Growing in the Equator, latitude -1.27 in' perfect 12/12

faru

Member
Hola!

I started this journal to share experiences in growing cannabis in the Equator latitude, wiht 12 houra day of light all year round, not one minute up or down as astronomical tables indicate. I have not found much information in the web and given the exceptional conditions it could be an interesting experience.

The goal is to grow sinsemilla home in a few pots in a volume of space similar to what a home growing closet offers. And to produce plants that are perennial, or perpetual, and with different ages so collection can be done throughout the year.

The yield should be enough to consume for personal use only, moderate power with no more than 3 or 4 joints a day, the kind of ones that you are high but no too high nor for long time.

Weed is very illegal in this part of the world and local stuff on sale is not expensive though hard to get. The plant has been usually picked up before its time to ripen fully, it is FULL of seeds, it is stored a bit wet thus it is often moldy. Nevertheless after cleaning and smoking an average cigarette of the weed, it has an earthy and vague Moroccan hashish flavor, it is no stinging in any way and gives a nice relax but cheerful high for 90 to 120 minutes and then effects vanish without feeling a down.

Compared to other experiences and through personal and other smokers’ observations, it does not produce a hangover the next day. In moderate quantities it is not a nervous effect, if smoke generously at once and pure, it produces very intense highs, Mexican style.



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After many years of aiming for the most powerful high, or ‘the ultimate joint’ and testing some many reputed weed varieties legally grown in Holland, I came to the conclusion that this type of weed offers a great high and very few of the risks of ‘oversmoking’. It is good to have a certitude that you can smoke at any time of the day when you have the right occasion, but just to get high, not too high. Smoking weed I find quite easy to be surprised that the effects of what was supposed to be a mild joint are not and your eyes look like shiny tomatoes; and on the long run I am convinced powerful stuff can badly affect your general state of mind too.

So I will try to grow some local Sativa sinsemilla but without forcing it to be ‘extra powerful’. I hope to get a good falvour too. The end idea is to enjoy a moderate smoking habit that I wish will still lower with the years, but to stop buying locally and be independent and aside from the illegal trade. Domestic growth is penalized though, and if done it has to be discreet. What a pity! In such climate it is difficult to imagine how easy it is to grow any plant outdoors directly into the soil and how much it can grow all year round!

After other experiences in other locations of the northern hemisphere, I want to do this as simple and efficient as possible. I like to take care of many different plants, flowers and trees. I lived and worked in some pretty amazing wild places in Africa and I know the basics of how nature works, so I hope to use this knowledge and my technical readings to make it also non-invasive for the plants, maybe when they are happy and peaceful some of that ‘karma’ is transferred into the flowers, so let’s see. Who knows?

Later on this activity, I may want to include different varieties such as Indica or other hat go well in a 12/12 environment and are fully natural. Thanks for reading, I hope to learn something from others and to share useful stuff too.
 

faru

Member
The varieties used are local, Sativa from stuff I bought in local trade in different occasions produced in Mount Kenya area,
The altitude is 1,800 meters
The natural light is always 12/12 with zero variance
The place is a corner of balcony difficult to look into from outdoors.
The soil is in pots and it is a local red soil with some goat manure.
There are two fluorescent cool daylight neon tubes, 6,500k and 18W each next to the plants to provide backup light.

Summary of average yearly weather data
Low temp (°C) High temp (°C) Sunshine (hours) Rainfall (mm) Humidity (am) Humidity (pm)
Jan 12 25 9 38 74 44
Feb 13 26 9 64 74 40
Mar 14 25 9 125 81 45
Apr 14 24 7 211 88 56
May 13 22 6 158 88 62
Jun 12 21 6 46 89 60
Jul 11 21 4 15 86 58
Aug 11 21 4 23 86 56
Sep 11 24 6 31 82 45
Oct 13 24 7 53 82 43
Nov 13 23 7 109 86 53
Dec 13 23 8 86 81 53

The temperature in the corner of the balcony must be around 22C MAX sunny afternooon to 16C MIN on a normal night, there is often a little breeze that refreshes the air but it is not windy.

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faru

Member
Germination of the seeds was somehow complicated. The weed I bought look old and most seeds are pale and seem to have failed their development. Cotton and water did not work to my surprise; only putting them in local red soil in a plastic bucket was easy. They germinated in only four or five days and I transplanted them into the pots.

