Hydrolife Magazine August/September 2016 (Canadian Edition)

grow. heal. live. enjoy. 

+LIGHTING TECHNIQUES 

BIO-CONTROL BENEFITS 

SUPER STRAINS 

HOMEGROWN 

HEALING 

FREE 

CANNABIS TOPICALS 

FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT 

AUG/SEP 2016

inside 

06 from the publisher / 08 own it / 10 ask kyle / 36 ask a nurse / 70 the chill list 

grow. 

12 Bud Light 

18 Producer Profile: 

Bedrocan Canada 

24 Cut and Dried 

26 The Benefits of Bio-Control 

32 Is It Time to Say Goodbye 

to Your Fan Leaves? 

heal. 

34 Canna We All Be Happy? 

38 Discovering Dinachem: 

The Rise of a New Clone King 

46 Illegally Alive 

48 Can Medical Cannabis Relieve 

Rheumatoid Arthritis? 

4 


myhydrolife.ca

live. 

52 Baking a Fool of Myself: 

Life On Wreck Beach 

Was Golden 

58 Minerals: An Essential 

Part of Cannabinoid 

Production 

enjoy. 

60 Big Book of Buds 

66 Cannabis Cocktails, 

Mocktails & Tonics 

myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. enjoy. 5

from the publisher 

August/September 2016 

volume 1 - number 3 

W 

elcome to the third edition of the 

new Hydrolife. At this point, all 

we can say is “wow”. The response 

from readers, industry professionals and 

those who use cannabis to heal themselves 

has blown away all expectations. When we 

started Hydrolife with a medicinal cannabis 

theme, our intent was to connect growers, 

medical practitioners, patients and health 

enthusiasts by providing information 

related to this powerful plant. As we 

continue to do that, it is becoming apparent 

that passion in the medicinal cannabis 

revolution runs deep. As Canada works 

toward federal acceptance, an astounding 

number of beneficial products are being 

rolled out and, just as enlightening, stories 

are being told of how MMJ has changed 

peoples’ lives for the better. 

This emergence from the shadows is 

captured well by this month’s edition of 

Watermelon’s column, Baking a Fool of 

Myself. From her idyllic, sun-filled days 

on the beach to ‘the arrest’, Watermelon 

went from being carefree and innocent to 

being targeted by the police. She emerged 

stronger, thanks largely to love and support 

by the people who helped fight for her. 

Those early struggles by Watermelon 

and others helped break down the stigma 

attached to cannabis. As the walls begin to 

crumble, more and more people are being 

helped. In many cases, people are turning 

to products they wouldn’t have considered 

even just a couple of years ago. 

One of those people is Joanna Clifton. For 

years she battled depression, migraines 

and lacked joy. She turned to CBD oils as a 

last resort —and the results turned her life 

around. Monica Rakowski tells Joanna’s 

story in this issue. 

There are many more positive stories to 

tell, and through Hydrolife we are happy to 

tell them as we continue to connect patients, 

practitioners and products as we all Grow, 

Live, Heal and Enjoy. 

GROW, LIVE, HEAL & ENJOY. 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Chris Bond 

Amanda Brown 

Augustus Dunning 

Jessica Ferneyhough 

Colleen Graham 

Cory Hughes 

Green Born Identity 

Kyle Kushman 

Gibson Lannister 

Lacey Macri 

Jenn McGarrigle 

Monica Rakowski 

Ed Rosenthal 

Tony 

Watermelon 

Published by 

Hydrolife Magazine 

Inquiries to 

info@myhydrolife.ca 

No part of this magazine may be reproduced 

without permission from the publisher. The 

views expressed by columnists are personal 

opinions and do not necessarily reflect those 

of Hydrolife or the editor. 

Publication agreement number 40739092 

Printed in Canada 

6 


myhydrolife.ca

1 

2 

4 

3 

own it 

1. AnnaBís Whoopee 

Vape Cases fit perfectly 

inside your tote or handbag 

when all you need are the 

essentials: medicine, a way 

to consume it, and your 

charger or lighter. Dressed 

in Italian leather outside 

and AnnaBís’ Odor-Loc 

technology inside for 

maximum discretion, the 

Whoopee is convenient, 

beautiful and incredibly 

functional. AnnaBís is on a 

mission to make women feel 

free and sophisticated when 

they carry their medicine, 

recreational supplies, or 

both. Available in hundreds 

of styles and sizes, from 

clutches to cross-body bags. 

– annabisstyle.com 

2. You love your ink, but you 

also love healthy skin. The 

original Hustle Butter 

Deluxe is a 100 per cent 

cruelty-free, petroleumfree 

and certified vegan 

tattoo lubricant. Used as 

a tattooing glide, tattoo 

aftercare or just as a daily 

moisturizer, Hustle Butter 

Deluxe is made with 

shea, mango and aloe 

butters and is loved by 

tattoo artists and clients 

worldwide. It is available 

in a variety of sizes and 

should be used before, 

during and after the 

tattoo process. 

– hustlebutter.com 

3. SunPort is the world’s first 

smart-grid solar delivery 

device. Its proprietary 

measure-and-match 

technology enables any 

plugged-in device to run 

on real solar energy from 

certified solar farms. Once 

you plug in your devices 

into a SunPort, the device 

measures the electricity you 

take from your wall outlet 

and automatically upgrades 

it to solar power by 

purchasing small fractions 

of a solar energy certificate. 

SunPort gives you a way to 

purchase solar energy in tiny 

chunks instead of installing 

your own solar panels. 

– sunport.co 

4. Firefly 2 vaporizes looseleaf 

and concentrates, heats 

in seconds and delivers 

consistently superb vapour 

quality. It’s 55 per cent 

lighter and 33 per cent 

smaller than Firefly 1, with 

customizable temperature 

settings, an efficient 

fast-charge battery and 

delightful ease of use. The 

convenient charging dock 

provides a hassle-free home 

for this device, and it is USB 

3.0 compatible. An extra 

battery is also included so 

you’re always ready to vape. 

The Fire 2 also comes with 

a cleaning kit and three 

concentrate pads. 

– thefirefly.com 

8 


myhydrolife.ca

6 

5 

8 

7 

5. GoJoe Coffee Brewer 

and Mug is the world’s 

first travel mug that 

allows you to brew coffee 

anywhere at the touch of 

a button. To use, simply 

insert the special Hey Joe 

coffee pod, add water 

and hit power. In just four 

minutes, you’ll be enjoying 

a 10-ounce coffee. 

Monthly pod subscriptions 

make the mug even easier 

to enjoy. The GoJoe runs 

on a rechargeable battery. 

– heyjoecoffee.com 

6. Besides being handcrafted, 

durable, and 

reusable, No Smell Bags 

feature ‘No Smell 

Technology’. The No 

Smell approach utilizes 

unique design features 

and incorporates a special 

patented activatedcharcoal 

material into each 

bag, delivering unrivaled 

smell-proof performance. 

This state-of-the-art material 

is currently used in the 

British military’s chemical 

warfare suits, and is battleproven, 

so you know it is 

effective. No other bag can 

boast such credentials. Why 

use ineffective plastic bag 

imitators now that there is 

‘No Smell’? 

– nosmell.com 

7. DL Wholesale’s best 

trimmer just had a baby! 

TrimIT Dry 1000 is 

everything you already 

know and love from the 

TrimIT Dry 5000, now 

featured in a more compact 

and portable design. TrimIT 

Dry 1000 has all of the same 

features and attachments 

available from the 5000, 

including the stand, locking 

pin, protective plexi shield 

and alternate saddle for 

use with more delicate 

plant material. TrimIT Dry 

trimmers offer a full oneyear 

warranty on all parts 

and manufacturers defects. 

Trim your harvest with a 

TrimIT Dry today! 

– dlwholesale.com 

8. ONYX Digital Scales 

from American Weigh 

feature touch-activated 

keys embedded in a clean, 

elegant design, fluid ounce 

and millilitre modes for 

liquid measurements and 

four high-precision G-Force 

load sensors. Ultra-thin at 

just 0.6 inches tall, each 

scale is powered by two 

long-life lithium batteries, 

has a backlit reverse 

LCD display and has a 

stabilization time of three 

to five seconds. Available in 

nine different colours. 

– awscales.com 


ask kyle 

Q 

What 

Photo by Kyle Kushman. 

are your top recommendations for drying the most fragrant buds? 

I don’t want to compromise quality at this stage in the game! 

a 

I want to start by saying 

that drying and curing 

are two distinct and 

separate processes. 

Flowers must be properly 

dried before you can begin to cure 

them. Curing is much more difficult 

and requires some trial and error 

before you can achieve a true cure. 

Experience will be your best teacher. 

In contrast, properly drying your bud is 

a fairly straightforward process but you 

must pay close attention to get it right. 

What follows is my favourite technique 

for producing the most flavourful buds 

with all the qualities I desire when 

smoking flowers. 

Plants should be hung upside down 

on a line, whole and intact, for five to 

10 days. How long they need to hang 

will depend on flower size and density. 

Ambient temperature and humidity also 

greatly affect drying times. Higher temperatures 

and low humidity will hasten 

drying, so you want to be able to control 

the environment. For this reason, many 

people use their growroom for drying. 

Kyle Kushman is an internationally renowned marijuana 

cultivator whose collaborations have earned 13 Medical Cannabis 

Cup awards, including three US Cannabis Cups for Best Flowers. As 

the creator of Vegamatrix, the only line of vegan and organic nutrients 

designed for growing cannabis, Kyle continues to make advances for 

people who want to cultivate the purest, cleanest medicine possible. 

Do you have a question for Kyle? 

Email editor@myhydrolife.com to get an answer. 

The optimal humidity level to begin drying 

is 50-55 per cent. After three to five 

days you can lower the dehumidifier to 

45-50 per cent. The optimal temperature 

for drying is 70-72°F. Better a little cooler 

than a little warmer. 

You don’t want your dehumidifiers 

to suck moisture from the plants. 

You only want to remove the excess 

humidity from the room, allowing the 

plants to dry out naturally. You also 

don’t want fans blow-drying your flowers 

either. Just a little circulation in 

the room is all you need. Quick drying 

causes harshness in the smoke. Hanging 

whole plants upside down forces 

a slower and more even drying over 

the entire plant. Moisture within the 

branches leach water into the flowers 

until the capillaries begin to harden. 

The plant’s tips harden first, cutting 

off moisture from the top buds, while 

the smallest buds at the bottom of the 

plant will continue to receive small 

amounts of water. This technique 

ensures all the buds are crispy and 

ready to be trimmed on the same day. 

There is much debate over the choice 

between trimming wet or dry; that is, 

either to trim the leaf from the buds 

right when you harvest, or wait until 

the flowers are dried. 

Oxidation, a fancy word describing 

the evaporation of essential oils, is 

what happens when you put dozens of 

scissor gashes in fresh flowers. Once 

the flowers have dried out, the capillaries 

that transport water through the 

plant have also dried out. The same 

concept of capillary action applies here. 

The more access points you create for 

air, the quicker the plant will dry out. If 

your goal is smokability and the tastiest 

flowers, then you absolutely want to 

hang your plants whole and trim after 

the bud is mostly dry. 

During the drying process, avoid 

squeezing the flowers. Check the stems 

daily and monitor the level of dryness. 

