Seeds, Clones, Auto, Photo, oh my! A Cannabis Primer.

For those just getting started in legal Missouri Medical Marijuana Program cultivation, it can be a challenge to understand the basics. There are 30 ways to do everything and are gads of technical jargon and abbreviations that add to the confusion. I mean, what’s OLS anyway? Can’t we just type it out? 🙂

The first thing I recommend to all folks is to network with peers. No one will give the straight scoop like a fellow patient cultivator. They have nothing to sell (usually) and are more than happy to share their experiences. Other patient cultivators can tell you where to get seeds and clones as well, which is key! Let’s start off with the birds and the bees, shall we?

No Boys Allowed!
Cannabis is a dioecious plant, meaning that it comes in both male and female forms. ‘Regular’ seeds are generally about a 50/50 mix of males and females. For those folks wanting to grow their own medicine you are interested in the floral clusters (not stems, roots, or leaves) from an un-pollinated female plant. When the female cannabis plant spends its life-cycle without making seed, it will make a LOT more medicine (not just in terms of volume of flowers, but also in quantity of cannabinoids). Unless you plan to breed and are serious about it, male plants should be culled as soon as they are identified.

Clones / Cuttings / Cuts
Whatever you call them, these little ladies are the product of asexual propagation and can made from male or female stock. When female soft-tissue cuttings are taken, we often call the source plant a ‘mom.’ I use this technique to multiply a quality females for flowering, but also to preserve a particular cultivar. Cuttings are great because they are genetically identical to the parental stock. BEWARE: Acquiring cuttings from friends is the #1 best way to import pests into your grow space. However tempting, my suggestion is to resist the urge with steely-eyed determination.

Seeds, generally
As you would expect, cannabis seeds are generally the result of male pollen fertilizing female ovule. The most viable seeds are carried until after the end of the female plants life-cycle and are allowed to fully mature nestled in their bracts. When possible, get your seeds from reputable breeders. A good quality seed can cost as much as $10/seed. I don’t like to pay much more than that because you’re just paying for the hype. Then again, modern breeders do excellent work, and they need to put food on the table as well.

Seeds, regular
Regular seeds are referred to as such because these are the seeds as nature intended them to be and will have an even distribution of potential male and female plants. Raising regular seeds are just a little more challenging because it will take 4 – 6 weeks before you can identify and cull the males. However, the most stable genetics can be found in regular seeds.

Seeds, feminized
Feminized seeds will produce female plants upwards of 98% of the time. They are created by inducing intersex (male) flowers on a female plant. This pollen carries only XX gametes. Therefore, when they fertilize an XX ovule, a female seed must result. There are no XY’s to make male plants. If you are a first time grower I recommend feminized seeds as they will eliminate the extra time needed for proper sexing of plants.

Seeds, Auto-flowering
“Auto’s” can be a fun way to get started as well, particularly if you have very limited growing space. I recommend feminized auto-flowering seeds for anyone with these space limitations. These beauties will do just as their name implies, they will flower in a given amount of time regardless of what you do with your lights. Although I was skeptical at first, you can really grow some fine medicine from these little miracles of modern cannabis breeding.

Photoperiodism
For the most part, the cannabis lifecycle is very much determined by day/night length. This is true of just about any cannabis plant with sufficient cannbinoids to have interest in and is a behavior all cannabis naturalized in temperate and tropical environments exhibit. These cannabis plants are often referred to as ‘photo’ varieties (as opposed to the auto-flowering, which we’ll get back to).

Outdoors in Missouri, ‘photo’ cannabis plants will start to undergo a sexual change just after the summer solstice. Within just a couple weeks these plants will end their vegetative phase and enter into their flowering phase. At which point cannabis plants will begin to clearly show its sex and start its reproductive cycle. This process is triggered by the changing light/dark periods; shortening of days and lengthening of nights. Hence, cannabis is photoperiodic.

Indoors, controlling ‘photo’ cannabis is pretty simple. Timers control lights and the cultivator will do well to set their timers to 18hr/6hr (on/off) in order to keep cannabis in its vegetative state, and then 12hr/12hr (on/off) in order to “flip” them into flowering mode.

Cannabis Sativa-ruderalis is a variety of cannabis, usually very low in cannabinoids, that naturalized in the far north where the summer growing season is very short. In order to survive, these plants evolved the knack of beginning flowering as soon as they hit sexual maturity (about 30 days from seed), and not to wait on the sunlight. After all, in those climate extremes an early arrival of winter could destroy an entire generation if these plants don’t reproduce at first opportunity.

