I see alot of LowRyder threads popping up here and there very recently. I gathered that we could all do with one major thread devoted to our LowRyder strains.
In this thread we can discuss how our plants are doing, advantages and disadvantages of this particular stain, growing methods, suppliers of seeds, many more things you can think of, and last, but not least, opinions.
There are many opinions about LowRyders. One I saw recently was about the value of growing this strain, and what would be the point for minimal yield in a short period of time when you can wait longer for much more.
When I started this strain I couldn't really find much information about this strain. I found most of my information from actually growing the plant.
When I heard of LowRyder I had to do some research first to insure I knew atleast something about what i was getting myself into.
Mainly in my search I came across the 2 most popular phenotypes of cannabis- Sativa and Indica. Then the third one came across. Ruderalis.
General Background- Ruderalis is often refered to as a ditchweed. It is not infact 'ditchweed'. Although its origins are somewhat unclear, the most popular theory is that it is cannabis that escaped cultivation. As a result the cannabis acclimatized to the surroundings it was in. This resulted in a low THC content and fast growing, automatic flowering traits of which this strain is most popular for. Some believe it is due to cultavists trying to breed for a faster growing strain by selective breeding. In North America where cannabis cultivation was in abundance, C. Ruderalis became an invasive, weed like plant that, despite eradication programs, is still in great abundance.
So what good is a cannabis plant with very little THC content?
Lots of things. C. Ruderalis lost its traits due to the fact that no one was breeding it for high THC content. The brilliant minds behind the breeding programs saw the auto flowering traits and ery fast growth as a god send, rather than an impedence.
When mixed with other, high THC and potent strains of cannabis, its produced fast growing, auto flowering, potent strains of cannabis, which to most accounts can fight in the market amongst other strains.
Now many crosses of C.Ruderalis are now available on the market, giving us a great choice of flavours, colours and strengths.
Now enough of the stuff we probably already know, lets get on to my part!
In my setup I decided to use the pure LowRyder#2 strain due to the website I bought them from, stating they are superior to LowRyder#1.
For my system I have an XL BudBox, which measures 1.2x1.2x2 (meters) (or 4x4x6 foot approx for the imperials!). This gives me 16sq foot of grow space.
In this space i have 4 trays which are 60x60 wide, allowing me to fit a total of 9 6.5L pots into each tray, perfect for any small plant in my opinion. Lighting for the box is through 2 400 watt Growlux dual spectrum HPS bulbs. Incase you dont know what these lights are, they are like a standard HPS, but with an altered spectrum which will give a greater output in the blue light spectrum.
800 watts total. If i were to go back and buy again i would go for the 600 watt versions, as that will increase the total lumens per sq. foot.
Ventilation is from 2 RUCK 150L fans. One exhaust end and 1 intake. As I bought 2 fdan kits, I had 2 filters, so i used one on the intake end of the system to reduce induction sound and also to aviod a stray kitten from being sucked up- a big no no. These are used in conjunction with a Primair Fan Controller. This is an expensive piece of equipment but very handy for a large enclosed set up. It controls both fans individually, and has a thermostat on a wire to go in the box to control temp. You set the idle speed of the fans and the temp that you want, and when it goes over the temp the fans turn on full, pumping large volumes of air.
All these can be found in the UK at Welcome to Green's Horticulture - Organic & Alternative Gardening Products. For USA and other places I would suggest searching for it.
So i have my LowRyder seeds. I put 36 into germination, 35 came through. They were placed in rockwool cubes, which, ones put under lights require watering everyday. Once the 35 sprouted I placed them under a 250Watt CFL with a few PC fans to blow over them. However, alcohol got the best of me one day and they did not get this much needed water. This resulted in 7 dying, and much undue stress on the plants. Stress at early stages of life is a contributing factor for males.
Once a few set of leaves popped through I stuck them straight under the HPS. I had my system high above the plants, which untill recently I discovered that they should be lower. Despite this the plants shot right up. I had 27 left, of which 14 females came through. I put this low male to female ratio down to the stress caused early on in life.
This is why I recomend an HPS system for these plants, and anyother plants:
These strains are meant to grow just one main stem, loaded with bud. Mine have grown the main stem, and alot of the lower branches have shot up and have a cola of their own. The 14 plants have now taken over the whole grow area and are full of buds awaiting the to be picked off in just a few more weeks. crystals are forming in abundance on the more mature looking areas, espcially where they are popping out from along the main stem.
I'll let you know in a couple of weeks what the smoke is like and what the final product weighs up to why dry.
