Malawi Gold Revisited: Queen Sativa

[Deketx]

Good-looking plants! You are in for some serious trim time!

 

[HopHead]

One thing that works well for the super scraggly and thinly budded strains is to cob (ferment) them, or part of them. Makes for a good cure and turns it into something quite different and often more useful.

Thanks Weaselcracker, that's exactly what I was thinking about doing. During my 2017 Malawi Gold grow I followed a thread regarding fermenting cobs. As I remember the critical aspect in curing for cobs is the moisture level and the danger of mold. The author of that thread was using corn leaves/husks. In Malawi they use banana leaves. So, what I'm considering is harvesting the buds and removing any leaves and the larger branch stalks. #2 has very thin stalks which are covered in trichomes so the easiest way to harvest is to not bother removing the thin stalks. The smoke should be harsher but maybe not that much harsher due to the thinness and the added trichomes. I'd be inclined to dry the buds to 62% humidity and then wrap them in dry banana leaves. I have a banana plant and have both green and dried leaves. I think green banana leaves might cause mold whereas the dried leaves may remove a little moisture from the bud. The dried leaves remind me of tobacco leaves. As I recall the author of the thread checked/unwrapped the cob after about a week to make sure everything was okay before rewrapping the cob for the remainder of the fermentation process. I can't remember how long he fermented it for. It could have been a month or more. Am I on the right track?

 

[HopHead]

Good-looking plants! You are in for some serious trim time!

Thanks Deketx. Yes, #2 is definitely looking like hours work but I may be able to make it a lot easier by making cobs and not bother with removing the small stalks. The other plants are looking good for trimming so far but that can change.

 

[Weaselcracker]

I remember there was a good online article on cobbing several years back when I was growing the Ace Malawi more, but it disappeared. At the time I was able to find very little practical info other than that one article, and my ground here is not the sort of place you want to bury weed in.

As you know cobs are traditionally tightly bound in leaf and then buried, which allows the fermentation to happen without too much mould or rot getting into it (hopefully).


Luckily since then we gained a great source of knowledge in the presence of Tangwena, the native Malawian I mentioned earlier. Based on his new non-traditional cobbing technique, a thread on the subject was started and hundreds of people have made cobs using his method. The thread is still alive and well here.

Tangwena's Malawi-Style Cob Cure: Fermented Cannabis

Since my first buzz at the age of 22 I've been searching for an elusive euphoric experience, one that connected me to a deeper awareness, insight, and hallucinatory inspiration one might more often attribute to ceremony than recreation. After years of dreaming, and following three years of...

www.420magazine.com

All you need to know is contained in the first post if you stare at the info long enough. The rest of the thread is mostly just people showing off their cobs, asking the same questions, and chatting. I’ve still got various cobs that are several years old. Just smoked some Honduras yesterday and it was very nice.

Traditionally a lot of sativa bud gets hung up to dry in very humid conditions, and ends up somewhat fermented as a result. Small buds, stems and seeds squashed together - everything brownish coloured with a sort of spicy smell to it.

I don’t know who here used to smoke weed 40 years or more ago , but that how the imported bud mostly was, squished together and semi-fermented. It’s how most/all Asian bud was when I bought it in Asia. From what I understand it’s also the way most Mexican and South American bud ended up, but I never bought any of that in the old days that I recall.

I smoked some in Mexico and Central America but I have zero recollection of what it was like
I remember not smoking much when I was down there because there were cops and various other guys with large guns all over the place at the time.

It’s basically the exact same idea as tobacco curing. A great way to deal with wispy buds. Not that I think there is much choice in the matter when you’re harvesting a bunch of sativa buds under a steamy shed in the jungle. It’s just the way things end up.

 

[HopHead]

I remember there was a good online article on cobbing several years back when I was growing the Ace Malawi more, but it disappeared. At the time I was able to find very little practical info other than that one article, and my ground here is not the sort of place you want to bury weed in.