When they begin to stiffen you may start 

to check the dryness of the flowers. They 

should be crispy on the outside and 

you’ll start to be able to separate the 

flowers from the stem by hand. Take into 

consideration you will need time to chop 

the plants up and remove the flowers. 

Leave enough moisture in the flowers to 

make it through trimming. I like to call 

this bucking the flowers. 

I’ve dried many crops with no controls 

at all. The main killer of great bud is 

low humidity and high heat. Make the 

best of every situation by being vigilant. 

Take it down before it is bone dry so you 

never find yourself in the awful situation 

of trying to rehydrate cannabis that 

has been over dried. 

10 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

Bud 

Light 

LIGHTING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR ANY INDOOR GROWER. 

QUALITY, EFFICIENCY, COST AND COVERAGE ARE CRITERIA TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN 

PURCHASING LIGHTS FOR YOUR GROWROOM. TONY, A LIGHTING EXPERT FROM DUTCH 

PASSION SEED COMPANY, OFFERS THE LOW-DOWN ON THE LATEST IN LIGHTING. 

BY TONY 

12 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

"THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY FOR YOU 

DEPENDS ON YOUR BUDGET, APPROACH 

TO NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND THE 

CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR QUEST 

FOR HOME GROWN SELF-SUFFICIENCY." 

Indoor growers have never had as much choice for grow 

light technology as they do today. In addition to the faithful 

old HPS technology there are competitive newer technologies 

such as the rapidly maturing LED, and the emerging ceramic 

metal halide lights which offer something completely new. 

The right technology for you depends on your budget, 

approach to new technology, and the challenges you face 

in your quest for home grown self-sufficiency. Here is an 

overview of the main options and latest developments. 

HPS 

Without doubt HPS is the lowest cost mainstream way to 

buy yourself an indoor grow light capable of serious bud 

production. HPS may be cheap to buy but it doesn’t boast 

the lowest running costs due to the inherent inefficiency 

of ageing HPS technology. HPS was adapted to work for 

indoor growing rather than designed specifically for it. HPS 

produces a lot of heat, and it uses a lot of energy producing 

less useful orange and yellow light wavelengths. The heat 

can be dealt with through extraction, and in hot climates 

air conditioning can be used to reduce heat to manageable 

levels. HPS running costs also include regular bulb 

replacements after three to four cycles. 

For a 4x4 foot growroom a 600W HPS is often 

recommended. A 400W HPS is often recommended for a 

3x3 foot growroom. 1,000W HPS lights tend to be used only 

in larger rooms, such as 5x5 foot or more. However, many 

growers feel superior performance and better light spread 

is achieved by swapping 1,000W HPS lights for larger 

numbers of 600W units. 

LED 

LED is slowly entering the mainstream as component 

costs reduce in price while LED intensity improves yearon-year. 

LED has a higher purchase cost than HPS, but 

the running costs are lower. The LED grow light market is 

confused by the presence of premium quality suppliers 

and the lower quality imports from the far east. Comparing 

apples with apples is not always easy and the buyer is 

advised to do their research carefully. A good quality LED 

with a 400W power draw can replace a 600W HPS and 

use 33 per cent less energy than a 600W HPS in a typical 

4x4 foot growroom. In addition, there is less waste heat 

generated, no bulb replacements and a much more precise 

light spectrum. Anyone with a 3x3 foot growroom looking 

to use LED should be looking for around a 250W power 

draw from good quality components. The better quality 

LED manufacturers use LEDs which convert 40-50 per cent 

of the electricity into wavelength specific light. Scrutinize 

specifications carefully, because many of the lower cost 

imported LED grow lights use cheaper LEDs which convert 

only 25 per cent (or less) of the electrical energy to light. They 

may still have the same power draw as a more expensive 

grow light but they are producing significantly less light 

than the market leading LED chips. 

LED grow lights are also programmable, this allows variable 

levels of blue and red light to be introduced at varying stages 

of the grow. Red wavelengths will promote more stretching, 

blue light will do the opposite. Red is more useful in bloom, 

blue is more useful in early veg growth. Many professional 

growers are seeing the spectral flexibility, reduced running 

costs and reduced cost-of-ownership as the most compelling 

reasons to switch to LED. The main objection to LED for home 

growing has been the high purchase price. But a few quick 

calculations show that LED grow light technology eventually 

pays for itself through energy savings after a few grow cycles. 

Plasma 

Light emitting plasma (LEP or simply plasma) is a premium 

priced grow light technology that appeals to those looking for 

maximum quality. The wavelengths produced by plasma are 

similar to the sun—full spectrum growing. Plasma enthusiasts 

will claim that the quality of the smoke is enhanced by 

the more natural spectrum which includes some of the 

wavelengths missing in HPS, including UV. Many growers 

will add a plasma light to complement (rather than replace) 

the existing lights—it’s a good way of improving the light 

spectrum available to the plants. But the cost still deters many. 

14 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

"MANY PROFESSIONAL GROWERS ARE SEEING THE 

SPECTRAL FLEXIBILITY, REDUCED RUNNING COSTS 

AND REDUCED COST-OF-OWNERSHIP AS THE MOST 

COMPELLING REASONS TO SWITCH TO LED." 

CMH 

Ceramic metal halide (also known as light emitting ceramic) is 

an emerging new technology previously used in photographic 

lighting. Traditional metal halide lighting uses quartz to 

provide the light source, with CMH a ceramic material is used 

for the light source which improves both the efficiency and the 

spectral output of the resulting light. The improved spectral 

output and efficiency improvement have been attractive to 

indoor growers and the results are impressive. CMH, like 

LED, seems to be a more progressive approach to lighting 

technology than HPS and offers some benefits. Research and 

development continues with CMH, and many expect it to be 

an area which will see further development in areas such as 

spectral output and power improvements. One of the more 

common options, a 315W CMH light is well-suited to a 3x3 foot 

growroom and will be a good replacement for a 400W HPS. 

Impact of New Plant Genetics 

Many home growers have started to grow autoflowering 

cannabis varieties in the last couple of years. These grow 

under 20 (or even 24) hours of daily light from seed to harvest 

in around 70 days. Often, the harvests from an autoflower 

exceed those from a photoperiod variety grown under the same 

conditions in the same time period. That’s simply because 

autoflowers have the advantage of blooming under 20-plus 

hours of daylight with consequential advantages in biomass 

for autos compared to a photoperiod variety which has just 12 

hours of photosynthesis in bloom. The result for home growers 

is that the grow light is often running for 20 or 24 hours per 

day instead of 12. This allows heavier harvests in shorter 

timescales, something all home growers love. But the trade-off 

is higher electricity costs. That’s another factor accelerating 

the adoption of high efficiency lighting such as LED. 

Commercial vs. Home Growers 

One of the biggest fixed costs for commercial cannabis 

cultivators is the electrical costs for running dozens of 

600W HPS fixtures. A number of commercial growers 

have started swapping out their 600W HPS lights for good 

quality (300W-400W) LED replacements. The reduced 

electricity costs mean that the payback on the LED lights 

can be achieved within a couple of years. Many expect 

the trend away from HPS towards LED will continue, but 

that is expected to be an evolution rather than a revolution 

simply because of the upfront costs to upgrade. 

The self-sufficient home grower is often operating to a 

different set of parameters. Quality rather than efficiency 

is frequently the main motivator. Many home growers 

regard their growroom as one area of their life where 

compromise is not necessary. For the enthusiastic hobby 

grower, cost is sometimes no obstacle to the onward and 

upward improvements to their growroom. And that quest 

for continued performance and better quality cannabis, 

both for commercial and domestic production, will ensure 

continued investment and advancement in growroom 

lighting technology for years to come. 

Tony has been part of the Dutch Passion Seed Company 

for 10 years, with a lifelong love of the cannabis plant 

and cannabis breeding. He has a particular interest in the 

evolution of autoflowering cannabis, selective breeding of 

varieties rich in minor cannabinoids, and unusual genetic 

lines. His ambition is to see cannabis widely legalized and 

made available as a mainstream medicine. 

16 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

Producer 

Profile: 

Bedrocan 

Canada 

For Toronto-area based Bedrocan Canada, 

providing consistent and high-quality 

medicinal cannabis results in certainty for its 

clients. The company has also launched the 

largest cannabis trial study in the world to 

determine how MMJ affects the quality of 

life for people who use it. 

How did Bedrocan get its start? 

Bedrocan started in the Netherlands 15 

years ago and has since grown internationally 

to a point that it’s providing tens 

of thousands of people with standardized 

medical cannabis in seven countries 

around the world. 

How did the company get its name? 

Bedrocan Canada is named after the 

founding company Bedrocan BV. The 

original company uses the initials of the 

founders, ‘B’ and ‘E’, the Dutch word for 

dried is ‘dro’ and the ‘can’ in cannabis to 

form its name. 

Tell us a bit about how the company 

has progressed. 

The saying at Bedrocan is that “doing 

nothing new is actually a compliment 

for us.” We say that because all of the 

products we sell have been standardized 

using proprietary techniques that ensure 

that all of Bedrocan’s varieties are completely 

identical harvest after harvest. 

This is important for patients looking for 

a strain that can manage their symptoms 

over the long term and also important for 

long-term clinical researchers who need 

to control the variables of their studies. 

Behind the scenes on the research side of 

things, Bedrocan has been an industry 

leader for quite some time. Bedrocan 

Canada recently launched one of the 

largest clinical cannabis trials in the 

world called the EQUAL Study, short for 

Evaluating Quality of Life. The study 

is actively enrolling patients all across 

Canada to demonstrate how cannabis 

affects the quality of life for the people 

who use it for medical purposes. 

What are you growing right now? 

We’re always growing a mixture of 

Bedrocan’s six varieties in the 30 

climate-controlled indoor growing 

rooms we’ve got in our Toronto-area 

facility. Product descriptions are available 

online at bedrocan.ca. 

How many medical clinics do you supply 

and where are they located? 

Bedrocan Canada, like all licensed 

producers, sells directly to clients 

using online ordering and mail 

delivery. Selling to storefront clinics, 

compassion clubs or dispensaries 

is against the current Canadian 

regulations. All cannabis storefronts 

in Canada are actually operating 

outside of the letter of the law so we 

don’t supply any of them. 

18 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

How do you choose which strains to grow? 

We’ve got a schedule written months 

in advance that allows us to plot out 

the growrooms to make sure we’ve got 

a steady inventory of all six varieties. 

That consistency is a big part of Bedrocan’s 

appeal, you know what to expect 

every time you login to the shop. 

What should people know about Bedrocan’s 

products and extracts? 

Bedrocan varieties are all standardized 

to make sure the effectiveness people 

find in a certain variety can be relied on 

over the long term. Extracts are coming 

soon, and they’ll be made using 

singular strains so that people can try 

the same strains in a different format. 

But above all, what we want people to 

know about Bedrocan products is that 

they are all covered by something we 

call True Compassionate Pricing. Every 

Bedrocan variety is $5 a gram. We price 

them this low because we can and 

because we should! 

What makes Bedrocan unique? 

We sell standardized full-flower cannabis. 

What technologies do you think make the most 

difference in the garden? 

Bedrocan grows indoors in purposebuilt 

production rooms. We focus on 

standardizing strains, production 

techniques and outcomes, and so, for 

us the technologies are critical but so 

is the approach to managing those 

technologies. We strictly control each 

of the processes and document every 

step to make sure everything is done 

the same way each time. 

