Marijuana strains description

Description Of Marijuana Strains

A note about descriptions:

Yield Size is based on comparison of all strains and is rated as small, average, large, very large, etc. Harvest time is based on previous experience and may differ from the times stated depending on light quantity, amount of nutrients, weather, and other conditions. Learn how to recognize when a plant is ready to be harvested. Not recommended outdoors means that unless you are growing marijuana fairly close to the equator (very long grow season) your crop will probably not have time to fully mature before cold weather kills the plants.
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AFGHANI - A pure variety, never hybridized, imported from Afghanistan, grown in Holland. Very broad leaves, 100% Indica. Heavy buds with lots of resin. Some plants turn purple at harvest time. Rather high flower to leaf ratio. Taste: heavy, almost medicinal. Stone: very strong, physical, practically narcotic. Yield Size: (not available). Harvest Indoors: 8-9 weeks after flower forcing. Harvest Outdoors: 1st week of November.

AFGHANI #1 - The Afghani part is a very short Christmas tree-like plant, 100% Indica, very resinous and very consistent. The F1-cross with Skunk #1 gives the variety a bigger yield and better taste. Taste: (not available). Stone: very good, up high. Yield Size: large. Harvest Indoors: 8-9 weeks after flower forcing. Harvest Outdoors: 1st week of November.

AK-47 (SPECIAL-K) - A 65% Sativa - 35% Indica hybrid that produces a quick stone with a long lasting cerebral high. Tall with large girth and giant calyxes it does best indoors unless you are near the equator. The aroma is spicy with a slight sandalwood taste. This can satisfy any connoisseurs' taste. Taste: flowery and sweet. Stone: strong, long lasting. Yield Size: average. Harvest Indoors: 8-10 weeks after flower forcing. Harvest Outdoors: not recommended outdoors.

AMERICANO - 100% Indica bred by British Columbians for their American customers. Produces nice crystallized tight buds with a minimum of red hairs in a short amount of time. Taste: skunky. Stone: sleepy. Yield Size: average. Harvest Indoors: 6-8 weeks after flower forcing. Harvest Outdoors: not recommended outdoors.

AMSTERDAM FLAME - 100% Indica with a high thc content potential. Taste: fruity. Stone: strong and sleepy. Yield Size: average. Harvest Indoors: 7-8 weeks after flower forcing. Harvest Outdoors: not recommended outdoors.

AMSTEL GOLD - Amstel Gold is an Indica variety developed in California in the seventies and has been grown outdoors in Holland since 1980. Smokes soft with a citrus like aroma and has a good high. Easy to grow, grows with long compact resinous buds. One of the best green outdoor varieties collection. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

B-52 - A truly superior skunk selection. Grows with heavy buds. Top variety for commercial skunk grower. As with other Skunks, superior sweet taste and aroma, the well known Sativa influence is detected in its high. Super fast for a skunky strain. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Oct., beginning of Nov.

BAZOOKA - An excellent green variety. Not much known about this strain but the breeder did mention Bubblegum. Good results indoors and out. Specifications: (indoors) ~ Flower: 55-60 days ~ Height: 5-6' ~ Yield: Above Average (outdoors) ~ Plant: Jun. 1st ~ Finish: Sept. 15th ~ Height: 6' ~ Yield: Above Average

BIG BUD - Winner of the Cannabis Cup in 1989. Mostly Indica. All plants have guaranteed high yields, 25% has something special to it. Usually the lower branches collapse under the weight of the buds. Cash cropper's delight. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7.5-8.5 weeks

CK DOMINA - An Indica with large bracts and sticky resins. Compact plant. Specifications: ~ Flower: 50 days

BLACK JACK - Black Domina crossed with Jack Herrer. Produced by two of the most potent and premium strains and created a plant unlike any other. A super potent Indica this plant will be very resinous and sticky. This strain will more than satisfy the pickiest of connoisseurs. The name should say it all for the potency of Black Jack. Specifications: (indoors) ~ Flower: 55-60 days ~ Height: 130-150cm ~ Yield: 90-125 gr/sq M

BLUE VELVET - Blue Velvet was developed from genetics unique to Europe. Not only Blue Velvet, but also Blueberry and Flo are developed from these new genetics. These varieties are of the highest thinkable quality. An Indica/Sativa cross (50%,50%) with trademark fox tail buds. The leaves and buds exhibit several hues including reds and lavenders, usually on the underside of the leaves. The buds have very large calyxes often with long dark stripes showing. The mature plant produces a fruity and floral mix of aroma and taste that is very sweet. This produces a very active cerebral high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6-7 weeks ~ Harvest: 2nd to 3rd week of Oct.

BLUEBERRY - Blueberry is a mostly Indica (80% Indica, 20% Sativa) strain, that dates to the late 1970's. A large producer under optimum conditions. A dense and stout plant with red, purple and finally blue hues that usually cure to a lavender blue. The finished product has a very fruity aroma and taste of blueberry. It produces a notable and pleasantly euphoric high of the highest quality and is very long lasting. Medium to large calyxes.Blueberry has a long shelf life and stores well over a long period of time. Specifications: ~ Flowering: 45-55 days ~ Height: 70-100 cm

BUBBLE GUM - 1995 2nd place winner, with little details about the strains that produces it. Extremely resinous with an uplifting high.

BUDDHA - Another favorite from our collection, developed by our breeders in 1996. A female Oasis/Shiva/Haze crossed with a male Oasis/Shiva/Skunk. The talk of the town in Amsterdam in 1996. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Oct.

CALIFORNIA ORANGE - A stabilized hybrid, inbred since 1980. Can be extremely resinous, including the leaves. 50% Sativa, 50% Indica. Some plants have a pronounced citrus aroma and flavor. Very strong, fairly clear high. Yields are slightly above average. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-10 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Nov.

CHITRAL - This variety is a hybrid of Chitral and Skunk, Chitral being the variety of the famous Chitral-hash of the seventies. Hybridized with Skunk, the variety tends to be even stronger. Good harvest, nice herbal taste and strong physical high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: 3rd week of Oct.

CHRONIC - Chronic is the plant to grow when yield and quality are top concerns. Mostly an Indica this plant can produce up to 600 grams per m2 while not compromising quality. Chronic has a strong high with a heavy resin content. Smokers that know and grow choose this plant for both appearance and it's sweet scent. Winner of 3rd place hydro division in the 1994 High Times Cannabis Cup, this is chronically the best choice for growers that are tired of loosing quality when gaining yield. Indica/Sativa bred with powerful effect and sweet smell in mind. Quality without compromise, serious flower power! Specifications: ~ Flower: 7-8 weeks

DURBAN POISON - Imported from South Africa, produced in Holland. Exclusively inbred, never hybridized, 100% Sativa. Large long bud leaves, buds are also large and long with lots of resin. A sweet licorice or anise flavor. Up high similar to Thai. High yields. Well suited for out crossing with late bloomers to produce earlier flowering. Also does very well under artificial light. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept.

DURBAN POISON X MIGHTY MIGHT - Better outdoors than Durban alone, yet a better yield than Mighty Might alone. A classic. Specifications: (indoors) ~ Flower: 60-65 days ~ Height: 110-140 cm ~ Yield: 300-325 gr/sq M (outdoors) ~ Plant: Jun. 1st ~ Finish: Sept. 8-15th ~ Height: 5-6' ~ Yield: 3-4 oz

EARLY BUD - Fast flowering, big buds. Fresh citrus like taste, nice high. Very similar to early girl. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: Sept.

EARLY GIRL - This is a mostly Indica variety, one of the earliest in our outdoor collection. Very potent, medium yield, with a hashy taste and aroma. These compact plants will tend to grow to one main stem. An ideal choice for your balcony.

EARLY PEARL - Mostly Sativa with excellent potency. Sweet, resinous and mold resistant. A popular outdoor variety.

EARLY SKUNK - A cross between Skunk #1 and Early Pearl. Finishes two weeks earlier than Skunk #1 outdoors. Sweet smell, smooth high, mold resistant and a good yielder.

ECLIPSE - A new variety, mostly Indica with a sweet taste. Somewhat a version of the bubble gum/bubble berry famous by American clients. This is one for the young and the young at heart. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-10 weeks

EUFORIA - Developed by our breeders in 1996. A very fine Skunk selection, very commercial, very heavy bloom, bumper harvest, the famous Skunk high. Taste is not as sweet as our other Skunk selections but it is one of our favorites. Good for greenhouse as well. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Oct., beginning of Nov.

FLO - Original Flo is a Sativa/Indica cross (60% Sativa, 40% Indica) with very Sativa phenotypic characteristics that also matures very early. The large, tight, spear shaped buds are made up of small, densely packed purple calyxes. The plants are taller and like to branch out. Indoors the buds are fully mature by the end of their sixth week. Outdoors the plant is a super producer when multi-harvested over a period of time. The first buds are ripe around the third week of September. About every ten days after that, new buds form and can be harvested through the end of November, if the plant can be kept alive that long. Therefore, Flo is ideal for greenhouse production. The motivational high produced by the Flo is quite unique, the flavor is like Nepalese Temple Hash. A most pleasant and enjoyable experience. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6-7 weeks ~ Harvest: 3rd or 4th week of Sept.

FOURWAY #1 - Four Way #1 is a hybrid of 4 different strains, 25% Indica, 25% Ruderalis, 25% Northern Light, and 25% Skunk #1. As a whole the Four Way #1 cross has the Indica appearance. The plants are strong and easy to grow. Some of the plants give very high yields, so select a clone. The plants have a minimum amount of leaves and grow well developed buds. A very good smoke in taste and high. Not susceptible to spider mites.

GREAT WHITE SHARK - A cross between a Super Skunk and a White Widow. Thick, dense crystallized colas are sticky and solid, just like the original parents. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks.

GREEN SPIRIRT - Green Spirit is a hybrid of Big Bud and Skunk #1. Was developed because Big Bud itself is not a very consistent strain, with very big differences among individual plants. By crossing Big Bud and Skunk #1, Green Spirit became quite homogeneous. Good results under artificial lights. Clear and strong high. The plants have an explosive flowering trait and are extremely resinous. Very high yield. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Nov.

HAWAIIAN/SKUNK - Mostly Indica (F1 hybrid) with exceptionally broad leaves. Lots of resin on leaves as well as flowers, with a musky hash like aroma. Strong physical high. Yields are above average. Short rounded plants. Specifications: ~ Flower: 9-12 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Oct.

HAZE - 100% Sativa, it's a hard plant to grow, but famous for it's special qualities. A classic Sativa High. Good results for those who do not mind to wait a little longer. The plant that sets the standard for all Sativa's. Was one of the prize winning selection for Homegrown Fantaseeds in the Cannabis Cup '97. Specifications: ~ Flower: 10-13 weeks

HAZE SKUNK - Originally Haze is a pure Sativa strain. It is crossed with Skunk #1 to get a bigger yield, a softer taste and a shorter flowering period. Truly superior sweet taste. The high is incredibly clear and up energy. Specifications: ~ Flower: 10-12 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Dec.

HEMPSTAR - Developed as a tribute to all the Hempsters and the International Hemp Movement. A three way cross between Skunk, Oasis and Haze, it is the combination of the three major varieties. This strain has an enormous potency and sticky Sativa high. The taste is very mild. Specifications: ~ Flower: 9-12 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Nov.

