Here is a quick video of our solitary Northern Lights hermie plant on harvest day. We had to isolate her from the main area after the plant started displaying intersex traits.
It was a hard choice to move or kill the plant, because the plant was about 3/4's of the way through the flowering phase and we didn't really have another place for it. And yes this can be expected for some strains, but we didn't want to pollenate any of the other plants.
She was ultimately quarantined to the veg tent where we had our clones for the the next cycle. It was pretty fun to watch the clones also go into flower mode. However it took nearly a month for them to re-veg. Delaying the next cycle.
We were pretty sure this NL plant hermied as a result of human error. We made a couple mistakes with lighting and light leak during the vegetative phase. So this wasn't unexpected. We were happy to find that only one plant hermied.
The lighting was 12 LED bulbs putting out a combined total of 108w.
If anyone has any input about the leaf coloring that would be great. We did reduce total feeding strength about 2 weeks prior to harvesting.
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1. Party Hosting 101 - The Basics
Before you can assume the title of "King of the Party" or "Hostess with the Mostess". There are a number of factors you need to have locked down. Here is a list of the main things to have set-up before the guests start arriving.
Space - You need to make sure that your guests are going to be able to see the game and try to make them as comfortable as possible for the 4+ hour event. This also applies to the flow too and from the food/drink and bathroom(s). Try to ensure people can get to those stations without blocking the views of the other guests.
Food, Beverages and Non-Food Supplies - Ensuring that there is enough food and drink for all of the guests can be a daunting task. One easy way to help ensure the supplies do not dwindle, is to make the party a potluck design or BYOB. That way you can reduce the total amount you need to provide and set guest expectations ahead of time. Make sure you are well stocked on all the essentials for food and non-food activities before Game day. Avoid shopping the weekend of through game day if at all possible.
Vegetarians & Vegans Are Football Fans & Stoners Too - If you are supplying food to your guests make sure you have options for all of your guests. By stating in advance what you will be making, it will alert those with dietary restrictions to bring additional items.
2. Selecting the right Cannabis
If you are going to be providing cannabis to your guests, there are a lot of options to choose from now, Strain type, flower, concentrates, edibles). In our opinion the best choice would be either Flower or concentrates. Edibles are less predictable and we would not recommend them for this type of event.
Choosing the right strain for the Super Bowl - We recommend going with a hybrid or indica leaning strain, preferably containing between 10-20% THC. By choosing a hybrid and indica leaning strains you can avoid some of the negative effects commonly associated with sativa strains; such as anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia. Hybrid and indica leaning strains tend to have more calming effects without fully knocking out your guests. We also strongly recommend against sativa given that the Super Bowl alone can cause a lot of anxiety and stress in its viewers. Indica and Indica leaning Hybrids will be a great option to avoid those issues.
We recommend: Northern Lights, BubbleGum, and most of the OG or Kush varieties.
Choosing The Right Cannabis Form (Flower, Concentrates or Edibles) - First we want to start with what not to choose. In our humble opinion we do not suggest offering edibles to your guests. Not everyone is experienced with edibles, and they have a longer on-set and duration, both of which may not be desired by your guests. Also homemade edibles can vary in strength well beyond commercial brands. You also need to clearly mark these as cannabis edibles so guests don't accidentally eat them. The main issue we see with edibles is that your guests may be under the influence long after the game has ended. More potent edibles could leave your guests under the influence into workday on Monday. If you choose edibles, be mindful of ensuring your guests get home safely (i.e. walking, car-pooling, ride-sharing, couching it, etc.).
Okay We're sorry for that PSA Tirade...
Flower & Concentrates are a great option for the Super Bowl. You have a variety of strains to choose from, and each will have a unique flavor profile and effect. Also there are a lot of ways to smoke cannabis. And they will not leave your guests stoned long after the game has been won or lost.
Vap Pens - These are expensive but really easy to use. They also make no mess and leave little odor after being used. Possibly the best choice if your budget will allow.
Water pipes, bowls and one-hitters - In our opinion these are all great options but you need to know your audience as they are not inconspicuous. One-hitters are a great method to conserve your flower reserves. If you have people over who do not smoke these are not the best choice. If you choose these options, we recommend cleaning out smoking pieces before the party and to have alcohol wipes. Some people will be very grateful to sanitize the smoking device between uses.
