420SA

What's your guys opinion on this article???

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11145094/Cannabis-as-addictive-as-heroin-major-new-study-finds.html

Ok lets get this grow show officially on the road!!

Hydro Herb Africa has been so kind as to sponsor this month's prizes as well and they only get better

1st Place wins an All In One Clone Kit consisting of the following:

Humidity Dome

Holds 16-32 cuttings

Heating Mat

32 x rock wool plugs

Rooting Hormone Gel

Also a Trimming Scalpel and a set of rubber gloves.

2nd Place has a choice of prizes

A choice between a 50 liter bag of Promix 50/50 or 90/10

OR

A portable Microscope 60x-100x

Entries close on 28/10/14. Please read the competition rules carefully by clicking HERE.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Hi folks

A member has been experiencing problems with accessing the forum through Tapatalk. Is anyone else experiencing similar issues? Please inform me.

Article by News24 - 08/10/14 - http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Morocco-mulls-legal-pot-growing-breaking-taboo-20141007-3

Morocco mulls legal pot growing, breaking taboo

Kettama - In the rugged Rif mountains, Abdelkhalek Benabdallah strode among towering marijuana plants, checking the buds for the telltale spots of white that indicate they are ready for harvest.

 

Much of the crop had been picked and left to dry on the roofs of stone-and-wood huts that dot the valley, the heart Morocco's pot-growing region.

 

Benabdallah says he openly grows the crop, while understanding the risk: "We are regularly subject to blackmail by the gendarmes", he said as he scythed through stalks and wrapped them into a bundle.

 

Morocco's marijuana farmers live in a strange limbo in which the brilliant green fields are left alone, while the growers themselves face constant police harassment. A new draft law may bring some reprieve: It aims to legalise marijuana growing for medical and industrial uses, a radical idea for a Muslim nation.

 

It could alleviate poverty and social unrest, but the proposal faces stiff opposition in this conservative country, as well as the suspicions of farmers themselves, who think politicians can do nothing help them.

 

Morocco is joining many other countries in the world, as well as some US states, in re-examining drug policies and looking to some degree of legalisation. Morocco's situation is unusual, however, in that Islamic traditions create deep taboos against drugs, despite the centuries-old tradition of growing marijuana in the north.

 

There are some 80 000 families in the northern Rif mountains of Morocco who make their living from growing pot, according to UN estimates; the region supplies nearly all of Europe's hashish and is the world's top supplier along with Afghanistan.

 

The world customs authority reported that in 2013, 65% of hashish seized at customs worldwide came from Morocco.

 

Detention

 

Estimates vary wildly for how much the business is worth but legalisation would certainly provide a substantial boost to farmers and to Morocco's anemic economy, which is forecast to grow by just 2.5% this year.

 

For now, the profits go to the buyers and smugglers who pay the farmers little for their crop and reap huge profits in Europe, where consumption in places like Amsterdam's famed coffee shops has been decriminalised. The trade has brought little wealth to the region, with farmers saying a kilogram of kif, as the plant is known locally, sells for $8 and they make an average of just $3 000 to $4 000 a year.

 

They say they are completely neglected by the state, except for its police force.

 

Growers say that neighbours with scores to settle file anonymous complaints with authorities resulting in a visit from the paramilitary gendarmes, confiscation of the crop and months or years in prison, unless a bribe can be paid.

 

Nourredine Mediane, a lawmaker from the region, said some 15 000 people from the area are currently in detention and another 30 000 are wanted by authorities.

 

Clutching his wide-brimmed straw hat, one deeply lined farmer described how he learned he was wanted by police when he went to renew his national ID card in a nearby town. Since then, he has not left his mountainside village and relies on family members to pick up supplies.

 

"I am scared to even go to the doctor," he said, asking that his name not be used for fear of arrest. "I don't even have the national identity card and I'm stuck in the village."

