I'm finally sick of this black afghan hash and am really curious about all these incredible strains of weed available that I have never even thought to grow....until now. Ok, so i've taken the step to order the seeds from Grasscity and bought a dozen 10 gallon clay pots to grow the plants in. This being Pakistan, I couldn't give a rats ass about cops or my neighbors...that shit simply doesn't matter here. My brain has turned to mush reading all this growing advise on the net. I know I should use perlite, vermiculite, bat guano and other stuff...but you try and explain that in urdu. I am trying the net to get an urdu translation of these things but not much luck so far. I dont even know if many of these items will be available here, so I am trying as much of the simple stuff as possible, e.g. top soil, sand, and...? Any help will be greatly appreciated. We have absolutely no problem with sunlight here so I think I shouldn't have much problem getting good results if I can simply manage the grow in a half decent manner. I'm also thinking of actually allowing one of the female plants to get pollinated so that I can get hundreds of seeds which I will then disperse throughout the farm areas just outside the city....my favorite hunting and fishing spots. Who knows, by next year I could be responsible for tens of thousands of high grade plants!
I'm originally from Pakistan, but have spent a great part of my life in Canada and elsewhere. Just moved here recently and definitely prefer weed to hash.
The images you have attached seem to be of individual urdu letters. Unfortunately, the problem is a little more complicated than that; in order for me to find vermiculite (for example) here I need to know the urdu word for it and then be able to explain it to ordinary people here in urdu, in as simple a manner as possible since most will still not know what I am talking about, who could guide me as to where I could find it. I am not even sure if there is vermiculite to be found here. That is just one example. The way I was hoping to get around this issue was to try to use as simple materials and components as possible, e.g. sand, top soil, manure, commercial fertilizer, wood chips (?), Styrofoam pellets (?), etc. I found a guide on the net from which I am copying a portion that described planting mixes; # 12 seems like a simple mix that I could easily work up without having to run around the bazaars trying and face the accompanying problems. If you have any suggestions as to which mix would work well, that would make life much easier for me. I am also facing the same issue when trying prepare for potential needs for items such as dolomitic lime (to manage ph).
umm.. have you tried finding these items online... and then have them fed-exed or UPS'd or whatever the equivalent is in Pakistan? It might be a little more expensive but at least you can get what you need without the frustration.
I've considered the option of having these items shipped to me but the thing is that I would need to buy a lot of each item in order to sustain the type of garden I am planning; 12 planters of 10 gallons each. Also, my ability to resolve this issue locally enables me to scale up as much as I want and replicate or start over or do anything else without having to order from abroad every time. Of course, the cost is a major factor. Can you imagine how much it would cost to have a 20lb bag of perlite/vermiculite shipped from the US to Pakistan? Probably more than the items themselves. The reason there aren't any proper gardening stores is because they simply cannot compete against the street-side nurseries which can sell the same items for 10% of the price. These street-side nurseries sell mostly plants, pots, top soil, and other basic items at such a low price that it simply couldn't be possible for a gardening store to set up and sell these same thing. Just to give you an idea, I bought 12 beautifully handmade clay pots of 10 gallons each for a total of US$ 15. A mature coconut tree with the planter and soil would cost me less than US$ 6. I can hire a gardener to spend 24/7 with my plants (literally sleep in my balcony for as long as required) and for the next 6 months for a total cost of less than US$ 400. It can really be amazingly cost effective here but the problem is the lack of availability of many products. Ideally I would use materials that are locally available.
I ordered seeds from Grasscity on the 21st. One pack of Sensi Star and one Combo pack of 100 seeds. Paid for express shipping to Pakistan. I noticed that they dispatched the item on the 25th from Grasscity in the Netherlands...it is the morning of 27th and the seeds just arrived at my place in Pakistan. Upon opening it, I noticed that the package had been opened and then taped shut again in a crude manner. Everything inside has been opened and inspected. It actually says Cannabis seeds in 5 languages on the packages!!! I thought they were going to send it stealth?! Luckily, nobody in Pakistan gives a shit about marijuana and they still let the package through. Customs guys are probably wondering when they should join me for a little smoke-fest. So the delivery guy hands me a shabby looking parcel and everything just sort of falls out. 100 Grasscity combo pack seeds and 10 Sensi Star. I gotta say, I am a little disappointed with the combo pack. I thought GC would at least take the time to label the different types so I would know what I'm growing. Sensi Star packaging looks pretty good but the GC package is just a little plastic baggy full of seeds. Anyway, time to start the grow op. Any suggestions on the soil mix?
