From: [m--s--g] at [igc.org]
Date: 21 Sep 91 16:36:00 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: Hemp Growers Guide (and comments)


Howdy,
	Several topics are included here based on what I read a few
days ago.  The first is comments on the social use of hemp flowers.
I find that being alone is much more conducive to creative thinking.
I tend to read non-fiction or else think about physics problems I'm
presently working on.  Usually I come up with different ways of 
solving problems which lead to new ideas once I try them out when I
return to work.  Scientific American reported a couple of months ago
on PET scans of people using various drugs.  Hemp flowers produced an
*increase* in mental activity, all the other drugs measured reduced
mental energy levels (a PET scan tracks glucose consumption).  My own
personal experiance confirms this, but higher mental activity does not
mean higher performance.  I can't do algebra as accurately when high
but I tend to uderstand the meaning of what the algebra is telling me
better.
	That's not to say I don't use hemp socially with friends.
Usually the groups are small and the discussions range over everything.
Not much different when I get together with a few buddies at a local
watering hole and have a couple of beers.  I find being alone much more
enjoyable, but that goes for being sober too.

	The second topic is the sighting of the road sign:  IF YOU
THINK IT'S DRY NOW, WAIT 'TILL SEPTEMBER.  There have been reports
of such a sign north west of Chicago near Aurora.  No one I know
personally has seen it.  It sounds like a mid-west group is doing this,
sightings are rural (so far).  The connection to governement has not
been confirmed - I'd suspect it's not.  More like growers who are angry
at people not working towards legalizing.

	The third topic addresses both of the above issues.  This is
submitted for the hemp FAQ, whoever is doing it, and to the Net for the
improvement it needs.  The idea is to have something which fits on both
sides of a regular size sheet of paper and can be distributed very quickly
and easily.  Who cares if it's dry?  Grow Your Own!

*************************************************************************

		    Gorrila Growers Guide
		       (for beginners)

	The purpose of this guide is to help beginners supply
themselves with hemp using standard items from hardware stores.  If
enough people grow their own, trafficking in hemp will be eliminated
and quality will greatly improve.

	To start you need a small space - a closet roughly
60x150x200 cm (that's 2x5x6 ft for the archaic).  Cover the walls,
ceiling and doors with aluminized mylar (if you can find it) or
aluminum foil, shiny side out.  This saves light for the plants,
ideally, the only light absorber in the room is plant.  (Mirror tiles
are an option for the really rich).

	The next step is to put lights in the room.  Fluorescents
are the cheapest and most readily available.  Shop light holders will
hold two 120 cm (4 ft) bulbs.  Each bulb is rated at 40 watts.  5 sets
of shop lights will give 5 or 6 plants enough light for good results.
That's a total of 10 bulbs or 400 watts.  The type of bulb does not
really matter, wide-spectrum grow bulbs if you can get them are great
but regular shop lights work fine.

	If the closet is already warm, some ventilation is required.
Space under the door and an equivelent 10 square cm (~4 sq in) hole
out the top of the closet is adequate.  Alternatively, you can leave
the door open a couple of cm and put aluminum foil along the wall near
the door to prevent too much light leak.  Do not let the room
temperature get over 35 C (95 F) as this hurts growth.  Optimal
temperature is 27-30 C (80-86 F).  Less than 21 C (70 F) is too cold
for good growth.

	Vertically mounting the lights is best as this provides
light to the entire plant.  Putting one in each corner and one over
head will also work well.  Use bricks or 2x4's to raise the lamps off
the floor, or use the hangers to hold the shop lights up on the wall.

	If you know how, buy sockets, boxes and 3 wire cable (14
gauge or better) and build an extension cord for all the shop lights.
The boxes can also sit on the platforms holding the lights up or can
be tied up above the floor.  If you have a water accident you don't
want your electrical components to be involved - it could kill you.
If you don't know how and don't have any friends who do then buy the 3
ft extension cords with 3 sockets on the end.  Use one socket to plug
in the shop light and another for the next extension cord.

	The reason for doing all this is for the timer you'll need
to put on the lights and because most shop lights only come with a 6
inch cord.  Once your room is set up it should seem BRIGHT since the
walls are all mirrors.

	Now we come to the planting.  Rockwool is the best medium
but is not universally available.  Potting soil mixed with pearlite,
lava, sand or styrofoam in a 50% soil - 50% lava (or whatever) works
best.  Hemp grows best in sandy or loose soil, the roots need lots of
air as well as water.  For detailed instructions get a book (see High
Times ads), but hemp is a weed which will pretty much grow anywhere
with enough light and nutrients.

	Plant 10 to 15 seeds at a time.  If you get clones you can
start with 5 since more plants will be light starved in this small a
space.  Keep the light on 24 hours a day if possible.  The first stage
of growth is called vegetative.  Water the plants twice a day during
this time.  About 12 hours apart is best but a few hours either way is
ok.  Feed the plants once a week with a 15-10-10 plant food or a
standard "Miracle-gro" product from any K-mart.  Again, to do better,
get a book.

	When the plants are about 60 cm (2 ft) high you can go into
the flowering stage.  To do this set a timer for 12 hours of light and
12 of dark.  If you've left the door open for ventilation, close it
during the dark period.  The darker the plants are the better.  Reduce
the amount of water by half, watering near the time the lights come
on.  After a few weeks the plants will begin to differentiate.  The
males produce "balls" with pollen and the females produce feelers at
nodal points (stems and branches).

	For the best sinsemilla you want to cut out the males before
they release pollen.  If you want more seeds this is not necessary.
Reduce the number of plants down to the best 5 females.  Use the rest
in brownies or cookies.  The leaf has too much vegetable matter to
smoke but will work fine for eating.

	The entire cycle takes about 4 months.  Usually 4 to 6 weeks
in vegetative stage, 2 weeks to differentiate and another 8 weeks to
flower.  Harvest when the large sun leaves begin to yellow and drop
off.

	To harvest, cut all the leaf off and let dry on a flat
surface.  Trim the leaf down near the buds and hang the buds to dry
for about a week.  This part can get fairly stinky so you may need
ventilation to the outside or a room deoderizer.  For faster results
use a microwave oven.

	Get a corn cob pipe from your local *drug* store and enjoy
your efforts.  This method with get you 2 - 4 lids of pure sinse.  In
the same space a pro can get four times as much but who cares?  This
bud's for you!

*************************************************************************

Patience, persistance, truth,         reality:       [m g r] at [anhep2.hep.anl.gov]
Dr. mike                                 UUCP:    uunet!pyramid!cdp!mrosing
                                       bitnet:  cdp!mrosing%[l--br--a] at [stanford]