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Growreport-monkey-grease

Grow Report – Monkey Grease

By: Contributor Grow Reports

With a taste profile as unique as her name, Monkey Grease is a hybrid that delivers a completely new sensory experience even for those cannabis enthusiasts who have seen it all. This THC-laden variety could be the new girl at the office, so we want to tell you why you should welcome her with open arms. If you’re a fan of sweet and moist buds that keep you company during the longest of nights (or the quietest of Sundays), this plant will definitely become a must for you. You can find out everything about her in the following grow report which fully defines all her properties.

Where does Monkey Grease by Kannabia originate from?

The Kannabia team was convinced that we needed to include our own version of the iconic Monkey Grease in our cannabis seed catalogue, because this is a variety that musters all the best features of the current North American strains. Born from the cross of the famous Cookies and Cream, and the equally beloved Gorilla Glue #4, Monkey Grease lives up to the expectations of any self-respecting grower. She’s almost the perfect cross between her parents’ genetics, fusing together the rich sweetness of the first and the diesel intensity of the second.

Even though it seemed a difficult task, we nonetheless thought of giving her a personality of her own in terms of aroma and flavour, as well as resistance to pests and diseases. And what could be better to achieve this than crossing her with another exceptional variety like the legendary White Widow.

Creating a new cannabis strain that easily adapts to many types of growers, and also pleases connoisseurs and rookies alike, is almost like discovering a hidden treasure; so we couldn’t be prouder of the result. And we have certainly dug this jewel up good and proper to make her available to anyone wanting to check her out for themselves.

Organoleptic profile

Complex and earthy, with enough of a sugary punch to tempt your taste buds, Monkey Grease by Kannabia has a taste profile that combines soft touches of honey, nougat, and cinnamon, with subtle milk chocolate nuances. Once these initial tones dissolve on the tongue, the exhalation reveals pungent vapours of diesel.

In terms of aroma, fans of spicy strains and syrupy buds will appreciate this eclectic mix of sensual pleasures. Her great earthy notes with a sweet and Skunky background will fill your nostrils even before you try her, so keep this in mind if you’re hoping to lay low. When you tear her dense buds apart, you’ll feel a strong chemical scent reminiscent of fuel, which is just strong enough to add to the experience rather than distracting from it, providing a balanced and pleasurable smoke.

Effects

If Gorilla Glue #4 is infamous for her ability to knock you down and lock you to your couch (or perhaps even to the floor!), Monkey Grease by Kannabia definitely resembles her primate parent in terms of effects. As expected, this plant contains a huge dose of psychoactive THC, which can get higher than 20%. Having said that, some describe the experience as ‘disguised’, because it creeps up on you slowly before putting you to sleep, producing a full-body relaxation that is intensely sedative.

In a matter of minutes, it radiates warmth, which spreads from your head to your toes, crushing any persistent muscle tension. As you feel more and more relaxed, you may also notice that your powers of perception become sharper. External stimuli, like images and sounds, may adopt new dynamics; and a cerebral mentality may take over, making users jump from one thought to the next. These hallucinating and reflective effects can lead to a fluid conversation, or simply to daydreaming.

As the high fades away, Monkey Grease’s indica side takes over, leading users to engage in more passive activities. She also tends to make you sleepy, especially when consumed in large quantities. Therefore, if what you’re after is controlling the persistent symptoms of a medical issue (such as chronic pain, stress, or anxiety), you’ll be getting more than your money’s worth because you’ll be using less to obtain a good balance between physical and mental effects.

Growing Monkey Grease

If you only have a limited space, Monkey Grease is the perfect choice for you, because she can be grown successfully both indoors and outdoors (as long as the weather conditions are favourable). Remember that these plants can stretch significantly thanks to their thirst for nutrients, so it’s easy to quickly lose control. Therefore, pruning and trimming them will help you keep the buds nice and tidy.

Monkey Grease’s versatility and high adaptability make this strain a true all-rounder that handles any situation rather well. In order to get maximum potency, most growers recommend using lots of fertiliser and some humidity whilst also keeping the temperature high (25ºC or even higher). As her scent is exceptionally powerful and hard to hide, we recommend investing in a good odour control system.

