Brainstorm Mental Whirlwind Grow Report by Canney

Home growers are often torn between deciding whether to grow extra good quality cannabis from the limited space they have, or extremely good weed with a slightly lower yield. The mythical prophecies of some seed banks often praise their own genetics to the skies and sometimes promise results that don’t materialise in the end. With their Brainstorm strain, Dutch Passion is definitely one of three seedbanks that make it to the top of my personal rankings in terms of quality and yield. Here the legendary Northern Lights #5 x exquisite Haze genetics – and therefore the strain is right up my street!

Customer grow review, text & photos from ‘Canney’

Home growers are often torn between deciding whether to grow extra good quality cannabis from the limited space they have, or extremely good weed with a slightly lower yield. The mythical prophecies of some seed banks often praise their own genetics to the skies and sometimes promise results that don’t materialise in the end. With their Brainstorm strain, Dutch Passion is definitely one of three seedbanks that make it to the top of my personal rankings in terms of quality and yield. Here the legendary Northern Lights #5 x exquisite Haze genetics – and therefore the strain is right up my street!

Customer grow review, text & photos from ‘Canney’

Brainstorm cultivation Data

Genetics: 10 x Brainstorm by Dutch Passion
Germination to harvest: 9 days
Medium: Bio Bizz Light mix in 9 liter pots
Light: 3 Sanlight Q4W modules
Temperature: 23-27°C
pH: 5.7-6.2
Irrigation: by hand
Humidity: 41-68% up to 72% during the seedling phase
Basic fertilizer: Vega and Flores from Biocanna
Booster and other additives: Bio Rhizotonic and Bio Boost; Photosynthesis Plus by Biocanna
Height: 103-108cm
Total yield: 610 g

Brainstorm cultivation Data

Genetics: 10 x Brainstorm by Dutch Passion

Germination to harvest: 9 days

Medium: Bio Bizz Light mix in 9 liter pots

Light: 3 Sanlight Q4W modules

Temperature: 23-27°C

pH: 5.7-6.2

Irrigation: by hand

Humidity: 41-68% up to 72% during the seedling phase

Basic fertilizer: Vega and Flores from Biocanna

Booster and other additives: Bio Rhizotonic and Bio Boost; Photosynthesis Plus by Biocanna

Height: 103-108cm

Total yield: 610 g

Brainstorm grow diary from seed to harvest

Brainstorm seeds germinated and planted in light mix soil

When I got home I started right away. I germinated the ten cannabis seeds as usual and put the fresh seedlings directly into the prepared pots, which I had filled with my Lightmix and pre-watered. I turned up the heating in the room and made sure that the air in the room was warm and comfortable. I activated a Sanlight Q4W light and ran it on the lowest setting. I use the dimmer, which allows easy, precise control. An ingenious and high-quality solution from the producers in Austria.

My extraction fan was also turned on and moist air was carried out of the grow tent. I initially left the light on for 24 hours each day, which would change once all the cannabis seeds had germinated. In the meantime, I took care of replenishing my nutrient stores, which were almost exhausted after the last grow run. For a long time I had relied on Bio Bizz products.

In the meantime I have switched to the organic range from Canna. The bottles are more practical, which makes the (almost) daily preparations much easier. In addition I could not find any significant differences in the results between BioBizz and Canna which made the final decision easier for me.

So the days passed and I practiced patience. Although I would now describe myself as a very experienced home grower, I notice again and again how often during this phase I check to see if anything has germinated. After a total of four days, all the seedlings had broken through the surface of the earth and stretched towards the light. I adjusted the lighting to 18 hours of daily light.

In the first few days I kept watering with the pipette or the sprayer so that everything stayed moist. I didn’t add fertilizer or boosters initially. I also had my oscillating fan activated and aligned. In this phase the fan was still positioned at a low level, it was raised over time as the plants grew.

Towards the end of the grow, the fan also helps to circulate the air and prevent mold on the buds. In the early growth phase the fan strengthens the plants in their growth and leads to a strong structure.

Brainstorm progress, early vegetive growth

By day 15, the young plants had developed into small trees. At least that’s the description I hear from friends from time to time. Their observations as laypeople can be quite helpful.

