Hydrolife Canada February/March 2017

Currently, RQS products are available
only in Canada and Europe, and everything
is sold through online orders. “The
Internet has opened the door for a much
wider audience to find our seeds, allowing
growers of all skills and knowledge
levels to get hold of them,” Ramsahai
says. “What has really struck us is the
way the global cannabis community
has banded together using the power of
the Internet. Before, people had to rely
on friends, local growers, and trial and
error to learn and grow. The Internet has
created a platform for everyone to share
techniques and ideas, and easily obtain
new genetics to try out.”
The RQS website and Facebook
page are great examples of what
Ramsahai is talking about. The
company receives overwhelmingly
positive feedback from the cannabis
community for helping to share
knowledge about cannabis, as well
as selling its seeds.
Another thing that boosted business
for RQS is its ability to process Bitcoin.
This form of online payment allows its
customers to purchase products with
a digital currency not tied to any one
country. “Bitcoin provides a safe and
secure alternative payment method that
has proven immensely popular, especially
by those concerned about privacy,”
Ramsahai explains. “Once set up,
Bitcoins are extremely easy to use, and
[they] have become the preferred choice
of payment for many of our customers.”
Although the Internet has paved a
path for RQS, legal restrictions and
ambiguous laws remain common
road blocks. The company deals with
them, however, with its ability to
adapt. “If you are not willing to adapt,
then succeeding is very tough,” says
Ramsahai. “Laws are slowly changing
for the better, but it is not a solid
upward trend; you need to be prepared
for the downs just as much as the ups.”
Still, the team at RQS isn’t shying
away from exploring new frontiers as
it sees change coming. “Fortunately,
Spain is at the forefront of European
legalization and moving in the right
direction,” Ramsahai says. “With the
spread of knowledge, cannabis has
become much more widely accepted by
the general populace, especially here
in Spain. It is leading to changes in
cannabis laws, as evidence and reason
overtake fearmongering.”
“It is still early days, but the industry
has become a lot more accessible, with
people moving away from buying off the
WHAT’S ON THE MENU AT RQS
Northern Light • Power Flower • White Widow • Royal Critical Automatic
Amnesia Haze • Blue Mistic • Easy Bud • Northern Light Automatic
Candy Kush Express • Quick One • Honey Cream • Haze Berry
Royal AK Automatic • Stress Killer Automatic • Shining Silver Haze
Fast Eddy Automatic • Royal Automatic • Royal Cookies
Royal Bluematic • Royal Domina • Kali Dog Shirt
black market to growing their own supply
in their backyard. This makes things
safer and more prosperous for everyone.
We are experiencing this change in accessibility
firsthand,” he adds.
Since RQS was founded on a passion
for plants and for growing, the team
wants to help nurture this passion
in hobby growers around the world.
Ramsahai says offering unique, reliable,
and high-quality strains at an affordable
price helps make that possible. “Our
goal is to have something for everyone
while maintaining a strict level of
quality. As we are often looking at ways
to create something new, the selection
process can be quite slow. We won’t
select something for retail sales unless
we are confident that it can perform
time and time again, and not just in the
growroom, but in the joint as well.”
When it comes to the great seeds
versus clones debate, Ramsahai says
there are two main reasons to grow
from seed. First, it allows growers to
experience the various phenotypes of a
strain. “Not all plants of the same name
are the same, so being able to grow a
few allows you to find your favourite,”
he says. Second, plants grown from
seed also tend to have a much betterdeveloped
root base with a tap root,
giving them the potential to flourish
under the right hand. “It is how nature
intended, and how it is strongest,”
Ramsahai asserts.
Still, not all seed companies sell
quality product. That’s why Ramashai
says it is important to do your homework
and rely on the cannabis community
to guide you when looking to purchase
from a seed company. “Check out the
reviews its strains have, awards, grow
reports, and just general opinions. A
seed company with a good reputation
and some tried and trusted genetics will
take a lot of the trial and error out of
growing from seed,” he says.
With cannabis reform on the horizon,
RQS will continue going from strength to
strength, and doesn’t intend on slowing
down. “We are keeping a close eye on
the worldwide legal situation and, with
time, will hopefully expand where we
ship. Where exactly we end up may
largely depend on the global legalization
movement, but trust us when we say that
the breeding won’t stop,” says Ramsahai.
The close-knit team behind RQS also
intends to continue improving its
catalogue and experiment with the
latest genetics, making sure everyone
has access to high-quality cannabis
seeds. “To all the fans of our original
old-school Dutch genetics in Canada
and the USA, we would like to say: Keep
an eye out for original RQS, as we are
coming your way!” says Ramsahai.
For more information relating to RQS,
visit royalqueenseeds.com.
myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. enjoy. 59