As you know cobs are traditionally tightly bound in leaf and then buried, which allows the fermentation to happen without too much mould or rot getting into it (hopefully).


Luckily since then we gained a great source of knowledge in the presence of Tangwena, the native Malawian I mentioned earlier. Based on his new non-traditional cobbing technique, a thread on the subject was started and hundreds of people have made cobs using his method. The thread is still alive and well here.

Tangwena's Malawi-Style Cob Cure: Fermented Cannabis

Since my first buzz at the age of 22 I've been searching for an elusive euphoric experience, one that connected me to a deeper awareness, insight, and hallucinatory inspiration one might more often attribute to ceremony than recreation. After years of dreaming, and following three years of...

www.420magazine.com

All you need to know is contained in the first post if you stare at the info long enough. The rest of the thread is mostly just people showing off their cobs, asking the same questions, and chatting. I’ve still got various cobs that are several years old. Just smoked some Honduras yesterday and it was very nice.

Traditionally a lot of sativa bud gets hung up to dry in very humid conditions, and ends up somewhat fermented as a result. Small buds, stems and seeds squashed together - everything brownish coloured with a sort of spicy smell to it.

I don’t know who here used to smoke weed 40 years or more ago , but that how the imported bud mostly was, squished together and semi-fermented. It’s how most/all Asian bud was when I bought it in Asia. From what I understand it’s also the way most Mexican and South American bud ended up, but I never bought any of that in the old days that I recall.

I smoked some in Mexico and Central America but I have zero recollection of what it was like
I remember not smoking much when I was down there because there were cops and various other guys with large guns all over the place at the time.

It’s basically the exact same idea as tobacco curing. A great way to deal with wispy buds. Not that I think there is much choice in the matter when you’re harvesting a bunch of sativa buds under a steamy shed in the jungle. It’s just the way things end up.

Thanks for this Weaselcracker. I just checked out the link and read through the first few post. Great info and I'll spend some time going through it. It appears to be exactly what I need to know. I believe it was Tangwena's thread that I read back in 2017-18. I remember it was a long thread that I spent a lot of time reading but never made it to the end. I seem to remember he made some adjustments during that thread and it wasn't on 420 Mag. SweetSue has gathered that info and put it into a highly usable form. Appreciate it, thanks. When I researched Malawi Gold I seem to remember a short video about a couple of westerners, American or European I think who went to Malawi looking for seeds. There was video of them in some fields with native Malawians and there was video showing a large rack with Malawi Gold buds drying. There was either kids or women turning over the buds. I can't recall if the buds were directly in the sun or if there was shade provided by an overhead canopy. I know I read that bud is sun-dried in Malawi. The sun-drying was then followed by cobbing. I expect the sun-drying may have lasted one day without an overhead canopy. The sun has purifying affects due to UV rays so it could ensure a successful fermentation.
I can go back to the early 70's when I began smoking. At that time there wasn't much pot to smoke; mostly hash. The pot that did show up was usually loose but occasionally was packed like a brick.

 

[HopHead]

Day 120 (#2 & 5), 110 (#8, 9 &10)

Just a short update. A beautiful spring day outside so I have go out and work around the property. #2 is ready to be moved to the dark room. About 1/4 of the stigmata have turned brown and trichomes turning amber are easily found so she's ready. The pot is fairly light so there's a bit of moisture in the soil but I will give her a drink after I move her. I will move her just before the lights in the grow room are turned off tonight. I plan to leave her in the dark room for approx. 36 hrs. Instead of cutting her stalk at soil level I plan to dig up that part of the central root at the base of the trunk. I want to give her the ability to draw any life/energy from that portion of the plant rather than leaving a cutoff stalk. After 36hrs of darkness I'll hang her upside down in the darkroom. I'm not sure how long I'll let her dry because I want to make cobs and ferment the bud. I usually hang plants for a week to get the moisture level down to around 70%. According to cob instructions the bud should be 80% so hanging time will probably be cut in half. I'll have to monitor it daily. This is a picture showing red stalks and brown stigmata on #2.

