Mandala Seeds

Mandala Seeds was founded in January, 2004 by Mike & Jasmin. Our personal history is a mixture of adventure, travel, and a keen interest in studying, cultivating, and preserving cannabis and other shamanic healing plants. We have pioneered several unique breeding and seed production methods whose benefits are valued by growers world wide. Our seed bank is co-supervised by Jasmin, a biologist with work experience in the fields of horticulture and agriculture. Both of us not only share our extensive professional experience through creating and distributing the Mandala Seeds genetics, but we also regularly contribute articles on growing and cannabis botany in international publications and our website to promote greater awareness about ecological and effective cultivation methods.

Company philosophy: Back to the roots

The aim of our seed bank is to provide a consistent high level of quality genetics and seeds at a minimal price. We believe in ‘green economics’ - an ideal based on mutual respect for humans and nature. Our business is therefore based on respect, honesty, transparency, and responsibility towards the customer. Capitalism focuses exclusively on the accumulation of wealth and a high profit margin and disregards any effects it’s policies has on society or the planet. It is a system that burns up human and ecological resources and gives very little back. We believe in participating in a natural cycle of growth; a reciprocal system that nurtures all vital sources for present and future generations, instead of depleting them to satisfy personal short-term desires.

To achieve these goals we knew that the company had to be structured and managed in a radically different way from the standard approaches. Much thought is put into how to save costs so that our seed prices remain customer friendly. A lot can be done by restricting so-called ‘overheads’, or business expenses, and by living on a modest income. We combine various money saving tactics to keep the company budget streamlined, even if this means having less media exposure and not taking part in high profile events. Our decision to take the road less traveled has never been a cause of regret and, although the journey began as a rather lonely path, during the years since then many growers world wide began to share it with us through their support and encouragement. Now, as we celebrate our 8th anniversary in 2012, a true grassroots community has sprung up around the Mandala vision and the seed bank symbolizes that you can change a system and light the way to alternative approaches in business and relationships.

Sharing and Caring

The spirit of ganja is the spirit of sharing. Whether you sit down together with friends or strangers, everyone partakes in sharing the pipe of peace that’s passed around. In a “normal” world healing plants such as cannabis would be accepted as the common heritage of humanity and grow freely as a natural part of the ecosystem. Examples of this wise understanding can still be found in the sacred traditions of India and Nepal. But, in contemporary society, cannabis is the object of intense political suppression and economic exploitation. We felt it was high time to remind society that everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of cannabis - a valuable gift of millions of years of evolution. This begins with the basic right that you should be able to afford to grow quality cannabis regardless of your status of income. Our price-quality policy is unique in the cannabis seed industry. The price does not reflect the quality of the product; it reflects our aim to support the cannabis community economically and morally as best possible. It is also part of our contribution to preserving cannabis as a plant species in times of fierce global political & judicial persecution. A worldwide network of cultivators guarantees that cannabis will be preserved for future generations. Generations that will hopefully make wiser decisions about life on this planet!

Revitalizing Genetics

Diversity and vigour is important to preserve the overall health and resistance of plants. In nature only the most adaptable and fittest species survive. Yet these traits have been lost in many modern strains since the 1970’s due to shortsighted commercial interests. At Mandala Seeds it is one of our objectives to revitalize the gene pool by introducing robust strains and varieties that contain the beneficial effects of land race genetics. In addition, our seed bank specializes in a unique seed production method which we pioneered that focuses on quality rather than quantity. The post-production quality control of our seeds is also the highest in the business. Since the introduction of our strains growers world wide have come to appreciate the easy management, fast growth, high yields, and robustness of Mandala plants. You can save time, work, and money by growing a strain that forgives mistakes and can express it’s potential for growth and flowering under basic conditions. We put the fun back into growing!

Ecological foundations: A heart for Mother Earth

As far as we can tell, this is the only planet we have to live on. It’s a precious jewel in a vast galaxy. Everything in our lifestyle influences the delicate fabric of our planet. We should all see ourselves as the gardeners in this Eden. A collective effort to care for Mother Earth, as she so lovingly cares for us, starts with individual and small steps. Long before it became fashionable to discuss CO2 output, we began to realize that there are solutions to pursue our work in a responsible way. We approach our work from an environmentally friendly perspective. Efforts are made to run the business in a manner that has a low impact on nature and saves energy.

For this purpose an alternative energy source is crucial. Over 60% of our projects are powered by the sun. For the remaining requirements all available energy-conserving methods are used such as enhancing light dispersal with efficient reflectors, using energy efficient lamps, maximizing light reflection from the walls, insulation against cold, etc.

An extremely important factor has been our priority to develop energy saving genetics! Our strains are custom-made to perform efficiently at a high level under ecologically friendly conditions. This ensures vigorous growth, for example, under low-light or in soil. Nutrient efficiency in our strains minimizes the need for abundant fertilization. The industrial production of fertilizers is very harmful to the environment - especially in mining minerals. The EC in hydroponic systems can also be significantly decreased in Mandala cultivations, thereby saving costs and reducing harmful salt levels in drainage water. In addition, the genetically enhanced water uptake and water retention capacity of Mandala strains also helps conserve water because less is lost to evaporation and drainage - a particularly important factor for hot & arid outdoor plantations and large-scale hydroponic cultivation.

All breeding projects and seed production is organic using only a minimum of supplementary fertilizing. Old soil and garden waste is composted and recycled. We use a small range of biological pesticides and beneficial predators to treat plants. The main focus however is on pest prevention, for which we use a variety of methods, to control their populations before an infestation takes place. Again, the enhanced genetics of our strains also plays a significant role in nutrient and pest management. Many of these ideas are novel in an industry dominated by artificial fertilizers and pesticides that are meant to somehow force the plants to perform better. This is not unique to the cannabis business, but has simply been adopted from unhealthy practices endemic in modern horticulture and agriculture. We believe that alternative, plant friendly methods can benefit everyone.

Join us in preserving the resources and beauty of our planet!

What are the consequences of running high performance HPS lamps? Are growers guilty of fueling the ecological meltdown? Not if they are taking measures to maximize lumens per watt. Cannabis uses up a great deal of atmospheric CO2 and this balances the effects of energy consumption too. If you are interested in how you can grow responsibly take a look at our hot tips:

Recycle and make your own home compost.

Purchase energy efficient appliances and lamps for the entire house.

Switch to a utilities company that offers energy from alternative sources such as solar or wind power.

Increase luminosity with quality light reflectors; cover walls with mylar.

Use recycling bins for waste. Dispose of used lamps and substrates responsibly.

If you have a garden grow in a greenhouse rather than indoor.

Buy as many grow products as possible from your local area/country and not imported from far away.

Use biological pesticides & yellow stickers (sticky traps). Chemical products pollute the environment, can be harmful to beneficial insects and bees, and they create resistance in pests.

Making use of our energy-efficient genetics:

Grow with 400W lamps instead of 600-1000W.

Switch to 12/12 light cycle after only 3-4 weeks growth.

Use little or no fertilizer on soil - mix it with worm manure and compost instead.

Lower your EC levels in hydroponics (you can go as low as 1.0-1.2 EC) and use waste water for fertilizing your garden.

We walk our talk

A portion of all profits are donated annually to projects that protect the forests and oceans. Mandala Seeds supports the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, and NGO’s in Nepal.