october 2013 — issue #40

the patient’s voice!

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COVER & CONTENTS PHOTOS by Daniel Berman/Northwest Leaf

NATIONAL NEWS....................14“MMJ IS CRIMINAL”..............20HARVEST FEST REHASH .........28THE SECRET CUP REHASH.......30JAMAICAN TRIP......................36HARVEST ISSUE.....................46TASTY RECIPES........................60EDIBLE REVIEWS.......................62CONCENTRATES..................64DOCTOR ROSE ON GMO’S.........70WHEN TO HARVEST?..................74BEHIND THE STRAIN?................78

WASHINGTON STATE is a vast and amazingly diverse place to live. There are weather regions of every conceivable variety, and we traveled to several of them to put together this special issue. Follow us as we traverse north, south and east through Vancouver, Port Angeles and the desert of Okanogan County to explore outdoor growing sites relying on different methods.46

PROFILE

74

66

62

40

36

604014

66

62

40

24

30Strain of the MonthAn epic bud shot, real close-up

Jamaican AdventureBonnie Fong’s trip of a lifetime

High Times Seattle

National News

The cup, rehashed in photos

Steve Elliott tackles current events

Best time to harvest?

Device of the MonthThe Clone Shipper fills niche need

Dr. Scanderson gives great insight

Medible ReviewsA drink and a carnival treat

Tasty Pumpkin RecipesFour outspoken patients to know

contentsVISIT NWLEAF.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF | EMAIL [email protected]

OCTOBER 2013

THE HARVEST ISSUE

“It’s heaven to wake up out here,” said Keif Shrefler, 30, a marijuana grower in Vancouver who lives in a tent under the same canopy as the plants he tends with Tom Lauerman. A former law student, Shrefler said smoking each morning “first thing,” leaves him with a clear energy that inspires getting right back to work.

oct. 2013 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF /11

founder & editor-in-chief

Wes Abney

Daniel Berman

STEVE ELLIOTT KIRK ERICSONBONNIE FONGAUDREY KINGTYLER MARKWARTBOB MONTOYAMITCHELL MOQUINFRANK NERONI WILL RODENBOUGHDR. SCANDERSONDR. SCOTT D. ROSECASEY SMITH

photographer & designer

contributors

Contact Northwest Leaf editor Wes Abney to discuss advertising or displaying our magazine in a new location. We want to hear from you! Feel free to send submissions, share news tips, your take on a story or one we should hear. Phone 206-235-6721 Email [email protected]

OCTOBER 2013

the truth about the plantyou thought you knew, IN every issue.

love this time of year in Seattle, when the tree leaves are changing color and so are the trichomes. Some of the best medicine of

the year will be cut down over the coming winter months, and the best of the natural outdoor crops are nearly ready to break out of their curing jars. We traveled all over the state this month to find three unique gardens that prove sun grown Cannabis works in any part of the state. We also have coverage of High Times, Harvest Fest, and the launch of The Secret Cup in Washington. Each event had a unique vibe and were a fun way to celebrate a new harvest season. There’s also a fascinating growtech article about the best time to harvest, and Dr. Rose weighs in on the GMO labeling initiative I-522. Vote yes to make sure that corporations have to label our food products. On a more serious note this month we address the statements made by Representative Chris Hurst (D-31) who has claimed that 99.2% of medical Cannabis collectives or businesses are criminal enterprises. Not surprisingly, the Liquor

editor’s noteVISIT NWLEAF.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF | EMAIL [email protected] LEAF

I Control Board has followed suit, saying that nobody has claimed anything different. We are here to say that the medical Cannabis industry is a thriving industry that has had to enact its own regulations and best practices from within, precisely because representatives like Hurst have dropped the ball on the government’s end! They want to point a crooked finger at us while abandoning the majority of Washington’s citizens and voters. It is the job of the legislature to regulate and work with the will of the people. What Hurst is doing is wrong, and the time has come to let him and the rest of the legislature to hear it! Please exercise your rights and call your district rep — tell them that you do not agree with this policy, and demand that they recognize and regulate medical Cannabis. Without action, we face a tenuous future at best. As always, thank you for reading. Please share this message and this magazine.

-Wes Abney

Thank you for checking out the 40th issue of northwest leaf!

14/ oct. 2013 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

Northwest STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion

MEDICAL MARIJUANA NEWS

Washington State Supreme Court Upholds Medical Necessity Defense For Growing

landmark case with far-reaching implica-tions, a divided Washington state Supreme Court on Thursday was upheld a medical

necessity defense in a marijuana cultivation case against a man who was fined $4,000 three years ago for growing 42 plants. According to the de-cision, a prior medical marijuana authorization is not necessary in order to claim a medical necessity defense for cannabis. The narrow 5-4 ruling sends the case of Wil-liam Kurtz back to Thurston County Superior Court for further action, reports Brad Shannon at The Olympian. Kurtz — who uses a wheelchair due to a medical condition that causes him chronic pain — was fined but not sent to jail by Judge Carol Mur-phy in October 2010, reported Jeremy Pawloski of The Olympian at that time. Madsen opined that Washington’s Medical Use

aof Marijuana Act, approved by voters in 1998, “does not abrogate the common law” allowing a medical necessity defense. The ruling means that those who are arrested for cannabis possession or growing can now claim a medical necessity defense even if they don’t have a prior medical marijuana authorization from a healthcare professional. The dissent, written by Justice Susan Owens, said “the common law defense of necessity is predicated on a lack of legal alternatives. Washington voters have provided a comprehensive statutory scheme

for the use of medi-cal marijuana, en-acted by initiative in 1998. Because individu-

als in this state have a legal way of using medical marijuana, the previ-ously articulated common law defense of medical necessity for marijuana use is no longer appropri-ate.” (Fortunately, that was the minority opinion.)

A prior medical marijuana authorization is not necessary in order to claim a medical necessity defense for cannabis, a narrow 5-4 ruling found.

2 legalization efforts underwayin oregon starting off strong

he national wave of marijuana law reform is gaining momentum every day, and it isn’t going to leave out Oregon. More

than 30,000 people came to Kelley Point Park on September 7 and 8 for the ninth annual Hempstalk Festival, and more than 5,000 of them signed two marijuana initiative petitions while they were there. Initiative 21 would amend the Oregon Constitution, ending criminal penalties for cannabis and permitting adult recreational marijuana use, possession and cultivation. Initiative 22, the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2014, creates a commission to regulate the cultivation, processing, and sale of marijuana, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the Oregon General Fund, helping to pay for schools, roads, and social services. HEMP in Oregon (Help End Marijuana Prohibition in Oregon) and CRRH (Cam-paign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp) have kicked off a vigorous volunteer and paid petition drive to get both initiatives on the ballot for November 2014, according to director Paul Stanford. “Marijuana prohibition does not work and is expensive to maintain,” Stanford said. “We must move forward on a better path for hemp and marijuana in Oregon.” Oregon lawmakers like Rep. Phil Barnhart (D-Eugene) agree that marijuana prohibition does not work, reports the Portland States-man Journal. Barnhart is pushing Democratic Party leaders to study the impact of canna-bis legalization revenue, criminal justice and healthcare in the state. Meanwhile, House Minority Lead-er Rep. Mike McLane (R-Powell Butte), told the Statesman Journal that legislators might write their own marijuana legaliza-tion bill, so that lawmakers could ensure it passes “with the oversight and protections lawmakers want,” rather than continuing to simply oppose any form of legalization. >> Get involved in the petition drives, visit www.hemp.org.

t

‘‘Quoted

TO RISK BEING HOMELESS, IT’S VERY NERVEWRACKING. IT’S TOUGH TO SWALLOW. I’VE HAD TO WORK THINGS OUT WITH FRIENDS OR RELATIVES TO LEAVE MY MEDICINE AT THEIR HOUSE AND VISIT THEM WHEN I NEED TO TAKE IT.

the green blues in massachusetts>> 115 of the state’s 351 municipalities have passed temporary dispensary moratoriums

edical marijuana was very popular among Massachusetts voters, who, in over-whelming numbers last year, voted to make it legal. But it is less popular among

state politicians; about one-third of the munici-palities in Massachusetts have dispensary morato-riums in place. An analysis shows that at least 115 of the state’s 351 municipalities have passed temporary morato-riums on dispensaries, reports State House News Service. Other towns are considering similar measures, and still more have drafted new zon-ing laws restricting where the shops can locate. “Personally, I am against it in my city, but since we can’t not permit we have to make sure that we zone it in certain locations,” said Lawrence City Council member Frank Moran. Lawrence was one of only two cities in the state that voted against medical marijuana last year (the other was Bellingham). “The city of Lawrence, they spoke very loud and clear,” Moran said. “They don’t want it in the city.” Even towns where voters have overwhelmingly approved of medical Cannabis have taken decid-edly drastic steps to restrict access. The large number of moratoriums indicates some reluctance among city and town officials, ac-cording to Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alli-ance Executive Director Matthew Allen, who said such worries are unnecessary. “...Those moratoriums are an indication of a lot of misperceptions of the dispensary system,” Allen said. “I think it is appropriate for local municipali-

M

Quick Hits!42 Number of seconds between each marijuana arrest in

the United States in 2012, according to a new report by the FBI. The document states that there were 1.5

million drug arrests in 2011, and 750,000 were for marijuana.

5,585 Number of plants seized in a Boise County, Idaho bust in September. Authorities said four illegal immigrants

were among those arrested for the grow on public land.

20 Length in years of a prison sentence for Corey Ladd, 27, of Louisiana who was found in possession of a half ounce of Cannabis.

3.73 Number of times more likely a person of color is to be arrested for Cannabis use/possession than a non-person of color, according to a

report released by the American Civil Liberties Union in Sept.