We used computer-controlled lighting 

and computer-controlled nutrient 

management and even isolate the plants 

from as much human contact as possible 

to minimize any risk of contamination. 

If you’re looking for 

consistency, you’ve 

got to manage the 

process closely. 

Can you share a growing tip with our readers? 

If you’re looking for consistency, you’ve 

got to manage the process closely. If 

you change a variable, like lighting or 

nutrients, only change one thing at a 

time so you can tell which inputs lead 

to which outputs. Keep a log and get in 

the habit of entering info every day and 

keep a control group of plants so you can 

measure each outcome separately. This 

way, you can isolate the benefits (or not) 

of the change you implemented. This process 

does take time, but it provides the 

data management and scientific tracing 

that allows you to sustain and implement 

improvements based on good production 

practices rather than whimsy. 

How do you ensure the best product 

for your customers? 

With very strict controls at every stage 

of the process. The QA processes we 

follow at Bedrocan are as advanced as 

any producer on Earth. The process is 

as standardized as the genetics to make 

sure our clients only receive top-quality 

medication. 

Where do you see things going for Bedrocan? 

Canada is at a cannabis crossroads of 

sorts with legalization ramping up but 

Bedrocan is committed to its medical 

clients and will keep a medical focus 

moving forward, regardless of any new 

legalization laws. We’ll grow alongside 

the medical market, which by all accounts 

is thriving! It’s very encouraging 

to see doctors, pharmacists, NGOs in the 

health sector, and all Canadians starting 

to look at medical cannabis in a new 

light and we’re very proud to be a leader 

in the medical cannabis industry. 

20 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

Cut and Dried: 

A Monthly Look at Different MMJ Strains 

This month’s featured strain, Purple Berry, grows well in indoor environments because 

of its average-sized stature. Best enjoyed at the end of a long day, the finished product 

is perfectly dense and delivers a welcoming combination of sativa and indica effects. 

by Lacey Macri 

Blazin’ Purps 

Blaze, of Sacramento, California, 

describes her favorite all-around strain 

to grow, as well as medicate with: 

Purple Berry. She reports that it is a 

great medicine for beginners, whether 

they are growing it or consuming it. 

Origin & Genetics 

Blaze’s particular strain of Purple Berry 

is bred from seed from a cross between 

DJ Short Blueberry and Purple Kush. 

Unlike its name, DJ Short Blueberry can 

actually stretch fairly tall in its early 

developmental stages of growth due to 

its sativa roots. Purple Berry picked up 

some height from DJ Short, but it doesn’t 

get so huge it cannot be grown indoors. 

This heavy hybrid is characteristically 

indica-dominant in nature, but due to 

its extensive lineage, Blaze’s strain has 

some renowned sativa effects as well. 

Physical Description 

The flowers of Purple Berry are generously 

frosted and the colour appears to 

be on the cooler end of the spectrum, 

including pastel shades of greens, blues 

and purples. Blaze says another perk 

about this medicine is its perfect density; 

patients do not need to use a grinder 

to avoid waste when preparing their 

medicine as it can be easily pulled apart 

by hand. However, it has been known 

to leave you with pretty sticky fingers 

when it is fresh. Not so oddly enough, 

Purple Berry smells just like berries right 

off the plant. It’s sweet and earthy, and 

will produce a thick plume of smoke or 

vapour, leaving the room smelling rich 

with traces of pine and even chocolate. 

Medical Uses 

Purple Berry is a well-rounded medicine 

that will help with a number of different 

conditions. Patients will experience the 

mild euphoric head high you get from 

a sativa, while relaxing your body and 

reducing pain like after medicating with 

an indica. Some patients may experience 

moderate mental cloudiness if too 

much is consumed, so it is advised to 

save this strain for the evenings when 

all of your responsibilities and chores 

have been completed. Patients suffering 

from depression and listlessness may 

also find positive effects while using 

this strain, as it is uplifting in nature 

and typically doesn’t spawn any sort of 

paranoia or heart-pounding like some of 

the heftier strains out there. 

Growing Patterns 

This strain grows well in an indoor 

environment because of its averagesized 

stature. However, healthy plants 

will likely fill your whole grow tent to 

maximum capacity. Blaze grows this 

strain year-round in a sterile environment 

using an ebb and flow system and highquality, 

super-soluble liquid nutrients. 

Purple Berry is known to be highly 

resistant against pests and diseases, 

so assuming proper cleanliness and 

conditions are met, Blaze says she rarely 

runs into devastating issues. 

“ It’s sweet and earthy, 

and will produce a thick 

plume of smoke or vapour, 

leaving the room smelling 

rich with traces of pine 

and even chocolate.” 

The first time she ever grew this strain, 

she was slightly taken aback by a peculiar 

development in the later stages of 

flowering. “There were these long chutes 

that would literally shoot up way beyond 

the rest of the colas that made them look 

like quails,” she says. At first she was 

worried something had gone wrong, but 

after doing some research, she determined 

that this was a classic trait of this 

particular phenotype. “There is nothing 

wrong with the elongated chutes; they 

are actually very potent,” she says. “We 

typically use them to make concentrates 

and edibles, but they definitely need to be 

trimmed away because they are severely 

lacking in sexiness.” 

Overall, Purple Berry is a heavy yielder 

and overall very forgiving plant in most 

any situation that comes your way. 

Lacey Macri works as head of sales at 

CleanGrow, focusing her time on business 

development within the company. 

She received a bachelor’s degree in 

communications and psychology from 

the University of California, Davis in 2011, 

where she worked at the California Aggie 

student newspaper on campus. 

24 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

THE BENEFITS 

OF BIO-CONTROL 

by Amanda Brown 

When it comes to pest control and your crop, it pays to arm yourself 

with good bugs before the bad bugs take over. Crop protection 

specialist Amanda Brown provides an anecdote and helpful insight on 

how to ensure the good bugs win and why bio-control is beneficial. 

26 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

War of the Bugs 

I walked into the room looking pretty cool with my 

sunglasses over my glasses, decked out in a Tyvek 

suit four times too big, and braced for the worst. What 

I saw was even worse than that. A sea of spider mite 

webbing covered the entire crop, flowers and all. The 

entire facility was infested and sprays that had long 

ago stopped being effective were being applied every 

two days. Needless to say, this was not the best time to 

start a bio-control program, but the growers were left 

with no other option. So we began strategizing. It’s the 

quintessential Good Bug vs. Bad Bug conflict, and we 

had to be sure that good would prevail. 

“A BIO-CONTROL PROGRAM INVOLVES 

RELEASING BENEFICIAL ORGANISMS 

THAT WILL FEED ON OR KILL THE PESTS 

THREATENING YOUR CROP. ” 

Bio-Control 

Bio-control for cannabis makes 

perfect sense. It reduces the time 

required for spraying and exposure 

to employees, it eliminates the need 

for chemicals on a medicinal crop, 

it’s affordable and it works. A biocontrol 

program involves releasing 

beneficial organisms that will feed 

on or kill the pests threatening your 

crop. With a preventative approach, 

growers know that the good bugs 

are in their crop working hard before 

anyone, even an experienced scout, 

has spotted a pest yet. 

Bio-Control Agents 

Bio-control agents can be 

predatory mites, parasitic wasps 

or entomopathogenic nematodes, 

just to name a few. They are your 

warriors, and it is always wise to 

build your army before the pests 

build theirs. Some bio-control 

agents can feed on other food 

sources, and so can be released with 

this alternate food before any pests 

are present in the crop. Other biocontrol 

agents are so specific they 

will only feed on spider mites, for 

example. In this case, we sometimes 

release them preventatively, 

knowing they will die if they don’t 

find food, but that they will save you 

from headaches later if they do find 

their food source. 

Spider Mites Bio-Control 

You’re wondering what happened 

to that spider mite infestation, 

aren’t you? The webbed crop was 

vacuumed and much of it damaged, 

but we immediately implemented 

a preventative bio-control program 

in all the upcoming veg plants and 

clones. Four weeks later I returned 

to the facility and the plants in that 

same room were literally spotless. 

Within three months the entire 

facility was clean and spider mites 

were no longer an issue. 

How Did We Do It? 

Californicus is a predatory mite 

that feeds on spider mites, but 

also feeds on other small mites 

and pollen. These mites come in 

small waterproof packages called 

sachets which can be hung from 

the branches. Californicus sachets 

were hung one per plant as soon 

as clones were transplanted. This 

means that the californicus has 

enough food in the sachet to stay 

alive and reproduce for up to six 

weeks, providing a protective army 

during that time. 

28 


myhydrolife.ca

grow 

“IT IS ALWAYS WISE 

TO BUILD YOUR ARMY 

BEFORE THE PESTS 

BUILD THEIRS. ” 

Photo submitted. 

For extra precaution we also hung a 

small box from each plant in veg (called 

bioboxes) and filled them with a small 

amount of Phytoseiulus persimilis (a.k.a. 

persimilis) each week. Persimilis is a 

bright orange predatory mite with a 

voracious appetite for spider mites, and 

only spider mites. Since they refuse to 

feed on anything else, we assume they 

die within five days of not eating, and 

thus, release more in small amounts 

each week. Since the rooms and mother 

plants were infested with mites, we 

were quite safe in assuming there was 

food for them, at least initially. 

We also made sure to sprinkle persimilis 

over the canopy of the clones as 

well to make sure they were protected 

from the start. The weekly persimilis applications 

into the bioboxes were all the 

way through veg and flower, initially, 

but once control is achieved and the 

sources of contamination have been 

cleaned up, you can back off. 

Keys to Success 

Bio-control is exciting, fun to watch 

and can be incredibly successful. It 

does, however, require some patience 

and problem solving occasionally to 

determine exactly which strategies 

work best for your facility and growing 

style. In the best case scenario, a plan 

should be in place before you even 

have plants in plugs. In the worst 

case scenario, you need to persevere 

until things have cleaned up and 

then implement a proactive and 

preventative approach. It also helps 

to have someone who loves bugs and 

is willing to look for them and release 

them, and you need to be patient with 

them when they occasionally spend 

an entire 10 minutes watching a 

predatory mite devour a spider mite. It 

comes with the territory, extreme bug 

nerds need apply! 

30 


Amanda Brown works with Biobest 

Canada as a Biological Crop Protection 

Specialist. She has 10 years’ experience 

in IPM and works in food, ornamental 

and medicinal crops. Amanda strongly 

believes that using biological control is 

safer, effective and the way of the future. 

myhydrolife.ca

grow 

Is It Time to Say Goodbye 

to Your Fan Leaves? 

by Cory Hughes | Dense canopies can cause a 

variety of problems in your growroom. By taking 

the time to get hands-on with your plants and 

removing excess fan leaves, you can save yourself 

a ton of heat and moisture related problems. 

By far, one of the most overlooked practices in maintaining 

a pest- and mildew-free environment for your cannabis 

plants is the manual removal of fan leaves. Removing 

excess fan leaves and creating airflow to the central, 

denser areas of your canopy is essential in maximizing 

yields. Balancing your temperature and humidity is a good 

start, but it’s not enough to produce the end results you are 

looking for. You need proper ventilation and air circulation 

in order to optimize your plants’ ability to take in the 

rich atmosphere around them. Sometimes, however, due to 

the density of your canopy, airflow can become restricted 

despite having a good HVAC and ventilation system. 

