Saturday, September 29, 2018

2018 Outdoor Cannabis Grow - Week 6 of Flowering

Week 6...Honestly after last weeks rain and wind, we are pretty lucky our plants are still kicking.

It's October 2 days, so let's just through that unpleasant reminder out at the start of this weeks post. If it weren't for the potential for bud rot / low temps below 50 degrees. The upcoming weather patterns would almost be acceptable.

The weather forecast is predicting 1 day of rain followed by 3 days of dry and repeating through the next ten days.

That's not terrible, but it would be a lot better if we could get the plants out of the rain. Which we can't there's that.


The wind also was a major factor last week that we were not prepared for. 2 of the 3 plants suffered major stem splits at their bases. We brought in larger stakes and the plants appear to be still alive but that was a horrible morning to wake and see them all sprawled out.

We are seeing some purple pistils and sugar leaves. That's neat. Well actually just the volume of sugar leaf and bud sites is definitely encouraging.

Looking over the plants and where they are in the flowering cycle. These plants are strong candidates for ice water hash extraction, followed by iso-propyl for the finish.

We are certainly appreciating all the comments and feedback on the various sites and places we post. Please keep them coming!!!


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Happy Growing!!!
MM's

Sunday, September 23, 2018

2018 Outdoor Grow - Week 3 of Flowering

Week 3 of flowering, and September is almost gone. We are still totally at the mercy of whatever weather comes here in New England. With any luck things will continue to be mild and dry.

The outdoor plants bud site production has definitely started taking off. But again the temperatures are likely slowing overall progress. In just a week there has been a development. 



This week, the temperatures are hovering around 60 degrees, and it may even include some rain...

Let us know your thoughts on the status of these plants. Can they go the distance? 


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MM's

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

The Mini Indoor Garden Grow Operation

Just some shots from a micro grow. What do you think we can expect to yield out of these 9 little beauties?

I reckon close to a pound, maybe more?




Just kidding...Can anyone guess what happened here?



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MM's

Sunday, September 16, 2018

2018 Outdoor Grow - Week 2 of Flowering

Week 2 of flowering, and it's now September. We are at the mercy of whatever weather comes here in New England. With any luck things will continue to be mild.

It's been nice to see the outdoor plants starting to get the bud sites going. But again the temperatures are likely slowing all production down a lot.


Even the bees in our area are starting to freeze up in the afternoons.

Seriously starting to consider looking into building an outdoor enclosure for the plants just to ensure they can go full term as temperatures start to consistently reach the 50's and colder.

But for right now we are going to appreciate the fact that we are into the flowering stage. So there is an end in sight. 

Let us know your thoughts on the status of these plants. Can they go the distance? 


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MM's

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Major Correction in Canadian Marijuana Stocks






Canadian Marijuana Stocks took quite a hit today. In some cases closing down nearly 20%. This correction comes after the sector has seen strong growth for the last month or more. This was the saddest photo we could find. She certainly look upset, if not sad.

Here are two companies we have been following. We missed the boat and are waiting for stocks to drop dramatically before buying into them. 

Aphria Inc - Which has skyrocketed over the last month saw a 16.81% drop today. It will be interesting to see where this one goes tomorrow. Personally I don't believe the correction / sell-off has ended yet. 





Aurora Cannabis Inc - An equally strong Pot stock, dropped 9.07% today. Killing nearly all of the gains on the week.


Disclaimer: We currently do have own nor intend to buy into these companies at this time. But it's crazy how volatile these stocks are. One needs to exercise caution and do your research before buying. 


Do you have any Marijuana stocks? Are you selling or buying right now? We'd like to hear your thoughts on this sector.


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MM's

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Is it the weekend yet?

Anyone else wishing today was Friday???

I mean Seriously...!




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MM's

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Big Data suggests Marijuana Users Can't Name their Favorite Strains and that's okay

Big data / Analytics firms like Highyieldinsights are finding that marijuana user's regardless of frequency are having a hard time naming their favorite strains. At face value that sounds like something out of a stoner movie.

Like Dave's not here man, and dude where'd you park your car, level i dunno's...

