Malawi Gold at 9 weeks

[Elevator Man]

Not sure if I was lucky, as both phenos are identical height - 32 inches. I only got two females though. I just bent them back whenever they grew upwards, and they seemed to give up after three or four weeks!
I'm very happy with their structure - for pure sativas, they have been VERY easy to grow, and I've had few problems. Got a tiny mite issue on the bottom leaves, but they're way too close to harvest to worry about now (11.5 weeks) - I aim to chop in a week. They are actually swelling up too - looking impressive.

 

[Elevator Man]

Pheno 2 Harvest pics at 87 days...

Pheno 2 Harvest pics at 87 days...

I chopped the second pheno of the Malawi Gold tonight - a few days earlier than I would have liked, but it was getting nibbled by mites, and I didn't want to let it go any further - only the bottom buds were affected, but that's enough for me.
Interestingly, the other pheno, the one I pollenated with Flo, is completely untouched by mites - not one. Which suggests it may have a much more powerful resistance to mites at least - a handy feature! So I'm leaving that one a few more days as the calyxes are swelling nicely, and resin production is increasing.
Still, this one wasn't bad, given the situation - it has quite a fruity/spicy smell, whereas the other pheno is more nutty/peppery/spicy - also this pheno's leaves curl under, and the other's droop outwards. Other than that, they're identical:

 

[Elevator Man]

Dried buds update - pheno 2...

Dried buds update - pheno 2...

Here's a few dried buds of that first MG pheno above, before a final trim and jar-curing. This was chopped about a week earlier than ideal, but is still much more resinous than I expected. Even after a week, it's a great up high, and a nice mild spicy fruit taste. There's about an ounce of this one, and the other pheno should produce more - I'm giving that another week (14), and that is really starting to swell now.

 

[Guest]

wow she looks nice, would you say she is a true landrace or can you taste anything else in there..

 

[Elevator Man]

Oh yeah, definitely landrace. The smell is spicy fruit, but not like a Thai - more peppery/cinnamon, with the hint of pineapple that I was so cynically not expecting. Very mild until squeezed, and then more smell than you expect. And the bud structure is totally sativa - there's not a hint of indica anywhere - very thin foxtails. The buds I put in the jar yesterday already smell better, and I hope to cure at least some of this for a month or two at least. I still can't believe I got away with these at only 3 feet...

 

[mischievous]

whats the high like? how tall were they did u prune / lst? how much did you yeild?

very very very nice man, i m thinking of getting this or his skunk#1....

 

[Elevator Man]

3 feet tall exactly - LST (kind of - see page 2!), flowered at eight weeks.
The high is great - very cerebral, but with a 'warm glow' that I don't always get from sativas. Also if you keep pushing it, it can get very spacey and trancey - not sedating at all, but a little 'jaw-dropping'. Due to its mild taste and smell, it can be a little deceiving - it's stronger than it appears! I haven't noticed the 'instant' high that some have reported with MG though - mine is more of a creeper...

However, this one was chopped a little early, and not fully developed - the other pheno is still going and looking amazing. The calyxes are swelling and purpling, resin is visibly building (mostly cloudy trichomes), and the fragrance is much better - more spicy than the other one, but with a beautiful top note that I can only describe as 'ginger biscuit'! I'm chopping this one on Sunday, at 15 weeks exactly - three longer than recommended, but it has definitely benefitted from the extra.

For a pure sativa, these have been easy to grow control, and they're cheap too. The only downside was that I only got two females, but that's hardly a problem - I've now got over 400 Flo hybrid seeds from both of them...

 

[Guest]

hi,

conglatulascion for you job!!!!!

 

[ngakpa]

hey EM - looks very nice, but still a real shame that you did not push them for longer, I think ...

my instinct: 120 days, preferably 140 I reckon, from first pistil to harvest for pure MG

i.e. as close to all the pistils having turned as possible

90 - 100 days flowering I do for Malawi 99 hybrid

75 - 90 for three way hybrids

it really is worth the wait I think - if not, the high is still classy and sophisticated, but it is nothing like as stellar and knockout as it can be

any consensus on vegging sativas? experimenting with 14/12 veg here

looking forward to seeing some of those Thai beauties

 

[CharasMan]

Quite possibly the most beautiful buds I've ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on.

 

[Elevator Man]

CharasMan - what - ever?

Ngakpa - yeah, I know, but it was getting eaten by mites, and they were taking hold, hence the sacrifice. The other pheno was, and still is, completely untouched by mites, which makes me think I did pick the right pheno for the cross after all! It's on 104 days right now, and it's real close to finishing - most lower pistils are orange, and the top buds are slowly turning - resin content is much higher also. I can't leave it more than a few more days though now, as my next grow is already a week late, and they have to go in!

