The guide for beginners

[MJBoy]

Hi, guys!

These are not abstract phrases or detailed description of the history of cannabis. It is just a guide, based on one’s own experience. The manual presents controversial points as well. I ask you not to share your opinion concerning what should and what should not be done. The manual describes the way you can raise a bush and general principles coupled with my own observation. A particular grower prefers his own type of a growbag. The manual is useful for green horns facing a lot of problems. They will make their minds what to change in the growbag in future. See the pictures here under in the file.

Introduction.

While smoking a joint the idea has flashed into my mind about the manual for greenhorns to use. They have got the same sort of problems: how, what, where etc. And these topics appear again and again. I’ll try to compile the main points to help to raise a rich bush of cannabis. The most popular sorts are autogamous, we shall dwell on them as well as on the soil as a substrate.

Part I. Nuts choice.

First of all you should choose a seed. There are regular and feminized sorts. The sex of the plant is unknown in regular sorts in advance and either female or male plants may appear. The plant will be a hundred-proof female in the second case. There’s no difference in raising regular or feminized sorts. But you can save your money, time and nerves in case of feminized ones. It’s possible to miss the first step. You have ordered the nuts and acquired them. Store in the refrigerator vegetable compartment. Now it’s time to choose a pot and prepare the substrate.

Part II. The pot and the substrate.

Practice has shown it’s possible to grow in any container. But to get a good result you need a ten-liter pot. The larger the better. Ordinary plastic pots are cheap in garden stores. Well, the pot has been bought and needs to be filled. The main point is the soil contain Ph 6 – 6,5 (the information later). Then we need vermiculite or perlite to get rid of problems concerning roots breathing. The mixture should contain 70% soil +30% vermiculite or perlite. And now drainage. We do not recommend expanded clay so break up pieces of foam in cubes 2-3 cms. Cover the bottom of the pot with the layer of 5-6 cms. Add the soil. Fill the pot with water until it leaks.

Part III. Seed germination.

The simplest method is: put the seed in the damp cotton pad, use the ziplock after breezing out. Store in dark place. A good seed gives a root in three days.

 

[MJBoy]

Part IV. A growbag and all.

Any material is suitable. The optimal size is 0,5x0,5x1,2m. The ventilation should support noon temperature in the box about 350C. The best temperature is 270C in the afternoon and about 220C at night and you’ve got no problems with burns. We recommend active blow in with the ventilator 100 cubic meters. The plants are fond of CO2 in the afternoon and O2 at night light. We need three lamps: one lamp 105W 6500K, another lamp 105W 2700K+additional 65W 2700K. Mind a reflector to minimize less of light. Two spectrum ECL are of 6500K cold light and 2700K warm light. Do not forget to cover the box with a light insulating material or dye it with white emulsion paint in three layers. It will reduce loss of light too. Additional equipment includes a thermometer, a hydrometer and an electronic Ph meter (Milwaukee pH 600). And mind 3-4 bags of calibration liquid. Then a blowing fan, e.g. a comp cooler, a light timer and a ventilation timer. This is all we need. Cover or dye the box. Install the ventilator to blow out in the upper part, then active blow in by means of a cooler or a channel ventilator at the bottom, then lamps and a reflector. The box is ready. Test for a day and night to check the temperature. Set the light mode 20/4 (20 hours per day, four hours per night). We are ready to start.

Part V. Start.

Well, we have got the box made, the temperature adjusted, the pot settled and the seed germinated. You should prepare water. Take three five-liter cans and fill with tap water and leave open to settle. Take the nut, stick it with its rootlet down and top above the soil a bit. Spray the spot. Cover with the sprayed and prickled transparent glass. Put into the box. Switch on the additional lamp only. Put the box on the refrigerator and wait until the nut sheds its cassock. It will happen next day. Firstly it is yellow, take it easy. The plant will be green soon. It is under the glass and gets sprayed. Next day remove the glass and switch on the main lamp. The distance between the lamp and the plant is 20 – 30 cm.

Part VI. Vegetation, the first two weeks.

Autogamous sorts start vegetation after they have shed their cassocks. Don’t touch, only spray after switching off the light. On the third day pour the plant in a circle with settled water about 150 ml. Pour 10 cm off the stem to let the roots spread. Add some auxin and zircon.

