depriving the plants of 12hours of sunlight. Arguably the outdoor Gardener with both a greenhouse and a potting shed comes into guru in this situation – flowering cannabis as and when required.

Conversely, “auto-flowering seeds” flower themselves outdoors (under any daylength) from May to September/October.

Several breeders also put out ‘feminized auto-flowering seeds’, which (when genetically stable) are practically idiot proof in any outdoor garden. Besides being useful for sowing alongside main crops of regular seeds, the fashion for ‘feminized autoflowering seeds’ however, sadly follows many of the ‘patterns of trend’ typical of domesticated markets.

The most downtrodden within any society are those least understood. Within horticulture this botanical-menace is Cannabis. Within Cannabis Culture the next social-pariah is the ‘male’ ... yet ironically Cannabis Culture cannot naturally progress into the next season without both aspects the ‘yin’ (the female) and the ‘yang’ (the male). Such is the way of Mother Nature.

15

INDOOR HYDRO OVER HAND WATERING PART 3

Drip Irrigation This issue we put the spotlight on a method that is simple to set up and produces results so good that it is utilised in commercial growing applications across the globe, from producing quality tomatoes for the biggest UK supermarkets to producing top quality smoke for the coffee shops of Amsterdam. Our quest for quicker crop cycles and heavier yields continues; this issue, we take a closer

By Little Lebowski look at the drip irrigation...

Think of drip irrigation and what springs to mind? Probably large scale greenhouse cultivation; acres and acres of tomatoes or cucumber plants, grown on rockwool slabs with miles of dripper line connected to computers that control complex feeding schedules. A little too complicated for the home grower, right?

Wrong! Drip irrigation is one of the simplest and most flexible hydro methods on the market and it is available on any scale, from one plant upwards!

Drip irrigation systems for the home grower offer the quicker growth cycles and bigger yields of active hydro, with the flexibility to grow in any medium - soil, coco, rockwool or clay – and even grow in pots.

So, how does drip irrigation work? Let’s start at the beginning...

What is drip irrigation?

There are many types of drip irrigation, but they all work on the same principle. Your plants are started in a growing medium and a dripper is placed into, or suspended over, the medium. The dripper is attached to a dripper line, which is in turn attached to a pump.

ent solution used by the plant is easily measured and this allows you to tailor the number of feeds to achieve the optimum growth and yields.

Drip irrigation offers something for every grower, from the soil lover who just wants to keep their pots automatically watered, to the hydro expert who is looking to measure the nutrient uptake of their crop on a daily basis and devise the perfect feeding schedule for their own growing environment.

One is for sure, if it is the preferred method for the commercial growers, then it is certainly worth giving it a try! Read on...

Why drip irrigation over hand watering pots? t 1MBOUT HSPX GBTUFS BOE ZJFME NPSF plants take up more water and nutrients than they would with hand watering, feeding little and often throughout the day is healthier than giving one large feed every other day t (FUT OVUSJFOUT XIFSF UIFZ OFFE UP CF - in a drip irrigation system you aren’t relying on capillary action to deliver water and nutrients to the plants roots.

Instead, drippers feed the roots from

DRIP IRRIGATION IS ONE OF THE SIMPLEST AND MOST FLEXIBLE HYDRO METHODS ON THE MARKET AND IT IS AVAILABLE ON ANY SCALE, FROM ONE PLANT UPWARDS! You keep your nutrient solution in a reservoir and, at periods set on a timer, nutrient solution is pumped from the reservoir, through the dripper line and delivered to plant via the dripper.

The nutrient solution works its way through the medium and over the roots of your plants, draining out through the growing medium and drawing oxygen into the root zone. Feeding small doses of water and nutrient at frequent periods throughout the day, means that the growing medium will not get totally saturated and there will always be plenty of oxygen present around the roots of the plant. This ensures healthy development and faster growth.

As plants mature, the number of feed periods is increased. The amount of nutri-

above and gravity pulls the nutrient solution down. Feeding techniques that rely on capillary action make the medium at the bottom of the pot wetter than anywhere else, which can stunt root development and slow plant growth. t 3FEVDFE DIBODF PWFS PS VOEFS XBUFSJOH - when plants are fed little and often, the medium is never saturated or starved of nutrient solution. Hand watering plants once every few days can result in waterlogging because the plants can’t take up all the solution given to them in one go. t -FTT XPSL o ESJQ JSSJHBUJPO TZTUFNT BSF low maintenance. Manage one nutrient solution tank for all of your plants and top up every couple of days – far easier than hand watering.

Types of drip irrigation system There are many types of drip system avail-

A VERY HAPPY PLANT IN A FLO GRO DRIP SYSTEM

able to the home grower, they fall under two main categories;

results achievable using these systems have to be seen to be believed!

t Recirculating systems In recirculation drip irrigation, the plants usually sit above the nutrient reservoir.

Whatever solution the plants do not use runs through the growing medium and back into the reservoir, ready to be pumped back to the plants again. The benefit of these systems is that they are simple to operate and set up and, because all the workings sit above the nutrient reservoir, they are virtually leak proof. There are three main types of recirculating systems...

Popular versions of these systems available in the UK are the AquaFarm, WaterFarm and the Flo-Gro.

t Single drip ring systems In a single drip ring system, plants sit in a planter, usually filled with clay pebbles, placed above a nutrient solution reservoir.

The nutrient solution works its way through the medium and over the roots of your plants. Whatever the plants don’t take up, drains through the holes in the tank, ready to be pumped through the drippers again.

Feeding schedules are set on a timer and solution is automatically pumped from the reservoir and out of the drip ring directly onto the root zone. Plants receive all the nutrients and water they need as well as superb oxygen access; because every time the system drains, oxygen is pulled down into the root zone.

Pot dripper systems are perfect for beginners or growers who want to make that first step to hydro because they can be used with any growing medium and offer the familiarity of using pots.

When used with clay pebbles, drip ring systems provide a healthy, oxygen-rich root zone, thanks to the free draining nature of the medium. The ideal environment for keeping a mother plant long term or just taking one big plant to flower and achieving the maximum amount of buds! Some of the yield

t Pot Dripper System In a pot dripper system, pots are placed on a tray above a reservoir. Plants and drippers are placed in the pots along with your chosen growing medium.

The feeding frequency is set with a timer, whereby the nutrient solution is pumped from the reservoir to the drippers, and over the roots.

Popular pot dripper systems available in the UK include the Wilma system - which is available in a wide range of sizes and pot variations - and, more recently, modular pot dripper systems that allow you to space plants under lights however you like – so they can grow huge! t The Dutch Dripper System Very similar to the pot system in that the plants sit on a tray above the res-

16

THE FLO GRO – PROVIDES A GREAT

THE AQUAFARM – A SINGLE DRIP

ENVIRONMENT FOR MOTHER PLANTS

RING POWERED BY AN AIR PUMP

ervoir, but the Dutch Dripper system uses slabs – either rockwool or coir rather than pots. t Run to waste systems In a run to waste system, nutrient solution is pumped from a reservoir to the plants using lines and drippers, but rather than draining back into the nutrient reservoir, the solution runs out of the growing medium and into a waste tank or drain, it is not reused.

Run to waste systems tend to be used in commercial scale cultivation, the main benefit being that the nutrient solution is always fresh and contains the optimum balance of elements.

t Experienced growers looking for a hydro system that allows them to monitor nutrient uptake and set an optimum feeding schedule to maximise yield should try a pot dripper system with a hydro medium like clay pebbles or try a Dutch Dripper system. t 1FSTPOBM HSPXFST DPVME HSPX POF CJH

clay, use an unrestricted dripper. This will allow the nutrient solution to flow over the roots as quickly as the pump will allow and will pull lots of oxygen into the root zone as it drains through the medium. If you are using an absorbent medium like soil, coco or rockwool use a dripper that restricts the flow rate other-

weeks or sooner if the level of solution is running low. t 6TF BO BOUJ CMPDLJOH BHFOU %SJQQFS MJOF has a small internal diameter and over the course of a full grow – 8 to 14 weeks, depending on strain – there is the potential for these dripper lines to become blocked, particularly if you use concentrated, mineral nutrients and stimulators (and if you want the biggest amount of bud possible, you will be!). Adding an anti blocking agent to your reservoir will keep things flowing freely.

Many large scale cannabis growers use run to waste systems as they are very simple to set up, reduce the watering workload and produce great results. Plants can be grown in pots filled with growing media or in rockwool or coir slabs.

One major benefit of run to waste dripper systems is that they are so easy to expand.

Extra lines and drippers can be added to THE EVER POPULAR WILMA DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM the system easily.

Just make sure that the solution run off is contained properly. A full hundred litres of nutrient solution leaking out of your system is likely to bring some unwanted attention to your grow!

As drip irrigation is such a flexible method and there are so many styles of system available, there is something for every grower; t /FX HSPXFST XIP XBOU BO FBTZ UP VTF system so that they can concentrate on maintaining their growing environment should try a pot dripper system.

OF THE DUTCH DRIPPER SYSTEM

Quick Q&A with a Pot Dripper Grower plant full cycle in a drip ring system or get the most from a small number of plants in a 1.2 metre tent with a pot dripper system.

IN A POT SYSTEM THE SPACING IS ALREADY DECIDED, YOU CAN GET THEM WITH THE POTS CLOSELY SPACED FOR A SEA OF GREEN OR SPACED FAR APART IF YOU WANT TO GROW SOME TREES! What type of grower is drip irrigation good for?

AQUA TRAYS ARE A KEY COMPONENT

t -BSHF TDBMF HSPXFST TIPVME MPPL UP B custom built run to waste system where they can spread their plants out in a large area and feed them from one reservoir.

The Three Steps To Drip Irrigation Heaven! t 6TF UIF DPSSFDU ESJQQFS GPS UIF HSPXJOH medium. Drippers are available in a wide range of sizes and flow rates. If you are growing in a free draining medium like

wise the growing medium will become saturated. A 2 litre per hour dripper set on a 15 minute feed will deliver half a litre of nutrient solution to the plant.

Ideal for most plants. t *ODSFBTF UIF OVNCFS PG GMPPE QFSJPET as your plants mature and increase in size. This will ensure you get the maximum growth and the biggest yields.

When using clay pebbles, set the timer to two 15 minute flood periods per day for young plants. As plants grow, you can increase to a maximum of one 15 minute feed per hour. You will need to perform a complete solution change every 1-2 weeks. When growing in an absorbent medium set the timer to just one 15 minute flood period per day for young plants. As they grow, increase to a maximum of four 15 minute feeds per day. When using an absorbent growing medium you should run the system to minimise run off and perform a complete nutrient solution change every 2

When can plants be transferred to the system?

Just as soon as they are root bound in their starter medium, you should see white roots on the outside of the block or pot.

How should plants be spaced?

In a pot system the spacing is already decided, you can get them with the pots closely spaced for a sea of green or spaced far apart if you want to grow some trees!

Will plants need to be supported?

Not in a pot dripper system because there is plenty of media around the roots, but if you are using drippers and slabs then you will need to use some kind of plant support.

So, there you have it; commercial growing techniques are available to the home grower. If you are looking for a simple set up and big yields... get dripping!

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18

CANNABIS HISTORY

Cannabis Pioneers, Pathfinders, and Untold

By Lazystrain

Every genre and movement has it’s own list of Pioneers, Pathfinders, and Untold.

The people that have helped to shake, shape and revolutionize the way that other people perceive the world about them. For example, during the 1950’s Poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and others ‘Pioneered’ the Beat Generation. Later in the 1960’s musicians

30 years after his revolutionary work in promoting the way that cannabis is perceived by non-cannabis users in public, his aim to educate people is still just as strong. Not only is Wernard Bruining still an active member of the wider Cannabis Community as a guru and teacher, yet he’s also a regular judge at cannabis cups and still writes for Soft Secrets - the little sister

OTHER 'CANNABIS PATHFINDERS' INCLUDE A FEW HUNDRED SPANISH CONQUISTADORS AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AFRICANS such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Hendrix and others spearheaded the ‘Hippie Movement’. During the 1970’s Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, Skip Engblom, and others pioneered ‘Street Skating’ and gave birth to contemporary ‘Skate Culture’ and all the extreme sports and snowboarding that followed after. In this sense every cultural revolution has had its original Pioneers, Pathfinders and the Untold people that made the scene happen.

In this issue of Soft Secrets we shall firstly take a look at just a few of the “Cannabis Pioneers” that have made major contributions towards Cannabis Culture over the past half decade by starting movements of their own. Secondly we shall take a look at some of the unknown ‘Cannabis Pathfinders’ that really helped to advance Cannabis Culture into a multi-cultural and international pastime it is today. Lastly we shall consider the movers and shakers that really shaped the botanical-montage that Cannabis Culture has become.

Cannabis College in Amsterdam, taking over from the long work of Eddy at the Flying Dutchman Seeds, who is perhaps yet another Cannabis Pioneer.

On the literary front, then both Ed Rosenthal and Jorge Crevantes are contemporary Cannabis Pioneers. As the worlds leading authors on cannabis cultivation their work is not only published

of the High Life Magazine that he owned and created many years back.

Sam the Skunk Man is another contemporary Cannabis Pioneer. Sam was the original breeder responsible for hybridizing several indigenous varieties of cannabis together during the 1970s, in California, to produce the worlds most famous domestic variety of cannabis - ‘Skunk #1’. Sam the Skunk Man is also accredited as being the first American grower to bring varieties including ‘Skunk’, ‘Hindu Kush’, and ‘Haze’ onto the European grow scene.

An elusive character, Sam has personally donated 100,000s of his own seeds to the Cannabis Community over the past 30 years. His knowledge about the process of making hashish is also formidable, having produced his own all over the world.

Cannabis Pioneers Wernard Bruining is a contemporary Cannabis Pioneer. As the first cannabis coffeeshop owner , cannabis seed shop owner , and cannabis grow shop owner in Europe (possibly the world), then no list of Marijuana Shakers could overlook the work of this man. Today, some

in several languages, yet is well versed by both commercial and underground home-growers the world round. Both Ed and Jorge boast their own lists of books and have passed on lots of knowledge about cultivation over the years.

Arjan Roskam is another contemporary Cannabis Pioneer. Owner of the world’s most famous coffeeshop chain ‘The Green House’ and the ‘Green House Seed Bank’. In recent years Arjan has set out to publicise and modernise the whole cannabis

Marco Renda is a more recent Cannabis Pioneer. A few years ago now Marco Render reached out to the Medicinal Cannabis Community with the world’s first publication dedicated to “Medical Marijuana” called ‘Treating Yourself ‘. Since then his informative magazine has been available in Colleges, Libraries,

BEATNIK AND LATER HIPPIE “TRAVELLERS” DISCOVERED JUST THE VERY SAME VARIETIES OF CANNABIS GERMAN ANTHROPOLOGISTS HAD HIGH IN THE HILLS BACK IN THE 1920S scene in the Netherlands. During this process Arjan has found some criticism and some praises. His series of “Strain Hunter” videos have helped to broaden a few cultural horizons by making serious ecological statements.

His companies investment in agricultural technology by way of seed feminization and seed coating methods have also arguably revolutionized the cannabis seed industry.

Ben Dronkers is a contemporary Cannabis Pioneer. Founder of the Sensi Seed Bank in Holland, Ben travelled to Afghanistan to collect textiles and cannabis seeds during its Soviet occupation. The Dronkers Empire also houses the famous ‘Cannabis Castle’; one of the few places to legitimately keep some of the best domestic varieties of cannabis in existence. In palaeoanthropology (doing good unto others) terms Ben now helps chair the

White Rhino, Great White Shark, El Nino and Super Silver Haze), that he said in a lazystrain interview, that he’d “stopped counting.... and entering cups”. Today ‘Shantibaba’ is still considered to be the finest breeder of cannabis anywhere on the planet (wherever he is). His simple approach towards cannabis cultivation, cannabis botany, and cannabis culture, are timeless and show signs of truly lifting the lid on the most professional ways to approach cannabis in the context of horticulture once and for all.

Scott Blakey (aka Shantibaba) is a contemporary Cannabis Pioneer. The breeder responsible for so many multiple cup winning entries (including

and Doctors Surgeries all over Canada, the United States, Australia, and Europe.

Foremost Marco Render remains as one

19 the ‘force-flowering’ cannabis method to induce early harvesting (unknown).

The roots of which probably lie with the Cannabis Pathfinders anyway.

Cannabis Pathfinders Cannabis Pathfinders are the unnamed people that pushed Cannabis Culture forward throughout history. Besides the famous Presidents like Lincoln, Kings like Henry, and Queens like Victoria, who each either promoted the cultivation or advocated the medicinal use of cannabis directly, it is the nameless figures in cannabis history that are perhaps the most interesting, and those we shall focus on in this section.

of the few “care-givers” in North America to have actively (past tense) sent free cannabis samples to sick people in the UK and Europe – acts which although he was arrested for later, several people have successfully mimicked since in example.

Obviously we cannot begin to mention ALL the other Cannabis Pioneers of recent years here, since we’d run out of pages. Otherwise definite entries to the pages would include the people that first discovered the ‘ice water extraction” method of making hashish (still debated) and the person that invented

For example, the first Neolithic traders to bring the seeds, flowers and resin of cannabis from East to West deserve a sticky pat on the back, 20,000 years ago.

Otherwise, today cannabis would be still be “unaccepted” in “Western Society” and labelled a ‘rare species’ - not the common ancestor of a plant cultivated by millions of gardeners every year.

Much later the rise of Islam during the Middle Ages and Bedouin Pathfinders brought a separate ‘hashish culture’ further west into North Africa c1000 onwards.