1599

Number of pounds per week Georgia sheriff’s deputy Darrell Mathis was selling, according to the feds, which allege Mathis wore his uniform and badge

while doing the activity. “This defendant used his position as a police officer to openly violate the very laws that he was sworn to uphold,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.

Jersey number of San Francisco 49ers’ Aldon Smith, suspended indefinitely from the NFL following a recent DUI and marijuana possession arrest.

22 The number of dispensary applications rejected outright in Massachusetts, leaving 158 applicants for dispensary licenses for

medical marijuana, down from 181 initial applicants.

Even towns where voters overwhelmingly approved the measure have taken steps to restrict access.

- John Candelmo, a legal medical marijuana user in Portland, Maine, describing how he is not allowed to use his legally allowed Cannabis medicine in the Section 8 subsidized housing he currently calls home. He said he struggles to sleep without Cannabis. Federal law does not recognize medical marijuana law and Maine’s housing authority just issued another six-month moratorium on letting Cannabis users stay there.

ties to have a voice in the siting of dispensaries. Over the next few months, we’re going to see a lot of discussions at the local level.” The law allows between one and five dispen-saries in each of the state’s 14 counties. Initial applications were submitted last month by 181 prospective dispensary operators. The second phase of the application process includes more specific information regarding

location and plans that the appli-cants “will be compliant with lo-cal codes, ordinances, and bylaws for the physical address,” accord-ing to Department of Health regulations. Massachusetts towns can’t entirely ban medical marijuana dispensaries. Assistant Attorney

General Margaret Hurley concluded that de-spite the power afforded municipalities to self-govern, towns cannot adopt a zoning bylaw that is “inconsistent” with a state law or creates a situation where the purpose of the law “can-not be achieved in the face of ” the local rules. Towns are, however, allowed to establish “temporary moratoriums” to “impose reason-able time limitations on development” while planning regulations, Hurley wrote. In March, Massachusetts Attorney Gen-eral Martha Coakley disallowed attempts by the towns of Reading and Wakefield to place outright bans on dispensaries. But neither the attorney general’s office nor the DPH were able to provide a list of cities that have created moratoriums or zoning ordinances.

national STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion


Kentuckytrue Hemp Production Moves Closer to becoming reality

taff members have been instructed to begin the pro-cess of writing rules for the development of the long-banned industrial hemp crop in Kentucky, according

to a news release from the state Department of Agriculture.Kentucky’s industrial hemp commission is calling on GOP Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul to write a letter to the U.S. Depart-ment of Justice to “make Kentucky’s intentions known.” Paul and Comer are hoping for clarity from the feds on the legality of growing a hemp crop in Kentucky. The is-sue remains murky in the wake of a a DOJ memo released by Deputy Attorney General James Cole. According to the August 30 memo, the federal government “will respect” state marijuana laws, which advocates believe includes the legalization of industrial hemp production. Sen. Paul intends “to be a part of correspondence with the Department of Justice,” according to a spokesperson, and

S

he “supports the work of the Hemp Commission and supports Commissioner Comer’s efforts to move forward with the reintroduction of indus-trial hemp in Kentucky.” Paul donated $25,000 to the Hemp Commis-sion through his RandPAC, the State-Journal reported. The commission had been operating primarily on a $50,000 contribution from David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, which was received less than a week after the commission’s first meeting. Comer sent a letter before to the DOJ ear-lier this year urging the government to lift its prohibition on hemp. That letter was signed by prominent Kentucky politicians, including Sen. Paul, Sen. Mitch McConnell, and Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. The letter was ignored. “Seven out of eight of our federal delegation, they never got a response from DOJ,” Comer said. “So we’re going to try Plan B. We’re just go-

ing to send them a letter saying, ‘OK, this is what we’re going to do, unless you tell us otherwise.’” In 2013, the Kentucky General Assem-bly passed Senate Bill 50, allowing the creation of a regulatory framework for Kentucky hemp production should the federal government lift its cultivation ban. According to Holly Harris, Comer’s chief of staff, because SB 50 separates the legal definition of hemp from that of marijuana, hemp is legal at the state level in Kentucky. She said Dep. Atty. Gen. Cole’s testimony before the Senate Judi-ciary Committee last week, that the DOJ will not prosecute hemp farmers in states where the crop is legal, further legitimizes plans to go forward with the permitting process. The estimated domestic market for hemp production is a hefty $500 mil-lion a year according to a July study.

In 2O13, the Kentucky General Assembly passed SB 50. allowing the creation of a regulatory framework for Kentucky hemp production should the federal government lift its cultivation ban.


NFL Under Pressure To Ease Harsh Marijuana Penaltieshen it comes to acceptance of marijuana, the National Foot-ball League has fallen behind

the times. The NFL, so far, has stubbornly refused to follow the lead of the public’s shifting opinion about recreational canna-bis use. The Marijuana Policy Project highlighted this dis-crepancy recently when it paid $5,000 for a 48-foot-

wide billboard in Denver prior to the Broncos’ season opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ra-vens. The billboard urged the league to “stop driving players to drink” with harsh marijuana penalties, noting “a safer choice is now legal (here)” after CO voters approved legalization mea-sure Amendment 64 last November. The MPP has also launched a petition on Change.org directed at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, calling on the league to change its harsh penalties for marijuana.

W “For years, the NFL has been punishing players for using marijuana despite the fact that it is far less harmful than alcohol, a substance widely embraced by the league,” said Mason Tvert, dir. of communications at MPP. “The league would never punish a player simply for having a couple of beers, so why does it penalize them for using a substance that is less toxic, less addictive, and less likely to contribute to violence?” Tvert asked.

“The NFL’s harsh marijuana penalties do nothing to promote the health and safety of the players ... We hope Com-missioner Goodell will explain why the NFL is willing to promote the use of alcohol among its players and fans, but unwilling to recognize that a safer alter-native is now legal here.” “We’re seeing this shift that even the federal government is now recogniz-ing,” Tvert said. “So why does the NFL

feel it has to be in the business of policing marijuana beyond the legal penalties already in place?” “The writing’s on the wall,” Tvert said. “Most of the nation sup-ports the recreational use of marijuana by an adult.”

The league would never punish a player simply for having a couple of beers, so why does it penalize them for using a substance that is less toxic, less addictive, and less likely to contribute to violence?” remarked Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project, which took out a billboard in Denver before the Bronco’s home opener against the Ravens.


opinion BY TYLER J. MARKWART FOR NORTHWEST LEAF

HURST

CASE

SCENARIO99.2% of medical

marijuana businesses are criminal enterprises

according to Rep. Christopher Hurst,

a Democrat forWashington’s 31st.


would we be today if we had more regulations in the medical cannabis market than we do? Well we wouldn’t have to listen to ignorant people like the Democratic Legislator from the 31st District Rep. Christopher Hurst. According to an article from Nina Shapiro published by Seattle Weekly Sept. 13, 2013 Rep. Hurst stated his true preference for an I-502 only legal market, at a legislative hearing about medi-cal cannabis access points, co-ops and collectives. “Do we really want to be competing with an enterprise that is 99 and 9/10th percent - maybe not 9/10th but 99.2 percent -- just a criminal en-terprise?”

Rep. Hurst is only 99.99% incorrect in his state-ment that the current medical cannabis market is illegal. Originally I-692 only gave patients an “affirmative defense after they have been arrested for possession, manufacturing or distribution.” This means that the act in which the defen-dant was arrested for can be deemed not illegal by a jury trial if they feel that the defendant has a medicinal need and was trying to access that need under the proposed regulations of I-692. The current medical marijuana market as of print time is considered a legally regulated mar-

Whereket with regulations set forth under SB 5073 by the Washington state legislator in 2011. The regulations the Legislator set pertain to the amounts medical patients can grow and pos-sess along with how patients can access their medicine. These are just two of the legal regu-lations set forth in SB 5073. So what facts is Rep. Hurst using when stating that collec-tive gardens are criminal enterprises? None.

ost collectives in Seattle pay sales tax in order to stay open and compliant, and to show transparency in business prac-

tices. So what seems to be the main problem when patients try to access their medicine in a safe and consistent manner...the government. Rep. Christopher Hurst evidently has zero com-passion for disabled people and those suffering from diseases such as cancer and AIDS, cares noth-ing about those folks who are bedridden and can-not visit store front collectives. Rep. Christopher Hurst, prohibition has failed us and so have you. But wait, if that isn’t enough false facts for you, the Liquor Control Board Deputy Director Rick Garza was reported to have spewed out a brilliantly unsubstantiated remark about medical marijuana collectives at a House Finance Committee presen-tation in March of 2013.

An article posted on Washington Cannabis Wire’s web page on March 23rd, 2013 by Jim Boldt states “...over 90 percent of the can-nabis purchased at medical marijuana, mmj, dispensaries is for recreational use...” “When follow up from legislators request-ed verification of the number, he had none. Garza’s defense of the percentage was that the LCB had heard the number in many public forums conducted by the agency as part of their implementation process and no one “has refuted or denied” the figure.” In case you didn’t catch that, The Deputy Director is knowingly falsifying information (perjury) in front of a legislative hearing, the House Finance Committee in order to skew the views of the committee and potentially the outcome of the future of the legally regu-lated medical marijuana market that is cur-rently operating in Washington state. You have to be willing to question every-thing, including those who have been elected to power. It is your duty as an American to play your role in the government in order to preserve your civil liberties. Never forget that freedom is skewed by ignorance.

