--=> An Informational file from Perlious Nation [1991] <=-- To better familiarize yourself with the growing of marijuana indoors, you will need a manual. This article does not carry you through the harvesting stage and, besides, you may have problems peculiar to your own circumstances. The best manual is Ed Rosenthal's "Marijuana Grower's Handbook, Revised-Indoor/ Greenhouse Edition", $19.95 + $4.00 for UPS. if you must have it sent to your P.O. box, instead of by UPS, send $6.00 for first class mail. Their address is: Quick Trading Co., P.O. Box 477, San Francisco, CA 94101. (MS - The company may no longer exist. I have not researched it.) If you plan to sell marijuana and even harder stuff to Russian occupiers or Cuban invaders, you'll want the full range of knowledge concerning the dope field. For all this you'll need to subscribe to High Times, P.O. Box 410, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. $29.95 for 12 issues. (MS - Once again this company may no longer be in existence.) Growing Cabinet This growing cabinet is unique in the way it is built and lighted. The construction is simply 2x4 construction with some 1x2's around the top and 1x12's around the bottom. It is enclosed on the sides, back and top with large sheets of cardboard salvaged from refrigerator cartons at a local appliance store. The lumber was actually scraps picked up here and there. The main costs in the system were the lights, timer and heating pad. Buying these items at a local discount department store cost approximately $47.00. He utilized an aquarium pump in the nutrient solution which was an additional $5.00. The only other item purchased was a gallon of white latex exterior paint. He found it on sale for $7.00 at a local hardware store. This brought the total outlay of cash to $59.00 for the actual materials and parts that he purchased. He used scrounged lumber and nails for the basic construction. You should be able to duplicate the same cabinet for under $75.00, depending on how much you can scrounge. To build the cabinet he simply cut the parts and nailed the basic frame together(as indicated). Then he stapled the cardboard to the outside. He left the front open and covered it with more cardboard held in place by small pieces of wood which would turn on a nail. You can use plywood, cardboard, or whatever is handy. The idea is to totally enclose the cabinet and then paint all interior surfaces with exterior white latex paint. This gives you excellent light reflection. The racks that the plant containers actually sit on are a couple of pieces of 2x2 with 1x2 slats running across them. He did not paint these parts. When setting up the cabinet he laid down the heating pad and covered the entire base of the cabinet with several layers of newspapers. On top of this was placed two layers of clear plastic. The plastic was brought up the sides of the cabinet all around to a height of about eight inches. This made the container in which the nutrient was held. The lights are just plain shop lights sold in most shopping centers. They use four-foot long tubes. He installed three sets of these lights which increased the amount of lighting about 50% over the normal recommended. This was a key factor in producing a crop faster. The plants had plenty of nutrients, proper heating and an excess amount of light which is the governing factor in their growth. Other factors that allowed him to have a six and a half month crop in nine weeks was the special medium he used in the plant containers. He used three parts commercial potting soil, one part styrofoam pellets and four parts compost. His compost consisted of rabbit manure but you can use any good compost to achieve the same results. The other factor is that he used a wick-type nutrient feeder. This is simply braided nylon rope (he used 1/2 inch diameter) cut into lengths that will circle around and up inside your container and then extend well down into the solution. The rope acts as a wick and carries nutrient solution to the plant roots. For nutrient solutions he used Peters brand soluble plant food. From the time the seedlings were planted until they were about to bud, he used Peters 20-20-20. Then he switched to Peters 15-30-15 for the flowering cycle. Instructions for the amounts of chemical to be added to the water for growing the various types of plant are on the containers. When making up your nutrient solutions the most important factor is the ph balance. He found that his city water supply was too alkaline for the feeding of his plants. The testing for ph was done with a common aquarium water test kit, bought at any pet shop. A ph count of 6 to 7 is necessary so that the nutrients are not locked up and the plants are easily able to move them. An ideal range of 6.2 to 6.8 should be maintained if possible. Since his water was too alkaline he added small amounts of vinegar until the proper range was attained. If yours is too acid, add baking soda to bring it down to the proper level. This is one of the key elements of success. If the plants can't use the nutrients they won't grow. If the ph is correct and they have plenty of light and carbon dioxide they will grow like mad. The plant mix containing compost will add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in the cabinet. You can also add carbon dioxide with chunks of dry ice. He started his seeds in wet paper towels and put them in peat pots with potting soil as soon as the shells of the seeds began to crack open. These were then grown under 24 hour lighting until well established; about two weeks. Next, they were planted in one gallon containers and put in the cabinet with a growing cycle of 24 hour lighting. Lower the lights to about six inches above the plants. As the plants grow, raise the lights. The lights are hung by chain or thin rope. When the plants are about 3 1/2 feet tall, turn on your timer to allow 12 hours of light and 12 hours darkness. The important factor here is to not allow any light to interrupt the dark cycle. This is also the time to change your nutrient solution to a 15-30-15 for the flowering cycle. If you want to harvest just buds and a little leaf, you can turn back the light cycle to 24 hours a day for a week. This puts the plants into a forced growth period. Then go back to 12 hours dark and 12 hours light. Your plants will begin to flower again without having to spend a lot of time growing new stalks and leaves. This is called "regeneration" and, using this system, you can harvest five or six crops of buds a year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Any Ganja Informational files have been tested, edited and approved by \\//endetta. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm) & the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845 The Salted Slug Strange 408-454-9368 Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766 realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 510-527-1662 Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102 Tomorrow's 0rder of Magnitude Finger_Man 415-961-9315 My Dog Bit Jesus Suzanne D'Fault 510-658-8078 New Dork Sublime Demented Pimiento 415-566-0126 Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives, arcane knowledge, political extremism, diverse sexuality, insane speculation, and wild rumours. 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