ESTABLISHED IN AMSTERDAM, 1985 ISSUE 4 2012

18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publishers USA, Inc.

WEEDONOMICS: An economic overview of the most wide-

ly produced, trafficked and consumed

illegal drug in the world ›› 12

CANNABIS AND DUID: Proposed federal limits on THC levels in

blood will affect drivers across the country

›› 16

Continued on page 4

Cloning Double-

Feature ›› 19-20

Organic Nutes vs.

Chemical Shortcuts ›› 8

The Fungus

Among Us ›› 15

With the impending elections hanging over our nation, and the constant debate raging over universal health care, looking after the elderly, and the strug-gle between state-implemented medi-weed policies and the fed-eral restrictions that effectively outlaw them, it’s time to take matters into our own hands. The Seeds for Seniors program might provide a new model for the United States to emulate.

Fifteen years ago in the Czech Republic,

an NGO that is nowadays known as

Legalizace.cz was formed. Founded “in

order to provide a communication plat-

form for growers, legalization movement

supporters, activists and organizers of

the Million Marijuana March in Prague,”

the organization created a Cannabis

seed distribution effort called Seeds for

Seniors in 2008. This campaign provides

medi-weed users with free seed stock

and information that enables them to

self-medicate safely and effectively.

Soft Secrets recently spoke with Robert

Veverka, president and press agent,

about the organization’s origins and lat-

est contribution to the medi-weed move-

ment in the Czech Republic.

“The main goal of Legalizace.cz is to use

all possible tools (campaigns, cultural

events, publications, lobbying, etc.) in

order to reform Cannabis drug policy,

and strive for legalization of Cannabis

for personal use, possession and grow-

ing. We ask for legalization of medical

Cannabis as well: we want all ill people

to be free to legally choose Cannabis as

treatment, to be able to grow Cannabis

themselves if they decide to, or to get

it for free (or at a

reduced-price) from

official, certified or

delegate growers.

“We also ask the gov-

ernment to allow

official research on

medical Cannabis,

and to halt all court

cases with grow-

ers or users who

were caught with

Cannabis – release all

the people who were

prosecuted because

of Cannabis that was

for personal use. We also point out and

correct media lies about [the plant], and

positively stimulate general public opin-

ion about it, while calling for an open

dialog about Cannabis.”

Now in its fourth year of operation – and

receiving no governmental support –

Seeds for Seniors supplies patients in

need (recipients must be at least 18)

across the Czech Republic, also sending

strains to neighboring Slovakia, Poland

and Germany. Genetics are typically

sourced through either local or Dutch

seed banks, and some are even donated

by the labels. Although this system could

potentially be abused by people who just

want free ganja seeds, Robert insists that

it’s not a problem: “I am happy to say that

our campaign is not abused by young

kids or growers, as the average age of our

clients is about 50. Up until now, we have

given seeds to about 3,500 clients.”

Seeds for SeniorsIn This Issue:

3

WH

ITE

RU

SS

IAN

IN THIS ISSUE:

White Russian: AK-47 x White Widow, two legends combined (Winner of 6 Cannabis Awards!)

These seeds produce strong, fast-growing plants that

are fantastic in appearance and effect – very popular for

indoor growing and for outdoors in Spain, France, Italy and

California. Our most typically-indica strain, White Russian is

a stable cross of AK-47 and the original award-winning White

Widow clone from the ‘90s. Medium height, consistent ‘not

too leafy’ plants and dense, very resinous flower tops. The

plants smell quite strong during both their growth and flow-

ering period. In an independent seed comparison in which

over 150 different seed strains were grown out in the UK, the

White Russian finished as the strongest plant, with 22% THC.

Winner of the overall Cannabis Cup in ‘96 and the Cup for Best

Bio Grass in ‘97. The plants yield very powerful buds, coated

with resin. Very strong, long-lasting high, more cerebral than

a knockout. A medicinal plant excellent for pain alleviation.

Last award won by White Russian: First Prize Indoor, El Punto

Cup 2005, Málaga, Spain.

Name: White Russian

Pedigree: Mostly indica (AK-47 x White Widow)

Breeder: Simon from Serious Seeds

Producer: Serious Seeds

Height: Short and bushy

Weight: Good yielder (350 - 500 g/m2)

Flowering Time: 56 - 63 days Outdoor/Greenhouse

Harvest Time: Mid- to late October

Seeds for Seniors 1 MEDICAL ACTIVISM

Page 3 Girl: White Russian 3 STRAIN REPORT

SSUSA Seeks Strong Sales Staff 3 FROM THE EDITOR

Paradise Seeds 2012 6 SEED BANKS

Organic Nutes vs. Chemical Shortcuts 8 ORGANIC CULTIVATION

Grillin’ and Chillin’ 9 CANNABIS KITCHEN

Sugar Royal 10 PRODUCT FLASH

Weedonomics 12 SOCIAL IMPACT

Cannabis.info 14 ONLINE

The Fungus Among Us 15 SERIOUS GARDENING

Cannabis and DUID 16 LEGISLATION

Jack Plant 18 POSTER

Cloning for the Future 19 CULTIVATION 101

Cloning for Success 20 CULTIVATION 101

Mastering the Munchies 21 MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

Cannabis Liberation Day 2012 22 FESTIVALS AND EXPOS

Dude, Where’s My Memory? 23 MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

Home Growing in Southern England 24 CULTIVATION ABROAD

Atomical Haze 26 POSTER

Medical Cannabis Bike Tour 27 MEDICAL ACTIVISM

Flood and Drain Technique 28 SERIOUS GARDENING

Hy’s Deli by oz. 29 COMIC

Colophon 30 FROM THE EDITOR

Index of Ads 30 FROM THE EDITOR

Are you interested in sales? Do you have a few years of experience? We are

looking for dedicated, motivated and enthusiastic individuals to staff our sales

team.

Job responsibilities include – but are not necessarily limited to – calling, email-

ing, or pursuing other forms of contact with interested advertising clients, in

addition to attempting to bring in fresh potential advertisers. Required attrib-

utes include strong networking, communication and interpersonal skills, plus

the ability to tackle problems in a creative manner.

Applicants should possess a valid driver’s license and medical Cannabis card.

The ability to travel is a definite requirement. Sales are focused in California; the

position on offer is as an independent contractor, paid on commission.

Please contact Jeroen@softsecrets.nl to submit your resume or to have any

pertinent questions answered.

SSUSA Seeks Strong Sales Staff:

4

Continued from front pageAuthor: Sativa Diva / Photos courtesy of Legalizace.cz

Seeds for Seniors

Timing is essential. “Our campaign starts

every year in autumn, and ends at the end

of May the next year. After that it’s too

late to grow Cannabis outdoors over here

– most of our clients actually grow out-

doors. The campaign is becoming known,

as we got some publicity on national and

private TV and radio channels every year,

and also appeared in newspapers and

magazines.

“[In addition], we have our website (www.

legalizace.cz) with lots of information for

clients... we provide only seeds, nothing

else, such as Cannabis itself or any other

Cannabis-related medications. Growing or

distributing Cannabis is illegal in Czech, and

we can’t take [that] risk. However, Seeds for

Seniors is legal, as selling Cannabis seeds is

legal in Czech – but as it is not any official

program, actually anybody who wants to

get seeds for free can ask us.”

As Legalizace.cz decline to require proof-of-

need (official doctor’s diagnosis, etc.) from

potential Seeds for Seniors clients, the issue

of non-patients taking advantage is always

a possibility. Robert clarifies that steps have

been taken to prevent this sort of thing

from occurring by providing non-labeled

or mixed-bag strains. It is unlikely that a

serious grower would bother with mixed,

unmarked stock, or that anyone with nega-

tive intentions would be able to re-sell these

strains at much of a profit. And then there’s

the waiting: it takes roughly two weeks for

a patient to receive their package of about

30 seeds.

“Clients send an envelope to our postal

address with a statutory declaration and

empty, stamped envelope enclosed. The

declaration is the proof the client is over

18, so we can be sure we don’t give seeds

to minors. In this declaration we ask clients

for information on their age, address, phone

number, e-mail and disease. The paper has

to be signed in order to declare they will

grow the seeds only for their own personal

medicinal use and need. This declaration is

the only document we ask for in order to

provide seeds.” The self-addressed envelope

allows the organization to mail the request-

ed seeds back to the patient, sparing Seeds

for Seniors the postage. So, technically the

seeds aren’t completely free, as the patient

will incur the minor cost of shipping.

Patients receive their envelope filled with

free seeds, flyers for Legalizace.cz, concise

cultivation info, links to relevant websites

– and the constant reminder that growing

or possessing Cannabis is still illegal in the

Czech Republic. In addition to the strains

and growing info, Seeds for Seniors also

provides clients with lawyers and other legal

services – should they encounter the Czech

authorities – and will even assist with a

media campaign to help the accused avoid

imprisonment. Unfortunately, the only thing

the campaign is not able to provide is actual

medical connections.

“We don’t actually work with any doctors

or medical professionals. As growing and

possessing medical Cannabis is illegal in

my country, not one doctor can officially tell

any patient that he should treat himself with

Cannabis. Cannabis is not seen by law as

official medicine here. So we provide seeds

as activists, and recommend that our clients

inform their doctors and see if they can get

unofficial support from them.”

Robert is the contact person responsible

for relating client requests to the Seeds

for Seniors organizers. Legalizace.cz online

offers the necessary information that poten-

tial clients require to get in touch; it has

been translated into English and German

and shared throughout Europe in an effort

to expand the activism, and the number

of patients who are helped. If a patient is

either too ill or inexperienced to cultivate

their own medicine, Robert feels certain

that friends or locals in that community will

likely rally and assist them with the task.

Sometimes, patients contact him with light-

er questions – ones that won’t lead to his

incarceration.

“All clients can call me on the provided

phone number, pretty much any time,

and ask whatever they want. Usually they

want to know how to recognize male and

female plants, or how to make a homemade

Cannabis cream. Clients can also send an

e-mail, which they do, often sending me

pictures of their crop to ask if all is fine with

the plant – or to show off how well they do!”

The Seeds for Seniors campaign could be

expanded, and Robert has some ideas of

how to accomplish this feat. He relates his

plans for the future: “I would love to work

with the patient more closely, be able to

provide them with the particular strain that

will best suit them... I would also love to find

some good growers among [our clients]

who could grow for other patients with

the same disease. I also plan to establish a

Cannabis social club for patients who are

very ill, where inexperienced people could

delegate someone else to grow for them.”

Describing the process of matching spe-

cific strains to certain ailments, Robert

admits that this may be the “weak spot”

of Seeds for Seniors. “We are provided

with seed mostly from private donors

and seed banks. Usually we [provide the

client with] a mixture of different strains.

That way it’s not so attractive for com-

mercial growers or people who search

for a particular variety. We try to get

some local growers and cultivators to

work with us on certain strains, but as it

is all illegal here and mostly people want

to grow sinsemilla, we are very depend-

ent on what we get. Lately we got some

seeds from several new seed banks, and

OUR CAMPAIGN STARTS EVERY YEAR IN AUTUMN, AND ENDS AT THE END OF MAY THE NEXT YEAR. AFTER THAT IT’S TOO LATE TO GROW CANNABIS OUTDOORS OVER HERE...

Robert doing what he loves

Prague’s Million Marijuana March 2012

Seniors sign client declarations to receive free seeds

Once-in-a-lifetime clone giveaway at

Prague’s MMM 2012

55we hope to be able to provide clients

with particular strains in the future.

“Since the disease is not obligatory informa-

tion in the clients’ declarations, we don’t

always know what the client suffers from.

We started this campaign in order to pro-

vide ill people with free Cannabis seeds, and

to point out how immoral and repressive

the Czech legislation on medical Cannabis is

– as is the fact that it’s not legally possible for

anyone here to obtain Cannabis medicine.

The only [option] for patients who want to

use Cannabis is to buy it on the black mar-

ket, where it is overpriced and of unknown

quality. The only logical, safe and cheap way

for patients to get their medicine is to grow

it themselves; however, every patient grow-

ing Cannabis is seen by the law as a criminal.”

Luckily, neither the Seeds for Seniors

campaign, nor Legalizace.cz itself, has

experienced trouble with the authorities.

Robert feels that although their program

is not legally- or medically recognized,

the nation is aware of it and the lack

of interference from the government

implies that their efforts are universally

appreciated in the Czech Republic. The

problem may not even be anti-Cannabis

sentiment or indifference, as much as

the issue of draconian and repressive

policies that restrict both the people and

the authorities. However, one thing that

would really help is if Canna-businesses

in the country, and Europe in general,

supported Seeds for Seniors on a finan-

cial level. Currently, the only aid they

receive from the ganja community is

the donated seeds – no grow shops,

nutrient labels, etc. help to fund the cam-

paign. Hopefully, that will soon change,

as Robert notes an improvement in the

local political atmosphere.

“Public opinion is very liberal in the Czech

Republic; I believe that, also because of our

work, people can find more information on

Cannabis and see that we users are normal

people. Our demonstrations are without

any major conflicts or problems. The media

is on our side nowadays, showing that we

are not potheads, but rather people who are

right. People trust in us and are glad we exist

and do all that we do. Of course, I can’t speak

for everybody, but I reckon if there would be

a referendum on legalization of Cannabis

for personal use right now, that lovely plant

could succeed in the Czech Republic.”

One of the ways that Legalizace.cz contin-

ues to summon public support is through

large-scale, peaceful demonstrations, such

as the Prague installment of the Million

Marijuana March, which has been taking

place during each of the organization’s

fifteen years of existence. This year, over

12,000 protesters attended, proving Robert

correct in his estimation that Czech public

sentiment has shifted largely towards sup-

porting Cannabis legalization – especially

for medical purposes. He adds, “We do a

march in downtown Prague and then host

a cultural-educational happening in the

park. We call it National Free Smoking Day,

and we do our best to honor that name.

Legalizace.cz is also a professional partner

of the international hemp fair ‘Cannafest’,

which is held in Prague as well.

“We are also member of ENCOD (European

Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies,

www.encod.org), and work with activist

groups and media all over Europe – over-

seas, too. We have had information about

what we do published in Spain, the United

States, Canada, Hungary, Austria, Germany,

Poland, France, Holland and Finland, and

probably more. Legalizace.cz cooperates

with activists in Slovakia, but the legisla-

tion there is much worse than it is here in

the Czech Republic, so they can’t do much

without having a problem.”

In spite of this public, global show of sup-

port, there are still Czech lawmakers and

government officials who continue promot-

ing the same taboo and false propaganda

that has repressed the plant for so long, in so

many nations. Robert highlights the uphill

battle still to be faced on a legislative level: “I

get a chance from time to time to talk on tel-

evision, or to visit some politicians to discuss

the topic, but our organization is seen as too

radical and unprofessional to be taken seri-

ously by some. Nobody from politics wants

to fight for the legalization of Cannabis for

personal use here; no doctors want to ruin

their career on Cannabis, especially when

it is illegal. So far, we have no members of

Parliament on our side who would go for

a change in legislation. Nobody is officially

interested, although in private they have

more liberal and rational opinions.”