Enter some clever, innovative cannabis breeders who have found ways to cross photoperiod cannabis and auto-flowering ruderalis. These crosses keep the auto-flowering traits as well as the traits to produce the copious quantities of cannabinoids we seek for our ailments. Gotta’ love science!

I’m only scratching the surface with this article, but hopefully it sets up the basics in such as way that you can start your cultivation adventures with a bit more confidence. Let me know what you want to read about next.

Happy Harvests!
–The Lit Farmer–

Data logging for your grow

An often overlooked detail, and yet a very important detail of your personal grow is your data log. At a minimum you should be using a Min/Max Thermometer/Hygrometer to track the daily values. You will be surprised at what this can tell you. Take the following picture for example.

Remember the ideal conditions: Temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees. Relative humidity (Rh) between 55% and 65%. The far right three columns are Rh and middle three are dual readings for two temperature zones. Do you see the issues?

That’s right, on 8/16 my temperature was higher than normal (although still in the tolerable range). Seeing this allowed me to quickly identify a ventilation leak that was trapping hot air from my AC.

Check out that Rh as well. That’s running high, which befuddled me for a couple weeks. I had a dehumidfier, so what gives? Well, as it turns out, once I added live plants and moist soil to the system, the dehumidifier had a hard time keeping up. After repeated changes and investigations I finally realized that the dehumidifier was set to economy mode, which prevented it from keeping up in the more humid environment.

I have the luxury of painting a chalkboard on my wall and can keep a couple weeks of data up at a time. This allows for me to watch for breaks in trends which pop out like sore thumbs because the data is clearly visible. As you can see, it doesn’t have to be a high tech database solution or spreadsheet. The data just needs to be tracked and examined from time to time.

I recommend setting up your space and tracking these numbers before you put any plants in the space. Watch the numbers shift when you add moist soil, and then living plants as well. Facinating!

Finally, I also track other details about individual cultivar (strain) characteristics like; how long does cloning take, how long does flowering take, how much stretch occurs in the first two week of flower, etc. This helps you get to know the plants you grow and how they react in the space you have set up for them. This effort will go a long way toward making you a better cultivator.

$5 Data System Upgrade:
Whatever you decide to track, labeling for your plants should not absorb water. Otherwise, it can and will eventually harbor mold or mildew. The solution?

Vinyl folders, cut and labeled with permanent marker.

Vinyl folders or dividers can be had in a variety of colors and very inexpensively. One folder can make a couple dozen small labels. They’re durable, water proof, easily cleaned, and you’re now only a legend away from keeping it all straight.

Happy Harvests!
–The Lit Farmer–

DIY – 1/2 price soil recipe

Most water-only organic living soils on the market will cost the cultivator $20 per cubic foot or more, before shipping. I’ll share with you how to get this done for half that price, with a higher quality product. I don’t take

DIY and Save!

credit for these recipe’s as they were established many years ago by academics and refined over the years by experienced cultivators. What I can say for sure is that it is effective and grows some really high quality cannabis.

Dry MixMoist Mix
Peat1/31/2
Aeration1/31/4
Worm Castings1/31/4
Bio-char
(% of total)		10%10%

Peat is commonly available and often comes in compressed bales which can expand up to twice the starting volume. You’ll want to get a nutrient pack designed for peat as it contains additions that moderate peat’s acidity.

Aeration is important and, while perlite is the most commonly used aerator, it tend to be light enough to literally float to the top of your mix. You can also use pumice (my preferred), lava rock, or even hydrotons (little clay balls). Stay away from gravel that may contain too much calcium.

Compost can be substituted with worm castings and are the magic component of a good soil mix. A good compost and raw worm castings are full of the microbial activity that we need in our living soils. As long as it’s well aged compost it also makes a good top dressing.

Bio-char can be difficult to source at times and might also be the most expensive component of this mix. However, I believe it is a key to making your soils tolerant to abuse and encourages long life at full production. The Amazonians developed it long ago, so why wouldn’t you? Add this amendment based on your total soil volume. 10% is good, 15% might be a little better, but 20% is too much. Example: If you just mixed 10 cubic feet of soil, add 1 to 1.5 cubic feet of bio-char.

Nutrients & Minerals
You can mix your own nutrients as well, but it may be more fool-proof to buy some pre-mixed. One of my all-time favorites is Coot’s Mix. I’ve followed his work for a long time. These nutrients are essential to making your soil ‘water-only.’ This means that you will only keep it watered and will NOT need additional bottled nutrients and so forth.

Note 1: It is crucial to properly hydrate your newly mixed soil and will take more water than you expect. You should get the soil to field capacity in order to properly activate the microbial life and make it possible for it to break the nutrients down into plant usable forms.

