Sajelqvame no tuk pishe kak moje da otgledjate Joint i Cannabis. Izvinete sa6to 4e pi6e na angliski , no koito moje 6te razbere i ot kartinkite.

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The years of random scattering a few handfuls of screened seeds behind the cornrows have gone the way of the 8 track.

Hydroponic cultivation is high tech, fast growth, big bud yield if you can focus, follow simple directions and have an initial investment for good seeds, a secure location and the right tools.

The following pages contain very basic information on hydroponic cultivation from seed to bud. Useful tools to fill in the blanks are my book and all the links available to you on this web site.

Procuring the seed type for your area and growing conditions is an important part of the process. Cannabis.com has links to great seed banks. Most banks send seeds in a non-descript mailer that does not attract attention.

If you're a newbie, Northern Light and White Widow are easy fast growers and require minimum space for maximum bud production. My book has an entire chapter on types of seeds, what the finished product looks like and what she will yield, and the time from germination to bud. Excerpt from Chapter 3:

"Since acquiring good seed can be dangerous, expensive and very time consuming, the 'seed sponge' system for starting seeds proves to be the most successful.

The sponges and Styrofoam holder are very inexpensive and can be reused.

The photo [8 days from germination at 3in. tall] demonstrates how easily the sponge once removed from the Styrofoam holder can be inserted into the 4in. Rock wool cube after the seedling has reached sufficient root development."

To raise healthy seedlings into knee crippling Mothers, good fertilizers are vital. My personal favorite is General Hydroponics followed by Hydrofarm. Excerpt from Chapter 2:

"When raising cannabis in a hydroponic medium, the grower has absolute daily control over the plant's intake and the roots are anchored in an inert growing medium. Because the hydroponic growing medium is not organic, it is much easier to control disease and pests. With soil, there are always unwelcome surprises lurking below the surface."

"There are a multitude of commercial fertilizers for soil and hydroponic growing on the market. The growers most often favored the following three brands of fertilizers: 1] General Hydroponics, the #1 favorite, 2] Hydrofarm, the #2 choice and 3] Peters Products. The outdoor soil cultivators were very high on Peters, which is readily available at Garden Centers and most grocery store outlets. Peters is easy to use because it contains no chloride carbonates or excess sulfates so there is no salt buildup. It also contains trace elements and minerals, which are often leached out of the soil through continued watering and flushing. With Peters, you can avoid the stretching and burning of the plants that is often associated with other fertilization applications."

So your seeds are sown and you've chosen a fertilizer. Now, look for a good TDS test pen.

"The photo above shows one type of TDS meter by Hanna. There are quite a few TDS test pens available. This one is fairly inexpensive at $75.00. These testers measure Total Dissolved Solids [TDS] in Parts per Million [PPM]. By monitoring the PPM, you can maintain the ideal nutrient level for constant productive growth."

"You will also need the calibrating solution as it is a good idea to recheck and recalibrate your pen periodically to maintain its accuracy. The results of faulty instruments are going to show up negatively in your plants' growth cycles."

After the seedlings in the sponges are popped into Rock wool 4" cubes, the journey to find the girls begins. In the 20/4 light cycle, by day 15 from seed planting, plants are about 6" tall.

"By the time these seedlings are around 25 days old, they will be going to a 12/12 light cycle or 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark to begin flowering the entire room. Shortly after beginning the 12/12 cycle, the plants can be sexed."

"At this PREFLORAL NODE [intersection], the identifying flowers will begin to develop. The close up of seedling shows site where development of male or female traits will begin."

A short while into the 12/12 light cycle, you will be able to tell males from females. It is critical to remove the males at first detection, as you want to cultivate only females, which will produce large, seedless, sticky bud.

"Male plant stripped of leaves to see male flower [staminate], unobstructed. Female plant stripped of most of leaves to see pistillate calyx." Photos are from the book. Male is on left with cluster of balls and female is on right with wispy white hairs.