This hashish culture slowly trickled up into Europe over many years and helped fuel the minds of the Renaissance. Cannabis at this time was also cultivated and kept by the religious. Later the Church’s own

Path-finding Missionaries would spread cannabis culture into some of the most remote places on earth.

Other ‘Cannabis Pathfinders’ include a few hundred Spanish Conquistadors and hundreds of thousands of Africans.

Many African slaves hid the seeds of their favourite plants in the folds of their ears while forced in transit across the Atlantic Ocean. This included the seeds of Okra / Abelmoschus esculentus which was first ‘smuggled’ into the Americas in this way. Perhaps some of the most famous varieties of cannabis from the USA today, were first bought to America in this way also. Who knows?

Such is the beauty of Cannabis’s deep and varied past, that the forbidden fruits of its unrecorded, undocumented, untold history still tantalise the taste buds into the modern era as they unfold.

The Untold From the 1900s onwards English, Dutch, and later German “explorers” started to map out the Himalayas and it’s peoples.

While collecting anthropological information, they also sampled some of the finest hashish available. In the process they gave taxonomical labels or names to the ‘species’ of new Cannabis they “discovered” - those that were not already recognised as ‘Cannabis sativa’. Thereafter ‘Cannabis indica’ from the Indus River valley region and ‘Cannabis afghanica’ from

Afghanistan mountain region were added to the list of cannabis varieties available – names that cannabis growers and smokers still use today.

Finally, from the 1950’s onwards liberated Beatnik and later Hippie “travellers” discovered just the very same varieties of cannabis German Anthropologists had high in the hills back in the 1920s. Easy air travel meant that distant varieties from the Himalayas washed up on the West coast of California like surf boards do on Venice Beach. The finest seeds from the grass bought back from the Korean War in the 1950s and the Vietnamese Cambodian War in 1960-70s mixed spice into the played out Mexican and Colombian strains, and kicked the marijuana grow-scene in a new frame of thought.

Not long after, some war-smoking Vietnam Veterans joined up with a radical New-Wave generation of ‘Cannabis Activists’ many of whom are still just as ‘active’ today. This unlikely combination, of Drop outs and Academics, Surfers and Organic Farmers, Musicians and Skateboarders, still meet up at ‘happenings’, ‘music festivals’, ‘cannabis cups’ and other groovy hang-outs today. From the Mountains of the Himalayas to the beaches of Malibu, from the gardens of Humbolt County to the Coffeeshops of Amsterdam, are the real grass roots from which the contemporary Pioneers of Cannabis Culture are grown from.

R.I.P.

Smiley Culture – sadly no longer with us

By Kaz Peet

Pioneering English reggae singer and DJ met his untimely death on 15 March 2011, aged 48, during a police raid on his home. Born David Victor Emmanuel, he died, reportedly, from a self inflicted stab wound to the heart, an hour and

a half after officers arrived with a warrant to search his house for marijuana. The Independent Police Complaints Authority is investigating the circumstances of his death about which the family and his many fans are most unhappy. A campaign entitled ‘No Peace-No Justice’ has been launched. Campaign members find it difficult to believe the practical possibility of a suspect actually being able to perform the difficult task of suicide through stabbing oneself in the heart, or indeed, anywhere else. At a ram packed meeting, held at Lambeth town hall, his old sound system spa’s adamantly declared that there is absolutely no way that their dear bredren would have done this.

Born and raised in Stockwell, South London, in 1963, Emmanuel was the son of a Jamaican father and Guyanese mother. Locally educated, his ‘Smiley’ nickname was gained due to his method of chatting up girls at school – he would ask them for a smile. Prior to his recording career

“WEED IN THAILAND”

21

“GROW WITH JORGE CERVANTES”

he worked as a DJ with many of London’s reggae sound systems, most often with Saxon Studio International, where he met and worked with a number of other reggae artists, including Maxi Priest, Papa Levi and Tippa Irie.

Signed to the London based label, Fashion Records, his first single ‘Cockney Translation’ (1984) was a Jamaican’s guide to the East End dialect – “Cockneys have names like Terry, Arfur and Del Boy/ We have names like Winston, Lloyd and Leroy.” The song mixed cockney dialect with London’s version of Jamaican patois, translating between the two and presaged the creation of a new hybrid accent in which white Londoners adopted many terms of black origin.

Smiley Culture popularized the ‘fast chat’ style of deejaying that had originated with Jamaican DJ’s such as Ranking Joe, and was developed further by British toasters, particularly those on the Saxon sound system such as Peter King.

39

His next single ‘Police Officer’, released towards the end of 1984, scored him chart success and he shot to international fame with radio and TV appearances, memorably including on ‘Top of the Pops’. An autobiographical record, he described it as “a true story – the police used to take my weed. It was better than being arrested, and I made it into a hit.”

Although humorous, it did have a serious aspect in that it highlighted the way black people were, via stop and search laws, and indeed still are, treated unfairly by the police. The success of ‘Police Officer’ prompted a re-release of ‘Cockney Translation’ that now also reached the charts, and he appeared at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in Jamaica in 1985.

Following this, despite (or perhaps because) signing to a major label, he found it difficult to attain these heights. Yet for those who know and love the music of Smiley Culture, and for those still to discover him, this is not important. He not only shaped a unique style of music, the imprint of which is still present and continuous to influence today, but he has also forged an indelible place in our hearts with his loveable and radical stylee.

HITCH AND BOOST!

“THE MOTHER ROOM“

52

21

TRAVEL

Modern Thailand is a frightening example of the classic police state, and it is a veritable minefield when it comes to drugs of all kinds. Dealers in Thailand fall into three main categories; very well-connected, desperate, or incredibly stupid. Soft Secrets takes a look at the laws and street

By The Professor reality of the ganja business in Thailand.

Thai cops are the major players in the national drug business, on both sides of the law; police corruption in Thailand is so rife its infamy is global. This means that if you get involved with drugs out there you have to be aware of the law, and also aware that, if you are caught, the cops will try and scare as much money out of you as possible hoping that you are ignorant of their laws.

Under the terms of their Narcotics Act of 2522 (1979) marijuana is a category 5 narcotic. This law states that producers, exporters and importers are liable for imprisonment of two to fifteen years and/or a fine of 200,000 to 1.5 million baht (Section 75).

smack, ice and the more common ya-ba (methamphetamine).

If you spend a bit of open-eared time on the streets of Bangkok you’ll hear plenty of horror stories: people get nicked for the possession of seeds and scared into paying thousand dollar fines; people get stopped, searched, and have drugs planted on them by cops who then take them to a cash machine and empty their accounts. A lot of people who get caught with a bit of percy are also taken to the ATM to have their accounts raided instead of going through the cop shop. Tipped-off police knock on the doors of rooms in guest houses and bust people for smoking a joint, these people are then scared into paying bribes of 500 to 800 US dollars, each.

DREADLOCKS, LONG HAIR, BEING BLACK, GIVING THEM A ‘FUNNY LOOK’, OR EVEN JUST WALKING DOWN THE PAVEMENT IN VIEW OF THEM ARE ALL REASONS FOR THAI COPS TO SUSPECT YOU OF INVOLVEMENT WITH DRUGS Supply and possession with intent to supply (10kg or less) is punishable with a stretch of 2 to 10 years and/or a fine of 40,000 to 200,000 baht. If you are caught with more than 10kg then you’ll be looking at 2 to 15 years with a fine of 200,000 to 1.5 million baht (Section 76/1).

Straight possession is a maximum of five years inside and/or a fine of up to 100,000 baht (Section 76).

It’s also worth knowing that the police have the right to question, detain, search premises and person, and seize any properties of people suspected of involvement with drugs. Dreadlocks, long hair, being black, giving them a ‘funny look’, or even just walking down the pavement in view of them are all reasons for them to suspect you of involvement with drugs.

At the end of 2010 the Prime Minister announced a new year-long war on drugs for 2011, and he’s given the cops a target of reducing crime in Bangkok by 20% this year. An immediate result of this new war on drugs is the police cranking up the use of their stop and search powers; tourists with a bit of weed are known to be an easy and rewarding target for them even though pot is not a major social, economic or political issue out here, especially when it’s compared to

Cops can and will use the piss-test weapon as well. Stories of bars and clubs being raided were common during the last drug war and you can bet your favourite pipe they’ll start up again this year – the cops barge in, lock the doors and piss-test everyone. A positive test is classed as possession…

A couple of months ago, before the new drug war was announced and just after smoking a joint in the privacy of my apartment, I was eating noodle soup with a friend at an on-the-pavement restaurant.

A serious looking Thai guy pulled out the chair across the table from me, sat down, introduced himself as an off-duty cop, showed us his ID, ordered some food and started asking me questions. At first I thought he just wanted to practice his English but his questions got a bit strange; he asked if I was drug addict, if I had any food allergies, where I lived, what I was doing in Thailand and a few other intrusive questions. I answered him, but I refused to let him bully me by throwing a few of my own intrusive questions back at him. All of a sudden, the guy stared me straight in the eye and said: “I piss test you, now.”

“Pardon?”

“I piss test you, now.”

“What?” I feigned misunderstanding, “You

wanna see my dick?”

“No, no” My mate, who’d been away with the fairies, heard the change in the tone of the conversation and snapped back around from his street-watching: “What?”

“Get up mate, we’re out of here, this guys a freak - he wants to see my dick.”

The look on the cops face was priceless; he still had his noodle soup in front of him and he was too taken aback to react as I paid my bill and hurried off down the street with my mate. I shot him a look that told him I thought he was a disgusting pervert as I walked past him, that kept him rooted long enough for us to escape.

It was a close one though - I’d have lost my job, a good deal of cash and my visa if I hadn’t had my wits about me and gone on the offensive.

Don’t let them bully you though, make them respect you – stand strong, don’t panic, apologise profusely and admit your stupidity. Wai them high (put your hands in a prayer position, hold them to your forehead and look at the ground) and offer them a few thousand baht if you’ve only been caught with a few joints. Be warned though, if they don’t like you they’ll screw you hard.

It’s a well-known fact that a lot of the drugs on the streets out here go through the hands of the cops first; there is a very recent story of a girl who got nicked with some seeds, paid a hefty fine and then got told on the doorstep of police station, by the cop who nicked her, “If you want some good stuff you should come and see me!”

Whilst spending some time on Koh Phangan, the home of the full moon parties, I was chatting to a local who was bagging up a kilo to sell to tourists. I asked him where the weed came from, meaning Thailand, Laos, Cambodia or Myanmar…

His answer made me laugh; “It comes from Had Rin Police!”

You also have to keep your eyes open for the DEA, Interpol, and ‘other’ western cops in Thailand. Not only are they operating in the main tourist hotspots of Bangkok, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Chiang Mai and Phuket, but they’re not bound by the procedures of home – they operate under Thai law, which, if you’re a cop, is tantamount to making your own law up as you go along.

When you’re in Thailand you also have to be wary of stitch ups. Tuk Tuk drivers are famous for this – they’ll sell you some weed and then tell their cop friends who’ll turn up and bust you, the informant gets a cut of the bribe.

This tuk tuk scam all but disappeared for a few years, but since the start of 2011s new drug war you can, once again, hear the odd tuk tuk driver whispering “mareewahnaah” when you walk past him.

The general rule of thumb out here is that if you do get busted then you should keep your cool and pay off the cops as early as possible because the more cops who know about it then the bigger the ‘fine’ that you have to pay.

Bitter ex-girlfriends are a common problem too. People get grassed up by exes and then nicked, piss tested and banged up or fined. I have a (Thai) friend who is currently suffering from this fate – he got locked up for 45 days, but instead

22 the official statistics because they’re dealt with unofficially.

You have to think of the quality and the price as well… Most Thai weed is not grown very well, it is often heavily fertilised, heavily seeded, and wrapped up in plastic before it is dry so a lot of it is mouldy: good quality ganja out here is a rarity. If you know someone safe,

easy target and in 2011 you are, again, a prime target. The cops out here are not paid well, they have to buy their own motorbikes, guns and promotions, and they’re dirty bastards. A lot of them don’t like us tourists being here either; as far as they’re concerned we come out here, throw our money around, insult their cultural sensibilities and steal their women – they enjoy busting

TIPPED-OFF POLICE KNOCK ON THE DOORS OF ROOMS IN GUEST HOUSES AND BUST PEOPLE FOR SMOKING A JOINT, THESE PEOPLE ARE THEN SCARED INTO PAYING BRIBES OF 500 TO 800 US DOLLARS, EACH local and connected you should be able to get a good score of 10g for around 100 baht – that’s the local price. Even so, your chances of knowing someone that safe, that local and that connected are pretty slim, or absolutely zero if it’s your first time in the country. For quality smoke, the best time of year is the end of the dry season and just after (March/ April/May), but when you’re scoring grass in Thailand you should be prepared for frequent disappointment.

If you or someone you know is coming to Thailand and fancies getting stoned then be warned – you are an

of letting him out at the end of it they carted him off to a military-style boot camp. He’s been there for 2 months now and no one knows when they’ll let him out. The embittered ex also found out where his new (English) girlfriend worked, rang the school, accused her of taking drugs and having a boyfriend in prison for drugs and she lost her job – even though she was completely innocent. If you’ve been grassed on by someone who knows a cop and the cop is doing them a favour then you just have to take what’s coming to you – this spiteful revenge-seeking cow wanted her ex locked up and got a cop friend of hers to nick him, no amount of money that he was capable of rustling up was going to buy his freedom.

It’s not only the real cops you have to worry about either. Recent reports in the Bangkok Post told of fake police raiding and extorting tourists in Pattaya!

When you look at the statistics (of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand) you can see that marijuana busts have been increasing since 2004. One interesting note is that there were 10,842 cases in 2008 and 12,898 in 2009, in spite of this 20-odd per cent rise in cases the actual amount of marijuana seized dropped from 18,894kg to 17,534kg: this shows that more small time folk are being targeted. Statistics in this country are useless for telling the whole story though; a huge amount of cases never make it on to

us and emptying our pockets. So, if you get caught then check you’re dealing with real cops, be strong and be cool – yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir, admit your stupidity and make sure you’ve got a fast and ready bribe whenever you and weed are in the same place at the same time. If you’re clean and you get stopped and searched for no apparent reason though, ask a passer-by to be a witness for you and don’t be afraid to have a go at them for their bullying tactics – tell them their corruption is world famous, and that you were warned about them before you came out here, but beware of the piss test!

25

SEED BREEDERS DUTCH PASSION

A generation of change in the cannabis world Dutch Passion began working with cannabis seeds and cannabis breeding in the 1970’s and we were formally established as a business in the 1980’s making us one of the earliest original seedbanks and one of the oldest remaining ones. Our initial ambition was simply to create superior quality strains, making use of some of the best genetics from places such as Thailand, Afghanistan, Africa and South America and California. In fact the marijuana produced from our first strains was far better than all of the cannabis that was imported into Amsterdam in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Many of the early coffee shops wanted our strains as a more potent alternative to the always variable quality marihuana that was imported. Our business was born and I suppose Dutch Passions destiny was too.

We didn’t really appreciate it at the time perhaps, but a slow revolution had started. The first Dutch growers realised that with good quality seeds they could grow better weed than they could buy. Then, step by step, so did people in other countries. Today a generation later and more people are growing their own weed than at any other point in human history. It has been a truly astounding transition that few would have foreseen.

In Europe and other centres of cannabis consumption much of the weed is now produced domestically rather than imported.

seeds are an important legacy that we have given the cannabis world, though we will always sell ‘regular’ seeds as they are crucial to those customers that like to breed their own seeds.

2011 – A busy year for the seed suppliers 2011 will be another busy year for Dutch Passion. The continued increase of home-grown cannabis means we can apply some economies of scale to

We shouldn’t forget the medical marijuana users, they have fought hard to get mainstream acceptance for medical cannabis and the growth of medical marijuana may well prove to be the big story for the coming years. Behind the scenes there are many pharmaceutical companies funding research into products they can manufacture from cannabis for a surprisingly wide range of conditions, both for physical and psychological. With pro-cannabis science replacing society’s traditional anti-cannabis prejudice I expect medical marijuana will be firmly part of mainstream medicine in coming years.

OUR INITIAL AMBITION WAS SIMPLY TO CREATE SUPERIOR QUALITY STRAINS, MAKING USE OF SOME OF THE BEST GENETICS FROM PLACES SUCH AS THAILAND, AFGHANISTAN, AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA AND CALIFORNIA With so many people growing weed the demand for seeds has never been as high. A generation ago relatively few people thought of buying and growing their own seeds, yet today it is seen as quite normal. Growing cannabis indoors does requires some specialist knowledge to get the grow area designed well, but growing in a greenhouse or outdoors is not at all complicated. The internet or cannabis grow-books explain what little information you need and none of it is too complicated. Once you have good growing conditions you just need seeds from a stable, top quality strain and you are well on track to get some top quality stash for your recreational or medical needs. Many of our customers get great results with their first grow and remain self sufficient afterwards.

Dutch Passion have had an interesting journey. We have always tried to make important contributions to the cannabis world through the strains we offer and through the technology and investment we apply to our work.

Many will remember us for our pioneering work introducing feminised seeds in the 1990’s. At the time numerous people from within the cannabis community wished us luck but said that it was a crazy idea and could not be done. Today, for many growers, feminised seeds from a top quality strain is the only way to go and some new seed companies have emerged that only sell feminised seeds. Feminised seeds give a more uniform and consistent crop. For more than 80% of varieties potency is at its best with feminised seeds. Feminised

SKUNK #11. THE FIRST DUTCH PASSION STRAIN TO SELL A MILLION SEEDS. INCREDIBLE SKUNK POTENCY AND TASTE.

26 our seed production, we will be cutting prices by around 10% this year.

