News and updates from the Alchimia growshop -

Alchimia 2001 - 2021: 20 years growing happiness!

Yes, friends, it's true: Alchimia has now been one of the leading grow shops in Europe for 20 years, and we're very happy about it! For this reason, and as some of you may have already seen, we have prepared many offers and promotions that you can enjoy throughout the whole year, as well as great gifts too. We want to share our happiness with all of you and, in some way, make this a special year for everyone! To celebrate this exciting milestone anniversary, we didn't want to write the typical post telling our history. We've already done that before, for our 15th anniversary, back in 2016, so this time we wanted to do something different and take you on a journey back in time to see what the cannabis sector was like when our store first opened its doors, at the dawn of the new millennium. As you'll soon see, things have changed a lot over the years!

Alchimia will not attend Spannabis 2020

Dear colleagues, customers, and Alchimia Grow Shop friends: we are sorry to announce that Alchimia Grow Shop and Philosopher Seeds will not be attending this year's Spannabis 2020. The reason is the concerning problems that the Coronavirus Covid-19 spread is causing. It has been a difficult decision but agreed by the members of our team that had to attend the event this weekend in Cornellà de Llobregat (Barcelona - Spain). The reasons for not attending Spannabis 2020, with this last-minute cancellation, is a sense of responsibility for this concerning situation with the spread of this virus, as is well-known every day is adding new cases of infected people throughout Europe. This responsibility leads us to follow the health authorities’ recommendations in this containment scenario, one of which is the cancellation of events with large numbers of people. Since neither the event organizers nor the competent authorities have decided in this case, we have been forced to take the decision not to attend this event.

4 ways that The Neutralizer can save your ass!

The Neutralizer - Natural, versatile cannabis-specific odour control As all cannabis growers and smokers will be acutely aware, our favourite plant possesses a very potent and distinctive aroma, one that's easily recognisable and instantly identifiable. If we're unfortunate enough to live in a state or country where cannabis is not yet legalised, then this powerful smell can lead us into to all sorts of problems, potentially alerting the police, nosey neighbours, house guests, parents or passers-by to the fact that we're growing or smoking weed, which is the last thing we need!

Aficionado French Connection, top class genetics arriving in Europe

Today, both the American and European cannabis scenes are more connected than ever, with companies constantly crossing the pond to start new commercial adventures beyond their usual borders. A good example of this is the seed company that we're presenting exclusively in Europe, Aficionado French Connection, based in Mendocino (California) and with a long history and tradition with regard to cannabis breeding, which has led them to develop of some of the most sought-after genetics of the USA.

CMH/LEC Grow Lamps

It's undeniable that the cannabis industry has evolved at a dizzying pace over the last decade, with a multitude of new genetics and products that we couldn't even imagine a few years ago. A clear example of this is the new CMH (Ceramic Metal Halide) technology in illumination for indoor cultivation, also known as LEC (Light Emitting Ceramic). Based on the design of conventional high intensity discharge bulbs, these new lamps are innovative for replacing the quartz used in the familiar metal halide bulbs with a ceramic element, which provides a series of advantages, especially in terms of width of the light spectrum and better use of light, which translates into bigger harvests. The explanation is simple: CMH LEC lighting systems emit a spectrum of light that is much closer to natural light than any other bulb on the market, with an unrivalled richness in the different wavelengths and that ranges from UV to far red. It is, in a manner of speaking, the perfect artificial light for cultivating plants indoors, increasing photosynthesis and reaching yields of 1.5 grams per watt in the case of cannabis, and with a higher production of terpenes! In addition, and as you will see below, some of the biggest brands in the illumination business already offer their own CMH equipment, which in itself is a guarantee of its effectiveness.

Puffco Peak Smart Rig

The Peak Smart Rig The world of cannabinoid extractions is in a golden age, these days more and more users are switching from the combustion of flowers to the vaporisation of resin concentrates. The main reason for this change is to avoid inhaling smoke and its harmful derivatives, and instead to vaporise, obtaining a medicinal effect free of impurities and contaminants.

Presenting Indizono Ozonisers

Ozone, the cannabis cultivator's friend Ozone (O3) is a substance that is a colourless gas at ambient temperature and pressure, giving off an acrid smell; Thanks to its high oxidising power, this gas has a great ability to disinfect and eliminate odours. Nowadays, ozone has many applications in areas as diverse as industry, agriculture, or domestic sanitation, being of particular interest for the indoor cannabis cultivation.

The colours of cannabis

Pakistan Chitral Kush, Grape Ape, Grandaddy Purple, Serious Six, Peyote Purple, Panama Red...all of these cannabis strains show a wonderful colour palette which goes from reddish to purple. Indeed, and while the most common colour in cannabis is green, both leaves and buds may turn orange, pink, purple, black, red, blue...These awesome colours are often one of the traits that breeders want to fix, since it is also one of the most demanded traits by users. 93% of cannabis smokers have noted that they've been influenced by the colour of the strain sometime. But, how does cannabis develop such beautiful shades?