If your plants are in late stage and looking great, but you 

find pockets of powdery mildew when you dig into the 

dense canopy, manual removal could have probably saved 

you some heartache. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease 

that at a glance looks like baking flour dusted on your 

plants. It thrives in warm, moist conditions. Sometimes this 

“dust” can be ejected from the plant, resulting in a small 

puff. Gross. The manual removal of fan leaves located deep 

in your canopy opens tunnels through which fresh air can 

flow. Why do you need tunnels of air? Opening up your 

canopy keeps temperatures cool in those deep, dark places. 

When the density of your canopy reaches a certain point, 

temperatures and humidity can rise. The fresh, cool air 

from your HVAC just can’t efficiently reach the central 

dense areas. Having pockets of warmer, moist air doesn’t 

always lead to problems with powdery mildew. If the 

spores aren’t there, then they just aren’t there, but to not 

find powdery mildew, and to some degree mites, in a home 

or commercial grow, is rare. 

Another problem that may arise is an infestation of spider 

mites. Spider mites, much like powdery mildew, love warm, 

humid conditions. These are pests that are hard to completely 

remove. As a friend of mine once put it, it’s about integrated 

pest management, not integrated pest eradication. 

The time you really want to watch for dense pockets of fan 

leaves is in the mid to late stages. In early stages, density 

is not a problem. Plus, in early stages you want your plants 

to grow up and out, using as many fan leaves as possible to 

suck up energy from your lights. Now, this might be obvious, 

but I have to say it anyway: if you are not concerned with 

maximizing weight through plant count, and are growing 

for more aficionado purposes, then odds are you are not 

going to have many of the same problems with your canopy. 

The only manual removal that should probably have been 

done in this instance is your basic bottom pruning. But if 

weight is your goal, plant count will get you there, and 

manual removal is your friend. 

Here is my strategy for manual fan removal: I like to 

imagine a point deep in the canopy—one I obviously cannot 

see. From there it is as simple as removing the fan leaves 

that are blocking my view. Walk along the side of your tray 

or growing space and look between each cola. If you can’t 

see into the heart of the canopy, feel free to start plucking 

leaves, but be careful not to remove the precious sugar 

leaves that circle your colas. Those tiny crystalline beauties 

can go on to make extractions, so you might want to leave 

them. At first you should only be concerned about removing 

the large fan leaves that are obstructing airflow to the core 

of your canopy, and then approach the removal process from 

different angles. Stand above your plants and look down. 

Are there any colas being blocked from the light by excess 

fan leaves? They should be removed to not only open airflow, 

but to clear paths of light to areas that may have fallen 

into the shadows. 

If you have to manually remove powdery mildew-covered 

leaves, it won’t entirely remove the problem, but it’s a start. 

You are really only removing the leaves to prevent the 

mildew from spreading further. At this point, you really 

should have tackled the problem sooner. Not much consolation, 

I know, but I’m here to help you prevent these problems 

in the future. Monitoring your canopy and tackling fan leaf 

removal early enough will save you a headache later on. 

Growing cannabis is one heck of a balancing act. The 

manual removal of fan leaves to control pockets of humidity 

and prevent fungal infections is just one part of a larger 

pest management program. Keeping away the critters and 

the mildews may seem challenging, but putting to use best 

practices of an integrated pest management system works. 

Manual fan removal is one of the easiest and best ways to 

boost the health of your plants. 

Cory Hughes is a former police officer turned full-time 

commercial grower in Denver, Colorado. 

32 


myhydrolife.ca

heal 

Canna 

// We All Be Happy? // 

Joanna 

Clifton's 

Story 

BY MONICA RAKOWSKI 

In pain, numb and depressed, Joanna Clifton spent years feeling 

unfulfilled and emotionless. She eventually turned to cannabis 

oil to ease her migraines, and it worked. It also opened up a 

brighter new world full of joy and empathy. Monica Rakowski 

shares her story. 

These days, an average day for Joanna Clifton, 33, might include playing 

with her kids, volunteering at the local food bank or painting in her 

backyard. The joy these activities bring 

Joanna eluded her a few years ago. Back 

then, Joanna was experiencing painful 

migraines on a regular basis, fighting 

depression, and barely felt her emotions. She 

was not the happy woman I know, and truth 

be told, she didn’t know what happy felt like. 

// Her genetic 

mutation 

caused a 

disruption 

in her 

methylation 

cycles. // 

34 


myhydrolife.ca

Studies 

are also 

showing 

evidence that 

cannabinoids 

reduce 

chronic pain 

and improve 

mood. // 

THE DIAGNOSIS 

When a DNA test revealed to Joanna that she had a genetic mutation 

causing these problems, she was able to begin understanding 

her condition. Her genetic mutation caused a disruption in her 

methylation cycles. The methylation cycle is important because it 

converts vitamins and amino acids from our food into the energy 

our bodies need to work properly. It removes toxins, fights infection 

and creates healthy cells. The cycle also produces neurotransmitters 

such as serotonin and dopamine, the chemicals responsible for 

balancing our mood. 

If your methylation cycle is functioning properly, you will be in a 

good mood and feel full of energy. If it is not functioning properly, 

you will be more susceptible to infection and your mind will feel 

foggy. You’ll feel depressed, tired, irritable and run-down. Needless 

to say, Joanna didn’t feel good most of the time. Her genetic mutation caused her 

to feel emotions at about a 70 per cent lower level than most people, and she 

constantly battled depression. 

THE CANNABIS CURE 

Although she didn’t care for it when she was younger, she decided to try 

medical cannabis to treat her extreme migraines. She found that CBD oil and 

Rick Simpson oil were the most effective in treating her pain. Over the course of 

the next eight years, her migraines became less frequent and eventually went 

away altogether. 

She began experiencing other positive benefits as well. For the first time in her 

life, she was feeling her emotions at a heightened level. Her face lights up when 

she talks about feeling empathy for the first time in her life. These new feelings 

pushed her to take steps that ultimately pointed her life in a happier direction. 

With less pain to wear her down and more empathy in her heart, Joanna has 

learned to experience situations from other people’s perspectives. She says 

cannabis helped her to reflect on and process the ugly parts of her past in a way 

she had never been able to before. She realized we are all broken and fighting 

our own battles. She apologized to those she hurt, and in the process lost her 

ego and gained humility. 

THE SCIENCE 

Recent studies support Joanna’s experience using cannabis to treat her migraines, 

depression and emotional health. Our bodies have an entire endocannabinoid 

system, and studies are showing that endocannabinoid deficiencies play a role in 

migraines, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, chronic pain and 

a growing list of other medical conditions. In fact, a substantial body of evidence 

suggests the endocannabinoid and opioidergic systems interact symbiotically in 

areas of the brain associated with emotional and pain processing. 

Studies are also showing evidence that cannabinoids reduce chronic pain and 

improve mood. A study published in The Clinical Journal of Pain (February 2016) 

ascertained that the treatment of chronic pain with medicinal cannabis resulted in 

improved pain and functional outcomes, and a significant reduction in opioid use. 

Results of a study published in Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior (June 

2010) show that THC and other cannabinoids exert antidepressant-like action and 

contribute to the overall mood-elevating properties of cannabis. A study published 

in Neuropharmacology (April 2016) concluded that CBDs could be a fast-acting 

antidepressant drug. Once again, cannabis is gaining prestige as an effective 

antidepressant and pain reliever. 

Studies offer us facts, figures and scientific explanations of how cannabis heals 

our body, but Joanna is a living, breathing success story. Her quality of life has 

increased dramatically since she started using medical cannabis. Before, she was 

in pain, emotionally numb and depressed. Now her days are spent creating fulfilling 

memories with her loved ones. Cannabis has accomplished what nothing else could, 

and it has made all the difference. 

Monica Rakowski has 

been an avid gardener 

for seven years and 

currently owns KP Indoor 

Garden Store in Lakebay, 

Washington. She is 

passionate about 

gardening, sustainable 

living and holistic 

health. Monica writes 

about these topics in 

her column for her local 

paper and on her blog at 

thenaturelifeproject.com. 


heal 

Herbal 

ASK A NURSE: APPETITE & ECZEMA 

Q 

Dear Nurse Jessica, 

My mother is a cannabis patient and she is currently 

undergoing chemotherapy. She loses her appetite 

completely after treatment and says that her food 

tastes “off” when she tries to eat. She also has 

restless legs syndrome and bad eczema on her 

hands and arms. Any suggestions? 

Daughter 

Dear Daughter, 

Working in conjunction with your mother’s doctors 

A 

and holistic practitioners to support her process 

is highly recommended. Please note that my 

suggestions as a nurse are meant to be taken as 

guidelines derived from my personal experiences 

with patients and research. Enduring chemotherapy is exasperating, 

not only for the patient but for the family and friends 

connected. My heart goes out to your mother and your family 

during this time of healing. 

Appetite loss was designed for Mary Jane in my opinion. 

Common strains for appetite stimulation that patients 

gravitate to include White Widow, Jack Herer, Super Lemon 

Haze, Girl Scout Cookies, Afgan Kush, Northern Light 

Special and Lemon OG Kush. 

Trying a cannabis tincture/oil to stimulate the palate and 

activate the salivary glands may assist. The concentration 

of the oil will provide longer cannabis relief as she rests and 

allows herself to sleep and heal. Using affirmational healing 

and meditation may also assist with your mother’s discomfort. 

Louise Hay’s book You Can Heal Your Life is a personal 

favourite, especially for positive motivation. 

Eczema can be treated topically with a thick infused salve or 

a light lotion. Both are used often by patients I see and seem to 

clear up dryness and relieve pain. Hydration and water intake 

are key. Internally, eczema often indicates that digestion is not 

in a good place. She can find great herbal support here with 

cannabis and with other readily available plant medicines. 

Some other common herbs that might be used for digestive 

issues include: 

• Plantain: This herb is soothing and can help to heal scars 

in the lining of the stomach. Great as a calming cup of tea. 

• Lemon balm: A garden plant that’s easy to grow and widely 

available at nurseries will help to ease tension in the digestive 

system while acting to calm the nervous system. 

The emotional aspect can be dealt with through the use of another 

kind of herbal remedy called vibrational flower remedies. 

Check these out. Edward Bach pioneered this work in the 1930s 

and as a result his products and other flower remedies from 

other sources are widely available in the marketplace today. 

Restless legs syndrome can really benefit from baths in cannabis 

infused salts, edibles and topicals that are applied all 

over the legs with generosity. There have been a lot of positive 

results with patients going for hands on bodywork from Cranial 

Sacral Healers, Reiki Masters and acupuncture from doctors 

of Chinese medicine. Energetic work is just as important to me 

as nutrition and rest. 

Jessica Ferneyhough, a registered practical nurse, brings a 

unique approach to care, empowering patients as a medicinal 

cannabis nurse and horses for healing advocate. Do you have a 

question for Jessica? Email editor@myhydrolife.com. 

36 


myhydrolife.ca

heal 

Discovering Dinachem: 

The Rise of a New 

Clone King 

photos & stories by Green Born Identity 

The smoke from Dinachem delivers 

an extremely powerful turn, which 

is cerebral, euphoric and uplifting 

at first, then finishes with a 

relaxing body high. Here’s the 

story of how it came to be. 

For many years, Dutch commercial 

growers Dick and Freerk stuck to 

their standard marijuana strains of 

Power Plant and Amnesia. Like the vast 

majority of commercial growers, the 

two worked with clones from their own 

mother plants, but every now and then 

they would try new strains by sourcing 

the respective seeds, growing them and 

checking to see how their customers 

liked their new kinds of buds. On the 

rare occasion, they hit the jackpot. 