The more seed you sell the more you can standardise your production techniques, which in turn gives more consistency. Skunk#11 is a good example, it was our first strain to sell over a million seeds and it remains a personal favourite of one of our top breeders, one of the best in the world. Some regular customers have been growing Skunk#11 for years and refuse to even

Autoflowering seeds were created by blending the genetics from the normally non-psychoactive Ruderalis cannabis. This is a type of cannabis that has adapted to survival in climates such as northern Russia and Canada by evolving a short life cycle that is compatible with the short 2-3 month extreme northern summers. By progressively blending selected Ruderalis genetics with regular cannabis strains we create autoflowering strains which

TODAY MORE PEOPLE ARE GROWING THEIR OWN WEED THAN AT ANY OTHER POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY. IT HAS BEEN A TRULY ASTOUNDING TRANSITION THAT FEW WOULD HAVE FORESEEN try other strains that we recommend.

Skunk#11 is not our most expensive strain but the volumes we sell allow us to price it at low cost.

We will also start selling feminsed seeds in packs of 3 seeds (along with of 5 and 10 seeds). This has been in response to customer feedback – many of whom said they didn’t really need as many as 5 seeds in a pack. The smaller packs will be more affordable yet will still contain the same high quality genetics that have been our trademark and won many awards. For those that haven’t grown Dutch Passion strains before, there has never been a better time to try us.

You can learn more about us on our website www.dutch-passion.nl which is available in 11 languages and the downloadable seed catalogue is available in 6 languages. We will be upgrading our website this year with some top quality grow information and FAQ’s so please add our website to your ‘favourites’ and visit us regularly. We aim to have one of the most informative and professional websites of any of the seed suppliers. Needless to say we continue to work on some really special new strains for 2011 and will publicise these on our website if they successfully qualify for product release.

More people use marijuana now for personal enjoyment or for medical reasons than at any point in the past. This is despite the increasingly ridiculous legal prohibition of marijuana in many countries which is now completely impossible to enforce. It is probably the fact that it is so easy to grow that has encouraged more people to try growing cannabis for themselves. Despite of the prohibition most cannabis plants being grown right now will reach full maturity. The summer of 2011 will probably see new record numbers of cannabis plants grown in Europe.

Autoflowering seeds – a revolution for outdoor growers.

There has been a recent innovation in cannabis seeds that make it even faster and easier to grow great quality weed – the arrival of autoflowering seed technology.

are potent yet will grow from seed to finished bud in around 10 weeks. Dutch Passion sell only feminised autoflowering strains which we call ‘autofem’ strains. Even growers in Siberia and northern Scandinavian regions can now grow their own weed outdoors or in greenhouses in their short summer season. Cannabis has finally made it from the tropical regions to over the edge of the Arctic circle!

ty and deliver new strains. Some of our worldwide rewarded strain developed in the past are: Power Plant, Mazar, Orange Bud, Skunk #11, Passion #1, Euforia and certainly our extraordinary versions of Blueberry and White Widow.

In the 1990’s we teamed up with the top Canadian breeder DJ Short and introduced our versions of his ‘Blue’ family genetics to Europe. The combination of fresh genetics, great taste and amazingly coloured potent buds were a great hit and spawned all kinds of spin-off breeding projects from various seed companies and private breeders. Apart from our mutual project “Jorge’s Diamond’s” that we did with Jorge Cervantes, the famous cannabis cultivation author/expert, we also have contacts in the medical marijuana world and cannabis growers around the world.

We have been busy with other work too.

The release of The Ultimate last year has

been warmly received by the demanding Dutch growers, who have always wanted true connoisseur quality along with outrageous yields. We have numerous examples of growers increasing both yield and quality from the same growspace simply by switching from their favourite strain to ‘The Ultimate’.

Like anything else cannabis can be abused and we don’t like to see that, but we have challenged the prejudice and bias that has been deliberately and unfairly used against cannabis for so long. Unlike alcohol and tobacco, cannabis never killed anyone. Unlike both of these ‘legal’ drugs, cannabis has numerous medical uses. When medical cannabis finally achieves widespread medical approval, people will look back and question how a moral minority tried to outlaw a plant that had been used for thousands of years. In the meantime Dutch Passion will do our part and provide as much top quality seed as we can.

Happy growing!

Indoor growers can also grow the autofem seeds under a light regime of 20 hours ‘on’, 4 hours ‘off’. Plants grown from autofem seeds are generally short plants and yield typically in the region of 25-50 grams when grown in a sunny spot with good soil. Dutch Passion are the leader in autofem seeds and our AutoMazar has been a bestselling highest yielding autofem variety, one customer from southern Europe reported a staggering 200 gram yield from a single plant that grew into a dense squat bush.

Our original PolarLight and SnowStorm autofem varieties have been significantly improved. PolarLight#2 is an automatic version of our acclaimed Dutch Haze variety. SnowStorm#2 uses our best selling Orange Bud skunk genetics.

We will also sell a coloured seed pack featuring 3 varieties of autofem seeds (2 colour coded seeds per variety) so our customers can try a range of strains.

AutoBlueberry remains a favourite with our customers – which true user can really resist those wonderful flavours and rich aromas?

Many people that grow traditional strains are now also looking to buy a few autofem seeds to grow in the summer.

For outdoor growers it is no longer necessary to look for a plot that will be safe for a 6 month grow, simply find an area where the short autofem plants can live for 10 weeks and you will be rewarded with some quality stash.

The Dutch Passion Ethos Dutch Passion have always tried to be ethical in all that we do, perhaps that has helped us stay around for so long.

Yes, we have some great strains and have great contacts all over the world in our quest to innovate, improve quali-

THE ULTIMATE. A STRAIN INTRODUCED AFTER MAIN YEARS OF WORK TO PRODUCE AN ABSOLUTELY TOP QUALITY STONE ALONGSIDE AMAZING YIELDS. THIS ONE WAS GROWN INDOORS UNDER HPS AND YIELDED 125 GRAMS

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28 SOFT SECRETS CUP

The 2nd Soft Secrets Cup in Prague!

Text and photos: cccp

Last Februar at a secret location in Prague for the second time in a row the Soft Secrets Cup was held. After the succesful launch of the first cup one year ago (it was the very first cannabis cup ever in the Czech Republic!), Soft Secrets then decided to continue it’s Czech adventure and go ahead with a second edition. With the help of some friendly contacts it was possible for the organizers to host a perfect Cup, at a secret location and only accessible to specially invited guests.

THE ORGANISATION WAS WELL DONE

Soft Secrets’ editor-in-chief Cliff Cremer was of course on hand to celebrate this momentous fact, as were various other people from the Soft Secrets crew. Hugo Madera, the editor of the Spanish editon of Soft Secrets, even flew in with some of his mates to take part in the jury. And the fact that some Dutch geezers from the industry were

also around to do their duty, made this event a truly international occasion.

With the new Czech laws in place surely one can argue that the quality of the product was high as ever.

After a hard day’s testing, smoking and sampling, the jury was out for the verdict. Locally grown CN Haze took Indoor’s first prize, whereas the now famous Tao growshop took possesion of the first prize in the outdoor category with a real classic: Purple #1.

Both winners not only won a highly prestigious cup, but were invited to join Soft Secrets at the Spannabis fair in Barcelona too, and even to be VIP’s at the legendary Highlife Cup in Amsterdam later this year.

The times, they are changing, and that goes too for the Czech Republic and its effervescent capital Prague. Because

since 1 January 2010 the possession of small amounts of weed or hash is no longer punishable, and even the growing of up to five plants is also allowed!

All in all, more than enough reason for Soft Secrets to throw a stonking good party for the second time and organize this legendary Cup in proper fashion!

And the winners are: Indoor: 1) CN Haze - Freza 2) Nebula - Bioplants 3) Jack Herrer – Babeta Outdoor: 1) Purple - Tao Growshop 2) Top Tao - Tao Growshop 3) White Russian - Jamaica Team Soft Secrets wishes to thank it’s sponsors for this magic event: SOFT SECRETS CREW DID MORE

Bioplants Canna Growshop.cz Growstar Gold MagicTruffles.com Mazar

THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE IN THE A SMOKE-FILLED ROOM CREATED THE

TESTING OF THE SAMPLES

PERFECT AMBIANCE FOR THE CUP

PiH Reflex Royal Queen Seeds Sensi Seeds Soft Secrets

JURORS GOT A LOT OF GEAR

THERE WERE SOME TOUGH

PROUD WINNERS NOT ONLY WON A

THE AFTERPARTY IN CLUB ROXY WENT

AT THEIR DISPOSAL

NUTS TO CRACK

CUP, BUT A TRIP TO BARCELONA TOO

ON AND ON INTO THE EARLY HOURS...

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30

GROW WITH LITTLE LEBOWSKI

MORE ROOTS = MORE FRUITS!

Part One: Mother Nature Friend and Foe!!

Top end growth may well be your ultimate goal, but don’t neglect the foundations that your plants are built on. Concentrate on a developing a healthy root system and you’ll achieve healthier

By Little Lebowski growth and bigger yields.

First off let’s all agree on one thing; the roots are the most important part of your plant. The roots are responsible for delivering water and minerals. The amount of water and nutrient a plant uptakes is directly related to its rate of growth and ultimately the size of the fruits it produces. Without a well developed root zone, you are not going to achieve well developed buds.

Rhizoctonia This soil borne fungus causes root rot and collar rot in seedlings and young plants. When a plant is infected, small white threads may be visible in the soil and reddish brown spots may appear on the leaves and stem.

When Rhizoctonia causes collar rot, a ring of fungus will develop on the stem; cutting off the supply of nutrients to the rest

WITHOUT A WELL DEVELOPED ROOT ZONE, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO ACHIEVE WELL DEVELOPED BUDS But roots just take care of themselves right? Well in most cases yes, to an extent.

But when roots are not given what they need, they can become damaged and this is where the problems can start. A damaged root zone is vulnerable and nature will step in and attack! Diseases (or pathogens) will invade a root zone and at best slow down growth, at worst ruin an entire crop.

So, how do you prevent attack? Firstly, provide roots with what they need. A well draining, aerated root zone that is clean and kept at the right temperature – as close to 22°C as you can – will keep roots healthy and happy.

One important fact that should motivate you to take care of the roots is that, when stressed, the roots will emit a hormone called ethylene; this hormone is recognized by some plant pathogens as a sign of weakness and a motivation to attack!

The Invaders: The Bad Guys Root problems develop when pathogens attack the roots. Put simply, a pathogen is an organism that induces sickness in a plant. They live all around us (and in some cases on us!) and remain harmless as long as the plants are in good health. But as soon as your plants become damaged or stressed, they attack.

of the plant. When it infects the main stem of a seedling, the whole plant will die.

Rhizoctonia flourishes in wet and warm environments. If it is present, ensuring plants are not over watered and grow room temperatures are not too high can keep it suppressed (as will an early application of Trichoderma).

If you do lose a crop to Rhizoctonia, ensure you dispose of all of the soil in your grow room and remove all dead plant material, before thoroughly scrubbing down and starting again.

Pythium Of all the pathogens that attack plants, Pythium is the one that strikes fear into the heart of the home grower.

Particularly the home grower using bare rooted, re-circulating hydro systems; like NFT or aeroponics.

Pythium is better known as root rot or ‘damping off’. Its symptoms are easy to spot; the growth of the plant will become stunted, leaves will become yellow and eventually die and the roots look brown, become ‘sludge-like’ and are easy to break off.

It is a spore that lives in air and water and it will be present in your growing

WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT SOME TYPES OF FUNGUS ARE UNDOUBTEDLY A BAD THING, MOTHER NATURE DOES HAVE A FEW TRICKS UP HER SLEEVE TO HELP OUT THE HOME GROWER Know your enemy; here is a quick explanation of two of the most common root zone pathogens;

area, no matter how clean it is. There are plenty of opportunities for it to enter your room. It will enter on your

shoes, your clothes, your hands, etc. It will also come in with your water, especially when your water supply comes from wells or rivers and streams. So it is important to keep your growing environment clean and make sure that you use clean water to feed your plants.

So if Pythium is everywhere around your plants anyway, why don’t all your crops go down from root rot? One thing to remember is that Pythium is a “secondary infection”, it will only attack your plants if they are already sick or damaged, or when growing conditions are not at their best.

It takes advantage of sick or wounded tissues to colonise the root and creates damping off and root rot.

In nature, Pythium is often found in field soil, sand, pond or stream water and dead roots of previous crops. It can sometimes be found in commercially available soilless potting mixes and is easily introduced into a root zone by using dirty tools, dirty pots or general poor hygiene in the grow room. It is also believed that Fungus gnats and Shore fly may also be involved in moving Pythium from place to place.

Pythium can cause severe root rot because it has few competitors to check its activity. If Pythium infests a cutting bed, or if contaminated water is used in propagation, large losses occur. Root

which will then attack any cuttings that are taken from it. If you are consistently having problems with your cuttings, it may well be your mother plant. t 5SBOTQMBOU HFOUMZ o B EBNBHFE SPPU allows pathogens to enter, so ensure you are gentle with young plants when transplanting and potting up. t .BJOUBJO HPPE WFOUJMBUJPO BOE BJS NPWFment– replacing the air in the grow room ensures plants remain healthy, air movement is important as it will help prevent leaf mould which can weaken plants.

Natures Helpers: The Good Guys So, you have scrubbed down the grow room, checked the health of your mother plants and have been extra careful not to damage the roots of young plants when transplanting; all important house-keeping factors in keeping plant roots healthy. If you are looking for a little extra help, Mother Nature has some tricks up her sleeve, but they may seem a little strange...

Say the word “fungus” and what springs to mind? Mouldy bathrooms and left over food? Put down that spliff and go clean your house! While it is true that some types of fungus are undoubtedly a bad thing, Mother Nature does have a few tricks up her sleeve to help out the home grower; Mycorrhiza The word "mycorrhiza" literally means "fungus root." Mycorrhizal fungi invade the root zone of a plant to obtain nutrition. In doing so, these fungi assist the roots in uptake

IT MAY BE A CLICHÉ, BUT WHEN DEALING WITH ROOT ZONE PATHOGENS ‘PREVENTION IS THE BEST CURE’. KEEP YOUR PLANTS HEALTHY AND THEY WILL BE FAR LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO ATTACK tips, very important in taking up nutrients and water, are attacked and killed first, Pythium spores then take over the root zone and can even spread up the main stem of an established plant.

How to deal with Pathogens It may be a cliché, but when dealing with root zone pathogens ‘prevention is the best cure’. Keep your plants healthy and they will be far less susceptible to attack; t ,FFQ UIJOHT DMFBO GSPN UIF CFHJOning – seedlings and cuttings are most at risk because they are young and still developing. Ensure your propagation area is clean and choose your propagation medium carefully. t 6TF TUFSJMF DVUUJOH UPPMT o DVUUJOH B QMBOU provides an opportunity for pathogens to enter, so keep those tools clean. t $IBOHF ZPVS NPUIFS SFHVMBSMZ o B IFBMUIZ mother may still contain pathogen spores

of minerals from the growing medium.

This added nutrient uptake leads to faster development and quicker growth.

When added to soil or coco, the Mycorrhizal fungi quickly establishes itself and forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots; breaking down elements and making them available for the plants, whilst feeding on the carbohydrates that the plant produces. Think of them as a root extension, increasing nutrient uptake and speed of development.

Mycorrhizal fungi increase the uptake of nutrients because the fungus forms a fine network of thread-like strands - called hyphae - that serve as an extension of the plant’s root system. There may be up to 10 feet of hyphae growing out from each half-inch of root that is infected by Mycorrhiza. The diameter of the fungal hyphae can be one-fifth of the size of even the smallest root hair and may be many times longer, allowing it to explore

31 areas of the growing media that the roots of the plant would not be able to reach on their own. By reaching the previously ‘untapped’ nutrients in the growing media, the plant receives overall better nutrition and is more likely to reach its optimum potential i.e. bigger yields.

Think of when you have your vaccinations before going abroad, when your body is attacked it produces ‘anti-bodies’ to fight the attacker, similar thing here. By fighting against the attacking Trichoderma, the plant bolsters its defences marking it harder for any pathogen to penetrate.

Mycorrhizal fungi are especially beneficial in helping the plant access nutrients that are not particularly mobile in the growing medium, such as phosphorus and potassium – key elements required for packing on buds!

So, it’s Mycorrhiza for faster development and increased growth rates and Trichoderma for pathogen control and defence. But hang on, those of you paying attention may be thinking one thing; I want the best of both worlds, but if Trichoderma is so aggressive, won’t it attack any Mycorrhiza I add to the root zone?

Products containing mycorrhizal fungi can be purchased and applied to artificially introduce the fungi into soils or coco. When applying these products, the hope is that the mycorrhizal fungi will not only increase plant growth and vigour, but will make them more tolerant to stresses, such as temperature fluctuation, over or under-watering and attack from root pathogens.

Stresses and issues familiar to every indoor gardener, new and experienced!

Many scientific studies have been carried out to monitor the effects of adding both fungi to the root zone and the consensus is that both perform separate jobs and can work in synergy, rather than cancelling each other out.

Trichoderma Trichoderma are fungi that are present in nearly all soils and other diverse habitats. In natural soil, they are typically the most commonly occurring type of fungi. The majority of compost growing media available from your local grow shop will have Trichoderma present...

HEALTHY HYDROPONICALLY GROWN ROOTS and with good reason... Read on...

ROOTS, GLORIOUS ROOTS!

