First Grow: Mental Floss & Satori

[LeenieBean]

This is my first try. I'm 28 and have loved growing and raising things of all sorts since I was a kid. I decided to grow my own because it is often hit or miss with getting a supply for strangers,and because I've been battling depression and anxiety a long time smoking the wrong strain can have a bad effect. I'm also interested in pain relief aspects. I have a great tutor in my BF who has had a lot of success in the past and I'm already knee deep LOL but I really love it and I take care of my "Kids" better than my orchids or other houseplants.

Here Goes it:

We chose two strains for their medical properties, Mandala's Satori, and Chimera's Mental floss Both have fantastic reviews everywhere I look and I really like imagining the colour palatte as they grow up, especially the mental floss. The Satori seeds were large and healthy looking, while I was wondering what sort of wonders might come out of the small Mental Floss seeds! Starting 4 of each, hoping for at least 50% females, which later will be cloned as to be raised as mothers.

January 31

Soaked rockwool cubes in 6.0 PH adjusted tap water. dropped the seed in the holes which we poked with a dowel if not big enough. Covered the holes with small pieces of dampened rock wool and gave each a plant label so its identity won't be lost. Set in the Rock wool trays next to the fireplace, with the resevoir with a bit of water in the bottom to keep humidity. Read 25-27 C and humidity at 60% for three days. Misted the cubes with PH adjusted water 6.0 when they held water but seemed dry to the touch on the surface. Roughly every 12 hours. No major events.

Feb 2

We have a winner! Woke up in the morning to check on the seeds to discover Mental floss #2 seedling was up. The other seeds could be seen in the holes sprouted. Time to go under the lights. My seedling chamber I set up has 2 sunblaster 2' HO T5 lights. 6400 k spectrum and 4000 lumens+ on a white reflector metal reflector. Used black and white poly to line the cabinet which I bought at a warehouse end of the line furniture shop. Have a digital thermometer with humdity max/min, and small fan. Uses 2 8x8 lightproof darkroom vents that I ordered online. Light proofing is not critical at this point as they are on 24 hour schedule, but it is in my bedroom where I try to sleep sometimes )

Feb 3

Everyone is up, and Mental floss #2 is a bit ahead of the others, but they're catching up. 100% Germination Can't complain about that for my first try at it if I don't say so myself ) Thermometer at 29-30 C and Humidity at 40-50% Have the rockwool tray 4-6 inches below the lights.

Feb 4

put soaked rock wool and seedlings in small square pots 3"x3" filled with: miracle grow germinating and seedling potting soil mix, 1/3 worm castings, about 1/2 a tsp of dolomite lime. watered with plain water and put back under the lights in a seedling run off tray half filled with perlite so they do not ever sit in water.

My setup. 2x2' high output T5 florescents.

Mental Floss seedling


feb 5

watered with weak nute solution: 1 L of tap water mixed with 1 tsp Liquid Karma, 1/ tsp and Iguana juice, and a pinch of Tarantula. The Satori seedlings are developing large healthy looking leaves.

feb 7

Everyone is taking off, have turned up the fan because humidity got a bit too much, and rotated the seedlings so they each get turns getting more wind disturbance. The kids are getting their second pair of real leaves, everyone except one runty looking mental floss seedling. I won't give up hope on this one. I tend to like the under dog anyway. Watered again with the weak nute solution. So far so good!

 

[newsisnoise]

subscribed. congrats on the 100% germ.

if you get a chance, throw up some pictures, love to see the little ones.

 

[LeenieBean]

Thanks, had to figure out how to add those pics first, I'm a newbie! Pretty exciting to watch them take off, I had no idea it would like this. found a new love ;o)

 

[LeenieBean]

minor misshap... ooch poor girl!

The kids are taking right off and are looking awesome. The Satori seedlings are showing their sativa heritage and growing taller and larger than the indica Mental Floss.

