Malawi Gold at 9 weeks

[Elevator Man]

Nah - there is no trim. Or rather, there's no usable trim at all - none of the leaves have any resin on them except right at the root where it meets the calyxes. Plus there was only an ounce of trim anyway, so it wouldn't have been worth it. Same with the skunks - amazing calyx/leaf ratio, but the resin is only on the calyxes, not leaves, and that makes for a lousy hash session...

 

[Elevator Man]

Fistful of dynamite...

Fistful of dynamite...

Here's the best buds of the best pheno after a week hanging and ten days in the jars - the clorophyll is really fading now, and they actually are aquiring more of a 'gold' look to them. The smell is really getting strong as they cure, and the resin is much more apparent after some shrinkage. These weigh between 3 and 7 grams each.

In all, I got 60 grams of buds from this plant, which is great, frankly - a lot of small fluffy buds too, but they're very potent, and getting stronger by the day, literally. I hope to keep these top buds for at least another month before I smoke them, by which time I hope they should be positively dangerous...

 

[DoobieDuck]

Appealing to Me!

Appealing to Me!

Hey Friend I see you are now an official sativa grower....see...it grows on you doesn't it? Great looking grow. Don't know if you get rid of any but "that is bag appeal"! My MalawiHope has been in the jars for a month and I'm still afraid to smoke it.....good job, Dr. Duck.

 

[Elevator Man]

This lot is all mine...muhahahaha...

It sure does grow on you - I'd forgotten just how good that spicy sativa smell can be - and that trembly, giddy lift-off every time. Very dry mouth very quickly - which is always a good sign, IMO. And everyone's getting red-eyes - including me, which is very rare...

This is currently my breakfast smoke, as I like to get moving first thing - it certainly does that alright.

 

[subrob]

Eman- those are some beautiful buds! and very nice pics. I enjoyed going through this thread also-well written. great job!

 

[pescador]

Very nice! I have some MG seedsman seeds that I plan to grow soon. Great idea to cross it with the flo!

I had a few African seeds Malawi plant last summer that all got chopped due to a heavy spider mite infestation (they got neglected a bit due to a summer trip). I was really pissed off. Rumor has it that africa seeds supplied seedsman, so they would be the same stock I think. Many of the plants, especially this one male, had very potent leaves, the most resin on non flowering plants that I have every seen (shiny silver dust everywhere). I took me a while to think of what it smelled like, but I came to the conclusion that the closest comparison was fresh sweet red peppers. 1 plant smelled like pineapples. I am not kidding when I say one leaf one this particular male could get 2 people high with a proper vaporizer. I am a musician, and the high made music sound incredibly sweet...like no other strain I had ever smoked (and I have lived in Amsterdam, smoke many strains--most boring).

I know that you have already described the high, but i am dying to get even more info if you can. Is the high unique? And if so, in what ways?

I am thinking I will cross my next Malawi plants with a Bangi Haze, and a Celestial Temple Sativa to bring down the flowering time. I am about to order some DJ Flo’s, so you may have inspired me to copy you and do a similar cross, though the instability of the flo makes me nervous (don’t want an afghan high to pop up).

 

[Elevator Man]

Well it's still curing, so I'm hesitant to be too precise about the high yet, but one thing that seems unique is the 'warm glow' effect - it can build up to quite a heat! It's more trancey/spacey than Flo, which is always crisp, but equally as stimulating - no body load whatsoever.
I have spent an evening or two smoking nothing but the MG and it doesn't have a ceiling so far - you will get higher, as opposed to stoned - which I prefer...

The difficult part for me is that I know it will get a lot, lot better if I can just leave it alone! I do have Skunks and some of the Mystery Strain to smoke, so I'm trying just to smoke the MG in the morning - first couple (well, maybe 3...), and then switch. It's so tasty! Also I work on the computer a lot, and stay up late, so I don't want to be whacked out on some narco-indica, so occasionally have one late - like just now. OK, I admit it, I can't leave it alone...

As to the crossing - I adore Flo, and now I adore this - I'm convinced some really special mostly-sativa hybrids can be coaxed out of this combination. I think my pheno of the MG may be close in character to some of the original Highland Oaxacan Gold parents from Mexico.

I've been posting a lot to the H.O.G. thread in DJ Short's forum, and it's inspiring me to make a cross of my own, based on what I need from a strain - no couchlock, a defined and specific stimulant high, (elevated rather than giddy), and without question, psychedelic effects when you smoke a lot. I'm convinced some cannabis varieties can be coaxed into extremely potent and mind-warping phenos, and I'd be proud to say I managed to contribute at least one of them to the pool myself...

 

[motaco]

looks great

 

[pescador]

Thanks for your reply EM. Yes, you should be proud!

I too do not like coutchlock weed. But I find it nice that there is a sativa that is not racey, but trancy, and still provides energy. This would be perfect for a musician. Indicas may give a trance, keeps the mental out of it, which is great for good heart felt improve IMO, but burns one out and can make me too stupid. Sativas, which I adore for everyday living, can potentially be too racy/mental/with paranoia for music, but does not burn me out. Perhaps Malawi gold is the best high for improv musicians! I can't wait to gow it!

