2017 01 UK

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THE CANNABIS NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985

Issue 1 - 2017

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12 Facts about Indica and Sativa

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

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Germany legalizes medical cannabis The German parliament has voted to allow consumption of the drug for medical purposes. The issue had been a point of heated discussion in the country for a long time.

In a landmark bill, members of Germany's parliament voted unanimously last januari to legalize the use of medical marijuana.

Marlene Mortler, the German government's drug commissioner, had lobbied for the decision to allow patients to buy cannabis from their local pharmacy with a doctor's prescription.

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"It's a great addition for patients who have waited for this a long time," Mortler said.

Doctors have stated that marijuana can benefit cancer patients who are feeling nauseous after chemotherapy, and it also is believed the drug helps fight a lack of appetite and the weight loss that some tumor patients experience. Cannabis can additionally alleviate symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.

Opposition parties in Germany like

the Greens and the Left Party had long fought for legalization.

In countries like France and Canada, as well as in several US states, purchasing cannabis with a prescription is already possible.

In Germany, the costs of the dried cannabis flower buds and cannabis extracts will be covered by health insurance for patients who have no other treatment options.

Source: Deutsche Welle

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Things move forwards, things move backwards

It looks very much like Canada is set to fully legalise the personal use of cannabis. None of this grey area "medical use only" stuff, resulting in users having to beg for a letter of approval from their doctor. Recreational use is to be approved for users over the age of 18, and each household will be able to grow up to four plants each. It looks as though the Canadian government will approve and pass this law either in 2018 or 2019. This is to be applauded as a most forward thinking and pragmatic move.

Meanwhile, in Holland, it appears that the government are set to roll time back the way by 50 years by closing down any coffee shop within 250 metres of a school. The rationale for this piece of nonsense apparently being to deter young people from cannabis initiation.

This is in spite of The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) finding that prevalence of cannabis use in Dutch young people has decreased over the past five years, with this trend looking set to continue.

In the 1990's, there were apparently more than 350 coffee shops in Amsterdam alone; at the end of 2016, there were 175. That's got to hit the economy badly, as it's estimated that around a quarter of visitors to the city each year will use a coffee shop at least once.

Here in the UK, the "will we, won't we" dithering game continues, as the Conservative Westminster government seem to be practically salivating at the prospect of the billions of pounds that could potentially be generated by the legalisation of weed, while at the same time never appearing able to get past the matter of how to legalise while simultaneously making sure that as much as possible of the money created is trousered by themselves and their (already super wealthy) friends, to be stashed away in offshore bank accounts.

However, it could always be so much worse...

Genetics: 60% Indica / 40% Sativa Indoor blooming period: 9 weeks Indoor harvest time: mid to late September Yield per m²: 500-650 g/m² Outdoor yield per plant: 500-700 g/plant Taste/aromas: with aromatic fruit-gumdrop and chewinggum tones, and a few exotic touches of sour strawberry and ripe melon.

Effect: powerful and exciting With a strong central stem and long side branches full of compact and resinous buds, it grows vigorously, proportionately and stoutly, with an intense smell. Indeed, the favourite choice for lovers of Haze genetics – potent, resinous and aromatic.

Seed Bank: Sweet Seeds

Crystal Candy

In America, as of this writing, everything still seems to be very much up in the air, as President Trump continues with his policy of jobs for the boys, among whose number can be found several fairly avid anti cannabis people (and of rather more concern, a number of climate change deniers and Christian fundamentalist wackos).

Word from across the ocean, in those US states where weed is either currently legal or about to be legal, is that the cannabis community are trying to put a brave face on things, because as yet, nothing conclusive has been said regarding what plans - if any - there actually are. However, many people do appear to be concerned about what the future holds for cannabis, particularly as President Trump has not, as yet, appointed his "Drug Czar".

Considering some of his questionable choices so far, it doesn't look particularly good.

There is a potential upside here. One cannabis farmer of my acquaintance who currently resides in Oregon made the point that if President Trump is really as serious about the regeneration of American production, creating American jobs and all the other promises that he's made, then the fledgling legal cannabis industry should have nothing to fear. After all, there's the potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs as well as bring billions of tax dollars into the coffers. On the other hand, should he decide to stop the industry in its tracks, then he will be pretty much be sending all those jobs and all that money to Mexico, where the drug cartels have seen cannabis prices plummet since American states began to legalise. The cartels would be very happy to fill any sudden gap in the market.

But there's the problem. As yet, nobody actually knows anything. Should President Trump allow the legalisation process to continue unhampered, this may well have a positive impact on policy in the UK. We will continue to observe and keep you up to date with developments.

Dr Dee http://careofhealth.online/canada-is-set-to-legalize-the-personal-use-of-cannabis/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/netherlands/amsterdam/articles/future-ofcoffeeshops-in-doubt-as-amsterdams-oldest-cannabis-cafe-faces-closure/ http://www.espad.org/report/trends-1995-2015/country-specific-trends

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Hunter’s Bar

Hunter’s Coffeeshop

Amsterdam Centrum / Redlight District follow A10/S116 Open: Sunday-Thursday: 9 am – 1 am, Friday & Saturday: 9 am – 3 am

Amsterdam West follow A10/S105 Open: Daily from 9 am – 12 am

Hunter’s Coffeeshop

Hunter’s Coffeeshop

Amsterdam North follow A10/S116 Open: Daily from 9 am – 11 pm

Amsterdam North follow A10/S115 Open: Daily from 9 am – 11 pm

Enjoy Hunter’s now also in Haarlem!

Hunter’s Coffeeshop 5 min. walk from Haarlem CS Open: Daily from 9 am – 12 am (midnight)

Hunter’s The Bar

Hunter’s Coffeeshop

Amsterdam Centrum / Nearby Rembrandt Square follow A10/S110 Open: Sunday-Thursday: 12 pm – 3 am, Friday & Saturday: 12 pm – 4 am

Amsterdam Centrum / Nearby Rembrandt Square follow A10/S110 Open: Daily from 7am - 1am

www.hunters-coffeeshop.com www.facebook.com/Huntersamsterdam www.youtube.com/user/HuntersCoffeeshop mobile.twitter.com/keepingwrldhigh

8

SEED BANKS

Amnesia XXL Autoflowering

Bubba Kush XXL Autoflowering

Cheese XXL Autoflowering

XXL Autos: achieved target The primary purpose of an aver- nificantly improved both factors. age grower is self-supply, i.e. to J. Searcher fill a bag and have large quantities of good marijuana to smoke. Autoflowering strains offer many Historically the two complaints advantages for growers. In September it rains, and both thieves and the for autos are low quality and low police are aware it is harvest time. If quantity. After several years of you harvest in August you will avoid intense work, Dinafem has sig- rain, botrytis and theft. Growing autos

is the safest option in the climates of Northern Europe or Canada. What is more, it is a simple option for home growers who grow their plants indoors, because they only need to fit out a photoperiod area.

In recent years, Dinafem has placed special emphasis on high yields. The purpose of the test described below

Haze XXL Autoflowering

was to demonstrate that its XXL autos, if well grown, produce really uncommon yields, meaning they are ideal for self-supply.

Technical conditions

The test was made on regular Dinafem seeds by germinating packets of 10 casually selected seeds, of which the four best specimens were kept for each strain.

A total of three grow rooms were used. These rooms were simple, i.e. similar to those that any scrupulous home grower can use. Each room was equipped with 4,400 V lamps, arranged in rows of two.

Under each lamp, a tray measuring

9 very happy with the results, after 20 generations of breeding in an 8-year period, with all the downsides of working in an underground market and no legalisation. Seed banks that have embarked on the breeding of autos are so few that they can barely be counted on the fingers of one hand. We carried out this work and wish to claim credit for that. Nobody else has worked so much to improve autos.

We germinated tens of thousands of seeds, with large meticulous massal selections. We also run our own laboratory”.

Dinafem was often asked what the secret for such good-quality autos was, but Dr Kush replied: “There is no secret. It is simply many years of relentless work and a wellproven team who know exactly what they are looking for in each selection. We were very demanding and concurrently apply very high selective pressure, with controlled parameters – always with the goal of achieving more productive plants that retain the characteristics of each strain and look similar to each other”.

Moby Dick XXL Autoflowering

240 x 120 m was placed. Ventilation was ensured by a 1,200-m3 airsuction unit fitted with carbon filters, and another air-blowing unit with the same capacity. At the end of each row, horizontal fans were installed right beneath lamps to create a horizontal airflow keeping heat in the upper part of the room.

Pots were filled with Canna’s Bio Terra Plus compost. Bio Canna fertilisers were also used, with flood irrigation and controlled pH and EC. A tank was placed under each tray, to minimise the risk of spoiling the whole crop for a pump failure. Every three days, the waternutrient mixture was renewed.

Every week the tank content was changed and EC increased during the blooming period up to a peak value of 1.8. Throughout the blooming period, plants were fed with Bio Flores. The only exception was a watering cycle at day 40 of blooming, in which Canna PK 13/14 was only used for an extra supply of nutrients at the time when it was needed. In line with this bio philosophy, disease prevention was made with predatory insects, specifically Amblyseius Swirskii and Orius Laevigatus.

White Widow XXL Autoflowering

decision-making process – the four project managers had a long experience in cannabis growing. Through their combined knowledge, the abundance of means, the control of all parameters and a lab, results could only be excellent, as was indeed the case in this test crop.

Dr Kush observed: “We like to talk about this because we are

Plant breeding is a combination of various factors. In particular, in each generation, breeders focus on traits that need to be fixed, e.g. high yield, homogeneity in the offspring, retaining the taste of each variety, vigour, a solid structure and a rapid germination period without a cold environment. In addition to plant size, general excellence is worth considering, i.e. the presence of abundant resin and clearly defined smells for each specimen. Such tastes as Haze, Cheese, Critical or Bubba Kush have remained well fixed in the auto version. More proof of the high quality of this type of

products are the recent awards won in the past few months, such as the Canada Lift Expo and the Highlife Cup.

Conclusions

The test crop was designed to achieve one gram per watt with a 400 W lamp per square metre (4 plants grown in space measuring 1 square metre with each plant yielding 100 g). Results amply validated the initial assumptions, as the target was by far exceeded.

A few Moby Dick XXL specimens even weighed 200 g individually.

In actual fact, the process of ‘domestication’ of autos has just started. These plants are now beginning to show us all their potential, but improvements are indeed possible. For this reason, they will be the choice of many growers in the future.

