Let's Grow Some Weed!

He showed me the rows of plants, beautiful and almost ready to be harvested, with small crystals on the leaves. I never thought I could create anything that beautiful, but my friend who had grown all those beautiful plants, died at the age of 36 from a medical condition which had not been diagnosed. I decided to learn how to grow a beautiful plant in his memory. I had a bunch of seeds I'd collected over the past months, and not knowing anything about the difference between sativa and indica, or that I wanted a female plant and not a male plant, I decided to plant the seeds.

My first attempt was going well. I had twelve little green plants coming up quickly in an egg carton that I had put soil and a seed in each little area, so I had twelve plants. Unfortunately, I had the egg carton sitting on the top of the stove, and my roommate decided to fry bacon without moving the plants, and the grease that flew off the bacon sprayed the plants and they died. I planted another seed in a small container and it began to sprout and look good, only to meet another cruel fate when the pot fell off the table and cut the plant in half. Finally, I got a seed planted that managed to grow and survived. I think growing this plant was one of the best things I've felt in my life. I named the plant Brian after my friend, even though it was a female. The plant was beautiful, and put off a fragrant scent when it was about to mature.

I watched the plant grow, worried about how much water to give it, worried if I was feeding it correctly, and had to re-pot it into a bigger container three times, which taught me to use a bigger container to begin with. I learned a lot from friends who had grown plants for a long time, such as not using Miracle Grow for the soil because of some of the additives. I learned how to snip off the brown edges that block the water, and experimented with black strap molasses that I had to special order to make sure there were no additives, as a food for the plant.

I know I am prejudiced, but the plant was gorgeous! It was almost six feet tall, had healthy, full leaves, and was getting ready to bud. I got it to the place where it needed total darkness for 12 hours and the only place we had where we could get total darkness was the bathroom. We put the plant in the bathtub at night and pulled the curtain and made sure if we came in no light would get to it. We never turned the bathroom light on, and made sure the kitchen light was off too because it was outside the bathroom. The plant was coming along so nicely, it had crystals on the whole thing. Unfortunately, our landlord didn't know I had the plant, and even though it was legal for me to grow in Colorado, I didn't know how he would feel about it and it was that week our plumbing went south. We had a sink full of water that smelled like garbage, and I knew, since he was there every day, I was going to have to harvest my plant early.

The hardest thing I ever did was to harvest my plant. I had grown completely attached to it, as odd as that sounds, and I felt like I was killing my best friend when I had to unearth it so it could dry. We put the plant to dry in the loft because nobody ever went up there besides me. I watched as the leaves died and the buds became more stable. I got a lot of bud from that plant, but I think it would have been a better smoke if I could have let it grow for a little longer. Maybe I am wrong, I am still not any expert, but have learned a few things along the way I'd like to share.

First of all I learned to get good soil, buy the soil where you buy the seeds if you can, and get good seeds to ensure you have a female plant and not a male. I got lucky with my plant that it was a female, but it could just as easily been a male.

Keep your plant watered and in the light, keep it warm, Make sure the light is either sunlight or a grow light. That is the best for it to ensure bigger buds. When it comes time to harvest, I learned that if I pour hot water into the soil before pulling the plant, it will force all the THC into the plant and out of the roots. I also heard you can crush flowers up into the soil first, before you pour the water, and the buds will get a flowery scent and flavor. I never put the flower petals to the test, so I'm not sure.

Marijuana is not a drug, but is a plant that can heal, take away pain, and has many soothing qualities. It can also help people who are suffering with seizures. I am hoping someday, it will be legal in every state.