HIMALAYAN GOLD - A cross between Himalaya hybrid and South India. A blend of Indicas and Sativas. Strong yellow hairs that are long and flat. Misty crystal structure set on pale green bud. Compact form with great size colas. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-10 weeks.

HINDU KUSH - Pure Indica, one of the most constant kind. Best start for anyone who wants to grow his own Indica. Hash like taste, large firm buds, above average yield. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks

HOLLANDS HOPE - One of the first Dutch Outdoor strains, grown in Holland since the early eighties. A heavy Indica variety with a knock-out high. Very mold resistant. Highly recommended. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

HYPNO - Hypno is a 100% Indica strain. Developed 1997 from new Californian and Afghani genetics. Some of the plants turn red/purple. Sweet aroma. A strain with high expectations. Good yield and mold resistant. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7-8 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

JACK HERER - Combining three of the strongest secret varieties kept by Sensi resulted in this multiple hybrid of many years of selective breeding. Highly resinous.

PK2 - It's the little sister of the White Widow Bio, short plant ideal for people with little space. Very soft taste and decent high. Grown very much by local growers, a perfect compromise between quality and yield. Strongly favored by Hydro growers. Very good yield. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks

KALI MIST - Serious smokers know, pure Sativa is a smooth smoking experience not soon forgotten. Kali is a superb Sativa with a high calyx-to-leaf ratio, and long running tops that produce full, fluffy buds. Expect this goddess to produce a high resin content with spiral buds that carry an extremely spicy scent. Kali Mist won the 1st Place Cannabis Cup in High Times 1995 hydro competition, and is the personal stash for expert gardeners! Specifications: ~ Flower: 9-10 weeks

KC 33 - Dutch variety, crossbred with a Thai and Brazilian weed, special for the outdoor grow, but inside also a number one. A favorite outdoors variety right through Europe. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks, 8-10 outdoors ~ Harvest: Sept.

KERALA\SKUNK - This Southern Indian variety is crossed with Skunk #1 (F1 hybrid). As a whole the plants have a Sativa appearance (87.5% Sativa, 12.5% Indica). The buds have a sweet exotic smell and taste and a very clear medium strong high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 10-11 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Oct.

KUSH - A heavy budding plant that produces crystals galore. Good rich smoke, excellent indoors and outdoors. Clones very easily. Specifications: (indoors) ~ Flower: 60-70 days ~ Height: 110-150 cm ~ Yield: 300-325 gr/sq M (outdoors) ~ Plant: Jun. 1st ~ Finish: Oct. 1st ~ Height: 5-6' ~ Yield: 2-4 oz ~

KUSH X MIGHTY MIGHT - Heavy budding and lots of crystals makes up this plant, larger colas than Kush alone. Smooth smoke and excellent high. Easy to grow, and great for both indoors and outdoors. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-10 weeks ~ Height: 4-5'

LAMBSBREAD\SKUNK - The famous Jamaican Lambsbread crossed with Skunk #1 (F1 hybrid). A very special taste and high. Grows with long slim buds, has a medium yield and is almost 100% Sativa. Specifications: ~ Flower: 9-11 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st half of Nov. in greenhouse

LEDA UNO - This variety is a sativa/indica cross (a hybrid of a KC 33 male and a Brazilian female). A superior plant with lemon like aroma. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6-9 weeks ~ Harvest: end of September

MANGO - Mango is a 100% Indica variety, a F-1 hybrid of KC-33 and Afghani. High yields and some plants are very early. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6-7 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

MASTER KUSH - A F1 cross between two different Hindu-kush strains. Yield is high. Excellent taste and strong high. One of our favorites.

MAZAR - This is an upgraded selection of the former valued Afghan/Skunk. A 1997 improvement was made on its yield. The taste is softer than before. The Afghani (Mazar-i-Shariff) part is a very short christmas tree like plant, 100% Indica and very resinous. The F1-cross with Skunk #1 gives the variety a bigger yield and better taste. Very good up high. As both parents are very consistent, the offspring is very consistent too. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Nov.

MIGHTY MIGHT - From the Lequiti Island in B.C. Seeds take up to 14 days to germinate. Huge cola! Specifications: ~ Plant: Jun. 1st ~ Finish: Oct. 1st ~ Height: 4-6' ~ Yield: 3-4 oz

MISTY - Sister of White Widow. Short, bushy plant yielding a high THC content. Harvest time is based on previous experience and may differ from the times stated depending on light quantity, amount of nutrients, weather, and other conditions. Learn how to recognize when a plant is ready to be harvested. Not recommended outdoors means that unless you are growing marijuana fairly close to the equator (very long grow season) your crop will probably not have time to fully mature before cold weather kills the plants.

NIAGARA - A mostly sativa (75%) strain developed by Dr. Greenthumb in Ontario. A cross of Afghan and Mexican seeds produced this beautiful, early finishing, mold resistant variety that can be grown with equally good results indoors (using hydro or soil) and outdoors (as far north as Ottawa/Montreal). A recommended seed for any grower. Taste: hashy. Stone: very good, energetic high. Yield Size: average. Harvest Indoors: 6-8 weeks after flower forcing. Harvest Outdoors: Middle of October.

NIAGRA X SHIVA - A mostly sativa strain, early finish, sweet taste, mold resistant, high flower to leaf ratio, soaring high and produce large yield.

NIGHT QUEEN - A 1197 upgraded strain. Very early flowering, very productive, a Sativa/Indica cross. Big fat buds. The aroma is sweet, Sativa high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6-8 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

NORTHERN BERRY - Blueberry crossed with Northern Lights #5. A combination only a stoned mind could think of. Specifications: ~ Flower: 55-65 days ~ Height: 100-120 cm ~ Yield: 250-300 gr/sq M

NORTHERN LIGHTS - A pure Indica, won the Cannabis Cup in '88, '89, '90. Much used for cross breeding for it's strong and big buds. Famous throughout the world, everyone has heard of N.L. Sweet taste and very potent stone. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7-8 weeks

NORTHERN LIGHTS X SHIVA - Strong sweet weed, much THC, with big buds and few leaves. Improvement on, and has a stronger taste than pure Northern Light. This is the #1 in it's kind. Best for inside cultivation.

NORTHERN LIGHTS #1 - Developed in Seattle, perfected in Holland, Northern Lights has become the State of the Art indoor plant. A must! Specifications: ~ Flower: 45-50 days ~ Height: 100-125 cm ~ Yield: 300-325 gr/sq M

NORTHERN LIGHTS #5 - This state of the art Indica is the result of over 20 years of select in breeding. Bred for vigorous growth, high yield, and superb high. A must for growers who prefer short bushy plants. The buds have an extremely frosted, resinous appearance and the yield is high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 55-65 days ~ Height: 2-3'

NORTHERN LIGHTS #5 X HAZE - An extremely potent plant with a great Sativa high. In the 1994 harvest festival this variety was miles ahead of its competitors. The high yields compensate for the slightly longer flowering period. Hybrid vigour provides for lush growth, heavy bud formation and abundant resin. A true champion!

OASIS - One of the most popular varieties, Oasis is our Northern Lights #2 selection. A very strong plant, almost spider mite resistant. Good yield, excellent taste and excellent high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Nov.

ORANGE BUD - A 100% Skunk selection, grows with thick hard buds and orange pistils. A very appreciated variety. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Oct. Original Misty A truly beautiful plant misted all over with bulging THC glands. A good producer in terms of yield, fat donkey dick tops, combined with prize winning quality, gourmet taste and a sweet aroma. This plant has it all. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks

POWER PLANT - Power Plant (mostly Sativa) was developed in 1997 from new South African genetics. This strain has been inbred only, never hybridized. Very rich in THC. It is a strain with an enormous grow potential. Indoor as well as in a greenhouse the plants have an enormous yield. Indoors flowering starts already one week after turning back the light cycle to 12 hours. Outdoor flowering starts late, but the plants ripen very fast. This variety is very uniform. Strong up high, very soft smoke. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: 2nd week of Oct.

PURPLE #1 - A strong plant (50% Indica, 50% Sativa), easy to grow. Purple Afghan seeds have been crossed in Holland with Indica and Sativa varieties since 1983. The plants are fully adapted to the Dutch climate and have a respectable yield. This variety has calyxes that turn purple, starting at the beginning of flowering. Up to 90% of the plants turn purple. Has rough, but subtle aroma and a very good high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: 2nd half of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

PURPLE HAZE - Produce from Mexican, Colombian, South Indian and Thai variety. Incredible resin development. Produces a clear energetic high.

PURPLE HIGH - Original Dutch outdoor variety, strong plant. Almost all plants turn a rich purple, sticky with T.H.C. Very easy to grow, early finish. 100% Indica, unusually fragrant smell. Tastes a little rough, but delivers a clear and sharp high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6-7 weeks ~ Harvest: mid to late Sept.

PURPLE STAR - Very strong and easy to grow purple variety (100% Indica). Very resinous, having a heavy perfumed aroma. The aroma is a little rough, but the variety produces a very strong high. About 50% of the plants turn purple. Specifications: ~ Flower: 6-7 weeks ~ Harvest: 2nd half of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

PURPLE SKUNK - This variety is a hybrid (F1) of Purple #1 and an early Skunk. About 50% of the plants turn purple during flowering. The variety is 87.5% Sativa and 12.5% Indica. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Oct.

ROMBERRY - Is a very vigorous F1 hybrid of the pure Romulan female and a select Blueberry male. The hybrid retained the large sticky and stinky buds of the Romulan. It gained stronger stems and fruity aroma and taste from the Blueberry. Colas should become larger and more frosty than the Romulan buds seen in Aug. 98 High Times. This one is also very easy to clone. Specifications: ~ Flowering: 55-60 days ~ Height: 90-140 cm ~ Ruderalis Indica Flowers automatically Outdoor. Ready 3 1/2 months start to finish. Good for Northern or rough outdoor areas.

SHAMAN - This is the former variety Purple/Skunk. This variety is a hybrid (F1) of Purple #1 and an early Skunk. About 50% of the plants turn purple during flowering. The variety is 87.5% Sativa and 12.5% Indica. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Oct.

SENSI SKUNK - A strong plant with that typical Skunky taste and high. It has a high calyx-to-leaf ratio with large, full buds. Its excellent yield makes this one an absolute must for the greenhouse grower.

SHIVA - Pungent Afghan smell with Indica. Short bushy plant. Heavy good quality crop. Best for inside cultivation.

SHIVA SHANTI - This Afghani with its penetrating Indica aroma is one of the better yielders in the collection. Its pleasant taste and above average potency make this an attractive variety for beginners.

SHIVA SKUNK - This cross between Skunk #1 and Northern Lights #5 is a very reliable variety. Excellent hybrid vigour and yield make this one a snap to grow. Works superbly indoors as well as in a greenhouse. Taste and high are similar to Skunk #1, a rich sweet pungency, but with more resin and better yield. High calyx-to-leaf ratio, you can almost throw those scissors away as very little manicuring is required. An absolute must for beginners or experts.

