Interview with Grandmaster Grower Zurban_Poisonia

Hello everyone! We are back with another interview with yet another amazing grower in our community. We hope you'll find this interview useful in some way, and enjoy it as much as we did :)

@Zurban-Poisonia is a family man with a passion to grow amazing buds. Here's a little peep into his world...

1. Question: Hello Zurban_Poisonia! 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 everyone! First off, I want to thank Growdiaries for giving me the opportunity to talk about growing cannabis. I truly love the plant and believe it has helped me in many ways, so I am very excited just like you! 

I am an artist by profession, and I grow cannabis simply because it gives me great joy to watch it grow. Plus, the effects are mindblowing too! 

2. Question: Why did you start cultivating cannabis?

Answer: For me, it was pretty simple. I have been smoking for 22 years, and it’s a long time to do anything but grow cannabis. At first, I was asking my friends for some good stuff as I enjoyed chilling with them; however, I realized I couldn’t keep asking anymore. 

Then, I decided to purchase some quality stuff. I had the belief that the more I paid, the better it would be, so I invested a substantial amount in the quest for good marijuana. But, I was disappointed that “quality” meant getting a bit of trim. And, most importantly, I wasn’t even feeling any effects. Man, what’s the point if the stuff doesn’t even get you high?

It was almost like I was getting just leftovers, and that made me mad. On the flip side, it also made me more determined to get some excellent stuff. And, that’s when I decided I could grow. That meant I could share with friends and never run out of weed. I haven’t looked back since four years ago when I finally decided to grow cannabis at home. 

3. Question: How has cannabis helped you?

Answer: Since I’m an artist, I really appreciate how cannabis helps me get even more artistic. Of course, you gotta smoke the right strain for that. But you see, that’s one of the perks of growing at home, and I’m sure many of my fellow gardeners here will understand that. You can grow whatever you want and use it in different situations to get maximum benefits. 

To be exact, I am a designer, and cannabis helps me enhance my creativity. But, I don’t use the herb just for creativity. Like I said already, I love chilling with friends and cannabis helps me relax and enjoy one session after another. 

To be honest, I only use cannabis. I don’t smoke cigarettes and don’t touch alcohol. So, the herb is all I need. 

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

Answer: Oh sure, I remember it very well. 

After I started growing cannabis, I realized that there were a lot of things I could do to get better. There’s nothing more amazing than igniting your competitive spirit to do something you’re passionate about. 

Therefore, when a local community announced a cannabis growing championship, I was very eager to take part. It would help me learn and also see what others were doing. Just growing cannabis wasn’t enough. Anyone can grow a few wispy buds and call it cannabis, but I wanted to be the best at it. 

Fortunately, the contest required that you sign up on a website called Growdiaries, so you could show a journal and keep track of the progress of your plant. Based on that, they would decide the winners. I took a look at Growdiaries and was very happy to see that there were several growers journaling everything as they grew their favorite plants. 

So, I immediately opened an account, and have loved every second of being here. 

5. Question: What do you love about Growdiaries?

Answer: Convenient interface and site structure. And, of course, the opportunity to follow the plant from birth to harvest, and get experience and useful tips from experienced growers. And the fact that you can directly communicate with seed producers.

I love that we have a very helpful community here. Even the most experienced growers try to help beginners. No question is ever stupid and you’re not put down for asking even the silliest of questions. Also, other growers come to look at your diary and celebrate your success with you. To me, that’s most important — celebrating others’ success like it’s your own!

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

Answer: Oh sure. Without training techniques, it becomes a bit boring to grow cannabis, at least for me. I enjoy training the plants because it improves the yields drastically. 

I use all possible stress techniques as I genuinely believe that the plants respond to stress and start growing better and stronger. It also allows me to control the growth and shape of the plant, which is especially useful in small spaces.

For beginners, I would recommend Topping. Basically, you wait for the plant to develop at least 3-4 nodes. Then, you can cut off the tip with your hands — it’s as simple as that! Topping prevents the plant from stretching in height as you’re cutting off the very tip of the central stem at 2-3 weeks of growth. When the plant already has 3-5 pairs of branches, Topping will make your plant look rounder and bushier and won't stretch out uncontrollably.

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

Answer: I don't do anything myself. I trust global manufacturers wherever possible.

I'm not one of those people who likes to do everything by hand. I am one of those who loves everything ready and ready to pay for it. I’m sure you can do fantastic things DIY as I see some growers even making their own tents, but that has simply never appealed to me. 

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

Answer: Contrary to what I just said, I like doing a few things DIY if I’m sure I can pull it off.

I bought a hydroponics system from a grow shop and paid $60 for it, but I realized that the principle behind it was extremely simple, after doing some research, of course. So, I got to work and assembled the same design for $12.

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

Answer: It is difficult to answer this question. I have always tried to be individual in everything and not to take examples from anyone. I respect all growers who treat the plant with love and respect, which can be seen immediately in the diaries. 

However, there’s one person who gave me the incentive to grow professionally, and that’s Tony13 who is growing for the Barneys Farm. Looking at him, I realized that I would also like to grow like that and collaborate with one of the world's leading brands.

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

Answer: There are many strains I love, so it’s a little difficult to be specific about this. However, I will try to answer this question as best as I can. 

Usually, I have a few varieties that I grow repeatedly, such as Amnesia Haze, for sativa lovers, Purple Punch for indica lovers, and Gorilla Cookies for 50-50 hybrid lovers. I grow these strains particularly because I can use them according to my needs. Plus, owing to my experience with these strains particularly, I know how they grow and don’t have to worry about unexpected stuff. 

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

Answer: Definitely Amnesia Haze!

It was my first variety that I grew and she amazed me. It was Amnesia Haze Auto from Royal Queen Seeds. After that, I don’t miss the opportunity to grow this variety from all other producers.

12. Question: Who are your favorite breeders?

Answer: I have too many breeders to name. I admire them all, but I will name a few, including Green House seeds, Fast Buds, Sweetseeds, Barneys Farm, Dutch Passion, Seedsman, DNA genetics, and Humboldtseedsorg. 

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

Answer: I use mostly General Hydroponics, as it’s easy to use and affordable too. I also use Advanced Nutrients and Greenhouse feeding.

14. Question: What was the latest strain you grew?

Answer: Since I have grown many strains recently, I will talk about the one I cut last. It was just four days ago, and the strain was a Sugar Bomb Punch from Dutch Passion. I just grow several plants at the same time always.

15. Question: What was the latest strain you smoked?

Answer: I enjoyed Chocolate Wafflez by Paradise seeds this morning. 

16. Question: Any tips for our readers to enjoy cannabis more? Perhaps, concentrates, gummies, etc?

Answer: It may sound strange but I have no experience with cannabis other than classic joint smoking, haha!