Untill then enjoy the read and feel free to add your own opinions.
In this thread we can discuss how our plants are doing, advantages and disadvantages of this particular stain, growing methods, suppliers of seeds, many more things you can think of, and last, but not least, opinions.
There are many opinions about LowRyders. One I saw recently was about the value of growing this strain, and what would be the point for minimal yield in a short period of time when you can wait longer for much more.
When I started this strain I couldn't really find much information about this strain. I found most of my information from actually growing the plant.
When I heard of LowRyder I had to do some research first to insure I knew atleast something about what i was getting myself into.
Mainly in my search I came across the 2 most popular phenotypes of cannabis- Sativa and Indica. Then the third one came across. Ruderalis.
General Background- Ruderalis is often refered to as a ditchweed. It is not infact 'ditchweed'. Although its origins are somewhat unclear, the most popular theory is that it is cannabis that escaped cultivation. As a result the cannabis acclimatized to the surroundings it was in. This resulted in a low THC content and fast growing, automatic flowering traits of which this strain is most popular for. Some believe it is due to cultavists trying to breed for a faster growing strain by selective breeding. In North America where cannabis cultivation was in abundance, C. Ruderalis became an invasive, weed like plant that, despite eradication programs, is still in great abundance.
So what good is a cannabis plant with very little THC content?
Lots of things. C. Ruderalis lost its traits due to the fact that no one was breeding it for high THC content. The brilliant minds behind the breeding programs saw the auto flowering traits and ery fast growth as a god send, rather than an impedence.
When mixed with other, high THC and potent strains of cannabis, its produced fast growing, auto flowering, potent strains of cannabis, which to most accounts can fight in the market amongst other strains.
Now many crosses of C.Ruderalis are now available on the market, giving us a great choice of flavours, colours and strengths.
Now enough of the stuff we probably already know, lets get on to my part!
In my setup I decided to use the pure LowRyder#2 strain due to the website I bought them from, stating they are superior to LowRyder#1.
For my system I have an XL BudBox, which measures 1.2x1.2x2 (meters) (or 4x4x6 foot approx for the imperials!). This gives me 16sq foot of grow space.
In this space i have 4 trays which are 60x60 wide, allowing me to fit a total of 9 6.5L pots into each tray, perfect for any small plant in my opinion. Lighting for the box is through 2 400 watt Growlux dual spectrum HPS bulbs. Incase you dont know what these lights are, they are like a standard HPS, but with an altered spectrum which will give a greater output in the blue light spectrum.
800 watts total. If i were to go back and buy again i would go for the 600 watt versions, as that will increase the total lumens per sq. foot.
Ventilation is from 2 RUCK 150L fans. One exhaust end and 1 intake. As I bought 2 fdan kits, I had 2 filters, so i used one on the intake end of the system to reduce induction sound and also to aviod a stray kitten from being sucked up- a big no no. These are used in conjunction with a Primair Fan Controller. This is an expensive piece of equipment but very handy for a large enclosed set up. It controls both fans individually, and has a thermostat on a wire to go in the box to control temp. You set the idle speed of the fans and the temp that you want, and when it goes over the temp the fans turn on full, pumping large volumes of air.
All these can be found in the UK at Welcome to Green's Horticulture - Organic & Alternative Gardening Products. For USA and other places I would suggest searching for it.
So i have my LowRyder seeds. I put 36 into germination, 35 came through. They were placed in rockwool cubes, which, ones put under lights require watering everyday. Once the 35 sprouted I placed them under a 250Watt CFL with a few PC fans to blow over them. However, alcohol got the best of me one day and they did not get this much needed water. This resulted in 7 dying, and much undue stress on the plants. Stress at early stages of life is a contributing factor for males.
Once a few set of leaves popped through I stuck them straight under the HPS. I had my system high above the plants, which untill recently I discovered that they should be lower. Despite this the plants shot right up. I had 27 left, of which 14 females came through. I put this low male to female ratio down to the stress caused early on in life.
This is why I recomend an HPS system for these plants, and anyother plants:
These strains are meant to grow just one main stem, loaded with bud. Mine have grown the main stem, and alot of the lower branches have shot up and have a cola of their own. The 14 plants have now taken over the whole grow area and are full of buds awaiting the to be picked off in just a few more weeks. crystals are forming in abundance on the more mature looking areas, espcially where they are popping out from along the main stem.
I'll let you know in a couple of weeks what the smoke is like and what the final product weighs up to why dry.
Untill then enjoy the read and feel free to add your own opinions.
definately let me know how urs go! cant wait to see the results