Mental Floss Seedling

Satori Seedling

There's one slower than the others, mental floss #4. She looks healthy, but is a day behind the others in growth. Now I am rooting her on... the underdog again. Tonight's check in with the kids showed everyone working on their second pairing of real leaves. Except our runt. Lifted the lights and slid them closer to me... BAM... the thermometer fell over bending MF#4's stem at a 90 degree angle (

booo... I'm sorry little one!

Quick patch up work- I propped her up with a few toothpicks so she doesn't grow crooked and pray I didn't kill the lil one. If she makes it I don't know if I'll be able to part with her... something about a poor injured little one pulls the heartstrings a lil.

 

[Ugwad]

Great start! I thought your comment about the wrong strain exacerbating anxiety and depression was very interesting. I stopped smoking weed when I was 19 - long ago - after an unpleasant case of paranoia. In my 30's I dabbled every few years. Generally I'd have some bad effects and could only smoke alone. I'd get paranoia and some times bad shivers or shakes. I thought there was some neurotoxin in weed, but now I think it's the shit they spray on low quality dope or God knows what's added.

Not too long ago some friends gave me some "organically grown weed." I've probably not ever smoked herb of that quality. It was sticky with red strings and no seeds. I never smoked weed that didn't have seeds ;-) I have never enjoyed weed so much in my life! So here I am, trying to grow my own high quality organic herbage.

I'm really interested in the qualities of different strains, but I feel like the info is limited. I'm really curious about the strains you're growing. Can you tell us more about them? With paranoia being such a common complaint about pot, I'm surprised they haven't come up with a strain that's free of this quality. Or maybe they have...

 

[LeenieBean]

Here's sort of a summary sort of info on the two strains, I've read a lot of reviews as well, and seen a lot of grows posted in forums. Both strains seem exceptional, and at a reasonable price, we've only popped 4 of each strains 10 seeds, and had 100% germination.

I sort of think of sativa as the "up" and "racy" buzz- and indica as the mellow "down" buzz- though I've never really known until recently what the difference really was in the weed I was smoking. I pretend like I know what I'm talking about but this is pretty new to me in the thought of strains and their medical attributes - If I were feeling anxious, I wouldn't really reach for some sativa smoke, it might make it worse and buggy. I used to get panic attacks, and that was why I quit smoking weed a while back. Turns out, I think I was just getting the wrong weed for a while- some stinky outdoor skunky stuff. However, some sativa are "euphoric" and can make a depressed, withdrawn person more comfortable in public, or motivated to do artistic things. Indica is good for chillin on the couch sort of thing, maybe makes you not think too much, or have a good pain killing body buzz. I couldn't find the genetics on the mental floss but it seems to be a true indica sort of plant- I read it was a blueberry hybrid somewhere. Adding a bit of sativa into the mix supposedly can help with the burnout sleepy sort of feeling that happens with indica style plants. So we have a pretty interesting blend of the two in here- thinking of Satori as a daytime sort of active, thoughtful weed while Mental Floss is for winding down.

Mental Floss
Breeder : CHIMERA/DJ SHORT
Flowering Time : 55-65 DAYS
Environment : INDOOR/OUTDOOR
A chunky, odorific prolific producer adored by commercially minded producers and hash connoisseurs. Strong sturdy stems make this hybrid an excellent choice for SOG gardens or bush style grows. Purple hued colas with a taste and nose reminiscent of sweet berry licorice and the finest oriental incense. Truly an outstanding hybrid of near miraculous medicinal value. - Supposedly a more couchlock sort of buzz, good for pain killer, anxiety, sleep probs, etc.

