Marijuana Grower's Handbook - Page 4

Cannabis connoisseurs often talk about trichomes. These small glands contains most of the cannabinoids and terpenes produced by the cannabis plant and are often called “resin”, the desire of any enthusiast of marijuana extracts and concentrates. As the plant goes through the different life stages it secretes diverse types of trichomes, capitate stalked ones being the most best known. We also know that the colour of these trichomes will determine the optimal time for harvesting, either indoors or outdoors.

Trichomes re then the reason why many people use cannabis, since they not only produce psychoactive compounds like THC (which are what recreative users want) but also non-psychoactive substances like CBD (with amazing therapeutic potential, mainly sought by patients) and terpenes, which are hydrocarbons with awesome aromatic properties that provide each plant with a unique organoleptic profile (besides interacting with cannabinoids to modulate their effect).

In this article we'll deepen into this subject and see what is a trichome, what types of trichomes are secreted by the cannabis plant and why they are produced.

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One of the most important aspects to obtain top quality buds is choosing the right cannabis variety to grow. An excellent option is to keep a mother plant from which to take the necessary amount of cuttings. Today, we have plenty of strains with very high yields, which ensures abundant harvests. We can also find cultivars with high content of wither THC or CBD, ideal to meet the demands of patients. Philosopher Seeds  breeds plants with unique and particular traits from which we're sure you'll find excellent keepers!

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>On this occasion, we present you a grow report of three feminized varieties from Philosopher Seeds catalogue. Thus, we'll see how these strains grew and bloomed in this 100% organic crop.

Let's take a look at the main characteristics of each variety:

Orange Candy / Naranchup

• Genetics: Naran J x Tropimango
• Sativa-Indica: 65/35
• Indoor flowering: 55/65 days

Orange Candy is a mostly Sativa hybrid with intense orange scent. For its structure, it is an ideal plant for the SOG technique.

Black bomb

• Genetics: Black Domina x Tropimango
• Sativa-Indica: 20/80
• Indoor flowering:  55/60 days
• THC content: 18%

Black Bomb was awarded with the 3rd prize Indoor Bio at the 2012 M.F. Association Cannabis Cup. It develops compact buds ideal to make different resin extractions.

Sugar pop

• Genetics: RK#14 x Ripper#1
• Sativa-Indica: 60/40
• Indoor flowering: 60/70 days

A compact genetics with delicious sweet and fruity flavor. Its development and production are mainly focused on the main stem, si it is also ideal for getting the ebst results with the SOG method, with one main bud.

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In a previous article we introduced microscopic mites, a very serious pest which affected a crop of Amnesika 2.0. Today we present you another pest that can become a real threat to our plants, red spider mites.

We will learn how to identify and treat a plague of these insects that infected an Orange Candy crop from one of our customers.

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Botrytis - also known as gray mold, bud mold or bud rot - is a genus of fungus which attack a vast number of plants (around 200 varieties can be infected). Along with powdery mildew, Botrytis cinerea is one of the most commonly found fungus on marijuana plants, especially outdoors, so now that our plants are about to bloom we want to remind you a few tips to avoid it. If we lower our guard and propagation conditions are optimal, an infection of botrytis can quickly ruin our harvest right at the moment when our plants are in full bloom.

Botrytis can reproduce sexually or asexually, feeding on tissues of the host plant. There are 22 species and a hybrid among the Botryotinia genus; the one that interest us, called Botrytis cinerea, is actually used in vineyards to produce noble wines of excellent quality, since this fungus increases sugar levels on grape and highly improves the organoleptic features of the wines produced from it. Let’s see now how to identify, prevent and treat an infection of Botrytis.

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Hydroponics (from the greek ὕδωρ [hýdōr] = ‘water’, and πόνος [ponos] = ‘work’, ‘labour’) is a farming technique invented centuries ago, since researchers have found evidence that romans and aztecs already used it in their crops and botanical gardens. Probably, the aztecs were the first ones to use this method efficiently, and the study of this technique dates back to 382 B.C. But what is exactly hydroponics?

Hydroponics - also known as soil-less cultivation - is a farming method in which plants are grown in an inert substrate or directly in a nutrient solution. Thus, and with any of the two options, plants are fed via nutrient solution and not via growing medium. Next we'll take a look at the most common hydroponic systems and we'll see how to adapt this technique to marijuana plants.

We recommend using relatively short plants for this technique, since they normally have a very vigorous growth and tall plants may become a problem in indoor grow tents with this system. Philosopher Seeds recommends using the following strains to get the best results with hydroponic systems, even from seed: Black Bomb, Heaven's Fruit, Tropimango, Sugar Pop, Orange Candy and Guava Berry Kush.

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While thrips (insects of the Thysanoptera order) are not usually a serious thread for our crops, thay can be a pain in the neck if not identified and treated on time, especially when propagation conditions are optimal. These small flying insects are usually found in indoor grow rooms and greenhouses, where the warm temperatures greatly promote their propagation. They attack a vast number of plants like cereals, fruits, vegetables, etc.

