Stevens M. How to grow Marijuana
indoors under lights USA 1975
This book
was published in 1975, and has been available in the
UK since the late 70s. A later version "Indoor
Marijuana Cultivation" published in 1979. There
are 75 pages of text, diagrams and photographs, with
22 pages of advertisements for growing equipment and
an order form.
Disclaimer:
This states that cultivation of marijuana is illegal
in the USA and stating "This book is in no way
intended to encourage or promote the illegal cultivation
of Marijuana. ... it is the authorĂs recommendation
that you read this book for your own personal information".
The author states that the information can be applied
to growing house plants, vegetables and tropical varieties.
Chapter 1
(introduction) includes information about germinating
seeds (gleaned from illicit marijuana) in paper towels,
planting them into jiffy pots (peat). The author recommends
loose sandy soil types with added vermiculite or pumice
for aeration and water-retention, with a neutral pH.
Chapter 2
(containers) advises starting seedlings in "Jiffy
pots", and recommends a final pot with a capacity
of 3 gallons, or a pot 11" wide and 13" deep.
Chapter 3
(your plantĂs environment) gives advice on watering
(every 3-4 days) maintaining air temperature (70 to
80o F), and advising soil heating for outdoor
or cold environments. Advises proprietary fertilisers
(Ra-Pid-Gro) - 23% nitrogen, 19% phosphorus and 17%
potash, or the use of earthworms. Advises on dealing
with pests - animals, insects, disease and thieves,
with detail in spider-mites and aphids.
Chapter 4
(growing indoors with lights) - Advises use of gro-lux
(fluorescent tubes e.g. aquarium lights) which provide
correct spectrum. States advantage of indoor growing
is quality, a controlled environment, and freedom from
many pests. Gro-lux lights are discussed in detail,
with an light output chart for colour bands from different
types of light. Advised to place lights 8 to 18 inches
from plants. Discusses advantages of Metal Halide lights,
with much higher output and increased quality and growth.
Discusses adjusting the day length to promote flowering
(information inaccurate indicating flowering possible
with 18 hours of light), once plants are old enough
- and that older plants make better buds. Discusses
ventilation, dehumidification, pruning.
Chapter 5
(if your plants are not feeling up to par) discusses
the causes of symptoms of ill-health, diseases, pests
and inaccurate feeding or watering.
Chapter 6
(is it a boy or a girl) advises (with photographs) how
to distinguish the sexes in the early stages of flowering.
Chapter 7
(two weeks before harvesting) advises the grower to
cease watering the plants at this stage, to raise the
room temperature and increase the light intensity to
maximise the amount of resins in the flowering tops.
Advises on harvesting, drying and curing cannabis.
Chapter 8
(additional ideas for the connoisseur) gives advice
on more advanced techniques such as additional CO2 from bottles or dry ice, colchicine (to cause
changes in the chromosomal structure - a crude form
of genetic engineering). There are a few paragraphs
on growing outdoors, problems with chlorinated water,
clean, smoke-free air, and use of reflective foil in
grow-rooms.
Chapter 9
(planting by the moon) advises planting seeds or taking
cuttings during the waxing moon, and pest control, pruning,
transplanting and harvesting during the waning moon.
Appendix
A gives advice on hanging and mounting gro-lux lighting
fixtures, including (at p69) cupboards split into two
separate growing areas..
Appendix
B gives advice on taking, propagating and rooting cuttings
(allowing cultivation of all-female plants).
The text
concludes with an identification table of insect pests,
and how to deal with them.
The book
then contains a catalogue of growing equipment, including
metal halide and gro-lux bulbs, pulleys, timers, scales,
fertilisers, pH testing kits, fans, hydroponic systems
and a list of other publications. There is an order
form at the end.
Comment:
This book is written in a simple, understandable style
with many diagrams and limited text. The information
is of intermediate level, with some complex issues discussed
and explained to the novice grower. The book refers
to high-intensity lights and carries advertisements
for equipment and hydroponic systems, indicating use
of such systems to be long-established, although his
general recommendation is for organic soil. His diagram
on page 69 is very similar in concept to the Kushti
Box, in Tricameral Sinsemilla.