Trichoderma is an aggressive fungus which will readily colonise on the roots of the plant, the most competent strains can be added to growing media, or even to seeds, and are able to grow on roots as they develop. This is why many growers choose to dip their cuttings in Trichoderma, as the fungi will remain present on the roots of the plant throughout its life cycle (although it is a good idea to reapply every 30 days to keep numbers effective).

The strains of Trichoderma available at your local grow shop are known to control every pathogenic fungus for which control has been sought. They work on two levels; Trichoderma is a parasitic fungus that actively takes over a root zone and

Ultimately, the key to remember is that the level of beneficial fungi activity in the root zone will reach a saturation point depending on the amount of food available for the fungi. So, keep conditions right, reapply your beneficial fungi at least once every 30 days, keep the root zone well fed and let Mother Nature do her work.

Happy growing!

A BAD CASE OF ROOT ROT

makes it difficult for damaging pathogens, like pythium and rhizoctonia, to compete for space on the roots and for nutrients. Once established on the roots of a plant, Trichoderma will detect other organisms within the vicinity and grow towards them. The Trichoderma then coils itself around the organism and breaks down the cell walls by releasing enzymes, paralyzing the offending organism and rendering it inactive!

Once they come into contact with roots, Trichoderma will colonise the root surface and penetrate a few layers into the root itself; which actually induces plants to "turn on" their natural defence mechanisms making them stronger and less susceptible to attack.

PURE ROOT PORN!

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x1

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26 €

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85 €

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33

GROW WITH GRUBBYCUP

by Grubbycup It may still be a bit chilly, but spring will soon be here.

THIS 11-DAY-OLD SPROUT WILL SOON BE READY TO START THE HARDENING PROCESS

ALTHOUGH NOT ABLE TO STAND UP TO EXAMINATION, THIS TOMATO COMPANION AFFORDS SOME COVER

AT 13 DAYS, THE SPROUTED SEED (LEFT) SHOWS MORE PROGRESS THAN THE SPROUTED 13-DAY-OLD CLONE (RIGHT). CLONES SHOULD BE GIVEN AN ADDITIONAL WEEK TO DEVELOP.

For indoor gardens the change in seasons isn’t all that dramatic. Spring, summer, fall, winter are just different settings on the lighting and temperature controls.

For outdoor gardens however, there is a pre-spring moment, when the ground has been cleared and the only seeds in the garden are ones of hope and anticipation that is very special.

Outdoor gardens are a cheap and natural way to grow smoke. However, it can also attract drama like a magnet if discovered by some idiot, so even legal weed should be grown with discretion.

The biggest threat to outdoor cannabis walks on two legs.

Marijuana grows well in containers or directly in the ground. It is a very simple spice to grow (to be correct, it’s a spice not an herb since the flower clusters are the part of the plant that is harvested). In my opinion, it is easier to grow a nice crop of marijuana than a nice crop of tomatoes or peppers. If you’ve had a successful vegetable or flower garden, you already have most of the needed skills.

Depending on the “gardening zone” of your area, spring may be just right around the corner. In most of the US cannabis is planted outdoors in April through May in anticipation of a fall harvest. Check with your local garden zone guide, but as a general rule, plant no earlier than a week after the last frost date. Plant near the spring equinox and harvest around the fall equinox.

You can put them outside later in the season, even up to midsummer, but the more time the plants spend growing, the larger they can grow, and the larger the harvest should be.

Once you know when you want to move the plants outside, count back the weeks to figure out when to start them. Outdoor plants can be started indoors by cloning or seed.

Start clones indoor by taking cuttings from a known female at least three weeks in advance to have them ready to move outside. Take cuttings that include a growing tip, and at least below the next node.

Dip in cutting hormone if desired, and bury the node into the growing media with the tip above the surface. Keep the media moist, but not soggy. Roots should be form in two to three weeks.

GROWING VEGETABLES ALONGSIDE MARIJUANA CAN PROVIDE NUTRITIOUS TREATS

Start seeds indoors at least two weeks in advance to have them ready to move outside. When starting by seed, start

at least twice the number of seeds as plants desired for harvest, as a little under half tend to be male. To avoid investing too much time and energy into male plants, once established, clones taken from the outdoor plant can be sexed indoors to learn gender.

An alternative is to start with feminized seeds, which will all be female. Sprouts should be kept moist, but not too wet.

One drawback to starting indoors is that the plants need to be “hardened” before they can be left outside permanently. To harden a plant, it is placed outside in a mild location for a longer period each day for anywhere from a few days to about a week. It will ease the transition from the protected indoor environment to the harsher outdoors. Plastic domes can help protect young plants. Depending on conditions, plants not hardened may die if the change in environment is too great.

If starting from seed outside, you can wait until your planting date to start.

The same gender concerns as starting seeds indoors apply.

Companion planting is a method often used to help prevent outdoor plants from being attracting certain types of pests.

Nearby indeterminate tomato plants bring natural defenses against some types of insects. A brief glance at green foliage with tomatoes on it can appear to be a tomato plant, and the marijuana can help provide some support for the tomato plant. Besides, homegrown produce is a worthwhile harvest of its own.

Tying open branches allows a more even distribution of sunlight, and training tall plants to bend over with twine can limit height concerns.

Fertilize with more nitrogen before the summer solstice, and gradually reduce the amount afterwards. Do the opposite with phosphorous and potassium, start with a small amount, and gradually increase use after the summer solstice.

Marijuana is a very tolerant plant, which can do well under a wide variety of conditions, both indoors and out. An outdoor temperate grow can be spectacular, productive, and save kilowatts of electricity over an indoor grow.

If you are blessed with a circumstance that will allow outdoor gardening, be thankful.

It is a wonderful way to grow, as long as you can do it in peace.

Peace, love and puka shells, Grubbycup

® Best Seeds Bank EXPOcannabis 2007

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New Strains 2011

Black Jack

®

Cream Caramel

Auto

1HZ DXWRÀRZHULQJ RI RXU VWUDLQ Black Jack. Result of the cross breeding of our S.A.D. Auto with our Jack Herer Auto. Automatic of superior quality, with dense buds and big resine production, with a sweet and PXVN\ LQWHQVH DURPD TXLFN ÀRZHring, strong effect and a big strong hybrid.

$XWRÀRZHULQJ THC: 19% CBD: 1,1% CBN: 0,3% Indoor Blooming: 6 weeks.

Indoor / Outdoor Harvest: 9 weks from germination.

Height: 40-110cm.

AUTO 3 seeds 24€ / 5 seeds 40€ 10 seeds 80€

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Auto

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New autoflowering of our strain Cream Caramel. Result of the cross breeding of our best auWRÀRZHULQJ JHQHWLFVV RI &UHDP Caramel. Automatic of superior quality, with dense buds and big resine production, with a sweet and musky intense aroma, quick ÀRZHULQJ VWURQJ HIIHFW DQG D ELJ strong hybrid.

New autoflowering of our strain S.A.D. S-1. Result of the cross breeGLQJ RI RXU EHVW DXWRÀRZHULQJ JHQHtics of S.A.D. S-1. Automatic of superior quality, with dense buds and big resine production, with a sweet and musky intense aroma, quick ÀRZHULQJ VWURQJ HIIHFW DQG D ELJ strong hybrid.

$XWRÀRZHULQJ THC: 18% CBD: 1,6% CBN: 0,4% Indoor Blooming: 5 weeks.

Indoor / Outdoor Harvest: 8 weeks from the germination.

Height: 40-90cm.

AUTO

$XWRÀRZHULQJ THC: 18% CBD: 1,4% CBN: 0,4% Indoor Blooming: 5 weeks.

Indoor / Outdoor Harvest: 8 weeks from the germination.

Height: 40-90cm.

AUTO

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3 seeds 20€ / 5 seeds 33€ 10 seeds 66€

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First genetic evolution of BigDevil. )HPLQLVHG DXWRÀRZHULQJ YDULHW\ and high-class, in response to the demand of our customers that UHTXHVWHG ODUJHU VL]HG DXWRÀRZHring we selected this gene, which reaches a height of 1-1.5 m. More productive and more aromatic than its previous version, and compact resinous buds with numerous side branches. Sweets and incense aromas with hints of Skunk.

First evolution of the Fast Bud geQHWLFV $XWRÀRZHULQJ VWUDLQ RI JRRG yield with big buds with plenty aromatic resine. New strain more productive and aromatic. It produces very strong and plenty lateral brances, that reach a height between 40 and 90 cm. Strong effect and sweet aromas with exotics shades coming from its Diesel legacy. $XWRÀRZHULQJ RI YHU\ IDVW ÀRZHULQJ

$XWRÀRZHULQJ THC: 19-20%. CBD: 1,1%. CBN: 0,3%.

Indoor Blooming: 6 weeks.

Indoor/Outdoor Harvest: 9 weeks from the germination.

Height: 100-150cm.

AUTO

$XWRÀRZHULQJ THC: 17%. CBD: 0,8%. CBN: 0,4%.

Indoor Blooming: 5 weeks.

Indoor/Outdoor Harvest: 7 ½ weeks from the germination.

Height: 40-90cm.

AUTO

! w e N

3 seeds 25€ / 5 seeds 42€ 10 seeds 84€

Cream Caramel Black Jack Blue Black x Maple Leaf Indica x White Rhino

®

®

Black Domina x Jack Herer

1st Price Indoor Bio Cannabis Chamions Cup

! w e N

*Fast Bud #1

3s. 19,90€ / 5s. 33€ 10s. 66€

Jack 47

A.D. S.1 S. Sweet Afgani Delicious ®

AUTO

3 seeds 24€ / 5 seeds 40€ 10 seeds 80€

3s. 17,50€ / 5s. 29€ 10s. 58€

Ice Cool

Jack Herer x Ak 47

Black Domina Self-Pollination

$XWRÀRZHULQJ THC: 18%. CBD: 1,1%. CBN: 0,5%.

Indoor Blooming: 5 weeks.

Indoor/Outdoor Harvest: 2 months from the germination.

Height: 70-80cm.

*Speed Devil #1

3s. 14,90€ / 5s. 24,80€ 10s. 49,60€

®

®

Big Price Drop!

Green Poison

Indica/Sativa: 50%-50%

Indica/Sativa: 90%-10%

Indica/Sativa: 25%-75%

Indica/Sativa: 40%-60%

Indica/Sativa: 70%-30%

3 s. 24€ / 5 s. 40€ 10 s. 80€

3 s. 19,50€ / 5 s. 32,50€ 10 s. 65€

3 s. 18,50€ / 5 s. 30,50€ 10 s. 61€

3 s. 33€ / 5 s. 55€ 10 s. 110€

3 s. 29,30€ / 5 s. 48,80€ 10 s. 97,50€

3 s. 22,50€ / 5 s. 37,50€ 10 s. 75€

! w e N

Snow Fruit Sweet Cheese Double White ®

Cheese x Black Jack

Secrets Ingredients Indica/Sativa: 90%-10%

Indica/Sativa: 30%-70%

Indica/Sativa: 60%-40%

3 s. 29,70€ / 5 s. 49,50€ 10 s. 99€

3 s. 19,50€ / 5 s. 32,50€ 10 s. 65€

®

Indica/Sativa: 30%-70% 3s. 17,50€ / 5s. 29€ / 10s. 58€

Wild Rose

®

Indica/Sativa: 35%-65% 3s. 21€ / 5s. 35€ / 10s. 70€

®

Mohan Ram

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®

Indica/Sativa: 40%-60% 3s. 21€ / 5s. 35€ / 10s. 70€

Indica/Sativa: 40%-60% 3s. 19,50€ / 5s. 32,50€ / 10s. 65€

Cream Caramel x AK 47

Indica/Sativa: 85%-15% 3s. 20€ / 5s. 33€ / 10s. 66€

Ganesh Spirit Flash Back#2 Psicodelicia Botafumeiros ®

Cream 47

White Widow x Great White Shark

3 s. 24,90€ / 5 s. 41,50€ 10 s. 83€

Sweet Tai

®

Secrets Ingredients

NYC Diesel Line

Indica/Sativa: 90%-10%

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®

First evolution of the genetics of Speed Devil, developed during the 2009-2010 season. In this version of the Speed Devil, has been increased the average size of the plants that reach around 70-80 cm. In this version ZH DOVR ¿QG D ELJJHU IRUPDWLRQ of se in crystals with an aroma much more intense, sweet and PXVN ZLWK ÀDYRUV WKDW UHPLQG to yeast and cheese.

3 seeds 19,50€ / 5 seeds 32,50€ 10 seeds 65€

*Big Devil #1

1st Price OutdoorCannabis Chamions Cup

Speed Devil #2

®

®

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3 seeds 22€ / 5 seeds 36,50€ 10 seeds 73€

®

Indica/Sativa: 30%-70% 3s. 19,50€ / 5s. 32,50€ / 10s. 65€

®

Indica/Sativa: 25%-75% 3s. 26,50€ / 5s. 44€ / 10s. 88€

Indica/Sativa: 50%-50%.

Indoor Blooming: 9 weeks.

Outdoor Harvest: Beginning October.

3 s. 28,50€ / 5 s. 47,50€ 10 s. 95€

l Combinati

on of

nd Power Sweetness a

A Masterfu

<RX FDQ ¿QG PRUH information in our Website

C/ Dr. Nicasio Benlloch nº36-38 · 46015 · Valencia · España · +34 963 890 403 · Fax +34 961 934 843

Sale prohibited to people under 18 years old. Seed for coleccionist use exclusively. It´s ilegal to make them germinate. They´re not for agriculture purposes. Consult laws about cannabis aplied in your place of residence.

Sweet Seeds will not be acountable for ilegal use of this seeds done by third parties.

35

SEED BANKS

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the entire Western world has known a boom in the growing of cannabis destined for consumer selfsufficiency. In the following article, we describe the basic features of auto-flowering seeds, as well as introduce the new wave of autoflowering seeds known as “Super Autos”. As an example, we provide information pertaining to the development of the Sweet Seeds seed bank’s catalogue of auto-flowering seeds. All photographs are of Mr. Stoned Edge auto-flowering seeds belonging to this bank.

Nowadays, auto-flowering varieties are becoming more and more sought-after and requested by cannabis growers all over the world. Their main trait is that they flower automatically, regardless of the hours of light they receive. This entails a whole series of advantages in comparison with their non auto-flowering relations, thus resulting in the fact that, in such a short period of time, these once-despised plants have found their place in the hall of fame of cannabis varieties.

Modern auto varieties inherit the autoflowering trait from plants of the Ruderalis type (Cannabis Ruderalis), which come from the cold areas of Eastern Europe (Hungary, southern Siberia, Russia) and Central Asia, where the climate – especially the cold and snow - only allows for three or four months of favourable conditions in which the plants can grow and reproduce each year. Thus, these varieties developed special adaptation traits in order to flower and produce their seeds in the short period of

time available to them, perpetuating their species even in such inhospitable places.

The above-mentioned wild Cannabis Ruderalis plants have always been looked down on, for medicinal as well as recreational uses, as they produce cannabinoid plants with a very low THC content.

Furthermore, these Ruderalis plants are fairly short, 30-80 cm – which is another reason they used to be scorned as raw material for industrial uses, due to the small size of the fibres.

The amazing success obtained by these auto varieties in recent years is due to their ever improving quality, as far as cannabinoid levels and aromas are concerned. It is also and especially due to the many advantages discovered by cultivators in these new strains. The main advantage is the ability to flower and be harvested regardless of the hours of light they receive.

In outdoor cultivation, this allows for several new possibilities and combinations, helping cultivator-consumers to better program their annual cannabis self-sufficiency. The possibility of harvesting out of season is an incredible advantage for all outdoor cultivators. With the arrival on the scene of auto varieties, these farmers no longer need to limit themselves to a single yield at the end of the summer; now they have the possibility of enjoying yields before the summer, as well.

Taking advantage of these opportunities, outdoor cultivators in humid areas, which

Interest in auto-flowering varieties initially arose when a few enterprising breeders observed the immense potential hidden by the small, condemned plants in question. Thus, the decision to experiment, cross-breeding the primitive Ruderalis with selected clones. Their purpose was to obtain 100% auto-flowering plants, which maintained cannabinoid levels without giving up the aromas typi- BLACK JACK AUTO cal of the élite clones used.

are susceptible to fungal attacks because of the environmental conditions, have also started to grow these varieties, to avoid the September-October climate, when fungal attacks might otherwise cause the buds to rot. Cultivators in high mountain or cold areas are also beginning to plant these varieties in the spring-summer season, obtaining excellent results.

In cities, these varieties are immune to light contamination from street lighting, flowering correctly even directly under a lamppost. This, together with the small size of the plants, makes them perfect for city growing, perhaps on a balcony.

There are also several indoor cultivators who are starting to make space for these varieties in their closets. The main reason these cultivators select auto varieties is the velocity of their life cycle: just 60-70 days from planting to harvesting.

Although these auto-flowering varieties are cultivated indoors, with a photoperiod of 18-20 hours of light and 4-6 hours of darkness for the duration of the plant’s life cycle, this excess of hours of light compared to the 12 hours needed by non auto seeds is more than made up for by the month of growing duration that the cultivation of auto-flowering seeds saves.

The end result for indoor growers is a savings in electricity, as well as a month of cultivation. Those growers who have a room set aside for mothers and cuttings also enjoy the benefits of the openings in the room, with an 18/6 growth photoperiod, to grow auto plants.