MDEBUNKING HIS CLAIMS

Liquor control board deputy director rick Garza defended the percentage and stated that the LCB had heard the number in many public forums conducted by the agency as part of their implementation process and no one “has refuted or denied,” this figure.HURST

CASE

SCENARIO

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rehashed Sept. 7-8, 2013 // fremont studios in seattle

High Times? The U.S. High Times Cannabis Cup: Seattle was a fun event for patients and mere enthusiasts, what with the free weed and samples handed out liberally to anyone from the many vendors that attended. But amid competition and other controversies, one question remains: Can the Cup survive under the intense regulation of I-502?

By TYLER J. MARKWART FOR NORTHWEST LEAF Photos by audrey king

orgeous weather and an excellent venue setup and extremely generous vendors in-duced an overall excellent experience at day two of the 2013 2nd Annual US High

Times Cannabis Cup. Attendees enjoyed free samples of dabs and flowers, edibles and lotions along with speeches and discussion panels.

GBeautiful cannabis-inspired artwork was displayed throughout the booths, some with huge backdrops of giant flowering buds stretching from one end of the booth to the other. Modern technologies and new industry products along with a 6-foot-fan-powered glass bong were the high-

lights of the cup for many. But it’s not always fun and games when it comes to putting on a canna-bis competitions and festivals. Will it be a prob-lem for promoters next year to legally proceed with a 3rd Annual US Cannabis Cup? This year, as usual, many winners came from out of state, leaving the Seattle scene a little bit bummed out. There was also no “people’s cup” vote and no standardized judges voting. In fact, there were just two judges per category. With entry fees in the range of $1000 and accepted submis-sions starting at 40 grams of flower and 20 grams of concentrates, where does all that money and entry material go? Can you imagine two people consuming over half a pound of cannabis and oils in a one week time period and being able to prop-erly judge each sample? High Times also made a legal motion in federal court against promoters of the NW Harvest Fests Cannabis Cup, alleging “infringement” on the term, Cannabis Cup, that would provide irreparable damage to their brand. Organizers of NW Harvest Fest may have been

Can you imagine two people consuming over half a pound of cannabis and oils in a one week time period and being able to properly judge each sample?


miffed to find High Times organizers had sched-uled their event to the same time as theirs that weekend in Bow, Wash., after having promoted the date first. High Times’ lawsuit caused unneeded ex-penses for the NW Harvest Fest’s promoters, along with booking issues and loss of attendance. High Times isn’t helping build a strong cannabis com-munity, they seem to want to dominate it.

In 2006, when I made the magical journey to Amsterdam and “judged” the 19th High Times Cannabis Cup with thousands of other “judges” from around the world. The event takes place over Thanksgiving break week in November and not only showcased new industry products, but also held informative seminars and discussions just like the US cup did. But the distinguishing part of the Dutch cup was that judges like myself that paid a few hundred dollars for their “judges pass” got to visit the coffee shops throughout Amsterdam, sam-ple and vote on each entry and get an awesome ex-perience of the wonderful city of Amsterdam! The Seattle version was nothing like what I ex-perienced in Amsterdam in 2006. To me the US cup felt like a miniature version of Hempfest with a plethora of generous vendors giving away free swag, flowers and dabs. It was an excellent celebration of cannabis and the industry for those who may have missed Hempfest, but honestly how many festi-vals and celebrations can this area support? Seattle

Seattle isn’t amsterdam, yet

doesn’t have recreational storefront dispen-saries open yet and this is where the Dutch cup has an advantage over the US cup. Don’t get me wrong — walking around and get-ting free dabs and swag from vendors is great — but beyond the shock and awe of the Cannabis Cup actually being held in the United States, let alone again here in Seattle, we still don’t know if what took place this year is legal under I-502, or whether it will fly for next years Cup. Unfortunately, it can’t. Under I-502 it is legal to possess up to an ounce of dried flowers along with 72 ounces of infused concentrates. But it is technically illegal to pass or distribute cannabis from one person to another without a retailers li-cense. None of the vendors at the Cup had retailers licenses because they have yet to be distributed by the Liquor Control Board. This poses a problem as I and everyone else who attended was offered or given a multi-tude of dabs and flowers from many differ-ent vendors all day long. I’m not complaining about the fact that I was given hundreds of dollars in freebies, I’m just wondering how the LCB is going to handle events like the Cannabis Cup when the regulations for I-502 are implemented. Will the Seattle Police Department be sign-ing up for a vendors tent next year to hand out chips or have a BBQ fundraiser? Guess we’ll have to wait and see...

Under I-502 it’s legal to possess up to an ounce

of dried flowers along with 72 ounces of infused

concentrates. But it is technically illegal to pass or

distribute cannabis from one person to another

without a retailers license. None of the vendors at

the Cup had retailers licenses because they have yet

to be distributed by the Liquor Control Board.

This poses a problem as I and everyone else who

attended was offered or given a multitude of dabs

& flowers from many different vendors all day long.

rehashed


SEPT. 6-7, 2013 // BOW, WASH.

By Wes ABNEY Photos by mITCHELL mOQUIN Harvest Fest 2013>> 2nd annual music/arts/culture/Cannabis event returns for solid weekend

his year’s Harvest Fest brought a different ap-proach to the traditional Cannabis event and competition, blending a homespun setting

with urban influences. Located in scenic Bow, Washington the festival was spread across 50 acres of rustic Skagit Valley landscape. Two stages competed for attention with food trucks, vendors and a world class laser show. It attracted a fun and unique mixture of patients and people, who mingled the property home to free-range turkeys, a scenic pond with overlook-ing garden, and the occasional 10-foot-tall outdoor Cannabis plant.

TSpread over two days was a diverse range of musi-cal acts, from the mainstage legend Sean Kingston to talented local folk acts from Bellingham like Polecat. New Jersey Weedman spoke about jury nullification and the current case pending against Martin Nickerson, the founder of Harvest Fest. One of the best parts of the event was the roam-ing approach to camping, which allowed groups of tents to be placed all over the property. As the night settled in the lasers kicked on, producing seemingly endless waves of lights that danced to the beat in the night sky. Fog machines covered the property in an ethereal mist, giving the

As the night settled in the lasers kicked on, producing seemingly endless waves of

lights that danced to the beat in the night sky.

Photos by mITCHELL mOQUIN


Overall Best FlowerMandarin

( J Dubb Gardens)

Best Indica FlowerPurple Urkle

( J Dubb Gardens)

Best Sativa FlowerDutch Treat

(Brandi)

Best Hybrid FlowerLambs Bread

(Bedrock Farms)

Best Solvent HashBHO Lemon Skunk Honeycomb

(Farmer Joe)

Best Solventless HashCO2 Lavender (Stoney)

Best MedibleSiddhi Tonic Bhang Tea

Best LotionLaughing Buddha Lotion

(Farm Therapeutics)

Best BoothKush Creams

Who Won?Spread over two days was a diverse range of musical

acts, from mainstage legend Sean Kingston to talented local folk acts like Polecat.

New Jersey Weedman came and spoke about

his recommendations for utilizing jury nullification.

fields a Northwest night meets Burning Man feel. The Cannabis competition mattered heavily tothose entered in the cup, with dozens of local grow-ers and processors submitting their medicine for a chance to be labeled the best. Judges scored entries in an easy to understand 1 to 10 format, making the results of the cup fair and transparent. Of the entries, the Mandarin flower stood out, with a sweet smell and taste truly deserv-ing of the name. Testing was provided by Analytical 360 for the event, and the results of all entries are available online.

Event video goes viral But far and away, the biggest highlight of the event was the two-pound joint lit by Nickerson and activ-ist Steve Sarich, who was dressed in a State Patrol outfit at the event. Sarich wears the outfit to in-form patients about potential marijuana DUIs, but he took his role to a new level in a Youtube video taken of the moment. Sarich holds the massive joint while Nickerson uses a torch to light it, all to the amazement of the crowd. Days after the event the video had gone vi-ral, helping spark a debate about the gray area cur-rently surrounding medical Cannabis.

The Importance of LocalLooking back, Harvest Fest was a positive expres-sion of the new Cannabis culture that is emerg-ing in Washington. Patients gathered at an event where medicine was showcased and shared, where sales and gimmicks were not the focus. Good vibes, beautiful scenery, and an awesome environment to enjoy Cannabis. That’s a beat I’ll listen to any day.

rehashed


SEPT. 22, 2013 // 7 POINT STUDIOS SEATTLE

By Wes ABNEY Photos by dANIEL bERMAN

Keep It on the DL. This concentrates-centric competition brough together heavy hitter extract producers as well as their fans.

he cup featured 30 of the best concentrate art-ists in the Northwest in an invite-only com-petition. With a dozen booths, a rocking DJ,

and two separate dab bars this event was a great intro-duction to the Secret Cup. Patients gathered over two stories, roaming and medicating, and sharing some of the best medicine and insider knowledge available. But like any great event, many of the great stories came from the week leading up to the event, where the judging happened at an off-site location in Fremont. This was the first cup in Washington to have the re-sults judged by the people who entered the cup, and the first to allow attendees free samples of all entries. For event founder Daniel de Sailles the trip to Washington was well worth it, and it embodied the roots of the event that he created just two years ago. “Everyone who has ever entered a cup and competed has thought about doing their own,” Daniel explained, himself a winner of multiple High Times extraction awards. “When I sat down and thought about the blueprints of a successful event I knew it had to be about the people, not about profit.” With a different approach in mind, Daniel set out to make the “Secret Cup.” “The big secret here at the cup is that we spend all the money on the event,” he said laughing. “This

TConnoisseur Award (VIPs pick)

Standard Oils / MTG Seeds

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Solventless A Greener TodayBudder Farmer JoeShatter Dank Wax

Overall winners moving on

to next cup competition:

