Curing the Marijuana Harvest

Every marijuana grower has his own curing method - a grower friend recently dropped by and shared his with me. The first step is the cut the marijuana plant off at the base. Next, break it down into the individual branches. Pull off the fan leaves. Keep them or save them - your call. They really aren't too valuable and won't get you very high. Dispose of them wisely - don't get caught because of sloppy garbage disposal. It's your call. What's left are branches with buds and dew leaves. Hang them off a line in a clean room with moving air (like a fan) - keep it dark. The airflow should be indirect, not pointed right at the buds. Leave them like this for 3-4 days (until they feel dry to the touch on the outside). They may feel dry on the outside, but they're not ready yet. Now is the time to trim and strip. Start at the bottom and work to the top. The lower buds will be smaller, and sometimes just a collection of little dew leaves. Organize the buds by size. You can trim the buds at the same time, keeping the trimmings separate. If you don;t want your hands stained and smelling like a grow op, wear gloves! When all your trimming and organizing is done the buds will still feel dry. Put them in sealed glass jars for a few hours (as in, three or four). After the three hours take the bud out and you'll find that it has magically regained it's moisture! What's happening is that the moisture deep in the bud is drawn to the drier outside. Remove the bud from the sealed container and put it in a baking tray. Treat the bud carefully so that you don;t break trichomes off. Spread the bud out on the tray, put the tray in a dark clean space with good air movement, and wait for the bud to dry to the touch again. Keep repeating until the bud is completely dry. Each time they come out of the jars they'll be less moist, and it will take less time for that moisture to dissipate from the buds in the tray. How long, in total, does this method take? I asked my freind the same question. His answer was that he didn't know - he always smoked it all before he got it completely cured!

The Insanity of Marijuana Prohibition

It is time for marijuana laws to be changed. The present day laws are out of step with reality. Theyare not effective. They punish people who are not a threat to society. They cost more than they are worth. The money could be spent on better things than enforcement.
Most people in the US and Canada support a relaxation of the prohibition laws. Many US states have passed medical marijuana laws that permit medical use of the plant. Marijuana law enforcement is a low priority for law enforcement in many parts of Canada and the US.
More and more often, local politicians are coming out against prohibition. These people see the immediate effects of prohibition. It is their budgets that pay for law enforcement and imprisonment. They understand the insanity of spending tax dollars to accomplish nothing.
Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. This is what our elected officials have been doing. It has become cheaper, more potent and more widely used since being criminalized. That was never the goal. Nevertheless, we continue to spend taxes on prohibition. Clearly, the policy is insane.
It is possible that the policy was simply ill-concieved in the beginning. With time, however, self-serving interests in prohibition have developed. Tough on crime politicians benefit by demonizing marijuana. The police get funding to fight marijuana usage, production and distribution. Corporately, marijuana prohibition is beneficial to the liquor and tobacco industries.
As positions hardened and usage increased one other interest benefitted as well. Fortunes were made by criminal elements. Not surprisingly, along with the crime came violence.
While criminals, corporations, law enforcement and politicians reaped the benefits of prohibition, many ordinary citizens were hurt. Small amounts of cannabis could lead to a criminal record. A criminal record can hamper job prospects and travel.Worse, millions of people have been incarcerated.
It's about time we admitted that prohibition hurts good people, and benefits the wrong people. Prohibition has not worked.The harm done by the plant is miniscule compared to the harm wrought by prohibition. Given that prohibition has resulted in wider usage, cheaper prices,increased potency, rich criminals, more violence and wasted tax dollars, its clear that the time to repeal the laws has come.Most important, the responsible adult citizens of both democracies, Canada and the US, want prohibition repealed. The time for action is now.