Another of these varieties’ main features is their small stature. This is also considered to be an advantage by the many growers who require small, discreet plants. It has been observed that these varieties are much more popular in the Western countries with rigid laws against self cannabis

36

BIG DEVIL

BLACK JACK AUTO

flowering seed that is ready to yield just seven and a half weeks after planting. It is characterised by an abundance of resin and exotic aromas inherited from plants of the Diesel family. Big Devil is the result of a program designed to come up with high quality, larger auto-flowering plants; this strain produces plants that reach a height of 80-150 cm, with an abundant production of resin and a sweet, incense aroma similar to Haze plants.

are concerned. Thus the definition “Super Autos”, which is beginning to circulate amongst cannabis farmers. Not much is left of the Ruderalis in these strains, except for its auto-flowering trait and the rapidity of its life cycle.

between the best auto-flowering indicas with the Cream Caramel strain. A high quality auto plant, with abundant buds and resin productions, an intense, sweet aroma with earthy tonalities, a powerful effect, the great vigour of a hybrid and rapid flowering. Medium-small size (40-80 cm).

Below you will find some information on the new auto-flowering seeds, courtesy of the bank itself.

Black Jack Auto:

During the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Sweet Seeds breeders continued to work with these three auto varieties, keeping them in a constant state of evolution, mainly due to the necessity of selecting the best specimens of each generation to be parents for the next generation. Breeders must also keep in mind that the process has to include new genetic contributions, to avoid inbreeding, which could cause the loss of valuable hybrid vigour. Selections must be made, generation by generation, also considering the risk of producing genetic derivations with undesired qualities. With non auto-flowering varieties, genetic compositions remain much more stable as the years go by; thus, selected clones are used to produce commercial seeds.

First evolution of the Speed Devil strain, developed during the 2009/2010 seasons.

All plants begin flowering approximately from the fourth pair of real leaves, regardless of the photoperiod and the time of year.

Now, for the 2011 season, Sweet Seeds presents a revolution of these three proposals. The new versions are being marketed under the names Speed Devil #2, Fast Bud #2 and Big Devil #2.

The seed bank doesn’t intend to eliminate the original versions of these varieties from the market; also, and very importantly, not to mention appreciably, considering the current financial crisis, Sweet Seeds is offering a significant price reduction for these varieties, which were the most popular auto-flowering seeds in Spanish grow shops for the 2010 season. With this price reduction, we can safely say that they are the most inexpensive feminised auto-flowering seeds on the market, with a really excellent value for money.

CREAM CARAMEL

growing than in countries whose legislation is more permissive.

The Sweet Seeds example The Sweet Seeds seed bank of feminised seeds began experimenting with autoflowering seeds around 2007. Early in the 2009 season, Sweet Seeds presented their first auto-flowering variety, Speed Devil, to the cannabis community. And it was immediately successful, offering growers a 100% auto-flowering strain with an extremely rapid flowering period, characterised by an abundant resin and cannabinoid production as well as a pleasant Skunk-type aroma, with yeast and cheese tonalities.

Sweet Seeds presented two new autoflowering varieties for the 2010 season: “Fast Bud” and “Big Devil”. Fast Bud is the Sweet Seeds catalogue’s most rapidly growing strain, a high-quality auto-

Aside from the three new versions, Sweet Seeds’ surprises for the season include another three new auto-flowering varieties: Cream Caramel Auto, Black Jack Auto and S.A.D. Auto. They are the result of breeding programs aimed at introducing and stabilising the auto-flowering trait from some of the best and most renowned Sweet Seeds strains. The seed bank currently has more than ten open programs for crossing their best strains with the latest auto-flowering strains. The long-term objective is having all of the Sweet Seeds catalogue varieties available both in the auto and non auto versions.

These new auto-flowering versions represent a step up, quality-wise, compared to the majority of auto-flowering seeds that are currently on the market. They are far removed from their Ruderalis ancestors and more similar to the modern, polyhybrid, non-automatic seeds we are used to. These new generations, 100% automatic and feminised, are in no way lacking compared to their non auto-flowering relations – as far as vigour, flower density, aroma, resin and cannabinoid production

Speed Devil #2

This new version of Speed Devil maintains its predecessor’s rapid flowering period, yielding plants whose resinous and aromatic buds are mature and perfectly formed just 60 days after planting.

An auto-flowering version of Black Jack, the result of a cross-breeding between S.A.D. Auto and a Jack Herer Auto, created

by Sweet Seeds’ R&D department especially in order to produce this cross.

A high quality auto plant, with abundant buds and resin productions. Intense, sweet incense aroma, rapid flowering, powerful effect, with the great vigour of a hybrid.

With Speed Devil #2, the average plant is larger, 70-80 cm. Another characteristic is the noticeable increase in side branches, which produce large buds; this also increases production.

This version shows an increase in resinous crystal. The aroma is much more intense, sweet and musky, with tonalities reminiscent of yeast and cheese.

Fast Bud #2: First evolution of the Fast Bud strain. This auto-flowering variety produces numerous large buds laden with an abundance of aromatic resin; a more productive and aromatic new version. It produces extremely vigorous plants, with more side branches compared to the previous version, and reaches a height between 40 and 90 cm. Powerful effect and sweet aromas with an exotic touch inherited from plants of the Diesel family. Rapid flowering auto plant.

SAD AUTO

Big Devil #2: The first evolution of the Big Devil strain is an auto-flowering and feminised, high stature variety. Sweet Seeds selected this strain, which can reach a height of 1-1.5 m, to satisfy customer request for taller auto-flowering plants. More productive and aromatic than its previous version, resinous and compact buds with an abundance of side branches. Sweet, incense aromas with a touch of Skunk.

SPEED DEVIL

S.A.D. Auto: Auto-flowering version of the S. A. D. S-1 aromatic, the result of cross-breeding and subsequent stabilisation of the best auto-flowering indicas with the S.A.D. S-1.

A high quality auto plant, with abundant buds and resin productions, an intense, sweet and musky aroma, rapid flowering, powerful effect and the great vigour of a hybrid. The auto-flowering revolution is here. By the end of their flowering period, these plants show the same resinous and desirable appearance as their non autoflowering siblings.

Cream Caramel Auto: New auto-flowering version of Cream Caramel, the result of cross-breeding

SPEED DEVIL

39

GROW WITH JORGE CERVANTES When to flower?

After you grow your seedling and put them in bigger pots and start the vegetative stage with 18 hours of light, how long do you let plants grow until you cut the light to 12 hours? Or do you shorten the hours little by little?

ABBY

QUESTIONS TO JORGE Jorge Cervantes is the author of: Marijuana Horticulture: the Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower’s Bible in English and Spanish, Jorge Cervantes’ Ultimate Grow DVD, Indoor Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor Bible, Marijuana Indoors: Five Easy Gardens, Marijuana Outdoors: Guerrilla Growing and Jorge’s Rx. He writes for 12 magazines in 6 languages. Jorge’s books are published in Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish.

The number of plants under a light and the height they are at flower induction depends on your desires. Let’s use a single 600w HP sodium hanging over a square meter for our example. You can grow in small 5-liter pots and stuff in 36-48 plants below the lamp. If you are growing with this method plants should be induced to flower with the 12/12-hour day/night photoperiod when they are less than 6 inches tall. This way the plants will shoot up anotherv30-45 cm before harvest. The light is able to penetrate to the bottom of the plants easily.

But, if getting arrested with more plants is of concern to you, you may want to grow fewer bigger plants and achieve the same harvest. Many growers have changed from the “sea of green” technique that requires growing many small plants, to growing no more than 18 plants under a 400 or 600w lamp. When this regimen is used, plants are grown 1-2 weeks before inducing flowering.

Plants are 18-24 inches tall when induced to flower with the 12/12 day/night photoperiod. Some plants shoot up more than a foot when flowering. The most notable are the skunk varieties. You may need to experiment to find the exact best size of specific varieties for growing the heaviest harvest. I suggest that you check with specific seed companies that produce seed you are growing for more exact guidelines.

Start small plants indoors in February or March under 18-24 hours of light. Move them outdoors early and plants get big!

Autopilot Growing

Harvest heavy with half the light

I want to grow indoors and outdoors. I am confused with all the kits that sell and advertise. I really don’t want to buy a book. I prefer a video that tells me the basic information. Is there a video you can recommend? Are there a small book and a hydro kit that I can forget about and just check once in a while? I don’t want to spend much. I also get confused about sexing plants and cloning etc.

GUS

The Marijuana Horticulture Bible is a great book! I have a closet space 3 feet square by 4 feet tall. I want to grow 2-3 plants in this area. How many HP sodium watts should I use to get a good amount of finished product?

ROXY F

Growing both indoors and outdoors is definitely possible where you live. There is a lot of land outdoors to grow on. There are many different videos that explain the basics on how to grow. The videos will give you the ABCs of growing and get you started in the right direction, but they are difficult to pull specific details from when you have a problem. You should check out www.youtube.com and search “Jorge Cervantes” “Jorge Cervantes Medical” for how to grow videos. Other entertaining videos about genetics is found on youtube. com at “Strainhunters.” Two very complete grow videos in Spanish (www.cannabisindoor.com).

Your request to “forget about and just check once in a while” is not realistic since you have little or no experience. Would you feel safe as a passenger in a car with a driver whose only experience behind the wheel was watching an instructional driving video?

Do you think it is a good idea for this inexperienced driver to put the car on autopilot because they did not want to deal with traffic?

You can also buy one of the “grow closets” that make growing very easy. But there is always more to learn.

If you are like most growers, you will want to be the best. Take time to learn more and put it into practice.

Buy a book, go to www.softsecrets.nl website to find a wealth of information in your language. You are at the beginning of a life-long journey of growth.

Good question. How much light is too much? How much light is enough? You can use anything from 150 to 400 watts to have an adequate harvest that will keep you in smoke. The light does not necessarily have to be generated from a HP sodium lamp. However, I suggest growing a few more plants. Grow at least 6 plants and possibly as many as 18 in the room. Growing more plants will ensure that you have a good harvest. If you have disease, pest or cultural problems and are growing only 2-3 plants, they could get wiped out quickly and you would have to start over. If you grow a dozen or more plants, you can easily pull some of them if they are too big for the closet and still get a strong harvest. It is much easier to pull a plant than it is to wait for a new one to mature.

I just returned from visiting many grow rooms in the Netherlands. Most of the rooms were illuminated by less than a dozen 600w HP sodium lamps. Growing marijuana in Holland is illegal and many grow shows are busted every year. Growers seldom spend any jail time, but are given fines and their equipment is confiscated. One of the main ways growers are caught is by power consumption. The less electrical power consumed the lower the chance of being found out. Several growers in Southern Holland were growing with half as much light as they were before and harvesting about 85 percent as much weight as when they used double the amount of light.

The premise is simple. If you have two lights, turn one on for two hours and keep the other lamp off. At the end of two hours, reverse the order; turn one light off and the other light on. Continue this regimen for 12 hours so that each lamp is illuminated for a total of 6 hours at two-hour intervals. I’m not exactly sure what all happens within the plant when it is given strong light for two hours and less light for two hours. I will have more information on this subject later. I did see plants growing under this light regimen and doing quite well. The buds were well formed and fairly compact. Everything I saw led me to believe the light regimen works just like all the growers that I spoke to said it did.

I will know more in another month when I return to visit the same grow rooms and weigh in on the harvest.

There are quite a few other benefits realized by using half as much light. Temperature and humidity are much easier to control and maintain at acceptable levels. Summertime growing in hot climates would make vast improvements using such a regimen of light.

So to answer your question about light, I suggest using four 65w compact fluorescent lamps. Hang the lamps overhead in a matrix pattern so that each lamp illuminates approximately one quarter of the grow area. Turn two lamps on for two hours. At the end of two hours, turn two lamps off and two lamps on. Continue with this regimen for 12 hours each day. You will be using no more than 130 watts and be growing the absolute maximum amount of smoke for the amount of light you are using.

For more information about this light regimen hit www.marijuanagrowing.com for more information. I am currently researching an article on the subject.

40

GROW WITH JORGE CERVANTES / BOOKS

Too many fingers My boyfriend and I are growing indoors. We have 5 plants that are 3 months old.

They have been on constant light until last week. Now they are on 20 hours and off 4. The plants tops have 9 leaves. I thought seven was the target number?

HEIDI Keeping the lights on 24 hours a day might make plants grow a little faster. But I think you will be doing fine with 18 hours of light. Plants need a bit of time without light. It is when they process a lot of the chemicals in their cells.

Leaves with 9 blades are normal for plants that are strong healthy and growing well. The number of “fingers” on your leaves means they are growing well. Also look for a healthy green color and the margins of the leaves should not be discolored or distorted in any way. Discoloration and distortion signify fertilizer imbalance and are generally treated by flushing out excess fertilizer salts.

Mineral (salt) water I germinate my seeds by putting them in a washcloth saturated with bottled drinking water, then potting them. I am getting only 20 percent of my (seeds/sprouts) to flower in 3 weeks. I dig up the sprouts that did not sprout and I find they grow about 0.25 inch before turning black and dying.

INDICA JONES Sounds like your seeds are staying too wet and the water could be packed with salt. I just checked a bottle of European water and found that it is packed with salts, sodium, calcium, magnesium, etc. That could be why they call it “mineral water”! Sodium inhibits seed germination. When germination is arrested, the same amount of moisture is still given to seeds. When this moisture is not put to use by the seed, it creates unhealthy conditions for germination. The water lies on the seed or around it and causes rot.

You should have a germination rate of 80 percent or better. To solve your germination problem, change water. Use distilled water that has no other dissolved solids, such as sodium salt, to moisten seeds for germination. Set seeds in a moist paper towel. Prop the paper towel up so that is on edge (vertical) folded with the seeds inside. Keeping the paper towel vertical will make sure moisture stays at a safe level and drains away freely so that seeds will not get too wet.

Grow giant plants like this outdoors this year! Sometimes plants like this will have leaves with 9-finger leaves.

Grubbycup's Simple Hydroponics Potential hydroponic gardeners can easily become overwhelmed by the complex processes involved with soilless cultivation. Understanding the basics prior to venturing into advanced gardening manuals can help prevent frustration and confusion. An informed gardener is more likely to succeed, and a successful gardener is more likely to continue to garden.

Written by international gardening author and Soft Secrets contributor Grubbycup Stash, Grubbycup's Simple Hydroponics is a starter primer on hydroponic growing. The booklet is motivating and interesting, filled with informative pictures and easy to read text.

Written in conversational English, Grubbycup breaks down hydroponic concepts, and simplifies the technical information. This book quickly delivers information to the reader without talking down to them. Forty beautiful color pages illustrate concepts including artificial lighting, media choices, and basic nutrition.

Grubbycup is obviously passionate about gardening, and helping gardeners improve. This booklet is informative enough to understand the differences between the most common types of hydroponic methods without being overwhelming.

Grubbycup's Simple Hydroponics also outlines more advanced hydro systems, but the main thrust is for the beginner, the person a little hesitant to take that leap of faith and try hydroponic gardening.

The booklet also touches on environments, lighting, growing mediums, humidity, and temperature, it is a book even the most beginning gardener can follow.

Grubbycup’s Simple Hydroponics is available at hydroponic stores and online sites.

Photos: Debi Davis

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43

DIY

Ice Hash: Efficiency with the Bare Essentials

By The Professor

Ice hash production can be a messy and error-strewn process – especially if you’re relatively new to it. After years of experiments, experiences and mistakes I’ve found that the following method is by far the most efficient way to make the most out of your ‘left-overs’, and it can be done with the bare essentials in term of equipment.

Be warned though, if you’re a purist who uses an electric toothbrush to bash yer hash you’ll probably scream when you read it – this is about quantity over quality! So, if you’re ever in a country where cannabis is legal and you find yourself in the right place at the right time then it goes a little something like this…

Equipment: 1 x stereo 1 x mixing bucket (50/60+ litre rubber builders buckets are great)* 1 x plastic kitchen bin, or any container that accommodates your ice hash bags (the deeper the better, and preferably with a smooth bottom)* 1 (min) x ice hash separation bag 1 x ice hash collection bag 1 x big wooden spoon 1 x large mirror/pane of glass 1 x oscillating fan Ice The ‘left-overs’ *This size equipment will suit up to about half a kilo of leaf, if you’re lucky enough to be mixing bigger batches then you’ll obviously want bigger equipment.

The left-overs: make sure these are well dried and then frozen. Freeze it in plastic bags then, when it comes out of the freezer, scrunch it up through the bags so you break up all the plant matter without directly touching it.

The Ice: freeze filtered/boiled/aired water – if you live in a hard water area do not use the tap water without filtering it and then airing it for 24 hours. If you live in a soft water area just airing it for 24 hours is fine.

Whatever water you use, try and make sure it’s as clean as possible. You’ll need a lot of ice as well so fill the freezer at least a day before you get cracking.

The Buckets and Mirror/Glass: clean.

The Stereo: loud.

Instructions: t 5VSO ZPVS UVOFT PO UIJT JT NVDI NPSF fun with some music blaring! t 4FU ZPVS NJSSPS HMBTT VQ BU B TMJHIU uphill/downhill angle and position your fan at the bottom of the mirror/glass so it is aiming uphill. This will help to dry the hash a lot quicker than passive drying and the slope of the mirror/glass

allows water to run off. Make sure you do this in a different room, or at least somewhere out of the way. t $IVDL B MPBE PG JDF JOUP UIF SVCCFS builders bucket, make sure you throw plenty of it in there at the beginning. t &NQUZ ZPVS QMBTUJD CBHT PG ESJFE GSPzen, scrunched up green bits on to the ice. t 6TF UIF XPPEFO TQPPO UP TNBTI JU about and mix it up. Do this for about 20 minutes – this is where the music comes in especially useful! You might want to add a litre of cold water at this stage, just to make it a bit easier to mix around…

But only ever add a minimum of water – you don’t want to be using any more water than will fit into your kitchen bin. t 8IFO UIF JDF JT NFMUJOH UIF MFBWFT are battered, your arms are aching and you can’t take it any more then you can fetch the kitchen bin and the ice hash bags. Set them up. t 1PVS UIF DPOUFOUT PG ZPVS NJYJOH bucket through your bags into the kitchen bin. Stir gently for a minute or so and then allow it all to settle for ten minutes.

t 3FNPWF UIF GJSTU CBH BOE EVNQ UIF contents into your mixing bucket again.** t 3FNPWF UIF TFDPOE CBH TMPXMZ MFUting all the water drain without forcing it. t %FQPTJU UIF CFBVUJGVM HPMEFO DPOtents on to the top end of the mirror/glass and turn your fan on. t 1PVS UIF XBUFS UIBU T TUJMM JO ZPVS kitchen bin back into the mixing bucket. t 3FQFBU TUFQT UP VOUJM ZPV EPO U get any hash left in your collection bag – you should be able to do it several times.