SILVER PEARL - A three way hybrid developed from Early Pearl, Skunk #1 and Northern Lights. This hybrid is quicker and sweeter than Shiva Skunk. Excellent indoor and greenhouse results. Plants exhibit frosted resinous characteristics of the Northern Lights #5 and the sweetness and calyx-to-leaf ratio of Early Pearl/Skunk. One of our favorites and in 1994 the winner of the mixed Indica/Sativa category.

SKUNK #1 - Winner of several harvest festivals, and High Times Cannabis Cup. Skunk #1 (75% Sativa, 25% Indica) was originally a cross between 25% Afghani, 25% Mexican Acapulco Gold and 50% Colombian Gold. Inbred since 1978, now a stabilized homogeneous strain. Blooms with long, thick buds, varying in color from light green to golden. Very high flower to leaf ratio. Soft and sweet aroma and a very strong up high. Excellent variety for indoor growing or greenhouse with darkening system. Very high yields. Easy to manicure. This variety serves as a standard against which others can be measured. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7-11 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st half of Nov. in a greenhouse.

SKUNK PASSION - Skunk is the best known variety to the indoor grower. Skunk Passion is a selection of these seeds. Selection was based on early flowering. It's no use growing these seeds outdoors in Northern climates (see Skunk/Indica). The strong pungent smell is characteristic of this variety. Mean THC levels are high. Sensitive to spider mites, over and underfeeding. Sweet and soft smoke, very high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st half of Oct. in a greenhouse

SKUNK RED HAIR - The variety which made indoor growing possible since 1985. Still one of the growers favorite. Will even taste better outdoors under the right conditions. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8-9 weeks

SMOKEY BEAR - Produced by Dutch Passion, a cross between the famous Masterkush and KC 33. A very nice outdoor plant. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: 3rd week of Sept.

SUPER CHRYSTAL - Super Chrystal is produced by Homegrown Fantaseeds. Super shiva mix. 75% Indica, beautiful and nice plant to grow. Strong oriental taste, heavy stone. Low compact plant. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7-8 weeks

SUPER HAZE - This variety made Dutch Passion the High Times Cannabis Cup winner in 1992. Formerly this strain was called Haze/Skunk. Still one of the best for the Dutch Passion team. Original Haze is a pure Sativa strain. It is crossed with Skunk #1 to get a bigger yield, a softer taste and a shorter flowering period. Truly superior sweet taste. The high is incredibly clear and energetic. A very favorite strain from our collection. Very high yield for an almost 100% Sativa variety. Specifications: ~ Flower: 10-12 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Dec.

SUPER SKUNK - This plant is especially developed for Skunk lovers. Crossed of best Skunks to their Afghani ancestors. Brush against this plant and the room becomes immediately filled with powerful Skunk aroma. Despite the smell a very pleasant high with a little more body to it than the Skunk #1. One of the winners of the 1990 High Times Harvest Festival where it clearly defeated Skunk #1.

SWAZI X SKUNK - 100% Sativa crossbred with a Dutch Skunk. This is a real bargain, slow but well worth the wait. Exotic taste, strong high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 9-14 weeks

THAI - This variety grown in Holland is a pure Sativa, selected for short size and early bloom. Large buds full of resin, with typical Thai flavor and aroma. Very strong and energetic up high. Very high yields, easy to cultivate. Specifications: ~ Flower: 10-14 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Nov.

TRANCE - An upgrade of the former variety Skunk/Indica. With 100% Skunk seeds, it's not possible to grow fully mature outdoor plants because the seeds were selected for growing under artificial lights and greenhouse. Skunk was crossed with an early Indica, to let it mature sooner and to make the plant stronger for outdoor conditions. This is the F1 generation. It has come out as a very nice strain. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept., 2nd week of Oct. A beautiful purple variety with high yields and Afghan taste. Heavy buds and high. 100% Indica. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7-8 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Sept., 1st week of Oct.

VOODOO - A green strain, developed from Thai parents in 1997. The Thai parents having grown in Holland for years already. A very strong plant with long thick buds. Has a Thai aroma and a clear, fresh smell. Sativa high, very productive. Specifications: ~ Flower: 7 weeks ~ Harvest: 1st week of Oct.

WHITE CLOUD - This variety has 30% of prize winners, as the rest of its make up is of great quality. A very good variety to select a clone from. Sativa cross, mild taste and Sativa high. Specifications: ~ Flower: 9-12 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Nov.

WHITE RHINO - Somewhat a mystery strain. Suffice to say it has 60% Indica to 40% Sativa ratios expressed with a definite freak in it's family. Specifications: ~ Flower: 10 weeks.

WHITE RUSSIAN - With the combined power of White Widow and AK-47, this potent plant became and an easy winner of Cannabis Cup '96 organic pot award. Select best female for future cloning. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks

WHITE WIDOW - The most rewarded variety of recent years in Holland. The plants are white with THC glands, even on big parts of the fan leaves. A very soft smoke and great high. Very potent. Specifications: ~ Flower: 8 weeks ~ Harvest: end of Oct.

WHITE WIDOW X NORTHERN LIGHTS #5 - White Widow gives Northern Lights #5 a powerful boost in this strain. Like a Super Beetle with a Porsche engine, this Indica will pack a lot of power. Specifications: ~ Flower: 55-60 days ~ Height: 3-4'

Nutrient troubleshooting

Nutrient Disorders

George Van Pattens on Nutrients Nutrient disorders are caused by too much or too little of one or several nutrients being available. These nutrients are made available between a pH range of 5 and 7 and a total dissolved solids (TDS) range of 800 to 3000 PPM. Maintaining these conditions is the key to proper nutrient uptake.
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Nutrients

Over twenty elements are needed for a plant to grow. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are absorbed from the air and water. The rest of the elements, called mineral nutrients, are dissolved in the nutrient solution. The primary or macro- nutrients (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)) are the elements plants use the most. Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) are secondary nutrients and used in smaller amounts. Iron (Fe), sulfur (S), manganese (Mn), boron (B), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) are micro-nutrients or trace elements. Trace elements are found in most soils. Rockwool (hydroponic) fertilizers must contain these trace elements, as they do not normally exist in sufficient quantities in rockwool or water. Other elements also play a part in plant growth. Aluminum, chlorine, cobalt, iodine, selenium, silicon, sodium and vanadium are not normally included in nutrient mixes. They are required in very minute amounts that are usually present as impurities in the water supply or mixed along with other nutrients.

* NOTE: The nutrients must be soluble (able to be dissolved in water) and go into solution.

Macro-nutrients

Nitrogen (N) is primary to plant growth. Plants convert nitrogen to make proteins essential to new cell growth. Nitrogen is mainly responsible for leaf and stem growth as well as overall size and vigor. Nitrogen moves easily to active young buds, shoots and leaves and slower to older leaves. Deficiency signs show first in older leaves. They turn a pale yellow and may die. New growth becomes weak and spindly. An abundance of nitrogen will cause soft, weak growth and even delay flower and fruit production if it is allowed to accumulate.

Phosphorus (P) is necessary for photosynthesis and works as a catalyst for energy transfer within the plant. Phosphorus helps build strong roots and is vital for flower and seed production. Highest levels of phosphorus are used during germination, seedling growth and flowering. Deficiencies will show in older leaves first. Leaves turn deep green on a uniformly smaller, stunted plant. Leaves show brown or purple spots. NOTE: Phosphorus flocculates when concentrated and combined with calcium.

Potassium (K) activates the manufacture and movement of sugars and starches, as well as growth by cell division. Potassium increases chlorophyll in foliage and helps regulate stomata openings so plants make better use of light and air. Potassium encourages strong root growth, water uptake and triggers enzymes that fight disease. Potassium is necessary during all stages of growth. It is especially important in the development of fruit. Deficiency signs of potassium are: plants are the tallest and appear healthy. Older leaves mottle and yellow between veins, followed by whole leaves that turn dark yellow and die. Flower and fruit drop are common problems associated with potassium deficiency. Potassium is usually locked out by high salinity.

Secondary Nutrients

Magnesium (Mg) is found as a central atom in the chlorophyll molecule and is essential to the absorption of light energy. Magnesium aids in the utilization of nutrients, neutralizes acids and toxic compounds produced by the plant. Deficiency signs of magnesium are: Older leaves yellow from the center outward, while veins remain green on deficient plants. Leaf tips and edges may discolor and curl upward. Growing tips turn lime green if the deficiency progresses to the top of the plant.

Calcium (Ca) is fundamental to cell manufacture and growth. Soil gardeners use dolomite lime, which contains calcium and magnesium, to keep the soil sweet or buffered. Rockwool gardeners use calcium to buffer excess nutrients. Calcium moves slowly within the plant and tends to concentrate in roots and older growth. Consequently young growth shows deficiency signs first. Deficient leaf tips, edges and new growth will turn brown and die back. If too much calcium is applied early in life, it will stunt growth as well. It will also flocculate when a concentrated form is combined with potassium.

Trace Elements

Sulphur (S) is a component of plant proteins and plays a role in root growth and chlorophyll supply. Distributed relatively evenly with largest amounts in leaves which affects the flavor and odor in many plants. Sulphur, like calcium, moves little within plant tissue and the first signs of a deficiency are pale young leaves. Growth is slow but leaves tend to get brittle and stay narrower than normal.

Iron (Fe) is a key catalyst in chlorophyll production and is used in photosynthesis. A lack of iron turns leaves pale yellow or white while the veins remain green. Iron is difficult for plants to absorb and moves slowly within the plant. Always use chelated (immediately available to the plant) iron in nutrient mixes.

Manganese (Mg) works with plant enzymes to reduce nitrates before producing proteins. A lack of manganese turns young leaves a mottled yellow or brown.

Zinc (Z) is a catalyst and must be present in minute amounts for plant growth. A lack of zinc results in stunting, yellowing and curling of small leaves. An excess of zinc is uncommon but very toxic and causes wilting or death.

Copper (C) is a catalyst for several enzymes. A shortage of copper makes new growth wilt and causes irregular growth. Excesses of copper causes sudden death. Copper is also used as a fungicide and wards off insects and diseases because of this property.

Boron (B) is necessary for cells to divide and protein formation. It also plays an active role in pollination and seed production.

Molybdenum (Mn) helps form proteins and aids the plant's ability to fix nitrogen from the air. A deficiency causes leaves to turn pale and fringes to appear scorched. Irregular leaf growth may also result.

These nutrients are mixed together to form a complete plant fertilizer. The mix contains all the nutrients in the proper ratios to give plants all they need for lush, rapid growth. The fertilizer is dissolved in water to make a nutrient solution. Water transports these soluble nutrients into contact with the plant roots. In the presence of oxygen and water, the nutrients are absorbed through the root hairs.

Problem-Solver, simply start at #1 below. When you think you've found the problem, read the Nutrients section to learn more about it. Diagnose carefully before making major changes.

1 If the problem affects only the bottom or middle of the plant go to #2. If it affects only the top of the plant or the growing tips, skip to #10. If the problem seems to affect the entire plant equally, skip to #6.

2 Leaves are a uniform yellow or light green; leaves die & drop; growth is slow. Leaf margins are not curled-up noticeably. Nitrogen (N) deficiency. If not, go to #3.

