By RQS Editorial Team

At Royal Queen Seeds, we are constantly on the lookout for the best information and knowledge about cannabis. In our interviews, we talk to figures from all over the cannabis industry. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Magnetous Tryko.

PART. 1: PODCAST 🎵
(Listen to it also in Spotify and Apple Podcast)

PART. 2: In addition to our Podcast Interview with Magnetous. ✍️
We’ve done an exclusive Q&A about Cannabis Training to get some advice for our readers. You can find Magnetous's insights below!

1. Why did you decide to start growing organically? 

Because it’s one of the best ways to increase production in small spaces like the ones we use indoors. The main goal [of training] is to shape the canopy so it ideally fits the pattern of the light configuration you’re using.

2. Where did you acquire all your knowledge about cannabis and training techniques? 

Training plants is not very difficult, but you need to learn some special techniques to avoid hurting them. From LST to HST, there are many ways to proceed. To learn about them, I first started by reading articles and comments on different sites and blogs. Honestly, I have to say that the RQS site has become a really interesting source of technical articles on many topics about growing cannabis! Props to you for that! But I also very much enjoy reading peoples' experiences on community forums like “Growweedeasy” or “Autoflowernetwork”, for example. Then, I also joined groups of growers I met online, like my so beloved Italian “Life in green” family or the amazing growers from “Growdiaries”.

3. How do you choose each technique for each plant?

This is the real deal! Choosing the right technique is the clue! But it’s not really about the plant, it’s more about the grow room configuration. Certainly, you won’t train an auto like other plants, but apart from this special type of plant, it’s really up to how the light is emitted and how you can get your plant to use this resource to the max.

4. Do you use the same techniques for indoor and outdoor grows?

Definitely not! There is no light like sunlight when growing plants! It’s intense and it comes from multiple directions due to sun movement and reflection, so in my opinion you don’t need complicated techniques to increase yields outdoors. Simply spreading the branches satisfies me. Of course, I’m not talking about the USA-style cannabis trees you might see on the internet; those require a serious amount of topping, cropping, and canopy management, and they take a very long time to grow! I’m talking about quick autoflower grows that can be finished before the weather gets too bad and inevitably causes bud rot and other mildew issues. And I have to say that autoflowers have been a major evolution for those who live in northern climates and still want to grow some weed outdoors.

5. What do you think about training autos? Which technique would you rather do for autos?

And here comes the trap question… autos are special plants. Their lifetime is “preset” and you can’t always do what you want with them. They will decide when they are ready to flower and won’t wait for you to finish your super complicated training plan… So, it’s definitely not a good idea to train/stress them too much because this will shorten an already short lifespan and may have the opposite effect on yield that you’re hoping for.

I know some growers who have had good results with topping autoflowers, but it’s too tricky to be the rule and it’s also very strain-dependent. I usually just spread the branches so they get more light, and I set up my lighting to manage the pine tree shape of the plant. I use at least two lamps so I don’t have a single source right above the main bud, and so I can lower them without the risk of light burn. But once again, it’s only my technique, and more experienced auto growers may have found other efficient training techniques.

6. What's the most difficult thing you’ve faced when training your plants?

Probably the most difficult thing, at least in the beginning, was to not hurt the plants! Countless branches snapped or leaves ripped off the stem, countless! Then you learn how to manipulate them and the most difficult thing is to figure out how you are going to get the canopy you want.

magnetous_tryko

7. What is your favourite technique, and why?

I don’t have a single favourite technique. My training method is a combination of different techniques including topping, mainlining, twisting, and defoliating—all the while trying to induce the minimum amount of stress possible to not increase the growing time too much.

8. How can we avoid mistakes when doing these techniques?

Try, fail, repeat! There is no magic formula, and just like anything else, you must try and try again. No sites or books will teach you what it feels like right before a branch snaps in your fingers…

9. Which techniques would suit a beginner grower? And for advanced growers?

Basically, all LST tech could suit a beginner! It’s when it comes to HST that you need some experience!

"Don’t be afraid to try and make mistakes. Just keep in mind your goals."

10. What's your position on cannabis defoliation?

I use defoliation only on my indoor plants. Outside, where they can grow taller and spread more, I don’t see the benefit of taking off the fan leaves. But indoors, where space is limited, I see a noticeable improvement in light penetration when I get rid of those gigantic fan leaves. So, I would say that it is a technique that definitely has its place in our grower’s toolbox, and I use it all the time indoors... even on autos.

11. Some growers use hard techniques such as inserting a nail into a branch—how do you feel about that? Do you think the plant suffers from it?

This one hurt my soul the first time I saw it! But after all, plants respond to aggression like this in different ways, and why not in a way that could benefit the trichome or terpene production or whatnot? But I never tried it and probably won’t.

12. Any tips you would like to share for growers training their plants at home? Write whatever you want...

It may be a good idea to first become confident achieving good results with your weed plants without any training. From there, read all the info you can and don’t be afraid to try and make mistakes. Just keep in mind your goals. If it takes twice the growing time for a limited increase in yield, maybe change your technique.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

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Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

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Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

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Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: