Pakistan, Chitral Mastuj | Landrace Cannabis

[Landrace Warden]

Upper Chitral which is in KPK province of Pakistan, is home to around 120 villages, where the cultivation and consumption of cannabis are approached with caution. Historically, the local government provided electricity to these communities in the early 2000s to boost tourism, which flourished as a result. However, campaigns spearheaded by authorities and NGOs promoting slogans like “Drug-Free Youth” have since imposed stricter regulations on cannabis farming.

Despite these challenges, small-scale cultivation persists, driven by the need for privacy and personal consumption.

Mastuj, Upper Chitral, situated at an approximate altitude of 2,350 meters and located at 36°N, it is a renowned place in the world of cannabis. But recently it is garnering further attention for its promising cannabis cultivation. In a private garden of a local cannabis farmer, the plants are exhibiting dense growth. The foliage shows a palmate structure of overlapping broad leaves. Although currently subdued in color, the plants are expected to produce an impressive display during the flowering phase.

This year 2024 we are documenting a private cultivation of a farmer in Mastuj Upper Chitral. The above photo is taken in June when the plants were just 2-3 nodes above the soil.

The irrigation schedule has been once every 10 days until October and then the water supply will be cut off.

An interesting shot from above the slope in July, naturally carved by the rain/floods and there are more down the hill. This spot is really remote, and local people consider this area where this private garden exists as “Jungle

”

In late July we observed this absolute unit of an expression among the diversity of Chitral’s cannabis population, this particular cannabis plant has a striking dark coloration of its stem, which persists throughout its growth.

In contrast, the plant’s leaves maintain a vibrant green hue, with a robust overall health. Notably, this plant exhibits exceptional resilience, showing no signs of pest or pathogen damage.

Keep following us at Landrace Warden IG and This thread/topic for all the updates of this season of Upper Chitral Landrace Hunt 2024.

 

[Creeperpark]

View attachment 19054566

Upper Chitral which is in KPK province of Pakistan, is home to around 120 villages, where the cultivation and consumption of cannabis are approached with caution. Historically, the local government provided electricity to these communities in the early 2000s to boost tourism, which flourished as a result. However, campaigns spearheaded by authorities and NGOs promoting slogans like “Drug-Free Youth” have since imposed stricter regulations on cannabis farming.

View attachment 19054569
Despite these challenges, small-scale cultivation persists, driven by the need for privacy and personal consumption.

View attachment 19054570
Mastuj, Upper Chitral, situated at an approximate altitude of 2,350 meters and located at 36°N, it is a renowned place in the world of cannabis. But recently it is garnering further attention for its promising cannabis cultivation. In a private garden of a local cannabis farmer, the plants are exhibiting dense growth. The foliage shows a palmate structure of overlapping broad leaves. Although currently subdued in color, the plants are expected to produce an impressive display during the flowering phase.

This year 2024 we are documenting a private cultivation of a farmer in Mastuj Upper Chitral. The above photo is taken in June when the plants were just 2-3 nodes above the soil.
View attachment 19054571

The irrigation schedule has been once every 10 days until October and then the water supply will be cut off.
View attachment 19054572
An interesting shot from above the slope in July, naturally carved by the rain/floods and there are more down the hill. This spot is really remote, and local people consider this area where this private garden exists as “Jungle

”


View attachment 19054573

In late July we observed this absolute unit of an expression among the diversity of Chitral’s cannabis population, this particular cannabis plant has a striking dark coloration of its stem, which persists throughout its growth.

In contrast, the plant’s leaves maintain a vibrant green hue, with a robust overall health. Notably, this plant exhibits exceptional resilience, showing no signs of pest or pathogen damage.

Keep following us at Landrace Warden IG and This thread/topic for all the updates of this season of Upper Chitral Landrace Hunt 2024.

Thanks, friend. This is an awesome thread! I'm looking forward to seeing the flowers. I'm riding with you.

 

[wuthewe]

Where can buy your seeds?

 

[exploziv]

Try to get this info from their vendor subforum:

Landrace Warden's Mission for Conservation and Accessibility

:wave: Hello everyone! We are thrilled to become part of this vibrant ICMAG community, where passion for pure Cannabis Landrace varieties of ancestral origin thrives. We deeply appreciate the support and enthusiasm shown by the community towards our mission. Landrace Warden's Mission to...

www.icmag.com

 

[med-man]

Where can buy your seeds?

Heya

Send them a d.m. Will be more then worth it!

 

[Landrace Warden]

Plants have entered in power play from the month of September with lots of different expressions and some mutations which will be posted later.

We can see the overview display of Chitral Genetics in early September, in a month duration whole crop took off and gained significant growth. Flower formation is looking great which will be discussed in later in this thread, this patch has so much diversity to offer which cannot be summed quickly here.