Regardless, Robert wishes for a somewhat-

unusual future for Legalizace.cz. “I hope that

the organization as it is now will not exist

in five years’ time, because Cannabis will be

legalized for personal use in our country,

and we won’t need to fight the system

anymore. However, the global War on Drugs

doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon,

so we might fight for Cannabis rights on a

European or global level. It is very hard to

predict... we lack money to do things profes-

sionally and on a massive scale; with limited

money we will have limited influence.

“We would like to start a decent Cannabis

center that will include information, work-

shops and seminars on all possible Cannabis

issues, plus a cultural space, grow rooms,

medical Cannabis social club, bar, coffee-

house, offices, Cannabis university, muse-

um, shops with Cannabis products – any-

thing you could imagine in a building like

that. In the future, I see the organization as

more of a professional institution, which

will have a bigger impact on national drug

policy, strategy, harm reduction, prevention

and medical Cannabis services.”

Robert strongly urges anyone wishing to

establish a campaign similar to Seeds for

Seniors to “go for it right now if you don’t

have such an organization yet, because your

country or community needs it.”

He concludes with a call to action. “This War

on Drugs – and especially on Cannabis –

has to end soon, thus it has to be opposed.

As every country has victims of global

Cannabis prohibition, we all need activ-

ist groups who will fight for our rights

and prove to the public and establishment

that Cannabis repression is not function-

al: it’s expensive, useless, totally against

human rights, destructive and very stupid.

Prohibition puts truly innocent people in

jail over a little bit of weed, destroys lives,

families, communities – and even kills.

Prohibition creates a black market, setting

high prices on Cannabis and making it

worth more than gold.

“The whole criminal scene was artificially

created around Cannabis, keeping the plant

out of people’s reach, never [considering]

objective and truthful information about

the plant. The whole anti-drug campaign

made my grandparents almost forget how

to use Cannabis, and I feel strange teaching

my elders something they are supposed

to know from their childhood. Cannabis is

widely abused by governments – not by

the people. So we should fight: not only

for legalization, but also to rehabilitate the

image of Cannabis and bring it back to the

people, where it belongs.”

CONTACT

Robert Veverka, President

Legalizace.cz

Tel.: +420 773 691 561

E-mail: robert@legalizace.cz

http://www.legalizace.cz

NOBODY FROM POLITICS WANTS TO FIGHT FOR THE LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS FOR PERSONAL USE HERE;

NO DOCTORS WANT TO RUIN THEIR CAREER ON CANNABIS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS ILLEGAL

Seniors requesting seeds at Cannafest 2011

Robert helping clients

with cultivation info at

Cannafest 2011

Robert gets passionate at the

Million Marijuana March 2012

6 SEED BANKS

Paradise Seeds 2012NEW, AMAZING AND MINDBLOWING STRAINS BY PARADISE SEEDS FOR 2012

The folks at Paradise Seeds would like

to announce to all of our readers that

they have introduced six great new

varieties. Two feminized varieties date

back to the late 1990s (classics) and

four auto-flowering varieties were

selected from famous ancestors for

their superb genetics.

The brand new releases by Paradise

Seeds are Original White Widow (IBL)

and Original Cheese (IBL). Yes, the

names are familiar, but there’s a dif-

ference – these are the original

classics! They come straight from

the source, true-breeds given to

Paradise Seeds by the original

breeders years ago, and only

now released to the world.

They are excellent breed-

ing material and are far

superior to most varie-

ties with these names.

Paradise has also

released four new auto-flowering vari-

eties of the finest quality.

The era during which auto-

flowering plants were famous

for tasting similar to hay or

ruderalis is over, at least for

Paradise Seeds varie-

ties. Auto Acid, Auto

Jack, Auto Wappa and Auto White

Berry are all potent and tasty. These

plants become strong and yield copi-

ous amounts of resinous buds. Due

to the great genetics that Paradise

has used in its breeding program, the

new autos are guaranteed to satisfy.

Paradise Seeds is proud to be on the

fore-front of Cannabis breeding and to

have taken auto-flowering varieties to

the next level.

Auto-flowering varieties begin to flow-

er regardless of the amount of

Auto Acid

Auto Jack

Auto White Berry

Original Cheese

7hours of (sun-)light they receive per

day. Therefore, auto-flowering plants

can finish early outdoors, within two-

and-a-half months after germination.

It is ideal for growers in colder regions

to harvest in summer, around the end

of July or beginning of August, when

the sunlight is still strong. Even in the

month of June it is possible to start ger-

minating seeds to be able to harvest on

time, before it gets too cold or humid!

In warmer climates multiple outdoor

harvests per year are possible. In tropi-

cal areas, you can grow these autos the

whole year round. All Paradise Seeds

auto-flowering varieties contain a small

portion of ruderalis, which is responsi-

ble for the auto-flowering effect. The

art of breeding is to select plants that

have the auto-flowering gene with-

out the lesser quality of the ruderalis

plants. This can only be achieved over

several generations of breeding.

Paradise Seeds wishes you good

Cannabis!Auto Wappa

Last month Paradise Seeds was in Toronto, Canada, where the Treating Yourself Expo 2012 was held in the Metro Toronto Convention Center. It had been a great Expo this year. Marco Renda had even organized live glassblowing, and as always many medical Cannabis users were present during these three days. A smoker’s lounge was placed for medi-weed patients so that they didn’t need to go outside to medi-cate. The Expo proved to be a true alternative medical convention, with good information and valuable advice given by guest speakers, such as lawyers, doctors and scientific researchers.

This was the third time attending the

Treating Yourself event for Paradise

Seeds and they enjoyed it very much,

as the Paradise crew had spent much of

their time giving feedback on their varie-

ties to patients and licensed growers.

Many people were seeking information

for their illnesses, as they are finding that

the pills they get from the pharmacy are

often not helping them, while they are

instead truly benefiting from Cannabis.

Paradise Seeds is grateful to be part

of this movement, and the company

encourages more research being done in

the field of Cannabis as a medicine.

The city of Toronto is great: millions of

people live there and the majority are

kind and friendly; it is a city with many

cultures, as people from everywhere

move there and are adapting quite eas-

ily. It seems there is no economic crisis

there at the moment; the city is buzzing

and the skyscrapers are magnificent. The

guys from Paradise Seeds even visited

some vapor lounges where people gath-

er together to inhale.

On the last day of the expo, Paradise

heard that they were going to win a

Cannabis Cup for the best Cannabis in

the sativa category – with their latest

haze variety, Atomical Haze! It had won

First Prize! Atomical Haze [poster on p.

26] was grown from a seed that was

given to Paradise the year before by a

local grower who had enough nice buds

to share. The folks at Paradise Seeds were

very happy with this great victory and

achievement.

Paradise Seeds

Atomical Haze

Paradise Seeds Wins the Treating Yourself Medical Cannabis Cup 2012!

8 ORGANIC CULTIVATION

Organic Nutes vs. Chemical ShortcutsOne hotly contested topic among Cannabis gardeners is whether to use chemical-based or organic nutrients. While it is fine to disagree, there are benefits to both, and ignoring the camp you don’t agree with has been the cause of a lot of ignorance in the world. Grubbycup

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium

(K) and other nutrients are needed by

plants for healthy growth. These are ele-

ments, and as such, there is no difference

between the nitrogen from an organic

nutrient or a chemical version. Elemental

nitrogen is the exact same thing, regard-

less of the source.

What garden plants most often use to

allow them to take up nitrogen is a form

known as nitrate (NO3), which is a nitrogen

atom connected with three oxygen (O)

atoms. NO3 is an easy form from which the

plants can separate nitrogen from oxygen,

and therefore makes for a good source of

nitrogen (woody plants like trees can also

use ammonium).

Plant material that has fallen to the ground

and animal waste material are two sources

of nitrogen that naturally occur in untend-

ed wilderness. To emulate this, organic

nutrients tend to be made from naturally

occurring materials, with minimal process-

ing. One advantage to this is that the mate-

rials can often be collected cheaply – e.g.,

leaves, lawn clippings, livestock manure,

etc. Compost (3-1-2) is very similar to what

happens in nature when leaves fall, and

assorted other plant material winds up on

the ground when nobody is around to rake

it up. As these things decompose (or com-

post), bacteria and fungi convert them into

ammonia (NH3), and ammonium (NH

4). This

takes time, as the bacteria only process the

ammonia as they get to it.

I like to compare organic nutrients to eat-

ing oatmeal for breakfast – they tend to

be bulky and release their nutrients over a

long period of time. Some forms of organic

fertilizers can continue to release nutri-

ents for more than one season, improving

the general long-term health of the soil.

Because the percentage of nutrient to total

mass tends to be lower, the N-P-K values

of organic nutrients tend to be lower than

that of chemical-based solutions. Because

they are closer to a natural state, the N-P-K

values of organic products also tend to

be less exact than chemical-based fertiliz-

ers, which can be made to exact recipes.

With the exception of high-ammonia ‘hot’

manures, organic nutrients tend to be less

prone to overfeeding. Compost, worm

castings and fish excrement can be used in

almost unlimited quantities without caus-

ing ‘nute burn’. Since organic nutrients tend

to be less processed, they also tend to be

more prone to clogging hydroponic sys-

tems that rely on sprayers and pumps.

However, there is more than one way to

make NH3: it can also be manufactured

chemically from nitrogen gas (N2) by apply-

ing heat, pressure and an iron catalyst.

Ammonium sulfate, (NH4)2SO

4, and ammo-

nium nitrate, NH4NO

3, are other manu-

factured forms of nitrogen that allow for

later parts of the process to be skipped

over. Any of these enable a shortcut in the

process, and make the nitrogen available

faster than with the natural method.

Chemical nutrients are more like having an

energy drink for breakfast – they release

their nutrients quickly, and then need more

to avoid a ‘crash’. Since chemical nutrients

are shortcuts to the natural process, they

can allow for a greater level of control as

to how much, and when, the nitrogen

becomes available to the plants. This can

allow for a higher nutrient level and result-

ing increase in performance than is pos-

sible with organic nutrients.

With this level of control comes respon-

sibility, however, as introducing an over-

abundance becomes a much more likely

temptation, which can result in ‘nute burn’,

overloading and damaging natural sys-

tems with the runoff. Adding a chemical

version of NO3, for example, allows for

the entire nitrate creation process to be

skipped, and immediately supplies nitro-

gen to the plants; however, it is also very

water-soluble and what isn’t taken up by

the plant will quickly wash downstream

(unless recirculated).

Overdosing plants with chemicals can

imbalance a natural system to where it

becomes inhospitable to the beneficial bac-

teria and fungi normally responsible for

the process. Because chemical fertilizers

are shortcuts, using them to treat nutrient

deficiencies tends to give faster results than

organic solutions, which is better suited for

long-term release. Depending upon the

exact chemical used, there may also be left-

over residue after the ammonia or nitrate is

used, which can build up in the system over

time. This is where the practice of watering

heavily without nutrients for a time (flush-

ing) comes from, to help wash away any

leftover chemical residue build-up.

Regardless of the source, if the NH3 is

exposed to acidic conditions (pH less than

seven) it picks up another hydrogen (H)

atom and converts to ammonium (NH4).

This is partially why pH can have an effect

on plant growth; if the pH is too high, this

conversion is inhibited. Beneficial bacteria

then convert the ammonium to NO3, which

can then be used by the garden plants.

Phosphorus can be obtained naturally from

organic composts, rock phosphate or bone

meal, or it can come from chemicals such as

ammoniated superphosphate (5-50-0), or

ammonium phosphate (18-46-0). Overuse

of phosphorus is one of the sources of

environmental pollution. Potassium can be

from organic sources like compost (3-1-2),

kelp (1-0-4), or from a chemical such as

potassium nitrate (13-0-44).

The differences between chemical and

organic nutrition are not as absolute as

they are often portrayed – they both sup-

ply the same elements to the plants. The

primary differences are in how many short-

cuts are taken, and what remains after-

ward. Although purists on both sides may

strongly disagree, I believe there is little

reason not to make use of the benefits

of both, in moderation. Plants awaiting

organic nutrients to become available may

benefit from a little chemical boost to tide

them over, and long-lasting organic mate-

rials can help create a buffer for fast-acting

chemical nutrient gardens.

Sometimes a big, hearty, high-fiber break-

fast is what a person needs to start the day;

sometimes you just need a good strong

cup of coffee to get your eyes to open. As

always, understanding why you are add-

ing something to your garden, and how

it works, goes a long way toward picking

what’s right for you.

Peace, love and puka shells,

Grubbycup

SOME FORMS OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS CAN CONTINUE TO RELEASE NUTRIENTS FOR MORE THAN ONE SEASON, IMPROVING THE GENERAL LONGTERM HEALTH OF THE SOIL

Organic nutes simulate natural materials,

such as fallen leaves

There are many nutrients, both chemical

and organic, to choose from

An atom of nitrogen is the same as any

other, regardless of the source

9CANNABIS KITCHEN 9

Grillin’ and Chillin’

Greetings from far northern California – Hempie Chef here! First, let me say what an honor it is for me to have joined the Soft Secrets family! I am really excited to be here and I hope you like the recipes I have to offer you...

Just a lil’ bit about me: I live in north-

ern California near the Shasta-Trinity

National Forest. I have been a garden

tender, bud master and smoke connois-

seur, and now I am a licensed California

Medical Marijuana Caregiver. I began

cooking with Cannabis in 1976 – okay

so I really didn’t ‘cook’ with Cannabis

back then – I ground up some weed

(mostly full of stems and seeds), threw

it in some brownie mix, and hoped for

the best! However, those days are gone.

Today, medicating with Cannabis has

taken the culinary world by storm.

You can get everything from tradi-

tional brownies to a full-blown medi-

cated four-course meal! I cater to 215

patients, making their special requests

for medicated food items: pot-pancetta

stuffed tenderloin, medicated wedding

and birthday cakes, infused suckers

and hard candies, marijuana meatloaf,

mashed potatoes and tomato gravy,

and much more. We throw ‘Hempie’

parties, where we invite 215 patients

to learn more about the benefits of

medicating through the consumption

of Cannabis!

SummertimeJune is the time for most far Nor-Cal

outdoor gardeners to get their crops

planted in the rich soil. With that done,

we wait and nurture our plants. With

the cool waters of Shasta Lake and the

National Forests right in our backyards

we like to be outdoors – even more so,

we like to grill. Be it over charcoal or

gas, we gather to help each other plant

the garden, then after the day’s hard

work we fire up the grill to cook up

some of the most delicious medicated

foods ever: what we affectionately call

“grillin’ and chillin’”!

I have included some of our favorite

grilled foods, as well as a fun summer

treat (I especially like the Cana-mel and

Apple Cake – yum!)

*Don’t trim any excess fat from meat. The fat

will naturally baste the meat, keeping it moist

during the long cooking time. The tender meat

is coated with tangy barbecue sauce before

being piled high onto buns and topped with a

dab of coleslaw.

