[Green Birth]

Never had any luck growing poppies. They just withered in the frost of the first day in the pots outside. Frozen the root base and needed up rotting. Still have a great passion for fruit though.

[MJPassion]

Nice lookin flowers y’all!

[acdc]

Originally Posted by Betterhaff

Pretty cool…starting to look like the Little Shop of Horrors.

[shack]

[shack]

The pictures in the previous post is from a little experiment i did back in 2009. If I'd of known the possible punishment I probably wouldn't have done it. The seeds were gifted to me so i don't know the strain.
I planted the seeds in April of 2008, not a plant came up. The following spring, April 2009, they finally came up.

[St. Phatty]

I think Papaver Somniferum is a very interesting subject.

Last time I brought it up the word was to keep it on the down-low, it ruffles federal feathers.

Anyway since we have a thread I thought I'd mention a grow I witnessed ... at a community garden in the Richmond in SF.

The Richmond is the foggy area that averages 50 to 70 degrees in temperatures (day and night) and averages maybe 4 hours of sun a day.

Anyway, there was this old Russian guy who had a plot. He grew Poppies big. Always had a big smile when I saw him. I got the impression it was a functional medical garden for him.

[therevverend]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-3...smania/8757558

Article is a good example of why you should know what you're doing before you fuck about with poppies. The ones bred for the pharmaceutical industry contain different alkaloids then table poppies. Probably not enjoyable in their raw form they have to be processed into codeine, morphine, and the other ingredients in the opiate medications. Poppy tea isn't just one drug like cannabis it contains varying amounts of very different drugs that produce a host of different effects some of which I'd consider poisons. Takes a lab and a chemistry degree to refine them into something that would create effects that could be considered pleasurable.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-poppy-farmers
Unhappy times in poppy town. I recently had shingles the doctor said that filling opiate prescriptions is illegal now! Fucked me over because he didn't prescribe me enough for the amount of pain I was in. The level of paranoia about opiate use is off the charts in the US I can tell the medical community isn't happy about it. I'd say it's what they deserve after over prescribing opiates but it's the people in serious pain who are getting hurt.

[G.O. Joe]

There are species and cultivars with undesirable alkaloids but plants for most seed or dried heads, and most somniferums altogether make a tea that the internet warns is pretty strong - mostly morphine and codeine. It doesn't have to be Persian this or Giant that and maybe those kinds are more conspicuous outdoors anyways. It's not hard to get morphine from the straw except yes that involves chemicals.

[iTarzan]

I remember you doing that. I wonder if they are still there shack.

[Phaeton]

Just like marijuana strains, poppy genetics have some strains more potent than others.
A mutation being developed by commercial growers stops chemical production at thebaine, which is poisonous. Currently available poppy plants have converted their thebaine into codeine and morphine. To manufacture oxycodone, fentanyl, etc, the codeine and morphine have to be converted back to thebaine and then built up into the synthetics.
The mutation allows the thebaine to be harvested directly, saving the companies money when manufacturing the much more addictive and powerful forms.
At this time the mutation has not been stabilized for commercial production and viable seeds are protected.

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

Both the technology and my skills must have improved in the last five years, over 120 seed pods from four plants and another 60 or so flowers and flower pods still to go.
The crown on the pod is formed to the pod, after the petals drop the crown begins to point upwards.
Eventually the green flaps between the crown points will open, signifying the seeds are mature and drying begins.
The pod will resemble a salt shaker and the seeds come out the same way when the stem leans over and the wind shakes it.

Right now the seeds are still translucent and tasty, the pod chews easily and is full of vitamins. Once the pod opens and dries it becomes close to impossible to eat without three stomachs and the ability to chew cud.

A few more days and dissections will begin. A sharp knife works while the pods are soft, a jeweler's saw is used after they dry. Hard and brittle is an understatement.
Never actually counted seeds from individual pods, expecting upwards of 300 per pod. It could be triple.