Party Joints or Blunts - These can be great when all attendees are okay with smoking. These can also be enjoyed outside or away from the main room. If you enjoy these methods inside, expect that room or rooms to smell like cannabis afterwards. If you go with these options, consider stocking up on papers and blunts for the party.
3. Good Party Etiquette - Cannabis Guidelines & Safety
As any good host, you need to work to make sure the supplies are stocked and the guests are having a good time. You also need to make sure the guests are not overdoing it. In many ways this is like keeping an eye on the alcohol consumption by your guests. Try imposing a cannabis cut-off like what is done at baseball games. Where alcohol is no longer served after the 7th inning. This will help ensure your guests will be able to get home safely. Also if you live in an apartment or condo with central air, keep in mind that your neighbors may be bothered by the smells. If you have a central air system, you should consider Vap Pens or have your guests enjoy the cannabis outside of the building and away from any A/C units and fans. And as we have mentioned earlier, if you have guests that do not enjoy cannabis, be mindful of this. Communicate the house rules to your guests ahead of time so there are no issues at the party. Also have back-up plans for any guests who are not able to get home safely on their own.
4. Super Bowl Squares - The Cannabis Version
This is something we are going to try this year. We thought it would be a fun thing to share. We are basically taking the rules from Super Bowl Squares and in place of cash winnings you get flower or seeds. Buy-in agreed upon by all parties and you work to fill the squares. And then during the game people learn if they won by the scores at the end of each quarter, half and final score.
5. Make Sure Your TV Gets The Game
This is by far one of the most important things to have locked down before kick-off. Yes it may also sound like the dumbest thing in the world, but with so many people getting rid of cable you may not have the channel to watch the game. Should you be one of those people there are a lot of options. Temporarily signing-up for a cable package, online streaming, streaming through your smart tv. Whichever method you go with, just do your research as some may be more pricey than others.
We would love to hear how you decided to enjoy the game. What cannabis strains did you choose, and what cannabis product did you have at your party.
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How to Clean Your Grinders & Make Quality Concentrates
This is a safe and easy guide to using isopropyl alcohol to clean your grinders, flower jars, and bubble bags. Through this method, the isopropyl alcohol rinse will make your gear look as good as new. And it will leave you with quality cannabis extract. This method uses the popular QWISO Method.
QWISO - Quick Wash Isopropyl (a.k.a Iso-Hash, Quick Wash Hash) is a very easy and effective method to strip the trichomes from the flowers of mature cannabis plants to produce high quality concentrates and extracts.
Any Well-Used Gear That Needs To Be Cleaned:
Grinder(s)
Kief, Bud / Nug or Flower Jar(s)
Bubble Bag(s)
What Supplies you will need:
Isopropyl Alcohol (91% or 99%)
Parchment paper
Razor (two makes this process easier)
Total time: ~ 3 - 7 Days
The total time depends greatly on how much isopropyl alcohol is used. This method does not involve heating, but rather passively allows it to evaporate. Which could take up to and even more than 7 days to be completely evaporated.
Step 1: Rinsing the Gear with Isopropyl Alcohol
The first step is to wash the gear that is covered in trichomes. It could be a well-used grinder that is clogged, flower jars that are covered in kief, and even bubble bag screens.
How to Rinse your Nug, Flower, or Stash Jars:
Jars are the easiest to rinse and clean. Just fill the jar approximately 25% of the way. Seal it back up and begin shaking it vigorously. You want to continue doing this until all of the walls of the jar appear to be clean of trichomes.
How to Rinse a Grinder:
Grinders are also fairly simple to wash. You need to rinse and clean each part of the grinder individually. And it is best to do so in either a tupperware or plastic bag. Fill the container to about 1/3 the volume, and shake it until that part of the grinder appears clean. If done well each component will look brand new.
How to Rinse Bubble Bags:
Bubble bags don't require the entire device to be rinsed. You only need to focus the wash on the screen areas of the bubble bag. We have had a lot of success simply dipping the screen part of the bag in a container filled with isopropyl alcohol.