I saw Dinafem autos being grown for the first time eight years ago and, since then, I have repeated my visits. During this time I saw how they put much time and dedication into this project and created the best possible conditions by fitting out large and well equipped grow rooms, their own labs and a large team of people led by four experienced growers, which altogether account for more than one hundred years of growing experience. It is easy to talk and indulge in self-congratulation, but the facts behind many seed banks do not back up what they say. After this visit, I clearly understood that XXL autos are no marketing concept – they are really very big. For 8 years I have observed Dinafem working seriously, intensely and meticulously. Any grower can see the result of this work: XXL autos are here to stay.

Selective pressure and relevant parameters

The project was entrusted to a very cohesive team based on a joint

General view of a grow room

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Paradise Seeds Genetics give great results, as seen on the picture above of Daya Foundation’s huge plantation, a licensed medical cannabis producer in Chile.

ADISE- SEED . PAR S.C WW

PARADISE SEEDS product range features over 30 strains, including Autoflowering, Feminized and CBD rich varieties. We have a reputation for great genetics and seeds are organically produced. Our varieties are used in grow projects worldwide, providing the stability needed for medical-grade production and extractions.

12

GROW WITH STONEY TARK

The Facts To Know About Indica And Sativa earthy old school Afghan’s and liquorice flavoured Black Domina lines.

Indica cannabis will be more durable in colder climates than Sativa strains, so growing Indica based varieties in countries with poor summers can help the plant finish and produce good buds. Indica cannabis can also enjoy a heavy feeding and not show much deficiency and over all are considered the most versatile of the two varieties.

History Of The Indica: The source of the full blooded Indicas strains that are used today for many strains, were originally taken in the late 1980’s from the Himalayas and taken back to Amsterdam to be worked on and back crossed. Sensi seeds were the original pioneers to commercially make this venture and as a result have a stabilized line of the original Indica landraces available in their catalogue.

Chunky Amnesia Haze buds smells light mango and sharp.

7KHVH WZR QDPHV ΖQGLFD DQG 6DWLYD DUH YHU\ ZHOO NQRZQ DV FRYHULQJ WKH YHU\ EDVLFV ZKHQ GHVFULELQJ D YDULHW\ RI FDQQDELV $ UHDO VPRNHU FDQ RIWHQ WHOO KRZ ZHOO YHUVHG D SHUVRQ LV GHSHQGLQJ RQ KRZ RIWHQ WKH\ UHIHUHQFH WKH ZRUGV ΖQGLFD RU 6DWLYD ZKHQ GHVFULELQJ GLIIHUHQW IORZHUV DQG HVSHFLDOO\ ZKHQ GHVFULELQJ WKH HIIHFWV ΖW FDQ EH IUXVWUDWLQJ PDQ\ WLPHV DV WKHUH LV PXFK PRUH WR WKHVH YDULHWLHV RI FDQQDELV DQG EHORZ LV EHWWHU H[SODLQHG WKH GLIIHUHQFHV EHWZHHQ ΖQGLFD FDQQDELV DQG 6DWLYD FDQQDELV WR KHOS EHWWHU XQGHUVWDQG ZKDW VWUDLQ \RX PD\ EH VPRNLQJ QH[W WLPH \RX D SDVVHG D MRLQW Stoney Tark Indica Cannabis Explained: As somebody new to smoking or growing cannabis, understanding what the differences are between these two varieties can be easily go wrong. Experienced growers can spot two plants apart from a far distance just by noticing the characteristics and the Indica vari-

ety of cannabis is certainly one half of that vast scale.

overshadowing new growth under the fan leaves of Indicas.

Indica cannabis will grow short to medium height and will flower with little internodal spacing, which usually means short flowering times of 50 to 60 days. The leaf size of an Indica leaf will be short and wide and thick, sometimes

When an Indica variety does flower it will produce small compact buds between every internode, however will not appear like the foot long banana style buds that you may see in magazines. The buds will be dense and a characteristic of the buds are they will be easy to trim and when dry should shrink down to a firm 1-2 inch hard nug. The overall yields of Indicas are limited to growing strong side branched small colas yet as they are ideal for certain set ups as sea of green, a grower can expect to flower their Indica plants and grow more buds in less time than Sativa varieties.

A pile of Sky Walker Kush buds which are around 1 inch in diameter.

The aroma of an Indica due to the origin of the Indica landraces that have been successfully backcrossed to present reliability and the original vigour, are some what earthy and pungent. There can also be a spice which many smokers prefer not to enjoy. Now days many Indicas have been crossed to enhance a more desirable flavour than the gas like

Strains were taken from the Hindu Kush mountains and Afghan and Pakistan, so these earthy nepalese hash tasting strains really represent the true Indica. As Indica strains were strong sturdy plants, breeders wanted to create strains that possessed the reliability and pedigree of the Indica but wanted to improve the flavour and also the yield.

Some examples of true Indica strains are Afghan #1, Grand daddy Purps, Bubba Kush, Northern lights, Blue Cheese, Purple Kush, Blueberry, Master Kush, Afghan Kush, L.A Confidential, G13, Sky Walker Kush, White Berry, Hindu Kush, Romulan, Orange Kush, Lavender, Kosher Kush, Sensi Star, Sweet Tooth, MK Ultra, Hash Plant, Vanilla Kush and Mango.

The High And The Effects: If you are smoking Indica for the first time a good rule of thumb is to know ‘ Sativa will keep you chatting and Indica will stop you talking ‘. The effects of a true blooded Indica can be devastating and overpowering. The high can be instant and there can be feelings of heaviness and couch louch. You can experience heavy eyes and dry mouth as well as a huge boost in appetite, which will not enhance energy levels so much. The cerebral effects of Indica cannabis can be very relaxing also and not racey and long lasting as pure Sativa strains can be.

The taste of a ground up bud will be somewhat pungent and sharp and in many cases fruity. Indica

13 buds when being burnt in a joint will have a strong dankness to them and will fill the air with a thick musky sour smoke similar to Cheese, Blue cheese or a high grade stinking O.G Kush. When eaten as an edible, the effects can be much longer lasting with a narcotic similarity.

As far as bag appeal is concerned, Indica buds will appear small and dense and may appear you did not get as much as the Sativa strain weight wise. A gram of high grade Indica Kush in Amsterdam or California does not go very far or last very long but due to the moorish quality these buds have, you will find yourself wanting more and more. At one time Indica strains would contain around 15-18% THC and a CBD of 0.2, however now days some of the Kush strains have been tested at over 30% putting Indica strains on par with those racey powerful Sativa strains.

Medicinal Use: Low In THC and High In CBD/CBN Used recreationally can be one side of enjoying the narcotic properties of the Indica, yet when used for medicinal reasons dispensaries in America find that for pain relief, inflammation, muscle spasms, nerve damage, aiding sleep and rest, arthritis, anxiety, back pain, Multiple Sclerosis and cancer patients, Indica cannabis really helps alleviate these problems.

Cannabis oil and extracts have proven to be extremely effective when

eaten, especially when controlling pain levels in a person who is suffering somehow. Medical patients in the states can now be well advised by the dispensaries which strain will be a solution for that specific problem they are experiencing, so can take full benefit of the 30 years and more of research and development of Indica strains today.

Sativa Cannabis Explained: Sativa strains of cannabis gave hope to those who desired more fruity sharp zest flavours with a racing energetic high to follow. Not only did this variety of cannabis yield more than the Indica and grow branch long buds, it allowed the smoker to enjoy a strain that could be smoked from morning until night and not be totally couch locked or demotivated.

Sativas will grow tall and profusely with multiple side branching that grows as tall as the main tops.

Similar to the christmas tree structure of the small squat Indica, however a much taller version with long serrated thin fingered fan leaves.

The size of the plants can grow upto 150cm to 200cm, with an aroma that is fruit punch, tropical, sharp and zest, citrus and alert. The bud structure of a flowering Sativa cannabis plant will be taller and thin in comparison to the small dense round like nugs off the Indica plant, with many more leaves growing out of the new flower sets. It may be harder to trim or at least the calyx

F*CK

YOU GROWER

Keep on Growing This Indica and Sativa hybrid is a Blue Dream. The cross is a Blueberry Indica with a Silver Haze Sativa. The result is a huge yielding plant that is easy to grow.

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14

A pile of Indica Kush buds that have a small dense appearance and smell pungent and strong

to leaf ratio is much higher with Sativa strains.

Flowering time will be between 77 days and 90 days for a true Sativa to swell up and be ready for a harvest.

Some of the original land races such as Mekong Haze have taken up to 14 weeks to finish flowering. Sativa strains will always produce more than Indica strains due to the longevity of the flowering time and doe to the bud structure being more elongated and taller calyx development.

History Of The Sativa:

and crossed them is not so easy but I expect Shanti Baba and his colleagues had something to do with it.

Some examples of pure Sativa strains are Silver Haze, Sour Diesel, Hawaii Maui Wowie, Strawberry Cough, Chocolope, Amnesia Haze, Super Lemon Haze, Purple Haze, Tangie, Grate Fruit, Moby Dick, Casey Jones, Super Silver Sour Diesel Haze, Power Plant, Kali Mist, Sage N Sour, Hawaiian Snow, Mango Haze and Cannalope Haze.

The High And The Effects:

Due to the nature of Sativa strains, they require tropical weather and are found in part of the world that have long hot days. Some Sativa strains actually respond differently to a 12/12 flowering period to Indicas and can often hermaphrodite as these are not the light conditions they receive when growing in their own country.

A Sativa strain can pull you out of a sleep Indica slump and revive you with a much needed energetic clarity and social boost. Sativa strains are great for being active and stimulation. Almost the complete opposite of Indica strains, a Sativa high can last for upto 5-6 hours, as well as being considered the racey and more fast paced high compared to the Indica effects.

The first Sativas were grown out in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Hawaii, Asia, Jamaica and sides of the equator that are classed as tropical to some degree. American breeders were first introduced to the fruity energetic large yielding Sativa when the ‘ Haze Brothers ‘ from California took some seeds from Amsterdam back to the states. Before that who actually discovered the original hazes

Smokers will enjoy an extreme increase in appetite and there will be no heaviness or burning of the eyes.

Infact Sativas will increase creativity and thought process much more than Indica strains and this is due to them being well noted for high levels of THC. Dry cannabis buds taken from a Sativa will appear larger in size and offer more in terms of size and weight than Indica buds. The

This Sour Diesel is a Sativa strain in veg grows bushy and tall.

A Girl Scout Cookies Haze with long thin serrated leaves

aroma of a ground up Sativa bud will be sharp and zesty with a background of mango and lemons and when smoked in a joint the taste is a deeper fruity lemon that can make you sweat a little after a few minutes.