This is #5. Her stalks have really reddened and she's producing buds just like #2.

This is #5's tip growing along the ceiling above the light. I have no idea how much more she will grow but measuring her is now out of the question. I'll have to measure her after she is harvested.

And here is a group photo. A little bit more room will be available tonight after #2 is moved. # 5 is getting big both in height and width. She'd look good outside but that ain't gonna happen.

 

[Bill284]

Day 120 (#2 & 5), 110 (#8, 9 &10)

Just a short update. A beautiful spring day outside so I have go out and work around the property. #2 is ready to be moved to the dark room. About 1/4 of the stigmata have turned brown and trichomes turning amber are easily found so she's ready. The pot is fairly light so there's a bit of moisture in the soil but I will give her a drink after I move her. I will move her just before the lights in the grow room are turned off tonight. I plan to leave her in the dark room for approx. 36 hrs. Instead of cutting her stalk at soil level I plan to dig up that part of the central root at the base of the trunk. I want to give her the ability to draw any life/energy from that portion of the plant rather than leaving a cutoff stalk. After 36hrs of darkness I'll hang her upside down in the darkroom. I'm not sure how long I'll let her dry because I want to make cobs and ferment the bud. I usually hang plants for a week to get the moisture level down to around 70%. According to cob instructions the bud should be 80% so hanging time will probably be cut in half. I'll have to monitor it daily. This is a picture showing red stalks and brown stigmata on #2.

This is #5. Her stalks have really reddened and she's producing buds just like #2.

This is #5's tip growing along the ceiling above the light. I have no idea how much more she will grow but measuring her is now out of the question. I'll have to measure her after she is harvested.

And here is a group photo. A little bit more room will be available tonight after #2 is moved. # 5 is getting big both in height and width. She'd look good outside but that ain't gonna happen.

I'm really curious to see what you get for buds. These girls are so much work, I'm trying to figure out exactly what you are getting from these beautiful ladies that makes all your hard work worthwhile. I see fuzzy helmets but no bud growing beneath them. I had a Blueberry last summer that grew similarly, I tossed it.
I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm genuinely interested in your outcome.
All that being said they are fantastic looking ladies.

 

[HopHead]

I'm really curious to see what you get for buds. These girls are so much work, I'm trying to figure out exactly what you are getting from these beautiful ladies that makes all your hard work worthwhile. I see fuzzy helmets but no bud growing beneath them. I had a Blueberry last summer that grew similarly, I tossed it.
I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm genuinely interested in your outcome.
All that being said they are fantastic looking ladies.

Thanks for your concern Bill284. I guess it comes down to what each one of us wants. I'm not interested in growing or smoking indica no matter what the buds look like. I only want to grow and smoke sativa dominant plants. Put simply it's quality over quantity.

 

[Bill284]

Thanks for your concern Bill284. I guess it comes down to what each one of us wants. I'm not interested in growing or smoking indica no matter what the buds look like. I only want to grow and smoke sativa dominant plants. Put simply it's quality over quantity.

I understand and applaud your efforts. I'm sorry if I came across as negative, that was not my intention. I agree that quality is very important. I hope they are every bit as potent as you desire. I'm interested in your out come how ever it might look. I've never seen a grow like yours. Its fascinating.
Happy growing my friend.

 

[Enjoil]

I didn't know if I was going to do a journal when I sowed the seeds back in Nov. 2020 but I've now decided I will. I expect the harvest time will be in April so there's plenty of time for me to post the progress.

A little background - in my last grow journal of 2017 I grew Malawi Gold and harvested seeds from 3 distinct phenotypes. The one that had the most sativa characteristics I named Queen Sativa. I back bred her with one of her male offspring. For this grow I chose 10 of her seeds. I didn't know what would happen in this grow. Would I do any breeding? I figured I would grow the seeds and see what the plants looked like and go from there.