Some time ago, a grower friend of 

Dick and Freerk‘s named Cloudz gave 

them a clone of Dinachem, a strain by 

Dinafem of Spain. This Spanish seed 

company had earned itself a big name 

in the worldwide seed business over 

the past 10 years. “You should really try 

this one,” Cloudz urged. 

Since Dick and Freerk viewed Cloudz 

as someone well-versed in the world 

of cannabis strains, they happily 

accepted his recommendation, which 

was actually trickled down to him by yet 

another experienced grower named 

Growolf, based on a package of 

feminized Dinachem seeds. 

38 

grow. heal. live. enjoy. myhydrolife.ca

heal 

“ 

The strong, basic note that amazingly 

smelled like fuel, complemented by citrus and 

conifer notes, was a real aroma revolution.” 

While that Dinachem cutting grew into 

a mother plant in Dick’s and Freerk’s 

veggie room, they started to look into 

the mysterious strain that had been 

unknown to them up to that point. 

That’s when they discovered some 

interesting details: Dinachem 

consisted of nothing less 

than original ChemDog 91 

genetics. Anybody familiar 

with cannabis strains has 

heard of ChemDog—these 

exquisite genetics created 

in 1991 by the breeder of the 

same name in east coast US 

are simply legendary. 

Like only a few other strains, it 

has put its stamp on the seedbreeding 

business. Back then it 

was the first kind of marijuana 

on the American market. The 

strong, basic note that amazingly 

smelled like fuel, complemented 

by citrus and conifer notes, was 

a real aroma revolution. And, as 

a parental plant, ChemDog later 

gave birth to other strain legends 

such as NYC Diesel, Sour Diesel 

and OG Kush, just to name a few. 

The ChemDog descendant OG 

Kush is a phenomenon on its own; 

it’s arguably the most influential and 

important variety in recent years on 

the international seed market, as it was 

and is used for countless crosses and 

breeding projects, some of which have 

been showered with awards. 

While there’s no end in sight yet to that 

huge OG Kush hype, the problem with the 

original ChemDog 91 is that it’s a cloneonly 

plant and not an actual seed strain, 

only being available in the form of female 

cuttings. So a seed company striving to 

offer ChemDog 91 genetics in the form of 

seeds has to be in possession of that female 

elite clone as well as male plants of a 

strain preferably closely related to it so that 

through multiple backcrossing, the breeder 

can approximate the ChemDog 91 genetics 

as close as possible. 

40 


myhydrolife.ca

heal 

Discovering Dinachem 

Dinafem in Spain received the original 

ChemDog 91 clone genetics directly from 

the ChemDog breeder, and in addition, 

plenty of GuavaChem seeds, a stabilized 

great-great-grandchild of ChemDog 91 bred 

as a seed strain by ChemDog over many 

years. It genetically resembles ChemDog 

91, thus being a perfect backcross partner 

for it as well as being a perfect rejuvenating 

cure. Due to the old age of the genetics— 

vegetatively propagated again and again 

over decades—original ChemDog 91 clones 

grow slowly nowadays and don’t yield well 

any longer. But, if transferred into seed 

form by means of related genetics such 

as the GuavaChem, it gets refreshed, 

regaining power and productivity. The 

lost vigour comes back; it’s a bit like an 

invigorating autohemotherapy. 

Dinafem chose the most stable 

GuavaChem plants of the highest quality 

to cross with the original ChemDog 91 

cutting, thus, over several generations, 

creating the vigorous, high-yielding 

Dinachem strain (65 per cent sativa, 35 per 

cent indica). 

The smoke from the Dinafem strain delivers 

an extremely powerful turn which is cerebral, 

euphoric and uplifting at first, then finishes 

with a relaxing body high. Both sides of the 

spectrum—sativa and indica—are well-expressed 

in Dinachem’s kind of high. Special emphasis was 

also put on the breeding goal to preserve that special 

penetrant fuel/diesel or petroleum trademark aroma 

of ChemDog, but also those other olfactory attributes 

typical of that strain, hints of citrus and pinewood are all 

in there! Dinachem needs about 60 days of flowering to 

ripen, yielding up to 500 grams of chubby buds that, despite 

its sativa-dominant genetics, reminds users more of an indica 

than a sativa. Medically, this strain can do wonders for people 

suffering from stress, anxiety or inner restlessness, and it can 

also act as a great analgesic, relieving even chronic pains. 

Growing Dinachem 

Back to Dick and Freerk. After they had learned more about Dinachem, 

they were fired up and full of sizzling anticipation for the forthcoming 

Dinachem bud premiere. The first cuttings they produced rooted without 

any problems and after 10 days in the veggie stage they were put to 

flowering. Eight and a half weeks later, the plants had fully matured, 

and there it really was, that incredibly intense and complex odour mix 

of fuel, citrus and pine. “When one reads about such an usual aroma 

description, it comes across as remarkable, but having this green 

olfactory artwork in front of you then and actually smelling it, really is 

astounding and fascinating,” says Freerk. “The buds were extremely 

resinous, thick, roundish and tight, making for big yields. ” 

“ 

It’s arguably the most influential and important variety 

in recent years on the international seed market, as it was 

and is used for countless crosses and breeding projects, 

some of which have been showered with awards.” 

42 


myhydrolife.ca

heal 

“ 

If transferred into seed form by 

means of related genetics such as 

the GuavaChem, it gets refreshed, 

regaining power and productivity.” 

Testing Dinachem 

When testing Dinachem for the first time, Dick and Freerk could hardly 

finish their small, single test joint. It was that strong. “Dinachem’s 

indica stone turned out to be more than tremendous; the effect was 

instantly there and totally steamrolled us after just a few hits so that 

we were stoned to the bone and could hardly move,” says Dick. “But 

mentally it left us totally happy and sunshiny; it gave us a broad, 

permanent grin. Growolf had selected a phenotype with an enormous, 

heavyweight indica punch, and less sativa influence than usual. With 

that mood-lifting effect, a part of Dinachem’s sativa side at least did 

come through in a very pleasant way.” 

While Dick and Freerk were deeply impressed by Dinachem’s potency, 

they wondered what would their customers would say. After a couple of 

days, feedback was impressive, with people stating: 

“Smoked it and couldn’t remember my own 

name after a while.” 

“It’s like careless day-dreaming… 

feeling extremely stoned and relaxed.” 

“I was just sitting and dwelling on 

happy thoughts.” 

Other customers’ statements showed a lot of enthusiasm regarding 

Dinachem’s aroma and potency. There was no doubt this strain would 

become a part of Dick and Freerk’s weed arsenal. “It’s a great feeling to 

have found a new clone king after all those years,” they say. 

44 


myhydrolife.ca

heal 

ILLEGALLY 

ALIVE 

BY JENN MCGARRIGLE 

’d rather be illegally alive than 

“I legally dead.” Those are the 

words of 16-year-old Coltyn Turner, 

whose parents turned to medicinal 

cannabis two years ago to treat 

their son’s Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid 

arthritis and lupus. Cannabis 

has allowed their son to live a 

normal life again and has probably 

saved his life, says Coltyn’s mother, 

Wendy Turner. “It works. There’s not 

much more we can say about him 

or his cannabis use.” 

While Coltyn’s Crohn’s disease is 

in remission, it was a long journey 

for the Turners to get to this point, 

a journey that included, at one 

point, packing up their lives and 

moving to a different state to seek 

alternative treatments. Coltyn 

was diagnosed with Crohn’s 

disease in 2012 after a bacterial 

infection developed from a neardrowning 

experience the summer 

before. Doctors began treating 

him with the usual medications, 

some of which didn’t do anything 

at all, while others had alarming 

side effects ranging from profuse 

nose bleeds, fatigue, joint pain 

and swelling, to drug-induced 

lupus, says Wendy. 

Coltyn and his parents had 

had enough of the standard 

treatments for Crohn’s. “We 

were tired of the side effects the 

medications were giving him and 

my grandma, who’s native, kept 

telling us to go see a medicine 

man,” remembers Wendy. “So we 

started researching. We came 

across a study from Israel about 

cannabis and Crohn’s that was 

promising. So he got high!” 

The family lived in Illinois at the 

time, where medicinal cannabis is 

illegal, so in October 2013 Wendy 

and her husband, Tommy, made 

weed brownies in their kitchen. 

They saw instant improvements in 

Coltyn’s mood, but were afraid of 

the consequences and the trouble 

they could get into for the illegal 

treatments, so they stopped. “We 

waited for our next Mayo Clinic 

visit to see what they said,” says 

Wendy. “They never came out and 

said try cannabis, but they were 

not against alternative treatments. 

That was our green light.” 

In March 2014, Tommy and Coltyn 

headed to Colorado, a state that 

was in the news quite a bit at 

the time for legalizing cannabis 

use, to find a dispensary and 

make some more brownies. They 

met Jason Cranford, a leading 

medicinal cannabis caregiver who 

makes cannabis oil, and Coltyn 

started on cannabis oil pills made 

from a high-CBD strain, as well as 

THC edibles. 

Three years ago, 16-year-old 

Coltyn Turner was in constant 

pain, had withdrawn from social 

interactions and was often 

wheelchair-bound. Fast forward 

to today, and you meet an active 

youth who is doing normal 

teenage-boy things, like hiking 

and rock climbing, as well as a 

few extraordinary things, like 

standing up in front of crowds of 

people to talk about his journey to 

health using cannabis. His family 

was happy to share Coltyn’s 

remarkable story with Hydrolife. 

46 grow. heal. live. enjoy. 

Coltyn has been telling his story, advocating the advancement of cannabis research. 

myhydrolife.ca 

Photo by Destin Michael Photography

A LITTLE HAPPINESS and some time to forget the 

emotional pain is definitely wanted. Sleep, hunger, 

“weight gain and relaxation are all wanted effects.” 

For his efforts, Coltyn was awarded Advocate of 

the Year at the Cannabis Business Awards. 

Getting the dosage right was a major 

challenge at first, as the Turners 

couldn’t find a single person who had 

ever dosed a child with cannabis for 

Crohn’s disease. “We finally found a 

ratio that worked for him that is equal 

amounts CBD and THC and also high 

in cannabinoids like CBN and CBG,” 

says Wendy. “That took a few months 

and he’s been on it ever since. It’s been 

more than two years. He’s in remission. 

No pain, no sitting in the bathroom for 

days, he’s growing, eating and he has 

energy. He has his life back.” 

Once they saw that the cannabis was 

working, Wendy and Tommy moved 

their family to Colorado, doubling 

their mortgage and many other bills. 

But it was all worth it to get their son 

back, pain-free and full of life. That 

summer, Coltyn hiked five miles up 

Blue Mountain while attending his 

first Boy Scout camp since the neardrowning 

incident in 2011. Tommy and 

his brother, Kyler, hiked with him, with 

tears of joy running down their cheeks. 

The wheelchair was a distant memory. 

Wendy says not only is the cannabis 

working, but there are no unwanted 

side effects, and that includes the 

euphoric effect cannabis can have. 

“Sometimes the high is wanted and 

needed,” she explains. “The kid was 

dying and was reminded of that every 

day. A little happiness and some time to 

forget the emotional pain is definitely 

wanted. Sleep, hunger, weight gain and 

relaxation are all wanted effects.” 

