Cannabis Grow Bible, The: Definitive Guide to Growing Marijuana for Recreational and Medical Use [Paperback]

Most marijuana cultivation books are self-published and the lack of editing and publishing standards makes them hard to obtain on the mainstream non-fiction market. However, there is a demand for these types of books so readers usually find a way to acquire them anyhow. I have always been left somewhat weary with the usual marijuana guides because not enough care and attention has been paid to addressing my concerns as a grower. Most of the information is sometimes conflicting, especially where flowering techniques and potency are of interest. This new book from Greg Green has made all the difference and deserves its place in the horticulture section of any good library. It is extremely easy to use. From the first few opening pages the book expels some the myths of cultivation practices, especially where marijuana genetics are concerned and explains how to obtain the right choice of seeds and strains for any garden. This is very important to know about and makes all the difference in the final results. This book is designed in such a way that it flows almost like a growing plant from start to finish. It is surprising that such a basic idea has not been adopted before and it works extremely well.

I enjoyed the first section which was about the history of cannabis. It helped me to understand more about the various potency types and their relative THC cannabinoid constituents. This is important, especially in obtaining the right type of cannabis plant that you want to grow. There are many varieties of species and strains to choose from and the book lists these later on. There is a great section which covers plant anatomy which is fully illustrated and is important for understanding the life cycle of the marijuana plant.

Surprisingly, the seed advice is covered in a 'no-holds-barred' section on how to obtain seeds which actually works, so obtaining good quality seeds is now very easy. Seed storage is explained in detail to help prevent spoiling. There are no less than several germination described in this book and one of them - the propagation kit method - helped me to obtain 90% germination rates which is well above the kind of ratios I was getting before. This section saved me money because seeds are somewhat expensive. Getting the best germination rates possible is very important, especially after shelling out $100 for 16 seeds.

Although the book covers outdoor cultivation methods I used the indoor section mostly because this is the area I really wanted to improve on. I appreciated the lighting section which explained the right type of bulbs that I needed for my grow space. I eventually set my goals on using a single 1000W high intensity discharge switch system which could use both metal halide and high pressure sodium lights to cover a sixteen square foot area. This book taught me a lot of new things about air cooling and "light to plant distances" to help maximize my yield.

I have always had trouble maintaining my soil's pH and the solution to this problem was found here in this book by using the pH balancing formulas. I had never really gone through the importance of the soil's structure before but after reading that section I made some changes which greatly influenced plant vigor. I can not reiterate how significant the nutrient section of this book is. Used in conjunction with the right soil type, and the different stages of plant growth, the nutrient advice can make all the difference between healthy looking plants and withered runty ones. The nutrient combinations for each period of the plants development are fully explained by easy to understand formulations and examples. There is a very good guide to troubleshooting nutrient problems that will help you to identify specific disorders and how to solve them. Invaluable information, especially if you are a novice grower.

Once you have got the basics right the books moves onto more advanced growing conditions like indoor environmental control. This basically covers watering and air control. I very much refreshed by the book's explanation on how to ventilate the grow room properly and how fans can be used to make the plants stems thicker which helps to increase overall yields. The humidity and temperature sections are well researched with lots of useful guidelines for controlling the grow room to suite various types of strains. Carbon dioxide supplementation is explained along with charts which shows how the grower can adjust the levels in their grow room to help boost yields in the blooming period. There is even an emergency section for flushing plants that can be used where a feeding mistake has occurred which could be life threatening to your plants.

The flowering section is like nothing I have read before. I always thought that plants could be forced to show their sex and found the results to vary considerably, but this book has a more in-depth focus on what is called calyx development. Growers will find this section an absolute technical marvel and it is my favorite part of the book. It opened up a whole new world for me with respect to sexing my plants and increasing the female to male ratio. These are exceptional flowering techniques that I have never seen before.

If you want to try your hand at different cultivation techniques then you will probably love the sections on SOG (Sea of Green) and ScrOG (Screen of Green) growing. These systems require plant training and explain how a grower can run what is called a perpetual grow system. For growers who want to keep their garden very small, there is a piece on cabinet growing that is fully illustrated. There are more than enough designs to keep the grower busy. I opted for the SOG method because my strain was much for suited to this technique.

If you are hydroponics grower or want to learn about hydroponics then you will probably find more than enough information here to keep you going for years. There are eight different basic systems covered in this book with lots of illustrations and examples of each one which also covers hydroponics nutrients, monitoring recycle systems and solving hard water problems. There is even a very basic DIY section on how to construct a very simple hydroponics system using a fish tank pump and container.

Caring for mature marijuana plants is probably the most fun you will have with your plants. There is information on thinning down plants to form an even canopy, a light bending exercise to keep plants growing upright and examples on how to prune and top your plants to grow more than one top bud cola.

The pest section is a straightforward example of how to identify and exterminate pests in your grow room without effecting your plants which is important because I don't really want to be growing pesticide covered buds. One of the things that this book does which others do not, is to cover information on pests that are actually helpful in the garden and that kill other 'bad' pests. I always used to kill some of these pests but it turns out they are very helpful in controlling other pests and are not harmful to cannabis. If you have problems with Fungi or mold this section covers various eradication schemes which will help curb fungal infections.

If you want information on cloning then this book has a full section devoted to cloning techniques that will help improve you growing selections. By using this advice I have now selected a special mother plant in my garden that did better than all the rest. By creating a dozen clones of this special mother plant I will be able to produce her characteristics in a whole new population. This will more than double your yields if done with the right strain. Very useful information indeed.

