Sexing Your Marijuana Plants: Money Making Growing Tip$

Growing Tip: Eradicate Males Before Pollination

   When cultivating your medicinal marijuana plants, it is imperative you identify and remove the male plants from the garden, or your buds will eventually be full of seeds.  A bud that is too seedy can't be smoked - at least not until someone picks all the seeds out first.  Needless to say, this is a frustrating, big pain in the ass and an errant seed will always ruin at least one bowl per session.  Also, seedy bud is less potent because it is not as dense - the female plant diverts her energy away from THC production during pollination.  Finally, no buyer wants to buy pot full of seeds and casings.    

Seedy Pot Brings a Lower Price per Ounce

The bottom line is seedy pot brings a much lower price for the grower.  For example, instead of $200-$250 an ounce, a buyer expects to pay only $40 for an "o" of "Shwag" or "Mexie" weed.  Therefore, a grower or caretaker needs to be careful to identify the difference between a male an female marijuana plant so the male can be eradicated before pollination.  

How to Distinguish Female from Male Plants

Males develop "pre-flowers" that resemble testicles or groups of ball-sacks on the third or forth internode of the main stem (called "primordia").  

Females, incidentally, also develop primordia - but it will resemble a small pod with hairs growing from it.

When you see the male primordia develop, cut the  plant off at the base asap, especially if it is next to a female plant.  [If the plant is isolated, consider harvesting it just for the seed]. To avoid inadvertent pollination, don't shake the male plant around too much upon removal from the garden.

Feel free to add a comment, tip, or your thoughts.

Pineapple Kush Express

Suddenly Kush is emerging as a favorite staple for pot growers, smokers, and mmj patients in Cali, Colorado, and Canada.

It seems Kush festivals are popping over all over the place. The hottest flavors right now - Pineapple, Strawberry, Purple, and Afghan Kush - are popular not only for their delicious sounding names, but because they are high in potency.  (Plus the Pineapple Express movie helped a little).  

Moreover, like a good Cabernet grape, Kush is a staple that can be mixed with other strains, like White Widow, to create complex flavors and mental effect.

Kush is a hardy strain of Cannabis from the Indica variety.  The name refers to the place the marijuana was first cultivated - in the Hindu-Kush mountains in the Himalayas (over a large geographical are spreading across eight countries).  Kush, not surprisingly, is also a slang term for good, high-grade marijuana.  

In July 2012, Orange County held a Kush expo complete with vendors selling seeds and accessories.  No marijuana was sold during the show.  The first "Kush Cup" was awarded - a prize for the best marijuana at the competition. Surprisingly, the Expo didn't spark much controversy although smoking patios were available to card-carrying medical marijuana patients and the event was held across the street from Disneyland.  

On July 27-29, Vancouver will hand out its own Kush Cup after a three-day judging event which compares the finest strains available from Canada.  There will also be fireworks, glassblowing, cruises, and an ice-cream judging competition.  



Kush Cup Link

Top 10 Facts About Your California Medical Marijuana Card

What You Need to Know Now 

Each County has different variations of the law (i.e. SB420).  This list applies to Fresno County, but the examples are typical of most Cali counties.

1. You can legally have 8 ounces of dried marijuana in your possession.
2. Your caregiver can live in another county.
3. You cannot have more than six mature or twelve immature plants per patient.
4. Your card is recognized state-wide but is not valid in other states.
5. A minor can apply to be a patient or caregiver.
6. Cards are only valid in Fresno County one year from the date of issue.
7. The current fee is $107.00 per card.  If you are on Medi-Cal the fee is reduced.
8. You apply for the card through the County of Fresno Department of Public Health.  You must apply for the card in the county where you reside.
9. You can have more than one caregiver.
10. You will need proof of Fresno County residence to apply for the card and a government issued id card.

The Napa of Pot: Big Island Hawaii?

I'm in Kailua-Kona sitting at a white desk, looking at the surging ocean. The surf is up and I am high as a parasailer. I forgot how good Hawaiian pot is.

Everybody has heard of Maui Wowie. But mainlanders forget that the rich volcanic soil of the Big Island - along with perfect, lush growing conditions - makes the pot here awesomer than even good Mendo.

