Interview with Guru JamMAKEcan

Hello everybody! As part of our interview series, this time we had a chat with @JamMAKEcan — one of the best growers in the community. We thank him for taking the time to answer our questions patiently. His diaries display his growing skills, but this interview will give you an insight into how he grows his favorite plants! If you have any questions, shoot them in the comments below, and Guru JamMAKEcan will be pleased to answer them. 

1. Question: Hello JamMAKEcan! 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? What does your name stand for?

Answer: Thank you for choosing me for this interview. I am pretty excited as well!

Also, thanks for taking the time to go through my profile — I honestly appreciate that. To tell a bit about myself — I'm a 56-year-old man with a passion to grow cannabis. Originally, I am from Kingston, Jamaica. My username pretty much says Jamaican, just that it's spelled differently, haha! 

I moved to the United States in 1977 and stayed here for good. However, I miss my homeland, hence the username. 

2. Question: Why did you start cultivating cannabis?

Answer: I used to smoke cannabis, but knew nothing about growing it. I am from Jamaica so people expect me to know more about it. However, since I moved to the USA long ago, I didn't have much experience with growing the herb. 

Plus, it was very taboo back then. People who smoked marijuana were known as stoners with nothing better to do in life. All the negativity around it actually pushed me to try and grow it, believe it or not! So, I began experimenting with growing some strains way back in 1983. 

I planted a few seeds but didn't expect much out of them. But, imagine my surprise when one of the seeds grew into a plant of gigantic proportions. It grew like 18 ft tall in my backyard! My cousin came home one day and took me to the front of the house and yelled at me. I immediately ran inside, grabbed a pair of shears, and cut off at least 6 ft from the top to prevent problems! Whew, that was a close one, but one of my best memories. 

3. Question: How has cannabis helped you?

Answer: Cannabis has helped me in many ways, but one of the most important aspects is that it helps me stay calm. I don't take life too seriously and do my best every time I get an opportunity. Another advantage is that it helps me become more creative at work. I believe it takes me to new levels and I enjoy working after smoking some of my favorite strains. If I have had a long day at work, I come back and light up a joint, relax and just let it all go. 

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

Answer: Of course, I remember! A friend of mine challenged me that I couldn't grow marijuana at home, despite what anyone said. Plus, he said it would cost thousands of dollars to set everything up and grow. All the equipment seemed to be expensive and he believed it wasn't possible to grow high-quality cannabis at home. 

So, it became my personal mission to prove him wrong. I took his words as a challenge to show that it didn't require a lot of money to grow this magical plant at home. But, at the same time, I wasn't an expert at growing. I had dabbled a bit in 83 but I wasn't too sure about it. So, I started researching online to see if I could get some information on how to go about it. 

And, that's when I came across Growdairies. It amazed me to see so many people growing cannabis like it was nothing at home. They made it look like it's as easy as, say, growing tomatoes. In fact, it's actually as easy growing tomatoes, but the simplicity with which the growers presented their work made me want to grow cannabis all the more. That's how it all began, and I haven't stopped coming back here. 

5. Question: What do you love about Growdiaries?

Answer: I love Growdiaries because there are so many growers from different parts of the world participating here. Everything is so open, and people share their knowledge to help others grow the herb to the best of their abilities. Even if you ask questions as a beginner with no idea about growing cannabis, many growers will hop in to help. 

Also, what makes it exciting to be here are the contests and other fun stuff. It helps to learn as you go on. Every day, there's something new and you simply get better at what you do. Honestly, it's like one big family with no international borders, and that's exactly what I love about being here. 

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

Answer: Yes, of course, I train my plants. I think it's very important to train your plants if you want to improve the yields big time. 

Let me describe how I train the plants so you have a better idea. 

First, I start with topping. Topping is nothing but cutting off the tips of the plant, but you need to wait until the seedling has at least 4 nodes so it can take the stress. Do not top earlier as you may end up stunting the plant.