 

[therevverend]

Chitrali strains are some of the best landraces to grow outdoors in the USA and Europe because Chitral is north of the other cannabis growing areas in the region. Chitral is at 35 degrees N lat, San Francisco is 37 degrees N lat, Washington DC is 38 degrees, Madrid is 40 degrees and Rome is 41. This means the photoperiod for the onset of flowering and harvest in Chitral will be similar to these places.

Hopar Valley in Gilgit Balitistan is at 36 degrees N lat so those strains will have a similar photoperiod as well. This leads to a harvest in late September to mid October, before the onset of humid cold autumn and winter weather in a temperate climate. It's often the difference between a moldy premature crop and a mature healthy one.

Much of Afghanistan and other parts of Pakistan, for instance Balochistan and Kandahar, are much further south and have much later finishing strains. Those spots are 29-31 degrees N latitude which means the days are much shorter. This forces the plants to trigger to flower at much shorter days and not respond to the short summer nights at temperate northern latitudes. You can expect a harvest from the end of October through the end of November, and some strains really never finish flowering above 45 degrees N latitude. Paris, London, Amsterdam, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver BC, are all north of 45 degrees N.

This is also why a lot of people choose to grow indoors. A lot of the best landrace cannabis is grown at 30 degrees lat or less. It can be hard to find a strain acclimated to your climate. This is why I'm always interested when I see a fine Chitral strain.

 

[Farmer John]

Great info, will be watching this closely.

 

[Landrace Warden]

Chitrali strains are some of the best landraces to grow outdoors in the USA and Europe because Chitral is north of the other cannabis growing areas in the region. Chitral is at 35 degrees N lat, San Francisco is 37 degrees N lat, Washington DC is 38 degrees, Madrid is 40 degrees and Rome is 41. This means the photoperiod for the onset of flowering and harvest in Chitral will be similar to these places.

Hopar Valley in Gilgit Balitistan is at 36 degrees N lat so those strains will have a similar photoperiod as well. This leads to a harvest in late September to mid October, before the onset of humid cold autumn and winter weather in a temperate climate. It's often the difference between a moldy premature crop and a mature healthy one.

Much of Afghanistan and other parts of Pakistan, for instance Balochistan and Kandahar, are much further south and have much later finishing strains. Those spots are 29-31 degrees N latitude which means the days are much shorter. This forces the plants to trigger to flower at much shorter days and not respond to the short summer nights at temperate northern latitudes. You can expect a harvest from the end of October through the end of November, and some strains really never finish flowering above 45 degrees N latitude. Paris, London, Amsterdam, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver BC, are all north of 45 degrees N.

This is also why a lot of people choose to grow indoors. A lot of the best landrace cannabis is grown at 30 degrees lat or less. It can be hard to find a strain acclimated to your climate. This is why I'm always interested when I see a fine Chitral strain.

I always appreciate the knowledge you have to offer.
yes, we are anticipating the Harvest to be at mid-October for this crop of Chitral. There are plants which are already finished and being cut down left to dry. Also due to Flooding this year in July the birds are becoming a pain the ass to the farmers and destroying seeded crops including Cannabis in the region.
More updates will be posted here soon.

 

[Porky82]

Yeah I'm keen to see how these are progressing!

 

[Landrace Warden]

View attachment 19054566

Upper Chitral which is in KPK province of Pakistan, is home to around 120 villages, where the cultivation and consumption of cannabis are approached with caution. Historically, the local government provided electricity to these communities in the early 2000s to boost tourism, which flourished as a result. However, campaigns spearheaded by authorities and NGOs promoting slogans like “Drug-Free Youth” have since imposed stricter regulations on cannabis farming.

View attachment 19054569
Despite these challenges, small-scale cultivation persists, driven by the need for privacy and personal consumption.

View attachment 19054570
Mastuj, Upper Chitral, situated at an approximate altitude of 2,350 meters and located at 36°N, it is a renowned place in the world of cannabis. But recently it is garnering further attention for its promising cannabis cultivation. In a private garden of a local cannabis farmer, the plants are exhibiting dense growth. The foliage shows a palmate structure of overlapping broad leaves. Although currently subdued in color, the plants are expected to produce an impressive display during the flowering phase.

This year 2024 we are documenting a private cultivation of a farmer in Mastuj Upper Chitral. The above photo is taken in June when the plants were just 2-3 nodes above the soil.
View attachment 19054571

The irrigation schedule has been once every 10 days until October and then the water supply will be cut off.
View attachment 19054572
An interesting shot from above the slope in July, naturally carved by the rain/floods and there are more down the hill. This spot is really remote, and local people consider this area where this private garden exists as “Jungle

”


View attachment 19054573

In late July we observed this absolute unit of an expression among the diversity of Chitral’s cannabis population, this particular cannabis plant has a striking dark coloration of its stem, which persists throughout its growth.

In contrast, the plant’s leaves maintain a vibrant green hue, with a robust overall health. Notably, this plant exhibits exceptional resilience, showing no signs of pest or pathogen damage.

