Bushplanet set roots in 1998 when they became the first company in Austria to produce and sell Cannabis clones and cuttings. At the time, this was extremely risky and highly controversial but Bushplanet remained true to their cause sparking significant developments in Cannabis culture. Since the early days, there has been remarkable progress and evolution with the legal production and sale of Cannabis clones and cuttings in Austria. The cultivation of Cannabis plants is legal in Austria and is only prohibited if the purpose of the cultivation is the extraction of narcotics, i.e. when the flowers are separated and processed from the plant. There are several subsidiaries of Bushplanet here but we are focusing on two of the most exciting areas for Humboldt Seeds, Bushplanet Plant City and Hemp Embassy Vienna.
Bushplanet Plant City
Bushplanet Plant City is the home of Humboldt Seeds elite mothers, clones and seedlings. The show room is light, clean and slick allowing the plants to be the star of the show. Upon entering you are immediately greeted by a clinical showcase of HSO elite clones and seedlings, with many strains on display for everyone to see in either clone or seedling form. The team here are super helpful and knowledgeable making for an informative and interesting experience when it comes to "Cannabis plant" shopping. This, however, is just the front end of Bushplanet Plant City; things get even more exciting when we go behind the scenes into the lab. So let's begin with Humboldt Seeds' elite mothers...
Humboldt Seeds - Elite Mothers
When it comes to providing stable and top-quality genetics we must look for elite parents. There are a variety of traits that make an elite Cannabis plant. To create top-shelf feminized Cannabis clones we need elite mother plants that are kept under optimal conditions and maintained in a vegetative state. Genetic factors to look out for when selecting for an elite mother are typically:
- Health and vigour
- Strength
- Cannabinoid potency
- Terpene richness
- High yielding
- Low susceptibility to disease and pest attacks
- High tolerance for stress
- Workable and responsive to training
When a plant exhibits all of these qualities, it will be marked and 'cherry-picked' as a potential elite mother. It is then essential that she is able to consistently and regularly produce healthy clones and be able to regenerate herself quickly. A mother plant's ability to produce clones with a relatively quick rooting time is also important as some strains may take longer than others to root. Humboldt Seeds' elite mothers are kept at their optimum in an organic soil and coco mix, whilst being lightly fed with nutrients and basking under 315w CMH lights (ceramic metal halide) on an 18-hour light cycle to maintain vegetive growth.
Humboldt Seeds - Elite Clones
Cloning feminized Cannabis plants from the elite mothers is the process of making identical genetic copies by taking cuttings of branches, which are then rooted and propagated into living replicas of their mothers.
Clones are prepared by hand with precision and care to ensure they remain healthy in the vital phase of rooting. Typically, a small branch will be cut from the mother plant at a 45-degree angle to increase the clone's base stem surface area for rooting. After the clones have been taken and prepared with rooting hormones, they are placed into "Eazy plug" cubes which provide an organic medium to allow for root growth. Clones are then fed with a light nutrient solution until properly rooted, whilst being nourished under CFL lights with high environmental humidity (70%) and temperatures of around 24ºC. The strength of the clones at this stage is important as stronger clones root quicker.
Here are some of the benefits from growing with clones
- Clones provide a genetically stable form of Cannabis reproduction.
- Some connoisseurs and elite strains are only available in clone form.
- When producing Cannabis on a mass scale, clones tend to all have uniform growth patterns.
- As for the perfect CBD and THC ratios for medical purposes, it helps to know the exact cannabinoid profiles from genetic clones of elite mothers.
- Knowing accurate harvest times.
Humboldt Seeds - Elite Seedlings
Humboldt Seed Organization's strains are derived from elite Californian genetics. The growing collection is a result of HSO's and Humboldt County's most prestigious and professional Cannabis growers, possessing the best Cannabis genetics in the world. These are derived from stable, authentic and rare genetics. Humboldt Seeds' elite seedlings are a safe bet on reliable genetics with incredible potential.
At Bushplanet Plant City, elite seedlings can be purchased post germination and are propagated ready to be placed into the grow area straight off the shelf. There are 3 phases to this process: 1. Germination 2. Rooting 3. Growth.
