Growing Skunk Weed

It is important to start with good genetics. You should try and use cuttings if possible. As long as they are from a good source, it will save you loads of time and worry as they will be;

1) all female.
2) from a good strain.
3) cheaper - you can buy good cuttings for approx 5-7 euros each from friends/some grow shops.

But make sure you are certain they are bug free.

If you can`t locate any cuttings - buy your seeds from a well known supplier. That should ensure a high germination rate and a high ratio of females. When selecting your weed seeds, you must take certain things into consideration when making your selection;

Sativas are harder to grow indoors as they have higher light requirements, and they flower later. The Sativa has very narrow, finger-like leaves and they are tall, thin plants and grow a lighter green in colour. They grow quickly in nature and can reach heights of 18 feet. They originally come from Mexico, Thailand and Southeast Asia. When flowering has started, they can take from 10 to 16 weeks to fully mature. It produces a nice cerebral `high` though.

Indicas are easily recognized as they have extremely broad leaves that are very rounded on the sides. They are short dense plants and often grow a darker green and mature earlier. Indicas originally come from the hash/solids producing countries of the world incl, Afghanistan, Morocco and Tibet. When flowering starts they will be fully mature in 6 to 8 weeks. The buds will be thick and dense and they produce a heavy stoned buzz (like cheap rocky).

Most UK growers use an Indica/Sativa hybrid. As this will produce the best high and have the characteristics needed for indoor growth. Strengh, growth rate, smell, maturation, resistance to fungus etc are other factors to consider. Word of mouth is often the best way to determine which strain of seeds/brand to buy.

Soil

After aquiring your seeds, you need soil. Use the best soil you can get. The difference in price between good and bad is minimal. Poor soil = less skunk. I suggest sterilizing your soil. You can bake it in the oven for 45-60 minutes. If you use unsterilized soil you will nearl always find parasites in it.

For best results your soil should have these properties;

It should drain well. Add some sand, sponge rock or pearlite.
You want the pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Marijuana does not like acidic soil.
High acidity soil encourages plants to be predominantly male.
A humus rich soil is best for retaining moisture and nutrients.

A few tips;

Test your soils pH with litmus paper or a pH meter. Soil testing kits are sold at many garden stores.
If you need to raise the pH of your soil, add 250g of lime per cubic foot of soil to raise the pH up one point.
If you have no choice but to use garden mud, you must sterilize it by baking it in your oven for about 45 minutes at 220-250 degrees.
Make sure you moisten the soil first and be prepared for the stink.
Add fertilizer to the soil.

If you are planting the seeds straight into soil, then you only want to plant viable seeds. A healthy seed will not be whitish/greenish, cracked or deformed. To plant the seeds take a dibber (pen/pencil) and stick it 1cm into the soil. Drop a single seed into the hole. The seed should be covered with soil and watered with a weak solution of phosphorus fertilizer(1/4 strength). Covering the top of plant pot with a piece of clingfilm will stop moisture loss. It is very important not to let the soil dry out at this stage. If the surface feels dry water with distilled water. Don`t drown it. Use a mist sprayer. The first stems and cotyledon will appear in about one week. Continue to water when the soil feels dry. After another week or so, the first node of spiked leaves should appear. DO NOT OVER WATER OR OVER FEED! For seedlings/clones use fluorescent lighting.

Early growth

When the plants have their first or second node of spiked leaves. Continue to water whenever the soil feels dry. Pay attention and look out for fungus or mould. Any plants with mould on them should be removed immediatley. Be careful not to contaminate other plants with fungus spores. Burn infected plants. Do not fertilize again until the plants have developed six or seven nodes. You can then use a complete 20-20-20 fertilizer. You can use other combinations but this guide is for beginers. You need your grow lights on for atleast 18 hours a day. 24 hours a day will not hurt at this stage.  