3 Margins of the leaves are turned up, and the tips may be twisted. Leaves are yellowing (and may turn brown), but the veins remain somewhat green. Magnesium (Mg) deficiency. If not, go to #4.

4 Leaves are browning or yellowing. Yellow, brown, or necrotic (dead) patches, especially around the edges of the leaf, which may be curled. Plant may be too tall. >> Potassium (K) deficiency. If not, keep reading…

5 Leaves are dark green or red/purple. Stems and petioles may have purple & red on them. Leaves may turn yellow or curl under. Leaf may drop easily. Growth may be slow and leaves may be small. >> Phosphorous (P) deficiency. If not, go to #6.

6 Tips of leaves are yellow, brown, or dead. Plant otherwise looks healthy & green. Stems may be soft >> Over-fertilization (especially N), over-watering, damaged roots, or insufficient soil aeration (use more sand or perlite. Occasionally due to not enough N, P, or K. If not, go to #7.

7 Leaves are curled under like a ram's horn, and are dark green, gray, brown, or gold. >> Over-fertilization (too much N). If not, go to #8…

8 The plant is wilted, even though the soil is moist. Over-fertilization, soggy soil, damaged roots, disease; copper deficiency (very unlikely). If not, go to #9.

9 Plants won't flower, even though they get 12 hours of darkness for over 2 weeks. >> The night period is not completely dark. Too much nitrogen. Too much pruning or cloning. If not, go to #10...

10 Leaves are yellow or white, but the veins are mostly green. >> Iron (Fe) deficiency. If not, #11.

11 Leaves are light green or yellow beginning at the base, while the leaf margins remain green. Necrotic spots may be between veins. Leaves are not twisted. >> Manganese (Mn) deficiency. If not, #12.

12 Leaves are twisted. Otherwise, pretty much like #11. >> Zinc (Zn) deficiency. If not, #13.

13 Leaves twist, then turn brown or die. >> The lights are too close to the plant. Rarely, a Calcium (Ca) or Boron (B) deficiency. If not… You may just have a weak plant.

Solutions to Nutrient Deficiencies

The Nutrients:

Nitrogen - Plants need lots of N during vegging, but it's easy to overdo it. Added too much? Flush the soil with plain water. Soluble nitrogen (especially nitrate) is the form that's the most quickly available to the roots, while insoluble N (like urea) first needs to be broken down by microbes in the soil before the roots can absorb it. Avoid excessive ammonium nitrogen, which can interfere with other nutrients. Too much N delays flowering. Plants should be allowed to become N-deficient late in flowering for best flavor. Magnesium - Mg-deficiency is pretty common since marijuana uses lots of it and many fertilizers don't have enough of it. Mg-deficiency is easily fixed with ¼ teaspoon/gallon of Epsom salts (first powdered and dissolved in some hot water) or foliar feed at ½ teaspoon/quart. When mixing up soil, use 2 teaspoon dolomite lime per gallon of soil for Mg. Mg can get locked-up by too much Ca, Cl or ammonium nitrogen. Don't overdo Mg or you'll lock up other nutrients. Potassium - Too much sodium (Na) displaces K, causing a K deficiency. Sources of high salinity are: baking soda (sodium bicarbonate "pH-up"), too much manure, and the use of water-softening filters (which should not be used). If the problem is Na, flush the soil. K can get locked up from too much Ca or ammonium nitrogen, and possibly cold weather. Phosphorous - Some deficiency during flowering is normal, but too much shouldn't be tolerated. Red petioles and stems are a normal, genetic characteristic for many varieties, plus it can also be a co-symptom of N, K, and Mg-deficiencies, so red stems are not a foolproof sign of P-deficiency. Too much P can lead to iron deficiency. Iron - Fe is unavailable to plants when the pH of the water or soil is too high. If deficient, lower the pH to about 6.5 (for rockwool, about 5.7), and check that you're not adding too much P, which can lock up Fe. Use iron that's chelated for maximum availability. Read your fertilizer's ingredients - chelated iron might read something like "iron EDTA". To much Fe without adding enough P can cause a P-deficiency. Manganese - Mn gets locked out when the pH is too high, and when there's too much iron. Use chelated Mn. Zinc - Also gets locked out due to high pH. Zn, Fe, and Mn deficiencies often occur together, and are usually from a high pH. Don't overdo the micro-nutrients- lower the pH if that's the problem so the nutrients become available. Foliar feed if the plant looks real bad. Use chelated zinc.

Check Your Water

Crusty faucets and shower heads mean your water is "hard," usually due to too many minerals. Tap water with a TDS (total dissolved solids) level of more than around 200ppm (parts per million) is "hard" and should be looked into, especially if your plants have a chronic problem. Ask your water company for an analysis listing, which will usually list the pH, TDS, and mineral levels (as well as the pollutants, carcinogens, etc) for the tap water in your area. This is a common request, especially in this day and age, so it shouldn't raise an eyebrow. Regular water filters will not reduce a high TDS level, but the costlier reverse-osmosis units, distillers, and de-ionizers will. A digital TDS meter (or EC = electrical conductivity meter) is an incredibly useful tool for monitoring the nutrient levels of nutrient solution, and will pay for itself before you know it. They run about $40 and up.

General Feeding Tips

Pot plants are very adaptable, but a general rule of thumb is to use more nitrogen & less phosphorous during the vegetative period, and the exact opposite during the flowering period. For the veg. period try a N:P:K ratio of about 10:7:8 (which of course is the same ratio as 20:14:16), and for flowering plants, 4:8:8. Check the pH after adding nutrients. If you use a reservoir, keep it circulating and change it every 2 weeks. A general guideline for TDS levels is as follows: seedlings = 50-150 ppm; unrooted clones = 100-350 ppm; small plants = 400-800 ppm; large plants = 900-1800 ppm; last week of flowering = taper off to plain water. These numbers are just a guideline, and many factors can change the actual level the plants will need. Certain nutrients are "invisible" to TDS meters, especially organics, so use TDS level only as an estimate of actual nutrient levels. When in doubt about a new fertilizer, follow the fertilizer's directions for feeding tomatoes. Grow a few tomato or radish plants nearby for comparison. PH - The pH of water after adding any nutrients should be around 5.9-6.5 (in rockwool, 5.5-6.1) . Generally speaking, the micro-nutrients (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu) get locked out at a high pH (alkaline) above 7. 0, while the major nutrients (N, P, K, Mg) can be less available in acidic soil or water (below 5.0). Tap water is often too alkaline. Soils with lots of peat or other organic matter in them tend to get too acidic, which some dolomite lime will help fix. Soil test kits vary in accuracy, and generally the more you pay the better the accuracy. For the water, color-based pH test kits from aquarium stores are inexpensive, but inaccurate. Invest in a digital pH meter ($40-80), preferably a waterproof one. You won't regret it.

Other Things…

Cold

Cold weather (below 50F/10C) can lock up phosphorous. Some varieties, like equatorial sativas, don't take well to cold weather. If you can keep the roots warmer, the plant will be able to take cooler temps than it otherwise could.

Heat

If the lights are too close to the plant, the tops may be curled, dry, and look burnt, mimicking a nutrient problem. Your hand should not feel hot after a minute when you hold it at the top of the plants. Raise the lights and/or aim a fan at the hot zone. Room temps should be kept under 85F (29C) -- or 90F (33) if you add additional CO2.

Humidity

Thin, shriveled leaves can be from low humidity. 40-80 % is usually fine.

Mold and fungus

Dark patchy areas on leaves and buds can be mold. Lower the humidity and increase the ventilation if mold is a problem. Remove any dead leaves, wherever they are. Keep your garden clean.

Insects

White spots on the tops of leaves can mean spider mites underneath.

Sprays

Foliar sprays can have a "magnifying glass" effect under bright lights, causing small white, yellow or burnt spots which can be confused with a nutrient problem. Some sprays can also cause chemical reactions.

Insufficient light

Tall, stretching plants are usually from using the wrong kind of light.. Don't use regular incandescent bulbs ("grow bulbs") or halogens to grow cannabis. Invest in fluorescent lighting (good) or HID lighting (much better) which supply the high-intensity light that cannabis needs for good growth and tight buds. Even better, grow in sunlight.

Clones

yellowing leaves on unrooted clones can be from too much light, or the stem may not be firmly touching the rooting medium. Turn off any CO2 until they root. Too much fertilizer can shrivel or wilt clones - plain tap water is fine.

Lighting principles

Energy Efficient Lighting

The quantity and quality of LIGHT around us determine how well we see and work. Light affects our health, safety, morale, comfort, and productivity.Lighting also directly affects our economy. In general, We spend about one-third of our (electricity) budget on lighting. Technologies developed during the past 10 years can help us cut lighting costs 30% to 60% while enhancing lighting quality and reducing environmental impacts.
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Lighting Principles and Terms

Illumination

A lumen is a measurement of light output from a lamp, often called a tube or a bulb. All lamps are rated in lumens. For example, a 100-watt incandescent lamp produces about 1750 lumens. It is printed on the lamp. The distribution of light on a horizontal surface is called its illumination. Illumination is measured in footcandles or lux. A footcandle of illumination is a lumen of light distributed over a 1-square-foot (0.09-square-meter) area. A lux of illumination is a lumen of light distributed over 1-square-meter area. The amount of illumination required varies according to the difficulty of a visual task. The Illuminating Engineering Society says that illumination of 30 to 50 footcandles is adequate for most home and office work. Difficult and lengthy visual tasks.like sewing for extended periods of time.require 200 to 500 footcandles. Where no seeing tasks (i.e., tasks whose speed and accuracy of completion are affected by quality and quantity of light) are performed, lighting systems need to provide only security, safety, or visual comfort.requiring from 5 to 20 footcandles of illumination. Another lighting term you will hear is efficacy. This is the ratio of light output from a lamp to the electric power it consumes and is measured in lumens per watt. It indicates the efficiency of the light.

Light Quality

Light quality describes how well people in a lighted space can see to do visual tasks and how visually comfortable they feel in that space. Light quality is important to energy efficiency because spaces with higher quality lighting need less illumination. High-quality lighting is fairly uniform in brightness and has no glare. For example, direct intense sunlight streaming through the windows of a room with chocolate brown carpets and dark wall paneling will likely give too much contrast in brightness. On the other hand, in a pale-colored room bathed in soft light, you can hardly tell where the light is coming from because no one area of the room appears much brighter than another. The walls, ceiling, floor, and work surfaces are relatively the same light hue.

Glare

Eliminating glare (i.e., excessive brightness from a direct light source) is essential to achieving good lighting quality. Suitable shades, fittings shall be used.

Light Color and Color Rendering

Lamps are assigned a color temperature (according to the Kelvin temperature scale) based on their "coolness" or "warmness." The human eye perceives colors as cool if they are at the blue-green end of the color spectrum, and warm if they are at the red end of the spectrum.Cool light is preferred for visual tasks because it produces higher contrast than warm light. Contrast is the brightness difference between different parts of the visual field, which is the expanse of space you can see at a given instant without moving your eyes. Warm light is preferred for living spaces because it is more flattering to skin tones and clothing (especially in cold countries- and not in southern states of India).Keep in mind, though, that artificial light sources vary widely in their color rendering indexes (CRI). The CRI is a measurement of a light source's ability to render colors the same as sunlight does. For example, incandescent lamps are rated at a CRI of 100.nearly equal to sunlight.while some high-pressure sodium lamps have a CRI of 22, which means they render colors very poorly.