Note 3: Water your soil even if no plants are in it. In order for the microbes to do their work they need that field capacity soil to operate in. Letting the soil go dry will kill some microbes and force others into hibernation. I like to put a cover crop on it when not in use otherwise.

Note 2: Once you have your ingredients mixed you will need to let it ‘cook’. After a few days, put your hand in the pile – it will probably feel warm. If it is noticeably warm inside, re-hydrate to field capacity, remix the pile, and wait a few more days. Repeat until the pile cools off. Check the temperature before you add water. Pro-tip: the more nutrients you add, the long it takes to cook.

Let us know how your custom built soil works out, or what improvements you might have.

Happy Harvests!
–The Lit Farmer–

Your first grow light

There is a huge selection of lights to choose from and you’ll get 12 different recommendations for every 5 people you ask, so what can you do? Read on, we’ll make this simple.

Good lighting is a critical component.

We will eliminate high-intensity lighting (HID) given that these lights are not good for a beginner for a number of reasons. Fluorescent lighting is not sufficient for the entire growing cycle either. So, we’ve already narrowed it down to LED lighting.

Choosing your first LED grow light comes down a few simple factors:

  • Cost (how much can you afford)
  • Amperage (how much your circuit can afford)
  • Footprint (how much space you intend to illuminate)
  • Brightness (is the light bright enough for cannabis)

Cost: Get the light you can afford on your current budget. Don’t feel intimidated by the guy who insists that you should spend a ton of money on it. The fact is, you will eventually buy a different light for some reason, which is a good thing. You can then use your first light for a backup. Believe me, the only thing worse than having a light fail on you, is having a light fail and not having a backup. Don’t sweat that for now though, just decide what you can spend.

Amperage: How much amperage do you have available on the circuit you intend to use? Inventory that circuit! As long as you have 5A or more, you should be in business. If a light manufacturer doesn’t clearly indicate the max wattage and amperage consumption for the unit, pass! Also, keep in mind that you’ll at least need a couple fans (circulation and ventilation) and they’ll need some power as well. Plan for it, and don’t skip this step!

Footprint: A manufacturer should also clearly display the area of illumination for a given light, often called a light’s footprint. Pretty common sense here, just measure your space and find a light that matches it. A light with a footprint bigger than your space is ok too. You can find 2’x4′, 2’x3′, 3’x3′, 4’x4′ and more. If you are lucky enough to have a lot of space, a 4’x4′ footprint is ideal for flowering your limit of 6 plants. Do know that a thorough manufacturer may show a footprint for “Veg” that is larger than the flowering footprint. In these cases, focus on the smallest footprint advertised and compare that to your space. As before, if the manufacturer doesn’t make this information available, pass!

Brightness: This can be quite confusing, but I’ll render it down simply; in order to grow from seed to finished flower you’ll be looking for a light that produces 600+ PPFD. Anything over 1000 PPFD may be too much for the plants unless you take steps to help them utilize that intensity of light, but is usually something easy to work around as long as your ceiling is tall enough. I’ll say it again; if you can’t find a specifications sheet with this information, puff-puff-pass on that light!

Finally, I do recommend making friends with folks at your local garden supply store. They can help you immensely and a really good store may have lender-lights if you need a repair done to yours, or may even swap you out on the spot. Sure, you’ll pay a little extra, but I’m ok with that as long as I receive solid, personalized service. Besides, I like to support my local merchants.

Happy Harvests!
–The Lit Farmer–

Choosing a location to grow indoors

According to Missouri state guidelines, patients who receive their certifications to grow cannabis can do so in any locked and enclosed area that is not accessible from above and not visible to the public. The cultivator should be the only person with access to this location. This means you can grow just about anywhere you have legal access to (yes, your landlord needs to know). It does not need to be your house and you can elect to team up with another cultivator in the same space provided you notify the state that you are doing so.

Personal grows for a single patient can be accomplished just about anywhere and on any budget, but here are some things to keep in mind when selecting your space:

  • You will need at least one 15A circuit
  • Ventilation is not optional
  • Temperatures must be controlled (65-85 degrees F)
  • Humidity must be controlled (55%-65%)
  • The grow area must be light proof
  • Odor must be controlled

The most common mistake I’ve seen are patient cultivators who ignore one or more of the points above and start growing plants before the space is ready. I strongly recommend setting up the grow space and ensuring that the cultivator can maintain the temperatures and humidity needed for healthy cannabis plants. Only then should seeds be germinated.

