Damn man. I'm not saying I couldn't find all this info on google. But it'd take hours of research. This is like a clinic. Thanks for taking the time to share. I've always heard its a weed. I guess it truly is. That's one thing I've noticed about "pests" like cockroaches, bacteria, or viruses. They have the ability to adapt genetically at an unbelievably rapid pace. We're running out of options to save the honey bee, while africanized bees can't be combated. Genetics are something else. You grow some pure landraces...do you the hassle (it sounds like its difficult from your description) in maintaining the genetics of the strain are worthwhile? Put another way: when you grow one of your pure landraces to feel the experience and quality of the high are significantly different than some of the stabilized crosses that exist today? IE, blue dream, jack herer, OG Kush. Or do you think the variation in the effect is perhaps mild compared to the intertwined genetics of Billy's Big Power Bud? I understand the genetics of the modern strains has been diluted as you've noted, but I'm talking about your favorite high quality hybrids compared to say, your own grow of Thai Stick. Do you see a substantial difference in the effects?

Interesting stuff. So theoretically, lets say a person came across very rare seeds, or only had one seed. This person sprouted that seed(s), and it was female. That plant, in theory, could be "stressed" in order to turn it hermie, thereby creating seeds that could be used to keep that strain in existence, even though a male and female of the same lineage were not present?

@Big Sur I thought this reply deserved its own post. Hell, were on a growers message board, so maybe it deserves its own thread. That's stickied at the top. OK, enough hype... I suffered from regular migraines as a child/young adult. They sucked. As I got older they changed into "cluster headaches". That's the eyeball thing your talking about. Nasty. But I learned a trick! It helps me *EVERY SINGLE* time, but only helps friends I know sometimes. Take a pack of ice and put it on your neck. Much better done as soon as you get the "aura" (if you get the aura, or any warning sign). Keep it there till it hurts. Take if off. The headache will start coming back and you clamp that puppy right back on as your neck (really more specifically blood vessels) start to warm up and the headache builds back again. Once I do this 3 or 3 cycles its very manageable (but never, ever, fully goes away until I sleep.) Works like clockwork for me whereas pills do nothing.

Yes! Does depend on how you define "heirloom" I guess I'm really talking about LandRaces. I know I don't like Indica's too much, so I'm curious about trying something that's 100% Sativa. I've read that the mixing of Indica in with the original LR sativas was not only for ease of growing, but also to take the 'edge off' a speedy sativa. But I like the challenge of trying to master my mind racing. I'm intrigued to see how it would affect me. My curiosity is also heightened by the discussions I've seen of all the variants of THC that we only see trace elements of in many of the other crosses. I'm a big believer in the subtleties of nature and would like to see what she intended. So while I indulge, I'm determined to move away from the commercially grown/produced/sold that one finds in dispensaries. Or God forbid the streets!!! Does anyone remember that in the 90's?! Mmmmm....my bag of brown Mex brick smells like an intoxicating combination of Formaldehyde and Raid. Can't wait to light er up and kill brain cells!

WOW! Nice post. I just learned so much here. I have dozens of questions now (there is so much to learn on the growing and breeding side). But I'm still smarter after having read that. The phenomenon you and @cannabissapean describe about the homoginzation (and the lesser touched on point of breeding for the purposes of yield, flowering time, resistance to disease/pests, etc..) is the reason I became interested in LandRaces. Even though I've never head the pure strains of yesteryear, as soon as I learned of the concern I understood the issue. Its the same thing that's happening to our fruits & vegetables. Companies like Monsanto (they're great guys. Not slandering them. Hi Monsanto attorney!) are breeding the flavor out of our fruits and vegetables so they are more profitable for farmers to grow. A strawberry is selected to be bigger, redder, and more pest resistant. But they taste a little like cardboard. Worse yet, when supermarkets and produce stores buy, they buy strawberries that are picked and shipped green. They ripen in the back of some truck on an interstate highway. Even in summer. When I eat a locally grown strawberry its night and day. They are small, imperfect, visually flawed, and soft in sports from sitting in the June sun. But they are juicy. Sweet. Tart. They have *FLAVOR*. Nothing artificial can replicate it. Just can't. But its only there for a few precious weeks in June. I can only imagine there is a parallel in Marijuana crops. If you'd indulge me in bestowing more knowledge: 1. So that genetic "drift" you spoke of...is that something you feel dilutes the uniqueness of the strains effects? 2. How do you specifically feel about some (meaning select instances ) of the heirloom seeds that are offered by some of the seed companies? Do you feel across the board the genetics aren't legitimate, or just that the reliability of pure genetics is too hit or miss to make purchase and grow efforts worth while (due to the high effort of actually growing the girls!) 3. Little off topic...do hermies have any value? I guess specifically, can you take the seeds that might come off a hermie and use them to self cross, produce more seeds, etc...or is the line (the seeds) "ruined" after the parent goes hermie ?

Why would you avoid seeds from seeding companies? Can you be more specific.

I'm happy to help and offer some input, but I'm not a Svengali or guru. I just opened up the form in the chrome debugger and changed the screen to iphone5. Its really responsive! I was incorrectly assuming it didn't scale properly to lower resolution, but it clearly does. I'm guessing the issues you talking about are more uploading photos, etc? Is there somewhere the specific bugs/issues with mobile devices are documented for public view? I'm assuming google analytics told you mobile users were returning much less frequently than desktop? I believe 2016 was the year that mobile finally surpassed desktop for sheer volume of internet access. Unfortunately, Instagram goes great with mobile. Forums and posts a little less so. Unlez u lik to c ppl talk lik dis LOL. Sad, but true.

That's fucked up. I've heard similar stories about the people who grow in Humboldt. They get busted taking there crops to the dispensaries to the south of them, and have to be very careful. Guaranteed there is major politics to which places the feds are raiding to get their cash. I'm no Trump fan, but Obama didn't do much regarding reclassification of the Schedule 1 classification (NO medical benefit! My ass!), but I guess his hands were going to be tied in a no win situations. At least thats what I tell myself to cut him some slack. Rumblings are Trump is no fan of legalization, and the feds may look harder at enforcement. Glad you mentioned to Cannabissapean to be careful. You and him are right: someone could look at his thread, do something stupid, and blame him. Anyhow, I understand the legal "gray area" (OK fine, its not gray. Its probably more black and white) that this operates in. But in 2018 it will be legal in CA for rec use. Of course things would still have to be done with care, but they always have. Right now its legal to grow and give away (as long is the recipient is 21+ I believe). Regarding getting flowers from a dispensary, I've yet to see a dispensary offer a true heirloom. They're all Bubble-Super-OG-Wreck-a-Cookie with 79% THC shatter! As I've gotten older my taste is more discerning. I've noticed if I smoke more than 2 bowls a day of certain stashes I have I'm guaranteed a headache. I used to think that was the flowers, but am now realizing its most likely the accumulation of chemicals from cheeba thats not flushed properly. I'm very keen to find pure sativa genetics with a proper, loving grow that will yield a side effect free high (without the nasty headaches) that I see people write about. I don't believe I can get that experience in a commercial dispensary. At least not from what I've personally experienced and seen written. Thanks again for your input.

I'm actually putting the finishing touches on a website we're launching in the next 4-6 weeks, so I know you mean about about PDD (we call it mobile). Personally I only ever use the net when I can get on desktop. Unless I absolutely HAVE to find out some info. Anyhow, my point is the world is moving to mobile and we (as website owners) have to accept it. We just decided to use JQuery Mobile. Its lightweight library, is easy to implement, and works well on desktop too. And now I'm officially hijacking my own grow thread on a rare MJ strain message board and turning it into UI front end development topic. LOL. Point is, I hear you. So as not to put things that aren't "on topic", I will send you a PM with some thoughts this weekend.

Not bothering me at all. I apologize if it came off that way. Quite the opposite. I appreciate the advice and guidance. I'll go out and make some friends! Regarding the Navigation aid you sent, I looked at it when it first came in. It was quite long and a bit convoluted for someone who never used the forum before. Not an organic chemistry textbook by any means, but took a little concentration to follow. But I'll re-read it. I agree as far as learning. If I don't enjoy that, I probably don't enjoy life anymore. Thanks again

You seem to be the only person talking to me here, so thank you for responding. Also, than you for all the helpful information. I've never heard of the Free States of America either, LOL. But I like it. This post was filled with information and insight and practical advice. I will probably follow most, if not all, of it. With regards to growing, I'm going to D/L these videos (yes, there are extensions to chrome web browser to do so!) from YT with an eye towards the future. Since I've begun my deeper exploration of cannabis I've come to understand why growing your own is superior to what you can find on the street or even at a dispensary. So I think growing my own is a great goal for myself. But I also had no idea HOW MUCH THERE IS TO LEARN! Seriously, the terms and techniques: harvesting early to stop expression of indica genes, isolating males & gathering pollen to get seeds for later, hermaphroditic plants, white hairs, soil PH, etc. Luckily I like to learn, so I'm up for it. But I get the distinct feeling that it will be several rounds of trial and error. Learning from my mistakes. Especially since the only thing I'm interested in are heirloom Sativas (which I've read can be notoriously difficult). Anyhow thanks again for all the great leads and advice. Its appreciated.

It does help. Thanks for the reply and advice. I actually don't live in CA. Just go there semi-regularly. Where I live growing is NOT legal. I'm confident in my ability to hunt down seeds, but do need to look for someone to help me grow them. I am hoping to connect with someone here since there are so many growers. Maybe your advice concerning a "cannabis club" is a good lead for me to start. I've actually never heard of them before. Thanks for the help

Hi All. Growing where I live is NOT legal. So its impractical for me to grow my own. Any advice for getting my hands on some LandRace/Heirloom bud? I know I can buy seeds online at a handful of reputable shops. But does anyone here think its practical, or have any tips, on how to find someone to grow them? I travel frequently to the Los Angeles area and would be happy to pay someone and wait the time until they were done. But I don't know if this kind of thing is done, or how to take the first few steps. Alternatively, I'd be OK to start with getting some LandRaces/Heirlooms at a Los Angeles dispensary. But I'm having no luck in finding stock. Any general advice/ideas/places to start?

I know some people are looking for land race indicas, but come on....couchlock? Like Beavis & Butthead? (kidding indica lovers. Kidding. Kind of) Seriously. Most of us are here for the sativas, right? Besides the obvious things like energy, sociability, etc there's the intangibles. The soaring mental state that makes me feel the actual magic in life. Makes me feel more athletic and coordinated. Makes so many things make sense finally. The deeper understanding. I don't get the same from indica. It seems like its the cheaper, easier, more sugary mass appeal version of alcohol versus a single malt. Not trying to flame indica lovers. Am I being a snob or are most of us hear for the same reason: Sativas are harder to grow, and its effects more delicate (ie dulled in hybrids) and make a landrace sativa more like .... a pure sativa?