 

[ngakpa]

hey - good choice to cross with the Flo, would have thought

just roadtested a few buds of

Diamond Head (mother) x Malawi 99

Diamond Head is an IBL of a cross between a Hawaii plant crossed with a Flo, from Sagarmatha


DH x M99 is a seriously soaring high - very, very strong

she started out with some fairly fat indica looking leaves, ended up very sativa at the top -

bud structure is big swollen rounded calyxes, open sativa structre, but quite dense overall bud - covered in crystal ... overall the Malawi is still the main clear influence

smells funky and fruity at first, with a background of blocked drains and morbid turd wafts (skunk coming from somewhere - C99? not in evidence in M99 if so)

as I say, the high is ridiculous - still plenty of Malawi in evidence in the effect, even with that as the male side

starts with a warmth in the head, moves through the body - big bright visual high, some raciness (early-ish sample) and disorientation - but a nice balance of indica and Malawi... still a litte overwhelming at this stage, but mostly pleasant ... hits fast and keeps building

should finish around 75 days

does Flo originate in Blueberry lines?
Malawi x Blueberry makes for wonderful plants - cf. Triple Treat from Afropips ... beautiful calyxes

seems the Malawi keeps coming through even after two, three, four crosses

 

[Elevator Man]

This is what I'm hoping - that the Malawi high will be preserved, even indoors - the THCV content is what I hope to carry over into other crosses.

'Morbid turd wafts' cracked me up...would make a great name a for a group...brilliant...

 

[Truth]

nice looking buds, ...but I'm wondering if you didn't grow them completely proper? The buds are VERY sparse, and spaced out... each calyx hardly touches the other in a lot of places. ...and I don't see many trichomes...especially any on the leafs.... so thats what leads me to wonder. The buds are a little on the small side for a 600w grow.. and the plant is very tall/thin, which probably didn't allow great amounts of direct light to the sides/lower parts of the buds. I HIGHLY recommend LST with this strain for indoors since it is a sativa. You could probably double your yield that way. I like to keep them all under a foot tall, but wide...this way you maximize your light usage..even if lower/inner branches are shaded from bushing tops, there is still some degree of light penetrating through the leafs, to lower ones...and the less farther it takes to for light to reach the plants the better. Don't take it as me ragging on your grow...we all put hard work into them, and everyone usually goes 'oh nice buds or WOW great buds!' but what they don't tell you (especially if the plant doesn't have any visible problems) is what you could do better, different. I'm not here to rag on you, I am here to help. I call it like I see it...and some people cannot take being criticized, even if the information may benefit them. I hope you are not that type of person. Those type of people could grow schwagg and brag about it like it is the best ever, because they are excited they grew it themselves, or because they are trying to not deal with failure. Not that yours is a failure in the least bit. Sorry I had to go through all that, but the last persons grow I made observations about, didn't go so well. He went insane, like 'OMFG You don't think I can grow? There is nothing wrong with my plants ever... I know all and Grow all!' Basically, pissed and appauled that they could of done something wrong, or bettered their techniques.

regards

 

[Elevator Man]

Not at all - I don't mind a bit. I mentioned earlier that this one did come down early, due to mites, and it wasn't fully developed at all. The one that's coming down tonight at 106 days is much, much better, as will be revealed tomorrow. There's some serious purpling, stronger aroma, far higher resin content...and I think you'll be happier with the calyxes this time..

Peace.

 

[Elevator Man]

Well, I'd forgotten the downside of large sativa buds - trimming the damn things! I chopped it down, but it's taking a long time - if anyone would like to pop over and help me finish this, feel free...

Seriously though, I'll have some pics up soon - but my buddy just popped round - with some home-grown Jamaican weed and a re-supply of the purple Flo hash, so things are getting bogged down a little again...

 

[Elevator Man]

It's finally done - at 106 days.
Of course, (before the protests!), it could maybe have gone a few days longer, but I don't have any time left - it's good enough for me. The dark periods have been very cold lately - mid 50's F, which has probably increased the purpling. The resin content is much higher, and the buds feel very dense for a sativa - some serious foxtailing going on.

This one has really benefitted from the extra time, and I hope to pull about 3 ounces - it's 34 inches high from the soil line. Smells like a flower shop with spicy/ginger/pineapple overtones when trimming - absolutely gorgeous. Should be dry enough for a test-smoke in about a week I guess.

 

[Guest]

Amazing Plant and pic's!
frosty purple sativa buds mmm what more could want eh>?
Good luck with the trimming

 

[Elevator Man]

Groan - it took over three hours...

But all done now, so here's a few of it post-trim and ready to hang. Looks a lot better than the last one eh? Both of these colas are well over a foot (30cm) long. Yum...

 

[idontgivenames]

nice! you gonna make hash or anything from the trimmings?