2 c hickory wood chips

1 (7- to 9-lb.) bone-in pork butt, Boston butt or

end-cut pork shoulder roast*

1 T olive canna-oil

1 t kosher salt

1 t pepper

10 plain white hamburger buns (no sesame

seeds), split

Barbecue Sauce

water. Soak thirty minutes. Brush pork with

oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat coals in center of grill to medium-low

heat. Divide coals, placing half on each side

of grill, leaving center open. Place drip pan

between coals. For gas grill: Light two outside

sections, leaving middle section unlit (three-

burner grill). Or light one side and leave other

side unlit (two-burner grill). Place drip pan on

unlit side. Heat on high until hot.

-

ing box of gas grill. (Or place chips in heavy-

duty foil; fold to make packet. Poke holes in

packet; place over indirect heat.)

covered, over medium-low heat or coals four

to five hours, or until internal temperature

reaches 190° F to 200° F, adjusting heat or

adding coals as necessary to maintain grill

temperature of 325° F to 350° F. Meat should

be very tender and falling apart, and bone

should come out smooth and clean with no

meat clinging to it. (This is the real test for

done-ness on the barbecue circuit.)

enough to handle. Remove skin, bones and

fat. Reserve crisp edges; shred meat with two

forks or chop with large knife. Chop reserved

crispy bits; add to pork. Stir in about 3/4 c

barbecue sauce, or enough to moisten. Serve

in bun topped with some coleslaw, with addi-

tional sauce on the side.

PULLED POTPORK SANDWICH

SUGAR ROYAL FROM PLAGRONPowerful organic flowering stimulator

Plagron has a comprehensive range of additives. These UNIVERSAL products can

be used with all substrates and can be combined with all fertilizers from Plagron.

One of these unique additives is Sugar Royal (formerly ‘Repro Forte’) a powerful

organic flowering stimulator. It stimulates the production of chlorophyll and, con-

sequently, the formation of sugars and resin. Sugar Royal contains a complex mix

of vitamins and trace elements. It guarantees a high yield and is an ideal product

for every grower.

UseShake well before use. Add a maximum of two milliliters of Sugar Royal per one

liter of water (1:500). Give the plant this plant food solution once a week, starting

the second week of the growth phase through to the third week of the flowering

phase. Sugar Royal is available in 100 mL, 250 mL, 500 mL and one-liter quantities.

Pass it on! More information can be found on our new website, www.plagron.com. Here you

will find loads of information on Plagron products, and growing in general. The

info on Plagron products will be easy to find on this site, giving you useful tips,

showing you our related products and FAQs for each product. This is an interac-

tive website where one grower gets to meet the other, and can share his or her

experiences or opinions on Plagron products with other growers – exactly how

our slogan ‘Pass it on’ is meant to be. Keep a close eye on our website for the latest

news and developments of our products, and for growing in general. Don’t forget

to check out our Facebook page for extra tips and tricks (Facebook.com/plagron).

Of course you can also contact our service desk via servicedesk@plagron.com.

10 CANNABIS KITCHEN / PRODUCT FLASH

You can contact the Hempie Chef via email at thehempiechef@gmail.com or

become a fan on Facebook!

This thin little burger has some powerful flavor.

Big chewy beans and oats add a nice touch to

the texture, while the chipotle chili powder

adds extra smokiness. It is important to refrig-

erate the patties for at least an hour before

grilling them, so they will hold their shape

during cooking. I also recommend grilling these

burgers on foil to help keep them intact. Brush

the foil with oil and make several small slits in

it for heat to flow. To help avoid sticking, use

damp hands when forming patties.

1 can (15 ounces) dark kidney beans, drained,

rinsed and divided

½ c old-fashioned oats, divided

2 egg whites

2 T whole-wheat canna-flour

¾ t salt, divided

½ t chipotle chili powder

¼ c finely-shredded aged cheddar cheese

3 T minced garlic

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 3/8-

inch wedges

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1½-inch wedges

As the cake bakes, the honey-brown sugar cana-

mel sauce coats the apples and bubbles up the

side of the cake, glazing the edges. The result

is an irresistibly gooey, buttery, fabulous des-

sert. The batter itself is very thick (somewhere

between a batter and a dough in its heaviness)

but it spread easily over the apples and baked up

tender and delicious. The honeyed cana-mel over

the apples is so delicious and buttery. But the

real treat of this cake is the edges, which literally

marinate in cana-mel for the entire baking pro-

cess and come out sweet, sticky and delicious.

CANAMEL AND APPLE UPSIDEDOWN CAKE

CANAMEL AND APPLES

1 T olive canna-oil

¼ c salsa, if desired

a large bowl, mash slightly

with a fork. Stir in half of

the oats.

until finely-ground. Add

remaining beans; pulse until

chopped. Add egg whites,

canna-flour, ½ t salt and chili

powder, process about one

minute or until coarse paste

forms. Add mashed bean and

oat mixture, stir in cheese,

green onion and cilantro.

with cooking spray. Working on the plate, form

each portion into a four-inch patty, a half-inch

thick. Place on a small baking sheet sprayed

with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate one

hour or freeze thirty minutes, until chilled.

pepper with canna-oil; sprinkle with remain-

ing ¼ t salt.

foil (pierced in several places) with canna-oil;

place on grill.

or coals eight to ten minutes or until slightly

charred and crisp-tender, turning once. Grill

burgers and zucchini, covered six to eight

minutes or until burgers are firm and zucchini

is lightly browned and almost tender, turning

once. Halve zucchini crosswise.

Serve with lime wedges and salsa, if desired.

or mini flax, oat bran or whole wheat pita

bread; add some leaf lettuce and tomato to

top it off!

SMOKIN’ VEGGIE BURGER

¾ c packed dark brown sugar

¼ c unsalted cana-butter, softened

2 T honey

1 lb. apples (2 to 3), such as Braeburn or Fuji,

peeled, sliced (¼ inch)

2 c all-purpose flour

1½ t baking powder

1 t ground cinnamon

¼ t salt

¾ c unsalted cana-butter, softened

¾ c sugar

3 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

¼ c whole milk

-

ing pan with cooking spray. Line bottom with

parchment paper.

in medium saucepan over medium heat until

sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Increase

heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Boil two

minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into pan.

two overlapping concentric circles to cover

bottom of pan, starting on outside edge.

in medium bowl. Beat ¾ c cana-butter and

sugar in large bowl at medium speed two min-

utes, or until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at

a time, beating well after each addition. Beat

in vanilla. At low speed, beat in flour mixture

alternately with milk just until incorporated

and smooth, beginning and ending with flour

mixture. Carefully spread batter over apple

slices.

brown and pulls slightly away from sides, and

toothpick inserted in center comes out with

a few moist crumbs attached. Cool in pan on

wire rack five minutes. Invert onto wire rack;

remove parchment. Serve warm or at room

temperature.

CAKE

1212 SOCIAL IMPACT

AN OVERVIEW OF THE ECONOMICS OF CANNABIS, BOTH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL...

WeedonomicsCANNABIS SATIVA L. is without doubt the most widely produced, trafficked and consumed illegal drug in the world, with up to 650,000 hectares (ha) of land currently devoted to its cultivation worldwide. This total area is of course tiny compared to overall wheat cultivation (over 225 million ha) and that of the world’s largest non-food crop (coffee, at 11.5 million ha); however, it is much larger than the area given over to cocaine (around 170,000 ha) and opium (around 185,000 ha). Kali Mist

The regions in which Cannabis can be

grown are far greater in number than for

opium and cocaine, which are geograph-

ically almost exclusively limited to Asia

and South America, respectively. Total

production of Cannabis far exceeds any

other illicit drug, with up to 76,000 metric

tons (t) produced annually – up to 66,000

t of herbal Cannabis, and up to 10,000 t

of resin. Opium stands at around 43,000

t and coca leaf at 150,000 t (although

this figure is much bigger, the cocaine

produced is only around 1,000 t).

Total revenue from the global illegal

Cannabis trade is estimated at around

$142 billion (2010 figure) – over one-

third of total illicit drug revenue world-

wide ($411 billion). The cost of keeping

Cannabis illegal is difficult to ascertain,

due to the many factors at work, but is

generally estimated to be at least $10 bil-

lion annually in the United States alone.

Taxes that would be gained if Cannabis

was to be legalized are also difficult to

determine, given that taxation systems

are unlikely to be uniform worldwide;

however, based on the idea that it would

be taxed similarly to alcohol, billions

could be generated globally.

The human cost of the illegal Cannabis

trade, again hard to measure, is with-

out doubt massively increased by rais-

ing the severity of the measures taken

against the trade, as evidenced by the

horrific consequences of the drug war in

Latin America. This is prompting nation-

al leaders, such as Guatemalan presi-

dent Otto Pérez Molina and Colombian

president Juan Manuel Santos Calderón,

to entirely rethink their policies towards

all drugs – not just Cannabis.

Of the total Cannabis produced world-

wide, as much as 75% is destined for

domestic consumption, with herbal

Cannabis most often produced close

to its ultimate point of consumption.

Cannabis resin is more likely to be trans-

ported large distances due to the com-

parative ease of smuggling (particularly

reduced smell and smaller volume). It

is almost impossible to discern with

any accuracy the exact wholesale and

production revenues for Cannabis, but

estimates of around 5% of total retail

revenue for growers and producers –

and roughly 30% for wholesale reve-

nues – have been postulated. Up to 255

million people worldwide use Cannabis

regularly, with the highest consumption

rates found in the United States, Canada

and Australasia at around 10% of the

population.

Tax revenue taken by the Netherlands

amounts to approximately $600 million

(from total sales of approximately $3.2

billion), with around 26.5 t sold and

taxed annually in coffeeshops ($22.64

million per t or $2,264 per kg). If the

entire global production of Cannabis

were to be priced and taxed the same

as the Netherlands, total global tax rev-

enue would equate to almost $1.7 tril-

lion annually (more than the current

estimated world total for the sale of all

illegal drugs combined). Of course, it

is unlikely that all Cannabis produced

would ever be subject to taxation –

estimates suggest that up to 50% of

alcohol produced globally is consumed

with no tax paid at any stage – and even

if it were, not every country is likely

to levy such a high price or tax as the

Netherlands (around 20% of retail sale

price). However, even if only half of

total global production were taxed at

an international average of (say) 10%,

at current Netherlands retail prices this

figure would amount to around $400

billion annually.

In the United States, it is somewhat

easier to gain a concise look at the eco-

nomics of the Cannabis trade, but still

not a simple procedure due to massive

variation in state policies, and the emer-

gence of the legal trade. The fact that

TOTAL PRODUCTION OF CANNABIS FAR EXCEEDS ANY OTHER ILLICIT DRUG, WITH UP TO 76,000 METRIC TONS PRODUCED ANNUALLY.

UP TO 255 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE USE CANNABIS REGULARLY, WITH THE HIGHEST CONSUMPTION

RATES FOUND IN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA AND AUSTRALASIA.

US pot seizures comprise almost 70% of the world’s total

(© CBP Photography)

Seizures of hash are greatest in Afghanistan and Morocco

(© Isaf Media)

Hash is much easier to conceal and transport

(© Isaf Media)

1313the United States is the single biggest

national Cannabis market also means

that accurately determining the figures

is an arduous task, and there may there-

fore be considerable variation in the

range of most estimates. When it comes

to determining illegal trade statistics,

the figures are usually worked out on

the basis of total eradication and seizure

amounts (which over the years have

averaged around 10% of total produc-

tion). America accounts for 70% of glob-

al seizures; estimates for the total value

of the illegal market in the United States

range from as little as $10 billion to as

high as $120 billion annually, with most

estimates putting it at around $40 bil-

lion. The total revenue from legal medi-

weed is estimated at around $1.7 billion

(2011), a figure that almost equals the

revenue from sales of Viagra, which is

available in every state.

US states where sales of Cannabis from

dispensaries are taxed include California

and Colorado. In San Francisco, whose

dispensaries pay the standard 8.5%

sales tax, medi-weed sales revenues

represent a third of the city’s total sales

tax revenue. In Los Angeles, dispensa-

ries have paid a standard 5% of gross

retail revenue in tax since 2011, and in

Berkeley, a 2.5% sales tax has been lev-

ied since 2010. Oakland voters agreed to

raise tax paid from 1.8% - 5% on gross

revenue, and dispensary owners also

pay a $30,000 annual fee to the city.

Total tax revenue taken in California is

believed to approximate $100 million

(2010 figure); the total in Colorado was

around $5 million in 2011.

In states where sales tax is not levied,

the state may still gain revenue from

dispensary membership fees, such as in

Oregon, where up to $6.7 million was

raised in 2011. As Cannabis is illegal at

the federal level, it is mostly untaxed

beyond standard sales taxes. Upon

legalization, it would be possible to tax

weed similarly to alcohol, with increases

in revenue expected at upwards of $30

billion nationally.

It is estimated that California’s retail

prices for Cannabis would drop by as

much as 80% if full legalization was to

occur. Furthermore, California could see

a 75% reduction in law enforcement

costs, a figure of around $200 million,

and generate at least $1.2 billion in tax

– if a $50-per-ounce standard tax was

levied, as well as sales tax. Other savings

are represented in the fact that costly

and intrusive testing programs could be

discontinued (such as mandatory drug

testing for welfare recipients in Florida,

which is estimated to have cost almost

$120,000 despite leading to the detec-

tion of only 2.6% positive samples in

the four months before it was put on

‘temporary injunction’ – due to lack of

cost-effectiveness).

One in four Americans live in medi-

weed states, and it is estimated that up

to 25 million adults could potentially

qualify for prescription pot: currently,

around 730,000 are registered Cannabis

patients, and this figure is set to increase

as more people become aware of their

eligibility. Worldwide, a further 20,000

or so legally-prescribed patients exist

in countries including the Netherlands,

Canada and Israel. Legalization would

increase the numbers of medical users

worldwide as it becomes increasingly

acceptable to use and prescribe it, and

new applications will undoubtedly be

discovered.

If complete global legalization were to

be achieved, there would be various

economic consequences. The cost of

lobbying will undergo some changes:

currently millions are spent annually on

lobbying efforts to keep Cannabis ille-

gal – this may see some increase if laws

are to be relaxed, but it is also possible

that opposition to legal Cannabis will

slowly diminish (similar to the disinter-

est in post-Prohibition re-criminaliza-

tion efforts).

Police and prison guard unions, privat-

ized prisons, and alcohol and pharma-

ceutical corporations all have a mas-

sive vested interest in keeping Cannabis

prisoners incarcerated for as long as

possible. Until the system is entirely

overhauled, lobbying efforts are unlikely

to die off completely. On the other hand,

the cost of lobbying to make Cannabis

legal will inevitably experience great

reduction as laws continue to relax.

Other factors to take into consideration

include the fact that the total revenue

from Cannabis is unnaturally high due

to the associated costs of prohibition –

the ‘risk factor’ becomes a priority at all

stages of the industry, and this is usually

relatively proportionate to the sever-

ity of risk. In those countries where the

penalties are most severe, the cost of

Cannabis is usually higher. These costs

will be increased throughout every

step of the process, from cultivation

through transportation to retail sale.

Were Cannabis to be universally legal-

ized, the risk factor would be removed

and costs would reduce. This has been

found to be the case in most countries

that have attempted decriminalization

or relaxation of Cannabis laws.

