WE'RE OVER THE MOON IN JUNE !

Attention, attention! The AFO's have landed (that is, the auto-flowering objects ;-)). Yes, at last you can choose from five different Nirvana autoflowering strains! Just in time - if you hurry, you could harvest multiple times this year to maximise your yields!

Ever since the auto-flowering strains went live, they have been flying off the shelves! You've probably received our special edition newsletter alerting you to the autos, but perhaps you have been dithering over which one to order? Below, we've provided a review of each strain's feminised version, so you have something to go on. We hope you will have lots of fun with these - be sure to let us know what you think by leaving a review on our site!

Also in this edition, a scrumptious cannabis recipe, some more poll results and an article on effective germination. Enjoy!

AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE

When customer requests started to flood in for strains that flower automatically, we got right to work. The first strain we came up with, after some initial hiccups, turned out to be a big hit, so we continued working on autoflowering strains.

This time, we decided to tweak four existing popular strains. After lots of testing, we can proudly present to you our AUTO-flowering BEST-selling NIRVANA cannabis strains:

Blue Mystic | Bubblelicious | Jock Horror | Northern Light

Below are some customer reviews on the non-autoflowering versions of these strains, to help you make up your mind on which type to order. To the right is a quick Q & A.

'Neph' on feminised Jock Horror: "The buds were growing so dense it was nuts. The smell is like lysol and wintergreen it's crazy almost throw-up too. The high is super high. Uppy for sure. No pain anywhere and i got my back all super straight while I'm typing haha. Jamming to some tunes. Definitely good to be in ur own world and just enjoy urself. It's a very pretty plant. The leaves are a deep green with the buds almost white. I'm going to order some more for sure."

'Pave' on feminised Blue Mystic: "Very nice and almost odorless grow! Only last weeks somebody asked me if I was making some exotic food or something, but he still didn't notice my hidden growbox ;) Smoke is awesome, trippy and stony. Nice with afternoon tea :) And in the blue mystic moonlight :)"

'Midnightoker' on feminised Bubblelicious: "Seed sprouted in 2 days. Vegged for 10 days under 6500k CFL’s, then added the 600w HPS overhead in concert with the CFL for 20 more days…Total veg time, 30 days. ....switched to 12/12 flowered for exactly 70 days.... 3 day dark period prior to harvest.... HANDS DOWN THE BEST BUD I'VE EVER SMOKED! 2.74oz (dried and cured) from the one plant. "

'Nubee' on feminised Northern Light: "Northern Lights was my first grow and it was very forgiving of my lack of experience. Small indoor grow with nice tight buds covered with trics. Many experienced smokers agreed that it has a strong and very nice high."

Autoflowering Questions & Answers

Q: What does auto-flowering mean?
A: Well, as the term implies, it means that your cannabis seedlings will start flowering automatically whether you switch to a 12/12 cycle or not, or, if you want to get technical about it - their florescence is not photoperiod-dependent. So just leave your lights on 24/0 or 18/6 and watch those babies BLOOM at lightning speed!

Q: OK, so won't that cost tons of extra power?
A: Well, not really, because auto-flowerers finish a lot quicker than your run-of-the-mill cannabis plants. On average, they'll be done about 2 weeks before most other varieties.

Q: What about yields?
A: Well, obviously they'll be smaller. Rather than vegging until they are a good size, autos will start flowering when they're still quite short. This incidentally makes them ideally suited for S(cr)OG cultivation. Also, since these varieties finish so quickly, you will be able to fire off several grows in a single year, making the results well worth the trouble.

Q: Great - any more tips before I buy?
A: Sure. Go easy on nutrients, certainly in the first couple of weeks. Also, autoflowering strains don't respond very well to being topped. You can try, of course, but the plant usually takes a week to recover, and it'd be a shame to slow your grow by a week. To maximise yields, it's better to use a 18/6 cycle instead of 24/0, so that there is better root development, and the plants can support more weight.

Some growers swear by this method to help seeds germinate, especially for older, hard-shelled seeds. Make a tiny nick in the seed's outer coat with a sharp knife or pair of nail clippers, or gently sand the seed with an emery board or a piece of sandpaper. This will make it easier for the taproot to emerge from the shell. Be sure you know what you're doing so you don't damage the seeds!

Another method to aid germination is to soak the seeds for a couple of hours in luke-warm water. This will soften the shell and help the seed swell and burst out of the shell.

Don't freak out if your seeds germinate right away - it's not exactly unrealistic to expect a 24 hour germination period, but seeds have been known to take anywhere from 1 to 12 days. Don't throw them out after just two days, but keep 'em moist and warm, and whisper sweet little nothings to them. (hmm - maybe we should start a relationship advice column as well?)

TOP TIPS FOR GRIEF-FREE GERMINATION!

When germinating seeds, balance is key.

Seeds should get:

- neither too wet nor too dry
If you add too much moisture, your seeds may rot or get mouldy, but seeds that don't get enough water will dry out and fail to germinate, or the lack of moisture will prevent the outer layer of the seed from softening enough to allow the root to break through.

