OMG! That's some extreme elevation! This really changes the focus... growing cannabis at a very high elevation, in a greenhouse.
Siiiii...........
Soooo... yes, you'd need a strain that's very adapted to growing there, or at least strains that come from a similar mountain climate.
Siiiii........
Perhaps landraces from Northern India mountains at a similar latitude. Or mountain areas in Southeast Asia.
Yes, good idea.
The greenhouse is going to need to provide warmth, especially in the winter.
Yes, the contractor told me that winter is from March through August.
He said summer is from September through February.
I asked him about night lighting, and he did not know what I was talking about. I had to explain the bit about 12 hours of sleep causing the plants to make the flowering hormone, and how things are in the northern hemisphere (non-equatorial light patterns).
I asked him about fans, and he just smiled, and said no one uses fans in greenhouses here.
His son said that when it gets too hot they will take the plastic away, but they never bother with mesh, so I think that Moños is also probably also at least fairly pest resistant.
The indigenous live close to the land here. They like to do stuff in harmony with nature (similar to Chinese and Japanese). I knew there would be a rhythm that they would have practiced before there was plastic for greenhouse tents, I just did not know when it was.
Now I know I should have planted seeds four or five months ago, so that they can flower now! Lol!
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But it is good to be learning what the native rhythm is. They plant at the start of winter (around March or April) and veg until summer starts in about September. I think if we can get cut over to that rhythm long term it will be great.
The contractor seemed to think that the Dr. S. CBDs would probably need a season or two to adapt to the annual rhythm (because they are not adapted yet).
He seemed to think that the seeds would be adapted to the annual rhythm of the valley in a season or two, and it makes sense (especially if we grow it from seed in the cold, and then it gets hot.)
I heard similar things about animals. They say that the natural immunity is better if they are born on the ground where they will live, because they will be "adapted".
So I am just guessing that this year we will need night lights for sure, because we are growing AGAINST the natural rhythm. But then next year we can grow WITH the natural rhythm, and probably we will not put the night lights unless the girls start to flower prematurely.
(I am happy if they learn to flower for four months, if it will make it stronger.)
So yes, the Mango Biche, and if the seeds are not germinating, maybe get some fresher seed.
I actually had a second MB come up, so that is 33% (which is better than I thought).
I just planted 23 more seeds, and all we really need is one male and one female.
I think MB is going to be the strong tall vigorous resistant THC strain I need to pair with the CBD plants.
I think MB will be better than Moños, just because it is bigger (plus it has a good reputation. MB is very popular).
Beyond Mango Biche, I don't know. Trying other strains/phenos you already have may not pan out, just because of the extreme environment.
It hurt to tear out all of those little clones, and the seedlings from the seeds--but this is going to be a torture test.
We will be forcing the girls NOT to flower, which is AGAINST the natural rhythm of the valley.
It will be worth it, to see which ones have the best natural pest defenses, and which ones grow the most healthy under extreme conditions.
If they survive, and we like it, then we can start the next batch in March or something, and grow with the natural rhythm of the valley.
RE: Acclimating
Just grow the seed and pick the most robust plants... these are your phenos.
Keep the developing plants in veg using night interruption lighting.
Yes, this first year we will.
But then after the first year, we will only add night lighting if they start to flower prematurely.
And eventually we expect them NOT to need night lighting (because the indigenous do not need it).
Take cuttings and make clones of the best plants (phenos). Shoot for 2 or 3 clones of each. Label the clones to associate them with the moms. Then flower the clone moms and see how they do, in terms of bud rot and leaf mold. (Of course, plants in veg need to be in a separate space than the moms that are flowering.)
I will talk with them about a separate veg tent.
If all else fails I can tend clones here, but it is better if they can handle the whole thing.
Pine and skunk odor are good indicators of the presence of anti-fungal pine terpenes. If you find particularly good fungus/mold resistance in a particular pheno, you've now got the clone(s) of that pheno, and you can grow it indefinitely (just keep cloning the clones).
If I were in your position, I would focus more on finding the genetics from various sources that will work well (seed and clones) in that environment, rather than trying to develop new strains through breeding.
Right.
And since everyone grows open-pollination here, it would probably be futile to try to grow sinsemilla, because of the bees and bugs.
The cob should do fine with seeds.
But yes, you could for example grow Mango Biche and cross it with Dr. Seedsman CBD, to produce F1 hybrid seed, which you could then grow out and see what you get.
Well, frankly, it sounds like a lot of work!
I asked them if they knew anyone with CBD plants, and they said they would ask around, but I am not holding my breath.
Probably 99-100% of the weed here is THC/recreational weed, and I am not sure if we will meet the other 1% any time soon.
If people go seeded here, then I think what I really want is something like a Chemotype 2 with pest and mold resistant genetics (and ideally Pineapple Kush phenos), that is already adapted to the valley.
But, like you say, the selection of Chemotype 2 is really limited, so I will have to look.