Vegative stage

Now the weed plants are well established, Water when the soil feels dry below the surface. Use insecticide and re-apply as per instructions. The milder the better. Re-feed( fertilize)the plants every three to four weeks. With enough light, nutrients and water it is possible for them to grow up to 4-5cm a day. Be careful not to over fertilize. Some say pruning stunts the plants growth. Others say it produces more males. But, pruning is a helpful technique for increasing yeild and keeping plants shorter and out of sight(outdoors). If you do prune; use a sharp, clean blade to prune the branch. Don`t take off more than 15cm when pruning. You still require 18-24 hours of light at present. If growing indoors you need metal halide and/or high pressure sodium lamps. The best vegetative growth lighting ratio is; 40% HPS, 60% Halide. If you possess fluorescent lighting, use the tubes for side growth. Seed grown plants usually need 7 to 9 weeks in vegetative growth. If you bought cuttings, they typically require 2 to 5 weeks in vegetative growth. Some growers choose to flower their cuttings as soon as the cuttings are well rooted.

Male or female?

Typically with most strains of marijuana, the male plants grow taller and faster. The males also have more length between leaf nodes, compared to female plants. After flowering is triggered by the change in light cycle to 12 hours on/12 hours off, male and female plants can be sexed by examining the floral growth at the intersections, where the main stalk joins with auxiliary stems. This examination is best done with a magnifying glass. As flowering progresses floral growth appears as small ovoids, larger at the bottom than at the top, located at the junction where the main stalk joins with auxiliary stalks and stems. Male flowers eventually will display five-petaled flower from which pollen sacks hang. The pollen sacks are shaped like small tubes. The total size of the flower is about 3mm in diameter. Unless you are breeding or want loads of seeds, get shot of the mails asap. In early development female flowers look like a primitive male flower. They differentiate themselves by sending up two white, pink or yellowish hairs, known as pistils.

Flowering

Flowering is triggered in weed plants when the length of uninterupted darkness reaches a certain length. Typically 11-13 hours. A plant placed outside around midsummers day will produce fatter buds as it will start to flower quickly. The buds benefit from extra exposure to july/august sun. If they start to bud later, they use september sun. If bringing into flower indoors, DO NOT expose to even a few minutes light in the dark period as it interferes with the plants hormones. Don`t feed the plant for the last 2 weeks before harvest and water a few times to flush out the bad taste plant food can leave behind. Best lighting for flowering; high pressure sodium. When the little hairs (pistils) on the bud grow brownish, cut the plant at bottom of stem.

Harvesting

What sort of high are you after???
If you harvest earlier when only a few of the hairs (pistils) have changed colour, the buds will have a more pure THC content. If left a few more days, more of the thc will turn into cbd and cbn. cbd and cbn's are lessor psychoactive substances that create the smell (bouquet) of the skunk weed, and the amount of stonedness. I prefer the cerebral high produced from an early cropped skunk bud. I have noticed when my friends crop early they produce skunk weed that smells so so. But then after you have smoked a couple a joints, the weeds full strengh becomes apparent. I suppose if you intend to sell your produce, you are better off with a right stinky bit of green. But if doing it for yourself you should try and crop over a couple of days to produce a bit a variance in the end product.

SUPPLYING WEED IS ILLEGAL IN MOST COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE! WE WOULD NOT WISH ANYONE TO ACT IN CONFLICT WITH LOCAL LAWS. WE ARE BASED IN THE NETHERLANDS AND HAVE ACCESS TO THE BEST INFO.
WHAT YOU DO WITH IT COULD EFFECT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

Drying

Dont dry in the sun, it will ruin the weed. Hang upside down in a cool, dark, dry place. Don`t give in to the urge to smoke too soon. Use somewhere like a celler or garage, where it is cooler at night than day time. The plant will still think it is alive for a couple of days and use up some of the chlorophyll. That will produce a nicer smoke. When the stem snaps nice - it is time to start smoking!!! Can you wait a bit longer? Let it cure for 2 more weeks like a bit of spanish ham. You can just use a tupperware box.