 

Despite fear of arrest, many locals have no choice but to grow pot. The valley's rocky soil is poor and the only crop that seems to thrive is marijuana, which was legal to grow under royal mandate in certain regions of the Rif until 1974, when the government passed a blanket ban on the cultivation and consumption of all drugs.

 

The marijuana ban was passed just as European visitors to the marijuana growing regions taught the farmers to produce hashish for export to feed rising demand across the Mediterranean. The ban also brought Morocco in line with the 1961 UN convention against drugs it had signed.

 

Economic saviour

 

The security-centered approach to the problem has failed, argued Mehdi Bensaid, a lawmaker with the opposition Party of Authenticity and Modernity that was founded by a close associate of the king.

 

The party's draft law would keep pot consumption, widespread among young Moroccans in parts of the country illegal, but legalise production.

 

Under the legislation, the entire crop would go to a state agency that would use it to produce new cannabis-based medications that have been developed to aid cancer and multiple sclerosis patients, and eventually for industrial uses as well. Under the UN drug conventions, marijuana can be legally be grown for industrial and medical uses.

 

Factories would be set up in the region to process the plant and provide jobs. The state-driven industry would prevent cannabis from being turned into hash and going to the smugglers.

 

Bensaid added that he has already been contacted by European and American pharmaceutical companies interested in investing in the venture if the law passes. It is not clear, however, if there is sufficient demand for medical purposes to meet the vast supply coming from Morocco's fields. And UN conventions would prevent the state-sanctioned crop to be sold abroad for recreational purposes.

 

Still, Bensaid sees legalisation as a potential economic saviour.

 

"If Morocco has a crop that could produce these medicines that could be sold today in the US, Canada and France, it is an employment opportunity for citizens living in a miserable situation," Bensaid told The Associated Press.

 

"It's a win-win, for the state, because there is tax, for the citizens, because they are in an illegal situation, and for the sick, who get their medicine."

 

Bensaid's party is backed in its effort by Morocco's oldest political party, the Istiqlal or Independence Party. The two have presented a draft law to both the upper and lower houses of parliament. It is unclear, however, if the draft is on the schedule to be debated when parliament re-opens this month.

 

The laws have received some high-profile backing, including the ministers of health and higher education, who have supported the idea of using marijuana for scientific research.

 

However, the Islamist-led government and the powerful palace have remained silent, with few wanting to break a deep-rooted taboo against illegal drugs. While not specifically banned in Islam, marijuana's effects are likened by most imams to alcohol, which is banned by the religion.

 

Mustapha Khalfi, Morocco's government spokesperson and communications minister, refused to discuss the draft law, pointing only to government efforts to combat drug smuggling and reduce the amount of land under cultivation.

 

Members of the Islamist Party for justice and development have accused those behind the law of merely looking to boost their standing in the Rif Valley region ahead of key local elections next year.

 

"These people are not just trying to get votes from the poor peasants in these regions, but are also looking for the sympathy and money from the drug barons ahead of the 2015 elections", said Abdelaziz Aftati, a leading member of the Islamist party.

 

'A festival of hashish'

 

The growers themselves express suspicion about the plans concocted by politicians in Rabat. Farmers worry that legalisation would mean a fall in the already low price for their crop and competition from wealthy estates with vast acreage and the latest agricultural technology.

 

"If legalization happened for all of Morocco, we could never compete with the other farmers that have lots of land and the price of cannabis wouldn't be any different than that of carrots, we'd make nothing", said local activist Mohammed Benabdallah.

 

More than any other region in Morocco, the wild Rif mountains have seen little government investment, in no small part due to a history of rebellions and the marijuana cultivation itself.

 

The locals are mostly Berbers, North Africa's original inhabitants, rather than Arabs. In the 1920s, the region threw off Spanish rule and declared an independent republic that was subdued only after years of attacks by French and Spanish soldiers.

