[MandalaMike]

Our new strain MANDALA #1 is available mid-end of January 2007!

After a long and winding road of breeding we are happy to introduce an early-flowering variety that finishes towards the end of September in northern climates.



Here are the strain details:

MANDALA #1
15 Euros/10Deluxe seeds

Type: sativa-indica
Genetics: South African highland x NZ Purple Indica & North Indian
Flowering time: 55-60 days indoor; mid-end of September: outdoor/greenhouse
Yield (dry weight): 450gr/m2 indoor
Aroma: properly cured buds have a natural sweet smell like dried apples. The purple plants spread a delicious raspberry fragrance, with a touch of minty freshness.
High: an up-high that spreads in waves; euphoric; creative; can also be spacey or dreamy at the start.
Medical potential: Mandala #1 may benefit with it's anti-anxiety and anti-depressive effect.

Mandala #1 is a good choice if you are aiming for a quick crop with a sativa effect. We recommend this strain especially for northern climates where harvesting by the end of September is a priority. This strain has two basic phenotypes (characteristic plant types). Approximately 30% of the plants belong to the sativa dominant phenotype and grow in a christmas tree shape. The leaf structure is similar to the indica dominant pheno. Purplish leaf stems and light red stripes along shoots are not uncommon and should not be mistaken for a nutrient deficiency. The young flowering plants have a perfumed woody-herbal fragrance when you rub the stems.* Despite the sativa dominance the buds are chunky and the plants are easy to grow.
The indica type pheno is apparent through it's squater growth, thick main stem, and larger leaves. Branches are shorter, growing upwards close to the plant (perfect for SOG). The side shoots towards the top are also short and give the head buds a more compact structure. This pheno tends to develop a sweet-spicy smell during early flowering.
Mandala #1 flowers with a spear-shaped head bud of considerable length that makes this a high yielder. Resin output is impressive - also in outdoor grows. The prime head buds are coated with a thick layer of trichomes and glisten brightly in the sun. Some plants develop beautiful dark purple calyxes during mid-flowering: a trait which they inherited from the New Zealand Purple Indica in the paternal line. Harvesting is very simple since the calyx-to-leaf ratio is predominantly high.


Indoor
One of our breeding goals is to ensure that our strains are flexible and stable so that plants can be raised indoor and undergo the light stress of switching between artificial lighting and sunlight. It is therefore possible to start your garden indoor and shift the plants outdoor for flowering. Cloning and regenerating Mandala #1 is easy.** Since this strain has a high percentage of landrace genetics that were adapted to growing on nutrient poor soil, the plants subsist easily in good horticultural grade potting soil and require little feeding if any. We recommend to provide an adequate pot size for healthy growth. Height is average and even the sativa pheno can be accomodated in small indoor spaces if a 12/12 light period is started early. A Sea of Green style cultivation is best with the indica phenotype or with clones (rather than from seed) of both phenos. All plants are suitable for SCROG and other forms of training.

Outdoor
This early flowering strain shares the benefits of hardy landrace genetics and a very resinous hybrid to produce robust plants with high bud quality. The auto-flowering traits in this cross initiate flowering early enough for an abundant yield in September. Even if harsh weather circumstances require harvesting before all plants reach full maturity, they will still deliver a satisfying amount of resin-coated buds.

* Aroma is based on our observations in organic soil grow.
** For optimal results we recommend you regenerate flowering plants as early as possible and under a 22-24 hour light source until the fresh leaf growth reverts to 5-7 finger leaves.

[Kiefer]

Oh boy!!! you've made me the happiest customer alive. I'm currently growin some Satori, and was trying to put together my list for outdoors. This will definetly be on it. I think most of your strains work outdoors, but do you have any additional strains suited this well for outdoors?

I love the description. I start indoors and try to choose my best mother. This sounds perfect for that. How big would you recomend I get the clones before I put them out? I have can start early and get them as big as they need to be and have some real monsters, or I can have a bunch of smaller ones. What would you suggest?

Also, and sorry for rambling, how well does it deal with mold? It can sometimes get pretty rainy around here.. though not as bad as some. And does it autoflower under any conditions? or just very sensative to light changes?