This is the info posted on Mandala's website about Satori:

"Type: sativa-indica
Contains land race genetics from: Nepal
Cultivation: indoor/outdoor
Light: requires a minimum of 250W HPS/m2
Flowering time: 65-70 days/October
Yield: 550-600 gr/m2 (dry weight)
High: a clear, cerebral high and strong potency sets in quickly; it supports concentration & creativity; very inspiring and stimulating. Ideal for writers, artists, musicians, or other creative people.
THC: 23-28%
Potency: 9-10/10; long-lasting; no nervous side-effects (racy heart,etc.); suitable for regular med users, or persons with high THC-tolerance.
Aroma: fruity-citrus, pungent.
Medical Use: Satori shows her therapeutic potential in relieving depression and anxiety; this strain can ease sleep disorders from auto-immune diseases and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
SATORI

We refined this strain genetically in 2006 to produce an even more reliable and powerful cross that will delight your connoisseur heart. Satori is an exceptionally easy to grow sativa. She has shown impressive hardiness against spider mites and other pests, and she possesses a good measure of mold resistance. Her slim appearance makes it possible to plant in narrow rows, or in SOG, to maximize her typical record yields even more. The firm side shoots provide highest quality cuttings. As with all our sativas she is heat resistant - an added bonus for small indoor environments and hot summer grows. The mainly sweet & fruity-spicy aroma is a real treat for the senses.

Satori grows a long head bud with chunky flowers and does not require much feeding on soil; you can almost do without feeding provided you use quality soil and sufficient container size (approx. 2 gallon pots for adult plants under 250-600W lamps). Keep EC levels low in hydroponics for best results. All Mandala strains are extremely efficient in nutrient uptake due to their hybrid vigor and require only low EC levels/feeding to develop huge leaf, stem and bud structure. Satori is a high yielding, powerful plant with an exceptional sativa high. The heavy buds are easy to manicure, and from the resinous bud leaves you can produce finest grade hash, comparable in quality to the famous Nepalese “temple balls”.

 

[LeenieBean]

Ugwad- there's a few good strain guides on the net floating around. to be honest we picked these guys just going on sites where people posted their bud shots and read threads on something we thought seemed interesting. Researched med marijuana forums for strains as well. have you found anything that you liked for yourself?

part of the theraputic value in it for me is the joy of producing something from my own two hands- if I never smoke it I'd still be excited about the process... but I'm going to smoke it. and its gonna be goood LOL )

 

[Ugwad]

Hi Beanie, thanks for the info. When I purchased my seeds I just went for what seemed like a good deal for good seeds. Though, the descriptions of my seeds were generally brief.

I find the subject fascinating. I wish there were meticulous monographs describing the kinds of "highs" induced by the various strains. Someone should really do that.

Probably the best way to find the perfect weed to feed your head is by going to Amsterdam and sampling a whole bunch.

I have 4 kinds of seeds. Big Bud, Bubblegum, Northern Lights and Pure Afgani. The last were 5 freebies and they are all cannabis cup winners. I'll let you know how they are in 4 months Unfortunately, my cabinet is small and well it's doubtful I'll get all 4 strains growing right now.

We'll have to write some very detailed smoke reports

 

[LeenieBean]

Ugwad- there are "meticulous monographs" in existence! they can be googled as smoke reports or strain guides. I know we're not supposed to mention other sites, but if you look up the OG strainguide its fairly extensive- OG was shut down a couple years back now but they were in the midst of writing a book - and a very detailed one it was going to be! Some people have archived it- there might even be pieces of it on here. I also spent a lot of time looking at the breeder websites, some of which have a full page writeup on each strain and how it was developed. I love how they come to develop the strains and it seems those breeders have a lot of fun doing it. I'm really interested in colour for some reason, and like the idea of a berry tasting smoke- if you look at the photo of Mental Floss used by Chimera, the plant looks like a rainbow (sort of like the ice cream in a way).

are your seeds fem? big bud and northern lights might be a bit of a height prob- they aught to turn out a lot taller than bubblegum and pure afgani if I'm not mistaken- so you'll get a good chance to get creative in there with the pruning/propping up etc

my only problem now is how to keep from buying too many seeds! I'm getting ready for summer gardening outdoors and am going to start my seeds indoors- I have probably 20 packs of perennial seeds like I need them LOL I'm now staying off of seedboutique it gets me drooling and keeps me up til all hours of the night dreaming of feilds of sweet heavenly buds

 

[MonK-TanG]

Re: minor misshap... ooch poor girl!