In my opinion a good Sativa should get your palms and neck sweating.

For pain relief Indica cannabis is the preferred medicine however mixing Indica and Sativa in extraction can allow the medical patient to benefit the most from the entourage effect as all of the other cannabinoids work in harmony.

The THC of a Sativa strain will contain between 19-25% THC so it can be advised to combine the Indica and Sativa throughout the day and night time so you are not totally alert late at night, when you would prefer to be relaxed and take that racey edge off. Some Sativa strains can be so strong in terms of the high, many smokers experience paranoia and discomfort or anxiety, so will often choose Indica over Sativa especially in a social scenario.

The Cannabinoids Present In Both:

Medicinal Use: High In THC and Low In CBD/CBN Whilst Indica and CBD are commercially known for their pain relieving properties, Sativa cannabis is well known for the benefits of energy and stimulation The uses of Sativa can also increase appetite tremendously as they are so high in THC and are often used with cancer treatments alongside CBD and are used to treat nausea, depression, migraines and cluster headaches and muscle and nerve pain.

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC): This is what makes us feel euphoric and happy and is the most well known cannabinoid within the cannabis plant.

Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) This is a non psychoactive cannabinoid which is found in the cannabis plant Cannabidiol (CBD): Becoming commercially well known, CBD is a anti inflammatory and used to treat seizures and epilepsy.

Cannabichromene (CBC): This cannabinoid promotes the sedative effects of THC within the body.

Cannabigerol (CBG): Works in conjunction with the other cannabinoids and has sedative effects.

Cannabinol (CBN): A mildly psychoactive cannabinoid that is a degrade of THC.

An old school California Orange which is a 50/50 hybrid of Indica and Sativa genetics

SHOP REVIEW

17

52<$/ 48((1 6(('6 OPENS NEW BRAND 6725( Ζ1 %$5&(/21$ In August 2016 Royal Queen Seeds added a new brand store to its existing stores in Amsterdam, this time opting for the bustling city of Barcelona. On the Carrer de Pelai, in the heart of the city, the tastefully decorated seed and head shop Royal Queen Seeds successfully opened its doors this summer for the first time!

Borja, the manager of the shop who previously worked for Royal Queen Seeds in Amsterdam, is confident that the success formula of Royal Queen Seeds - high quality feminised cannabis seeds at a competitive price - will catch on in Barcelona.

"We are located in a very central part of Barcelona," said the tall and heavily tattooed manager, "Carrer de Pelai is located between Plaça Universitat and the famous Plaça Catalunya. Besides many tourists we consequently attract many students and residents, which we serve not only with seeds but also with other products. In addition to a seed shop, we are also a head shop with products such as large rolling papers, lighters, bongs, pipes, grinders, CBD products and

vaporisers. We also specialise in stash products. We sell products

by Abscent, odourless bags, toiletry bags and even backpacks and wallets. We hope to soon be the No. 1 head shop in Barcelona.

Naturally, seeds by Royal Queen Seeds are the main draw, but we also sell other brands. Quality and price are paramount. We do not go into business with unfamiliar brands but only with brands that have proven themselves, such as Dinafem, Dutch Passion, Humboldt Genetics, Dr. Underground, Devil’s Harvest and Ripper Seeds. An interesting combination of Dutch and Spanish genetics, at competitive prices. We are ourselves a form of hybrid shop, a Spanish shop with Dutch roots."

Boy Ramsahai, the founder and owner of Royal Queen Seeds is very pleased with its latest acquisition in Barcelona. "To open a seed shop in Barcelona was a dream of mine for years," said the always goodnatured entrepreneur, "Our two stores in Amsterdam are in the best possible locations in the centre of town. These stores are therefore doing excellent business. Given that Royal Queen Seeds is officially a Spanish company since 2015, a shop in Barcelona was an inevitability. I am convinced that our formula, quality seeds at affordable prices, will catch on here as

well. Not everyone wants to buy his or her seeds on the internet, as doing so makes buyers traceable. A physical shop is therefore a must."

There’s a reason behind the striking green design of his seed stores. Ramsahai: “I’ve been working with Maurice Mentjens, a famous Dutch designer and decorator, for years. This year we even won a very prestigious award, the Dutch Herengracht Interieurprijs for his design of my smart shop in Eindhoven. There were more than 200 entries by the most renowned designers in the Netherlands, so when we heard that we had

won the top award, I was ecstatic! Maurice was responsible for the design of this brand store in Barcelona, and all Royal Queen Seeds brand stores will now be given the same look and design, so that customers will quickly feel at home and the brand will be easily recognisable."

Royal Queen Seeds brand store Barcelona: Carrer de Pelai 3 08001, Barcelona Tel. +34 937823494.

Opening times: Monday till Saturday from 09:00 to 21:00h.

Website: www.royalqueenseeds.com

Royal Queen Seeds brand store Amsterdam: Damstraat 46, 1012 JM, Amsterdam Haarlemmerstraat 66 B, 1013 ET, Amsterdam Open 7 days per week from 10-22 h.

18

SEED BANKS

When Chong Meets Paradise...

Cannabis Legend teams up with Dutch Seed bank If you smoke cannabis, then you know Tommy Chong... he is one half of the counterculture comedy duo, Cheech and Chong, who put weed on the map with movies like Up in Smoke. The man who said famously “If more people were stoned, there would be less violence in the world”, Tommy has been a cannabis advocate since the 1970s, working to gain acceptance of the plant for medical and recreational use.

With the legalized cannabis scene in the USA booming, Tommy Chong is the latest member of the cannabis royalty to launch a product range. He is bringing his lifetime’s experience as a weed user to Chong’s Choice, the company he runs with his son, Paris, and the products include a range of weed that carries the famous name.

If you grow cannabis then you will also know Paradise Seeds. This Amsterdam based seed bank has been one of the pioneering forces in the cannabis seed industry for over 20 years. Chong and Paradise have collaborated to bring the expertise, power and flavour of two continents – Californian genetics and Dutch genetics - together in the form of 3 explosive new seed varieties; L.A. Amnesia (Sativa), Blue Kush Berry (Indica) and Mendocino Skunk (Hybrid).

- L.A. Amnesia (Sativa). Tommy was looking for something special for Chong’s Choice exclusive sativa line and this is definitely it! This strain combines the genetics of the world famous fruity Dutch strain, Amnesia Haze, with Californian Kush. The result of this combination is L.A. Amnesia, a strain that comes with real power and a very high THC count (20 – 24%).

- Mendocino Skunk (Hybrid). This new strain is inspired by a meeting of great cannabis traditions – in the form of California’s Emerald Triangle and Holland’s Amsterdam coffeeshop scene. This transatlantic combination has created a fruity skunk in the tradition of Paradise Seeds’ best selling Wappa strain. The result is great taste, pleasant effect and all round great performance in both indoor and outdoor setups.

- Blue Kush Berry (Indica). Tommy wanted an Indica that delivered bang for the buck but one that came with a taste to savor. The Paradise Seeds breeders have responded with their own take on this popular combination which mixes mighty Kush power with a deliciously fruity coating. The sweet taste of this plant combined with a long lasting couch lockdown effect will have Indica heads salivating.

What’s the story behind this Paradise Seeds and Chong’s Choice collaboration? “We were originally approached by Chong’s Choice to make joints for their ready rolled range,” explains Paradise Luc. “But we got talking and it was suggested that we collaborate and work together on some new seed varieties.

How could we say no to the chance of working with such a cannabis legend?

We were always big fans of Cheech

and Chong back in the day. In the 1970s and 1980s then there weren’t many cannabis heroes in popular culture who were willing to stick their head above the ground and wave the flag for cannabis. Tommy Chong has been a real champion for the plant and cannabis culture.”

We are very excited by these new varieties. The Chong’s Choice Legends range has some high grade genetics in the mix, which bring the best of Californian and Dutch breeding programs. We have been working

on the development of these three strains for the past year and they are now ready to pass on to the cannabis growing community!”

Tommy Chong earned a reputation as an outlaw comedian in the 1970s and 1980s, working on a number of Cheech and Chong albums (or long playing vinyl record for the internet generation) and films that had fun with cannabis culture. After some years apart, he and Cheech started touring together again in 2008.

In 2003, Chong became a high profile martyr for the cannabis movement when he went to jail for 9 months as a result of his role in a company distributing glass bongs and pipes. He has since said that, “Jail was probably the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me”. In recent years, Tommy has used cannabis in conjunction with chemotherapy to treat himself for cancer.

Chong’s Choice was launched in 2016, and its website advertises it as the source of ‘highest quality cannabis products on the market’ – which means everything from prerolled joints to oil cartridges and even a THC infused breath strip (in US states where cannabis is legal) which is the perfect antidote to any serious case of stale breath.

The new Chong’s Choice line of seeds will be exclusively available from Paradise Seeds – via their website and through their European distribution network.. For more information, check out www.paradise-seeds.com or head to the Paradise social media pages.

Want to enjoy buds like this?

Strain: White Satin by Mandala Seeds

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21

FLUSHING HYDROS I read feed the feed schedule of the fertilizer packages but they have no information about water flush between feeds. I’m concerned about nutrient build-up. Do I flush roots only at the end of feed schedule?

Steve M. There are several reasons to flush hydro systems between nutrient feeds. The first is to protect against algae and other microbial build-up that can affect the plumbing of drip-lines and also create an environment hospitable to pathogens.

Secondly, as you mentioned, it flushes out the old nutrient water solution. This prevents salt build-up.

While these are factual statements, there are other things to consider before you plan your tasks.

Check the plants roots. Are they white and healthy? Do they look vigorous? If the roots are clean and free of infections, it’s obvious that the sterility or microbial mix in the nutrient/water solution suits the roots well.

I have rarely found salt build-up inside of hydroponic tanks or reservoirs when I washed them out between grows, so I don’t think they need to be flushed for that between feedings. There might be a residue of water left in the containers, reservoirs or tanks, but it is such a small amount that it will have virtually no effect on the PPM if the vessels are appropriately sized.

SCROG NET HEIGHT

With no apical dominance all the branches will continue to grow and must be attached to screen or they will start vertical growth. By removing the growth tips the branches will divide, covering the screen faster and more completely.

How much distance should there be between the base of the plant to a scrog net?

Timmy,

The height of the screen varies depending on the technique you decide to use to divide the branches as well as the variety. Indicas can be SCROGED at as short a distance as 6-8 inches from the top of the container. Sativas stretch a bit and the SCROG unit is placed at a height of 15-20 inches.