Transportation would be further

reduced by legalization due to the

fact that domestic production could

become a reality, and average distance

from point-of-production to point-of-

sale could be permitted to decrease.

Many countries where outdoor cultiva-

tion is in fact possible, but local law

precludes it, instead have growing or

already-thriving indoor industries in

place – Australia, much of the United

States, many parts of southern Europe,

and increasingly, Latin American coun-

tries such as Brazil. While outdoor culti-

vation occurs in most (if not all) of these

locations, full legalization would in all

likelihood see a reduction in indoor

growing and a return to the far more

cost-effective outdoor method.

However, if universal legalization were to

occur, those countries whose climate is

not well-adapted to production of high-

potency Cannabis may swing the actual

and environmental cost of cultivation

back up, due to the expenses incurred

with indoor cultivation. Furthermore,

the total number of users may well

increase if worldwide legalization

occurs (currently there are 170 million

alcohol users in the United States, com-

pared with 16 million Cannabis users

– a ten-to-one ratio), and cultural atti-

tudes towards consumption of Cannabis

become more relaxed. It is vital that to

accommodate such growth, there must

be strong international dialog regard-

ing how best to balance the growing

demand with environmental concerns.

The environmental cost of the Cannabis

market is hard to measure, due to much

of its excesses being due to illegality

(in the form of dumping of hazardous

waste that cannot be disposed of oth-

erwise), eradication programs and fuel

costs, among other factors. The associ-

ated costs of a global legal industry

are still to be fully determined, but it

is overwhelmingly clear that the costs

of continued prohibition far outweigh

them, and it is becoming apparent that

the tide of public opinion is, throughout

the world, beginning to sway in favor of

legalization and regulation.

TOTAL TAX REVENUE TAKEN BY THE NETHERLANDS AMOUNTS TO APPROXIMATELY $600 MILLION FROM TOTAL

SALES OF APPROXIMATELY $3.2 BILLION.

Private prison corporations are among

the biggest lobbyists (© Mcaretaker)

Indoor cultivation pushes up the cost of production

(© Eggrole)

Outdoor cultivation is by far the most cost-effective method

(© John Pavelka)

14 ONLINE

Cannabis.info Opens the Gates to the World of WeedWith its brand new website Cannabis.info, Soft Secrets publisher Discover has opened the online gates to the entire world. It’s no won-der actually, as the company is the global market leader in the field of Cannabis magazines, with publications in thirteen countries across three continents. With so many languages and nationalities, the risk of a Babylonian confusion of tongues is ever-present, but the authors have succeeded admirably in creating a sleek and streamlined portal, accessible from any login point. Cannabissimo!

While the homepage of Cannabis.info

appears deceptively simple at first glance,

the site contains many less obvious features.

Cannabis.info is very ambitious, with more

of an emphasis on service and information

than on purely commercial interests. Besides

Cannabis fans and hobbyists, Cannabis.info

is also the ultimate portal to the rest of

the world for international Cannabis entre-

preneurs. While most companies jealously

guard their business relationships, here they

are fully accessible to all entrepreneurs in the

form of an international Highlife Guide. Talk

about social media! Hundreds of Cannabis

companies in eleven European countries can

be searched alphabetically and by business

type, but can also be found in a customized

map on Google Maps.

Green MoralityThe fact that Discover puts its current edi-

tions directly online is quite daring for a pub-

lishing company. This allows readers who

have no local distribution to read the current

editions online in their own language. They

can even be downloaded to print out later

on. This allows you to keep informed, even if

you live in a hut deep in the Tatra Mountains.

This option applies to all international edi-

tions of both Soft Secrets and Highlife.

With a name like Cannabis.info you can, of

course, expect information – and that’s just

what you’ll get. Plenty of it. You can access

everyday information, such as Cannabis-

related news from around the world, but

also all the information you need to success-

fully exercise your hobby. There is a whole

library at your disposal in which you can

perform a targeted search for the answer to

your question – again, of course, in multiple

languages. High quality content, including

material written by renowned authors such

as Jorge Cervantes and Ed Rosenthal, guar-

antees that your knowledge will always be

up to date. Obviously Cannabis.info closely

follows the international state of affairs in

the field of medicinal Cannabis as well.

Already, one of the most popular features

is the Soft Secrets ‘Readers Wives’ section,

in which growers’ wives and/or girlfriends

take off their clothes for free seeds. Online

visitors can vote for the ladies of green

morality through a star system in which

one star (NOT) to ten stars (HOT) indicates

how smoking hot you think these – unfor-

tunately usually faceless – Cannabis babes

are. Another good thing about ‘Readers

Wives’ is that it shows that there is more to

EU nations such as Poland than cliches, i.e.,

these countries produce attractive ladies of

both the plant and the human variant.

Soft Secrets TVA Cannabis website without a forum is sim-

ply unimaginable. Cannabis.info’s forum

may well become the number one interna-

tional meeting point where readers can dis-

cuss all aspects of Cannabis culture with the

rest of the world. The international forum is

the place for English-language topics; non-

English speakers can also enjoy themselves

in various other languages in the interna-

tional forums. Isn’t it cool that the grow

tent in your guest room can be admired by

a reader in, say, Miami or Maastricht? And

who knows, that particular reader may well

have a golden tip to make your tent even

more productive – ‘interactive’ at its best.

Cannabis.info also points you in the direc-

tion of Soft Secrets TV, a YouTube channel

with which the possibilities of the digital

universe are further exploited. In entertain-

ing videos, various topics are dealt with in a

manageable format with clear tutorials and

mini-reports about, for example, the dilem-

mas of a German medi-weed patient or an

interview with Howard Marks, a.k.a. Mr. Nice.

If there’s one thing the above figures make

clear, it’s that the world is yours to Discover.

But the truly impressive figure is the total

circulation with which Discover spreads its

green message all over the world: 1,500,000

copies in ten languages. Enough copies to

build a pretty decent Tower of Babel....

http://www.cannabis.info

C

t

w

15SERIOUS GARDENING

The Fungus Among UsThe realm of things that are alive is separated into various ‘kingdoms’. There are several different ways to do this, but a common way is to group life forms into kingdoms of Bacteria, Protozoa (amoebas), Chromista (algae), Animalia (animals), Plantae (plants) and Fungi. Members of the Plantae kingdom are the plants that gardeners grow. These beloved members of their kingdom supply us members of Animalia with treasures of fibers, foods, flowers and flavors. But they are not alone. The neighboring kingdom of Fungi encompasses both enemies and allies including molds, mildews, mushrooms, yeasts and mycorrhiza. Grubbycup

In general, fungi prefer dark, wet, undis-

turbed environments. While members

of the plant kingdom use cellulose to

build cell walls, fungi use chitin, which

is the same substance found in lobster

shells, insect carapaces and octopus

beaks. They often reproduce by releas-

ing spores, which are tiny groups of

cells that float through the air, hopefully

landing in a hospitable area to form a

new colony. Spores from common local

fungi are often already present in gar-

dens, simply awaiting proper conditions

to begin growth. These spores often

require near continuous available mois-

ture, and as a result overly-humid or

wet gardens have a greater tendency to

have fungal problems.

Humidity above 70% is ideal for fungal

growth, although outbreaks can occur

at lower levels. Air circulation can have a

strong influence on fugal growth, since

poor air movement can create ‘pockets’ of

high humidity air around plant material,

encouraging detrimental fungal growth.

Since fungi do not use chlorophyll, they

have no light requirements, and in fact

often prefer darker areas. Wet plant refuse

in a pile is an open invitation for an oppor-

tunistic fungal colony, so garden waste

should be dealt with and not allowed to

collect in damp conditions. Fungal out-

breaks can start with as little as 24 hours

of appropriate conditions.

Stem Rot is a fungus that can develop on

and kill off over-watered seedlings. Once

contracted, it is usually fatal, but can be

avoided by proper watering. Root Rot is

also caused by over-watering plants, but

again can usually be avoided with proper

watering and root aeration. Gray Mold

attacks areas of poor air circulation, and

can usually be avoided with some com-

bination of proper ventilation, trimming

areas of dense growth, and tying the plant

open to increase internal airflow. Powdery

Mildew is another moist garden fungal

menace, commonly appearing, but with

several treatment options including milk

and other home remedies.

Verticillium wilt is a destructive fungus that

invades and grows inside infected plants,

an almost always fatal and untreatable

arrangement. Dutch Elm disease is anoth-

er terminal fungal ailment. Prevention is

easier than treatment, so keeping humid-

ity under control, removing decompos-

ing plant material, and the elimination of

standing water are the best methods to

avoid an initial outbreak. Once a colony

has become established, in most cases

it must be treated. Correction of envi-

ronmental issues, removal of colonized

plant material, and chemical- or biologi-

cal fungicides are all options for treat-

ment. Sulfur is a common treatment, as

are neem oil and the bacterium Bacillus subtilis (Serenade®).

Yeast is a fungus commonly used to make

bread rise, which also creates the alco-

hol in wine and beer. Edible mushrooms

can be grown at home using logs inocu-

lated with the proper mushroom spores.

However some mushrooms can be toxic

– properly identify any mushroom consid-

ered for consumption.

Fungi assist in plant decomposition and

the conversion of waste plant material

into compost. They break down large and

woody plant material into forms more

accessible to further decomposition

by bacteria. Some fungi are so helpful

they are intentionally added to gardens.

Mycorrhiza are often added to plant root

systems to improve nutrient uptake, and

some are even used as biological pesti-

cides. For example, entomopathogenic

fungi such as Purpureocillium lilacinum have been used to combat parasitic nem-

atodes by infecting their eggs.

Mycorrhizal fungi have formed symbi-

otic (mutually beneficial) relationships

with almost all terrestrial plants. These

colonies are in a symbiotic relationship

with the plant, where each benefits

more than it loses from the presence of

the other. Mycorrhiza are found naturally

occurring in healthy, ‘live’ soil. The com-

bination of mycorrhizal fungi and plant

root are what is known as mycorrhizae

(fungus-roots). Plants with well estab-

lished mycorrhizae tend to perform bet-

ter than those that do not. The plant

provides a carbohydrate source for the

fungus; in return, the fungus helps assist

the plants in nutrient uptake, drought

resistance, and blocking their environ-

mental niche from pathogenic fungi.

Mycorrhizae collect and process nitrogen,

phosphorus and a variety of micronu-

trients and pass them to the plant. Of

particular use is their ability to increase

phosphorus uptake, which dramatically

increases over non-inoculated plants.

Mycorrhizae thrive on carbohydrates,

which is part of what they receive from

the plant in return for helping it to thrive.

One way to boost mycorrhizae is to feed

them with a carbohydrate additive such

as molasses.

If using mycorrhizal inoculants, apply at

the beginning of the season to establish

the colonies early. Once established, the

infected roots should serve as a host to

allow the fungus to spread throughout

the root system. Much like a small colony

of mold will take over an entire loaf of

bread, in a healthy root system mycor-

rhiza will spread to fill the available space.

Plant improvements from inoculate use

are particularly pronounced when used

early in poor or sterile mediums. In soil

that already contains high levels of ben-

eficial fungi, adding more spores has a

less-pronounced effect.

Plantae isn’t the only kingdom with which

fungi interacts – lichen are part-fungi and

part-algae, and penicillin (Penicillium chry-sogenum) is taken as an antibiotic by the

Animalia kingdom to combat invasions

by members of the Bacteria kingdom.

Speaking of the interaction between ani-

mals (us) and fungi, the hallucinogenic

psilocybin mushroom is another fungus

occasionally consumed for its effects.

While the dangers of eating a non-iden-

tified wild mushroom are very real, they

can be safely grown at home as a hobby

using a prefabricated kit (such as the ones

offered from Back to Roots, who sell small

mushroom kits made from recycled coffee

grounds). Several online merchants sell

spores and other equipment needed for

more the adventuresome hobbyist, but a

small kit is a fun way to try out the experi-

ence to see if it suits you.

There are good fungi, and then there are

some unpleasant ones. As with every-

thing else, make friends with the good,

and avoid the bad where you can.

Peace, love and puka shells,Grubbycup

STEM ROT IS A FUNGUS THAT CAN DEVELOP ON AND KILL OFF OVERWATERED SEEDLINGS.

These oyster mushrooms are an edible fungus

Mushroom kits are available

for home use

Powdered mycorrhiza fungi is

used as a plant additive

16 LEGISLATION

IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSED FEDERAL LIMIT FOR THC IN BLOOD

Cannabis and DUIDThe vast and complex system of legislation applied to Cannabis-related driving offenses can be highly confusing, and vary wildly from state to state. In 2000, a federal DUI law lowered the legal Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) limit to 0.08%, and by now most states have incorporated this guideline. However, there is no federal standard in place for any banned substance, and calls have recently been made to establish a uniform system for drugged driving offenses in order to bring an end to the confusion. A proposal, made in January of this year by Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), aims to earmark federal funds for the purpose of establishing standardized roadside tests for banned narcotics. While this may rep-resent a positive move in terms of the clarification it will potentially bring about, it could mean a change for the worse for many. Kali Mist

There are three main types of state DUID

(Driving Under the Influence of Drugs) or

DWI (Driving While Impaired) laws: either

the state must prove that the driver is

incapacitated, or rendered incapable of

driving; that the driver is impaired or is

under the influence of a drug while driv-

ing – or in the most restrictive states,

simply that there is evidence of a banned

substance. All fifty states have one or

more DUID laws in place; nineteen states

have the third type of law, known as

per se, but often referred to as ‘zero-

tolerance’. Twelve states implement strict

zero-tolerance of some or all scheduled

drugs, with seven of these twelve extend-

ing the law to include metabolites.

Minnesota, included in the seven, specifi-

cally exempts Cannabis: under its ‘implied

consent’ laws, the state cannot revoke

one’s license to drive solely on the basis

of a positive blood or urine test for THC

or metabolites. However, the driver may

be subjected to DWI charges, which could

result in revocation of license if impair-

ment can be proved beyond reasonable

doubt. Defense based upon prescription

use is allowed in several states, including

some zero-tolerance; in Wisconsin, a per se state, a defense based upon legal enti-

tlement is allowed only for THC, gamma-

hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and metham-

phetamine.

Several of the remaining per se states set

a legal limit for intoxication, as with alco-

hol, to be determined through blood or

urinalysis. Legal limits are also being intro-

duced in non-per se states, in an attempt

to quantify incapacitation or impairment

in such cases. Uniquely, North Carolina is

zero-tolerance of Schedule I drugs, but

for all other controlled substances, ‘influ-

ence’ must be proved (for those under 21

years old, per se law is applied to all con-

trolled substances). The standard for what

constitutes influence also varies between

the states that have defined it in their

statutes – in fourteen (including Nevada,

Pennsylvania and Wyoming), the burden

of proof is on the prosecutor to prove

that the driver is incapacitated; in eight

(including Florida and Virginia), the driver

must be proved to be merely impaired,

usually an easier case for the prosecution

to argue.