In the meantime I had increased the intensity of my lamps and also reduced the distance to the plants day by day. I watered with a very small watering can and now also added nutrients and boosters. Everything grew happily as the foliage of the plants became more and more dense.

On day 17 added another Sanlight Q4W LED grow light. Both lamps were now running near maximum. I had to top up some of the soil in some of the pots because some of the content had settled after the first watering. I always try to ensure that the soil does not become too dense when the pots are filled.

The more loosely everything sits, the sooner the roots can develop. That’s why I never press, but rather shake the pots a bit. Probably not often enough this time.

Brainstorm, bloom begins after 30 days of veg

On day 30, I initiated flowering by reducing exposure times from 18 hours to 12 hours. At first everything went on as usual. After about seven days I noticed that the shoots began to stretch more and dominated the development of the plants. Little by little I began to see signs of flowering and before I knew it we were in the thick of it. The shoots began to adorn themselves more and more with white shimmering trichomes. First the tips of the shoots and then the lower parts as well. I removed some very dominant fan leaves in this phase so that all shoots got enough light.

In the meantime I added large amounts of fertilizer and booster to the irrigation water and had to regulate the pH value accordingly (it was very low). A subtle smell of cannabis began to fill the grow tent, which of course made me very happy.

By day 55, the buds had already developed beautifully and were getting thicker and fluffier by the day. The proportions suggested that there would still be additional swelling. What I also noticed was that a lot of resin was produced very early on. That, too, made us expect a strong potency.

The heights of the plants were all fairly consistent, allowing me a level canopy and optimised light intensities across it. Sometimes you can get one or two plants which stay small. In the past I simply put something underneath and thus compensated for the height. That has always worked well.

On day 66, the first pistils began to turn golden brown. I assumed a maximum of 25 days would still be required. In the meantime, the thirsty plants were needing up to 1.5 litres of feed every two days.

Harvest begins after 60 days of bloom

On day 80 I fed with fertilizer for the last time. After that, only pure water was supplied to ensure that no fertilizer residues remained in the end product. On Day 90 the lights went out and I prepared for the upcoming harvest. I went to my tent in old clothes and with a bunch of disposable silicone gloves. A few spliffs, a thermos full of tea and music were of course a must during the harvest.

First I started to disassemble the plants into their individual parts. Then I would remove all of the large and medium leaves and then start trimming away the smaller ones. The rule of thumb is: everything that glitters stays put! I had immense and powerful main blooms on six out of ten plants.

Everything went very well and I was done in about four hours. I hadn’t worked very quickly as my spliffs ended up being a bit too full, but to be honest I usually celebrate harvests and love to be busy with my plants.

The harvested flowers were put on nets to dry in peace. I ran a fan, but not aimed directly at the crop. With a total yield of 610g I was absolutely delighted. As I didn’t experience any extraordinary challenges during the grow, I can wholeheartedly recommend Dutch Passion’s Brainstorm to even the novice home grower.

Brainstorm grow diary from seed to harvest

Brainstorm seeds germinated and planted in light mix soil

When I got home I started right away. I germinated the ten cannabis seeds as usual and put the fresh seedlings directly into the prepared pots, which I had filled with my Lightmix and pre-watered. I turned up the heating in the room and made sure that the air in the room was warm and comfortable. I activated a Sanlight Q4W light and ran it on the lowest setting. I use the dimmer, which allows easy, precise control. An ingenious and high-quality solution from the producers in Austria.

My extraction fan was also turned on and moist air was carried out of the grow tent. I initially left the light on for 24 hours each day, which would change once all the cannabis seeds had germinated. In the meantime, I took care of replenishing my nutrient stores, which were almost exhausted after the last grow run. For a long time I had relied on Bio Bizz products.

In the meantime I have switched to the organic range from Canna. The bottles are more practical, which makes the (almost) daily preparations much easier. In addition I could not find any significant differences in the results between BioBizz and Canna which made the final decision easier for me.

So the days passed and I practiced patience. Although I would now describe myself as a very experienced home grower, I notice again and again how often during this phase I check to see if anything has germinated. After a total of four days, all the seedlings had broken through the surface of the earth and stretched towards the light. I adjusted the lighting to 18 hours of daily light.

