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Summer Interlude I

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THE NEW PLANTS

Photo 1

Photo 1

It was the end of June and the 4’ x 8’ space in the greenhouse was empty. A friend of mine had some extra Purple Pineapple plants that he passed on to me. This variety has a unique quality; when it gets more than four hours of darkness it initiates flowering.

I collected the plants near the end of June. They were in 6” containers. I added nylon wicks to the bottom of each container to make them self-watering by drawing water from the reservoir below. The 25 plants were about 15” high. They were growing outdoors during the day to get the sun’s free rays and then before sundown were placed in an indoor space illuminated by high-pressure-sodium (HPS) lamps. Thus they received light constantly.

As soon as I placed them in the greenhouse on June 22, the longest day of the year, the plants started to flower because they were receiving only about 15 hours of light and nine of darkness. No light deprivation was

Photo 2

Photo 2

needed. In order to keep them from flowering I would have had to interrupt the dark cycle with light on an hourly basis.

The additional light that I am giving the plants is a 1000-watt HPS lamp on a light mover that is placed about 15” over the canopy. It is supplementing the natural light when the greenhouse is in shade, from 8am to 12noon and then from 3pm-6pm, controlled by a timer. This will help the plants develop bigger, more potent buds. They should be ready to harvest in another six weeks.

MAKING DRY ICE HASH

One of my favorite concentrates is dry ice hash. It is made from the trichomes that hold the cannabinoids and can be made from leaf trim or bud nugs. The process takes little equipment, virtually no “set-up” time, is

Photo 3

Photo 3

very safe, requires little time and effort, uses no chemicals such as butane or other solutes and results in a very pure product.

You will need dry-ice, a bubble bag with a 160-200 mesh screen, a pair of thick canvas or cotton gloves and a container that the bag fits over. Aside from the cannabis the only other ingredient used is dry ice. Dry ice is the solid form of CO2. It doesn’t go through a liquid stage just evaporates to a gas, leaving no residue.

The ice is very cold (-1090F) and will hurt your skin, so always wear gloves when handling it. I used a small kit that included a plastic container and a screen bag with insulated sides that fits over it and zips up. It had handles

Photo 4

Photo 4

attached that came in handy during the process.

I placed several ice cubes in the screen bag, and then I added a few ounces of chopped, not ground, trim and nugs. I shook the bag a few seconds, screen up, to mix it. I let it sit for a few minutes so the grass got cold and rigid.

Once I started shaking the bag and container the trichomes slammed up against the screen, broke free of the vegetation and fell through quite easily. They landed in a whitish golden pile as the CO2 gas vapors formed dissipating white clouds. As I shook the container three times each for 30 seconds, I kept each pile separate. As they started to turn green I noticed the first pile was the cleanest. After testing, this hash should only be used for edibles.

PHOTOS

  • Photo 5

    Photo 5

    [Photo 1] The plants in the greenhouse get supplemental light during the day.

  • [Photo 2] Before pruning.
  • [Photo 3] The plants were pruned of extraneous vegetation to center their energy on growing buds.
  • [Photo 4] Young buds. The plants were forced to flower about two weeks ago.
  • Photo 6

    Photo 6

    [Photo 5] All the ingredients required to make dry ice hash.

  • [Photo 6] The vapors form clouds as the hash is shaken. The plants will use the CO2 if the shake takes place in the garden
  • [Photo 6] Pile of hash ready to use.
  • [Photo 7] Instant gratification.

TIP OF THE MONTH

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Photo 7

Are you growing plants outdoors? Do you have some that are favorites, even while they are growing? Now is the time to start preserving the genetics. If you take clones of each plant, then when you’ve decided the best (after harvest), you can keep those that deserve another chance to enjoy summer. If you are using males for breeding, make sure to clone them too for future use.

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