 

The Rif revolted again in 1958, soon after Morocco's independence. In the aftermath, it was left poor and undeveloped with bad roads and few schools and hospitals. Locals say the police don't dare to destroy all the marijuana fields for fear of provoking another uprising.

 

So instead, the economy remains firmly anchored to marijuana. Every year with the approach of the cold autumn months, villagers take their dried bundles of kif, place them over fine mesh and rhythmically beat them with sticks to extract a powder which is then rolled into bricks of hash. Pot is still smoked by the older generation in long-stemmed pipes called "sebsis".

 

By November, the sheer walls of this valley will resound with the sound of tapping. "It is a like music", said Benabdallah, "a festival of hashish".

 

The government has repeatedly tried to persuade farmers to grow other crops, but efforts have failed. By 2010, most alternative crop programs had been suspended.

 

Walking along terraces of rocky earth, 63-year-old Mohammed Fathi said he tried to grow other crops, not least to fend off 32 police complaints against him. He was part of a cooperative that grew olives, figs and almonds, but it failed due to lack of rain, and he turned back to growing pot.

 

"Marijuana", he said, "resists the drought that kills other plants".

Feel free to add your input on the matter guys!

Also share with us what ratios you like to use!

Perhaps one of the more debated topics in the growing community is when is the perfect time to harvest your long awaited buds? 

In the end it boils down to personal preference but there are a couple factors that you need to know to help you decide when is the best time to harvest for you.

You want to wait till the plant has matured in her flowering phase. How matured is a matter of personal preference and debate but this is when the plant will have produced the valuable ingredients that you seek

First & foremost, if you're considering harvesting before 6 weeks of flowering, you will be horribly disappointed as no strains mature in that short time! Just be patient and you will be rewarded

Pistil Hair Observation

This is probably a more old fashioned way of determining the maturity of the plant but it can still be effective, although in a limited way. What you want to be watching is those white pistil hairs. Once 80 to 90 percent of all the white pistil hairs have turned orange, red or brown you could consider your plant to have matured as your lady has given up every last hope of being pollinated...however... this can be misinterpreted and in some cases the pistils will turn before the lady has actually fully matured. Other factors that could cause the pistils to turn before maturity can be high heat, pesticide, different strain characteristics and other factors. The way to make sure of this is by determining maturity with the next method which is probably the most effective way.

Trichome Observation

For this method you'll need to invest in some form of a portable microcope. Jewelers loupe's work well too. You'll need something that has a magnifying strength of 40x and upwards.

What you want to do is observe the trichomes close up and determine their colour. For those who don't know what Trichomes are, they are the resin glands that store THC and the many other compounds. They appear as large stalks with a ball on top, some liken them to a mushroom like shape.

Here's what you should see

Once you've used your portable microscope to view the trichomes close up, you will be looking for the following colours in your trichomes:

Clear Trichomes

If you see that the majority of the trichomes appear clear and transparent it is too soon to harvest. This means that the maximum amount of THC and CBD hasn't been produced yet. You will want the majority of Trichomes to go Cloudy.

Clear trichomes appear like below

Cloudy Trichomes

Cloudy trichomes appear with a milky white colour, and they will have lost their transparency. Once the majority of the trichomes have turned cloudy you can consider harvesting your plant but you may want to consider the different options and ratios with Amber Trichomes, especially if you're growing a sativa or sativa dominant hybrid.

Cloudy trichomes appear like below

Amber Trichomes

When the trichomes begin to show an amber or orange colour the compounds such as THC have begun to degrade and while this may be undesirable to some, it can be desirable to others as the compound CBN builds up once the THC begins to degrade. This is usually looked for in Sativa's and Sativa dominant hybrids. You will want to try go for a 70% milky and 30% amber ratio with them. However with indicas and indica dominant hybrids you don't really want many amber trichomes and you should go for a maximum of 10% amber 90% Cloudy when growing indicas.

