Marijuana Botany, Rob Clarke’s first book is based on his university thesis to gain his graduate degree in botany from UC Berkeley. As all reviews of this book will tell you it is not a marijuana grow guide but a highly informative book documenting the scientific and botanical details of the Cannabis Sativa plant - commonly known as Marijuana in the USA.
Although this book is somewhat scientific it is very well explained and written in such a way as to help the reader understand it. You do not need any qualification in botany to understand this book - a keen interest in plants will do. Throughout the book there are excellent detailed drawings that help to make Clarke’s point.
Marijuana Botany covers the life cycle of the cannabis plant from germination to maturation. It discusses the differences between asexual propogation (using cuttings) and sexual propogation (whereby a male plant will fertilise a female plant ) with detailed drawings showing both.
The book also covers the very important area of plant genetics and the laws of inheritance. Clarke emphasizes this as one of the most important areas surrounding cannabis cultivation and breeding as plant growth will depend heavily on a plants genetics as well as on the external environment (i.e. light, water, nutrients etc). This stage of the book is a must-read for any would-be breeders and much can be learnt from Clarke’s extensive knowledge and research.
The last section of the book deals with the final part of the life of the marijuana plant; harvesting and curing. Clarke includes useful details as to the influence of latitude on photoperiods (day-light hours) and seasons, and their influence on the development of the marijuana plant. Perhaps the most complex section of his book is on cannabinoid biosynthesis but there are more recent books that have more up-to-date information on this topic.
This is a must have book for all those that have read the grow guides and want to take their knowledge of the marijuana plant a whole lot further.