you don't have to make this soil mixture complicated whatsoever. go get some potting soil and mix it with some topsoil, throw just a half hand of fertilizer and a cupful of lime in. add seeds and you are in business. don't bother fertilizing for at least 6 wks, until they are about 2 foot tall.
Ok. I've bought some soil + sand mix from the nursery....this is the closest alternative to a potting soil. I also went out and bought some top soil...its a little darker. I read about the importance of sterilizing soil bought from nurseries, so I threw it into the oven and superheated it until it started to steam...about 45 mins. I thinking an improvised mix would be 2 parts of the soil/sand mix to each 1 part of top soil. Stickerbushman....what kind of nutrients should I toss in at this time? And, I assume a handful means I should dissolve it into water and then use that to water the soil.
composted cow manure, or VERY WELL composted chicken manure would be all the nutrients you would need for vegetating. Bone meal or some other high phosphorus substance will be fine for flowering. growing in dirt is not all that difficult. I use composted manure and soil from my garden. I have built my garden soil up with compost and mulched wood chips. Vermiculite or perlite is cool to help retain moisture and to help keep the soil aerated but I don't think that is necessary. I remember paying $20 for a match-box full of weed back in the day when I was getting hash for $1 per gram.
Jackpot! I found a store that sells fertilizers, top soil, and other good stuff. I bought some fishmeal and bone meal along with some stuff for ants and other insects. I also bought a 'potting substrate' which it says is made from a mixture of medium and highly composted peat and NPK fertilizers. It looks like a really dark soil and the bag says it has a ph of between 5.5 and 6. It also says that I should add it once the plants take root...but I thought I was supposed to add it as part of the original soil mix. I also noticed some 20-20-20 ferts as well as composted chicken manure pellets, ammonias, phosphates, trace element stuff, and many other items. I experimented with the soil I have now a few weeks ago by planting some shrubs in them and I notice that the pot is getting dry very quickly and the soil gets very compacted. Maybe I should add some materials to amend the soil and make it a little lighter and more able to breath and hold moisture.
Why didnt anyone tell him to get some pro mix? its perfect you need to add some compost of somesort (worm castings, Shrimp compost) something you want it very light and airy so the roots can grow likw crazy Where abouts in Canada where you living? Andrew
If you have the ability to order off the internet get some Liquid Karma and Advanced Nutrients.. Sensi Grow two Part A&B and Sensi Bloom A&B for Flower. Works Awsome.
I was in Toronto, where I still have a home and my family lives. I still come and go every once in a while...its my second home. I had a little grow op in my basement there...but I lost the nerve when it really started to smell and I aborted it. A Chinese neighbor 4 houses down was given the perp walk when his grow op got caught so I never attempted it again. In Pakistan, I have absolutely no concerns whatsoever. I know I can grow here without ever having to worry about police or anyone else....they simply don't bother with marijuana here unless you are trucking hundreds of kilos across borders. Hash is so ridiculously cheap that one could buy a kilo for less than US$ 250. Problem is that its hard to get the good quality stuff since there is too much adulteration going on and smokers usually grow immune to the one major strain available and thereafter don't enjoy it anymore. In the Northern areas it grows wild but I dont know why but I've never seen any buds on any of them...otherwise I would just move there and live off the land. Regarding some of the items you mentioned, I am trying to find them locally since ordering them from abroad means a lot of money and delivery usually takes a long time unless you pay for Fedex, and thats not a practicality when buying bags of pro mix or boxes of fertilizers....they weigh a lot. Regarding the compost you mentioned, what about fishmeal, bonemeal, chicken manure compost, peat moss compost, etc. To make the mix a bit more airy, I was going to add some Styrofoam bits and possibly some straw or other material. I read that Styrofoam prevents water logging, provides air pockets in the soil, and keeps it lighter.