Types of Lighting

There are four basic types of lighting: incandescent, fluorescent, high-intensity discharge, and low-pressure sodium.

Incandescent ( in general our bulbs)

Incandescent lamps are the least expensive to buy but the most expensive to operate. Incandescent light is produced by a tiny coil of tungsten filament that glows when it is heated by an electrical current. Incandescent lamps have the shortest lives ( 500-1000 operating hours) of the common lighting types. They are also relatively inefficient compared with other lighting types.

Tungsten halogen

This newer type of incandescent lighting achieves better energy efficiency than the standard A-type bulb. It has a gas filling and an inner coating that reflect heat. Together, the filling and coating recycle heat to keep the filament hot with less electricity. These lamps are considerably more expensive than standard incandescents and are primarily used in commercial applications: theater, store, and outdoor lighting systems.

Reflector lamps

Reflector lamps (Type R) are designed to spread light over specific areas. They are used mainly indoors for stage/theater and store applications, as well as floodlighting, spotlighting, and downlighting.

Fluorescent ( common Tube lights and CFL)

The light produced by a fluorescent tube is caused by an electric current conducted through mercury and inert gases. Fluorescent lighting is used mainly indoors and is about 3 to 4 times as efficient as incandescent lighting. Fluorescent lamps last about 10 times longer than incandescents. But, to gain the most efficiency, you should install fluorescents in places where they will be on for several hours at a time.Fluorescent lights need ballasts (i.e., devices that control the electricity used by the unit) for starting and circuit protection. Ballasts consume energy. You can increase the energy savings for existing fluorescent lighting by relamping (e.g., replacing an existing lamp with one of a lower wattage), replacing ballasts, and replacing fixtures with more efficient models.

Tube fluorescent

The two most common types are 40-watt, 4-foot (1.2-meter) lamps and 75-watt, 8-foot (2. 4-meter) lamps. Tubular fluorescent fixtures and lamps are preferred for ambient lighting in large indoor areas because their low brightness creates less direct glare than do incandescent bulbs.

Compact fluorescent

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are the most significant lighting advance developed for homes in recent years. They combine the efficiency of fluorescent lighting with the convenience and popularity of incandescent fixtures. CFLs can replace incandescents that are roughly 3 to 4 times their wattage, saving up to 75% of the initial lighting energy. Although CFLs cost from 10 to 20 times more than comparable incandescent bulbs, they last 10 to 15 times as long. This energy savings and superior longevity make CFLs are one of the best energy efficiency investments available.

High-Intensity Discharge

High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps provide the highest efficacy and longest service life of any lighting type. They are commonly used for outdoor lighting and in large indoor arenas. HID lamps use an electric arc to produce intense light. They also require ballasts, and they take a few seconds to produce light when first turned on because the ballast needs time to establish the electric arc. The three most common types of HID lamps are mercury vapor, metal halide, and high-pressure sodium. HID lamps and fixtures can save 75% to 90% of lighting energy when they replace incandescent lamps and fixtures. Significant energy savings are also possible by replacing old mercury vapor lamps with newer metal halide or high-pressure sodium lamps. Mercury vapor.the oldest type of HID lighting.is used primarily for street lighting. Mercury vapor lamps provide about 50 lumens per watt. They cast a very cool blue/green white light. Most indoor mercury vapor lighting in arenas and gymnasiums has been replaced by metal halide lighting, which has better color rendering and efficiency. Metal halide lamps are similar in construction and appearance to mercury vapor lamps. The addition of metal halide gases to mercury gas within the lamp results in higher light output, more lumens per watt, and better color rendition than from mercury gas alone. Metal halide lamps are used to light large indoor areas such as gymnasiums and sports arenas, and for outdoor areas such as car lots or anywhere that color rendition is important. High-pressure sodium lighting is becoming the most common type of outdoor lighting. It provides 90 to 150 lumens per watt.an efficiency exceeded only by low-pressure sodium lighting. High-pressure sodium lamps are also reliable and have long service lives. Their color is a warm white, and their color rendition ranges from poor to fairly good depending on design and intended use.

Low-Pressure Sodium

Low-pressure sodium lamps work somewhat like fluorescent lamps. They are the most efficient artificial lighting, have the longest service life, and maintain their light output better than any other lamp type. Low-pressure sodium lighting is used where color is not important because it renders all colors as tones of yellow or gray. Typical applications include highway and security lighting.

Energy Efficiency with Lighting

In a typical residential or commercial lighting installation, 50% or more of the energy is wasted by obsolete equipment, inadequate maintenance, or inefficient use. Saving lighting energy requires either reducing electricity consumed by the light source or reducing the length of time the light source is on.

"Relamping" means substituting one lamp for another to save energy. You can decide to make illumination higher or lower when relamping. But be sure that the new lamp's lumen output fits the tasks performed in the space and conforms to the fixture's specifications.

Relamping incandescent fixtures

Example, for energy savings of 60% to 75%, many incandescent lamps can be replaced by CFLs. In general , a 60 W bulb can be replaced with 11 W CFL. In selecting CFL: Take from an accepted dealer or shop, commonly known make in India, integral Ballast (choke) is better, if pin type, select 4 pin type. BIS mark in choke is a mark of approval for the choke. Electronic ballast consumes 2-4 W while electro-magnetic choke takes 6-10 W. If electronic ballast , check the symbol (H) which indicates low harmonic distortion.

Relamping fluorescent fixtures

Common 40-watt and 75-watt lamps can be replaced with energy-saving lamps of 34 watts and 60 watts, respectively. Energy-saving lamps for less-common fluorescent fixtures are (26 W retrofit) also available. If you need to replace the ballasts in your fluorescent fixtures, consider using one of the improved varieties. The new electromagnetic ballasts reduce ballast losses, fixture temperature, and system wattage. Because they operate at cooler temperatures, they last longer than standard electromagnetic ballasts. Electronic ballasts operate at a very high frequency that eliminates flickering and noise. They are even more efficient than improved electromagnetic ballasts. Some electronic ballasts even allow you to operate the fluorescent lamp on a dimmer switch, which usually is not recommended with most fluorescents. Check the symbol (H) which indicates low harmonic distortion

Improving Lighting Controls

Lighting controls are devices for turning lights on and off or for dimming them. The simplest type is a standard snap switch. Other controls are photocells, timers, occupancy sensors, and dimmers.

· Snap switches, located in numerous convenient areas, make it easier for people in large, shared spaces to turn off lights in unused areas.
· Photocells turn lights on and off in response to natural light levels. Photo-cells switch outdoor lights on at dusk and off at dawn, for example. Advanced designs gradually raise and lower fluorescent light levels with changing daylight levels.
· Mechanical or electronic time clocks automatically turn on and off indoor or outdoor lights for security, safety, and tasks such as janitorial work.
· Crank timers, which are spring-driven and similar to old oven timers, limit lights to short durations where the need for light is brief.
· Occupancy sensors activate lights when a person is in the area and then turn off the lights after the person has left. They are popular for areas used infrequently, such as warehouses. They also offer security advantages over continuous lighting: when lights suddenly come on, they startle intruders and alert residents and neighbors to motion in the area.
· Dimmers reduce the wattage and output of incandescent and fluorescent lamps. Dimmers also increase the service life of incandescent lamps significantly. However, dimming incandescent lamps reduces their lumen output more than their wattage. This makes incandescent lamps less efficient as they are dimmed. Dimming fluorescents requires special dimming ballasts and lamp holders, but does not reduce their efficiency.

Daylighting

Daylighting means using daylight for indoor lighting. Modern buildings designed for daylighting typically use 40% to 60% less electricity for lighting needs than do conventional buildings. Sunlight and daylight are free and readily accessible.( During a sunny day at noon, light levels at different places- open lawn- 30000 lux or above, a class room with windows open - 400 lux, with windows closed- 160 lux. With 4 tube lights ON in the night-100 lux.

POLLUTION from Fluorescent Lamps

All fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury, and short-lived radioactive material. Because of these hazardous materials, you should not dump burned-out lamps into the yard. Mercury, antimony, chromium, lead all will ooze out into the drinking water-well,river,pond etc. which is dangerous. Dispose of them with other household hazardous wastes such as batteries, solvents, and paints at your community's designated drop-off point for proper disposal by the panchayat or corporation Light from fluorescent lamps without proper radiation shield contain a very small % of UV rays harm full to eyes. Do not use Tubes/CFL without proper shields.

Lighting Maintenance

Maintenance is vital to lighting efficiency. Light levels decrease over time because of aging lamps and dirt on fixtures, lamps, and room surfaces. Together, these factors can reduce total illumination by 50% or more, while lights continue drawing full power. The following basic maintenance suggestions can help prevent this.

· Clean fixtures, lamps, and lenses every 6 to 24 months by wiping off the dust. However, never clean an incandescent bulb while it is turned on. The water's cooling effect will shatter the hot bulb.
· Replace lenses if they appear yellow.
· Clean or repaint small rooms every year and larger rooms every 2 to 3 years. Dirt collects on surfaces, which reduces the amount of light they reflect.
· Consider group relamping. Common lamps, especially incandescent and fluorescent lamps, lose 20% to 30% of their light output over their service life. Many lighting experts recommend replacing all the lamps in a lighting system at once. This saves labor, keeps illumination high, and avoids stressing any ballasts with dying lamps.

How to grow

How to grow marijuana

by Dr. Clone

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This is one method of growing marijuana indoors. It is based on growing with soil using metal halide lighting. You would probably get the same results using the same wattage of high pressure sodium lights. So you've decided to grow pot, but you don't have the money to buy several 1,000 watt halide lamps, and, unless you steal power (not a good idea, legal wise) four 1,000 watt halides will cost $256 every two months in British Columbia. That's a bit unwise, if your previous electric bill from BC Hydro (ponic) was $50 for two months. Then there is the large problem of massive amounts of heat, humidity and smell. And you might be concerned with all this equipment and activity and its association with a legal problem described as manufacturing or cultivating with the intent to distribute or some such charge. A simple way to solve this dilemma is to use one or two 400 watt halides. Some growers will tell you that this is way too little or you won't get anything worth while out of that wattage. I say hogwash to them. A 400 watt bulb will not give as much light as a 1,000 watt set-up, but the bulbs are cooler, last 2 to 3 times longer, and the spectrum is the same as 1,000 watt. You can flower six large plants (about 2' tall at the start of the 12/12 cycle), but the 2' tall plant will not flower as profusely as a one foot tall plant, nor will all of the light reach the back of the plant. So all in all, stick with a height of ONE FOOT high. This will allow you to flower 12 plants per 400 watt bulb. Place SIX plants ON tomato juice cans, coffee cans, etc., in a circle around the bulb, about one foot away from the bulb. There will be large spaces below for the other six to sit in. Each plant will yield around half to three quarters of an ounce of buds. If you have an exceptional variety (Big Bud, for example), seven or eight ounces per bulb can be grown, but you should be able to harvest 3 to 4 ounces (minimum) every 60 days (plus or minus one week, depending on variety). Let's start with your house. If your landlord lives upstairs, don't do it! If the landlord visits unannounced, don't do it. A bedroom with a closet works best. The closet should be a minimum 50 inches wide for 4-foot fluorescent fixtures. This will be your vegetative CLONE room. Keep this room open while the metal halide(s) are on. With a 400 watt system, you will not need to rewire unless you live in an old house with fuses. Your Grow Room White plastic is to be used in both the closet and a corner of your grow room. Since you want to contain as much light from the halide(s), it will be necessary to put a corner post where two walls (do not now exist) will meet. Put plants on an old table. In your veg/clone closet, hang one fixture above the upper shelf (one foot) and suspend the other fixture from clothes rod (make it adjustable -with chain).