In the first few days I kept watering with the pipette or the sprayer so that everything stayed moist. I didn’t add fertilizer or boosters initially. I also had my oscillating fan activated and aligned. In this phase the fan was still positioned at a low level, it was raised over time as the plants grew.

Towards the end of the grow, the fan also helps to circulate the air and prevent mold on the buds. In the early growth phase the fan strengthens the plants in their growth and leads to a strong structure.

Brainstorm progress, early vegetive growth

By day 15, the young plants had developed into small trees. At least that’s the description I hear from friends from time to time. Their observations as laypeople can be quite helpful.

In the meantime I had increased the intensity of my lamps and also reduced the distance to the plants day by day. I watered with a very small watering can and now also added nutrients and boosters. Everything grew happily as the foliage of the plants became more and more dense.

On day 17 added another Sanlight Q4W LED grow light. Both lamps were now running near maximum. I had to top up some of the soil in some of the pots because some of the content had settled after the first watering. I always try to ensure that the soil does not become too dense when the pots are filled.

The more loosely everything sits, the sooner the roots can develop. That’s why I never press, but rather shake the pots a bit. Probably not often enough this time.

Brainstorm, bloom begins after 30 days of veg

On day 30, I initiated flowering by reducing exposure times from 18 hours to 12 hours. At first everything went on as usual. After about seven days I noticed that the shoots began to stretch more and dominated the development of the plants. Little by little I began to see signs of flowering and before I knew it we were in the thick of it. The shoots began to adorn themselves more and more with white shimmering trichomes. First the tips of the shoots and then the lower parts as well. I removed some very dominant fan leaves in this phase so that all shoots got enough light.

In the meantime I added large amounts of fertilizer and booster to the irrigation water and had to regulate the pH value accordingly (it was very low). A subtle smell of cannabis began to fill the grow tent, which of course made me very happy.

By day 55, the buds had already developed beautifully and were getting thicker and fluffier by the day. The proportions suggested that there would still be additional swelling. What I also noticed was that a lot of resin was produced very early on. That, too, made us expect a strong potency.

The heights of the plants were all fairly consistent, allowing me a level canopy and optimised light intensities across it. Sometimes you can get one or two plants which stay small. In the past I simply put something underneath and thus compensated for the height. That has always worked well.

On day 66, the first pistils began to turn golden brown. I assumed a maximum of 25 days would still be required. In the meantime, the thirsty plants were needing up to 1.5 litres of feed every two days.

Harvest begins after 60 days of bloom

On day 80 I fed with fertilizer for the last time. After that, only pure water was supplied to ensure that no fertilizer residues remained in the end product. On Day 90 the lights went out and I prepared for the upcoming harvest. I went to my tent in old clothes and with a bunch of disposable silicone gloves. A few spliffs, a thermos full of tea and music were of course a must during the harvest.

First I started to disassemble the plants into their individual parts. Then I would remove all of the large and medium leaves and then start trimming away the smaller ones. The rule of thumb is: everything that glitters stays put! I had immense and powerful main blooms on six out of ten plants.

Everything went very well and I was done in about four hours. I hadn’t worked very quickly as my spliffs ended up being a bit too full, but to be honest I usually celebrate harvests and love to be busy with my plants.

The harvested flowers were put on nets to dry in peace. I ran a fan, but not aimed directly at the crop. With a total yield of 610g I was absolutely delighted. As I didn’t experience any extraordinary challenges during the grow, I can wholeheartedly recommend Dutch Passion’s Brainstorm to even the novice home grower.

Classic 1990’s Haze x Northern Lights genetics

Actually, I was not completely unfamiliar with Brainstorm from Dutch Passion when I decided to grow her. A while ago I had a free feminised Brainstorm seed sent to me with another order. However, at the time I didn’t follow the grow itself or the result in such a way that I could say something great about it.

Furthermore, I find that growing a single seed only tells part of the story when compared to a grow of ten plants. Brainstorm had its big premiere and was first released for sale by Dutch Passion in 1996. Over time, the Dutch Passion team perfected this strain by selecting the best phenotypes.