With his unique position as the 

first registered medical marijuana 

pediatric patient for Crohn’s disease 

in Colorado, Coltyn and his family 

began speaking out publicly about 

their experiences. “Our goal is to save 

lives,” explains Wendy. “How many 

kids out there are needlessly suffering 

because cannabis is illegal? How 

many grandmas are sitting in a nursing 

home drugged up, with no quality 

of life? What if cannabis could help 

your mom? Shouldn’t she have the 

option to try it? It’s not going to cause 

cancer like most 

medicines do, and 

in the end it could 

save a life, like it 

did for Coltyn.” 

Coltyn has been 

busy sharing his 

story in the hopes 

that someone who 

is sick will see 

it and research 

cannabis. He also 

testified at the 

Capitol for the 

right to access 

cannabis and 

urged legislators 

to open their 

eyes to the 

possibilities. For 

his efforts, he was 

awarded Advocate 

of the Year at 

the Cannabis 

Business Awards, 

held in Denver 

last December. 

“Coltyn spoke up 

for something that 

could have gotten 

all of us in a lot 

of trouble, as a 

14-year-old,” says 

Wendy. “There 

aren’t many kids 

out there who 

can or do speak 

up. He sees the 

miracles in other 

kids and adults 

every day, and to 

be rewarded for 

standing up and fighting for someone 

else’s life, opportunity and option is 

what life is really about.” 

Connect with Coltyn: coltynscrue.org 

Jenn McGarrigle is a writer, editor, 

gardener, mountain biker and nature 

lover who has lived on the West Coast 

all her life. When she’s not telling stories 

and helping people get the word out 

about the exciting things they do and 

why they do them, you’ll find her on the 

trails or in her garden. 

Coltyn Turner gets extraordinary support from his family. 


heal 

Can Medical Cannabis Relieve 

Rheumatoid Arthritis? 

Physicians are still advised to counsel against cannabis-based 

medication as a first response, but as research increases, evidence 

shows cannabis does reduce pain. Chris Bond sources recent 

studies to explain why cannabis can play a bigger role in pain relief, 

beginning with rheumatoid arthritis. 

By Chris Bond 

Cannabis as a medical treatment for individuals suffering 

with pain and inflammation is becoming a more accepted 

treatment, especially in the United States and Canada. A 

2014 article from the journal Arthritis Care and Research 

reports that up to 80 per cent of patients in the United 

States and up to 65 per cent of patients in Canada that 

seek medically prescribed cannabis do so in order to 

alleviate the severe pain inflicted from rheumatoid 

arthritis (RA) or other musculoskeletal pain. 

As a pain reliever, cannabis has been known to be 

effective for at least 5,000 years. In clinical trials in 

Western medicine, however, it has only been seriously 

studied for the last 20 years. Indications of its efficacy 

in controlling symptoms of RA specifically are 

somewhat lacking according to an article as recent 

as 2014 in the International Journal of 

Clinical Rheumatology. The medicinal 

use of cannabis is, of course, known 

to relieve stress, promote sleep and 

increase appetite for those that are 

in need of either gaining weight or 

increasing their nutrition. There 

are side effects for many though 

that should be considered before 

using cannabis as a treatment for 

RA. The stimulation of appetite 

may not be a desirable outcome 

of individuals that may already 

be overweight or obese. Cannabis 

use, especially if over-used 

by those self-medicating, can 

have mood effects, cognitive 

and psychological impairment 

and changes in the cardiovascular 

system. Those individuals that 

smoke cannabis as opposed to taking it 

in a pharmaceutically prepared form such 

as a pill or spray may also experience negative 

respiratory symptoms. Despite these side 

effects, there are several forms of cannabinoids 

that, due to extensive study, do have known efficacy 

and predictable side effects for individuals 

suffering from arthritis. 

48 


myhydrolife.ca

grow heal 

“Cannabis can remove harmful stimuli and help to begin the process of 

healing the damaged tissues that can result from arthritis.” 

The same 2014 issue of the International Journal of Clinical 

Rheumatology as referenced above cites three such 

examples of these cannabinoids. A synthetic “analogue” 

of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the product Nabilone. 

Dronabinol is another, which is a stereoisomer of THC. A 

spray form has also been developed, Nabiximols. These 

pharmaceutical developments have been created to 

have more long-term anti-inflammatory effects and fewer 

psychoactive effects than the recreational forms of cannabis. 

A 2006 article in the Journal of Rheumatology cites yet another 

cannabis-based medication (CBM), Sativex. 

A double-blind, five-week long study conducted 

by British researchers from the departments of 

Rheumatology at Northampton General Hospital, 

Selly Oak Hospital, the Royal National Hospital for 

Rheumatic Diseases and the Cannabinoid Research 

Institute at Oxford studied the efficacy of Sativex on 58 

individuals suffering from RA. They found statistically 

significant improvement from the individuals 

actually receiving Sativex and not a placebo. These 

improvements ranged from the patients achieving more 

and better sleep to experiencing less pain and attaining 

better scores on the standard inflammation activity 

measure test, the DAS28. The improved sleep 

resulting from the use of Sativex was 

postulated by the researchers to be due to 

the pain relief of the medication, and not 

from any hypnotic effect of the medication. 

Israeli researchers as cited in a 2016 

article from the Israeli publication Rambam 

Maimonides Medical Journal are not as sure, 

but still suggest that CBMs could help with the 

pain associated with suffering from RA. Only 17 

per cent of the Israeli rheumatologists who were 

surveyed suggested that there was “no role” for 

cannabis as a treatment option for those suffering 

from symptoms of arthritis. Those 83 per 

cent who did feel there was a role were “willing 

to prescribe herbal cannabis if other treatments 

failed.” A noted shortcoming of this study, however, 

was its low response rate from professionals that could 

be unfairly influencing its outcomes. 

Evidence cited in the Journal of Experimental and 

Integrative Medicine is supportive of the role of 

cannabis in treating pain and suffering associated 

with RA. It notes the role cannabis plays as an antiinflammatory 

agent and pain reducer. Cannabis can 

remove harmful stimuli and help to begin the process 

of healing the damaged tissues that can result from 

arthritis. Additionally, rheumatoid joints contain 

high numbers of receptors for cannabinoids making 

this particular treatment highly effective. The article 

further states cannabis’ ability to inhibit edema, a 

sometimes side-effect of inflammation where fluid 

can accumulate between the joints and the skin. 

More recently (June 2015), the Obama administration 

removed the Public Health Service (PHS) review, which 

had previously made available funding for research into 

the health benefits of medicinal cannabis use extremely 

scarce and difficult to obtain. This will also increase 

the amounts of cannabis that researchers can have on 

hand at any given time during their study. Ironically, 

this same review initiated during the Clinton presidency 

was intended to make research funds available to 

start looking into the health benefits of cannabis. 

Its cumbersomeness ended up creating unintended 

roadblocks and impediments for researchers. Researchers 

Fabian Hernandez and Sathees Chandra of the 

Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Nursing 

and Health Sciences at Barry University, stated in a 2016 

article in the Journal of Experimental and Integrative 

Medicine that this removal “will initiate the next 

generation of research on cannabis. By permitting more 

federal funding and access to samples, the medicinal 

benefit and their bio-molecular pathways will be better 

understood… as federal funding for cannabis research 

increases all over the world, a better understanding of 

these healing benefits will be reached.” Hernandez and 

Chandra cite the undeniable evidence of the benefits of 

cannabis to sufferers of not only RA, 

but other inflammatory ailments as 

well as its benefits to those afflicted 

with anything from insomnia, broken 

bones and cancer. 

It seems as if there is hope for those 

suffering from the painful effects of 

rheumatoid arthritis to be found from CBMs. 

Physicians, though, are still obligated to 

counsel against their use as a first response. 

Factors such as a patient’s past recreational 

use of cannabis, their history of addiction and 

family history of mental and psychoactive 

disorders must all be taken into account 

before a health professional will 

likely prescribe a cannabis-based 

pharmaceutical for sufferers of RA. 

Chris Bond is the horticulturist at 

Case Western Reserve University 

in Cleveland, Ohio, and host 

of the Keeping It Green radio 

program. His primary role is 

co-ordinator of the university’s 

Farm Food Program, but Chris 

also teaches classes about 

growing food. His research 

interests are sustainable agriculture 

and alternative growing methods. 

50 


myhydrolife.ca


live 

Baking 

A FOOL OF MYSELF 

by Watermelon 

A Cannabis Culinary Column 

LIFE ON WRECK BEACH WAS GOLDEN 

The early days on Wreck Beach were sun-filled and idyllic. Then came the 

arrest. Through the uncertainty, Watermelon found love and support. She 

continues her story and shares her recipe for marijuana-infused bacon. 

There I was, working full time for myself, in the summer 

at least. I would skip along a log singing out my slogans. 

“Wata-wata-wata melon. Woo hoo for watermelon,” or 

“crazy cookies going like pot-cakes.” 

There were no coffee breaks. I skinny-dipped in the 

ocean instead. My work uniform was sunshine all over my 

body. My tan was all-over even. I smoked lots of pot and 

ate loads of free watermelon everyday on the job. I was 

happy. I was healthy. Life was glorious. 

It was many years before the law turned their attention 

to my pot cookies and me. I was that sweet girl who gave 

all the kids free watermelon. However, I also sold a great 

many of their parents, uncles, aunties and grandparents 

pot cookies. Chocolate mushrooms, too. 

52 


myhydrolife.ca

live 

THE ARREST 

Crime had steadily been getting 

more sophisticated than 

the police. The RCMP didn’t 

know how to go after real criminals 

committing real crimes, 

so they kept doing what they 

did best, arresting pot smokers. 

On September 8, 2001, I was 

arrested for the first time in my 

life. My knees buckled. 

I was vending to a group of 

lovely gentlemen at the farthest 

end of the beach when I 

saw the officer coming straight 

for me. I kindly asked the nice 

gentlemen to stash all my 

cookies behind their backs and 

they did. Imagine, desperately 

stashing gingersnap cookies 

from the police? 

I had nothing on me but a pair 

of sunglasses when the officer 

informed me I was under arrest. 

A bolt of adrenaline came 

over me and my mind began to 

race. Nothing prepares you for 

your first arrest. You become 

hyper-aware. You begin to 

prickle with terror and excitement 

of all the uncertainties. 

You are a wild animal ready for 

fight or flight. 

We had a long way to go back 

across the beach and up those 

400 stairs. It was all I could do 

to stay standing and maintain 

my composure. After the fear 

subsided I became indignant. 

My legs were still working. 

We were walking across the 

front of the beach, so I began 

to shout at the beachgoers 

as we paraded by that I was, 

in fact, being arrested. Our 

‘friend’ was trying to take me 

away very quietly. By the time we reached the 

halfway point where my clothes were, a crowd of more than 

200 had gathered. Camera phones weren’t standard fair yet, 

but many photos got taken. A famous photographer named 

Lincoln Clarkes happened to be there sunbathing with his 

relic of a camera and started to roll film as I was escorted by. 

THE NAKED TRUTH 

Many beach goers were shaking their fists at the officer 

in anger. People were hugging and kissing me or holding 

up their crying children who wanted to hug and kiss me 

goodbye. Others ran to the top of the stairs naked and stood 

on the street demanding my release. My community loved 

me. They really loved me. It was the greatest day of my life. 

