Grow Report – Kaboom, The Queen of Africa

Welcome to a new Kannabia grow report, where we analyse the cultivation of one of our most popular strains: Kaboom, a sativa hybrid with a strong personality, whose compact and resin-laden buds are ideal for hash extraction. In this grow report, this strain faces exceptional growing conditions, both in terms of lighting and… well, the lack of it!

Nicknamed the ‘Queen of Africa’, Kaboom is a true monarch who can ascend to the throne in your grow thanks to her great adaptability to adverse conditions. Her majestic genetic lineage comes all the way from the baptismal font, as she derives from the three-way cross between Afghani x Thai x AK-47. This results in a hybrid with a melting pot of properties that mixes truly sativa features with a certain indica reminiscence, which complement each other perfectly.

This delicious and stimulating plant produces a remarkably generous yield with a flowering time of just 8-9 weeks. Her Afghan lineage balances out AK-47’s sativa side, making her faster and more resistant to pests and mould.

This recessive indica lineage also provides a woody background to Kaboom’s exotic organoleptic bouquet. This is dominated by a strong acidic tropical fruit flavour and a slightly spicy aftertaste derived from her Thai lineage, producing a smoke that leaves a distinctive spicy sensation in the mouth on exhalation.

To top it all off, Kaboom delivers a stimulating and uplifting mental state which naturally reduces stress, depression, and fatigue. At the same time, the physical effects remain active but welcoming on a second level of consciousness, making this strain the perfect companion for busy and active users.

Kaboom’s morphology and growth

As she’s not very demanding in terms of care, Kaboom is highly recommended for rookie growers. She develops thick stems on both the main stem and branches, with thin and serrated leaves (typical of the AK strains) with a dark lemon green colour. With short internodal spacing, the plant starts branching out during the first stages of growth to produce a large bushy structure which leads to a high yield once she reaches 60 cm in height; and all of this without the need for a large amount of nutrients.

Organic growing is, without a doubt, the most suitable option for this plant. You only need to apply the right amount of high-quality worm castings and bat guano directly on the substrate and combine them with regular watering. Thanks to this plant’s lush flowering, you’ll obtain large and heavy flower clusters that just keep cropping up: heavy and compact buds with a reddish glow that are dripping with resin and will quickly make you understand why this is the next queen of your grow. So let’s have a more detailed look at this beauty!

Kaboom’s step-by-step grow guide

On this occasion, we’re dealing with what is known as a ‘mixed’ grow, which combines several growing environments depending on the lighting. The grower, by his own conviction and also as an act of rebellion against the high prices of electricity, grows both indoors and outdoors during the summer months, alternating between a grow tent and his own home.

The plant spends 9 hours in the tent with artificial lighting and is then placed next to the best east-facing window to make the most of the morning light, where she captures direct sunlight from 8:00 to 15:00. Afterwards, the plant is taken back to the grow tent until 18:00. If the sun is still shining, she’s then placed next to a west-facing window, where she makes the most of the fantastic sunset rays until 21:00. But if there’s no sunlight, she’s sent to sleep at 19:00, until the tent lamps are switched on at 23:00… And then it’s all back to square one!

• Grow type: Mixed (indoor/outdoor)
• Lighting: SF1000 -100W LED Spider Farmer / Home window
• Grower: DeFharo
• Number of plants: 1
• Nutrients: Organic / Worm castings / Bokashi
• Irrigation: Manual
• Growing medium: Substrate
• Vegetative phase: 5 weeks
• Flowering phase: 8 weeks

Germination phase

The grower germinates directly in a moist substrate prepared with the following composition:

• 40% soil
• 10% perlite
• 5% vermiculite
• 13% coco coir
• 7% mineral fertiliser
• 15% worm castings
• 10% Bokashi

The seed peeks through the substrate of a 0.2 L pot on the fourth day, enjoying the light of the grow tent and the sunlight through a window during the day. The cotyledons give way to the first true leaves, which display an enviable colour and structure. Cultivation as such starts with the following values:

Grow parameters:

• Daily temperature: 28ºC
• Height: 0 – 8 cm
• Substrate temperature: 22ºC
• Night temperature: 22ºC
• Hours of light: 20
• Air humidity: 60%
• Total dissolved solids: 450 ppm / 0.6 EC
• Irrigation volume: 0.01 L per plant per 24 hrs
• pH: 6.3
• Distance between lamp and plant: 50 cm

Vegetative phase

First week of growth of this African queen using new lights and a 60 x 40 x 125 cm homemade tent, with an SF1000 Spider Farmer lamp at 60% power (50W consumption). After checking its great luminosity, the lamp is placed about 20 cm away from the seedling. The seedling is fed via daily foliar applications with a mix of amino acids and auxin lacto-ferments.

During the second week, the seedling is transplanted to its final pot after the substrate has been thoroughly watered. It is an ‘old-school’ 7 L pot, with lateral aeration, and has been decorated with a personal touch. As it is going to be exposed to many hours of sunlight during the next few weeks, the grower has chosen a white pot. Microbiological inoculation of the substrate is started, promoting the rooting of the seedling with honey and auxin lacto-ferments. The first cut using the topping technique will be carried out in a few days to start shaping the plant.