Electricity: Every device you plug into a circuit has an amperage (A) requirement. Add up all the devices you intend to use; a 15A circuit (determined by the rating of the breaker and the rating of the wiring for the circuit) can handle 12A (75% of rating) of load safely. Likewise, a 20A circuit can handle 15A safely. Keep in mind that a single high-intensity light can be 10A, which nearly maxes out a circuit on its own. My space is designed to accommodate 3 patients, so I have (3) 20A circuits and (1) 15A circuit dedicated to this space; all of which were professionally installed.

Ventilation: Don’t skimp here as this is very much a key component as you will see. Like other organisms, plants need to breath (transpire). They will need a regular supply of CO2 in order to thrive. As such, you should have a fan to circulate air within your space as well as a vent fan to exchange air with a larger space (inside the house). Any circulation fan will be fine and a happy plant dances merrily without being whipped about. A good rule of thumb is to acquire a ventilation fan that has a CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating 3x the volume of your grow space. Example – if you use a grow tent that is 5’x5’x7′ you have a 175 cubic feet of space and a 500CFM ventilation fan will fit the bill. Adjustable speed fans are nice as you won’t always need the full 500CFM capacity. As the reader will notice, CO2 intake isn’t the only thing proper ventilation will help with.

Temperature: Ideal temperatures for cannabis cultivation are between 65 – 85 degrees F and the perfect environment will be about 10 degrees cooler at night. Move outside those parameters and growth will slow. Move even further and your plants may get stressed, which invites disease and pests. Because dedicating an air conditioner to the cause is expensive, most home-growers will do well to leverage their ventilation fan to vent hot air out of the grow space and into a thermostatically controlled room. Finally, a min/max thermometer/hygrometer is a mandatory tool and you should log those values every single day.

Relative humidity (Rh): Cannabis can tolerate a wide rage of humidity without becoming stressed, so the benchmark of 55%-65% (some will say 45%-55%) Rh is mostly a guide. However, it is well known that high humidity invites molds and powdery mildews, which can decimate a cannabis crop. Further, very low humidity coupled with high temperatures is the ideal environment for mites – the bane of a cannabis cultivator’s existence. For Missourians, the solution is a dehumidifier. Just be aware that these handy devices usually have a high amperage requirement and they do produce heat as a byproduct. Since you will have your space ventilated for heat concerns, it will be most effective to dehumidify your entire house and allow your ventilation to pull in low-humidity air. Once again, get a min/max thermometer/hygrometer and log those values every single day.

Light proofing: With some exceptions, cannabis tends to be very sensitive to light. Light determines the growth stages of cannabis and should be monitored closely. More important than seeing your grow lights outside the space is allowing light infiltrating into that grow space when it should be dark. Any light brighter than a full moon could confuse and stress your plants. Do you want seeds in your flowers? Because this is the most common cause. Fixing light leaks is usually low-cost and common sense so do yourself a favor and periodically stand in your darkened room (until your eyes adjust) and then carefully look around to check for light leaks.

Odor: Last, but not least; odor can be a real issue. The plants could care less, but your spouse, neighbor, and local law enforcement will feel differently. Complaints can earn you a surprise inspection or worse and is the leading cause for such. The good news is that a quality active-carbon filter integrated into your ventilation will usually do the trick. You know you like your flowers to be danky-dank so get a carbon filter and use it all day, every day.

One could write an entire book on this topic alone, so there is a lot of content I elected not to add here. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us!

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Further Reading:
Just4Growers.com

Soil or Hydro?

One of the first decisions a home grower will need to make is whether they should grow their cannabis hydroponically, or in good old fashioned soil. My advice is simple: Unless you are certain you want to try hydro, you should be growing in real, living soil.

Although we are unaffiliated with KIS Organics, whose product is shown above, we have used this ‘water-only’ soil for our cannabis with very good results. BuildASoil makes a fine water-only product and we have used Sohum in trials with cannabis and have achieved fine results using only tap water (no other inputs).

Don’t be confused by soil-like mixtures. Products like Coco-Perl and similar are simply platforms for adding bottled nutrients throughout the growing cycle. A good and proper ‘living soil’ will require very little, if any inputs during the growing process. Hence the term ‘water-only.’

When using a high quality living soil you only need to make sure you get your water content correct. You don’t need to worry about ph, nutrient density (PPM), water temperature, flushing, etc. Instead, you will work to create and evenly moist (but not soggy) soil that is a paradise for microbes, bacteria, fungi, and cannabis alike.

By providing such a perfectly watered, nutrient rich environment, you put the plants in charge. When plants want calcium, its there for the taking. When plants want Nitrogen or Potassium, there it is. You see, in hydroponics you must know what your plants need, when they need it, and how much they need. Make one of a thousand possible mistakes and your plants will suffer.