I celebrate my ‘arrest-aversary’ every year by throwing a 

big party and getting everyone baked. I invite you to do the 

same on September 8 (any year you like). 

Three days after my ordeal the Twin Towers collapsed in 

New York and the whole world changed. This event really 

overshadowed my media coverage. 

“ 

By the time we reached the halfway 

point where my clothes were, a crowd 

of more than 200 had gathered.” 

Lucky for me, I went on to be arrested several more times. The 

RCMP couldn’t get enough of the cookie lady. Three separate 

provincial court trials. Three separate acquittals. In hockey it’s 

called a hat trick, in bowling it’s a turkey. In court … a stunner. I 

fought the law and I won! Look up Regina v. Dunsdon. 

None of these events ever made me want to quit my work. 

They have made me more determined. Only last week I completed 

an eight-week course and received a diploma in chocolate. 

It is more like a G.E.D. in chocolate, but I am thrilled. Soon 

I will begin a new line of coverture cannabis chocolate and 

mushrooms. This column will chronicle that journey. Until then 

I will discuss some time-honoured classics of mine. 

54 


myhydrolife.ca

live 

“Converting cannabis with 

heat, fat or alcohol knocks off the 

carbon molecule and allows your 

cannabinoid receptors to receive the 

blissful molecule in all its glory.” 

Marijuana infused bacon can be eaten alone, 

wrapped around, or served with the following 

delicious accompaniments: 

CANNABIS CONVERSION RECAP 

In my first column I discussed the process we call 

cannabis conversion or decarboxylation. Let’s recap shall 

we? If you just eat dried cannabis you wouldn’t receive 

much, if any, psychoactive or medical results. Converting 

cannabis with heat, fat or alcohol knocks off the carbon 

molecule and allows your cannabinoid receptors to 

receive the blissful molecule in all its glory. 

Most everybody is familiar with the butter technique, 

but I am here to tell you many fats do a marvelous job 

converting cannabis. We will use the fat from bacon to 

convert our cannabis today and have your boy/girlfriend 

offering their hand in marriage soon after. 

• Cantaloupe 

• Asparagus 

• Shrimps 

• Hotdogs 

• Hamburgers 

• Eggs 

My favourite is cantaloupe because not only is it cool and fresh 

tasting, you don’t have to cook it. Be warned, it’s delicious! 

The real goal in life is happiness. If you can find happiness in 

your heart you have mastered life. Thanks for tuning in. 

To watch Watermelon in action, check her out on YouTube. 

Baked: Cooking with Mary Jean is a special show that features 

one special ingredient: cannabis! Follow Watermelon, a.k.a. 

Mary Jean Dunsdon, on Twitter @weeddiva to never miss an 

episode, or sign up for updates at potent.media. 

Marijuana Infused Bacon (Flying Pigs) 

It won’t just be the pigs flying high. 

Ingredients: 

• 10-12 strips of thick-cut bacon 

• 4 grams of shake flour 

Steps: 

• Grind 4 grams of shake into fine 

flour, sift and pour into saltshaker. 

• On a large, clean cookie tray 

lay out the bacon. 

• Using saltshaker, generously 

sprinkle each piece of bacon 

with the super fine shake flour. 

• Bake in centre rack around 300˚F 

until desired consistency is achieved. 

You can dust both sides of the bacon 

with shake flour or only one. It is 

entirely up to you and how high 

you want your pigs to fly. 

56 


myhydrolife.ca

live 

An Essential Part of 

Cannabinoid Production 

It’s official. Research has proven 

that the quality and potency of 

cannabinoids depends on the 

minerals in the soil where the 

cannabis is being grown. 

by Augustus Dunning 

Soil-borne mineral depletion has caused a crisis in the 

food supply. Mineral-deficient food-borne soil is causing 

disease rates to increase dramatically. Food is nearly empty 

of the genetic triggers—minerals—that help make the 

compounds to keep us healthy. This food-quality reduction is 

from the yearly depletion of soils due to harvesting without 

restoring mineral content to cropland. 

The cropland destruction has created both an explosion 

of illnesses and an explosion of vitamin companies and 

pharmaceutical products. Minerals are critical for the plant 

compounds we need for nutrition and soil minerals are 

taken up into plants to create the compounds we use as 

nutrients when we eat. 

Similarly, deficiency in mineral content can produce 

deficiencies in cannabis plants as well. In soilless hydroponic 

growing media, minerals have to be introduced every time 

you grow a crop. The quality and potency in cannabinoids is 

directly dependent on the minerals in soil where cannabis is 

grown. In the 2014 paper “Metals and Organic compounds in 

the Biosynthesis of Cannabinoids: A Chemometric Approach 

to the Analysis of Cannabis Sativa Samples” the relationship 

of minerals in soil were mapped to the synthesis of the various 

cannabinoid compound content in C. Sativa. In their abstract 

the authors state: “This work is an attempt to recognize 

correlations between the metal content in the different parts 

of cannabis Sativa L. and the cannabinoids content, as a 

potential indicator.” Their results? “Correlations between 

metal content in plants and soil, analyzed by chemometrics 

unsupervised methods, highlighted partly their role in the 

biosynthesis of cannabinoids. It was recognized that the CBN 

and the psychoactive THC contents are manganese-dependent 

while the CBD content is iron-dependent.” 

The authors concluded that the contents of metals in the 

rhizosphere could be an indication of the cannabinoid content. 

This can be seen in the test results of numerous examples of 

the same strain. There is a wide variety of potency as seen in 

the Blue Dream samples, and it can be concluded that it is a 

nutrient deficiency in ionic minerals during growth that causes 

these dramatic differences. According to the same study quoted 

above, the high-THC sample had adequate amounts of manganese 

and the high-CBD sample had adequate amounts iron. 

In growth rate, the testing minerals have shown to accelerate 

growth and yields, beginning with rapid and thick root growth 

in identical untreated and treated clones at six weeks. Foliar 

ionic mineral spray applications in the late phase increased 

trichome numbers dramatically. 

Other benefits occur from healthier, strong, ionic mineraltreated 

plants: lack of pathogenic and pest attacks. If you want 

better medicine, you need to supplement it with ionic minerals. 

Most N-P-K fertilizer systems contain up to eight minerals, 

but plants need more than 50 minerals to function for optimal 

genetic expression. Water-soluble, ocean water-derived liquid 

ionic minerals work best because they contain some 60 different 

elements and are taken up into the plant fast because they are 

bio-available. As individual ions (atoms) they can pass directly 

through leaf and root cells. Mineral ions are critical. It is, after 

all, the iron in hemoglobin in the blood platelets that carries 

oxygen to our cells, and iron is critical for making CBD in cannabis. 

In other words, you’ve got to mineralize to energize! 

Want more? Check out the Wide World of Weed on YouTube. 

Augustus Dunning is the CEO of Eco Organics and is a physicist, 

chemist and an inventor. He is the former systems ops designer 

for the International Space Station and a former regional 

manager of liquid, solid and electric propulsion systems for 

Pratt and Whitney space propulsion. 

58 


myhydrolife.ca

enjoy 

SNEAK PEEK 

BIG BOOK 

OF BUDS 

GREATEST HITS 

For more than a decade, Ed Rosenthal’s Big Book of Buds 

series has been the connoisseur’s reference guide to the 

best marijuana strains from the world’s greatest breeders. 

Now get ready for the Big Book of Buds Greatest Hits, a 

compilation of the premier strains that have appeared in 

the four volumes of the Big Book of Buds series. Compiled 

and edited by Ed Rosenthal, these noteworthy varieties are 

the cream of the crop and have made gardening easier 

and results more predictable. Here is a little teaser from the 

book on one of its featured strains: Ed Rosenthal Super Bud. 

60 


myhydrolife.ca

enjoy 

“SUCCULENT FLOWER FORMATION 

IS THE SUPER BUD STRAIN’S 

DISTINGUISHING FEATURE.” 

ED ROSENTHAL SUPER BUD – 

SENSI SEED BANK 

Sensi Seed Bank has released this elite 

strain in honour of Ed Rosenthal, the 

undisputed heavyweight champion of 

growing gurus. Literally decades in the 

making, this hybrid achieves a superb 

layering of traits from both the indica 

and sativa ends of the cannabis spectrum. 

This variety was refined from the 

Potent Evolved Hybrid project, where 

pure Afghani cultivars and equatorial 

sativa strains were interbred over many 

years, and their offspring selected for 

potency and yield at every step. The 

blend of tropical genes in ER Super Bud’s 

background is especially wide-ranging, 

representing sativas from all around the 

equatorial zone—Africa, South East Asia, 

Central America and the Caribbean. 

Ed Rosenthal Super Bud thrives 

outdoors in hot climates, and should 

be grown indoors in temperate or cold 

regions like Holland. Any medium is fine, 

and plants enjoy standard to generous 

fertilizer feedings. ER Super Bud is very 

manageable as she grows, with a surprisingly 

uniform growth pattern given 

her diverse heritage. This strain is suitable 

for sea of green; alternatively, both 

her indica and sativa phenotypes can be 

grown into excellent multi-stem plants. 

Succulent flower formation is the Super 

Bud strain’s distinguishing feature. All 

females exhibit flower structures bursting 

with indica density, made even fatter by 

the running sativa tendency. The result is 

buds that swell upwards and outwards to 

crazy sizes and sport a stupendous covering 

of full-sized resin glands. ER buds 

also have a unique pistil formation—the 

oversized antennae sprouting from each 

calyx are covered with a visible fuzz of 

tiny hairs, giving them a woolly appearance. 

Different individuals show 

extra sativa or indica influence through 

subtle variations in the development and 

structure of their resin-soaked buds. The 

sativa-leaning females make particularly 

good multi-stem plants and produce huge 

oval calyxes that spiral into crooked budpyramids 

large enough to bend branches. 

The indica phenotype’s flowers are 

distinct and impressive, building into voluptuous 

columns of snowy bud with main 

colas as thick as an arm. In other respects, 

phenotype variation is small, with a majority 

of plants flowering at the same speed 

and increasing their height by about 

150 per cent. A small proportion will show 

a jump at the onset of blooming, which first 

widens the gaps between internodes and 

later gives an even greater yield potential. 

All plants from this strain are sweetsmelling 

and taste of pineapple punch. 

As for the stone—get ready for an immediate 

body flush, a bright physical glow 

that’s not given to lethargy. Later, a cerebral 

high creeps up, subtle at first, yet 

longer-lasting than the body effect. ER 

Super Bud is sweetly relaxing, leaving 

plenty of energy for conversation and socializing 

with friends. Medicinally, this 

might be a good variety for chronic body 

pain and the blues that come with it. 

BACKGROUNDER 

From the inception of the modern cannabis 

revolution, Ed Rosenthal has been 

at the heart of the movement, a committed 

and fearless campaigner for truth, 

justice and sanity, which is to say, an 

end to prohibition. 

If you’ve ever grown ganja, it’s a safe bet 

that Ed has helped you out in a big way, 

whether directly or indirectly. He’s taught 

generations of growers about the science 

and art of cannabis cultivation, and helped 

them discover their green thumb as well as 

the joys and potential for personal enrichment 

that this hobby can awaken. 

62 


myhydrolife.ca

enjoy 

“IF YOU’VE EVER GROWN GANJA, IT’S A SAFE 

BET THAT ED HAS HELPED YOU OUT IN A BIG 

WAY, WHETHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.” 

