| Skywalker is a Dutch Passion strain derived from crossing one of the most potent Sativa/Indica hybrids I have ever smoked (Mazar), and the tastiest Indica I have ever smoked (Blueberry). The seeds came direct from the "Seeds of Passion" on the Utrechtstraat in A'dam.
First, and foremost: I would suggest that new growers do not attempt to start on these genetics.. The plant went "hermie," or hermaphroditic around 40 days of flowering. I was forced to pick pollen sacs out of the buds on a regular basis until I harvested it 26 days later. This created a small number of seeds, however I was shooting for sensimillia. My inexperience, combined with the misfortune of a hermaphrodite, led to a smaller yeild than this plant will produce under ideal circumstances. An experienced grower could easily double my yield of 83 grams/plant!
Due to Skywalker's mostly indica heritage, height won't be a problem for most growers. But this strain, with the proper topping/FIMing/Training, is an ideal one for microgrowers!
As you can see in the photos, I had trained the plant using LST. (Low Stress Training, or tying it down.) I had minimal vertical space, and didn't want a plant that grew too tall. To assist in this, I topped the plant around 20 days into the vegetative cycle at the 4th node, to allow for her "arms" to reach the same height as the main-stem cola. As you can see, it worked wonders.
Unlike most growers I used Compact Fluorescent (CF) lighting, as opposed to HID (MH/HPS). Many growers will tell you that CF's are far less effective than HID's, however this grower was concerned my about the stealth/security of the grow rather than the efficiency. Even so, the plant thickened up quite nicely, producing nice round buds. The largest was seven inches tall and 4 inches wide (about 21 grams).
As the plant matured, it produced white pistils that would change colors to variable pink and purplish hues. Even further along, they turned a dark red-orange. I must say, this is the "hairiest" cannabis I have ever seen! In addition to that, this plant carries a great potential for creating "bag-appeal" from cold temperatures. Near the cool-air intake, the leaves and stems turned purple. Cold nighttime temperatures late in flowering would definitely enhance the beauty of this already gorgeous strain!
The odor was almost non-existent, in the traditionally skunky-sense. No smell during the vegetative cycle unless you rubbed the leaves. In flowering, it had more of a pungent, earthy odor that was easily taken care of with proper carbon filtration of the exhaust.
I harvested this plant using a 100x loupe microscope to view the trichome colors. 10% amber, 70% cloudy, 20% almost clear. This harvest timing allows for a very heady high that settles into a solid couch-lock feeling over time. It works great for muscle pain and migraines, while allowing you to have a high thought count at the same time! I could sum it all up in one sentence: Perfect for the med-user that still wants the feeling of a high-quality sativa high. The taste of the smoke is just like the smell, earthy, but it finishes with a fruity/solventy aftertaste. A seasoned smoker could easily make a Friday night feel like a Saturday morning with a few tokes of these buds! (If you catch my drift.)
"My back pain feels better, I'm hungry, I wonder how many people have farted while I was talking to them?" - A sentence uttered by me about 15 minutes after toking my first sample.
All in all, a very beautiful, temper mental strain. A VERY potent and balanced high. I suggest this strain to anyone and everyone with a bit of experience growing under their belt!
Garden Information for this report Cabinet grow with an oscillating fan for stem thickness and air circulation. Two Holmes odor grabbers with homemade activated carbon filters in place of the original filters. For Seedlings: 14 days from germination Medium - 1:1:1 (Soil: Perlite: Sheep and Peat) 40w Fluorescent Tubes Watered once a week with evaporated tap-water. For Vegetative Cycle: 35 days Same Medium, bigger pot. 142w (2 Warm-White Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, 2 Daylight Compact Fluorescent) 24 hours with the lights on. Watering progressively became more frequent as the pot dried sooner. I burned the plant with fertilizer (Peters 20-20-20) too early in growth, and flushed the soil. From then on, I was forced to "follow the symptoms" all the way into flowering. (Micronute deficiencies, pH problems, etc) I fertilized every other watering. For Flowering Cycle: 66 days Same medium, more of it, bigger pot still. 276w Warm-White Compact Fluorescent Bulbs on just less then 12 hours. Watering became an every-other-day affair near the end of flowering. I used Botanicare Power Flower (2-2-4) with silicates and micronutes for flowering at the dosage on the bottle every other watering. Eventually I would double that dosage by the latter portion of the plant's life. |
|
Report added by: I am Bob Smith Last edited by: MarvinM92 on July 16, 2004, 6:43 pm
|
|