If grown properly, Monkey Grease is a high yielder that flowers in 8 – 9 weeks when grown indoors. This is clearly an intermediate level strain, but with a certain amount of TLC she will definitely reward you with masses of benefits.

Let’s now have a closer look at Monkey Grease with the help of an expert grower who has succeeded in getting the most out of this plant.

Monkey Grease’s step-by-step grow guide

  • Grow type: Indoor
  • Lighting: Vegetative: 128W Greenception LED GC 4. Flowering: 320W Aglex LED M.
  • Grower: SlowpokeFuegobud
  • Number of plants: 2
  • Nutrients: Mills Nutrients, Aptus, and Green Buzz.
  • Vegetative period: 5 weeks
  • Flowering period: 10 weeks

Germination phase

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 0

The grower starts the germination week with 2 seeds, using the damp paper towel method. Once the seeds have germinated after 3 days in a warm and dark place (100% success rate), they are introduced in compressed peat pellets, which are placed in a cup and covered with cling film to keep them moist while the root tip starts to push upwards.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week1

During the first week, once the seedlings are released from their shell and reach a length of 4 cm, they are moved from the compressed peat pellets to small 0.3 L pots, using a growing medium consisting of 90% peat and 10% perlite. The nutrient plan includes Start-R by Mills Nutrients (2.5 ml/L at 250 ppm / 0.5 EC) and NutriSpray by Aptus (2 ml/L) administered as a foliar spray, which provides essential microelements and leaves a natural protective layer on the primary leaves. The grower places the seedlings in the grow tent (70 cm X 140 cm X 200 cm Spider Farmer). The cotyledons have already appeared, and the seedlings look relatively healthy. These cotyledons are moving apart to give way to the first true leaves.

Grow parameters:

  • Daily temperature: 25ºC
  • Pot size: 0.3 L
  • pH: 6.2
  • Height: 0 – 4 cm
  • Solution temperature: 21ºC
  • Substrate temperature: 19ºC
  • Night temperature: 20ºC
  • Distance between lamp and plant: 65 cm
  • Irrigation volume: 0.1 L per plant per 24 hrs
  • Hours of light: 18
  • Air humidity: 50%

Seedling phase

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 2

In the second week, the baby plants are watered every 3 days with small dosages of nutrients at 250 ppm / 0.5 EC. On day 7, they are transplanted to 1 L pots. Rock dust with a 2:1 Ca:Mg ratio is added to the substrate mix to provide all the necessary elements for vibrant health. LED lamps are kept running at 80%. “The plants have shown damage, which I think has been caused by thrip larvae in the first stage of growth”, says the grower. The plants are given 1/3 dosage of Celaflor inserted in the soil, which is an insect bait that is poisonous: “This way, any insect which dares make a hole in the plant and suck its sap, will die a horrible death”.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 3

In the third week, the Mars Hydro TS1000 lamp used up until now is swapped for the Greenception GC4 lamp. “This lamp is much better. This doesn’t mean that the TS1000 is a horrible light; I just don’t want to use it when I have a GC available”, says the grower. Temperature is lower now, and there’s little humidity, so the change is very welcome. By the end of the week, the seedlings have already developed multiple nodes with short internodal spacing, which is a clear indication of their slightly indica-leaning nature.

Grow parameters:

  • Daily temperature: 25ºC
  • Pot size: 1 L
  • pH: 6.2
  • Total dissolved solids: 250 ppm / 0.5 EC
  • Height: 4 – 7 cm
  • Solution temperature: 21ºC
  • Substrate temperature: 21ºC
  • Night temperature: 21ºC
  • Distance between lamp and plant: 50 cm
  • Irrigation volume: 0.1 L per plant per 24 hrs
  • Hours of light: 18
  • Air humidity: 45%

Vegetative phase

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 4

In the fourth week, the plants grow vigorously until they reach a height of 14 cm and develop 5 nodes. At this time, the grower decides to top the plants, which is a way to control their growth and increase their yielding capacity. The tip of the main stem is cut, from which two new branches will emerge in a ‘Y’ shape. The plants are transplanted to 5 L pots, and they’re watered with 200 ml, including nematodes against fungal mosquitoes (preventive treatment) and 1 ml/L valerian flower extract: “Rose growers use it to induce a faster and more splendid flowering”.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 5

During the fifth week, the plants keep growing at an impressive rate. The grower trims the huge fan leaves and introduces LST (Low Stress Training) to promote the horizontal growth of the branches, and thereby allow for the light to better reach the lower shoots. Just 4 days after the branches have been tied down, the plants have recovered their shape and all the leaves now point towards the light, as Monkey Grease enters the pre-flowering phase.