3rd – Kosher Concentrates2nd – Handmade Extracts

1st – Dank Wax

Test results available @ analytical360.com

Who Won?is about the community of extraction coming together.” When the first cup happened in Denver it was paired with Nikka T and the Extract Artists Unite event. It was voted the best marijuana event in the Denver Westward, and has been gaining momentum ever since. For Seattle resident James Nettles, the idea to bring the event to Washington was a no-brainer. “When I was at the Denver event I couldn’t believe how happy everyone was. I said to myself ‘Anything I can do to bring that here [Seattle] I would do.” James sat down with Daniel, and the idea was born. “I like to find people that are well respected within the community and work with them on events,” Daniel explained. “From local glass awards to a local venue, and local judges. Other Cannabis events always use the bud-dy system for judging. I don’t like that. Who is better to judge the concentrates than the people who participated and made the products themselves?” Like many great events, some of the best stories and moments came in the week preceding the event. The Cup rented a house in Fremont for judging, and the en-trants all got together in a spirit of harmony and judged each others entries. There was a supreme sense of honor amongst judges to be fair, and it brought a sense of com-munity that has at times been lacking in Washington. In addition to the respect taken with judging the 30 person sampling ensured that the results would be bal-anced statistically. It took thepost-awards questions and sting out of the picture, and left the entrants feeling like they were treated fairly. “One of the worse things with other cups is never knowing what happened to get the results,” Daniel ex-plained. “All you know is that you put your heart and soul into an entry, busted your butt and spent a lot of money. Here, the competitors were happy, and that is the least you can do for their hard work.” For James, the judging experience was also a useful process for learning about other artists work. “One thing I like was the opportunity to sample other peoples product, and talk to them about it. Many people never get the chance to try their competition,” he said. “But it was a little bit overwhelming when you first saw the entries. 30 of the best makes it hard to pick a winner.” The top three overall winners from each region are provided airfare to Denver for the year’s finals, another

THE SECRET CUP


Keep It on the DL. This concentrates-centric competition brough together heavy hitter extract producers as well as their fans.

PHOTO CollagE courtesy DABSTARS

perk unique to this event. The four regions include Washington, Denver, and Northern and Southern California. While the results for this year aren’t even final, Daniel and co say they are already plan-ning next year’s trip to the Northwest. “I look at extracts like art, and it connects people in the same way. We want to make sure hash mak-ers keep their role in the industry as stars,” he said. “Here in Washington the patients are definitely winning, and we love our consumers, our patients.” Upcoming cups are scheduled for October 2-5 in San Francisco and October 16-19 in Denver. For more info email [email protected]

“When I was at the Denver event I couldn’t believe how happy everyone was. I said to

myself ‘Anything I can do to bring that here [Seattle] I would do.”

-James Nettles, brought Secret Cup to Seattle

DAILY SPECIALS!

Medible MondayTop Shelf Tuesday1/2 off Hash WednesdayTincture ThursdayFree Joint FridayFree Gram SaturdayFree Sucker Sunday

features

the Jamaican proposal

STORY & PHOTOS by BONNIE FONG for NORTHWEST LEAF

“ T A K E A F E W W E E K S O F F I N A U G U S T , ” T H E T E X T S A I D .

“ W E ’ R E G O I N G O N A T R I P T O R E M E M B E R .”


was conflicted. On one hand, I’d miss Seattle Hempfest, where I’m a seasoned volunteer. On the other hand, I have a small window to take vacations between my law school and work schedules. It

was a tough decision. I didn’t even know where we were going. But when your boyfriend tells you he is taking you on a memorable trip, you shout out “Yes,” before your mind has the chance to catch up. For weeks afterward, I tried to extract clues about where we were headed. I found out I would need my passport, and we wouldn’t be able to drive on the right-hand side of the road. But even after helpful clues, the possibilities were endless. Where was I headed? Thailand? Australia? England? The mystery ended a week before our departure with seven words of a dear mutual friend: “So I hear you’re going to Jamaica,” he said. I was floored. We flew into Montego Bay and caught a shuttle to our resort in Negril, a tourist town on the west side of the island about 1 1/2 hours from the airport. It is known for its 7-mile long beach and delicious seafood. Anticipating a hectic airport, we arranged for a shuttle from the resort to pick us up when we arrived. I am glad we did. As soon as we cleared customs, the door opened and a wave of hot, humid air hit me in the face. Dozens of taxi drivers asked me, “Taxi? Do you need a taxi? Where are you going?” We pushed through the crowd and found our resort kiosk. A woman came around and said,

I

“Welcome to Jamaica. Your car is ready. Walk out of the airport and you’ll see a handsome man with big dreads who looks like Bob Marley.” His name was Tyrone, and he carried a headful of dreads and the positive spirit of Bob Marley. The woman was right, he did look like him. Tyrone drove us around the coast to our resort, pointing out sugar cane, famous hotels and hangouts. He explained the Rastafarian lifestyle and local customs that have formed in 51 years of Jamaican independence. About an hour into the drive, he asked us whether we smoked and handed us a joint. The joint was king-size, and had the

classic hand-rolled “pregnant fish” shape. I immediately lit up with Bob Marley playing on the radio and suddenly the heat and humidity was no longer an annoyance. I felt I was driving through Jamaica, smoking a joint with Bob himself. We arrived at the hotel soon afterward, and Tyrone asked whether we needed any Cannabis for our stay. I answered “yes,” and asked how much $40 will get us. I knew I would be set when he used his forearm as a measurement tool. “Enough,” Tyrone replied with a chuckle. He returned

I smoked joints as OUR TAXI curved around houses made of sheet metal and over steep hills that were unpaved and kicked up dirt.

the Jamaican proposal

Continues p. 36


with a plastic bag full of buds that was as big as a wine bottle. “Yes,” I said. “That will do.” Upon arrival at our resort, we were relieved of our bags by the security guard, given reusable water bottles and told the resort had sister hotels we could access. We were directed to the bar on the beach to get a welcome drink while the staff put our bags in the room. The first sip of beer I had on that beach was declaration that my Jamaican vacation had begun. A few hours at the beach left us hot and exhausted. We stumbled to our hotel room, and collapsed on the bed amid the relieving breeze of

air conditioning. I didn’t think I could be happier in that moment, until I turned my head and saw an ashtray on my bed stand. I realized this is a smoking room in Jamaica; they’re practically encouraging us to smoke in our room. I jumped up and proceeded to roll as many joints as I could. The Cannabis was a classic outdoor-grown sativa strain. It had tall stems with narrow buds of a darker hue, somewhere between dark green and brown. It was pretty moist, but everything was moist in Jamaica if it was outside in the humidity. Crystals weren’t obvious, but you could smell the sweet smell of THC on your hands. It was a good thing I had some kief with me.

On the beach in Negril

features STORY & PHOTOS by BONNIE FONG for NORTHWEST LEAF


Continued from p. 35

We climbed up mountains with rocks as sharp as arrowheads, and down hills that collapsed below our feet.

ur first night in Jamaica was beyond heavenly. After a hefty meal of jerk chicken cooked in an oil barrel cut in half, we took to the beach with a bottle of Jamaican rum and a few

joints. We walked along the beach, smoking and drinking, stopping occasionally to listen to the bands that played at the restaurants on shore. We finally returned to our hotel, where a band played a mixture of Bob Marley classics and reggae covers of Beatles songs. We repeated this ritual every night of our vacation. The weeks in Jamaica flew by. We reclined on the beach, smoked joints, drank with locals, swam in the ocean, and searched for ocean life

O while snorkeling. The last thing we knew, it was our last day in Jamaica. I wanted to go deep into the countryside of Jamaica and visit a marijuana farm for our final day. We arranged for Tyrone to pick us up in the morning at the hotel. When Tyrone arrived, I told him what I wanted to see. “I don’t even need to see it up close,” I said. “We can just drive by one to see it from afar, if that’s easier.” Tyrone chuckled at my naivety. “No. It’s not like that,” he politely replied. Tyrone started to drive us into the deep country hills. He pulled out a few joints from his visor and offered us more of his Jamaican blend. I declined, explaining I still had a surplus from the weeks before. I smoked joints as his car curved around

houses made of sheet metal and over steep hills that were unpaved and kicked up dirt. Tyrone asked how I liked the Jamaican Cannabis, and I said I enjoyed it very much, especially with some supplementary kief drizzled on top. Intrigued, Tyrone said he hadn’t smoked anything that he hadn’t grown himself for years. I immediately passed the kief-infused joint to him, which he inhaled deeply before nodding his head in approval. Before we could finish the joint, Tyrone slowed down in front of a small church. The church was painted ivory, and had a bell tower in front of it which was artfully constructed of stone. He told us to stay in the car. Tyrone


T

quickly returned, instructing us to leave everything in the car. We obliged and started to follow a young Jamaican woman around the church, behind a house and into the woods. The woman took us deep into the Jamaican mountains as we followed a faint path. The sun glared at us with conviction, intensifying the 95-degree heat. We climbed up mountains with rocks as sharp as arrowheads, and down hills that collapsed below our feet. Trying to ignore the dangerous possibilities that could be, I scolded myself for choosing this day to wear flip-flops. Thirty minutes after we started our hike, and two minutes before I would have passed out from dehydration, I lifted my head to smell a familiar aroma, and opened my eyes to see the garden that I had come so far to see.