Day 6. Pour 300ml water and additions.

Day 7. You can raise a plant toward the lamp 15 cm and check the heat between the lamp and the plant. Don’t forget to spray a leaf per day. Day 9 -10. It’s time for the first trefoil. Pour half a liter of pure water at noon and feed magnesium sulfate at night. You can acquire in garden stores (0,5 g. per a liter of water). Prepare the feeding, switch off the lamp, first spray pure water, then magnesium sulfate mixture not to burn the top.

Day 14. It’s time for the first cincuefoil. Pour a liter of pure water. Think over root additional fertilizing. Enjoy to find two thin tendrils.

 

[MJBoy]

Part VII. Fertilizers.

There are three kinds of fertilizers: mineral, organic – mineral and organic. Organic fertilizers are for experienced gardeners. Let’s start with mineral ones. The optimal way is to use a special calculator to get a preper dosage. The fertilizers have been entered. If you don’t find, you key in all data. There are low-cost and work-related fertilizers kind of GHE Flora Series, Hesi, BAC. Mind the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen and potassium are equal for vegetation and phosphorus is in minority. Blooming needs potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen respectively.

The best formula GHE Flora Series contains a liter of water:

Flora Micro 2,1 ml/l +Flora Bloom 2,3 ml/l for vegetation

Flora Micro 1,3 ml/l+Flora Bloom 4,5 ml/l for blooming.

Part VIII. What is pH?

pH is a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a medium in the pot. If pH is 6,5 plants assimilate fertilizers best and grow quickly. You need an electron pH meter.



Part IX. Component pouring.

• Take a 5-liter vessel
• Fill the vessel with 4 liters of settled water
• Take the fertilizers. The formula is above. Thus you have got a 25% component.
• Take the pH meter and measure the component. Add pH Down from GHE to acidate water fill pH 6,5.
• Fill the watering-can with 1 liter of the component and pour over all the surface of the pot.
• Pour on the pot until the leakage. The trouble is the rest of salts and minerals begin to kill acid-base balance. Measure the leakage water with pH meter. It must be 6,5.
• If pH level decreases add 10 liters of settled water. Measure the leakage water. Do the same if pH level is high. Autogamous plants are hydrophilous and need every day pouring. It prevents unnecessary salts from accumulating in the soil and feeds on oxygen. You can apply this pouring scheme for the third week of the plant’s life: 25% component – water – water – 50% component – water – water – 100% component. The same scheme for the fourth week: 100% component – water – water – 100% component – water – water – 100% component. It’s time for blooming and to change the component. Increase phosphorus and potassium and reduce nitrogen. The main feature of blooming is fluffing and stopping grows. Mind after switching off the light spray with water every day and spray with magnesium sulfate once in two or three days.

 

[MJBoy]

Part X. Blooming.

The plant has overgrown with stigmas, white hairs. Growth has stopped and it gets budding. Substitute lamp 6500K 105W for lamp 2700K 65W. Pour the blooming component for 3 - 4 weeks according to the scheme: 100% component – water – water – 100% component – water – water – 100% component. Stop spraying with magnesium sulfate but pour it under the root once a week, mind. Measuring the leakage water with pH meter. Watch the changes. You’d better photo to fix the proper time and the proper changes. There comes a time when stigmas are 60 – 70% dry. It means you are to give a shocking dose of phosphorus and potassium. Use GHE Ripen or a mixture of potassium monophosphate 0,6 g/l and magnesium sulfate 0,6 g/l. Pour 10 – 14 days. Every day.

Part XI. Cleaning and Harvest.

Your goal is to remove nitrates after heavy application. Pour clean water for a week. Then let the plant stay 2 – 3 days in darkness and dryness. The soul will get dry and the excess elements will dissolve thoroughly, the plant gumming. The buds have ripened and stigmas have got dry. Prepare scissors, a paper and get patient. The best way is to dry the plant as a whole, having int the top before. Put it in the box, don’t switch on the light. Set the ventilation. Wait until it gets dry (a sprig breaks with a crash). Pack in cans or bags and store in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. The low temperature affects the decay of nitrates and enriches taste.

GOOD LUCK!!!