Need help & advice

[wisnudewo]

Hi, im Wisnu from Indonesia,

i want to ask a question about what kind weed that i can grow in my country that has tropical weather

i need to grow by myself cause its still ilegal plant in Indonesia, and i need weed for my nerve problem

PS : sorry about my grammar, cause i cant speak english very well

[Cannabissapean]

Hello wisnudewo,

Your English is better than some others who post in here.  And I am absolutely certain that it will become even better as you continue to read these topics, learn the craft, and especially continue posting your comments, pictures and questions here at Strain Hunters.

To answer your question, I shall offer the following information:

(This information is correct as far as I know, but with time, the sciences and popular opinion can shed new light on the complete understanding of the theme of cannabis.  So, if my opinions expressed here are different than the opinions of others who might read this, that's fine.  I encourage you to post your opinions within this forum as well.  I will use many terms with which some readers may not be familiar.  If you are not familiar with a particular word or acronym,  just google it and you should be rewarded with lots of information.)

There are basically 3 different kinds of Cannabis.  They are called Cannabis Indica, Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Ruderalis.  It is argued among various groups whether these are different species or subspecies, or not even different species at all.  My latest understanding is that the United States Federal system does not acknowledge any difference among them along the lines of these names.  But as breeders, growers, scientific/medical researchers, smokers and users of the wonderful cannabis plant, we know very well that the differences do exist and are quite significant.  My personal opinion is that Indica, Sativa and Ruderalis are subspecies (cousins) that had not yet finished their complete separation of genetic lines in terms of evolutionary timeline.  That is why they can still readily cross-pollinate and produce new plants with varying phenotype characteristics.

Indica:

It is believed that Indica evolved in the region of the world of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Northern India (hence the name given to it - Indica).  It has generally broader leaflets than its Sativa and Ruderalis cousins.  It grows generally taller than Ruderalis but shorter than Sativa (under ideal conditions between 1 to 2 meters tall).  It thrives in an environment more humid than the Sativa, warmer than the Ruderalis, and maybe a bit cooler than the Sativa prefers.  The internodal distance is generally much shorter than the Sativa.  It is photoperiod-sensitive, that is:  It grows vegetatively when it has light for 18 hours each day(simulating the long daylight hours of Summer), and it begins to produce flowers when the daylight hours are reduced to around 12 hours each day(simulating the reduced daylight hours of the Fall and Winter).  The flowers they produce can become quite large and dense.  The psychoactive effects are generally sedative, calming (some call it couch-lock).  The Indica strains developed by breeders for the recreational market today have significantly higher levels of THC.

Sativa:

It is believed that Sativa evolved somewhere in southern Africa.  In general, the leaflets remain relatively thin as compared to Indica.  Sativas have relatively long internodal distances and therefore they can grow very tall, 2 meters, 3 meters, even taller with the proper soil, water, temperature, nutrients and lighting conditions.  Sativas normally produce small but numerous bud sites (often called popcorn buds).  Sativas prefer climates a bit dryer and hotter than Indica.  Sativa is also photoperiod-sensitive.  The psychoactive effects range from calming to exciting, giddyness to creative, even to paranoia.  Generally, Sativas contain a bit higher percentage of CBD as do Indicas.  The industrial hemp of the fields of the USA before the prohibition of the early 1900's were a form of Sativas.  Today similar strains of industrial hemp are grown at various places around the world, and generally have less than 0,3% THC, and some do have elevated amounts of CBD or CBN, making them the subject of medical research.  The Sativa strains developed by breeders for the recreational market today have significantly higher levels of THC.

Ruderalis:

It is believed that Ruderalis evolved somewhere in northern Asia / Siberia, possibly an evolutionary throw-off from Sativas that Mankind had introduced into the region.  Ruderalis generally grows much shorter and more sparcely than its Indica and Sativa cousins.  But there are 2 more major differences:  1. The Ruderalis had lost its photoperiod-sensitivity during its evolutionary phase, possibly because it had to survive the extreme northern climate and the naturally reduced daylight period of the northern lattitudes.  This means that the plant does not require manipulation of the photoperiod in order for the plant to begin making flowers; it simply begins making flowers according to some kind of internal clock controlled by its genetics (Nutrition, pH of the medium, temperature, and other conditions may also contribute to this, but mainly, the plant determines when it throws its flowers.)  We call this phenomenon Auto-flowering.    2. Ruderalis generally has rather low THC content, and hybrids produced with Ruderalis must be painstakingly back-crossed again and again with potent strains in order to create high-potency Auto-strains.  Ruderalis or Autos are not a good choice if you intend to make clones.  Remember, even the clones are on the same genetic timeclock as the parent.