he garden was filled with hundreds of plants that varied in height and bounty. I had seen greenhouse and indoor gardens before, but neither compared

to the garden that I saw before me In indoor gardens, plants resemble prisoners, trapped inside

and desperate to feel the heat of the sun. In greenhouse gardens, plants look suffocated, yearning to feel the breeze of a gust of wind. But in this outdoor field, the plants looked at home and beamed with exuberance. The leaves were uplifted, reaching toward the sun. The stalks stood firmly as the breeze of the wind made the plants sway slightly. The clear trichomes in early stages of development twinkled against the light, as though the plant was making subtle winks at me. As incredible as the visual feast was, nothing compared to the smell. The collective scent of the plants smelled like a floral and fruity mixture of sweet and sour varieties. The severe humidity of the mountain altered the aroma, making it seem thicker and stronger. The smell seemed to stick to my clothing for several days afterward. The plants looked genuinely happy in their natural state. So did I. I asked the woman a few questions while I followed her through the fields of Cannabis plants. I learned that the plants usually didn’t

need additional water, but in a hot season like this, she watered them. They produced about four crops a year, without using fertilizers or sprays. As I followed her between the plants she named the varieties that surrounded us: Purple skunk, blackberry haze and others I couldn’t really understand through her accent. We were there weaving though plants for nearly an hour, but it seemed like only a few minutes when it was time to go. Another gardener, an older local, came out to greet us. He wore a hat and sandals, standing tall while sharpening a machete. Although he seemed friendly and bore no emotion resembling aggression, we said our goodbyes and started on the mountainous trek back to the car. For our last night in Negril, we repeated our nightly ritual of dinner on the beach -- this time, we ordered the Jamaican feast, literally titled, “The Candlelight Dinner”). Then, we took to the shore for our last night of walking on the beach with joints and rum. After enjoying our last few Jamaican joints, we returned to the shore in front of our hotel and stood in the water to say our final farewells to Jamaica. And as we stood there swaying to the beats of Bob Marley, my boyfriend grabbed my hand and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I smiled in ecstasy and responded “Yes!” The 7-mile beach, white sand and blue waters made it one of the most beautiful vacations I have ever had. The meals of jerk chicken, the relaxing reggae songs and Jamaican Cannabis made it uniquely tailored to my interests. But the greatest part of it all was the Jamaican proposal that combined all of it. My boyfriend was right. It was a trip I will always remember.

STRAINOF THE MONTHBY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN

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Exploring outdoor Cannabis grows across the Evergreen State means taking ferries, camping in the woods & being willing to drive countless miles down country roads.

BY WES ABNEY | PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN

THE HARVEST ISSUECOVER STORY

Port Angeles p. 48 vancouver p. 50 Okanogan p. 52

Joe Parker says the salty, humid air of Port Angeles, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, helps his plants.

COVER STORY

THE HARVEST ISSUE : port angeles



e took the trip out to Port Angeles on the only rainy day in August, excited and slightly unsure about what would

be ahead for us at a Western Washington outdoor grow far from Seattle. There’s a well propagated misconception that robust marijuana cannot be grown outdoors on the rainier half of the state, especially out on the peninsula. By the time we reached the farm my phone was roaming in Canada, which we could imagine seeing through the mist rising over the ocean waves. It was like stepping into a little slice of Northern California, minus the friendly sunshine. But that environment is perfect for Farmer Joe, who swears

by the salty air and Northwest environment. “I try working with nature instead of against it,” Joe said, explaining his unique approach to grow-ing in the Northwest. “Besides, the salty air keeps the plants from get-ting too big, and really seems to help with resin production and the end flavor of the flower. It’s still Ocean Grown [the origin of the term OG] but with a twist.” Joe’s twist has worked with a part of nature that is often ignored by growers: Microorganisms. He brews his own organic soil mix in a sustainable way that limits waste and maximizes production. “My initial investment besides the greenhouses was to spend $6,000 in soil,” Joe said, pointing

W Farmer joe parker in one of 3 16x32’ greenhouses

His Purple Nepal has won in Cannabis events competing with the best. The biggest difference? His outdoor strains just have more flavor and terpenoids.

‘‘


aN ALL ORGANIC APPROACH has yielded great plantstowards a stinky and robust pile of compost. “That was 2011. This soil will work through 2015. Nothing goes to waste here.” Joe showed us the precursor for his mix, which occupies the better half of his garage. He keeps the soil in three phases- Composting in a pile, cook-ing in pots for the next crop, and serving plants in flower. The same dirt is rotated through the cycles constantly, and revitalized through microbiology and organic additives. “The soil will never stop. After you compost it brings the structure of the soil back to life. Your not growing your plant, you are growing your soil.” The sense of harmony here is evident, as is his sense of pride in the plants. As he reaches in to

pluck a branch his scissor blades fly furiously to a dubstep beat, and the air fills with the scent of freshly cut cannabis. The fattened colas will hang dry for two weeks, then cure for another two weeks before trimming. Once finished the outdoor flowers will be nearly indistinguishable from indoor, and his Purple Ne-pal has won in Cannabis events competing with the best. The biggest difference? More terpenoids, and more flavor from the outdoor strains. This crop is his final for the summer season, his second full run that will serve the collective garden members with high grade medicine. But even as he moves indoors for the winter season, his soil will be cooking and waiting for next year’s crop.

COVER STORY

THE HARVEST ISSUE: vancouver

50 oct. 2013 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

STORY & PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN

drive to Vancouver from the Seattle area should take close to two hours but, on one of the last sunny days of the summer, on a

Friday no less, the drive took nearly four hours. It was excruciating. I had been invited to camp out at the Vancouver grow site and home of farmer Tom Lauerman. I drove down a handful of country roads until navigation said I was here. I looked up from my phone’s GPS to see Tom already open-ing the gate that crossed my path. He took my bags and asked if I wanted a beer or something to smoke, and after that trip, I was feeling the hospi-tality. Already inside, sitting around a small wood

table, were a few of Tom’s Cannabis activist co-horts, Cat Jeter, Michelle Saye and Kiel Shrefler, who all actually live and work on the five-acre property. They were swapping stories and brain-storming how to better connect growers in the Vancouver community together. Soon, Tom asked if I was ready for a tour of the garden — in the pitch black of night — he of-fered to give me the same tour the next day — but I guessed (and hoped) that exploring a garden by moonlight might offer up a unique sensory expe-rience. The lot of us were soon tromping down dirt paths past rows of cucumbers, huge toma-

A By nightfall an altered garden tour experience

In a moment the sweet, dark smell of growing Cannabis engulfed my world. A canopy housing 13 plants towered above.

‘‘


Breakfast was a welcome surprise on a morning tourtos, cabbage and onions. “‘On our right,” Tom said, gesturing into the distance, was the sleeping area, a handful of tents clustered together near a fire pit and mish-mash of camping chairs, lit by a trail of small solar lights. In a moment the sweet, dark smell of grow-ing Cannabis engulfed my world. A 90-foot-long plastic canopy containing 13 plants stood above. Tom flipped on his headlamp and launched into a well-practiced explanation of the benefits of all organic growing — he should know, spending three to four hours every day in the garden. “You can know exactly what’s going into your

plants,” he said, pulling closer to his nose a lurching bush of a Lavender strain (above) that seemed to call out to him. He said heat and keeping the shade on the plants helped with height con-trol. Many of the plants come courtesy of growers he knows, like Nuken Alan, who gives him seeds just to try out new treat-ments and setups with. “It’s interesting,” Tom said, “the plants all take a little differently, though they were all grown the same — all the same nutrients, all given the exact same thing.”

Michelle and Kiel prepared a fire as we told stories and laughed more than may have been appropriate. I was awoken at 9 a.m., after a rather luxurious night in the guest tent outfitted with a queen-size mattress and reading light, by Tom on his ATV. I walked grog-gily towards the house in the crisp, overexposed light of day. The crew were already up and in the garden. They served me french-pressed coffee, homemade banana bread, berries and buds — picked right there. It was a great way to start my daylight tour of the place.

COVER STORY

THE HARVEST ISSUE: Okanogan County



eep into Okanogan County is a small but effective sun-grown farm that has cap-tured the essence of the natural Cannabis

cultivation lifestyle. When Jeremy Moberg moved onto his initial 40-acre plot 15 years ago he had little more than a VW camper van and a radio. The recent Evergreen College graduate sought a different lifestyle and soon found it in the rolling hills and serene spotted lakes and streams of Eastern Washington. Today he lives off the grid using fewer than six kilowatts of energy each day, which he harvests through the use of solar panels. But don’t let the Thoreau vibe fool you into images of outhouses

and lanterns. Through smart investment and shrewd energy usage his cabin features all the regular amenities of a suburban house, includ-ing a front loading washer/dryer and an energy-efficient refrigerator. There’s even 4G internet to keep him connected. It’s Jeremy’s attitude of embracing the sun that has developed his lifestyle, and nowhere is it more apparent than in the love and care he takes. “My Cannabis is sun-grown, not ‘outdoor’ pot,” he said, quick to explain himself. “All the conno-tations of outdoor are negative. It implies a lack of skill, and the idea that outdoor isn’t medicine.” Through 20 years of growing Jeremy has

D Jeremy Moberg with a bushel of fresh picked colas


Continues p. 54

watched the outdoor culture evolve, and emerge from the black market. “In the past, when it was guerrilla growing, good pot wasn’t possible. Now outdoor has to prove itself, and a lot of the great growing talent has moved in-doors,” he said passionately. “It was easy to go indoor and point the finger at the government, and justify the hiding and the waste on prohibition. Now we have to question the methodology. We’ve got to take it back to the sun.” His outdoor collective garden consists of three garden beds with 15 plants in each. At the time of interview he was harvesting the first bed, which held four different and delicious strains. Tangy

Kush, Durban Poison, Skunk and Blue Dream were all weighed down with ripe colas, which Jeremy was happy to pluck. Jeremy explained that some strains do better in the outdoor environment, while others are more suited to the indoor process. Most of his strains are sativas, which stretch and bask in the natu-ral light. He believes that indoor conditions have led breeders to focus on short flower-cycle strains, which are often Indica-dominant. While it’s impossible to deny that there is great

Yanni looks for any minor fan leaves he can pluck

THE HARVEST ISSUE: Okanogan County

COVER STORY



Continued from p. 57

medicine being produced indoor in Washington, growers shying away from long-flowering Sativas is commonly accepted. “We are just beginning to develop controlled outdoor growing techniques. This will allow pro-duction of a wide breadth of strains-- We have 16 varieties this crop.”

eremy fills over the brim a large wicker basket with dense and bushy colas. He makes his way up to a two-car garage pre-strung with twine for the curing process.

