Review: New ‘Cannabis’ Grow Book from Cultivation Expert Danny Danko

Author of «Cannabis: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Marijuana» and High Times senior cultivation editor Danny Danko

One of the most respected writers in the cannabis media, Danny Danko has been covering cultivation and providing tips for growers in High Times for nearly two decades. One of his “mentors,” Jorge Cervantes, writes in the forward to Cannabis: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Marijuana, “Danny Danko was my only choice to assume my question-and-answer column for High Times.”

What Cervantes is referring to is his advice column in High Times, “Jorge’s Rx.” When Cervantes decided to move on, Danko was the natural candidate to take over the popular section in the magazine (renamed “Dear Danko”), which had previously been written by Ed Rosenthal as “As Ed.” Considering that High Times has long been the favorite journal of canna-growers, this was quite an honor.

Prior to this book, Danko wrote The Official High Times Field Guide to Marijuana Strains in 2011. Eight years later, his follow-up covers much different territory. It’s a basic how-to-grow primer. While Cervantes and Rosenthal have written at length (in articles and books) about cannabis cultivation, Danko’s 140-page book boils it all down in an easy-to-understand way, with illustrations throughout rather than photos.

Though knowledgeable about all aspects of pot culture and cannabis law reform, Danko stays focused and doesn’t wander from the subject at hand. Chapters cover grow-room setup, strains and genetics, germination, sexing, mother plants, cloning, vegetative growth, flowering, harvesting, pests and mold, and making concentrates, edibles, tinctures and topicals.

His advice about storage in “The Proper Harvest” chapter is particularly helpful: “Never store cannabis in a refrigerator or freezer. Temperature and humidity levels inside fridges fluctuate too much and aren’t set at ideal levels to begin with. The freezer is even worse, as temperatures below freezing can separate trichomes from your pot.”

Danko’s enthusiasm will make you want to order some seeds and start a mini grow-op. As he says in the introduction, “Growing your own is fun! Like modern-day alchemy, you can conjure connoisseur-quality cannabis with just the light, air, water and food.”

So pick up this book and get growing.

More Book Reviews

Grassroots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America

Brave New Weed: Adventures in the Uncharted World of Cannabis

The Leafly Guide to Cannabis

More Cultivation Coverage

Seven Steps to Having a Successful Outdoor Garden

Ed Rosenthal’s Wet and Dry Trimming Techniques

What You Need to Know About Terpenes

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