I never understood the concept of curing. Does it not just oxidize the THC into CBN, as would a late harvest? I prefer a clear high rather than a confusing one. (PS THC is a powerful antioxidant, which is why some studies think it may be healthy when eaten- especially for alzheimer patients and people with high colesteral.

 

[RAGGA MON]

Looks fantastic m8!
nothing like a fresh rolled ting of some malawi to get the day going
cheers!
RM

 

[Elevator Man]

Pescador - I would think the MG would be perfect for musicians, as it's a relaxing stimulation, rather than agitated - if that makes sense? And the high lasts a long, long time - great for jamming. If you're into improv, I think it would be exactly right...

 

[Elevator Man]

As for the curing, it's more like the other way around - can't remember the specific transforms on the THC side, but the THC is stabilised by curing, and much more of the pre-THC chemicals (and I think CBD/CBN) are converted into THC by water molecules leaving the resin. Also the sugars and other carbs in the leaves, and chlorophyll, are all broken down by the slow evaporation and restriction of airflow.

When I cure my weed, I generally put it into jars a little earlier than most folks - still with a little moisture. I leave them until they feel soft, and then remove them for a few hours in a dry room, and repeat - like gentle 'sweat curing'. It can get frustrating feeling the weed after a few days and still feeling 'damp', but after two weeks of this treatment, the smoke is amazing. The color drops off completely, and the aroma seems to click into a whole different arena.

Also the smoke gets very smooth indeed - deceptively soft. Deceptive in that you want another one far sooner than you safely should...

 

[SmokeyPufmaster]

Beautyful thread E-Man. I enjoyed your very good pics and lovely looking strain. Your work is appreciated.

 

[Elevator Man]

Thank-you. It's nice to be appreciated.

It's a pretty much solo activity for me, apart from a few other friends who grow, so I get as much value out of this as anyone else!

 

[DoobieDuck]

Great thread...

Great thread...

Beautyful thread E-Man. I enjoyed your very good pics and lovely looking strain. Your work is appreciated.

DITTO Dr. Duck.....

 

[Elevator Man]

Just wish I could share the smoke, but I'm sure you can imagine...

 

[Blackmelo]

Hi Elevator Man,
thx for sharing those pictures with us. Those dried buds really remind me of the weed i used to get in NZ . I do miss it. Wish I had the patience to grow out a strain like yours but it just seems too tricky, little yield and far too long flowering time...

I know what you mean about wanting a kind of weed that will not mong you out completely, one that is good for day time smoking for example. Sativa strains are a perfect choice because they give you a heady high that will make you feel energetic but stoned at the same time. Lovely feeling and perfect for the afternoon spliff.

Anyway, like I said, I do not have the patience to grow out a long flowering strain but I have found an 8 week flowering strain that has all the good characterictics of a sativa strain. It even smells spicy.
Just incase you are interested, it's called Pukka Skunk by the Pukka Seed company.
It's not a very well known company but everyonedoesit.com do sell their seeds by now. Well worth the money as this is a brilliant sativa strain that doesn't take too long to finish.

 

[T.doT.Toker]

Beautiful buds man. I wish to grow a mauwi cross outdoors oneday. Have you manicured the buds completely? Does it make a difference.

 

[Elevator Man]

I manicured the buds up to the point in the photos, and just couldn't be bothered after that! The leaves aren't very resinous, but they're so fine that I barely notice them when smoking - it's very flavoursome overall.

To be honest, the long flower time wasn't a problem, as I managed a grow out of a bunch of 8-9 week strains at the same time - then was gradually left with the skunks and MG for the last few weeks. If you ran a continual harvest room, you could just leave one in the corner. Trouble is, they finish a lot better on something like a 10/14 photoperiod, which then gets very problematic bring in new 8-week strains which need at least 12/12.

I guess I'll just have to dream about multiple growrooms for now...

EDIT: BTW, the long flower time is partly why I crossed this pheno with the Flos - if I can get it down to ten weeks or so, retain the high and bulk the buds up as well, I'll be a very happy grower...

 

[Mr. Alkaline]

When I grew out the Malawi last year...
I had the faint sweet pineapple smell...
The crystal clear high...left me provoking thoughts...
It gave me what I never found in the Apollo 11's searching for genius...
-That Genius Search lasted an entire year...Fet's Stock...
-My Malawi went 14 weeks and never finished.
-Me cousin coaxed me to do it; four of his friends no longer grow after the malawi.
-They waited too long for a first bud ever grown....ended up smoking leaves...they loved indica anyways. -I love the high as I could travel through maps and roads with no hinderance from the high!!!- Top Shelf...I have MOD BX now. Hopin for that 16 week thai...If it tturns out similar to the Malawi...I'd never be disappointed.