The Seed Cellar is proud to be the only seed bank with Koby’s Organics very own Santa Marta Columbian Gold strain! Available now on our website or in-store in Regular Seed 5 and 10 packs.  This is a strain that you cant afford to skip out on. Genetics, history, and nostalgia wrapped up in seed!

Check out Koby’s very own Strain Report with a chance to win your own pack of Santa Marta Columbian Gold (regular seed, 10 pack)!

“Over the years I have noticed people looking for old school genetics particularly Columbian Gold . The real strain has been missing from the USA market for many years. Yes, there may be somebody out there who still has some of the original stashed somewhere,  but most of us cannot get it or have not seen it other than hybrid crosses for many years.  It is guarded by guerillas deep in the Columbian jungle and regular folks cannot go there. The strain is one that is not only very special in it’s own right due to the many strong  effects it contains,  but also it has been used in many hybrids we see today, especially Skunk strains. The state of the world today is uncertain, and this is a strain that must be retained for the future.  I decided to take some time a couple  of years ago and reached out through various contacts to see what I could find.

My search led me to some folks who have been doing just that for the last 6 years. They are the true heroes here,  not me.

They made contact with the Nasa Indigenous in Cauca Columbia.  They are able to move throughout the country much easier than normal people. So these folks truly are the real heroes.  We were able to get  12 Santa Marta Columbian Gold seeds, and 10 Black Columbian seeds directly from the natives. These are from the jungle, no seed shops or distributors or dispensaries have these. This  is a really awesome opportunity and I am going to document both by writing and by photos the entire grow for the Santa Marta. We can use the ” wild grow ” method, or the normal growing method. It is an indoor grow. I will do my best to keep it simple and easy so that you can do this for yourself.

Let’s make sure that we are prepared before we start. These are tropical plants, so you need to keep your growing area warm. At least 78 – 80 degrees or better. Any lower temperatures than that will take away from your plant. You know your room or growing area size, these are large plants,  so give them room to grow. Lighting is important and I suggest MH (Metal Halide)/ HPS (High Pressure Sodium) systems. You can use LED, but then it is important to have enough wattage, and for many another heat source.

We start by choosing 7 seeds and germinating them in a paper towel that is soaked from being dunked in two cups of clean water with 1ml hydrogen peroxide mixed in it. Make sure your towel is wet. Set your seeds in the towel and fold it over a couple times and put it in a baggie. Take the baggie and hang it in a warm dark closet for 48hrs. Do not mess with it until then. While your seeds are germinating, you can grab a plastic cup and poke a few holes in the bottom and a 7 gallon pot to start and then grow your plant in. I am going to say two very important things here. Use the best soil you can find to grow your plant in. Use the cleanest water that you can. If you have no choice but to use chlorinated water, let it sit out in the air for a few days before using it or even buy a filter, you will be happy you did. Fill your cup and pot with soil leaving an inch or so from the top of the cup, and two inches from the top of the pot you grow in.

Now after 48hrs. we can check the seeds. Those with root tails should be planted in the cup. If not all seeds crack, fold them back up and return them to the closet another day. Some seeds, depending on age, can take two weeks to crack or germinate. Take seeds that are ready and plant in your cup. Water them keeping them wet and damp, not soaked through out this part of the process. Hopefully the holes in the cup bottom will run off excess water for those of you who over water. We keep the plants in the cup and let them sprout up several inches. You can fill your cup to the top now with soil We will probably leave them here five days to a week under lights 24/7. We do this so that there is only one transplant during the entire grow. Now they are ready to plant in the 7 gallon pot. Make a deep hole in the center of your pot. Pour a half cup or so of water in the hole for the bottom of the roots to get immediate water. Plant your seedling in the hole clear up to the leaves. Water around the plant several inches away from the main stalk, never on the stalk. There will be no more transplanting from here on out. When the seedling grows a couple inches, fill the rest of your pot with soil to the top. Too much transplanting causes shock, so the less the better.

The wild grow is different from what you are used to doing, only in doing the entire grow at 12/12 instead of 16/8 and then 12/12. I am sure there are many of you who will be familiar with this process. Once the plants are in the main growing pot, it is time  to talk about lighting. These tropical sativa plants need to be kept warm. Very important. Start out with your MH lamp, and you can veg the plants in the blue light for 12hrs per day on and 12hrs off, or you can use the 16 on, 8 off method. This can be done for 2-4 weeks. By doing the 12\12 lighting schedule, you will save two or more days a week on your electric bill making growing this long flowering strain a little more economical. These plants come from the equator area, so they are used to a 12 hour day and a 12 hour night. We are going to pinch the tops of the plants so that they will bush out as they grow and will improve yield. We will top it  three times because they get very large and are quite healthy.

The last topic before we get growing is feeding the plant. Understand that plants like this from the wild are not used to the nutrients we use today. I will suggest organic or non synthetic food. Do not use flavor enhancer’s either. Use the cleanest food you can get. We will need to feed the plants, and we do not want to burn the plants or leaves by feeding to much or by using the wrong food. We will feed no more than twice a week and starting with half strength to be careful, and strengthen it as we move forward. Make sure that your soil pH and water pH are at desired levels for cannabis too We planted the seedling in moist wet soil up to the leaves. They are now ready to vegetate in a 12 hours on / 12 hours off cycle. We will use the MH lamp for the upcoming grow time. We will use this light until we get the plants topped a three times so that our yield is better. We will water the plants daily making sure to keep back from the main stalk. We will feed the plants twice a week. We will start off at half strength so that we do not burn the plants. We can adjust the food as the grow progresses to more or less as needed.