Kog has sent me a copy of his new project, "Marijuana: A Grower's Lot - The Movie" to review for you all

My first impression on receiving it in the mail was pure excitement. It's presented in a standard DVD case with artwork both on the cover and inside - very professional looking. When I realised it was a VCD, and not a DVD, I was a little disappointed - video compression and overall quality is notoriously bad on VCDs compared to DVD, but I was very pleasantly surprised (see below).

The content itself is awesome. I could not tear myself away from the TV. While the running time is only 52mins, Kog manages to cover everything from plot preparation, seed selection, germination, cloning, watering and fertilising, harvesting, drying, curing and storage. The movie is aimed at outdoor cultivation in the Australian bush, so there's nothing about hydro, lighting or ventilation, but there's plenty of good advice on growing in general and in particular in remote locations.

It's an whirlwind tour, mostly aimed at the novice, but he makes use of every single minute. There's plenty of good advice for everyone here. More importantly, it's presented in a fun and engaging way - Kog tells us about his runin with the law and his time in prison, his style of growing and why he grows the way he does, to a soundtrack of easygoing music and the familiar sounds of the Bush.

Technically, this movie is great. VCD compression is very good - not without its flaws or the inherent limitations in the VCD format, but there's very little to complain about here and I'm something of a videophile when it comes to digital video quality. I'd love to have seen a DVD with menus and chapter selection, maybe some additional PC data like text files or a summary of the major points, maybe even a text copy of Kog's original book, but all of this would have just been icing on the cake. As it is, it's a fantastic show - it does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to spread Kog's knowledge as far and as wide as possible. One minor quibble would be that the audio could have been normalised a bit better - the volume level changes quite dramatically from one scene to another in places, but it's not that bad I'm just being pedantic.

I have to take my hat off to the cameraman and editor. They've done a fantastic job in making sure every little detail is visible, that what Kog is talking about is right there on the screen for you to see if you didn't quite get what he was talking about. Attention to this level of detail deserves reward - it's usually the make or break part of a project like this, and they've done a damn good job.

This movie is mostly aimed at the amateur grower, but I think everyone can get something out of this even if it's just the sheer enjoyment of seeing a fellow Australian get up there and do us proud. Kog seems like a great bloke, you really get to know him and what he stands for in this movie, and it was fun the whole way through.

I give it 9.5/10.

You can download a preview and buy it online at www.greengrasspub.com.au. Everyone should get a copy, it's a great watch and Kog deserves our appreciation and support for the great work he's doing for Australian Cannabis Culture.

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Whats Kog ever done for the Australian Cannabis Culture, Hes a self confessed drug dealer, and Commercial grower.

Nothing to do with the cannibis Community and if anything he is Hurting the activists REAL chances at being taken seriously.

I brought his book and it was an interesting read although alot of wrong information was given.
for eg- DONT dry your buds in the sun.

If any real newbies followed his guides they would fuck their plants., or at least get a shit harvest.

I haven't read his book, so I can't comment on that, but I think you might have missed the point. In his video he dries his buds in the shade, specifically not in the sun, immediately after harvest. This is for a few hours and/or while he manicures them - he brings them inside at night and spreads them out on a tarpaulin. In his video he's simply showing how *he* grows, what works for *him* with large quantities in rural Australia.

I don't think anyone, Kog included, is suggesting that everyone should follow his method or that it's even feasible for people living in the city. It's simply what he does, and he's trying to pass on what he's learnt to others.

I'm the first to voice clear opposition and disdain of commercial growers and dealers, I just thought his video was pretty fucking good for what it is and what he's trying to achieve. Maybe you just missed the point.

As someone that has helped new growers I can appreciate where Ferengi is coming from, experienced growers are able to tell what is good or bad advice whereas the newbie or those with no experience in the real world of growing can really fall for "well presented" advice without knowing whether it's good or not and to be kind Kog does not have more than an average reputation as a grower. It then falls on Oz Stoners to repair the damage and re-train the member in the real world of growing.

I've read the book and I'm a bit tired of all the criticism levelled at this guy. What in the hell is wrong with commercial dealing? Most of us bought dope from friends before growing it ourselves. If someone has the balls to give the Government the finger and grow commercially then good on them. It certainly doesn't hurt the legalisation cause. The more people who attempt to grow large crops the more police time is wasted trying to destroy those crops. It makes them look bad. All the money and other resources thrown away is a matter of public record and only shows the drug war up for the massive farce that it is. Gradually that reality is sinking into peoples heads. The government is losing the war and every year more and more pot is sold and smoked.

If on the other hand fewer people were to grow commercially each year then the police would herald it as a major victory against illegal drugs. The press would proclaim our politicians heroes for their tough stance on marijuana and drug laws would only get tougher. Kog is a guy willing to stick it up the man and defy unjust laws despite having already been jailed. He isn't afraid to face the law and has shared his experiences in order to help others try and get ahead.

As for drying buds in the sun, so what? He states quite clearly in the book that it will cause degradation of THC. Drying indoors might be practical for a few ounces but not for pounds of the shit. Commercial growing is a very risky business and he quite rightly states that the pot should be dried as quickly as humanly possible. Getting caught with such quantities could get you double figure jail time. Trading a small degree of potency for getting it stored away quickly makes sense. It might not be as good as the cupboard pot plant you cherished and talked to every day right up to harvest but its still smokable product and it sells. He only sells it for half the regular price anyway. Not everyone is looking for killer skunk that will send them to Pluto. They just want to get stoned and Sydney alone must go though thousands of tons a year.

To the Kogs of the world, I salute you. It's hypocritical to criticise someone for growing more dope than you do.

Didn't read the book but have seen the movie and met the man. Gotta agree with you, Chong, I think him a truely brave activist.

I enjoyed the movie and thought it amazing that someone with a criminal record would risk liberty to inform the public in such a fashion. 10 out of 10 for the man and his endevours.

you poor darling.

http://www.greengrasspub.com.au/kogspeech.wmv

Well I take the part about being an activist back, I just watched that vid and hes a good bloke and sticking it up them for us.

I think that as a rule Commericial growers cause more harm than they do good,
Im planning on buying the video, just to watch it though.