Interview with Grandmaster @smoking_hills9

Hello growers! We are back with yet another interview!

This time, it's @smoking_hills9 — a grandmaster at growing cannabis. We are excited to present this interview as he discusses his favorite strains, how he trains them, and, of course, the way he smokes them!

We hope you're going to love this interview as much as we enjoyed conducting it. 

1. Question: Hello smoking_hills9! 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! I'm excited to do this too! First off, thank you for choosing me to ask questions. I really appreciate that you took the time to go through my profile. After all, isn't that what we are on Growdiaries for? ;)

So, to tell you a bit about myself… I don't know where to start. 

I am originally from Ukraine. I've been very conscious about fitness and health, so I began fighting and training from a tender age when I was just 12. I am mostly into kickboxing. Sometimes, I train so hard that it's like an addiction to me. 

Similarly, I love cannabis. I never smoked anything until I turned 20 because I was too much into fitness and was worried that it was a dangerous drug. However, once I realized that it had too many benefits to offer, I started enjoying it. Cannabis helps in faster muscle recovery, so why not?! 

So, to sum it up, I love cooking, going to the gym and working out hard, learning new stuff, and smoking weed!

2. Question: Why did you start cultivating cannabis?

Answer: The main reason to grow my own flower was that I enjoyed smoking cannabis. One option was to go out and buy but you never know what they can lace it with. Plus, it was expensive, and I didn't want to blow my money on something I wasn't confident about. 

Later, I decided to grow myself to change my financial situation. After a while, I began to immensely enjoy it, so I now grow because I simply want to. I love watching the plants and their colors. 

Also, I grow because I love helping people by sharing some of the best genetics with them. They make me happy, and in turn, I make them happy too. It's a positive experience overall. After all, isn't that what life is all about? I want to retire in a few years and just enjoy my life to the hilt!

3. Question: How has cannabis helped you?

Answer: Cannabis helps me a lot physically and mentally but only if it's pure with no tobacco. Adding tobacco gives me a worrying feeling deep inside. Pure herb makes me more motivated and a better person. 

It has also helped me stay calm in most situations. For instance, when I began growing cannabis, most neighbors were pissed off by the smell. I wasn't bothering anyone, but they complained that the smell couldn't let their children sleep. 

I was always expecting cops to land at my house anytime, but I didn't stop growing because I knew that I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was calm and never panicked despite knowing that I could land in trouble. Cannabis had helped me in a lot of ways so I wasn't ready to give it up. 

Ultimately, the cops didn't come but I moved out of that place, so I'm in a better place now. 

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

Answer: As I mentioned, I was beginning to enjoy growing cannabis. I wanted to perfect my art of growing great buds. I researched a few sites on the internet but nothing gave me solid answers. I wanted something where I could learn and apply the knowledge to what I was doing. 

Somehow, I found Growdiaries as I surfed the web, and saw that growers were exchanging information live as they grew incredible buds. I mean, what more do you want? Finally, I found a nice community where most people were helpful and I haven't looked back since. 

5. Question: What do you love about Growdiaries?

Answer: I like growdiaries.com for different reasons. 

At first, I loved watching journals and the techniques they used. I have learned so much here. Now, as a bonus, I enjoy the free autoflower genetics I receive from some of the best seed shops around the world. It feels like my hard work has paid off :)

Also, I love the contests here. It's fun and rewarding at the same time. You get to see how people are growing their plants and share what you're doing with others too. 

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

Answer: I grow autoflowers, so the only training I do is LST. 

First, I wait for a few nodes to develop and start LST. I ensure not to use anything sharp to bend the plants so I don't hurt them. I continue LSTing in their flowering phase to make sure all the parts of the plants are getting light. 

I know there are various techniques to train autoflowers, but I stick only to LST as it has worked well for me. I recommend LST to beginners because it's easy. Sure, you'll need a little practice but it's the best training technique to get the most out of your plant. 

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

Answer: I like DIY but I like to leave this job to professionals and buy lighting equipment and plant food. I don't want to mess this up. I don't think you need to do too much DIY unless you enjoy doing it. It's best to leave it to the pros. 

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

Answer: Sometimes I reuse soil, and just add a bit of fresh soil when I start a new growing project. Of course, I also reuse grow bags. I haven't tried making my own seeds yet, but I assume it might save a lot of money. However, with the type of breeders around, I don't think it's really necessary as it's tough to emulate what they are doing at home. 

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

Answer: I can't name any growers in particular in terms of inspiration. The main inspiration is cannabis itself and it pushes me to become the best version of myself. Plus, you don't need much inspiration when you're in love with doing what you do :)

Oh, wait…now that I think about it, I think I can say that I am inspired by every hydro grower out there. When I began growing, there was a time when I tried growing in coco, which is very similar to hydroponics, but I failed every single time. It took me three tries to get back to growing in soil because it simply wasn't my cup of tea. 

Since I was growing autoflowers my plants were stunted and didn't give me any yields. It was a waste of all my efforts. Therefore, I have immense respect for hydroponic growers because I think they are doing something incredible. 

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

Answer: I like to try new things and grow different strains of buds. This is one reason I have so many strains in my profile. And after smoking and tasting most of them sativa and indica and hybrids, I realized I am a fan of strong and tasty indica dominants strains. I don't grow anything in particular as variety is the spice of life, haha!

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

Answer: Some of my favorites are: White Widow, OG kush, Wedding Cake, Runtz, Mint Jelly, Magic Melon, Do Si Dos, and Strawberry. 

Basically, I'm a sucker for anything indica with loads of flavor and high levels of THC :)

12. Question: Who are your favorite breeders?

Answer: So far my favorite breeders are Seedsman genetics, Humboldt, Zamnesia, Royal Queen seeds, and Fast Buds. I am trying a few more seedbanks at the moment so I am sure I will have more favorites very soon.

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

Answer: For 4 years I only used Bio Bizz grow and bloom. Now that I'm growing much more, I am trying new nutrients. It's made in the UK and called Hydrotops for soil. They are something in-between organic and mineral plant food. And I use 2 of their flower boosters.

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

Answer: It's funny that the last two strains I harvested made it into my top 10 best indicas I ever tried. That's mint Jelly and magic Melon by Humboldt genetics.

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

Answer: The latest strain I smoked 10 mins ago was Magic Melon:)

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

Answer: I prefer to roll my weed and smoke it pure. And people can enjoy cannabis in any form. It could be anything including cookies, bong, or concentrates, as long it gives them happiness and positive emotions. 

So, that's it, folks! We hope this interview gave you insight into how grandmasters grow their weed. If you have any questions, please shoot them in the comments below and the grower will answer them.