In ‘implied consent’ states, the driver has

implicitly given consent to be tested in

case of the suspected presence of con-

trolled substances; this may be done for-

cibly. All but five states have implied con-

sent laws, and nine of these issue criminal

penalties to those who do not submit

to the test. Out of those five states that

do not have implied consent laws, two

(Alaska and Alabama) allow for compul-

sory testing in cases involving death or

serious injury.

To ascertain the presence of Cannabis, a

blood or urine test is the most common

method. In states with a per se system,

the presence of THC in any amount is

enough to successfully convict. If the state

is strictly zero-tolerance, urine or blood is

sufficient to determine existence of THC

or its metabolites; if the state only consid-

ers THC and not metabolites a blood test

is necessary, as urinalysis to detect THC

itself is not usually standard.

The legal limit proposed for Washington

A traffic stop in New York (© Dwight’s Ghost)

Blood Alcohol Content & Relative Risk of Traffic Accident (Wikimedia Commons)

A failed sobriety test leads to a

student’s arrest (© JSmith Photo)

17(currently an influence state) in April

of 2012, Initiative 502, is five nano-

grams of THC per milliliter (5 ng/ mL);

Pennsylvania’s existing limit is already set

at 1 ng/ mL (reduced from 5 ng/ mL in

2011), and Nevada and Ohio set the limit

at 2 ng/ mL. Colorado recently rejected a

5 ng/ mL limit – Senate Bill 117 had been

given initial approval but died during a

second-reading vote on May 8th, 2012 due

to uncertainties over its scientific valid-

ity. There is much doubt surrounding the

veracity of testing methods as cannabi-

noids remain present in the body for far

longer than the effects of intoxication,

and tests are not usually performed until

hours after the arrest is made. Around

a dozen states also have roadside saliva

tests for THC; but again, there is much

controversy surrounding the establish-

ment of a legal limit.

Where influence or impairment must be

proved, the possibility of avoiding a DUID

or related charge increases with a good

defense. In California, for example, the

prosecutor must prove that the driver

does not possess the “ability to drive with

the caution characteristic of a sober per-

son” when attempting to convict for DUID.

If pulled over, the arresting officer must

first assess the driver according to driving

pattern and physical appearance, as well

as the results of Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs),

before requesting a Drug Recognition and

Evaluation (DRE). The DRE official will refer

the driver for a chemical test if the results

of the DRE suggest the presence of a con-

trolled substance. There is currently no

standardized limit to indicate impairment;

while the current system allows some

leeway, the proposed federal limit would

remove much of the individual’s ability to

argue the case for impairment.

Most states (the sole exception being

West Virginia) use a DRE system: law

enforcement agents are trained to recog-

nize telltale characteristics of drug impair-

ment, a subjective system prone to abuse

and error, whereby an arrest can only be

made if certain criteria are met. In effect

this can mean that all that a law enforce-

ment agent needs to do to make an arrest

is testify that, according to their opinion,

the driver was impaired. In most cases

this must be backed up by an official

test for Cannabis, but there are anecdotal

reports of DUIDs being issued with no test

being done at all – often in cases where

the driver admits to smoking Cannabis

(although this does not legally constitute

impairment).

Despite the many claims that ingesting

Cannabis prior to driving doubles one’s risk

of a collision, the data that supports this

is questionable, and in fact the opposite

may be true. The fact that Cannabis is so

commonly found in the blood of drivers

involved in accidents can be explained

largely due to the fact that it is the most

widely used controlled substance, espe-

cially in the 18 to 35 age bracket (in which

accident likelihood is typically increased).

Cannabis has been found to impair driving

immediately subsequent to consumption,

but these effects (which usually take the

form of slowed reactions, decreased speed

and reduced ability to track motion and

remain correctly positioned) have been

shown to be mild, and short in duration.

There is little question that for a healthy

adult, driving while entirely free from the

effects of any drug is optimal. There are

some who are rendered capable of driv-

ing only through their use of medications,

and others whose drug use generally

negates their ability to drive. Determining

who is in the latter category is of course

difficult, due to variation in the individual

behavioral response to a medication; in

many states there have been cases that

have challenged current thinking, leaving

us with a mishmash of policy from state to

state. Regardless, it is clear that the gov-

ernment has ignored research – including

its own – in the past, and not only regard-

ing Cannabis (but also with drugs such

as MDMA, which many consider illegally

placed in Schedule I, considering its ongo-

ing use as medicine). It is also clear that

there are blanket decisions being made

that unfairly prioritize politics over medi-

cal consensus. Indeed, Cannabis’s place in

the Schedule is greatly responsible for this

problematic legislation.

To illustrate the complexity and vagary

of the scheduling: Diazepam (generic

Valium) is a Schedule IV drug, use of which

research suggests greatly impairs driv-

ing ability. In Pennsylvania – where only

Schedules I through III are considered

under its DUI laws – driving on Diazepam

is not considered a violation. Pennsylvania

is, however, one of twenty states that

specifically disallow prescription use as a

defense, so a medi-weed user would be

liable for prosecution with no recourse to

the legality of their use (should PA ever

legalize medical Cannabis). Wisconsin

considers Schedules I through V under its

DUID laws, while making an exception for

prescription Cannabis – an almost diamet-

rically opposed approach to legislation

Adderall, a Schedule II substance, is a good

example of how the individual can be

subject to illogical laws, even on prescrip-

tion. It some states a doctor’s letter is suf-

ficient to confirm that the individual’s abil-

ity to drive will not be affected. However,

there have been cases of commercial driv-

ers ending up with a DUID for driving

while on prescribed Adderall – with a

doctor’s note, and with full knowledge of

the employer. Studies have demonstrated

that it significantly improves driving abil-

ity in young people with ADHD, although

there are conflicting examples of users

experiencing dizziness and panic while

behind the wheel – another example of

how difficult it can be to reach consensus.

A 2002 study (Barkley, et al.) demonstrat-

ed that ADHD sufferers are far more likely

to receive speeding fines and other viola-

tions; a German study in 2008 showed

that Cannabis can relieve symptoms of

ADHD (without the side-effects of other

common medications) and may in fact

enhance driving capabilities. Cannabis

use is prevalent among sufferers, and this

example further highlights the need to

legislate correctly for the drug, as it may

in many individuals’ cases be the most

appropriate medication to ensure unim-

paired driving. As up to 4.4% of adult

Americans have ADHD (and prevalence

is increasing), it would seem that further

research is required to look more deep-

ly into the relationship between ADHD,

Cannabis and motor vehicle accidents.

These examples serve to highlight the

inadequacy of the existing DUID laws,

and show that a federal approach setting

a national legal limit for THC must be

formulated carefully to avoid criminaliz-

ing unimpaired drivers and legal patients.

A more informed and less reactionary

approach would be to adopt a univer-

sal system similar to that in California,

which at least presents grounds for argu-

ment against a DUID conviction. Further

research must be done to decisively

establish the true risk of driving under the

influence of Cannabis, as well as the best

way to accurately determine impairment

on a case-by-case basis. Adopting a uni-

versal system that does not take this into

account would clearly demonstrate that

the best interests of American citizens are

not being considered.

CALLS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN MADE TO ESTABLISH A UNIFORM SYSTEM FOR DRUGGED DRIVING OFFENSES.

Saliva test kit for THC (© MedVet)Many saliva test kits for THC

are available (© POCD)

Blood testing for banned substances (© US Navy)

States with DUID per se statutes (NORML.org)

Image: Advanced Seeds

Jack

Pla

nt

19CULTIVATION 101

Cloning for the Future“As buds give rise by growth to fresh buds, and these, if vigorous, branch out and overtop on all sides many a feebler branch, so by gen-eration I believe it has been with the great Tree of Life, which fills with its dead and broken branches the crust of the earth, and covers the surface with its ever-branching and beautiful ramifications.” - Charles Darwin, Origin of Species F.RED

Cloning is taking a cutting (branch) from a

plant and then inducing it to root. Cloning

creates another plant genetically identical

to the one it was taken from. Climate and

humidity play a large factor in your success.

The closer your clone area can be to room

temperature 75º F (24º C) the more chance

roots will have to develop. Temperature

from a bottom shelf to a top shelf in a grow

room can be a few degrees different, poten-

tially altering your outcome. Purchasing a

digital thermometer/ hygrometer to make

sure your conditions are ideal is a wise

investment.

This micro-climate will often fluctuate sea-

sonally, even in an indoor environment. A

cloning setup placed straight on a slab may

be fine during the summer months, but

in winter you may need some insulation

or even a heating pad. We all know grow-

ers who can clone in a fish tank without

hormones, but the most effective way to

propagate is by immediately dipping the

cutting into a dry or wet rooting hormone

and then placing it into a growing medium.

Dry hormones are typically used with a soil

blend or straight vermiculite and perlite.

Wet hormones come in gel or liquid form

and are good to use with growth media

such as rockwool or clay pellets, as well as

bubble- or aeroponic systems.

Most environments are far too dry to sup-

port a cutting without roots. They must be

placed under a clone dome to prevent the

plants from drying out before the roots

have sufficiently developed. This humidity

dome allows the plants to drink water from

the air; they will not need much light until

the roots develop. The roots themselves will

need oxygen to grow. After the first few days

you should get in the daily habit of briefly

lifting the hood to allow for air exchange.

Roots can develop rapidly in as little as three

days – or as long as two weeks – depend-

ing upon the environmental conditions, the

health of the clipping, or even the particular

strain it is from.

There are a great many practical reasons

why an herb farmer would consider cloning

as a general practice. Growing from seed

requires at minimum a month of grow time

before most seedlings can even show sex.

At that point, unless you are growing hemp

(or breeding, and need pollen) the males will

need to be removed from your garden. This

does not necessarily mean that these plants

will go to waste. Some people receive great

benefits from juicing raw leaves or making

tinctures with these unwanted boys. Now,

the remaining girls you have are untested,

which – depending on the stability of their

phenotype – will give you a range of yields.

A clone in this same time period with a

proven track record, and grown properly will

be considerably larger then any seedling,

with less gamble on the final outcome.

Preserving a lineage is another great reason

for cloning. This has been done for decades

without the dreaded genetic drift, which

is the idea that successive clones lose their

vigor and quality. We have all heard stories

of clones gone bad. This is mostly due to the

change in the environmental conditions,

nutrient supply and overall vitality of an

individual plant. Though there is a poten-

tial for a limited life span I am very familiar

with multiple strains being cloned for over

a decade, and have also heard of people

cloning strains for several decades without

long term mothers, and without a change

in quality or output. The pool of genes from

which a Cannabis plant must choose for

survival is truly mind-boggling. I have seen

Hindu Kush elongate to Silver Haze-like pro-

portions in sweltering 120º F (49º C) heat.

And White Widow continuously flowers

from nutrient lockouts under twenty-four

hours of light. If you are fortunate enough

to obtain a strain with superb characteristics

or abilities, and you have the space to hang

on to it for forever, why not?

In the last ten years the scientists among

us have taken cloning to another level with

tissue cultures. A small bit of genetic mate-

rial can be kept indefinitely, or thousands of

progeny can be created from it. These tech-

niques in tissue culture are called protocols,

and they vary depending upon the type

of plant, and whether the genetic material

is taken from the roots, stem or leaf. While

many of these procedures were created

in laboratories with autoclaves and other

expensive equipment, they can often be

duplicated with items purchased at your

local grocery store. These protocols and

early procedures are in many ways similar

to growing mushrooms. While not practical

for the average grower, for a large com-

mercial producer tissue cloning is definitely

the future.

These wonderful Cannabis flowers, with

their infinitude of flavors and effects, are

ultimately what we strive for. People grow

for many reasons, and cloning ultimately

facilitates many of them. For some, hav-

ing the right medicine that works for their

condition is a life or death issue. Keeping

strains that have the greatest impact can

make a large difference in someone’s quality

of life. More fortunate individuals can relish

in the pleasures of flavor and taste, with

little thought to the aches and pains that

life can bring. Take some of the uncertainty

out of your harvests. Preserve your favorite

medicine, and speed up your harvest time

by learning how to clone.

Remove the guesswork with a digital

thermometer/ hygrometer

CUTTINGS MUST BE PLACED UNDER A CLONE DOME TO PREVENT THE PLANTS FROM DRYING OUT BEFORE THE

ROOTS HAVE SUFFICIENTLY DEVELOPED.

Clone under a dome

Purple Kush mother with clones

A mass of cells becomes a new plant

(Photo: gmocannabiswatch.blogspot.com)

20 CULTIVATION 10120

Cloning for Success “OPPORTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE

BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND

LOOKS LIKE WORK.” THOMAS EDISON

Successful cloning for soil or mixed media is simple. A few easy guide-lines will allow you to, over time, take one plant and make as many genetically identical copies as you want, for as long as you want. Several European cultivars of grapes are clones of plants originally grown over two-thousand years ago. Keeping a great strain is defi-nitely a good reason for learning how to clone. F.RED

Environment:Several procedures and arrangements need

to be accomplished before your first cutting

is taken. A clone area with moderate- to low-

level lighting is ideal for fresh cuttings. You

want your plants focused on root formation,

and bright lights will divert energy away

from that endeavor. Most Cannabis strains

need at least one month after sprouting

from seed to be able to flower.

Growers are able to control a plant’s ability

to flower by controlling the amount of dark-

ness it receives. This reaction to the light

cycle or lack of light is called ‘photoperiodic

response’. ‘Photoperiodism’ controls a plant’s

circadian clock, a biochemical mechanism,

which is literally a molecular clock coordinat-

ed with the day/ night cycle. We humans are

also controlled by these circadian rhythms,

but most are blissfully unaware. Cannabis is

considered a short-day plant, as in nature,

it flowers with the increase of darkness as

autumn occurs. Between sixteen and twen-

ty-four hours of light is necessary to prevent

flowering in your clone area.

Controlling temperature and humidity are

very important when cloning Cannabis. As

with brewing beer or growing mushrooms,

the parameters are very narrow, so pur-

chasing a digital thermometer/ hygrom-

eter will take all the guesswork out of the

equation. The closer your clone area is to

the ideal 75° F (24° C), the more success

you will have. The lower your tempera-

tures drop, the slower your roots will form.

Higher temperatures increase the chance

of rotting your cutting before roots are

formed. A plant clipping without roots is in

an unquestionably delicate state. Without

water, wilting begins almost immediately.

A clone dome will ensure moisture stays

in the air so your cutting does not dry

out before roots develop. The cutting will

absorb this moisture though a process of

diffusion and osmosis.

Marking or labeling is very important if you

have more than one similar variety. It can

be very easy to lose track of which plant is

which. Get your containers labeled correctly

so you do not end up losing or mixing up

your strains. A marker and masking tape is

an efficient and simple way to go.

The best media combination to clone

with is a half vermiculite, half perlite blend.

Together these two ingredients make the

perfect jumble of moisture and oxygen for

root development. A little misting will help

keep the dust down when mixing these

constituents, as they absolutely are a dust

hazard. After being put into the cloning con-

tainers this blend needs to be saturated with

water. To increase your level of success, add-

ing a little ‘Super Thrive’ and/or a very dilut-

ed bloom mix to this water will help give

your cuttings a boost in root production,

due to the hormones and nutrients they

provide. After watering the containers and

making sure they are not sitting in puddles,

create small holes in your media so your

cuttings will not be damaged when plac-

ing them into the mix. The stems of most

cuttings are tender. Forcing your clones into

this medium would hurt them.