Once you have established healthy females, these plants may be regenerated many times over by cutting the plants back after harvesting and thru cloning. Both of these techniques are discussed at length in Chapter 5.

Cloning is a simple process by which healthy cutting are removed from Mother plant, dipped into cloning gel which seals off cut and stimulates root growth, and popped into the old reliable seed sponge.

Growing medium for hydro needs to support the plant by giving the extensive root growth something on which to anchor. Geolite pellets are perfect to set the Rock wool cubes on as they are inorganic, retain moisture but do not get saturated, conduct oxygen, flush easily and may be reused. There are many high-fired rock or clay type products that can be used in this capacity. Photo below features Geolite pellets anchoring Mother ready for cloning. It's available at most gardening centers or Grow Stores along with the Rock wool cubes.

Regenerating the Mother plant [cutting back drastically after bud harvest to regrow original plant] cuts down production time radically. You are also assured that the plant will remain female. Regenerating cuts out the germination of the seed part of the process and after a short period in the growth cycle, you can jump start [12/12] the flowering cycle.

This is a regenerated Mother. "Day#11 of 12/12 cycle, photo shows the early bud development well down the axial growth or stem. After the floral clusters mature a little more, the primary or fan leaves will begin rapid growth."

If you've stuck with me this far, you are wondering what a "fan" leaf is. They are the wonderful, fat, shade leaves that are going to cut the light to all of the bud sites developing down thru the plant and must be removed.

"Snip the fan leaf stem close to but not touching the node. Remove the upper fan or shade leaves to expose the floral clusters. Do not trim all the leaves away for the upper portions of the plant as they are still necessary for food production."

If you are growing a few plants at a time, this is a manageable process. When you have a full production grow room, it's very labor intensive.

A magnifying glass is another important tool as you get into going for the gold. As the plants reach peak floral stage, the main stem will stop growing and the flowers will keep swelling as resin production becomes very pronounced.

As resin thickens on the leaves, it is important not to cut or disturb these areas. Many growers get impatient at this part of the process when the plants are thick with white haired buds.

"The floral heads are beginning to fully ripen as indicated by the amber colored hairs. The elevated resin heads are clear and very pronounced. When you observe the resin heads under a magnifying glass, they look like tiny, clear mushroom stalks. When the floral heads have about 50% amber color and the magnified resin stalks appear fully swollen like mushrooms, you are ready to begin harvesting."

SO...when you are absolutely sure that your buds are ready to be cut, give them another 5 days! You'll thank me when it's over.

"Identifying the PEAK FLORAL STAGE of the plant's growth is as critical as recognizing male and female plant types. Making a harvesting error of too soon or too late really diminishes the quality and quantity of your endeavor"

Here's a nice example of a fat White Widow bud ready to be harvested. 50% amber hairs and full of resin. The bud will continue to ripen after it is cut.

Depending upon the number of plants, try to finish all final harvesting within 5-7 days. Attempting to bring all those little immature bud sites at the base of the plant to fruition is not practical. By the time you regenerate the plant by going back to the 20/4 cycle, many of these little bud sites can be used to clone.

"It is very important to remember that the cut and dried buds are VERY FRAGILE! The less touching and fondling you indulge in, the better off your final product will be."

"The above photo is Northern Light Bud after she has dried for 5 days and is ready to be bagged and weighed. This was an excellent yield of about 4-6 dry ounces per plant. The buds were 3 inches wide and average 12-14 inches long."

Along this journey, I've teased you with the fun stuff. There is still a lot to learn, as I can't give away all my secrets! My credentials are that I started growing when the Beatles first played the Ed Sullivan show.......anyone remember that??

To find out more [much more] about ventilation, lighting, grow cycles, temperature, pest control, building your own inexpensive hydro set ups and cutting and curing, go to www.growweed.com to download, or order CD or Book!

	A Comprehensive Guide To 'BIG BUD' Marijuana
	Guide to Hydroponic Cultivation by C.J. Harper www.growweed.com