Next we'll tell you what are thrips, how they reproduce and what should we do to avoid an infestation of these tiny insects on our marijuana plants. At the end of this post, you'll also see a spectacular video of a thrip eating spores of powdery mildew on a cannabis leaf.

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In this post we will present 5 feminized cannabis varieties/ strains that are perfectly suited to outdoor growing. All strains in our catalog are suitable for exterior growing but we are discussing the most productive here. We have included a picture gallery of outside Guerilla grows at the end of this article.

Although not the most productive, we should remember that Early Maroc is a perfect choice for outdoor Guerrilla grows particularly because of its extremely precocious /premature character and low water requirements. For more information about this variety, we recommend reading this post: variety of fast marijuana

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Powdery Mildew ia a fungal disease which mainly attacks plant leaves. There are many species that can be attacked by Powdery Mildew, such as roses, carnations, tomatos, strawberries, cucurbits, apple trees, plum trees and, of course, cannabis. It can be devastating for marijuana if not treated early, since it reaches the buds and ruins its flavour.

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The electrical installation of our indoor cannabis grow room is a key aspect if we want an efficient and safe power system, so we should not forget its importance. The Philosopher Seeds cannabis seed bank recommends you to carefully read this post and ask a trusted electrician in case of doubt. If the installation of our grow room is not correctly done or is not in line with the electrical installation of the building - or the contracted power - we can have problems. This is why everything must be clear and we'll always avoid hasty solutions. Of course, using certified and approved materials is also a must.

In this post we tell you some of the most important details relating electricity and indoor cannabis gardening; from the most theorical concepts to how to calculate the cost of each electrical device. Let's go into detail now.

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Today, coco coir is the favourite substrate of many growers for growing cannabis, either indoors or outdoors. Although it is mainly used by experienced farmers, growing with coco coir is easy if you follow a few basic steps. Using EC and pH meters is almost mandatory if you choose this media, since you have to carefully check this values before watering your plants. In this post we tell you a few tips to successfully harvest your plants with coco coir.

All the pictures you’ll see were taken from Amnesika 2.0 crops, both in pots and coco slabs.

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We can use cannabis in different ways: edibles, smoking or vaping.  In this post we tell you more about vaporizing, which are its benefits and which Philosopher Seeds cannabis strains are ideal for a unique vaping experience. We’ll also check some of the most popular vaporizers among vapers worldwide.

What is cannabis vaporization?

Vaporization or vaping consists of heating the plant material below its combustion temperature (220-240ºC) and inhale the vapours released. The ideal vaping temperature of cannabis is 180-210ºC.

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Early Maroc is Philosopher Seeds flagship strain. It is a variety especially suited for outdoor crops, either for your house or for guerrilla growing. In this post we'll talk about its fast bloom and we'll give you some tips to get the best results with this splendid variety. The pictures you'll see are from Early Maroc plants grown in the Peninsula and harvested by mid August with huge, top quality flowers.

Early Maroc is also suitable for indoor growing, but you should take into account a few aspects that we'll discuss later on.

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Plants with microscopic mites

Cannabis crops need optimal temperature and humidity parameters in order to remain free from pests and molds, otherwise they might be attacked by many infections. Knowing the different pests that may attack our plants is crucial for choosing the correct treatment for each type of pest. This is why you should always have a magnifying glass at hand to check both the surface and the underside of the leafs, so you can detect any parasite on your plants.

As usual, the Philosopher Seeds team wants to help you with its cannabis strains to prevent and identify any type of pest that could attack your crops.

At the end of this post you can check a gallery with pictures of cannabis plants with symptoms of microscopic mites. In this case, the pictures were taken from an Amnesika 2.0 grow which was attacked by these mites. Despite being an uncommon pest, any plant from any variety is sensitive to microscopic mites, so remaining vigilant is advised. 

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Keeping a genetic reserve of mother plants in an indoor cannabis grow room for a long period of time requires proper care to keep them in good health. Generally, this technique is also used so mother plants produce more quality cuttings.

Cannabis is an annual plant, so if we plan to keep it in growth stage we need to follow certain steps in order to keep it healthy and strong. Some marijuana strains are more demanding than others, but all of them enjoy having a lush root ball; it is then the grower's job to take care of the root system of the plants so they can show their full potential, always under optimal conditions.

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The first stage for any grower is germinating the seeds. To achieve best results, we should use healthy, quality cannabis seeds. All seeds from Philosopher Seeds come in labeled packages with a batch identification number, so the product tracking is much easier.

Although seeds do not need much to germinate, we do have to consider a few basic aspects to be successful. It’s kind of a prenatal stage in which the grower has to be very careful to meet the few needs of the seeds during this phase.

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