A table is cleared of another crop grown on his property. Hops. Several giant bushels get moved aside, and the fun begins. The large colas which

Inspecting the top of a cola for trichome crystal development

It was easy to go indoor and point the finger at the government, and justify the hiding and the waste on prohibition — Now we have to question the methodology. We have got to take it back to the sun.

‘‘nabis Association. The association strives to inform the public about the energy con-sumption associated with indoor growing and the environmental impact when nutri-ents and other components of the craft are not properly disposed. “We don’t want to see nutrients being dumped down drains, or lightbulbs being tossed into landfills,” he said. “The goal of the nonprofit is to raise awareness of the environment and get people excited about natural sun-grown Cannabis.” learn more about sun-grown Cannabis: Visit www.OkCannabis.com

were cut are dumped unceremoniously on a fresh-ly cleaned mirror at the middle of a large table. The colas are plucked for any major fan leaves before being hung overhead. The minor colas are still on the plants, which will see a boost in maturity as the plant shifts its energy to them. The colas will hang for two weeks before being trimmed, and then cured for at least a month. “I think that Cannabis only gets better with proper aging,” Jeremy said, standing amid the gar-den. “My favorite smoke right now is actually from 2012’s harvest. The best flavors come from the six-month to two-year mark in curing.” To help others learn about his outdoor meth-odology Jeremy has created the Okanogan Can-

J


TOP: A view of the rugged Okanogan County terrainMIDDLE: Durban Poison is just about right for the pickingBOTTOM: Montana works quickly to cover the grow for the night

Yanni, Kevin, Mike, Montana & Jeremy get to trimming the first of the harvest

The freshly cut colas are dumped unceremoniously on a cleaned mirror at the middle of a large table in the two-car garage.

‘‘


COVER STORY BY WES ABNEY | PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN

THE HARVEST ISSUE: Test Results

White Super Skunk1.06% CBG-TOTAL

13.73% THC-TOTAL

OG Kush0.25% CBG-TOTAL

11.13% THC-TOTAL

Farmer Joe’s Lemon Skunk1.13% CBG-TOTAL

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1 2 : 0 0 p mI pry off the bottle cap and begin to sip the soda. Nicely bottled with clean professional labeling and nutrition facts that make me aware I’m ingesting 1 gram of cannabis with this soda. It’s a great tasting soda, the mouthwatering grape flavor blends well with its strong cannabis aftertaste. The flavors complement each other as the drink goes down almost too quickly.

1 2 : 2 5 p mI can feel the onset of effects as my head gets lighter, and I can feel the stoniness in my eyes. The cannabis is absorbed through the mucus membranes in the mouth as well as being digested and broken down into the bloodstream providing quick relief. The effects could be felt for up to two hours before I felt I needed anymore medication. The pain relief it provided was far more beneficial than other medibles I’ve tested. I enjoyed the flavor of this soda and the effects were nice, but I do hope to see in the future a little bit lower donation rate. It’s hard to make an $11 donation for one soda but it helps when you know it provides consistent satisfying results.

Va l u e : Ta s t e :

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THE SCORE

9 : 3 0 p mThirty minutes in I can already feel the effects of a strong medicated body buzz that leaves me melting into my couch. Very stoney for an edible of its size, I underestimated the medicinal value of the first half of the container that I ate. I felt the effects for another hour before it helped me zone off to sleep. For the $9 donation, I really enjoyed the flavor and the consistency of the Candy Fluff but I feel like there could be a little more Candy Fluff to make it worth the full donation. Another thing I saw that could use improvements is the 140mg difference between packages. I hope that in the future Cotton Head can dose the Candy Fluffs more accurately with a consistent dosage amount in each package and maybe make the containers tamper-proof with a heat shrink or label. of some kind.

9 : 0 0 p mI picked up the Pina Colada flavored Cotton Head Candy Fluff and began to devour the first half of the container. The packaging was professional, with a well done label, dosage suggestions, active ingredients, and a warning label. The label says each package includes 70 – 210mg of absolute PGHO (pharmaceutical grade hash oil), derived from the strain, Mr. Nice, which is an indica-sativa medication. THC: 73% CBD: 1.4%. The candy tastes amazing, just like cotton candy from the fair but with a strong lingering hash oil flavor in the back of the mouth. The packaging suggests eating ¼ - ½ the package to relieve symptoms before ingesting more.

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Nsame quality ingredients. For those unfamiliar with full extract cannabis oil, the best way to medicate with it is by eating it or applying it to the body topically. But be aware, a dose the size of a grain of rice is a great starting point for most patients. The dose can be easily delivered into the body by rubbing on the gums and under the tongue, or by spreading the oil onto something small like a cracker. You can cook with this oil, but it is not recommended for dabbing.

For those unfamiliar with full extract cannabis oil, the best way to medicate with it is by eating it or applying it to the body topically. Be aware, a dose the size of a grain of rice is a great starting point for most patients.

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BY DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, NORTHWEST LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR // PHOTO BY FLICKR/INGRIDTAYLARhealth & science

More than 85% of the nation’s corn has been mutated. Could Washington’s salmon, apples or wheat be next?A genetically modified way of life

an organism’s genetic material has been altered using modern genetic engineering techniques, we call that a genetically modified organism, or GMO. Opponents to the use of these creations in our food supply wish for GMOs to be banned or at least be labeled on the packages of foods containing them. There are concerns about the objectivity of regulators and the rigor of the regulatory process. There are worries too of contamination of non-GMO food supplies and the consolidation of food supply control in companies making and selling GMOs — especially in developing counties. Others feel that GMO technology simply tampers too deeply with nature. Research findings have raised questions about the impact of GMOs on the environment and the health of humans ingesting them. Ethically, consumers should have the right to know if the food they eat and feed to their families contains GMO food or not. Scientists conducted the first GMO food trials in the late 1980’s. Genetic modification of an organism involves the mutation, insertion, or deletion of its genes. A gene or genes are inserted, usually coming from a different species, into the host organism. In nature this can occur when DNA penetrates the cell membrane for any reason from an outside the organism. Doing this artificially may require a virus or just physically inserting extra DNA into the nucleus of the host with a very small syringe, or with very

When

small particles fired from a “gene gun.” Organisms that have been genetically modified include micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods, and also widely used in scientific research (animals, bacteria,etc.) and to produce goods other than food. Commercial sale of genetically modified foods began in 1994, a bio-tech company called Calgene released the first GMO approved for human consumption: the “Flavr Savr tomato,” designed to stay ripe on the vine longer without getting too soft. GMO crops in current production in the U.S.

include: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. GMO crops are typically engineered for faster growth, resistance to pathogens, production of extra nutrients, or any other beneficial “marketable” purpose. The boasting claims are really yet to be seen as faster growing, higher yielding crops have been shown to be lacking in nutrition. GMO livestock have also been experimentally developed, although none are currently on the market. More than sixty genetically modified (GM) crops have been approved for US food and feed supplies. Among them, are 20 varieties of corn, 11 varieties of oilseed rape/canola, 11 varieties of cotton, six varieties

If you open a can, a package, or a box, order in, or eat out, then chances are you’ve been consuming GMOs. In the united states, GMOs are in as much as 80 percent of all conventionally processed foods.


D r . S c o t t d. R o s e is a Naturopathic Physician Acupuncturist with a private practice in Kirkland, WA focusing on pain management. Askdrrose.com

O

of tomato, four varieties of potato, three varieties of soybean, three varieties of sugar Beet and two varieties of squash, cantaloupe, rice, flax, radicchio, papaya, alfalfa, and wheat. Of these crops, only corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, squash, and papaya grown in Hawaii, are commercially produced. In the US more than 95 percent of soybeans grown in the United States have been genetically modified. GM cotton is grown on more than 75 percent of cotton fields, and GM corn is grown on about 85 percent of corn acreage. Many of the other crops — such as potato, sugar beet, flax, wheat and rice — have been taken off the market, not only because of health and environmental concerns, but also because no one was buying the stuff. They have ceased to be commercially grown because we cannot export the product. As for the major GMO crops we produce in this country, most are fed to livestock, or directly to humans themselves. There is a shortage of studies on the effects to humans, and the animal models have not turned out so well. Are you consuming GMOs in your diet? If you open a can, a package, or a box, order in, or eat out, then chances are you’ve been consuming GMOs. In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80 percent of conventional processed foods. Until GMOs are required to be labeled on food packaging, the only way to ensure that you know you are not consuming GMO is to grow your own, research your farmer/grocer, purchase certified organic food, and cook at home. Since the late 1990s, USDA organic standards have prohibited any genetically modified ingredients. Remember, no meat, fish, or poultry products approved for direct human consumption are GMO at this time, however most of the feed for livestock and fish is derived from GMO corn, alfalfa, and other GMO grains. Only organic varieties of these animal products are guaranteed non-GMO feed. The importing of GMO organisms is banned in 64 nations around the globe. The European Union (EU) remains decidedly skeptical, having approved just a few GMO crops grown on the continent and instituting mandatory labeling in place for products that contain GMOs. Nowhere better is this vast difference in regulation seen than between the rules in the US and Europe. Regulation varies in a given country depending on the intended use of the products of the genetic modification; (example: recombinant bovine

growth hormone (rGBH), is a GMO variation on a naturally occurring hormone injected into dairy cows to increase milk production. It is banned for milk destined for human consumption in the European Union, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia). A crop not intended for food use is generally not reviewed by authorities responsible for food safety and health concerns. Cultivating GMOs has triggered a debate about whether they can coexist with nonGM crops and spreading altered genetic material.