[monkeykush]

Mike the description of this new addition to the stable sounds great. I would like more detail on the autoflowering trait. Will mandala #1 autoflower under 24/0, 18/6 or is it dependent on a certain amount of time in vegitation?

[TokenBlackGuy]

Originally Posted by PPDODOBOY

Mike the description of this new addition to the stable sounds great. I would like more detail on the autoflowering trait. Will mandala #1 autoflower under 24/0, 18/6 or is it dependent on a certain amount of time in vegitation?

I dont think he meant autoflowering, just early flowering outdoorsfor people whos season is short..

But this does sound like something i would like to clone over the winter and use for my outdoor plot.. thanks Mike..

[Dignan]

Sounds great, Mike!

[ezbake]

hehe nice, #1

How'd you come up with the name?

It's funny because this guy made a forum post asking for Mandala #1??? lol, and he was looking for an early outdoor strain - looks like you made what he asked for! haha

[WeedKrazy420]

any idea on a price yet? prolly cheap like the others!!!! woohoo!! mike u r awesome man! keep coming out with these dank nugs!!! gotta love mandala seeds!!! there high quality and low price can't be beat!

[MandalaMike]

Originally Posted by Kiefer

I think most of your strains work outdoors, but do you have any additional strains suited this well for outdoors?

In fact all of our strains can be grown outdoors, but it's a question of harvest time if you are in a northern climate that comes down with rain, storms, frost, etc. in October. ;-)
We know that Hashberry can be harvested from 10. Oct. onwards in Switzerland for example. But if you are looking for a crop in September then Mandala #1 is spot on.

Originally Posted by Kiefer

How big would you recomend I get the clones before I put them out? I have can start early and get them as big as they need to be and have some real monsters, or I can have a bunch of smaller ones. What would you suggest?

I think this is mainly something the grower should decide because you have to take care of them. ;-) Big plants require more nutrients for example, so soil quality should be good. If you plant out later, like just before summer solstice, it cuts down on flowering time because daylight get's shorter. It really depends on where you are growing and what your priorities are: big yield, early crop, etc...

Originally Posted by Kiefer

Also, and sorry for rambling, how well does it deal with mold? It can sometimes get pretty rainy around here.. though not as bad as some.

Mold resistance is average to very good. There are spaces between the buds along the main colas that allow water and humidity to pass through. This improves mold resistance. As it states in the description, the objective was to create a cross that can also be harvested earlier in an emergency situation, such as heavy storms/rain, and still provide satisfactory yield. I suggest that if very bad weather persists when the plants are starting to finish that you harvest your crop.

@ PPDODOBOY & Kiefer:

For indoors I suggest a light cycle of 18/6 or more for keeping mother plants. You can start with 18/6 and if you detect some flowering on older plants then just increase it to 20/4.
I have found this strain easy to regenerate btw. This is unusual for an early strain, but because we want optimal flexibility it's something we try to fix as a trait in the breeding.
Any early flowering strain for outdoor has to possess a certain measure of auto-flowering. Otherwise you are not going to get the plants to finish on time by October.

Auto-flowering means a plant is less (or not at all) light sensitive, ie. it does not react to light changes for initiating flowering or regenerating new growth. Flowering is regulated by a light sensitive hormone. During darkness this hormone can accumulate in the plant. Once a critical level is achieved the plant flowers. In auto-flowering strains this hormone is not affected by the light schedule that strongly and other factors determine when the plant flowers (age, etc.).

@ ezbake: the name was our's to start with. ;-) He heard it through the grape vine that we are coming up with this strain.

@ WeedKrazy420: yeah, cheapy cheap! LOL
Thanks for reminding me...got the price pasted now.

Mike

[Kiefer]

I can't wait mike, I am just waitin for this strain to become available to place my order. The only concern I have is that if I have clones started indoors, are they gonna flower immediatly once I put them out? I like to put them out kinda small, 1-3 feet, and give them some time to bulk up before flowering. I'm getting this strain regaurdless, because it will certainly finish, just trying to figure out the best way to maximize effieceny. Thank you very much for the indepth answers mike, you're very reliable.

[Kiefer]

I can usually go fairly well into october, though I wouldnt like to rely on having to go till the end. mid oct shouldnt be a problem, and if the strain is hearty, and the weather's good (has been past couple of years) I could go all the way through oct.