- neither too hot nor too cold
The ideal temperature for germination lies between 22 and 27°C (about 71-81°F), depending on the specific strain. Too hot, and you won't be able to ensure the seeds are kept moist, too cold and the seeds won't germinate.Warmer temperatures will usually make for quicker germination, but make sure to monitor seeds closely so they don't dry out!

The soil you plant the seeds in should be:

- neither too deep nor too shallow
Planting seeds too deep can kill the seedlings as they struggle to reach the light. Planting them too shallow, though,may result in seeds drying out, or roots not being able to reach the water level.

- neither too firm nor too loose
Soil that is too firmly compacted makes it more difficult for the little seedling to break through and emerge. Also, oxygen is an important factor in germination. Soil that's packed too tightly does not allow for enough air circulation. On the other hand, soil that is too loose cannot retain enough water and properly support the plant.

The fool-proof way to ensure all this is to order our Germination Kit. You can also get a value pack containing the kit, 10 feminised seeds and 10 time-release fertilising Soiltabs.

You will find some more tips on the left.

CANNA-FUNNIES

Ali G, to a DEA officer:
"What is the different types of hash out there?  We all know that it's called the bionic, the bomb, the puff, the blow,
the black, the herb, the sensie, the chronic, the sweet Mary Jane, the shit, Ganja, split, reefa, the bad, the buddha,
the home grown, the ill, the maui-maui, the method, pot, lethal turbo, tie, shake, skunk, stress, whacky, weed,
glaze, the boot, dimebag, Scooby Doo, bob, bogey, backyard boogie... But what is the other terms for it?"

Ali G:
"One time when me was high, me sold me car for like 24 chicken McNuggets."

CANNA-COOKING

This month, we've got a fab new recipe for you to try! The weather's been so lovely over here, it really puts you in the mood for summery food. And who said canna-cooking needs to be sweet and sugary? There's more to grasstronomy than hash brownies and space cake, so we came up with a delicious dish for those born without a sweet tooth. Try your hand at this herbalicious pasta 'n pesto - sure to make an impression!

You will need: a basil plant (from your own garden or from the store - you'll need several handfuls of basil leaves); a couple of teaspoons of prime bud (depends on how strong you want it to be; about 4-5); a small packet (about 50g) of pine nuts; about 50g of good quality Parmesan cheese, in a block or grated; a clove of garlic; olive oil; freshly ground black pepper. Also: your pasta of choice, and optionally, two chicken breast fillets and a tin of artichokes.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry wok or frying pan until golden brown. Put the bud, basil leaves, pine nuts, cheese and garlic in a food processor or blender and blend thoroughly until a paste is obtained. If you like, you can also add some other fresh garden herbs like mint or parsley, but make sure the main ingredient is basil. Gently start adding glugs of olive oil until a smooth consistency is achieved. Season with pepper and set aside.

In a big pan, bring a generous quantity of salted water to the boil (about 1 litre to 100g of pasta). Add your choice of pasta - we like fusilli or penne, but any type will do. Using a good quality durum wheat variety will help the sauce stick to the pasta. Boil until al dente (check the packaging). You could stir the pot-pesto straight through the hot pasta and serve as a light meal, or try this: while the pasta is cooking, put a frying pan on the fire till hot. Add olive oil and the diced, skinless chicken fillets. Pour on a glug of white wine, then put on low heat until almost done. Add the artichoke hearts, chopped into chunks. Stir the pesto through the pasta, add the chicken/artichoke mixture on top and nom! Serves 2-3 people.

VOX POPULI

The poll "What you would like to see more of in the newsletter" is now closed. Thank you all for voting so enthusiastically!
The results've been really helpful in giving us insight into your wishes!

A quarter of the people who responded wanted, above all, to see more tips for growers. 17% were more interested in reading about our strains in particular. If you were one of them, perhaps this tip wil help: did you know the customer reviews contain lots of insider tips and personal grow journals? Why not write a review of your own and add your experiences so that other growers may profit? Your review may even be featured in the newsletter!

13% of you were hoping for more special newsletter discounts. We'll do our best to sneak some in on occasion. Only a very meagre 3% were dying to hear inside gossip on Nirvana or jokes and funny stories, so boo! We won't be disclosing the colour of Alice's knickers or telling you that juicy story about what Charlie got up to last weekend.

Oh, but wait... what's that? Almost 40% of you wanted to see more of ALL OF THE ABOVE?! Ooh, greedy... but we love that you're so interested! Still, we'll save the racy tales for another day and focus on your main interests first. We've already started adding longer stories with tips for growers to the newsletter, and also put some efforts into expanding the number of articles in the Knowledge Base. We'll continue to work on this in the near future. We'd love some more feedback on our Knowledge Base actually, so why notleave a comment to let us know how you liked our latest articles or submit a question of your own? Please do NOT use the Knowledge Base for customer support questions though -our support staff won't read them, and you will not receive an answer.

Also, we've added a poll on the new auto-flowerers - be sure to vote and let us know what you think!

Right, we'll leave you to it then - good luck with your grows, see you next month, and remember to ROCK THOSE AUTOS!

Peace and love,
The Nirvana Team