This is me pretending to an outlaw 
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What did it feel like to Grow back then ???
- Thread starter TerpeneTom
- Start date
What it felt like to be growing back in the day.
That is a good question.
When I started growing at the tender age of 15, the year was 1977.
I had a thirst for learning, I was consulting the old hippies of that time.
I had to go up into the San Gabriel mountains because at the time my parents believed all the reefer madness bullshit.
I would say the feeling at the time was paranoia.
If caught with weed, we could go to jail, if caught around a grow, you could go to jail.
That is a good question.
When I started growing at the tender age of 15, the year was 1977.
I had a thirst for learning, I was consulting the old hippies of that time.
I had to go up into the San Gabriel mountains because at the time my parents believed all the reefer madness bullshit.
I would say the feeling at the time was paranoia.
If caught with weed, we could go to jail, if caught around a grow, you could go to jail.
St. Phatty
Active member
I remember growing my freshman year in college.
Had trouble figuring out how to flower.
mid-70's.
The RA's gave me a 'Green Thumb' award at the spring picnic.
Of course, it was one of those things where everybody got an award.
Had trouble figuring out how to flower.
mid-70's.
The RA's gave me a 'Green Thumb' award at the spring picnic.
Of course, it was one of those things where everybody got an award.
I can remember buying "home grown" just leaves.....back in the early '70's. My how times have changed! ;o)
St. Phatty
Active member
I think that may affect my approach to manicuring.
The buds have these beautiful sugar coated mini fan leaves.
That I would have LOVED to have had when I was a teen-ager.
And they're cutting them off ?
70,s leaves
70,s leaves
Those leaves in the 70,s were sativa veg stage leaves like colombian, and equatorial african ect not sugar coated!
They get you high .
I sold them too lots guys loved them ,I dried and ground them and extracted oil from one very potent african strain.
This is before indica or sativa x indica crosses were availble.
it was early season income with outside plants.A
70,s leaves
Those leaves in the 70,s were sativa veg stage leaves like colombian, and equatorial african ect not sugar coated!
They get you high .
I sold them too lots guys loved them ,I dried and ground them and extracted oil from one very potent african strain.
This is before indica or sativa x indica crosses were availble.
it was early season income with outside plants.A
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I wanted one so bad! Back in the day when there was more bush in playboy than in the yard!
Some said they got playboy for the articles...well..for a year I got playboy for the phototron ads...hoping for more info than last month's ads...ha
@Seeded- Nice post brother and I can completely relate to most everything you said there.
I grew from roughly the early 90's to 2001 there about. Was actually a "Mentor" grower on the site Overgrow.com Basically, where this site spawned from. Overgrow had 200,000+ members and once it shut down, ICMag was opened to replace it.
Such fun times back then getting seeds from other guerilla growers that were all living the secret life you were and some of the very few that could relate what the life was really like. Names like: BOG, Rezdog, Jeast, Smoothy, Moonbeam, Old Pink, nathan, Baroness, Gypsy Nirvana, Crusty, biglove, and so many other names/friends I have forgotten over time.
There was a commercial Russian grower (Bromski perhaps?) that would put up threads of warehouse grows titled "From Russia With Love.... 100,000 watt grow!" One of my OG buddies befriended him and surprisingly, went to Russia to meet him in person. Put the "kid" (literally college aged) to work in his OP for 1 of the 3 weeks he was there. The stories that kid told me when he got back where fucking crazy!!! He was a serious OG and had hot Russian chicks doing his trim jobs because he didn't trust males to do it and liked hiring babes. lol Shit sounded like it was straight out of a movie script but was real life indeed.
Another memory was when a friend of mine and fellow grower got popped with around 80+ plants how this close knit community came together for him. I posted a lengthy thread informing the Overgrow community about what had happened to this universally loved poster, and that he really needed help to pay for a good lawyer to try and beat the charges against him. A fundraiser of sorts if you will, set up with a drop address for people to make donations for his cause. Well.... 1st week we received about $300. We were STOKED!!!! $25 from this member, $50 from that one, etc. etc. And as the weeks went on, more and more funds came pouring in. Week 2.... $1000 came in. By then end of four weeks, we had $20,000 in cash and money orders. WAY above what we thought we were going to raise for his legal team. And the best part, the fallen grower had no idea how much funds we had or were coming in. One day I'll never forget was handing him over the back pack FILLED with money. He opened it up, looked inside, and started crying like a baby. He couldn't believe what the community did for him, and the fact that he had a friend in me that would be honest enough to give it to him and not pocket that amount of dough. Will never forget those few minutes of handing over what was essentially his freedom, and how good it felt for both of us that day.