Mother Plants and Cutting Technique:Healthy mothers ensure healthy clones.

Some growers subscribe to starving moth-

ers of nutrients before cloning, claiming

that it helps clones take faster. (This makes

as much sense as saying that starving a

child makes him grow faster.) Your cuttings

will use the nutrients stored within them

for staying alive and creating new roots.

Mother plants also need to be well-hydrated

before cloning; it is optimal to water a few

hours, or the day before, taking cuttings.

It will be around two weeks before the

clones will need to be watered. Spray the

mother plants with water before starting

the procedure, just to make sure they are

super-saturated.

Now you are ready to determine where

the clippings will be taken on the mother

plant. A cutting around three-plus inches

long is a good size. Use clean, sharp scissors

to take the clipping. Place the cutting on

a wood block, trim off the bottom leaves

and cut the stem at a nice 45° angle with

a fresh razor blade. Immediately dip the

cutting into a wet or dry rooting hormone

and place it into your medium. Make sure

to gently pack the moist vermiculite and

perlite, blending snugly around the stem.

When you are finished with your last cut-

ting, place the dome over them. These new

plants can be left in the clone area, undis-

turbed, for seven days.

You ought to see a little humidity forming

in the hood of the dome. This is a good

sign that your clippings will have enough

moisture in the air to sustain them while

the roots are forming. If your plants wilt in

the first few days, your conditions are too

dry. If they rot the conditions are too wet,

or to hot. After the first week, lift the dome

every day or two allowing for a good air

exchange, as roots need oxygen to survive.

Most cuttings will root within a three- to

twelve day period.

As Sophocles says, “success is dependent

on effort.” These simple steps can give

you 100% success at cloning. Once your

clones are ready, transplant into soil, clay

pellets, coconut husks, lava rock, or some

other exotic medium. These plants are

genetic copies of their mothers, ready

to flower instantly with a reduced light

cycle, meaning more potential harvests

of your favorite medicine every year!

A FEW EASY GUIDELINES ALLOW YOU TO TAKE ONE PLANT AND MAKE AS MANY GENETICALLY IDENTICAL

COPIES AS YOU WANT, FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT.

Poke a hole in your wet mix to

make room for the clone

Choose where to take

your cutting

Cut bottom leaves on stem

Dip cutting immediately into

rooting hormone

Pack mix snugly around clone

Fresh clones under a dome

Ten-day-old clone with beautifully developed root ball

21MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

The effects of Cannabis on appetite is a well-known (although not well-understood) phenomenon. After ingesting pot, many people experience a desire to eat. While this effect can be extremely useful in replacing appetite in some individuals with medical conditions or treatments that result in a loss of appetite, for others it can help tip the scales beyond what they are comfortable with. This effect varies from person to person, and from variety to variety; for frequent smok-ers, it is something to be taken seriously, especially considering our nationwide issues with obesity. Grubbycup

Mastering the Munchies

In the interest of full disclosure: I’m not

a nutritionist or medical professional, so

take this as well-meaning advice from a

friend, not as a mandate from any sort of

authority on the topic. On the other hand,

I have lost 100 lbs off my top weight, and

so would like to share some of what has

helped me not only maintain control of

the effects of the munchies, but also to

lose weight while smoking daily.

Consuming Cannabis often has the effect

of allowing one to appreciate the current

moment in a focused, heightened state, at

the apparent expense of short term mem-

ory encoding [discussed on p. 26]. To put

that another way, enjoyment of the cur-

rent mouthful is greater, but the ability to

properly keep track of how many mouthfuls

have been taken diminishes. Some unsci-

entific anecdotal evidence suggests that a

bowl of potato chips put in front of a group

of vipers will disappear regardless of por-

tion size, and interviews with participants

afterward showed a diminished ability to

judge whether one bag or two was con-

sumed. Responses similar to “we had some

chips” were universal, but their estimations

as to the amount of chips consumed varied

widely, and tended to be low.

On a similar occasion, smaller portions

were made available, with almost identi-

cal responses afterward. Satisfaction with

the experience appeared close to identical

in each case, as long as the requirement

“we had some chips” was met. Responses

seemed to indicate that the first and last

chips were the most memorable, with the

number of mouthfuls in between experi-

encing diminishing returns after a mini-

mum point. Having a single serving of

chips, or several servings, seems to have

little effect on the experience – while hav-

ing a large impact on calorie consump-

tion. Since the experience appears to be

similar, my first tip to you is to practice

portion control. Don’t take an entire con-

tainer with you, put a reasonable amount

in a bowl or on a plate instead.

Another effect often experienced, particu-

larly when Cannabis is smoked, is an analge-

sic effect, with or without an accompanying

sensation of ‘dry mouth’. This can cause the

sinuses to open and drain, paradoxically

causing coughing while clearing passages.

Since the feeling of dry mouth is most com-

monly interpreted as a symptom of dehy-

dration, the body responds by signaling

thirst. Pay attention to the particular craving

that you feel. In this case, it is likely not the

‘sweet’ from soda that the body is calling for,

but simply something re-hydrating, which is

a need that can be met with water.

Drinking water as a frequent beverage choice

is something that gets easier with practice.

Moderation in all things, plus drinking water,

can help reduce the number of ‘empty’ cal-

ories a person consumes from beverages.

When you want to sit and enjoy the flavors

in a drink, by all means make a tasty choice;

however, when thirsty and wanting to rehy-

drate, tip number two is to try convincing

yourself that water is the best choice for actu-

ally quenching thirst, with flavored drinks

more appropriately enjoyed at leisure.

Since the sensations of eating can be

easier to focus on while under the effects

of Cannabis, textures can become both

important and interesting. For those seek-

ing a crunch, fresh vegetables dipped in

salad dressing can supply both a satisfying

crunchy experience, and if a variety of dress-

ings is made available, can be a nice treat.

Smooth and creamy textures can be found

in fruits such as bananas.

Sweet, sour and spicy are other common

cravings. Sweet plums can sometimes fulfill

the need for ‘sweet’; dill pickles are a no fat,

low calorie ‘sour’; and most hot sauces can

be added in practically unlimited quanti-

ties without appreciably increasing calories.

Foods high in fiber, like a bowl of oatmeal,

are filling and can help satisfy a toker’s need

to eat and feel full. A piece of jerky can be

chewed slowly to satisfy both salt and pro-

tein cravings. Although it isn’t very realistic

for most of us to replace all the bad foods

we crave with healthier alternatives, replac-

ing at least some can make maintaining a

healthy weight easier. The third tip is to try

to find healthy ways to fulfill the cravings

that arise.

For the fourth and final tip: when you do

have a high-calorie, high-fat treat, make it a

good one – and enjoy every bite. Life is for

living; while treats should be only an occa-

sional celebration for the palate, when you

do indulge in them, savor the experience.

A personal favorite treat is a wonder that I

first learned of some years ago by the name

of ‘Dutch Babies’. While not appropriate for

keeping pounds off, it is very appropriate for

delighting a mellow group of friends with a

reason to celebrate.

Dutch Babies:You will need a skillet that can be placed in

an oven (cast iron works best).

* Melt 1/3 cup of butter in a shallow cast iron

skillet in a 425º F oven

* Blend 4 eggs for 1 minute or until light and

lemon-colored

* While mixing, add 1 cup milk, then 1 add

cup flour

* Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

* Blend for 30 seconds. Add to pan, return

pan to oven, and bake for 20 - 25 minutes

* Top with a little lemon juice and powered

sugar, jelly, or syrup, serve immediately

If all goes well, the sides will rise and curl

over themselves while it cooks. Puffy while

cooking, it will fall within minutes of being

taken out of the oven.

The effect known as the ‘munchies’ can enh

ance the experience of eating, and (when

used properly) can spice up life – but in

moderation. Find healthy substitutes for less

healthy choices when you can, and make

peace with yourself when you cannot.

Peace, love and puka shells,

PRACTICE PORTION CONTROL: DON’T TAKE AN ENTIRE CONTAINER WITH YOU, PUT A REASONABLE AMOUNT IN A

BOWL OR ON A PLATE INSTEAD.

2222 FESTIVALS AND EXPOS

PROPOT PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE

NETHERLANDS GATHER IN AMSTERDAM TO

SAY, “LET’S PASS ON THE WEED PASS!”

Cannabis Liberation Day 2012In light of the recent suppression of the Dutch Cannabis industry, namely the Weed Pass and the 15% Rule, June 17th was a chance to gather, rally and celebrate the plant. Amsterdam’s famous Westerpark provided the setting for the fourth annual Cannabis Liberation Day, a collection of speakers, musical acts, local sound systems, seed com-panies, hemp products, activists and legal advocates – plus the usual assortment of growers, smokers and medical patients. Hosted by the VOC (Alliance for the Abolition of Cannabis Prohibition), several thou-sand people showed up primarily to protest against the Weed Pass; the nation’s largest Cannabis culture festival also acted as the launch for the VOC’s new Vote2Smoke campaign. Sativa Diva Photos by Highlife

The Cannabisbevrijdingsdag, as it’s

known in Dutch, occurs at a particularly

tense political time, as the cabinet fell in

April and will be replaced after elections

in September. Potential visitors to our

capital city have been worried that the

same policies currently in place in south-

ern Holland will soon be implemented

in the rest of the country – including

our capital city. Amsterdam is slated to

adopt the Weed Pass (officially known as

the ‘Club Card’) along with the remain-

der of the nation as of January, 2013. In

addition, all Cannabis products that test

above THC (notably ice-water extracted

hash) are supposed to be banned from

coffeeshop sale.

These ideas have caused murmurs of

panic throughout the various interna-

tional growers’ and smokers’ communi-

ties (both in person and online); however,

the superficial harshness of the meas-

ure is diluted when people realize that

the only support these repressive and

destructive policies enjoy comes from

the recently-dissolved coalition of right-

wing, conservative political parties.

Attending the Cannabis Liberation Day

on that Sunday in June belied any notion

that Cannabis is no longer accepted in

the Netherlands. Visitors were treated

to a new feature this year, known as

the Speakers Corner. Highlighted was

the new Vote2Smoke campaign (www.

vote2smoke.nl) which encourages the

Cannabis-friendly population of Holland

to become more active in politics, and

informs the public as to how they can

vote for the parties who actually support

weed tolerance in the Netherlands.

For now, the coffeeshop industry is

definitely still open for business –

regardless of where you’re from. The

large attendance at this year’s Cannabis

Liberation Day, coupled with the fer-

vor of its panel of speakers, proved

that Amsterdam still welcomes pro-pot

people from around the world, with

open arms – and stash tins.

Evert, pioneer of the

Verdamper vaporizer

Def P and the Beatbusters

provoked wild ska moves

Local legend Armand participating

in the Speakers Corner

DJ Isis: “The Weed Pass is an absurd

step back in time!”

Even the merchandise had a

political theme

Coffeeshop Bulldog was

among the local vendors

23MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

Dude, Where’s My Memory? O’Riodon

SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS HAS LONG BEEN AN ASSUMED

SIDEEFFECT OF CANNABIS USE. THE STONER LIVING IN A

MENTAL FOG IS MOST PEOPLE’S IDEA OF A TYPICAL DOPE

SMOKER, BUT THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY TRUE.

Although THC (the active ingredient in

weed) has already been indicted for a num-

ber of crimes, none could be more hei-

nous than attempting to steal the previous

thirty minutes from everyone who has ever

smoked it. The evidence is pretty compel-

ling: besides giving us a good time, THC

disrupts the brain wave patterns across the

hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, areas

crucial to memory formation. It’s the equiva-

lent of a couple of instruments playing out

of tune in an orchestra, with the resulting

discord meaning you can’t find your car keys

– scary stuff. However, there is one piece of

evidence in THC’s favor: short term memory

loss only lasts as long as you use it. So that’s

all right then! But what about those of us

who don’t want to quit? Well, that’s where

we all get together and solve the problem.

The fact is, there’s weed out there containing

much higher levels of cannabidiol (CBD),

the counterbalance to THC, and this has

no effect on short term memory – in fact, it

actually produces a cleaner, more empow-

ering effect. CBD is like THC’s good twin,

making sure he ‘plays nice’ without resorting

to those nasty side effects. It’s the weed we

should all have access to, the shit that shows

us we are all one – Bob Marley’s stash!

The problem is, these specially-selected

strains are expensive and hard to find in

some parts of the world. Some of the blame

lies with the seed companies who only

develop strains to boost THC, while totally

ignoring the CBD content. Hey breeders,

it’s all about balance, and growers, well

you should just flush more. Nothing helps

zap your memory like a bag full of ‘twitchy’

dope, still full of growing nutrients.

THC is not altogether guilty of stealing your

memory, because it does have accomplices

– us. Think about it: memory is a function of

the brain that sits on top of that thing you

call a body, but do you take care of it? The

human body is an amazing thing, capable

of all sorts of feats. It’s the hottest thing on

this planet, having invented air travel, wars

and stuff, but how do we treat it? Would you

put 92-octane gas in a Ferrari? No, but you’d

stuff a hamburger and soda into something

that gave us the theory of relativity. If you

want to smoke dope and continue to have

a sharp mind you also have to eat prop-

erly (there are also a few herbs involved, but

more about them later).

A good first step is to start making meals

that are more memory friendly by cutting

down on toxins, such as refined sugar and

trans fats. These substances produce mind-

numbing compounds that dull the senses

and damage the brain’s ability to recollect

and reason. There are also allergies to wheat,

milk and corn, these can also affect the

brain’s ability to function, so try whenever

possible to eat wholesome, (legitimately)

organic food and drink plenty of water, and

maybe consider buying a water filter.

Oily fish containing omega-3 is a great

brain food. Start adding tuna, salmon or

trout to your diet. These contain a fatty

acid called DHA, which increases the lev-

els of acetylcholine, a vital carrier involved

in the brain’s memory function. Walnuts,

flaxseed oil and hemp seed oil are another

good source of omega-3.

Sage tea is a good memory booster, and

green tea is just good for... everything.

Another way to boost memory is with high-

potency multivitamins and mineral supple-

ments. Look for a supplement that delivers

a daily intake of the following nutrients:

vitamin A, beta-carotene, the full range of B

vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper,

manganese, selenium and chromium.

DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol), will also keep

your memory sharp by giving your neuro-

transmitters a boost. These are the chemicals

that relay messages between the neurons

and when levels are low, memory suffers.

DMAE can also potentially elevate mood, and

increases physical energy. Another important

herb that stimulates the brain’s neurotrans-

mitters is St John’s Wort, but don’t use this if

you’re taking antidepressants.

Periwinkle is an herb that speeds up brain

activity by increasing blood flow, thus

enhancing memory function, in some cases

with startling effect. Ginkgo biloba is anoth-

er memory herb that improves blood circu-

lation to the brain, and it is also a powerful

antioxidant.

Kava-kava is an herb from the South Pacific

that induces memory-restoring sleep.

This mild sedative helps you sleep better

and allows the brain to produce growth

hormone, a substance that protects and

improves memory.