Add more ice if necessary but DO NOT throw any water away. t 8IFO ZPV WF EPOF UIF MBTU DZDMF take your kitchen bin full of murky water, cover it to stop any dust getting in, put it somewhere out of the way and let it sit for 48 hours. t %P XIBUFWFS ZPV XBOU XJUI UIF soggy green mess that’s left over; the best thing is to dry it out slowly and get cooking! t IPVST MBUFS XIFO UIF DPOUFOUT

of the water in your bin has settled, you can either siphon or pump out the water from the top… Be very careful not to disturb all the sediment at the bottom though. When you get down to the last inch or so of water proceed very carefully... The aim here is to rescue all the sediment from the bottom of the bin – there’s always an amazing amount of this and you can turn it into a nice ball of black hash. **The last time you take the soggy leaves out of the hash bag squeeze as much water out of them as possible and give any hash left chance to filter through the bags.

Drying tip: you should be able to separate most of the water from the hash through run-off and by blowing it off with the fan. If you’re impatient you can take some of the hash, ball it up, and press it between a couple of pages of Soft Secrets – these pages are specially designed for the purpose! You’ll know when it’s ready because you’ll stop seeing damp spots on the pages and bits of the paper will start sticking to hash. Be warned though, do not try and press it dry too early or else you’ll lose a lot of hash in the water that you squeeze out of it.

By the end of all that you should have a nice collection of different grade brown hashes and a strange looking ball of black hash as well. Let us know how you get on with it, and if you have any other tips for ice hash production then, please, let us all in on it!

Ask Ed — TM

“Ed Rosenthal is the guru of ganja”-- High Times

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tems because each diode emits light in an unusually narrow spectrum. The minerals used to make it determine LED fixtures the spectrum are more expens the diode emits.

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8-9

45 SEA OF GREEN SYSTEM I am setting up a sea of green (SOG) system.

Should I trim the lower portions of the plants or side branches? When I look at the pictures of SOG systems I only see one bud per plant.

What should I do about side branching?

TEAM GILLY

Ed Rosenthal is recognized worldwide as a leading authority on marijuana. In his 30-plus years as America’s “guru of ganja” he has written or edited more than a dozen books about marijuana cultivation and social policy that cumulatively have sold over one million. His first book, Marijuana Grower’s Guide, is the only title on marijuana cultivation to be reviewed by The New York Times Book Review. After almost two decades, his Ask Ed advice column continues to answer questions on all matters of marijuana from readers around the world.

The advantage of sea of green (SOG) systems is that very little time is spent in vegetative growth.

Rather than having a few plants growing linearly until the canopy is filled with vegetation, which can take a month or more, many plants are placed in the garden. Each has to grow only a little bit for the garden to fill up. SOG plants are grown vegetatively for just one to three weeks after seedling stage or transplanting clones. The plants reach a height of about 20-30 cm, and then the light regimen is changed to the flowering cycle, 12-13 hours of light and 12-11 hours of uninterrupted darkness each day.

In most SOG systems the plants are placed about 15-25 cm apart. This allows each plant to grow one large bud. Some growers use a modified system, growing the top bud and 3 or 4 side buds.

When growing one bud plants you may see some side branching during the first few weeks of flowering. This varies by variety, fertilizer and the amount of space provided each plant. Plants that are crowded together grow fewer side branches and place more emphasis on vertical growth.

Remove these branches so energy is not diverted to extraneous growth.

“Edibles are made by mixing cannabis-infused butter or oil into food. Because the marijuana is ingested, it is a more powerful alternative to medicine.”

HEATING COLD SPACE

OUTDOOR CONTAINER GARDENING

I am building a 3 x 2 meter grow room in an unattached shed. I am worried about the winter months. How can I keep the space warm enough when the lights are out? What is a safe and effective way?

G. GRANT

I am planning to grow outdoors in 20 and 25 liter containers. To protect my garden I purchased a mobile greenhouse cart, so I am able to move the plants into the garage as needed. The cart has four wheels, adjustable shelves and a clear plastic cover. I live in an inland area of Southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego. It is very warm in the summer, 35 to 44∞ C. Can plants handle this intense sun or should I use filtered sun under the patio? Do you have any other tips for me?

RICHARD D.

There are several things you can do to keep the shed warm in the winter. First, it should be insulated so that heat doesn’t escape. Two easy to use materials for this are Styrofoam board and aluminized bubble pack. Either of these materials can easily be installed in the room and are also easy to remove.

If the lights are high enough above the garden so they do not have to be aircooled, the heat they generate can be blown down to the plants in the garden.

Overhead or side fans can be used and can be regulated by a thermostat, so they turn on when the temperature in the canopy decreases to a certain level, below 300 C when the lights are bright and the garden is supplemented with CO2.

Gas heaters or CO2 generators, which burn natural gas or bottled gas and release CO2, heat and humidity are good choices for both keeping the room warm and supplementing it with CO2. The generator should be regulated by the thermostat for heat. When the temperature falls, the generator is turned on. Gas heaters are economical and add humidity to dry air. However, the humidity should be maintained at a level no higher than 50%. A dehumidifier may be needed occasionally to lower the moisture level of the air. This unit also creates heat. Use a CO2 tank that is regulated by a CO2 PPM meter placed at the top of the canopy.

An electric heater is another alternative. Just plug the heater in, turn it on and set the desired temperature. The heater will maintain the temperature. When cold air is heated electrically it becomes very dry because cold air holds very little water.

As it heats up and can hold more moisture, its relative humidity goes down. To maintain the relative humidity at a minimum of 40% you may have to install a humidifier regulated by a humidistat.

If you maintain the dark period temperature close to the on period you will find that the stems will be thicker and stouter. The plants will also grow and mature faster.

It is not the intense sunlight that affects the plants negatively. They can bask in the light. It is the intense heat that stresses them. They shut down photosynthesis at 35∞ C. During most of the day they are just transpiring, trying to keep cool, but not photosynthesizing. The solution to the problem is not to shade the plants to keep them cool, but to use micro-misters to keep them cool. Micro-misters and misting fans cool the air by 5-10∞ by breaking water into 5mm particles that quickly evaporate, cooling the air in the immediate area. They use very little water and energy to create a cool outdoor area.

With the intense light but a cool environment the plants will grow very quickly and vigorously. The plants will require a lot of water, not only for photosynthesis but also to stabilize temperature. Make sure the plants always have plenty of water, but use soil that is porous enough to give the roots a good supply of air. For this reason, they should be fed a dilute nutrient-water solution. If they are given a strong solution they will absorb too much nutrient and can suffer from over-fertilization.

Since the plants are easily mobile they can be forced to flower once they grow large enough.

Just wheel them in and out of the garage each day making sure they get 11-12 hours of darkness each day at a consistent time. Another solution, if that is not practical, is to cover them with white-black plastic using a frame. They will flower and ripen during the summer, when the light and UV-B light is strongest so the buds will be extremely potent.

If the buds are harvested early in the season the plants can be re-flowered. Keep them outdoors so they get more light, and break the dark period (the night) by exposing the plants to light for a few seconds or more. This pushes them back into vegetative growth. Within a few weeks the plants will start growing leaves again. Once they have re-vegetated they can be re-flowered or they will start flowering naturally as summer turns to fall and the nights grow longer.

46 CFL LIGHT DISTANCE I have a small marijuana garden 60 x 60cm, that I am lighting with 300 watt and a 150 watt compact fluorescent (CFL) bulb. Everything is going well.

How far should the lights be from the plants? They are seedlings, about 2 weeks old and will be put outside as soon as weather permits.

KIMBERLY S The CFLs should be kept at enough of a distance from the plants so the light spreads to illuminate the garden as evenly as possible and all the plants are well lit. For best results you should use a bell reflector or handmade heavy-duty aluminum foil reflectors. These help direct the light downward towards the garden rather than the ceiling or walls.

The perimeter of the garden should be painted flat white or lined with highly reflective material.

The lamps have an input of 450 watts, which will support fast growth. You can keep the bottom of the bulbs 30cm from the top of the plant canopy and get excellent growth.

Make sure that you give the garden a constant supply of carbon dioxide (CO2) during the lighted period by ventilating the space using a fan blowing in plenty of fresh air. If the garden was to be more permanent I would say that you should use a CO2 system using a tank regulated by a parts per million (ppm) meter.

INDOOR-OUTDOOR CULTIVATION Where I live, I get full sun all year long and the winters are extremely mild. The minimum temperature is 150. If I germinate indoors and grow the plants vegetatively to 75cm under HPS and place the plants outside during the “winter” period will the short light period induce flowering? If they get full sun will they finish off in 6 to 8 weeks, just like indoors?

Can the plants be transplanted into the soil when they are placed outdoors?

J. THANG Yes. You can start the plants indoors, grow them to sufficient size and then transplant them outside. The plants will start flowering as long as they get a minimum of about 11 hours of uninterrupted darkness each evening.

By transplanting into the soil the roots will have an opportunity to obtain water and nutrients from new sources.

You can actually grow from seedling outdoors. Just interrupt the dark period halfway through each evening by shining a warm white fluorescent light all over each plant.

A bright night-light will also work well. The plants just have to receive light for a few seconds. This will prevent the plant from flowering and it will continue to grow vegetatively. When you want the plant to flower, stop shining the light.

Any area that stays warm and sunny in the winter can be used to flower out winter crops. In cooler sunny areas, a greenhouse can be used to keep the plants warm while the sun provides illumination.

NEGATIVE IONS AND POTENCY If my plants are exposed directly to the output of a Negative Ion Generator, will the potency of the finished product be affected?

MYJA MUSIC No and yes. The amount of THC that the glands (trichomes) hold remains the same when negative ions come in contact with the living buds. The terpenes follow a different path. They have flash points (evaporate readily) starting at 21∞ C. Negative ions attach to these molecules, neutralizing their odor and precipitating them so they fall out of the air. They also attach to terpenes that have escaped the gland or that are in broken glands and in contact with air. Going into a flower room de-odorized with a high power negative ion generator is an eerie experience because even up close you cannot smell any odor. It is only when a bud is pinched and the terpenes are released that you can smell the odor.

Negative ion generators charge oxygen molecules with a loosely attached extra electron that is ready to jump to positive charged molecules floating in the air. Terpenes are positively charged and are neutralized when the transfer occurs, resulting in the elimination of odor.

A negative ion generator is a good appliance to use in the vegetative grow room.

Because the generators attack terpenes I do not recommend using them in the flower room during the last few weeks. However, I would use them in adjoining spaces, where they will seek out and destroy stray odor molecules.

Negative ions improve mood, attention span and learning/memory in humans and also may improve plant growth so they are safe to use in the home and in work areas.

Ozone generators create ozone(O3) from oxygen(O). As a gas, O atoms lock together into fairly stable pairs which are described as O2. Ozone generators create the unstable molecule O3, which consists of three O atoms and is negatively charged. When one of these molecules comes in contact with a positively charged molecule, one of the O atoms jumps from the molecule to the other molecule and neutralizes it and eliminates its odor. O3 has the same effects as negative ions in searching out and destroying odor molecules that are in contact with air.

Ozone is not considered healthy to be around so they should only be used in spaces that people don’t work or live in.

“The Pollinator (c) works by sifting dried plant material through a screen drum, the trichomes are separated from the plant matter and can be pressed into hash or used as kief”

Carbon filters eliminate odor only in the air that passes through the filter, not the terpenes that are attached to the plant. They are an excellent way to keep the garden odorfree without affecting plant odors.

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49 DRY EMERGENCY STASH IN OVEN

DOESN’T LIKE SMOKE OR EDIBLES

Since THC boils at 1900 and decarboxylation takes place at 1000 is it possible to quick dry a small amount of my bud on the lowest setting on my oven, 750, and retain the potency?

LEWIS

I’m a cannabis patient, but do not like to smoke or eat cannabis. Do I have other options for medication? Can you tell me the differences between tinctures, oils and concentrates?

ROD

You can heat marijuana to 750 and it will not lose the THC and other cannabinoids it contains. However, the terpenes, the odor molecules that determine the personality of the high, whether its inquisitive, happy or couch-lock, for instance. Some of these evaporate when the temperature rises above 220. All of them evaporate before THC. So I would not use a hot oven to dry the bud. Instead, I would place the bud on top of an appliance such as a radio DVD player or other electrical device that produces only a moderate amount of heat. The bud will take a little longer to dry but more of the terpenes will remain and the bud will provide a more satisfying high.

There are several alternatives to smoking or eating marijuana.

VENT OR COOL? I am planning to build a room with eight 1000 watt high pressure sodium (HPS) lights. I plan on growing 20 plants on a rotating basis so I will harvest a plant every three days. If I use air-cooled lights, with fans taking the air out, will that be enough to cool the grow area? I will be venting air in from the outside.

WILLY The lamps will contribute a total of between 500 and 1000 BTU’s per lamp, depending on the characteristics of the reflector. I don’t think you should use vented air to adjust the temperature in the garden because the outdoor temperature varies too much. It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. When the outside air is warm it takes a lot of ventilation to cool the space. When it climbs above 270 C it won’t do much to cool the room. In the winter the air is very cold and should be mixed with warmer air before it enters the garden space.

Instead of ventilating the room, a better solution is to control the room temperature using an air conditioner to cool the room, and the heat from a CO2 generator controlled by a thermostat to warm it. When it is warm outside and there is no need for heat, use a CO2 tank to supply the space with CO2.

MOLASSES IN RESERVOIR HYDROPONICS Will using molasses clog up my hydroponic reservoir drip system unit? My plant is four weeks from harvest. I read that molasses puts the final touch for maximum yield. The article said to use 4 grams per 1 liter water. Would you suggest using the molasses while growing hydroponically?

RODNEY Placing molasses in any kind of reservoir system results in fermentation as yeast and other organisms feast on the high-energy sugars. This can cause an unhealthy situation for the roots, since the organisms use up oxygen as they burn the sugar and create CO2.

As the yeast grow, they form foamy globs that can clog up the drip emitters. Molasses also raises the pH of the water. There are a number of commercial products that are recommended for hydroponic systems that contain sugars but won’t cause infections or clog up the plumbing. This is a safer way to add carbs to your hydro system.

Vaporizers heat marijuana to the point where the THC and other psychoactive compounds evaporate and are then inhaled. Since there is no burn there is no smoke, just air with the essence of the bud. Marijuana capsules are made from ground marijuana that is soaked in cooking oil. Rather than having to eat it in food, you can swallow a capsule and achieve the same result.

Tinctures usually use grain or high proof alcohol, or vegetable glycerin as a solvent.

Marijuana is soaked in the liquid for several days. The THC and other psychoactive compounds dissolve in the alcohol. The buds are removed. The tincture is used sublingually (under the tongue). This has several advantages over eating or drinking. First, it enters the blood stream very quickly via the mucus membranes in your mouth as compared with a long path through the digestive system, slowly entering the bloodstream.

Secondly, more of the active ingredient gets into the bloodstream through the mucus membrane than through the digestive system so it takes less to get you high with sublingual administration.

Marijuana oil is a concentrate that is usually made by dissolving THC in a solvent such as petroleum ether that boils at a relatively low temperature. Because of the low boiling point of the solvent, it is not present in the finished product. Most of the solvents that are used are very selective so the oil is usually quite concentrated. It ranges from a nearly clear liquid to a gooey dark viscous glob. These differences are the result of the original starting material, the solvent used and the manufacturer’s technique.

Concentrates- There are many methods of concentrating marijuana’s active ingredients. The easiest is to use a mesh screen to concentrate the glands by rubbing them off the leaf surface. Both nylon and metal screens can be used for the purpose but the nylon grows brittle and its fibers find their way into the concentrate. Stainless steel mesh screens last indefinitely.

The “Pollinator” mechanizes this using a drum frame covered with mesh. It revolves inside of a box creating enough friction to remove the glands, which drop to the bottom of the box. The “kief” obtained from screening can be used to make capsules, in vaporizers or used to make tinctures as well as for use in smoking and cooking.

When kief is heated and pressed it congeals into a solid with the consistency of taffy to a sandy soft rock. This depends on the type of marijuana from which the kief was derived. Hash is usually smoked or vaporized. However, in the 1840’s the The Club des Hashischins, held “séances” in which the members ate hash to induce trippy experiences. The meetings were held in a Paris hotel. Several noted authors attended.

Water hash is made by “washing” marijuana in water with ice. The glands break off and are filtered through a series of bags with different size meshes. Sometimes the bags are used to filter different sized glands, which some people think have different psychoactive qualities. Washing the glands creates a very clean product, free from impurities. It can be used in the same way as kief.

Since you do not like to eat or smoke, I would use sublingual tinctures so that you can self-titrate with small doses. However, there will still be some physiological effect.