Lifted the lights and slid them closer to me... BAM... the thermometer fell over bending MF#4's stem at a 90 degree angle (

booo... I'm sorry little one!

Quick patch up work- I propped her up with a few toothpicks so she doesn't grow crooked and pray I didn't kill the lil one. If she makes it I don't know if I'll be able to part with her... something about a poor injured little one pulls the heartstrings a lil.

I totally know what U mean. I had a plant that just took a beating, like stuff dropping on her, cat ate part of her, my Boa constrictor loved climbing on her(boa is just a 4 foot baby still then), and finally I tripped and fell on her, not 1 time but 3...... She was soooo close to being snapped and branches busted and the works lol, she was the runt too. I felt sooo bad for it. I still have her till this day, and is healthy and big lol. One tuff little girl tho. haha

 

[LeenieBean]

she seems none the worse for wear, lil kink in the stem but she's got new leaves. Maybe she forgave me?

 

[MonK-TanG]

Haha It would seem so ^_^

 

[Steve McStoferson]

the good thing about seedlings is their stem is super flexible, so if anything falls on it, it wont normally damage it. Give it a couple more days and the kink should straighten itself out.

I had one of my cats dig up all of my seedlings from my last grow and i left them for dead. They we're laying in a scrap bucket without soil, water, or light.. Also, the roots were very damaged, and it only had about 25% of its original roots. Anyway, I noticed some new growth a week or 2 later, which got me wondering if the plant would come back.. After throwing it in new soil and pampering it for a couple of days, it developed much stronger roots than before and is doing amazing.. Growing an inch a day, green as ever.

Cannabis is a plant that will pull through anything it can with a little help.

Your seedlings are looking great man, I can't wait to see them grow up!

 

[ozric420]

I have grown Mandalas White Satin, they are truely a good seed company,the grow info on there site is top notch. I grow with a Bloombox and Producer from BCNL. Can't wait to see the Satori. take care .Peace

 

[Ugwad]

Ugwad- there are "meticulous monographs" in existence! they can be googled as smoke reports or strain guides.

I tried googling smoke reports & strain guides as you suggested. I haven't come across anything meticulous. I keep encountering the typical short paragraph.

If you find anything detailed on Bubblegum, Big Bud, Northern Lights or Pure Afgahni, please let me know. I'd love to check em out. Also, if you come across anything on a strain that's had the paranoia bred out of it, I'd love to hear about it!

Still, when my harvest is reaped and cured I plan on writing my own detailed smoke report. Writing in detail about the qualities of a high while I am high has got to be a lot of fun and will make for an interesting and hopefully coherent read.

 

[LeenieBean]

After 8 days )

These guys grow so quick!

watered em last night with nute solution. 24 hours later kids are very happy indeed )

Mental Floss #2 I think

Mental Floss #4 still slow but not dead )

A healthy looking Satori #1

Ugwad- I'll look into that soon when I'm feeling searchy for you )

 

[LeenieBean]

Something I thought I might ad- just remembered, I've read that allowing the buds to stay on the plant longer - stretching out harvest until the trichs are more amber in colour is better for anxiety and results in a more calm high. There's a few strains I've seen come up a lot mentioned by anxiety sufferers- dp blueberry, hashberry, sweet tooth, og kush, trainwreck.

 

[LeenieBean]

Update: Stinky Kids

Last night was the first time I opened up my cabinet to a very strong whiff of green fruity skunky smelling mouthwatering deliciousness... almost like a weedy smelling green apple jolly rancher Grow kids grow!!

Their stems have gone from that seedling wobbly sort of thing to a woody branch and are tolerating the fan on them much better. Mental Floss#4 got a special seat raised closer to the lights and she seemed to like it. Still runty by comparison, but she's growing! The Satoris are getting very large, we seem to have 2 different pheno showing, one that is short and stocky, with very wide healthy looking leaves, and one that is taller and more vigorous, growing one node faster than the others now with bright green new growth.

