Hello dear readers and lovers of the most controversial and beloved plant on planet Earth. This time I am bringing you a story about a very recently released Sweet Seeds® strain.
I am talking about Sweet Pure Auto CBD® (SWS75), a 6th generation autoflowering strain included in the Sweet Seeds® therapeutic line due to its high CBD content and which has been shown a very good acceptance after its release in the market. In addition to its high cannabidiol (CBD) content, another highly valued feature is that it contains almost no THC (less than 1%), so it has no psychoactive effects.
We live in a time where cannabis plays a very important role in the lives of many and for social circles of various different natures. Many people with health problems who never thought they would become cannabis users, now look at cannabis as a plant that helps them in their day to day life. With the growing legalization of marijuana, many doors are opening for studies about the plant and, with the studies, knowledge is achieved.
This allows us to learn how cannabis works in our organism and how each of its components can affect us. State and independent laboratories are filling those gaps that were empty for decades and now it is possible to know with more certainty what is the function of each of the multiple cannabinoids and how they interact with the human body.
Almost everyone who is taking part in the cannabis movement knows very well that CBD is an indispensable component to fight many ailments and diseases. It also allows the patients to avoid the negative effects of many medications that are normally prescribed for a multitude of illnesses even though the remedy is usually more harmful than the disease. A good example would be anxiolytics, which usually build up dependence and discomfort in patients, while people who have treated anxiety problems with CBD, manage to reverse almost 100% of their discomfort without experiencing any negative side effects. And this is just the beginning. Hopefully, over time we will know better how cannabinoids act and how they are connected to each other, in order to make an even better use of the plant.
For now, for those who want to use medicinal cannabis plants, but do not want to have the psychotropic effects of THC, Sweet Pure Auto CBD® is the ideal plant. In addition to being very fast, it has a very interesting THC to CBD ratio. Here is the technical sheet:
Indica: 55% / Sativa: 44,6% / Ruderalis: 0,4%
THC: 0,4-0,9% · CBD: 8-20%
THC:CBD Ratio: (1:15-1:23)
Indoor Yield: 350-450 g/m2
Outdoor Yield: 50-150 g/plant
Indoor/Outdoor Harvest: 8 weeks from germination
Height: 50-80 cm
Now we are going to put on our gloves and touch the dirt, since we are going to learn how to grow this magnifi cent strain from the Sweet Seeds® genetic collection. Time to fi ll your vaporizer and take off!
Growing my medicine
If you got this far it means that you are interested in seeing how to get the most out of your beloved cannabis plant. Many of you already know how to grow as true professionals, but surely there are also some readers who are starting in the beautiful art of cannabis growing, so I will try to avoid technical terms, using simple language, just the way I deal with the growing operation: with a lot of simplicity and respect for the plant.
First of all, I can tell you that to grow CBD-rich plants you do not need anything special or different when compared with the other cannabis strains. In this case, the only difference is the fact that they are autofl owering plants, adding many different variables in regards to photoperiod-dependent plants. But rest assured, I will explain everything so that your Sweet Pure Auto CBD® can become a perfect plant.
Everything starts with a good preparation of the materials and the growing area. The recipe for success does not exist, but we can get close if we know that we need:
• A good light, either the sun (and the more hours of direct sunlight, the better) or any decent lighting equipment if it is for an indoor operation.
For indoor, and for approximately one square meter, we can use about 200 W of LED lights or about 400 W of High Pressure Sodium lights. This would be the minimum potency advisable: you should know that when it comes to lights, the higher the power, the greater the harvest.
• A good extraction and movement of the air if it is an indoor grow operation.
For this we can use extractors and fans that help to renew the air in the room. If it is outdoors, I advise you to leave enough space between the plants so that the air can circulate, helping to prevent pests.
• A good soil mix. If your budget allows it, my best advice is to get your soil in a specialized cannabis grow shop, since the soil mixtures sold there are usually of the highest quality and very efficient
. They are spongy, have the necessary nutrients for the first weeks and do not accumulate too much water as they usually include perlite or something similar, helping the drainage and oxygenation of the roots. Cannabis does not like to be always wet, so I advise you to let the substrate dry a bit before watering again. Once you take the trick, it will be a matter of weighing the pot before each watering to check if the water has already been consumed, or if instead it still weighs and you have to wait.
These three simple steps would be the basis for a correct growing operation, but now we want to get the most out of it and for that we must pay attention to the small details, which are the ones that end up making the difference.