Northern Lights - 3 days after harvest 11/2017
But their numbers were actually fairly high.

Approximately 1 in 3 users who smoke a couple times a week could not name their favorite strain. Most were at best able to say they liked, sativa, indica, or hybrid types. And only 1 in 4 infrequent users could name a favorite strain (but if you're not a frequent user, should you really be expected to know this?).

This is largely just free promo for what they are capable of providing consumers of data and analytics. I for one eat this stuff up faster then OG kush brownies. Sorry for the pun. But it's interesting and that statistics they provide are pretty easy to understand.

It's crazy to think that frequent users wouldn't know their brand, right? Maybe not.

Legal marijuana has been around for such a short time and the industry does not have the best track record for being able to provide a product over and over again. Which doesn't set a good standard for consumers to be selective and recalling which brand/strain was good a couple times ago.

In fact people can go into a shop and find that the product or flower they had come to purchase is no longer be available.

And there is research which shows strains can vary wildly genetically speaking between shops. So patrons may get different experiences from the same strain purchased at different stores.

This isn't like beer, cigarettes or other consumer products.

You can't just go into a store any store in the country and expect to get the same product, the same quality/potency, the same experience, and yes the same price each and every time you shop.

What's your point?

I've been throwing a lot of shade on all of the bass ackwards strain names. Getting all sorts of frustrated over how the strain names tell you nothing about the type of cannabis or expected effects.

But I came to realize that the names of these strains are not the problem. They are the creative draw for the consumer.

Like when you go into a liquor store, to buy beer. Say you want IPA, there are going to be a lot of brands to choose from. The average IPA drinker has a general idea about the taste and potency.

This over time will become a norm for cannabis users.

With better practices, improved branding, and genetic / potency testing labeling. Users are going to get a better handle on which types of cannabis they prefer.

I will agree that there are some truly offensive pot strains out there, and I'd like to see that change. But really it all comes down to luck, which strains become popular and which don't.

And I'm okay with all the crazy names that are out there. There are sites online that will tell you the lineage and effects of most strains.

I think they have it wrong that strain names are meaningless. They obviously serve a purpose in helping catch the eye of consumers.

I don't see why people can't simply start by identifying their favorite type as, Indica, Sativa, hybrid, or even CBD types. Those 4 classes in my mind are a great starting point. I don't see how we can create a new naming convention for marijuana strains, nor is it necessary.

I for one don't need to say my favorite strain is x, y or z. I think it's best to have a couple options from each type (I, S, H, C).

What do you think?


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MM's









Monday, September 10, 2018

Marijuana Use In Married Couples Reduces Likelihood Of Domestic Abuse

An article from 2014 published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, "Couples' marijuana use is inversely related to their intimate partner violence over the first 9 years of marriage.", has been circulating through a ton of popular websites.


I don't want to get of track so i'll keep my rant about how/why this happens brief.

But seriously think about that or a second. This article was published in 2014. So why are all the attention now? I don't have that answer, aside from assuming all of these sites are copying each other for clicks to their sites. I mean that's fine it's something that happens on probably all social websites.

Here are all the sites that were running this 2014 article:
Washington post - Christopher Ingraham - 26Aug2014 (Awesome time to report this article)
High Times - Samantha Cashin - 09Apr2018 (4 years later...)
Fatherly.com - Lauren Vinopal - 12Jul2018 (4 years later and now you can borrow from other sites)

So these are just a few that cite this study, and yet all of them simply re-state the findings in the study. Which is fine but again it's just a puff piece. It's click bait for getting people to your website so you can generate ad revenue. 

--- deep breath --- 

...rant over...

Back to the article

I certainly do not want to downplay the conclusions made from this study, looking at marijuana use and rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). It's pretty awesome that they were able to follow so many couples 634 to be exact and for 9 years!!! (here is the full article: link)

Here are the amazing findings they were able to conclude:
  • about 1 in 5 married women and 1 in 3 married men admitted to using marijuana
  • IPV rates were lower where at lease one spouse used marijuana
  • Marijuana use hinted towards less frequent IPV, with the lowest IPV group being the couples who both used marijuana frequently
  • Important to note: subjects were all heterosexual, newly married, and first time married couples
Aside from the results supporting fewer incidence of domestic violence in couples that use marijuana. There was a lot of unpleasant information in that article.

