Interview with Guru DevilsBud

Hey growers! We are back with the interviews again. This time, we had the good fortune to talk to @DevilsBud, who loves the plant so much that he wishes to be a part of the commercial cannabis industry someday. Judging by his diaries and warm personality, we know the day isn’t too far away. Good luck, Nick!

We had a lot of fun conducting this interview. All thanks to Devilsbud for taking the time to answer every single question. We hope you’ll love interacting with him as much as we did. 

1. Question: Hello DevilsBud! 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! It's wonderful to be here for this interview. I’ve seen many growers interviewed over time and am happy to be a part of it. I love this community, and I am glad to talk to you guys. My name's Nick; however, you can call me DevilsBud. Currently, I reside in the EU with my partner and stepdaughter. I'm 38 years old and presently operating in the Metal industry, although I hope to leave it behind one day.

2. Question: Why did you start cultivating cannabis?

Answer: Valid question, considering how everyone has a reason to grow cannabis here. Well, I have the same reasons. Like most people here, I love smoking weed. And, ever since I began smoking it, I had the burning desire to grow my own. 

But, you know how life goes, and I never got the opportunity to actually plan things, purchase everything necessary and grow my own stuff. I kept pushing it for another day. 

Then, COVID hit, and just like it changed millions of lives, it changed mine too. At the time, the prices of weed skyrocketed like crazy. Perhaps there was too much demand, considering how it can reduce anxiety, etc. Anyway, I had trouble sourcing good-quality stuff. Unfortunately, the price of cannabis found at the coffee shops was insane and not even all that good for my taste. So, finally, I decided that enough was enough, and it was time to start my own adventure. 

I have to also mention that I don’t grow cannabis just to use it. Well, I love using it, sure, but it’s also therapeutic for me. It’s more like a hobby where I have my zen moment, and everything else ceases to exist. I adore my plants and take good care of them. I love it so much that I’d love to convert this hobby to a profession in this industry sometime in the future. After all, people can dream, right?

3. Question: How has cannabis helped you?

Answer: Oh man, cannabis has been a game-changer for me in so many ways. Once you realize that we live in this crazy world, it feels like the only thing that can keep you sane. At least for me. 

But the main reason I love cannabis is its medicinal qualities. For example, I feel my stress melting away once I light up a fat joint after a particularly hard day at work. Also, I wake up fresh the next day after an excellent night's rest. 

I also understand that many people struggle to fall asleep no matter how hard they try. It could be due to stress. I recommend marijuana over pharmacy pills that can transform you into a mindless zombie. I have and will always advocate cannabis for its healing powers because it's natural and has fewer side effects in the long term. 

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

Answer: Growdiaries is much more than a journal for me to record things about my growing projects. Of course, keeping a journal helps in many ways, as you can instantly understand where you’re going wrong when you look back at your entries in hindsight. So, GD does a great job of being efficient and helps many growers become better at what they do. 

But the main reason I love GD is that I get to share my experiences with other growers. It is also a good place for me to continue learning, as I believe that you can never learn too much. I view this community as a family that encourages others to take better care of the plant they love. 

5. Question: What do you love about Growdiaries?

Answer: As I said, I love that you can learn everything about cannabis if you’re active in GD. You can take a look at what others are doing, how they grow their plants, the nutrients they use, the training techniques they employ, and so much more. I love looking at photos that give me a sneak peek into their world. 

But what I love the most about GD is the way the growers try to support each other. Whether it’s a beginner asking a question or even a seasoned grower who’s just trying to get better, many growers take the time to answer questions and help them. 

In short, this community will try to help you in every way possible. I can confidently say that I’ve learned a lot just by following other growers. I wouldn’t be where I am or growing what I’m growing right now without the help and support of the community members here. 

I have also noticed that a lot of growers have joined this community in the past two years. Perhaps they began growing during COVID, just like me. I see that even beginners are doing a great job, but if you want to truly learn more, you need to follow several growers and understand how they treat their plants. This will give you a clear approach and prevent you from making mistakes, as you’ve already learned where they went wrong. 

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

Answer: Yes, I do meddle with training my plants from time to time. To be honest, I am fairly new to the new growing game, so I keep trying various strategies. In fact, I have tried everything except Main-Lining and Supercropping. Not that I have anything against them, but it’s just that I haven’t felt the need to try them. 

To all beginners, I’d like to say that you need to keep it simple. One of the best and easiest techniques that actually work is topping, particularly when you do it at the fourth node. It makes the plant bushy and ready to grow for a while until I can flip it to the flowering stage. 

Not only is topping pretty easy for beginners (well, you just have to clip off the top of the plant after it grows a few sets of leaves), but it also encourages the plant to develop several colas rather than one main cola that you’ll get if you don’t train the plant at all. 

Since it’s easy and produces great results, I always top all my photoperiod plants. Recently, I started doing it with autoflowers too, but make sure you watch your plants carefully for any signs of shock, as autos can get stressed very fast. If the plant is not ready to flower yet, you’ll stress her out too much and end up with lower yields. 

