So here I go again, I'm about to germinate some of these exotic beans from the Big Island of Hawaii. First, a little background to how I ended up here :D I'm a noob grower but an old school toker. Just recently I've become a little bored with the strains floating about my way. Don't get me wrong, they're beautiful strains and legends in the industry like the Exodus cheese original cut, Cheese Northern (Exo x NL), Gelato, Brixton, Purple Kush (some UK clone only purple pheno), OG Kush, Lemon haze and Amnesia are some of the strains floating about. I've come to the point where I wanted to try something different and out of the box.
Back in the 90's - early 00's things were very different. I was smoking strains like Euphoria, Skunk11, Skunk1, Northern Lights, Power Plant, Mazar, Afghani Assassin (UK clone only), Shiva skunk. Everything was awesome but the terpene profiles and flavors were completely different as far as I can tell. Back in the day the skunks like Euphoria, Skunk11 were my favorites with deep skunk stinky buds packed with a sweet skunk, coffee taste. The power-plant with it's distinct pine almost woody flavor, Afghani Assassin with it's musky taste with peppery under tones, Mazar and Northern Lights with it's licorice and almost hash like taste and smell and finally the Shiva Skunk was in a class of it's own and had a fresh, almost sharp flavor that gave you a satisfying hit on the back of your throat. The Shiva was so caked in crystals that an ounce of bud in a bag would leave a massive pile of scuff behind for a final treat :D I'm sure you guys all already know about this new school (cali) wave of strains and what the flavors are like. Everything seems to be going down this valencene / limonene road of sweet, fruit smells and flavors.
I've heard and read that some of the sweetest cannabis can be found on the island of Hawaii. Tall sativa's that ooze bag appeal, high THC content and fruity flavors. After doing a little research I was sold on the idea of getting my hands on some Hawaiian lava! After a few nights googling Hawaiian strains, I stumbled on the Hawaiian Seed Company and their Midnight Splendor. This looked amazing!! I still want to give this a run if I can find the beans but they proved to be impossible to get hold of. I tried to reach out to the guy that owned the seed company but that lead to know where and I was back to the drawing board, looking for some Hawaiian lava!
After a bit more research, I found Big Island Genetics run by a guy called Aaron Zeeman. He's won some cannabis cup and claims to have all the rare, old school landrace IBL's and some interesting crosses. After reaching out to Aaron, he put me onto his Electric Purps. (Kauai Electric x Cali Purple Kush). It sounded nice, so I decided to pay the man and have them shipped over. They took about two weeks to arrive. I was getting a little paranoid as I thought they might be sitting in a customs shed waiting to be X-Ray'd a few times and trashing them but they turned up safe and sound (I think). He also threw in a pack of Puna Orange in the parcel. That put a smile on my face and I can't wait to crack them too.
Now you're up to date with the strain and how I found the beans, let's discuss the grow. I'm going to be germinating these in peat pellets that have been soaked with a light dose of Alga-C, Canna Zym and BioSys instant tea. I always use RO filtered water. Then I pop the beans a few millimeters down into the peat, cover with a propagator lid and switch the CFL on and position it quite close to the top. The positioning of the light isn't for light but for heat. By placing the lamp so close, the top of the peat pellets sit around 24C.
I added the CannaZym for a little protection from mold and harmful bacteria. the instant tea adds some beneficial bacteria and fungus and a catalyst to feed the bacteria and the Alga-C as it contains gibberellins and cytokinins that help rapidly breakdown the endosperm and gives the seedling a little head start. Well that's the theory anyway. Everything went in today so I've got my fingers crossed they will all germinate. Last time I used this technique, I had great success. I've also got my old phone setup as a time-lapse camera filming these germinating. If it all goes wrong, I'll blame that making the seeds get stage fright.
I hope you all enjoy the show (if it ever materializes).
Stats:
Name: Electric Purps
Flowering time: 9 - 11 weeks
Type: Hybrid
Purple traits: 1-2 in 12 apparently?
Breeder: Big Island Genetics
Linage: Kauai Electric x Cali Purple Kush
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