The study only looked at one type of IPV. That being physical aggression and injury (e.g. slapping, beating up, choking). But there are at least three categories of IPV: psychological, physical, and sexual aggression.

I felt that this study was limited in the design to only look at physical IPV. I would like to see where the others ranked in this type of longitudinal study.

I also was a little upset that none of the websites actually expanded on the findings and or limitations. 

I bring this point up because there was an article from 2008 same journal (Psychol Addict Behav) out of Ohio U, showed that Marijuana use was associated with IPV by men arrested for domestic violence. In this article they were able to conclude that marijuana use was related to all three forms of IPV. 2008 Article - Marijuana related to all forms of IPV


One last point about the positive article. There were some pretty discouraging figures in the paper.
  • Nearly 40% of all husbands conducted IPV on their wives, with an average of 4.0 times per year. And keep in mind the survey was only asking for physical forms of domestic violence.
That is just way too high. Way too high.

Again not trying to undermine the interesting findings. I just think the study was limited to a single arm of intimate partner violence. 

And then when it's picked up by websites who are going to spin the news largely on the title and summary, it's just a little frustrating.

If you read either of these articles let me know what your takeaway is!



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MM's


Sunday, September 9, 2018

2018 East Coast Outdoor Growing Season Gets Tested As Temperatures Drop

Got a couple or a lot of weeks left in your flowering stage? Starting to worry if you're going to have enough days to get to the harvest before it gets too cold?

Welcome to the unpredictable world of New England weather...


This weekend brought the first real break in an otherwise long and continuous stretch of very hot and near unbearable levels of humidity. However that also meant dangerously low evening temperatures. Some parts of New England saw well into the mid-40's.

While that's not going to kill your crop. It's not going to help move things along much either.

Luckily the temperatures in the greater area appear to be coming back into the 60's and 70's.

Courtesy of https://www.news10.com/weather
If our crop was a football team (go Pats btw), we'd be looking at a hail Mary toss right about now to get to the endzone (i.e. Harvest). Case and point, we're about 2-4 weeks in of a possible 8-12 week flowering cycle. And the temps have started to drop below the 50's.

We're hoping for mild couple of months into late October. But who really knows. We read the farmer's almanac, which if accurate said something about a cold winter. But we don't need to get to winter...just to middle fall.

We aren't going to be creating any outdoor palace for these ladies. It's just fingers crossed and hope for the best.

How's everyone else managing things around dropping temperatures?




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MM's


Saturday, September 8, 2018

Cannabis crop early in the veg stage

Looking back at one of our first indoor grows. Such a mix-matched set-up. Half the plants were 100% sativa the other half were 100% indica. That was a fun test of our abilities at maintaining an even canopy...

This was photo was taken very early in the vegetative stage. They had all been recently transplanted from solo cups into either 1 gal or 5 gal cloth grow bags. Medium is coco coir.

They literally exploded into monsters, doubling in size in about 1-2 weeks. Gotta love pH balanced nutrients feeding. They do wonders for your garden.

In our opinion, when your plants are under 2 feet tall, they are so easy to train. It's at this point in your grow when you first begin to transition to training mode. I miss the daily low-stress training and super-cropping.

Looking forward to our next indoor grow. For Sure!!!



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MM's

Friday, September 7, 2018

Super Silver Haze - Bud shots

Happy Friday!!!!

Here are some bud shots from our Super Silver Haze crop.




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MM's

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Beautiful Cannabis Leaf

Not to get super sentimental. But when you actually invest the time and effort into growing a cannabis plant. Each part of the grow comes with it's challenges and rewards. And if you're lucky you also get a lot of medicinal product as well. But that is just one of things that makes this entire process so much fun. 

Hopefully you're all experiencing more rewards then challenges!!!

It's getting close to harvesting season across the US. I'd love to hear or see some success stories from other growers!

Here's a photo we use on our blog. It's not the healthiest leaf, but whatever.