SCROG est l’abréviation de Screen of Green. Les plantes sont entraînées à pousser horizontalement sur un écran. Toutes les branches sont maintenues à la même hauteur pour que les têtes se situent à la même distance de la lumière le long des branches.

PREMATURE FLOWERING

SCROG stands for Screen of Green- Plants are trained to grow horizontally on a screen.

All the branches are kept at the same height so all the buds sites along all the branches are the same height from the light. They are more evenly illuminated than plants that are growing vertically. The plants are kept growing vegetatively until the canopy is mostly covered with vegetation.

To train the plants the tips are pruned at the fourth to sixth set of leaves. The plant grows two branches to replace the crown and some of the lower branches gain energy and are released from the effects of growth inhibiting auxin that was previously released by the top bud.

SCROG System (screen of green garden.). Bottom view. Notice that all of the plant’s branches are tied down to the screen. This prevents apical dominance so all the buds grow to about the same size. Picture from growingmarijuanatips.com & Nebula Haze.

Last summer I grew outdoors. I started 30 seeds of 8 strains under 24 hour fluorescent lights in January. They grew to be 1.22m tall with close node spacing.

While they were growing vegetatively I took 2 sets of clones from them. The first set is now 2' tall and the second set are 15.24 cm tall. I moved them outdoors at the 42nd latitude in early May. They were in 100 and 120-quart containers.

The problem I had is that they started flowering as soon as I placed them outside. The sativas were more affected than the indicas, but all indicated. Then in early June they revegetated.

The problem is that May was a wasted month as far as their growth was concerned.

SCROG System Close-up of the screen. These buds are about to reach the screen and begin their training, that is, are tied down. Picture by DeewMan.

22 later in the season, on June 10, the dark period has shrunken to 7 hours 40 minutes, a short enough period to promote vegetative growth.

This can be accomplished using warm white fluorescent lamps on a timer. The lams only need to be lit for a few minutes twice a night. A flashlight or LED can also be used. Both white and red light work well.

Plant a few weeks later. The warmer weather and the short dark period will both promote vigorous growth.

CONSTANT DRIP I have a small hydroponic drip system, 6.5 gals and I use hydro corn ceramic pellets. The water cycles every 6 hours and runs for about one hour. The more often I run the water, the better the plants do. Should I turn the water pump on full time and let it drip constantly?

Mark,

SCROG System Top view. The entire garden is filled with canopy at the same height so all the buds receive approximately the same amount of light and grow to about the same size. Picture by LBH. I don’t want this to happen this coming season. Should I shine light on them at night and for how long? Should I move my backups indoors under a 24-hour light cycle? Do you have any other suggestions?

John D. The 42nd parallel latitude runs across the northern tier of the U.S. and includes Yreka CA, Chicago, Erie PA and Springfield MA. On May 10, approximately when you moved the plants outdoors, the dawn occurs at about 5:33AM and dusk occurs at 9:01PM. The dark period is 8 hours 33 minutes and the lighted period is 15 hours 27 minutes.

To maintain plants in vegetative cycle, a regimen with maximum dark period of 8 hours is more likely to keep the plants growing vegetatively. Later in the month the dark period shrinks to fewer than 8 hours and the plants are less likely to flip.

There are several things you can do to make sure that your efforts at early planting are not wasted: Start the seeds or clones under 18 hours rather than under continuous light. In addition to varieties having different critical time periods, that s, the number of hours of darkness the plants require to trigger flowering, they also respond to a sudden increase in darkness, even when it is shorter than critical time period of darkness usually required to switch to flowering. The shift from 0 hours of darkness to more than 8 hours of darkness also promotes the shift.

When planting early interrupt the dark period several times each evening during the first few weeks. Each time the plants are lighted they restart the darkness time count.

If they never have a long dark period they will remain growing vegetatively. A month

Greenhouses protect plants from the raw elements by creating controlled conditions. In areas with high humidity a closed loop greenhouse equipped with dehumidifiers can keep the humidity at 50%.

The water dripping onto the hydro-corn clay pellets forms a thin layer of water on their surface. At the same time, there is plenty of oxygen containing air in the areas between the stones so the roots have access to both oxygen in the air and the water on the stone surfaces.

If the plants grow more vigorously when the water is flowing, it seems obvious that the plants should experience a constant flow.

HUMID RAINY CLIMATE I live in an area where the summers are very humid and rainy. I have an outdoor grow. I know that rain causes buds to mold, and it rains nearly everyday in the summer. Is there a way I can keep these plants outdoors and covered from rain but still exposed to sun?

Connor I wouldn’t attempt it as a wholly outdoor garden because it would be a constant losing battle against disease. Battling molds using fungicides will bring only temporary relief. While you may get a few good nugs you will not find the experience inspiring.

There is a possibility of using the outdoors. You might try an indoor-outdoor garden. Set up an indoor grow room. Make sure to include a dehumidifier. Take the plants outdoors on sunny days and bring them in at night and during inclement weather.

In southern and mid-tier states this system can be used year-round, to extend the season or all year round. On nice days shut the lights of and take the plants outdoors. When the weather is not so good leave the plants inside to bask under the electrics.

A closed loop greenhouse with humidity control is anther possibility. On sunny days it uses the sun. On rainy or overcast days sunlight is supplemented using electric lighting.

Constant drip system using leaky tubing. The tubing is porous and drips constantly creating an film of nutrient/water solution flowing over the clay pebbles.

24 BARK STRIPPED ROOTS I am an outdoor grower in Northern California. I lose 2-3 out of 12 plants due to the roots being stripped of their outer layer 2.45-7.62 cm below the soil surface until the plants wilt. At this point, the plant is already gone.

I think the problem is due to ants munching on the outer layer of the rootstock.

Everything I read including your books says ants don't affect the plants directly and I rarely see them above soil level but they are in the soil.

I use Diatomaceous Earth on the surface of the soil regularly, but this does not prevent damage from occurring.

I would appreciate any solutions you might have to solve this problem.

Alex Diatomaceous earth won’t solve the problem because the ants rarely come to the surface and they don’t encounter it. When it gets wet it sharp points soften.

Ants are repelled and killed by cinnamon and cinnamon oil. It is used in some pesticides for this purpose. The powder and oil have little to no effect on the plants and is considered an organic pesticide suitable for use on edibles.

You can buy cinnamon in food markets and its oil in health food stores. To use the powder, mix it with water in a blender or shake it up in a jar. I use a heaping teaspoon in a pint of water, but it’s OK to vary the recipe. Pour the mixture near the roots if you are protecting plants in the soil. Other ways to use it are to sprinkle it on soil or over ant nests or hills and to blend it into the soil mix. The ants are likely to vacate.

The oil is very concentrated and should only be used at the rate of 1% or it could ham plants, especially if they have wounds from predation. An ounce of the oil makes about 3 quarts of solution. Add a few grams of dry lecithin granules (available at health food stores) and a wetting agent. Mix at low speed in a blender for a minute. The solution is ready to pour into the soil or ant nest.

From your description of the damage, the root bark being eaten, it might be the rodents are the perpetrators of the damage. Perhaps the best way to thwart most rodents is with the use of peppermint spray or solution since they are repelled by the odor.

Make a 1% solution and gently shower the root system with it. If there are rodents, especially mice, around they will search for a new location.

Botrytis, brown mold, can be considered an environmental disease. It usually occurs when humidity is over 55%.Powdery mildew is more likely to germinate when humidity is high, but it can thrive at lower humidity.

OPINION

25

Post Truth and Medical Cannabis Dr John Dee On the 12th of January, once esteemed newspaper The Guardian ran a story about medical cannabis.

"Most Medicinal Marijuana Benefits are Inconclusive" said the alarmist headline. The story itself was a confusingly odd mish-mash, and sent some waves of dismay and disbelief through the medical cannabis users community.

Working on my cardinal rule of "Take nobody's word for it", I decided to check the facts and found that unsurprisingly - the Guardian were not telling the whole story... ...which is that the highly respected and prestigious American National Academies (ANA) have produced an in-depth and far-reaching review of more than 10,700 medical cannabis-related research papers published between 1999 and 2016.

This is a massive undertaking, and to do it, the ANA people used five categories into which they classified their findings: 1) conclusive evidence ("there are many supportive findings from good-quality studies with no credible opposing findings") , 2) substantial evidence, 3) moderate evidence, 4) limited evidence and 5) no evidence or insufficient evidence ("there are mixed findings, a single poor study, or health endpoint has not been studied at all. No conclusion can be made because of substantial uncertainty due to chance, bias, and confounding factors").

It's a compelling read, and it pretty much lays out where we're at with medical cannabis in 2017. It's also 395 pages long, which is probably why the Guardian journalist went straight to the "big" conclusions on page 27 in an outstanding example of lazy and sloppy journalism. This is a pity, as had they bothered to even skim the whole thing, they would have found that there is a lot of very important and useful information to be found throughout.

So for example we find that while there is substantial evidence of increased risk of more frequent bronchitis episodes in long-term smokers, there's no evidence either way to support or refute an association between cannabis smoking and the development or exacerbation of asthma; there's substantial evidence of having

an accident while driving stoned; there is conclusive or substantial evidence for the treatment of chronic pain, as an anti emetic in chemotherapy induced nausea, and in MS spasticity symptoms.

Encouragingly, there's no evidence either way to support or refute incidence of death by weed overdose.

The ANA helpfully highlight gaps in the research, and reach a number of conclusions with recommendations, every one of which should give cause for optimism. As ever, space restrictions prevent full discussion of these, so I'm going to stick to a brief summary here.

In essence, there hasn't been enough research conducted regarding cannabis as an effective medicine in many areas of health and wellbeing. In the case of studies presenting limited or insufficient evidence, it's not that they're necessarily wrong (which was what The Guardian was implying) it's that in many cases, there were problems with the studies themselves (eg, too small a sample, poor methodologies, poor quality of weed). The ANA recognise that the legal status of weed can cause problems in many places, and that a number of agencies can - and do - obstruct legitimate research: they want this to change. They also kind of imply that moving weed out of Schedule 1 would be a good place to start, along with a significant increase in funding dedicated to cannabis research.

Basically, the ANA want to see medical cannabis research properly funded and conducted to move the evidence into the "conclusive" category, so we can then say whether it irrefutably works. Or doesn't.

I'm not religious, but amen to that. We really need proper, solid evidence for which health conditions weed does and doesn't have a positive effect on, evidence that will be indisputable, even when badly reported in the "post truth" media. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/12/marijuana-study-benefits-chemotherapy-painmultiple-sclerosis The American National Academies (2016) The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: The Current State of Evidence and Recommendations for Research (available online)

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SWEET SEEDS® DOES NOT SELL BULK OR LOOSE SEEDS TO GROW SHOPS. THE ONLY ORIGINAL AND GUARANTEED SEEDS ARE THOSE SOLD IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. C/ Dr. Nicasio Benlloch nº36-38 · 46015 · Valencia · España · +34 963 890 403 / +34 628 593 887 · WHOLESALERS: +34 963 473 730 / +34 963 404 289 · Fax +34 961 939 618 · info@sweetseeds.es 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. g use of this seeds done by y third p Sweet Seeds® will not be acountable for ilegal parties.

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GROW WITH STONEY TARK

29

How To Make Your Own (Regular) Seeds A 10 STEP GUIDE

Planting many seeds increases the chances of selecting the best males and females from a large quantity.

We have all grown from seeds before and seen how incredible nature can be, when creating a wonderful plant from a seedling. These seeds can be a time capsule of the best genetics that covers the earliest strains to the modern day feminised genetics. Whilst each cannabis strain expresses the genetics that represent that part of the planet, the beauty of creation is only a sprinkle of pollen a way. Here breeding is explained in a 10 step guide and to how to create your own evolutionary gems as this article covers how to produce regular seeds.

STEP 1: Selecting The Characteristics You Want Before starting any breeding project, you will want to have a good understanding of what characteristics you want to create. You should also ask yourself for what main reason do you want to create a new strain. It could be that you have a limited supply of genetics that you wish to expand beyond the thousands, or you want to beef up a super frosty stinking plant that yields low. You may want to improve a classic strain that you have had in clone form for years, or maybe just cross it with something that geographically is from the opposite side of the world.

STEP 2: Decide What The Dominant Genetics Will Be This simply means that choosing which genetic the male plant will come from. The male plants should always possess the characteristics you wish to add to another. So for example if you wanted to make a fruity sativa taste more potent and crossed it with a kush, the male plant should be the kush to increase the characteristics.

If the male plant in this instance was the sativa, then the kush would be watered down in a sense.

STEP 3: Plant Many Seeds And Catalogue The most successful way to produce true diversity when creating a strain,

is working with many possible selections of seeds. If you are making a simple back cross then it is still advised to grow enough to find that perfect male and to also have a good ratio of male and female plants. When you number the seeds you simply need to write for example ‘ Kosher Kush # 1 ‘ until you have around 10 of these and then the same with another strain for example ‘ Girl Scout Jones #1 ‘.

If you do not label your pots from day 1 then this will only cause more problems further down the line.

During the entire growing period of the seedlings, you should be taking notes on paper and documenting the size, vigour, aroma, growth pattern and root growth of the seedlings. You will want to be taking clones at some point to have a living copy of the catalogued plants, which may be discarded later down the line depending on what your intentions are with the other plants that did not make the final selection.

STEP 4: Discovering The Sex And Finding The Keepers By the growing stage you will have a better idea of which strains stand out as keepers, in terms of vigour and stature. Once you have taken clones for livestock purposes and have labelled according, then you need to flower the plants and discover which are male and

30

The top of this male California Orange plant is around 3 weeks away from its flowers opening and bright yellow pollen being released.

female. This is the most exciting time as a breeder and finding the best male and female of the bunch is what breeding is all about.

You will be able to tell the male plants as they naturally appear a few weeks earlier than female flowers. The reason is to help them better synchronize with successful pollinating times so the pollen has a chance to interact with female flowers early on. Male plants will have small ball shaped flowers in a cluster whilst female flowers will look like a blade of grass with a tiny white hair protruding from the inside. When you have decided which of the plants you will select for the final pollination, then now you must isolate the two in an environment where the pollen can interact will the female flowers, without jeopardizing any other flowering rooms you may have.

STEP 5: Inside The Flowering Room In this scenario you will want to have the chosen male and female in the same grow tent. As you flower the plants the male flowers will begin to form, as the female pre flowers will begin growing multiple white hairs.

The best time to pollinate the female is when the flowers are around 2.5

weeks old, as this gives around 6 weeks to produce ripe healthy seeds The male flowers will open like miniature claws that will look like small bright yellow bananas, after the third to fourth week. Under closer inspection it will appear there are a bunch of the miniature bananas hanging off each male flower. These will open on their own accord and when they do you will know as the tiny pollen sacks become dry and produce a light yellow fine powder. It does not take a lot of pollen to successfully pollinate an entire plant so here you have a chance to collect the pollen in parchment paper, label and keep stored away in a dry place.

STEP 6: Successful Pollination And Instant Brown Pistils By this stage the pollen will have naturally transferred to the female pistils and you will notice, that all all of the previous bright white pistils are now brown and red coloured.

This means the pollen has now travelled inside the flower and what was a smokable calyx, will now swell into a seedling. If you are pollinating by hand then a simple wave of a male dusty flower will do the job and only performing this once is needed to make the

Between the internodes of this plant are small ball shaped clusters growing, which are the male flowers.

initial pollination. This is how easy nature does it and when you get to this stage, your main priority now is to ensure there is enough time to allow for every single seed to harden off and become ripe. At this point the male plant can be taken away from the room and discarded, as long as you have taken a clone or collected pollen for the later stages of stabilizing.

used, so for example ‘ Male Kosher Kush # 9 x Female Strawberry Cough # 2 First Generation Regular Seeds ‘.

You can begin a 6 week counting period now and watch as the plant swells with pip formations all over. As the seeds begin to swell, you will notice the outer layer of the calyx begin to reveal the developing seeds inside.

As long as there is adequate food and lighting as if you were feeding any other flowering cannabis plant, then you can count on harvesting all of the seeds within the 6 week time frame .

STEP 9: Testing The First Generation Seeds

STEP 7: Checking The Seeds For Ripeness As you find the harvest date getting closer then you can begin to check the seeds to see how far they are from completion. Some seeds will appear light green and almost white and these ones are still way undeveloped, whilst good quality seeds will be hard to the touch, tiger striped or patterned and have matured to a nice golden brown shine.

When you know the seeds are strong viable seeds they can be harvested and shaken out of their pouches onto a clean surface where they can be cleaned up, labelled and stored for testing.

STEP 8: Labelling The Seeds Correctly And Storing Away

Identifying the male flowers can be easy after a certain time frame.

Once you have harvested the seeds and have your collection, you need to keep them dry and in a dark place away from sunlight and moisture.

The reason why is to prevent them from entering the germination state so darkness and a bottom wooden draw will be fine. Label the plants correctly with the male and females

By this stage you will want to have collected some pollen and have a living clone of the male and female you used. If not this is not the end of the world but limits how you can stabilize the line with the exact same father from the new first generation seeds.

This is the stage you have waited for so to see how those seeds germinate or do not germinate can be tense. If you have followed the steps correctly then the seedlings should look as professional as they do from the major seed banks, and they should be hard to crush with a good sturdiness.

The best way to test the seeds is to drop a handful in a glass of warm water, then place in a cupboard in the dark. Every day check on them and give them a friendly swirl and replace the water each day. After 24 to 72 hours, your first generation seedlings will germinate with fat white tails and a splitting shell. For the sake of testing, I always like to grow many small plants and see what the general characteristics are like and how much variation there is. When you have tested the seeds and they all germinate and grow well, you can compare notes and see how this line you have created has improved from their parental lineage. You will notice different phenotypes and depending on how happy you are with the level of stability, it can be recommended at this stage to stabilize using the original male pollen.

STEP 10: Stabilizing the line At this point it is a good idea to pollinate a female from the first generation seeds and stabilize the line to create a second generation line of seeds. If you have some of the stored original male

32

This male Blue Haze male will be selected for its stature and aroma.

pollen in parchment paper then this can save the entire process of having a male in the grow room, as well as ensure that the male being used is the same as the first. This ensures that the plants will grow as uniform as possible with little variation and extended hybrid vigour.

of this are you can have a room full of female plants without the need for selecting males and females. This also means that every single pot will have a plant growing and hydro systems can rest assured that there will be no empty spaces throughout their hydro systems after removing males.

The second generation of seeds that will be produced are called F2’s and should be labelled and stored as for example ‘ Kosher Kush # 9 Male x F1 # 3 Female Regular Second Generation Seeds ‘. This process can continue until a fourth and fifth generation exist, however you will often find after the third generation, the plants are totally dialled in and possess the hybrid vigour that you set out to create in the first place.

When actually producing your own female seeds, it is a little bit more tricky than crossing a male and female plant in synchronicity with one another. Colloidal silver is needed and used to activate a female flower into a male flower.

This sounds very unnatural and because of this many growers have a strict preference to working with regular or feminized seeds.

Things To Consider: What Are The Differences Between Regular Seeds And Feminized Seeds?

The general difference in terms of the grower is that that the feminized seeds, have been bred to produce only female plants. The advantages

How Much Pollen Do I need And How Many Seeds Will I Make?

Under a microscope pollen vibrates and never stops moving until it has found a viable host. A small quantity of pollen for example a gram of dry powdered pollen, could easily pollinate an entire room of flowering females, producing thousands and thousands of seeds. When an entire male plant flowers, this can wipe

The pistils will turn to a maroon red once they have come in contact with

out crops if the plan is to not create seeds and there is a myth floating around, that the original Jamaican Lambs Bread was pollinated to the point of no return by another landrace growing locally. It is a good idea if you are being delicate with pollinating a lower branch only to use a small paint brush and dip it into a small jar of the labelled pollen.

What If The Pollen Gets Wet? If the pollen gets wet it can make the pollen useless and inactive, so do as good job of keeping the stored pollen as dry as possible.

Using a small wooden box to keep the parchment inside is a good idea or even something as simple as an empty match box for storage.

My Seeds Are Not Germinating Well And The Plants Are Mutated This can happen and there can a

352'8&7

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number of things that can go wrong, as these not only cover germination problems but mutated plants growing with 3 or 4 leaves at a time, plants that slow down growth after a few weeks and seedlings that grow with thin weak characteristics and collapse on themselves and never recover.. If this problem occurs then this batch of seeds should be thrown away as every seed will be a genetic match to some degree. It would be easier to try all over again and this time use a different male or female and see if the quality improves from the new lineage of seeds.

Nature intends for evolution to occur and when plants struggle to perform well, then this can be natures way to say try again and know that those world famous crosses you have spent your life pursuing came from the same step by step process above.

Peace Out and good luck creating your very own customised cannabis strain!

33

GROW WITH JORGE CERVANTES

6(;8$/ PROPAGATION Sexual propagation is the process in which male and female sex cells (gametes) from separate parents unite in the female plant to form what will eventually mature into a new, genetically distinct individual. This process occurs when pollen from a male (staminate) parent unites with an ovule within the ovary of a female flower to create an embryo.This embryo, when mature and fully developed, will become a seed.

In nature, cannabis is wind-pollinated. Male flowers shed pollen (dehiscence), dispersing millions of grains into the wind. Wind carries the pollen to a “chance” rendezvous and acceptance by a female stigma.

Pollination occurs when male pollen grains land on a female stigma. The evolutionary attraction is both physical and chemical.

The grain of pollen, with moisture found in the stigma, germinates. This is the best part: A grain of pollen germinates just like a seed, sending a taproot down, but instead of sending it into the ground, the grain of pollen sends the “root” down the stigma toward the ovary. Once united with the ovary, the pollen fertilizes the ovule. This union creates an embryo that grows within a seed coat. When mature in 4 to 6 weeks, the seed can be planted.

Fertilization occurs when the tiny grain of male pollen sticks to the stigma. Then it develops a tube through the style, and releases 2

gametes, 1 to fertilize the ovule and 1 to fertilize the endosperm (double fertilization). Seeds are the result of this sexual propagation and contain genetic characteristics of both parents. Once fertilized with male pollen, female plants put the bulk of their energy into producing strong, viable seeds.

Actual fertilization takes place when the minute grain of male pollen sticks to the stigma. The successful angiosperm pollen grain (gametophyte) containing the male gametes (sperm) gets transported to the stigma, where it germinates and its pollen tube grows down the style to the ovary. Its 2 gametes travel down the tube to where the gametophyte(s) containing the female gametes are held within the carpel. One nucleus fuses with the polar bodies to produce the endosperm tissues, and the other with the ovum to produce the embryo hence the term double fertilization.

Close-up photo of a female stigma shows that no resin glands are locat-

34 ed on the entire length. The welldefined protruding growth appears as fuzz on the stalk of the stigma.

The stigma is the plant version of a vagina. It is covered with stigmatic fluid that acts like glue when a piece of pollen lands on it. The fluid is packed with sugars that are food for the pollen. When in place, the grains of pollen start growing a new “pollen tube,” a long tunnel that pushes through the tissue of the style all the way to the ova, where it fuses with egg cells to create a little baby plant. The ovules go through a series of steps known as meiosis, a type of cell division by which a cell duplicates into 2 genetically identical daughter cells. The chromosomes in the cell nucleus separate into 2 matching sets of chromosomes, each with a nucleus. Image courtesy Mel Frank.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or “genetic material”* is coiled into long strands or chromosomes. The DNA is located inside the nucleus of each cell. When cannabis is pollinated, each individual seed inherits 10 different chromosomes from the male, and 10 different chromo-

somes from the seed mother—20 chromosomes total. Each seed has 2 copies of each of the 10 chromosomes, or 1 full genome each.

There are 2 copies of every gene in the plant, 1 from the mother and 1 from the father. Every cell in the plant has a copy of this unique DNA. The genetic code of

this unique individual is embedded in a specific location along the length of the chromosome strands.

Each seed contains genes from both parents. Progeny grown from seed usually have slightly different traits than other plants from the same seed lot. The same happens in humans; biological children are different from one another in many aspects and at the same time they resemble their parents. In cannabis, the variability is marked, like it is in apples. Sexual reproduction is used to cross different individuals with a population or family of plants. It can also be used to hybridize unrelated lines and inbreed their offspring.

This phenomenon, “recombination of traits,” also gives breeders the opportunity to recover individuals with a combination of the positive traits of both parental lines.

conditions and the other works well under cool conditions. Having 2 versions of the same protein gives the plant a wider range of climates where it produces effectively.

The majority of DNA is the same; it deals with basic cell processes, photosynthesis, chlorophyll production, etc. A few or a combination of genes control variables such as height, leaf shape, fragrance, and disease resistance. But we are not sure exactly which genes are responsible for specific traits, even though the cannabis genome has been mapped. These traits are influenced by multigene families (a group of genes that evolved to become a little bit different from each other, even though they started out as copies of the same gene). Knowing the named genes would make it easier to find individual plants with your desired traits. But single genes controlling specific traits of cannabis are neither isoȏ *HQHV DUH KHUHGLWDU\ XQLWV WKDW lated nor well studied. consist of a sequence of DNA that resides in a precise place Multigene traits allow you to fi neon a chromosome and it deter- tune to your favorite characteristics. mines a specific trait in cannabis. For example, a single gene that conLittle bits of DNA are codes or trols leaf size would give only 2 leaf templates for proteins.* sizes, large and small. Many genes ȏ 3URWHLQV DUH PDGH LQ WKH VHTXHQFH influencing the same trait provide of DNA. Like instructions in a many different leaf sizes. recipe for making brownies, the DNA and sequence of proteins is Naturally occurring mutated cannathe recipe or instructions. bis genes are uncommon. They are abnormal genes that are mutations ȏ +DYLQJ 2 versions of the same of normal genes. When a mutated protein, from 2 different genes, is gene combines with a normal gene, better than having just 1, particu- there is no detrimental outcome. larly if the protein plays some vital But when 2 mutated genes join, the part in cannabinoid production. result is much different.

This effect is called overdominance.

For example, if there are 2 different For example, in people and animals proteins, and both work well but the number of albinos or dwarfs is 1 works a little better under hot minimal. The same is true in cannabis.

Growing large populations of cannabis or treating cannabis with stress or chemicals will bring about mutation.

Overall, most cannabis plants grow normally with no mutations whatso-

ever. Many different genes control the desirable traits we care about.

Broken recessive genes do not play a role in most breeding programs.

Deleterious recessive genes: The plants most likely to have the same dangerous mutation in the immediate family are inbred. Marry your sister and inbreeding genes take over to start all kinds of problems because recessive deleterious genes appear.

Questo è un brano tratto dal capitolo 25 “Breeding” della Cannabis Encyclopedia (596 pagine, oltre 2.000 immagini a colori, formato A4) di Jorge Cervantes, disponibile in inglese. L’edizione in spagnolo sarà disponibile nell’autunno del 2017. Per maggiori informazioni, visitate il sito di Jorge www.marijuanagrowing.com.

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37 in the USA’s most populous state you can grow and give away to someone else over the age of 21 - up to six plants and possess up to 28.5 grams of dried cannabis flowers “marijuana” and up to 8 grams of concentrate for none medicinal use.

dollars by 2020. Small business will be the first to benefit in a “craft beer” style approach with larger licenses being handed out in 2023, at which point you can expect the cost to consumers for cannabis prod-ucts to get very reasonable.

Careful you don’t pass a joint to anyone under the age of 21 though - giving cannabis to anyone under the age of 21 could land you a $500 fine and 6 months jail time.

It wasn’t just California that legalised cannabis, so did Maine (50.3%), Massachusetts (53.5%) and Nevada (54.5%). They join Alaska, Colorado, District of Columbia, Oregon and Washington mean-ing over 50% of the US population will be able to enjoy the wonders of cannabis in its many forms without having a fear of fines or being locked away.

There’s good news and there’s the inevitable bad news I’m afraid. They are both clearly labelled so you can dive into which ever you prefer at your leisure. Being a half-glass-full kind of guy I positioned the good news first.

They started the whole medical marijuana thing back in 1996 when state voters approved Proposi-tion 215 with a 55% majority. Twenty years later they finally get legal recreational cannabis thanks to voter approved Proposition 64 which had a 56% voter majority.

The measure will allow retail sales of marijuana and impose a 15% tax but you’re gonna have to wait until January 1st 2018 before they start to hand out licenses to businesses to cultivate or dis-tribute. Talking to the LA Times, Lynne Lyman, from Drug Policy Alliance, said the ballot measure in California is the “gold standard” for legal marijuana that other states should aim for.

California, the world’s fifth biggest economy, legalised recreational cannabis.

So what does this mean?

It means that if you are 21 years of age or over

Estimates are that the Californian recreational marijuana industry will be worth six billion

By Bill Griffin

Medicinal cannabis has always been the first to arrive in a state so it’s good to see a further four states passing ballot initiatives to legalize its use.

These states are; Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota. Now over half of US states - 29 in total - have legalized marijuana for certain medical conditions.

Bad news!

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By Bill Griffin It’s not so much President Trump’s stance on cannabis - which in the run up to the election was more or less indifferent - the issue is more to do with who he has positioned around him. At time of writing Trump has just announced that Senator Jeff Sessions will be his Attorney General.

The US Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice and is the chief law en-forcement officer and chief lawyer of the United States government.

Sessions, who was described as an “anti-marijuana zealot” in an official NORML statement, has been a leading opponent of legalizing marijuana whether medical or recreational. During a Senate hearing about state marijuana laws, Sessions said “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”

“Support for medical cannabis is higher than

ever, including from President-elect Donald Trump, but patients may face major challenges with the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General.” Dr. Jahan Marcu, Chief Science Officer and Chief Auditor of Patient Focused Certification for Americans for Safe Access (ASA) told me via email. “Sessions has criticized the morality of cannabis users and falsely claimed that cannabis is more harmful than alcohol. While many medi-cal cannabis patients supported Trump because they believed he would honor supportive State laws, Sessions’ nomination is a major cause for concern.”

ASA’s Patient Focused Certification helps cannabis companies meet patient demands for high-quality and predictable products. “Unfortunately, many people cannot gauge quality of their products due to lack of information, which is why

an educational program like Patient Focused Certifica-tion is so important to the cannabis industry.” Dr Marcu explains.

Given Senator Sessions very vocal anti-cannabis stance this could pose a few hurdles to, not only new legal recreational or medical states but, those who already have such programs in place.

You must not forget cannabis is a schedule 1 drug and as far as the US Federal Government is con-cerned has no therapeutic use and has a high

potential for abuse. US Federal raids happened un-der preceding US presidents so could very well continue or start up again. This would be counter to the Obama’s hands off approach which allowed states to find their own way after legalizing for rec-reational use.

It would make political sense for Trump to keep Sessions in check with regards to cannabis as le-gal marijuana is more popular than any politician in the US.

&20Ζ&

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40

CBD NEWS ACDC, Oracle and Valentine X

The quantity of phenotypes offered

by Cannatonic allows a variety of selections to be made. Some breeders who make these selections are honest enough to name them Cannatonic with a further identifier, e.g. Cannatonic X or Cannatonic #4.

Others create confusion and name their selections with totally different names and ‘invent’ the name of the parents. This seems to be the case for the ACDC saga.

Plant growth in a California Cannatonic crop

CANNATONIC:

A CORNERSTONE FOR CBD-RICH PLANTS BRED IN THE USA Over the last few years a large quantity of hybrids and elite cuttings with various CBD ratios emerged in the USA; Cannatonic is the genetic base from which most of these plants originate.

In 2014 Soft Secrets Spain reported how the CBD wave in Girona had spread its influence to seed banks all over Europe. It is also the type of genetics of which Tikkun Olam has claimed paternity, whereas in actual fact they were just prototype selections developed by CBD Crew - check the full article in Soft Secrets Spain, issue 3 of 2014. In that article, we announced that we would make a further report on how this wave crossed the Atlantic, particularly through the Cannatonic strain. After years of study, here are the results of our survey.

Cannatonic When we talk about Cannatonic, we should make clear that this strain has

H. Madera

many phenotypes, although all with a Diesel influence. This is how it was created and this is also how Resin Seeds wants to keep it, so that each person can choose the phenotype most befitting their needs and personal tastes, as plants with very different ratios can be found. This is why there are so many different Cannatonic selections in the United States.

In addition, for the reasons already explained in previous articles, the parents of Cannatonic have changed. As regards the regular group of plants, in the beginning there was a mixed batch of two strains (Dancehall and Dub), then various products with different parents appeared, although they

retained consistency with the Diesel essence of this strain. As for the feminised group, it has always kept the same composition – although in 2010 there was an exception, i.e. a special batch of 1,000 seeds, with a much higher-than-usual CBD ratio, reached the US market, and various CBD-dominant plants were created from these seeds, with CBD:THC ratios of around 20:1.

ACDC is an elite clone with a CBD:THC ratio of around 20:1.

Apparently, it was selected by Doctor William Courtney who named it with the acronym of Alternative Cannabinoid Dietary Cannabis.

William Courtney has opted for the use of raw cannabis – basically fresh plants are used to produce juices to be directly consumed by patients.

In this way, the acid forms of cannabinoids, THCA and CBDA, are said to be retained. To date, no clinical trials have been made to substantiate Dr Courtney’s method, which, incidentally, has many downsides, i.e. large quantities of fresh plants are needed and the patient’s throat may easily be irritated. Martin Lee of CBD Project argues that many of Dr. Courtney’s statements on the advantages of cannabis juices are “deceitful” and “groundless”.

In 2012 the magazine O'Shaugnessy's published a few declarations of Lawrence Ringo, where he explains that he received ACDC from William Courtney, who assured him that it was a Sativa plant used in France as industrial hemp, which was being grown in Luxemburg on a surface of 13 hectares for the use of its leaves and flowers in juices in the context of clinical trials. Various experts in industrial hemp denied this claim of Dr. Courtney, as there was no proof that ACDC was produced in France as industrial hemp. Moreover, in France growing industrial hemp without certification is illegal and makes you liable to a custodial sentence.

There is evidence that Jaime of Resin Seeds sent Dr Courtney a few Cannatonic seeds for free – before the doctor could ‘discover’ ACDC. I read a

Jaime gives advice to legal cannabis growing projects with his strains in various US locations

41 few e-mails where Courtney thanks him for the plant he had received with a fanfare of compliments. He even says that thanks to the phenotype 20:1 found in Cannatonic he could use much less quantity of vegetable matter to produce his juices.

He should have better thanked him publicly rather than giving the plant a new name without explaining its true genetic origin. We repeatedly wrote – month after month – to Dr Courtney and enquired about his version of this messy story, but so far our enquiries have remained unanswered. In

same plant? As reported by Project CBD, the lab The Werc Shop tested both of these elite clones. The results show that ACDC and Oracle have an identical terpene profile, with a predominance of myrcene and significant levels of pinene, beta-caryophyllene and bisabolol. There is a perfect match between the two even in terpenes in reduced concentration such as eudesmol, guaiol, humulene, limonene, valencene or terpineol.

Apparently, another plant bearing a close resemblance with ACDC is

the namesake of a participant in the forum of International Cannagraphic, and consequently named after him.

The participant Paladin420 commented that this genetics was circulated for free throughout the cannabis community in Michigan and won a lot of cups. It is a Sativa-dominant plant that can be slightly difficult to grow, but is totally worth the time spent to do so. As Huel Perkins says: “Various persons describe different smells in my selection, personally I can smell tones of lemon, lime and mango, while others describe smells

strain has a very low quantity of THC, and can therefore be considered a CBD-dominant strain, which goes under the name of chemotype III. Nine Fold Genetics produced Atonic from it, i.e. Huel Perkins crossed with a male of Bodhi’s Good Medicine.

Cannatonic #4.

With regard to this plant, Paladin420 assures this is an easy-to-grow elite clone mainly with an Indica profile and good crystallised buds. It is an attractive type of marijuana, with an excellent smell and appearance,

&$11$721Ζ& Ζ6 7+( &251(56721( 2) &%' 3/$176 %5(' Ζ1 7+( 86$ Ζ1 7(506 2) 180%(5 2) 6(/(&7(' (/Ζ7( &877Ζ1*6 +<%5Ζ'6 '(9(/23(' )520 Ζ7 $1' $:$5'6 *$Ζ1(' Ζ1 &$11$%Ζ6 &836 actual fact, the whole cannabis community considers ACDC a phenotype of Cannatonic; as a proof of this, Seedfinder, the major database on genetics, lists it as such.

What further compounds this mess is another cutting with a similar ratio and structure, Oracle. Is this the

Valentine X, which was named after St. Valentine, the patron saint of the epileptics, and is said to have a CBD:THC ratio of around 25:1.

Other selections from Cannatonic

Huel Perkins or Perkins Cut. It is a clone selected by Huel Perkins,

of cherry or orange, in any case the aroma is complex”. Huel Perkins had an oil made from his selection tested for terpenes, and, by order of concentration, the following were found: beta-myrcene, limonene, alphapinene and p-cymene, with smaller quantities of caryophyllene, linalool and humulene. The Huel Perkins

which draws everyone’s attention in dispensaries. Its effect is clear, without making you dizzy.

Other reputed elite clones include Cannatonic X and Cannatonic B, both with a high CBD content and very low in THC, especially Cannatonic X, which usually has a

42 CBD in excess of 20% and around 1% of THC.

Resin Seeds and CBD Crew in America

As Resin has increasingly become popular throughout the USA, it has included American tastes in its catalogue such as Kushtonic, a hybrid of Sour Diesel with Dieseltonic.

Sour Diesel has a taste that captivates, due to its classical earthy, fuel, metallic and citric/lemony tones, mostly due to the abundant limonene content; in a few phenotypes, this taste is described as creamy lemon or lemon ice cream.

Trichomes are generous in size, which result in a satisfactory smoking experience. The problem is that its effect is excessively potent in many users, who are literally knocked out and need a more bearable Kush. Choosing something lighter would suit them better – in actual fact Resin Seeds chose this strain to make a version whose offspring would have different

Delicatessen, which is part of the Iberian underground breeding legend. It results from the crossing of Congo and a flagship of Original Delicatessen, Reina Madre, a plant that also contributed its traits to Juanita la Lagrimosa. Lily is a pure Sativa, which stands out for its speed, as well as for the beauty of its well-shaped buds with only a few leaves. It has a decidedly fruity taste, with a few specimens tasting like sweet pineapple, for which it gained the alias of “piña colada”.

The three strains have descendants with CBD:THC ratios of around 1:1.

The cross with Lily was designed to bring a fruity and fresh taste to the US cannabis scene, whereas with CBD OG Kush and CBD Scout Cookies, classical local tastes are combined with a different, more balanced effect. The first batch was sold out and CBD OG Kush even won a few awards.

An important gift of CBD Crew to the CBD community is Therapythe,

Blooming in a California Cannatonic crop

Although the most usual CBDdominant plant of CBD Crew is Remedy, it also offers Medihaze, a CBD dominant selection [(Neville's Haze x Amnesia Haze) x Remedy], to be used in crosses with a Sativa profile.

In 2012, Lawrence Ringo presented new strains, among which the excellent Canna-Tsu, a cross of Sour Tsunami with Cannatonic with a 2:1 ratio. Lawrence considered Cannatonic a very interesting

-$Ζ0( 2) 5(6Ζ1 6(('6 6(17 '5 &28571(< $ )(: &$11$721Ζ& 6(('6 )25 )5(( Ȃ %()25( 7+( '2&725 &28/' Ȇ'Ζ6&29(5ȇ $&'& Ζ1 $ )(: ( 0$Ζ/6 &28571(< 7+$1.6 +Ζ0 )25 7+( 3/$17 +( +$' 5(&(Ζ9(' :Ζ7+ $ )$1)$5( 2) &203/Ζ0(176 CBD:THC ratios, for each grower to select their favourite effect. It is also possible to select various phenotypes with different ratios in order to fit various occasions.

Jaime also provided advisory service in the first project of CBD Crew in the USA, where it offered three strains, CBD OG Kush, CBD Scout Cookies and CBD Lily. These strains are crosses of Remedy, previously named Dulce Canna, respectively made with the two US elite clones of the Kush wave and a selection of Lily, a plant of Original

the first regular line that offers CBD in all of its specimens. So far CBD Crew has offered various regular lines, where Remedy was crossed with various selected males sourced from the MrNice seed bank to create CBD rich varieties. When Remedy was crossed with a Haze pure male of MrNice, the result was a real surprise, as this cross has consistently CBDdominant offspring; theoretically, a cross of a CBD-dominant plant with a pure THC male should produce a CBD rich variety, but in this case descendants were CBD dominant.

Sohum Seeds

This bank was founded by Lawrence Ringo (R.I.P.). Ringo was a pioneer CBD breeder in the USA, with its famous Tsour Tsunami, where CBD occasionally appeared in the offspring. This genetics originates from the same New York City Diesel strain of 2004 that introduced CBD into the European wave. The bank has been using this strain because it was attracted by its balanced effect, which does not make users too ‘blind’, in addition to its excellent taste.

plant. He also made a cross of Sour Tsunami with ACDC, although Ringo was not aware that ACDC was in actual fact a phenotype of Cannatonic, owing to the confusion caused by Dr William Courtney, who assured him that it was a Sativa grown as industrial hemp in France. Lawrence also met Jaime of Resin Seeds, a historic meeting between the two most experienced breeders of the US CBD wave.

The House of the Great Gardener

This seed bank reached Europe with a Cannatonic hybrid and was

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Cannatonic is available in many US dispensaries with various CBD:THC ratios

Flower of Cannatonic grown in California

the first bank of the American continent to win an award for maximum CBD concentration in the High Times Cannabis Cup of Amsterdam in 2014 with CBD René, a cross of a Cannatonic selection with a René male. It has just presented CBD Haoma, where this Cannatonic plant was crossed with Haoma (Purps x Afghani).