Our tallest is still Mental Floss #2, which surprises me a little. Not that I have much experience to go on but it seemed like the Satoris were going to outrun them. Two of the mental floss are shorter, one is broad and fairly bushy, the other one is the runt thats filling out now after her brief encounter with the thermometer :S the other two are vigorous and slender but not stretching too bad. I wonder if maybe this is male/female showing up early on?

Some sort of ailment going on with the tips of a couple leaves. Appear like wilted spinach for lack of better description. not sure if they ended up in the fan or what, but I dropped back on the nutes this time round, did a half dose, see how they respond to it. Careful to allow the soil to dry out between waterings, the leaf tips pointed up exaggerted on the satori seedlings, they seem very responsive to almost any change, and I don't think they really need much to be honest, they seem happy with water and don't seem to like too much of it at that. the mental floss drink it up and they are always drier than the satoris when its time to check on them.

I like the t5 Lights, I had some debate in the beginning as to what sort of lights I would like to go with, but ended up choosing the t5 high output florescents to maximize space the best, I have about a 24-27" by 15" light footprint per set of two two foot long t5s. I have two sets, the bottom ones are not currently in use, and may be added to- I can purchase more units for $40 per fixture and tube if needed for more lumen, but they will be more than adequate for seedlings/clones and mothers that my cabinet was set up for. I have the leaves 3-4" from the bulbs and they are not cooking. the heat is manageable with a small fan. today we improved air circulation by taking out the middle shelf and replacing it with a couple boards 33" x 5" across each and spaced out enough to be able to set the trays on them. it allows for much better air flow, I added one fan at the bottom directing air in, and the fan on the shelf with the plants is slanted slightly towards the other vent. the humidity has come down a lot. They should be happy with it, sitting around 40-45%. It looks nice too, and makes good use of the run off light from the top fixture allowing it to penetrate to the bottom of the cab.

It's not my intention to flower them out in this cabinet, they will be in one approx 36"x18" with a 250 watt HPS for flowering, and a 250 watt mh
conversion bulb for vegging once clones have been rooted for mothers. I hope to chose one good pheno of each satori and mental floss to keep as a bonsai mom so the effort of finding the good genetic doesn't go to waste. There's a chance we might not like one of the strains and not continue to grow it, and there's the odd chance that I'll have some bizzare breeding experiment in mind and go crazy with it. who knows. this is new to me but I'm having too much fun with it.

Ordered seeds today for our next project: DJ Shorts Blueberry, Paradise seeds Ice Cream, White Berry, and Sensi Star. This could get interesting ) Last three varieties were chosen instead of B.O.G's Lifesaver. I hope that was a good choice D Lifesavor was making my mouth water and seems difficult to get but I've been eyeballing ice cream since I first saw it. chose a variety pack, feminized seeds so at least there's no messin around with sexing them.

so far so good ) I take care of these guys better than my cat. think he's jelous LOL

 

[LeenieBean]

Inspecting the kids, I took the time to smell them each individually... yes. I feel like I may be going insane... but the stinky is coming out of 2-3 plants only- mental floss 2 and 3. the other two have a milder scent, not sure but #4 smells a little sweet? hmm... the satoris have almost no smell, just a mild spicey smell

 

[noreastfog]

Hey Leenie, Great detail of your grow so far. Everything looks great. Can't wait for your smoke reports. I have paranoia issues when I smoke, right from the very first time. Which is why I didn't for many years. Recently I have had opportunities to share a toke with my kids (grown of course). And what a different experience each time. Everything from mild to severe panic, to incredibly euphoric highs, to putting me to sleep. Until I started doing a little research I thought it was just me and my mood, not strain and grow quality. Now that I know, the only way to know what I'm smoking is to grow it myself. I had no idea how much that would be in and of itself.