I left off News Joint Grow Journal 4 with my excitement about the five specifically tailored medical strains I had received for my first grow. The next step: germination.

March 28 at 5 AM, I soaked the five feminized seeds (Amnesia Lemon, Blood Diamond OG, Steve’s Dream Queen from Homegrown Cannabis Co. and Prayer Pupil and Swabi Pakistani 3 from Mass Medical Strains).

Because I was out of town and didn’t return until late at night, I skipped the paper towel method. The seeds had been soaking for nearly two days, and each seed (but the SP3) sprouted a tiny white root tip, so instead of using the wet-paper-towel method, at 10 PM March 30, I planted each seed straight into a solo cup full of FoxFarm Happy Frog Potting Soil I received from Aroma Grow Store. I’ve been told both methods work. What’s your preference?

The first to pop above the dirt was the SDQ in the afternoon of April 1.

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Within the same day, the Prayer Pupil popped.

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Then the BDOG.

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Then the Amnesia Lemon.

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The last to pop up was the SP3 sometime afternoon on April 2.

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As a first-time grower, I’m not saying that watching all five pop was as exciting as the birth of my daughter, but the process was pretty exciting, I must admit.

Planting my first seed triggered memories of when I was child living in a farmhouse with a two-acre garden. We planted multiple vegetables, melons, spices, and more. My most fond memory was waking at sunrise to pick strawberry with my brother. We twisted the strawberries from the vines and placed them in green containers. We ate as many as we collected.

These memories made we realize I’d lost my connection to plants and gardening when I was in fourth grade and my parents moved from the farmhouse into a house in town. My parents planted a small garden in the backyard a few years after we’d moved, but by then, girls and sports occupied most of my thoughts.

This first grow has definitely reinvigorated my interest in horticulture. To prepare for this grow, I spent hours and hours of reading and watching cannabis-growing tutorials to collect as many perspectives as possible before I decided which methods I wanted to try to implement. The goal of this grow was to study the science and learn the art along the way.

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I have been told several times by experienced growers that growing your own medicine is a special (with adjectives such as spiritual and transcendent) connection. I’m starting to understand why. At this point, my parenting instincts to protect and nature these girls are on five-alarm-fire mode.

In News Joint Grow Journal 6, I discuss a tough and stressful first week of growing and the pressure I’ve put on myself to cultivate this grow correctly.

Click here for more News Joint Grow Journal. A Prairie State of Mind.