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strain report - lemon skunk

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plant in your possession, not to mention talking about it, selling or buying.

Arriving at the Narita airport is quite an experience. There are sniffer dogs searching suitcases and travellers. When coming from Amsterdam especially, you are sure to be thoroughly questioned, searched and inspected. Punishment for possession and consumption, even of a couple of grams is extremely harsh and leads to total family and social disgrace. Strangely enough, other highs are legal. Among them are different mixes of herbs close to the “Spice” we had in Europe a few years ago, before it got banned. There even are a couple of Japanese coffee shops around Tokyo where you can peacefully get high on different legal herbal mixes. But don’t ever think of taking out your marijuana pouch or lighting up a joint! You would be in deep trouble!

And yet, as usual, prohibition doesn’t solve the problem. Today, more and more people are growing marijuana in Japan, outside and indoors. One reason, the most obvious, is that no law or prohibition can stop people from getting high when they want to, and the tougher the laws, the more growing operations will thrive, only they’ll go deeper underground, and prices will soar.

In Japan, the phenomenon is more dramatic today after the Fukushima catastrophe. A radioactivity map of the country will show you a few extremely polluted spots, and some that seem to have strangely low counts. I am not sure how accurate or dependable those maps may be, and I am not the only one.

The Growexpo 2011, took place in Tokyo in October, in one of the outer halls of the West Shinjuku Hyatt Regency Hotel. It was very different from the first one in 2008. This time the organizer Muneo Ogishi, owner of Zou No Tamago distributions, aimed it at gardeners only, and consequently invited Japanese, European and American companies specializing in growing material: no seeds, no paraphernalia and no hemp anywhere to be seen. It was quite a gamble… Could this be the reason why there were so few visitors? Might be.

There were no attractive events to draw in huge crowds, no seed companies or hordes of beautiful young Japanese women, just companies specializing in the latest gardening techniques. The good side of course, is that every person attending was directly interested and knew what he/she was looking for. And Muneo Oghishi made sure they would be fully satisfied, with thirty companies representing a wide array of growing methods. From Europe, there was Biobizz, GHE, and Hesi, and from North America, were Smartpots and Lighthead. During the weekend, conferences were organized where these manufacturers could present and describe their products, and/or their technologies, informing the public on the different advantages of growing plants with today’s new tools, indoors and outdoors.

Another reason for such low attendance could be that people didn’t want to be seen at a hemp related event, even if it was nothing of the kind this time. But in Japan today, it is still extremely dangerous to grow cannabis or to have a

Today people have become suspicious. They aren’t sure of what is in their food, or if the medicine their doctor prescribes won’t trigger dangerous or even lethal side effects. With the usual pollution of industrialized countries, added to today’s highly radioactive soil, water, and air, an ever-increasing number of Japanese prefer to grow their food in a clean, dependable and controlled environment. Japan is a country where the need for urban gardens really is important. Growing in soil with organic nutrients appeals to many Japanese gardeners, especially outside. For indoors, most prefer hydroponics as it is the best way to get good results from a growing area, even more so with the use of bioponics (organic hydroponics), a concept they particularly appreciate. Furthermore, the fact that there is no soil or heavy substrate to move up and down (especially with aero-hydroponics) in a country where living conditions are confined, represents another huge advantage.

Visitors at Growexpo 2011 had much more access to grow information than in previous years and it was clear that private gardens for self-production are thriving in Japan. For details on the next Growexpo in Tokyo, most probably next autumn, please see www.zounotamago.com

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strain report - dna genetics

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Big Showdown

of two L.A. Strain LegendsAnother new strain created by DNA Genetics of Amsterdam is Cataract Kush. She is expected to be a real heavy indica monster (99% indica/1% sativa), as she was bred over several years from OG Kush and LA Confidential, both legendary and most popular strains coming from Los Angeles.

DNA Genetics’ LA Confidential, consisting of OG LA Affie x Afghani, has won a total of eight prizes at various cannabis cups and was elected Strain of the Year 2006 by High Times Magazine. The famous OG Kush is one of the most precious genetic treasures there are, she was used for countless strain crosses and is also available as a pure strain from DNA Genetics, the same is true for LA Confidential.

According to DNA Genetics, Cataract Kush finishes in 8-9 weeks and should “have blankets of crystals.” They continue: “The Cataract Kush looks almost grey-black when cured. The flavor is LA dominant with the OG Kush coming thru in the exhale. The nugs look OG with LA density. This is the perfect combination of these two strains and the high is VERY strong!” No wonder she shall be good for pain, eating and sleep disorders – could be you will instantly throw those sleeping pills away. Her high is a very special one, most describe Cataract as a “creeper” high that keeps on building long after you stop smoking. DNA Genetics underline that it is “NOT recommended for the light-weight smoker!” They promise

that “average yields (of 350-500g/m2) and dense frosty nugs are easily achieved by the novice as well as seasoned growers.”

Without a doubt, another most exciting case for kush lover, The Doc, who germinated six feminised Cataract Kush seeds. After three days, they had all already come out of the ground and were illuminated by two TLC 150 lights (CFL, 75 watts each) in the first week. Then the young seedlings were moved into the actual grow room that was equipped with two Osram Plantastar 600 watts HPS.

They had a very good start, growing very well, and three days later, The Doc transplanted them from 2 to 11 litre pots filled with Plagron Standard Mix soil.

After three weeks in the vegetative stage, The Doc reported: “All of the plants have developed lots of side branches already, and this batch of plants seems to divide into two slightly different height phenotypes, half of the plants are about 10 cm lower than the other three, also having wider leaves. The other three plants are taller and the green of their thinner leaves is lighter.”

After four weeks in the vegetative stage, The Doc induced flowering by switching the light cycle from 18/6 to 12/12, also replacing the two Plantastar lights with

two GIB Extreme Plus 600 W HPS and one 400 W Osram Son-T Plus lamp. At that point of time, the taller plants were 47-50 cm high, with 8-10 internodes which made them very compact, and the three lower plants 32-35 cm high, also having 8-10 internodes, so they were growing even more compact.

The Doc reported that in the first week of flowering there was the onset of a noticeable stretching effect. One week later, that stretching effect had even increased which did surprise The Doc a little bit, with regard to that 99% indica heritage. The taller plants had already arrived at heights of about 95-105cm, and the lower plants at 75-85cm, somewhat catching up. Expectedly, they had all turned out to be female.

The Doc removed a few of the medium and lower big shade leaves to give more light to the

lower branches.After four weeks of flowering, flower production was in full effect and those six Cataract Kush plants had lots of nicely budding tops along their branches and main stems. “The calyxes and small flower leaves are gemmed with lots

THIS INFORMATION IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES

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