Brainstorm is a very resilient plant with the energy and yields of the legendary Northern Lights #5. Crossed with strong Haze genetics, she develops an intense high with a pronounced long-lasting effect.

Classic 1990’s Haze x Northern Lights genetics

Actually, I was not completely unfamiliar with Brainstorm from Dutch Passion when I decided to grow her. A while ago I had a free feminised Brainstorm seed sent to me with another order. However, at the time I didn’t follow the grow itself or the result in such a way that I could say something great about it.

Furthermore, I find that growing a single seed only tells part of the story when compared to a grow of ten plants. Brainstorm had its big premiere and was first released for sale by Dutch Passion in 1996. Over time, the Dutch Passion team perfected this strain by selecting the best phenotypes.

Brainstorm is a very resilient plant with the energy and yields of the legendary Northern Lights #5. Crossed with strong Haze genetics, she develops an intense high with a pronounced long-lasting effect.

It’s been a long time since I felt a booming effect as the ultimate mark of quality. In the meantime, the experience and enjoyment of smoking is just as important to me as the effect afterwards. If the first isn’t true, I’m not even interested in the second.

Highly regarded in the international cannabis community, Northern Lights #5 combines the best of sativa and indica. The sativa components are beautifully exuberant. It is a tall plant, which is why this strain is often forced into flowering very early indoors. A very high-yielding strain that often produces massive amounts of resin.

Haze, on the other hand, was first cultivated in California ages ago, originally a pure sativa strain. Nowadays, Haze is often crossed with indica strains and creates THC bombs. Usually, Haze plants have a longer flowering period, which can be challenging at times.

According to Dutch Passion, you can expect juicy and bountiful harvests both indoors and outdoors. With a flowering time of nine weeks, the Brainstorm is absolutely within the normal range and is particularly suitable for beginners due to her robustness and ease of growth. Outdoors, you can usually harvest in October.

Highly regarded in the international cannabis community, Northern Lights #5 combines the best of sativa and indica. The sativa components are beautifully exuberant. It is a tall plant, which is why this strain is often forced into flowering very early indoors. A very high-yielding strain that often produces massive amounts of resin.

Haze, on the other hand, was first cultivated in California ages ago, originally a pure sativa strain. Nowadays, Haze is often crossed with indica strains and creates THC bombs. Usually, Haze plants have a longer flowering period, which can be challenging at times.

According to Dutch Passion, you can expect juicy and bountiful harvests both indoors and outdoors. With a flowering time of nine weeks, the Brainstorm is absolutely within the normal range and is particularly suitable for beginners due to her robustness and ease of growth. Outdoors, you can usually harvest in October.

Original Brainstorm feminised cannabis seeds

BUY NOW

In fact, I’ve never really tried outdoor growing as a professional. My very first grow was on my rooftop terrace but didn’t have a good result. I would be very interested in having the experience of growing outdoors, but I would also like to see climatic conditions like those in southern Spain.

The effect of Brainstorm is powerful and offers a strong physical component that will keep you couch-locked. The subtle influences of the Haze genetics contribute an uplifting and exhilarating component. At 12-14%, it’s not a THC-banger, but the effects across its range are very intense and long-lasting.

It’s been a long time since I felt a booming effect as the ultimate mark of quality. In the meantime, the experience and enjoyment of smoking is just as important to me as the effect afterwards. If the first isn’t true, I’m not even interested in the second.

Brainstorm has become a Dutch Passion flagship and is recognised by many avid home and hobby growers. Especially in the late 90’s, this indica-dominant strain was common in many coffee shops in Amsterdam. A time that I didn’t get to know myself, but which “older” friends (who also live and love cannabis) remember well.

In fact, I’ve never really tried outdoor growing as a professional. My very first grow was on my rooftop terrace but didn’t have a good result. I would be very interested in having the experience of growing outdoors, but I would also like to see climatic conditions like those in southern Spain.

The effect of Brainstorm is powerful and offers a strong physical component that will keep you couch-locked. The subtle influences of the Haze genetics contribute an uplifting and exhilarating component. At 12-14%, it’s not a THC-banger, but the effects across its range are very intense and long-lasting.

