Cannabis - Chem D
Genetics: Unknown lineage
Flavor/Aroma Profile: Funky, gas/diesel, or skunky smells
Days to Harvest: 124 Days
Grow Notes: Coco grow
Yield: Roughly one pound (16 oz)
Chem D is one of the more mysterious and legendary cuts in the cannabis world. In the early 1990’s, Greg Krazanoski, also known as Chemdog, bought a bag of uniquely pungent weed at a Grateful Dead show. That weed contained a few seeds, and from there, a handful of various Chem plants emerged, including Chem D and Chem 91. While Chem 91 is often considered the original, Chem D made its mark with an intensely funky, diesel-heavy aroma and a knockout, stoney high. Its exact lineage remains a mystery, but Chem D has been the backbone of many popular strains, like GMO, Dirty Taxi, and Motorbreath.
Grow Setup & Nutrients:
Roots Organics Sensei Soul (Grow) Synthetic Nutrients - 6mL/gal
Roots Organics Sensei Soul (Micro) Synthetic Nutrients - 12mL/gal
Roots Organics Sensei Soul (Bloom) Synthetic Nutrients - 15mL/gal
Fulvic Acid – 0.5 mL/gal
Potassium Silicate – 0.5 mg/gal
Floraflex coco coir
Autopot XL (5-gallon pot)
Vegetative Stage:
This plant started as a clone that was gifted by a friend. I started it in a 1-gallon fabric pot using coco. When growing in coco instead of soil, it’s crucial to add nutrients to your water so your plant has everything it needs. The nutrients I used are listed above. The pH of the water was kept around 6.0-6.2 and ran at ~2.2 electrical conductivity (EC).
At day 30, I transplanted this into a 5-gallon fabric pot and continued with the same nutrient solution, pH, and EC levels. Veg lasted 54 days and the plant filled out most of the 4x4 tent. This grow ended up being my fastest turnaround from clone to preservation (124 days).
Flower Stage:
When I flipped the plant to flower, I added a layer of netting for it to start growing through. Around day 12 of flower, I added an additional net a few inches above the first one.
At day 14, I defoliated and then left the plant to recover for a week. I kept this plant on an autopot system, so it gets automatically watered and I don’t need to check on it much. The plant was flourishing at this point, but the temperature in the tent started to get in the low 80’s with the lights on. I was using a 4 inch inline fan, but have since upgraded to a 6 inch fan, which helps regulate temperature a lot better.
The smell of this plant throughout the flower stage was so funky and developed into a more fuely, garlicky smell by the time it was finished. At day 70, I cut the plant down and began the drying process.
Harvest:
The smells from this plant were awesome, but overwhelming when cutting the plant down. I cut it into several large branches and hung them in a tent to dry for 15 days. I didn’t weight the final amount, but I ended up filling four ¼ lb Grove Bags with the dried and trimmed buds.
The flower from this plant gave some of the strongest highs I’ve ever experienced. It provides exceptional medicinal benefits and is great when I don’t have a big to do list.
Lessons Learned:
Light leaks
While using the autopot for watering, I got a light leak through the 3/16 air tube that connected the air pump to the autopot base. This interrupted the flower stage and compromised the quality of the end product. I replaced the clear tubing with a black tubing, which should solve the light leak issue for future plants.
Mold during preservation
The dried flower started to mold about a month or two into storage, which meant we had to compost the majority of the harvest. Luckily we were able to enjoy a few ounces of it, but it’s something I will pay close attention to in the future. The plant was dried in a 2x2 tent and with the amount of plant materials, the humidity was too high for a successful dry. Ideally, the buds will have a 60% relative humidity for the entire dry. My process now is to start the dry at 60% humidity and decrease it gradually throughout the dry cycle.