Soil composition

You might find the structure of garden soil interesting. A good fifty percent of what we think of as garden soil is just vacant space. Another forty-five percent is made up of eroded rock particles. Organics, dead and alive, make up the rest, about 5%.
What the garden soil is made of is the garden soil composition. Some soils are clay-based, others are sandy, loamy or silty. Just as different materials have different characteristics and properties, so to do the components of soil influence the soil's properties.
Understanding the concepts of structure and compsition allows the grower to create the optimal growing medium. Doubling the amount of organic material is simple, as we're only moving from 5% to 10%. We can ensure that there is adequate room between the soil particles to keep air and water available to the roots.
Plants like a wide range of environments and do better in some than in others. A plant that thrives in wet, acid soil won't do well in dry, alkaline soil. Marijuana likes well drained soil on the lighter side, with a PH between 5.9 and 6.4.
Clearly, what you want is a soil with a ph of about 6.0, that drains well. Digging soil up out of your backyard might work, but it probably won't have everything you need. Buying commercial potting soil will get you closer, but it's still not perfect. The easiest solution is to make your own soil.
This is quite easy. Good structure and composition are the goals. The internet has many good recipes to help you.
You can start with commercial potting soils. Add vermiculite or perlite to improve drainage. You improve moisture retention with peat moss. The marijuana will thrive.
You can also add organic material to improve the nutrient values. Examples that are suitable are chicken or steer manure, or compost or worm castings. Fresh manure may be too strong, so use composted stuff. Check the ph of the finished product before you plant.

Weed Seeds

The germination process is a natural one. We don't need to help very much. All we have to do is create an environment where it can take place.
The seeds need to be warm.They need to be moist. They need to be in the dark.The air must keep flowing and changing. This isn't hard.
The first method starts with a clean glass.Add distilled water. Drop the marijuana seeds in the glass. Put everything in a warm place that is dark. The cupboard over your fridge is an ideal place.

The amount of time needed for germination varies. It can take 24 hours.They might take up to two weeks. Change the water every few days. When the marijuana seeds</a> germinate the seed will split and a tiny root tip will emerge.
There is another traditional method. Layer some paper towels. Get two similar plates. Moisten the paper towels and put them on one of the plates. Don't let the edges of the towels droop over the plate edge.
Put the marijuana seeds between the layers of paper towels. Cover the paper towel and seeds with the second plate, inverting it to create a germination chamber. Put the combination somewhere warm.
Every time you look at the seeds let the condensation run back into the lower plate and paper towels. That way you won't have to wet them too much. When germination happens the root tip will emerge from the split shell.
Plant it at this point, with the pointy end down. The root tip will push into the medium and anchor the seedling, and push the seed to the surface. It will need fresh air and light as soon as this occurs.

There is another way for germination to occur.Plant your marijuana seeds directly into the growing medium.The growing medium can be soil, rockwool or jiffy pots.
Keep them moist and warm.If they dry out they will die.Don't stick them in too deep.Plant the pointed end of the seed pointing down.

Don't water them too much, especially once the seedling appears.Too much watering will rot the stems and kill the seedling.Let the surface of the planting medium dry before you re-water.
Above all, do not dry the seeds out. Drying out will kill them.Don't purify the water with bleach.Use boiled water or distilled water.Bleach can kill marijuana seeds.

Germinating Marijuana Seeds

Germination is a natural process. We don't need to help very much. All we need to do is provide a suitable environment and let it happen.
They must remain warm.They need to be kept moist. They need to be kept in the dark.They need a regular exchange of air. This is easy.
First, get a clean glass.Fill it with distilled water. Drop the marijuana seeds into the glass. Put everything in a warm dark place. The cupboard over your fridge is an ideal place.

The amount of time needed for germination varies. It can take 24 hours.It can be as long as two weeks. The water needs to be replaced every few days. When germination occurs the marijuana seeds split and a tiny taproot emerges.
There is another traditional method. Layer some paper towels. Get two similar plates. Put the paper towels on the plates and moisten them. Don't let the edges of the towel overlap the edge of the plate.
Place the marijuana seeds between the layers. Cover this with second inverted plate. Put the combination in a warm place.
Whenever you check the marijuana seeds let the condensation run back onto the paper towel to keep it moist. This will save you adding more water. When the marijuana seeds germinate you'll see a root tip emerge or at least a split seed cover.
Plant the marijuana seed with the pointy end down. The root tip will push into the medium and anchor the seedling, and push the seed to the surface. It will need fresh air and light as soon as this occurs.