Stress, another memory thief, releases the

hormone cortisol: this damages the brain’s

ability to turn short memory into the long-

term variety, so learn how to relax. If you

suffer from stress, try practicing a relaxation

exercise such tai chi, meditation or yoga.

Walking is another great memory booster,

preferably in the beauty of nature, which

has a very positive effect on your ability to

retain memories.

Just the simple act of breathing can also

play an important role in the brain’s memory

function. Many of us breathe too shallowly,

depraving the brain of the vital oxygen it

needs to operate at full capacity. Try taking

a few deep breaths every couple of minutes,

giving the brain an oxygen boost, sharper

reactions and clearer thoughts.

Finally, try introducing new ways of think-

ing into your life. Every day we repeat 80%

of the thoughts we had the day before.

So, start changing your routine. Break old

habits, or give your brain a challenge – start

learning an instrument or a new language.

And turn off that TV! One day, all the weed

in the world will be loaded with enough

mind-expanding CBD for us all to join as

one, and explore the higher realm of our

minds together. Remember: use it or lose it!

THE FACT IS, THERE’S WEED OUT THERE CONTAINING MUCH HIGHER LEVELS OF CANNABIDIOL CBD, THE

COUNTERBALANCE TO THC, AND THIS HAS NO EFFECT ON SHORT TERM MEMORY.

THC disrupts brain wave patterns

across the hippocampus

A short-term memory goes up in smoke

Ginkgo biloba, a memory booster

Brain food, full of omega-3

24 CULTIVATION ABROAD

HOW ONE GROWER ‘ACROSS THE POND’ AVOIDS THE HIGH COST OF BUYING WEED FROM SOMEONE ELSE...

Home Growing in Southern EnglandI’m a grower down on the southern coast of England and I’m painfully aware of how bad the current situation concerning good quality bud has become. You can go in to any city, town or village around here and get a bit of bud without too much hassle, if you know where to look. Some local tokers may be lucky and get decent smoke but pay the high price of £10 ($15.60) per gram, while others may end up with the run-of-the-mill crap that seems to be selling everywhere these days for around £20 - 25 ($31 - 39). Smokedout

I, for one, can’t be asked to hunt around

trying to find a decent bit of smoke that

is going to cost me a small fortune. This

is why I grow – not for the potential high

value rewards that can be made in this

business, but because I love a good bit

of bud and I resent having to pay a king’s

ransom for it.

I have been growing for about seven years

now and only recently have I decided that

something needs to change, be it the (stu-

pid) law or the dealers standing up and

saying NO to crap bud!

So this column is my contribution to

help enlighten and educate like-minded

people about how important it is to

know what you are doing when pro-

ducing a garden of beautiful Cannabis

plants. We can all stick a seed in a pot

and let it grow; however, as most people

who are passionate about growing find

out, this is barely even the tip of the

peak you need to scale if you want truly

awesome weed.

My intention with this article is to help

people to grow good Cannabis, easily, so

that they no longer have to buy from a

questionable source or some multitasking

street dealer!

I am going to start nice and easy with a

grow report on the lovely Super Skunk

from Nirvana seeds, for which I have a

particular fondness, plus it is a strain

that just seems to love me back! (You

will know what I mean when you try

it). I have been growing it for several

years as I find it still cannot be beaten

for quality or quantity when compared

to your ‘standard’ and even most ‘high

grade’ bud that you will buy from your

next-door neighbor’s teenage son’s

friend – you get the picture!

It gives me great pleasure to share

this grow with you all, as I have just

moved grow rooms from a cramped

space to somewhere my ladies can

properly flourish! On top of that, I have

ditched the two ‘old faithful’ 600-watt

HPS lights, (although these will re-

appear at some later date as they are

such good lights), and have opted for

a mixture of 300-watt LED bloom light-

ing, 150-watt HPS with electronic bal-

lasts and 250-watt CFL lights, to save a

bit of energy consumption.

One thing I am keeping the same is

the method of growing, since I have

a strong preference for the Wilma

ten-pot hydroponic drip system from

Atami.

LightingI will begin the lighting with the 150-

watt HPS with electronic ballasts, two of

which I purchased from a grow shop on

the outskirts of town for £300 ($467)! I

know that this sounds like a lot, and it is

really (this simply highlights the differ-

ences in costs that growers around the

world must face), but using two of them

is supposed to be the equivalent of a

600-watt. For this reason alone they have

to be worth a try.

High-pressure sodium is a great light to

grow under; two 150-watt lamps equal

a 300-watt, which equals less electricity

consumption, and as a last point of inter-

est, they run a lot cooler than a 600-watt

and come with a mirrored diffuser for

better spread of lumens over your leaf

canopy. These will be used in the flower-

ing period.

Growth MediumThere are many different media on

the market, from countless reputable

dealers, that are great for all types of

growing methods or applications. These

come with or without added nutrients

and other goodies, such as trichoderma

or worm castings. I have always used

expanded clay pellets (LECCA), small

rounded balls that come in fifty-pound

bags. I find these cheap and easy to use

as they retain little water, compared

to media such as cocos. This is good

for me as I like to leave my pumps on

twenty-four hours a day to allow my

plants access to as much feed water as

they want.

NutrientsAgain, nutrition is an area in which there is

so much variety that it is hard to say which

product or brand is the best or worst to

use, and I guess the nutrients are only as

good as you are, at the end of the day.

I have used House and Garden nutrients

for five years on my beloved Super Skunk

plants, and they seem to adore it – much

more than the B.A.C. Topflower I used

to use. They (House and Garden) have a

good range of products over here, rang-

ing from root enzymes to veg and bloom

pH adjusters, right through to bloom stim-

ulators and flushing solution.

The Wilma ten-pot hydro system is a

re-circulating system, and House and

Garden produce a great set of nutri-

ents for this type of system called Aqua

Flakes, one of the new ranges of feeds

that are supposed to be ‘pH-perfect’,

meaning that there should be no fluc-

tuations in your pH values once set to

your desired level. In this system it is

between 5.8 and 6.1.

The GrowWith the basic setup covered, it’s time

to get down to the bit that we all care

most about: growing our lovely bud!

After my twenty clones had rooted

and were split into two batches (ten

for the 300-watt LED for another grow,

and ten for the 150-watt HPS for the

plants discussed in this article), I set

my ten ladies into their new home for

the next two to three weeks so that

they could establish a healthy root

system and bulk up a little bit more,

before they get moved to the flower-

ing room later.

To help them along they were placed

I HAVE A STRONG PREFERENCE FOR THE WILMA TENPOT HYDROPONIC DRIP SYSTEM FROM ATAMI

NUTRITION IS AN AREA IN WHICH THERE IS SO MUCH VARIETY THAT IT IS HARD TO SAY WHICH PRODUCT OR

BRAND IS THE BEST OR WORST TO USE

A ten-pot system is easy to manage for beginners

Low-watt HPS or LED lights reduce heat problems

25

under a bank of four-by-five (foot) 35-watt

fluorescent fittings, which give off little

or no heat and allow the plants to grow

right up to the lamps and absorb all that

yummy light goodness.

Some people will think I’m a bit mad to

use only bloom nutrients throughout

my plants’ lives, but I have never found

this has stunted or affected my veg or

bloom at all.

The ladies started their cycle on a mild

solution of feed water at around 1.0 EC for

a week, and then I started raising it at the

start of week two. EC finished at 1.4 by the

end of the third week of veg. Usually, at

this time my plants are around the twelve-

to eighteen-inch mark and are showing

off a nice sturdy main stem and plenty of

branching, with deep green leaves want-

ing more light.

FloweringThe plants have had a great start and are

all looking healthy and uniform in growth,

so now is the time to move them into the

all-important flowering room. I love this

room, it being where the magic happens.

To see a load of cuttings come through

and finish, coated in resin and stinking to

high heaven, is just wondrous. Frankly, I

could lose myself in there all day, looking

at the glistening flowers plumping up all

around me.

As I’m using the Wilma ten-pot, moving

the plants around is really quite easy as

I can remove the drippers, pick the pot

up and move it into another ten-pot sys-

tem inside the flowering room. Once the

plants have adapted to the new envi-

ronment the feeding schedule begins

again. We start with a 1.4 EC under a

150-watt HPS lamp, with an electronic

ballast for supposed better use of ener-

gy. The lights are slightly smaller than a

250-watt, but are extremely bright and

give off very little heat close to the lamp.

The light is placed about sixteen inches

above the plants for the first four days

to give the plants a chance to adapt to

the sudden jump in light intensity, and

then moved down to ten inches from

the canopy by the tenth day.

As with all HPS lighting, the plants picked

up a bit of vigor and had a little growth

spurt for a week or two, which pushed

them to a height of around twenty-four to

thirty-two inches. Feed was raised to 1.6

EC at this point, as the plants were start-

ing to react to the change in photoperiod

(light regimen from 18/6 to 12/12) and I

was already seeing white pistils start to

emerge from each flower – growth looks

impressive and well-formed considering,

it is only getting light from a 150-watt!

Over the next two weeks the EC level

was raised to around 1.8 and things

were looking good for the Super Skunks

under the 150 watts. The buds were

starting to form defined nuggets and

the plant was looking as healthy as she

possibly could. This is when I cracked

open the House and Garden Shooting

Powder, worth its weight in gold. This

little treasure gives the plants a mighty

phosphorous boost for three weeks

(starting at week five of flowering, up to

week eight, before flushing for a week

for good measure at the end), and it has

a massive effect on the size, smell and

taste of your harvest. Every time I use

this, it amazes me. You can literally see

the buds fatten up every time you are

in the room. I’ve had flowers that have

doubled in size after using this stuff, yet

they always stayed tight and dense.

By the start of week six I was beginning

to feel a little bit anxious. I looked at my

garden and instead of seeing the fat, lus-

cious buds in front of me that I’m used to

seeing, I had smaller-than-usual buds that

looked a little bit airy, apparently lacking

something.

I checked my temperatures, which

stayed around 22 - 24° C (71.6 - 75.2°

F) constantly, the nutrient solution and

the humidity, and they all are perfectly

acceptable. Could it be the lights? I

know that I’ve only got a 150-watt

over these, but if the hype was correct

I should have my usual fat, glistening

buds by now. Instead I have four plants

in the middle that are looking okay

but not brilliant, and six plants on the

edges that just need more light than

they are getting. This is a pain, as it

means that the plants are not using

the nutrient as efficiently as they could

be, because the lack of light intensity

means photosynthesis happens at a

much slower rate!

Unfortunately, come harvest time the

buds hadn’t swelled much more and the

overall dried yield was only a fraction

of what I’ve achieved with the same

setup (excluding the lights). But, judg-

ing by the ever-present stench of the

Super Skunk, she didn’t seem to care

that she didn’t get as much light as she

had wanted, as she still stank to high

heaven. Plus, the taste was just as good,

so all was not lost.

ConclusionThese 150-watt lights are a good alterna-

tive to running a 250-watt, but in no way

compare to the mighty 600s. I would

recommend using them for veg lights or

as a flowering light for the first three to

four weeks, then raise the wattage to a

minimum of 400-watts for the remaining

time. Unfortunately, they just don’t deliver

the goods to flower a decent crop of tight

buds from start to finish.

As new grow shops and previously-

unheard-of lights, filters and other

equipment are constantly popping up

across the globe, further experimenta-

tion must be accomplished before any

concrete opinions are formed. I shall

continue my quest to source my own

ganja and avoid shelling out to the

local dealers.

Happy growing and smoking, fellow stoners across the pond!

I LOOKED AT MY GARDEN AND INSTEAD OF SEEING THE FAT, LUSCIOUS BUDS IN FRONT OF ME THAT I’M USED TO SEEING, I HAD SMALLERTHANUSUAL BUDS

THAT LOOKED A LITTLE BIT AIRY

Multiple small grow units can maximize awkward spaces

Flushing propels nutes out and aids in drying and curing

Image: Paradise Seeds

Ato

mic

al H

aze

27MEDICAL ACTIVISM

Sports activities and good causes are a popular match. The most famous example is Alpe d’Huez in France, in which six amateur cyclists cycle up the infamous mountain passes of Alpe d’Huez to raise money for cancer research. Suffering to ease the suffering of others. Two Cannabis-loving cyclists came up with the bright idea of applying a similar concept to medical Cannabis. This resulted in the first ever three-day Medical Cannabis Bike Tour, held in late April during the GrowMed Cannabis fair in Spain – the birth of a glorious cycling tradition.

The pilot edition of the Medical

Cannabis Bike Tour began very mod-

estly, with only two participants, who

also happened to be the only spon-

sors. Matej from the Slovenian rolling

paper producer Snail played the role of

leader, while Paradise Seeds front man

Luc was just happy to – even at a great

distance – keep up. You might expect

the director of a successful seed com-

pany to ride a flashy, ultra-light carbon

road bike, but you would have been in

for a surprise.

The Paradise front man did not even

ride a racing bicycle, but rather some-

thing that could best be described

as a leisure bike. A decrepit Gazelle

from the eighties, which he purchased

for fifty euros. “The saddle was more

expensive than the whole bike” he

exclaimed with a laugh. As a relative

beginner, Luc hardly knew what he

had gotten himself into. He claimed

to have “trained a lot” at home. As it

turned out, an hour of cycling a few

times a week in the flat area around

his home was not the ideal prepara-

tion for covering a distance of 250

miles (400 km) in three days – certainly

not in Spain, where it is often swelter-

ing in April and where a flat surface is

virtually impossible to find.

To say that Luc struggled is an under-

statement: it was torture. (Teammate

Matej was better prepared, and even

added on a 106-mile trek to Alicante

the day after the tour.) It was not the

dreaded Spanish hillsides that almost

wiped out the men, because there were

few on the flat route along the coast.

Luc recalled, “We had a not inconsid-

erable amount of opposing wind for

250 miles. It blew so hard that crests

formed on the sea – we later heard that

it had been Force Five. After sixty miles

I wanted to get off, I was so exhausted.”

However, as for the participants in Alpe

d’Huez, giving up is not an option in

the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour.

Cannabis Shirt AdvertisingDespite the suffering, the adventure

left them wanting more. Luc explained,

“Next year we want to organize anoth-

er tour, we are aiming for forty par-

ticipants. Many people have already

pledged that they want to participate,

so there is clearly plenty of interest.”

The purpose of the tour is to raise

money for research into the efficacy

of Cannabis in the treatment of can-

cer. To find a suitable project for this,

the IACM (International Association for

Cannabinoid Medicines) was contact-

ed. Nothing is yet fixed, but Luc’s imag-

ination is already running at full speed.

“One idea is the possibility of getting

sponsors to pay per kilometer [0.62

mi]. The more riders participating, the

higher the amount raised. Participants

will wear shirt advertising with the

names of the sponsors, and we may

even put a Cannabis leaf on our helmet.

This way people can see that Cannabis

users are not just apathetic people sit-

ting at home smoking a joint, but also

stand for something.”

It is incidentally not the intention of

the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour to pin

itself down to Spain. “As far as location

is concerned all possibilities remain

open. The intention is however for the

tour to coincide with a Cannabis fair

somewhere in Europe.” The website

that will soon go online will keep you

informed of all options and plans.