Lift and dip, lift and dip until the bag has been cleaned of any trichomes left over from the last ice wash.
Cannabis Infused Isopropyl Alcohol Solution
Once the isopropyl alcohol has stripped the trichomes from the device or jar, the solution will change in coloring.
The more densely the concentration of trichomes and plant matter the darker the solution will appear. This greatly depends on the volume of isopropyl used. This solution can appear relatively clear if there is a much higher ratio of alcohol to trichomes. And it can also appear greener to even black if the solution contains any other plant material such as chlorophyll and plant waxes.
A solution that is dark golden in color and free of any plant particles (hairs and leaf) is ideal at this step in the QWISO process.
We were not able to keep the solution free of plant particles. This was acceptable for us.
For a purer solution and final product, using a coffee filter will be a very effective tool. We opted to not use a filter as you will inevitably lose some of the final product in this step.
Before the Iso wash
After the Iso wash
Step 2: Evaporation & Storage
Pour all of the cannabis isopropyl alcohol solution into your baking dish. You can use more alcohol on the jars and devices to ensure that you are not leaving any trichomes.
After all of the solution has been added to the dish, you will need to give the solution time to evaporate.
Although this sounds like an easy step (and it is), you need to ensure that the dish is stored in a well-ventilated area that is free of any heating sources. This technique is safe as it does not require you to put the flammable liquid over a heating source to rapidly evaporate the alcohol.
This process can take anywhere from 72 hours to over a week. It really depends on the total volume of alcohol used through the earlier steps.
Do not proceed to the next steps until the product is fully dry. If it appears wet or even oily, the product is not ready and you need to check back in no less than a day.
Step 3: Collection of the Final Product
Once the product has dried fully, you can use a razor to scrap the final product into a ball. This process is made easier if you use 2 razors. One to remove the hash from the glass dish, and the other to remove the has from the first razor.
This process can be difficult at first and also quite messy. It is best to collect the hash oil concentrate in a cold setting, as the concentrate will possess oil qualities when it becomes warm.
It may not look like much. But that golden even honey coloring is exactly what you are aiming for.
Parchment paper is a great medium to store the hash concentrate on. If you cool the hash in a refrigerator, the paper can be used to squeeze the hash into a thin pancake. Which can be an easy way to divide up the hash for use later.
Should there be a lot of left over product on the dish that you are not able to remove using the razor. You can go back to the earlier steps, using more isopropyl alcohol to pull the hash back into solution.
Final Product:
We have squished the ball into a thin pancake to show the golden amber color of the hash. This coloring shows up when the hash is backlit. The purer the product the more golden yellow it will be.
For us this is pure enough as it will eventually be converted into edibles.
We store this in the refrigerator, but it could also be stored in a freezer.
And just if you are curious how much can you expect to yield from your bud jars?
We rinsed 12 jars used to cure our flower. They were still covered in kief.
From those jars we were able to produce a hash concentrate weighing in at 1.0 gram.
Determining Strength and Potency of your Cannabis Concentrates
The best way to understand the approximate strength of your extracts, is to know how much cannabis you are starting with. It is very hard to get a starting quantity from cleaning your grinders, jars, and cannabis accessories (i.e. bubble bags). However you can weigh the final product.
Assume that hash, wax, concentrate you just made, contains no less than 50% THC.
That way you can determine that a gram of this concentrate is close to 2 times as potent as 25% THC flower. IF NOT MUCH MUCH STRONGER
Our recommendation, is to always start with a small dose. If that amount proves to be less than adequate, only then increase to another dose. Better safe than sorry.
Additional Notes
We didn't use heat for this method. If you would like to use heat to speed up the evaporation process, please use extreme caution. DO NOT PERFORM THIS TASK INSIDE YOUR HOME DO IT IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA, FREE FROM ANY HEATING SOURCES
Use caution when working with the razors. The concentrates are fairly sticky and could make you lose your grip on the blade. Take it slow and be careful with your movements.
Filters are a great way to keep your concentrate free of particles. You may end up losing some THC in the process.