Presenting BSF Seeds at Alchimia

We've recently added a new Spanish bank to our feminised seed catalogue, a bank that, despite its young age (it was founded in 2017, although they've been working on it since 2011), has already aroused enormous interest among cannabis growers and users. We're talking about BSF Seeds, short for Bigger, Stronger and Faster that perfectly sums up the philosophy of this team of breeders when it comes to developing the cannabis varieties they offer. In this article we'll familiarise you with this seed bank and its work.

Cannabis in Jamaica

Ganja, Collie, Kiki, Sinsemilla...cannabis has plenty of different names, especially in Jamaica, a small Caribbean island known around the world for its long relationship with this plant. Indeed, Jamaica is a true place of reference with regard to cannabis cultivation for smokers worldwide. Its tropical climate and fertile soil are ideal for the cultivation of cannabis plants, especially Sativas. Moreover, it is also the place where the Rastafari movement was born, which promotes a religious use of ganja and has a large number of followers in the island. Still, the use of cannabis is widely spread among all social classes - not only Rastafarians - and is doubtless one of the most popular crops in the island. In this article we'll tell you more about the relation of cannabis with this small Caribbean paradise.

Water pipes and bongs: Vocabulary and accessories

Although here in Europe the use of water pipes is not as widespread as in the United States, there are a growing number of smokers who prefer to consume their weed or concentrates through what is commonly called a bong. It can be easy for newcomers to the world of water pipes to become dazzled and confused by the vocabulary and terms used to describe water pipe accessories and their characteristics. In this article we present a comprehensive guide to help beginners understand all about bongs and bubblers, their principal features and also the main accessories available to add to your water pipe.

Negra 44 by R-Kiem Seeds, an Indica with African origins

In this article we'll tell you more about one of the feminised strains in R-Kiem Seeds catalogue, Negra 44. As you may know, this Spanish cannabis seed company is known for the high quality of their strains, with a relatively short but solid catalogue, thanks to which they've been awarded in many occasions in different major cannabis events. Furthermore, the guys at R-Kiem are also famous for the high quality of the resin extracts and concentrates produced by their varieties, something increasingly important nowadays. Let's take a look now at the main characteristics of Negra 44, a versatile, mostly Indica hybrid with early flowering and excellent smell and taste.

Introduction to Mosca Seeds

Mosca seeds is a cannabis seed bank originating from the USA that only works with regular genetics, using males and females in the ?Old School? way, and demonstrating to the world that there?ll always be a place for regular seeds. These regular seeds are meticulously worked over time to ensure stability in all crosses, maintaining the best characteristics of their ancestors while improving quality with every generation.

LEC Sunburst CMH 315W grow lights

What are LEC or CMH grow lights? CMH or LEC lights represent a step forward with regard to lighting systems for indoor gardening. CMH stands for Ceramic Metal-Halide, although these lamps are also called CDM (Ceramic Discharge Metal-Halide) or simply LEC systems (Light Emitting Ceramic). Thanks to their innovative design and manufacturing materials, the performance of these lamps is significantly higher than conventional HPS (High Pressure Sodium) and MH (Metal Halide) lights. Moreover, their color rendering index (CRI) is also higher than other discharge lamps.

Cali Terpenes, 100% natural cannabis terpenes

Cali Terpenes is a Spanish company created by Toni and Ferran of Eva Seeds and dedicated to the elaboration of 100% natural terpene concentrates. Thanks to it’s modern laboratory for processing and analysis, and by using only natural raw materials of the best quality, this young company has been able to develop a series of formulas reproducing the terpene profile of several well-known cannabis varieties, among them Gipsy Haze and Gorilla Glue. Far from resembling the many mediocre quality terpene profile reproductions of certain plants, and owing to a studied and rigorous process of production, the work of Cali Terpenes represents a significant step forward in this sector. Over the last few years, using terpenes has become increasingly popular in both the recreational and the medical field, especially in the United States, where the Cali Terpenes team were inspired to create their company. Highly versatile, they can be mixed with edible oils (such as coconut oil, for cooking delicious recipes), used with resin vaporisers or, being effective natural solvent diluents, they can be combined with cannabinoids such as THC or CBD. It’s a great way to improve the flavour of both edible products and cannabis concentrates. In addition to the recreational use, terpenes are also known to drastically increase the effectiveness of cannabinoids, working in synergy to create an ‘entourage effect’ modulating and potentiating the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids. Indeed, it can be used to make the effect of a concentrate like the Clear more Sativa or Indica, more stimulating or relaxing.

Franco Loja of Strain Hunters dies at 42

Franco Loja, one of the members and breeders of Green House Seeds and Strain Hunters, died of malaria at 42 on January 2, 2017. Our condolences and best vibes to his family and friends. Rest in peace, Franco!