-
ICMag with help from Phlizon, Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest for Christmas! You can check it here. Prizes are: full spectrum led light, seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!
RSC Malana, Kumaoni, Lebanese | Outdoor
- Thread starter CCCsilk
- Start date
incredible grow, thanks for posting!
thedudefresco
Active member
I'd be curious to know as well. I'm growing some of the same strains and they are in pre-flower. Any advice?
ALOHA everyone
Apologies for the long silence. Sigh. All is well. I've just been in a massive whirlwind with business development since fall 2018. Confession: There will be a breaking point when I choose to dive headfirst into breeding. But, for now, there'll always be that tension between passion and practicality. Can't do this full time yet...
THE BIG UPDATE
I'll start with a brief overall summary, both of the plants and the grow, then get into specifics about each.
Echoing observations from my last post, these girls were SUPER hardy. I mean, they got hammered with 55 inches of rain in the span of 4 days and handled it fine with no mold/fungal growth. Granted that was in the first week or two of flower, it's nevertheless a testament to the resilience of the genes. They were all vigorous growers. I likely overfed them with amendments but they didn't show any signs of it. I live in a very tough environment for outdoor growing and these girls handled it better than anyone. I treated them once with organic copper sulfate when they were about 6' tall.
Sadly, by mid flower, the wet weather was too much for them. Starting in September, it was pretty much raining every night. And caterpillars were in LOVE with them. They began to bud up quite nicely but they'd all get to a certain maturation point and density and the mold/rot/caterpillars would get in and just turn the flowers to slime in the span of 4-5 days. It was far too late to treat them with anything yet really early to actually pull. I'd let each one go on as long as possible but then chop it just to salvage something to sample. Truly, it was a bit heart-wrenching. I had such high hopes. Oh well. That's the rollercoaster of being an emotional farmer hahaha
In the end, the lessons and experiences working with plants that transport me back to Nepal and the Himalayas were a treasure. It certainly got me hooked to continue exploring. For real. If you're reading this thread and trying to determine if you want to buy any of these strains, then I assume the answer is quite obvious: fuck yes. Please do. First, open pollinate to make lots more seeds and share 'em and save 'em. Then have fun and get creative. There's a ton of interesting material in these Himalayan landraces, so much potential to explore. And if you've ever walked those mountains they call home, oh my... it's a very special place.
MALANA
She was the quickest to mature and the sweetest smelling girl. Particularly vigorous, she was fattening up quite nicely as well, more than I'd expected anyway. She looked to be on her way to finishing by the first or second week of October. But she was also the most susceptible to mold/rot and caterpillars. I lost her first in mid September. It happened so fast. I had a two day business trip and when I got back she was basically completely brown. She'd been getting spots here and there the week prior. I'd cut them off and clean her up as best I could. She was a decent yielder too with a nice coating of resin. Looked like it was going to be a solid pound of fluffy buds that smelled of ripe tropical fruit, caramel and flowers. I let her go the longest in flower, comparatively.
Final salvaged dry flower weight: 18g
Smoke report: Though she was harvested too early for good flavor development, it was still extremely smooth and equal parts gently floral sweet and grassy/herbaceous, even after several months in cure. Again, lots of potential there. She just didn't get a fair chance this time.
The high is really lovely. It's not a creeper but the onset takes a solid 25-30 minutes before you're fully getting into the high. The experience is gentle and gradual, like standing on an escalator and watching yourself get higher. Perhaps there are equal parts nostalgia and newness for me: it's warm, centered, meditative and very soothing with an expanding halo felt around the head. My skull feels like a singing bowl, humming and radiant. Very nice potency for being a solid 3 weeks early. The duration is a surprising 2+ hours. Even hours beyond, it has this lasting, soothing effect that makes me relaxed and free of tension. It's balancing and centering. There’s a little bit of drag toward the end, which isn’t a bad thing. Just an indicator that this might be good for the later part of the day if it’s allowed to ripen to its full potential.
Overall, I’m very excited to grow this one again. And I’m stoked I was able to get some Lebanese pollen on her -- didn’t get a lot of seeds but enough to play and see if a hybrid of that sort is worth exploring further.
KUMAONI
The two phenotypes were very different. The shorter girl was about the same size as Malana but not as filled out and branchy (more Christmas tree like). She did pretty well albeit was the least vigorous of them. Her chunky flowers were fluffy but the least resinous of the lot. She went down the first week in October. I wasn’t particularly fond of this one as she didn’t have much character or gravity, nothing attracting me. Her flowers smelled nutty/peanut buttery, reminiscent to some Kush I’ve had in the past (not suggesting contamination of this line), with some carrot/tumeric notes. I planned to make some hash from her but, in the end, I didn’t salvage enough and she didn’t produce enough resin to make the endeavor worthwhile. I never sampled her flowers.
