Seed instructions

1: Use a damp paper towel to wrap the seeds in and put them in an open plastic bag for 3-5 days. Keep them in a warm, dimly lit spot with good air movement and do not allow the paper towel to dry. Put a small sterile object like a shot glass in the bag to keep it open. Note: If seedlings aren’t popping, simply toss them in a solo cup of water with a small dash of peroxide and change every day. Planting them a few inches below the soil surface in pots or solos is a third option, water well and put under light.

2: When the seedlings pop out, plant them either straight in the ground or in a solo cup using a healthy soil. Digging up soil from a clean area outside works well but it must remain very wet. Gently put each seed in a finger sized hole with the tap root facing down and seed side up just below the soil surface. If it has already shed its shell, allow the leaves to be exposed to the open. Water heavily and don’t allow the medium to dry at all until the plant has developed mature leaves (with serrations.)

3: Put them under a horticultural light for 18 hours per day or in a window. Once the plant has developed it’s first set of small mature leaves, continue to water very heavily and then let the medium dry to the touch before the next soaking. As the plant continues to grow, it will eventually become too large for the cup after about two weeks, which means it can then be transplanted straight into the ground or a pot. If growing in native clay or other dry natural soil, I always recommend watering almost every day in early veg, depending on conditions.

Selecting females

Cannabis grows male and female plants naturally in order to reproduce- males use pollen sacks while the females have flowers to receive it. To find out which plants are which, you must grow them out to their flowering stage and look for their traits of gender. Simply, the females are the ones we all want and those are easily identified by a hair which sticks out of each bract (piece of bud,) first forming along the internodes of the plant. If growing inside, you must switch their daylight hours over from 18/6 to 12/12 (half the day on and half off) like equatorial time to induce flowering. If you see a pollen sack, that’s a male, which can then either be put out in the woods somewhere or used for breeding.

Once you have determined females, you can then take clones, best within a week of the sexing process. You can also allow the plant to flower completely and harvest only the top half, allowing the bottom half to remain untouched and then put back into veg so that the next cycle of branches can be cloned once developed. The clones can then be turned into mothers, which provide unlimited offspring.

Note on fems:

Feminization is the act of changing the seed chromosome using colloidal silver or other methods, which creates only female plants (mostly.) The huge downside to femming is that it stresses the plant and causes mutations, most notably tiny seeds which are actually hardened ovules, giving the flower a harsher smoke. Mythical Selections only breeds regular seeds for this reason and rarely works with fem lines.

Cultivation Methods

Cannabis evolved in a natural environment, meaning the sun and soil culminate in dynamic ways to create a flower which will clear the lungs with its resin. For the high to be delivered to the body, the plant uses the expectorant qualities of resin to both remove discharge as well as strengthen the lungs themselves. Landrace sativas like Congo have a unique profile, the effects of which are only truly obtainable under the sun. So, to best re-capture these qualities inside, indoor cultivators must choose both lights and soil which match this scenario. Outdoor cultivators can focus on finding genetics that work best for their area as well as soil improvement.

indoor lighting

The best way to know if a light is made for horticultural purposes is to look at its energy composition. The sun has a composition based on burning gases which create an energetic harmony of photons and electrons from a single source. LED (light emitting diode) light is produced inherently devoid of electrons and is largely dependent on the manufacturer to tune them to a horticulturally active and continuos spectrum. This is why mutations like a super tight bud structure and immature resin profile are common in LED grows.

For this reason, I always recommend HID (high intensity discharge) lights called CMH (ceramic metal halide) to beginners because they come with full spectrum bulbs that recreate a more similar energy signature to the sun and lack the common mutations of many bargain LEDs or HPS. CMH is the best quality for the price with a decent efficiency because of the spectrum, whereas other HID lights like HPS are wasteful. 4K CMH bulbs are great for veg while a mix of 3K and 4K together for flower will keep the high UV while simultaneously allowing the swell, similar to mixing MH and HPS in the old days- but with a true full spectrum.