WHY THEY DO IT

Companies that create GMOs are able to patent their creations and restrict their use. The companies that make GMOs can now sue non-GMO farmers whose fields have been contaminated with their GMOs, even when it is the result of inevitable wind drift from neighboring fields. GMOs therefore pose a serious threat to farmers and to the national food security of any country where they are grown, including the U.S. A Washington farmer just last month had his alfalfa crop rejected for export because it tested positive for trace amounts of Monsanto’s patented “Roundup Ready” gene. Monsanto is one of the largest bio-tech companies at the center of GMO research and development. “Roundup Ready” alfalfa was approved by the USDA in in 2011. Many farmers argue that it is increasingly hard to prevent cross-contamination because the crop is pollinated by honeybees (just look at the decline of the honeybee over the past decade). In fact, many growers say, they can’t know until harvest whether their alfalfa may contain GMOs until it is too late.

ver eighty percent of all GMOs grown worldwide are engineered for herbicide tolerance. Toxic herbicide use, like Roundup, has increased 15 fold since GMOs were introduced. This represents

hundreds of millions of pounds of extra toxins in our environment and food supply affecting human and planetary health. The emergence of “super weeds” and “super bugs” are occurring with the increased concentrations of herbicides and pesticides used, and we are bringing back 2-4 D, a major chemical component used in agent orange. Interestingly, the six largest producers of GMO seeds are also the leading producers of herbicides

and pesticides. GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture, and are developed and sold by the world’s biggest chemical companies. Farmers throughout history have been raising their plants to achieve certain desired traits such as improved taste, yield, or disease resistance. But this kind of breeding still relies on the natural reproductive processes of the organisms, where GMOs involve adding foreign genes unlikely to occur in nature. The long-term impacts of these GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment these organisms cannot be recalled. GMO foods have not been adequately identified, managed, or studied. Mainstays of WA state’s agriculture - salmon, apples, and wheat are coming down the pipeline for considerations of approval for GMO production. Our farmers, our fishermen, and ourselves at greater risk. Whether making GMOs is even ethical is a controversial debate. Polls show a majority of people in the US would like to be able to tell if the food they’re buying contains GMOs. A 2012 Mellman Group poll found 91 percent of American consumers wanted GMOs to be labeled. A CBS/New York Times poll showed 53 percent of consumers would not buy food that has been genetically modified. These are strong arguments for labeling all GMO foods.

vote yes on I-522

This is up for vote in Washington state next month and if passed, GMO foods

will be labeled starting in 2015. Labeling would simply give consumers the

information they need to make decisions for the health of them and their loved ones, rather than leaving it up to a for-profit chemical or pesticide corporation. We are what we eat. Our bodies know

what to do with real food!


growtech

HARVEST GROWING FACTORS

The besttime to

harvest?Well pal,that willdepend...

BY NORTHWEST LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR

DR. SCANDERSON

T

traits as it creates last ditch efforts to pollinate. However once the proper time period to harvest has been identified, the percentage of clear, cloudy and amber trichomes, how completely the glandular swell is achieved and the like are all subjective features that the gardener gets to choose. This month’s grow tech will be outlining the primary determining factors that influence the ripening and finishing period and how each of them affect the end product in hopes of allowing each gardener to understand and manipulate these factors according her or his personal preference and taste. I’ve always allowed my personal preferences for my own medication to guide my decisions in the garden insofar as strain and pheno selection, nutrient line and application and most notably harvest time. Like many growers, my first experience working with cannabis was guided and influenced strongly by my own desire to have an unlimited supply of high quality medication in trade for time instead of money. While the “popular” opinion in some areas coincide with my experience in the garden, in others there is great disparity. I strongly encourage all gardeners reading this to try manipulating the determining factors throughout a range and determine what YOU enjoy most. Chances are, the likes and needs of others coincide with your own.

he single greatest area of influence that determines when the plant will enter its ideal harvest period is pre-programmed long before you even see

the first leaf. Compare an Eastern European landrace Indica to an equatorial Sativa and you’ll see that no matter how much you manipulate the other factors, almost any offspring from the Indica will always finish faster by a long measure than its Sativa sister. Most seeds will indicate on the package the approximate number of weeks

arvest can be an exciting time. As the penultimate step to drying and

curing, the harvest period not only marks the end of life on the branch for the flowers, but is one of the areas that allows the gardener to impart a great deal of influence over the finished product. Depending on the week, day and even time of day you choose to harvest the blooms, the difference in the experience the plant imparts to the humans it heals can be surprisingly vast. As a result, this period provides a grand stage for each gardener to put their personal touch on the medication; imprinting their opinions and tastes; uniquely distinguishing your product from any other.

For starters I firmly feel there is no perfectly “correct” time to harvest, only a correct time period. Anything before this time period and the flowers are not allowed sufficient time to ripen or the plant reach her full genetic potential in terms of yield, potency and aromas. Pass this period — or wait too long — and the plant begins to die. Desirable cannabinoids begin degrading, peak potency is missed, risk for molds and fungus infection increases and the plant will often begin presenting undesirable growth

H

THE 1st FACTOR — Genetics


Continues p. 76

T

the breeder estimates that particular line to finish in. This is relevant for planning the other two factors. The gardener can plan on accommodating the various stages of bloom appropriately by knowing whether, for instance, the estimated finishing time is eight to nine weeks or nine to 11. Inside each genetic line, one of the genetic factors that is selected for in phenotype hunting is finishing time. Even within a single pack of seeds some seeds will consistently finish early or late than others. Some breeders, in fact, make an entire business based on the priority of ultra fast finishing times while maintain high levels of THC. The genetics factors for finishing time is far and away the dominant factor and it’s advisable to look and listen for the plant’s natural tendencies for finishing times before dialing in the other two factors to maximize and support the times the plant “wants” to finish in time by default.

his factor that can influence when the crop reaches maturity is how you manipulate the NPK ratios. Ideally if you are already aware that the plant’s finishing time is, say,

the 9th week of bloom, you will be able to work backwards to plan your nutrient schedule, leaving the last few days of flush for variance. So if you want to flush for a minimum of 14 days and you know your strain will finish in the 9th week (days 63-69) then I recommend reaching the 14th day of flush on day 63 so that your flush period is a minimum of 14 days and up to 21. Take 2 weeks out of the cycle from day 63 and that puts you to day 49 which would be the day you want to be finished with any supplements for hardening and ripening. Assuming you give your plants two weeks (in a 9 week cycle, longer for a longer cycle) for that period you can safely assume you need to initiate this food regiment around day 35 and so on. Depending on the total length of the flower period each stage of bloom may take longer. For instance some of the OG strains I run are finished stretching and well in flower opening and set by the beginning of week three in bloom while in contrast some of the Sour Diesel strains will still be in full stretch through week four and be opening and setting through weeks 4 and 5. The nutrient programs to support these two plants will definitely look quite different. Some nutrients and supplements will even manipulate the plant’s natural growth regulators and hormones to cause it to move away from what it would naturally do. Some fertilizing regiments even call for particular nutrient spikes during the cycle to shock plants into initiating the next bloom phase prematurely in hopes of finishing earlier.

THE 2nd FACTOR — Nutrients

THE 3rd FACTOR — Environment

Both of these methods in my experience invariably have an adverse effect on the finished product. The most refined methods will have the effect of finishing your crop a week or two early with the only difference being a proportionate reduction in yield. Those that don’t work will not only adversely affect yield but have a damaging impact on the overall health of the plant, primarily reducing the crystal production, potency and aroma and often are only rated to be used on ornamental not consumable botanicals i.e. paclobutrazol.

Environmental factors that a plant is brought through in the bloom stage can strongly influence when the plant reaches which stage of its development. For starters I’ve always advocated using progressive light treatment, a technique that promotes slowly increasing the amount of light you feed your plants as they mature. I like to initiate the 12/12 flower cycle at a wattage that is roughly one half of the total wattage available in bloom. This can be accomplished by using dimmable ballasts, raising your hoods further off the canopy or simply turning off some of the lamps. It has never made any sense to me to feed the same amount of food (light) to plants in transition from veg to bloom as fully ripened monsters. By slowly increasing the amount of food (light) you feed your plants as they get bigger and the need and ability to utilize food (light) increases you are complementing the stage of growth the plant is in.

ave you ever walked into your garden at the end of the light cycle on day three after transitioning to 12/12, blasting watts at full capacity and seen your

plants leaves just curled down, doing anything they can to shade themselves? I started listening to the plants rather than waiting the week or so for them to “be able to take it.” By slowly increasing the PAR lighting my plants transition with almost no stress and initiate stretch/flower opening faster. Furthermore, I’m not really looking to fuel a huge amount of plant energy during the first two stages of bloom, transition and stretch/flower opening. The transition period really just requires sufficient amounts of hormone changes and build up to occur — neither of which requires large amounts of energy. Insofar as stretch, again, I really don’t want my plants to stretch all that much as an indoor gardeners running mostly VERY stretchy genetics and as a result prefer to provide less energy during this period until flower opening is into full swing.