Finally, although a quality water-only soil isn’t cheap, it’s far cheaper than the nutrients alone used in a single hydro growing cycle. Further, it’s an investment in sustainability because you can reuse that soil over and over for years with minimal inputs. We’ll chat more about that part soon.

In the meantime, consider simplifying. Consider Organic Living Soil.

Happy Farming!
~~The Lit Farmer

Free Confidential Missouri Patient and Patient Cultivator Consultation

If you are working on an application for Missouri Medical Marijuana Program Patient and/or Cultivator certification and have questions, we have the answers.

If you are trying to riddle out the best way to setup a personal grow space, we have the answers.

While we can’t provide legal advice, we are very familiar with Article 14 of the Missouri Constitution as well as the subsequent rules/processes and are willing to provide opinions as to what they mean.

We understand that the online application process can be a hurdle for some people and are willing to help.

Eric McSwain is a board member for the Missouri Cannabis Industry Association and is an applicant for cultivation and dispensary licenses in the state of Missouri. He’s dedicated to helping patients first and foremost. If he doesn’t have the answers, he has access to those who will know.

Finally, we respect the privacy of anyone who should reach out to us and pledge to keep our conversations confidential. Contact us today!

Eric McSwain
(573)489-6980
eric.mcswain@gmail.com


Managing cannabinoid tolerance

Tolerance can be an issue with any medicine and medicinal marijuana is no different. Most research regarding cannabinoid tolerance has to do with THC, it’s primary intoxicating ingredient. This is likely because THC produces the most pronounced side-effects and is the compound some users can become dependent on.

Most patients should be able to use cannabis therapeutically without fear of developing a tolerance. Some tolerance has to do with a your mind’s ability to cope with some of these side effects. As with other drugs, it can take a couple weeks for the body to adjust and everyone has a different sensitivity. However, the tolerance we’ll talk about here is physical tolerance.

THC produces its effects through interaction with what are known as CB1 receptors, primarily found in the central nervous system. Exposure to an excess of THC can cause receptors to down-regulate – meaning simply that some receptors turn-off, or become inactive. With less receptors to bind to, the effects of the compound are diminished.

Tolerance is a problem for a few notable reasons. Foremost, it reduces THCs effectiveness as a therapy. There’s no point in consuming it when it doesn’t work. Tolerance can also lead to dependence. The more THC you consume the more likely a person is to become dependent on it. At the end of the day, if you’re tolerance is high (see what I did there?) then you’re going to spend more money at your local dispensary. So, if for no other reason, keep your tolerance low and keep your money in your pocket!

-Learn how to avoid tolerance to cannabinoids with proper dosing.

–Healer.com’s protocol for reducing tolerance.

Cheech Marin’s character appears to have developed a high tolerance.

Missouri Medical Marijuana; list of doctors and clinics

Last Updated: 7/15/2020

  • OUT OF BUSINESS:
  • Emily -The Green Clinics (Now offering tele-health visits)
  • The Green Clinics Butler, Mo
  • The Green Clinics Versailles, MO
  • The Green Clinics Poplar Bluff, MO
  • The Green Clinics /Rivermarket Kansas City, MO
  • The Green Clinics St. Joe, MO
  • The Green Clinics St. Louis, MO
  • The Green Clinics Trenton, MO
  • http://TheGreenClinics.com

Let us know if there are other clinics/doctors to add to this list.

Lit Naturals, LLC makes no guarantees about the organizations above. It is the prospective patient’s responsibility to research providers in advance of a visit.

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is defined by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as a condition that leads to repeated and severe bouts of vomiting. It is rare and only occurs in daily long-term users of marijuana.

Readers may have caught on to the fact that we prefer to give the straight scoop – the good and the bad. The fact is; too much of a good thing (cannabis in this case) is almost always bad.

CHS was only recently discovered, but it does seem to be limited to regular, heavy users of cannabis and cannabis concentrates. The condition can result in severe, uncontrolled nausea and may sometimes be preceded by periods of mild nausea. It also seems to be specific to THC, but more research and clinical observation is needed.

We would also like to emphasize that the condition is rare, and from the reports we have seen it seems to be most likely for users who are not taking marijuana for medical reasons.

My Conjecture: I posit that this condition presents itself due to the bi-phasic effects of THC in particular. Isn’t it a wonder that THC can help reduce nausea, but can also cause uncontrolled nausea? Thus, if you manage your tolerance and take only enough cannabis to address your symptoms – you’ll probably never have to worry about this affliction.