When it comes to the absolute best indoor lights available with no price ceiling, there is only one thing close to high-end modern LEDs- Light Emitting Plasma. Plasma lights use microwaves to burn argon gas which creates an energy composition similar to star light, including a full spectrum up to UVC, with special glass covers that only allow UV-A and B through. They were designed to mimic the sun’s exact energy signature and have no flicker rate, creating a solid light source unlike any other model available, along with a higher efficiency. Landrace sativa types can’t fully express themselves through indoor lighting, but plasma along with CMH and MH come very close.

SOIL SELECTION

Whether growing inside or out, the absolute best soil for growing cannabis is often in your yard. Natural soil imparts qualities of effect and flavor known in the champagne industry as “terroir.” Depending on where you live, it could be incredibly rich, like much of Michigan clay soil. Digging up soil from your area and using it in pots works just as well as planting directly in the ground. Even when growing indoor, I recommend utilizing terroir for most of your soil mix. Simply make sure to test the soil from your local lab or at least survey the area for contaminants, this ensures your safety and the lab will give you a basic analysis of your soil.

That being said, an organic medium from your local shop like pro-mix works wonders for young plants, so I often recommend starting seeds or clones in a perlite mix in solos or one-gallon pots, which can then transplant to natural soil with a well-established root system. Watering heavily in most natural soil is key; clay soils are often very rich and dark when wet. If gardeners combined the right genetics, high-quality light, and natural soils in their indoor grow, they would start to see those same enormous yields found mostly outside. Another great method is to mix a living soil with natural soils, 50/50 or more, which then combines the best qualities of both.

For general maintenance, it's best to soak any soil, store bough or dug up, with an "SF Nematode Solution" before planting- easily bought online at Nature's Good Guys or other sites. This will prevent root aphid and fungus gnat larvae, the most common soil born pests. For controlling mites and canopy aphids, ladybugs do a tremendous job, while predatory mites are an excellent addition for the smaller prey (ladybugs will eat both.) For mold prevention and cleaning the buds, which can be extra helpful in the case of an insect infestation that leaves behind feces and old skins, the best solution is simply white vinegar and water, diluted to roughly 1/10th. Vinegar contains acetic acid, an amazing organic cleaning agent which will gently and effectively clean the cell surface of plants. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar is best for long term mold control, but white vinegar will still clean buds without any burn and is better for pre-harvest washing.

The best reading material available on soil science is the four-part series by Jeff Lowenfells, highlighting the inner workings of the soil food web. His books are largely based on the work of Dr. Elaine Ingham, renowned soil scientist from Colorado, who has a large legacy of insight concerning how the soil food web works in intricate ways to feed plants and develop life. I learn mainly from lectures through youtube, which is a more natural approach to learning. Jeff and Elaine's talks have educated and inspired me to commit to organic methods, as well as industry leaders like Kevin Jodrey, Coot and more.

Note on Nutrients:
Using bottled nutrients is the worst thing any grower could do to their crop. Synthetic nutrients, especially, disrupt the plant’s natural hormonal balance between the light received through its photoreceptors and the exudate system which it uses to feed, all working in subtle harmony. These additives not only sabotage this relationship but also cause the plant to mutate on a cellular level, creating a harsh smoke, strange taste and un-natural effects. Organic lines are a much better choice, but still interrupt the balance of the exudate system, creating a different profile than its natural expression.

Yield, then, is the only reason to consider using them, which marginally weighs out more than living soils, and is mediated mostly by veg times, genetics, quality of light and soil respectively. Synthetics are likely the cause of the new-age cannabis related illnesses like CHS or “green-outs” which cause nausea, dizziness and vomiting. The origins of cannabis in places like India and Afghanistan are home to the people who have smoked this plant for thousands of years, most often as hash, with no effects whatsoever like we see in modern times. This is solely because of the nutrients used to feed a plant that is smoked, which companies like Advanced, Flora-Flex and others have absolutely no data on.

Seed instructions

Selecting females

Cultivation Methods

indoor lighting

SOIL SELECTION

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