So, the seeds are ones I harvested back in 2017 from a sativa dominant Malawi Gold hybrid I named Queen Sativa. The seeds were well wrapped and kept in the freezer until Nov 2020. I removed them from the freezer and sowed them about 1/4" deep in soil that was well soaked. The 2" pots were placed on a heating mat and placed about 8" under a 4' fluorescent fixture containing four T8 LED lights.

The soil I'm using is called Kryptonite. It's produced in Canada and is formulated for cannabis. I've grown tomatoes, peppers, etc. and found it to be a very good soil. This is the first time I'm growing cannabis in it.

The lights I'm using in this grow have varied a bit. I started with 4' LED fluorescent T8 tubes for the seedlings. I then moved the plants to a 430W HPS for a few weeks until I set up a new grow room. In the grow room I set up a 645W Gavita 1700e LED light. I expect all future grows to be started and finished in the grow room with the Gavita LED light. From the beginning I have had the lights on a 12/12 schedule.

Nutrients and fertilizers : I'm not using any. I'm depending on the soil and if at some point I see evidence of deficiencies I'll adjust accordingly.

For this grow I have a new Grow Room. I finally got the room finished enough to put it to use. I still have some work to do but that can wait until after this grow is completed. The room is slightly larger than 6' x 12' with a 7.5' ceiling. The ceiling and walls are painted with a flat white ceiling paint. There are two 20 amp outlets from 2 different circuits creating a 40 amp capacity. This will allow me to use 2 Gavita lights and controller, a space heater, humidifier/dehumidifier and other devises as required. The temperature so far has ranged from 17C - 26C except for one night when the temp dropped to 13C. That happened because the power had been interrupted and the heater had been turned off. When the lights are off the room is completely dark.

Day 1 Nov 21, 2020
I sowed 10 Malawi Gold - Queen Sativa seeds in Kryptonite soil in 2' pots. All the seeds germinated and emerged from the soil between days 7 -10.

Day 11 Dec 1, 2020
Some time during the night a mouse ate 5 of the seedlings and nibbled on 2 more. I hope he/she enjoyed them. I sowed 5 more seeds and devised a little cage to protect the seedlings going forward. The heating mat was removed after the first seeds had germinated so this time the new sowing didn't get the benefit of the heat. These five seeds took 7 - 10 days to germinate.

Day 33/23 Dec 23, 2020
Because of the two different sowing dates the first Day 33 refers to plants 1 - 5 and Day 23 refers to plants 6 - 10. The first seedling to emerge from the soil in #1 and the last seedling is #10. I started repotting the plants from the 2" pots to 4" pots.

Day 36/26 Dec 26, 2020
These are the first pictures I took during this grow. #'s 1 - 5 are in 4" pots and 6-10 are in 2" pots

Day41/31 Dec 31
#'s 8 and 10 are still in 2" pots with the other eight in 4" pots.

Day 43/33 Jan 2, 2021
The last 2 plants were repotted to 4" pots.

Day 49/39 Jan 8
The first plants to show their sex - #1 and #2. At this point I have to decide what I'm going to do in this grow. All the plants look alike. I don't see any significant difference in leaf size either width or length, color or growth pattern. There appears to be one phenotype although there is height differences with #1 & 2 being noticeably taller than the rest. If I was going to breed then I would be choosing the more sativa characteristics but because I don't see much difference I decided to grow sensimilla and compost any males.

Day 53/43 Jan 12
Repotted #2 from 4" pot to a 12" pot.

Day 57/47 Jan 16
The first stigmata appear on #2. She was showing female preflowers back on Day 49.

Day 60/50 Jan 19
By this time I have removed 5 males and have 5 females remaining for the rest of the grow. Also on this date the 5 females get moved to their new digs and the new light. They had been growing under a 430W HPS in a room not designed for growing plants. Carpet, draperies and furniture made it doable but far from ideal. Now, I should see some change in the plants. They were small and doing quite well but I'm expecting to see a change. The floor will be replaced after this grow is completed. The humidity is around 50% in this room so it's a little low for sativa IMO. I am misting the plants about once a day a couple of hours before the lights go out.

This is #2 looking for pollen.

Day 62/52 Jan 21
Repotted the 4 remaining plants in 4" pots to 12" pots. This is the empty bag of kryptonite soil I'm using in this grow.

Day 66/56 Jan 25
Going from left to right are #2, 5, 8, 9 and 10. #2's leaves are drooping a bit. Being cautious not to overwater I was hesitant to water the plants as long as there was weight when I picked up the pots to check for watering.

Day 67/57 Jan 26
Here is #2 with the oldest leaves drooping and yellowing slightly. I noticed this happening on #2 first and the same thing happening on the others as well after a few more days. The cause is underwatering. I don't usually repot from 4" to 12" because it's too big of a jump. Usually I go from 4" to 8" and then to 12". This time I chose to skip the 8" knowing I would have to be careful watering. So, when I repotted I watered enough to dampen the soil but not saturate it. Daily I checked the weights of the plants and determined there was still moisture enough. Day after day with no watering the leaves on a couple of the plants drooped downward but were not limp. These leaves are limp but are also the oldest leaves so I wondered if she is just shedding them because the branches are emerging. I answered this question a couple of days later when I watered her and a couple of her sisters showing the same symptoms. They responded by lifting their leaves to get the full benefits of the light.

Day73/63 Feb 1
So, that brings this grow up to date. I will take some pic and post an update soon.

I got a couple Malawi crosses. Ima go look in my bag and see if I can read the writing on the bag. I think it was Malawi with Santa Maria plank...? Ima go look. The ones I flowers out show great potential! Nice sativa flowers for sure! My testers are almost done I will get some nug shots. Sorry for bombing your thread, I get excited when someone is growing similar stuff!

 

[Enjoil]

I'm really curious to see what you get for buds. These girls are so much work, I'm trying to figure out exactly what you are getting from these beautiful ladies that makes all your hard work worthwhile. I see fuzzy helmets but no bud growing beneath them. I had a Blueberry last summer that grew similarly, I tossed it.
I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm genuinely interested in your outcome.
All that being said they are fantastic looking ladies.

It a sativa... those look wonderful and they will still fill out some. Mine are almost done I think...

these were just some cuts I sexed then kept around to see what she was taking about. I wanna grow it outdoors! Let her hair down.... nice job @HopHead!

 

[HopHead]

Thanks Enjoil. Always nice to hear from sativa growers. Nice looking bud. How would describe the smell of your Malawi cross and how tall is it?

 

[Enjoil]

Thanks Enjoil. Always nice to hear from sativa growers. Nice looking bud. How would describe the smell of your Malawi cross and how tall is it?

I kept em short inside.... about 18-20 inches, the buds smell like skunk and mint. I’m excited to taste it.... it keeps spitting white pistils....

 

[HopHead]

I kept em short inside.... about 18-20 inches, the buds smell like skunk and mint. I’m excited to taste it.... it keeps spitting white pistils....

A quick search of Santa Maria cannabis indicates it's an interesting variety. Not associated with Malawi but rather the Amazon. A long spiritual history of use by the peoples of the Amazon. From what I read it's recommended to regularly trim the lower vegetation or it can smother itself. Sounds like it has good qualities from both sativa (uplifting) and indica (pain relieving) .

 

[HutchBenedict]

What an interesting plant! I've never seen anything like it. Really enjoying your journal! Really love that second photo in post #55, it reminds me of old William Morris wallpaper.

I grew a Purple Haze x Malawi a few months ago but I really wrecked it. Tried to grow it the recommended way but I didn't have enough light, I think, at 150W. I have now started a Golden Tiger from Ace. I am going to try and keep it shorter and my new light should be enough at 300W I hope. Just up-potted it to a 5 gallon. Still at 18/6 on day 35. Plan to veg it another 2 or 3 weeks and then switch to 13/11. I know this is not the proper way to grow a sativa but I promised myself I'd try it this way after the PHxM fiasco.