Keep following us at Landrace Warden IG and This thread/topic for all the updates of this season of Upper Chitral Landrace Hunt 2024.

Do guys remember the Crown Jewel of Mastuj Upper Chitral? it was breathtaking

Patience truly pays off—this beauty took her time but finally revealed herself.
She’s now on her way to becoming an absolute unit! Can’t wait to see her at the time of harvest!
The colors are changing to deep and dark purples from velvet red tint and the aroma is also evolving.
The photos attached are taken at early September.
The original photos in Quality were big in size and could not be uploaded. So I had to take screen shots and post that here.

 

[therevverend]

I noticed in the 'September' picture the photographer has a long shadow. At all latitudes except the equator after the summer solstice the sun begins to drop lower in the sky. Once mid September rolls around and the days get shorter this becomes an important factor. Today in Chitral at noon the sun is at a 52 degree angle from the horizon. It's significantly higher in Kandahar, 56 degree angle. This difference is year-round. By October 10th the sun will be 46 degrees in Chitral versus 56 degrees in Kandahar. What does this mean?

The light is less intense because it has to travel through more atmosphere. It's more likely to be blocked by obstacles like trees, walls, and mountains. There's less ultraviolet light, less light in the blue and violet spectrum because the atmosphere scatters it. This is why autumn leaves turn such vibrant colors. How does this effect ganja?

The plants will also change pigment to absorb the diminishing spectrum of light. This is why they produce colorful pigments. This is why Chitral strains are often so colorful compared to other regions further south. Certainly purple and black Kandahar strains are famous but they don't have the same vibrant deep colors of the most colorful Chitral. The Pakistani Chitral Kush is an example of a famous strain that's made the rounds partly because of it's bright lavender color.

(I wrote this in a hurry, mostly from memory. If I made any mistakes feel free to correct me)

 

[Landrace Warden]

Here is the recent update video: Chitral Update, October

In this video we have discussed the overview of the Chitral crop in the month of October: The water supply to this patch in Upper Chitral was completely cut off on October 1st. Yet, while most vegetation has turned from green to brown and now grey, these Landrace heirlooms are standing strong, handling drought and cold stress like true survivors.

With temperatures dipping into single digits at night, these plants are still holding their own.

This video was captured on October 3rd, and you can see how dry things have gotten.

 

[Landrace Warden]

Chitral selections will feature a range of top-performing expressions from the entire population, and this purple beauty will be part of the limited release.

What looked like ‘just leaves’ back in July has now transformed into one of the most compact flowering Purple Chitrali phenotypes. Its elephant-ear-like dark leaves provide shade to the main stem, which has an even deeper red hue.

With lower branching and vertical growth typical of a Hindu Kush BLD variant, this plant brings terps reminiscent of fine perfume blended with a tropical fruit punch that fills the nostrils.

Stay tuned for more details on this limited release

Photos:

 

[dimodz]

are you making hash from it out or nugs only or both

 

[Landrace Warden]

are you making hash from it out or nugs only or both

Yes, the local grow Cannabis in pvt small patches to yield hash.

 

[dimodz]

Yes, the local grow Cannabis in pvt small patches to yield hash.

sounds good about Hash making in generally

 

[NickHardy]

Yes, the local grow Cannabis in pvt small patches to yield hash.

What sort of yield of hash would that give ~150 plants? Also, there are males there or natural pollination for the seeds? Or natural end of life reversal?

 

[Landrace Warden]

What sort of yield of hash would that give ~150 plants? Also, there are males there or natural pollination for the seeds? Or natural end of life reversal?

There were males, but the owner of this patch left only one or 2 after culling the most.
The actual count of this patch could be upto 100 plants only.
We will try our best to capture the Hash making process in Chitral but in the meantime I have planned to capture Northwest Balochistan these winters. Cultivations in small patches gives a lot more control to growers we have also seen that in Baluchistan, some farmers are even successful in getting nearly sinsemilla or seedless flowers from longer flowering variants in their gardens.

 

[NickHardy]

There were males, but the owner of this patch left only one or 2 after culling the most.
The actual count of this patch could be upto 100 plants only.
We will try our best to capture the Hash making process in Chitral but in the meantime I have planned to capture Northwest Balochistan these winters. Cultivations in small patches gives a lot more control to growers we have also seen that in Baluchistan, some farmers are even successful in getting nearly sinsemilla or seedless flowers from longer flowering variants in their gardens.

Awesome I'll be following along. We grow in Thailand, but at the moment only indoor. But trying to imagine what the more kush like strains originated in has always been part of our thinking. To extract the best from them. So, so different. I looked up earlier that the average rainfall in the Chitral looks like this:

For comparison rain in Summer in Thailand can be more like 1000mm, this year higher I think. - totally different yet compatible.

Remarkable plant.

Nick