As the brain behind the Ask Ed columns 

in Cannabis Culture and High Times, 

and the author of a veritable library of 

cannabis books that cover every topic 

from growing to law reform, Ed Rosenthal 

has done more than anyone we know to 

spread accurate, no-nonsense information 

on the world’s most delightful crop. 

It’s no exaggeration to say that Ed 

Rosenthal Super Bud has been decades 

in the making. Sharp-eyed cannabis historians 

and collectors of old seed catalogs 

might have seen the single printed 

reference to the breeding program that 

eventually led to the Super Bud strain. In 

1989, this Ed-affiliated strain was called 

Ed’s Potent Evolved Hybrid Type 1 (PEHT) 

when it was briefly offered in a limited 

edition of 1,500 seeds. It sold out very 

quickly and was never commercially 

offered again. Around this time, there 

was a big shift toward indoor cultivation 

and few growers had the time or space 

for experimental crossings. Sensi Seed 

Bank’s releases in the following years 

were geared toward this new indoor 

trend, featuring stabilized F1 hybrids— 

strains that could be relied upon for 

predictable behavior. 

As the years passed, and Sensi’s 

breeding-stock expanded into a truly 

comprehensive collection of traditional 

cultivars and legendary hybrids, their 

breeders found plenty of fascinating 

new possibilities to explore, and the 

PEHT program continued quietly in the 

background. With occasional infusions 

of promising new genetic material and 

dozens more generations of crossing and 

selection for yield and resin production, 

the program yielded several rarefied 

plants which proved to be valuable intermediate 

parents in complex hybrids. 

A desirably heavy, sticky form began 

to dominate the later PEHT generations. 

Breeders focused on stabilizing the finer 

points of the emerging strain. Unique 

flower structures and flavors discovered 

in the program were successfully reproduced 

as recurring traits and the ER 

seed strain neared completion. By this 

time, near the end of the 1990s, Holland’s 

tolerance for cannabis was in sharp decline, 

and professional breeding became 

much more difficult, as the large crops 

of test seedlings required for rigorous 

selection were no longer possible. 

As a result, the small amount of refinement 

required before releasing ER in its 

final distinct form took many years longer 

than expected, making this hybrid the longest 

single project in the Sensi Seed Bank 

collection. Sensi feels this world-class 

strain shows the years of work and care 

invested in its development. This gourmet 

hybrid promises to be a special addition 

to any serious aficionado’s garden. 

Look for the Big Book of Buds Greatest 

Hits starting August 2016. It will be 

available at book stores everywhere 

and on Amazon. Pre-order from 

edrosenthal.com to receive a signed 

copy. The Big Book of Buds Greatest 

Hits will also feature: 

• 95 varieties from 26 seed companies – 

all commercially available. 

• Beautiful photography 

throughout the book. 

• A striking, brushed metallic 

gold tone cover. 

• Timeless information for 

growers and consumers. 

“ED ROSENTHAL HOLDS 

THE DISTINCTION OF 

TURNING MORE PEOPLE 

ON TO POT THAN CHEECH 

AND CHONG.” 

– TOMMY CHONG 

“MR. ROSENTHAL IS THE 

POTHEAD’S ANSWER TO 

ANN LANDERS, JUDGE 

JUDY, MARTHA STEWART 

AND THE BURPEE GARDEN 

WIZARD ALL IN ONE.” 

– NY TIMES 

64 


myhydrolife.ca

enjoy 

Cannabis 

Cocktails, 

MOCKTAILS & TONICS 

Warren Bobrow’s New Book is 

a Cannabis Drinker’s Dream 

BY COLLEEN GRAHAM 

What’s a DIY drinker 

to do when they 

want to start mixing 

their medicine into 

their drinks? Pick up 

a copy of Cannabis 

Cocktails, Mocktails, 

& Tonics by Warren 

Bobrow. Released Warren Bobrow 

this summer, this 

new book is the ultimate guide to 

cannabis drinks. It will be the topic’s 

reference for years to come and a book 

that every cannabis user with a taste for 

fine drinks should consider essential. 

Its pages are filled with invaluable 

advice about drinking cannabis, 

including recipes for cannabis syrups, 

tonics, butters, infusions, bitters and 

tinctures, along with flavourful drink 

recipes that do not always include 

alcohol. All of your cannabis drink 

questions will be answered with a 

sophisticated vibe that appeals to the 

connoisseur of both cannabis and drinks. 

Bobrow has a colourful background that 

includes culinary training and a family 

of apothecaries, complete with genuine 

1960s hippies. He is the real deal and 

his past was a natural foundation that 

combined with his passion for sharing 

great drinks. “I had a dream and knew 

exactly what I wanted to do with this,” 

Bobrow says of his original inspiration. 

“It worked out well, 

ACTUALLY TOO WELL, 

and I had to ratchet it 

back a bit so it didn’t 

obliterate people.” 

He began by infusing almost any alcohol 

available with cannabis. “It worked 

out well, actually too well, and I had to 

ratchet it back a bit so it didn’t obliterate 

people,” he says. 

Bobrow created and tested each of the 

book’s 75 recipes, so it’s best to heed his 

advice on dosage and consumption, and 

even cut it back a little at first. He is also 

adamant that the book is not dedicated 

to alcohol. “These are health-giving tonics 

to which you don’t have to add alcohol,” 

he says. Many of the book’s recipes 

are non-alcoholic and can be drunk as 

a medicinal dosage or as a therapeutic 

and relaxing drink. 

66 grow. heal. live. enjoy. 

myhydrolife.ca

enjoy 

Candy Says 

Makes two cocktails 

One of Bobrow’s favourite recipes from his 

book, Candy Says is an approachable rum 

punch that will appeal to many palates. 

Ingredients 

Coconut water ice 

2 oz. 100-proof Rhum Agricole 

1 oz. non-medicated coconut cream 

2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice 

1 handful fresh raspberries, crushed 

1 tsp. ground turmeric 

2 oz. Medicated Rich Simple Syrup* 

2 oz. cane syrup-based ginger beer 

6 drops aromatic bitters 

Fill a Boston shaker half full with the coconut 

water ice. Add the Rhum Agricole, 

coconut cream, orange juice, raspberries, 

turmeric and Medicated Rich Simple Syrup, 

and shake hard for about 15 seconds. 

Divide between two miniature coupe 

glasses. Top each with 1 oz. of ginger beer 

and dot with the aromatic bitters to finish. 

*Medicated Rich Simple Syrup 

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and reduce 

heat. Add 1 cup raw honey and stir until 

dissolved. Add 4 grams ground, decarbed 

cannabis, cover and reduce heat. Allow to 

simmer for about 30 minutes. Reduce heat 

again and add 1 Tbsp. vegetarian liquid 

lecithin and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring 

constantly. Remove from heat and strain. 

Where Should a Novice Begin? 

Cannabis Cocktails is accessible to 

everyone—no special equipment or 

training to get the drinks just right is 

required. From decarbing to dosage and 

flavour pairings with common cannabis 

strains, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & 

Tonics contains all of the information you 

need to get started. Bobrow recommends 

starting out with one of his mocktails. 

A simple Turkish coffee like the Beside 

the Bosphorus recipe, made with one of 

Bobrow’s canna butter recipes, would be 

a great beginner’s drink. 

Balancing Alcohol and Cannabis 

As you might expect, combining cannabis 

and alcohol is tricky. Bobrow has 

learned from experience that you need to 

pace yourself when it comes to the cocktail 

recipes in his book. “It’s extremely 

important to know your tolerance level 

as two drinks can make you feel completely 

out of control,” says Bobrow, adding 

that one drink an hour is more than 

enough. “It’s not about getting drunk, it’s 

about holistic and homeopathic healing.” 

One cannabis cocktail a night may 

even be a better recommendation. 

This mindset is clear throughout the 

book; you can relate it to the effects of 

edibles: it may not hit you right away or 

all at once and you certainly want to take 

it easy. If you do find that even one drink 

is too much, there is an antidote of sorts: 

drink the fresh juice from one lemon and 

chew on a few peppercorns. The overwhelming 

feeling from having too many 

edibles will begin to subside. 

Cannabis Flavour Pairings 

One of the fascinating parts of the book 

is Bobrow’s cannabis strain profiles. He 

has dissected nine of the most common 

strains with amazing detail. Each has a 

flavour profile, a little background and a 

number of flavour pairings to use when 

creating drinks. The research put into 

this section alone is impressive. When 

asked to point out one that he found most 

surprising, Bobrow says, “Trainwreck, 

which I use in my version of a Bloody 

Caesar, called A Bloody Good Remedy.” 

It pairs with everything from Cognac to 

gin and the strain is good for both afternoon 

and evening consumption, making 

it a versatile cannabis, he adds. 

Colleen Graham is a writer and freelance 

photographer from the Midwest who 

specializes in mixed drinks and covering 

the liquor industry. She is the Cocktails 

Expert for about.com and author of the 

book ¡Hola Tequila! Gardening and 

kayaking with her husband are two of her 

favourite pastimes. 

68 


myhydrolife.ca

y Gibson Lannister 

AESOP ROCK 

THE IMPOSSIBLE KID 

Aesop Rock’s latest album The 

Impossible Kid is fortifying 

what is already considered 

a legendary career. AR spent 

a year living and recording 

in a barn emerging with 

even more polished rhymes 

and an introspective look 

into the mind of one of hip 

hop’s greats. 

4.5 

ATOMS AND VOID 

AND NOTHING ELSE 

Atoms and Void is not a band 

in the traditional sense; they 

are a collective of artists 

including members of Foo 

Fighters and Sufran 

Stevens. Their work spans 

over a decade. Through 

chance encounters and 

shared files, And Nothing 

Else came to fruition. 

4 

BAHAMAS 

BAHAMAS IS AFIE 

Bahamas is Afie. Actually, 

Bahamas is Toronto musician 

Afie Jurvanen. His most 

recent album Bahamas is 

Afie is redefining the genre 

of roots-rock. It’s also as chill 

as can be. This album is so 

intensely real it is destined to 

be a timeless hit. 

5 

Gibson Lannister has 

been a musician for 

more than 15 years and 

continues to expand his 

knowledge of theory 

and technique. 

CHILDREN OF POP 

WHAT DOES 69 MEAN? 

Children of Pop is the 

experimental pop-project 

of Chase DeMaster. Many 

tracks from What Does 69 

Mean? were actually written 

for other great artists such 

as Drake and Madonna but 

were deemed too good to let 

go. This album keeps getting 

better with each listen! 

5 

FITZ & THE TANTRUMS 

FITZ & THE TANTRUMS 

California natives Fitz & the 

Tantrums return with their 

third and self-titled album, 

and it’s a blockbuster! This 

album is strictly dance 

floor gold. Every track was 

meticulously designed by Fitz 

& the Tantrums to make your 

body move. 

4 

KALEO 

A/B 

Bringing the heat with their 

album A/B is Kaleo. Kaleo 

originally hails from Iceland, 

but they now call Austin, 

Texas, home. Their down and 

dirty style of blues/rock and 

the dusky, soulful voice of 

lead singer/guitarist Jokull 

Juliusson create something 

incendiary. They’ll set your 

ears on fire! 

5 

70 


myhydrolife.ca


72 


myhydrolife.ca

Hydrolife Magazine August/September 2016 (Canadian Edition)

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?