Thomas - Cannabis cultivation: a complete growers guide

A Complete Growers Guide

Mel Thomas

Green Candy Press

Cannabis Cultivation

A Complete Growers Guide, 3rd Edition

By Mel Thomas

Published by Green Candy Press

San Francisco, CA

www.greencandypress.com

Copyright 2012 Mel Thomas

ISBN 978-1-931160-83-4

Cover leaf image iStockPhoto

Interior and back cover photographs 420Clones.com, Allele Seeds Research, AlphaKronik Genes, Alpine Seeds, Apothecary Genetics, ASG Seeds, Austrian Toker, Autofem Seeds, BC Bud Depot, BC Northern Lights, Bomba Seeds, Bubble Man, Cabin Fever Seed Breeders, Cannanetics, Ch9 Female Seeds, D.T. Gonzales, David Strange, Dinafem Seeds, Dont Panic Organix, Dr. Atomic Seeds, Dr. Canem & Company, Dr. Greenthumb Seeds, Dr. Underground, Dutch Passion, Ed Borg, Emerald Triangle Seed Co., Emily Blunt, Eva Female Seeds, Finest Medicinal Seeds, Freebie, Gage Green Genetics, Garry Von Billen, GBI, Genetics Gone Madd, Giorgio Alvarezzo, GotBuds?, Growl LED, Grubbycup Stash, Hannah S., Hero Seeds, Holy Smoke Seeds, Homegrown Fantaseeds, HortiLab Seeds, HydroFarm, HydroHuts, HydroPlex, iStockPhoto, Kannabia Seeds, Karmaceuticals LLC, Kiwi Seeds, Larry Utley, M. Heinrich, Magus Genetics, Mandala Seeds, Mel Thomas, MG Imaging, MMJars, mmjclones.org, Mosca Seeds, Mr. Nice Seeds, Mystic Artist, MzJill, Noel van Shaik, No Mercy Supply, OG Genetics, OGA Seeds, Original Seeds, Peak Seeds, Paradise Seeds, Paulo Ferreira, Pedro A., Pepper Design, Pitt Bully Seeds, Poor White Farmer Seeds, Project Skunkenstein, PureBred Growers, Red Star Farms, RYKA Imaging, Sativa Steph, Sativa Tim, Sensi Seeds, Shantibaba, Short Stuff Seeds, Sinsemilla Nursery, SinsemillaWorks!, Skip C., Soma Seeds, Spacekracker, Spliff Seeds, Stealth Grow Lights, Subcool, Team Green Avengers, TH Seeds, The Joint Doctor, The Potfather, TrimPro, Weado, weed.co.za, Weed World, Wizards of Oz.

This book contains information about illegal substances, specifically the plant Cannabis Sativa and its derivative products. Green Candy Press would like to emphasize that cannabis is a controlled substance in North America and throughout much of the world. As such, the use and cultivation of cannabis can carry heavy penalties that may threaten an individuals liberty and livelihood.

The aim of the Publisher is to educate and entertain. Whatever the Publishers view on the validity of current legislation, we do not in any way condone the use of prohibited substances.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without express written permission from the Publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review where appropriate credit is given. Nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the Publisher.

Massively Distributed by P.G.W.

Dedicated to the thousands of men and women serving
prison sentences for cannabis.

Education is an admirable thing.
Oscar Wilde. 1854-1900.

Contents

With this book and just a little effort, you could be growing your own buds within a few weeks!

Ive been in jail and I am a little bored.

Tom Horne. 1904.

The author of this book was a notorious European cannabis cultivator based in London. Code-named Mr. Big by detectives, he was eventually arrested after a covert operation involving four separate police forces and charged with conspiring to produce $3.5 million worth of skunk cannabis. The trial judge called him A horticultural expert involved in a resolute and successful attempt to produce cannabis on a commercial scale.

On November 29, police searched the authors premises. They discovered that a large area within the premises had been concealed behind a secret door and contained a sophisticated hydroponic growing environment with dehumidifiers, lighting and irrigation facilities. The environment was professionally wired-in, bypassing the metered supply. The growing area was 200 feet by 30 feet, enabling six crops per year of 660 pounds of cannabis to be produced. Skunk cannabis is priced at 27 cents per ounce potentially $2.5 million per year, or at a wholesale cost, ranging from $6,160 per pound - $840,000. Based on the amount of equipment found at the premises, it is estimated that electricity valued at $37,128 had been used. Aggravating features of the case were the very high value of cannabis produced from the two factories, and the highly professional operation for the large-scale production of a controlled drug.

The author and his co-accused were sentenced to more than 14 years between them and ordered to pay over $210,000 in fines or serve an additional three years without parole. Convicted of producing cannabis, Mr. Big was held as a category A prisoner on a maximum-security wing in one of Europes most secure jails. This book was conceived in that prison.

Update 2011. A few people have asked me about the case and the press cuttings. I was arrested in the United Kingdom in 1996. In those days you could buy a warehouse in the North of England for US $70,000 cash and thats why we went there. The depositions implicated me in cannabis production and other offences. I was sentenced by His Honor Judge Julian Hall in the U.K. Google him. He is well-known for his leniency toward pedophiles, remarking that a 10-year-old rape victim was dressed provocatively and freeing another pedophile, telling him to buy his six-year-old victim a new bicycle. He was not so obliging with me and I received 5 years imprisonment, amongst other things, and he also seized my house. I served the category A part of my sentence in Woodhill prison, Milton Keynes, U.K. I make no excuses. I did it for the money, but my motivation was sincere. Prohibition is ridiculous. Who has the right to stop you growing or using cannabis? It is not a drug; its a plant. Put it in the Earth and it grows. Drugs are powders, needles and nasty tablets, not ancient and sacred herbs...

Shiva Bless

Dont Panic Organix produces some incredible strains, such as Funxtaz Get Rite, bred by Eddie Funxta for medical patients.

The dark green colors on this plant indicate a strong indica background.

I know the grass beyond the door, the sweet keen smell.
Dante Rossetti. 18281882.

The name Hemp comes from the Old English word hnep and is the common name for plants of the entire genus C.sativa, although the term now usually refers only to cannabis strains cultivated for fiber and not drug crops. Cannabis is a hardy plant that grows in both temperate and tropical conditions throughout the world and can thrive in diverse and sometimes challenging environments. Botanists cant agree as to which family cannabis belongs; initially it was classified one of the Nettle family (Urticaceae), although this was based more on visual characteristics than biology. It was later reclassified into the Fig family (Moraceae). However, this is still causing disagreement, so in view of its uniqueness, cannabis is now classified Cannabaceae along with the genus of hop plants. When dating pollen samples it is difficult to establish the difference between hemp and hops, its botanical relative. In most studies, hemp and hops are not separated from each other. Instead, they are reported as hops/hemp or Cannabaceae. Cannabis can grow in height from one to four metres (3 to 15ft), depending on variety and growing conditions. It is classified as an herbaceous annual. Herbaceous simply means the plant is an herb and annual refers to its life cycle, meaning the plant grows, reproduces and dies in one season. It is an heliotropic plant, preferring direct sunlight and open spaces, and so grows poorly in shaded areas.