Interview with Grand Master Grower — JohnnyBlaze

Hello Growers!

As promised, we are continuing with the interview series to give you an insight into how expert growers grow their plants. We hope this series is going to educate you and get to know the grower and his/her methods in a better manner. 

It was a lot of fun interviewing @JohnnyBlaze. Thank you for taking the time to answer all our questions, Johnny! 

1. Question: Hello JohnnyBlaze! We are very excited to conduct this interview today. Your profile tells us a lot about your skills. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Answer: Hello everybody it's a pleasure to be interviewed by GrowDiaries. Let me tell you something about myself. So, my nickname is Johnny Blaze as I am a big big fan of Method Man! My biggest passion is cannabis as I love growing it and especially blazing it !!

I am a cannabis smoker, grower, and photographer !! Cannot tell much more for security reasons as I still live in an illegal country!

2. Question: Why did you start cultivating cannabis?

Answer: Well, the answer is pretty simple really. I love smoking cannabis but the problem was that it was hard to procure good bud. After a point, I was fed up with low-quality so-called cannabis and decided to grow my own. 

Another reason was that purchasing premium-quality buds was very expensive. It still is…so, since I wanted high-quality stuff at a cheaper price, I decided to experiment with growing cannabis. Now, growing cannabis by myself is saving money in many ways for me!

3. Question: How has cannabis helped you?

Answer: I use cannabis for both recreational and medicinal purposes. Mainly, I use it to reduce my anxiety and I find that it helps me calm down quite a bit. Also, many people assume that cannabis is a gateway drug, but I disagree because it helps me stay away from other drugs!

4. Question: Do you remember how and why you started using Growdiaries?

Answer: After I started growing cannabis, I wanted to learn more. There are many articles and videos on the internet that give you step-by-step instructions, but I wanted to see the results of other growers. I wanted to experience it with others if you know what I mean. 

So, I stumbled upon this community and saw that other growers were posting all their pictures of amazing cannabis plants. The bonus is that you get to learn from others as long as you don’t hesitate to ask questions. Many growers out here help you grow good plants. I haven’t looked back since then. 

5. Question: What do you love about Growdiaries?

Answer: As I mentioned already, many helpful growers try to get you started. They answer questions ranging from basic to the most complicated ones that help new growers. 

I love that there are growers of every level on this site and they all help one another. Another reason I love Growdiaries is the contests. It’s fun, and you get to learn so much about various methods of growing used by other growers. 

Plus, there are various goodies for every contest, encouraging every grower to take part in them. This way, growers can show off their skills and win great prizes, boosting their morale. 

This community is very special as it helped me a lot to get where I am now (being able to grow decent pot for myself). I live in an illegal country, so it’s very hard to find decent cured bud!

6. Question: Do you train your cannabis plants? If yes, can you describe one technique that’s easy for even beginners?

Answer: Yes, I train my plants, but I don’t use any fancy techniques. If I don’t train the plants, some of them will grow so tall that it becomes difficult to manage, especially with the height. So, my training technique is focused mainly on preventing the plant from growing too tall. 

Also, I just want to make sure that the plant doesn’t grow one main cola. Instead, I want it to grow several colas so that there’s uniform light distribution and I also get better yields. It also helps reduce light wastage and all plants get good light. 

The two main methods I use are Topping and LST. First, I wait for the seedling to grow at least 4 nodes. Then, I top off the fourth node with clean scissors. I let the tops grow a bit and then start LST. I maintain the LST until it grows a few weeks into the flowering stage. It’s as simple as that!

As the techniques are basic and easy, I’m sure even beginners will find it simple. Of course, you get better with experience, so my opinion is that a beginner should practice training techniques on several plants to understand how to go about it. Once you get a feel of how the plant behaves, it all becomes very easy. You can also practice with bag seeds if you want, but it’s not necessary as you will get the hang of it with just a few tries. 

Oh, and one more thing: I believe that the final result of your cannabis bud comes only after curing, so I make sure to take the time to cure the buds for two months at least. I also use BOVEDA packs to keep the humidity in check. 

7. Question: Are you a DIY person or do you purchase most equipment, including nutrients?

Answer: No offense to DIY people, but I prefer getting things done quickly. Creating things on your own requires time, and since I am very busy usually, I tend to just go out and purchase what I want! In short, you can call me a go-getter, haha! 

Another reason I stay away from DIY projects is that there’s no guarantee that they will work. Once you work on a project for a serious amount of time and it doesn’t work, you’ll be disappointed, not to mention the money you have wasted. Instead, if I want something, I want it right away and I go ahead and get it so there are few chances of messing up. 

8. Question: Can you describe a few things you do (DIY) that perhaps saves money?

Answer: As I said, I am not a DIY person. I want to focus on saving time. However, growing weed on my own is perhaps the biggest DIY project I have taken up to date. I have set up everything (after purchasing the tools, of course) on my own, so you could call it DIY. 

Coming to saving money, I mentioned that the rates of cannabis in my area are too expensive and I don’t want to spend money on something that I can do myself. Also, growing on my own gives me the ability to understand exactly what is going into the plants. I know the fertilizers I use, and I take great care to make sure the plants are happy. So, yes, this way I am saving money with my DIY technique as I don’t have to rely on someone else to get high-quality marijuana. 

9. Question: Can you name a few growers who have inspired you here? What do you like the most about their growing style?

Answer: Many growers are willing to spend lots of time helping others here. Incredibly, they want others to succeed too. However, I have two names that stand out from the rest personally — @ClubRiot and @Mrs_Larimar. Mrs. Larimar, in particular, has helped me a lot!

10. Question: Is there any strain you grow in particular? Would you recommend it to beginners?

Answer: I love growing Gelato! It’s smooth, and creamy and makes for an absolutely delicious toke. Recently, I grew Sweet Gelato Auto from Sweet Seeds. I was experimenting with it and I have posted all the details in my journal as well. 

It took a long time for me to harvest the plant as it was literally coated with trichomes. And there were just too many leaves within fat buds, so it took a long time! But, I have to say it’s worth all the time and effort. 

11. Question: What are your favorite strains, and why?

Answer: It’s Sweet Gelato! She has a gassy, sweet, and creamy aroma that I just can’t resist. It’s too damn good, she surprises me! Her taste is also very creamy with hints of earthy and citric flavors making this my top strain just too loud!

Her effects are hybrid with a nice balanced high hitting you in the head first with a strong head buzz and a nice euphoric effect then turning into a more giggly relaxed state of mind that makes this strain both a day-and-night strain! The bud weight was around 610 grams and after 5 days of drying and 40 days of curing (because I couldn’t stop myself from tasting it), she weighed around 95 grams of dry buds! I’d easy it’s awesome!

12. Question: Who are your favorite breeders?

Answer: There are lots of amazing breeders who create wonderful strains and tested strains for lots of them but Royal Queen Seeds seems to be just a step in front!

13. Question: What type of nutrients do you use to grow cannabis?

Answer: I now use GreenBuzz Nutrients as they are an all-organic vegan line!!

We hope you enjoyed this interview, folks. Stay tuned to get to know more people on the site!