The other lady is a different story. She was the queen for me. She was the tallest and last to mature, a fucking beast of a girl that hit 16 feet in height and garnered the nickname Huge Bitch. Her leg long foxtail flowers smelled so refreshing and unique to me: roses and lemons. Her resin was oily and sticky. I was in awe, seriously. She’d tower over me and I’d just bask in her aroma. Unfortunately, the same fate awaited her and she didn’t make it past the middle of October. I pulled her the earliest in flower development, comparatively. She would likely have finished in November.
Not sure about final weight as it was the exact opposite situation as the other Kumaoni. There was too much I salvaged but it was far too immature and I just didn’t have the time or inclination to make bubble. The HUGE saving grace for me is that I was able to find 5 seeds in her from the Lebanese male I used to pollinate them. Since she was the latest to start flowering, I didn’t expect her to have any seeds as she was a solid 3-4 weeks behind the other two.
Smoke report: Overall, very similar to Malana though much lighter due to immaturity. The immaturity of the finished product restrained much genetic expression. And this lady was pulled earlier than Malana. Her flowers tasted floral-sweet grassy with a hint of vanilla.
The high is soothing, warm and centering like Malana, though more crisp and uplifting. Much more of a daytime smoke with expansive characteristics -- breathing deeper and easier, stomach and diaphragm relaxed. Its head reminds me of trekking in the Himalayas on a cool, sunny, clear blue sky day, meditative, relaxed and grounded yet transcendent. Onset and duration are similar to Malana -- while not a THC bomb, there’s deep power to her. It’s herb that strikes an inner chord until you’re vibrating and humming at universal frequencies. There’s so much more to offer than the one-dimensional modern hybrids. I find her high extremely enticing.
Bottom line: For those attracted to nuance and looking for unique, healing herb, both Malana and Kumaoni lines are very much worthy of your time and exploration. Personally, I'm looking to open pollinate each for preservation and then explore more from there. I have tons of other landraces to play with but I'm really attracted to recreating the Himalayan experience with a line that's got a bit more yield and a more reasonable flowering time for indoor growers. I'd ideally like to inject the experience into a plant that looks closer to modern hybrids in terms of stature and flowering time. Why? Not everyone can grow 16 ft tall trees outdoors, and the experiences these plants offer need to be shared with more people.
PICTURE TIME (split into sections, 5 at a time, newbie restriction)
Sadly, no more photos of Malana. I was really busy during that period and when I went to her my time was spent on triage battling rot and caterpillars.
Here's what I call K2 (the Kumaoni I didn't care for). The last shot is a close up of a Huge Bitch cola.
Happy gardening!
silk
Apologies for the long silence. Sigh. All is well. I've just been in a massive whirlwind with business development since fall 2018. Confession: There will be a breaking point when I choose to dive headfirst into breeding. But, for now, there'll always be that tension between passion and practicality. Can't do this full time yet...
THE BIG UPDATE
I'll start with a brief overall summary, both of the plants and the grow, then get into specifics about each.
Echoing observations from my last post, these girls were SUPER hardy. I mean, they got hammered with 55 inches of rain in the span of 4 days and handled it fine with no mold/fungal growth. Granted that was in the first week or two of flower, it's nevertheless a testament to the resilience of the genes. They were all vigorous growers. I likely overfed them with amendments but they didn't show any signs of it. I live in a very tough environment for outdoor growing and these girls handled it better than anyone. I treated them once with organic copper sulfate when they were about 6' tall.
Sadly, by mid flower, the wet weather was too much for them. Starting in September, it was pretty much raining every night. And caterpillars were in LOVE with them. They began to bud up quite nicely but they'd all get to a certain maturation point and density and the mold/rot/caterpillars would get in and just turn the flowers to slime in the span of 4-5 days. It was far too late to treat them with anything yet really early to actually pull. I'd let each one go on as long as possible but then chop it just to salvage something to sample. Truly, it was a bit heart-wrenching. I had such high hopes. Oh well. That's the rollercoaster of being an emotional farmer hahaha
In the end, the lessons and experiences working with plants that transport me back to Nepal and the Himalayas were a treasure. It certainly got me hooked to continue exploring. For real. If you're reading this thread and trying to determine if you want to buy any of these strains, then I assume the answer is quite obvious: fuck yes. Please do. First, open pollinate to make lots more seeds and share 'em and save 'em. Then have fun and get creative. There's a ton of interesting material in these Himalayan landraces, so much potential to explore. And if you've ever walked those mountains they call home, oh my... it's a very special place.
MALANA
She was the quickest to mature and the sweetest smelling girl. Particularly vigorous, she was fattening up quite nicely as well, more than I'd expected anyway. She looked to be on her way to finishing by the first or second week of October. But she was also the most susceptible to mold/rot and caterpillars. I lost her first in mid September. It happened so fast. I had a two day business trip and when I got back she was basically completely brown. She'd been getting spots here and there the week prior. I'd cut them off and clean her up as best I could. She was a decent yielder too with a nice coating of resin. Looked like it was going to be a solid pound of fluffy buds that smelled of ripe tropical fruit, caramel and flowers. I let her go the longest in flower, comparatively.