In the third week, one week after transplanting and 5 days after cutting the stem, there’s an immediate reaction on the lateral branches and the resulting tips. The plant continues to establish her roots in the pot, still with the remaining moisture from the first irrigation. “As today is a rainy day, I’m taking the plant outside so she can have a shower of fine, hot summer rain”, explains the grower.

The fourth week marks the beginning of the modelling of the plant by tying down the first lateral branches and tips using the LST (Low Stress Training) technique. The first thorough irrigation session after transplanting is carried out. The plant has doubled her water consumption and the new shoots grow vigorously, with short internodes which ensure good compaction and height control.

Grow parameters:

• Daily temperature: 30ºC
• Height: 8 – 34 cm
• Substrate temperature: 25ºC
• Night temperature: 26ºC
• Hours of light: 21
• Air humidity: 60%
• Total dissolved solids: 700 ppm / 1.4 EC
• Irrigation volume: 0.2 L per plant per 24 hrs
• pH: 6.3
• Distance between lamp and plant: 30 cm

Flowering phase

In the fifth week, the photoperiod is changed to 12/12, and the grow keeps following its course. Topping is carried out on the two lowest branches, as the grower waits for them to become stronger, adjusting the ties periodically to obtain a canopy of colas “which will be the crown of this African queen”. The plant is watered thoroughly twice a week for the time being, and she responds well to the significant increase in EC. A special foliar spray is applied, based on auxin hormones, cytokinins, and gibberellic acid, to promote cell division and the development of lateral shoots and branches.

In week 6, the plant has started to show the first pistils; she’s eager to become an adult plant… Four main branches, surrounded by many others, anticipate a good yield. The grower keeps adjusting the ties of the branches to mould the plant in the shape of a column, because there’s no more lateral space. The plant is kept hydrated to face a heat wave. “So she doesn’t suffer or complain, this lady deserves all my attention… because we’re the enemies of carelessness”, says the grower.

In week 7, the flower shoots become more evident. Temperatures have dropped, and days turn cloudier, so the plant spends all her time in the grow tent. Water consumption is high, as the plant is thoroughly watered every 3 days. This week, the grower also adds dry amendments with mountain microorganisms (MM).

In week 8, with wet and cloudy days as the norm, the plant stays in the grow tent all the time, but the flower shoots appear everywhere, spotless and vigorous. Irrigation is kept low to prepare the plant for the big party of full bloom. The plant uses up the water from the thorough irrigation sessions in 3/4 days.

In the ninth week, the morphology of the plant still hasn’t revealed the final shape of the colas, but the flowering buds are growing adorned with perfect pistils. Every 15 days, the grower adds a little mix of dry living amendments (3 g / litre of soil), which includes one part of worm castings and one part of sifted topsoil from other grows, containing a large number of microorganisms. Irrigation is maintained every 3 days. All the ties on the branches are removed as these are already firm enough to keep their shape.

Grow parameters:

• Daily temperature: 30ºC
• Height: 34 – 69 cm
• Substrate temperature: 25ºC
• Night temperature: 26ºC
• Hours of light: 12
• Air humidity: 68%
• Total dissolved solids: 860 ppm / 1.72 EC
• Irrigation volume: 0.4 L per plant per 24 hrs
• pH: 6.4
• Distance between lamp and plant: 15 cm

Ripening stage

The tenth week is really strange. As a result of some issues with the power supply, the plant has spent the last 4 days in total darkness. Fortunately though, she’s now exposed to light again. However, with zero water consumption during the period of darkness, she now displays an overall aged look, with some wrinkled leaves and riper colas. Good expectations in terms of the evolution of the plant. “It’s all good, I’m happy with the experience; it’s a way of trying the effect of a period of darkness halfway through the flowering… Every dark cloud has a silver lining!”.

In week 11, the plant advances despite the hard knock of the previous week. The plant showed signs of premature ageing to start off with, but this week she’s recovering her metabolism thanks to stimulating irrigation sessions, a lot of light at night, sunlight during the day, and 1 additional hour of light (13/11 photoperiod). Water consumption increases; the colas are thriving; and there’s an increase in density. “There’s no doubt this is a hardy strain, despite everything she’s been through. Depending on the progress I see this week, I’ll decide to either cut the plant or wait a few more days”.

In week 12, which is the last week before harvest time, the grower waits for the plant to fully absorb the final watering session. The plant receives 24 hrs of light during the last two days: she’s placed by a window during the day, and in the grow tent at night. “I do it for no special reason, in the same way that others leave their plants in total darkness for the last 48 hours. I think the light will increase her metabolism and photosynthesis… I am a rebel without a cause!”.

Next comes the cutting, the drying, and the curing to put an end to all the goings-on… Everything for the cause!

Harvest

After the manicuring of the moist buds, Kaboom sheds a weight on the scale of 140 grams of green buds per plant (42 grams of dry buds). With the 100W LED lamp used, the ratio is 0.42 grams / watt. She’s been grown in 0.08 square metre pots, so the final yield is estimated at 525 grams / square metre.

This has been a forced and strange grow, dominated by the changes in location, in a small 7 L pot and with generic lights, which didn’t really help much. And, to top it all off, the plant accidentally spent 4 days in total darkness two weeks before harvest time, which caused premature ageing from which she didn’t fully recover.

Even so, Kaboom has shown an out-of-this-world resilience in the face of some exceptional growing conditions, delivering an enviable yield in spite of all the adversities… Something that is only within the reach of the highest cannabis nobility. God save the Queen of Africa!!!