 

[Enjoil]

A quick search of Santa Maria cannabis indicates it's an interesting variety. Not associated with Malawi but rather the Amazon. A long spiritual history of use by the peoples of the Amazon. From what I read it's recommended to regularly trim the lower vegetation or it can smother itself. Sounds like it has good qualities from both sativa (uplifting) and indica (pain relieving) .
A quick search of Santa Maria cannabis indicates it's an interesting variety. Not associated with Malawi but rather the Amazon. A long spiritual history of use by the peoples of the Amazon. From what I read it's recommended to regularly trim the lower vegetation or it can smother itself. Sounds like it has good qualities from both sativa (uplifting) and indica (pain relieving) .
I always “ lollipop inside... I want to grow these babies outside! Man your plant is a foot above your light! Lol that’s awesome. Can you bend her back some? Pinch with pliers if needed... look like dr. Greenspoons buds! That is the weed to make into Thai sticks! Nice job bro!

 

[HopHead]

What an interesting plant! I've never seen anything like it. Really enjoying your journal! Really love that second photo in post #55, it reminds me of old William Morris wallpaper.

I grew a Purple Haze x Malawi a few months ago but I really wrecked it. Tried to grow it the recommended way but I didn't have enough light, I think, at 150W. I have now started a Golden Tiger from Ace. I am going to try and keep it shorter and my new light should be enough at 300W I hope. Just up-potted it to a 5 gallon. Still at 18/6 on day 35. Plan to veg it another 2 or 3 weeks and then switch to 13/11. I know this is not the proper way to grow a sativa but I promised myself I'd try it this way after the PHxM fiasco.

Thanks HutchBenedict for your kind words. I was taught that 100w per plant is required to grow a decent plant and 200w is better. There's a couple of things one can do to try and keep a plant from growing too big. Of course pruning is one option which I try and avoid. Another option is the size of the pot. Keeping a plant in a small pot will restrict its growth. Care has to be taken to make sure the plant gets sufficient water and nutrients as they would get depleted earlier in a small pot. Evidence of this method is in my 2017 grow journal linked in my signature. Growing a sativa without a veg period will help in limiting its size as well. I grow sativa with a 12/12 light schedule from seed to harvest. That way the plant starts flowering as soon as its mature and in this grow that was day 50.

 

[HopHead]

Thanks Enjoil. I don't think I'll have to bend her back. She's bending naturally to follow the contour of the ceiling. I expect her to keep growing, so as long as she follows the ceiling she shouldn't get into any trouble. She has a few branches that are too close to the lights and will probably get burnt but there's not much I can do about that except observe.

 

[Enjoil]

Thanks Enjoil. I don't think I'll have to bend her back. She's bending naturally to follow the contour of the ceiling. I expect her to keep growing, so as long as she follows the ceiling she shouldn't get into any trouble. She has a few branches that are too close to the lights and will probably get burnt but there's not much I can do about that except observe.

That’s what I’m saying, give her a kink so she won’t get burned up or bleached. It looks like you could even raise that light a bit more but then it will be far for the other plants... I wanna see new pictures bro bro! Those plants are beautiful!

 

[HopHead]

That’s what I’m saying, give her a kink so she won’t get burned up or bleached. It looks like you could even raise that light a bit more but then it will be far for the other plants... I wanna see new pictures bro bro! Those plants are beautiful!

I'm not concerned about the tips of a couple of branches getting too close to the light. In fact I'm keeping an eye on them to see what happens. If I see significant damage then I'll do something about it. So far I see no damage. You're right, the light could be raised 5-6" if I unhooked the hangers and hooked the light directly to the eye hooks in the ceiling. The benefit doesn't justify the effort as far as I'm concerned. It would only affect those 2-3 branches and I'd have to reattach the hangers afterward. I considered it early on and decided it wasn't worth the effort. More pictures when I have the time.