The oldest plants are now 8 weeks and the youngest ones planted as backup in case of some being males maybe 2 weeks. Once a week I water them at night with diluted urine 1/5 to 1/8. I also add wood ashes once in a while, this seems to work great.

June until September is quite cloudy in Nairobi but if it clears up, it is most likely to happen in the afternoon, from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm. Sunset is daily at 6.37 pm, thought it is late sun, it is still powerful and it hits up in seconds. Sometimes the light is incredibly bright, almost like in a photographic studio.

I live a few floors up and there are no buildings opposite, the orientation is perfect West so I get any ray onto the plants. I suspect there may be a high UV radiation (1.800 meters altitude + Equator) and intense frequencies alone the whole light spectrum.

I switch off the lights at 8.30 pm, 2 hours after sunset and 1.40 hours after complete natural darkness. The plants seem to be sensitive to any stress and two plants in small pots that were changed of location and subjected to changes in light immediately showed male flowers and a 12 days later female flowers. So I don’t want to stress these plants.


I have topped all plants every third or fourth node and I intend to do it again on the third of fourth node. The plants are bended to promote secondary growth.
 

dyzel

Well-Known Member
Buy some seeds. I found it to be a worthy investment.
Also, for better quality weed, try get some sesh.
 

faru

Member
Hi Dyzel,

Thanks for the suggestion, I might well do later on, fater I got the right way to grow in the area I have, but besides increased concentrations of THC/trichromes I wonder what can bank seeds have than locals have not. Note that African Sativa has a good reputation for very well balanced effects.

 

faru

Member
Quick picks to close this grow journal: all plants turned hermaphrodites some more male and other more females, but male flowers only appeared during early florescence stage. Buds are not too thick but they are very smelly and oily. long florescent peirod, average of 12 weeks but up to 16 weeks. though day light period remains constant plants have cycles though it is not clear to me how to identify the best time to plant.

Yield stuff was very good, not strong but light and funny effect. Great varieties of smell between plants. Regrowth plants to not give too well except small plants, larger ones give less flowers. few leaves and quick flowers pup out after 4-5 weeks of regrowth.

over all i got a good product with best results in yield size when using various small plants in pots not higher than 30 cm. attention to mites and acarydae, plants seem easily affected.

nowadays i focus on short plants, growth of 10 weeks and flowers for another 8 weeks. best fertilizers used: charcoal ashes, diluted blood from beef meat purchased for human consumption and a artificial fertilizer heavy on K.
 
i live in south america ecuador where its 12 12 all year round have grown seeds outdoors and they flower when they want producing huge yields but take SO long to mature and have mature trichs. Found it so much more convinient to start 18/6 for veg and when i found desired height throw them outside for flowering. since living on the equator and getting the most amount of sun light..... you get awesome results . Beaming sun all day long here.

Ive also found in some cases growing outdoors that the plant gets confused and stressed since its never triggered to flower due to the 12 12 all year long so when it does start flowering....it half asses with the horomone spurt..... its goes from flowering to vegging back to flowering back to vegging and the plant is just confused doesnt know wat to do... it sometimes takes FOREVER to finish an outdoor plant here on the equator.Cheers ! enjoy and good luck with the grow !
 

del66666

Well-Known Member
i live in south america ecuador where its 12 12 all year round have grown seeds outdoors and they flower when they want producing huge yields but take SO long to mature and have mature trichs. Found it so much more convinient to start 18/6 for veg and when i found desired height throw them outside for flowering. since living on the equator and getting the most amount of sun light..... you get awesome results . Beaming sun all day long here.

Ive also found in some cases growing outdoors that the plant gets confused and stressed since its never triggered to flower due to the 12 12 all year long so when it does start flowering....it half asses with the horomone spurt..... its goes from flowering to vegging back to flowering back to vegging and the plant is just confused doesnt know wat to do... it sometimes takes FOREVER to finish an outdoor plant here on the equator.Cheers ! enjoy and good luck with the grow !
must be the strain.....often mine start flowering at 2 1/2 weeks of age and are done by 11 weeks or so, grapefruit is a very good strain 12-12......never had a problem with quality either.
 
All though a very old post, a comment. The Kenyan based Sativa Landracers are well known to produce hermaphrodites, thats why when you buy weed here you often find seeds in the mix. Due to this fact; i have elected to go with seed bank seeds, a mix of Indica and Sativa, with a good percentage of Sativa in the mix, as it will grow well here in Kenya.
 
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