The vast majority of cannabis seeds on the market have some level of Indica genetics in their history. Most of these flower faster and are easier to manage than a pure sativa.
Spain’s Ace Seeds is one of the very few cannabis breeders that offer pure sativa strains as part of their catalog. I’m growing their feminized Malawi x Panama that combines quality cannabis genetics from Africa and Central America. Flowering time is 11 to 12 weeks according to Ace. Online growers have shared that they went 14 or more weeks. I believe that there is value therapeutically in the compounds that form during the stages that come before the maximum THC levels are reached. Maximizing THC levels are not a priority for me. The maximum quality of fragrance is. One of my 2 Malawi x Panama plants stretched too much and it will be retired after harvesting. It has had flower harvested once a week since week 4 of flower. While weekly THC test results will be specific to this one plant, I hope to have a general idea of how THC levels evolve over the life of the plant. My guess would be that my sativa evolves much slower than previous varieties I have grown.
I’ve been using a technique to dramatically control the height of a plant and to spread the branches out so all of the plant receives the maximum amount of light in as even amount as possible. This involves taking the top portion of the plant as a cutting before I flower it. Over a few weeks I let the remaining branches begin to show flower buds, then each branch is strapped down to approximately the same height. The branches are spaced evenly out from the main stalk, so nothing is shaded. This has worked well on every hybrid strain I’ve grown. To date every plant has had varying amounts of indica in its genetics. These range from indica dominant to sativa dominant.
The Malawi x Panama is not a strain that has a reputation of being a very difficult sativa to grow, but is still a pure sativa with all that entails. The one that was more manageable with less stretching, will return to an 18 hour light cycle a week or so before the harvest begins. After the harvest, the remainder of the the plant will return to a vegetative state. I will keep it as a small mother plant for the occasional cutting.
The Malawi x Panama is the first pure sativa that I have tried strapping the branches down. At 2 weeks since the plant was strapped down, the plant I’m keeping, is looking good. That may not be the case some weeks from now. My plants receive a significant amount of silica from inexpensive sources that helps the branches support the weight of the flower for now. The silica sources are rice hulls, the mineral wollastonite, and a mainstream agricultural potassium silicate I use as a ph up. It is the naturally occurring microbes that occur naturally in the coco coir, compost and worm castings that are in my potting mix that will make the silica available to the plant. At every transplant I also use a liquid horticultural product that contains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747. There are different products on the market that contain this bacillus to protect plants. I like it because it also is a natural silicate solubilizing bacteria that changes the silicate into a form that plants can utilize.
This is a work in progress, so there will be updates both positive and negative on the Malawi x Panama playlist
As of this video being released, the plant has 5 to 7 weeks before I will start an extended harvest.