There is another way for germination to occur.Simply take the marijuana seeds and place them in the growing medium.You can use rockwool, soil or peat pellets.
They must stay warm and they must stay moist.Don't let them dry out.Don't plant them too deep.Place the pointy end down.

The greatest danger in the early days is over watering the marijuana seedling.The stems cannot handle too much moisture and will rot.Let the surface of the planting medium dry before you re-water.
Never let the seeds dry out. They will die.Don't use bleach.Use boiled water or distilled water.Bleach can kill marijuana seeds.

Multiple Colas Through Triming

Is it possible to grow multiple colas on a plant that normally just grows one? It's been prove many times that it can be done. 3It's actually very easy and straightforward. Selectively pruning the young plant can get your 2 or even 4 colas on one bush.

how do you grow marijuana
 So, what is a cola, anyway? Simple. Cola means tail in Spanish, and is the name given to the long buds that the plant produces. Not every plant gets a big cola as a result of strain and growing techniques and some get really big ones. If you're growing for fun you should try for big coals because it will impress people.

You'll likely get the biggest colas by growing single ones. Some gardeners feel tht more colas means more yield, however, and they have a point. There are two methods to get multiple colas - training and trimming. We'll talk about trimming in this article.

marijuana seeds
Pinching off the main stem of the young plant is what I'm calling "trimming". This is a common practice with many plants. In fact, it's common practice with many plants. Pinching off the tips of fuchsias causes them to double the of blooms. It also works with differnt plant varieties. You can keep a plant that would normally grow tall small and bushy.

Start by letting the plant develop a few nodes. A node is where the plant branches out. The nodes occur on the plant's main stem, which is where the plant branches off. The growing tip of the plant, in the very center, sprouts up from between the nodes.

 If you let the plant get a few sets of nodes and then pinch off the center stem just over a node, it will stop growing in the center and instead send out two even sprouts on each side of the pinched off center node. They will take over as the two dominant stems. They will continue to shoot off branches and leaves as the plant grows.

There are different methods that you can use. In fact, if you like you can just pinch off every growing tip you find, and end up with a ton of small buds, but if you do that you won't get any colas . You'll get lots of little buds, but no huge colas. There are two happy mediums, though. One will produce two main colas; the other will produce four. Either way, you should get some big ones.

The way to get four colas is to wait until you have more good nodes (4-6). Then, pinch off the center stem as described earlier, just an inch or half inch over the 2nd node. This leaves two main internodes that will develop two new shoots each. Two sets of new stems means 4 colas. The second way is to pinch the plant off one node lower. Without a node for the second set of stems to sprout you'll restrict the plant to only two new stems. Two stems = two colas.

Can you wait until the plant is bigger and pinch it off higher? Will I get 6, 8, 10 colas? The answer, technically, is yes, but it's not that simple. The thing is that clipping the stem manipulates the plant's hormones.You can't go too far before it stops working. Also, more colas means smaller colas, and small colas are not really colas at all. They still work, mind you, and will perhaps increase overall yieldThey'll bloom and work fine, but they'll be small. That's because the growth hormone will be spread to widely. No big fat colas to make your buddies smile.

That's about all there is to it-clip and wait for Nature to take it's course. Gardeners will argue about which method is best, but it's hard to get a definitive answer. There are too many other inputs that can vary. Light, strain and nutrients will make a big difference in results. Two or four buds will tend to get a balanced amount of light and do well. As they start growing they'll also tend to spread apart and let light into the center of the plant (and as a result get lower into the plant, letting more of it get light energy). Whatever you do, remember that it's about having fun, not getting maximum yield - you'll have plenty whatever you do. Try each method and have some fun, and don't forget to root the cutting for a new plant!