as already stated, get the Radio Shack mini-microscope, or at least a 30x magnifying glass, and watch your trichomes to determine harvest window ... there are a couple 'stickies' regarding trichomes, (in the Basic Growing section, if I remember right) ... if a breeder claims 8-9 weeks, anticipate 9 weeks, at best ... 'finish time' is frequently exaggerated ... if the strain claims 8 weeks finishing, that means it will need 8 weeks under 12/12 lighting schedule ... as for soil, use a well-draining soil, avoiding peatmoss, as it is acidic (almost every soil has at least some peat, try to find one with the least) ... add about 20% Perlite to most any soil mix ... and, your original questions weren't out of line ... in fact, although they have been covered elsewhere, they're not all that frequent of a question ... the "where can I buy seeds, and will they ship to the USA?" questions are the worst :wtf: ... those must get asked at least 3-4 times every day, by people too lazy to read ... good luck with your crop ... :jointsmile: