Basic Marijuana Growing Information
Basic Marijuana Growing Information - Learn all the basic facts and growing techniques for marijuana.
Marijuana is a deciduous plant which grows from seeds.
The fibrous section of the plant was (has been replaced by synthetics) used
to make rope. The flowering tops, leaves, seeds, and resin of the plant is
used by just about everyone to get HIGH.
Normally, the vegetable parts of the plant are smoked
to produce this "high," but they can also be eaten. The active ingredient in
marijuana resin is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol(THC). Marijuana contains from 1
- 4 per cent THC (4 per cent must be considered GOOD dope).
Marijuana grows wild in many parts of the world, and is
cultivated in Mexico, Vietnam, Africa, Nepal, India, South America,
etc.,etc. The marijuana sold in the United States comes primarily from, yes,
the United States.
It is estimated that at least 50 per cent of the grass
on the streets in America is homegrown. The next largest bunch comes across
the borders from Mexico, with smaller amounts filtering in from Panama,
occasionally South America, and occasionally, Africa.
Hashish is the pure resin of the marijuana plant, which
is scraped from the flowering tops of the plant and lumped together. Ganja
is the ground-up tops of the finest plants. (It is also the name given to
any sort of marijuana in Jamaica.)
Marijuana will deteriorate in about two years if
exposed to light, air or heat. It should always be stored in cool places.
Grass prices in the United States are a direct
reflection of the laws of supply and demand (and you thought that high
school economics would never be useful). A series of large border busts, a
short growing season, a bad crop, any number of things can drive the price
of marijuana up.
Demand still seems to be on the increase in the U.S.,
so prices seldom fall below last year's level.
Each year a small seasonal drought occurs, as last
year's supply runs low, and next year's crop is not up yet. Prices usually
raze about 20 - 75 per cent during this time and then fall back to "normal."
Unquestionably, a large shortage of grass causes a
percentage of smokers to turn to harder drugs instead. For this reason, no
grass control program can ever be beneficial or "successful."
GROW IT!
There is one surefire way of avoiding high prices and
the grass DT's: Grow your own. This is not as difficult as some
"authorities" on the subject would make you believe. Marijuana is a weed,
and a fairly vivacious one at that, and it will grow almost in spite of you.
OUTDOORS
Contrary to popular belief, grass grows well in many
place on the North American continent. It will flourish even if the
temperature does not raise above 75 degrees.
The plants do need a minimum of eight hours of sunlight
per day and should be planted in late April/early May, BUT DEFINITELY, after
the last frost of the year.
Growing an outdoor, or "au natural", crop has been the
factored method over the years, because grass seems to grow better without
as much attention, when in its natural habitat.
Of course, an outdoors setting requires special
precautions not encountered with an indoors crop; you must be able to avoid
detection, both
from law enforcement freaks and common freaks, both of whom will take your
weed and probably use it. Of course, one will also arrest you. You must also
have access to the area to prepare the soil and harvest the crop.
There are two schools of thought about starting the
seeds. One says you should start the seedlings for about ten days in an
indoor starter box (see the indoor section) and then transplant. The other
theory is that you should just start them in the correct location. Fewer
plants will come up with this method, but there is no shock of transplant to
kill some of the seedlings halfway through.
The soil should be pretreated for the little devils by
turning it over a couple of times and adding about one cup of hydrated lime
per square yard of soil and a little bit (not too much, now) of good water
soluble nitrogen fertilizer. The soil should now be watered several times
and left to sit about one week.
The plants should be planted at least three feet apart,
getting too greedy and stacking them too close will result in stunted
plants.
The plants like some water during their growing season,
BUT not too much. This is especially true around the roots, as too much
water will rot the root system.
Grass grows well in corn or hops, and these plants will
help provide some camouflage. It does not grow well with rye, spinach, or
pepper weed.
It is probably a good idea to plant in many small,
broken patches, as people tend to notice patterns.
GENERAL GROWING INFO
Both the male and he female plant produce THC resin,
although the male is not as strong as the female. In a good crop, the male
will still be plenty smokable and should not be thrown away under any
circumstances.
Marijuana can reach a height of twenty feet (or would
you rather wish on a star) and obtain a diameter of 4 1/2 inches. If normal,
it has a sex ratio of about 1:1, but this can be altered in several ways.
The male plant dies in the 12th week of growing, the
female will live another 3 - 5 weeks to produce her youngens. Females can
weigh twice as much as males when they are mature.
Marijuana soil should compact when you squeeze it, but
should also break apart with a small pressure and absorb water well. A nice
test for either indoor or outdoor growing is to add a bunch of worms to the
soil, if they live and hang around, it is good soil, but if they don't,
well, change it. Worms also help keep the soil loose enough for the plants
to grow well.
SEEDS
To get good grass, you should start with the right
seeds. A nice starting point is to save the seeds form the best batch you
have consumed. The seeds should be virile, that is, they should not be grey
and shriveled up, but green, meaty, and healthy appearing. A nice test is to
drop the seeds on a hot frying pan. If they "CRACK," they are probably good
for planting purposes.
The seeds should be soaked in distilled water overnight
before planting. BE SURE to plant in the ground with the pointy end UP.
Plant about 1/2" deep.
Healthy seeds will sprout in about five days.
SPROUTING
The best all around sprouting marijuana seeds method is
probably to make a sprouting box (as sold in nurseries) with a slated bottom
or use paper cups with holes punched in the bottoms. The sprouting soil
should be a mixture of humus, soil, and five sand with a bit of organic
fertilizer and water mixed in about one week before planting.
When ready to transplant, you must be sure and leave a
ball of soil around the roots of each plant. This whole ball is dropped into
a baseball-sized hold in the permanent soil.
If you are growing/transplanting indoors, you should
use a green safe light (purchased at nurseries) during the transplanting
operation. If you are transplanting outdoors, you should time it about two
hours before sunset to avoid damage to the plant. Always wear cotton gloves
when handling the young plants.
After the plants are set in the hole, you should water
them. It is also a good idea to use a commercial transplant chemical (also
purchased at nurseries) to help then overcome the shock.
INDOOR GROWING
Indoor growing has many advantages, besides the
apparent fact that it is much harder to have your crop "found," you can
control the ambient conditions just exactly as you want them and get a
guaranteed "good" plant.
Plants grown indoors will not appear the same as their
outdoor cousins. They will be scrawnier appearing with a weak stems and may
even require you to tie them to a growing post to remain upright, BUT THEY
WILL HAVE AS MUCH OR MORE RESIN!
If growing in a room, you should put tar paper on the
floors and then buy sterilized bags of soil form a nursery. You will need
about one cubic foot of soil for each plant.
The plants will need about 150 ml. of water per
plant/per week. They will also need fresh air, so the room must be
ventilated. (however, the fresh air should contain NO TOBACCO smoke.)
At least eight hours of light a day must be provided.
As you increase the light, the plants grow faster and show more females/less
males. Sixteen hours of light per day seems to be the best combination,
beyond this makes little or no appreciable difference in the plant quality.
Another idea is to interrupt the night cycle with about one hour of light.
This gives you more females.
The walls of your growing room should be painted white
or covered with aluminum foil to reflect the light.
The lights themselves can be either bulbs of
fluorescent. Figure about 75 watts per plant or one plant per two feet of
fluorescent tube. The fluorescents are the best, but do not use "cool white"
types. The light sources should be an average of twenty inches from the
plant and NEVER closer than 14 inches. They may be mounted on a rack and
moved every few days as the plants grow.
The very best light sources are those made by Sylvania
and others especially for growing plants (such as the "Gro lux" types).
HARVESTING MARIJUANA AND DRYING
The male plants will be taller and have about five
green or yellow sepals, which will split open to fertilize the female plant
with pollen.
The female plant is shorter and has a small pistil late
flower, which really doesn't look like a flower at all but rather a small
bunch of leaves in
a cluster.
If you don't want any seeds, just good dope, you should
pick the males before they shed their pollen as the female will use some of
her resin to make the seeds.
After another three to five weeks, after the males are
gone, the females will begin to wither and die (from loneliness?), this is
the time to pick.
In some nefarious Middle Eastern countries, farmers
reportedly put their beehives next to feels of marijuana. The little devils
collect the grass pollen for their honey, which is supposed to contain a
fair dosage of THC.
The honey is then enjoyed by conventional methods or
made into ambrosia.
If you want seeds - let the males shed his pollen then
pick him. Let the female go another month and pick her.
To cure the plants, they must be dried. On large crops,
this is accomplished by constructing a drying box or drying room.
You must have a heat source (such as an electric
heater) which will make the box/room each 130 degrees. The box/room must be
ventilated to carry off the water-vapor-laden air and replace it with fresh.
A good box can be constructed from an orange crate with
fiberglass insulated walls, vents in the tops, and screen shelves to hold
the leaves.
There must be a baffle between the leaves and the heat source.
A quick cure for smaller amounts is to: cut the plant
at the soil level and wrap it in a cloth so as not to loose any leaves. Take
out any seeds by hand and store. Place all the leaves on a cookie sheet or
aluminum foil and put them in the middle shield of the oven, which is set on
"broil." In a few seconds, the leaves will smoke and curl up, stir them
around and give another ten seconds before you take them out.
PLANT PROBLEM CHART
Always check the overall environmental conditions prior
to passing judgment - soil around 7 pH or slightly less - plenty of water,
light, fresh air, loose soil, no water standing in pools.
|
SYMPTOM |
PROBABLY PROBLEM/CURE |
|
Larger leaves turning yellow smaller leaves still green. |
Nitrogen deficiency - add nitrate of soda or organic fertilizer. |
|
Older leaves will curl at edges, turn dark, possibly with a purple cast. |
Phosphorus deficiency - add commercial phosphate. |
|
Mature leaves develop a yellowish cast to least venial areas. |
Magnesium deficiency - add commercial fertilizer with a magnesium content. |
|
Mature leaves turn yellow and then become spotted with edge areas turning dark grey. |
Potassium deficiency - add marinade of potash |
|
Cracked stems, no healthy support tissue. |
Boron deficiency - add any plant food containing boron. |
|
Small wrinkled leaves with yellowish vein systems. |
Zinc deficiency - add commercial plant food containing zinc. |
|
Young leaves become deformed possibly yellowing. |
Molybdenum deficiency - use any plant food with a bit of molybdenum in it. |
bibliography - .hoboes.com November 6, 2004