So, in short, topping is about removing the new growth on the main cola of the plant. If you're confused, wait until the new shoots grow to about 3 inches and then cut. You can repeat the process as many times as you want, but it makes sense to do it just twice or thrice as you're dividing the main cola into several colas. Just repeat the process until you have a bushy plant, but don't overdo it as you'll end up with too many colas with very little buds on them.

Next, I use the manifold technique where I tie the new shoots apart from each other after they are topped. Then, I remove other new shoots to allow the plant to focus only on the main colas. Plus, manifolding gives you uniform colas that help you grow the plant easily. Otherwise, you'll have colas of different lengths that are tough to maintain because of the grow lights. The colas will grow towards the light and experience light burn and decrease the yields severely. Therefore, you need to ensure the plants are well-trained before it goes through the flowering phase.

As the plant grows, I use the LST technique. This involves tying the branches of the plant to the sides of the container. Again, LST is used to help the branches get uniform light. I try my best to tie the branches in the form of a circle and adjust it every couple of days until the branches get hard. Try to LST the plant when it's still young as you'll avoid snapping the branches when they get old and rigid.

For beginners, no matter what method you choose above, don't stress the plants too much. That said, cannabis plants are very resilient and it won't be too hard for them to bounce back. But, don't overdo it as it will make it very difficult for the plant. Happy plants produce good yields, so try your best to keep the girls happy.

If you don't want to use too many training techniques, you can just go with topping for both autoflowers and photoperiods to increase yields.

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

Answer: I love going the DIY route with many things in life, but growing cannabis is a bit different. I think there are so many companies offering products at affordable rates that it really isn't necessary. So, I do DIY only if it's absolutely necessary.

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

Answer: As I said, there's no need to go DIY. But, I have done a few things. For example, I have used survival blankets instead of mylar to reflect the light in the grow room. It's cheaper and gets the job done if you don't have anything at that moment. I have also used crock pots in the grow room to control the temperature and humidity, haha!

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 doing a fantastic job on this site but few have inspired me the most. First, I'd like to name @Rock_n_Roll_Randy as I treat him like my mentor. Next, there are @1Right_Angle, @Cyrusdavirus, and @LegacyMarketFarm who have similar growing techniques. They grow great plants both indoors and outdoors. In short, they are masters of controlling the climate, which is a very tough thing to do. It's awesome to see their work. 

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

Answer: Alien Candy is a great strain that's perfect for even beginners as it doesn't take a lot of maintenance to grow the plant. 

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

Answer: Well, I have manystrains in mind, but my current favorite is Clair-mel Orange. I harvested some buds recently, and the buds were so good that they didn't even finish the curing stage — I smoked like a chimney and finished them all!

12. Question: Who are your favorite breeders?

Answer: I love growing strains from many breeders, but so far my favorites are Exotic Seeds, Doctors Choice, and Fat Cat Labs. The plants are easy to grow and you don't have to fret over the little stuff because they are pretty hard and adjust to most conditions. 

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

Answer: I use a three-part nutrient system from Element Nutrients. It's simple, user-friendly, and very affordable. What I love is that the owner contacts every single customer who purchases their product. 

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

Answer: Some strains I grew recently include Skunk, Bubba Cheese, Zkittles, and Auto Opium. 

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

Answer: I have smoked Grape Cream, Fish Scale, and a few others recently. 

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

Answer: I love cannabis for its curing properties. It can help more if you use it the right way instead of just smoking it. 

I use the buds in different ways. First, I get some high-proof alcohol like 150-proof grain alcohol. Next, I put the buds, stems, roots, and leaves into it. I let the container sit for a week but you can let it go on for a longer time if you wish. Once the alcohol is infused with the properties of cannabis, I strain it and drink a shot every morning. It not only gets rid of headaches and body pain but also calms down upset stomach and dizziness. Mainly, it works as an energy booster.