"Kona Gold" is the pot grown in the sunny, perpetually-summer-like Kona region. I heard the name was actually coined by a black jazz musician - the same guy that brought jazz to the island. "Puna Butter" is another famous strain. It is grown in areas where sugar cane grew and it's sweet like budda. Some people will say the true old strains are dead.

The Big Island is famous for its volcanoes. Even though the rocky terrain seems harsh to the eye, it is a plant paradise. Plants love volcanic soil. Volcanic soil is so fertile because it contains many elements essential to plant growth: iron, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

Many famous wines from around the world began as juice in grape plants planted at the bases of famous volcanoes. Interestingly, volcanic soil comprises only 1% of the earth's surface. Major areas of volcanic soils also occur in South America and Japan. I've never tried any South American or Japanese pot. Have you?

MED BREAD: Marijuana Banana Bread Recipe

This recipe is for medical marijuana patients who prefer to eat their pot instead of smoke it. Yum!

"GOING BANANAS" MED BREAD RECIPE

Ingredients:1/2 to 3/4 cup marijuana-butter (soft)
2 cups flour
3-4 ripe bananas (smashed)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Mix the marijuana butter and smashed bananas in a large bowl.

3) Mix in the eggs, milk, and sugar.
4) Add baking soda and vanilla.
5) Add flour last - slowly while beating.
6) Place in a greased loaf baking pan and bake for one hour.

7) Cool on a rack. Slice and serve. Yum.

University of California Studies Show Pot has Health Benefits

Who would have thought - a drug where the side effects are actually beneficial? No wonder the drug companies don't want it to be legal.


Marijuana is the new black in California (well . . . technically it's the new green). The medical field is slowly realizing what thousands of Americans already knew - marijuana consumption can have beneficial side-effects. For example, one of the side-effects of marijuana consumption is extreme hunger (a.k.a. "the munchies"). That's good news for cancer patients who often lose weight during harsh cancer treatments and struggle to fight off nausea. While a patient's prescription regime of drugs adds additional harmful chemicals into the patient's weakened, overwhelmed system, medical marijuana actually increases the appetite and stimulates blood flow. And pot also makes you sleepy - at least that's what Prof. Sean Drummond hopes to show in a University of California test of HIV patients with sleep disorders.


In this new millineum, medical marijuana is becoming more accepted. Perhaps that's because some prominent research institutions are receiving funding for marijuana research projects. Part of the medical marijuana bill passed by California voters actually includes funding for the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research carried out by the well-respected University of California universities. The studies conducted so far have had promising results. One study showed that patients suffering from HIV-related peripheral neuropathy obtained relief from their pain when smoking marijuana. (See the Feb. 13, 2007 issue of the journal, Neurology). Other studies, focusing on HIV and cancer patients, are under way.


Another group that has been funding a lot of medical marijuana research is MAPS, which has been working with NORML since the early 1990's to perform studies on the effects of marijuana. The hot area for research is cannabis vaporization. Vaporization is an intake option that becoming more and more popular because it is a healthier alternative than smoking.

In our immediate future could we see adds for marijuana related products on TV? Will the Mendocino region become the Pot Napa of northern California?

Volcano Vaporizer Review

The Volcano is a shapely, brushed-metal marijuana vaporizer that is made by the German-based company Storz & Bickel. It looks like a little robot and costs about $539 (depending on the model purchased). It is perhaps the most well-known vaporizer on the market, but it is also the most expensive. I often get asked if it is worth the price. My answer is that if you can afford it you should get it, but if you can't, buy the Oxygen Mini.

The Volcano has a reputation that justifies its high price tag. Clinical studies indicate that the Volcano is extremely efficient at extracting THC from cannabis. Some studies suggest the Volcano can extract as much as 80% of the THC content from the plant, which is much higher than the 25% extracted from smoking a typical joint. Extra THC means a more potent "high." Plus, vaporizing doesn't produce the harmful carcinogens that are created by combustion so it is a lot healthier.

You will either love or hate the Volcano, I think. It depends on whether you like the delivery system (which involves inhaling vapors from a filled balloon). It also depends on whether you have enough supply to fill the chamber. The Volcano has a larger chamber than most "vapes." You have to plug the unit into an outlet, so you will be using it primarily indoors. Plus, it is not very portable, so if you do invest in the Volcano, you will need to buy a smaller vape for car trips.

To find out more, visit the Storz & Bickel website: Storz and Bickel