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MM's

Monday, September 3, 2018

Quick & Easy Guide: How to turn your Kief into Hash

Here is a quick and easy guide for turning your kief into hash. The process is quite simple, it is safe, and does not take very much time. You can get this completed in just 5 steps and using about that many items.

What Supplies you will need:
  • kief
  • clothes iron
  • wax paper / parchment paper
  • paper towel
optional items:
  • tape (to help hold the wax or parchment paper in place)
  • scale (to compare starting weight of the kief and final weight of the hash)
  • razor blade
Total time: ~ 45 - 90 minutes (depends on how long the hash is allowed to cool during step 5)

So, lets get started turning your kief into Hash

Step 1:

Carefully pour your kief onto the center of a sheet of wax / parchment paper. You do not need a large amount of paper. You want to ensure that there is enough paper to fold around the pile of kief.

For our example approximately a 12" square sheet of wax paper was more than enough for our 1 gram of kief.

Note: kief can be stubborn coming out of the contain it is being stored in. To get the last bits out of our grinder and help position the kief on the paper we used a razor. This is completely optional, and be careful if you choose to use them. They can cut the paper, the surface you are working on and even you if you are not careful.

Step 2:

Once you have the kief centered on the paper. You need to fold the paper around the kief. It is best to create a square or rectangular pocket within the paper. And then fold the excess paper around that pocket.

This can be a little tricky.

Just be careful as to not spill your kief as you are working to create the folds and the pocket out of the paper. Once you get past the first couple folds the kief will be locked in place.

Step 3: Heat, Press (flip), & Repeat

After you have folded the paper, one or two pieces of tape are helpful at holding the paper in place.

Next we wrap the wax / parchment paper in a damp paper towel. This is very important as it will help prevent you from damaging your clothes iron.

Take the hot iron and firmly and evenly press down. We like to start by doing this for a couple of seconds, then remove the iron and flip the kief so you can press the other side.

We like to do this for at least 5 minutes of each side. It is likely not necessary to heat and press for more than 10 minutes on each side.

Oh and don't forget to turn off the iron once you are done!!!

Note 1: You are working with a very hot iron. Make sure you are working on a surface that is safe for this type of heat and that you have cleared the area. Always be careful working with a heat source, so as not to accidentally burn yourself or things in the area.

Note 2: While you are pressing the kief, monitor the wetness of the paper towel. If it appears to be drying out, stop heating it and make it damp on both sides again.

Step 4: Chill Out

Again friendly reminder. Don't forget to turn off the clothes iron.

Now onto the easiest step: put your freshly heated and pressed kief bundle into the freezer.

Possibly a slightly less easy step: wait 30-60 minutes.... (perhaps smoke a little to pass the time)

Cooling the hash will harden it and make it a little easier to handle when you unwrap your kief bundle.

Step 5: Unwrap and enjoy (and storing tips if applicable)

Once the kief bundle has properly cooled. Carefully unwrap and remove all the layers (i.e. paper towel, the tape, and inner paper).

Once you get to the hash, it should be hard enough now where it will come off the paper will very little effort.

At this point you are done. The hash is ready to be enjoyed.

Note: For storage, we recommend putting your hash in an airtight container and keeping it out of direct sunlight. It can store for a good long time for those who are able to ration out usage.




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MM's


Sunday, September 2, 2018

Finally the outdoor girls are flowering (Week 1-3 of Flowering)

Finally the super silver haze plants are flowering. These ladies have been amazing growers, but all through August were acting like true sativa divas. And just would not flip from veg to flowering.

Now that we're in September, it's going to be something of a race to the finish line. Most seed vendors list this strain as having a outdoor harvest time in mid-October. The indoor flowering time is 9-11 weeks.

By our estimate these girls have naturally started flowering in the past 1-3 weeks. They also appear to have made it through their stretching phase. They didn't do anything super dramatic like a 50% stretch, but they do look lean and elongated right now. 

We're very excited to see the transition from lean to filled-in as the bud sites continue to develop.


It's pretty amazing to think that these outdoor SSH plants, started from clones that were cut way back in 2017!!!!


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Happy Growing!!!
MM's