Soil & Pots

I prefer one gallon nursery pots. For a good soil less mix, I use 50% peat, 50% perlite. To the dry mix add one tablespoon of fine dolomite lime and three tablespoons of bat guano per gallon (OF WHAT?). Mix well. Use a dust mask. Add water. Next, get a book like Marijuana Growers Handbook by Ed Rosenthal, as you need a reference book, no matter what. See the list of books at the bottom of this page and decide which is best for your needs.

Seeds vs. Clones

No question about it. Clones are best. If you start from seeds, it will be 5 - 6 months before you harvest. If you obtain clones, three months at most. If you have started your plants via seeds, keep them under fluorescent light until 6 to 8 inches tall. Transplant and put in the bulb area, two feet from bulb. In four to five weeks these plants will be anywhere from 10 - 36 tall, depending on variety and sex. At this point, take two clones off of each plant (long, lower branches are best.) To determine the sex of the plants, place a black, air-permeable piece of paper over one shoot of each plant. Within 7 days they will manifest sex characteristics on those shoots. Male plants (see your Handbook for pictures) -out! Or put all clones at this point in a closet with lights on a 12 hour on-12 hours off cycle. 8 - 14 days later, your clones will have male or female characteristics. Unless you want seedy pot (or seeds), kill all male plants. Put closet timer at 18 hours on/6 off as soon as sex identification is made. If you can, take two more clones off of each female and put in closet. Turn bulb timer to a 12/12 cycle and wait for your buds to start flowering. But, if you get clones from female plants, you won't have to do this. Just transplant immediately and put under bulb at 18/6 for one month. Take two clones from each plant and now turn closet lights to 18/6 and turn open area bulb to 12/12 (these plants will mature faster too). You won't need a fan in the closet. You will need an oscillating fan in the halide bulb grow area, blowing at the bulb. Also, a fan in the doorway will force hot air out of the grow area (an ugly box fan works fine).

Watering

Pot prefers a dry medium. Always. Don't keep plants saturated. Empty trays after watering, to keep humidity low. Low humidity will promote shorter, bushier plants. Water temperature should be about 70 degrees F. Never use hot tap water. It will kill your plants. Fill your pail with water & heat some on the stove to bring temperature up. PH factor will not be a problem if you have used fine dolomite lime. Fertilizer should be applied at half strength of what is recommended on jar or container, ONLY every third watering.

When To Harvest

The question of when to harvest tenderly cared-for plants is a question that puzzles many new growers. Most farmers' goal is to pluck the fruit at the exact moment when the potency of the bud is at is peak. Realistically, the skills needed to detect the specific day (or even hour) when a plant is at its peak can only be acquired through years of experience. However, even the novice grower should be able detect the window of time during which the harvest results in premier crop of outstanding bud. 0) Maturity and THC Although some growers are interested in fiber content, most people consider the plant to be mature when the percentage of THC found in the plant reaches its maximum. It is not practical for the average grower to actually measure THC in a plant, as the chemistry is somewhat complex. In a growing plant, each successive pair of leaves contains more THC than the previous pair. The budding tips of the plant contain the most THC of all. Both male and female plants contain THC. In fact, some research has shown that in the early stages of growth the males actually contain more THC than the females. From The Marijuana Growers Guide. Even conniseurs believe it is worth cutting and sampling shoots before the THC has reached its maximum. Clarke suggests that the best test for pot is to roll joints of several different strains, invite all your friends over, and see which pile of joints disappears first (Marijuana Botany, p. 94)

1) Plant Size

The size of the plant has little to do with its maturity. Outdoors, a plant might reach a height of over eight feet (2.5m) and still not be ready for harvest. Indoors, mature, budding plants can be under 18 (.5m) high.

2) Photoperiod

The Key to Maturation The chronological age of the plant has little to do with its maturity. How quickly a plant matures is mostly dependent on the amount of light the plant receives each day (photoperiod). Typically, a plant will transition from the growing (vegetative) stage to the budding stage when the light per day drops below 12 hours. This is not to say that a 3-week-old seedling will begin to bloom when the light is cut. As a general rule, a plant must be a minimum of 60 days old before it is mature enough to respond appropriately to decreased light. For indoor growers, the decision on when to cut the photoperiod depends on available growing space, as well as the need to harvest weed. Some growers report that clones (cuttings) can be forced to bloom prior to 60 days old, perhaps since the cutting itself is somewhat mature at the time it is rooted.

3) Male Versus Female Almost always, male flowers will show prior to female buds. Thus, once the males in the garden are detected, you can be sure that the female budding process will start soon - usually within 1-2 weeks.

4) Different Varieties Many gardeners report that certain cannabis varieties take longer to mature than others. In particular, the narrow-leafed Sativas are said to take significantly longer to initiate and complete budding, as compared to the wide-leafed Indicas. Under some conditions, Sativas will require an additional month or more to mature after the Indicas have been harvested.

5) Time of Year Obviously, indoor growers cannot use the seasons as a guide to harvesting (though a cold winter-time grow room can significantly retard the growth of the plants). Outdoor growers on the other hand can use the seasons as a predictor of the ideal harvest time. In the Fall, once the length of day drops below 12 hours, the count-down to harvest will be begin. Weather conditions will affect the exact harvest day from year to year, but generally you can expect to harvest within the same two-week window each year. If you can avoid it, don't harvest during or immediately after a rainy spell.

6) Monitoring Buds The best way to tell if the plant is ready is to examine the bud. In the paragraphs below, the terms pistal and stigma refer to the white hairs in the center of the female bud. The term calyx refers to the pod that would surround the seed (were the plant to be fertilized). Many growers elect to pick each bud individually, as it reaches it prime. Buds are at their peak potency about one week after flower formation slows...Harvest the plants when about half the stigmas in the buds have withered... When the plants are left in the ground, the resinous qualities of the plant may become more apparent. The bracts and tiny leaves may swell in size...The resin content of these buds may be higher, [but] the grass will smoke more harshly than if the buds were younger when picked. From The Marijuana Growers Guide. In the primordial calyxes the pistils have turned brown; however, all but the oldest of the flowers are fertile and the floral clusters are white...Many cultivators prefer to pick some of their strains during this stage in order to produce marijuana with a clear cerebral, psychoactive effect. From Marijuana Botany. Eventually the pistils start to turn color from pale white to red or brown...When the glands have swelled and the pistil has receded into the false pod, the bud is ready to pick. From Closet Cultivator At the peak of florescence, all but the oldest of flowers have white pistil development...Another indicator is bouquet. When a plant is at the peak of florescence, it has a sweet and musky fragrance. Later, it loses the sweetness. From Sinsemilla Technique The best way to harvest is to examine the resin glands on each bud. As they turn from clear to amber, that is the optimum time to pick. Buds usually mature from the top down, if grown under artificial light, and you will end up with more high-quality pot if you pick each bud when ready. However, the plant will not just continue to produces buds at the same rate. Like any other plant, the flowering cycle lasts a specific period of time. If you wanted a further harvest of buds, the plant would need a second cycle of vegetative growth. This can be achieved indoors by simply turning the lights back up to a 24 hour cycle for a few weeks. Outdoors though, you are dependent on the seasons. Frost and long nights will usually kill the plant. Of course, such a strategy is only viable if growing a few plants. If your operation runs on an industrial scale, just drive the combine harvester through the field.

Growing tips II

I recently saw a *very small* indoor garden that used 4 common shop lights.
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The gardener was using two 12" x 4' shelves attached to adjacent basement walls. They were remarkably discreet and almost entirely above eye level. Above both shelves he had suspended a pair of 4' shop lights, which ran parallel to the shelf, right next to each other. In these lights he used both regular ol' 40W fluorescent tubes and the more expensive "grow lights". The decision of which to choose was solely an economic one. Fluorescent tubes can be found for a buck or two while the purple grow tubes can be rather pricey. The wall and ceiling above the shelves were covered with heavy duty aluminum foil. Also hanging above the shelves, right above the edge, were several homemade blinds. These "blinds" were simply a black sheet of vinyl and a white sheet of vinyl which were attached a 4' piece of wood. The wooden strip had then been fastened to the ceiling. The white vinyl hung to the inside and was able to reflect light back onto the plants while the black vinyl hung to the outside, making the whole set-up practically invisible. When he needs to water, etc. the vinyl is rolled up by hand and tied with a short piece of cord. And it can be held in its unrolled position rather nicely by a few strips of velcro. The ends of the shelves used a different homemade set-up. Using more vinyl shades would have suffocated the plants. Instead, he cut a piece of cardboard to fit the opening and into the top portion of this cardboard he cut a hole. The inside of the cardboard was covered with aluminun foil and the outside was painted black. Velcro was attached to the cardboard, the shelf and the ceiling so that this panel could be easily attached and removed.

Next, he hung two small fans from the ceiling. (the clip fans cost him $6.00 and were his most expensive purchase) One fan hung on the outside of his little grow house and one on the inside. One fan blew fresh air into the house and the other blew air out. On one of these shelves the lights were kept on 24 hours each day. Here he germinated and grew his herbs to the budding point. The other shelf was magical! The lights were cut back and his crop was allowed to reach maturation. It was so simple! It was so beautiful! It was so small! It was so inexpensive! A setup like this could work almost anywhere. Stop participating in organized crime. Grow it yourself!

I've tried to start cannabis seeds several times, using the suggestions offered in alt.drugs (germinate between wet paper towels, keep them warm, etc.). I've gotten about 5 or 6 seeds to the point where the shell of the seed opens and a small white shoot pushes out of the crack. But the seeds seem to dies upon transplanting to soil. Is it probably just a bad batch of seeds (all of Seed germination, be it with cannabis seeds or any kind of seeds, is a delicate art. The warm paper towels system works well, but I'd keep them in paper towels until you have a bit more sprout than just a small white shoot. I would wait until the shoot is a little more than 1/4" long. When you transplant them into potting soil, use commercial potting soil that has been well dampened before hand. Mixing a bit of peat moss into the damp soil might be helpful. Pot your seeds close to the surface -- I usually lay the seeds on top of an almost full pot, press the shoots *lightly* into the soil, and then just sprinkle some more potting soil on top. Then water; all the soil should be kept damp, but not wet, at all times. Something I've found helps seeds in the trnasition from paper towels to soil is to cover the pot with plastic wrap and put it in a sunny window. Poke a few pinholes in the wrap so that air can get in, and check it daily. Keep the soil damp -- this is crucial. Cannabis in particular *loves* water. Don't drown it, and if it starts molding leave the plastic off the pot for a bit, but keep it damp and warm and moist. Once your shoots start up to where they're pressing against the wrap, you can leave the wrap off. But again, keep the soil wet -- even one day dried out can kill all the shoots.Hope all this helps; I've only grown pot once, but I'm a chronic gardener, and much of the same rules apply.