Luc can already picture it: “In all the vil-

lages along the route there are people

cheering by the roadside. There are

motorcycle escorts and a helicopter,

and of course the police will close off

the roads for us.” Like a true cyclist,

Luc declines to answer the inevitable

question of whether doping will lead

to a distortion of competition at this

tour. “What do you think?” he asks with

a sly grin.

www.medicalcannabis-biketour.org/

WE HAD A NOT INCONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF OPPOSING WIND FOR 250 MILES. IT BLEW SO HARD THAT

CRESTS FORMED ON THE SEA...

THE SADDLE WAS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE WHOLE BIKE!

CYCLING FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS RESEARCH!

Medical Cannabis Bike Tour

28 SERIOUS GARDENING

HYDRO OVER HANDWATERING

Flood and Drain TechniqueThink hydro is too complicated? How about a hydro system that lets you grow in pots, using any growing medium – even your favorite compost – and cuts down on your hard work? Our campaign for the fastest growth and the biggest yields continues, with a look at ‘flood and drain’... Little Lebowski

NFT (nutrient film technique), a culti-

vation method that is classed as ‘pure’

hydroponics, is pretty simple to use,

although it and other pure hydro styles

of growing do tend to scare off a lot of

gardeners. It’s understandable that they

do not want to give up the security of

having a growing medium – be it com-

post, cocos or clay – surrounding the

roots of their precious plants, particularly

when there are some tasty buds at risk!

In this issue we look at a hydroponic

technique that offers the faster growth

cycles and bigger yields of active hydro,

but has the flexibility to be used with

cocos or compost.

Ask yourself this question: when you

first started growing, what technique did

you use? I am guessing that at least 90%

of you out there started out by hand-

watering pots filled with compost. Fair

enough, it is a great method for a begin-

ner; compost is very forgiving and will

buffer against pH fluctuations and over-

feeding. Plus, hand-watering your plants

every other day means you can concen-

trate on getting your environment right

and, let’s not forget, you can achieve a

shit-hot yield using compost!

But, what if I told you that there is a

hydroponic technique out there that

would have been great for your first grow

– and all the grows that followed – where

you could use compost and pots, reduce

the amount of time you spend mixing

feeds and watering AND shorten your

growth cycle AND achieve bigger yields

than hand-watering? Less work plus a

quicker crop plus more buds at the end?

Maybe you should have taken a look at

flood and drain. Maybe it’s time to take

a look now.

What is Flood and Drain?The principle of flood and drain is sim-

ple. A plant sits on a table or in a buck-

et and nutrient solution is pumped in

from a reservoir, flooding the table or

bucket; when the pump turns off, the

nutrient solution then drains away

back into the reservoir. A timer is

attached to the pump and is used to

set the frequency of the flood and

drain periods.

During the flood period the roots of the

plants are submerged, allowing them to

take up all the water and nutrients they

need. All stale air is then expelled from the

root zone; as the solution drains away, fresh

oxygen is pulled back into the root zone.

As the plants grow larger, the number of

floods per day is increased. The amount of

nutrient solution used is easily measured

and this allows experienced growers to tai-

lor feeding schedules to get the optimum

yields from their plants.

Flood and drain really is one of the most

flexible hydro methods ever, because there

is something for everyone. At its most sim-

ple it can be a way to just keep your pots

automatically watered, but for the more

experienced grower it is the method that

offers the most amount of choice, as you

can amend the number of flood periods

per day (and how long each period lasts).

This way you can tailor the system to your

own growing environment – because eve-

ryone’s grow room has different humid-

ity, temperature and airflow – and get the

maximum yield from your plants.

Why Flood and Drain over hand-watering pots?

take up more water and nutrients than

they would with hand-watering; feed-

ing little and often throughout the day

is healthier than giving one large feed

every other day.

several times a day: During the flood peri-

od, air is completely forced out of the root

zone and fresh oxygen is pulled back in.

Oxygenated roots mean a healthier plant

that will grow faster and yield much more

than a hand-watered plant.

-

rienced growers to set the perfect feed-

ing conditions for their specific growing

environment – plus the ability to set

variable feedings on a timer means you

can set the optimum feeding schedule

for specific strains.

not used by the plants just drains back

into the reservoir, instead of building

up at the bottom of the pot. A buildup

of nutrient salts will stunt growth, as it

causes certain nutrients to be ‘locked out’.

Types of Flood and Drain System:There are two styles of flood and drain

system: the table system and the modular

or bucket system. Both of them use the

same technique and have their own sets

of benefits.

Flood and Drain Table SystemIn a flood and drain table system, plants

sit on a surface held above a nutrient solu-

tion reservoir. The table is usually flat, with

drainage running to the center where

there are two drainage fittings. One of the

drainage fittings sits flush to the table – this

is the inlet drain – the other will be around

four inches above the bottom of the table

– this is the overflow drain.

The inlet drain is attached to the pump

IF YOU ARE USING THE LARGER MODULAR STYLE FLOOD AND DRAIN SYSTEM THEN YOU MAY PREFER TO VEG THE PLANTS UNDER ONE OR TWO LIGHTS BEFORE THEY GO INTO THE FLOWER ROOM.

AS THE TABLE FLOODS, THE PLANTS TAKE ALL THE WATER AND NUTRIENTS THEY NEED. ALL STALE AIR IS

EXPELLED FROM THE ROOT ZONE.

29and the overflow drain just runs back

into the reservoir. When the pump is

turned ON, the nutrient solution is

pumped into the table through the inlet

drain. Eventually the level of nutrient

solution will reach the level of the over-

flow drain and flow back into the res-

ervoir. The overflow drain prevents the

table from overflowing... just like the

overflow drain in your bathtub! When the

pump is turned OFF, the nutrient solution

in the table drains back down the inlet

drain, through the pump and back into

the reservoir.

A timer is used to set the frequency at

which nutrient solution is pumped from

the tank to flood the table, and is then

allowed to drain away. As the table floods,

the plants take all the water and nutrients

they need. All stale air is expelled from

the root zone; then, as the solution drains

away, fresh oxygen is pulled back into the

root zone.

A major benefit of the flood and drain table

system is that you can grow your plants in

any growing medium – soil, clay, cocos or

mapito. You can grow in pots and move

the pots around the table if you need to,

or you can fill the whole tray full of clay

pebbles and allow the roots of the plants

to spread across the entire table – this is

the method to go for if you are looking for

the fastest growing and maximum yielding

crop. Table systems are near enough to

leak-proof: because the reservoir sits right

underneath the table there is nowhere for

the nutrient solution to leak to – perfect

if you are growing in an apartment or an

attic! They also come in sizes that are ideal

for grow tents.

Modular or Bucket Flood and Drain SystemSimilar to the table system, this setup

uses a timer to control the number of

flood periods and benefits your plants

by giving them doses of food and water

throughout the day, combined with a

highly oxygenated root zone.

However, the main difference in the

modular system is that each plant is

placed in its own individual pot.

A supply tube runs from the bottom of

each pot into a main control bucket,

which in turn is connected to a main

reservoir. The system uses gravity to

send nutrient solution to the pots and

only uses pumps to fill and drain the

main control bucket, which has two

magnetic float-valves mounted inside

to control the power to the pumps (in

both the main reservoir and the con-

troller bucket).

These floats control the flood level in

the pots precisely, to stop any over-

watering or flooding.

As the level of nutrient solution reach-

es a set level in the pots, the magnetic

float valve in the main control bucket

cuts the pump in the main reservoir

OFF and turns a pump in the main con-

trol bucket ON.

The pump in the main control bucket

forces the nutrient solution out of the

pots and back into the main reservoir.

The main benefits of the modular

system are that you can space plants

under lights however you like – so they

can grow huge! Plus, the systems are

easy to upgrade by just adding more

pots, and you can run a big room full of

plants from one single reservoir.

For which type of grower is Flood and Drain suitable?As flood and drain systems are so flexible,

they will benefit a real cross-section of

growers:

and keep their workload simple by main-

taining a number of plants from one tank,

so they can concentrate on maintaining

their grow room environment

-

able system to suit their individual grow-

ing environment and really maximize

yield

-

tem such as a flood and drain table that

fits nicely into a three- or four square-foot

tent, or one of the smaller modular flood

and drain systems that are great for a

two-lamp setup

modular flood and drain systems as they

massively reduce the amount of time

you spend watering your plants; they can

be upgraded in size by just adding more

pots. A smaller flood and drain table

system can be used as a tidy vegging

system to bring plants on under one or

two lamps before transplanting to a large

modular system.

Three Steps to Flood and Drain Heaven:1. Keeping a dedicated flood diary is the

key to massive growth and yields when

using flood and drain. Write down the

number of floods per day compared

to the amount of solution needed

to top up your system each day. The

amount of solution that your plants

use is directly related to their rate of

growth – the idea is to maximize their

consumption and maximize growth. By

experimenting with the number and

A MAJOR BENEFIT OF THE FLOOD AND DRAIN TABLE SYSTEM IS THAT YOU CAN GROW YOUR PLANTS IN ANY GROWING MEDIUM.

LARGE SCALE GROWERS BENEFIT FROM THE MODULAR FLOOD AND DRAIN SYSTEMS AS THEY MASSIVELY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU SPEND WATERING YOUR PLANTS.

30ColophonIndex of Ads

Name Page

Advanced Seeds 1

Dinafem Seeds 2

Green Style Consulting 11

Mountain High 11

Paradise Seeds 1

Pasquini Bini 31

Plagron 32

Seeds of Life 11

Vapors 31

Soft Secrets USA is published six times per year by: Discover Publishers USA, Inc.Century Park Plaza1801 Century Park East, 24th Floor, Suite 2400Los Angeles, CA 90067

Editor-in-Chief: Kristie SzalanskiEditorial E-mail: Kristie@softsecrets.nl

Contributors: Grubbycup, Kali Mist, Sativa Diva, O’Riodon, F.RED, Little Lebowski, The Professor, et al.

Cover Photo: A Seeds for Seniors client [R] consults with Robert Veverka [L] (Photo: Legalizace.cz)

Comic: Hy’s Deli by oz.

Advertisements:Email: usa@softsecrets.nl

A word from the publisher:To the chagrin of the US Federal Government, almost half of the states have embarked on a process of relative liberalization towards the use of Cannabis, and Cannabis activists are engaged in broadening this progression. Some townships, mayors and police chiefs – on a local level – now actively support a ‘compassion club’ distribution system as a way of separating recreational stoners from the people who legiti-mately need therapeutic help, simultaneously decreasing the number of unnecessary arrests. Whether they are finding their way to the local medical distribution point or growing for per-sonal stash, Cannabis users are a menace to no one and are causing no discernible social prob-lem. Some politicians, and even more non-users than ever, are calling for the outright legali-zation of marijuana. Taxpayers are frustrated with funding the incarceration of first-time, non-violent drug offenders (read: pot smokers) as well as the social toll that high numbers of imprisonment brings to some towns and neigh-borhoods. Now we must be patient and see how the debate develops during a period of relative peace between both sides. In the meantime, the publisher hopes Soft Secrets will expose the positive aspects of the normalization of Cannabis use to the public, and is excited to offer a forum to both pro- and anti-legalization advocates. Soft Secrets forums operate under the assumption that the publisher does not necessarily agree with the views and opinions expressed in articles and advertisements therein. The publisher therefore distances himself explicitly from statements or images that might give the impression that an endorsement is being made for the illicit use or production of Cannabis. Soft Secrets does not advocate breaking any laws, whether local-, state-, Federal or international.

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October 12th, 2012

INDEX OF ADS / COLOPHON

duration of floods, you will find the

optimum number of floods for your

growing environment.

2. Top up the reservoir depending upon

the growing medium that you are using.

If you are using clay pebbles, treat the

flood and drain as a recirculating hydro-

ponic system, and top up the tank every

few days with half-strength nutrient

solution. Use half-strength, because

plants grown under powerful lights will

take up water at a greater rate than

they take up nutrients. Over time the

EC (CF) of the solution will rise, so if you

top up with full-strength solution, you

run the risk of overfeeding. If using an

absorbent medium, like soil or cocos,

the aim is to minimize runoff and top

up the tank with full-strength nutrient

solution. When growing in soil or cocos,

increase the number of flood periods by

only one additional flood per day (for

example, don’t jump from three periods

to six as you are growing in an absor-

bent medium and can run the risk of

water-logging the roots of your plants,

or over-feeding them).

3. Increase the number of flood periods

as your plants get older and increase

in size. If you are growing with just clay

pebbles and your young plants have

just gone into the system, set the timer

to two fifteen-minute flood periods

per day. As the plants grow, increase

the number of flood periods up to a

maximum of one fifteen-minute feed

per hour. You will need to perform a

complete solution change every one

to two weeks. When growing in soil or

cocos and young plants first go into

the system, set the timer to just one

fifteen-minute flood period per day.

As the plants grow, increase the num-

ber of feeds up to a maximum of four

fifteen-minute feeds per day. When

using an absorbent growing medium,

you should run the system to minimize

runoff and usually only need to perform

a complete nutrient solution change

every two weeks, or when the level of

solution is running low.

Q & A with a Flood and Drain Grower:When can plants be transferred to a

flood and drain system?

If you have started your plants in rockwool

cubes or small pots of soil or cocos, then

ensure they are root-bound before you

transfer them to a flood and drain system.

You should be able to see lots of white

roots on the outside of the starter medium.

If you are using a table system then you can

veg and flower in the same system. If you

are using the larger modular style flood

and drain system then you may prefer to

veg the plants under one or two lights

before they go into the flower room, as

your modular system will most likely be

spaced under several lights.

How should the plants be spaced?

It depends how many you want to grow

and how big you want to grow them.

Table-style systems are great for sea-of-

green grows, where plants are spaced

closely together and vegged until they

form a low canopy. They are then switched

to flowering for a ‘sea’ of buds!

The modular flood and drain systems are

perfect for spacing out under several lights.

You could choose to put four of the modu-

lar buckets under each light, or even just

one bucket per light to grow some mon-

sters! Modular flood and drain systems are

tailor-made for growing big, big plants.

I once saw a system in a twenty-lamp

Californian grow room, where there were

two plants per 1000-watt lamp, and each

plant had been vegged for eight weeks

before being switched to flower. It was like

a room full of trees!

How high should EC be set?

If using an inert growing medium like clay

pebbles, there is very little buffer (or pro-

tection) against over-feeding, so make sure

you start to feed at half of the nutrient

manufacturer’s recommended dosage. If

you are using soil, cocos, or a mixture of

clay and cocos, then there is more of a

buffer around the roots and you can start

your plants at the nutrient manufacturer’s

recommended dosage.

Will the plants need to be supported?

Not necessarily. Unlike pure hydroponic

techniques such as NFT or aeroponics,

there will be a growing medium surround-

ing the roots, helping the plant to support

itself. However, as with all types of indoor

grows, if your plants are putting out some

big buds you will want to support them

and stop them from falling over.

So, whether you are a newbie or a green-

fingered expert, flood and drain has

something to offer. Give it a try – you

won’t be disappointed and your plants

will love you for it!