[cannebosanac]

poglavlje 4 nastavak

Contrary to popular thought, planting Cannabis strains
later in the season in temperate latitudes may actually pro-
mote earlier flowering. Most cultivators believe that plant-
ing early gives the plant plenty of time to flower and it will
finish earlier. This is often not true. Seedlings started in
February or March grow for 4-5 months of increasing
photoperiod before the days begin to get shorter following
the solstice in June. Huge vegetative plants grow and may
form floral inhibitors during the months of long photo-
period. When the days begin to get shorter, these older
plants may be reluctant to flower because of the floral
inhibitors formed in the pre-floral leaves. Since floral clus-
ter formation takes 6-10 weeks, the initial delay in flower-
ing could push the harvest date into November or Decem-
ber. Cannabis started during the short days of December or
January will often differentiate sex by March or April.
Usually these plants form few floral clusters and rejuvenate
for the long season ahead. No increased potency has been
noticed in old rejuvenated plants. Plants started in late
June or early July, after the summer solstice, are exposed
only to days of decreasing photoperiod. When old enough
they begin flowering immediately, possibly because they
haven't built up as many long-day floral inhibitors. They
begin the 6-10 week floral period with plenty of time to
finish during the warmer days of October. These later
plantings yield smaller plants because they have a shorter
vegetative cycle. This may prove an advantage. in green-
house research, where it is common for plants to grow far
too large for easy handling before they begin to flower.
Late plantings after the summer solstice receive short in-
ductive photoperiods almost immediately. However, flow-
ering is delayed into September since the plant must grow
before it is old enough to flower. Although flowering is de-
layed, the small plants rapidly produce copious quantities
of flowers in a final effort to reproduce.
Extremes in nutrient concentrations are considered
influential in both the sex determination and floral devel-
opment of Cannabis. High nitrogen levels in the soil during
the seedling stage seem to favor pistillate plants, but high
nitrogen levels during flowering often result in delayed
maturation and excessive leafing in the floral clusters. Phos-
phorus and potassium are both vital to the floral matura-
tion of Cannabis. High-phosphorus fertilizers known as
"bloom boosters" are available, and these have been shown
to accelerate flowering in some plants. However, Cannabis
plants are easily burned with high phosphorus fertilizers
since they are usually very acidic. A safer method for the
plant is the use of natural phosphorus sources, such as
colloidal phosphate, rock phosphate, or bone meal; these
tend to cause less shock in the maturing plant. They are a
source of phosphorus that is readily available as well as
long-term in effect. Chemical fertilizers sometimes produce
floral clusters with a metallic, salty flavor. Extremes in
nutrient levels usually affect the growth of the entire plant
in an adverse way.
Hormones, such as gibberellic acid, ethylene, cyto-
kinins and auxins, are readily available and can produce
some strange effects. They can stimulate flowering in some
cases, but they also stimulate sex reversal. Plant physiology
is not simple, and results are usually unpredictable. Harvesting, Drying, and Curing
Cannabis is cultivated for the harvest of several differ-
ent commercial products. Pulp, fiber, seed, drugs, and resin
are produced from various parts of the Cannabis plant. The
methods of harvesting, drying, curing, and storing various
plant parts are determined by the intended use of the plant.
Pulp is made from the leaves of juvenile plants and from
waste products of fiber and drug production. Fibers are
produced from the stems of the Cannabis plant. The floral
clusters are responsible for the production of seeds, drugs,
and aromatic resins.
If plants are to be used solely as a pulp source for
paper production, they may be harvested at any point in
the life cycle when they are large enough to produce a
reasonable yield of leaves and small stems. The leaves and
small stems are stripped from the larger stalks, and after
drying they are bailed and stored or made directly into
paper pulp. Cannabis contains approximately 67% cellulose
and 16% hemicellulose; this makes a fine resilient paper.
In Italy, the finest Bibles are printed on hemp paper.
Fiber or hemp Cannabis is usually grown in large,
crowded fields. Crowding of seedlings results in tall, thin
plants with few limbs and long, straight fibers. The total
field is harvested when the fiber content reaches the cor-
rect level but before the fibers begin to lignify or harden.
The cut stalks are stripped of leaves and bundled to dry.
Fibers are extracted by natural or chemical retting, Retting
is the breaking down of the outside skin layer and tissues
that join the fibers into bundles, so that the individual
fibers are freed. Natural retting is accomplished by soaking
the stalks in water and laying them out on the ground,
where they are attacked by decay organisms such as fungi
and bacteria. Dew may also wet the stalks, and they are
turned frequently to evenly wet them and avoid excessive
decay. Continued soaking, attack by organisms, and pound-
ing of the stalks results in the liberation of individual fibers
from their vascular bundles. Natural retting takes from one
week to a month. The fibers are thoroughly dried, wrapped
in bundles and stored in a cool, dry area. The yield of fiber
is approximately 25% of the weight of the dried stalks.
Seeds are harvested by cutting fields of seeded pistil-
late plants and removing the seeds either by hand or ma-
chine. Cannabis seeds usually fall easily from the floral
clusters when mature. The remainder of the plant may be
used as pulp material or low-grade marijuana. The Indian
tradition of preparing ganja is by walking on it and rolling
it between the palms to remove excess seeds and leaves.
Seeds are allowed to dry completely and all vegetable
debris is removed before storage. This prevents spoilage
caused by molds and other fungi. Seeds to be used for oil
production may be stored in bags, boxes, or jars, and not
exposed to excess humidity (causing them to germinate) or
excessive aridity (causing them to dry out and crack).
Seeds preserved for future germination are thoroughly air
dried in paper envelopes or cloth sacks and stored in air-
tight containers in a cool, dark, dry place. Freezing may
also dry out seeds and cause them to crack. If seeds are
carefully stored, they remain viable for a number of years.
As a batch of seeds ages, fewer and fewer of them will ger-
mmate, but even after 5 to 6 years a small percentage of
the seeds usually still germinate. Old batches of seeds also
tend to germinate slowly (up to 5 weeks). This means that
a batch of seeds for cultivation might be stored for a longer
time if the initial sample is large enough to provide suffi-
cient seeds for another generation. If a strain is to be pre-
served, it is necessary to grow and reproduce it every three
years, so that enough viable seeds are always available.