I also use other training methods like LST when I have just a few plants in the tent, as LST needs extra space. Beginners can also try LST, as it doesn’t require you to do much except bend the branches to provide more light to the rest of the plant. Since the plants get uniform light, you’ll see buds forming at most spots, which means you’ll have great yields!

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

Answer: Truth be told, I’m not much of a DIY guy. I take great care of my plants and don’t want to jeopardize anything by building things I can buy easily. So, to keep the guessing at a minimum, I buy my equipment, seeds, and nutrients from reputed companies. Since I purchase everything, I don’t feel the need to DIY. 

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

Answer: Yes, growing cannabis myself is a huge money saver. No matter where you’re from, quality weed is not cheap, and I don’t see the prices going down in the near future. You’d be surprised how much you can save by focusing on growing. 

Plus, growing your own weed makes you confident to try and enjoy it because you know what you put into it. Last, but not least, it gives you a sense of accomplishment as you save money and get better quality stuff simultaneously. 

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

Answer: Of course, I can!

This community is rather large, but there are a couple of growers I'm especially loyal to, and love watching their progress. First, we have my buddy @sparkles, who’s doing some astonishing things with just a couple of plants. He uses various techniques, but his Main-lining is a killer method that seems to work on his plants, and they love it too. He has also introduced me to some great genetics, including the Righthemisphere genetics. 

Then, we have @Cannabeast40 — someone I have followed since I started here. He has helped me a great deal and is creating some great diaries. His Insta is literally a treat to the eyes if you love growing cannabis, and he’s been doing incredible work there. 

Of course, we also have @Cyrusdavirus, who I started to follow because of his (you want cheese with that Diary). It looked so delicious that I wanted to try a cheese strain. I try to keep up with people's diaries, despite my hectic job, as it gives me great pleasure to see what these amazing growers are up to. 

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

Answer: Not really. I can’t name one particular strain as I like to try out everything and experiment. By now, I have smoked more strains than I could ever hope to buy at a coffee shop, haha! You see how growing has so many advantages now?

Anyway, coming back to that one specific strain, I can’t name one, but I’d go for any @Anesia_Seeds strains in a heartbeat. You just have to ensure you have everything necessary to grow along with the tent, nutrients, lighting, etc., and choose the strain you like. As they offer only reliable genetics, you can pick anything you want without worrying too much. Plus, I have noticed that the plants can handle stress without complaints and are easy to grow, so you can train them according to your style and get big yields when it’s time to harvest. 

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

Answer: I have tried many strains, as I mentioned earlier. However, some truly stand out and offer a lot, whether you’re looking for recreational or medicinal effects. They are:

• Punch Crossings
• Biscotti Crossings
• Zkittlez Crossings

I’d choose to grow these strains at any point in time. 

12. Question: Who are your favorite breeders?

Answer: I only choose breeders that offer impeccable genetics. They have earned their trust by being good at what they do and offering great support to their customers. 

So, here are the top breeders I have bought from ever since I began growing cannabis. You could say I’ve grown to the point I have due to the hard work of these breeders:

13. @Anesia_Seeds
14. @Sweet_Seeds
15. @Kannabia seeds
16. @Fast_Buds
17. @SpliffSeeds
18. @Royal queen seeds
19. @Barney's Farm
20. @Right hemisphere genetics
21. @Compound genetics

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

Answer: In the beginning, I started off with Advanced Nutrients’ pH Perfect Grow/Veg/Flower line with extras like Rhino Skin, etc. I ended up purchasing over 16 bottles. Since it’s an American line, I realized that the prices were pretty steep to get it in my country. So, after some deliberation, I switched to a local nutrients company called Metrop. 

I also have reduced the nutrients I use per growing cycle to just 5 bottles. I love the results because it saves me money, produce great buds that are clean and crisp, and they also have a better taste. As they say, less is more, so you don’t have to use too many nutrients for your plants to perform the way they should. 

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

Answer: I can answer this question easily, as I have grown too many strains recently. 

Here are some of them: 

• High Society from @compound_genetics___seedbank
• Pink Gasoline from @perfecttreeseeds
• Oracle Octane
• The Sin from @Anesia_seeds
• Hella jelly from @Humbold seed company
• Zombie Haze from @sumoseeds
• Platinum Simily from @righthemisphere.genetics

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

Answer: As you can understand by now, I love cannabis and enjoy experimenting with many strains. So, I try a strain today and start with another one the next day as I love variety. However, my absolute favorite out of the ones I’ve tried to date is the High Society from Compound Genetics. They have many strains that can turn out to be show stealers, but their Jet Fuel Biscotti is the bomb.

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

Answer: Not really. I think everybody has their own way of consuming cannabis. But, if you’re into edibles, I must warn you to be safe and use them responsibly. Edibles are different from flowers, and you could really get high and end up ruining your experience. 

Another thing I’d love to add is for the community to be kind to each other and help each other out. We have to understand that everyone is different, and so is their growing style. Some people don’t have all the equipment necessary to grow amazing buds, but they still try their best. So, we should be happy for others who have won contests and encourage them more. 

Other than that, everything is perfect, and I’d like to thank everyone who reads everything I shared from my heart. 

Happy growing,

DevilsBud