If I can find a Pineapple Kush CBD already adapted to the valley, I could spring for it.
And maybe we will find someone with CBD already adapted to here.
If the packages ever get here, I have Juanita LaLagrimosa (Weeping Jane, sativa) and Juanita LaLagrimosa CBD (hybrid) on the way. And diesel CBD hybrids. Probably those will be fine if we plant them in the winter, and grow them in the summer.
Some phenos would be more like MB, some would be more like DS, and some would be a blend. It's possible you could find a 1:1 pheno, THC/CBD. Or, it's possible you could arrive at a MB with a decent amount of CBD in it, but perhaps not 1:1. Etc.
Yes, it sounds like a process.
Here's the thing, though... whatever you do in this regard, the main purpose I think is to develop something that produces CBD and grows well in that environment.
Yes, that would check my main block.
If I can get CBD and it grows reliably, I can deal with the rest.
Pineapple Kush would be VERY nice to have, but CBD and reliable would be the big two.
Again, I think it would be better to acquire some seed of a strain that's already from a similar environment, grow the seed, and then hunt for the best phenos that grow well in your environment. I mean, it makes sense to me to start that way, and then if for some reason that approach fails, THEN you could consider breeding.
Yes, that was my thought with the Pineapple Kush from the Colombian breeder, was a) we are broke, and that was $15 (rather than $50 with shipping and insurance and a two month wait).
I can check the Colombian breeding houses again (there are some, typically small-time) for Pineapple Kush CBD mixed with Mango Biche, but I am not holding my breath.
So, not only are you looking for phenos that can grow in that extreme mountain environment, you are also looking for high bud rot resistance, and high pest resistance.
It would be devoutly to be wished.
Any given Northern Lights pheno, for example, isn't necessarily going to have high bud rot resistance. If you focused on NL5, which is not a CBD plant, then you'd probably have a good shot at the resistance.
Well, I did have two NL CBD Autos mold on me indoors under LEDs and fans maybe two grows ago.
As we discussed in past posts, it could have been the CBD plant tha wrecked the resistance, or the auto plant, not sure.
With NL CBD photo sativa, I only have to worry about the CBD-ancestor that could hypothetically lower bud rot resistance, but still it could have.
This is from
seedfinder.eu:
Pyramid Seeds Northern Lights CBD info:
Type: Feminized seeds
Genetics: Northern Lights
x CBD Rich
Indica-dominant
Indoor flowering: 55 days
Harvest outdoors: early September
Indoor yield: 500g per m2
Outdoor yield: 500-1000g per plant
THC: 10%
CBD: 9%
THC/CBD ratio: 1:1
Northern Lights CBD Lineage / Genealogy
I have to see if the "Unknown CBD strain" maintained the mold resistance, or no.
I thought I would see if they survive the grow room indoors under LED (because if they do not survive that, then there is no way they will survive the greenhouse).
And then whatever I take to the greenhouse, we just have to see what lives, and what dies.
It's somewhat of a Catch22... you want genetics that work well in that extreme environment, but trying to develop genetics in that extreme environment would I think be quite challenging.
Yes, I think it sounds like a multi-year project, and a lot of work and time.
I think it sounds very interesting! But time is a cruncher, and I think it would be better to find some super-top-shelf genetics like what you are recommending, that already have the CBD.
GTR said that they would ship to Colombia, and that Lifter and Sour Hawaiian Haze are good big CBD girls, so maybe if the budget eases anywhere in between now and March, we can invest in some CBD rich seed.
But I also think that if you can adapt European seed it should slowly adapt to the tropics, and it will learn to flower more like 4-6 months, so it will get stronger also.
So I am keen to get some better genetics, but for an emergency first round, I think I could do a LOT worse than MB and Dr. S. Both of them are supposed to be mold and pest resistant, and both are sativas, so if they can survive this kind of a torture test, it would be both reliable, and CBD.
And then in future grows we can let them follow the natural rhythm.
And unless I am mistaken, I would have to cross the seed back with either MB or with Dr. S., which takes ANOTHER year to walk out...
And then you have to track a zillion phenos...
And you STILL do not have Pineapple or Kush in the mix....
So yes, I think I can do a seed hunt when the money comes back.
I do enjoy changing the strain once in a while--and this would be the opposite of that.
Maybe think more in terms of obtaining seed from similar environments, and pheno hunting, rather than developing new seed. Well, you can at least first see what happens with growing the MB and DS.
I think this is probably the plants I should be growing right now.
In future years it would be nice to have CBD Pineapple Kush (or similar) that is resistant, but I think that for right now, this is the seeds and the budget we have, and this sounds like a workable plan. (And interesting.)
Maybe someone will have a CBD Pineapple Kush that is pest and mold resistant, that is adapted to the valley?
Or next year maybe we can bring in some better genetics? We will see.
In the meantime, this sounds interesting, and it sounds like something I will learn from.
I am in way over my head with this whole thing, so I just need to take it one step at a time right now.
I appreciate the help very much.
too late!