It’s been a long time since I felt a booming effect as the ultimate mark of quality. In the meantime, the experience and enjoyment of smoking is just as important to me as the effect afterwards. If the first isn’t true, I’m not even interested in the second.

Brainstorm has become a Dutch Passion flagship and is recognised by many avid home and hobby growers. Especially in the late 90’s, this indica-dominant strain was common in many coffee shops in Amsterdam. A time that I didn’t get to know myself, but which “older” friends (who also live and love cannabis) remember well.

Brainstorm buds dried and cured with a 610g yield

All in all, it was dried for six days and finally boxed. I kept laying everything out to let the buds breathe and repeated this process over several days. Then I grabbed a fat bud and rolled myself a pretty potent joint. So powerful that I should have been stoned even if it wasn’t such a potent weed. But I’d had a hard day’s work coupled with personal disappointments. I didn’t regret it, I certainly felt the full effect.

After only two hits I was so stoned that I didn’t even know what I wanted to do anymore. I had to keep reminding myself to focus on the weed. I kept drifting away, becoming euphoric but comfortable at the same time. In terms of taste, Brainstorm, which lived up to its name, came with light citrus aromas and brought with it very intense classic cannabis aromas.

Brainstorm buds dried and cured with a 610g yield

All in all, it was dried for six days and finally boxed. I kept laying everything out to let the buds breathe and repeated this process over several days. Then I grabbed a fat bud and rolled myself a pretty potent joint. So powerful that I should have been stoned even if it wasn’t such a potent weed. But I’d had a hard day’s work coupled with personal disappointments. I didn’t regret it, I certainly felt the full effect.

After only two hits I was so stoned that I didn’t even know what I wanted to do anymore. I had to keep reminding myself to focus on the weed. I kept drifting away, becoming euphoric but comfortable at the same time. In terms of taste, Brainstorm, which lived up to its name, came with light citrus aromas and brought with it very intense classic cannabis aromas.

Dutch Passion’s final comments: great growing!

Congratulations to Canney for a successful grow with one of Dutch Passion’s classic strains with thousands of repeat growers. When grown in optimised conditions under modern LED high quality grow lights (such as the SANlight’s used by Canney) THC levels on this strain can peak around 20%, meaning that she is a formidable smoke as Canney himself proved.

Special tip worth for every cannabis strain and every grower: remember that a thorough trimming and curing process will increase the bag appeal and taste profile of your buds.

How to harvest, dry and cure indoor cannabis

Dutch Passion’s expert grow team fully approve of Canney’s decision to use a quality LED brand such as SANlight in order to push the genetics to the max. But the main reason this 1990’s classic is still as popular as ever is the rock-solid consistency delivered by the proven, fully stabilised genetics.

The hybridisation of Northern Lights x Haze remains one of the best for home growers – it’s easy to grow across a wide range of conditions. Get the conditions right and as Canney showed, you can combine XXL yields with premium quality buds.

Dutch Passion’s final comments: great growing!

Congratulations to Canney for a successful grow with one of Dutch Passion’s classic strains with thousands of repeat growers. When grown in optimised conditions under modern LED high quality grow lights (such as the SANlight’s used by Canney) THC levels on this strain can peak around 20%, meaning that she is a formidable smoke as Canney himself proved.

Special tip worth for every cannabis strain and every grower: remember that a thorough trimming and curing process will increase the bag appeal and taste profile of your buds.

How to harvest, dry and cure indoor cannabis

Dutch Passion’s expert grow team fully approve of Canney’s decision to use a quality LED brand such as SANlight in order to push the genetics to the max. But the main reason this 1990’s classic is still as popular as ever is the rock-solid consistency delivered by the proven, fully stabilised genetics.

The hybridisation of Northern Lights x Haze remains one of the best for home growers – it’s easy to grow across a wide range of conditions. Get the conditions right and as Canney showed, you can combine XXL yields with premium quality buds.

Brainstorm grown indoors in pictures

About the grower

The original Brainstorm grow report was published on THCENE 1/2022, and comes courtsey of Canney, a social worker with a passion for growing cannabis and writing. After nearly a decade of experience, this “semi-professional home grower” combined his two hobbies and regularly publishes diaries from seed to harvest on the THCENE magazine.