If you have plastic devices you want to wash. Please do your own research on how isopropyl alcohol reacts to it. Some plastics can tolerate isopropyl alcohol, others may breakdown from contact. Do your own due diligence, before washing your gear. For your own safety and the longevity of your devices.
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This is a quick and easy recipe for making delicious cannabis chocolate bars. The recipe includes only 5 ingredients, and also is completed in just 5 simple steps. And really takes between 1-2 hours start to finish.
depends on how long the chocolate bar is allowed to cool during step 5
So, lets start making some homemade cannabis chocolate bars
Step 1: Measuring
Start by measuring and adding each of the ingredients (cacao powder, cannabis coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, vanilla extract) into the pyrex bowl.
We recommend using a scale for measuring out the cannabis coconut oil. It is a great tool for determining approximate strength of your edibles. See determining strength & potency below for more information.
Step 2: Heating & Mixing
Once all of the ingredients are in the pyrex bowl. Heat a frying pan on medium heat and add water into the pan. Place the pyrex bowl into the frying pan. You want a decent amount of water to be in the frying pan at all times. However not enough so that it will overflow once the water comes to a full boil. Depending on the heat setting, you may need to reapply water to the pan during this step.
Remember to only use glassware that is heat tempered such as pyrex glass. If you are not sure, use a smaller sauce pan instead of the glass bowl. As long as water can boil between them it will work fine.
Using a spoon or fork or whisk, begin to mix the ingredients. The cannabis coconut oil and other liquids will begin to turn the cacao powder into a gel. Continue to stir vigorously throughout this process.
Should the mixture be overly soupy or oily, add more cacao powder in small amounts.
Should the mixture be too crumbly and dry add more regular coconut oil (non-cannabis).
Most importantly, be aware of the temperature, as you do not want to burn the chocolate. You are simply trying to melt all of the ingredients evenly.
Step 3: Pouring the Cannabis Chocolate
Once all of the ingredients have dissolved, you are ready to pour the cannabis chocolate into your tupperware container. Turn off the stove and using the oven mittens and a spatula, carefully pour into the tupperware. The spatula will help you retrieve all that was in the pyrex bowl and also level out the bar.
Be careful here as the bowl will still be quite hot to the touch.
Avoid spilling the chocolate on the upper part of the tupperware as it will not be part of the finished molding at the bottom.
Step 4: Freezing the Cannabis Chocolate Bar
Depending on how cold your fridge / freezer is, this step can take around 30-60 minutes. If you are not in a rush to make use of your homemade cannabis chocolate edible it can stay in the freezer for months.
Step 5: Scoring the Cannabis Chocolate Bar for Proper Dosing
This is actually one of the most crucial steps in this process, aside from standard safety while cooking. Once the bar has had time to harden you need to score the bar into even parts.
This is really important so that you and everyone who enjoys this bar knows approximately how much they are ingesting. For reference I tend to break it down into 20 or 25 equal pieces.
It is always possible to eat more should you realize the dosing is too weak for your needs. Please be careful and do not overdose yourself or others.
Determining Strength and Potency of your Cannabis Chocolate Edible
Say you use 1 oz of cannabis flower to make a pound of coconut butter. That means you should be 1oz of cannabis distributed throughout that 1 lb of canna coco oil.
This recipe uses 50g of canna coco oil. Which is approximately 1/10th of that 1 lb of oil. So you can assume the entire cannabis chocolate bar will then contain approximately 1/10th of an ounce of cannabis or roughly 2.8 grams
And by breaking the bar into equal parts, let's say 4 parts, you then can predict the approximate strength from what it started at. In this example each piece of the bar would contain around 0.7 grams of active cannabis oil.
Everyone responds to edibles differently. So until you know your own tolerance, start with smaller doses.
Additional Notes
Long-term Storage: the 24oz tupperware is a cost effective method for creating the chocolate molds, and using the recipe above you can also fit 4 bars into a single tupperware. In the freezer these bars can last for at least 6 months.
When using Fruit & Berries: keep in mind that fruit and berries can reduce the shelf-life of your chocolate edibles. They should be always refrigerated, and consumed in no more than 1-2 weeks. Freeze your cannabis chocolate bar for longer storage.
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