"HOW TO GROW A PRIZE WINNING CROP"
The bottom 5 centimeters is made up of hydrocorals, little round clay pebbles, covered by a piece of plastic coated chicken wire. On top of the chicken wire I place, some felt root cloth, then 25 centimeters of organic soil mixed with perlite. In each corner of the bed I have a 70 MM PVC pipe 35 centimeters high, going through the soil, the felt root cloth, the chicken wire, and the hydrocorals, giving an air layer to the bottom of the beds.
I place 20 plants in each of the 3 beds that I use, making sure to make the space for each plant equal. I have five, 600-watt grow lights above the beds giving me a total of 3000 watts. My exhaust ventilation is excellent, as well as my fresh air intake, insuring that the plants have good airflow, and a good supply of carbon dioxide.
The strains that I plan on entering are Buddha’s Sister, and the New York City Diesel.
As they have been growing, I have sprayed them with neem oil every 2 to 3 days to prevent attack from unfriendly insects. I will not be able to win a prize with spider mite infested plants. I also put in Ladybugs, little gardeners helpers, they help control any unwanted insects by eating as many eggs as they can find. Between the neem oil and the Ladybugs, my crop is protected.
The foods that I use are used in different combinations according to what point in growth my plants are. I use a soil called All-mix containing all the essential nutrients that a cannabis plant needs. I mix in an ample amount of perlite to make sure the roots get enough air and the soil doesn’t stay to soggy. With the Buddha’s Sister and the NYCD, I put the clones in vegetation for 14 days, and then put them into 12/12. For the first 2 weeks of growth, and the following 3 weeks of flowering, I spray the plants with neem oil every 2 to 3 days. After that time no more neem oil, I don’t need any more just some ladybugs. In these first 5 weeks, I give the plants marine algae both foliar and in the soil, it makes them healthy and strong. I make sure the PH of my water is between 6.2 and 6.6. At the end of the first week of flowering I give them some Bloom stimulator to kick-start the flowers. In the 2nd and 3rd weeks, I give the plants small doses of biological flowering food low in nitrogen. When they are in the 4th week of flowering, I start to give them Guano tea made from bat guano and seabird guano with an NPK of 2-15-2. Flowering plants and fruits love having guano as a food and the taste and quality of buds fertilized in this way are beyond compare. One of my main reasons for the success of my cannabis has been feeding with guano tea.
I continue with this regimen into the seventh week and then I start my flush for the last 2 to 3 weeks of growing. The flush is nothing more than giving only water to the plants, and making sure it is not too much. Too much water in the end can cause bud mold, which is the last thing that a prizewinning crop would want.
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by Soma
It is almost time for the Cannabis Cup, and as that time approaches, I am diligently working on the plants that I plan on entering.
I have a bed system that I grow with; I get much better results from this system than growing with pots. The size of the beds depends on the size of the space used. My beds are 1 meter 25 by 1 meter 25. They are 35 cm high with wheels that rotate 360 degrees. They are made out of wood lined with black waterproof plastic.
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When I harvest this crop, I surely do not want to dry it too fast, as this would make the taste and potency go downhill. I take all the large fan leaves off with my fingers then I hang it in a cool dark place upside down for about 10 days. I then check them to see if I can snap a stem. Once it is to the point where I can snap a stem, I start manicuring the fine leaf off the plants with my fingers using the scissors only to cut the stems. For a prizewinning crop, I must take all the unwanted leaf off, making it look as clean as possible. I then put it in a canning jar overnight to let it rehydrate before opening it once more for a few hours to make sure it is dry enough to put away. I am now ready to meet the competition, wish me luck.
Until next time, Keep it GREEN, LOVING and full of LIGHT.
Peace, Soma