Plants (and marijuana in particular) respond to different wavelengths of light differently. The optimum wavelengths for chlorophyll production and photosynthesis occur in the red and blue ranges, so any light in the middle of the visible spectrum is good for vegetative growth. In short, ordinary fluorescent lights work great; most incandescents are crappy because they put out too much infared (wastes energy, produces heat) and not enough blue. It has been suggested that THC is produced as a defense against short wavelength ultraviolet light (UV-short). This would explain any truth to the rumor that the best ganga is grown at high altitudes. As far as I know, no studies have been done. Other botanists speculate that THC is merely an insect repellant. Even so, the photochemical potential of UV-short cannot be ignored. [This is presumably for 3000 K incandesents. Higher temperatures would produce this same black-body radiation spectrum shifted to the left. Of course, you would then need UV protection. There are fluorescents available that simulate *only the visible portion* of 6000-7000 K black bodies. Why anybody would use incandescent light for growing when these efficient fluorescents are available is beyond me. Mercury and metal halide lamp spectrums are concentrated in a few "spikes" distributed through the visible spectrum. They would probably work fine for photosynthesis. The low-pressure sodium is pretty much a single spike in the yellow; high pressure sodium has spikes from green to red (not much blue). No regular lights put out significant UV-short, otherwise they would cause skin cancer. UV-short lights are designed into special box-type devices (such as EPROM erasers) for safety. If you do elect to experiment with UV-short, do not allow any humans or animals in the room when the light is on. Please post the results of any such experiment to alt.drugs. Inquiring minds want to know.

The planet earth has just passed the equinox which means the days are now becoming shorter and the nights longer. A very important time in the lives of happy growers. The plants life-cycle undergoes major changes as the grower watches with patient anticipation. This is a short but concise account of the critical time for the harvesting muller. What to look for, when to pick, and how to prepare the buds; so they look great, smell delicious and smoke you into fantasy land!!!

The cannabis plant regulates it's growth and flowering stages by measuring changes in the number of hours of uninterrupted darkness to determine when to flower. The plant produces a hormone (phytochrome) beginning at germination. When this chemical builds up to a critical level, the plant changes it's mode from vegetative growth to flowering. Male plants flower before the female. The male plants should be removed to stop any fertilisation occuring. A grower wants sinsemilla buds. An unfertilised plant will continue to produce new flowers. The buds get thick with the unfertilised flowers over a period of several weeks. The flowering patterns begin to change, the stigmas begin to wither and change colour.

Next the ovaries begin to swell, however it's only a false pregnancy. Here the glands begin filling up with canniboids. Usually the heads will seem as though they will burst, showing the last stage of flowering. As soon as the heads show any amber shade they should be harvested, otherwise the THC will begin to degrade into two other canniboids (CBL & CBN). THC is the ingredient which is PSYCHOACTIVE!!!

The other two are it's precursors, which often leave the smoker feeling disoriented, sleepy, drugged, and/or confused. The goal is to allow the plants to reach their full potential, that is to obtain the highest amount of mind blowing substance possible!!! When a bud is picked, many of it's metabolic processes continue for a while. The cell begins to convert carbohydrates back to sugars and break down some of the pigments. Chlorophyll is one of the pigments affected. Buds will appear a lighter green than when first picked. Some of the other pigments break down to give the bud a red-purple or cream colour. The crop needs to be dried slowly so that moisture remains in the cells to continue the life processes. Since all of the vegitation is contributing moisture to the air, ventilation is essential to prevent mould forming. While the plants are drying, the large leaves can be removed. It is harder and takes longer to manicure when the plants are wet. To manicure the budding area, large sun leaves present are removed. The buds should now appear almost naked, except for some single fingered leaves sticking out from between the flowers. To enhance appearance these leaves can be clipped to the circumference of the flower. Sun leaves are unsuitable for smoking, however they are useful for cooking, brewing or extracting the THC to make HASH or HASH OIL.

IT IS A VIOLATION OF THE CURRENT LAW TO CULTIVATE MARIJUANA IN AUSTRALIA!

Marijuana prohibition was initiated because of the people who smoke it. The laws continue in effect today for those same reasons. Politicians do not like people who think for themselves, are independant and who recognise bullshit. They would prefer for each citizen to become a subject; a ward of the state, who is dependant on the government for making his/her life decisions. Gunja tends to let us develop different set perceptions, to see the world a little differently, to change not only what we think, but how we think. This is what scares the regulators. Go forth and multiply Have a MARY season Raj - Profound Member

I have an eight inch plant that was growing like a weed until a few days ago. It was started in regular soil from my yard in a two-cup tupperware bowl and the entire thing was transplanted a week ago into an 8in potter filled with potting soil mixed with perlite. I am using a 150 watt grow bulb about two feet from the top of the plant on an 18 hour cycle. It is in a ventilated, 72 degree room and is watered daily. Also, when I made the transplant, I sprinkled some scotts herb and flower fertilizer (18-11-12) around on top of the soil.

Question: Why is it dying??
Any help would be appreciated. It appears to have about 2 days left.

There are a few things that may be wrong:

1) If the leaves are turning brown or wilting you may be over fertilizing it.
Solution: Flush the soil of the fertilizer salts with clean water.

2) You may be over watering. The plant's roots need oxygen.
Solution: Don't water as often. It's O.K. for the soil to dry out a little, just don't let it get too dry.

3) It may not be dying. It may be in shock from the transplanting.
Solution: None that I know. All you can do is wait.

4) The change in the light spectum from natural sun to artifical light can damage a plant (not getting the spectrum it needs or the spectrum it is used to).
Solution: Get a different light, or put it back outside.

5) The soil may have a nutrient difficiency other than what is in the fertilizer you are using. (You will have to describe what the plant looks like for a diagnosis.)

6) If the light is on 18 hrs, you want to use a vegetive fertilizer instead of a flower ferilizer. Or, turn down the light cycle to 12/12 (light/dark) to force flowering (if this is what you want). I do not think this would kill it, but I could be wrong.

I hope this helps.

Hydroponic principles II

Why does Hydroponics produce such fantastic results?

By giving a plant the exact nutrients it needs we accomplish several things:
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#1 We give it a perfect diet. In nature this is next to impossible, so when this actually happens, plants GROW & GROW & GROW.
#2 When we GIVE the plant it's food it doesn't have to go out looking for it. HUH?.....Yes, plants actually expend energy looking for food by growing huge root systems. If the plant doesn't have to waste energy looking for food, it puts all of it's effort into the parts above ground. The results are rapid, large healthy growth and massive fruit and flower production.
#3 By necessity, Hydroponic systems are automated. This removes the negative human influence from plant cultivation. Specifically, forgetting to water, or watering too much.

How do I grow my plants hydroponically?

Fortunately, many methods of Hydroponic growing have been invented throughout the years - from painfully simple to slightly complex. All you need to do is select the system that meets your needs and build it. As luck would have it, all of the systems that have been invented use very basic items assembled into very basic mechanisms. There is practically no method you cannot construct at home with no more than simple hand tools and commonly available parts.

Nutrients

All plants, weather grown hydroponically or in soil, need 16 basic elements to grow. Most of us are familiar with the top three that are consumed by plants. These elements are called the Macro-Elements and they are Nitrogen Phosphorous and Potassium, they are abbreviated N P K. You probably have seen these letters on bags of common fertilizer. The other 13 elements are grouped together as the Micro-Elements. Most people are not familiar with these elements because we have always counted on them being present in the soil, which works for the most part.

Preformulated Nutrients:

This is really the best option for the hobby to small farm Hydroponic grower. You can be assured that all of the necessary nutrients are present and available to the plants. All you have to do is mix a predetermined amount of concentrate with water and add it to your system. If you want to be successful as a first time Hydroponic grower, use a ready made nutrient specifically for hydroponics. Preformulated Nutrients come in the forms of 1-part powders, 2-part powders, 1-part liquids, 2-part liquids, & 3-part liquids. I have found that nutrients are pretty much nutrients, with the exception of the General Hydroponics 3-part flora series. This one nutrient system really stands out above the rest, it gives the best results by far. You can customize the mix for specific crops and different phases of the crop (i.e. one mix for vegetative growth and another for flowering/fruiting phases of growth).

Formulating your own:

Once you have some experience with hydroponics and you are producing large crops of a specific plant, you may want to look into formulating your own nutrients. Since all plants do not consume the same amounts of nutrients (individual elements) you can possibly save yourself some money by making very specific formulas for your crop. This involves a good amount of chemistry knowledge, some lab equipment and each of the 16 individual elemental nutrients. Many crop specific formulas exist from others' research, all you have to do is find the right recipe and mix it up. Over time you will probably adjust this formula to match your growing conditions and crop more closely. Mixing your own is best left to the more experienced who are producing large amounts of one crop (i.e. 1/4 acre on up).

Miracle Grow:

Many people insist on tying to use miracle grow plant food as a Hydroponic nutrient. It is true that this is great stuff for soil, I personally use it on my flowers and man do they freak out. Let me stress though, this stuff is not a complete nutrient for hydroponics. It does contain some micro elements, but not all. Your plants will start out fine using this, but eventually they will suffer from deficiencies. In the long run it is not worth the cost savings over a real Hydroponic nutrient. The analogy would be something like buying a brand new corvette and then having the cheapest tires put on it and filling up with the cheapest Circle K gasoline. You will not even come close to getting the performance that is possible.

Nutrient Additives

There are quite a few Hydroponic additives on the market. They mainly consist of combinations of kelp extracts, bone meal and blood meal. They are commonly sold as "Organic" boosters just to hook the "green" crowd. They are supposed to supply enzymes, hormones, vitamins, amino acids, sugars, and plant acids that can't be supplied by Hydroponic nutrients. I believe that there are some merits to using these additives, but many of the claims made by these products are UNFOUNDED and UNTRUE. I have tried the "Earth Juice Catalyst" and I THINK that I saw a performance increase, but nothing major. In the future I will perform an experiment with a control group of plants to see how this stuff really performs. One additive that falls in it's own class is the "DynaGRO PRO-TEEKT". It is a potassium and silicon supplement that is supposed to help increase resistance to pathogens, increase resistance to heat stress and build stem strength. I have yet to try this product.

pH

pH is simply the measure of the acid content of a solution. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14, 1 being very acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is very basic. pH affects the ability of a plant's roots to absorb nutrients. The range in which nutrient absorption is best is from 5.8 to 6.5. It is very important to maintain this range. Measuring pH: You can measure pH either chemically or electronically. Chemical test kits cost about $8 to $18, they are accurate but you have to replace them periodically because the chemicals are consumed. Electronic methods typically are packaged as a pen that you simply dip into the solution and the pH is read out on a digital LCD display. pH pens cost about $65 to $100, they are fairly accurate and must be calibrated periodically. The benefit is ease of use and they don't wear out - a wise investment. Adjusting pH: To lower pH add acid. The best acids to use are phosphoric, nitric, and sulfuric acid, these acids disassociate and free up phosphorous, nitrogen an sulfur respectively. Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Sulfur are all elements that plants need for growth. I have heard of people using Distilled Vinegar for pH adjustment, this seems a bit sketchy to me but I suppose it would word in a pinch. To raise pH add a base. The bases used in hydroponics are Potassium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide. These disassociate and provide Potassium and Sodium, respectively. Another pH up "elixir" that I have heard of is baking soda - personally I think this is a bad idea. TIP! When adding acid or base to adjust your nutrient solution, add small amounts at a time and wait about 1/2 hour to take a measurement. The closer your pH is to 7, the less acid or base it takes to effect change. This change takes place exponentially, for example: it can take two milliliters of acid move the pH of 25 gallons of nutrient from 7 to 6. From 6 to 5 it can take 8 milliliters, from 5 to 4 it can take 500 milliliters. BE CAREFUL and make changes slowly. Making your own pH adjusting solutions: One quart of acid or base from General Hydroponics retails for about $7.00. This is the biggest rip off in the Hydroponic business! It takes about $10.00 of concentrated acid or base to make 2000 gallons of pH adjusting solution. Subtract packaging and shipping and you'll see that they turn $10 into $4000. OUCH!!!!! Coming soon I'll have instructions for mixing your own solutions from concentrated acids and bases that you can buy in almost any town over-the-counter.