Aside from the payments the sites members sent in, there was also numerous "party supplies" that arrived as well. One time a grower sent us a Zip of Super Skunk WITHOUT VACUUM SEALING!!!! I don't know WTF he was thinking ,or perhaps incredibly stoned, but you could literally smell that shit walking up to the mailbox 200 ft away! How it even landed is a miracle in and of itself. Needless to say there was a new drop immediately created after that. lol
Ahhhh.... the double life too. The only peeps that knew I grew were my friends on Overgrow. Not even my local customers knew anything whatsoever. It truly was, for me at least, a love affair with all things growing and MJ related. It's certainly not for everyone that's for sure. Just the seclusion and hermit behavior one must keep up at all times would drive some batty. I loved it. All the different strains, how they grew, smoked, crosses, sharing it on OG with other members/growers, cranking up some Classical, Marley, Carl Cox, Sasha/Digweed, Zepp, etc. when harvesting a run with joint in mouth was fucking great! I think the whole "secret life" thing was sexy and exciting to some degree. Truly a Renegade feeling during those times for sure.
I often wonder where all those old OG'ers went to? I'm sure some are around these walls on ICMag in some fashion or another. Probably most went out West if not already there to do their thing without the ramifications of the law like a lot of states.
I remember going to Amsterdam for one of the very first Overgrow "member meet ups" during one of the Cannabis Cups between 1997-2000. Can't remember the exact date but what a fucking BLAST!!!! All these people that you only know from a website message board and their user handle/avatar and here they all are... in person... in Amsterdam of all places!!! lol Got to meet Soma and share a joint with him. Blazing with growers from all parts of the world and share stories, create our own, and learn from the best of the best. Keep in mind this is the glory days of Amsterdam and the debauchery was in full effect. hahahaha Spent a few nights on a houseboat of all accommodations.
Great times indeed...
Shocks
I grew from roughly the early 90's to 2001 there about. Was actually a "Mentor" grower on the site Overgrow.com Basically, where this site spawned from. Overgrow had 200,000+ members and once it shut down, ICMag was opened to replace it.
Such fun times back then getting seeds from other guerilla growers that were all living the secret life you were and some of the very few that could relate what the life was really like. Names like: BOG, Rezdog, Jeast, Smoothy, Moonbeam, Old Pink, nathan, Baroness, Gypsy Nirvana, Crusty, biglove, and so many other names/friends I have forgotten over time.
There was a commercial Russian grower (Bromski perhaps?) that would put up threads of warehouse grows titled "From Russia With Love.... 100,000 watt grow!" One of my OG buddies befriended him and surprisingly, went to Russia to meet him in person. Put the "kid" (literally college aged) to work in his OP for 1 of the 3 weeks he was there. The stories that kid told me when he got back where fucking crazy!!! He was a serious OG and had hot Russian chicks doing his trim jobs because he didn't trust males to do it and liked hiring babes. lol Shit sounded like it was straight out of a movie script but was real life indeed.
Another memory was when a friend of mine and fellow grower got popped with around 80+ plants how this close knit community came together for him. I posted a lengthy thread informing the Overgrow community about what had happened to this universally loved poster, and that he really needed help to pay for a good lawyer to try and beat the charges against him. A fundraiser of sorts if you will, set up with a drop address for people to make donations for his cause. Well.... 1st week we received about $300. We were STOKED!!!! $25 from this member, $50 from that one, etc. etc. And as the weeks went on, more and more funds came pouring in. Week 2.... $1000 came in. By then end of four weeks, we had $20,000 in cash and money orders. WAY above what we thought we were going to raise for his legal team. And the best part, the fallen grower had no idea how much funds we had or were coming in. One day I'll never forget was handing him over the back pack FILLED with money. He opened it up, looked inside, and started crying like a baby. He couldn't believe what the community did for him, and the fact that he had a friend in me that would be honest enough to give it to him and not pocket that amount of dough. Will never forget those few minutes of handing over what was essentially his freedom, and how good it felt for both of us that day.
Aside from the payments the sites members sent in, there was also numerous "party supplies" that arrived as well. One time a grower sent us a Zip of Super Skunk WITHOUT VACUUM SEALING!!!! I don't know WTF he was thinking ,or perhaps incredibly stoned, but you could literally smell that shit walking up to the mailbox 200 ft away! How it even landed is a miracle in and of itself. Needless to say there was a new drop immediately created after that. lol
Ahhhh.... the double life too. The only peeps that knew I grew were my friends on Overgrow. Not even my local customers knew anything whatsoever. It truly was, for me at least, a love affair with all things growing and MJ related. It's certainly not for everyone that's for sure. Just the seclusion and hermit behavior one must keep up at all times would drive some batty. I loved it. All the different strains, how they grew, smoked, crosses, sharing it on OG with other members/growers, cranking up some Classical, Marley, Carl Cox, Sasha/Digweed, Zepp, etc. when harvesting a run with joint in mouth was fucking great! I think the whole "secret life" thing was sexy and exciting to some degree. Truly a Renegade feeling during those times for sure.
I often wonder where all those old OG'ers went to? I'm sure some are around these walls on ICMag in some fashion or another. Probably most went out West if not already there to do their thing without the ramifications of the law like a lot of states.
I remember going to Amsterdam for one of the very first Overgrow "member meet ups" during one of the Cannabis Cups between 1997-2000. Can't remember the exact date but what a fucking BLAST!!!! All these people that you only know from a website message board and their user handle/avatar and here they all are... in person... in Amsterdam of all places!!! lol Got to meet Soma and share a joint with him. Blazing with growers from all parts of the world and share stories, create our own, and learn from the best of the best. Keep in mind this is the glory days of Amsterdam and the debauchery was in full effect. hahahaha Spent a few nights on a houseboat of all accommodations.