Grow parameters:

  • Daily temperature: 24ºC
  • Pot size: 5 L
  • pH: 6.2
  • Total dissolved solids: 250 ppm / 0.5 EC
  • Height: 7 – 20 cm
  • Solution temperature: 21ºC
  • Substrate temperature: 19ºC
  • Night temperature: 21ºC
  • Distance between lamp and plant: 50 cm
  • Hours of light: 18
  • Air humidity: 55%

Early flowering stage

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 6

Week 6 marks the beginning of the flowering period when the light cycle is changed to 12/12, and the humidity levels are progressively lowered to an average of 50%. The plants have grown 51 cm high, and they look splendid. During this week, many preflowers develop all over the plant as the small calyxes that are forming start to expel many white pistils on the top part of all the shoots.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 7

In week 7, “the two monkeys move to another palace”: a new grow tent with 320W Aglex LED M lighting at 75% power, placed at a distance of 70 cm. Trichomes haven’t appeared yet, but the plants seem to continue stretching. Some of the leaves have been trimmed and the plants don’t seem to be too happy with the change, so a decent amount of Epsom salts (a great and natural way to provide magnesium and sulphur) and more PK (which also contains N) are added to the nutrient solution. The following morning, you can see the vibrant green colour returning to the leaves, and the leaflets positioned at the right angle.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 8

Week 8 marks the end of the stretching process, with the plants reaching a height of 48 cm (remember that LST has been applied so that they grow rather stocky). The plants are placed a little closer to the light by putting the pots on top of some polystyrene foam. Trichomes are starting to show, and the aroma is getting more intense. “In my opinion, they could probably do with a bit more water, and yet the buds are developing really well!”. The grower adds Plant Magic CalMag, which is also used to buffer the water pH.

Grow parameters:

  • Daily temperature: 25ºC
  • Pot size: 5 L
  • pH: 6.2
  • Total dissolved solids: 300 ppm / 0.6 EC
  • Height: 20 – 48 cm
  • Solution temperature: 21ºC
  • Substrate temperature: 19ºC
  • Night temperature: 20ºC
  • Distance between lamp and plant: 60 cm
  • Irrigation volume: 0.7 L per plant per 24 hrs
  • Hours of light: 12
  • Air humidity: 50%

Full flowering stage

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 9

During the ninth week, a large layer of resin glands develops on the surface of the calyxes as more white pistils continue to appear on the emerging buds. The fan leaves have started to take on a lighter shade of green that turns yellow on the lower leaves. It is a healthy and vibrant green, and all the fingers of the leaves stretch out to capture as much light as possible.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 10

During week 10, there’s an increase in the internodal spacing on the tips of the branches and the main stems, as compared to the previous week. The plants are ready to start piling up the buds, so vertical growth stops. The lateral branches are tensed again to open up the top part of the plants and allow for greater light penetration. For the time being, the weight of the buds doesn’t require the use of stakes or trellises, as LST helps the branches have enough holding power by themselves. A potent floral aroma escapes the tent every time the grower unzips it.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 11

In week 11, as the plants ripen, some pistils take on brown or orange hues, and tend to bend or twist (although you can find pistils at different stages). The fan leaves still have a very healthy appearance, making the plants have a compact structure, although defoliation is not needed for the moment. The buds are getting fatter and acquiring a pyramidal shape, whereas the trichomes have started to colonise the sugar leaves until they get a really frosty look.

