Selecting Strains to grow-
Did you know that cannabis comes in many strains? Think of it like tomato varieties, all tomatoes are Solanum lycopersicum, with a variety to describe how the plant expresses itself such as; Brandywine, Beefsteak, Roma, Black Krim, etc… each great for a different application, such as for a salad, sandwich, sauce, etc. Cannabis has thousands of different strains as well. Some good for sleep, pain, energy, anxiety, etc. Some are pretty colors, some smell amazing and some will jack you up or leave you couch locked for hours.
After I’ve been working outside making compost, soil and getting my grow bags, keyhole garden and gopher baskets ready, sometimes I need a little break. This is the perfect time to come inside, make a cup of tea
(one of my other favorite “C” plants- Camelia sinensis- which after writing blog 7, I realize Tea is a Cannabis substitute), and look at seed purveyor website offerings. I highly recommend that you spend some time on choosing seeds or clones (which I won’t talk about too much, because I’ve never had good luck with them). Type into your search engine what your issue is and then best strains for. Example: So if you have back pain, type in ‘best cannabis strains for back pain’ and you’ll get several hits, I looked at several sites and I especially liked-
https://wayofleaf.com/cannabis/ailments/best-strains-immediate-back-pain-relief.
I’ve had great success with the strain AC/DC for all types of pain relief and totally concur on this suggestion. This is also a low THC strain and you can safely use this during the day, but as always, test it on a day you don’t have to go anywhere, to see how it affects your body. This is a strain that is best started as a clone and you might find it available at your local dispensary.
When selecting seeds for this season, think about your needs, weeds have needs and so do you.
And while the 2018 Farm Bill made industrial hemp legal at the federal level, each state is in charge of its own legislation on the subject. Only a handful of states have made growing hemp at home legal within their states. After reading this article below I became aware that I was wrong to assume that growing high CBD hemp was totally legal. If you grow high CBD hemp for personal use, a great place to get seeds is ILGM, with the link on the resource page. Just look into all local laws before you plant.
https://wayofleaf.com/hemp/is-it-illegal-to-grow-hemp-the-truth
I live on the Central Coast of California, where it is legal to grow 6 personal plants, including high CBD hemp. My local jurisdiction has the added rule that the plants have to be out of sight. I have a big enough piece of property so this isn’t an issue, but for apartment dwellers this is an added challenge.
I have some thoughts on possible remedies which I’ll put below in pictures…
These solutions may block some valuable light, so you’ll have to put some thought into it. One possible solution is to grow cannabis bushes, which you can make with a hard pinching and pruning technique that I’ll teach you later in the season. What’s great about these screens is they only block light from one direction. With proper pruning and the choice of low smell strains, I feel privacy can be accomplished.
Remember these plants are an attractive nuisance and may invite unwanted attention.
Before you get started with physical work, during and after, I will attach a video for neck exercises, that will invigorate you and help keep you from becoming stiff.
As always, enjoy the process! Keep lots of notes….
Susan