You may want to increase light treatment earlier if stretch is a desirable feature you need to achieve. I recommend increasing wattage after transition from ½ to around ⅔ for stretch, then ¾ to ⅞ during fruit set and go to full power around swell. The last stages of hardening is the only time I recommend using any of the overdrive features that some dimmable ballasts have, enabling them to go to 115% to 125% of full power This will burn through bulbs faster but helps influence the plant to move to the next stage. It’s at this stage that I also recommend turning on any supplemental MH or higher kelvin spectrums. The environment itself, specifically the humidity is another area that can assist your plants to transition smoothly and effectively through the bloom phase. When you first initiate bloom, from the plants perspective it’s still in veg. I recommend keeping humidity levels high 50%-60% for the first week in flower and slowly decrease by 5% or so throughout each stage until reaching 40% to 45%. For example I keep humidity levels at the beginning of bloom identical to late veg until absolutely no signs of stress are evident and I am confident that transition phase is complete. This can be 1 day to 1 week. I’ll then decrease humidity to 55% during the first week of stretch, then further to 50% during the second and third or until significant flower opening occurs at which point I’ll bring humidity to 45% all the way until flower hardening. Then I will drop humidity as low as I plan to in order to maximize flower density and minimize risk of fungal infestation such as bud rot. It so happens that in conjunction with progressive light treatment this occurs almost completely on it’s own. I only need to add in additional humidity at the transition and initiation of stretch as the amount of light and A/C used at these phases leaves humidity levels

to low. As the plants grow and more biomass fills the bloom room, the amount of transpiration dramatically increases, thereby replenishing significant water vapor

back into the room’s environment. Indeed, the humidifiers become necessary no longer. The humidity level spike indicative of the plants’ increased transpiration is an excellent indicator of the plant moving through its next phases in bloom.

H

questions? Never hesitate to email me at [email protected]. See a wide range of useful growing videos and tips at Youtube.com/DrScandersonGt

growtech

HARVEST GROWING FACTORSContinued from pg. 75


I usually notice that after I turn off the humidifiers, humidity will remain perfect for the next phase. When the plants get deeper into their stretch phase and start creating more and more biomass, getting bigger and bigger and transpiring at much faster rates, humidity will start to spike out of range. The easy solution is to increase the wattage by either turning up the dimmer on your ballast or light another lamp. The increase of heat and subsequent cooling required to maintain temperatures will invariably reduce humidity level and bring them back into line. This trend of humidity being inline, then spiking out of range from plant transpiration and accelerated growth, then being brought back into range using progressive light treatment continues until the fruit swell when I reach 100% wattage. In the last few weeks when I recommend using an overdrive feature (if you’re planning to) you may find that the increased wattage dips humidity levels a bit low. Provided that heat is being handled properly I recommend being on the safe side allowing humidity to slide in the mid to upper thirties rather than supplementing back in humidity at the end. I find that combining these two methods of a slowly decreasing humidity while simultaneously increasing wattage allows for the most efficient, consistent happy and healthy environments for plants to reach maturity in.

nother factor of the environment which, not surprisingly, is almost entirely genetically determined is the actual light cycle. Employing a 12/12

light cycle is highly recommended. However, with some experience, particularly with a specific phenotype of a particular strain and with some experimentation, you may find that adjusting your light cycle above or below 12 hours will improve the results and assist in moving the plant through its phases of development. I’ve found with Rez Dog’s Sour Diesel IBL (ECSD) the plant will really only initiate its late ripening stage when I increase the darkness period from 12 hours to 14 hours Plants don’t recognize the length of the lighting period only the length of darkness. Keeping this plant with only 12 hours of darkness doesn’t allow her to reach

A

Y

full aromatic maturity. I have also worked with some super hearty Indicas that will reach complete, ripened maturity (sometimes even a few days faster) with only 10 to 11 hours of darkness. Strains bread from the Matanuska Valley for instance, are accustomed to reaching maturity with very little darkness and are known for delivering higher yields with shorter dark periods as well. Many gardeners will give their plants 24 hours or more of darkness before they initiate flowering or for the final days prior to harvest to assist in influencing the plant to more quickly reach maximize its next natural stage of development. By increasing the wattage and decreasing humidity levels you are also mimicking what nature does as the seasons moves from early/mid spring (sowing) to the harvest of late-summer and mid-fall.

ou can slowly decrease your evening temperatures in an inverse relationship to the humidity levels as well, to complement nature’s natural cycle.

Higher evening temperatures with lower variance from daytime to nighttime temps during the beginning of bloom that slowly decreases allowing for slightly higher variance as humidity levels during the day drop and later stages of bloom are entered into, will assist in maximizing the plant’s potential and minimizing transitional stress and internodal stretch. During the light cycle I recommend slowly increasing wattage, slowly decreasing humidity all while keeping temperature constant or VERY mildly increasing. During the night cycle I recommend keeping slowly decreasing temperatures, changing the time period accordingly and keeping humidity levels constant or VERY mildly decreasing.

harvest, in summary — Remember...

The factors and details contained within are hopefully indicators for you to see where you can express yourself in the garden. Having a firm understanding of what you can do to manipulate, influence and support your plants during the various

M

stages of growth allows you to interact with them in partnership. Working together, I think of it like a dance; you can gracefully and effortlessly glide through the bloom stage in to an ideal harvest. Move too quickly or slowly during one area or another and you may find yourself at a different stage of the dance then your partner and communication between the two of you’ll begin to break down.

y advice is to let the plant lead, she knows where she is going already. Keep it simple. Use factors OUTSIDE of

nutrients first. A solid base nutrient and bloom booster is more than enough to start with. With more and more practice with your partner you will become more and more in tune to communicating. Soon, you will be able to quickly and easily get the clues from your plant to recognize the stage she is in so you may safely and effectively know what to apply — and when. Gardening has a vast array of artistic components. This is one of its most robust, now go express yourself and as always HAPPY GARDENING!!!!!!!!!!


PHOTO BY BOB MONTOYA FOR NORTHWEST LEAF

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BEHIND THE STRAIN

The Genetics

Smoke report/bag appeal

BY DR. SCANDERSON FOR NORTHWEST LEAF

Lineage

effects

The smell of an afternoon on a raceway is complemented nicely by the effects. While slow to get started, by the time I was reaching for a roach clip to properly finish the sample joint, my fingers were buzzing with anticipation over the activities I didn’t yet know I was soon to be called into action over. After ten minutes of “post roach” pontificating and self reflection I realized the abundance of thoughts and ideas were here to stay, at least for a few hours, and best I let those creative juices out then continue to stare at this here computer screen. Not for the patient looking for an overwhelmingly calming experience or people who find some Sativas “too fast,” the Bio-Diesel holds it’s own on the soaring psychoactive spectrum of creativity and tranquility.

After winning the Spanabis Cup along with several other honors with a coveted clone only plant known as the Koot’s Cut of Bio-Diesel, the generous breeders at 303 Seeds decided to make her available in seed form. They took the clone only Bio-Diesel and crossed her to Colorado’s own, High Country Diesel to make this coveted diesel strain available in seed. Like most bx projects they were able to lock down certain traits, like a fruitier terpene profile, 1% CBD ratio and shorter, bushier structure that runs better in tents and closets. Locking these traits down was at the cost of others that this gardener happens to hunt for making the original an extra plant.

Like many of the funkiest sativa dominant diesels the “broken wizard’s hat” bud shape and

ample red hairs do not translate to the most beautiful looking flowers. But what she lacks in appearance

she overcompensates for in smell. Absolutely offensive levels of fuelly, skunky, funky delight assaults

the rooms she enters. Then you open the jar. This plant offers a rejuvenated experience of what I

remember the diesel from memories past to have offered. Without question the experience of smelling

these flowers is so incredibly superior for me when compared to seeing a gorgeous bloom only to find

myself searching to find and describe the scent it reminds me why I select for smell and flavor and

seldom for resin production or yield. The taste like the smell imparts deeply twisted jet fuel, asphalt,

rubber tire n’ kerosene flavor that all but numbs the tongue. It imprints itself on your palate like a

persistent in-law that won’t go away. Bio-Diesel impeccably coats the interiors of the mouth on exhale

as the tastes decorate your flavor takers, making themselves nice and comfortable for the stay ahead.

>> Absolutely offensive levels of fuelly, skunky, funky delight assaults the rooms she enters!

The taste like the smell imparts deeply twisted jet fuel, asphalt, rubber tire n’ kerosene flavor‘‘

HOW IT GROWS

There were two distinct phenotypes in my pack of 12 reg’s. Both were fairly vigorous growers in veg, enjoying high nitrogen feeding program with vigorous root development and lush light green leaves. Lots and lots of stretch for the first three weeks of flower and a slower transition indicative of longer running strains can be expected. After the stretch was mostly completed two distinct phenos began to emerge. One stretchier with slightly smaller bud sights, longer internodes, excellent trichome production & serious diesel funktitude and the other slightly bushier in it’s growth pattern, although just as stretchy, with fatter fuller flower sites clearly prioritizing yield over crystal development initially and wreaking of earthy, sweet spices the Sensi Star is well-known for. I selected for the Aspen Highland Diesel dominant pheno, finishing nicely in under 70 days in DWC, covered in crystals stacked amongst the contorted calyx structure all my favorite diesels express. She will grow vigorously in wildly chaotic fashion, requiring pruning and thinning for ideal bud structure/maximum yield. Although this pheno was the clearly lighter in production of the two, both produced respectable yields trumping 1.25 GPW which is average to high in the system used.


ORIGINALBIO-DIESEL

bY 303 sEEDS

(Bio-Diesel “Koot’s Cut” [Sensi Star x Sour Diesel]) x (Aspen Highland Diesel [Original Diesel x East Coast SourDiesel])

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october 2013 — issue #40

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