Amber trichomes appear like below

As I said though, these ratios can vary and are just a general guideline. As you develop as a grower you should experiment and test the different ratios seeing what high you like best. Everyone is different and may enjoy a different type of high which is why trichome observation is the best way to determine when to harvest your lady/ladies!

The fight for legalisation in Australia is gaining force as well

The Guardian - Article Dated 06/10/14

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/06/pressure-builds-to-legalise-medical-marijuana-after-boy-denied-treatment

First Grow ever? Not bad they're looking good

Welcome Bluntman!!! Looking forward to your input and your grows!

How about a young update here Bird? 

An article by EWN - Was written about 2 months ago. Thought it might be worth a read

SHOULD SA LEGALISE MARIJUANA?

Nicotine is probably the most addictive recreational drug around. Just ask anyone who has ever tried to quit. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), tobacco is the single greatest cause of preventable death globally. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco as “the single most important preventable risk to human health and the most important cause of premature death worldwide”.

 

Yet, tobacco is legal.

 

Alcohol is not only unhealthy and addictive; it’s also tearing at the fabric of our society.  According to the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA), the majority of all fatal accidents are caused by drunk drivers, while the bulk of pedestrians and people who die in motor vehicle accidents were under the influence of alcohol.  A South African multi-centre study demonstrated that 78,9% of all patients at trauma units with violent injuries tested positive for alcohol. Of all homicides, more than 50% were alcohol-related.  In South Africa, as elsewhere, when people get drunk, death and destruction all too often reigns.

 

Yet, alcohol is legal.

 

The glaring absurdity of a ban on marijuana while the more harmful alcohol and tobacco are tolerated, as well as a host of other very strong policy arguments, has led many to clamour for legalisation.

 

“The benefits of legalisation exceed the disadvantages,” says Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of San Francisco’s Pro Legalisation Drug Policy Alliance. “We know that marijuana is available to anybody who wants it.”

 

The results of three surveys in the US over the last ten years reveal that young people said it was easier to buy marijuana than it was to buy alcohol.

 

“So this notion that somehow we’re protecting young people by keeping marijuana illegal for adults is a joke really,” says Nadelmann.

 

He says the question that South Africans have to ask is, “Do the costs of keeping marijuana illegal - throwing non-criminals in jail, eschewing enormous amounts of tax revenue, keeping it a black market industry powered by organised and unorganised criminals, no quality control, revenue collected by criminals rather than law-abiding entrepreneurs, etc - outweigh the benefits?”

 

“Should you not rather legalise and regulate more or less like you do with alcohol?  There are massive advantages in terms of taxation, regulation, undercutting the black market, putting fewer people in prison and reducing low level police corruption.

 

“The same arguments that are persuading people in my country will ultimately persuade people in your country as well.”

 

He adds that while legalisation might increase use “somewhat”, this will not be the case amongst young people.

 

“Young people already have such easy access to it. I think the principal increase you’ll see will be among older people. It will be people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. It will be people who find that having a little marijuana is better than taking a sleeping pill at the end of the night, or who find they prefer it to having that glass of alcohol, or that it helps with their diabetes or their arthritis. It’ll be the type of marijuana use that is somewhat recreational, somewhat medical, and lies in that in-between area.

 

“Quite frankly the risks of an increase in elderly people using marijuana compared to the potential benefits make it a non-issue,” says Nadelmann.

 

He mentions the wildly successful example of Colorado, which six months completely legalised the recreational use of marijuana.

 

“The sky did not fall. Those who used to buy marijuana on the black market are now buying it legally and paying taxes. Colorado is earning a fortune in tax revenue; in years to come it’ll amount to hundreds of millions of dollars. The funds from marijuana taxation are building schools and funding police departments.  There’s not much harm, but a lot of good and less crime.”

 

Israel is another model that South Africa can look to, says Nadelmann.

 

“Their Health Ministry runs the medical marijuana industry and they currently have about 15,000 patients. It’s all very well done. There are so many models for South Africa to look at.”

