Background information
"Mum, when are we going to sow the tomatoes?"
by Ann-Kathrin Schäfer
The reaping and death of my cannabis plants – Marty’s grow report, chapter 5
3.12.2020
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Joy and suffering, life and death – empirical and abstract. Chapter five of this CBD cannabis growing experiment is an emotional rollercoaster ride. The past 13 days have been marked by illness, death and the development of the female sex.
It’s day 35. What were five seedlings to start with are now four. One of them no longer wanted to be in the (spot)light – even though I gave it the same loving care as its siblings.
Rest in peace, No. 4.
Of course, there’s always a good side to every story. For one, I’ll be able to reuse the soil. And the remaining plantlets now have more space. Even if they don’t need it just yet.
But the early death of one of them gets me thinking. I wonder what I did wrong. If No. 5, which is now an impressive 55 centimetres tall, weren’t so beautiful, I’d really feel bad. But a look at her and I rest assured that there’s not lack or abundance of nutrients, minerals or water. No. 4 simply didn’t want to go on and snuck away. Maybe we weren’t on the same wavelength.
I get it. After all, living in a tent is a bit one-sided. Light and love or not.
Back to the past: from reaping to the demise of No. 4
Man, how time flies. Or doesn’t.
Time is so relative. I’m convinced that the length of time my body exists only plays a secondary role. What’s important is what I do or feel. That I experience as many beautiful moments as possible, without harming anyone else.
Sitting in front of the open tent can make seconds feel like an eternity. At the same time, I feel as if I can almost watch the shoots stretch up towards their artificial sun. When I concentrate really hard, I’m pretty sure I can hear them grow, too. I experience how the five leaves align themselves perfectly to benefit equally from the light.
As mentioned earlier, I also experience problems. Looking back on the days following the last chapter, a great drama was on the horizon.
Four of my five Mota CBD Rich Auto plants suffered or still suffer from deformed leaves. Deformed leaves the plant starts to reject almost immediately. This becomes apparent when the leaves start to feel like rubber before they turn dark, look rotten or dry out and develop brown spots.
As long as there are enough healthy leaves surrounding the troubled ones, the plant can continue to perform photosynthesis and has a chance to compensate for the malformations at some point. To help the plant, it’s beneficial to remove any dying leaves. It prevents the plant from wasting energy. I’m happy to oblige, armed with a small pair of scissors.
I remove the dodgy-looking leaves from all my hempies except for healthy and strong-looking No. 5. A few days later, I repeat the process. Unfortunately, I can’t reverse No. 4’s death.
Back to the present: from the female sex to an artificial autumn
I’m so happy there’s No. 5. She’s what I’d call a prime phenotype for this grow. Or any grow, really. In height, she’s already towering above her siblings by 12 centimetres and more. Over the past 13 days, the plant has grown 34 centimetres to 55. Her shoots are rejoicing in the light, running towards the sun, reaching higher and higher. Something that won’t be the case for me in the near future due to its very small THC effect. But hey, it’s still cannabis and smells really nice. I can use the CBD grass to sprinkle on my fondue or to make space cakes without the space.
The tall female keeps me motivated throughout the grow. My honour as an amateur gardener is saved for the time being. Besides, my chest swells with pride when I take a closer look at the other plants. What did my eagle eye just spot?!
Can you see it too?
Wait, I’ll zoom in:
Boom! The plant’s revealed its sex!
Little white hairs = clearly female. Male hemp doesn’t have these. As seen in chapter 2, males produce small bags of pollen.
Hurray, I’m so excited! At last we’re getting started. All four remaining plants, of which at least one is thoroughly healthy, have proved to me today with their hairy parts that they’re mystical beings. As we all know, all mysteries are female. Just like beauty and seduction.
Speaking of which, is that a seductive smell in the air? Although it’s still discreet, there’s definitely a fresh and fruity scent spreading in the tent. Time to ring in autumn tonight by changing the bulb. To support this early flowering phase, I use a high-pressure sodium vapour lamp with more red light – a Philips Master Son-T Pia Green Power with 400 watts.
This could well be one of the last times I use high-pressure steam lamps for a grow. You, the readers, convinced me weeks ago that LED technology will not only do the job but is now also affordable.
To end this chapter, I’d like to go with a quote from my favourite actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He liked to train his muscles with THC in his blood in the last millennium:
Marijuana... That's not a drug, that's a plant.
Martin Jud
Senior Editor
martin.jud@digitecgalaxus.chI find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
Arts and crafts
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Garden
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Plants
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
6 comments
later