50

CANNABIS FAIRS

Spannabis: The Brit’s Perspective

By Little Lebowski

Anonymous: From what I understand, the stance on growing and consuming cannabis in Spain is a lot more relaxed than the UK, which was reflected in the lack of a visible police presence, I only saw two police officers all weekend! The huge numbers of people of all ages flooding through the doors shows that cannabis consumption is more main stream.

From a UK percy grower perspective, it's hard to see what harm there'd be in having a tolerance policy similar to Spain’s.

Three days of sun, fun and toking!

Spannabis is a weed lovers dreams come true, but what is the British perspective on this - very Spanish - show?

Spannabis in Barcelona is now the largest event in the cannabis industry attracting smokers, growers and people watchers from all corners of the globe. Soft Secrets met up with two Brit percy growers; Bartman and Anonymous, who had made the journey from rainy Britain, to sample the delights of the Barcelona expo…

Soft Secrets: Why did you travel from the UK to visit Spannabis?

Bartman: I travelled to Spannabis from the UK because I enjoy the atmosphere at the expos. I was told by a few mates that Spannabis was as good, if not better, than the expo at Wembley back in 2005. I can't remember who told me, but they were right!! I also wanted to put the airlines to the test with regards my disability/powerchair and they [Easyjet] came up trumps too. Well worth the visit.

in previous expos I had been to in the UK. For example, at Wembley in 2005 and Telford in 2007.

Police presence at Spannabis 2011 was minimal, if not non-existent. Certainly not 'on top' like in the UK. The attitude towards growing in Spain appears to be much more liberal too. This was evident in the presence of numerous Spanish growing associations and clubs at the expo.

People were outside the expo smoking away with no threat of arrest unlike the UK expos. It was comfortable and chilled throughout the three days.

The police presence at the Telford expo in 2007 was highly visible both inside and outside the venue. Arrests were made and folks were hassled outside the venue.

One trend I noticed is that auto seeds seemed to be more popular in Spain than in the UK. Three outdoor crops per year certainly sounds very appealing!!

WOULD I LIKE A SIMILAR SHOW TO SPANNABIS IN THE UK? HELL, YES!!

I am lucky to have some fellow toker/ grower mates here in the UK and a few were available to travel to Spannabis too, so it was a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with some good friends and meet some new ones at the same time.

Anonymous: I have visited many events like this in the UK and thought it would be a good idea to see how it's done in Spain.

Soft Secrets: What do you think the differences are between the attitude to growing in Spain and growing in the UK? Bartman: The differences between UK and Spain? It appeared that security services were much more relaxed in Spain about the whole cannabis issue than they were

Spannabis was far bigger than any show I have been to in UK. It appealed to all types of growers, both the small percy growers (yay!) and commercial growers alike, with a wide range of products.

The vaporizers were switched on constantly for the full three days at Spannabis. Whereas at Telford in 2007 security threatened to eject a few fellas on the UK420 stand as soon as they fired their volcano up and tried to fill a three metre bag.

In the UK, it appears that for a show to be accepted by authorities it has to concentrate on growing only and steer away from the 'head scene'. This is why the GROWUK 2010 show in Manchester was so successful. Roll on GROWUK 2011!!

Soft Secrets: Would you like to see a show similar to Spannabis in the UK? Do you think it would work? Or even be allowed?

Bartman: Would I like a similar show to Spannabis in the UK? Hell, yes!!

Would it be allowed? Dunno. The Wembley expo came close in 2005, yet it was outlawed in Coventry 2006. The Telford expo in 2007 was a bit of a joke, mainly due to shite private security and heavy police presence.

Time will tell. Weed World have attempted a few successful small shows in London in 2008/9 but nothing in 2010! Maybe they will try again in 2011?

Anonymous: I'd love to see a show exactly like Spannabis in the UK, but I very much doubt it could ever take place as that one did. This show was about Cannabis, no pretences… thank

fuck! The last UK show I can remember that came anywhere close was the Wembley expo in 2005. It seems the only way to get permission to run an event like this these days is to completely renounce the direct cannabis links.

Soft Secrets: Did you see anything of interest at the show that you will try and buy in the UK? Bartman: Some sun! Yes I did, I had my eye on some seeds, digi-ballasts, Mary-Jo's lager, pre-rolled cones and a few pipes and bongs.

Anonymous: It was pretty much the usual suspects where growing equipment and nutes were concerned, but with a little more pizzazz!! I bought some seeds and at some point soon I’m going to get them wet! It was nice to talk with the breeders we've been buying genetics off for years, shame we can't invite them to the upcoming Manchester grow show!

Soft Secrets: Any other comments about the show or growing in the UK in general?

Bartman: Yes, roll on Spannabis 2012!!

Anonymous: I’ve always wanted to say this… 'no comment!'

A big Soft Secrets thank you to both the guys for their time and honest answers, see you in Barcelona 2012. Now, who’s up for creating a UK show?!!

52

INDOOR GARDENING

The Mother Room The mother room is where we all keep our healthiest and most prized mother plants. Without this room we would have to start from scratch (seeds) every time we wanted a new harvest of healthy fat buds. Having such a room is important as it allows us to keep a good plant or plants in the vegetative stage for as long as desired. With a bit of care, they can provide us with all the cuttings (clones) needed to keep us stocked up with bud for a long time to come.

Below is an insight to how this type of room can be managed and what you could expect to find within the mother room. I hope you will be able to take something away that will be of use to you and your garden, and make the whole process of growing a little bit easier and trouble free...

I selected these strains as they are all either Indica or Indica-dominant, since I prefer the size of my plants to be a bit more predictable than I can be growing Sativas.

Heppa filter a day or two previously, and have adjusted the pH to 5.9.

The systems, as always, are my favored 10-pot Wilma system with drip irrigation.

They are easy to use and user friendly, you can move the pots around with ease and all accessories to go with the system are reasonably priced in the event of malfunction or damage.

Each of the pots is lined at the bottom with felt to stop any residue from the expanded clay pellets I use from entering the nutrient tank and blocking up the drip emitters. When doing this you must remember that after each crop it is important to remove and replace the felt at the bottom otherwise it can lead to flooding of the pots!

Okay, now let’s have a good look at what is needed for a good mother/veg room.

Below is a small checklist of the essentials that you will need:

Right then, if you are growing your own crop of dank, potent ganja, you will be fully aware of how long the whole process can take. From seed to harvest you can wait anywhere between 3 and 8 months!

Now I don’t know about you, but all that damn waiting for the plant to grow to maturity is a bit of a drag, ESPECIALLY if growing from seed!

Having the option of another room to grow in opens up the possibility of more harvests in a year than we are used to. This extra room is going to be our mother/veg room, which will house between 5 and 10 mother plants, as well as up to 30 clones.

The lighting we are using, as you can see, is banks of 5ft fluorescent fittings plus 250w cool white AND red CFL's, as they all give off plenty of lumens for good, healthy veg growth.

By Smokedout

Plenty of FRESH air!

Adequate lighting (at least 150w) Circulation fan(s) Access to a water supply Drainage!

Enough space for the strain(s) you intend to grow Propagator for cuttings (clones) Clonex (rooting hormones) Sharp scalpel/scissors Vegetation/growth nutrients Spray bottle Well-established mother plant(s) Rooting medium e.g. rock wool cubes, Jiffie cubes...

Syringe/pipette pH/EC Meters (if required) And finally.... more FRESH AIR! In the veg/mother room we have about five different strains that are being used as mother/donor plants. These have all been grown from seed for good healthy growth. The strains are Power Kush, Shark Attack and White Widow, all from Dinafem, as well as Super Skunk (Nirvana) and LSD (Barneys farm).

Each mother plant has been selected from a packet of 3 seeds and the healthiest plant has been held back for mothering while the other two are sent on their way to the flowering room for a little tester down the line.

When these were selected, we set up a new system to grow them in. Since they will not be moving for a long time, we have already filled our tank with EC neutral water from a dehumidifier with a

When looking after mother plants, I like to keep the feeding as simple as possible so as to reduce the risk of overfeeding them too young and stunting their growth. By this I mean that all they will get a specially designed 2-part growth formula from Advanced Nutrients which is pH and EC perfect.

The only addition is of a root enzyme, Multi-Zyme (from House & Garden). This helps the roots grow stronger and aids quicker break down of old/dead roots to keep the root system in as best health as possible.

I know that there are many different additives you can use that supposedly give you "bigger, greener, stronger plants”, but I read all the time of people getting tiny yields after using all these products that are supposed to be of benefit to your beloved ganja plants.

Some people will be happy with what they get and I can’t criticize them for that, if that’s all they want from all the time and effort put into their plants.

Now, all this sounds and seems pretty easy, and it is. But I repeat: the one thing you cannot forget is that you need a constant flow of FRESH AIR. Fresh air is what every plant and living being needs as a vital part of life. Give them stale or contaminated air and their health deteriorates, growth slows down and the plants are open to disease and infection. I have suffered as a result of these conditions and have had to rid my grow room of them wretched spider mites which spread like wildfire (more on these in a future issue).

CO2 is said to be a worthwhile investment but is really only advantageous if used throughout the entire life of your plants. I have not yet tried this out as I still feel as though it is still a bit heavy on the pocket, although there are some cheaper short-term use products on the market, which may be worth a try at a later point in time.

After all this is done and you are satisfied that everything is in its place, everything is on and working and your plants are looking good, you should be good to grow in harmony for the remainder of the time between the weekly feeds without having to do too much additional work. But it’s always good to keep an eye on your ladies just in case!

I like to keep it simple and always get good results. If you take care of your plants from early on and don’t overload them with this additive or that additive, you will be rewarded with good healthy plants that are viable to use however you want (flowering or mothering).

The one thing you can not, no MUST not forget is that you need a constant flow of FRESH AIR otherwise all your hard work ain’t worth shit...

With the nutrient tank finally seen to, (4ml per liter of Advanced Nutrients' base nutrients and 40ml of Multi-zyme), all our levels are within the stated guidelines, we set the plants into their individual pots and place them onto the tray above the tank and insert a drip emitter from the pump in each pot for irrigation (watering).

The light is then moved down as low as possible to allow for maximum uptake of light. Please note that I am using Fluorescent lights and CFLs, which give off little heat compared to HPS or metal halides, therefore I can get my light source closer to the plants - which they immediately put to use and are flourishing within a week.

The better the environment you give your plants, the better your plants are going to grow, and you must always remember that FRESH AIR is your friend!

We all want a crop that is just a little more than we need and there is no reason why we shouldn't get a good harvest, but you have to make that difference from the start.

I hope that some of this information will be of some use to you in your own venture with hydroponic gardening. You can never have too much information about different methods, as sometimes they are easier and quicker than previous attempts and suit your/your plants needs a little better.

In the next issue I will be continuing a previous issue’s article about a comparison test between a 300W LED EVADER BLOOM light and a 150W HPS with electronic ballast. This will be an interesting test as the LED is only 300W but is supposed to equal and even out perform a 600W HPS light! (There will be a test between these two as well a little later down the line).

Happy smoking, fellow stoners Smokedout

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54 ATAMI:

Seeking Boundaries and Offering Diversity With branches all over the world, Atami is active on a global scale.

The company, which started out with stimulators but which has since also developed its own extensive range of nutrients, substrates and grow systems, has for years been a trendsetter in the development of new products. They recently scored another hit with their Bloombastic. We spoke with Erwin Rosario, the big man behind Atami, about the secret of this success.

You’ve been in business for 15 years; how did it all start?

Atami began with stimulators - that was our core business. We were one of the first to recognize the different phases.

We made a distinction between the rooting, growth and bloom phases, and developed stimulators for each. With these we aimed to be innovative and unique. That was quickly picked up on by the market, also because the price/ quality ratio was very good. Later we added nutrients to this line, followed by substrates and the grow systems. With these, Atami is one of the few companies that offer the complete range from beginning to end in its own range. This total package that we offer is also one of the foundations of our success.

With B’Cuzz, Ata and Ata Organics you have three lines, and each of these lines has various products for each phase. Was this extended offering a conscious choice?

Yes, because with it the consumer, the grower, has complete freedom to make his own choices. The advantage of such an extensive range is that we have a solution for every new trend. For every wallet or for every grow plan we have a product available.

So you listen really closely to what the grower wants?

That’s right. Look, growers start out with a basic set up, but obviously they learn more with each grow. They gradually develop a better eye for details. And that means that they also want a more extended choice to pick from. It is the nature of

the grower to experiment. The more you experiment and try things out, the better your results will be. Undoubtedly there is a ceiling, and things cannot improve any further than this upper limit, but every serious grower is of course looking for this upper limit. That is the challenge you have. You seek your boundaries. That also resonates with me a lot. Seeking boundaries and offering diversity, that’s what Atami is about.

How does that translate in your products?

It is often about details. For example with combinations, so combining a certain nutrient with certain stimulators. Look, even though a particular phase only lasts a very short period of time, everything is important. The smallest details can have huge consequences.

Are you keeping a close eye on new developments such as autoflowering and LED growing?

Of course. I personally have doubts about LED growing, but I think autoflowering is a huge breakthrough. When I look at the Caribbean, where I come from originally, how established that has become… So you no longer have to wait three, four months but can harvest more crops; that is really marvellous.

Weren’t you also one of the first to come out with the well-known boxes?

We were certainly one of the first to come out with them, in our case that was in England. And believe me, back then there was quite a bit of resistance.

If you sell the products separately then

the resellers earn relatively more in the short term. But in contrast to that is the fact that if people with such a box have a successful grow, then the chances are that they will use that box again and stay loyal to our brand. You only earn that loyalty by offering quality.

You are internationally oriented?

Yes, that is also a basis of our success. We went abroad very early. And that is now where the fruits are being plucked. We have been in North America for a very long time. We are there now as a relatively young company but already seen as an old school brand. If you are active in different parts of the world, that also means an enormous spreading of the risks. In any particular region, one year things might get worse, but in another region things go better. So things cancel each other out.

Worldwide the cannabis market still has a huge potential, don’t you think?

Certainly. In the Netherlands the market is pretty saturated, although even here there are still plenty of opportunities. But on the whole we have not yet reached the peak. Look at Eastern Europe, how quickly that is growing. And what a lot of people tend to forget is that with the rise of Spain the whole of Latin America

is booming. In Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, there are already 14 grow shops. And the rest of Latin America, countries like Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, these are coming along too. The sky is still the limit.

You have a column, Ask Erwin. Can people come to you directly with questions about growing?

Yes, that can be done via our website. We have a whole team standing by for them.

Since we have so much expertise around us, we will always find an answer. We have also just hired some extra staff to upgrade our site. Because you can make great products, but you also have to explain well how people are supposed to use them in order to get the best results.

A good example of this is Wilma, our line of grow systems. After we started offering more information about it, the whole line started to sell better immediately.

That shows that the grower is still the one that determines the market. At the end of the day it is the grower, the consumer, who determines whether a company is successful. That is why it is great that so many growers choose Atami.

Finally, it must give you a sense of personal satisfaction to have achieved all this.

Yes, who would have thought it? Twenty years ago I was an impoverished student in Amsterdam who at a certain moment thought, the weed that I smoke, couldn’t I grow it myself? I went in search of information and then started with 12 cement tubs on a South-facing balcony.

And that grower’s virus is something that I’ve never lost. That something grew into a concern like Atami is just brilliant.

Dreams can come true! ›› www.atami.com

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57

MUSIC

King Shiloh - Amsterdam Sound System King Shiloh are a collective of Reggae and Roots musicians based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Together King Shiloh tour Europe with their own exclusive Sound System of amplifiers, turn tables and loud speakers. Over the years the King Shiloh Sound System has gained a big reputation for playing genuine dub-plate at free parties, universities and dance-hall venues. With the true intention of uniting people through music King Shiloh hold no boundaries and were happy to share their philosophy with the readers. Soft Secrets then arranged an interview with King Shiloh's Bredda Neil to get the full low-down with lazystrain on Jah roots sound and the movement. dubstepÅc the thing was he didnÅft have that many records, 2 hours every Saturday night sapped his resources! ThatÅfs why he asked me to join him, we took half a programme each. In the end the Roots took over and the programme went from strength to strength running 10 years long, every Saturday night.

Soft Secrets: When did the King Shiloh first form to become an entity?

Bredda Neil: Its been so long I cant really remember! No seriously 2011 is our 20th year as a sound system, before that we were functioning under the name Roots n Culture, the name taken from the radio programme on Radio 100 How was the King Shiloh Sound System created?

It was a mystical series of events, I had just moved to Amsterdam from London and linked with a brother from Bradford, where I was born, in the UK. He was running a weekly radio programme on the popular Radio 100, a pirate station that everyone in Amsterdam listened to in that timeÅc you know sit down with a spliff, tune in the dial and listen to the latest roots reggae from around the globe, before going out later in the nightÅc Jack was trying to promote the cross over thing, I suppose you could call it early

guidance. What happens in the dance is Jah workin thru us.

Which 'Dance' have King Shiloh most enjoyed playing at and why?

Thru the years we've been privileged to play in some great places, done some amazing sessions, so its difficult to pinpoint just one. Playing at the University of Dub in London was always a great pleasure, like playing in the Champions League final! Remember well the sessions at the Uni in Marseilles and in the streets of AixÅc outdoor sessions in Roma and Napoli.

Why do you think the dub-scene is so influential in uniting people from different backgrounds?

Because Reggae has always been a voice of the poor its always been a music of

How many watts of power does your sound system currently put out?

From those humble beginnings, a jumble of different speakers both bought and home-made we have grown into a fully fledged sound system with the capability of producing over 40,000 watts of power.

Please can you explain a little about the 'Dub' and 'Dance Hall' scene.

The ÅgDubÅh scene is predominantly a UK based movement. ÅgDancehallÅh being more a Jamaican thing. The one being firmly seated on a Roots foundation and the other on a more fashion orientated, quick moving reflection of day to day life.