 

Marijuana was legal almost everywhere before widespread prohibition took hold in the late 1930s.  The tide, however, is turning rapidly, with many countries now mulling legalisation.

 

In 2013, following in the footsteps of the US states of Colorado and Washington, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalise the sale, cultivation and distribution of marijuana.

 

Other countries that recently legalised the medicinal use of marijuana include Canada, the Czech Republic and Israel.

Podcast is here

An article from the Guardian dated 25/09/14 - http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/sep/25/hemp-wood-fibre-construction-climate-change

Welcome TK! Thanks for joining us!

Very surprising indeed and seeing as SABC is obviously a government entity, it makes it even better. Not to say that definitely shows high hopes but if a government controlled channel clearly leans on the side of legalisation we can be quietly confident

We all know whose side Eben(the host) is on Big ups to him as well! One could mistake him as a pro-cannabis lobbyist!

So I may enter again? As my passion is designing digital arts! So I'll come up with more than epix logo

You can enter here Poison no problem. Submit as many diffent designs as you see fit

Ok guys the poll has officially closed . In all honestly I don't think the poll was too effective with a lot of potential for voter recruiting. We will continue to run the poll but the ability for us to decide in the end will always be an option.

So... the winner will be decided by us....

Deciding factors this month were the overall beauty of the plant and how much care has been taken with the plant. Some plants displayed deficiencies and some displayed toxicities.

It was quite tight between the 2 but in the end Totemic's plant walks away the victor

Very close in 2nd place is Birdflu's plant

Please Private Message me your addresses and contact details guys and I will pass it onto Hydro Herb Africa. I will keep you guys posted on the delivery of your prizes. Congratulations guys!!

Many thanks to Hydro Herb Africa for sponsoring these great prizes!!!

To the others, there's always next month! You can enter the same plant next month if you wish.

First post and the only thing you add is GTH advertising? 

I actually PMed toker just before he made that post about his inactivity. Said he's going to intro himself this evening.

My honest opinion...add R500 and buy the 80 x 80 x 160 tent from Greenthumb Hydro.  I have two (1 for flower...1 for veg) and cannot begin to even rave about the tents or as a matter of fact anything you get from GTHydro

How many plants can you fit in there and in what size pots?

Hey Bud

 

Ok so the size is good... but.... does it have ventilation holes? and are you happy to trust it to hold up your reflectors/ fans etc?

 

I mean I would try it just to see, who knows you might have just found the perfect DIY tent.

 

Another thing.. is it light proof?

It has vents but those large zip up one's. My thoughts are to make my own. The bottom isn't sealed because its a shower. There's mesh material at the bottom but I reckon I could seal that.

I tested the strength at the top by pulling on it and it feels strong enough to me. I mean it's designed to hold buckets of water at the top.

The material doesn't look fully lightproof to me so I may need to line the inside with something, like paint, not too sure.

Was in Makro today and spotted this tent that is almost exactly the size that I want to make my tent

It's meant to be a camping shower but doubles as a pretty decent grow tent IMO. It's pretty dam sturdy and supports quite a lot of weight at the top, definitely the weight of my reflector.

Let me know your guys thoughts on using this as a grow tent. It's 700 bucks....not bad...

Either I paint the interior white or I line it with Mylar or sisalation...

Will announce the winner this evening guys! Will also close the poll this evening so there's still time to vote for those of you who haven't.

how soon can you start to fertilise your trees once its started to sprout and grow?

Usually about 3 weeks after the seedlings first emerge from the growing medium. Depends what you're growing in.

Welcom Mino & Smokie!!!

Thanks for joining!

Coming together beautifully Tote. Nice!!!!

Where do you get your 220v fans and how much are they?

Ok guys as a last ditch attempt to keep Blunt Of The Month alive, I've decided to run this comp for September and October. The current entries still apply.

Also Nug of the month's prize has been moved here.