 

THC and the other Cannabinoids:  There are some 60 to 90 different types of molecules identified by science known to be produced by Cannabis.  Researchers are still studying them to learn their effects and possible uses in medicine.  But there are 3 Cannabinoids that occur in large enough amounts that they are often spoken about.  They are THC (also called Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD and CBN.  Indica and Sativa generally have the greater THC percentages (especially when they are fostered through selective breeding; more on that later.).  Ruderalis generally has less THC.  THC is the Cannabinoid that is responsible for the psychoactive effects sought by recreational users, as well as some other physiologigal effects that are useful in the treatment of Glaucoma and some other conditions.  CBD and CBN seem to have effects that counter or mitigate the effects of THC, but even more important, they have been linked to reducing some harmful or undesired effects (ie., siezures) from conditions such as Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons, Epilepsy and more.

THC in its raw form from the plant produces virtually no psychoactive effect.  It must first be decarboxylated.  This occurs through heating the plant material in the presence of oxygen or alcohol or oils or other high-quality/pure hydrocarbons.  Through the heating process, The THC is converted or decarboxylated.  In this form, it is activated.  This is why it is smoked.  Activated THC entering the bloodstream via the lungs produces the fastest effect.  The drawback to smoking is that a lot of the THC is also destroyed via the burning process.  Additionally, just like when smoking tobacco, burning the plant material produces tars and many other poisons which are also inhaled.  These tars and poisons harm the lungs and the cardiovascular systems of the smoker.   Filters and water-bongs help somewhat to filter-out the largest undesired particles, but not all of them.  Filters and bongs also capture the desired THC, and it is wasted away when the filter or bong water is discarded. 

An alternative to smoking is VAPING; this decarboxylates the THC without burning the material.  (Even the residual material left over after vaping can be saved and used in an infusion, see Infusion, next.)  There are hundreds of vaping gadgets on the market today; some good some are crap. 

Still another method of decarboxylating THC is called INFUSION; slowly heating plant material in a clean and controlled manner in the presence of alcohol, oil, or other hydrocarbon, then filtering-away the plant material, thus producing a slurry which contains the decarboxylated THC.  If a hydrocarbon is used (butane, hexane, others), great care must be taken to prevent an explosion, and the hydrocarbon MUST slowly be evaporated away to remove the fuel from the resulting product (called oil, wax, BHO, etc.).  If alcohol is used for the infusion, it is best to use the cleanest and purest grain alcohol possible (NEVER ISOPROPYL or rubbing alcohol; they contain impurities and are not an alcohol type that you would wish to ingest).  If possible use PGA (pure grain alcohol) or an unflavored grain alcohol 180-Proof (90% or better alcohol).  When the infusion is performed into a suitable drinking alcohol, the alcohol can be consumed as a drink like a bitter Schnapps.  Or if you do not wish to consume alcohol, then the alcohol can be evaporated-away to produce a thick wax or oil for dabbing purposes.  One can also infuse THC into edible oils (cooking oils, cannabis-seed oil, or butter) and then the infused result can be used in recipes for many many foods.  Just be sure not to overheat the infusion, nor to overheat the food during cooking, otherwise the THC will be broken down.  Infusing THC into butter produces what is commonly called Cannabutter, and it can be used just like regular butter.  The internet is chock full of recipes for infusing THC into Cannabutter as well as recipes for the use of Cannabutter.

 

Back to your answer.  The Cannabis-culture has long ago begun to collect strains of Cannabis from all over the world.  Through selective breeding, cross-breeding, cloning, backcrossing, there are today many many hybrids of Cannabis with significantly higher percentages of THC and varying levels of CBD and CBN.  The Ruderalis is included in these crosses so that the Auto-flowering characteristic has become commonly-offered.  (Although the Ruderalis genetics had unfortunately also lowered the THC content in Autos, through successive back-crossing, the THC content in Autos is being continuously improved.)

So, if you live in a warm and humid area of Indonesia, I would recommend that you try some Indica Strains, or even some hybrids that are crosses of Indica and Sativa.  White Widow is excellent and easy to grow in my opinion.  Kush plants are nice Indicas.  If you have limited grow-height, you might want to avoid the pure Sativas; they simply outgrow their tents, and overcrowded plants often result in diseases and pests.  After you gain experience and learn techniques like topping, super-cropping and other methods, then you may have success controlling the aggressive-growing Sativa plants.  If you don't want to deal with lighting controls, then maybe you would be happier with Autos.

As far as your selection for purchase, I recommend that you click into the "seeds" area of StrainHunters or also www.greenhouse.com and read, read, read about the characteristics of all the various strains that are available to you here.  Then check-out also "Attitude Seeds".  Attitude is a respected distributor who represents Seedbanks from around the world.

 

Have fun, my friend. 

[wisnudewo]

wow....

thanks a lot my friend, cause you give some information and important knowledge about it

i also think to buy some seed from this forum, but the bigger problem is about delivery to my country

it still ilegal in Indonesia and im afraid i can get some problem with law

now i watch some video that explain how to grow it by my self, but as i said it ilegal thing in my country and its difficult to get some seed here

if i get some weed (from black market) the THC just 7% and the CBD, that can cure my headache problem) is so less

but i wanna said thank you very very much about knowledge that you shared

[Cannabissapean]

And here is a link to another blog forum where they discussed this same issue:

 

http://www.rollitup.org/t/shipping-to-indonesia.503946/