There are different cycles when growing autoflowering cannabis: germination, vegetative cycle, pre-flowering, flowering, soil cleaning and harvesting (including drying and curing). Let’s start with one of the most delicate: germination.
For a correct germination of our seeds it is important to be cautious and pay close attention, because it is a very short cycle (between 24 and 72 hours) but very important for the life of the plant. An error can cost us losing the precious seeds. To make sure that everything goes well I advise you any of these two methods: fill a glass with water, add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide and dump your seeds inside it. Then place the glass in a warm place (not too hot) and cover it for 24 hours. After that time, it is most likely that the seed shell has been opened and you can see the tip of the root breaking through. At that time, we moisten a paper towel and make some folds, inside which we put the seeds.
We can put the paper folded and moistened (but not waterlogged) between two plates or inside a tupperware. Then we place it in a temperate place and along the next 12 to 24 hours we check the state of the seeds, because it very much likely that the roots have expanded.
When they reach to approximately 1 cm in length, it is time to pass the seed to the previously moistened soil. A small hole is made and we put the seed inside it with the tip of the root downwards, burying it a bit, not very deep. I usually leave the seed at sight, so that I can have it controlled at all times. The other method of germination is the same except that we do the whole process on humid paper towels. I prefer the first method for being a little faster and safer, because if the seeds spend a lot of time on wet paper towels they can easily get fungi. And if it dries, they die.
Then, we can plant our seeds using small pots, like the size of an average yogurt cup. This is when we should put them under the lights, but not too close so that the first leaves are not burned. In outdoor grow operations it is better to put them in the shade for the first few days. Around day 10 or 12, the seedlings should have developed a few pairs of leaves and it is time to put them in their final pot, which can be from 7 to 20 litres.
Until this point we do not need to use fertilizers. We can use a root stimulator, but nothing else. If we use a soil that is rich in nutrients, the plants can find enough food in it for a good while. When growing autoflowering plants it is not necessary to use much fertilizers, due to their short life cycle. Imagine that your Sweet Pure Auto CBD® will be growing during the first month and then it will start to bloom during its second month of life. Normally you will use a root stimulator in the first month and then a flowering stimulator, along with a soft bloom fertilizer, during the first 2 or 3 weeks of flowering. I recommend the use of organic fertilizers, since they help a lot to improve the final taste of the buds.
I remind you that the best months to grow autoflowering plants outdoors are from mid spring until well into the summer as there are more hours of light. Indoors we can give them up to 18/20 hours of light every day, from germination to harvest. This strain develops a good main cola and the harvest is abundant.
Pest prevention is also very important. A clean area, without traces of dry leaves and with a good air renovation, is a great help to prevent the appearance of fungi and pests. For a good prevention you can also spray the plants with neem oil or even potassium hydroxide before flowering starts. It is advisable to keep an eye on the leaves every couple of days, checking for insects.
Once the end of the cycle arrives, on the 7th week after germination, Sweet Pure Auto CBD® gives us its magnificent sweet aromas. Citrus fruits with touches of cypress resin, all combined with a multitude of trichomes on large buds. It is advisable to wash the soil with plenty of water and stop using fertilizers at least 10 days before harvest, in order to eliminate traces of any fertilizers or accumulated salts, improving the flavor of our high quality fruits. When harvesting, this strain is usually ready within the date mentioned in the catalog description, so on the 8th week of life you can start preparing the scissors and a good room to dry your plants. A dark, well ventilated and slightly dry place is the ideal for drying. In less than a week you can manicure the magnificent flowers, totally covered in very aromatic resin. When you place the buds to cure, it is advisable to open the glass jars everyday.
After about 15 days it will be time to enjoy the sweet and medicinal effect of Sweet Pure Auto CBD®. No, it does not feature any psychoactive effects, but it helps with relaxation, lowers stress and anxiety, while it is also ideal to clear the mind and change the mood. It is a very effective plant if you take it alone or also if you want to mix it with high THC strains, to modulate a little the effect that they have. To me, personally, it helped me to stop smoking tobacco with which I used to mix my weed, helping me to stop a bad habit. I even started to vaporize my harvest, forgetting about the smoke and its harmful effects.
I hope you are encouraged to grow this wonderful strain from the Sweet Seeds® genetic collection.
Sweet harvests! Jaypp
www.sweetseeds.com or visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Seeds92
Written and Published By Jaypp, Sweet Seeds In Weed World Magazine Issue 143