Introduction
Sometime before the winter holiday we decided that cultivating our own legal cannabis indoors would be a super way to try different methods of cultivation and hone in on the best methods for self sufficiently producing the products we use for recreational and medicianal cannabis usage. I usually take great care in selecting proper varieties and growing cannabis is no exception. Though I usually recommend True North Seedbank as my own source for high quality seeds this time around we had access to Sonoma Seeds at Treesco and they offered the exact strain I was interested in, Bruce Banner.
The Strain
Generally known to be effective in treating ADHD, I like to think that Bruce Banner was named for its ability to help medical users harness the over-active and uncontrollable Hulk-like brain and rein it into a Bruce Banner-like brain. It is a slightly sativa dominant hybrid, with a high THC and very low CBD content. This ratio is the feature that makes BB a good ADHD strain. I'm not sure the neuro-chemistry supports this, but I believe the low cbd:high thc allows for clarity of thought but a grounding element that keeps the consumer from floating away from the task in front of them. At the same time, the high THC ensures that a range of consumption is available; the strain can be used to medicate but is also able to get me super high if that is the mind state targeted. Exactly what I was looking for in a home grown strain that we'd be smoking, more or less, every day.
The Setting and Materials
A budget solution presented itself the fall of 2018, when we purchased a used 4'x4'x76" grow tent. While it has several light leaks that needed patching, it didn't cost much. The lighting was provided by a 1000w double ended lamp and ballast with settings between 600w and 1150w. Full power (1000w) was enough to burn plants in the tight confines of the grow tent, and it set to 850w for most of the flowering stage.
Air exchange was performed by a 600 cfm fan, charcoal filter and variable speed fan controller.
Light CO2 amendment was achieved by complementary beverage projects.
Water was drawn from our domestic, gravity fed, mountain water supply and had a fairly stable pH throughout the grow, around pH 7
The Products
One of the intents of this grow was to evaluate the product line by Innovating Plant Products. I also have a little bit of other products that I've come to trust that I wanted to use up. That actually complicates things because I am not currently tracking strength of solution (through tds/electrogconductivity)
| Product | Purpose | Maker |
| HOG Grow | Nutrient | Innovating Plant Products |
| HOG Micro | Nutrient | Innovating Plant Products |
| HOG Bloom | Nutrient | Innovating Plant Products |
| Ultimate B+ |
Supplement (Vitamins) | Innovating Plant Products |
| Black Storm | Supplement (Soil) | Innovating Plant Products |
| Gold Storm | Supplement (Uptake) | Innovating Plant Products |
| Sea Storm | Supplement (Soil) | Innovating Plant Products |
| Red Sun | Supplement (Flower promotion) | Innovating Plant Products |
| Bud Fusion | Supplement (Flower bulk) | Innovating Plant Products |
| Jet Fuel | Supplement (Bud Hardener) | Innovating Plant Products |
| Total Cleanse | Cleanse | Innovating Plant Products |
| CARBS | Microbe Food | Innovating Plant Products |
| Rhyzoking | Nutrient (Root Growth) | Rainworks |
| Medi-one | Nutrient | Green Planet |
| AN Bud Candy | Microbe Food | Advanced Nutrients |
| Monopotassium Phosphate | Supplement (Flower promotion) | Generic Fertilizer |
| Major Silicate | Supplement (Stalk Strength) | Rainworks |
| AN Organic Big Bud | Supplement (Flower bulk) | Advanced Nutrients |
| AN Bud Factor X | Supplement (Resin production) | Advanced Nutrients |
| Lady Terpinite | Supplement (Terpene production) | Rainworks |
| Ozi Tonic | Supplement (Flower bulk) | Ozi |
| Hygrozyme | Cellulolytic enzyme | Sipco |
Additives feed rates over the flowering period
Gnumeric won't sort the legend. grrr.
Grow Slide Show
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Grow Notes
- There was never enough nitrogen in the mix for this strain. Also wanted nitrogen for a lot longer than other strains I've worked with.
- Lighting was an issue. Turning the lamp to 1000w was too intense and burned the tops of a few plants. Their yield was high but the buds are not as nice as the other plants.
- The soil mix was not uniform and two plants often showed water stress before I noticed they needed watering. Also decreasing yield and quality potential.
Smoke Notes
Cured buds are full and dense. The colour varies between plants but is generally a bright green with prominent red calyx hairs. The jar exudes an earthy citrus/pine character, as do the individual nugs. On breaking the buds apart an incredibly intense and complex aroma is revealed. The citrus and pine carry through the experience, joined by an almost fruity sweetness. A deep and long appreciation after grinding provides the previous experience and further evolves into a strong cheesy funk that I have long attributed to the diesel family from which BB takes some of it's genes.
Smoke is extremely smooth if care is taken to remove some of the stem material. I wish the trimmers weren't so lazy. :) Greater scientific exploration of this subject is needed before a comprehensive analysis is complete.
Summary
Yielding over 600g of high quality, potent, cannabis for a fraction of the retail costs will help us balance the budget for the next few months. High stress lower pruning and linear support yielded the subjectively best nugs but was also a plant that benefited from the different planting mix so can't be certain that it's the best method of small scale personal growing. I would really like to integrate some soil moisture tracking in the next grow to increase water efficiency & yield.