How does your garden grow?
All the Strains in a hedge
All in a perfect row
First the seeds
And then the water
Keeping 4’ of space
CBD here, THC there
Each one has their place.
Those of you who know me well, will know that my body is more receptive to cannabis strains which contain more THC than it is to strains which are known to contain more CBD.
I’m just partial to THC and how that particular cannabinoid improves the quality of my life.
I don’t seem to receive the same benefits with CBD on its own.
There. I said it. I am a THC snob.
To date, in Canada, we are currently only routinely testing for the presence of these two main cannabinoids; THC and CBD. In actuality, there are 109 more which are known to exist and I’d like to think they’re all being feverishly studied for their life supporting qualities.
(I know, I know, but it’s my pipe dream. Can you just let a girl dream?)
I do think that I am a CBD anomaly because many people around the globe report amazing results, in their own bodies, sticking to CBD only.
In fact in the last 2 years, we’ve witnessed an explosion of CBD-based products flooding the Canadian cannabis medical and retail markets.
Everyone (it seems) and their dog (literally) is clambering for the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving benefits of CBD.
Due to the fact that CBD isn’t psychoactive, it falls into a decidedly grey area from a legal standpoint. This varies from one country to another and often from one level of government within a country to another level of government within the same country, even.
Genetics, which are known to contain CBD have been tricky to secure within Canada because the demand for them has and continues to remain high.
Research studies are indicating that CBD is more effective than THC for some types of cancers, especially if they’re estrogen based.
Half the garden will be CBD strains. The other half will be a mixture of THC strains and hybrid strains.
The hybrid strains usually contain both THC and CBD in more balanced ratios to one another. Hybrid strains that offer a careful balance, between THC and CBD percentage are also sought after.
Strains that offer a 1:1 ratio or close to a 1:1 ratio are prized for deliverying a powerful entourage effect (meaning the ability to deliver the benefits of both THC and CBD) in a gentler way. This is because CBD generally reduces the physchoactivity of THC when both of those cannabinoids are present in the same strain. The greater the CBD percentage, the greater the psychoactive reduction will be.
Hybrids that contain THC will still produce a high effect, just not as strong of a high or psychoactive sensation than if the strain contained only THC.
I consider hybrids that offer a closer 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD to be like bicycle training wheels for people who are learning to use cannabis plant medicine.
Pro-tip:
It’s a good idea to grow different strains so that you have choice. Medically speaking, the ultimate goal is to choose a strain that’s ideally suited to balance whatever deficiencies exist and alleviate the most offensive symptoms at the same time. This varies from day to day and sometimes from hour to hour.
In addition to introducing diversity into our inventory, we are also keen to save valuable genetics at the same time. Even though CBD isn’t something that normally gets me too excited, saving genetics from one growing season to the next, does.
The CBD strains that we have secured and or, saved for our 2019 growing season and strain library are:
(Strains from left to right)
- AC/DC This strain is also known as Cannatonic and boasts a CBD % as high as 19%. (It’s a sativa.)
In the photo (above) you can see what I see. This is what the AC/DC seeds looked like after 48 hours of germination.
In the photo (below) you can see what this phenotype looked like after 96 hours of germination.
- Charlotte’s Northern Flame Ultimately this is an unknown hybrid which we’re hoping to pull 12% CBD out of, once everything is said and done.
(Friends crossed Charlotte’s Web with Northern Flame in the summer of 2018. Normally Charlotte’s Web can land anywhere from 15-20% CBD.)
In the photo (above) you can see what Charlotte’s Northern Flame looks like after germinating for 48 hours.
In the photo (below) you can see what the seeds look like after 96 hours of germination.
- Ringo’s Gift This strain is originally from California and the genetics were meticulously hybridized by the hands of Lawrence Ringo. It can reach up to 24% CBD.
In the photo (above) you can see what Ringo’s Gift looked like after 48 hours.
As you can see, not much as happened.
In the photo (below) you can see that the seeds have just started to germinate after 96 hours.
- CD-1 also known as Candida. This strain can range in its CBD content from 11-20%.
In the photo (above) you can see what the CD-1 seeds looked like after 48 hours of germination.
In the photo (below) you can see what the CD-1 seeds looked like after 96 hours of germination.
We germinate all our seeds by using an Easy Green Sprouter.
More information on this sprouter can be found from Easy Green’s website: https://www.easygreen.com/product-category/sprouters/
Not to disappoint, we were also very fortunate to be gifted a few special seeds...
We are planning to sprout these seeds in our next round of sprouting efforts and I will keep a growing log.
Once sprouted completely, all these seeds will be planted in soil and grown to be mothers which will then become cloning machines.
I’ll be sure to provide an update as progress is made. Currently we are in a deep freeze with temperatures routinely hitting-30 degrees Celsius. Quite frankly I am surprised we were able to get anything to germinate. ;)
Rebecca