Great times indeed...
Shocks
I grew as a kid before I knew how much trouble I could get into in Va which is a one plant felony state. From about '73 on. Grew guerrilla outdoor in Maine for almost 25 years starting in '81. On the way from Virginia to Maine we stopped in Rhode Island and I was gifted a few seeds that these guys had from Afghanistan. No one up there had ever seen anything like that and it became semi legendary. That pot colored up so intensely in the fading days and cold nights. Maine was the second state to decriminalize, but you could get into some big trouble if you cultivated. I left Maine the year before they went medical so I was never able to grow a plant in the yard and pamper it.
That's really what I want. I just want to grow a few plants in the yard so I can watch them and take care of them and not go to jail.
That's really what I want. I just want to grow a few plants in the yard so I can watch them and take care of them and not go to jail.
Although I was only a kid in the 70s...definitely in those times it was the #1 cash crop, and you could watch the news where they would show field busts with things like "here's a trip wire rigged to a shotgun". So yeah, to me, "guerilla growing" is not a metaphor, a lot of those fields were protected by deadly force or just something that would ruin your life like punjee pits. Think of it as the Vietnam war brought home and turned against cops or other gangsters and random passers-by.
One time someone gave me one of those Phototrons for free--now this was something that was supposed to grow six (!) plants under a 25 watt bulb. But I heard it was nothing but a gimmick to work up a mailing list of people to investigate. I never used that worthless plastic cabinet, except to pull out the reflective mylar slats to lean against the wall.
Maybe I'm your father..
Maybe I'm your father..
I still have a Phototron and it still works
Soo Sorry it didn't work for you
Maybe I'm your father..
I still have a Phototron and it still works
Soo Sorry it didn't work for youI still have a Phototron and it still works
No worries, there were three or four models of them and some of the better ones had actual racks of lights or something.
This one had a filament about the size of one from a string of Christmas lights, inside a really big round bulb about four inches across. I never even considered putting a plant in it, but I'd believe an upgraded version would do the trick.
There was an upside back then. Walking into a bar full of friends and hot chicks with a jar of proper blueberry. Turning on the whole bar to some sweet BB and having the best nights drinking and dancing with the ladies.
A few buds of proper herb could change the entire vibe. No one had the killer kind back then, unless of course you knew us. People that smoked beasters proclaiming it the best pot in the world. Here's some NL x Haze. Oh shit I'm ripped. Changed people.
Same holds true today in some aspects. These kids with their imported Cali or Colorado hay. Dude this is real Cali medical weed man. Be careful. Yo, that's mold #9 dude, hit this. Kids spun the fuck out on some proper Chunkypigs gear. Lmao!
It felt good to turn people on to the potential of great weed. Created many pot snobs. Was worth the risk.
So there was some good to it but mostly paranoia and distrust.
Glad there are some people out there growing legal, must be so nice. No worries in the world!
Enjoy that. Someday I hope to.
A few buds of proper herb could change the entire vibe. No one had the killer kind back then, unless of course you knew us. People that smoked beasters proclaiming it the best pot in the world. Here's some NL x Haze. Oh shit I'm ripped. Changed people.
Same holds true today in some aspects. These kids with their imported Cali or Colorado hay. Dude this is real Cali medical weed man. Be careful. Yo, that's mold #9 dude, hit this. Kids spun the fuck out on some proper Chunkypigs gear. Lmao!
It felt good to turn people on to the potential of great weed. Created many pot snobs. Was worth the risk.
So there was some good to it but mostly paranoia and distrust.
Glad there are some people out there growing legal, must be so nice. No worries in the world!
Enjoy that. Someday I hope to.
St. Phatty
Active member
I still have a Phototron and it still works
Jeffrey Allen diMarco or whatever his name was (that sold the Phototron) would be happy to hear that.
It really taught me about..
It really taught me about..
It really taught me about males and females (Buds). It came with a very enlightening little cartoon instruction manual that explained it all.
Before that it was all just WEED
Now it was BUD
It really taught me about..
It really taught me about males and females (Buds). It came with a very enlightening little cartoon instruction manual that explained it all.
Before that it was all just WEED
Now it was BUD
I've got a phototron but it's only good for keeping one mother plant or a few in early veg.still don't know where to get those curved bulbs
You're right..
You're right..
Good for keeping mothers. I got replacement bulbs at Home Depot and I use a big CFL on the top.
It would take some patience to flower ��
P.S. My son is using it for a bonsai pot plant
You're right..
Good for keeping mothers. I got replacement bulbs at Home Depot and I use a big CFL on the top.
It would take some patience to flower ��
P.S. My son is using it for a bonsai pot plant
St. Phatty
Active member
In my freshman dorm in college, one of the RA's smoked clove cigarettes.
I think there's some Rule of the Universe, if you smoke clove cigarettes, you have to approve mini-pot-grows if they occur in a dorm you manage.
I think there's some Rule of the Universe, if you smoke clove cigarettes, you have to approve mini-pot-grows if they occur in a dorm you manage.