Phase 1 : Germinating Seedlings
Cannabis seed germination occurs when a seed is given environmental conditions that cause it to shift from a dormant to an active state. Moisture, oxygen uptake, darkness and correct temperatures typically contribute to seed germination and the activation of cellular metabolism in the seed. These ideal environmental conditions will vary from species to species. All elite seedlings begin life hand planted wearing gloves into the organic 'Eazy plug' medium where they are then germinated under CFL lights. Seeds usually germinate within 3 days with a light watering. Once the distinctive serrated second set of leaves develop, the germinated seedlings are ready for the next phase.
Phase 2 : Root stimulation
The seedlings are then rooted in flood and drain systems where a light nutrient solution is delivered using the flood and drain method to stimulate root growth. The solution contains specific nutrients, root stimulators and purified (reverse osmosis) water at this stage. In the rooting state, they are grown under LED strip lights to ensure growth remains compact and regular, LEDs also help to save on energy usage. It doesn't take long for a solid root system to become established as seeds have the advantage of initiating their root system from a taproot. The primary taproot of a seed is naturally more vigorous than one of a clone. As root growth and the seedlings foliage begin to establish, the seedlings are ready for the final stage of propagation.
Phase 3: Growth
Now that the seedlings are established with strong roots, the 3rd and 4th nodes begin to appear and require extra space to grow and vegetate under 400w MH lights. After phase two, feeding continues with the flood and drain nutrient solution. The process of propagation to sale can take as little as 2 weeks in some cases. In this final stage the seedlings produce more foliar growth with thicker stems until they are strong and healthy enough for sale, ready to be placed into the growing area.
Here are some of the benefits from growing with seedlings
- Seedlings are naturally more vigorous than growing from clone, root systems are typically stronger and the plant's growth tends to be more robust.
- "Phenotype finding" - The beauty of seeds is the possibility of discovering a unique phenotype for that particular strain.
- Ideal for stress training due to the seedlings natural hardiness.
- Some strains are only available in seed form e.g. auto-flowers
- The duration from planting a seed to being ready for a grow space can take as little as 14 days.
- There is no need to maintain mother plants.
Hemp Embassy Vienna
This charming museum has a very clear mission: to erase common and some ridiculous misconceptions about the Cannabis plant. Visitors come into Hemp Embassy Vienna often surprised to find out that Cannabis is actually a plant! With many assuming it to be a shady-looking substance, laws often group Cannabis with hard drugs such as heroin and crack-cocaine. Hemp Embassy Vienna demonstrates that Cannabis is much like wine, each strain grows, looks, smells and tastes different from one another. Cannabis plants produce a wide variety of incredible flavors and fragrances. With thousands of different varieties from varying habitats, the aromas and potency of strains can differ significantly. Hemp Embassy Vienna quite rightly believes that it is ultimately impossible to prohibit a plant created by nature. However, it is certainly possible in an enlightened society for people to develop and maintain a sensible policy for the use of Cannabis. Here, the Embassy steps forward and creates awareness around the benefits of the plant giving a platform for people to discuss, allowing them to decide and form their own opinions, inviting dialogue with both supporters and opponents of legalization in order to jointly bring about a rational regulation of the cannabis culture, which takes into account the interests of all parties.
Strain Showcase : Mango Sapphire
At Hemp Embassy Vienna, the "Hemp Museum" exhibits living cannabis plants throughout all stages of the flowering. In each of the seven display cases made out of safety glass, a different variety is displayed from the beginning of the flowering through to maturity. In addition to being visually stunning, small openings in the glass cases allow visitors to sample the aromas of each strain, for example Humboldt Seed Organization's Mango Sapphire:
This exquisite example of Humboldt seeds' Mango Sapphire flowering is accompanied by detailed information about the strain, cannabinoid contents, duration of the flowering period and its genetic origins. In addition, general information regarding cannabis culture, decriminalization and legalization is available from the very knowledgeable and helpful staff at the Embassy.
These are exciting times for Humboldt Seeds and Bushplanet, their collaboration has worked fantastically and further reinforces the positive movement in Europe with Cannabis reform and the rest of the world. Together endeavouring to bridge gaps, break down barriers and provide education on common misconceptions about Cannabis.