How do live performances differ from recorded music in the same genre?

Live is always organic, speaking about Shiloh, we've never planned anything before hand, everything happens Ågfreestyle. You know we burn our herbs, give thanks to Jah and follow His

upliftment, you know what I mean? We listen to roots and go to sound system dances to be uplifted out of the depths of Babylon. To find a way out of the daily shitstem. Also in this time the youth, from all racial backgrounds, are realising this and coming to take their medicine so to speak.

Music is a far better healer than a doctor!

A better educator than a class room!

How does Rastafarianism influence your music?

Jah come First. Without Ras Tafari there would be no King Shiloh sound system.

We serve His Majesty spreading His message thru the music. That is the

SOFT SECRETS PROMOTIONAL POSTERS Soft Secrets is Europe’s biggest and most popular cannabis magazine and is distributed through thousands of grow-, head – and coffee shops throughout the continent. Naturally shops that offer the publication want to let their customers know they have it. But in some countries this is a problem, since there Soft Secrets has to be distributed ‘under the counter’, as a precaution against restrictions by local authorities. In order to increase the visibility of Soft Secrets we are now able to offer two ‘neutral’ posters to all shops that distribute the magazine. Now if there’s an attractive poster on the wall, or if there’s the similar sticker on the door, then the visitor knows that he can safely ask for Soft Secrets. Or at least, he can as long as it hasn’t sold out all ready!

For more information, contact: info@softsecrets.nl

purpose to uplift people thru positivity and the Love of the Father.

Does cannabis influence your music?

Cannabis is for the Healing of the Nations.

ItÅfs a good meditation in times of tribulation, a friend in times of trouble. It brings us closer to the Father and therefore inspires the music.

When did you first discover 'Ganja'?

As a youth growing up in a multicultural society in Leeds and Bradford ganja was always aroundÅc so I guess my first spliff was at school behind the bike shed!

Do King Shiloh use cannabis for meditation? recreation? or medication?

As I said early it is for our meditation.

Babylon tries to pressure us all into a life of subservience, go to work, earn your money, pay your bills. Herb opens the mind and enables one to see clearly the real picture, thatÅfs why the system fights it so strong.

What is your favourite type of cannabis to enjoy?

We all enjoy different herbs, personally I smoke the higher indoor grades, Amnesia, Cheese that sort of thingÅc others smoke strikly outdoor weed, Jamaican being the preference of course!

Others smoke top quality Moroccan hash. Horses for courses as we say!

Why do you think cannabis possession is still criminalized in places like the UK? Because there scared of it, they donÅft understand it, so therefore they fear it.

They write so much rubbish as propaganda. Laughable! One day they might realise if they free it up it will make them rich like Holland! Tax it and gwaan! And cool the youts same timeÅc Is there any lasting message King Shiloh would like to put out to the readers of Soft Secrets?

Stay conscious and search for the Truth.

Try and realise your purpose in Life, because we all have one, we just have to discover it. Learn to know the Father for we are all born through His Blessing and not by coincidence. Love HIM and your fellow man and lets work together to make the world a better place to live in.

Jah Rastafari be Praised.

58

MUSIC

By Kaz Peet African Headcharge ‘Voodoo of the Godsent’

ONU SOUND Arising from the San Francisco Bay area – that infamous hotbed of creativity from freaks of all fashion, flavor and form – five-piece outfit Nosolo release this free-to-all downloadable five-track EP. There’s fantastic news for all lovers of the brilliant On-U Sound label. This brand new album by African Headcharge is released as the first of a series of new recordings and classic reissues to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

Formed in the early 80’s by On-U head honcho Adrian Sherwood and percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, African Headcharge have established a unique reputation for producing exceptionally beautiful and deeply strange music. Although one might think it difficult for the band to attain the great heights of the early seminal albums, fans will surely not be disappointed with this first release since 2005’s ‘Visions of a Psychedelic Africa’.

Produced by Adrian Sherwood, Bonjo once again joins forces with long time stable mates Skip Macdonald, Crocodile and the Crispy Horns, together with contributions from legendary bassist George Oban, dancehall pioneer Jazzwad and electronic wizard Adamski. All the elements of a classic Headcharge album are here. Like a freshly emerging spring, lushly dripping dub basslines of pure molten sound, form the source of life from which everything else can flourish. Gently massaging tribal percussion, tipped with the delicacy of angel wings, flutters effortlessly amidst a psychedelic matrix of instrumentation and electronica stemming from a place deep within. Crowned with soulfully uplifting vocals, and chanting empowered by a direct line to the ancestors, the frequency is switched, transporting the conscience way beyond the cesspool of contemporary global politics into a sea of infinite and wonderful possibilities.

‘VOODOO OF THE GODSENT’ WILL BE FOLLOWED WITH THE SOON COME RELEASE OF THREE PIVOTAL ON-U SOUND ALBUMS: CREATION REBEL’S ‘STARSHIP AFRICA’ (THE BEST DUB ALBUM EVER MADE), AFRICAN HEADCHARGE’S ‘OFF THE BEATEN TRACK’ AND THE NEW AGE STEPPERS EPONYMOUS FIRST ALBUM, HERALDING THE START OF THE ON-U SOUND LABELS RECORDING HISTORY.

Rewd Adams ‘Rewd Awakening’ WWW.REWDADAMS.COM At this time when the idiotic element of our youth fail themselves with their silly and disastrous wanna be gangster games, whilst not even being able to shoot straight, causing life threatening injuries to children; Rewd Adams tenders the welcoming arms of hope by spitting this, on point strike hip-hop album, well and truly into the lying and deceit ridden eye of authority. Formerly known as MC Skandal, his latest release, ‘Rewd Awakening’ is available on free download.

Through lyrics invigorating by a deep breath of reality, Rewd bares his soul openly, yet with pride and dignity; the often emotionally intense raps are poetically ripped, direct from his personal life experience.

THE BEAT, LIKE AUDIO DYNAMITE, IS JAMMING UP THE WAY OF CONTROL, AND COLLABORATIONS WITH VARIOUS HEAVYWEIGHT LUMINARIES, FROM THIS NON-COMMERCIAL AND BUOYANTLY SELF-SUSTAINING CHAPTER OF REBEL MUSIC, FIX A SLICK PRODUCTION FINISH. WISDOM IS THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR!

Etana ‘Free Expressions’ VP RECORDS Reggae singer/songwriter sensation Etana returns with her highly anticipated sophomore album ‘Free Expressions’, a release that truly establishes her as an artist of great might.

Etana deems this second album Free Expressions because she adamantly refuses to be constrained by approach or lyrical content. Her beautifully sweet, yet powerful voice easily adapts itself across a gamut of reggae styles including lovers, roots rockin’, one drop and dancehall; not stopping there, this songbird flutters elegantly and ably into soulful r&b and hip-hop.

Penning 12 of the 14 tracks herself, Etana has already had three hit singles from the album so far- ‘Free’, ‘Happy Heart’ and ‘August Town’. Socially conscious undertones can be found in tracks such as the brilliant ‘Mocking Bird’, ‘Retribution’ and of course the popular ‘August Town’. In the songs ‘Day by Day’, ‘Moving On’, ‘People Talk’, ‘Free’ and ‘Dance’ Etana croons uplifting messages of positivity. What’s a reggae album without a little love? Etana sings about the subject in the tracks ‘Happy Heart’, ‘I Know You Love Me’ and ‘My Name Is’.

Etana’s regal countenance, uncompromising messages of selfempowerment and the lyrical depth of her songs are proving to be a challenge to the dominant perception of female artists’ images and identities.

ENGENDERING REVOLUTIONARY CHANGES IN JAMAICAN POPULAR MUSIC, ETANA IS THE JILL SCOTT OF THE REGGAE WORLD.

Daedelus ‘Bespoke’

NINJA TUNE After a busy couple of years of touring, remixing and releasing singles and EPs with Brainfeeder, All City, Magical Properties (the Daedelus home-imprint), Alpha Pup, Warp and Stones Throw, Alfred Darlington aka Daedelus returns with his new full length album on Ninja Tune, ‘Bespoke’, a title summing up the unique and eccentric vision of a musical artist as obsessed with the clothing of the Victorian era as he is with the music of the future. Bespoke is defined as “a term employed to mean an item custom-made to measure.”

Darlington explains “I not only intended it as a reflection of the LP itself, but also an outlook on life.” It’s Daedalus’ way of stating that it’s possible to grow and flourish as a musician without settling for the drab factory pre-sets of genre. The album features vocal talent “from all around this current music mess” (as Darlington puts it). The wobble-bottomed ‘Overwhelmed’ features acclaimed soul singer Bilal. Inara George (of The Bird and The Bee) illuminates the woozy psychedelia of ‘Penny Loafers’ with nursery rhyme clarity. Kelela Mizanekristos adds an aching soulfulness to late night ambience on ‘In Tatters’, whilst the spooked steel drum and tabla montage of ‘French Cuffs’ provides the perfect atmosphere for Baths (aka Will Wiesenfeld). Sometime fast rapper Busdriver shows he can croon on the up-tempo Latino-carnival-house of ‘What Can You Do?’ and Amir Yaghmai (appearing as Young Dad) offers clean and melancholy post-Mozza melody to the disturbed underpinning of ‘One and Lonely’. In addition, Yaghmai also played guitar on much of the record, as Daedelus set about working more live instrumentation into his musical textures than ever before. Om’mas Keith of Sa Ra contributes keyboards to the space-symphonic ‘Suit Yourself’ and Alfred’s Uncle Pete (aka Pete Curry of surf band Los Straitjackets) played most of the drums.

UNSURPRISINGLY, DESPITE THE EXCESSES OF A MUSICAL DANDY, THE SWITCHBACK TURNS OF A RESTLESS AND INQUIRING MIND, THE SHEER INVENTION OF THE MAD SCIENTIST, EVERYTHING ON ‘BESPOKE’ FITS PERFECTLY, THE WORK OF A MASTER TAILOR, FOR WHOM CRAFTSMANSHIP AND QUALITY IS EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT, BUT NO MORE IMPORTANT, THAN STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD.

New grow shop and Hydro supplies for Kidderminster

Free delivery almost anywhere discreet services

Crystals Coffeeshop 33 The horsefair Kidderminster DY10 2EN Tel:07787076753 or 07985281780 Email: crystalscoffeeshop@ymail.com

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60

SHOPREVIEWS

Welcome to Ashford Hydro!

Driving down the country roads to get to this shop gives you a sense of escapism and the feeling you get on arriving at Ashford Hydro is one of peace and tranquillity. The shop is set in the Kent countryside and stands out as being one of the most discreet locations visited. The owners have over 18 years experience in the horticultural industry and pride themselves on providing useful information and competitive prices for the novice to professional grower.

Ashford Hydroponics Unit 1, Haycross farm, Woodchurch, Ashford, Kent TN26 3TF (t) 01233 861097 (w) www.ashfordhydro.com (e) sales@ashfordhydro.com Shop opening times: Mon – Sat : 0930 – 1800 hrs

Once inside the shop you have all the growing equipment and expertise any shop can provide and the owners are always ahead on product selection as they already have the newly developed MiniMax 150 in store! This light set up needs to be seen...

A complete range of nutrients is available on line and in store. These include Hesi, Canna, G.E.T. Power, BioBizz, they have all the leading soil brands and provide a great selection of grow tents, hydroponic grow systems and lighting.

Be sure to visit their website: www.ashfordhydro.com for more information. The shop owners will provide a safe environment for you to buy all your hydroponic equipment, so...

‘Come in, chill out and let’s get growing’!

UK GroWorks

UK Groworks have 3 shops located in the south east of the UK:

this really does add up to a very unique and informative shopping experience!

Brighton, Welling and their newest shop in Gravesend. What stands out at all UKGroworks stores is their considerable knowledge and expertise. They aim to bring alternative gardening techniques into the mainstream market. They can offer helpful advice for the novice grower right through to the professional grower and ensure that orders are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

The shops and website can cater for all your growing needs and should there be a product you want which is not available, it can be in the store within 24hrs. The owners are confident they can fulfil any of your requirements. They distribute worldwide and all their products carry original manufacturer’s guarantees. When shopping online you can be sure it’s safe and secure.

The product selection, shop ambiance and decor have been carefully considered and need to be experienced. The rainforest artwork that has been applied to the walls is outstanding and really adds to the atmosphere that has been created within the shops. It’s always good to see ‘flora and fauna’ growing in stores and provides a good working example of the products and systems that they have on sale. All

Hockley Hydro Hockley Hydro is a large shop and one of the newest Hydro shops to open in the UK. Its set in a great location as not only is it on a nursery; it’s also in an old mushroom growing unit, very cool. It can be found about 18 miles from junction 29 of the M25 in Hockley, Essex, at the back of Pond Chase Nursery and the shop provides good parking and discreet loading. There are a couple of good pubs in the area if you fancy some food or just a casual drink.

The owners have over 8 year’s horticultural experience and are keen to provide a professional service with good advice and competitive prices. The floor space has been used well and as you enter you are greeted with clean displays and

a good selection of the leading brands and their various ranges of products.

The product selection has been chosen carefully to ensure all your needs are met and what is available is all any grower would need from the novice to the professional. Nutrients available range from Canna to Plagron, all tent sizes, lighting systems, hydroponic systems and soils are available.

Hockley Hydro Unit 17 Pond Chase Nurseries, Folly Lane, Hockley, Essex SS5 4SR 01702 205330

UK Groworks Stores: 94 Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, Kent DA16 3HQ Unit 4 Belltower Industrial Estate, Roedean Road, Brighton BN2 5RU Unit F16 Northfleet, Lower Road, Gravesend DA11 9SW

62

INDEX OF ADS / COLOFON

‘YOUR PLEASURE IS OUR BUSINESS’

Index of ads

Red Eye Jungle

Name

Red Eye Jungle started over 15 years ago in the markets of the Quasar Centre, Walsall. In just 3 years they moved into their current retail premises in the centre of town and they have been there ever since supplying Walsall and the surrounding counties with affordable, quality Head products.

The Welcome you receive from Ozzy and Penny is worth the visit alone; their knowledge and product selection suits all requirements/ budgets and this famRed Eye Jungle 228 Stafford Street, Walsall, WS2 8DG (t) 01922 631008

ily run business can cater for all your smoking needs. They especially pride themselves on their seed selection and the usual suspects are available to purchase: Dutch Passion, Greenhouse, Dinafem and they are an official distributor of Royal Queen Seeds. Big Buddha is of course available, with their famous ‘cheese’ strains. They also carry a good range of legal highs, scales, ‘smelly proof’ baggies, pipes, grinders, bongs, ONA deodoriser and pride themselves on having the finest selection of rolling papers and the largest selection of blunts in the Midlands! CD packs can be purchased as well as bandanas, flags and hats.

Be sure to drop in soon!

Note of correction Due to a misprint on the 2011 Soft Secrets strains catalog, a photo appears twice. The picture corresponding to Black Jack Auto, from Sweet Seeds, can be found on the piece about Black Jack Auto and, also, on the piece about Kritikal Bilbo, from Genehtik Seeds. The actual photo of Kritikal Bilbo, from Genehtik Seeds, is the one included with this note of correction.

8 Ball Hydroponics Advanced Seeds Ashford Hydro Atami Atami Attitude the Aztec Garden Big Stone River Indoor Garden Centre Bio Nova Bio-G-Power Bristol Genuine Seed Bank Brit Crops Buddha Seeds Bank Buddha Seeds Bank Bud-Eez Bushman Clever Green Clockwork Horticulture Crystals Coffeeshop DavesHydroLand.com Delicious Seeds Devil’s Harvest Seed Company the Dinafem Seeds Distribuciones Marianas Down to Earth Kent Dr. Blooms Hydroponics Dutch Passion Amsterdam Dutch Passion Maastricht Ed Rosenthal Essex Hydro-Garden Eva Female Seeds Flash Seeds Green Fever Grow 2 Go Grow Green Growers Shop the Growing Underground Growstar Gold Hayzee Hydro Head 2 Head Hesi Hesi Hockley Hydro Hygrow II Ice Man Bags J10 Hydro Jorge Cervantes Libertarian Messe-s Headshop Mycologics Nirvana Odyssey Hydro One Love Hydroponics Paradise Seeds Plant Magic Plus Procare Professional Seeds Pyramid Seeds Rapid Roots Red Eye Jungle Royal Queen Seeds Samsara Seeds Seeds of Life Sjamaan de Smokin Vinyl Southern Hydro Centre Sweet Seeds Triangle Hydroponics UK GroWorks UK Skunkworks Wellingborough Hydroponics World of Seeds

Colofon Page 56 24 51 27 64 4 61 55 11 63 59 61 13 37 59 61 1 48 59 59 23 10 32 41 53 1 42 42 44 56 41 53 56 61 56 56 35 42 8 61 1 2 51 53 56 47 38 51 59 56 29 59 61 17 7 56 55 48 1 55 20 14 51 47 56 59 34 61 55 53 59 14

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: uk@softsecrets.nl Editor: Cliff Cremer Contributors: Ed Rosenthal, Jorge Cervantes, Jules Marshall, Lazystrain, Dr. John Dee, Grubbycup, Little Lebowski, The Professor, Kaz Peet, Smokedout and others Translations: Jules Marshall Comics: Jim Stewart Editorial adress: Soft Secrets, P.O. Box 17250, 1001 JG, Amsterdam, Holland, E-mail: ssuk@softsecrets.nl Advertisements: James Telephone: +44 (0)751-4273810 E-mail: james@softsecrets.nl A word from the publisher: 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.

Next issue out: June 24 2011

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