Grow parameters:

  • Daily temperature: 25ºC
  • Pot size: 5 L
  • pH: 6.2
  • Total dissolved solids: 300 ppm / 0.6 EC
  • Height: 48 – 51 cm
  • Solution temperature: 21ºC
  • Substrate temperature: 19ºC
  • Night temperature: 20ºC
  • Distance between lamp and plant: 60 cm
  • Irrigation volume: 0.75 L per plant per 24 hrs
  • Hours of light: 12
  • Air humidity: 50%

Ripening stage

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 12

Weeks 12 and 13: the density of the buds starts to increase rapidly, so the plants will be ready for harvest in a couple of weeks. Instead of a main cola with several satellite branches, the application of topping and LST has helped the plants develop 8 main buds of the same dimensions, which are large, plump, and loaded with trichomes. They look really good. Temperature, humidity, and the distance from the lamp remain unchanged, as well as the pH and CE of the nutrient solution. The roots are flushed from week 13, using CleanFruits (5 litres water / 25 ml Cleanfruits per plant). From this moment on, plants are given 1.5 L water every 2 days. Without macronutrients, only with the following boosters: Growzyme (3 ml/L), Humic Acid Plus (3 ml/L), and Big Fruits (3 ml/L). The grower checks the trichomes, but they all look transparent and milky, except for a few amber mini-spheres on the sugar leaves. One of the monkeys displays beautiful autumnal colours!

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 13

The last two weeks (12 and 13) start smoothly as far as the plants’ requirements are concerned. These Monkey Grease beauties look great in terms of colour, size, bud density, and trichomes. They have been grown without any difficulties and are still being fed with practically only water + 9 ml/L flowering boosters. The leaves are losing their bright green colour and are taking on a beautiful ochre shade with purple hues, which indicates that the plants are making use of their internal nutrient reserve. There is now a noticeable change in the colour of the stigmas, with a predominant orange-red tone; and many fall back into the swollen calyxes that form the huge buds. An inspection of the trichome heads reveals that most of them have the desired milky appearance: 80% milky, 10% clear, and 10% amber-coloured. This is a sign that harvest time is here, although the grower decides to let Monkey Grease finish the week, which gives the plants more time to use up any salt build-up left in the soil. The grow has come to an end and success is definitely guaranteed!

Grow parameters:

  • Daily temperature: 25ºC
  • Pot size: 5 L
  • pH: 6.2
  • Total dissolved solids: 60 ppm
  • Height: 51 cm
  • Solution temperature: 21ºC
  • Substrate temperature: 19ºC
  • Night temperature: 20ºC
  • Distance between lamp and plant: 55 cm
  • Irrigation volume: 0.75 L per plant per 24 hrs
  • Hours of light: 12
  • Air humidity: 50%

Harvest

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 14

The yield of the two Monkey Grease plants amounts to 996 grams of fresh buds, which, once dried, adds up to 201 grams. Therefore, the final yield is 100.5 grams per plant. With a 320W LED lamp, this offers a ratio of 0.63 grams/watt.

The flowers look typically indica, with medium-sized dense and solid buds that group together in elongated conical forms. The sugar leaves are pale green and are intertwined with dark orange hairy pistils that also reveal deep purple hues, which gives the plants a really charming look.

Perhaps the most impressive thing is that the sticky white trichomes cling to the inner and outer surfaces of the buds like frost, which explains the hallucinating effects of this strain and makes it very difficult to break them without the help of a grinder. Without a doubt, these are beautiful buds whose looks speak volumes about their quality.

Grow Report – Monkey Grease
Week 15

So there it is. The images speak for themselves: Monkey Grease is sure to become the next big new thing in your grow. But what’s on your mind? Are you interested in this mix of potent diesel with a super sweet background, or is it her unreal relaxation that intrigues you?

And remember, you don’t need a barrel of monkeys to have fun… Our Monkey Grease is more than enough… After a few hits, your pain will fade away and you’ll experience full-body relaxation that will take you wherever you want to go. So get rid of your stress with the help of this powerful variety and choose Monkey Grease for a night when you need peace and quiet to achieve a calm sleep. Now all that’s left to do is for you to enjoy her!

Kannabia Seeds Company sells to its customers a product collection, a souvenir. We cannot and we shall not give growing advice since our product is not intended for this purpose.

Kannabia accept no responsibility for any illegal use made by third parties of information published. The cultivation of cannabis for personal consumption is an activity subject to legal restrictions that vary from state to state. We recommend consultation of the legislation in force in your country of residence to avoid participation in any illegal activity.

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