Hemp is the common name for plants of the entire genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug) use. Industrial hemp has many uses, including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, and fuel. It is one of the fastest growing biomasses known, and one of the earliest domesticated plants known. Click continue reading for 15 fascinating facts about the less-pleasurable version of weed.
Archive for the ‘Growing’ Category
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Afghanistan Now World’s Top Source of Marijuana
by Evilpig on March 31, 2010 | No Comments
Long the world’s largest producer of opium, the raw ingredient of heroin, Afghanistan has now become the top supplier of cannabis, with large-scale cultivation in half of its provinces, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Between 10,000 and 24,000 hectares of cannabis are grown every year in Afghanistan, with major cultivation in 17 out 34 provinces, the U.N. drug agency (UNODC) said in its first report on cannabis production in Afghanistan.
While some countries grow cannabis on more land, Afghanistan’s robust crop yields — 145 kg of resin per hectare compared to around 40 kg per hectare in Morocco — make it the world’s largest producer, estimated at 1,500-3,500 tons a year.
“This report shows that Afghanistan’s drug problem is even more complex than just the opium trade,” said Antonio Maria Costa, head of UNODC in the report.
“Reducing Afghanistan’s cannabis supply should be dealt with more seriously, as part of the national drug control strategy.”
For years Afghanistan has been the world’s largest producer of opium, a paste extracted from poppies and processed into heroin. While land cultivated with poppies fell by 22 percent last year, record yields meant production fell only 10 percent. Continue reading
IGrow: Walmart of weed opens in Oakland
by Evilpig on January 29, 2010 | 3 Comments
Call it the Walmart of weed.
In a 15,000-square-foot warehouse just down the road from the Oakland Airport, an entrepreneur is opening a one-stop shop for medicinal marijuana cultivation that’s believed to be the largest in the state.
Don’t know the first thing about growing pot? The folks at iGrow have a doctor on site to get you a cannabis card and sell you all the necessary equipment for indoor, hydroponic cultivation – from pumps, nutrients and tubing to lights and fans.
IGrow sells soil, fertilizer, and growing systems but the warehouse does not sell marijuana itself.
Don’t know how to set it up? For a fee, on-site technicians will show you how to build it in your home and even maintain it weekly.
“A lot of people don’t know much about growing pot,” said Dhar Mann, 25, the owner, who stood in front of an array of Ikea-like displays, showing different rooms of cannabis cultivation systems. “Since there are no full-service resources like us, they take risks, like electrical fires.”
This is hardly a fringe business. When iGrow opens today, at least three City Council members will attend. So will most of the leaders of the cannabis industry in Oakland, a city long at the vanguard of medicinal marijuana.
Cannabis Crown 2010
by Facebook User on January 27, 2010 | 2 Comments
A contest in Aspen, Colorado to determine which growers have the best product is soon to begin.
Medical marijuana growers will enter and compete to see who has the best strain of herb.
Plants will be tested by THC levels and growers will even be permitted to sell to medical patients.
The Western Slope Cannabis Crown will have about 50 state-approved medical marijuana growers enter their strains
The Cannabis Crown organizer, Bobby Scurlock, states 1,500 tickets have been sold so far.
The contest takes place this spring.
Dr.grEEn’s Grow Diary
by Facebook User on January 26, 2010 | 1 Comment
Hello all, About a week ago I decided to take up growing as a hobby. This is an archive of my experiences in chronic’ological order. Enjoy.
Day 1-3 – Germination period
I decided to use the “seeds-in-wet-cloth” approach and after a couple days of absorbing moisture my seeds pop’d open beautifully.
Week 1
After deciding to go with growing organic and using the limited materials I have, I crafted myself a functioning pot (glass jar), a lamp w/ a cfl bulb, and a combination 2in1 fan/heater.
The wattage on my bulb is definitely not going to suffice but in my uneducated opinion it’s better than the dim light us Canadians get in the winter months. After an hour or so my grow space was as complete as it would get at this date.
As the next couple days went by I continually checked, rotated, and watered my little seedlings and day by day new growth was slowly beginning to appear. Here’s a picture of my newly established plants.
My shady little set up.
Them thus far.