Organic Nutrients (??????)

With the relatively recent green movement the concept of "Organic" food production rings louder and louder every day. "Organic" guidelines prohibit the use of any refined chemicals in food production. The result is fertilizers derived from compost and animal waste. Naturally people want to try to apply these principles to hydroponics in the form of a teas made from compost and other natural ingredients. This seems logical but the result is counter productive when used in a hydroponics environment. To understand why, we must first understand what nutrients are and how they are absorbed by plants. Plants rely upon sixteen basic chemical elements for food - Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, Hydrogen, and Oxygen are just a few. These elements must be in a form that can be absorbed by a plant. This form is a chemical salt - a very basic chemical compound containing one of the sixteen elements and a complementary element that forms a salt. These elemental salts are what is absorbed from the soil by the plant's roots. So, the big question is - In the natural"organic" cycle of things how do these chemical salts get into the soil? Let's start with organic material (compost) and follow it to absorption by the plant. A bit of compost contains complex organic chemical chains that contain the elements for the chemical salts that eventually will be absorbed by a plant. At this point these complex chemical cannot be used by a plant. When the compost gets mixed into the soil it starts to be acted upon by soil born bacteria. This bacteria is what breaks the organic material down into the chemical salts that can be used by plants.

Organic material + Soil Born Bacteria = Nutrient Salts

Mother Nature uses bacteria to refine organic material into inorganic chemical compounds for plant absorption. In a Hydroponic system sufficient bacteria are not present for this critical conversion, instead we must provide these refined chemicals directly to the system. For those who insist that they can do it "organically" there are some "organic" nutrient mixes available for you to try. They typically produce limited results that I belive is entirely counterproductive to the Hydroponic philosophy. I suggest that if you want to grow organically, do it in the dirt. Supplement the hell out of your soil with natural fertilizers and you will get excellent results. I do this in my own dirt garden and everything grows wonderfully.

Pete the happy homegrower

Pete the Happy Homegrower Cannabis by Something Monstrous
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1) Amsterdam Sprouts

Peter looked at his books. There were a few of them, he would have to make a list of them later. The seeds that he had placed on a plastic tray filled with moist cotton wool had begun to sprout after a few days, and now they were the ideal length to plant. They were about 1' long maximum, most of them smaller. Pete took small drink cups (he had forgotten to buy Jiffy pots) filled with dampened soil of the same composition as the final growing pot. He poked his finger about 3cm into the soil and gently placed the sprout into the hole, head up, and sprinkled soil around it. The seeds had come from the same variety... but it didn't matter much too him, he was only a hobby home gardener. The best plant would later be singled out to provide seeds for his next crop. But first, he decided to have a closer look at the earth he was using:

2) The Earth

Peter looked at the bag of potting mix that he had bought. It would supply his plants with nutrients for a while, even though most commercial potting mixes required additional nutrients for his hungry plants. The texture was the primary consideration: It had to drain well and allow air to enter empty spaces so that the roots could breathe oxygen. Too fine a mix would make the soil sticky or soggy, preventing ventilation and promoting the growth of harmful bacteria. He squeezed a clump of his potting mix: Perfect. If formed a clump when squeezed, and the clod broke up with a slight poke. The last time, the clod had stayed together and he had added soil conditioners. He had also used some natural soil, which he had had to sterilise. This had been done by placing it in the microwave until steaming. Anaerobic bacteria might have harmed the roots of his plant, and the many insect eggs in the soil had been microwaved away. (The microwaving had taken 5 minutes on high for a microwave-safe container full of earth).

The components he had used in previous mixes were:

FOAM. It holds water trapped between its open cells, but also holds air. He had used pea-sized pieces of foam once, instead of styrofoam.

GRAVEL. In his hydroponics system, only gravel was used: Easy to clean, doesn't wear out, does not lock up nutrients, doesn't cost much. It creates large spaces for air pockets and gices the mix weight. Pete knew that gravel containing limestone should not be used.

LAVA. Lava was a very good medium on its own or in a mix, Pete knew. It is porous, holds some water on its surface... By itself, Pete felt it was a bit too dry. One frined of his had mixed 3 to 6 parts of Lava with one part of wet vermiculite. The vermiculite had broken up and coated the lava, creating a medium with excellent water-holding abilities and plenty of air spaces. This had to be watered from the bottom in order not to wash all the vermiculite away.

PERLITE. Puffed volcanic glass. Peter sighed. It was not a bad material, but the dust could harm the lungs and he had not wanted to buy a mask and respirator.

ROCKWOOL. A friend of Pete's had told him that he had achieved a phenomenal growth rate using rockwool. It absorbs water like a wick, and is convenient to use. It could be used in all systems, but Pete thought it was most often used for hydroponics.

SAND. Pete used this to add some weight to his planting mixture. It promotes drainage and keeps the mix from caking. It came in several grades, and all of them seemed to work. The sand to use was usually quartz. Peter avoided limestone sand because limestone raised the pH, causing micronutrients to become unavailable for the plant. Sand also had to be salt-free, Pete knew: Salt was bad for your plants.

STYROFOAM PELLETS. Pete's old chemistry teacher had called Styrofoam a 'hydrophobic' material: It repelled water and was an excellent soil mix ingredient. It allowed air spaces to form in the mix and kept the soil from clumping, since it does not bond with other materials or itself. The only problem was that it was so light that it tended to travel to the surface of the mix. Peter used Styrofoam pieces no larger than a pea in fine- textured mixes.

VERMICULITE. Pete tended to use the larger sizes of this material, which is processed puffed mice. Mice? Ah, Mica. Vermiculite broke down into smaller particles over time, Pete knew, and the larger ones provided more aeration. When he had used it, he had wet it before using it to avoid breathing inthe dust.

The book he had just read had included a list of conditioners. A one- part-in-ten mix of cow manure was excellent and would break down over the growing season. Chicken manure was very fast-acting, and Pete used a one-in-20 mix. Blood meal, dried blood, worm castings, guano and even hair and feathers were included in that book... he would have to have another good read of it later. Ah, the miracle of Life. Peter sighed and took another deep drag on his hand-rolled cigarette. The sun was the best light for plants, but his shaggy apartment had no large windows and not even a balcony, and certainly no garden. His few plants were in a back part of the cellar. As he went down, carrying lamps and foil, he could hear a helicopter circling nearby, and praised the Law Enforcement Agencies who kept dangerous criminals at bay.
He had heard of thugs with rifles, dogs and bulletproof vests, who had shot people and harrassed them because of a small herb garden. 'Murderers', he thought, and was glad that the friendly police force was always ready to help and protect the citizens of this country. 'To serve and protect'! He started whistling his national hymn as he went down the stairs.

3) Can You See The Light?

The garden was a small section of the cellar. The walls had been painted white, which was a very reflective colour and worked about as well as aluminum foil. Heavy foil, hung in vertical strips, sealed the area off and reflected light back towards his baby tomatoes. Light requirements varied with the vriety of plants. During the growth period, 1000 - 1500 lumen per sq ft would do, although the plants could use as much as 3000 lumen/sq ft effectively. The equatorial varieties tended to need brighter light. During flowering, the various plnats would need between 2000 (the indian variety) and 5000 (equatorial) lumens. Peter set his camera for ASA 100 and the shutter for 1/60 second, with a 50mm ('normal') lens. He then set the f-stop, using the manual mode, and looked at the chart. Incandescent bulbs and quartz halogen lights were too inefficient to provide enough light - Pete recalled having read that they only convert around 10% of the energy to light. Peter was on a low budget and could not afford professional growing lamps, so he used fluorescents. They were easy to set up, were 3 to 4 times as effective as incandescents, and his plants grew well under them. A minimum of 20 watts of fluorescent light per square foot would be necessary, Pete had read somewhere, and he knew that the more light his plants would receive, the faster and bushier they would grow. Light also improved the tomato buds, making them heavier and more developed. For each foot of width of his garden, he would use two fluorescent tubes. He had achieved the best results by using a mixture of tubes with various shades of white light. The light was fixed to a movable bar that could be lowered, and he had carefully mounted reflectors. More fluorescents were mounted on the walls for side-lighting. He had read about metal halide and sodium vapor lamps... maybe sometime, when he had more experience. There were plants, he had read, that measured the amount of daylight per day in order to 'know' the season, thus determining when to flower. As the periods of darkness become longer, a certain hormone level builds up and the vegetative growth stops - and flowering begins. Different varieties of the same species of plant would need different amounts of light/darkness to flower.

For this purpose, he had an automatic switch that he could adjust to turn the light on and off. He would let the plants grow under 18-24 hours of light for the first period, he thought. Say, 18 hours of light a day for 3 1/2 months. Then, 12 hours a day for a while, to create autumn, and 1 1/2 months later his plants should be flowering. The full period of flowering might take as long as two months. A friend had claimed that days shortened to 9 hours a day of light had brought plants to flower within 6 weeks of germination... they had been rather small though, all flower and not much of that either. The cutback from 18 (or more) to, say, 12 hours a day had been quite aprupt, Pete thought. He marvelled at the ingenuity of the plant, who had responded to the new regimen without any problems., without showing signs of shock or unusual growth. After a month of flowering, he usually set the daylight period to be another hour shorter, especially in equatorial plants. Also, Peter usually removed male flowers immediately... The female tomato flower tasted much nicer in his herb tea. The desexing was done carefully, as even the female sometimes grew male flowers. One plant would be set aside - the healthiest one - and its flowers dusted with pollen to make seeds. Peter checked the thermometer. Moderate, that was OK. Although the plant could withstand hot weahter and cool climates, it grew best between 60 and 85 degrees. Strong light and low temperatures seemed to make the plant smaller, while moderate light and high temperatures seemed to make it higher. Peter had installed a fan to provide his plants with CO2 and to keep the temperature down. The fan was operated by a timer switch: 10 minutes every hour.