Although The House of the Great Gardener is a Canadian bank, it participates in European exhibitions and festivals, and it has even been seen in the booths of Serious Seeds and CBD Crew, two banks with whom it has excellent relationships.

SuperCBDx

This is one of the early all-round projects developed from the Cannatonic strain in the States. The first development of this strain was made by PJ. When he contracted a severe disease, he turned his attention to CBD-rich plants, which ultimately saved his life. In 2010 he started to collect information on breeding methods and purchased regular seeds of Cannatonic. In 2011 he produced a strain that was very high in CBD and very low in THC. He continued working on this strain for 4 years, with open pol-

linations. This genetics followed a two-way course, because it was later developed in Spain by the bank Genofarm, who made two open pollinations and a feminised version of this plant. Genofarm selected the fastest plants, and also considered other factors such as resin quantity, aroma and structure.

After years of breeding work, it managed to stabilise SuperCBDx around a CBD:THC ratio of 26:1, with a large quantity of terpenes. By order of importance, those in higher concentration were myrcene, borneol, pinene and guaiol. This genetics has a solid structure, although it stretches high enough, with a limited development of side branches, which concentrates production on the tip of the plant. If temperature lowers at the end of the blooming period the plant turns purple. Buds are elongated and resinous, with a sweet Diesel taste.

In addition to producing the feminised version of SuperCBDX, Genofarm used it in its bank to create version 2.0 of its Medicritical as well as more than 30 different experimental crosses with the most outstanding varieties of its genetic library.

Medical Marijuana Genetics

This bank dedicated to medical cannabis will soon be presented to the cannabis community. Its owners are British but its breeding work has been developed by expert Spanish growers.

The base of this seed bank is a cross of ACDC with Harlequin named Candida, from whose offspring various phenotypes were selected.

The product of this selection is a plant with 21% of CBD and 0.9% of THC. It used this elite clone to produce 18 experimental crosses with such strains as Tijuana, Juanita la Lagrimosa, Oldberry (Juanita la Lagrimosa x Shishkaberry Burgos), Erdpurt, Somango Cheese, Diesel SKD, Critical Mass, Peyote Purple, Girl Scout Cookies Forum Cut, Skunk#1 and others. It also made an S1 from Candida, which was named CD1. Next, it selected five of these strains with different ratios that are now on offer in its first catalogue.

Other American banks

Through the information I found on various websites, among which those worthy of note are Seedfinder and a compilation made by Primal Haze in a post of ICMag, I identified additional American banks where Cannatonic or its descendants are

used, especially ACDC, a plant to be ideally used to create CBD-rich plants for its CBD-dominance.

Sin City Seeds

Various strains, with different ratios, are marketed by this bank.

Thunderstruck (S1 of ACDC x ACDC), Treasure Island (Swiss Gold x ACDC), HarleSin (ACDC x Harlequin), IncrediblePower [(OmRita x BluePower) x ACDC] and Cancer's Nightmare (Cannatonic x WhiteNightmare). % CBD, 1:1 THC/CBD

Med Tree Seeds

TOCI. A creation of the forum discussant EcTraveler made from ACDC with a male of Xena, next, from a group of three, the specimen that handed down most Xena traits to its offspring was chosen. It is a quite resinous plant with tastes of berries, pineapple, grapes and citrus fruit.

Héroes (a cross of TOCI 20:1 with Tangie). EMT (ACDC x Canna-Tsu).

Bodhi Seeds

CBD Rich Blessings. A hybrid between ACDC and a male rich in CBD of Good Medicine (Harlequin x Appalachia).

Love Genetics.

A bank that developed a host of strains based on Cannatonic and its offspring.

45 Pua Mana Pakolo.

HI CBD (Charlotte's Cannatonic)

Web

x

Critical Mass Collective Psychotropic Mass Mass x Cannatonic)

(Monster

La Plata Labs.

Quin-N-Tonic (a double backcross of Harlequin x Cannatonic) and CBDGOG (Durango OG x Quin-NTonic).

Green Man Organics Meeting between Jaime and Lawrence Ringo in the USA. Picture by Fred Garner, made available by Martin Lee.

ShishKaTonic Shish99)

(Cannatonic

x

Moxie710

VCDC (Viper City OG x ACDC) It first offered The Love, i.e. an S1 from the self-pollination of ACDC, this plant was then used to create Sol Love, (The Love x Lemon Créme), next Forbidden Love (Sol Love x Jack Phoenix #2), and further on Burnin Love (Forbidden Love x Jack Phoenix #2).

It also made a set of crosses of CBD Rich Blessing with other strains, i.e. OM (F1 of CBD Rich Blessings), Pineapple Sage (a cross of two different phenotypes of CBD Rich Blessings), Smoke (Dragonhead x CBD Rich Blessings), Archangel (Locomotive x CBD Rich Blessings) and Metronome (Thunderhead x CBD Rich Blessings).

From Valhalla (ACDC x Sky Dragon), it developed a number of crosses, such as Elysian Fields (Cali Lavender x Valhalla), Gangsta's Paradise (O.G. Love x Valhalla), Heavenly Love (Sol love x Valhalla), The Alchemist (CBD Rich Blessings x Valhalla), Holy Ghost (Ghost OG x Valhalla), Titanium Fire (Dragonhead x Valhalla) and Valkyrie (Valhalla x Jack Phoenix #2).

303 Seeds

From Z7 (an experimental cross made

by CBD Crew between Cannatonic

and Afghan/Skunk) various crosses were made, namely Ambulance (BioDiesel x Z7), Meltdown [(Bubblegum x Blueberry) x Z7], Night Star (Sensi Star x Z7), and Snowpack (Snowcap x Z7).

Boneyard Seeds Norcal

Cancer Battling Dank aka C.B.D. (ACDC x Ángel).

MTG Seeds

CbcanD, a cross of Cannatonic with C.B.Diesel (Harlequin x Turbo Diesel). This strain is not on sale yet, but has already won six CBD awards.

Apothecary Genetics

CannaBerry (Cannatonic crossed with a Blackberry male).

RedEyed Genetics.

Hawkeye (Cannatonic x Mt.Rainer).

Poppa Pain Strains

Hazy Med CBD (Super Silver Haze x Skunk#1 x Cannatonic)

Oregon Microgrowers Guild.

Lucy's Lion S1, (a self-pollinated version of ACDC). It selected Franks Gift from CBD Skunk Haze of CBD Crew, and used it to develop a self-pollinated strain named Franks Gift S1.

Southern Star Seeds

Public Image, a cross between a fourth generation backcross of Harlequin with Sweet N Sour Widow (which is in turn a cross between Remedy and Black Widow, made by CBD Crew).

Cannabis Cups

In the previous articles we already mentioned Cannatonic as one of the most famous Spanish strains having won prestigious awards. Its skyrocketing success has also continued in the United States and it can already be considered the best award-winning Iberian plant.

As High Times reports in its article “The Best CBD Strains of 2015”, Cannatonic had a smashing victory in US competitions in 2015, with both its direct offspring and its renowned selections and crosses. The article also makes reference to competitions in which first, second and third place were awarded to strains related with Cannatonic. For instance in the Michigan Medical Cannabis Cup, the Cannatonic family won all cups in the CBD categories for flowers and extracts. A similar result was obtained in the NorCal Medical

Cannabis Cup, where five out of six awards were won by these strains. Another example is SoCal Medical Cannabis, where the Cannatonic family ranked first and second in the categories of flowers and resin, i.e. four out of six cups.

It can now be considered the Skunk of CBD-rich strains in the USA, as it appears in 90% of all awardwinning hybrids.

Conclusions

Although our illustration was rich, US elite clones and strains descending from Cannatonic are undoubtedly more than those described, although breeders are not willing to acknowledge this for a number of reasons, e.g. some pass it off as industrial hemp in order to place a veneer of legality on it; others claim the paternity of this genetics; still others keep the origin of this selection secret; or it is just a matter of personal taste, lack of knowledge and other reasons.

It is very odd that, since 2009, when Jaime of Resin Seeds started to ship seeds of Cannatonic to America, ‘new’ CBD-rich cannabis strains have emerged everywhere, with no detailed disclosure made by breeders as to their breeding work. All of these ‘creations’ and ‘discoveries’ should really be questioned, because a unique claim that a new CBD-rich plant “has been created” requires unique evidence, which nobody is currently giving. In the next article we will discuss some of these genetics with an unclear history more closely.

In any case, it is a demonstrated fact that Cannatonic is the cornerstone of CBD plants bred in the USA, in terms of number of selected elite cuttings, hybrids developed from it, and awards gained in cannabis cups. At this point, it can undoubtedly be said that Cannatonic is the strain that most influenced the US CBD scene.

Greenhouse Seeds’ and Strain Hunter Franco Loja dies, aged 42

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Franco Loja, of the famed Strain Hunters, died last January 2nd, 2017. Franco died as a result of malaria, which he contracted previously in the Congo while filming for the Strain Hunters-series. While back in the Congo, he died suddenly of a malaria-attack.

Franco was a partner of Arjan Roskam in the Green House Seed Co. in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Franco was the head breeder for the company.

Co. websites both point to a tribute page for the legendary cannabis entrepreneur.

Colofon

The page reads:

The two spent years crossing the globe looking for cannabis strains. Their Strain Hunters video series has over 60,000 subscribers on YouTube, and they were recently featured on Vice TV while in Colombia searching for specific landrace strains.

Franco also wrote for Cannabis Now and was a true cannabis celebrity and leader in strain development and breeding. Franco’s Instagram page had almost 100,000 followers on January 2nd.

“Cannabis is my passion, my bread, my home. I feel it is my duty to make sure this amazing plant is preserved and enjoyed. I am a smoker, a grower, a breeder, and a Strain Hunter for Life.” — Franco Loja, Strain Hunter – May 20, 1974 - January 2, 2017.

Soft Secrets is published by Discover Publisher BV 3 2 %R[ $- 9HJKHO 1HWKHUODQGV Telephone: +31-(0)73-5498112 E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl Web: ZZZ VRIWVHFUHWV FRP

The Strain Hunter site and the Green House Seed

Franco is an icon and helped change so many peoples lives. He will deeply be missed as a brother, father, son, friend and so much more.

The Greenhouse team started collecting landraces over 25 years ago and their Strain Hunters collection offers them from seed. They also have a YouTube series that chronicles some of the amazing journeys.

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Next issue out: 14 April, 2017

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