The harvesting section of the book has dispelled a few myths about how to cure your plants for use. I used to sun dry my plants using the advice in other grow books but have since learned that this degrades cannabinoids in the flowers. The advice in this book has helped to cure my yields better. The proof is in the samples I recently canned. These nuggets are priceless which is really what this book is all about. How to grow the best quality marijuana possible and this book does just that. Forget about ever turning to the street dealer again. You can even forget about having to travel to shop for good buds. It can now all be done right here with much better and cheaper results.

For the real growing gurus there is a whole section on cannabis genetics and breeding techniques which is very technical and has lots of formulas. You would be hard pressed to find anything else quite like it. I am sure potential breeders and hybrid fanatics will find this section a must.

There is a fully illustrated hashish and oil making section which uses butane for oil extraction and a special water extraction method for making hashish. You will love the water extraction method which shows how to really produce high quality hashish the easy way. Most of the other books use an acetate and screening method but I have always found these methods less than suitable for most growers and they produce only average amounts. These new extraction methods will see a new dawn to hashish production for sure.

The last part of the book deals with marijuana prohibition laws and lays a landmine of counterarguments that really does suggest that cannabis is probably one of the most important plants ever to be used human beings. The facts and figures are outstanding. I am sure this is the kind of information that needs to really make its way into congress. At this time of writing even Canada is receding its marijuana laws.

Equating this book to other grow guides is like comparing... Read more ›

This new marijuana book from Greg Green has made all the difference and deserves its place in the horticulture section of any good library or in the hands of a grower who is really looking for substantial real-world cannabis cultivation information. The book is professional, extremely easy to use and meticulously well researched with plenty of footnotes. From the first few opening pages the book expels some the myths of cultivation practices, especially where marijuana genetics are concerned and explains how to obtain the right choice of seeds and strains for any garden. The book is designed in such a way that it flows almost like a growing plant from start to finish. It is surprising that such a basic idea has not been adopted before and it works extremely well.

The book cover the history of cannabis, the species types, various potency types and their relative THC cannabinoid constituents. There are many varieties of species and strains to choose from and the book lists all of these later on. There is a great section which covers plant anatomy which is fully illustrated and is important for understanding the life cycle of the marijuana plant. Surprisingly, seed advice is covered in a no-holds-barred section on how to obtain seeds that actually works - so obtaining good quality seeds is now very easy. Seed storage is explained in detail to help prevent spoiling. There are no less than several germination techniques described in this book and one of them - the propagation kit method - helped me to obtain well above the kind of ratios I was getting before. This section saved me money because seeds are somewhat expensive. Getting the best germination rates possible is very important, especially after shelling out $140 for 10 high quality seeds. (This book costs a fraction of seed prices and is well worth the purchase price. That is how essential it is for growers).

Although the book also covers outdoor cultivation methods I used the indoor section mostly because this is the area I really wanted to improve on. I appreciated the lighting section which explained the right type of bulbs that I needed for my grow space. This book taught me a lot of new things about air cooling and light-to-plant distances, to help maximize my yield. I have always had trouble maintaining my pH and the solution to this problem was found here in this book by using the pH balancing formulas. I had never really gone through the importance of the soil’s structure before but after reading that section I made some changes which greatly influenced plant vigor. I can not reiterate how significant the nutrient section of this book is. Used in conjunction with the right soil type, and the different stages of plant growth, the nutrient advice can make all the difference between healthy looking plants and withered runty ones. The nutrient combinations for each period of the plants development are fully explained by easy to understand formulations and examples. There is a very good guide to troubleshooting nutrient problems that will help you to identify specific disorders and how to solve them. Invaluable information, especially if you are a novice grower. The middle part of the book covers more advanced growing conditions like indoor environmental control and hydroponics. There is a wealth of new information on everything cannabis growing related.

The flowering section is like nothing I have read before. I always thought that plants could be forced to show their sex and found the results to vary considerably, but this book has a more in-depth focus on what is called calyx development. Growers will find this section a good advancement and it is my favorite part of the book. It will help you when sexing your plants and increasing the female to male ratio.

There are several very well illustrated sections on how to make hash from your plants and a massive section on cannabis genetics and breeding that is extremely technical. Watch all other marijuana grow books follow in its wake.

Be prepared to raise your cannabis and growing IQ level.

Pros
An Absolute Text Book on the topic of Marijuana Cultivation.
Every page has illustrations and pictures from High Time photographer Andre Grossman.
Authoritatively written, no rambling.
Surprisingly cheap for the book’s content and quality!
Several huge color sections with eye popping grow rooms.

Cons
Gets you there too quickly. Takes the fun out of failure.

I can say after having read this book that the author is without doubt an authority on the subject, providing as he does both extremely accessible and practical information, on as many areas of cultivation as you could want to enquire about. And probably more.

The comprehensive layout and format of this book is greatly appreciated. The clearly distinct sections complement each other well and inform both the casual reader (like myself) who is interested in educating him/herself on the life cycle of the cannabis plant, as well as the serious grower committed to producing a quality, unadulterated harvest of homegrown, whatever their size of growroom.

As others have commented, it is not an entirely easy task to obtain a reliable source of information on growing, that isn't simply trying to make a buck by passing off vague and questionable techniques as gospel truth. However I think if you buy this book and are serious enough to actually sit down and read it rather than just scan your eyes over it, you will find much of value within these pages.

There's no such thing as a 10-step quick guide to anything, let alone something as dedicated and money/time dependent as growing your own bud, but give this detailed book the time it deserves and I'll bet more likely than not you'll reap what you sow. Quite literally.

A great reference book and highly worthy addition to any grower's library.