Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

Often resin glands are hammered before being hydraulically pressed into plaques.
    To hammer hash, place resin powder into an extra heavy-duty plastic bag. Place the bag on a wooden bench, tree stump, board, etc. Place a piece of plywood over the bag. Whack the plywood with a hammer until the resin powder forms a cohesive pancake. Remove the hash from the bag and fold once or twice to make it smaller and thicker. Repeat the hammering and folding process until the resin glands transform into a sticky piece of hash. Apply a little heat if the hash is slow to form.
Storing Hash
    Make sure hash is dry before storing. Moist hash contracts fungus easily and decomposes quickly. Decomposition decreases THC levels. If you make hash using ice and water, makesure to dry it well. Dry by pressing the water hash into a flat pancake that has much surface area. Leave the pancake out in an arid room for a few days to dry completely. Cover the hash with a paper towel so dust does not contaminate it. If you made hash with a dry method such as sieving, you should not have to take any extra precautions before storing, unless working in a humid climate.
    My favorite way to store high quality water hash is to put it in a glass tube. This way all the resin stays intact until it is consumed. Upon smoking, you should press it a little so it will burn evenly.
    Store hash in a cool, dark, dry place. Keep in an airtight container with a packet of silica crystals. You can also put the hash in the freezer for long-term storage.
    For a complete account of the history and detailed methods of production see HASHISH! by Robert Connell Clarke, Redeye Press, 1998, www.fsbookco.com . If you want to make the best hash and have a springboard to launch into advanced processes, this is the book!
    For current methods of hash making as well as stimulating discussion and interaction, check out the Hashish forums at www.cannabisculture.com .

Small hand press makes nice little hash wafers.

This fashionable 9-pound hash necklace is the result of a long day slaving over a gyrating washing machine!

Beautiful blond Moroccan hash is a mass of creamy, golden resin glands.

HASHISH! is the absolute best book written on the subject!

The dark gloss on this piece of Moroccan hash is the result of oxidation and being placed in cellophane.

Kilos of ooozy slabs of ice hash like this are extracted at the rate of 10 grams (0.35 oz) of hash for 100 grams (3.5 oz) of good trim leaf.

Chapter SIXTEEN
BREEDING

    Ninety different strains from Holland were grown out in a Colombian breeding program.

Chimera, owner of Chimera Seeds.

Cuttings, or clones, taken from the same parent and grown under the same conditions are identical.

Male plants grow flowers that consist of pollen sacks.
Introduction
    Chimera is without a doubt one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable people working with cannabis today; he brings a passion to cannabis breeding and research not often seen in the industry. Founder of Chimera Seeds, he has produced some excellent varieties of cannabis including ‘C4’, ‘Frostbite’, ‘Calizahr’ and ‘Schnazzleberry’.
    Chimera is a well-educated individual, who for years has tied to understand cannabis and how it functions in the brain. This path has seen him through a B Sc. Neuroscience, and post graduate research in the field of Biotechnology and Plant Sciences. He works on the cutting edge of cannabis research, and will certainly bring many new ideas and technologies to cannabis, over the years to come.
    I am very pleased to present Chimera’s contribution to this book in the form of this breeding chapter, as he takes the mystery out of breeding and does a great job of simplifying a very complex subject Thanks, Chimera, for your contributions!
    - Jorge Cervantes
    Check out www.chimeraseeds.co.uk.
    This chapter explains the basic biological processes of sexual propagation in cannabis and the formation of a new generation of seed. Armed with the information in this chapter, any grower will be able to design and begin a rudimentary breeding program and create new generations of seed for future use. These new populations make up a pool of genetic material from which superior individual plants can be selected for production (cloning stock) or for use in breeding programs. It is difficult for small growers to breed better varieties than are available from premium seed companies; however, for the many seed-starved growers who reside in prohibitive societies,