Final salvaged dry flower weight: 18g
Smoke report: Though she was harvested too early for good flavor development, it was still extremely smooth and equal parts gently floral sweet and grassy/herbaceous, even after several months in cure. Again, lots of potential there. She just didn't get a fair chance this time.
The high is really lovely. It's not a creeper but the onset takes a solid 25-30 minutes before you're fully getting into the high. The experience is gentle and gradual, like standing on an escalator and watching yourself get higher. Perhaps there are equal parts nostalgia and newness for me: it's warm, centered, meditative and very soothing with an expanding halo felt around the head. My skull feels like a singing bowl, humming and radiant. Very nice potency for being a solid 3 weeks early. The duration is a surprising 2+ hours. Even hours beyond, it has this lasting, soothing effect that makes me relaxed and free of tension. It's balancing and centering. There’s a little bit of drag toward the end, which isn’t a bad thing. Just an indicator that this might be good for the later part of the day if it’s allowed to ripen to its full potential.
Overall, I’m very excited to grow this one again. And I’m stoked I was able to get some Lebanese pollen on her -- didn’t get a lot of seeds but enough to play and see if a hybrid of that sort is worth exploring further.
KUMAONI
The two phenotypes were very different. The shorter girl was about the same size as Malana but not as filled out and branchy (more Christmas tree like). She did pretty well albeit was the least vigorous of them. Her chunky flowers were fluffy but the least resinous of the lot. She went down the first week in October. I wasn’t particularly fond of this one as she didn’t have much character or gravity, nothing attracting me. Her flowers smelled nutty/peanut buttery, reminiscent to some Kush I’ve had in the past (not suggesting contamination of this line), with some carrot/tumeric notes. I planned to make some hash from her but, in the end, I didn’t salvage enough and she didn’t produce enough resin to make the endeavor worthwhile. I never sampled her flowers.
The other lady is a different story. She was the queen for me. She was the tallest and last to mature, a fucking beast of a girl that hit 16 feet in height and garnered the nickname Huge Bitch. Her leg long foxtail flowers smelled so refreshing and unique to me: roses and lemons. Her resin was oily and sticky. I was in awe, seriously. She’d tower over me and I’d just bask in her aroma. Unfortunately, the same fate awaited her and she didn’t make it past the middle of October. I pulled her the earliest in flower development, comparatively. She would likely have finished in November.
Not sure about final weight as it was the exact opposite situation as the other Kumaoni. There was too much I salvaged but it was far too immature and I just didn’t have the time or inclination to make bubble. The HUGE saving grace for me is that I was able to find 5 seeds in her from the Lebanese male I used to pollinate them. Since she was the latest to start flowering, I didn’t expect her to have any seeds as she was a solid 3-4 weeks behind the other two.
Smoke report: Overall, very similar to Malana though much lighter due to immaturity. The immaturity of the finished product restrained much genetic expression. And this lady was pulled earlier than Malana. Her flowers tasted floral-sweet grassy with a hint of vanilla.
The high is soothing, warm and centering like Malana, though more crisp and uplifting. Much more of a daytime smoke with expansive characteristics -- breathing deeper and easier, stomach and diaphragm relaxed. Its head reminds me of trekking in the Himalayas on a cool, sunny, clear blue sky day, meditative, relaxed and grounded yet transcendent. Onset and duration are similar to Malana -- while not a THC bomb, there’s deep power to her. It’s herb that strikes an inner chord until you’re vibrating and humming at universal frequencies. There’s so much more to offer than the one-dimensional modern hybrids. I find her high extremely enticing.
Bottom line: For those attracted to nuance and looking for unique, healing herb, both Malana and Kumaoni lines are very much worthy of your time and exploration. Personally, I'm looking to open pollinate each for preservation and then explore more from there. I have tons of other landraces to play with but I'm really attracted to recreating the Himalayan experience with a line that's got a bit more yield and a more reasonable flowering time for indoor growers. I'd ideally like to inject the experience into a plant that looks closer to modern hybrids in terms of stature and flowering time. Why? Not everyone can grow 16 ft tall trees outdoors, and the experiences these plants offer need to be shared with more people.
PICTURE TIME (split into sections, 5 at a time, newbie restriction)
Sadly, no more photos of Malana. I was really busy during that period and when I went to her my time was spent on triage battling rot and caterpillars.
Here's what I call K2 (the Kumaoni I didn't care for). The last shot is a close up of a Huge Bitch cola.
Happy gardening!
silk
And last but not least, here's the one KT clone I rooted and planted. Sadly, right at the same time I was trying to explore these wonderful plants, my work life completely took over. I didn't have time or energy to take a bunch of clones and get my indoor game all set up. But she does prove promising and I have some of her progeny 
ledo
Chasing the Present
Beautiful work, love the Cook Pines in the backdropMalana[/B
Malana x Lebanese progeny developing in the last pic.
